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....

Invasive plant species can have devastating effects on local ecosystems, comparable to those wrought by climate change. However, scientists do not yet know how many of such <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/managing-invasive-species-can-improve-climate-resilience/">invasive species</a> there are in the world. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/">University of Massachusetts Amherst</a> is the first to comprehensively pinpoint the various unknowns which should be addressed in order to effectively manage invasive plant species around the globe.



According to the experts, the most cost-effective method of stopping invasive species is to put a halt on their introduction. However, in order for this to happen, managers need to know exactly which plants are invasive. While lists of invasive plants worldwide include species reported by scientists, currently unreported species still pose a significant risk.&nbsp;



“Trade and climate change have facilitated the widespread movement of species around the globe,” said&nbsp;study lead author Brittany Laginhas, a doctoral student in Geospatial Analytics at the <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> who completed this research during her graduate studies at UMass Amherst. “In some cases, these species will establish and spread in their new environment, causing devastating ecological and economic damages. Basic information on invasive species, including which species are invasive, where they have invaded, and their timing of invasion, is critical for developing strategies to prevent their spread and subsequent damages.”



Together with her colleagues, Laginhas mined a database of 5,893 studies dating back to 1959 that reported 3,008 invasive species. However, statistical modelling suggests that there should be in fact 4,721 species, although the identity of the remaining 1,713 remains a mystery.



According to the researchers, so many invasive species are currently missing from scientific accounts mostly due to a systemic and geographically uneven undercount. For instance, while North America has been relatively well studied, Central and South America and Oceania have not been given similar attention. “There are vast differences in the studies conducted across different continents,” said study co-author Matthew Fertakos, a graduate student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at UMass Amherst. “We have statistical methods that can help tell us how many species there&nbsp;should&nbsp;be, but real data is always better than an estimation.”



Unfortunately, a comprehensive map of the world’s invasive species cannot be generated in the laboratory alone. “We need floristic surveys, where researchers actually go out into the field, especially in the places that have been understudied, like Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America, and identify the exact species causing problems,” concluded senior author Bethany Bradley, a professor of Environmental Conservation at the same university.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eap.2776">Ecological Applications</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

How many invasive plant species are in the world?

Invasive plant species can have devastating effects on local ecosystems,...

The Devonian Period that occurred between 419 and 358 million years ago, prior to the evolution of terrestrial life, is well-known for mass extinction events during which an estimated 70 percent of life on Earth was decimated. Now, a team of scientists from <a href="https://www.iupui.edu/">Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis</a> has argued that the evolution of tree <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deeper-plant-roots-could-boost-soil-carbon-storage/">roots</a> may have triggered this series of catastrophic extinctions which rocked the Earth’s oceans during this period.



“Our analysis shows that the evolution of tree roots likely flooded past oceans with excess nutrients, causing massive algae growth,” said study co-author Gabriel Filippelli, a biogeochemist at IU. “These rapid and destructive algae blooms would have depleted most of the oceans’ oxygen, triggering catastrophic mass extinction events.”



The process described by the scientists – known as “eutrophication” – is remarkably similar to the modern, albeit smaller-scale phenomena currently fueling “dead zones” in the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, as excess nutrients from fertilizers and other agricultural runoff trigger massive algal blooms which consume most of the water’s oxygen. However, the past events were likely caused by tree roots instead, which pulled large amounts of nutrients during times of growth, and abruptly dumped them into water during times of decay.



By chemically analyzing stone deposits from ancient lake beds, the scientists confirmed previously identified cycles of higher and lower amounts of phosphorous (a chemical element found in all life on Earth), as well as wet and dry cycles based upon signs of “weathering” - or soil formation - caused by root growth, with greater weathering indicating wet cycles with more roots and less weathering dry ones with fewer roots. Most importantly, the researchers found that the dry cycles coincided with higher levels of phosphorous, suggesting that dying tree roots released their nutrients into the Earth’s waters during those periods. Thus, the decay of tree roots seems to be the main suspect behind the Devonian mass extinctions.



Fortunately, modern trees don’t cause similar destruction, since nature has evolved better mechanisms to balance out the impact of rotting wood, and the depth of contemporary soils can retain more nutrients than the thin layer of dirt which covered ancient Earth. However, current pollution from fertilizers, manure, and other organic waste, has now placed the Earth’s oceans once more on the edge of anoxia – a complete lack of oxygen that could have disastrous consequences for marine life.



“These new insights into the catastrophic results of natural events in the ancient world may serve as a warning about the consequences of similar conditions arising from human activity today,” Fillipelli concluded.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1130/GSAB.S.XXXX">Geological Society of America Bulletin</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

Tree roots may have driven mass extinctions

The Devonian Period that occurred between 419 and 358 million...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetic-research-tomatoes-production/">Tomatoes</a> account for 22 percent of vegetables intake in Western diets. Previous research has linked consumption of tomatoes with reduced risk of developing various health conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. However, tomatoes’ impact on the gut microbiome – the community of microorganisms living in the intestinal tract – has not yet been assessed.&nbsp;



Now, a research group led by the <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> (OSU) has found that two weeks of eating a diet heavy in tomatoes increased the diversity of gut microbes and altered gut bacteria toward a more favorable profile in young pigs. These findings could be tested in humans too, in order to identify health-related links between tomato consumption and changes to the human gut microbiome.



“It’s possible that tomatoes impart benefits through their modulation of the gut microbiome,”&nbsp;said study senior author Jessica Cooperstone, an assistant professor of Horticulture and Crop Science at OSU. “Overall dietary patterns have been associated with differences in microbiome composition, but food-specific effects haven’t been studied very much. Ultimately, we’d like to identify in humans what the role is of these particular microorganisms and how they might be contributing to potential health outcomes.”



The scientists fed ten recently weaned piglets with a standard diet, and other ten with the standard diet fine-tuned so that ten percent of the food consisted of a freeze-dried tomato powder - with the amount of fiber, sugar, protein, fat, and calories identical in both diets.&nbsp;



The control and study pig populations were kept separately, and the researchers minimized the time spent with the pigs in order to ensure that any microbiome changes could be attributed solely to the chemical compounds in the tomatoes. Microbial communities were collected from fecal samples both before the study and seven and 14 days after the diet was introduced.



By using a method called “shotgun metagenomics,” the scientists sequenced all microbial DNA from the samples. The analysis revealed two main changes in the microbiomes of pigs fed the tomato-heavy diet: the diversity of microbes in their guts increased, and the concentration of two types of bacteria common in the mammal microbiome shifted to a more favorable profile. More specifically, the higher ratio of the phyla Bacteroidota compared to Bacillota has been found to be linked with more positive health outcomes.



“This was our first investigation as to how tomato consumption might affect the microbiome, and we’ve characterized which microbes are present, and how their relative abundance has changed with this tomato intervention,” Cooperstone said.



“To really understand the mechanisms, we need to do more of this kind of work in the long term in humans. We also want to understand the complex interplay – how does consuming these foods change the composition of what microbes are present, and functionally, what does that do? A better understanding could lead to more evidence-based dietary recommendations for long-term health,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02506-22">Microbiology Spectrum</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

Tomatoes improve the health of the gut microbiome

Tomatoes account for 22 percent of vegetables intake in Western...

Plants reduce their pollen development under mild heat conditions in anticipation of potential <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-activities-are-fueling-more-extreme-heatwaves/">heatwaves</a>, according to a new thesis paper by Stuart Jansma, a PhD candidate at Radboud University. This response to warm weather can have a negative impact on fruit and seed production, and may have serious consequences as heatwaves become more common due to climate change.&nbsp;



Heat can damage pollen, prevent fertilization, and ultimately halt the production of fruits and seeds. While previous studies focused on heat shock by exposing plants to extreme heat for several hours at a time, Jansma wanted to study the effect of mild heat on a longer timescale.



For a few days, tomato plants were placed in an environment of 30°C to 34°C, which is six degrees higher than the ideal temperature for a tomato plant. Jansma studied how the plants responded on a molecular level. The results showed that mild heat triggers a different response in plants than heat shock.



“Plants react slightly less strongly when exposed to mild temperatures. The interesting thing is that this reaction to mild heat is not really necessary for the plant’s survival. You could say that the plant is ‘overreacting’; it’s anticipating a scenario with even hotter days to follow,” explained Jansma.



The experiment revealed that longer periods of mild heat affected the production of plant hormones, the conversion of sugars, and the folding of proteins. The combination of these changes led to reduced pollen development.&nbsp;



“The plant no longer focuses on reproduction, but arms itself against external stress factors," explained Jansma. “In principle, you don’t need that much pollen to fertilise a plant, but when the percentage of living pollen is low, the dead pollen block access to the pistil, thus preventing fertilization.”



“Every day that a plant ‘expects’ the warm weather to last for another week, it won’t produce any fruit. With climate change, warm days are growing in number, which only exacerbates the problem. To counter this effect, we could switch off the plants’ active reaction using genetic modification. However, this would require adjusting current European legislation.”



Jansma will present his PhD thesis at Radboud University on September 15.



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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

Plants overreact to warmer weather and stop producing fruit

Plants reduce their pollen development under mild heat conditions in...

Mountain landscapes across the world are threatened by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/beaver-dams-mitigate-the-effects-of-climate-change-on-rivers/">climate</a> change. The evolution of these landscapes could lead to hazards and environmental risks affecting nearby communities.



On the eve of COP27, a scientist from the <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/">University of the Witwatersrand</a> in Johannesburg highlights the sensitivity of mountains to global climate change in a <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/14253/">new study</a>. Professor Jasper Knight describes how complex mountain systems respond in different and unexpected ways to climate change. The study also reveals how these responses can affect mountain landscapes and communities.&nbsp;



Mountain glaciers across the world are retreating due to global warming, impacting mountain landforms and the ecosystems and people that rely on them. These impacts, however, are highly variable.&nbsp;



“The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) treats all mountains as equally sensitive and responding in the same way to climate change. However, this approach is not correct,” said Professor Knight. “Mountains with snow and ice work completely differently to low-latitude mountains where snow and ice are generally absent. This determines how they respond to climate and what future patterns of mountain landscape evolution we can expect.”&nbsp;



Globally, mountain snow and ice provide water for hundreds of millions of people. This water supply is now under threat as changing weather patterns cause glaciers to get smaller. This is expected to get worse into the future, leading to a water crisis in dry continental areas of Asia, North America, South America and Europe.



The potential impacts of climate change and human activity on mountain landscapes include an increasing risk of hazards such as avalanches, river floods and landslides. These risks are further elevated by glacier retreat and the warming of permafrost.



Mountain slopes are also becoming greener as lowland forests spread to higher altitudes. This has already threatened Alpine ecosystems and species with local extinction.&nbsp;



“As snow and ice shrink, mountain land surfaces are getting darker and this dramatically changes their heat balance, meaning they are warming up faster than the areas around them. Therefore, climate change impacts are bigger on mountains than they are anywhere else. This is a real problem, not just for mountains but also for the areas around them,” said Professor Knight.&nbsp;



 Indigenous mountain communities and cultures are also affected by climate change. Livestock and traditional agriculture are dying out as grazing areas shrink and as water becomes scarcer. These traditional practices are also impacted by tourism, mining, urbanization and commercial forestry.&nbsp;



By demonstrating the connection between mountains and people, the study highlights the importance of protecting mountains against future change. “Understanding these connections can help us better protect them against the worst impacts of climate change,” said Professor Knight.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mountain landscapes are being transformed by climate change

Mountain landscapes across the world are threatened by climate change....

Motivation is a highly important process in life, often marking the difference between success and failure, goal-directedness and aimlessness, or wellbeing and unhappiness. However, becoming and staying motivated is far from easy, prompting many scientists to look for ways of boosting motivation.



Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.epfl.ch/en/">Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne</a> (EPFL) has investigated whether differences in the metabolites in the brain affect our capacity for motivation, and whether nutritional interventions could be an effective vehicle to improve motivated performance. The scientists focused on an area of the brain called the “nucleus accumbens,” which plays a major role in regulating functions such as reward, reinforcement, aversion, and most importantly, motivation.



Like all tissues in our body, the brain is subjected to constant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exposure-to-green-space-reduces-oxidative-stress-in-children/">oxidative stress</a>, as a result of its metabolism. As cells consume various molecules to garner energy, they produce toxic waste products in the form of highly reactive molecules known as “oxidative species.” Although cells have several mechanisms in place to clear oxidative species, sometimes this capacity is disturbed in a process called “oxidative stress.” The question the researchers focused on in this study was whether antioxidant levels in the brain’s nucleus accumbens can affect motivation, by looking into the brain’s most important antioxidant, a protein called glutathione (GSH).



“We assessed relationships between metabolites in the nucleus accumbens – a key brain region – and motivated performance,” said study senior author Carmen Sandi, a behavioral neuroscientist at EPFL. “We then turned to animals to understand the mechanism and probe causality between the found metabolite and performance, proving as well that nutritional interventions modify behavior through this pathway.”



By using a technique called “proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy,” the researchers assessed the relationship between GSH levels in the brain and performance in tasks measuring motivation in both humans and rats. The analysis reveled that higher levels of GSH were linked to better and steady performance in motivation tasks.



“Our study provides novel insights on how brain metabolism relates to behavior and puts forward nutritional interventions targeting key oxidative process as ideal interventions to facilitate effortful endurance,” the authors explained. Their findings “suggest that improvement of accumbal antioxidant function may be a feasible approach to boost motivation.”



“N-acetylcysteine, the nutritional supplement that we gave in our study can also be synthesized in the body from its precursor cysteine,” Sandi added. “Cysteine is contained in ‘high-protein foods,’ such as meat, chicken, fish or seafood. Other sources with lower content are eggs, whole-grain foods such as breads and cereals, and some vegetables such as broccoli, onions, and legumes.”



“Of course, there are other ways beyond N-acetylcysteine to increase GSH levels in the body, but how they relate to levels in the brain – and particularly in the nucleus accumbens – is largely unknown. Our study represents a proof of principle that dietary N-acetylcysteine can increase brain GSH levels and facilitate effortful behavior,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.77791">eLife</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

Nutritional interventions can boost motivation in the brain

Motivation is a highly important process in life, often marking...

Lianas are long-stemmed, woody vines that have their roots in the ground but use the trunks and branches of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-majority-of-urban-trees-are-threatened-by-climate-change/">trees</a> to climb their way up towards the canopy in order to reach sunlight. The term "liana" applies more to this type of lifestyle than to any specific family of plants, as lianas come from a variety of different taxonomic groups. They are found in tropical forests all over the world.



Research on lianas, mostly in Neotropical forests (South and Central America, Caribbean), shows that they are increasing in abundance, diversity and biomass. This is not good news for the forest trees, as the vines compete with trees for nutrients, water and sunlight. Forest trees infested with lianas tend to produce less fruit, to grow more slowly and ultimately to remain smaller. Lianas can even increase the mortality rate of forest trees. This means that their presence has a negative impact on a forest’s ability to take up carbon from the atmosphere and store it in living biomass.&nbsp;



New research, led by scientists from the <a href="https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/">University of Nottingham</a>, U.K., is the first to investigate the distribution and abundance of lianas in a Paleotropical forest canopy in Southeast Asia. These forests support a high density of large trees with a significantly greater above-ground biomass than in Neotropical forests such as the Amazon. This makes Paleotropical forests very important in terms of carbon storage, and the role of lianas in restricting this ecosystem service could prove critical as we attempt to limit the level of carbon emissions globally.&nbsp;



In this research, published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652745">Journal of Ecology</a>, scientists assessed the distribution of lianas in 50 hectares of Paleotropical forest canopy in Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia. They used a drone to capture high-resolution imagery of the canopy and were able, thereby, to produce accurate data on tree-level liana load rather than being restricted to surveying the numbers and diameters of liana stems at ground level.&nbsp;



Data on other variables was also collected using the drone, and a laser scanner that created 3D models of the area, as well as ground-based surveys. This data included the topography of the land, soil characteristics, tree height and crown area, and the distance to the nearest canopy gap and nearest neighboring tree containing lianas. With this data the researchers hoped to understand where lianas like to grow in the forest, and why.&nbsp;



Dr. Catherine Waite led the study while at the University of Nottingham, before moving to the University of the Sunshine Coast, Australia. “Tropical forests are an incredibly important – and natural – system for carbon capture and storage, helping to mitigate climate change. Lianas clearly threaten forests’ abilities to do this and so it’s key that we understand the spread and characteristics of lianas to determine what may drive their increase in the future," said Dr. Waite.



The results showed that, of the 2,428 tree crowns (≥25 m2&nbsp;in area) found across the 50-ha plot, 1,243 trees (51.2 percent) were infested by lianas. The infested trees were not randomly distributed, but tended to be aggregated together. Furthermore, tree height was by far the strongest predictor of liana load, with taller trees being less likely to contain lianas, and also less likely to contain a large load of lianas. This finding was contrary to what has been identified in Neotropical forests, where lianas tend to favor the largest trees.&nbsp;



The analysis also showed that trees growing near to gaps in the canopy, or to other trees with lianas, were also more likely to be infested with lianas. Canopy gaps indicate sites of previous disturbance to the forest, such as tree falls, where sunlight penetration is enhanced. The researchers suggest that lianas growing near canopy gaps may even hinder the growth of trees in the area, thus keeping the gap open and allowing better access to sunlight for the lianas.



“In this study, we found taller trees were less often and less heavily infested by lianas than shorter trees, which is opposite to well-established Neotropical findings," said Dr. Waite. "This suggests a fundamental difference between Neotropical and Southeast Asian forests. Considering that most liana studies have focused on the Neotropics, this highlights the need for additional studies in other Paleotropical regions to clarify potential differences and enable us to better understand liana impacts on tropical forest ecology, carbon capture and storage, and ultimately, on climate change.”



“Neotropical studies have shown that presence of lianas in tropical forests has broad and important ramifications for the global carbon cycle and therefore for the ability of tropical forests to mitigate climate change," said study co-author Dr. Geertje van der Heijden. "Knowing more about which trees they infest therefore helps making better predictions on their impact on tropical forests globally.”



An understanding of what drives liana growth and distribution in tropical forests may prove particularly pertinent as lianas may continue to proliferate with future climate change. Due to their negative impact on carbon absorption and above-ground carbon stocks, lianas may alter tropical forest functioning in future, with serious implications for tropical forest carbon storage.



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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

How do lianas impact forests around the world?

Lianas are long-stemmed, woody vines that have their roots in...

Currently, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-contamination-is-a-serious-public-health-risk/">cannabis</a> has been legalized in many US states, as well as other countries around the world, and is increasingly used to treat a variety of health conditions, such as depression or glaucoma. However, according to several new studies, consuming cannabis could be as damaging to the heart as smoking cigarettes.



For instance, a team of Canadian researchers has found that, in regular users, the drug increased blood pressure and heart rate in a similar way that heavy smoking does, thus increasing the risk of heart attacks in less healthy users.



"When the tobacco industry first began, we didn’t know the damage smoking caused,” explained Abbas Alshami, a New Jersey-based cardiologist.&nbsp;“It was only once it was in widespread use that we started seeing the health consequences, and acted to try to limit it.&nbsp;Unfortunately, millions of people died avoidable deaths before that happened.”



“I feel like we are going through the same thing with cannabis now. We’re alarmed by what we’re seeing, and would like to see much tougher restrictions reimposed. Many people here [in the US] have no idea that cannabis is harmful but, clearly, it is.”



In another study, which examined nearly 35 million hospital admission records, scientists found that the chance of cannabis users developing acute coronary syndrome – an umbrella term for heart-related conditions in which the blood supply to the heart becomes compromised, such as angina pectoralis or different types of heart attacks – was similar to that heavy cigarette smokers face. Moreover, previous research has also revealed that cannabis users who had common conditions such as chronic kidney disease were more likely to suffer heart attacks or strokes than those who didn’t consume the drug.



Thus, in terms of heart risk, cannabis can be seen as “the new tobacco,” as Robert Paige – a researcher at the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a> – put it. “Cannabis is a psychotropic drug that not only has an impact on the brain but also the nervous system, so what we’re seeing in these studies makes a lot of sense.”



“The worry is that we're observing an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes even in younger adults, who are the biggest recreational users of cannabis. This is a huge signal that warrants more research,” he 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

Cannabis may damage heart health as much as cigarettes

Currently, cannabis has been legalized in many US states, as...

A new study led by the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</a> has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-play-an-active-role-in-plant-pollination/">bats</a> play a fundamental role in keeping temperate forests growing by helping to protect young trees. According to the experts, without bats to prey upon them and hold their populations in check, insects that mulch on tree seedlings go wild, doing three to nine times more damage than when bats are present.



“A lot of folks associate bats with caves. But as it turns out, the habitat you could really associate with almost every bat species in North America is forest. And this is true globally. Forests are just really important to bats,”&nbsp;said study senior author Joy O’Keefe, an assistant professor and wildlife extension specialist at the University of Illinois. “We wanted to ask the question: Are bats important to forests? And in this study, we’ve demonstrated they are.”



While previous studies have proven bats’ insect-control services in crop fields and tropical forests, their similarly critical role in temperate forests has not yet been investigated. “It’s especially important for us to learn how bats affect forests, given that bats are declining due to diseases like white-nose syndrome or collisions with wind turbines. This type of work can reveal the long-term consequences of bat declines,” said study lead author Elizabeth Beilke, a postdoctoral fellow in Environmental Sciences at the same university.



The scientists built large mesh-enclosed structures in an Indiana forest to exclude the eight bat species which frequent this region, while allowing insects free movement in and out. Moreover, the researchers made sure that birds had daytime access to the plots. Then, they measured the number of insects on oak and hickory seedlings in the forest understory, together with the amount of defoliation per seedling.&nbsp;



The analysis revealed that, in plots where bats were excluded, there were three times as many insects and five times more defoliation on the seedlings than in the control plots. When analyzed separately, oaks experienced none times more defoliation and hickories three times more in the absence of bats.



“We know from other research that oaks and hickories are ecologically important, with acorns and hickory nuts providing food sources for wildlife and the trees acting as hosts to native insects. Bats use both oaks and hickories as roosts, and now we see they may be using them as sources of prey insects, as well. Our data suggest bats and oaks have a mutually beneficial relationship,” Beilke explained.



“I think it’s important to stress the value of this type of experimental work with bats, to really try to dig into what their ecosystem services are in a deliberate manner. While we can probably extrapolate out and say bats are important in other types of forest, I wouldn’t discount the value of doing the same kind of work in other systems, especially if there are questions about certain insect or tree species and how bats affect them. So rather than extrapolating out across the board, let’s do the work to try to figure out how bats are benefiting plants. And before they’re gone, hopefully,” O’Keefe concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3903">Ecology</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

Bats protect young trees from insect damage

A new study led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign...

For many years, scientists have considered enhanced photosynthesis as one of the possible beneficial effects of increasing levels of atmospheric <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-tech-can-capture-carbon-dioxide-from-the-atmosphere/">carbon dioxide</a>: since plants use CO2 for photosynthesis, higher levels of this gas were thought to lead to more productive plants.&nbsp;



However, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.umontpellier.fr/en/recherche/unites-de-recherche/institut-des-sciences-des-plantes-de-montpellier">Institute of Plant Sciences</a> in Montpellier, France (IPSiM), has found that this effect may be less than expected because elevated carbon dioxide levels could make it difficult for plants to obtain minerals necessary to properly grow and provide nutritious food.



“There are many reports in the literature showing that the CO2&nbsp;levels expected at the end of the twenty-first century will lead to a lower concentration of nitrogen in most plants, mainly affecting the protein content in plant products,” explained study first author Alain Gojon, the research director of France’s <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en/about-us">National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment</a>. “It is very important to understand why growing plants at elevated CO2&nbsp;has such a negative effect on the protein content of most staple crops and the future of food.”



Although plants use photosynthesis to incorporate carbon dioxide into sugars that they derive their energy from, this process does not provide them with the key minerals they need to grow, such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and iron, which are instead collected from the soils through their root systems.&nbsp;



Among these minerals, nitrogen is particularly important not only as a key building block for the amino acids that plants use to make proteins, but also for providing proper nutrition for humans. “What is clear is that the nutrient composition of the main crops used worldwide, such as rice and wheat, is negatively impacted by the elevation of CO2. This will have a strong impact on food quality and global food security,” said study senior author Antoine Martin, a research scientist at IPSiM.



“Two main nutrients that are essential for human nutrition may be affected by this phenomenon,” Gojon added. “The first one is proteins built from nitrogen. In developing countries this can be a big issue, because many diets in these countries aren’t rich in proteins and plants grown at elevated CO2&nbsp;can have twenty to thirty percent less protein. The second one is iron. Iron deficiency already affects an estimated two billion people worldwide.”



Besides impacting global food systems, mineral deficiencies due to increased CO2&nbsp; levels may lead to a negative feedback loop for climate change mitigation. “The terrestrial carbon sink associated with enhanced photosynthesis may be limited if most of the vegetation is deficient in nitrogen and other minerals, which may prevent any additional increase of CO2&nbsp;capture from the atmosphere,” Gojon concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2022.09.002">Trends in Plant Science</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

Elevated CO2 levels will make crops less nutritious

For many years, scientists have considered enhanced photosynthesis as one...

Aerial,View,Of,Amazon,Rainforest,,South,America

The central Congo Basin is home to the world’s largest tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-can-increase-fires-in-tropical-peatlands/">peatland</a> complex, covering an area of around 16.7 million hectares, which is bigger than the area of England and Wales combined. Unlike temperate peat bogs that mostly accumulate carbon in the form of mosses, these peatlands underlie lush tropical forests and contain organic matter from the fall of leaves and forest debris. In addition, they are influenced by the movement of water from rivers and have been a source of food and resources for local people for thousands of years.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Congo Basin spans across six central African countries, but the peatlands occur mostly within the Republic of Congo (ROC) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Due to the remote and inaccessible location of these peatlands, little research has been done on how the ecosystems function, although a previous study estimated that 29 Pg of carbon is stored below ground in peat across the region. (A Petagram is equivalent to a Gigaton and equals one billion metric tons.)&nbsp;



With the uncertainties surrounding the effects of climate change, scientists are concerned that this massive amount of stored carbon may be released into the atmosphere and contribute further to greenhouse gas concentrations. In order to understand the history of the Congo Basin peatlands, Congolese and European researchers have now taken samples of peat from beneath the remote swamp forests in the region. The results of their analysis, published in the journal Nature, carry a sober warning for the entire world, particularly as environmental leaders gather at the COP27 climate talks next week.



The research, led by scientists from the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a>, involved analyzing plant remains in samples taken at depths beneath the surface of the peat. The scientists used waxes from plant leaves preserved in the samples to calculate the rainfall levels at the time that the plants were living. This enabled them to reconstruct a record of the vegetation and rainfall in the central Congo Basin over the last 17,500 years, from when the peat began to form.&nbsp;



The record showed that peat was accumulated gradually in the region up to around 7,500 years ago. During this time, the peat acted as a store of carbon. However, between 7,500 and 2,000 years ago, the peat layers either decomposed or never accumulated. The researchers described this as the “ghost interval." This same ghost interval was found in peat samples from hundreds of kilometers away in the DRC indicating it happened across the whole peatland region.&nbsp;



“The peat samples show us that there was a period of around 5,000 years when there was almost no build-up of peat, less than 0.1 mm per year.&nbsp;The samples also reveal what the rainfall and vegetation was like when the peat was formed. Together they give a picture of a drying climate that got progressively drier until about 2,000 years ago," explained study lead author Dr. Yannick Garcin of the National Research Institute for Sustainable Development of France.



At the height of this drought, rainfall was reduced by at least 800 mm a year. This caused the water table in the Congo peatlands to drop, exposing older layers of peat to the air, which led to decomposition and the release of carbon dioxide.&nbsp;The peatlands&nbsp;only&nbsp;stopped releasing carbon and reverted back to&nbsp;taking carbon out of the atmosphere when the&nbsp;climate&nbsp;got wetter&nbsp;again&nbsp;in the past 2,000 years, according to the results of the study.&nbsp; &nbsp;



“This drought led to a huge loss of peat, at least 2 meters,” said Dr. Garcin. “The drought flipped the peatland to a huge carbon source as the peat decomposed. This decomposition only stopped when the drought stopped, allowing peat to start accumulating again.”&nbsp;



The scientists warn&nbsp;that, while the peatlands are&nbsp;currently largely intact and managed sustainably by local people, they are vulnerable.&nbsp;If current global warming produces drying effects in the Congo region, history could repeat itself and 30 billion tons of carbon from decomposing peat could end up in the atmosphere. This is equivalent to all the emissions from burning fossil fuel globally over a three-year period, and the impact on climate change could be catastrophic.&nbsp;



“Our study brings a brutal warning from the past. If the peatlands dry beyond a certain threshold they will release colossal quantities of carbon to the atmosphere, further accelerating climate change," said study senior author Professor Simon Lewis. “There is some evidence that dry seasons are lengthening in the Congo Basin, but it is unclear if these will continue. But evidence from our study shows that drier conditions have existed in the past and did trigger a breakdown of the peatlands as a store of carbon.”&nbsp;



“This is an important message for world leaders gathering at the COP27 climate talks next week. If greenhouse gas emissions drive the central Congo peatlands to become too dry, then the peatlands will contribute to the climate crisis rather than protect us," emphasized Professor Lewis.



In addition to the threat of the peatlands getting drier&nbsp;from climate change, the region is subject to additional pressures which could cause damage to the fragile peatland ecosystem. These include draining the peatlands for industrial-scale agriculture, logging, and oil exploration.&nbsp;The central Congo peatlands are home to a rich biodiversity, including forest elephants, lowland gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos, all of which form part of this globally important but threatened ecosystem.



Professor Corneille Ewango from the University of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, led the expeditions to collect the peat samples from the DRC.&nbsp;



“This is another astonishing finding about the peatlands. They are more vulnerable than we thought, and everyone must play their role in protecting them," said Professor Ewango. “Polluting countries must cut their carbon emissions fast, to limit the possibility of droughts pushing the peatlands past their tipping point. The DRC will also need to strengthen protection of the peatlands. At stake is one of the most wildlife and carbon-rich ecosystems on Earth."



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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

The Congo Basin could release billions of tons of carbon

The central Congo Basin is home to the world’s largest...

Experts have identified a new method of using compost that could boost global crop production and help mitigate climate change. Professor Susanne Schmidt of the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> explained that adopting a Precision Compost Strategy (PCS) in large-scale <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agriculture-could-play-a-key-role-in-limiting-global-warming/">agriculture</a> could improve crop yield and soil health, and would keep biowaste from ending up in the landfill where it releases harmful greenhouse gases.



“Instead of relying just on mineral fertilisers, PCS involves supplementing the right type of compost with nutrients to match the needs of soils and crops,” said Professor Schmidt.



“Soils that have become compacted and acidic are then aerated and neutralized. The result is they can retain more water, facilitate root growth and nourish the organisms that keep soils and crops healthy.”



According to Professor Schmidt, soil plays a crucial role in ensuring global food security. “But currently 30 percent of the world’s agricultural soil is classified as degraded, with projections that this could rise to 90 percent by 2050."



The researchers estimate that precision compost could boost the annual global production of major cereal crops by 96 million tons. “This has flow-on effects for consumers by addressing food shortages and price hikes," said Professor Schmidt.



The study also suggests that applying a precision compost strategy to large-scale agriculture could help mitigate climate change.



“In Australia alone, more than 7 million tons of biowaste ends up in landfill every year where it generates huge amounts of avoidable greenhouse gases and other undesirable effects,” said Professor Schmidt.



“If we repurpose it, we can restore crucial carbon in cropland topsoil. There are cost benefits too - diverting just 15,000 tons of biowaste could save a local council as much as $2-3 million a year.”



Tony Rossi is a sugarcane farmer in North Queensland. His family's company V. Rossi &amp; Sons has been using precision compost for seven years. “We’ve been able to almost halve our fertilizer use which is so much better for the environment, and our crop yield is the same,” said Rossi.



The research was supported by Fight Food Waste CRC and is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00584-x">Nature Food</a>.



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

Compost could boost crop yields by millions of tons

Experts have identified a new method of using compost that...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> 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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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...