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?...

Beneath the Earth’s crust and mantle lies a churning viscous tempest of molten iron and nickel that make up the outer core. 

This flurry of molten metals produces the planet’s magnetic field, without which the Earth would be constantly bombarded by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magnetic-field-solar-radiation/">harmful radiation from the sun</a>. 

Despite the extremely high temperatures and constant churning movement, a new study has found that Earth’s viscous outer core forms distinct layers, like a salad dressing that separates.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale</a> found that iron alloys within the Earth’s core undergo a process called immiscibility and form two layers of liquids when subjected to the same pressures and heat found in the Earth’s core.  

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

“We observe liquid immiscibility often in everyday life, like when oil and vinegar separate in salad dressing,” said Sarah Arveson, the lead author of the study. “It is surprising that liquid phase separation can occur when atoms are being forced very close together under the immense pressures of Earth’s core.” 

Immiscibility, or separation of molten alloys like nickel, has been well documented at atmospheric pressures and even at the intense pressures that occur in the Earth’s mantle, but this is the first study to explain why separation occurs 2,900 kilometers beneath the surface.

[caption id="attachment_1872262" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/core.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1872262" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/core.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="465" /></a> Image Credit: Sarah M. Arveson/Yale University[/caption]

The researchers used laser-heated diamond-anvil cell experiments to generate high pressures similar to those found in the Earth’s outer core. These experiments were then combined with computer simulations to replicate outer core conditions. 

The researchers found that under these conditions, two distinct molten liquid layers form. The first is an oxygen-poor iron silicon layer and the second is an iron layer rich in oxygen that rises to the top of the outer core and moves slower than the layer beneath. 

“Our study presents the first observation of immiscible molten metal alloys at such extreme conditions, hinting that immiscibility in metallic melts may be prevalent at high pressures,” said Lee.

The study adds to our understanding of the formation of the Earth’s core and mantle and the evolution of the magnetic field. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Molten liquid layers in the Earth’s core separate like oil and vinegar

Beneath the Earth’s crust and mantle lies a churning viscous...

A team of psychologists at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> has identified a brain region that is activated in response to Pokémon characters among people who spent a lot of time playing the video games as children. This preferential behavior in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/blind-people-hearing-ability/">brain</a> may help to unravel mysteries about our visual system.

“It's been an open question in the field why we have brain regions that respond to words and faces but not to, say, cars,” said study first author and former Stanford graduate student Jesse Gomez. “It's also been a mystery why they appear in the same place in everyone's brain.”

In a recent study focused on monkeys, researchers at Harvard Medical School determined that in order for a region of the brain’s visual cortex to become dedicated to a new category of objects, exposure to those objects must start at a young age when the brain is particularly malleable and more sensitive to visual experience.

Gomez theorized that if early childhood exposure is critical for developing dedicated brain regions, then the brains of adults who played Pokémon as kids would respond more to Pokémon characters than to other kinds of stimuli. Furthermore, Pokémon characters look very different from objects we usually encounter in our daily lives, which could help the experts predict where the activated responses to Pokémon should appear.

“What was unique about Pokémon is that there are hundreds of characters, and you have to know everything about them in order to play the game successfully. The game rewards you for individuating hundreds of these little, similar-looking characters,” said Gomez. “I figured, ‘If you don't get a region for that, then it's never going to happen.’”

The study was focused on adults who had played Pokémon extensively as children, including Gomez himself and study co-author Michael Barnett. The participants were placed inside of a functional MRI scanner and shown hundreds of random Pokémon characters. As predicted, their brains responded more to the Pokémon images compared to a control group who had not played the video game as children.

“I initially used the Pokémon characters from the Game Boy game in the main study, but later I also used characters from the cartoon in a few subjects,” said Gomez. “Even though the cartoon characters were less pixelated, they still activated the brain region.”

The site of the Pokémon brain activations was consistently located in a brain fold positioned just behind our ears called the occipitotemporal sulcus. The researchers believe that this brain region typically responds to images of animals, which Pokémon characters resemble.

“I think one of the lessons from our study is that these brain regions that are activated by our central vision are particularly malleable to extensive experience,” said Professor Kalanit Grill-Spector. She said that the findings are just the latest evidence that our brains are capable of changing in response to experiential learning from a very early age, but there are underlying constraints hardwired into the brain that shape and guide how those changes unfold.

For parents who may view the research as proof that video games leave a lasting effect on the brains of impressionable children, Professor Grill-Spector said that our brains are capable of containing multitudes. “The visual cortex is made up of hundreds of millions of neurons. We have the capacity to encode many, many patterns in that stretch of cortex.”

Gomez noted that all of the study participants have grown up to be successful adults. “I would say to those parents that the people who were scanned here all have their PhDs,” said Gomez. “They're all doing very well.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav">Nature Human Behavior</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Experts find a brain region dedicated to identifying Pokémon characters

A team of psychologists at Stanford University has identified a...

Drug treatment completely eliminates risk of HIV transmission, research confirms. Groundbreaking new research has found that men taking antiretroviral treatments are significantly less likely to transmit the HIV virus to male partners during sex.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> (UCL) and the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> found that when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/male-patient-london-hiv-cured/">HIV</a> is fully suppressed through antiretrovirals (ART), HIV positive partners have a zero chance of spreading the infection to a non-infected partner. 

“Our findings provide conclusive evidence for gay men that the risk of HIV transmission with suppressive ART is zero,” said Alison Rodger, the lead author of the study in a <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2019/may/antiretroviral-treatment-prevents-sexual-transmission-hiv">UCL press release</a>. “Our findings support the message of the international <a href="https://www.preventionaccess.org/about">U=U campaign</a>, that a suppressed viral load makes HIV untransmittable.”

The extensive PARTNER2 study, published in the Lancet, is a companion follow up to the original PARTNER study which followed heterosexual couples. 

Nearly 1,000 gay couples across Europe were part of the eight-year PARTNER2 study, and in each couple, one partner was HIV-positive and took antiretrovirals throughout the study period. 

Antiretrovirals work to suppress the viral load of retroviruses like HIV. Without treatment, the viral load in an infected person can grow to millions, but with treatment the virus is suppressed to undetectable levels. 

In 77,000 condomless sexual encounters reported over the eight-year period between the couples in total, not one case of HIV transmission occurred. 

There were 15 cases of HIV infection, but these were found to be the result of having intercourse with a partner who was not part of the study and not taking antiretrovirals. 

Overall, the researchers estimated that treatment prevented 472 potential HIV transmissions among the participants. Drug treatment completely eliminates risk of HIV transmission

“It is impossible to overstate the importance of these findings,” said Dr. Michael Brady, Medical Director at the <a href="https://www.tht.org.uk/">Terrence Higgins Trust</a> and a member of the PARTNER Study research team. “The PARTNER study has given us the confidence to say, without doubt, that people living with HIV who are on effective treatment cannot pass the virus on to their sexual partners. This has incredible impact on the lives of people living with HIV and is a powerful message to address HIV-related stigma.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drug treatment completely eliminates risk of HIV transmission

Drug treatment completely eliminates risk of HIV transmission, research confirms....

According to a team of experts at the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>, digital technology companies could reduce the carbon footprint of services such as YouTube by simply changing how these services are designed. 

In order to estimate YouTube’s carbon footprint for the course of a year, the researchers investigated how much energy was used to provide videos worldwide in 2016. This amount of energy was found to be the equivalent of 10 million metric tons of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/carbon-dioxide-levels-spike/">carbon dioxide</a>, which compares to the energy demand of a city the size of Glasgow. 

The massive level of CO2 emissions was the result of servers and networks streaming about one billion hours of YouTube videos to user devices each day. The team examined how YouTube’s emissions could be reduced by eliminating just one form of “digital waste.” The study was focused on the difference that could be made if YouTube would avoid sending images to users who are only listening to audio. 

The experts found that this single design intervention could reduce YouTube carbon emissions by between 100 to 500 kilotons per year, which is the carbon footprint of roughly 30,000 homes in the UK.

Chris Preist, the study’s lead researcher, is a professor of Sustainability and Computer Systems in Bristol's Faculty of Engineering.

“Digital services are an everyday part of our lives, but they require significant energy to deliver globally - not only in data centers, but also in networks, mobile networks and end devices - and so overall can have a big carbon footprint,” said Professor Preist.

The experts believe that Sustainable Interaction Design (SID) has great potential in terms of carbon savings. The researchers showed that current standards used by companies to report carbon emissions do not adequately account for the whole footprint of digital services, such as the CO2 emissions associated with the delivery of these services over mobile networks.

“People are aware of the significant amount of energy use of data centers and corporations are increasingly aware of the need to change their practices in light of the challenges that climate change present to humanity and the global ecosystem,” said Professor Preist. “But for a streaming service such as YouTube, most of the energy is used in the network, particularly the mobile network.”

“Given the overall size of the carbon footprint of such services, it is important that companies assess and report them. By doing so, they can identify the carbon savings that can be made by alternative design decisions, and hopefully find ways to reduce their overall footprint.”

The research will be presented at the 2019 ACM CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Digital services could be redesigned to require much less energy

According to a team of experts at the University of...

Good news for bees as disease continues to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honeybees-threatened-by-disease/">threaten hive health</a>: older bees can pass on resistance to certain illnesses, creating a sort of hive-wide collective immunity. 

Bees that have built up resistance to some diseases can share that immune system boost through the jelly that the hive feeds on. 

A team of researchers based in the United Kingdom and Israel found that adult bees secreted double-stranded RNA into the jelly eaten by young worker bees and the royal jelly fed to the queen larva. When studying the jellies, they found RNA that corresponded to 10 different threats.

“Jelly RNAs corresponded to honey bee protein-coding genes, transposable elements, and non-coding RNA, as well as bacteria, fungi, and viruses,” the team wrote in their study, published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.04.073">Cell Reports</a>.

The discovery suggests that adult bees can create a collective immunity to some diseases, fungi and other threats for the whole hive.

The team made their discovery while testing a new technique for treating illness among bees. They created their own dsRNA solution to protect against certain illnesses and fed it to adult bees, to see whether this would be an effective way of medicating a hive. 

They found that it worked – too well. The hives seemed resistant to the diseases in question for months after the treated bees died. Somehow, the older bees were passing down the dsRNA to younger bees.

They soon found that the jellies fed to larva were the keys to the hives’ collective immunity. 

“Consumed but pre-digested dsRNA may thus be distributed directly among adult bees. However, nurse honey bees nourish the young larvae with a processed diet secreted from the mandibular and hypopharyngeal food glands, the worker and royal jellies,” the researchers wrote.

The study adds to the possibilities for apiaries battling colony collapse disorder. It could also mean that potential solutions – such as a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-vaccine-bee-colonies/">vaccine against bacterial infection</a> developed by Finnish scientists – could be even more effective that predicted.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Hives have collective immunity thanks to older bees

Good news for bees as disease continues to threaten hive...

From meteor showers to a seasonal blue moon, the month of May will be putting on quite a show for star watchers.

First up are the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meteor-shower-tonight-tomorrow/">Eta Aquariids</a> (also occasionally spelled Aquarids). While those with their eyes on the sky may have noticed meteor activity picking up in late April, this weekend was expected to see a spike in activity for the weeks-long meteor shower. 

Don’t worry, you still have time to catch the show early on the morning of May 6, when it peaks, with another busy morning expected on May 7.

The Eta Aquariids are bits of rock that separated from Halley’s Comet hundreds of years ago. The comet was last near Earth in 1986, and isn’t expected to return until 2061. But it left behind a trail of space debris in 1986 – and previous visits – that puts on a show for star watchers every spring. 

The Eta Aquariids aren’t usually as breathtaking as meteor showers like the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/perseids-will-light-up-the-sky-this-weekend/">Perseids</a> and Leonids, but they’re still a spectacular sight to behold, especially in the Southern Hemisphere.

The meteors will slow down after this weekend, but will continue to light up the night sky through late May. For the best chance of seeing meteors streaking through the night sky, look up between 3 a.m. and dawn.

Later this month, star watchers will be treated to a blue moon.

It’ll be the first full moon in May – a blue moon is generally thought to be the second full moon within a single month. 

There’s a second and older definition of “<a href="https://www.space.com/15455-blue-moon.html">blue moon</a>.” Most seasons only have three full moons. But in places where spring is considered to last from March 20 to June 21 this year (rather than <a href="https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/when-does-spring-really-start-1299726-Feb2014/">early February through the end of April</a>), the full moon on May 18 is the third out of four this spring. That makes it a blue moon.

Of course, for star watchers who feel summer started last week, it’s just a full moon – but still <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/full-moon-seen-from-the-international-space-station/">beautiful to see</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Look to the sky: Star watchers are in for a heavenly May

From meteor showers to a seasonal blue moon, the month...

The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">National Aeronautic and Space Administration</a> (NASA) and the California Institute of Technology’s <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)</a>  has found a way to combine Star Wars and the Dawn Spacecraft mission to help teach Newton’s Laws of Motion. 

May the Fourth is commonly known as Star Wars Day, and the JPL has designed a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pi-day-challenge/">fun, interactive lesson</a> that teachers can use to “turn science fiction into science fact” as Lyle Tavernier, a JPL Educational Technology Specialist, <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/news/2016/05/03/may-the-force-equals-mass-x-acceleration/?utm_source=iContact&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=nasajpl-edu&amp;utm_content=edunews_20190425">put it</a>.

What does Star Wars have to do with the <a href="https://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/">Dawn Mission</a> or Newton’s Laws of Motion? The answer has to do with ion propulsion. 

Star Wars fans know exactly what a TIE fighter is in the Star Wars universe. The iconic spherical cockpit with two elongated hexagonal panels attached to either side made the TIE fighter a staple of Star Wars lore and was commonly flown by Imperial stormtroopers, including Darth Vader himself. 

The ‘TIE’ in TIE Fighter stands for Twin Ion Engine, and the JPL is fitted with labs specifically dedicated to testing ion thrusters which were used to propel the Dawn spacecraft as it orbited around Vesta and Ceres in the asteroid belt. 

Unlike your typical rocket engine, where a gas that is heated up or pressurized is forced out of a rocket engine nozzle, ion thrusters work by taking the gas xenon and using an electric charge to turn it into an ion. 

The positively charged ions are then forced through a metal grid at a rate of about 90,000 miles per hour, and this force propels the spacecraft forward allowing it to slowly pick up speed and reach extremely high velocities. 

Ion engines and the Dawn Mission which captured stunning images of some of the largest objects in the asteroid belt would not be possible if it weren’t for Newton’s basic principles of motion. 

The Laws of Motion and the equation Force equals Mass Acceleration is an integral part of middle and high school physics, and the JPL has designed a special activity that teachers can use to help students apply these laws to real-world scenarios. 

The activity <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/ion-propulsion-using-spreadsheets-to-model-additive-velocity/">"Ion Propulsion: Using Spreadsheets to Model Additive Velocity”</a> has students determine the velocity and distance of an ion engine spacecraft like Dawn and graph the data with a spreadsheet. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Grzegorz Czapski / Shutterstock

May the Fourth: Using Star Wars to learn Newton’s Laws of Motion

The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) and the California...

Artist's impression of the planet orbiting Proxima Centauri

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the <a href="https://carnegiescience.edu/">Carnegie Institution for Science</a> is urging the scientific community to recognize the significance of a planet's interior dynamics when investigating whether it is capable of hosting <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-clues-life-began-earth/">life</a>. 

With the capabilities that we currently have available, it is common to assess a planet’s habitability by looking for signatures of life in the atmosphere. However, the Carnegie team argues that the planet’s innermost composition and activity must also be considered. 

“The heart of habitability is in planetary interiors,” said study co-author George Cody. 

On Earth, for example, plate tectonics are crucial for maintaining a surface climate where life can thrive. Furthermore, the convection that drives the planet's magnetic field depends on the cycling of material between its surface and interior. Without its magnetic field, Earth would become uninhabitable.

“We need a better understanding of how a planet's composition and interior influence its habitability, starting with Earth,” said study co-author Anat Shahar. “This can be used to guide the search for exoplanets and star systems where life could thrive, signatures of which could be detected by telescopes.”

Planets are formed from silicon, magnesium, oxygen, carbon, iron, and hydrogen. The abundance of these chemical elements, as well as the heating and cooling they experience in their youth, will affect the interior chemistry and other aspects of a planet such as its atmospheric composition.

“One of the big questions we need to ask is whether the geologic and dynamic features that make our home planet habitable can be produced on planets with different compositions,” said study co-author Peter Driscoll.

The Carnegie team concluded that the search for extraterrestrial life must be guided by a combination of astronomical observations, lab experiments of planetary interior conditions, and mathematical modeling.

“Carnegie scientists are long-established world leaders in the fields of geochemistry, geophysics, planetary science, astrobiology, and astronomy,” said study co-author Alycia Weinberger. “So, our institution is perfectly placed to tackle this cross-disciplinary challenge.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</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: ESO/M. Kornmesser

The search for extraterrestrial life should include what’s inside a planet

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the Carnegie Institution for...

A decade from now, an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/measurements-water-asteroid/">asteroid</a> called 99942 Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of chaos, will whiz by Earth coming as close as 19,000 miles above the surface.

It will come so close to our planet that it will be visible to the naked eye. Apophis was first discovered in 2004 by a team of astronomers from the <a href="https://www.noao.edu/kpno/">Kitt Peak National Observatory</a>, and we’ve been tracking the asteroid ever since. 

Luckily, researchers have ruled out the possibility that Apophis, measuring a mega 1,100 feet wide, will collide with Earth even through its trajectory will put it in the same distance as some of Earth’s satellites and spacecrafts that currently orbit Earth. 

There’s about a less than one in 100,000 chance that Apophis will impact Earth many decades from now, according to <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7390">NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.</a>

On April 13th, 2029, the asteroid will streak across the sky and will first be visible as it makes its way over the Southern Hemisphere. At its closest approach, the asteroid is projected to move so fast across the Atlantic Ocean that it will cross the ocean in an hour and cover the width of the moon in a minute. 

Scientists are clamoring for a chance to study the asteroid as its close approach will present a rare research opportunity. At the 2019 <a href="http://pdc.iaaweb.org/">Planetary Defense Conference</a> in College Park, Maryland this week, discussions are already underway about how to observe the event and potential research missions.

“The Apophis close approach in 2029 will be an incredible opportunity for science,” said Marina Brozović, a radar scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We’ll observe the asteroid with both optical and radar telescopes. With radar observations, we might be able to see surface details that are only a few meters in size.”

What makes Apophis especially noteworthy is that asteroids of its size rarely pass so close to Earth, although the close encounter will not leave Apophis unscathed, according to researchers. 

“We already know that the close encounter with Earth will change Apophis’ orbit, but our models also show the close approach could change the way this asteroid spins, and it is possible that there will be some surface changes, like small avalanches,” said Davide Farnocchia, an astronomer at JPL’s <a href="https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/">Center for Near Earth Objects Studies</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Stephane Masclaux/Shutterstock

Asteroid will pass by Earth so closely that it will be visible from the ground

A decade from now, an asteroid called 99942 Apophis, named...

What if we could tackle the problem of energy-consuming air conditioners and the goal of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-climate-change/">carbon capture</a> in one? 

In a new paper published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-09685-x">Nature Communications</a>, researchers from Germany and Canada propose a novel strategy to help mitigate climate change while still keeping homes cool in the summer by using air conditioning units to capture carbon and convert that carbon into fuel. 

The researchers envision a new concept where consumers would generate their own fuel, much like how solar panels can power an entire home, while capturing carbon thousands of times more efficiently than trees. 

“Imagine the renewable-electricity-powered air conditioning system in your house, apartment or office at work, besides functioning for cooling and heating, being adapted to capture carbon dioxide and water from the air,” the authors of the study write. “Imagine the water and carbon dioxide thus collected converted into renewable hydrocarbon fuels using existing technology and thereby creating personalized, localized and distributed, synthetic oil wells.” 

The researchers have developed an experimental model, but as of now, the design is still very much in its early stages. 

“The plan in two or three years is to have the first experimental showcase where I can show you a bottle of hydrocarbon fuel from carbon dioxide captured in an air-conditioning unit,” Roland Dittmeyer, a chemical engineer leading the new project, told <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/could-air-conditioning-fix-climate-change/">Scientific American.</a>

Using air conditioning units is a crucial element of the project as air conditioners are projected to use up as much electricity as China currently uses by the midcentury, according to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/climate/air-conditioning.html">New York Times. </a>

Not only do air conditioners need a lot of electricity, but they also contribute to atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions. 

The researchers predict that if air conditioning carbon capturing units were installed in 25,000 German supermarkets, collectively they would pull 1,000 tons of CO2 from the air every hour. 

“The vision of empowering people with a technology to become energy independent while contributing to a circular economy, a “social energy autarky”, gives control to the people to help solve the greenhouse gas, global warming and climate change problems themselves rather than having to rely on the power-generating industries to rise to the challenge,” the researchers conclude in their paper. 

--

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>

Could air conditioners capture carbon while efficiently cooling buildings?

What if we could tackle the problem of energy-consuming air...

In a breakthrough study using <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/rigorous-standards-crispr-baby-crisis/">CRISPR</a> genome editing technology, researchers at the <a href="https://sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a> have identified an antidote to the deadly sting of the Australian box jellyfish, which is one of the most venomous creatures in the world. 

One Australian box jellyfish carries enough venom to kill more than 60 humans. This deadly creature has about 60 tentacles, and each contains millions of microscopic hooks filled with venom. 

A single sting by an Australian box jellyfish will cause necrosis of the skin and extreme pain. If a large enough dose of venom is delivered, the sting can cause cardiac arrest and death within minutes.

A team of pain researchers was studying how the box jellyfish venom works when they uncovered a treatment that can block the symptoms of a box jellyfish sting if administered to the skin within 15 minutes of contact. The researchers now hope to develop a topical application for humans.

“We were looking at how the venom works, to try to better understand how it causes pain,” said study senior author Professor Greg Neely. “Using new CRISPR genome editing techniques we could quickly identify how this venom kills human cells.”

“Luckily, there was already a drug that could act on the pathway the venom uses to kill cells, and when we tried this drug as a venom antidote on mice, we found it could block the tissue scarring and pain related to jellyfish stings. It is super exciting.”

The experts used CRISPR whole genome editing to investigate how the venom works. They looked for human cells that could survive the venom, and identified human factors that are required for the venom to cause its deadly reaction. 

“The jellyfish venom pathway we identified in this study requires cholesterol, and since there are lots of drugs available that target cholesterol, we could try to block this pathway to see how this impacted venom activity,” explained study lead author Dr. Raymond Lau. “We took one of those drugs, which we know is safe for human use, and we used it against the venom, and it worked. It's a molecular antidote.”

“It's the first molecular dissection of how this type of venom works, and possible how any venom works,” said Dr. Lau. “I haven't seen a study like this for any other venom.”

“We know the drug will stop the necrosis, skin scarring and the pain completely when applied to the skin,” said Professor Neely. “We don't know yet if it will stop a heart attack. That will need more research and we are applying for funding to continue this work.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/about">Nature Communications</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

Scientists find a cure for the deadly box jellyfish sting

In a breakthrough study using CRISPR genome editing technology, researchers...

In a breakthrough in bioengineering, researchers have found a way to successfully replicate complex vascular systems with 3D printing.

With over 100,000 people on organ transplant waiting lists in the US, there is a critical need for widely available and effective <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/growing-human-kidneys-feasible/">organ replacements</a> that won’t require life-long immune-suppressing treatments.  

There has been a growing interest in using 3D printing to create functional working organ replacements, but one of the biggest challenges that come with bioprinting is replicating the complex and extremely detailed vascular networks that transport blood, air, and fluids through the body. 

Bioengineers from <a href="https://www.rice.edu/">Rice University</a> and a collaborative team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>, <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a>,<a href="http://www.rowan.edu/"> Rowan University</a> and <a href="https://n-e-r-v-o-u-s.com/">Nervous System,</a> a design firm in Massachusetts, have found a way to 3D print intricate tissues. 

The researchers designed and printed a functioning hydrogel model that mimics the airways in the lung that deliver oxygen to blood vessels. 

A new study, published in the journal Science, describes the detailed hydrogel model and experiments with mice and bioprinted tissue containing liver cells.  

“One of the biggest roadblocks to generating functional tissue replacements has been our inability to print the complex vasculature that can supply nutrients to densely populated tissues,” said Jordan Miller, a leader of the research. “Ours is the first bioprinting technology that addresses the challenge of multivascularization directly and comprehensively.”

To produce a working lung-like air sac with complete vascular airways, the researchers created a new kind of bioprinting technology called “stereolithography apparatus for tissue engineering” (SLATE) which makes soft hydrogels one layer at a time. 

These liquid hydrogel layers become a solid once exposed to blue light, and the researchers tested the structure by mimicking airflow to ensure that the 3D printed vascular system could withstand the pressure and volume of blood and oxygen flow in the human body.  

In another experiment, the researchers 3D printed tissues and filled them with liver cells before implanting them into mice. The tissues had compartments for blood vessels and liver cells and implants were placed in mice with liver injuries. 

The results could help pave the way for implants for patients suffering from liver disease. 

“With the addition of multivascular and intravascular structure, we’re introducing an extensive set of design freedoms for engineering living tissue,” said Miller. “We now have the freedom to build many of the intricate structures found in the body.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Jordan Miller/Rice University

3D printed lungs and livers may soon be a reality for organ transplants

In a breakthrough in bioengineering, researchers have found a way...

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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



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

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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

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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

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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



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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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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

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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



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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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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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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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...