October 2024 will be remembered by the locals around Pyramid Lake, Nevada, for a rather unusual display of nature's colors and patterns. 



The usually serene waters of the lake unleashed a stunning exhibition of blue-green algae, dancing and swirling across the surface. 



For the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=944807254356712&amp;set=pb.100064823373179.-2207520000" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Water Quality Program</a>, this bloom was arguably the most active in recent times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-pyramid-lake-from-space">Studying Pyramid Lake from space</h2>



The bloom, which added a touch of mystery to the lake, was so expansive that it was visible from space. The locals, bemused by this phenomenon, couldn't help but talk about it. 



Luckily, providing a better look at this spectacle was the <a href="https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellites/landsat-9/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Landsat 9 satellite</a>, which snapped astonishing natural-color images on October 8, 2024. 



Looking at the images captured by Operational Land Imager-2 (<a href="https://landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov/satellites/landsat-9/landsat-9-instruments/oli-2-design/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OLI-2</a>), you could see the mesmerizing swirling, whirlpool patterns created by the algae.



Nodularia spumigena, a type of cyanobacteria, is the culprit that is responsible for the bloom. 



This particular species thrives in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-from-africa-sparked-a-massive-phytoplankton-bloom/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warm, saline waters</a> and can pull nitrogen right out of the atmosphere -- handy skills that ensured its survival in Pyramid Lake over the years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-it-s-beautiful-but-stay-away">It's beautiful, but stay away</h2>



What's fascinating about Nodularia spumigena, aside from its beauty, is its ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. This means it can create its own nutrients and outcompete other organisms when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nitrogen-overlooked-component-eutrophication-lake-ecosystems/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">nitrogen levels in the water</a> are low.



But there's a flip side. Nodularia spumigena can produce a toxin called nodularin, which is harmful to both animals and humans. If you come into contact with water contaminated by this toxin, it can lead to serious health issues, especially affecting the liver. 



That's why when blooms of this cyanobacterium occur, health authorities often warn people to steer clear of the water until things return to normal.



Respectively, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe raised a safety flag on October 15, 2024, advising people to avoid contact with the water until it returned to its normal state.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-cyanobacteria-and-phytoplankton">Understanding cyanobacteria and phytoplankton</h2>



Phytoplankton and cyanobacteria are both tiny organisms that live in water, but there's a key difference between them. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/turning-plants-into-carbon-capture-machines-with-cyanobacteria/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cyanobacteria</a>, also called blue-green algae, are actually bacteria that can photosynthesize -- they use sunlight to make food, much like plants do. Despite their name, they're not true algae.



These little guys have been around for billions of years, and you can find them almost everywhere: in oceans, lakes, soil, and even in extreme environments like hot springs. Cyanobacteria are actually responsible for producing a lot of the oxygen that made life possible on Earth.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-heatwaves-have-complex-effects-on-phytoplankton-food-web/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Phytoplankton</a>, on the other hand, is a broader term that includes any microscopic organisms in the water that can photosynthesize. This group encompasses a variety of species, including algae and, interestingly enough, cyanobacteria. 



So, in a way, cyanobacteria are a type of phytoplankton, but not all phytoplankton are cyanobacteria.



Now, here's where it gets a bit tricky. While cyanobacteria are crucial for ecosystems and the oxygen we breathe, some species can produce toxins that are harmful to animals and humans. If you've ever heard about beaches closing because of harmful algal blooms, cyanobacteria are often the culprits. 



So, they play a double role: they're essential for life, but under certain conditions, such as this toxic bloom in Pyramid Lake, they can pose some serious health risks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pyramid-lake-past-present-and-future">Pyramid Lake: Past, present and future</h2>



Pyramid Lake is a piece of history. It's a remnant of the ancient Lake Lahontan, created during the last ice age. 



Scientists speculate that the cyanobacteria Nodularia spumigena has been a part of this ecosystem since that era.



This lake isn’t just about the water or the spectacular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-ocean-turning-green-thanks-to-climate-change-algae-blooms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">algae blooms</a>. It's home to the endangered cui-ui fish (Chasmistes cuius) -- a species held in high regard by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. 



Anglers will also recognize it as the site where a world-record Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi) weighing a whopping 41 pounds was caught in 1925.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monitoring-the-bloom">Monitoring the bloom</h2>



To keep a pulse on these blooms and their implications, scientists and environmental organizations utilize various tools. 



For instance, the <a href="https://www.sfei.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">San Francisco Estuary Institute</a>'s water quality analysis tool indicated a surge in levels of chlorophyll-a between late September and mid-October. 



This invaluable data helps researchers understand the occurrence and potential impacts of such blooms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preserving-pyramid-lake-for-the-future">Preserving Pyramid Lake for the future</h2>



This beautiful, toxic bloom underscores the importance of monitoring and conserving our aquatic ecosystems. 



Factors like temperature shifts, nutrient levels, and changes in water conditions can spark cyanobacteria growth almost anywhere on Earth.



The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe is keeping residents and visitors up-to-date on the lake's condition. 



By heeding safety recommendations and staying informed, we can all play a part in safeguarding ourselves and this delicate ecosystem.



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NASA Earth Observatory image by <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/about/wanmei-liang" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wanmei Liang</a>, using Landsat data from the <a href="http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Geological Survey</a>. Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lukegordon/3377729218/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luke H. Gordon</a>. Story by <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/about/lindsey-doermann" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lindsey Doermann</a>.



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Pyramid Lake water turns dark green with beautiful swirling whirlpool currents

October 2024 will be remembered by the locals around Pyramid Lake, Nevada, for a rather unusual display of nature's colors and patterns. The usually serene waters of the lake unleashed a stunning exhibition of blue-green algae, dancing and swirling across the surface. For the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Water Quality Program, this bloom was arguably the most active in recent times. Studying Pyramid Lake from space The bloom, which added a touch of mystery to the lake, was so expansive that it was visible from space. The...

Scientists have discovered the secret behind how to use artificial photosynthesis to create hydrogen fuel.

Natural photosynthesis in green plants converts solar energy to stored chemical energy by transforming atmospheric carbon dioxide and water into sugar molecules that fuel plant growth.

Scientists have been trying to artificially replicate photosynthesis to produce environmentally friendly hydrogen and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/co2-turned-methanol/">methanol</a> fuel. So far, the effort has been a challenging one, the <a href="https://energy.gov/">U.S. Department of Energy</a> said.

“Artificial photosynthesis requires designing a molecular system that can absorb light, transport and separate electrical charge, and catalyze fuel-producing reactions—all complicated processes that must operate synchronously to achieve high energy-conversion efficiency,” the Department said.

Now chemists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s <a href="https://www.bnl.gov/">Brookhaven National Laboratory</a> and <a href="http://www.vt.edu/">Virginia Tech</a> have designed two photocatalysts (materials that accelerate chemical reactions upon absorbing light) that incorporate individual components specialized for light absorption, charge separation, or catalysis into a single “supramolecule.”

In both molecular systems, multiple light-harvesting centers made of ruthenium (Ru) metal ions are connected to a single catalytic center made of rhodium (Rh) metal ions. This is done through a bridging molecule that promotes electron transfer from the Ru centers to the Rh catalyst, where hydrogen is produced.

The researchers compared the hydrogen-production performance and analyzed the physical properties of the supramolecules.  They wanted understand why the photocatalyst with six as opposed to three Ru light absorbers produces more hydrogen and remains stable for a longer period of time.    

“Developing efficient molecular systems for hydrogen production is difficult because processes are occurring at different rates,” said lead author Gerald Manbeck, a Brookhaven lab chemist.

Manbeck has since carried out a series of experiments with coauthor Etsuko Fujita, leader of the artificial photosynthesis group, to understand the fundamental causes for the difference in performance.  

“The ability to form the charge-separated state is a partial indicator of whether a supramolecule will be a good photocatalyst, but realizing efficient charge separation requires fine-tuning the energetics of each component,” said Fujita. “To promote catalysis, the Rh catalyst must be low enough in energy to accept the electrons from the Ru light absorbers when the absorbers are exposed to light.”

The findings “encourage further studies using multiple light-harvesting units linked to single catalytic sites,” said Manbeck. 

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.bnl.gov/">Brookhaven National Laboratory</a>

Breakthrough in how to use photosynthesis to create hydrogen fuel

Scientists have discovered the secret behind how to use artificial...

2017_05.25_FossilMushroomMap

Scientists have identified the world’s oldest fossilized mushroom, a 115-million year old specimen from northeast Brazil.

The mushroom fell into a river, made its way to a salty lagoon, and was preserved in limestone, according to a study published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

"Most mushrooms grow and are gone within a few days," said<a href="http://www.inhs.illinois.edu/"> Illinois Natural History Survey</a> paleontologist Sam Heads, who discovered the mushroom when digitizing a collection of fossils from the Crato Formation of Brazil. "The fact that this mushroom was preserved at all is just astonishing.”

Before this discovery, the oldest fossil mushrooms found had been preserved in amber, said INHS mycologist Andrew Miller, a co-author of the new report. The next oldest mushroom fossils were found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/don-sahong-dam-threatens-lives-of-millions-in-southeast-asia/">Southeast Asia</a> and date back to about 99 million years ago, he said.

The newly discovered fossilized mushroom was about 5 centimeters (2 inches) tall. Electron microscopy revealed that it had gills under its cap, rather than pores or teeth, structures that release spores and that can aid in identifying species.

"Fungi evolved before land plants and are responsible for the transition of plants from an aquatic to a terrestrial environment," Miller said. "The fungi shuttled water and nutrients to the plants, which enabled land plants to adapt to a dry, nutrient-poor soil, and the plants fed sugars to the fungi through photosynthesis. This association still exists today."

The researchers placed the mushroom in the Agaricales order and have named it Gondwanagaricites magnificus.

"When you think about it, the chances of this thing being here - the hurdles it had to overcome to get from where it was growing into the lagoon, be mineralized and preserved for 115 million years - have to be minuscule,"  Heads added.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</a>

Image Credit: Danielle Ruffatto

World’s oldest fossilized mushroom discovered

Scientists have identified the world’s oldest fossilized mushroom, a 115-million...

Cook pine trees, native to New Caledonia but now living across the globe, grow toward the equator, and have double the tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a> reported. 

Matt Ritter of <a href="http://www.calpoly.edu/">California Polytechnic State University</a> and his colleagues studied 256 Cook pine trees scattered across five different continents. The team estimated that the trees tilt by 8.55 degrees on average and an effort to capture more sunlight.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urban-trees-increase-ozone/">Trees</a> normally correct asymmetry in their growth, but for some unknown reason the Cook pine is unable to do so, Ritter told New Scientist.

“We could be just dealing with an artifact of its genetics that we are seeing now when we have spread it all over the world,” Ritter said. “Alternatively, it could be an adaptation to catch more sunlight at higher latitudes.”

Ritter was writing a description of the Cook pine for a book on urban trees in California when he noticed that the trees always leaned south. He called a colleague in Australia, south of the equator, who said the trees there always lean north.

“We got holy-smoked that there’s possibly a tree that’s leaning toward the equator wherever it grows,” Ritter said.

The trees also slant more the further they are from the equator in both hemispheres.

“It’s a shockingly distinct pattern,” says Ritter. One tree in South Australia slants at 40 degrees, he said.

Tilting is not unusual, said Steven Warren of the <a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/">U.S. Forest Service</a> in Utah, who reported in 2016 that the yucca palm always point south, making it easier to transport nutrients to its flowers. Additionally, some cacti lean toward the sun.

“This is the first time I have heard of a tree doing this,” Warren said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>

These pine trees always grow toward the equator

Cook pine trees, native to New Caledonia but now living...

Low doses of THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, can reduce stress, but even slightly higher amounts can increase anxiety, a new study found.

Very few published studies have examined the effects of THC on stress, said Emma Childs, associate Professor of Psychiatry at the <a href="http://www.uic.edu/">University of Illinois Chicago</a> and corresponding author on the study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/drug-and-alcohol-dependence">Drug and Alcohol Dependence</a>.

Childs and her colleagues recruited 42 volunteers, 18 to 40 years old, who had some experience with marijuana use but were not daily users.

They divided participants randomly into three groups: The low-dose group received a capsule containing 7.5 milligrams of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-slow-memory-loss/">THC</a>; the moderate-dose group received a capsule containing 12.5 milligrams of THC; and a placebo group received a capsule containing none. Neither the participants nor the researchers knew who was in each group.

“The doses used in the study produce effects that are equivalent to only a few puffs of a cannabis cigarette,”  Childs said. “We didn’t want to include a much larger dose, because we wanted to avoid potential adverse effects or cardiovascular effects that can result from higher doses of THC.”

Two hours after taking the capsules, participants were asked to perform psychological tasks such as mock job interviews and talking with lab assistants about their favorite books or movies.

Researchers measured blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol, a key stress hormone, at intervals.


The participants who received 7.5 milligrams of THC reported less stress after the psychosocial test than those given a placebo, and their stress levels dissipated faster after the test.

Participants who received 12.5 milligrams of THC before the two tasks reported greater negative mood before and throughout the task, and were more likely to rate the psychosocial task as “challenging” and “threatening” beforehand.

“Our findings provide some support for the common claim that cannabis is used to reduce stress and relieve tension and anxiety,” Childs said. “At the same time, our finding that participants in the higher THC group reported small but significant increases in anxiety and negative mood throughout the test supports the idea that THC can also produce the opposite effect.”

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.uic.edu/">University of Illinois Chicago</a>

Marijuana: low doses relieve stress, high doses cause anxiety

Low doses of THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana,...

Researchers have identified the gene that keeps grasses from entering their flowering cycle until the right time, which could help plant breeders and engineers get more from food and energy crops.

Scientists at the <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> compared the DNA of a small Mediterranean grass called Brachypodium, or false purple brome, to a version of the plant mutated so that it ignored the typical cold-to-warm transition for its flowering cycle.

That pointed the researchers to a gene they're calling RVR1. The gene could potentially be used to increase yields on a plant called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lost-topsoil-farmers-switchgrass/">switchgrass</a>, a feedstock for production of biofuels such as ethanol. It grows slowly and flowers in the early summer months in the upper Midwest.

"We think there's a good chance that taking the RVR1 gene from Brachypodium and putting it in switchgrass will delay switchgrass flowering," said Rick Amasino, a UW-Madison professor of Biochemistry and Genetics. "Delaying switchgrass flowering to various extents may affect and improve yield."

Amasino's lab will partner with researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's <a href="https://www.glbrc.org/">Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center</a>, to study different types of Brachypodium adapted to winters spanning a range of temperatures and lengths.

"How did one variety evolve a system tweaked to require 16 weeks of cold? How did another one develop for just two weeks of cold?“ Amasino asked.

The researchers will examine the genetic difference between the requirement for a short winter versus a long winter, he said.

"Grasses -- including corn, wheat, oats, rye and barley -- provide more than 80 percent of our caloric intake worldwide," added postdoctoral researcher Daniel Woods, first author of the study which is published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>. "Rice alone in some countries is as high as 70 percent of the calories. But if you combine things we eat directly as well as animals we depend on that also eat grass, it is clear that grasses make the world go around."

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison </a>

Image Credit: Courtesy of Daniel Woods/UW-Madison

Newly discovered gene could increase plant yields

Researchers have identified the gene that keeps grasses from entering...

MSU soybean and corn fields at sunset in July, 2006.

Tiny bits of decomposing leaves in soil emit nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that's more potent than carbon dioxide, according to a new <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a> study.

The findings, published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</a>, could help scientists refine nitrous oxide emission predictions and guide future agriculture and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rainfall-carbon-emissions-soil-microbes/">soil</a> management practices.

"Most nitrous oxide is produced within teaspoon-sized volumes of soil, and these so-called hot spots can emit a lot of nitrous oxide quickly," said Sasha Kravchenko, Michigan State Plant, Soil and Microbial scientist and lead author of the study. "But the reason for occurrence of these hot spots has mystified soil microbiologists since it was discovered several decades ago."

It's difficult to study and label an entire field as a source of greenhouse gas emissions when the source is grams of soil harboring decomposing leaves, Kravchenko said. Changing the view from binoculars to microscopes will help improve N2O emission predictions, which traditionally are about 50 percent accurate, at best, the researcher added. 

Nitrous oxide's global warming potential is 300 times greater than carbon dioxide, and emissions are largely driven by agricultural practices, the study said.

"This work sheds new light on what drives emissions of nitrous oxide from productive farmlands," said John Schade, a program director for the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a>'s Long-Term Ecological Research program, which co-funded the research with NSF's earth sciences division. "We need studies like this to guide the creation of sustainable agricultural practices necessary to feed a growing human population with minimal environmental impact."

Kravchenko and her team took soil samples from MSU's Kellogg Biological Station Long-term Ecological Research site. Then, in partnership with scientists from the <a href="http://www.uchicago.edu/">University of Chicago</a> at Argonne National Laboratory, they examined the samples at Argonne's synchrotron scanning facilities, a much more powerful version of a medical CT scanner.

The X-ray scanner penetrated the soil and allowed the team to accurately characterize the environments where N2O is produced and emitted.

"We found that hotspot emissions happen only when large soil pores are present," Kravchenko said. "The leaf particles act as tiny sponges in soil, soaking up water from large pores to create a micro-habitat perfect for the bacteria that produce nitrous oxide."

Not as much N2O is produced in areas where smaller pores are present. Small pores, such as in clay soils, hold water more tightly so that it can't be soaked up by the leaf particles, the study said.

The researchers hope the findings will help scientists develop ways to reduce the emission of nitrous oxide from agricultural soils.

Future research will review which plant leaves contribute to higher N2O emissions. Plants with more nitrogen in their leaves, such as soybeans, will more than likely give off more N2O as their leaves decompose. Researchers also will look at leaf and root characteristics and see how they influence emissions, the authors said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a>

Image Credit: <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a>

Decomposing leaves in soil emit greenhouse gas

Tiny bits of decomposing leaves in soil emit nitrous oxide,...

The outer covering of rice grain has high nutritional value and is a rich source of proteins, fats, minerals and micronutrients such as B vitamins, according to a new study.

Rice bran, which is removed from whole grain rice during processing and used as animal feed, could have major benefits for human health and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/free-range-eggs-nutrition-ethical/">nutrition</a>, the <a href="http://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado</a> study said.

"A single serving of rice bran delivers more than half of a person's daily requirements of important vitamins such as thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6,” said University of Colorado professor Elizabeth Ryan, the study’s corresponding author. 

The researchers used an approach called food metabolomics to identify and measure the abundance of many different molecules present in rice bran.

"We investigated the amino acids, vitamins, cofactors and secondary metabolites that can be found in rice bran, as we suspected that they contribute to its medicinal and nutritional benefits,” Ryan said. “We were surprised to find that cofactors, vitamins and amino acids make up almost 50 percent of the total small molecule content."

In a literature search, the authors found that some of the compounds they identified in rice bran had been shown in previous studies to have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-hypertensive properties.

Rice bran also has a protein content of 12-15 percent that deserves attention as it could help tackle nutrition shortages that are a major global health concern, the study said.

"Rice is an essential staple food for more than half of the world's population,” Ryan said. ”It is grown in more than 100 countries.”

Rice bran as a food ingredient could deliver more than 400 individual compounds when consumed.

“It is likely that many of them function in a teamwork manner to deliver health benefits,” Ryan added.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.biomedcentral.com/">BioMed Central</a>

The part of rice we don’t eat is actually incredibly nutritious

The outer covering of rice grain has high nutritional value...

Plants can detect the sounds of running water moving through pipes or in the soil, a new study found.

The ability to sense the sounds of water helps plants move their roots closer to toward the water source, according to the <a href="http://www.uwa.edu.au/">University of Western Australia</a> study.

Researchers used the common garden pea plant for the study, putting the plant into a container with two tubes at the base, providing options for which direction to grow its roots.

“We then exposed the plant to a series of sounds, including white noise, running water and then a recording of running water under each tube, and observed its behavior,” said lead researcher Monica Gagliano from UWA’s Centre of Evolutionary Biology.

The root systems grew toward the sound of running water, the study found.

“It also was surprising and extraordinary to see that the plant could actually tell when the sound of running water was a recording and when it was real and that the plant did not like the recorded sound,” Gagliano said.

When moisture was readily available in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-co2-climate/">soil</a>, the plant did not respond to the sound of running water. 

“From this we begin to see the complexity of plant interactions with sound in using it to make behavioral decisions,” Gagliano said.

The study can help increase understanding of plant behavior, she added.

“It indicates that the invasion of sewer pipes by tree roots may be based on the plants ‘hearing’ water and shows that their perception of their surroundings is much greater and far more complex than we previously thought,” she said.

It can also help scientists studying noise pollution, Gagliano said.

“In the animal world there is a strong call to understand how acoustic pollution adversely affects populations,” she said. “But now we know plants also need to be part of these studies.”

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.uwa.edu.au/">University of Western Australia</a>

Study: plants can ‘hear’ running water

Plants can detect the sounds of running water moving through...

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault started life as an abandoned coal mine a little more than 800 miles from the North Pole. In 1984, it found new live as a secure seed bank. 

Owned and operated by the Norwegian government, the coal mine has been converted into a top of the line facility holding more than 10,000 seed samples from all over the world. 

The concept behind the $9 million vault? To protect those seeds, whether it be from a global disaster like a nuclear war or simply as “backup” in case of accidents at other seed banks around the world.


But the <a href="https://www.croptrust.org/our-work/svalbard-global-seed-vault/">Global Seed Vault</a> has been breached by floodwaters, and scientists say global warming is to blame.

One trait that drew the Norwegian government to the vault’s current location was a thick layer of permafrost. That permafrost was supposed to add an extra layer of protection to keep the seeds frozen until and unless they were needed.

Instead, high temperatures and late rainfall in the Arctic caused the permafrost to melt and flood the vault’s entryway. Fortunately, the water froze once it entered the access tunnel and was removed.

“After 9 years of operation, Svalbard Global Seed Vault is facing technical improvements in connection with water intrusion in the outer part of the access tunnel because the permafrost has not established itself as projected,” the vault’s administrators said in a <a href="https://www.croptrust.org/press-release/press-statement-seed-vault/">press release</a>. 

Officials were quick to provide reassurance that the seeds stored by the vault are safe.

“The seeds in the seed vault have never been threatened and will remain safe during implementation of the measures,” the press release stated.

However, the melting permafrost is just one danger of climate change at the Global Seed Vault, and officials have taken steps to protect against future issues. 

For example, pumps within the seed vault keep water out, but new drainage ditches and a waterproof wall will help to keep water away from the vault and protect the seeds if another flood occurs. Officials are also considering a new access tunnel to the vault.

The goal is to make the Global Seed Vault “self-sufficient” – able to run with minimal maintenance from humans.

“The effect of the measures will be continuously assessed in the coming years. If they are not sufficient, further and more extensive measures will be implemented,” the press release said.

—

By Kyla Cathey, Earth.com staff writer

Image Source: Bjoertvedt, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/">Wikimedia Commons</a>

Svalbard Global Seed Vault flooded by melting permafrost

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault started life as an abandoned...

In 2016 alone, 1,730 new plant species were discovered across the globe, from flowers to food to potential new medicines, according to a new report.

Eleven new species of orchids were discovered last year in Vietnam, while 29 new types of begonia were found in Malaysia, according to the second annual report of State of the World’s Plants by the <a href="http://www.kew.org/">Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew</a>.

“A detailed knowledge of plants is fundamental to human life on Earth,” the report said. “Plants underpin all aspects of our everyday life — from the food that we eat, to the clothes that we wear, the materials we use, the air we breathe, the medicines we take and much more.”

Traditionally, most new plant discoveries have been announced in publications read by plant specialists, but Kew decided to make the information more widely available in its first State of the World’s Plants reports last year.

“We were overwhelmed by the global interest in this information,” Kew said.

This year’s report includes plants used for medicinal purposes, such as new species of the genus Mucuna, which are cultivated to provide a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. They contain L-DOPA, a dopamine precursor.

Four new relatives of Aloe vera, widely used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, were identified in southern <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/dusty-winds-western-africa/">Africa</a>.

In Gabon, five new species of the legume tree Paubrasilia, for which the country of Brazil was named, were discovered. The wood of the tree is highly valued for for the production of violin bows.

Six new species of Salvia – commonly known and used as the herb sage, but also contains species with horticultural and hallucinogenic uses – were found from China, Iran and Mexico.

Among the most important newly discovered species with potential for new food sources were 11 Brazilian species of Manihot, known variously as cassava, garri, manioc or tapioca which  is a staple food for millions of people in the tropics. Nigeria is the largest producer.

It is third in global importance after maize and rice, and offers more food security than cereals because tubers can be left in the ground until needed, Kew said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source:  <a href="http://www.kew.org/">Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew</a>

Report: Over 1,700 new plant species discovered in 2016

In 2016 alone, 1,730 new plant species were discovered across...

With the human population on the rise, every day there are more mouths to feed. This means that agriculture and the science behind it need to keep up with the growth of our population. Scientists around the world are constantly working on how to maximize the growth and production potential of our crops, so that we can produce more food with less land. In a new study published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell</a>, researchers have found a way to use two formerly detrimental genes in tomatoes to actually work together and increase yield. 

The two genes in question were found to cause extreme branching of the plant and reduce fruit yield when they are both present. One of these genes causes the green leafy “cap” on the top of tomatoes to grow larger. The other (known as Jointless2) causes the plant to have a smoother stem and firmer attachment to the fruit.

The Jointless2 gene is known to make tomatoes easier to harvest, which has caused it to be a desirable gene in these plants. However, the presence of both of these gene mutations in one plant results in the plant excessively branching out and flowering. These flowers later turn into the tomato fruit, which seems like it would be a desirable outcome, but senior author Zachary Lippman explains why this is not the case:

“…More branches and flowers doesn’t always translate to more fruits,” says Lippman, a plant geneticist at <a href="http://www.cshl.edu/">Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</a>. “In order to make those fruits, the plant has to pump a lot of resources into the young fruits as they start to grow. But plant can’t handle that imbalance of having too many fruits, so the fertility is quite low.”

The research team hypothesized that there might be a happy medium; where low levels of branching would produce more flowers than a non-branching plant, but not so many that the plant wastes its resources. To test this theory, they began to analyze the genes responsible for flower-bearing branches and these growth patterns.

One of their first discoveries was mutations in two closely related <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bahaman-pupfish-specialization-genes/">genes</a>, which they deemed “strong branching” mutants. Both mutations played a role in initiating flower growth by turning genes on and off in plant stem cells. While the first gene was the already established Jointless2 gene, the second gene was unknown.

Lippman and his colleagues wanted to determine how the second gene worked when Jointless2 was gone. Using the infamous CRISPR “gene editing” technology, they created a tomato with a mutation in the unknown gene. For these plants, the researchers noticed that the mutants grew larger sepals – which are the small leaves at the base of a flower that eventually become part of the green cap to the tomato.

The researchers still aren’t sure what the benefit of larger sepals and a larger leafy cap would be, but the mutation exists in more than 85% of modern tomatoes. This means that it’s hard to breed a jointless tomato without creating a plant that also has excessive branching.

“In the 1970s, breeders wanted to use Jointless2 so much that they said, ‘We’re going to find a way to use the genetics to our advantage, and we’re going to find other genes to suppress the branching.’ So they knew they had this extreme branching, but they didn’t know which gene was mutated,” says Lippman. Previously, the goal had been to suppress branching and bring the plant back to the unbranched state, which they had achieved. But Lippman believes scientists had missed the opportunity to initiate weak branching – which could be more beneficial.

Using natural mutations and CRISPR, the researchers engineered several different tomato plants with varying levels of branching, including one with weak branching but a high fruit yield. Lippman believes that the results of this study may be useful for not just tomato breeders, but for related crops as well.

“The more we understand about basic plant biology, basic mechanisms of plant growth, and plant development, the more we have at our fingertips the knowledge and tools to rework the system or tune the system and exploit the system,”  says Lippman. And when it comes to feeding a growing world, we’ll need all the help we can get.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Genetic research aims to improve tomatoes and expand production

With the human population on the rise, every day there...

We often think of plants as immobile, generally unexciting flora that – despite their inaction – play a pivotal role in preserving our planet. But plants can be more than just static bundles of photosynthesizing cellulose. For example, the carnivorous humped bladderwort (does the name have you excited yet?) is actually a practiced predator. It lives in swamps and ponds, surviving by sucking prey into tiny traps in its walls at speeds of under a millisecond. 

But the tiny organisms this plant preys on don’t just provide it with the sustenance and nutrients it needs to survive. A genomic analysis of the plant published in <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> shows the added value of this carnivorous lifestyle for the plant’s evolutionary history.

A team of researchers, led by Stephan Schuster of <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/Pages/home.aspx">Nanyang Technological University</a> in Singapore and Victor Albert of the <a href="https://www.cas.buffalo.edu/">University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences</a>, discovered how this plant repeatedly retained and enhanced the genetic material associated with its carnivorous nature – despite significant evolutionary pressure to delete this DNA.

These carnivorous genes were responsible for the trapping of prey, digestion of proteins, acidity of the traps, and transport of bits of protein from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/venus-flytrap-secrets-revealed/">prey</a> between the plants’ cells. “What’s exciting is that we didn’t go in and cherry pick these genes,” says Albert. “We used bioinformatics to identify genes that were preserved and enriched in the species, and when we did that, these genes related to a carnivorous lifestyle were the ones that stood out. They were screaming out at us, telling us to look at them.”

The researchers found that the bladderwort had a tiny, gene-rich genome, which is indicative of a species that has a history of frequent gene deletion. 

“The trap of Utricularia is only two cells thick, and the way it does its trapping is it creates a whole lot of negative pressure inside the trap to suck in the prey once triggered,” explains Luis Herrera-Estrella of the <a href="http://www.cinvestav.mx/en-us/home.aspx">Center for Research and Advanced Studies</a> in Mexico. For a system so tiny and precise, every part must be working properly – or the plant goes hungry.

Genome-sequencing is an important part of so many facets of research today. To be able to delve into an organism’s evolutionary history with this much detail is a privilege that scientists have only been able to experience recently, due to new advances in technology. Studies such as this pave the way for further genome-sequencing research as we continue to learn about the world around us.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: University at Buffalo
Credit: Enrique Ibarra-Laclette, Claudia Anahí Pérez-Torres and Paulina Lozano-Sotomayor

How carnivorous plants fought evolution to remain carnivorous

We often think of plants as immobile, generally unexciting flora...

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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...