Corals act more like us humans than one might think. These aquatic structures host an array of marine life while also depending on their microenvironment to survive and grow. Just like humans take multivitamins to stay healthy, corals rely on essential nutrients to thrive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-multivitamins-for-corals">Multivitamins for corals</h2>



Enter the researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). They've been busy in the lab, testing an innovative concept: nutrient-infused tiles aimed at supercharging the immune system of corals. It's like a daily multivitamin, but for corals. 



The goal? They aim to prevent coral bleaching, and to help corals to weather the stress of shifting ocean temperatures and to bounce back from harsh climate events such as hurricanes.



"We are studying how corals react when grown on substrates that have been infused with essential metal micronutrients, like manganese, zinc, and iron," explained Colleen Hansel, a senior scientist and marine chemist at <a href="https://www.whoi.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WHOI</a>.



There's an urgency to this work, as rapidly warming waters and an active hurricane season make field trials difficult.



However, hope is not lost. Preliminary data harvested from a year’s worth of lab experiments suggests that corals which received a nutrient boost early on were more resilient and resistant to heat stress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-reef-brought-to-life">A reef brought to life</h2>



Armed with this data, the team's next plan is to take these nutrient-infused tiles and embed them in an artificial reef. 



Designed by experts at the University of the Virgin Islands (<a href="https://www.uvi.edu/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UVI</a>), this 20 sq. meter (216 sq. ft.) concrete setup will offer a safe home to juvenile corals that need multivitamins.



It also doubles as a settling spot for coral larvae, while the nutrient-rich tiles ensure vitamins are dispersed into the surrounding waters. This not only promotes coral growth, but also prepares them for environmental stressors.



"The artificial reef we're building is going in next to a natural reef that has been severely impacted by marine heat waves and extreme storm events," explained Marilyn Brandt, a coral disease ecologist at the UVI.



This man-made marvel won't just fend off storm surges and erosion, it will also create a habitat for corals struggling to adapt to climate change effects. The ultimate goal of the reef's establishment is to help restore the natural reefs in the area.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-monitoring-corals-and-multivitamin-tiles">Monitoring corals and multivitamin tiles</h2>



To ensure the ongoing success of this cutting-edge approach, continuous monitoring and adaptation are integral. Scientists plan to deploy advanced monitoring systems that will track <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-is-on-the-brink-of-extinction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral health</a> metrics in real-time. 



This will include assessments of coral growth rates, color changes indicative of stress, and local water conditions. Such data will allow researchers to alter their strategies promptly, adjusting nutrient concentrations or tile placements as necessary to optimize coral resilience.



A dynamic interplay between technology and ecological understanding will ultimately support these living structures in adapting to ever-changing marine environments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community-engagement-and-education">Community engagement and education</h2>



Beyond laboratory experiments and scientific endeavors, community engagement plays a pivotal role in coral conservation. Educational initiatives aim to involve local communities and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/60-percent-global-coral-reefs-face-bleaching-rising-temperatures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raise awareness</a> about the importance of coral ecosystems. 



Workshops, seminars, and hands-on restoration activities promote a sense of stewardship among residents and visitors alike. By incorporating traditional knowledge and local insights, these programs ensure a holistic approach to coral reef preservation.



As communities learn and participate in restoration efforts, they contribute to a sustainable model that may serve as a blueprint for similar conservation projects globally.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-balancing-the-ecosystem">Balancing the ecosystem</h2>



Of course, in the grand scheme of the ocean world, balance is key. While the "multivitamin" tiles will help corals, researchers are cautious that they don't end up favoring a specific coral type or promote the intrusion of unwanted species.



As a result, Brandt, Hansel, and their colleagues are keen to examine this while generating a diverse environment beneficial to the reef ecosystem.



"We need to be sure an artificial reef looks and sounds as similar to a natural reef as possible," said Hansel. "That doesn't consist of just coral, but also sponges, anemones, and other biogeochemical components of the reef ecosystem."



Thus, it's evident that these nutrient-infused tiles, created with dedication and an innovative spirit, could provide a vital lifeline for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-illuminates-fish-interactions-in-coral-reefs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coral reefs</a> in these changing times.



Could this be the answer to coral resilience? As with much in science, time and rigorous testing will tell. For now, let's look forward to more revealing studies on this exciting development.



-----



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'Multivitamins' could save coral reefs from climate destruction

Corals act more like us humans than one might think. These aquatic structures host an array of marine life while also depending on their microenvironment to survive and grow. Just like humans take multivitamins to stay healthy, corals rely on essential nutrients to thrive. Multivitamins for corals Enter the researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). They've been busy in the lab, testing an innovative concept: nutrient-infused tiles aimed at supercharging the immune system of corals. It's like a daily multivitamin, but for corals. The goal?...

Researchers Stephan V. Sobolev of the <a href="https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/home/">German Research Centre for Geosciences GFZ</a> and the <a href="https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/university-of-potsdam.html">University of Potsdam</a>, and Michael Brown of the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a> have found that natural lubrication caused by surface-erosion debris was responsible for kicking off and maintaining plate tectonics, a natural process that shifted the continents. 

Since the 1960s, scientists have understood that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tectonic-plates-less-stable/">plate tectonics</a> is driven by deep-mantle convection, a thermodynamic process that stirs hot and cold matter within the Earth. Therefore, it was believed that plate tectonics was only dependent on deep-Earth processes, such as the cooling of Earth’s mantle. But Sobolev and Brown suggest that surface erosion also played a vital role in plate tectonic evolution.

"Our hypothesis is counter-intuitive,” Sobolev said. "That was the main problem for us and we expect will be the main problem for the community to accept our ideas."

Using already-available geological and geochemical data, which showed evidence of plate tectonic movement starting about 2.5 to 3 billion years ago — the same time Earth's continents rose above sea level, Sobolev and Brown hypothesized that the evolution of plate tectonics was controlled by the continents’ shift above sea level and the major surface erosion events that followed

These erosion processes, such as the one that followed the global “Snowball Earth” glaciations that occurred 700 to 600 million years ago, produced continental sediments that worked as lubricant for subduction, a crucial process of plate tectonics, that reduced friction between the subducting plate and overriding plate.

"We suggested our hypothesis based on global geodynamic models of plate tectonics and regional models of subduction in the South American Andes,” Sobolev explained. "Then we used published geological and geochemical data to verify the hypothesis. Only the synergetic combination of all these disciplines made this study possible."

More geochemical data is required to effectively test their hypothesis, Sobolev and Brown note.

"It must be fully quantified, which in turn will require coupled modelling of deep mantle convection and plate tectonics, surface processes and even climate, which is an important factor controlling surface erosion. That is an exciting challenge for the Earth system modeling community,” Sobolev said. "This will require building new types of models tightly linking deep Earth and surface processes."

The new theory is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Erik Harrison

Natural lubrication was crucial for kicking off movement of plate tectonics

Researchers Stephan V. Sobolev of the German Research Centre for...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> are reporting that food freshness sensors may eventually replace use-by dates to reduce the amount of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/older-americans-food-waste/">food that is wasted</a> by supermarkets and consumers. The new food sensors can help detect spoilage gases like ammonia that are present in meat and fish products.

Around 33 percent of UK consumers dispose of food based entirely on the use-by date. However, an estimated 4.2 million tons of food that is thrown away each year is actually safe to eat.

The prototype sensors, known as paper-based electrical gas sensors (PEGS), cost only two cents to make. The sensor data can be read by smartphones, making it simple for consumers to scan products and check to see if the food is still edible.

The researchers made the sensors by printing carbon electrodes onto cellulose paper. The materials are eco-friendly, non-toxic, and safe to use in food packaging. A series of microchips, or near field communication (NFC) tags, are incorporated into the sensors so the information can be picked up by nearby mobile devices.

During lab tests on packaged fish and chicken, PEGS picked up trace amounts of spoilage gases quickly and more accurately than existing sensors. According to the researchers, the sensors could eventually replace the use-by date and lower the cost of food for both retailers and consumers.

"Although they're designed to keep us safe, use-by dates can lead to edible food being thrown away. In fact, use-by dates are not completely reliable in terms of safety as people often get sick from foodborne diseases due to poor storage, even when an item is within its use-by," explained study lead author Dr. Firat Güder.

"Citizens want to be confident that their food is safe to eat, and to avoid throwing food away unnecessarily because they aren't able to judge its safety. These sensors are cheap enough that we hope supermarkets could use them within three years."

"Our vision is to use PEGS in food packaging to reduce unnecessary food waste and the resulting plastic pollution."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/ascefj">ACS Sensors</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock

New freshness sensors can help reduce food waste

Researchers at Imperial College London are reporting that food freshness...

New strategy for harnessing energy could be of use during blackout disasters. New research from the <a href="https://www.aip.org/">American Institute of Physics</a> has suggested a new strategy to aid electricity loss as a result of natural disasters. 

Researchers believe that using floating devices to harness energy produced by ocean waves could help supply enough electricity to optimize recovery efforts during and after a natural disaster, like the monthslong blackout in Puerto Rico following <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-maria-real-death-toll/">Hurricane Maria</a>. 

The theory is published in the AIP’s <a href="https://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/1.5093731">Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.</a>

Umesh Korde from <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">John Hopkins Universit</a>y found that mobile electricity-generating ocean platforms could by much more efficient than linear infrastructure improvement due to the fact that they can be brought to a relief zone via ocean travel. 

Furthermore, after doing the necessary calculations, Korde realized that mobile electricity-generating ocean devices can be extremely effective if they are daisy chained to multiple wave energy devices with a temporary connection to shore.

"The question is, among all the different functions of time, what's the function that minimizes the total length of time that it takes to get sufficient power to restart the power grid for an island?" he  said. 

Oftentimes, neighboring areas in the national grid pitch in electricity when a nearby grid goes down. However, if no neighboring national grid is available (as was the case with Puerto Rico), the area experiences a full blackout.

"What you see in many cases is that they don't have access to enough spare electricity to turn themselves back on," Korde said. "We might just need to provide enough to 'black-start' that grid."

Korde hopes that his tentative plan and calculations lead to the development or improvement of existing wave generator technology to better aid disaster-struck regions worldwide.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Alessandro Pietri/Shutterstock

New strategy for harnessing energy could be of use during blackout disasters

New strategy for harnessing energy could be of use during...

While the <a href="http://www.fda.gov/home">US Food and Drug Administration</a> (FDA) recently <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/statement-fda-commissioner-scott-gottlieb-md-and-director-fdas-center-biologics-evaluation-and-0">issued a warning</a> against companies like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/young-blood-transfusions-open-accepting-paypal-payments-cities-ambrosia-2019-1">Ambrosia </a>which provide anti-aging therapies in the form of blood infusions from young donors, a new study has shown that young blood may be beneficial to fighting age-related decline after all. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford University School of Medicine</a> injected the blood of young mice into old mice and were able to identify the specific proteins responsible for promoting synapse formation and reversing declines in the brains of the older mice. 

In a study published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/05/29/1902672116">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, the researchers found that blood taken from young mice provides a “fountain of youth”-like effect on the brains of old mice. 

The two key proteins that increased brain cell growth were thrombospondin-4 THBS4 and SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1). These two compounds helped bolster and increase synapses in the brain which are nerve connections that deteriorate over time. In dementia and Alzheimer's, synapse loss is accelerated. 

“Here, we asked whether young blood is enriched in factors that act directly on neurons to promote synapse formation,” the researchers wrote in their study. “We show that serum from young but not old mice indeed directly boosts synapse formation in cultured neurons, and identify two factors, thrombospondin-4 and SPARCL1, that are enriched in young blood and mediate these effects.”

It will be some time before researchers start working on human trials, as there are still many unknown factors to contend with. 

Even though the researchers were able to identify the key compounds in young blood that promote synapse formation, how these proteins increase cell growth is still not well understood. 

If the researchers do find that the compounds could bolster human brain cell growth, there is still the matter of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-lampreys-brain-treatments/">blood-brain barrier</a> which could prevent the proteins from reaching the brain. 

-- 

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Injecting old mice with young mouse blood improved memory, learning

While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued...

Scientists identify a molecular switch that is critical for tissue renewal. The survival of multicellular organisms is strongly tied to their capacity for renewing their tissues. This is especially the case for tissues that are constantly exposed to the external environment, such as the epithelium that lines our <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ingredient-beer-digestive-health/">digestive tract</a>. 

A research team led by the <a href="https://www.portal.uni-koeln.de/uoc_home.html?L=1">University of Cologne</a> has identified the transcription factor Ets21c as a vital regulator of the regenerative system within the adult intestine of the fruit fly Drosophila. The study highlights the existence of trade-off mechanisms between stress resilience and longevity. 

The intestinal epithelium is involved in nutrient absorption and digestion, but also serves as a selective barrier that prevents the intrusion of pathogens and toxic substances. The intestine is renewed over an organism's lifetime through the function of stem cells that are capable of differentiating to maintain the tissue integrity and function.

On the other hand, stem cell malfunctions have been linked to tissue degeneration or cancer development. The research is shedding new light on the molecular basis of the regenerative processes under both favorable and stressful conditions.

Transcription factors are proteins that directly bind to DNA to regulate which genetic information is expressed and which is suppressed. In response to stress, bacterial infection, and aging, the Ets21c transcription factor has repeatedly been found upregulated. However, the biological meaning of its initiation has remained a mystery.Scientists identify a molecular switch that is critical for tissue renewal

The team used the Drosophila model to switch the function of Ets21c off either in the entire fly or specifically in stem cells of the intestinal epithelium. Surprisingly, flies lacking Ets21c developed normally and outlived the controls when maintained under non-stressed conditions. 

"The Ets21c deficiency, however, revealed its dark side as soon as the mutant flies encountered stress," explained study lead author Dr. Mirka Uhlirova. Flies lacking Ets21c died much faster when fed with herbicide, which generates damaging reactive oxygen species. "The intestine of adult flies emerged as the tissue which requires Ets21c function to confer stress tolerance."

In future studies, the researchers want to investigate whether tissues other than the intestine require Ets21c function for their maintenance and stress responses. They also plan to focus on mechanisms that control the Ets21c levels and activity.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home">Cell Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Jose Luis Calvo

Scientists identify a molecular switch that is critical for tissue renewal

Scientists identify a molecular switch that is critical for tissue...

Research conducted by immunologists at the <a href="https://www.babraham.ac.uk/">Babraham Institute</a> has demonstrated that transplanting faecal matter from younger mice to older mice revived the gut immune system by stimulating the gut microbiome.

The aging process is particularly hard on the gut, and age-related changes to the human gut <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/link-gut-microbiome-fight-cancer/">microbiome</a> have been linked to increased frailty, inflammation, and intestinal disorders. While these changes coincide with a decrease in the function of the gut immune system, it has not been clear whether there is a direct link.

"Our gut microbiomes are made up of hundreds of different types of bacteria and these are essential to our health, playing a role in our metabolism, brain function and immune response," said study lead author Dr. Marisa Stebegg. "Our immune system is constantly interacting with the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. As immunologists who study why our immune system doesn't work as well as we age, we were interested to explore whether the make-up of the gut microbiome might influence the strength of the gut immune response."

Mice naturally like to sample the faecal pellets of other mice. The study showed that co-housing young and old mice boosted the gut immune system of aging mice, which partially corrected their age-related decline.

"To our surprise, co-housing rescued the reduced gut immune response in aged mice. Looking at the numbers of the immune cells involved, the aged mice possessed gut immune responses that were almost indistinguishable from those of the younger mice," explained Dr. Michelle Linterman.

The findings demonstrate that damage to the gut immune response is not irreparable. According to the study, the decline can be reversed with the appropriate stimuli by turning back the clock on the gut immune system to more closely resemble the conditions found in a young mouse.

The study confirms a link between the effects of the aging immune system and age-related changes in the gut microbiome. Furthermore, the research suggests that probiotics and diet have the potential to promote healthier aging.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Marisa Stebegg, Babraham Institute

Turning back the block on the gut microbiome promotes healthier aging

Research conducted by immunologists at the Babraham Institute has demonstrated...

Buried beneath layers of sediment and preserved for millions of years, researchers from <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a> discovered some of the earliest evidence of flaked and chipped stone tools in Ethiopia. 

The tool fragments are more than 2.58 million years old, which precedes the oldest evidence of systematic and purposeful stone tool production. 

It's a discovery that helps shed light on how human evolution and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stone-age-tools-intelligence/">origins of tool use </a>coincide. 

The researchers published their findings in a new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

The tools were discovered in the excavation site called Bokol Dora 1 (BD 1), and the site is near the same area where the oldest fossil of the genus Homo was discovered. 

"At first we found several artifacts lying on the surface, but we didn't know what sediments they were coming from," said Christopher Campisano, a geologist who helped uncover the tools. "But when I peered over the edge of a small cliff, I saw rocks sticking out from the mudstone face. I scaled up from the bottom using my rock hammer and found two nice stone tools starting to weather out."

After years of meticulous excavating the area by hand, the researchers came across a layer of bones and hundreds of pieces of stone tools indicating human activity and systematic chipping of stones to make knives. 

Luckily, the tools had been discarded near a water source where they were immediately buried and well preserved. 

To date the million-year-old fragments and bones, the researchers dated a layer of volcanic ash located below the site and analyzed magnetic signatures in the sediment. 

The Earth has gone through several pole reversals in it 4.5-billion-year history and these reversals leave a mark in the Earth's soil. The sediment at the BD 1 site has "normal" polarity which means that it's older than other sites which have "reversed" sediment signatures. 

Early humans and chimpanzees were using tools long before modern humans started working with stone, but the difference is how these tools were made and used. Stone tools discovered in Kenya dating back 3.3 million years ago were described as "percussive," which means that the stones were used for hammering and breaking food. 

These tools were called "Lomekwian" while the "Oldowan" tools discovered at BD 1 are distinctly different from those made by chimpanzees and early human relatives. 

"We expected to see some indication of an evolution from the Lomekwian to these earliest Oldowan tools," said Will Archer, a member of the research team. "Yet when we looked closely at the patterns, there was very little connection to what is known from older archaeological sites or to the tools modern primates are making."

[caption id="attachment_1873435" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/tools.png"><img class="wp-image-1873435" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/tools.png" alt="" width="650" height="332" /></a> A large artifact found in situ at the Bokol Dora site. Image Credit: David R. Braun[/caption]

Oldowan tools were chipped to create more precise edges, and the artifacts discovered at BD 1 helps illustrate that tool production went through many reinventions over the years. 

Interestingly, the researchers say that the shift to knife-like chipped tools coincides with changes in our human ancestors' teeth and jaw. 

Human teeth started getting smaller along with a change in the way our ancestors ate, and the researchers say that this is closely tied to advancements in tool making. 

"Given that primate species throughout the world routinely use stone hammers to forage for new resources, it seems very possible that throughout Africa many different human ancestors found new ways of using stone artifacts to extract resources from their environment," said David Braun, lead author of the paper. "If our hypothesis is correct then we would expect to find some type of continuity in artifact form after 2.6 million years ago, but not prior to this time period. We need to find more sites."

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Main Image Credit: David R. Braun

Early humans were making stone tools over 2.5 million years ago

Buried beneath layers of sediment and preserved for millions of...

In an unprecedented study, a team of experts at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a> has created high-resolution maps pinpointing where <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/microplastic-contamination-groundwater-sources/">groundwater</a> meets the ocean. The research will provide insight that could help protect drinking water as well as the ocean itself. 

The study revealed that nearly half of fresh submarine groundwater discharge flows into the ocean near the tropics. Regions near active fault lines were found to release even larger amounts of groundwater into the ocean. 

On the other hand, the researchers determined that arid regions have very little groundwater discharge, which makes these water supplies more vulnerable to saltwater intrusion.

In collaboration with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Saskatchewan, the team combined topographical data from satellites and climate models to examine the flow of groundwater along the coastline. 

"Freshwater-groundwater discharge is a natural line of defense against saltwater intrusion," said study co-author Professor Audrey Sawyer. "And saltwater intrusion is a concern in places like Miami, Georgia, Cape Cod--it's up and down the coast. It's a problem that dry regions have as little groundwater discharge as they do because these are also the places where people are going to tend to look for groundwater to meet their freshwater needs."

This type of monitoring is more difficult than tracking the water quality of a river or stream because groundwater enters another water body from below where it cannot be detected on land. 

"If you've ever been swimming in a lake or in the ocean in the summertime and you go through a cold patch, that is probably a place where groundwater is coming out," said Professor Sawyer. "And that's just one way that groundwater affects surface water - in that case, it's affecting temperature, but it also affects the chemistry of the water. These effects can be hard to measure over large scales."

The research showed that groundwater could be polluting oceans and lakes with nutrients and other chemicals. For example, groundwater can carry higher concentrations of nitrates and mercury.

"This study draws attention to the idea that surface water and groundwater are all connected, and if you start to extract groundwater, you're affecting that connection to our surface water bodies, and that can affect surface water quality, too," said Professor Sawyer. "There is competition between the outward push of groundwater towards the coast and the saltwater that wants to come in, and if we don't have as much of an outward push because we're taking that fresh groundwater out of the ground instead of letting it flow to the coast, it puts us in a more vulnerable position. It's not that we can't use groundwater, but we need to monitor our impact and remember that groundwater is not an inexhaustible resource."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock

New maps reveal where groundwater enters the ocean

In an unprecedented study, a team of experts at The...

Stem cell therapy restored a sense of smell in mice in an innovative new study that has many positive implications for age-related declines in smell sensitivity. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> and published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

“This is the first model of smell loss showing evidence of recovery using a cell-based therapy,” said Bradley Goldstein, the senior study author. “It is very important to understand that many questions would need to be worked out before considering this in a human patient. However, it does provide evidence that such an approach warrants further study.”

Twelve percent of the US population currently has an impaired sense of smell, and many factors can contribute to olfaction impairment, including age-related decline, head trauma, or genetic risk factors. 

While not as hindering to quality as life <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hearing-loss-premature-death/">as age-related hearing impairment</a>, any decrease in sense sensitivity can have a detrimental impact on health and well-being. 

As of now, there are no treatments for a lost sense of smell, but recent research has shown that viral gene therapies could help restore olfaction. 

In this study, the researchers wanted to test the potential of stem cell therapy in restoring olfaction, which, unlike viral therapies, can target impaired olfaction caused by a wide range of factors. 

“There is some evidence that a failure to normally replace damaged or lost olfactory neurons may contribute to many forms of acquired olfactory loss,” said Goldstein. “So, we were interested in testing the idea that a cell-based therapy approach, to replace neurons, might be plausible.”

The researchers used gene editing to create mice that had no sense of smell. Drops of globose basal cells were inserted in the noses of the mice and sense of smell was soon restored as the cells worked to repair the sensory neuron connections responsible for olfaction. 

The results hold promise for treating loss of smell in humans, but the researchers say that there is much more work that needs to be done before human trials can begin. 

“To be potentially useful in humans, the main hurdle would be to identify a source of cells capable of engrafting, differentiating into olfactory neurons, and properly connecting to the olfactory bulbs of the brain,” said Goldstein. “Regardless, continuing to study the mechanisms in human cells that are required for production of functional olfactory neurons from progenitor cells will be broadly important for moving forward.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Stem cell therapy could help restore a sense of smell

Stem cell therapy restored a sense of smell in mice...

Crop production makes the world go round – especially top crops like barley, cassava, soybean, wheat and sorghum. But climate change may already be having an effect on yields for the top 10 crops, and it isn’t hitting everywhere equally.

A new study led by researchers at the <a href="https://twin-cities.umn.edu/">University of Minnesota</a>, who teamed up with colleagues at the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> and <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>, looked at weather reports and crop data to see if climate change is affecting farmers. 

They found that climate change is having an influence on crop production, and in some surprising ways.

"There are winners and losers, and some countries that are already food insecure fare worse," lead author Dr. Deepak Ray of Minnesota said in a press release.

They found that most of the top 10 food crops are seeing production changes, with oil palm production dropping by 13.4 percent; soybean crops saw an increase of 3.5 percent. The net change for all of the top 10 was a 1 percent decrease in production, the researchers said.

Europe, Australia and southern Africa saw mainly declines in crop production. South America saw its production mostly go up. Results were mixed in Asia, North America and Central America.

The researchers also saw that about half of food insecure nations were seeing crop declines – but so are many industrial nations, they said.

The results of the study has the researchers worried.

"This is a very complex system, so a careful statistical and data science modeling component is crucial to understand the dependencies and cascading effects of small or large changes," co-author Dr. Snigdhansu Chatterjee of Minnesota said.

The report raises major red flags not just for food producers and traders, the researchers said. Everyday citizens should be concerned as well – especially those in countries that are seeing declines in crop production.

"The research documents how change is already happening, not just in some future time,"  Ray said.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0217148">PLOS ONE</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Paid for by Earth.com.

Is climate change already affecting crop production?

Crop production makes the world go round – especially top...

The amount of radiation that is reflected back toward space by the Earth's surface is referred to as its albedo. In a recent report, the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) described how the extent of the sunlight that can be bounced off of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/generate-electricity-snow/">snow</a> is affected by its grain size.

Both snow and albedo play major roles in our planet's climate system. Scientists are now applying a new analytical theory to Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellite data to shed new light on Greenland’s changing albedo.

According to the ESA, about one-third of the sunlight that hits the Earth is reflected, while the other two-thirds is absorbed by the atmosphere, land, and the ocean.

Those surfaces with lighter colors are capable of redirecting more sunlight than those with darker colors. For example, a planet completely covered in ice could reflect over 80 percent of sunlight back into space. A planet completely covered in forest, however, could only reflect 10 percent of the light and radiation. 

"The albedo of Earth’s surface varies naturally according to the changing colors of the season, but long-term trends in changing snow and ice cover, as well as changing vegetation cover and air pollution, are having an impact on the overall balance of Earth’s albedo - and, hence, on how much heat it absorbs," explained the ESA.

Fresh, dry snow tends to have a small grain size that is under 0.5 mm in diameter. As it melts, the grain size grows and the larger grains reflect less sunlight. A team led by Alex Kokhanovsky has provided scientists with a fast and accurate method of retrieving snow grain size from satellite images.

"One way of measuring the albedo of snow is to monitor how the surface colour changes because of pollution such as from wildfire soot. But this doesn’t give us the whole story. Remarkably, this exciting new theory allows us to retrieve snow grain size from satellite optical images," explained Jason Box, who is an expert at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS).

"Through ESA’s Earth Observation Science for Society program, we have been able to demonstrate this over Greenland. We have found that pulses of warm air cause dark blemishes far inland on the ice sheet, contributing to increased climate sensitivity."

The technique will eventually be applied to areas with more complex terrain than Greenland. In addition, the grain size data will ultimately be used to improve weather forecasts. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: H.C. Steen Larsen

New way to measure the grain size of snow will improve weather predictions

The amount of radiation that is reflected back toward space...

Researchers and military members sometimes must travel to extreme and hostile environments like Antarctica and it’s important to ensure that if an emergency or accident happens, medical supplies will be easily accessible and effective. 

A new study has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/anesthesia-weaken-traumatic-memories/">anesthetic drugs</a> are not degraded or impacted by the freezing conditions found in Antarctica. Even when the drugs were left outside with little protection from the elements, testing showed that the drugs were safe to use. 

The research was conducted by Major Ricardo Navarro-Suay from the <a href="http://www.comunidad.madrid/centros/hospital-central-defensa-gomez-ulla">Hospital Central de la Defensa “Gómez Ulla”</a> in Spain and presented at the annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.esahq.org/">European Society of Anaesthesiology</a>. 

Doctors and Anaesthetists need to be sure that their medical supplies are not affected or altered by environmental factors even in extreme environments, as this could endanger a patient’s safety or make treatment difficult. 

For this study, the researchers exposed fentanyl citrate, etomidate, rocuronium bromide, and suxamethonium chloride, all of which are common anesthetics, to Antarctic weather conditions. 

The researchers placed vials of the drugs in a clear plastic bag and left the bags outside for 72 hours on Deception Island in Antarctica. 

Daily weather measurements were recorded, and the researchers examined the vials 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours after they were placed outside to look for any signs of damage. 

After the experiment, the researchers analyzed the drugs using high-resolution liquid chromatography. 

All four of the drugs were still safe to use and were within the 99-110 percent margins of security. 

The researchers say that the extreme cold may have even benefitted the chemical makeup of the drugs.  

“Sometimes a drug can be changed or improved with weather conditions, like light or cold. The drug administration security interval is from 95 to 110% so these results show we could employ these drugs safely to patients under the extreme conditions like the polar weather found in Antarctica,” said Navarro-Suay. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Anesthetic drugs still work in extreme environments like Antarctica

Researchers and military members sometimes must travel to extreme and...

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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



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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



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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.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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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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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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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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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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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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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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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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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&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.

How the immune system responds to injury

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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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.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...