Artificial intelligence has revolutionized industries, transforming how people work, learn, and create. From automating mundane tasks to producing text and images at remarkable speed, AI has reshaped many aspects of daily life. However, as AI systems become more advanced, concerns about their impact on human creativity have intensified.



With the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E, many fear that technology could replace fundamental human abilities. Can AI truly be creative, or is it simply mimicking human ingenuity? 



Researchers at the University of South Australia (<a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UniSA</a>) have explored this complex relationship, shedding light on how AI interacts with human creativity. The findings highlight an essential truth: AI may assist in creative endeavors, but it still relies on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/infants-show-creativity-skills-even-before-they-can-talk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human input</a> to function effectively.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-s-creative-capabilities">AI’s creative capabilities</h2>



AI was designed to enhance efficiency and problem-solving, not to replace human intelligence. Generative AI, which creates text, images, and even music, has gained attention for its ability to produce outputs that appear original and innovative. 



But does this mean AI is truly creative? UniSA researchers examined this question and found that AI does not possess independent creativity. Instead, it functions as an advanced tool that follows <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-power-of-imagination-in-climate-change-adaptation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human</a> instructions.



The study, published in the Creativity Research Journal, confirms that AI lacks original thought and depends entirely on human prompts to generate meaningful content.



This insight has significant implications for the future of work, education, and job security. While AI can assist in creative fields, it does not replace the need for human imagination and decision-making. 



The findings reassure those who fear AI might outcompete human workers, but they also present challenges for educators and business leaders who must adapt to this evolving technology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rise-of-generative-ai">Rise of generative AI</h2>



The widespread use of AI in workplaces and classrooms has created both opportunities and challenges. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT (which generates text) and DALL-E. (which creates images) are transforming how people approach tasks that once required extensive human effort.



Recently, these tools have been joined by DeepSeek, a Chinese-developed AI system that competes with Western counterparts.



These technologies offer convenience and speed, enabling professionals to generate content in seconds. However, their rise has sparked debates about whether AI is a threat to traditional creative skills. 



Educators worry about students relying too heavily on AI-generated content, while businesses struggle to integrate AI without diminishing human input.



Professor David Cropley, a leading researcher at UniSA, emphasizes that understanding AI’s role is crucial for successful adoption.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-as-a-partner">AI as a partner</h2>



"The future of work suggests that machines - AI, automation, and robots - will take over routine, algorithmic, predictable tasks, freeing up people to focus on unpredictable, non-algorithmic, and creative work," said Professor Cropley.



"However, if AI is capable of creativity, then this premise breaks down, and the future of work for humans is far less certain."



His research explores how AI and humans interact, emphasizing that AI is not a replacement for human creativity but a tool that enhances it.



"It's easy to understand through an example: if I prompt an AI art program like DALL-E 2 to 'produce an oil painting in the style of da Vinci's Mona Lisa, showing a young woman scrolling through her mobile phone and looking bored,' it will create a picture, and does a good job of satisfying that prompt," said Professor Cropley.



"But this does not mean that the AI is creative. Yes, the resulting picture is novel and effective, but it's not because AI had any special ability, but because I produced a creative prompt. The only thing the AI really did was save me the trouble of learning how to paint."



This example highlights AI’s dependence on human guidance. While the technology can generate impressive results, it does not originate creative ideas on its own. Instead, it follows instructions and processes data based on patterns learned from human-generated content.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-adoption-in-the-workplace">AI adoption in the workplace</h2>



AI usage is rapidly increasing across industries, with many professionals incorporating it into their daily tasks. 



In Australia, nearly 40% of employees now use generative AI at work, and one in five has doubled their usage over the past year. Despite this growing reliance, only 20% of employees believe their organizations are fully utilizing AI’s potential.



This suggests a gap between AI’s capabilities and how it is being applied in real-world settings. While AI can handle repetitive tasks <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-intelligence-boosts-creativity-but-reduces-variety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">efficiently</a>, businesses must determine how to integrate it without diminishing human roles. The challenge lies in balancing automation with the need for human-driven decision-making.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-enhancing-human-skills">Enhancing human skills</h2>



Dr. Rebecca Marrone, a researcher at UniSA, argues that more studies are needed to explore how AI can enhance rather than replace human skills.



"A few years back there were wild claims that AI was truly creative and could rival the best human skills. But we're starting to see a more moderate and reasoned point of view," said Dr. Marrone.



She acknowledges AI’s strengths but also points out its limitations. While AI excels at processing large amounts of data quickly, it does not have independent thought or emotions. This distinction is crucial in fields that require innovation, intuition, and complex problem-solving.



"AI's strengths lie in speeding up information-gathering and evaluating ideas based on predefined criteria. It swiftly handles routine and data-intensive tasks, and this lets people engage more deeply with creative processes," noted Dr. Marrone.



"There's no doubt that generative AI is very impressive, but whatever you generate - and the key word here is 'you'- it's dependent on what you tell the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/where-does-creativity-start-in-the-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI</a> to deliver."



"AI does not operate independently; it's literally prompted by a person, and we need to remember that."



Her statement reinforces the idea that AI should be seen as a tool, not a replacement for human expertise. While it can enhance productivity and efficiency, it still requires human guidance to produce meaningful and valuable outcomes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moving-forward-with-ai-and-creativity">Moving forward with AI and creativity</h2>



The debate over AI and creativity will continue as technology advances. Businesses, educators, and individuals must adopt a balanced approach that recognizes both AI’s strengths and its limitations.



Instead of fearing AI’s impact on human creativity, people should focus on using it as a complement to their skills.



As AI continues to evolve, collaboration between technology and human ingenuity will shape the future. Understanding how to integrate AI responsibly will determine whether it becomes a valuable asset or a disruptive force. 



The key lies in maintaining <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/creativity-improves-life-satisfaction-and-overall-well-being/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human creativity</a> at the center of innovation, using AI as a tool to enhance rather than replace human potential.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10400419.2024.2378264" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Creativity Research Journal</a>. 



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AI does not replace human creativity, but enhances it

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized industries, transforming how people work, learn, and create. From automating mundane tasks to producing text and images at remarkable speed, AI has reshaped many aspects of daily life. However, as AI systems become more advanced, concerns about their impact on human creativity have intensified. With the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E, many fear that technology could replace fundamental human abilities. Can AI truly be creative, or is it simply mimicking human ingenuity? Researchers at the University of South Australia...

In May 2021, the Biden administration formally released its “30×30” plan in a report called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/report-conserving-and-restoring-america-the-beautiful-2021.pdf">“Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful,</a>” pressing national governments to ensure that at least 30 percent of their land masses remain protected from development by 2030. The even more ambitious “<a href="https://natureneedshalf.org/">Nature Needs Half</a>” initiative advocates stopping the destruction of natural habitats before the ratio falls below 50 percent (which is unfortunately already too late for many countries).



In order to assess how does the United States fare in relation to these goals, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.numbersusa.org/">NumbersUSA Education and Research Foundation</a> has now released an extended <a href="https://sprawlusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NatlSprawl.pdf">report</a> examining the powerful counterforce of urban sprawl - the amount of rural land lost to development - in the U.S. The researchers found that, although the rapacious rate of natural habitat destruction of the 1980s and 1990s has slowed considerably during recent decades, around 17,800 square miles of natural and agricultural land were still converted into developed land for residential, industrial, commercial, transportation, and other purposes between 2002 and 2017.



The study revealed that, while 67 percent (11,950 square miles) of rural land loss was related to population growth, the remaining 33 percent (5,850 square miles) was caused by several other factors which increased the average amount of developed land per person, such as the construction of new shopping malls, streets, highways, parking lots, schools, waste treatment facilities, government buildings, or places of employment, education, or worship.&nbsp;



Although in the United States almost all government efforts to combat urban sprawl have focused on strategies seeking to create denser settlements by changing land use practices, the current study argues that such approaches will have limited success in saving rural land from development because they fail to take into account the key major cause of sprawl: population growth (which, according to the study authors, is mainly driven recently by the increasing number of immigrants coming to the United States).&nbsp;



“If the United States intends to address climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, etc., it must consider how its population affects each issue,” said Joseph Chaimie, the former director of the <a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/">United Nations Population Division</a>. “Gradually stabilizing America’s population will provide an exemplary model for other countries to emulate. Rather than racing to increase the size of their respective populations in a world with eight billion humans and growing, nations would see America moving away from an unsustainable demographic strategy.”



Whether immigration should be considered or not the main culprit behind population growth remains a hotly debated issues. However, finding ways of stabilizing the American population will indeed be necessary to stop further habitat loss that could endanger a vast number of ecosystems.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

"Nature needs half" but natural habitats are vanishing

In May 2021, the Biden administration formally released its “30×30”...

Many studies have shown us that walking provides physical and mental benefits. Yet, new research from the <a href="https://le.ac.uk/">University of Leicester</a> sought to determine if pace made a difference in health outcomes. Indeed, the study shows us that there is a link between how fast we walk and our biological <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-satisfaction-increases-with-age-thanks-to-oxytocin/">age</a>.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed 405,981 UK biobank genetic samples and found that people who walked faster had longer telomeres, which are used to determine biological age. This is because cells with shorter telomeres are correlated with frailty and age-related diseases.&nbsp;



The experts used self-reported data, as well as data from wearable activity trackers, to determine the participants' walking speeds.&nbsp;



Based on the results, the researchers estimate that a lifetime of brisk walking could decrease an individual’s biological age by as much as 16 years by midlife.



"This research uses genetic data to provide stronger evidence for a causal link between faster walking pace and longer telomere length," said study lead author Dr. Paddy Dempsey.



"Data from wrist-worn wearable activity tracking devices used to measure habitual physical activity also supported a stronger role of habitual activity intensity (e.g. faster walking) in relation to telomere length.”



The research is vital because it helps inform the general population and health officials on who may be more at risk.



"This suggests measures such as a habitually slower walking speed are a simple way of identifying people at greater risk of chronic disease or unhealthy ageing, and that activity intensity may play an important role in optimising interventions," explained Dr. Dempsey.



Previous research has indicated that those who walk briskly for at least 10 minutes a day live longer, but this study is the first of its kind to reveal a specific marker - telomere length - associated with walking faster. This may ultimately help encourage healthy lifestyle changes.&nbsp;



"For example, in addition to increasing overall walking, those who are able could aim to increase the number of steps completed in a given time (e.g. by walking faster to the bus stop). However, this requires further investigation," concluded Dr. Dempsey.



This study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/commsbio/">Communications Biology</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Brisk walking may reduce biological age by more than a decade

Many studies have shown us that walking provides physical and...

On April 19, 2022, the multinational technology company <a href="https://www.apple.com/">Apple</a> released its annual <a href="https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2022.pdf">Environmental Progress Report</a>, in which they highlighted the increased use of recycled content across their products. According to this report, nearly 20 percent of all materials used in Apple products in 2021 was recycled, making Apple the world’s most sustainable corporation.



The company also announced its newest technological innovation, Taz, a recycling machine which utilizes new shredder-like technology to separate magnets from audio modules and thus recover more rare earth elements. The use of Taz, together with that of the recycling robot Daisy, has helped Apple make significant progress in the recycling of older materials. In 2021, 59 percent of all the aluminum used in Apple’s products came from recycled sources, with many products featuring up to 100 percent recycled aluminum. Moreover, since 2015, Apple has also reduced plastics from its packaging by 75 percent, making major progresses toward the company’s goal to completely eliminate packaging plastics by 2025.&nbsp;



In 2021, Apple products included 45 percent certified recycled rare earth elements, 30 percent recycled tin, and 13 percent recycled cobalt. Moreover, for the first time in the company’s history, they used recycled gold in the plating of the main logic board and wire in the front and rear cameras of products such as iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro.



Recovering more materials for use in future products will significantly help reduce mining. For instance, from just one metric ton of iPhone components disassembled by Apple’s recycling robots, engineers can recover the amount of gold and copper typically extracted from 2,000 metric tons of mined rocks. Moreover, the company is also committed to extending the lifetime of their products through refurbishment, which will also significantly reduce the need for future mining.



“As people around the world join in celebrating Earth Day, we are making real progress in our work to address the climate crisis and to one day make our products without taking anything from the earth,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “Our rapid pace of innovation is already helping our teams use today’s products to build tomorrow’s, and as our global supply chain transitions to clean power, we are charting a path for other companies to follow.”



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Apple is ramping up its recycling efforts

On April 19, 2022, the multinational technology company Apple released...

On April 22nd, the world celebrates <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-day-2022-new-investments-in-our-planet-urgently-needed/">Earth Day</a>. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of protecting the environment through global actions that have one shared goal: to save our planet.



This year, more than ever before, we have been warned by the world’s climate scientists that time is running out to protect our world from environmental catastrophe. Some of the most dire findings include:



<ul><li>The temperature on Earth will rise by 2.7°C this century, even if we meet our 2030 climate targets, affecting food supplies, ecosystems, and livelihoods.</li><li>Every year, almost two million children under the age of five die from environmental factors like pollution.&nbsp;</li><li>One in three people do not have access to safe drinking water. And things are only getting worse.&nbsp;</li></ul>



The European Union, through its European Green Deal, is fighting climate change with ambitious policies and cooperation with international partners.&nbsp;



This year, the <a href="https://www.eeas.europa.eu/_en">European External Action Service</a> has organized a call to action through a global campaign to raise awareness by creating a virtual heartbeat of our Planet Earth. Every generated beat is merged with the original in order to create the sound of Earth.



To take part in this campaign, follow these simple steps:



<ol><li>Turn any noise into a heartbeat: clap your hands, tap a beat, use your voice…</li><li>Record a video of your sound on your smartphone.</li><li>Share it on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #BeTheWave.</li><li>And don’t forget to tag @eudiplomacy, @eu_eeas and European External Action Service - EEAS.</li><li>Then listen to the Earth’s heartbeat getting louder and stronger as people around the world share their sounds to stand up for the environment, to keep the Earth alive.</li></ol>



Our Earth is calling.



Only together can we protect the earth, keep its heart beating, and our home alive.&nbsp;



#BeTheWave on Earth Day! Check out <a href="http://www.earthcalling.eu/">www.earthcalling.eu</a> and get inspired by everything that we can achieve together!



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

For Earth Day, let's make our planet's heartbeat louder

On April 22nd, the world celebrates Earth Day. This is...

A new computer modeling study led by the <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</a> at the University of California, San Diego has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-atmosphere-is-expanding-due-to-climate-change/">climate change</a> is altering the mechanics of surface ocean circulations, making the currents become thinner and faster. Such changes can have a major impact, affecting the transport of nutrients that marine organisms need, as well as the microorganisms themselves. In addition, swifter currents could also influence the processes by which the oceans remove heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and protect our planet from excessive warming.



“We were surprised to see that surface currents speed up in more than three-fourths of the world’s oceans when we heated the ocean surface,” said study lead author Qihua Peng, a postdoctoral researcher in Physical Oceanography at the Scripps Institution.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Although previous studies have identified wind as the main factor predicting the speed of ocean currents, these new findings reveal that increases in sea surface temperatures also play a crucial role in this process. 



According to Dr. Peng and his colleagues, warming makes the topmost layers of water become lighter. This rise in density difference between the warm surface layers and the colder water beneath limits the swift surface ocean currents to a thinner layer, causing them to speed up in over three-fourths of the world’s oceans. This increased speed of rotating currents (known as gyres) was associated with a slowdown of current circulation underneath.



The dynamics of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (the largest in the world in terms of volume transport) provide clear evidence for this hypothesis. As shown by a 2021 study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01212-5">Nature Climate Change</a>, this current is speeding up. “The accelerating Antarctic Circumpolar Current is exactly what our model predicts as climate warms,” said Shang-Ping Xie, a climate modeler at Scripps and co-author of the present study.



Since these trends are directly correlated with the ever-increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, urgent measures are needed to mitigate emissions in order to protect the various marine ecosystems that are threatened by changes in currents circulation.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abj8394">Science Advances</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rising surface temperatures are speeding up ocean currents

A new computer modeling study led by the Scripps Institution...

Black,Carrion,Crow,(corvus,Corone),Perched,On,Mossy,Log,And

Crows and ravens are intelligent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-and-bats-are-eating-midge-flies-that-contain-pesticides/">birds</a> that use tools, solve complex problems and are known for their vocal “caw” sounds.&nbsp;



What is less well appreciated is their diversity and ability to live all over the world in a variety of habitats. They are one of the most widespread groups of birds worldwide. This is because crows and ravens - part of the avian family of Corvids - underwent rapid global expansion, unlike other birds that stayed within single continents.



Their planetary exploration is largely due to their great flying ability, which allows them to access new places more easily.&nbsp;



New research also shows that their big bodies and brains played an important role in surviving in the new climates they occupied.



“When we think about processes of global diversification, it is important to consider not just the ability to reach new places, but also the ability to survive once you get there. Our work suggests that crows and the ravens diversified both quickly and widely because they were particularly good at coping with different habitats,” said Carlos Botero, assistant professor of biology in Arts &amp; Sciences at <a href="https://wustl.edu/">Washington University in St. Louis</a>.



The researchers show that the birds’ ability to rapidly expand and diversify across the planet was driven by a combination of traits. Using specimens housed in museums, the scientists found that these birds have longer wing lengths, bigger body sizes and bigger relative brain sizes compared with other Corvids.



“We hypothesize that these three very convenient combinations of traits are what allowed this group of birds to colonize and diversify across the world,” said study first author Joan Garcia-Porta.



<h2 id="h-three-convenient-traits">Three convenient traits:</h2>



<ol><li>Longer wings gave crows and ravens higher flying capacities, which allowed the birds to travel across the world.&nbsp;</li><li>Big brains suggest that ancestral crows and ravens were behaviorally flexible. They were smarter than other Corvids and able to figure out how to live in a new environment and increase their chances of survival.&nbsp;</li><li>Bigger body size gave crows and ravens a competitive advantage over smaller species, helping them establish in a new place.</li></ol>



“We are excited with these new insights on how these birds were able to do things that even close relatives did not,” said Professor Botero. “It truly seems that their incredible behavioral flexibility may have played a major role in allowing these birds to survive initial periods of maladaptation and hang in there long enough for selection to catch up and produce a range of new species in the process.”



Traveling across the world required crows and ravens to adapt to many different environments and resulted in high rates of evolution and speciation. This is because arriving in a new environment comes with exposure to selective pressures. For example, living in the cold Arctic after moving from a tropical rainforest likely required very different strategies.



“These new environments often favor tweaks to an organism’s phenotype that facilitate survival and overall performance. That process is often known as optimizing selection,” said Professor Botero.



This caused crows and ravens to acquire new beak shapes that did not exist in any other Corvid, increasing beak shape variation in the Corvidae family. The scientists also found that the birds increased body size variation as they colonized new environments.



“Thanks to these amazing birds, we now understand a bit more the processes by which animals rapidly expand across the planet and how this geographic expansion translates to the production of new species with new morphologies.” Concluded Garcia-Porta.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Big brains and bodies helped crows expand across the globe

Crows and ravens are intelligent birds that use tools, solve...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</a> has found the U-shaped relationship between diet and size in modern land <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-mammals-bulked-up-to-deal-with-drastic-changes/">mammals</a> spans at least 66 million years across a range of vertebrate animal groups and ecosystems.



Decades ago, ecologists realized that graphing the diet-size relationship of terrestrial mammals on a plant-to-protein gradient yields a U-shaped curve. For example, the plant-eating herbivores on the far left of the U-curve and meat-eating carnivores on the far right grow larger in size than those of the all-consuming omnivores and the invertebrate-feasting invertivores in the middle.



However, key features of past and present ecosystems are being disrupted by human-caused extinctions of the largest herbivores and carnivores. The study reveals that this comes with unpredictable consequences.



“We’re not sure what’s going to happen, because this hasn’t happened before,” said study co-author Will Gearty. “But because the systems have been in what seems to be a very steady state for a very long time, it’s concerning what might happen when they leave that state.”



The evolutionary history of a species can be told through the influences of diet and size. This is because diet influences energy consumption, which drives growth and development. Size can also limit the food available to a species, “you can be as big as your food will allow you to be,” Gearty said. “At the same time, you’re often as big as you need to be to catch and process your food. So there’s an evolutionary interplay there.”



The plant-based diet of herbivores is relatively poor in nutrition, they often grow large to cover more ground to forage more food. Herbivores often have long, complex digestive tracts to extract maximum nutrients from what they eat. Carnivores, on the other hand, must grow large to take down those herbivores. For omnivores, their selection of food is vast, their high energy demands require a diet of nuts, insects and other small, energy-dense foods. Lastly, invertivores enjoy mostly protein-rich prey, but are in stiff competition with many other invertivores, leading these species to be the smallest of all.



The U-shaped pattern was also found in land mammals, birds and salt water fish in biomes like forests, grasslands, deserts, or the tropical Atlantic Ocean and even the North Pacific.



“Showing that this exists across all these different groups does suggest that it is something fundamental about how vertebrates acquire energy, how they interact with one another, and how they coexist,” said co-author Kate Lyons.



The researchers were also interested in how long the U-curve may have endured. Fossil records from 5,427 mammal species were analyzed. Some dating back as far back as the Early Cretaceous Period of 145 to 100 million years ago. By doing so, the team conducted the most extensive study of the evolution of body, size and diet in mammals over time.



This revealed that the U-curve stretches back at least 66 million years, after the dinosaur extinction. “We suspect that it’s actually existed since the inception of mammals as a group.” said Gearty.



Next, the team wanted to understand the U-shape presence in the future. They found that the median sizes of herbivores and omnivores have decreased 100 times since the emergence of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens over the past few hundred thousand years. The size of carnivores has also dropped by 10 times in that same span. The U-curve that has persisted for 66 millions of years has begun to flatten.&nbsp;



This led to the team projecting a 50 percent chance that large and medium mammals such as the tiger and rhinoceros will go extinct within the next 200 years. These mammals all have one thing in common - their only predators are human.&nbsp;



The predicted extinctions would further exacerbate the disruption of the U-curve - the loss of large herbivores could trigger or accelerate the loss of the large carnivores that prey on them.



“That could perhaps have fundamental repercussions for the environment and ecosystem as a whole.” said Gearty.



“You keep seeing, in ecological literature, people speculating about how ecosystems are less stable now, and less resilient, and more prone to collapse,” said Lyons. “I think this is just another line of evidence suggesting that that may indeed be the case in the future.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans have disrupted 66 million years of ecosystem stability

A new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has found...

Oxytocin is a hormone that has effects on many organs in the body. It is secreted into the bloodstream by the pituitary gland and travels around the body to these target organs. In the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-has-an-alert-system-to-shut-down-unwanted-memories/">brain</a>, oxytocin acts as a chemical messenger and has an important role in many human behaviors. In particular, it has been shown to influence levels of trust, altruism, charity, and generosity.



A new study, conducted by scientists from Claremont Graduate University and the University of Southern California set out to investigate whether the release of oxytocin changed with age, as is found with some other neurochemicals that influence feelings and behaviors.&nbsp;



“We have previously shown a link between how kind and generous people are, known as prosocial behaviors, and the release of oxytocin,” said Dr Paul J Zak of Claremont Graduate University. “Seniors spend more time volunteering and donate a larger proportion of their income to charity than do younger people, so we wanted to see if there was a neurochemical basis for these behaviors.”



The researchers examined the release of oxytocin in 103 participants aged between 18 and 99, and its relationship to prosocial behaviors. Blood samples were taken from participants before and after they watched a video about a little boy with cancer; this video had previously been shown to induce oxytocin release in the brain.&nbsp;



“Participants had the option to donate some of their earnings from the study to a childhood cancer charity, and this was used to measure their immediate prosocial behavior. We also collected data on their emotional states, to provide information on their overall satisfaction with life,” explained Zak.



The results of the research, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience">Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience</a>, showed that the release of oxytocin following the video was related to the age of the participant. Older participants released significantly more oxytocin and they also donated more to the charity than did younger participants. Older participants also reported being involved in many other helping activities and being overall more satisfied with their lives.&nbsp;



“Participants in our study who released the most oxytocin were more generous to charity when given the opportunity and performed many other helping behaviors. The change in oxytocin was also positively related to participants' empathy, religious participation, and gratitude,” said Dr. Zak, who is first author on the publication.



The conclusion of the study is that a sense of life satisfaction is linked to the chemistry of our brains. As we grow older, we produce more of the hormone oxytocin, which encourages us to be kinder and more caring to others. The more we help others, the more satisfied we feel with our lives. These findings are consistent with many religious philosophies, where satisfaction with one's life is enhanced by helping others.



The finding that helping behaviors improve the quality of life is consistent with many faith traditions and philosophies. Serving others appears to prime the brain to release more oxytocin in a positive feedback loop of increased empathy and gratitude.



Dr. Zak would like to repeat this study in a more ethnically and geographically diverse sample of people to see if the findings hold for different cultures.



“We would also like to conduct a longer-term measurement of neurophysiology using non-invasive wearable technologies to see what specific activities raise people's satisfaction with life,” he concluded.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Life satisfaction increases with age thanks to oxytocin

Oxytocin is a hormone that has effects on many organs...

A recent study led by the <a href="https://www.pitt.edu/">University of Pittsburgh</a> has found that the microbes in animals’ guts influence what they choose to eat, by creating substances that prompt cravings for different kinds of foods. Although the hypothesis that the gut microbiome may influence animal dietary preferences has been speculated for years, this is the first study to explicitly test it in a laboratory setting in animals larger than a fruit fly.



The scientists gave 30 mice that lacked gut microbes a cocktail of microorganisms collected from three species of wild rodents with highly different natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-with-vegan-diets-may-have-better-health-outcomes/">diets</a>. They found that mice in each group chose food containing different nutrients, thus proving that the composition of their gut microbiome influenced their preferred diet.



“We all have those urges - like if you ever just felt like you need to eat a salad or you really need to eat meat,” said&nbsp;study co-author Kevin Kohl,&nbsp;an assistant professor of Biology at Pittsburgh. “Our work shows that animals with different compositions of gut microbes choose different kinds of diets.”



Since in mammals the gut and the brain are in constant conversation, certain kinds of molecules act as intermediaries. These by-products of digestion signal to the brain that the animal has eaten enough, or that they might need different types of nutrients. However, this new study shows that microbes in the gut are often producing the same molecules, potentially hijacking the line of communication between gut and brain, and changing the meaning of the circulating chemical messages in order to benefit themselves.



One messenger molecule discovered to play a fundamental role in this process is tryptophan. “Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that’s common in turkey but is also produced by gut microbes. When it makes its way to the brain, it’s transformed into serotonin, which is a signal that’s important for feeling satiated after a meal,” explained study lead author Brian Trevelline, a postdoctoral fellow at <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>. “Eventually that gets converted into melatonin, and then you feel sleepy.”



The experiments performed on mice revealed that those with different microbiomes had different levels of tryptophan in their blood, even before given the option to choose a diet. Moreover, those with higher levels of tryptophan in their blood also had more bacteria that could produce it in their gut.



While tryptophan may play a fundamental role in gut-brain communication, it is just one thread in a complicated web of chemicals. “There are likely dozens of signals that are influencing feeding behavior on a day-to-day basis. Tryptophan produced by microbes could just be one aspect of that,” said Dr. Trevelline.



Further research is needed to clarify and analyze the complex role that microbes play in human and animal biology, and to assess their importance in determining dietary preferences.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2117537119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Food cravings linked to microbial activity in the gut

A recent study led by the University of Pittsburgh has...

We all know the potential consequences of including too much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/for-some-greenlanders-eating-sugar-has-health-benefits/">sugar</a> in our diets – higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes and fatty liver disease. In addition, all these conditions are linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Eating a high-sugar diet, in spite of these potential hazards, is a personal choice but it seems that people cannot resist feeding wildlife with snacks from their lunch packs and this may well expose vulnerable species to the same sort of health risks.



“A prolonged high-sugar diet can ‘exhaust’ the ability to regulate blood glucose,” explained Susannah French from Utah State University. “Catalina Monzon-Arguello and colleagues discovered in 2018 that juvenile green sea turtles in the Canary Islands have high fat and cholesterol levels in their blood as a result of being fed by tourists."



Endangered rock iguanas on the Exuma Islands in the northern Bahamas are also attractions for visiting ecotourists, who feed them with items such as grapes in order to interact more closely with them. French, along with Dale Denardo (Arizona State University), and northern Bahamian iguana expert Charles Knapp (John G. Shedd Aquarium), wondered whether these iguana populations would also show physiological evidence of being fed sugar-charged items not usually present in their diet.



In the initial stage of their research, the scientists tested the impact of added dietary sugar on the blood glucose levels of captive iguanas in the laboratory.&nbsp;



“We chose to study the more common green iguana in the lab, because rock iguanas are critically endangered,” said French, who supplemented the iguanas’ usual meals of "Tortoise Diet" and greens with either a high (5g/kg) or low (2.5g/kg) glucose drink.



“The low dose provides glucose in an amount similar to that found in consumed grapes,” said Denardo.&nbsp;



Then, after 17&nbsp;days, each iguana was given an intermediate strength glucose drink (3.75g/kg) and its blood glucose levels were monitored over the following two days. As expected, the reptiles’ glucose levels peaked three hours after consuming the sugar, but those iguanas that had previously been fed the high glucose diet had the most difficulty bringing their blood sugar levels under control. Glucose in their blood reached a concentration of ~520mg/dl, in contrast to iguanas that had been fed Tortoise Diet and greens alone, whose levels peaked at only ~420mg/dl.&nbsp;



The researchers interpreted the iguanas’ hyperglycaemia as evidence that a high glucose diet impacts the captive iguanas’ ability to regulate their blood glucose levels after a meal. This is a symptom typical of people who suffer from type 2 diabetes.



In the second part of the study, French, Denardo, Knapp and colleagues from various US institutions traveled to the remote Exuma Islands to measure the blood glucose levels of the rock iguanas in situ.&nbsp;



“When we pull up onto picturesque sandy beaches on the tourist islands, the sound of the boat motors draws the iguanas down, but landing on the islands where tourists do not travel requires carefully timing your jump from the boat,” said French.&nbsp;



The researchers carefully captured 24 iguanas from islands frequently visited by tourists and another 24 from islands that are too rugged for tourists to access. Each iguana was fed a glucose drink and its blood sugar levels were monitored for the best part of a day.&nbsp;



The results, published today in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>, are cause for great concern, say the scientists. The iguanas from one island where they are fed frequently by tourists experienced the highest glucose peak ~570mg/dl after five hours, and the levels were still high eight hours later. Iguanas from another island on the tourist route had a less extreme response, showing glucose levels of ~505mg/dl five hours after receiving the glucose drink.&nbsp;



By contrast, the blood sugar levels of the iguanas from the islands that rarely see tourists were much lower, peaking at ~450mg/dl. Blood glucose concentrations in these iguanas also increased at a slower rate and returned to normal more quickly.



It is clear to the researchers that feeding the wild iguanas on the Exuma Islands is impacting their ability to regulate their blood glucose levels and keep them under control. Whether this will lead to a deterioration in the health of the animals is not yet known.&nbsp;



“If these were humans, we would be talking about diabetes, however, it is not yet clear what the health implications are here. That is something we are continuing to work on,” said French.



“The opportunity to develop extraordinary connections with wildlife through tourism can lead to compassion and conservation, but we need to work towards a future where animals and the livelihoods of people who rely on them are safeguarded,” said Knapp. “While we continue to expand our understanding of how tourism affects these endangered iguanas, we hope that our research will guide science-based recommendations for sustainable wildlife activities.”



---



By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Excess sugar is toxic to rock iguanas on remote islands

We all know the potential consequences of including too much...

Portrait,Of,Two,Friends,Using,Mobile,Phone,And,Listening,To

Opioid-related deaths grew fivefold in Ontario, Canada from 2003 to 2020, and the impacts moved toward younger people. A new study published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0265509">PLOS ONE</a> showed that opioid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-and-the-flu-can-increase-severe-risks-including-death/">deaths</a> peak in people in their mid-thirties.&nbsp;



Opioids and opioid related deaths are increasing problems in North America. The new study gives more information for helping to tailor government response and intervention to the ongoing crisis.&nbsp;



From 2003 to 2020, there were 11,633 opioid-related deaths in Ontario, according to coroner’s office data collected for the study. These deaths were all of people aged 15 to 69. Overall, 72 percent of the deaths in the study period were of males, and 82 percent of the deaths were accidental.&nbsp;



During the study period, the death rate grew substantially, increasing five times from what it was at the beginning. Cases among males and females grew substantially, along with the proportion of younger people impacted.&nbsp;



The analysis shows that in 2003, the majority of deaths occured around the age of 44. By 2020, the majority of deaths seemed to fall around the age of 35 for males. The trend was parallelled in females.&nbsp;



The researchers suspect that the age of those dying from opioids will continue to drop, making outreach to younger people even more important. “Opioid-related mortality has been rising in Ontario, Canada since 2003, and after a brief decline in part of 2019, the upward trend resumed in the 2020 COVID-19 era," said the researchers.



"Using a novel Bayesian model and high-frequency data from the coroner's office, we show that the age distribution of opioid-related mortality has shifted gradually over 18 years from being highest among the 45 to 54-year age group, to being highest among the 25 to 44-year age group.”



"This analysis may inform a refocusing of public health strategy for reducing rising rates of opioid-related mortality, including effectively reaching both older and younger males, as well as young females, with health and social supports such as treatment and harm reduction measures."



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Opioid-related deaths are on the rise among young people

Opioid-related deaths grew fivefold in Ontario, Canada from 2003 to...

In a new study, experts surveyed veterinarians in the United States and Canada to determine the number of cases of cannabis poisoning in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-are-less-likely-to-see-farm-animals-as-just-food/">animals</a>. The results suggest that the incidence of cannabis poisoning among pets is on the rise.&nbsp;



The research was carried out by Richard Quansah Amissah of the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph and colleagues.



Previous evidence suggests that cases of pets being poisoned by cannabis are increasing, yet little was actually known about the true extent of this phenomenon. To investigate, the researchers asked 251 veterinarians based in Canada or the United States some questions during 2021. The questions were designed to elucidate how cannabis poisoning has changed over the last few years.&nbsp;&nbsp;



After analyzing the survey results, the researchers concluded that cannabis poisoning has increased significantly both in the US and Canada, particularly since the 2018 legalization in Canada. This could mean that the cases were more likely to be reported after legalization, or that more poisoning cases were actually occurring, according to the researchers.



Unintended consumption of cannabis was the leading cause of poisoning cases, but it remains unclear whether the cannabis was sometimes purchased for medicinal use in animals. The most common animals who suffered from cannabis poisoning were dogs, but there were also cases involving cats, iguanas, ferrets, cockatoos and horses.&nbsp;



Most of the animals fully recovered. A small percentage of pets died, but there were underlying factors that possibly contributed to their deaths. While the danger is small, it is still very real, making the research all that much more important.



“This is an important topic to study in the light of recent legalization of cannabis in Canada and across multiple states," said the researchers.



"In order to understand the mechanisms underlying cannabis-induced toxicosis in pets, and to develop treatments for it, we need to first understand what it looks like; this is what we had hoped to accomplish with this survey, and believe that these findings will help us get a better handle on this under-studied topic.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cannabis poisoning in pets is on the rise

In a new study, experts surveyed veterinarians in the United...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Editor



Check us out on <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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