Scientists and botanists are continuously exploring nature's vast variety, making tree and plant discoveries that highlight the richness of our planet's biodiversity. 



These findings spark excitement and curiosity, offering fresh perspectives on the vast array of plant species still awaiting exploration. Most recently, experts have added to the world of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-technology-will-accelerate-the-pace-of-plant-species-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">botanical discoveries</a> by naming six new tree species.



These species were identified during an exhaustive comparison of dried plant specimens gathered from across the Neotropics. 



Among the six, three unique species - Matisia petaquillae, Matisia changuinolana, and Matisia aquilarum - were identified in Panama while the other three - Matisia genesiana, Matisia mutatana, and Matisia rufula - were discovered in Colombia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-specimens-and-new-tree-species">Plant specimens and new tree species</h2>



The process of discovering these new species was a meticulous one, involving the careful collection, drying, and examination of plant samples. 



These samples were pressed into pieces of cardboard, mounted onto specialized paper, and later filed into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/did-the-centinela-mass-extinction-really-happen/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">herbaria</a> - dedicated repositories for dried plant specimens. 



With digital advancements, curators have made a significant portion of these specimens available online, facilitating easier access and exchange of knowledge.



However, it's important to note that despite digital access, the task of identifying these plant specimens still hinges on expert plant taxonomists.



Scientists often grapple with unidentified specimens for years before they can conclusively establish whether these represent previously unknown species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-upon-previous-discoveries">Building upon previous discoveries </h2>



Ernesto Campos, a research technician at the <a href="https://stri.si.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> (STRI), noted that José Luis Fernández-Alonso played a pivotal role in confirming the identification of a new tree species, Matisia tinamastiana in 2022.



This discovery unfolded in the Altos de Campana Forest Reserve and National Park and laid the cornerstone for the current collaborative efforts.



To identify this intriguing set of species, Fernández-Alonso examined plant samples preserved in herbaria across Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, and the United States. 



Campos provided crucial assistance in Panama, facilitating the review of herbarium collections at different institutions, including the Autonomous University of Chiriquí (UCH).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-specimens-from-chagres-national-park">Specimens from Chagres National Park</h2>



The discovery journey was further enriched with the collections made by senior botanists at STRI, Rolando Pérez and Salomón Aguilar, who extended the known distribution range of Matisia aquilarum.



This achievement was possible thanks to specimens found at a study site in Chagres National Park, a part of the ForestGEO-STRI forest monitoring network.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-window-into-the-world-of-plants">Window into the world of plants </h2>



The exploration does not end here. With the help of Joana Sumich, a technician in the SCZ herbarium, the researchers are in the process of identifying other plant samples - including some that were collected decades ago. They anticipate uncovering more species previously unknown to science.



To aid non-specialists in identifying these new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-many-invasive-plant-species-are-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plant species</a>, the authors have also included an updated dichotomous key of Matisia species for Panama in their manuscript. This represents the first such identification key published in over half a century.



David Mitre, the research manager for ForestGEO-STRI in Panama, aptly summed up the importance of these discoveries.



"Herbaria are not just collections of dried plants, they are a source of new information in the long term. Discoveries like this remind us how important it is to make sure that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amazon-trees-are-critically-endangered-even-in-protected-areas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">protected areas</a> are really well protected," said Mitre.



These findings elevate our understanding of our precious ecosystems, shedding light on the multitudes of plant species <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-tree-species-remain-undiscovered/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">waiting to be discovered</a>.



“This window into the world of plants leads to discoveries of new pharmaceuticals and makes it possible for conservationists to justify protection for natural areas where rare species flourish," said Joshua Tewksbury, STRI Director.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reservoirs-of-preserved-plant-specimens">Reservoirs of preserved plant specimens</h2>



Herbaria play a pivotal role in botanical research, serving as reservoirs of preserved plant specimens that hold invaluable information about the planet's biodiversity. 



These collections, some dating back centuries, are meticulously maintained to ensure their scientific integrity. 



Advances in digital technology have made many herbarium records accessible online, revolutionizing how researchers study plant species across the globe.



Despite this accessibility, the identification of new species remains a time-intensive process that relies heavily on skilled plant taxonomists. 



By carefully analyzing physical traits, geographical data, and historical records, these experts uncover the stories behind each specimen. 



The recent discoveries of the six Matisia tree species highlight the importance of herbaria in preserving the natural history of our planet and contributing to conservation efforts.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://raccefyn.co/index.php/raccefyn/article/view/malvaceae-neotropicae-novae-vel-minus-cognitae-nuevas-especies-d" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales</a>.



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Six new tree species identified in Columbia and Panama

Scientists and botanists are continuously exploring nature's vast variety, making tree and plant discoveries that highlight the richness of our planet's biodiversity. These findings spark excitement and curiosity, offering fresh perspectives on the vast array of plant species still awaiting exploration. Most recently, experts have added to the world of botanical discoveries by naming six new tree species. These species were identified during an exhaustive comparison of dried plant specimens gathered from across the Neotropics. Among the six, three unique species - Matisia petaquillae, Matisia changuinolana, and...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a> are reporting that alcohol causes more damage to the brain than marijuana. Alcohol use was linked to structural changes in brain matter, while marijuana use was not linked to long-term mental consequences.

Marijuana is being legalized for both medicinal and recreational use in states across America, and researchers are working to learn more about its potential health benefits as well as any harmful impacts that may be caused by the drug.

The CU Boulder team set out to examine how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-battle-opioid-crisis/">marijuana</a> affects the brain. The experts analyzed MRI scans from over 1,200 participants between the ages of 14 and 55 after determining patterns of alcohol and cannabis use among the individuals.

The study revealed that marijuana does not significantly affect grey or white matter in the brain. Alcohol use, on the other hand, was found to reduce the size of grey matter and the integrity of white matter - particularly in adults who had used alcohol for many years.

Grey matter enables brain function such as speech, muscle control, decision making, and memory, while white matter connects areas of grey matter together. The researchers explained that any reduction in the size or integrity of brain matter can lead to impairments in brain functioning.

“With alcohol, we've known it's bad for the brain for decades,” said study co-author Kent Hutchison. “But for cannabis, we know so little.”

Hutchison pointed out that the results of previous studies on how marijuana affects the brain are inconsistent.

“When you look at the research much more closely, you see that a lot of it is probably not accurate,” said Hutchison.

“When you look at these studies going back years, you see that one study will report that marijuana use is related to a reduction in the volume of the hippocampus. The next study then comes around, and they say that marijuana use is related to changes in the cerebellum...The point is that there's no consistency across all of these studies in terms of the actual brain structures.”

Based on the findings of the current study, the researchers believe that alcohol consumption is much more harmful to brain health than marijuana use.

“While marijuana may also have some negative consequences, it definitely is nowhere near the negative consequences of alcohol,” said Hutchison.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction">Addiction</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Marijuana is much less damaging to the brain than alcohol

Experts at the University of Colorado Boulder are reporting that...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.jic.ac.uk/">John Innes Centre</a> in England set out to examine how changing environmental conditions affect seed dispersal in plants. They found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2017-second-hottest-year-2/">rising temperatures</a> will cause many species of crops in the cabbage and mustard family to prematurely release seeds, which is detrimental to the reproductive process.

“In many crops, such as oilseed rape, premature seed dispersal is one of the major causes of crop loss. In the context of climate change, this could become increasingly severe,” explained co-author Vinod Kumar. “This study exposes the potential vulnerabilities of crop production in the warming world and paves the way for addressing this problem.”

Plants adjust their cycles according to a range of environmental conditions. They endure daily changes in weather and temperature, yet remain aligned with the seasons.

“Seed dispersal is also a key trait that must be controlled when domesticating plants for food production,” said co-senior author Lars Ostergaard. “With the prospect of climate change affecting crop performance, we wanted to understand how environmental signals such as temperature affect seed dispersal.”

The team focused its investigation on Arabidopsis plants, which belong to the mustard or cabbage family. When the researchers exposed the plants to temperatures elevated from 22 degrees Celsius to 27 degrees Celsius, they found that the plants opened their seed pods earlier and released seeds.

The experts determined that the rise in temperature had promoted the expression of the INDEHISCENT gene, which is known to regulate the development of seed pod tissue and promote fruit opening.

“We speculate that such mechanisms have evolved to facilitate proper seasonal timing of dispersal to ensure that seeds are released under conditions that are both timely and climatically optimal for germination,” said study first author Xin-Ran Li. “There could perhaps be a selective advantage in early maturation and dispersal in the wild."

The researchers plan to further investigate the mechanisms involved when seed dispersal is altered by elevated temperatures.

“We are hopeful that by understanding this in detail, we will be better equipped to devise strategies to breed for crop resilience to climate change,” said Ostergaard.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/molecular-plant/home">Molecular Plant</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

These crops will confuse global warming with change of season

Researchers at the John Innes Centre in England set out...

Just as the citrus industry in Florida was expected to recover from years of serious disease, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/americans-climate-change-hurricanes/">Hurricane Irma</a> struck and further devastated crops. The disaster turned 2017 into the worst year for Florida orange production since 1945, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

Florida's first orange trees were planted by early Spanish explorers in the 1500s in St. Augustine, and Florida citrus was first commercially farmed in the mid-1800s. Florida ultimately became the global leader in grapefruit production and the world's second largest producer of orange juice.

Beginning in 2005, Florida's citrus production became critically threatened by a bacterial disease known as citrus greening. The disease, which is transmitted by tiny flying insects, can weaken and kill infected trees.

According to the <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/">Orlando Sentinel</a>, citrus greening reduced orange and grapefruit revenue by $4.64 billion over just ten seasons. Greening also wiped out 30 percent of citrus industry employment between 2012 and 2015.

Citrus growers anticipated substantial production gains in 2017, until Hurricane Irma made matters much worse. According to the <a href="http://www.freshfromflorida.com/">Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services</a>, damage from the hurricane cost the citrus industry $760 million in damages and production was lowered by 30 percent.

A disaster relief package that was passed by the Senate Friday and will now be sent on to the House includes $2.36 billion in aid for Florida citrus growers and other farmers. Senator Bill Nelson is hoping the funding will help people who are still trying to recover from the devastating hurricane season of 2017.

“The people of Florida and Puerto Rico are still struggling to recover from last year's devastating storms and the disaster funding in this bill will help provide them some much-needed relief,” said Nelson. “The disaster funding in this bill will not only help provide Florida's schools and citrus growers the help they need, it will also help Puerto Rico rebuild its power grid and avoid an even greater healthcare crisis.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Florida’s citrus trees struggle to recover from disaster, disease

Just as the citrus industry in Florida was expected to...

The opioid epidemic in America has reached a new high, with over 40,00 deaths related to opioid overdoses in 2016. According to a new <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/21/health/drug-overdoses-2016-final-numbers/index.html">CNN</a> report, the rate of heroin overdose-related deaths has increased 19 percent each year. 

The current wave of opioid addiction in America got its start in the late 1990s. Pharmaceutical companies touting the miracle pain-relieving benefits of opioid drugs purposely mislead patients and doctors about the addictive effects of the drugs. 

Since then, millions of people continue to misuse prescription opioids, and although treatments are available and some medications have been successful, it can be difficult for patients to get appropriate and effective treatment for their addiction. 

But now, a surprising alternative has been suggested to help battle opioids, as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/legal-recreational-marijuana-california/">marijuana</a> has been shown to be effective at reducing and treating pain. 

According to a new report from <a href="https://www.livescience.com/61700-can-marijuana-curb-opioid-epidemic.html">Live Science</a>, marijuana could be a viable treatment for opioid addiction, as studies have shown that cannabinoids could help with chronic pain, the pain caused from some cancers, neuropathic pain, and pain from multiple sclerosis. 

Even though cannabis can be somewhat addictive, it is far easier to quit and doesn’t elicit the terrible withdrawal symptoms associated with opioid dependence. 

The report also highlighted a survey published in the Journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, where patients who used opioids and cannabis for pain relief reported that cannabis was more successful at reducing pain. 

Marijuana, like any other drug, is not without its risk and patients should consider carefully before making any drastic changes. However, based on previous studies, it could be a safer and even more effective treatment than current prescription opioids on the market today. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette, Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Marijuana could actually help battle the opioid crisis

The opioid epidemic in America has reached a new high,...

Saguaros are big… very big for cacti.  That’s one of the first impressions one is likely to get about the plants of the Sonoran Desert, the only place the iconic cactus lives naturally.  

Looking closely at a Saguaro, one gets the impression that the cactus has a hard life.  It’s clear that needles and a generally unappealing (at least for food) nature doesn’t make the plant’s life problem-free.  Of course there are the physical limitations to living in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/10-largest-deserts-world/">Sonoran Desert</a>, things such as lack of water and high summer temperatures but there are also scars on saguaros.  Scars on saguaros sometimes come from cold temperatures that leave a pinched look on some of the cactus.  There are also cactus that I am convinced were shot, possible by inebriated college kids looking for senseless fun.  There are holes clearly made by insects, small but still probably somewhat damaging and then there are bigger holes.

Other cacti have a lot of holes as well.  Some holes are caused by insects but javelina (often thought a pig, javelina are actually peccaries) and desert tortoise take bites from various species of prickly pear.  Spines don’t mean that no one will eat you.  Cactus fruit are also a big source of food and some Native American groups improvised many culinary uses for saguaro (and other cacti) fruit as well as fruit gathering ceremonies.  Saguaro fruit can even be made into wine.         

Woodpeckers leave holes in saguaros for their homes but not all woodpecker holes are the same.  Gilded Flickers, (Colaptes chrysoides) a beautiful woodpecker eats insects but unlike non-desert species also eats cactus fruit.  The gilded flicker also uses saguaros for a home.  The flicker hammers through to the center of saguaro cactus and above their holes you sometimes see the rest of the plant leaning over sharply, drooping due to a loss of its structural integrity.

Gila Woodpeckers (Melanerpes uropygialis) also make their homes inside of saguaros but with a different method.  Gila Woodpeckers break through only the outside layer of a cactus.  The cactus is allowed to heal, creating a pocket of scar tissue.  Sometimes these pockets of scar tissue (called boots) were collected by Native Americans to use for carrying water.  Since the Gila Woodpecker doesn’t damage the saguaro’s hard wooden interior, the cactus stands strong still, with just superficial damage when compared to that done by Gilded Flickers.      

The advantages of nesting in cacti are obvious if you consider them for a bit.  A bird can reach a cactus rather easily by flying to it but imagine being a hungry cat trying to climb the plant to catch a bird.  Cactus Wrens nest in Cholla cactus, building tubes of needles and sticks to raise eggs in.  Sometimes Cactus Wrens also build dummy nests to lure would be predators to the wrong nest.

Life in the desert seems exceedingly hard, and there is less biodiversity than in some places, but all it really requires is a bit of innovation and natural selection is an amazing innovator.  

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Cacti, birds, and life in the Sonoran Desert

Saguaros are big… very big for cacti.  That’s one of...

A recent investigation into the environmental impact of different diets has revealed that eating fruit and vegetables is much healthier for the planet than diets consisting of animal products.

The experts also determined that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/organic-food-sales-soared/">organic food</a> contributes to the green benefits of plant-based diets, but does not have the same influence with diets which are only moderately plant-based.

The Food and Agriculture Organization is just one of many groups that are emphasizing an urgent need for sustainable diets, including reduced consumption of animal products. 

Livestock farming has a high energy demand and largely contributes to harmful greenhouse gas emissions while also posing a significant threat to the planet's biodiversity.

Organic food production is considered to be much more eco-friendly than other methods. This study is the first to investigate the environmental impacts of both dietary choices and farm production systems.

“We wanted to provide a more comprehensive picture of how different diets impact the environment,” said co-author Louise Seconda. “In particular, it is of considerable interest to consider the impacts of both plant-based foods and organic foods.”

The research team analyzed data on the organic food consumption and food intake of over 34,000 French adults. The experts estimated the environmental impact of both farm-based and plant-based food production,  and then compared this data to the dietary preferences derived from the surveys.

“Combining consumption and farm production data we found that across the board, diet-related environmental impacts were reduced with a plant-based diet - particularly greenhouse gas emissions,” said Seconda. 

“The consumption of organic food added even more environmental benefits for a plant-based diet. In contrast, consumption of organic food did not add significant benefits to diets with high contribution from animal products and only moderate contribution from plant products.”

The study authors pointed out that production systems may be impacted by other influences besides the environment, such as climate, farm management, and soil types.

“We didn't look at other indicators such as pesticide use, leaching and soil quality which are relevant to the environmental impacts of productions systems,” explained Seconda. “Therefore future studies could also consider these as well as supply chain and distribution impacts of food production.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition">Frontiers in Nutrition</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Organic plant-based diets are also beneficial to the environment

A recent investigation into the environmental impact of different diets...

When <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pine-trees-grow-toward-equator/">pine trees</a> are exposed to extreme levels of ultraviolet radiation, they become temporarily sterile. This has led scientists to believe that ozone depletion was a primary contributor to the biggest mass extinction in Earth's history at the end of the Permian Period 252 million years ago.

<a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a>, graduate student Jeffrey Benca exposed 18-inch-tall pine trees to a level of ultraviolet radiation similar to what would have followed the massive volcano eruptions that occurred at the end of the Permian Period. 

Over the course of two months, all of the pine cones shriveled up within days of emerging and the trees became sterile. After the trees were moved outside, they were able to bounce back years later and produce healthy pine cones.

Scientists believe periodic volcanic eruptions that continued for over a million years and the subsequent ozone depletion could have been the driving force behind the Permian-Triassic extinction, but exactly how the event unfolded remains a mystery. While there would have been acid rain on a local level, this alone could not have wiped out nearly 70 percent of all land animals and 95 percent of the planet's marine life.

“During the end-Permian crisis, the forests may have disappeared in part or fully because of increased UV exposure,” said Benca. “With pulses of volcanic eruptions happening, we would expect pulsed ozone shield weakening, which may have led to forest declines previously observed in the fossil record.”

Benca explained that, even though the plants survived, the massive levels of radiation would have had a damaging effect on plant growth and reproduction. This could have destabilized the base of the food web, which would  have a devastating impact on animals.

“Paleontologists have come up with various kill scenarios for mass extinctions, but plant life may not be affected by dying suddenly as much as through interrupting one part of the life cycle, such as reproduction, over a long period of time, causing the population to dwindle and potentially disappear,” said study co-author Cindy Looy.

Co-author Ivo Duijnstee said that Benca’s theory of what happened during the end of the Permian Period is a great illustration of how extinction unfolds slowly, over tens or hundreds of thousands of years. 

“Global biodiversity catastrophes are not about death but about the pruning of evolutionary branches on the tree of life at a rate much higher than the sprouting of new shoots,” said Duijnstee.

The findings of the study suggest that caution must be taken when introducing new industrial chemicals that could be harmful to the ozone.

The study is published in the online journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ozone depletion contributed to Earth’s largest extinction event

When pine trees are exposed to extreme levels of ultraviolet...

Researchers have identified a chemical that is capable of reversing the limitations of shoot branching in plants, which could lead to significant improvements in crop yields such as more efficient fruit production.

Trees sprout additional limbs in a process known as shoot branching, which is the development of axillary buds which form new branches or flowers. The crop yield of many plants is affected by the number of shoot branches that they generate.

Ultimately, this growth activity is halted by a biological trigger. A gene known as D14 was identified in previous studies as the underlying mechanism that controls the end of shoot branching.

A team lead by Shinya Hagihara and Yuichiro Tsuchiya theorized that if this gene was hindered, the branching activity of plants could be extended. 

The experts developed a study that would allow them to monitor the shoot branching process while testing chemicals that could potentially suppress D14. A reporter chemical called Yoshimulactone Green (YLG) would glow green when branching activity was taking place. 

After analyzing 800 compounds, the researchers found that 18 of the chemicals inhibited D14 by at least 70 percent. There was one chemical that was particularly active called DL1, which increased shoot branching in a certain type of flower and also in rice.

As the team prepares to introduce DL1 as a potential commercial agrochemical, they must first test to see how long the chemicals will last in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/decomposing-leaves-emit-greenhouse-gas/">soil</a>. They are also investigating whether DL1 is toxic or harmful to humans.

The study is published in the American Chemical Society journal <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/centralscience">Central Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists find chemical that boosts plant growth and crop yields

Researchers have identified a chemical that is capable of reversing...

A study from <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> has revealed for the first time which insects pollinate <a href="https://www.earth.com/plants/venus-flytrap-dionaea-muscipula/">Venus flytraps</a>. The researchers are also reporting that these carnivorous plants do not eat the insects that pollinate them.

“Everybody's heard of Venus flytraps, but nobody knew what pollinated them - so we decided to find out,” said study co-author Clyde Seorenson.

Venus flytraps, or Dionaea muscipula, are native to a small region within a 100-mile radius of Wilmington, North Carolina.

“These findings answer basic questions about the ecology of Venus flytraps, which is important for understanding how to preserve a plant that is native to such a small, threatened ecosystem,” said lead author Elsa Youngsteadt. “It also illustrates the fascinating suite of traits that help this plant interact with insects as both pollinators and prey.”

Over the 5 weeks of the plants’ flowering season, researchers captured insects found on the flowers of Venus flytraps at several sites. The experts identify each of the insects and checked to see how much pollen they were carrying from the Venus flytraps, if any.

Only a few of the insects were both frequently spotted on the flowers and carried a lot of pollen, including a checkered beetle, a green sweat bee, and the notch-tipped flower longhorn beetle.

Next, the research team identified prey from over 200 Venus flytraps. The experts discovered that the three pollinator species were never found in the traps, despite the fact that they were among the most common visitors.

“One potential reason for this is the architecture of the plants themselves,” said Youngsteadt. “Venus flytrap flowers are elevated on stems that stand fairly high above the snap traps of the plant, and we found that 87 percent of the flower-visiting individuals we captured - including all three of the most important species - could fly. But only 20 percent of the prey could fly. The pollinator species may simply be staying above the danger zone as they go from flower to flower, making them less likely to be eaten.”

Sorenson said that another possible explanation is that the traps, which are different colors than the flowers, may simply attract different species.

“We don't yet know if they release different scents or other chemical signals that may also differentiate which portions of the plant are attractive to pollinators versus prey. That's one of the questions we plan to address moving forward.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/an/current">American Naturalist</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Elsa Youngsteadt

Venus flytraps don’t kill their pollinator insects

A study from North Carolina State University has revealed for...

Experts from <a href="http://www.au.dk/en/">Aarhus University</a> have discovered that small algae residing under Arctic sea ice have adapted to live in extreme conditions. The microscopic algae need only 0.02 percent of the light at the ice’s surface for survival, which sets a new world record.

In the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctics-mammal-global-warming/">Arctic</a>, the winter season is completely dark. Even when the sun re-emerges in the springtime, very little light can penetrate the compact ice and snow.

Since algae need light to live, researchers wanted to investigate how sea ice algae live in a low light habitat that is below freezing for long periods of time throughout the year. They focused their study at the Villum Research Station in northeastern Greenland.

“We worked on the sea ice in April-May, where there was a meter of sea ice and a meter of snow on top of the ice,” explained lead author Lars Chresten Lund-Hansen. “With special ice corers we drilled holes in the ice so that we could measure the ice algae on the underside of the ice and collect samples.”

Sea ice algae are critical components of the Arctic food web. They are particularly important in the early spring, when plankton algae are not yet active.

The study revealed that the sea ice cover and the depth of the snow did not change significantly during the month of May. However, as the snow got warmer, optical conditions changed - allowing more light to reach the underside of the ice.

“Our measurements showed that the ice algae began to grow at a light intensity below 0.17 μmol photons m-2 s-1,” said study co-author Kasper Hancke. “This corresponds to less than 0.02% of the amount of light that reaches the surface of the snow on a sunny day.”

This is the lowest light level ever observed to promote active photosynthesis and ice algae growth. The findings suggest that ice algae assume an important role much earlier in the spring than previously realized.

“Temperatures are rising in the Arctic,” said Lund-Hansen. “When the snow on top of the ice gets warmer, the algae residing on the underside of the ice receive more light. This may significantly impact the growth of the algae and the extent of the 'spring bloom.’ This new knowledge must be considered in the puzzle of how the Arctic will respond to a warmer world.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/jgr/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2156-2202/">Journal of Geophysical Research</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sea ice algae grow in the darkest areas ever recorded

Experts from Aarhus University have discovered that small algae residing...

A new study from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> has revealed that 16 percent of all species on the planet have the potential to be alien species. The experts are reporting that the further invasion of non-indigenous species will have unpredictable impacts.

The researchers found that there is a steadily rising number of newly emerging <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/non-native-frogs-hawaii/">alien species</a>. These species can significantly modify ecosystems and can be detrimental to biosecurity interventions.

Strategies to control the spread of alien species primarily depend on information about where the species have invaded before, which means that newly emerging species can easily go undetected.

In order to investigate the advancement of alien species worldwide, the research team focused its study on a global database of 45,984 records of thousands of alien species from 1500 to 2005. 

The scientists discovered that, between 2000 and 2005, a quarter of the species in the database were seen for the first time as alien. 

“While most new records do relate to the spread of species we already knew were aliens, the fact that one in four relates to a completely new alien species is both surprising and troubling,” said study co-author Tim Blackburn.

The team established that the proportion of non-native plant, mammal, and fish species has remained constant over the past 150 years, but the overall number of alien species has risen.

"Humans have been moving species to new places for thousands of years, so we might have expected that most species that have the potential to become aliens would already have done so,”said Blackburn. “Instead, it seems the pool of new aliens is far from dry.”

The most notable increase in non-native species was found in insects and other invertebrates, while birds showed the lowest proportions of emerging alien species.

“These findings will be extremely helpful for horizon scanning studies that aim to identify ‘door knocker’ species, which are those not yet recorded but are suspected of presenting a high risk of arrival and detrimental impacts,” said Blackburn.

The study is published in <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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

Alien species invading new areas with an unpredictable impact

A new study from University College London has revealed that...

A new study has narrowed in on the origins of flowers, finding that flowering plants began populating the Earth between 149 and 256 million years ago. 

However, there are several contradicting theories as to when flowering plants first evolved based on either plant fossil records or molecular data.

Fossil records show that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flowering-plants-dominant-earth/">flowering plants</a> appeared suddenly, evolving during the Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution. But studies based on molecular evidence show that flowering plants had much earlier beginnings.  

"Previous studies into molecular timescales failed to explore the implications of experimental variables, and so they inaccurately estimate the probable age of flowering plants with undue precision," said Professor Ziheng Yang, the senior author of the study.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London </a>and the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol </a>wanted to bridge the gap between the inconsistent timelines. 

The study was published in the journal New Phytologist, and the results highlight the importance of looking at all available studies based on both molecular data and the fossil record when determining an evolutionary timeline. 

“In large part, the discrepancy between these two approaches is an artifact of false precision on both palaeontological and molecular evolutionary timescales,” said Philip Donoghue, a senior author of the study.

The researchers collected and analyzed the genetic data from 83 genes and 644 taxa of flowering plants and compared these to the existing fossil record. 

The results showed that even though fossil records seem to provide a more accurate estimate of the beginnings of flowering plants, there is a still wide margin of error when pinpointing the exact origin. 

“By using Bayesian statistical methods that borrow tools from physics and mathematics to model how the evolutionary rate changes with time, we showed that there are broad uncertainties in the estimates of flowering plant age, all compatible with early to mid-Cretaceous origin for the group,” said Mario dos Reis, a co-author of the study.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

How long have flowers been on Earth?

A new study has narrowed in on the origins of...

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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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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



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"

[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



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...