Scientists have searched for alien life for years, but space is huge, and technology has limits, making it hard to find answers. Traditionally, researchers have focused on finding planets similar to Earth, believing that conditions mirroring our own would be the best place to look for life.



However, a new study suggests that an entirely different type of planet could provide clearer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-super-earth-hd-20794-found-just-20-light-years-away-is-best-target-yet-for-alien-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence of living organisms</a>.



Instead of focusing on Earth-like planets, scientists have identified a unique biosignature gas that could reveal life in environments that are vastly different from our own.



This discovery shifts the search toward larger, ocean-covered planets with thick hydrogen atmospheres, known as hycean planets, where certain microbes could potentially thrive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gases-could-be-key-indicators">Gases could be key indicators</h2>



The recent study, led by researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Riverside</a>, explored the unexpected gases that may signify life on exoplanets.



The research was focused on methyl halides, compounds made of a carbon and three hydrogen atoms bonded to a halogen, such as chlorine or bromine. 



On Earth, these gases are produced by bacteria, marine algae, fungi, and certain plants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hycean-planets-and-extraterrestrial-life">Hycean planets and extraterrestrial life</h2>



Detecting these biosignatures presents challenges. Exoplanets similar to Earth are too small and dim for the James Webb Space Telescope (<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JWST</a>) to observe effectively. 



Instead, researchers suggest targeting hycean planets, which are larger and in orbit around small red stars.



These bodies are covered in deep oceans, and enveloped in thick hydrogen atmospheres. Though humans cannot survive on these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/if-aliens-could-detect-earth-what-would-they-see/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">planets</a>, some microbes might.



“Unlike an Earth-like planet, where atmospheric noise and telescope limitations make it difficult to detect biosignatures, hycean planets offer a much clearer signal,” explained Eddie Schwieterman, <a href="https://www.ucr.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCR</a> astrobiologist and co-author of the paper .



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-practical-approach-to-finding-life">Practical approach to finding life</h2>



Scientists believe looking for methyl halides on hycean planets is a practical strategy, given current technology.



“Oxygen is currently difficult or impossible to detect on an Earth-like planet. However, methyl halides on hycean worlds offer a unique opportunity for detection with existing technology,” said Michaela Leung, UCR planetary scientist and first author of the paper.



Finding these gases could also be more efficient than searching for other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/finding-alien-life-may-be-as-simple-as-watching-microbes-move/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biosignatures</a>.



“One of the great benefits of looking for methyl halides is you could potentially find them in as few as 13 hours with James Webb. That is similar or lower, by a lot, to how much telescope time you’d need to find gases like oxygen or methane,” Leung said. 



“Less time with the telescope means it’s less expensive.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-detecting-life-from-vast-distances">Detecting life from vast distances</h2>



Methyl halides exist on Earth in small amounts, but hycean planets could have atmospheric conditions that allow these gases to accumulate. This makes detection easier from vast distances.



“These microbes, if we found them, would be anaerobic. They’d be adapted to a very different type of environment, and we can’t really conceive of what that looks like, except to say that these gases are a plausible output from their metabolism,” Schwieterman said.



The study builds on previous research into biosignature gases, including dimethyl sulfide. 



Methyl halides stand out due to their strong absorption of infrared light and their ability to accumulate in hydrogen-rich <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/four-small-planets-discovered-orbiting-the-nearest-single-star-to-earth-barnards-star/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">atmospheres</a>.



While JWST is currently the most powerful tool for this search, future missions could enhance detection. 



The proposed <a href="https://eu-life.eu/about/mission-values" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European LIFE mission</a>, expected to launch in the 2040s, may confirm these biosignatures in less than a day.



“If we start finding methyl halides on multiple planets, it would suggest that microbial life is common across the universe,” Leung said. 



“That would reshape our understanding of life’s distribution and the processes that lead to the origins of life.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life">Expanding the search for extraterrestrial life</h2>



Researchers plan to extend their investigations to other planetary types and biosignature gases. 



They have already studied gases from extreme environments on Earth, such as the Salton Sea, which emits halogenated compounds like chloroform.



“We want to get measurements of other things produced in extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-oxygen-in-the-deep-sea-may-hold-clues-about-alien-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environments</a> on Earth, which could be more common elsewhere,” Schwieterman said.



Direct sampling of exoplanet atmospheres remains out of reach, but advances in telescope technology and observational techniques could change that.



“Humans are not going to visit an exoplanet anytime soon,” Schwieterman said. “But knowing where to look, and what to look for, could be the first step in finding life beyond Earth.”



The study is published in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adb558" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Astrophysical Journal Letters</a>. 



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted/STScI



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Weird planets may be the best place to look for strange alien life, according to new research

Scientists have searched for alien life for years, but space is huge, and technology has limits, making it hard to find answers. Traditionally, researchers have focused on finding planets similar to Earth, believing that conditions mirroring our own would be the best place to look for life. However, a new study suggests that an entirely different type of planet could provide clearer evidence of living organisms. Instead of focusing on Earth-like planets, scientists have identified a unique biosignature gas that could reveal life in environments that are...

National guidelines should be established to make sure that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/children-of-divorced-parents-have-less-of-the-love-hormone-oxytocin/">children</a> continue to receive traditional handwriting training, according to a study led by Professor Audrey van der Meer of <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">NTNU</a>. The research confirms the findings of previous studies that both children and adults learn and commit more to memory when writing by hand versus using a keyboard.

The study is the first of its kind to evaluate the benefits of handwriting among children. The researchers used an EEG to track and record the brain wave activity of the participants, who wore a hood with over 250 electrodes attached. When the brain is active, electrical impulses can be detected by sensors in the electrodes. 

The experts found that the brain was far more active when the volunteers were writing by hand compared to when they were typing on a keyboard.

"The use of pen and paper gives the brain more 'hooks' to hang your memories on. Writing by hand creates much more activity in the sensorimotor parts of the brain," explained Professor Van der Meer. 

"A lot of senses are activated by pressing the pen on paper, seeing the letters you write and hearing the sound you make while writing. These sense experiences create contact between different parts of the brain and open the brain up for learning. We both learn better and remember better."

According to Professor Van der Meer, the findings emphasize the importance of children being challenged to draw and write at an early age, especially at school. She believes that there are many positive aspects of digital learning, but urges that handwriting training must be kept in schools as well. 

"Given the development of the last several years, we risk having one or more generations lose the ability to write by hand. Our research and that of others show that this would be a very unfortunate consequence."

"Some schools in Norway have become completely digital and skip handwriting training altogether. Finnish schools are even more digitized than in Norway. Very few schools offer any handwriting training at all."

Many teachers have argued that keyboards create less frustration for children, and that students are more motivated to write because they experience greater mastery with a keyboard.

"Learning to write by hand is a bit slower process, but it's important for children to go through the tiring phase of learning to write by hand. The intricate hand movements and the shaping of letters are beneficial in several ways. If you use a keyboard, you use the same movement for each letter. Writing by hand requires control of your fine motor skills and senses. It's important to put the brain in a learning state as often as possible. I would use a keyboard to write an essay, but I'd take notes by hand during a lecture," said Professor Van der Meer.

"The brain has evolved over thousands of years. It has evolved to be able to take action and navigate appropriate behaviour. In order for the brain to develop in the best possible way, we need to use it for what it's best at. We need to live an authentic life. We have to use all our senses, be outside, experience all kinds of weather and meet other people. If we don't challenge our brain, it can't reach its full potential. And that can impact school performance."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology">Frontiers in Psychology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Writing by hand boosts learning and memory

National guidelines should be established to make sure that children...

Throughout our lives, we are constantly making random choices that shape our personal <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mating-routines-birds-paradise/">preferences</a>, like when we decide which bottle of shampoo or pair of jeans to buy. As a result, we become unconsciously biased against the things that we do not choose - even when the options are essentially the same. 

In a new study from <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a>, experts have discovered that humans begin to develop arbitrary preferences and biases in the earliest phase of life. The research has revealed that when babies choose a particular toy, they also commit to disliking the other options. 

"The question of how people’s preferences are shaped by their choices has generated decades of research," wrote the study authors. "In a classic example, work on cognitive dissonance has found that observers who must choose between two equally attractive options subsequently avoid the unchosen option, suggesting that not choosing the item led them to like it less." 

"However, almost all of the research on such choice-induced preference focuses on adults, leaving open the question of how much experience is necessary for its emergence."

The discovery that babies engage in developing unconscious biases suggests that this way of justifying choice is intuitive and a basic aspect of the human experience.

"The act of making a choice changes how we feel about our options," said study co-author Alex Silver. "Even infants who are really just at the start of making choices for themselves have this bias."

The researchers explained that people assume they choose the things they like, but research suggests that the opposite is sometimes true. We often like things simply based on random choices, and dislike the things that we do not choose.

"I chose this, so I must like it. I didn't choose this other thing, so it must not be so good. Adults make these inferences unconsciously," said study co-author Lisa Feigenson. "We justify our choice after the fact."

But at what point in our lives do we begin to shape our preferences through random choices? To investigate, the team focused on babies, who do not have very many decisions to make.

Babies between the ages of 10 and 20 months were presented with two equally bright and colorful soft blocks. The researchers strategically placed the blocks far apart, so the babies had to crawl to one or the other.

Once the baby selected one of the blocks, it was taken away and replaced with a new option. This gave the infants the option of choosing the toy they did not play with the first time or the new toy.

"The babies reliably chose to play with the new object rather than the one they had previously not chosen, as if they were saying, 'Hmm, I didn't choose that object last time, I guess I didn't like it very much,'" said Feigenson. "That is the core phenomenon. Adults will like less the thing they didn't choose, even if they had no real preference in the first place. And babies, just the same, dis-prefer the unchosen object."

When the researchers selected a toy for the baby, they no longer showed a strong preference for a specific toy. If you take the element of choice away, the phenomenon goes away, said Feigenson.

"They are really not choosing based on novelty or intrinsic preference," said Silver. "I think it's really surprising. We wouldn't expect infants to be making such methodical choices."

The researchers will continue to study the evolution of random choices in babies by analyzing how they handle having too many options to choose from at once, or "choice overload." 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/pss">Psychological Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Babies develop preferences based on random choices

Throughout our lives, we are constantly making random choices that...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a> suggests that drinking coffee first thing in the morning on an empty stomach can interfere with the body's <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/teenage-alcohol-consumption-metabolism/">metabolism</a>. The experts have found that coffee can limit your ability to tolerate the sugar in your breakfast.

A team of researchers in the University's Centre for Nutrition, Exercise &amp; Metabolism investigated the effects of disrupted sleep and morning coffee across a range of different metabolic markers. The results suggest that while one night of poor sleep has limited impact on our metabolism, a strong coffee the next morning may interfere with the body's control over blood glucose.

Keeping our blood sugar levels within a safe range is important for reducing the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. According to the experts, the findings could have "far-reaching" health implications, especially considering the global popularity of coffee.

Coffee is currently the most popular drink in the world, with around two billion cups consumed every day. 

"We know that nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee - intuitively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee," said Professor James Betts. "This study is important and has far-reaching health implications as up until now we have had limited knowledge about what this is doing to our bodies, in particular for our metabolic and blood sugar control."

"Put simply, our blood sugar control is impaired when the first thing our bodies come into contact with is coffee especially after a night of disrupted sleep. We might improve this by eating first and then drinking coffee later if we feel we still feel the need it. Knowing this can have important health benefits for us all."

The study was focused on 29 healthy men and women who were assigned three different overnight tasks in a random order. 

Under one condition, participants were instructed to get a normal night's sleep and were asked to consume a sugary drink upon waking in the morning. On a separate occasion, the volunteers had their sleep disrupted every hour for a few minutes at a time, followed by the same sugary drink.

Under the third condition, participants experienced the same sleep disruption followed by a strong black coffee 30 minutes before consuming a sugary drink.

For each trial, blood samples were collected from each volunteer following the glucose drink- which had about the same amount of calories as a typical breakfast. 

&nbsp;

The study revealed that one night of disrupted sleep did not worsen the participants' blood glucose responses at breakfast when compared to a normal night's sleep. However, strong black coffee consumed before breakfast substantially increased the blood glucose response to breakfast by around 50 percent.

While a growing collection of research has linked coffee to substantial health benefits, there are also previous studies which demonstrated that caffeine has the potential to cause insulin resistance. 

"These results show that one night of disrupted sleep alone did not worsen participants' blood glucose/insulin response to the sugary drink compared to a normal night of sleep which will be reassuring to many of us," said study lead author Harry Smith.

"However, starting a day after a poor night's sleep with a strong coffee did have a negative effect on glucose metabolism by around 50%.

"As such, individuals should try to balance the potential stimulating benefits of caffeinated coffee in the morning with the potential for higher blood glucose levels and it may be better to consume coffee following breakfast rather than before."

"There is a lot more we need to learn about the effects of sleep on our metabolism, such as how much sleep disruption is necessary to impair our metabolism and what some of the longer-term implications of this are, as well as how exercise, for instance, could help to counter some of this."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition">British Journal of Nutrition</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Coffee before breakfast has a negative impact on metabolism

A new study from the University of Bath suggests that...

Scientists report an unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures. The world's oceans are facing an increasing threat from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/arctic-fires-are-changing-and-the-climate-impacts-could-be-devastating/">climate</a> change, according to research published by the <a href="https://taylorandfrancis.com/">Taylor &amp; Francis Group</a>. The latest Ocean State Report reveals that global warming is driving an unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures.

Based on data from the European Union's (EU) Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), researchers have identified an overall trend of rising surface temperatures worldwide. Records from 1993 to 2018 show that the most profound effects can be found in the Arctic Ocean.

The report describes record high ocean temperatures across European waters in 2018 that led to extreme weather conditions - including a marine heat wave that lasted for several months. 

In the same year, the scientists detected a large mass of warm water in the northeast Pacific Ocean that was similar to "the Blob" in 2013, which drove up sea temperatures by as much as  in 2013. As ocean temperatures rose, toxic algae killed large numbers of marine animals including salmon, seals and millions of Pacific cod.

The study authors are calling for improved monitoring to provide better data and knowledge. They believe this will help countries progress toward the sustainable use of oceans which are an essential source of food, energy, and other resources.

"Changes to the ocean have impacted on these ecosystem services and stretched them to unsustainable limits," said Karina von Schuckmann and Pierre-Yves Le Traon, who edited the report.

"More than ever a long term, comprehensive and systematic monitoring, assessment and reporting of the ocean is required. This is to ensure a sustainable science-based management of the ocean for societal benefit."

The researchers pointed out that there are other major climate-related threats to the world's oceans, including acidification, sea level rise, loss of oxygen, and sea ice retreat.

The Ocean State Report reaffirms the same message from recent EU and global assessments on the state of oceans that "we are not doing well."

"Human society has always been dependent on the seas. Failure to reach good environmental status for our seas and oceans is not an option, wrote the study authors. 

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjoo20">Journal of Operational Oceanography</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists report an unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures

Scientists report an unprecedented rise in ocean temperatures. The world's...

Due to the impacts of climate change, 31 million people living in river deltas have a disproportionately high risk of exposure to <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/historic-rainfall-in-pakistan-has-caused-deadly-flooding/">flooding</a>, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.indiana.edu/">Indiana University</a>. The research reaffirms that some of the most disadvantaged populations are also the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

"To date, no one has successfully quantified the global population on river deltas and assessed the cumulative impacts from climate change," said study lead author Douglas Edmonds.

"Since river deltas have long been recognized as hotspots of population growth, and with increasing impacts from climate change, we realized we needed to properly quantify what the cumulative risks are in river deltas."

The researchers found that while river deltas occupy 0.5 percent of Earth’s land surface, they contain 4.5 percent of the global population, or 339 million people. River deltas form at the ocean at or below sea level, which makes them extremely vulnerable to the destructive storm surges that are expected to occur more frequently due to the effects of climate change.

The team used a new global dataset to determine how many people live on river deltas and how many are vulnerable to a 100-year storm surge event. The experts also investigated the ability of river deltas in cities like New Orleans and Bangkok to naturally mitigate impacts of climate change.

“River deltas present special challenges for predicting coastal floods that deserve more attention in discussions about the future impacts of climate change,” said study co-author Professor Eduardo Brondizio, who has been working with rural and urban communities in the Amazon delta for 3 decades. 

“Our estimates are likely a minimum because the storm surge and flooding models do not account for the compound interactions of the climate impacts, deficient infrastructure, and high population density.”

Beyond the threat of flooding, many of the residents in river deltas are living in low-income areas that are already exposed to pollution, poor housing infrastructure, and limited access to public services. 

According to the study, 31 million of the vulnerable residents of river deltas are living in 100-year storm surge floodplains. Furthermore, 92 percent of these at-risk individuals live in developing or underdeveloped economies. 

“These communities are already dealing with health risks, lack of sanitation and services, poverty, and exposure to flooding and other environmental risks," said Professor Brondizio. "Climate change is exacerbating all of these issues and creating more impacts."

The study showed that decades of engineering have expanded the habitable land area of river deltas, but they have also starved the regions of flood-preventing sediment. If the sediment cannot naturally renew itself, the shorelines will continue to recede and the impacts of storm surges will intensify.

“To effectively prepare for more intense future coastal flooding, we need to reframe it as a problem that disproportionately impacts people on river deltas in developing and least-developed economies,” said Edmonds. 

“We need better models for the climate impacts that are capable of stimulating compound flooding in densely populated areas so that exposure and risk can be mapped to more accurately assess risk and vulnerability.”

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

Poor communities on river deltas will be hit hard by coastal flooding

Due to the impacts of climate change, 31 million people...

Chronic pain can be reduced by practicing yoga and meditation, according to a new study from the <a href="https://osteopathic.org/">American Osteopathic Association</a>. Individuals who were trained in mindfulness-based <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pet-owners-felt-less-lonely-and-stressed-during-covid-19-lockdown/">stress</a> reduction (MBSR) reported significantly lower levels of pain, depression, and disability.

An estimated 100 million people are affected by chronic pain in the United States alone, and the associated medical costs are estimated at $635 billion a year.

For the study, members of a semi-rural community in Oregon were trained in mindfulness meditation and mindful hatha yoga over the course of eight weeks. 

"Many people have lost hope because, in most cases, chronic pain will never fully resolve," said Dr. Cynthia Marske. "However, mindful yoga and meditation can help improve the structure and function of the body, which supports the process of healing."

Dr. Marske explained that healing and curing are inherently different. "Curing means eliminating disease, while healing refers to becoming more whole. With chronic pain, healing involves learning to live with a level of pain this is manageable. For this, yoga and meditation can be very beneficial."

The training led to significant improvement in the participants' perception of pain, mood, and functional capacity. Nearly 90 percent of the volunteers reported that the program helped them find ways to better cope with their pain.

Mindful meditation and yoga was also effective in reducing depression. Based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a standard measure of depression, the average symptoms dropped by 3.7 points on a 27-point scale. 

"Chronic pain often goes hand-in-hand with depression. Mindfulness-based meditation and yoga can help restore both a patient's mental and physical health and can be effective alone or in combination with other treatments such as therapy and medication," said Dr. Marske.

"The bottom line is that patients are seeking new ways to cope with chronic pain and effective non-pharmaceutical treatments are available. Our findings show meditation and yoga can be a viable option for people seeking relief from chronic pain."

The study is published in the <a href="https://jaoa.org/">Journal of the American Osteopathic Association</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Meditation and yoga reduce chronic pain and depression

Chronic pain can be reduced by practicing yoga and meditation,...

A study led by the <a href="https://admissions.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> has produced evidence to suggest that manatees were present along the Texas <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/oahu-could-lose-40-percent-of-its-beaches-to-coastal-erosion/">coast</a> during the last ice age. 

The findings raise new questions, such as whether these gentle "sea cows" have been visiting Texas for thousands of years, or if manatees were permanent residents in this region between 11,000 and 240,000 years ago.

Today, manatees can be seen near Texas only occasionally during the summer months before they return to the warmer waters of Florida and Mexico for the winter.

Study lead author Christopher Bell is a professor in the UT Department of Geological Sciences in the Jackson School of Geosciences. 

"This was an unexpected thing for me because I don't think about manatees being on the Texas coast today," said Professor Bell. "But they're here. They're just not well known."

The study was focused on the analysis of eight fossils, including manatee jawbones and rib fragments from the Pleistocene - the geological epoch of the last ice age. 

Most of the bones were recovered by amateur fossil collectors over the last 50 years from McFaddin Beach near Port Arthur and Caplen Beach near Galveston.

Study co-author William Godwin is a curator at the Sam Houston State University (SHSU) Natural History Collections. 

"We have them from one decade to another, so we know it's not from some old manatee that washed up, and we have them from different places," said Godwin. "All these lines of evidence support that manatee bones were coming up in a constant way."

The research was initiated after a lower jawbone fossil was donated to SHSU by amateur bone collector Joe Liggio. "I decided my collection would be better served in a museum," said Liggio. "The manatee jaw was one of many unidentified bones in my collection."

The fossil analysis suggests that, contrary to other assumptions, manatees were in Texas as early as the Pleistocene.

Manatee jawbones have a distinct S-shaped curve that immediately captured Godwin's attention. However, he said that he was met with skepticism when he sought other manatee fossils for comparison. 

Regardless, the bones Godwin examined belonged to the same species of manatee that visits the Texas coast today, Trichechus manatus.

It is widely accepted that the cooler ice age climate would have made Texas waters even less hospitable to manatees than they are today. 

The fact that manatees were in Texas for any amount of time during the last ice age means that either the coastal climate was warmer than what is generally assumed or that manatees were historically more resilient to colder temperatures.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/">Palaeontologia Electronica</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Manatees may have been Texas residents during the last ice age

A study led by the University of Texas at Austin...

Compounding effects of extreme weather strengthen hurricanes. In a new study from <a href="https://www.tamug.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University at Galveston</a>, scientists have determined that extreme weather can intensify hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. The researchers found that hurricanes in this region can be considerably strengthened when they are preceded by other events, such as marine <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/severe-marine-heatwaves-are-becoming-much-more-common/">heatwaves</a> and a recent storm. 

"Exposure to extreme events is a major concern in coastal regions where growing human populations and stressed natural ecosystems are at significant risk to such phenomena," wrote the study authors. "However, the complex sequence of processes that transform an event from notable to extreme can be challenging to identify and hence, limit forecast abilities."

The researchers determined that a marine heatwave in the coastal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico was caused by the compounding effects of a tropical storm followed by an atmospheric heatwave. 

"This newly identified process of generating extreme ocean temperatures occurred prior to the landfall of Hurricane Michael during October of 2018 and, as a critical contributor to storm intensity, likely contributed to the subsequent extreme hurricane," wrote the researchers. "This pattern of compounding processes will also exacerbate other environmental problems in temperature-sensitive ecosystems (e.g., coral bleaching, hypoxia) and is expected to have expanding impacts under global warming predictions."

Hurricane Michael was the first Category 5 hurricane on record to impact the Florida Panhandle. Prior to the hurricane, tropical Storm Gordon had mixed cold bottom water with warm surface water in early September. This lowered the temperatures of surface waters, increasing their capacity to absorb more heat during the subsequent atmospheric heatwave.

After the water column absorbed an unusual amount of heat energy, the resulting marine ultimately strengthened Hurricane Michael to a Category 5 storm, which was much stronger than what was anticipated.

"During summer in the ocean, solar energy increases air temperature and surface water temperature so much that the entire water column - from surface to bottom - cannot absorb heat from the atmosphere," said study co-author Kyeong Park.

"It does appear that a storm or hurricane can get stronger if the marine conditions are right. Hurricanes Sally and Laura in the past few weeks are good examples of stronger hurricanes because of the compound effect we described in our paper." 

"This pattern could also exacerbate other environmental problems in sensitive ecosystems such as bleaching of coral reefs, hypoxia (low oxygen in the water) and other problems that are predicted as global warming continues."

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

Compounding effects of extreme weather strengthen hurricanes

Compounding effects of extreme weather strengthen hurricanes. In a new...

Shifting the focus of conservation efforts in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-amazon-is-rapidly-approaching-a-tipping-point/">Amazon</a> from terrestrial species to freshwater species would produce up to six times the benefits, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a> and the <a href="https://www5.usp.br/">University of São Paulo</a>. By redesigning conservation plans to address the needs of endangered freshwater ecosystems, thousands of animals could be saved without any negative influence on terrestrial life.

Freshwater systems are only found on less than one percent of the Earth's surface, yet is home to a tenth of all known species including one-third of all vertebrates. 

Over the last five decades, populations of freshwater vertebrates have declined by 83 percent, which is more than twice the rate of decline for terrestrial and marine vertebrates in the same time period.

The dramatic loss of freshwater biodiversity has been driven by human activities such as building dams, overfishing, habitat loss and degradation, algal blooms, and the introduction of non-native species. These pressures are now being compounded by the effects of climate change and pollution.

Despite the desperate need for conservation measures to restore freshwater ecosystems, terrestrial communities continue to gain far more attention.

For the new study, an international team of scientists assessed more than 1,500 freshwater and land species in the Brazilian Amazon. The researchers evaluated how well freshwater species are protected through conservation efforts compared to land species.

"Conservation projects generally focus on protecting species that live on land. If freshwater species are considered at all, it is simply assumed that they will be protected incidentally - that is, by chance, as a result of efforts to conserve land species," said study co-lead author Dr. Cecilia Gontijo Leal.

"However, we show that land-based conservation initiatives are likely to protect just 20% of the freshwater species that would have been protected through freshwater-focused conservation. To address the freshwater biodiversity crisis, freshwater species need to be explicitly incorporated into conservation planning."

The experts ultimately found that conservation efforts with increased focus on freshwater ecosystems could deliver big positive gains for these communities without adversely affecting terrestrial biodiversity.

"Through integrated planning that incorporates information on both freshwater and land species, we found that protection of freshwater species can be increased by up to 600% with no reduction in land species protection," said study co-lead author Dr. Gareth Lennox. 

"This presents a great opportunity for conservation, where protection for one species group does not require either losses of protection for others or significant funding increases."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Conservation planning in the Amazon should be redirected to freshwater species

Shifting the focus of conservation efforts in the Amazon from...

A new study from <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">UC San Diego</a> is shedding some positive light on the loneliness epidemic, finding that wisdom can ward off the negative health impacts of social isolation. The researchers found that adults from San Diego all the way to Cilento, Italy are protected from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/loneliness-makes-it-easier-to-start-smoking-and-harder-to-quit/">loneliness</a> through the compassion, wisdom, and good judgment that comes along with life experience.

Previous studies have consistently found that social isolation and loneliness are risk factors for major health issues and unhealthy aging. In the last few decades, experts have become increasingly concerned about the impact of loneliness on middle-aged and older adults, in particular.

Study lead author Dr. Dilip V. Jeste is a professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences and the senior associate dean for the Center of Healthy Aging at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

"An important finding from our study was a significant inverse correlation between loneliness and wisdom. People with higher scores on a measure of wisdom were less lonely and vice versa," said Dr. Jeste.

"Loneliness was consistently associated with poor general health, worse quality of sleep and less happiness, whereas the reverse was generally true for wisdom."

Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale and San Diego Wisdom Scale, the researchers examined four groups of adults aged 50 to 65 and those older than age 90 in both California and Italy. Among all four groups, the experts found a strong inverse correlation between loneliness and wisdom.

Dr. Salvatore Di Somma, the study's lead Italian investigator, is a professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Rome La Sapienza.

"We translated the rating scales for loneliness and wisdom from English to Italian. It is remarkable that the findings related to these two traits were largely similar in two markedly different cultures - a rural region of southern Italy and an urban/suburban county in the United States, both with different native languages and unique historical, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds," said Dr. Di Somma.

The Cilento region is a relatively remote area of southwestern Italy that has a large population of individuals over the age of 90. The current research expands upon the Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes (CIAO) study, which was launched in 2016.

"Both loneliness and wisdom are personality traits. Most personality traits are partially inherited and partially determined by environment," said Dr. Jeste.

Wisdom has several important components, including empathy, compassion, self-reflection, and emotional regulation. The researchers found that empathy and compassion have the strongest inverse correlation with loneliness. Overall, people who are more compassionate tend to be less lonely, according to the study.

"If we can increase someone's compassion, wisdom is likely to go up and loneliness is likely to go down," said Dr. David Brenner. "At UC San Diego, we have considerable interest in enhancing empathy and compassion to reduce levels of stress and improve happiness and well-being."

According to Dr. Jeste, studies that help to determine how to combat loneliness as people age will be critical for effective interventions and the future of health care.

"Routine assessment of loneliness with evidence-based, compassion-focused interventions for prevention and management of loneliness should become an integral part of clinical practice," said Dr. Jeste. "So how do you increase compassion? Utilizing approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy or writing in a gratitude diary can help someone become more compassionate."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/camh20">Aging and Mental Health</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wisdom and compassion can protect you from loneliness

A new study from UC San Diego is shedding some...

At the current rate of greenhouse gas <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/a-drop-in-chinas-aerosol-emissions-brings-about-a-rise-in-global-warming/">emissions</a>, the amount of ice loss from Greenland this century will be higher than any other century in more than 12,000 years. The study authors used ice sheet modeling to gain a better understanding of the past, present, and future evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet. 

According to the researchers, the findings place the ice sheet's modern decline in historical context, highlighting just how extreme and unusual projected losses for the 21st century could be.

Study lead author Dr. Jason Briner is a professor of Geology in the <a href="http://www.buffalo.edu/">University at Buffalo</a> College of Arts and Sciences. 

"Basically, we've altered our planet so much that the rates of ice sheet melt this century are on pace to be greater than anything we've seen under natural variability of the ice sheet over the past 12,000 years. We'll blow that out of the water if we don't make severe reductions to greenhouse gas emissions," said Dr. Briner. 

"If the world goes on a massive energy diet, in line with a scenario that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls RCP2.6, our model predicts that the Greenland Ice Sheet's rate of mass loss this century will be only slightly higher than anything experienced in the past 12,000 years."

"But, more worrisome, is that under a high-emissions RCP8.5 scenario - the one the Greenland Ice Sheet is now following - the rate of mass loss could be about four times the highest values experienced under natural climate variability over the past 12,000 years."

The analysis incorporated new, detailed reconstructions of ancient climate into the model, which was compared to real-world measurements of the ice sheet's size for validation.

"We relied on the same ice sheet model to simulate the past, the present and the future," said study co-author Dr. Jessica Badgeley. "Thus, our comparisons of the ice sheet mass change through these time periods are internally consistent, which makes for a robust comparison between past and projected ice sheet changes."

"This study shows that future ice loss is likely to be larger than anything that the ice sheet experienced in the Holocene - unless we follow a low-carbon emission scenario in the future."

The experts emphasize that this research reiterates the need for countries around the world to take urgent action to reduce harmful emissions, slow the decline of ice sheets, and mitigate sea level rise. 

"It is no secret that the Greenland Ice Sheet is in rough shape and is losing ice at an increasing rate," said study co-author Nicolás Young. "But if someone wants to poke holes in this, they could simply ask, 'how do you know this isn't just part of the ice sheet's natural variability?'"

"Well, what our study suggests is that the rate of ice loss for this century will exceed the rate of ice loss for any single century over the last 12,000 years. I think this is the first time that the current health of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been robustly placed into a long-term context."

Despite the bleak findings, one vital takeaway is that it is still possible for people and countries around the world to make an important difference by cutting emissions, said Dr. Briner. Model simulations of lower greenhouse gas emissions produced very different results. 

"Our findings are yet another wake-up call, especially for countries like the U.S.," said Dr. Briner. "Americans use more energy per person than any other nation in the world. Our nation has produced more of the CO2 that resides in the atmosphere today than any other country." 

"Americans need to go on an energy diet. The most affluent Americans, who have the highest energy footprint, can afford to make lifestyle changes, fly less, install solar panels and drive an energy-efficient vehicle."

The research was largely funded by the National Science Foundation.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Greenland's ice is melting at the fastest pace in 12,000 years

At the current rate of greenhouse gas emissions, the amount...

Global warming is not affecting days and nights in the same way, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>. The researchers found that nights are warming faster than days across much of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/potential-planet-found-orbiting-a-dead-star/">planet</a>. 

Looking at the average temperatures from 1983 to 2017, the experts determined that the nights were warming faster at night by more than 0.25°C across over half of the Earth's land surface.

Days warmed more quickly in some locations, but the total area of greater night-time warming was more than twice as large. The experts report that this "warming asymmetry" has been driven primarily by changing levels of cloud cover.

When cloud cover increases, the surface temperatures are cooler during the day and the warmth is retained at night. By contrast, decreasing cloud cover allows more warmth to reach the surface during the day, but the temperature increase is lost overnight. 

Study lead author Dr Daniel Cox is an expert in the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"Warming asymmetry has potentially significant implications for the natural world," said Dr. Cox. "We demonstrate that greater night-time warming is associated with the climate becoming wetter, and this has been shown to have important consequences for plant growth and how species, such as insects and mammals, interact."

"Conversely, we also show that greater daytime warming is associated with drier conditions, combined with greater levels of overall warming, which increases species vulnerability to heat stress and dehydration.

According to Dr. Cox, those species that are only active at night or during the day will be particularly affected.

The study was focused on hourly records of temperature, cloud cover, specific humidity and precipitation. The researchers used a computer model to account for many relevant factors, including the different rates of change of daytime maximum and night-time minimum temperatures, the average daytime and night-time cloud cover, and specific levels of humidity and precipitation.

The team analyzed changes in vegetation growth and precipitation over the same period. The study revealed that increased night-time warming led to less vegetation growth where it rained more, which was likely due to greater cloud cover blocking the sun. In areas where there were warmer days and less rainfall, vegetation growth was limited by water availability.

"The impacts of the changing climate on the biological world vary across latitudes, habitats and spatial scales. By contrast, the time of day at which these changes are occurring has received relatively little attention," wrote the researchers.

"As biologically significant organismal activities often occur at particular times of day, any asymmetry in the rate of change between the daytime and night‐time will skew the climatic pressures placed on them, and this could have profound impacts on the natural world."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global warming is affecting nights faster than days

Global warming is not affecting days and nights in the...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" 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 Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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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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.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" 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.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



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.

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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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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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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.

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://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



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.

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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

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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...

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