Few sights can be as awe-inspiring as New Zealand's legendary "walking tree," a towering ancient giant that stands like a sentinel from a fantasy world.



This extraordinary tree remains unmatched, as though it has stepped right out of the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-champion-of-the-forest">Champion of the forest</h2>



The "walking tree" is no ordinary one. It recently won the title of New Zealand's Tree of the Year with ease, claiming 42% of the public vote and leaving five other finalists behind. The contest was organized by the <a href="https://www.nzarb.org.nz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Zealand Arboricultural Association</a>.



The tree that seems to be on a stroll is not just unique in its appearance; it carries a rich legacy that stretches back centuries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-journey-of-the-walking-tree">Journey of the walking tree</h2>



The tree - a northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta) - has its roots on the west coast of South Island, near Karamea.



Reaching heights of up to 105 feet (equal to a seven-story building), it exists as a remarkable symbol of nature's ingenuity and endurance. The tree stands by a cemetery, the lone survivor of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-forest-discovered-close-to-new-york-city/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">forest</a> that was cleared about 150 years ago.



Brad Cadwallader, organizer of the Tree of the Year competition, told Radio New Zealand that during the voting, the walking tree "strode out into the lead right from the very start."



"The farming family back then clearly thought it was special because they left it," noted Cadwallader.



This tree has been described as an "exceptional feature" and a "prime example of the remarkable trees that we, as New Zealanders, are fortunate to experience," said NZ Arb president Richie Hill in a statement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-tale-of-growth-and-survival">A tale of growth and survival</h2>



Northern rātā trees are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/epiphytes-are-increasingly-threatened-by-forest-disturbances/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">epiphytes</a>, a type of tree that starts growing on the surface of a host tree before growing aerial roots that reach to the ground.



This walking tree likely lived, initially, high up in the canopy of its host, surviving on air and rainwater before it finally grounded itself.



Its unusual root layout is probably due to how it grew around its host tree, which probably died off centuries ago.



“That <a href="https://www.earth.com/search-results/?search=host%20tree&amp;start=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">host tree</a> has now gone," said Cadwallader. "Maybe the tree was either very, very big, or there may have been another tree that fell and lent against the host tree, and that's why the roots have split near the ground and given it that walking appearance.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plight-of-the-northern-rata">Plight of the northern rātā</h2>



Unfortunately, the majestic northern rātā is under significant threat. Once common in New Zealand's forests, these trees are now listed as nationally vulnerable.



Multiple factors, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-deforestation-crisis-how-can-we-stop-massive-forest-losses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">deforestation</a> and the invasive common brushtail possums, which wreak havoc by devouring the leaves and gnawing at the roots, pose significant threats.



The trees face danger from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scrub-mint-almost-extinct-lived-earth-millions-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hybridization</a> with the closely related pōhutukawa trees. They are also susceptible to myrtle rust, a pathogenic fungus that is native to South America but was detected in New Zealand for the first time in 2017.



As we appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of the "walking tree," it’s crucial to take note of the environmental challenges these giants face. Although the trees are evidence of nature's resilience, they also serve as a stark reminder of our responsibility to protect and preserve them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cultural-and-ecological-legacy-of-the-walking-tree">Cultural and ecological legacy of the walking tree</h2>



The walking tree is more than just a botanical marvel; it serves as a living emblem of New Zealand's deep connection to its natural world.



For the indigenous Māori people, trees like the northern rātā are taonga, or treasures, woven into cultural myths, rituals, and traditions.



The rātā, with its crimson flowers, is often associated with strength, endurance, and renewal - qualities that are certainly epitomized by this lone survivor near Karamea.



Ecologically, the northern rātā plays a critical role in its environment. Its towering canopy provides shelter and sustenance for native birds like the tūī and kererū, while its roots stabilize the soil and prevent erosion.



The walking tree, standing alone and surrounded by cleared land, reminds us of what has been lost - and what still needs to be preserved.



As New Zealanders rally around this extraordinary tree, it becomes a symbol of hope and a call to action for conservation efforts. 



Protecting such iconic species ensures that future generations will not only learn about them in stories but also experience their majesty firsthand.



Image Credit: Gareth Andrews



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New Zealand’s 'walking tree': The final remains of a lost forest

Few sights can be as awe-inspiring as New Zealand's legendary "walking tree," a towering ancient giant that stands like a sentinel from a fantasy world. This extraordinary tree remains unmatched, as though it has stepped right out of the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. Champion of the forest The "walking tree" is no ordinary one. It recently won the title of New Zealand's Tree of the Year with ease, claiming 42% of the public vote and leaving five other finalists behind....

Abstract,Ocean,Design,Template,With,Underwater,Part,And,Sunset,Skylight

By using samples from an almost century-old, ongoing survey of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-plankton-glow-predators/">marine plankton</a>, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California, San Diego</a> has found that increasing levels of manmade chemicals found in some parts of the world’s oceans might play an important role in monitoring the impact of human activity on ecosystem health, and may be used in the future to examine the connections between ocean pollution and land-based rates of childhood and adult chronic diseases.



“This was a pilot study to test the feasibility of using archived samples of plankton from the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey to reconstruct historical trends in marine pollution over space and time,” said senior author Robert K. Naviaux, an expert in Mitochondrial Medicine and Complex Chronic Disorders at UC San Diego. “We were motivated to explore these new methods by the alarming increase in childhood and adult chronic disease that has occurred around the world since the 1980s.”



“Recent studies have underscored the tight linkage between ocean pollution and human health. In this study, we asked the question: Do changes in the plankton exposome (the measure of all exposures in a lifetime) correlate with ecosystem and fisheries health? We also wanted to lay the groundwork for asking a second question: Can humanmade chemicals in plankton be used as a barometer to measure changes in the global chemosphere that might contribute to childhood and adult illness?”



The scientists collected plankton specimens from three different locations in the North Pacific between 2002 and 2020, and assessed their exposure to a variety of humanmade chemicals, including pharmaceutic products, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as industrial chemicals, phthalates and plasticizers (substances derived from plastics), pesticides, and personal care products.



The analysis revealed that, although many of these products have decreased in amount during the past two decades, nearshore areas closest to human activities and subject to terrestrial runoff or aquaculture still had high level of various chemicals that impacted plankton. Moreover, perfluoroalkyl substances – a type of chemicals commonly used to enhance water-resistance in various everyday products (such as packaging, clothing, or cookware), which seem to impact human health by inhibiting mitochondrial proteins - were prominent in the plankton exposome, as were phthalates, which are known to disrupt endocrine functions.



“Plankton are responding to the chemicals in their exposome, in part by changes in their own mitochondria that change their biology, and so too, I would argue, are humans. It is my hope that the use of our methods by research groups around the world will reinforce the connection between ecosystem health and human health, and provide new tools to monitor how the human chemical footprint has changed over the past century. Follow-up studies by epidemiologists and marine ecologists are needed to test if and how the plankton exposome correlates with important medical trends in nearby human populations like infant mortality, autism, asthma, diabetes, and dementia,” Naviaux concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161222">Science of the Total Environment</a>.



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



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Marine plankton hold a long record of ocean health

By using samples from an almost century-old, ongoing survey of...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a> has found that community gardening is highly beneficial for both physical and mental <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-disrupts-gut-health-increasing-risk-of-other-infections/">health</a>. According to the experts, those who engage in gardening activities eat more fiber and get more physical activity – two known ways to reduce the risk of cancers and other chronic diseases. Moreover, gardeners also typically exhibit lower levels of stress and anxiety.&nbsp;



“These findings provide concrete evidence that community gardening could play an important role in preventing cancer, chronic diseases, and mental health disorders,” said study senior author Jill Litt, a professor of Environmental Sciences at CU Boulder.



The researchers recruited 291 non-gardening adults from the Denver area, with an average age of 41. Over a third of them were Hispanics and more than half came from low-income households. Half of them were assigned to a community gardening group, receiving a community garden plot, together with seeds and seedlings and an introductory gardening course, while the others were assigned to a control group which was asked to wait one year before starting gardening. All participants took periodic surveys about their nutritional intake and mental health, wore activity monitors, and underwent body measurements.



The analysis revealed that, by autumn, those in the gardening group were eating, on average, 1.4 grams more fiber per day than those in the control group. Since fiber is known to exert a powerful effect on inflammatory and immune responses, it influences a variety of processes, ranging from how we metabolize food to how healthy our gut microbiome is and how susceptible we are to conditions such as diabetes or cancer.



Moreover, the gardening group also increased their physical activity levels by about 42 minutes per week, and reported declines in their stress and anxiety levels. Finally, since community gardening allows people to interact, such activities can also boost social relationships.



“Even if you come to the garden looking to grow your food on your own in a quiet place, you start to look at your neighbor’s plot and share techniques and recipes, and over time relationships bloom. It’s not just about the fruits and vegetables. It’s also about being in a natural space outdoors together with others,” Litt explained.



These findings will hopefully encourage health professionals, policymakers, and land planners to consider community gardens – as well as other spaces that encourage people to come together in nature – as a vital part of the public health system.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00303-5">Lancet Planetary Health</a>.&nbsp;



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



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Gardening is beneficial for physical and mental health

A new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ozone-pollution-threatens-the-health-of-plants-and-pollinators/">Pollinators</a> have an essential function, helping numerous plants reproduce, and thus maintaining and protecting a variety of ecosystems. Moreover, since scientists estimate that over three quarters of the most important crops depend on pollinators, a loss of these plant visitors would lead to major economic losses. Unfortunately, human-related influences such as changes in climate and land use may negatively affect these essential creatures.



A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01928-3">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution&nbsp; </a>has investigated changes in pollinator populations in the vicinity of Kittilä in Finland (a village located approximately 120 km north of the Arctic Circle). In this region, between 1895 and 1900, forester Frans Silén systematically recorded which insects visited which flowers and how often. Now, the scientists repeated a similar pollinator census at the same place in 2018 and 2019.



The analysis revealed that, although this region remained sparsely populated, with little changes in land use, it has unfortunately not escaped the consequences of climate change, leading to major changes in the types of pollinators present there.&nbsp;



“We have noticed drastic changes in the networks of pollinators,” said study lead author Leana Zoller, an ecologist at the <a href="https://www.uni-halle.de/?lang=en">Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenburg</a>. In fact, only seven percent of the flower visits observed involved the same species of insects and plants as at the end of the 19th century. “That is surprisingly little,” Zoller said.



For instance, hoverflies and moths – which are particularly effective pollinators - appear less frequently on flowers in the area than they previously used to. While these insects have become rarer, the flowers around Kittilä are currently getting considerably more visits from bumblebees and certain flies.&nbsp;



This aspect concerns the scientists, since there are now considerably fewer insects that are specialists for specific flower shapes. These have been largely replaced by “generalists” such as flies of the genus Thricorps, which visit many different plants. While such generalists are more resilient to environmental changes, they may provide less effective pollination services, since they usually carry the pollen of various other plant species onto a flower.



Although the pollinator network in the region still seems to be working well, this can change in the future if shifts in the insect communities continue. Moreover, while flies in this area seem to be coping quite well with rising temperatures, further north in the Arctic, fly populations are currently dwindling. “If this also happens in our study area, it could become a problem,” Zoller concluded.



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



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Pollinator populations have experienced dramatic changes

Pollinators have an essential function, helping numerous plants reproduce, and...

Marimo are fluffy, squishy green balls of underwater <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brown-algae-absorb-half-a-billion-tons-of-co2-each-year/">algae</a> that can be found in just a few countries and have recently become highly popular with tourists, aquarium owners, and nature enthusiasts. They range in size from a pea to a basketball, and form when floating strands of Aegagropila linnaei&nbsp;are bundled together through the rolling motion of lake waters. In Japan, they have become so popular that they have their own yearly festival, merchandise, and even a mascot.



Unfortunately, recent years have witnessed significant declines in their population, mainly due to human intervention altering or polluting their freshwater habitats. However, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo</a>, climate change could also play a significant role in their decline, by overexposing them to sunlight.



“We know that marimo can survive bright sunlight in warm summer waters, but the photosynthetic properties in marimo at low winter temperatures have not been studied, so we were fascinated by this point,” said study senior author Masaru Kono, a biologist at the University of Tokyo. “We wanted to find out whether marimo could tolerate it and how they respond to a low-temperature, high light-intensity environment.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



By analyzing how exposure to extreme light affected samples of marimo algae collected from Lake Akan in Japan, the researchers found that they could survive bright light for up to four hours and would recover if placed afterwards under a moderate light for half an hour. However, when exposed to bright light for six hours or more, the algae died.



“We demonstrated that damaged cells in marimo can repair themselves even after exposure to simulated strong daylight for up to four hours at cold temperatures (two-four degrees Celsius), when followed by moderate light exposure for just 30 minutes. This moderate light had a restorative effect which did not occur in the dark,” Kono explained.&nbsp;



“However, when exposed to strong daylight for six hours or more, certain cells involved in photosynthesis were damaged and the algae died, even after being treated with moderate light. These results suggest that photoinhibition (the inability to photosynthesize due to cell damage) would be a serious threat to marimo in Lake Akan, which receives more than 10 hours of sunlight a day in winter, if global warming proceeds and ice cover recedes.”



In future studies, the scientists aim to investigate what would happen to whole marimo balls if exposed to bright light for an extended period of time, and whether the outcome would be similar to that observed in the smaller threads. “In the present study, we used dissected filamentous cells, so we did not consider the effects of the structure of the spherical marimo and how it might protect against exposure to bright light. However, if damage to the surface cells increases under longer exposure to the direct sunlight, in an extreme case, this may affect the maintenance of their round bodies and lead to the disappearance of giant marimo. So, we need to constantly monitor the conditions at Lake Akan in the future,” Kono concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010060">International Journal of Molecular Sciences</a>.



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



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Marimo algae balls threatened by climate change

Marimo are fluffy, squishy green balls of underwater algae that...

In 2022, by searching through its collections, as well as sending scientists on research trips, the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/">National History Museum</a> (NHM) in the UK named 351 new species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-we-communicate-with-animals-using-artificial-intelligence/">animals</a>, a quarter of which were wasps. Although many of the species that were discovered had already been well known by local human populations sharing their habitats, classifying them scientifically is important to monitor and protect them against various threats, such as climate change or habitat loss.



The largest group of new discoveries consisted of wasps, including several species of tiny parasitic wasps from the family Megaphragma that could play a major role in agriculture. Since these insects parasitize the eggs of thrips – a type of insect which can cause significant crop damage – the wasps may act as important biological control agents.



“It’s no surprise that new wasp species came out on top, it’s just a surprise that wasps don’t come top every year,” said Gavin Broad, the principal curator in charge of insects at the NHM. “The abundance of parasitoid wasps makes the order Hymenoptera the most species-rich order of insects, but it is way behind some other groups in terms of actual species descriptions. Watch out for lots more wasps next year.”



The experts also named 84 species of beetles, 34 moths, 23 moss animals (known as “bryozoans”), 19 stick insects, 13 trematode worms, 12 protists, seven flies, two species of bumblebees from Asia, two polychaete worms from the seafloor, and a centipede with a number of segments that has never been found in nature before. Some new vertebrates were also discovered, including a new species of gecko from Seychelles, seven frogs, and three species of fish.&nbsp;



Besides all of these animals, the scientists also described 11 new species of algae (both living and fossil), as well as four new species of plants from southern Asia. “Although flowering plants are relatively well known as far as groups of organisms go, it is estimated that even though we have given about 450,000 species scientific names, there are about 25 percent of that left to describe,” said Sandra Knapp, a researcher at the NHM who was involved with the description of these new plant species. “Not to discover – for sure, these things we don’t know about are known by local and Indigenous peoples where they occur – we taxonomists just give them names that put them into the language of global botany.”



“Most plants have a variety of names, some specific to an area or language group, others more widespread, but the scientific names we coin can be used by anyone anywhere. This means there is a common language, one of the things we really need to help bend the curve for biodiversity. After all, if we can’t talk about a species, how can we wish to save it?” she concluded.



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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More than 350 new species discovered in 2022

In 2022, by searching through its collections, as well as...

Each year, nearly eight million <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmentally-friendly-christmas-tree/">Christmas trees</a> are sold in the United Kingdom, with an estimated seven million ending up in landfills after the holidays. Besides being costly, once in a landfill, each tree will release 16 kg of greenhouse gases as it decomposes, producing methane, which is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. 



However, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">University of Sheffield</a> and the <a href="https://universityofvalladolid.uva.es/">University of Valladolid</a> has found that pine needles from discarded Christmas trees could be turned into renewable fuels and other products that could be used as food preservatives or in agricultural and industrial manufacturing.



In previous studies, researchers have argued that pine needles could be processed with the aid of heat and solvents, breaking them down into a liquid product (bio-oil) - that could be used in the production of sweeteners, pain, adhesives and vinegar – and a solid by-product (bio-char), which could be used in other industrial processes.



Building upon this research, the new study showed that pine needles could also help producing formic acid, which could be used in hydrogen fuel cells, as well as a food preservative and a critical ingredient in agriculture and industry.



“One of the things that we do when reacting carbon dioxide to capture CO2 is to use a metal to promote the reaction. This can be inefficient and expensive, so we went back to some of the work we’ve done previously with pine needles, because we realized that we could potentially use these to promote turning the carbon dioxide into formic acid,” explained study co-author James McGregor, a senior lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Sheffield.



“We found that instead of the metal and the carbon dioxide reacting, we could react carbon dioxide with pine needles and water at high temperatures and a fraction of the pine needles would turn into the same product as the CO2,” added lead author María Andérez-Fernández, a doctoral student at the University of Valladolid.



“Carbon dioxide is introduced as sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda. This co-conversion with captured carbon dioxide, that we didn’t have before in the previous pine needles research, has found that the two things enhance the conversion of each other, making it more efficient and in this case, making more of the end product - formic acid.”



According to the scientists, formic acid has many applications. For instance, it can be used in fuel cells to store and transport hydrogen, which can then be employed as renewable energy source. In addition, it can also play an important role as a food preservative or antibacterial agent in livestock feed, or can be used in the manufacture of leather and rubble.



If pine needles were collected and processed in this way, the chemicals obtained would replace less sustainable industrial chemicals, leading to a decrease in the UK’s carbon footprint and amount of biomass waste ending up in landfills, and potentially saving up to 100,000 tons of greenhouse gases that are currently released every year by landfilled Christmas trees.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c06218">ACS Sustainable Chemistry &amp; Engineering</a>.



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Old Christmas trees could be used to produce fuels

Each year, nearly eight million Christmas trees are sold in...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-humans-may-have-begun-to-stand-upright-in-trees/">human</a> “experience of nature” is declining worldwide, according to a study led by the <a href="https://www.idiv.de/en/index.html">German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research</a>. The researchers set out to examine trends in the human-nature connection by conducting a systematic review. They found that there is very little empirical evidence available to study.&nbsp;



"The ongoing destruction and degradation of natural systems, along with biodiversity loss, are largely attributable to human activities," wrote the researchers. "In order to reduce human impacts on global biodiversity, there is growing interest in identifying the factors that increase people's concern for environmental issues and promote pro-environmental behaviors."



"Among these factors, 'experience of nature' (EoN) is known to affect human values and attitudes by reinforcing individuals’ psychological and emotional connection with nature. For instance, a high level of EoN in childhood strongly shapes people's knowledge of, values toward, and emotional attachment to nature."



The team wanted to analyze how much the distance between humans and nature has changed in the last decade. To investigate, the scientists measured the average distance from an individual’s home to the closest natural area with low human impact.&nbsp;



The study revealed that humans currently live an average of 9.7 kilometers away from a natural area, which is seven percent farther away compared to the year 2000. The greatest average distance between humans and natural areas was found in Europe and East Asia, including 22 kilometers in Germany and 16 kilometers in France. “What is striking is that all other countries in the world are following a similar pattern,” said study first author Dr. Victor Cazalis.



The researchers determined that tree cover has declined in cities worldwide since 2000, especially in Central Africa and Southeast Asia. “This finding suggests that the possibility for the urban population to access green spaces is reducing as well,” said study co-author Dr Gladys Barragan-Jason.&nbsp;



“Indeed, the study reveals that the destruction of natural areas combined with a strong increase in urban population is leading to a growing spatial distance between humans and nature, especially in Asia, Africa and South America.”



The experts also found that there has been a decline in visits to nature parks in the US and Japan, a decrease in camping activities in the US, and a decrease in the number of flower species observed by Japanese children.&nbsp;



“The knowledge about these human-nature interactions is crucial, as they are key in the construction of our relationship with nature and our behaviors,” said study co-author Victor Cazalis.&nbsp;



"We need to maintain a good connection with nature in order to enable the necessary societal transformations of the 21st century. Only then can humanity ‘live in harmony with nature by 2050’ as ambitioned by our governments through the Global Biodiversity Framework that is being discussed currently in the COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.2540">Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment</a>.



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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 distance between humans and nature is growing

The human “experience of nature” is declining worldwide, according to...

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse natural areas on the planet. Located on the coast of Brazil, this tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brazil-could-protect-its-rainforest-while-expanding-agriculture/">forest</a> is home to a large number of plant species. In a new study from the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>, researchers warn that many plants in the Atlantic Forest rely on endangered fruit-eating animals, and that losing these frugivores could have dire consequences.



Frugivores are animals that primarily eat fruit and disperse the seeds throughout the forest. The loss of important fruit-eating animals would leave many plants without an effective method of seed dispersal.



“Tropical forests contain this incredible diversity of trees,” said study lead author Therese Lamperty. “One of the main processes forests use to maintain this diversity is dispersal. If you’re not dispersed, you’re in a crowd of trees that are just like you - all competing for resources. And there are a lot of plant enemies already in the area or that can be easily recruited, like harmful animals or plant diseases. Your chance of survival is higher when you get transported away from your mother tree to an area without trees like you.”



The Atlantic Forest was once twice the size of Texas. According to The Nature Conservancy, about 85 percent of the forest has been lost over centuries due to deforestation, industrial development, and urbanization in eastern Brazil.



To investigate the diet and distribution of fruit-eating animals in the Atlantic Forest, the researchers analyzed a dataset based on 166 studies. This allowed the experts to identify the interactions between 331 frugivore species and nearly 800 tree species. "For reference, the entire state of Washington only has 25 native tree species,” said Lamperty.



According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, only 14 percent of the frugivore species that were analyzed by the team are endangered. However, the experts determined that losing these particular species left about 28 percent of the plant species in the Atlantic Forest without an effective method of seed dispersal.&nbsp;



“A lot of frugivores are generalists. But in the Atlantic Forest, it turns out that a lot of plants are specialists,” said study senior author Berry Brosi. “The size and the toughness of their fruit and their distribution in the forest can really limit which animals can perform this important role for them.”



Overall, nearly 55 percent of the specialist plant species in the dataset rely exclusively on endangered frugivores for seed dispersal. Lamperty said that while losing one species is bad enough, this study serves as a reminder that what appears to be one loss has numerous “secondary effects."



“It’s a reminder that we should try to understand better what ecological roles and interactions we lose when endangered animals disappear - not just these seed dispersal networks, but other roles, too,” said Lamperty. “Endangered animals have co-evolved with many species in these ecosystems, and I’m not sure we know enough about the roles they play in the health and well-being of places like the Atlantic Forest.”



“It’s an alarming finding, and a sign that we should pay more attention to these interactions between species when considering conservation and land protections,” said Brosi.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0887">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.



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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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Loss of fruit-eating animals will endanger the Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most diverse natural...

Brown algae could remove up to half a billion tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-did-ancient-plants-affect-atmospheric-co2-levels/">carbon dioxide</a> from the atmosphere each year, storing it in the form of slime, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.mpi-bremen.de/en/Home.html">Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology</a>. The slimy mucus, known as fucoidan, is extremely hard to break down, which means that the carbon is securely stored for a long time.&nbsp;



“Fucoidan made up about half of the excretions of the brown algae species we studied, the so-called bladderwrack,” explained study first author Hagen Buck-Wiese.“The fucoidan is so complex that it is very hard for other organisms to use it. No one seems to like it.”&nbsp;



“This makes the brown algae particularly good helpers in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the long term - for hundreds to thousands of years.”



Once the algae absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, up to a third of this carbon is released back into the ocean through sugary excretions. These excrements are either used by other organisms or sink to the bottom of the ocean.&nbsp;



“The excretions of brown algae are very complex and therefore incredibly complicated to measure,” said Buck-Wiese. “However, we have managed to develop a method to analyze them in detail.”&nbsp;



The researchers used this technique to examine many different substances, including fucoidan. The experts found that, on an annual basis, brown algae sequester the equivalent of 0.55 gigatons of carbon dioxide. To put this into perspective, carbon dioxide emissions from Germany reach about 0.74 gigatons per year.&nbsp;



“And even better: The fucoidan does not contain any nutrients such as nitrogen,” explained Buck-Wiese. This means that the carbon losses do not affect the growth of brown algae.&nbsp;



“Next we want to look into other brown algae species and other locations,” said Buck-Wiese. “The great potential of brown algae for climate protection definitely needs to be further researched and utilized.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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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.

Brown algae absorb half a billion tons of CO2 each year

Brown algae could remove up to half a billion tons...

Flowering,Saintpaulias,,Commonly,Known,As,African,Violet.,Mini,Potted,Plant.

Flowers are complex, three-dimensional structures that thrill us with their shapes and colors. Their diverse morphology and rich hues have evolved to attract <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-patches-of-land-can-help-support-pollinators/">pollinators</a> and ensure successful reproduction in a 3D world, and yet we are often more familiar with them captured in 2D, in the form of photographs and artworks.&nbsp;



A team of scientists from <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.18553">McGill University</a>, Université de Montréal, and the Montreal Botanical Garden, have now developed a method of generating 3D images from photographs and other 2D sources. Photogrammetry is the technology used to obtain 3D information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images. This methodology has been extensively used in the field of geography, to reconstruct physical objects from aerial or satellite photographs. It has never before been used to understand the 3D structure of flowers.



The researchers developed a photogrammetry method to reconstruct 3D models of flowers based on numerous images taken from different angles using a digital, single-lens reflex camera, a turntable and a lightbox. They tested their method on 18 different species from the family Gesneriaceae, which includes primroses and African violets. Their results are published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.18553">New Phytologist</a>.



The researchers say that photogrammetry has the potential to boost research on flower evolution and ecology because it provides a simple way to access three-dimensional morphological data. Databases of flower structures - or even of the structures of complete plants - could give scientists and the public a way to finally see the unique features of plant species that usually remain hidden from view.



“The variety of shapes and colors seen in the plant world are difficult to capture with simple photography. That’s why I became interested in adapting technological tools to capture the form of flowers,” said Professor&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/daniel-schoen">Daniel Schoen</a>, who first had the idea of applying photogrammetry to flowers, while doing research at the Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale. “Understanding floral evolution is important because flowers are the principal drivers of plant diversification through speciation, a major determinant of plant biodiversity."



“Together, the team developed something we think will help advance our understanding of how flowers diversify in response to their interaction with pollinators. Thanks to our 3D models, it’s possible to admire flowers from every angle."



According to the researchers, the use of photogrammetry has real advantages compared to other existing methods, in particular X-ray microtomography, which is by far the most widely used method to build 3D flower models.&nbsp;



"Photogrammetry is much more accessible, since it’s cheap, requires little specialized equipment and can even be used directly in nature,” said study lead author Marion Leménager. “In addition, photogrammetry has the advantage of reproducing the colors of flowers, which is not possible with methods using X-rays.”



The first results, although imperfect, were enough to convince Leménager to devote a chapter of her thesis to it. “The method is not perfected yet,” said Leménager. “Some parts of the flowers remain difficult to reconstruct in 3D, such as reflective, translucent or very hairy surfaces.”



The method is an important step towards understanding more about the development and evolution of flowers, and how they interact with their pollinators. At least 90 percent of flowering plants make use of pollinators to ensure their reproduction, and the 3D morphology of flowers is an important factor that attracts appropriate pollinators. In the past, the 3D structure of flowers was rarely studied, because it is difficult to quantify structures in 3D.&nbsp;



“We have shown that photogrammetry works at least as well as more complicated and expensive X-ray methods for visible flower structures,” said study co-author Simon Joly. “Thanks to the living collections of the Montreal Botanical Garden, our study of plants from the Gesneriaceae family, like the African violet, demonstrates that 3D models produced using this technique allow us to explore a large number of questions about the evolution of flowers.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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.

Looking deep inside of flowers may reveal their hidden secrets

Flowers are complex, three-dimensional structures that thrill us with their...

A multi-institutional team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.uta.edu/">University of Texas at Arlington</a> (UTA) has recently received a $5 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/climate-solutions/climate-smart-commodities">Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities</a>. The goal is to establish climate-smart <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agricultural-diversity-has-a-positive-impact-on-food-security/">agricultural</a> practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase soybean production of small and underserved farmers in Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri.



“The agricultural industry will soon be a leader in the fight against climate change,” said principal investigator Woo-Suk Chang, a professor of Biology at UTA. “Within the last 20 years, advances in plant breeding and biological soil amendments have allowed sustainable and regenerative agriculture to take on a more pivotal role in aiding the fight against the destruction of our planet.”



To reinforce efficient and sustainable soybean production, the experts will collaborate with farmers to combine new methods and innovative project pilots, including: no-till agriculture, cover crops, climate-smart soybean varieties, crop rotation, bio-inoculants, and biochar.



For instance, since tillage can lead to soil degradation and nutrient loss, converting to no-till planting will help farmers preserve below- and above-ground carbon storage. At the same time, using cover-crop mixtures that are adapted to the appropriate soil type and moisture profile, while developing climate-smart soybean varieties tolerant to droughts or flooding would help farms thrive under inclement conditions.&nbsp;



Moreover, using crop rotation could achieve sustainable soil health, prevent soil erosion, and optimize biodiversity, while having drought-tolerant bio-inoculants as a part of a climate-smart commodity package could mitigate the negative impact on biological nitrogen fixation that drought events usually cause. Finally, due to its high surface area and porous structure, using biochar can enhance water-holding capacity and protect nutrients and organics from harsh abiotic conditions.



Until now, fourteen soybean producers from the three states have accepted to participate in the project. By providing them with climate-smart community packages, financial incentives, and the ability to accrue carbon credits, the scientists aim to accumulate a growing list of producers across all three and neighboring states.



“Expanding opportunities for small and underserved producers is a key goal of Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities,” said Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “Small and underserved producers, including those here in Texas, are facing the impacts of climate change head-on, with limited resources, and have the most to gain from leveraging the growing market demand for agricultural goods produced in a sustainable, climate-smart way. We look forward to working with The University of Texas at Arlington to expand markets for climate-smart commodities and ensure that small and underserved producers reap the benefits of these market opportunities.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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Developing climate-smart agricultural practices

A multi-institutional team of researchers led by the University of...

From food and water purification to oxygen production and CO2 removal, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-engineer-their-petals-to-be-visually-attractive-to-bees/">plants</a> are essential for life on Earth. Now, with technological advancements such as rockets and other exploratory devices, astronauts can reach the moon and beyond. 



However, as <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>&nbsp;explores the potential for longer space flights, prolonged stays on the International Space Station, or even the future colonization of the moon or planets such as Mars, scientists are well-aware that plants are needed for survival in outer space too. Yet, it is still unclear how exposure to extreme environmental factors related to space travel, such as microgravity or space radiation, may impact biological systems such as plants.



In a new research project led by the <a href="https://www.tamu.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University</a> and funded by NASA, a team of researchers will explore how radiation exposure in space impacts plant telomeres, which are the basic building blocks in their DNA, located at the very end of chromosomes, and have a crucial role in keeping the chromosomes healthy and stable. However, telomeres are far from static. In fact, they continually contract and expand due to environmental stressors, and if they get outside of their normal range, they frequently lose their protective function.



“Plants are obviously very important for space travel, and so from a practical point of view we want to understand how we can help them survive the extreme conditions of space,” said project leader Dorothy Shippen, a professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&amp;M. “There is so much we don’t know, but this telomere research will answer some of the basic questions we have related to plants and space radiation.”&nbsp;



“There is interest in telomeres because they are linked to survivability, and it turns out the environment can influence the size of telomeric DNA tract. The telomeres are like a reporter for the physiological health of organisms and a biomarker for their ability to be healthy. We are interested in understanding how plants respond to the stress of space radiation and then figure out how to protect them,” she explained.



The researchers hypothesize that exposure to space radiation may trigger genome oxidation and an increase in the activity of telomerase, a specialized enzyme that plays a crucial role in maintaining telomeric DNA. Preliminary data from plant seedlings sent into low Earth orbit on a previous space flight have shown that, while the telomere lengths of the plants did not change, telomerase activity increased 150-fold.



“This is all very new, and we need to understand how this exposure to radiation plays out,” said Borja Barbero Barcenilla, a postdoctoral fellow in Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&amp;M, who will also be involved in the project. “Right now, the level of radiation these samples were exposed to in our preliminary experiments in low Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station are much less than what they will suffer on the moon or Mars. The radiation exposure will exponentially increase on those missions, so we need to understand how plants will react to the much higher levels of radiation.”



During the following years, the scientists aim to comprehensively investigate how space radiation impacts plants from seed to flower, as well as across generations. “I think we are in a really good position to deliver some interesting data. We have the right collaborators, and we feel privileged that NASA sees the value in these experiments and trusts us with them,” Shippen concluded.



—



By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer



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How does space radiation affect plants?

From food and water purification to oxygen production and CO2...

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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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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...