Pregnancy is a time when many expectant mothers seek ways to manage discomfort and stress. With growing interest in natural remedies, cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from cannabis, has gained popularity as a perceived safe option for nausea, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. 



Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, CBD does not produce a high, leading many to assume it poses little to no risk during pregnancy.



Despite this perception, scientific research on the effects of CBD during pregnancy remains limited. Many previous studies have focused on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-use-impacts-working-memory-and-brain-function/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis smoke</a> or THC exposure, leaving CBD largely unexplored. 



A new study from <a href="https://www.mcmaster.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">McMaster University</a> challenges these assumptions, revealing concerning links between CBD use and fetal development issues. These findings suggest that CBD, often considered harmless, may have unexpected consequences for both mother and child.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-potential-risks-of-cbd-in-pregnancy">Potential risks of CBD in pregnancy</h2>



A team of researchers at McMaster University investigated the effects of cannabis use during pregnancy, specifically focusing on both CBD and THC. 



The findings, published in eBioMedicine, highlight the potential dangers of oral cannabis consumption from early to mid-pregnancy. 



The study revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-use-during-pregnancy-rewires-the-fetal-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis exposure</a> was associated with impaired fetal growth, changes in the placenta, and behavioral alterations in offspring.



Tyrah Ritchie led the study while completing her master’s degree in the Medical Sciences program at McMaster University.



“The use of cannabis during pregnancy is rising in Canada. Most previous studies focus on exposure to cannabis smoke or just the psychoactive component of cannabis (THC), leaving other cannabis ingredients and methods of consumption understudied," noted Ritchie.



"However, consuming cannabis orally or only using other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-potency-cannabis-use-linked-to-epigenetic-changes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis</a> ingredients like CBD, is often perceived as safer despite this lack of evidence. Our study is shedding light that there's a possibility that CBD might also be harmful in the pregnancy.”



The study challenges the belief that CBD is a safe alternative to THC during pregnancy. While THC has long been linked to developmental concerns, this research suggests that CBD may also have unintended effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fetal-growth-and-placental-development">Fetal growth and placental development</h2>



The researchers examined how THC and CBD affect fetal development by administering cannabis oil to pregnant mice. 



Their observations revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-and-hallucinogen-use-are-at-historically-high-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis exposure</a> resulted in smaller fetuses compared to those in the control group. This suggests that cannabis compounds may interfere with normal growth, leading to intrauterine growth restriction.



In addition to reduced fetal size, the study found that cannabis impacted the development of blood vessels that supply nutrients to the placenta. 



The placenta plays a crucial role in providing oxygen and nutrients to the developing baby, and any disruption in this process could have serious consequences.



“We did see that both THC and CBD can disrupt a special type of immune cell called a Uterine NK Cell that is crucial in normal development of the placenta," said Ali Ashkar, professor in McMaster’s Department of Medicine and co-leader of the study.



"We also saw poor development of the arteries that help supply blood to the placenta. We're thinking this is what is possibly disrupting the nutrient and oxygen delivery to the baby and contributing to the intrauterine grow restriction.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pregnancy-cbd-and-offspring">Pregnancy, CBD, and offspring</h2>



Beyond physical growth, the study also examined how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chemical-found-in-cannabis-plants-can-actually-reduce-cannabis-induced-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis exposure</a> affects offspring behavior. Researchers monitored the behavior of the mice after birth and discovered changes in aggression, activity levels, and learning ability. 



These findings suggest that exposure to cannabis during pregnancy could have lasting neurological effects on the offspring.



“Oral use of THC and CBD during the pregnancy not only disrupts growth of the baby but seems to have long-term consequences as the babies were found to have changes in their behaviour later in life,” said Ritchie.



Behavioral changes in offspring highlight the possibility of cognitive and emotional challenges that may persist into adulthood. 



The exact mechanisms behind these effects remain unclear, but the findings raise concerns about how cannabis interacts with the developing brain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-for-further-investigation">Need for further investigation</h2>



While this study provides critical insights, researchers emphasize the need for further investigation to fully understand the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/recreational-cannabis-use-protects-against-cognitive-decline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">risks</a> of CBD use during pregnancy. 



The study was conducted on mice, and while animal models offer valuable information, human studies are necessary to confirm these findings.



Ritchie stresses that the growing trend of cannabis use during pregnancy should be met with caution. Many expectant mothers turn to CBD with the belief that it is safe, but without clear scientific evidence, assumptions about its harmlessness may be misleading.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-cbd-use-during-pregnancy">Rethinking CBD use during pregnancy</h2>



The widespread perception of CBD as a natural and safe remedy has led to its increasing use among pregnant individuals. 



However, this study suggests that CBD may not be as risk-free as commonly thought. The findings indicate that both THC and CBD could interfere with crucial developmental processes, affecting both physical growth and long-term behavior.



Pregnant individuals considering cannabis products should consult healthcare professionals before use. While the study does not provide definitive answers on CBD’s safety for human pregnancies, it does highlight the need for greater awareness and caution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-funding-and-future-research">Funding and future research</h2>



This study was supported by The <a href="https://cannabisresearch.mcmaster.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Michael G. DeGroote</a> Centre for Medicinal Cancer Research, the <a href="https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/193.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canadian Institutes of Health Research</a>, and the <a href="https://www.innovation.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canadian Foundation for Innovation</a>. 



As research in this field continues, scientists aim to explore the specific mechanisms by which cannabis compounds affect pregnancy outcomes.



With increasing cannabis use worldwide, understanding its full impact on pregnancy is more important than ever. Further studies will help clarify the risks, providing expectant mothers with the information they need to make informed choices.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(25)00016-7/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EBioMedicine</a>.



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CBD use during pregnancy has unexpected consequences

Pregnancy is a time when many expectant mothers seek ways to manage discomfort and stress. With growing interest in natural remedies, cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from cannabis, has gained popularity as a perceived safe option for nausea, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, CBD does not produce a high, leading many to assume it poses little to no risk during pregnancy. Despite this perception, scientific research on the effects of CBD during pregnancy remains limited. Many previous studies have focused...

Beetles can be found in most ecosystems, from the local parks to tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/temperate-rainforests-can-help-fight-climate-change/">rainforests</a> and the Arctic tundra. They are the most diverse group of animals ever known to exist, with almost 400 thousand species already described. This immense diversity has puzzled scientists for centuries. Famous figures such as Charles Darwin or Alfred Russel Wallace drew inspiration for their evolutionary theories from the study of beetles.



However, understanding the origins and evolution of beetles is complicated. By using a previously published and carefully curated 68-gene dataset, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> were recently able to build a comprehensive evolutionary tree of beetles, including data on 57 fossils to contain the timescale of their evolution.&nbsp;



The findings suggest that different beetle clades diversified independently, as various new ecological opportunities emerged. &nbsp;



“There was not a single epoch of beetle radiation, their secret seems to lie in their remarkable flexibility,” explained study lead author&nbsp;Dr. Chenyang Cai, a research fellow in Earth Sciences at Bristol. “The refined timescale of beetle evolution will be an invaluable tool for investigating the evolutionary basis of the beetle’s success story.”



The updated classification of beetles, reflecting the latest genetic and morphological findings, recognizes 193 living and extinct families. The oldest fossils were found to date back to around 295 million years ago, long before the first dinosaurs appeared. 



“Reconstructing what happened in the last 300 million years is key to understanding what gave us the immense diversity beetles are known for today,” said Dr. Cai.



According to study co-author Erik Tihelka, a paleo entomologist at Bristol, “because evolution leaves its signature in all aspects of biological organization, our best option is to draw on as many lines of evidence as we can find and see where the threads coalesce. In our case, we have focused on the molecular genetics of living beetles, their morphology, and rare beetle fossils to draw up an updated understanding of their evolutionary history.”



The scientists concluded that beetles first roamed the world in the Carboniferous period and later diversified alongside the earliest dinosaurs during the Triassic and the Jurassic, becoming “the single best case-study in biodiversity that nature gave us,” as Dr. Cai put it.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos">Royal Society Open Science</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

Reconstructing 300 million years of beetle evolution

Beetles can be found in most ecosystems, from the local...

In January 1992, NASA discovered the first two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronomers-discover-366-new-exoplanets/">exoplanets</a>, or planets from outside our solar system. Now, just three decades later, the number of known exoplanets has exploded, recently reaching 5,005, with a latest batch of 65 planets added to the <a href="https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/discovery/exoplanet-catalog/">NASA Exoplanet Archive</a>. The existence of all of these planets has been confirmed using multiple detection methods and analytical techniques, and they have been comprehensively described in peer-reviewed, scientific articles.



These exoplanets are highly diverse. They include small, rocky worlds like the Earth, gas giants many times larger than Jupiter, “super-Earths” (planets similar to ours but much larger), “mini-Neptunes,” planets orbiting two stars at once, or worlds that are orbiting the collapsed remains of dead stars.



“It’s not just a number,” said Jessie Christiansen, the scientific leader of the archive and a research scientist at the <a href="https://nexsci.caltech.edu/">NASA Exoplanet Science Institute</a> at Caltech in Pasadena. “Each one of them is a new world, a brand-new planet. I get excited about every one because we don’t know anything about them.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



Scientist believe that there are hundreds of billions of such planets in our galaxy. According to Alexander Wolszczan, the lead author of the 1992 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/355145a0">study</a> describing a pulsar (a type of rapidly spinning neutron star) orbited by two planets, “if you can find planets around a neutron star, planets have to be basically everywhere. The planet production process has to be very robust.”



The development of new powerful observation instruments such as the <a href="https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/tess/">Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</a> (TESS) or the <a href="https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/">James Webb Space Telescope</a> marks the beginning of an era of discovery that goes beyond simply adding planets to the list. These instruments can capture light from the atmospheres of exoplanets and discover which gases are present in order to identify the possibility of habitable conditions.



“To my thinking, it is inevitable that we’ll find some kind of life somewhere – most likely of some primitive kind,” said Professor Wolszczan. The similarities between the chemistry of life on Earth and that found throughout the universe, together with the detection of widespread organic molecules, suggests that the detection of life itself is only a matter of time, he concluded.



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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

NASA confirms the discovery of over 5,000 planets

In January 1992, NASA discovered the first two exoplanets, or...

A new nanotexture that kills 70 percent of bacteria was created in a lab by a team of Australian and Japanese scientists. The goal of the research is to tackle the issue of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotics-used-on-food-crops-may-be-starving-bees/">food</a> waste, especially in meat and dairy.&nbsp;



It is estimated that more than 30 percent of the food we produce goes to waste. Sometimes an entire shipment of food is lost when bacteria is found. The scientists were inspired by the texture of some insect wings that are known to kill bacteria.&nbsp;



“Eliminating bacterial contamination is a huge step in extending the shelf life of food,” said study co-author Professor Elena Ivanova of <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/">RMIT University</a>. "We knew the wings of cicadas and dragonflies were highly-efficient bacteria killers and could help inspire a solution, but replicating nature is always a challenge."



"We have now created a nanotexturing that mimics the bacteria-destroying effect of insect wings and retains its antibacterial power when printed on plastic. This is a big step towards a natural, non-chemical, antibacterial packaging solution for the food and manufacturing industry.”



The texture, as on insect wings, is made of very small “nano pillars.” When bacteria land on the nano pillars, their membranes are pierced and they are killed.&nbsp;



“It’s like stretching a latex glove,” said Professor Ivanova. “As it slowly stretches, the weakest point in the latex will become thinner and eventually tear.”



The pattern of the antibacterial texture was discovered in Australia and then shared with the Japanese researchers who discovered how to implant the texture onto plastic, where it could be used for packaging.&nbsp;



“The nanotexturing created in this study holds its own when used in rigid plastic," said Ivanova. "Our next challenge is adapting it for use on softer plastics."



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/acsappliednanomaterials">ACS Applied Nano Materials</a>.



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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

Insect wings inspire new method to kill bacteria on food

A new nanotexture that kills 70 percent of bacteria was...

According to a recent study from <a href="https://www.physoc.org/">The Physiological Society</a>, one of the best ways to keep your muscles healthy is to have a lifetime of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-physical-activity-protects-the-brain-from-aging/">physical activity</a>. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen analyzed muscle, stem cell, and nerve activity in 46 males. The experts concluded that older, active adults with a history of lifelong exercise have better functioning muscles compared to younger adults with a sedentary lifestyle.



For the investigation, the participants were separated into three groups: young sedentary (15), elderly lifelong exercise (16), and elderly sedentary (15). As the individuals executed a heavy resistance exercise, the researchers measured their force during the movement and took blood and muscle samples.&nbsp;



Older, active adults with a lifelong history of exercise performed better on the exercise, and also had more satellite cells in their muscles. These cell types protect the nervous system and are essential for muscle regeneration. 



The study authors noted that previous studies like this one have only been focused on professional athletes.



"This is the first study in humans to find that lifelong exercise at a recreational level could delay some detrimental effects of aging. Using muscle tissue biopsies, we've found positive effects of exercise on the general ageing population. This has been missing from the literature as previous studies have mostly focused on master athletes, which is a minority group," explained lead author Casper Soendenbroe.



"Our study is more representative of the general population aged 60 and above, as the average person is more likely to take part in a mixture of activities at a moderate level."



The researchers us to know that we don't have to be super athletes to make a difference in our health. Participating in activities like swimming, biking, or running throughout our lifetime can help protect our muscles against age-related deterioration.&nbsp;



However, more research is necessary to support a broad conclusion. Most noteworthy is that this study only involved male subjects, which is an obvious limitation as it excludes about 50 percent of the human population.&nbsp;



Moreover, the average age of the males in the study was 73. However, the most apparent effects of aging on the muscles occur at 80+ years. Therefore, we don't yet know if individuals would continue to see the benefits of lifelong exercise as they get older.&nbsp;



The study is published in <a href="https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14697793">The Journal of Physiology</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

Lifelong exercise may be the secret to staying young

According to a recent study from The Physiological Society, one...

According to new research published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28742-6">Nature Communications</a>, although <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atlantic-fish-found-unexpectedly-in-the-central-arctic-ocean/">ocean</a> life could possibly adapt to major climate changes, there may be unforeseen costs to quickly evolving in a suddenly-hot world. Thus, while plasticity may facilitate initial survival in global change conditions, it could erode after populations adapted, limiting resilience to new stressors and previously benign environments.



In order to assess how marine organisms adapt to climate change over several generations, the scientists used copepods (Acartia tonsa) as a case study. Since this tiny and humble sea creature reproduces, matures, and creates a new generation in about twenty days, it takes less than one year for twenty generations to pass.&nbsp;



The scientists exposed thousands of copepods to the high temperatures and carbon dioxide levels that are predicted for the future of the oceans, and examined what happened to these creatures as twenty generations passed. Afterwards, they took some of the marine organisms and returned them to the temperature and carbon dioxide levels that the first generation started in, and observed them as three more generations passed.



The results showed that these creatures have the genetic capacity to adapt over twenty generations, evolving to maintain their fitness in radically-changed environments (a process called “phenotypic plasticity”). The researchers observed many changes in the copepods’ genes related to how they managed heat stress, grew their skeletons in more acidic waters, and produced energy, suggesting that they can be highly resilient to rapid warming and acidification. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



However, the flexibility that helped the copepods evolve over twenty generations seemed to be eroded when they tried to return them to what had previously been their normal environment. Brought to the initial temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations, the copepods were less healthy and produced smaller populations. Although they were able, after three generations, to re-evolve to their ancestral conditions, the marine organisms nevertheless lost the ability to tolerate limited food supply and showed less resilience to new forms of stress.



“If copepods or other creatures have to go down this adaptive path - and spend some of their genetic variation to deal with climate change - will they be able to tolerate some new environmental stressor, some other change in the environment?”&nbsp;wondered study lead author Melissa Pespeni, a biologist at the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a>. This study suggests that it may not be so easy.&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

Marine organisms may adapt to climate change, but with hidden costs

According to new research published in the journal Nature Communications,...

According to the United Nations’ first-ever <a href="https://inweh.unu.edu/water-security-in-africa-a-preliminary-assessment/">assessment</a> of water security in Africa, only 29 African nations have made some progress over the past three to five years, while 25 have made none. This is despite the global <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">Sustainable Developments Goals</a> and commitments that were made in 2015.



This assessment – published on the eve of World Water Day (March 22) – employed ten indicators to quantify water security in Africa’s 54 countries: access to drinking water, access to sanitation, hygiene and health, water availability, efficiency of water use, water infrastructure, water quality, water governance, water disaster risks, and physiography.



On a scale of 100, all country scores besides those of Egypt are below 70. Only 13 African countries have reached a modest level of security in recent years, with Egypt, Botswana, Gabon, Mauritius, and Tunisia being the continent’s top five most water-secure countries. 



At the opposite end of the scale, Somalia, Chad, and Niger are the least water-secure African nations. Thus, according to the report, there has been little progress in national water security of most African states over the past three to five years.



In order to compare Africa’s situation globally, the authors of the report call for global standards for water security measurement data and assessment. 



“Some critical components of water security simply cannot be assessed without introducing surrogates or proxies. With such poor data availability, progress toward water security is difficult to assess accurately,” the scientists warned.



However, according to lead author Grace Oluwasanya - a water scientist at the <a href="https://unu.edu/">United Nations University</a> - “data limitations do not change the main outcome of this assessment, which is strong and clear. Overall levels of water security in Africa are low. Not a single country let alone a subregion have at present achieved a state that can be seen as ‘model’ or even ‘effective’ stage of water security.”



“This assessment for African countries aimed to create a quantitative starting point and a platform for subsequent discussions with national, regional, and international agents; it is neither a prescription nor a guide,” added co-author Duminda Perera, a water resource professional at the United Nations University.



“As this quantitative tool develops, it will help generate targeted policy recommendations and inform decision-making and public-private investments toward achieving water security in Africa,” he concluded.



---



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

Water security in Africa remains very poor

According to the United Nations’ first-ever assessment of water security...

During the Triassic period, early <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/new-evidence-reveals-that-dinosaurs-died-in-the-spring/">dinosaurs</a> evolved but it wasn’t until mass extinction ushered in the Jurassic did dinosaur diversity explode. New research looks at the complex causes of the mass extinction event that paved the way for more dinosaurs.&nbsp;



“This new study adds soil erosion and wildfire activity to the list of factors that drove this mass extinction to end the Triassic era, building on our previous research that found a rise in levels of acid and hydrogen sulfide in the ocean caused by rapid increases in carbon dioxide due to a surge in volcanic activity," explained Dr. Calum Peter Fox of WA-Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WA-OIGC).



"Similar to modern large-scale fire events that are driven by climate change, periods of wildfire activity have significant impacts for land-dwelling fauna and flora and drive environmental and ecosystem stress that can lead to mass extinctions.”



Dr. Fox and colleagues investigated the ancient fires at the end of the Triassic and found similarities to the modern rise of atmospheric carbon.&nbsp;



“By studying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which can be formed during the incomplete combustion of organic matter, we found that soil erosion was a more prominent terrestrial ecological stress than intensive wildfire activity during the end-Triassic mass extinction event in the Bristol Channel of the south-west United Kingdom," said Dr. Fox.



"This tells us land and marine ecosystem and environmental stresses occurred at the same time and were likely exacerbated by soil erosion, with fire activity likely to be more localised in other areas rather than widespread across Europe.”



Professor Kliti Grice also found similarities between the modern land degradation caused by soil erosion and the likelihood of the same thing happening at the close of the Triassic.&nbsp;



“These processes certainly have implications in the modern day due to the introduction of pollutants and pesticides," said Professor Grice.



"Observing that soil erosion had major impacts in our history and in comparing and contrasting a global record of the past, we can anticipate the scale and duration of currently-occurring and future soil erosion events.”



The scientists hope that by looking to the past at previous mass extinction events, we might be able to better understand the one we’re living through now and potentially even mitigate it.&nbsp;



---



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

Soil erosion and fire contributed to Triassic mass extinction

During the Triassic period, early dinosaurs evolved but it wasn’t...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spread-coyotes-deer-numbers/">coyotes</a> have spread outside their native regions from the western United States towards the east, they have started to hunt North Carolina’s two native species of fox. A new study led by <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> has found that preserving tree cover may be essential in helping the gray fox survive with coyotes in rural areas, most probably due to the fox’s ability to climb trees. However, in suburban forest fragments, gray foxes appeared to be able to easily coexist with the coyotes.



“Coyotes are well known to persecute smaller foxes,” said study co-author Roland Kays, an associate professor of Biology at NC State University. “They go out of their way, more than you see in other interactions between species, to really bully, chase and kill the smaller foxes. There is some reason for concern if this species is going to survive. How is that going to happen in an urban environment where you also have people?”



Professor Kays and his colleagues used wildlife photos taken by volunteers to find out in which places coyotes and gray foxes coexist. They discovered that the two species are most likely to be found together in regions with high housing density and low forest cover, such as the suburbs.



“These two species were more likely to use the same sites in suburban areas, especially small forested wood lots,” said study lead author Arielle Parsons, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State University. “We expected them to use these wood lots at different times to avoid each other, but actually we found that they use these suburban forest fragments at the same time.”



According to the scientists, the two species could coexist in the suburbs because coyotes are just moving through, without establishing territories. In rural areas though, coyotes and foxes are less likely to be seen together. However, gray foxes were more likely to inhabit rural regions with extensive tree cover.



“Gray foxes are very good at climbing trees; they have sharp claws,” said Professor Kays. “They’re one of the only dog relatives that can climb trees. Coyotes can’t. It could be that climbing trees helps them deal with coyotes.”



Thus, gray foxes appear to be at risk in areas with few houses and little tree cover. “There are things we can do to change the ways wildlife species are able to adapt to human-dominated environments. Reducing habitat fragmentation and preserving forest and green spaces can help enhance the ability for these species to coexist,” concluded Dr. Parsons.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.3993">Ecosphere</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

Trees help gray foxes coexist with coyotes

As coyotes have spread outside their native regions from the...

NASA is preparing to send humans to Mars sometime in the next decade. However, a three-year long mission will expose <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-hibernating-squirrels-can-teach-space-travelers/">space travelers</a> to a long period of microgravity, which will cause them to lose bone mass. A new study presented at the meeting of the <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/acs-meetings/registration/why-attend.html">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) argues that a special, transgenic type of lettuce could be grown by astronauts embarked in long space trips, and may help them guard against bone loss through a bone-stimulated hormone that it contains.



Previous studies of astronauts on long space missions have shown that they lose an average of one percent of bone mass during each month spent in space – a condition called osteopenia. While at the moment, astronauts on the International Space Station perform certain physical exercises to maintain bone mass during their six-month long stays, a three-year long mission to Mars would leave astronauts vulnerable to osteopenia, and later, osteoporosis.



A medication containing a peptide fragment of human parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates bone formation and could guard astronauts against osteopenia, but it requires daily injections. According to scientists from the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a>, an easier and more practical way is to use plants such as lettuce to synthesize pharmaceuticals like PTH.&nbsp;



In order to increase PTH’s stability and bioavailability in the body, the researchers attached a piece of another protein - the fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain of a human antibody - to PTH’s sequence. Fc increases the time that the attached peptide circulates in the blood, making it more effective. To introduce a gene encoding PTH-Fc to lettuce, the scientists infected plant cells with Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a species of&nbsp;bacteria used in the laboratory to transfer genes to plants. The resulting plants express about 10 to 12 milligrams of the modified peptide hormone per kilogram of fresh lettuce.



“One thing we’re doing now is screening all of these transgenic lettuce lines to find the one with the highest PTH-Fc expression,” said study co-author Karen McDonald, a chemical engineer at UC Davis. “We’ve just looked at a few of them so far, and we observed that the average was 10-12 mg/kg, but we think we might be able to increase that further. The higher we can boost the expression, the smaller the amount of lettuce that needs to be consumed.”



Before this lettuce can reach astronauts’ plates though, the scientists must optimize the PTH-Fc expression levels, and then test the lettuce for its ability to safely prevent bone loss in animal models and human clinical trials.&nbsp;&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

Special lettuce could protect astronauts from bone loss

NASA is preparing to send humans to Mars sometime in...

Spring is arriving earlier in northern climates as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rainfall-patterns-will-decide-if-miami-blue-butterflies-can-survive/">rainfall</a> becomes less frequent, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a>. The experts identified a link between a drop in the total number of rainy days each year and the early appearance of leaves.



While experts had already determined that rising temperatures have led to the first leaves coming out at earlier dates, this research shows that fewer rainy days play the second largest role in this early leaf-out, explained study co-author Desheng Liu of The Ohio State University.



"Scientists have looked mainly at how temperature affects when leaves first appear and, if they considered precipitation at all, it was the total amount," said Liu. "But it isn't the total amount of precipitation that matters the most – it’s how often it rains."



The results of the study showed that a decline in rainfall frequency will cause spring to emerge an additional one to two days earlier each decade through the end of the century.



"This study exemplifies the complex consequences of climate change," said Rainer Amon, a program director in NSF's Office of Polar Programs. "We are not simply facing a warmer atmosphere, but also a shift in the diurnal and seasonal timing of biological processes on a global scale."



The researchers explained that fewer rainy days lead to the earlier arrival of spring because trees and other plants are receiving more solar radiation earlier in the year, which stimulates leaf growth.



With fewer rainy days, daytime temperatures are hotter as more sunlight heating reaches the Earth’s surface and atmosphere.&nbsp;



The study was focused on data north of 30 degrees latitude, which includes most of the United States. The experts analyzed satellite images that recorded when vegetation started to turn green from 1982 to 2018. This data was compared with the number of rainy days during each season.&nbsp;



According to study co-author Jian Wang, the findings demonstrate that we should expect an even earlier spring in the future compared to what current models tell us.



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



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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

Spring is arriving earlier as rainy days become less frequent

Spring is arriving earlier in northern climates as rainfall becomes...

The evolution of jaws in early vertebrates was an extremely significant innovation. The fossil record shows that the earliest jawed fish were around at the start of the Devonian Period, just over 400 million years ago. Prior to that, all fish were jawless, much like the hagfish and lampreys of today. Jaws allowed vertebrates to exploit a wide range of food sources, and to become formidable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predators-help-prevent-biodiversity-loss/">predators</a>.&nbsp;



However, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> has shown that fish with the earliest jaws were stuck in a compromise between maximizing the strength of their jaws and their bite speed. Big, strong jaws would enable the fish to handle sizeable prey, but the weight of these jaws would make lightning-speed reactions impossible. It seems that, irrespective of the particular way in which early fish species evolved to use their jaws, they were always faced with this same trade-off.&nbsp;



Jaws evolved from the gill arches of jawless fish; these structures supported the gills of early fish and therefore had more of a gaseous exchange function. In fact, the original selective advantage gained by fish with jaws was probably related to increased efficiency in gaseous exchange, rather than to feeding. However, the advantages of jaws for feeding would soon have made this their primary function. All vertebrate jaws, including the human jaw, evolved from the early fish jaw plan.&nbsp;



The new study, which is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>, investigates how a breathing structure came to be a successful biting structure and what constraints there were on this evolutionary change. The researchers collected data on the shapes of the earliest fossil jaws and developed mathematical models to characterize them. They then imagined the range of theoretical jaw forms that early fish might have exploited, and ran these through the model in order to characterize them and compare them to the actual fossil jaws.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Previous research had identified that the jaws in early fish fossils are rather similar, showing little of the diversification and radiation that evolutionary biologists might have expected for such a useful innovation. However, when the researchers tested all the different jaw shapes (both actual and theoretical) for their strength (how likely they were to break) and speed (how efficiently they could be opened and closed), they found that the jaws of early fish represented an optimal trade-off between these two factors. They had already reached this state of optimal compromise early on in evolutionary history.



The researchers say their results show that many fish taxa have independently evolved similar jaw morphologies that represent a compromise between strength and snappiness, and that this is evidence for a widespread convergence in jaw shape. Since this optimality was achieved very early in jaw evolution, they feel this supports the idea that early jaws were soon adopted for a predatory function, which would have required both speed and strength.&nbsp;



Some fish groups appear to have evolved away from this optimum balance between strength and speed over time, perhaps as a result of specializing in slower prey or prey that are smaller or weaker. For example, feeding on plankton by filtering the water would not require optimum strength in the jaws.&nbsp;



“Jaws are an extremely important feature to gnathostomes – or jaw-mouths. They are not only extremely widespread, but almost all creatures that have them, use them in the same way – to grab food and process it. That’s more than can be said for an arm or a foot or a tail, which can be used for all sorts of things," said study lead author <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/william-j-deakin">William Deakin</a>, who is a PhD student at the&nbsp;University of Bristol.



“This makes jaws extremely useful to anyone studying the evolution of function. Very different jaws from very different animals can be tested in similar ways. Here we have shown that studies on a large variety of jaws, using theoretical morphology and adaptive landscapes to capture their variety in function, can help shed some light on evolutionary questions.”



According to study co-author Professor <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Philip-Donoghue-4fd2d6ef-3986-4566-97e4-7ae7db296525/">Philip Donoghue</a>, the earliest jawed vertebrates have jaws in all shapes and sizes, long thought to reflect adaptation to different functions. "Our study shows that most of this variation was equally optimal for strength and speed, making for fearsome predators.”



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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

Early animal jaws optimized bite strength and speed

The evolution of jaws in early vertebrates was an extremely...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-species-are-arriving-with-ships-in-antarctica/">Antarctica</a> – the coldest place on the planet – has recently experienced an episode of warm weather unlike any ever observed, shocking climate scientists worldwide. The temperatures over the eastern Antarctic ice sheet have soared to 40°C above normal, causing an unusual amount of melting for this region.&nbsp;



For instance, the average high temperature during March in Vostok – a Russian meteorological observatory located about 808 miles from the South Pole at the center of the eastern ice sheet – is around minus 53°C. But on Friday, March 18, the temperature leapt to -17.7°C, breaking the previous record by a staggering 15 degrees.



“In about 65 record years in Vostok, between March and October, values ​​above -30°C were never observed,” said climate journalist Stefano Di Battista. “Antarctic climatology has been rewritten.”



Jonathan Wille is an expert in Polar Meteorology at the <a href="https://www.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/">Université Grenoble Alpes</a> in France. He told the Washington Post: “This event is completely unprecedented and upended our expectations about the Antarctic climate system." Temperatures running at least 32°C above normal have expanded over vast regions of eastern Antarctica from the Adélie Coast through most of the eastern ice sheet’s interior. Computer modeling suggests that in some areas the temperatures might have even climbed up to 50°C above normal.



According to Professor Wille, these warming was initiated by an extreme atmospheric river (a narrow corridor of water vapor in the atmosphere) on Antarctica’s east coast. This atmospheric river made landfall on Tuesday, March 15, between Dumont d’Urville and Casey Stations and caused a massive amount of rainfall, potentially leading to a significant melting event in the area.&nbsp;



Afterwards, the moisture from the storm diffused and spread over the interior of the continent. The moisture was prevented from escaping by a strong blocking high pressure system - a so-called heat dome. “This is not something we’ve seen before,” said Professor Wille. “This moisture is the reason why the temperatures have gotten just so high.”



While it is difficult to attribute this one event to climate change, Professor Wille and his colleagues do think that rising temperatures helped prime conditions for such an event and that this could be just the beginning of even more extreme occurrences.&nbsp;



“We do believe they will become more intense because it just simple physics … but the details, we’re still trying to figure that out. It would be very difficult to say that there’s not a climate change fingerprint on an event like this,” Professor Wille told the Post.



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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

Soaring temperatures in Antarctica have scientists in shock

Antarctica – the coldest place on the planet – has...

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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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

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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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

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...