Have you ever paused to admire a morning glory? Just as their name suggests, these flowers open at sunrise and often close by afternoon or evening.



Despite their fragile appearance, a recent study from the University of Michigan suggests that morning glory plants are quite resilient. The team discovered that these plants can withstand the effects of weed killers and display resistance to damage from herbivorous insects.



In particular, morning glory plants were found to resist glyphosate - the active component in the herbicide RoundUp.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-resistance-to-insect-damage">Plant resistance to insect damage</h2>



Interestingly, the researchers found that plants which are susceptible to glyphosate are also susceptible to damage from insects. This implies that glyphosate can disrupt the co-evolution of plants and their insect adversaries.



Study lead author&nbsp;Grace Zhang is a U-M doctoral student working with&nbsp;Regina Baucom, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.



"When people think about herbicides and study them in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-boost-plant-evolution-in-surprising-ways/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a>, they think about herbicide resistance," said Zhang. 



"Resistance is a big problem, tolerance is a big problem. But beyond that, we don't really have a great idea of how herbicides impact plant evolution in general, and also how it might impact how plants interact with other things in their environment."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-insect-damage-on-plants-with-glyphosate">More insect damage on plants with glyphosate</h2>



The researchers set up the study with 1,600 morning glory plants in <a href="https://umich.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U-M</a>'s Matthaei Botanical Gardens. They sprayed half of the plants with glyphosate and recorded the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-leaf-eating-insects-have-a-huge-impact-on-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a>' growth traits.



Noteworthy findings from the study included the fact that plants treated with glyphosate incurred more damage from insects compared to the non-treated (control) plants. However, plants resistant to glyphosate had less insect damage.



While conventional ecological theory would suggest a tradeoff between these two traits, Zhang said the team "saw the opposite."



The researchers also analyzed the fitness of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-technology-will-accelerate-the-pace-of-plant-species-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants</a>, i.e., their likelihood of producing seeds. They discovered a positive selection acting on glyphosate resistance: the more resistant the plants are to glyphosate, the fitter they are and the more likely to produce seeds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-genes-and-insect-defenses">Plant genes and insect defenses</h2>



But, why are plants that are resistant to glyphosate also resistant to insect damage?



While Zhang and Baucom are yet to confirm, they hint at the role of the shikimate pathway - a metabolic process that glyphosate attacks, impacting the plant's herbivory defenses.



In contrast, the plants resistant to glyphosate seem to have multiple genes working together. These form detoxification pathways that can wade off glyphosate, thereby maintaining their insect defenses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-agricultural-practices">Implications for agricultural practices</h2>



This study has profound implications for current agricultural practices and the management of herbicide application. Understanding the dual resistance to both glyphosate and herbivory challenges the conventional approach to pest and weed management. 



For farmers, this could mean re-evaluating the use of herbicides like glyphosate to mitigate potential unintended ecological repercussions. 



The development of crops that can naturally resist both herbicides and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-the-milkweed-beetle-safely-feed-on-a-toxic-plant/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">insect</a> predation could lead to more sustainable agricultural strategies, reducing the need for chemical inputs while preserving biodiversity in farmlands.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions </h2>



The findings open the door to further exploration into the genetic underpinnings of plant resistance. Future research could investigate the exact genetic pathways involved in this dual resistance, potentially leading to breakthroughs in genetic engineering for crop improvement.



Another avenue of research could focus on the long-term evolutionary consequences of glyphosate use on plant-insect interactions. 



Scientists could harness these insights for developing crops that are better suited to withstand both chemical and biological stressors, ensuring food security in an ever-changing environment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-made-impacts-on-nature">Human-made impacts on nature</h2>



"Studies in the past usually look at the evolution of herbicide resistance in these plants or they'll look at how applying the herbicide directly to specific insects will affect them," Zhang said. 



"But they haven't really looked at this question from more of a community level: How does herbicide act as a disruptor on this community level?" 



"So that's what we really wanted to focus on: how does this new disruptive agent that is human-made impact a very natural, long standing relationship between plants and their insects?"



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.20238" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Phytologist</a>.



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Herbicides disrupt the co-evolution of plants and insects

Have you ever paused to admire a morning glory? Just as their name suggests, these flowers open at sunrise and often close by afternoon or evening. Despite their fragile appearance, a recent study from the University of Michigan suggests that morning glory plants are quite resilient. The team discovered that these plants can withstand the effects of weed killers and display resistance to damage from herbivorous insects. In particular, morning glory plants were found to resist glyphosate - the active component in the herbicide RoundUp. Plant resistance...

A study from the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/homepage/">Technical University of Munich</a> (TUM) is the first to confirm that trees in metropolitan areas have been growing faster worldwide. The research also points out that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urban-trees-increase-ozone/">urban trees</a> have been exposed to changing climate conditions for a long time, while trees in rural areas are only just beginning to be exposed to a changing climate.

“While the effects of climate change on tree growth in forests have been extensively studied, there is little information available so far for urban trees,” said co-author Hans Pretzsch. 

The research team set out to investigate the growth of urban trees mainly due to the current trend toward global urbanization. According to the United Nations, the urban population worldwide is expected to increase by more than 60 percent by 2030. Trees already improve the environment in metropolitan areas, and the continuing upward trend in urbanization makes them even more significant in improving the health and well-being of city residents.

The team collected and analyzed tree samples from Berlin, Brisbane, Cape Town, Hanoi, Houston, Munich, Paris, Prince George, Santiago de Chile, and Sapporo for the study. The cities cover different climate zones, ranging from boreal to temperate, Mediterranean, and subtropical. Overall, the researchers examined nearly 1400 trees. 

“We can show that urban trees of the same age are larger on average than rural trees because urban trees grow faster,” said Pretzsch. 

Upon further analysis, the researchers established that the size difference between urban and rural trees decreases with age, yet it is still relevant. 

“While the difference amounts to about a quarter at the age of 50, it is still just under 20 percent at a hundred years of age,” explained Pretzsch.

The researchers attribute the accelerated growth of urban trees to the heat island effect, which is the occurrence of higher temperatures in urban settings. Compared to the surrounding rural area, cities are hotter by as much as ten degrees Celsius. Higher temperatures affect the trees in two major ways - by stimulating photosynthetic activity and by extending their growing season.

The positive effect of faster-growing trees also comes with the negative aspect of more rapidly aging trees. According to Pretzsch, the sped-up life cycle means that cities will have to replace aging trees sooner.

The study, which is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, is the first of its kind to examine the growth of urban trees worldwide for trends resulting from changing climate conditions.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Trees grow faster in cities, study confirms

A study from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/">U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station</a> have been investigating the interactions between native birds and plants in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/feds-assessing-health-hawaiis-fish-population/">Hawaii</a>. Their study has revealed that seasonal changes in plants from year to year, which are heavily influenced by climate change, have an alarming impact on bird populations.

The scientists set out to examine the changes in bird abundance, breeding, and molting based on climate-induced alterations to vegetation. To do this, the team reviewed extensive data collected between 1976 and 1982 at a 40-acre monitoring site on Hawaii Island. 

The experts established that "bottom-up processes” in the food chain strongly influence the survival rates of Hawaiian bird communities. The density of bird populations was frequently found to mirror the availability of their food sources.

"Our results suggest that changes in climate can cascade up the food chain and strongly affect wildlife at higher levels in the chain," said lead author Jared Wolfe.

The researchers observed that three native bird species all timed their breeding season with the availability of specific flowers, which were abundant after periods of heavy rain. Similar correlations were found in other bird varieties, both native and non-native. The birds based breeding patterns on the accessibility of their flower or fruit food sources as well as the timing of molting, a physically demanding process by which the birds replace their feathers. 

"The susceptibility of many Hawaiian birds to climatically-induced changes in their food web is alarming when considering that the archipelago has been subject to an increasingly drier climate during the last 30 years," said Wolfe.

"These types of studies are rare because they depend on long-term data and labor-intensive field work," said co-author C. John Ralph. "But findings from long-term studies, such as this one, are critically important because they provide insights into how changes in climate might affect organisms in seemingly indirect ways."

The study is published in this month's issue of <a href="http://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1939-9170/">Ecology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change altering plants and bird populations in Hawaii

Researchers at the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station...

Researchers have found that a psychedelic drug called Ayahuasca that is often used in the Amazon region gives people an improved sense of wellbeing, and may be an effective treatment for alcoholism and depression.

Ayahuasca is a potent brew used in healing ceremonies as a spiritual medicine that contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychedelic drug. DMT is classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the United States and is illegal in almost every country.

A growing collection of research suggests that psychedelic drugs such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magic-mushrooms-depression-brain/">magic mushrooms</a> and LSD can help treat alcoholism and depression. Researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> and <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> analyzed Global Drug Survey data from more than 96,000 people worldwide to examine the potential therapeutic benefits of ayahuasca.

The study revealed that ayahuasca users reported significantly lower alcohol issues than people who took LSD or magic mushrooms. In addition, those who took ayahuasca reported higher overall well-being in the year leading up to the survey.

"These findings lend some support to the notion that ayahuasca could be an important and powerful tool in treating depression and alcohol use disorders," said lead author Dr. Will Lawn. “Recent research has demonstrated ayahuasca's potential as a psychiatric medicine, and our current study provides further evidence that it may be a safe and promising treatment.”

Dr. Lawn pointed out that ayahuasca users still reported high drinking levels, and that further research is needed “to fully examine ayahuasca's ability to help treat mood and addiction disorders.” He added that, this study is still important because it is most likely “the largest survey of ayahuasca users completed to date."

The acute effects of ayahuasca last around six hours, and are felt most intensely one hour after ingestion. Most people surveyed reported taking the drug with a healer or a shaman.

"If ayahuasca is to represent an important treatment, it is critical that its short and long-term effects are investigated, and safety established,” said senior author Celia Morgan.

Of the survey participants, 527 were ayahuasca users, 18,138 used LSD or magic mushrooms, and 78,236 did not take psychedelic drugs.

"In this work, long-term ayahuasca use has not been found to impact on cognitive ability, produce addiction or worsen mental health problems,” said Morgan. "In fact, some of these observational studies suggest that ayahuasca use is associated with less problematic alcohol and drug use, and better mental health and cognitive functioning."

The study is published in the Nature journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ayahuasca may be effective treatment for alcoholism, depression

Researchers have found that a psychedelic drug called Ayahuasca that is...

Letting nature take its course might be the best way for restoring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-habitat-conversion-biodiversity/">biodiversity</a> in tropical forests, as a new study has found that nature bests human intervention at recovering native tree species.  

Previous research has often asserted that human intervention was needed to recover habitat and tree loss in forests. Active intervention methods like planting trees and limiting deforestation through policy-change were thought to be pivotal ways to recover habitat loss. 

However, new research conducted by Renato Crouzeilles, an expert in the fields of landscape ecology and restoration, shows that natural regeneration in tropical forests is more effective and impactful than active intervention. 

The number of previous studies that focus on efficient forest restoration methods is limited, and the results often contradictory.

Crouzeilles wanted to investigate if an active intervention was, in fact, the best way to recover tropical forests. 

For the study, a team of researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 133 different studies, examining the recovery of biodiversity and forest restoration in different sites that had either used active recovery methods or natural regeneration. 

Surprisingly, natural regeneration was more effective at restoring biodiversity and increasing plant growth compared to those sites that had used active interventions.

The results, published by the <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>, show that natural regeneration can be a powerful tool in recovering tropical rainforests. However, the researchers also note that some forests may need a combination of both active intervention and natural restoration to fully recover its biodiversity.

---

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Robin L. Chazdon

Let nature take its course: Regeneration restores biodiversity

Letting nature take its course might be the best way...

The quality of soil is an incredibly important factor in the sustained, healthy growth of our crops. Soil quality can make or break a farmer’s crop yield and the very value of the land it sits on. Characteristics such as the content of organic matter and the moisture of the soil play vital roles in helping plants grow. Now, researchers have found that soil temperature is also of the utmost importance.

Plants rely on certain consistent soil temperatures in order to grow. “Most plants are sensitive to extreme changes in soil temperature,” says Samuel Haruna, a researcher at <a href="http://www.mtsu.edu/">Middle Tennessee State University</a>. “You don’t want it to change too quickly because the plants can’t cope with it.”

The ability of soil to buffer against temperature change is dependent on a variety of factors. How much the soil is compacted is just one of those factors. 

Compacted soil actually causes the soil particles to transfer temperatures much faster, thus increasing temperature change. This can be caused by farmers dragging heavy machinery over the soil – which must happen often, as you can imagine. However, research has shown that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cover-crops-climate-change/">cover crops</a> and perennial biofuel crops help relieve soil compaction and moderate temperature.

Haruna set out to determine if these cover crops and perennial biofuel crops could also help soils protect themselves against fluctuating temperatures. He and a team of researchers grew multiple types of these crops in the field and then tested the soil in the lab for its ability to regulate temperature.

“I was amazed at the results,” says Haruna. The team found that both cover crops and perennial biofuel crops help soils become better buffers against extreme temperatures by slowing down how quickly temperatures spread through the soil. The roots of these crops break up the soil, preventing soil molecules from clumping together and compacting. These roots also add organic matter to the soil, which is an additional benefit in temperature regulation.

Furthermore, perennial biofuel and cover crops help soil retain moisture, which keeps soils from heating up too quickly as water itself is a heat buffer. 

“Water generally has a high ability to buffer against temperature changes,” explains Haruna. “So if soil has a high water content it has a greater ability to protect the soil.” 

Major temperature fluctuations are in our future as climate change becomes more prominent around the world. Haruna believes that increasing the use of cover crops may help to lessen the effects of climate change on soil quality and ultimately crop production. He looks to continue this research with more field experiments in the future.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cover crops help moderate soil temperature

The quality of soil is an incredibly important factor in...

Thanks to engineers at the <a href="http://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Institute of Technology</a>, your plant may soon be able to alert you when it needs water. The experts have developed sensors that can be printed across leaves to show when plants are getting too dry.

Study senior author Michael Strano pointed out that this new technology could not only help save <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-air-quality-home/">houseplants</a> but could also give farmers plenty of warning when their crops are in danger.

"This appears to be the earliest indicator of drought that we have for agricultural applications,"said Strano. "It's hard to get this information any other way. You can put sensors into the soil, or you can do satellite imaging and mapping, but you never really know what a particular plant is detecting as the water potential."

Some plants begin to wilt when they are in trouble, yet others do not show any symptoms until there is already significant damage. The sensor works with a plant's stomata, small pores located on the surface of a plant leaf that allow water to evaporate.

"People already knew that stomata respond to light, to carbon dioxide concentration, to drought, but now we have been able to monitor it continuously," said lead author Volodymyr Koman. "Previous methods were unable to produce this kind of information."

Using an ink made of carbon nanotubes in an organic compound enabled the scientists to print across a single pore and create an electronic circuit. By precisely measuring the pore as it opened and closed under both normal and dry conditions, the researchers determined that they could detect within two days when a plant is experiencing a water shortage.

The research, which is published in the online edition of the journal <a href="http://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journal/lc">Lab on a Chip</a>, continues as the team is working on ways to apply the electronic circuits by simply placing stickers on plant leaves. 

In addition, Strano is collaborating with a large agricultural producer to develop the sensors for use on crops. According to Strano, the technology could also be useful to gardeners and urban farmers, and may even help scientists engineer drought-resistant plants.

Koman added, "It could have big implications for farming, especially with climate change, where you will have water shortages and changes in environmental temperatures.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New sensors show when plants need water

Thanks to engineers at the Michigan Institute of Technology, your...

A study from the <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine</a> has found that 70 percent of all cannabidiol products sold online are not labeled correctly, potentially causing serious harm to consumers. Lead author Marcel Bonn-Miller believes the mislabeling of cannabidiol products is a direct result of the insufficient regulation of the drug.

"The big problem, with this being something that is not federally legal, is that the needed quality assurance oversight from the Food and Drug Administration is not available,” said Bonn-Miller. “There are currently no standards for producing, testing, or labeling these oils.”

Cannabidiol, a natural chemical found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-use-sex/">marijuana</a> plants, has been the subject of much interest in recent years as research has shown the compound has many therapeutic uses. CBD provides medical benefits without making patients feel intoxicated because it is not a psychoactive drug like marijuana.

In states where it has been legalized, patients report using CBD for a variety of health conditions including epilepsy, migraines, insomnia, and anxiety. Business experts estimate that the market for CBD products will spike to over $2 billion in consumer sales within the next three years. 

While the interest in CBD continues to grow, the regulation of products containing CBD is not keeping up with the pace. This is primarily due to the fact that CBD is still considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance despite its legal status in many states. Most CBD products are purchased online, where sites often do not even use the term cannabidiol to avoid getting into trouble.

"So, right now, if you buy a Hershey bar, you know it has been checked over; you know how many calories are in it, you know it has chocolate as an ingredient, you know how much chocolate is in there” said Bonn-Miller. “Selling these oils without oversight, there is no way to know what is actually in the bottle. It's crazy to have less oversight and information about a product being widely used for medicinal purposes, especially in very ill children, than a Hershey bar."

Bonn-Miller and his team purchased and analyzed 84 products containing CBD from 31 online retailers. They found that at least 42 percent of the products were under-labeled, meaning that the product contained a higher concentration of CBD than indicated. 26 percent of the products examined by the team were over-labeled, meaning the product contained a lower concentration of CBD than indicated on the label. 

Only 30 percent of the CBD products purchased by the researchers contained an actual CBD content that was within 10 percent of the amount on the product label. While excessive CBD is not thought to be dangerous, the wrong dosage may negate the therapeutic effects of the drug.

"People are using this as medicine for many conditions (anxiety, inflammation, pain, epilepsy)," said Bonn-Miller. "The biggest implication is that many of these patients may not be getting the proper dosage; they're either not getting enough for it to be effective or they're getting too much."

A number of the products analyzed for the study also contained a significant amount of THC, the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for making people feel high. THC is linked to cognitive impairment and other negative health effects. Because this medication is often given to children who suffer from epilepsy, parents could be giving their child THC without realizing it.

"Future research should be focused on making sure people are paying attention to this issue and encouraging regulation in this rapidly expanding industry,” said Bonn-Miller.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cannabidiol products sold online are most often mislabeled

A study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine...

As a result of one of the most detailed paternity tests ever conducted in wild trees, scientists have discovered that tiny pollinating bees play matchmaker across long distances. The bees promote the genetic diversity needed for trees to survive disease, climate change, and other threats.

Researchers at <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">The University of Texas at Austin</a> examined the routes taken by hundreds of bees to and from trees that they pollinated across a forest spanning over 2.5 miles. The study revealed that the smallest bees were able to travel every bit as far as the larger bees, often pairing trees that were separated by over a mile. 

The researchers ultimately determined that in half of cases when paired trees existed a significant distance apart, the pollen had been carried by a bee no bigger than a grain of rice.

"Size isn't everything," said lead author Shalene Jha. "These little bees are responsible for major beneficial impacts in terms of reproduction and gene flow."

The research took place over four years in a tropical rainforest near the Panama Canal. The area of observation was about 10 times the size of previous studies conducted to evaluate the pollinating patterns of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blooming-seasons-bad-bees/">bees</a>.

"If you work in a small portion of forest, you're only capable of measuring pollen movement in a small area," said Jha. "We picked up the signal about how far these little bees move because we started doing work that was commensurate with the scale at which they're actually flying."

Over 85 percent of plants, including almost two-thirds of food crops, rely on pollinating insects for sexual reproduction. In the past, studies of pollinating insects have focused primarily on larger bees which carry the most pollen.

"We haven't traditionally asked how pollinators influence the way genes are passed on across generations, but it's incredibly important for long-term population persistence," said Jha. "We typically look at seeds or the number of seeds when we want to know a bee's role in pollination service, but not 'who are the fathers of these seeds?' "

Jha explained that knowing the parents of any given plant is essential not only for a better quantity of plants and crops but also for better quality. She hopes that the new research will show how even the smallest pollinators can provide the optimal conditions for plant reproduction and reforestation.

The study is published this week in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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: Antonio Castilla, The University of Texas at Austin

Small bees have a big impact on tree reproduction

As a result of one of the most detailed paternity...

While global food demand is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years, drought and water shortages will have a major impact on agricultural output.

Population growth, changes in diets, and increased demand for biofuels are just a few of the reasons agricultural demand is growing, all while global aquifers are quickly being depleted.

Now, a new study conducted by researchers at <a href="http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/">Columbia University’s Earth Institute</a> offers a new solution to meet agricultural demand amid future water shortages.

The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, suggests that redrawing crop distribution maps worldwide could drastically increase output.

For the study, the researchers looked at crop water-use models, and yield maps for 14 major food crops that make up 72 percent of all crops farmed worldwide.

The crops used were groundnut, maize, millet, oil palm, rapeseed, rice, roots, sorghum, soybean, sugarbeet, sugarcane, sunflowers, tubers, and wheat.

The study especially focused on crop distributions that would put less stress on water consumption. 

The new maps would produce enough food for an additional 825 million people and reduce water consumption considerably, at least 20 percent in some countries.

The key, according to the study, is increasing the production of certain nutrient-rich crops like soybeans and tubers, and reducing yields in crops like rice, sugar, and wheat that need more water but have less caloric value.

Crop distribution would vary from country to country, but the results show that it is possible to meet growing demand and reduce <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/buffer-filter-nitrates-groundwater/">water</a> usage worldwide. 

Some of the exciting aspects of this option are that unlike other alternatives, redistributing crops would not require installing expensive new technology. The new maps also wouldn’t risk any loss in crop diversity.

However, this is just the first step, according to the researchers. There are still many factors to consider before any of these new maps can be implemented.

“If we think about the economic, social, and environmental aspects of food security in a particular country and work closely with local decision-makers, we can create solutions tailored to the needs and goals of that country's people,” said Kyle Davis, the study’s lead author.

The study results can serve as a tool in helping further research efforts to meet the growing demand for sustainable agriculture. 

--

By <a href="http://mailto:kayandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global crop redistribution could feed 825 million more people

While global food demand is expected to increase exponentially in...

The impacts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a> are being felt in increasing severity across the globe. But there is often debate regarding whether certain conditions or events are actually caused by a warming climate, or are simply coincidental.

A gardener, for example, might notice that their flowers are blooming earlier and earlier each spring, but can such observations be counted as scientific evidence?

But now, a new study from <a href="https://www.usu.edu/">Utah State University,</a> led by Dr. Will Pearse, has provided a statistical tool that measures the value of observational data in proving the impact of climate change on plants.

Pearse was motivated to use observations as a way to prove the impacts of the climate change from comments his mother made about her flower garden. 

“My mum reports her snowdrops are blooming earlier each spring in her English garden, said Pearse. “Are her observations, like those of thousands of citizen scientists across the world, indicating unpredictability in temperature, precipitation, and other weather patterns?” 

Using observations from “citizen scientists” dating back hundreds of years, Pearse discovered that plant phenology, or how plants are influenced by the changing seasons, has been altered by climate change. 

For the study, Pearse and his colleagues created a statistical estimator that measured phenological change using hundreds of observations and writings as data. Even Henry David Thoreau's writings about plants during his time proved useful in the study. 

The researchers also examined a continuous record from preserved plant specimens dating back more than 200 years in the past. 

"Using this estimator, and providing three case studies, we demonstrate a method to resolve an ongoing debate about the relative timings of the onset and cessation of flowering that allows us to reliably place modern observations within the context of a vast wealth of historical data,” said Pearse. 

The results of the statistical estimator show that increased greenhouse gas emissions are in fact changing the phenology of plants. 

Pearse’s work also makes a powerful case for the “casual observer,” or citizen scientist, and how those observations can be useful in scientific studies.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Even casual observation of plants reveals climate change impact

The impacts of climate change are being felt in increasing...

If you’re feeling down, a trip outside to reconnect with nature may be just what you need to boost happiness, a new study claims.

Spending time in the great outdoors each day can help to increase personal well-being, the researchers found – no travel required. Just be sure to take time to pay attention to your natural surroundings and how they make you feel.

"This wasn't about spending hours outdoors or going for long walks in the wilderness," said Holli-Anne Passmore, a doctoral student at the <a href="https://ok.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia-Okanagan</a>. "This is about the tree at a bus stop in the middle of a city and the positive effect that one tree can have on people."

Nearly 400 study participants spent two weeks on an “intervention” intended to boost happiness. They were asked to spend time outside each day, document the natural world around them, and explore how the plants, trees and wildlife made them feel.

Each participant was asked to photograph any part of nature that caught their eye, from a bird or squirrel to a week growing from the sidewalk, and write down a short note about how it made them feel.

A second group did the same exercise but with man-made objects like statues and buildings, and a third control group did neither. 

The study participants turned in nearly 2,500 photos and notes. Researchers found that for those in the nature group, simply being aware of their surroundings had participants reporting a happiness boost and a greater connection to their community.

"The difference in participants' well-being – their happiness, sense of elevation, and their level of connectedness to other people, not just nature – was significantly higher than participants in the group noticing how human-built objects made them feel and the control group,” Passmore said.

The study is one of several that the University of British Columbia’s psychology researchers have undertaken to explore how nature is connected to well-being. The researchers hope to add to the scientific documentation showing the benefits of green spaces in urban landscapes.

The study has been published in the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2016.1221126">Journal of Positive Psychology</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Feeling blue? Take notice of nature to boost happiness

If you’re feeling down, a trip outside to reconnect with...

Pesticides can be extremely damaging to the environment and our health. As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-honey-dangerous-pesticides/">we reported</a> recently, 75 percent of the world’s honey contains harmful pesticides detrimental to bee populations. 

But now, a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.unimi.it/ENG/">University of Milan</a> has found a natural alternative to chemical pesticides in wild grape yeast. 

“The 'wild' environment represents a huge and largely untapped source of biodiversity, which could provide a reservoir of helpful microbes for pest control,” said Lleana Vigentini, one of the study’s researchers. 

The team of researchers discovered that yeast strains in wild grapes and even locally farmed grapes are an effective combatant against common grape mold. 

Previously it was thought that yeasts, which are a type of fungi found naturally in plants, could help fight mold in crops. But until now, researchers haven’t found any yeasts that work as well chemicals pesticides. 

For the study, the researchers collected and identified yeasts from farmed grapes in Italy and wild grapes in Georgia, Italy, Romania, and Spain. 

The team wanted to see if the yeasts could effectively fight three molds that commonly ruin grape harvests. After analyzing each in the lab, they found that 18 strains of yeast from the wild grapes had anti-mold properties. 

Natural yeasts are effective as pesticides because they release enzymes that digest the mold’s cell wall and release acetic acid that kills the mold.

The results showed that one of yeast strains was even better at killing mold than chemical pesticides and that this strain doesn’t affect the grapes or wine fermentation. 

The researchers hope to now test the yeast strains from wild grapes in vineyards to see if they can serve as a successful pesticide in agricultural practice. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Wild grape yeast could be a safe and eco-friendly pesticide

Pesticides can be extremely damaging to the environment and our...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[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"

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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...