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



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

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....

An international team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.uni-halle.de/?lang=en">Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg</a> (MLU) has&nbsp;recently conducted an analysis of worldwide patterns of plant species richness, based on the largest collection of global vegetation-plot data ever compiled. The results have been published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32063-z">Nature Communications</a>&nbsp;and could be used to focus conservation efforts in areas where the diversity of plant species is the highest.&nbsp;



The experts analyzed species richness of vascular plants counted in around 170,000 vegetation plots from all of the Earth’s climate zones. The data included information on all of the vascular plant species found at a location and the coordinates of the respective area under study. The data was taken from the globally unique vegetation database called “sPlot,” which is located at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Centre_for_Integrative_Biodiversity_Research_(iDiv)">iDiv</a>, and species richness in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/past-variability-may-help-forests-cope-with-climate-change/">forests</a> and non-forests were considered separately. 



“Most studies on global biodiversity are conducted on a relatively large scale, for example at a state or provincial scale. We wanted to find out how much results differ when smaller areas are examined,” explained Professor Helge Bruelheide from MLU. The team used artificial intelligence to investigate, among other things, the relationship between the number of plant species and the size of the area under study.&nbsp;They considered species richness in plots of 400m2, 1,000m2, and 1ha (10,000m2) in area, with the aim of identifying areas where species richness is consistently high at all these scales, and areas where species richness varies depending on the scale of sampling.&nbsp;



The results showed that some forest areas - such as in Borneo, New Guinea, Madagascar, eastern South Africa and the Andean-Amazonian foothills - are hotspots for plant biodiversity irrespective of the size of the sample plots. Conversely, the researchers observed high plant diversity when plot size was small, but low plant diversity when plot size was large, in many temperate regions including the Eastern European forest-steppe belt, East Asia and southeastern Australia.



The researchers state that there are areas on Earth where focusing on large study plots only provides a limited understanding of the distribution of biodiversity: sometimes small areas can have a relatively high biodiversity, for example in the steppes of Eastern Europe, in Siberia and in the Alpine countries of Europe. At fine spatial scales, the large difference in biodiversity between the tropics, like the Amazon, and the temperate climate zones nearly disappears.&nbsp;



The same applies to the African tropics, which were previously considered an exception in the tropical plant world. “The tropics have always been among the most biodiverse areas in the world. We wondered why this shouldn’t also apply to Western Africa,” explained Dr. Francesco Maria Sabatini who led the study while at MLU and is now an assistant professor at the University of Bologna. In fact, the distribution of plant species varies greatly in the African tropics, noted Dr. Sabatini. These species are distributed over very large distances, so that they are not always recorded when a small sampling area is examined. “To correctly recognize the high biodiversity in Western Africa many small areas are required."



The current research also enabled the scientists to identify which environmental and biogeographic factors drive species diversity of vascular plants. Interestingly enough, although ecoregion, annual mean temperature, and temperature of the warmest and wettest quarters of the year explained some of the variation in species richness patterns globally, the factor with the largest influence in shaping diversity patterns was the size of the sample plot.&nbsp;



Although the study was based on a very large collection of global vegetation-plot data, there are still many biogeographical regions where vegetation data is not available. Most of the data points were in Europe and other countries with a strong tradition of vegetation surveys, while the coverage of tropical areas, especially the Amazon and equatorial Africa, was poor.



Despite these limitations, the researchers feel that their analysis provides important insights and is a step forward in mapping global plant diversity. The results are also important when it comes to protecting species. “Ecosystems whose high biodiversity is spread out over a large area cannot be protected through the traditional patchwork of nature reserves. In contrast, ecosystems that have a high biodiversity within a small area could benefit well from several distinct protected zones,” concluded Bruelheide. &nbsp;



---



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

Plant biodiversity hotspots can be found on small scales

An international team of researchers led by the Martin Luther...

A widespread stereotype of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-use-is-up-by-20-percent-in-states-where-its-legal/">cannabis</a> users – possibly emerging from a variety of movies and TV series - is that they are generally lazy, apathetic, and largely unable to enjoy life. However, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> and <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/">King’s College London</a> has found that adult and adolescent users are no more likely than non-users to lack motivation or experience pleasure, suggesting that there is no scientific basis for the stereotype often portrayed in the media.



The scientists recruited 274 adult and adolescent who had used cannabis at least weekly over the past three months (with an average of four times per week) and compared them with a cohort of non-users of the same age and gender to test whether users show higher levels of apathy (loss of motivation) and anhedonia (loss of interest in or pleasure from rewards). While users scored slightly lower on anhedonia, there was no difference when it came to apathy.



“We were surprised to see that there was really very little difference between cannabis users and non-users when it came to lack of motivation or lack of enjoyment, even among those who used cannabis every day. This is contrary to the stereotypical portrayal we see on TV and in movies,” said study lead author Martine Skumlien, a doctoral student in Psychiatry at Cambridge.



Although adolescents tended to score higher than adults on anhedonia and apathy in both cannabis user and non-user groups, cannabis did not seem to significantly augment this this difference.&nbsp;



“There’s been a lot of concern that cannabis use in adolescence might lead to worse outcomes than cannabis use during adulthood. But our study, one of the first to directly compare adolescents and adults who use cannabis, suggests that adolescents are no more vulnerable than adults to the harmful effects of cannabis on motivation, the experience of pleasure, or the brain’s response to reward,” explained study co-author Will Lawn, an expert in addiction at King’s College.



“In fact, it seems cannabis may have no link – or at most only weak associations – with these outcomes in general. However, we need studies that look for these associations over a long period of time to confirm these findings.”



This confirms the results of a previous <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-022-01316-2">study</a> that used functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI) to assess cannabis’ impact on the brain’s reward processing centers, and found no relationship between activity in this brain region and cannabis use.



“We’re so used to seeing ‘lazy stoners’ on our screens that we don’t stop to ask whether they’re an accurate representation of cannabis users. Our work implies that this is in itself a lazy stereotype, and that people who use cannabis are no more likely to lack motivation or be lazier than people who don’t. Unfair assumptions can be stigmatizing and could get in the way of messages around harm reduction. We need to be honest and frank about what are and are not the harmful consequences of drug use,” Dr. Skumlien concluded.



The study is published in the International Journal of <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ijnp/pyac056">Neuropsychopharmacology</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Cannabis users do not lack motivation or enjoyment

A widespread stereotype of cannabis users – possibly emerging from...

Forests are in a delicate dance with climate change. They absorb massive amounts of carbon dioxide and host abundant biodiversity, but are increasingly threatened by disturbances associated with climate change, such as extreme weather and wildfires.&nbsp;



A new study quantifies risks to forests across carbon storage, biodiversity and forest loss from disturbance, such as fire or drought. The results show that in some regions, forests are experiencing clear and consistent risks. In other regions, the risk profile is less clear.



“Large uncertainty in most regions highlights that there's a lot more scientific study that's urgently needed,” explained William Anderegg, inaugural director of the University of Utah’s <a href="https://wilkescenter.utah.edu/">Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy</a>.



Anderegg assembled a team of researchers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Sweden. Their task was to assess climate risks to the world’s forests that span many continents and host vastly different biodiversity.



Previous research has investigated one dimension of climate risk, either carbon storage, biodiversity, or risk of forest loss. For this new global analysis the team went after all three dimensions.



“These dimensions of risk are all important and, in many cases, complementary. They capture different aspects of forest resilience or vulnerability,” said Anderegg.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Carbon storage: Forests absorb about a quarter of the carbon dioxide that’s emitted into the atmosphere, buffering the planet from the effects of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. The results showed that global gains in carbon storage can be expected by the end of the century. The researchers also found higher risk of carbon loss in southern boreal (just south of the Arctic) forests and the drier regions of the Amazon and African tropics.



Biodiversity: the researchers found that the highest risk of ecosystems shifting from one “life zone” to another due to climate change could be found at boundaries of biomes – at the current transition between temperate and boreal forests. Forests of the boreal regions and western North America faced the greatest risk of biodiversity loss.



Disturbance: The risk of events like drought, fire or insect damage that could wipe out forests. Using satellite data and observations of disturbances between 2002 and 2014, the researchers projected future temperatures and precipitation to see how much more frequent these events could become. The boreal forests, again, face high risk under these conditions - as well as the tropics.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Forests store an immense amount of carbon and slow the pace of climate change,” said Anderegg. “They harbor the vast majority of Earth's biodiversity. And they can be quite vulnerable to disturbances like severe fire or drought. Thus, it's important to consider each of these aspects and dimensions when thinking about the future of Earth's forests in a rapidly changing climate.”



Based on these results, Western North America seems to have a consistently high risk to forests. Preserving these forests will require action.&nbsp;



“First we have to realize that the quicker we tackle climate change, the lower the risks in the West will be,” said Anderegg. “Second, we can start to plan for increasing risk and manage forests to reduce risk, like fires.”



The recently-launched Wilkes Center for Climate Science and Policy at the University of Utah aims to provide cutting-edge science and tools for decision-makers in the US and across the globe. For this study, the authors built a <a href="https://wilkescenter.utah.edu/tools/globalforestclimaterisk/">visualization tool of the results</a> for stakeholders and decision-makers.&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Climate risks threaten the future of the world's forests

Forests are in a delicate dance with climate change. They...

The evolution of land plants has radically changed the Earth's chemical composition since their development 430 million years ago. This is the conclusion of an international team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>.



Study lead author Dr. Christopher Spencer explained the effect land plants had on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earthsnap-launches-revolutionary-app-to-identify-plants-and-animals/">Earth</a>:



"Plants caused fundamental changes to river systems, bringing about more meandering rivers and muddy floodplains, as well as thicker soils. This shift was tied to the development of plant rooting systems that helped produce colossal amounts of mud (by breaking down rocks) and stabilised river channels, which locked up this mud for long periods."



The researchers considered the conversion of soil to rock. They explain that mud travels from rivers, to oceans, to the Earth's molten interior and eventually gets melted to become new rock.



"When these rocks crystallize, they trap in vestiges of their past history. So, we hypothesized that the evolution of plants should dramatically slow down the delivery of mud to the oceans, and that this feature should be preserved in the rock record – it's that simple," explained study co-author Dr. Tom Gernon.



To carry out the study, the researchers analyzed thousands of zircon crystals which contained information about the chemical composition of the Earth at the time they were formed.



Through this analysis, the experts determined that rock composition drastically changed at almost the same time as the origin of land plants. At the same time, it seemed as though sediment was being transferred to the ocean at a slower rate than previously observed. Both of these findings support their hypothesis.



"It is amazing to think that the greening of the continents was felt in the deep Earth. Hopefully this previously unrecognized link between the Earth's interior and surface environment stimulates further study," said Dr. Spencer.



"Collectively, our results suggest that the evolution of vascular plants coupled the degree of weathering and timescales of sediment routing to depositional basins where they were subsequently subducted and melted," wrote the researchers. "The late Palaeozoic isotopic shift of zircon indicates that the greening of the continents was recorded in the deep Earth."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-00995-2">Nature Geoscience</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plant evolution drastically changed Earth's composition

The evolution of land plants has radically changed the Earth's...

Global warming will not only bring warmer temperatures to ecosystems across the globe, but will also cause greater variation in temperatures. The extent to which plants can cope with this variability may be an important indicator of their potential to survive or thrive as the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-die-offs-are-intensifying-with-climate-change/">climate</a> changes in future and brings with it more extremes in environmental parameters.&nbsp;



In a new study, published in the first issue of&nbsp;<a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2752-664X">Environmental Research: Ecology</a>, researchers investigated whether forests that had been exposed to variable conditions in the past were more tolerant of the increased variability that is seen today as an effect of global warming. They did this by assessing the productivity of forests all over the world.&nbsp;



“Global climate patterns are becoming increasingly variable. This means more extremes, which threaten forest health and productivity," explained study lead author Winslow Hansen, a forest ecologist at <a href="https://www.caryinstitute.org/">Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies</a>. "They say adversity makes you stronger. Here, we were essentially testing that adage for trees. Are forested regions that experienced more variable conditions in the past better prepared to tolerate variable climate now and in the future?”



The researchers studied records of regional climate variability during two 20-year study periods, namely 1950–1969 and 2000–2019. The records gave data on monthly minimum, mean and maximum temperatures, total precipitation, and mean vapor pressure deficit (a measure of how dry the air is). This global data was gridded at a 0.5° spatial resolution.&nbsp;



The team then related variability in these environmental parameters to vegetation productivity in forests. To assess modern forest productivity, the researchers used global vegetation data detected by NASA’s MODIS satellites. The ‘enhanced vegetation index’ (EVI) is a satellite-derived measure of ‘greenness’ which is a reliable proxy for leaf cover and forest productivity. The MODIS satellites ‘Aqua’ and ‘Terra’ produce a global map of vegetation cover every eight days.&nbsp;



By pairing climate data with satellite records of forests, the researchers were able to assess how climate variability in the past and present shapes current forest productivity. They found that regions where temperature was more variable in the past continue to experience more temperature variability today. Forests in these regions tend to tolerate this increasing variability better.



“Our findings show that historic temperature variability casts legacy effects on current forest productivity," said Hansen. "In places where historic temperature variability was 0.66°C greater than the global average, forests were 19x less sensitive to current temperature variability. This trend was true globally, with important distinctions among biomes.”



“We are seeing global temperature change in two distinct ways: average temperatures are rising and temperature is becoming more variable year to year. These indicators are changing with varying degrees of intensity in different regions. In some places, rising mean temperature is likely to have a greater impact on forests than increasing year to year temperature variability, and vice versa," explained study co-author Naomi Schwartz of University of British Columbia.



“While climate models predict relatively modest overall warming in the tropics through the 21st century, year-to-year temperature variability is expected to substantially increase," said Hansen. "Our analysis indicates that tropical forests could be harder hit by effects of increasing variability than rising mean temperatures.”



However, the story is not the same for boreal forests. As Hansen explains, in boreal forests “… year-to-year temperature variability is expected to increase moderately relative to past conditions, but average temperature is rising at least twice the global average. Decadal warming trends, and exacerbating effects of fire and insect outbreaks, may threaten boreal forests more than interannual temperature variability.”



The results of the study demonstrate that exposure to temperature variations in the past shapes how forests respond to temperature variability today. However, the same is not true for forest responses to variability in precipitation and vapor pressure deficit. This may be due to physiological tradeoffs inherent in how trees cope with dry conditions.



“We often think of climate change as a monolithic phenomenon. But in reality, climate is changing in many different ways all at once, and we expect this to cause really different impacts across ecosystems, including forests," said Hansen. "Our study highlights how forest adaptation strategies need to be developed that account for the nuanced effects of climate change.”



The analysis also highlighted sensitive ‘hotspots’ across all biomes, and indicated regions in which forests may be most at risk as the planet warms and temperatures become more extreme. These include boreal forests in eastern North America, temperate forests of the south-central and southeast United States, temperate forests in Asia, and tropical forests in the southern Amazon.&nbsp;



The researchers hope that the framework they have developed can help set conservation priorities, support forest adaptation efforts, and improve carbon accounting.&nbsp;They state that understanding how forests are responding to climate change is critical to planning effective forest management and climate policy in the decades ahead.



"As climate conditions become increasingly variable, there is a critical need to identify where and how forests are changing," said Hansen. "Our analysis offers a framework to hone this understanding on a global scale – helping to improve targeted conservation policies that protect forests, their inhabitants, and the essential services they provide.”&nbsp;



---



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

Past variability may help forests cope with climate change

Global warming will not only bring warmer temperatures to ecosystems...

Kelp forms vast seaweed forests along temperate coastlines, sequestering large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. However, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.uwa.edu.au/">University of Western Australia</a>, warming oceans will likely reduce <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/kelp-forest/">kelp forests</a>’ capacity to trap atmospheric carbon for extended periods of time in deep ocean stores, thus exacerbating the effects of climate change.



Carbon sequestered by kelp forests can feed other organisms during decomposition, or it can remain trapped in the deep ocean for hundreds or even thousands of years. To better understand how the capacity of kelp forests to build long-term carbon stores will change as oceans warm, the scientists examined kelp decomposition rates at 35 different locations across the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;



By collecting fragments of fresh kelp and placing them inside a mesh bag within a plastic cage tethered to the sea floor for four to 18 weeks, they found that sea temperature has a strong influence on the rate of decomposition, with kelp fragments in cooler waters degrading more slowly.&nbsp;



On the other hand, sea temperature rises caused by climate change could accelerate decomposition, reducing the amount of stored carbon. The researchers estimate that projected increases in sea temperature of 0.4 degrees Celsius by 2050 could reduce the carbon sequestration potential of decomposing kelp by nine percent.



Fortunately, kelp forests are predicted to expand in higher latitudes as the climate warms. There, slower decompositions rates will likely make these new forests major contributors to long-term ocean carbon sequestration.&nbsp;



“Our experiment measured kelp carbon turnover across twelve regions throughout the northern hemisphere and found that carbon breakdown was strongly linked to ocean temperature. This suggests that kelp carbon storage could be reduced as the ocean warms and that kelp forests in cool polar environments have potential to be important blue carbon ecosystems,” concluded study lead author Karen Filbee-Dexter, a marine ecologist at the University of Western Australia.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001702">PLoS Biology</a>.



---



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

Kelp forests are losing their capacity to trap carbon

Kelp forms vast seaweed forests along temperate coastlines, sequestering large...

Boreal forests in the far north make up the largest forested region in the world. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-can-earths-ecosystems-adapt-to-climate-change/">ecosystems</a> are extremely important for capturing carbon. Unfortunately, research shows that climate change is already impacting northern forests in both positive and negative ways.&nbsp;



Boreal forests are composed mainly of conifer species such as spruce, fir, and pine. There are also a few much less common broadleaf hardwood trees such as oak and maple. Experts have determined that global warming is likely causing a decrease in growth in the conifers, along with an increase in growth in the hardwoods.&nbsp;



These observational studies were recently confirmed and enhanced by a rare experimental study on the impact of climate change on northern forests.



Nine species of native boreal trees were planted and grown under different conditions. Some of the trees were left alone as controls. Others were grown with temperatures raised by two hypothetical amounts: 1.6 degrees Celsius (2.9 degrees Fahrenheit) and 3.1 C (5.6 F) above natural temperatures. Some of the trees were covered by tarps prior to storms to mimic a reduction in rainfall.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The results of the analysis showed that even a moderate change in climate is likely to have negative impacts on boreal forest composition.&nbsp;



Study lead author Paul Reich is the director of the Institute for Global Change Biology at the University of Michigan's School for Environment and Sustainability and a forest ecologist at the <a href="https://twin-cities.umn.edu/">University of Minnesota</a>.



"Our results spell problems for the health and diversity of future regional forests," said Reich. "Present-day southern boreal forest may reach a tipping point with even modest climate warming, resulting in a major compositional shift with potential adverse impacts on the health and diversity of regional forests."



"Those impacts could reduce the capacity of our forests to produce timber, to host other plant, microbial and animal diversity, to dampen flooding, and - perhaps most important of all - to scrub carbon out of the air and hold it in wood and soil."&nbsp;



The researchers found that elevated temperatures increased the death rate of all nine of the tree species and the growth rate of seven of the trees. This suggests that there will be a shift in boreal forests in the future and the potential incursion of invasive species already in temperate forests.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05076-3">Nature</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Northern forests are being transformed by global warming

Boreal forests in the far north make up the largest...

Beautiful,Green,Forest,Scenery:,The,Sun,And,Green,Branches,Framing

For centuries, scientists have noticed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-find-new-way-to-measure-stress-in-plants/">plants</a> lengthen and bend to secure access to sunlight. However, the precise mechanisms behind this phenomenon are not yet clearly understood.&nbsp;



Now, a research team led by the <a href="http://archive">Salk Institute for Biological Research</a> in San Diego, California has discovered that two plant factors – the protein PIF7 and the growth hormone auxin – are the main triggers which accelerate growth when plants are shaded by canopy and exposed to warm temperatures simultaneously. These findings may help scientists predict how plants will respond to climate change, and possibly increase crop productivity despite the detrimental effects of global warming.



“Right now, we grow crops in certain densities, but our findings indicate that we will need to lower these densities to optimize growth as our climate changes,” said study senior author Joanne Chory, an expert in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology at the Salk Institute. “Understanding the molecular basis of how plants respond to light and temperature will allow us to fine-tune crop density in a specific way that leads to the best yields.”



During sprouting, seedlings quickly elongate their stems to break through the soil and get access to sunlight as soon as possible. While the stem usually slows down its growth after being exposed to sunlight, it can lengthen rapidly again if the plant is competing with surrounding plants for light, or in response to warming temperature in order to increase the distance between the leaves and the hot ground. Although both canopy shade and warm temperatures induce stem growth, they reduce yield.



By using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, tomato plants, and a close relative to tobacco, the researchers investigated the factors leading to plant growth under canopy shade and in warm temperatures – a condition mimicking high crop density during climate change. They found that across all three species, the plants grew taller when trying to avoid the canopy shade created by neighboring plants, while being exposed to high temperatures.



Molecular analyses revealed that the transcription factor PIF7 – a protein playing a fundamental role in activating and deactivating certain genes – was the dominant factor driving the increased growth. Moreover, when crops detected neighboring plants, the growth hormone auxin also increased, fostering rapid growth in response to simultaneous warmer temperatures. Thus, the synergistic PIF7-auxin pathway is what allows plants to respond to environmental stressors and adapt to search for the best growing conditions.



“Global temperatures are increasing, so we need food crops that can thrive in these new conditions.&nbsp;We’ve identified key factors that regulate plant growth during warm temperatures, which will help us to develop better-performing crops to feed future generations,” Professor Chory concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32585-6">Nature Communications</a>.



---



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

Light and temperature collaborate to boost plant growth

For centuries, scientists have noticed that plants lengthen and bend...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2211912422000359?via%3Dihub">Global Food Security</a> has found that agricultural diversity can be an important driver of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-food-security/">food security</a>, although the magnitude of its contribution depends on the broader biophysical and socio-economical features of the local farming system. The researchers conducted an extensive literature review of the relationship between agricultural diversity and food security in low- and middle-income countries. They discovered that, in almost two-thirds of all cases, agricultural diversity had a positive effect on food security, while in one third of the cases there was no correlation, or the results were mixed.



According to experts, food security exists when all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food supplies which meet their dietary needs and help them live a healthy and active life. Agricultural diversity includes the variety of crops, livestock breeds, fish species, and wildlife resources, as well as how they are processed and consumed. In the current study, the researchers took into account 40 indices measuring the relationships between the two.



“We looked at all the combinations you could think of and how to quantitatively measure between the food security and diversity indicators,” said study lead author Katharina Waha, a senior research scientist at the <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/">Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization </a>&nbsp;(CSIRO) in Australia. “In terms of negative health outcomes for individuals, all the literature on nutritional and health outcomes would say that not having that diversity or quality is the final outcome.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



However, the analysis revealed that, although agricultural diversity can be highly beneficial for food security, it is not the only available strategy to increase the latter. Nonetheless, when diversification is also the cheapest strategy in terms of monetary and labor costs, it can be a highly effective option for improving agricultural practices and profits. According to the researchers, one way to conserve on-farm diversity is through daily use.&nbsp;



“If you have a diverse system, you can deal with biotic and abiotic stresses, for example, like the impacts of climate change,” added study co-author Elisabetta Gotor, an agricultural economist at the <a href="https://alliancebioversityciat.org/">Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT</a>.



Holistic study designs taking into account the natural, social, and economic aspects of agricultural and food systems are necessary to clarify the complex interactions between the two, and better understand the effects of diversification.



---



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

Agricultural diversity has a positive impact on food security

A new study published in the journal Global Food Security...

As city populations grow, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/benefits-urban-agriculture/">urban agriculture</a> is increasingly considered to be an important local food source and a way to fight inequitable food access. However, little is known about how productive urban agriculture is compared to conventional food farming. According to a new study led by <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a>, urban gardeners and hydroponics can meet and sometimes even exceed the crop yields of rural farms.



The scientists compiled studies on urban agriculture from 53 countries to clarify which crops grow well in cities, what growing methods are more effective, and what type of urban spaces can be used for growing. The analysis revealed that urban yields for some crops - such as cucumbers, lettuce, or tubers – are two to four times higher then in the case of conventional farming.



While most studies on urban agriculture have focused on green spaces, such as private and community gardens, parks, or field growing operations, this study also took into consideration the so-called “gray” spaces - including rooftops or building facades - while examining a variety of crops grown in soils versus hydroponics, horizontal versus vertical farming, and natural versus controlled conditions.



“Surprisingly, there were few differences between overall yields in indoor spaces and outdoor green spaces, but there were clear differences in the suitability of crop types to different gray spaces,” reported study lead author Florian Payen, an environmental scientist at Lancaster.&nbsp;



While crops such as lettuce, broccoli, or kale are more naturally suited to be grown vertically in indoor spaces, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; other crops, like watery vegetables and leafy greens performed best in hydroponic environments. Since crops grown in fully controlled environments allow harvests to happen more times per year than those grown outside, such methods can lead to higher annual yields.



Current estimates suggest that between five and ten percent of legumes, vegetables, and tubers are grown in urban settings, and between 15 and 20 percent of global food is produced in cities. Once more data is collected, in-depth studies estimating cities’ potential to meet future food demands will be possible.



“As we engaged and talked with different stakeholders, such as government agencies and local councils, we realized that the absence of robust, comprehensive data on urban agricultural yields was preventing them from going ahead and supporting the development and implementation of urban food growing,” Payen explained. “We need to understand realistically how much this form of growing could contribute to food security to help make the business case for it.”&nbsp;



Further research is also needed to assess how food grown in cities might be impacted by pollution and to better understand whether growing food in cities has a smaller or larger carbon footprint than conventional agriculture.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002748">Earth’s Future</a>.



---



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

Some crops have higher yields in an urban environment

As city populations grow, urban agriculture is increasingly considered to...

Planting vegetation between roads and playgrounds can reduce the air pollution that reaches school <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breakfast-lowers-the-risk-of-behavioral-problems-in-children/">children</a>. Roadside vegetation can be designed and maintained to achieve rapid, significant and cost-effective improvement of air quality.



Exposure to traffic-related air pollution has been linked to health risks including cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological health. These risks are likely to be exacerbated in young children attending primary schools next to busy roads.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Exposure to fine particulate matter in air pollution is reportedly the largest environmental risk factor contributing to cardiovascular deaths and disease globally, and is linked to six to nine million premature deaths each year.



A team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a> installed "tredges" (trees managed as a head-high hedge) at three Manchester primary schools during the summer school holidays of 2019.



One school had an ivy screen installed, another had western red cedar and the third school had a mixture of western red cedar, Swedish birch and an inner juniper hedge. A fourth school, with no planting, was used as a control.



The school with the ivy screen saw a reduction in playground particulate matter concentrations, but an increase in black carbon.&nbsp;



The school with western red cedar saw the biggest overall reductions. Almost half (49%) of black carbon and around 46% and 26% of the fine particulates emitted by passing traffic were captured by the western red cedar tredges.



The tredges also significantly reduced the magnitude and frequency of acute ‘spikes’ in air pollution reaching the playgrounds.



“Our findings show that we can protect school playgrounds, with carefully chosen and managed tredges, which capture air pollution particulates on their leaves. This helps to prevent at least some of the health hazards imposed on young children at schools next to busy roads where the localised air quality is damagingly poor, and it can be done quickly and cost-effectively,” said study co-author Professor Barbara Maher.



The western red cedar performed best because its leaves act as a filter, capturing particulate pollution. “This takes them out of the local atmosphere and therefore reduces the exposure to these traffic-sourced air pollution particulates of the children and staff in the playground.” said Professor Maher.



The researchers believe ivy was not as effective because of the smooth, waxy surface of its leaves, making it less effective at capturing and removing pollution from the air.&nbsp;



These benefits are not just limited to schools, carefully selected and managed tredges could be used in urban areas to reduce the damaging health impacts of exposure to traffic pollution.&nbsp;



The study was supported with funding from Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester, and Groundwork Greater Manchester which installed the tredges and ran ‘citizen science’ workshops.&nbsp;



"We were keen to be part of this study as Manchester seeks to embrace innovation in our efforts to become a greener city with cleaner air and tackle climate change," said Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment for Manchester City Council.



"We note these positive findings with interest and will consider how we can use the lessons from this project to make further targeted use of green infrastructure in the city."



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18509-w">Scientific Reports</a>



---



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

Plants on playgrounds help protect children from air pollution

Planting vegetation between roads and playgrounds can reduce the air...

Cannabis is one of the most commonly used illegal drugs in the United States. Nevertheless, in the past few years, more and more states have begun to legalize recreational cannabis. As a result, more than 141 million Americans now live in a state where they are able to use the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bees-do-it-better-self-pollinating-plants-lose-genetic-diversity/">plant</a> legally.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Although some people claim that they can use marijuana recreationally with no ill effects, it is still an addictive substance that can lead to physical and mental distress. Consequently, there was some curiosity among addiction researchers about the effects of legalization on the frequency of drug use.



A paper recently published by the <a href="https://www.addiction-ssa.org/">Society for the Study of Addiction</a> found that the legalization of recreational cannabis has increased usage by an average of 20 percent.



Among the study participants, 1,425 live in a state where recreational use is legal, while 1,997 reside in a state where cannabis use is still illegal. What's notable about the study is that the research participants included 111 identical twin pairs that lived in states with opposing drug policies.&nbsp;



There is a great deal of value in twin studies because each twin provides a control for the other, which means a more precise estimate of the causal effect of legalization.



When analyzing all the study participants, the researchers discovered a 24 percent increase in average cannabis use frequency that they could attribute to legalization.



When analyzing twin data, they found that the twin who lived in a "legal" state used cannabis recreationally 20 percent more frequently than their sibling living in an "illegal" state. Both of these findings imply that recreational legalization is causing more cannabis use.



This research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16016">Addiction</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cannabis use is up by 20 percent in states where it's legal

Cannabis is one of the most commonly used illegal drugs...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...