Every living organism relies on a genetic blueprint encoded in its DNA, yet the amount of DNA - or genome size - varies dramatically across the tree of life.&nbsp;



In animals alone, genome sizes range from the minuscule genome of Intoshia variabili, a marine parasite - which is about 200 times smaller than the human genome - to the massive genome of the marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) - which is over 40 times larger than ours.&nbsp;



Plants exhibit a similar range, with the fork fern (Tmesipteris oblanceolata) setting the record with a genome size over 50 times larger than that of humans.



This diversity in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genome-mapping-completed-for-dozens-of-common-animals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">genome</a> size reveals the vast variety of life forms on Earth, but it also raises a fascinating question: If smaller genomes lead to faster, more efficient growth, why do some species have larger genomes?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advantages-of-smaller-genome-sizes">Advantages of smaller genome sizes</h2>



The replication of DNA is essential for cell production and growth, making smaller genomes more efficient as they require fewer resources and time to replicate.&nbsp;



Smaller genomes demand fewer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/excess-nutrients-are-creating-ocean-dead-zones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nutrients</a>, especially the DNA-building elements nitrogen and phosphorus, making them ideal for rapid growth and reproduction.



Because of these advantages, it’s not surprising that most species have evolved with relatively small genomes.&nbsp;



However, large genomes persist in some organisms, suggesting that these genomes may confer certain benefits in specific environments, where the costs of carrying extra DNA are outweighed by unique growth advantages.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploring-large-genome-benefits-in-grasses">Exploring large genome benefits in grasses</h2>



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sheffield</a> has recently studied the potential benefits of large genomes in grass species. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fairy-circles-kill-all-newly-planted-grasses-deepening-their-mystery/">Grasses</a>, a vast plant family found worldwide from arctic tundras to tropical savannas, vary in genome size, making them an ideal group to examine how genome size affects growth in different conditions.



The study, published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20150" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Phytologist</a>, examined the growth of various grass species under conditions mimicking their natural environments - high temperatures, low nutrients, and drought. 



The scientists compared growth rates to each species’ genome size and observed that while grasses with smaller genomes generally grew better across most conditions, larger genomes provided advantages in two specific scenarios.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-large-genomes-thrive-in-nutrient-rich-environments">Large genomes thrive in nutrient-rich environments</h2>



The first scenario where larger genomes proved beneficial was in nutrient-rich soils. While low nutrient levels slowed down large-genome grasses, those with large genomes thrived in high-nutrient environments.&nbsp;



Here, the extra DNA content meant larger cells that produced more biomass, such as leaves, which allowed these plants to outgrow and overshadow neighbors with smaller genomes.&nbsp;



In nutrient-poor areas, however, the demands of replicating additional DNA outweighed these benefits, making smaller genomes more favorable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-seasons-and-genome-sizes">Growing seasons and genome sizes</h2>



The second advantage for large-genome grasses occurred in cooler environments, such as temperate regions with lower growing season temperatures.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-plants-grow-more-branches-and-become-bushy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Plant growth</a> typically has two stages: cell division, where new cells are generated, and cell expansion, where cells swell with water to help the plant grow taller or spread. 



Cool temperatures significantly slow down cell division, but they have less impact on cell expansion.&nbsp;



Consequently, grasses with larger cells, which accompany large genomes, can expand more rapidly by cell enlargement even in cooler weather, outpacing smaller-genome plants that rely on faster cell division in warmer temperatures.



This cell expansion process explains the early spring growth of plants like daffodils and bluebells, which also have large genomes.&nbsp;



These plants perform much of their cell division in warmer months, allowing them to use cell expansion to grow quickly in early spring, well before smaller-genome plants begin to compete for light and nutrients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genome-size-diversity">Genome size diversity</h2>



The diversity in genome sizes among grasses may be one reason for their global success, as it allows them to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions.&nbsp;



While smaller genomes typically support efficient growth, larger genomes offer unique advantages in specific environments, enabling certain species to thrive where others cannot.&nbsp;



This genetic diversity in grasses underscores the importance of variation in supporting species’ survival and adaptability across ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genome-size-and-evolutionary-success">Genome size and evolutionary success</h2>



The relationship between genome size and survival is not limited to plants. Our own medium-sized genome has supported humanity’s adaptability, though we don’t face the same nutrient limitations as stationary plants.&nbsp;



Unlike grasses, humans can move to seek out food and resources, which may allow us to bear the metabolic costs associated with our DNA without significant limitation.&nbsp;



This mobility highlights how different species leverage their genetic make-up in conjunction with unique behaviors and environmental interactions to thrive across diverse habitats.



In summary, the role of genome size in evolutionary success is nuanced and complex.&nbsp;



From the efficient replication of small genomes to the adaptability enabled by larger ones, genome size continues to shape the ecological <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asian-forests-proving-resilient-both-climate-change-human-actions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">resilience</a> and global distribution of life on Earth.



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How does genome size impact evolutionary success?

Every living organism relies on a genetic blueprint encoded in its DNA, yet the amount of DNA - or genome size - varies dramatically across the tree of life.&nbsp; In animals alone, genome sizes range from the minuscule genome of Intoshia variabili, a marine parasite - which is about 200 times smaller than the human genome - to the massive genome of the marbled lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus) - which is over 40 times larger than ours.&nbsp; Plants exhibit a similar range, with the fork fern (Tmesipteris oblanceolata)...

The breathtakingly blue corals that made up one <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/brazilian-coral-reef-found/">reef</a> of the tropical Maldives island nation in Southeast Asia are dead. They’re gone, as are about half of the global coral populations worldwide, lost over just the last 30 years. The phenomenon is a present-day sign of climate change, but it can also be blamed for natural climate conditions such as the warming caused by the El Nino of 2015-2016.

Scientists say things will only get worse. It’s predicted that, even if we “cured” climate change today, 90 percent of the world’s coral will be gone by 2050.

Coral consists of thousands of tiny invertebrate animals, some of which are the size of a pinhead. In addition to serving as a protective habitat to a quarter of marine populations, coral produces oxygen and provides a valuable source of much-needed tourism dollars to many oceanic regions. Furthermore, the coral reefs form a coastline barrier against storm damage and erosion and have been used in medical research to treat cancer, arthritis and various bacterial and viral infections.

Rising sea temperatures are the direct culprit of the die-off. Coral gets its coloration from the existence of tiny algae that live within the organisms and provides nourishment in a symbiotic relationship. The temperature rise brought about by climate change expels the algae from the coral, causing the coral to bleach white. It can sometimes be brought back if temperatures fall before the coral totally bleaches. Severely bleached coral, however, can’t be saved. In the Maldives, 73 percent of coral reefs have sustained at least some bleaching damage.

“This isn't something that's going to happen 100 years from now,” said Julia Baum, marine biologist at the <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/">University of Victoria in Canada</a>. “We’re losing them right now. We’re losing them really quickly, much more quickly than I think any of us ever could have imagined.”

One piece of hopeful news is that a consortium of business, technology and government interests has funded a project called 50 Reefs to attempt to save a much of this delicate marine ecosystem as possible.  

--

By <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer David Searls

Source: Daily Mail,<a href="http://www.mrc.gov.mv/"> Maldives Marine Research Center,</a> <a href="http://www.uvic.ca/">University of Victoria in Canada</a>

Half of the world's coral is now dead

The breathtakingly blue corals that made up one reef of...

Last week, a white rhinoceros named Vince was killed by poachers at a wildlife park near Paris. The assailants broke in overnight and shot Vince three times in the head and then removed his eight-inch horn using a chainsaw. 

Demand for the rhinoceros horn has recently skyrocketed in Asia and Africa, currently valued at nearly triple the price of gold. The horn is made of keratin and is ground down into a powder and used for medicinal purposes. Urban myths say it can cure anything from cancer to a hangover.

According <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/10/high-price-of-rhino-horn-leaves-bloody-trail-across-the-globe">The Guardian</a>, more than three rhinos are killed every day in southern Africa. While rhinoceros horn trade is illegal, continued poaching has put the species at risk of extinction.

According to Dan Ashe, President and Chief Executive of the <a href="https://www.aza.org/">Association of Zoos and Aquariums</a>, over 90 zoos in the United States follow strict security requirements for the housing of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-rhinos-nearing-extinction/">rhinos</a>. But he admitted that the danger of poaching still poses a strong threat to the well being of every rhinoceros.

"Nobody is insulated from this potential; we have made sure our members are aware of what occurred in Paris and they are quite vigilant,” said Ashe. “Everybody is sobered.”

Ashe says that the rhino horns can be sold on the black market for as much as $500,000 to $1 million. 

"Imagine an animal running around with a big gold horn,” he said, “The value is extraordinary, and unfortunately there are criminals out there that will take a risk."

Others have argued for an increase in security protocols as a result of the attack and strong demand for the rhinoceros horn.

"If there is a change of criminal strategy and a swing from robbery in museums to crude crime of animals, it will also imply a change of means of protection for the zoos and African reserves which are in Europe," said Jacques-Olivier Barthes, spokesman for the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">World Wildlife Fund</a> in France.

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RHINOCEROS_ATTACK_ZOOS?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2017-03-11-06-45-24">AP</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/10/high-price-of-rhino-horn-leaves-bloody-trail-across-the-globe">The Guardian </a>

Rhinoceros poaching in Paris puts zoos worldwide on high alert

Last week, a white rhinoceros named Vince was killed by...

<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/">Greenpeace</a> and its supporters can rest at least a little easier. According to a letter released by the <a href="https://www.state.gov/">U.S. State Department</a> to the environmental organization, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not be involved with issues involving TransCanada Corporation’s application for a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

Greenpeace had written the day before to the State Department and the Office of Government Ethics, demanding that Tillerson recuse himself on the basis of having served as former CEO of ExxonMobil, which has investments in Canadian oil sands.

“ExxonMobil could benefit from the approval of the pipeline if it has specific contracts or agreements with TransCanada either to transport their Canadian tar sands production, or to receive such shipments at their US refineries,” the Greenpeace letter read, in part.

The multibillion-dollar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oil-pipeline-safety-uncertain-future/">pipeline</a> is being built to deliver crude oil from Alberta, Canada and North Dakota to refineries in Illinois along a 1,179-mile land route. The project was shelved by former President Barack Obama, but approved when President Donald Trump took office.

In response to the Greenpeace letter, Katherine McManus, the state department’s deputy legal adviser, stated that Tillerson had already recused himself from involvement in early February.

Tillerson had issued an earlier letter to his deputy legal adviser stating that he would “not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter involving specific parties in which I know that ExxonMobil is a party or represents a party, unless I am first authorized to participate.”

The secretary of state still has a strong financial position in his previous place of employment. According to a CNN Money news report in January, Tillerson is “due to receive more than 2 million Exxon shares –more than $181 million at current prices – over the next decade” as part of a retirement package. But he said that he’d put these funds into a blind trust with orders to not reinvest them in the oil company.

That’s in addition to the 600,000 company shares Tillerson already owned and agreed to sell upon taking office – and also not invest in ExxonMobil.

 --

By Earth.com Staff Writer David Searls

Source:<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/09/rex-tillerson-keystone-xl-pipeline-exxonmobil-state-department"> The Guardian</a>,<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/04/investing/rex-tillerson-exxon-mobil-stock-donald-trump/"> CNN Money</a>

Secretary of State Tillerson to stay out of pipeline issues

Greenpeace and its supporters can rest at least a little...

Last week, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trumps-budget-epa-programs/">we reported</a> on the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) programs likely to be cut under the Trump administration. Now, Trump-appointed EPA head Scott Pruitt has caused an uproar after saying in an interview that he does not believe that carbon dioxide is a major cause of global warming. 

"I would not agree that [CO2] is a primary contributor to the global warming that we see," Scott Pruitt told CNBC’s Joe Kernen in an <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html">interview</a> today.

"I believe that measuring with precision human activity on the climate is something very challenging to do, and there's tremendous disagreement about the degree of impact," said Pruitt.

It is an unprecedented move for the leader of an organization responsible for preserving the environment to question what the scientific community has already proven as <a href="http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/science/CO2-and-global-warming-faq.html#.WMHGamX9P7E">fact</a>: that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-carbon-dioxide-levels-reach-another-all-time-high/">carbon dioxide</a> is a heat trapping gas and that humans are causing the climate to warm by releasing mass amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Pruitt’s statements even contradict the very stance of the organization he oversees, as stated on the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-change-science/causes-climate-change">EPA website</a>.

Former EPA Chief Gina McCarthy said in a statement, “The world of science is about empirical evidence, not beliefs. When it comes to climate change, the evidence is robust and overwhelmingly clear that the cost of inaction is unacceptably high."

Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, co-chair of the Senate Climate Action Task Force, had strong words for Pruitt. "Anyone who denies over a century's worth of established science and basic facts is unqualified to be the administrator of the EPA. Now more than ever, the Senate needs to stand up to Scott Pruitt and his dangerous views," Schatz said in a statement.

According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/07/us/politics/scott-pruitt-environmental-protection-agency.html?_r=0">The New York Times</a>, Pruitt is expected to appoint additional climate change skeptics to high posts at EPA. Many of his appointees are likely to come from the office of Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe, Pruitt’s longtime friend and a Republican senator known for his skepticism of climate change.

Interestingly enough, Pruitt’s remarks on global warming follow what the <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/">NOAA</a> has reported was the second-warmest February in the past 123 years.

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/09/epa-chief-scott-pruitt.html">CNBC</a>

EPA Head Scott Pruitt doubts scientific facts of global warming

Last week, we reported on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

According to two new reports by the <a href="http://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a>, 1.7 million children under the age of 5 die each year as a result of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollution-plagues-perus-lake-titicaca/">pollution</a>. Indoor and outdoor pollution, unsafe water, and second-hand smoke collectively contribute to more than 1 in 4 deaths of young children.

The first report, titled Inheriting a Sustainable World: Atlas on Children’s Health and the Environment, says that many of the most common causes of death in children under 5, including diarrhoea, pneumonia, and malaria, are environmentally triggered but preventable. Interventionists who provide access to clean drinking water and safe cooking tools can significantly reduce these numbers.

According to the second report, titled Don’t pollute my future: The impact of the environment on children’s health, 570,000 children under the age of 5 die from respiratory infections that are directly caused by indoor and outdoor air pollution. An additional 361,000 children under 5 die from diarrhoea caused by polluted water. Another 270,000 children die within a month after birth from other conditions caused by dirty water.

“A polluted environment is a deadly one—particularly for young children. Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water,” said <a href="http://www.who.int/">WHO</a> director-general Margaret Chan.

The reports also state that exposure to polluted environments often begins in the womb, which increases the risk of premature birth.

“When infants and pre-schoolers are exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke, they have an increased risk of pneumonia in childhood, and a lifelong increased risk of chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma,” the report said. “Exposure to air pollution may also increase their lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.”

“A polluted environment results in a heavy toll on the health of our children. Investing in the removal of environmental risks to health, such as improving water quality or using cleaner fuels, will result in massive health benefits,” added Maria Neira, <a href="http://www.who.int/">WHO</a> director of the Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health.

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a>

1.7 million children die each year due to pollution

According to two new reports by the World Health Organization,...

A supersolid has been a theoretical possibility in quantum physics – until now. Scientists at <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">MIT</a> combined superfluid elements with solid matter to give birth to this new matter, according to research written up in this week’s issue of Nature.

A superfluid is a fluid with no viscosity, or thickness, to it, so it flows without any loss of kinetic energy. What that means is that, if you were to put a superfluid in motion, it would rotate indefinitely.

Now combine that attribute with a solid element and you have curious new matter containing both attributes created by researchers: a supersolid.

As study team leader Wolfgang Ketterle, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Physics at <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">MIT</a>, said reflecting on the uniqueness of their findings, “It is counterintuitive to have a material which combines superfluidity and solidity. If your <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/robot-barista-coffee-run/">coffee</a> was superfluid and you stirred it, it would continue to spin around forever.”

The <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">MIT</a> team proceeded by cooling a superfluid gas to near absolute zero, resulting in a state called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). They then used an array of laser beams to manipulate the motion of the atoms of the BEC and create a second condensate in an ultrahigh-vacuum chamber. Additional lasers were then used to get atoms of these two condensates to spin together. The result was a quantum phase of matter with a rigid structure like a solid that can flow without viscosity, like a superfluid. New matter.

So where does this quirky and admittedly ‘counterintuitive’ field of study take science? Leading areas of future development could be in superconducting magnets and sensors, and in efficient energy transport systems, said the team.

--

By David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/public-health"> Frontiers in Public Health</a>

MIT scientists create new form of matter

A supersolid has been a theoretical possibility in quantum physics...

Last week, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/calculating-cost-climate-change/">we told you</a> about how much rising sea levels caused by global warming could cost major cities around the world. Now, scientists are warning that one major city in particular could be especially at risk. According to new research, rising sea levels could cause Venice to completely disappear underwater within the next 100 years.

Scientists from Italy’s <a href="http://istituto.ingv.it/the-institute/the-institute/view?set_language=en">National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology</a> are warning that the Mediterranean Sea water levels could rise by as much as 5 feet by 2100. To put that into perspective, the Mediterranean has risen by only 1 foot in the past 1,000 years. But global warming has significantly accelerated that rate, which will put Venice, and other cities along Italy’s Adriatic coastline, in jeopardy.

The team of researchers used quarries along the Mediterranean coast to model how sea levels have changed over time. They reported in their findings in a study published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/quaternary-international/">Quaternary International</a>.

“The coast of the Mediterranean provides several remnants of ancient coastal quarries, which are now useful to study sea level change occurring during the last millennia,” the team said in the paper. “Millstones quarries were exploited with same quarrying techniques from rocks like beach rocks, sandstones or similar lithologies, were shaped to be suitable to grind olives, seeds and wheat, to produce oil and flour, or to break apart soft rocks.”

The team used these coastline quarries to understand how sea levels have changed over the last 1,000 years, and then were able to model how they may change in the future. They found that 33 regions across the coast of Italy are at high risk of being completely submerged underwater. 

The list includes the Versilia in Tuscany, Fiumicino in Lazio, coastal areas around Catania, Oristano, and Cagliari, and land around the Po, Fondi, Sele, and Volturno rivers.

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="http://istituto.ingv.it/the-institute/the-institute/view?set_language=en">National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology</a>

Could global warming cause Venice to disappear this century?

Last week, we told you about how much rising sea...

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised on many occasions to walk away from the landmark <a href="http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php">Paris Agreement</a>, a treaty signed by 194 nations in an effort to curb <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-reduce-greenhouse-gases/">greenhouse gas</a> emissions and climate change. In a campaign <a href="http://mashable.com/2016/11/22/trump-climate-paris-agreement-nyt-interview/#jc8aEY9yWaq6">speech</a> in May 2016, Trump promised, “we’re going to cancel the Paris Climate Agreement and stop all payment of U.S. tax dollars to U.N. global warming programs." Now, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/politics/climate-change-trump.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&amp;smid=nytcore-ipad-share&amp;_r=0">New York Times</a> is reporting that Trump’s key advisors are heavily divided on how the administration will proceed with the Paris Agreement.

In one corner is Trump senior advisor Steve Bannon, who sources say firmly believes that the United States should fully withdraw from the treaty. Bannon is the former head of Breitbart News, which has regularly run editorial pieces calling climate change a complete hoax. 

In the other corner are Ivanka Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who believe that there could be significant diplomatic fallout from allies should the United States completely pull out. While Trump could not single-handedly dismantle the Paris Agreement, he could begin a 4-year process for U.S. withdrawal, which in turn, could damage the nation’s credibility abroad. While Ivanka Trump has yet to publicly speak out on the matter, she has met with high-profile environmental activists like Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ivanka-trump-jared-kushner-pushed-to-remove-language-critical-of-climate-deal-from-executive-order-1487889272">Wall Street Journal</a> has also reported that Ivanka Trump has quietly represented environmental interests in the oval office. A February 23rd WSJ piece wrote, "At the request of President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his wife, Ivanka Trump, language critical of a global climate deal was struck from an executive order that Mr. Trump is planning to sign soon, according to multiple people familiar with the move."

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trumps-budget-epa-programs/">we reported</a> this week, sources say Trump’s new <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">EPA</a> budget could cut the department’s funding by 24% and slash a significant number of environmental programs.

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/politics/climate-change-trump.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&amp;smid=nytcore-ipad-share&amp;_r=0">The New York Times</a>

Trump administration divided over future of Paris Agreement

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised on many...

The Irish Potato Famine, which starved millions and brought many desperate immigrants to America, is now safely behind us. Or at least late blight, the disease that wiped out the Irish potato crop of 1846, won’t threaten three genetically engineered varieties of potato that won recent regulatory approval.

The Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet and the Atlantic, all genetically engineered against late blight by Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Company, won approval by the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/">FDA</a> and the U.S. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">EPA</a> last week, after already getting the nod of the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>.

Simplot spokesperson Doug Cole said that the new varieties "have the same taste and texture and nutritional qualities” of unmodified potatoes.

The three are said to only carry potatoes genes, including the genes of an Argentine potato variety with a natural defense against late blight – a potato pathogen that even today threatens crops, especially in wetter environments.

In addition, these three new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-genetically-engineered-potatoes-approved/">potatoes</a> were genetically modified to reduce bruising and black spots in storage and to contain less of a potentially carcinogenic chemical that’s created when potatoes are cooked at high temperatures. The enhanced storage capabilities will also prove beneficial to the potato chip industry in reduced trucking costs, said the company.

Genetically modified organisms – or GMO – is a controversial practice. Many people refuse to buy or eat GMO products, and food companies such as McDonald’s have refused to use GMO potatoes for their French fries.

With the federal regulatory approval, J.R. Simplot Company can now offer their three new potatoes for planting this spring and harvesting in the fall.

This is the company’s second generation of GMO-approved products. The first, which is in stores, offered no protection against late blight. J.R. Simplot is now working on a third generation of modified potatoes. 

--

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2017-02-28-US--Genetically%20Engineered%20Potatoes/id-91528210636b48cebd1ffe35ba0c7a64">Associated Press</a>

Three GMO potato variants win approval to be planted this spring

The Irish Potato Famine, which starved millions and brought many...

Ever since President Donald Trump appointed Scott Pruitt to run the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA), an organization he notoriously fought against for years, environmental activists have braced for massive cuts in EPA programs. Now, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/politics/epa-programs-donald-trump-budget/index.html">CNN</a> is reporting that a source has revealed exactly which EPA programs are on the chopping block under Trump’s budget proposal.

The source told CNN that the latest proposal would slash the EPA budget by 24% and cut staff by 20%. Specific programs facing possible elimination include initiatives intended to improve <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/houseplants-reduce-indoor-air-pollution/">air</a> and water quality, along with regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Environmental Justice Program, which was established to help local communities with environmental issues, faces possible elimination.

The Clean Power Plan, an initiative set up by former President Barack Obama intended to reduce carbon emissions in each state, could also be cut. The list also includes 14 other EPA partnership programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, along with the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act.

A number of grants and fellowships also face elimination, including Energy Star grants and Science to Achieve Results (STAR) graduate fellowships.

"The Trump administration has decided fence-line communities across the country, whose residents already bear an outsized burden from pollution, are on their own to take on big polluters,” Ken Cook, head of the Environmental Working Group, told CNN. 

The possible elimination of the Environmental Justice Program, in particular, has many outraged. The program focuses on equal and fair protection from environmental hazards for people of races. 

"To cut the Environmental Justice program at EPA is just racist," John Coequyt, campaign director the environmental group Sierra Club, told CNN. "I can't imagine it's an office that runs up much cost. I can't describe it in any other terms than a move to leave those communities behind. I can't imagine what the justification would be, other than racism."

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/02/politics/epa-programs-donald-trump-budget/index.html">CNN</a>

Trump’s new budget could cut a large number of EPA programs

Ever since President Donald Trump appointed Scott Pruitt to run...

Scientists have announced a major breakthrough in the search for life on other planets. A new study reports that researchers have found traces of bacteria that lived 3.7 billion years ago, making them the oldest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-mass-extinction-event/">fossils</a> ever discovered. While final verification is still pending, the discovery could support the theory that life started soon after the planet formed, which means that could have been the case on other planets as well.

A collaborative team of researchers say that the fossilized bacteria lived around hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Scientists can use this information to search vents on other planets for signs of life. 

The researchers reported their findings in a report published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html">Nature</a>.

“It’s exciting to find life had managed to get a grip and start to evolve on Earth so quickly after the planets formed,” said co-author Matthew Dodd of Britain’s <a href="http://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>. “It gives me … high hopes of finding life elsewhere in the universe.”

Dodd was inspecting pieces of rock found in northern Quebec when he noticed an unusual feature. The rock contained thread-like filaments half the width of human hair and thicker cylindrical tubes both consisting of iron-rich mineral. Such filaments are known to be produced by bacteria that eats iron.

Additional formations on the rock led scientists to believe that the bacteria lived around hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor and fed on the iron-rich water that gushed through. 

Dodd argues that such a finding raises the possibility that life occurred on Jupiter’s moon Europa, which holds a considerable amount of water. 

“You have life on Earth at a time when we believe there was liquid water on the surface of Mars, and the atmosphere wouldn’t have been too drastically different,” Dodd added. “Maybe there was life on Mars in the past and we have yet to find it.”

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bacteria fossils provide clues to extraterrestrial life

Scientists have announced a major breakthrough in the search for...

Is the burning of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-biomass-processing-plants-too-expensive/">biomass</a> for energy really always more environment-friendly than the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation and heat? That’s the position that’s been put forth by advocates of wood-burning, and it’s challenged in a research paper released February 23 and titled,<a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/publications/research/2017-02-23-woody-biomass-global-climate-brack-embargoed.pdf"> Woody Biomass for Power and Heat, Impacts on the Global Climate</a>.  The paper’s author, Duncan Brack, is an independent environmental policy analyst, an associate fellow of Chatham House and an associate of Green Alliance.

He writes, “Although there are alternatives to the use of wood for biomass power and heat, including organic waste, agricultural residues and energy crops, they tend to be less energy-dense, more expensive and more difficult to collect and transport.”

Brack challenges the widely accepted perception that woody biomass is a carbon-neutral source of renewable energy, with benefits to forest growth and the global climate. The carbon-neutral argument relies on the fact that strategic harvesting of wood positively impacts forest growth, which counterbalances the carbon emissions of wood burning.

“In fact,” he writes, “since in general woody biomass is less energy dense than fossil fuels, and contains higher quantities of moisture and less hydrogen, at the point of combustion burning wood for energy usually emits more greenhouse gases per unit of energy produced than fossil fuels.”

Brack feels that biomass plants tend to operate less efficiently than fossil fuel plants, releasing more carbon emissions into the atmosphere.  He has issues with the supply-chain emissions from the harvesting, collecting, processing and transport of wood and with methane emissions derived from wood storage. He also challenges real-world practices related to forest growth.

He concludes, in part, “The use of woody biomass for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-waste-converts-to-energy/">energy</a> cannot be considered to be automatically carbon-neutral under all circumstances, though most policy frameworks treat it as though it is.…In addition, where the feedstock derives from harvesting whole trees, net carbon emissions will increase from the foregone carbon sequestration that would have occurred had the trees been left growing.”

–

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/"> Chatham House</a>

&nbsp;

Woody biomass is carbon neutral? Probably not says researcher

Is the burning of biomass for energy really always more...

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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



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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

[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?

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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



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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



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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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



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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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" 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> 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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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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...