You've undoubtedly noticed that the Moon has two distinct sides, right? The near side that we see from Earth and the far side that remains a mystery because it is never turned towards us.



This unusual lunar characteristic -- a global dichotomy -- is what a team of scientists led by Professor XU Yigang from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (<a href="http://english.gig.cas.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GIGCAS</a>) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been investigating.



They have been studying lunar soil samples collected from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far side of the Moon, and returned to Earth by China's <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=CHANG-E-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chang’e-6 mission</a>.



These invaluable samples have allowed them to investigate the Moon's peculiar dichotomy and the results have shed light on some of its secrets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-chang-e-6">What is Chang’e-6?</h2>



The Chinese space program launched Chang'e 6, their latest Moon mission, on May 3, 2024. The spacecraft blasted off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on a Long March 5 rocket at 9:27 UT (that's 5:27 PM Beijing time). 



Their goal? To grab about four pounds (2 kg) of Moon rocks from the far side - something no one had done before.



The lander touched down in a huge crater called the South Pole Aitken Basin. The team used both a scoop and a drill to dig up surface samples and even went 2 meters deep into the lunar soil. 



They also sent out a small rover that cruised around taking snapshots of the lander doing its work.



Once they collected the samples, the crew packed them into an ascent vehicle sitting on top of the lander. 



On June 3 at 11:38 PM UT (7:38 AM Beijing time the next day), this vehicle shot up from the Moon's surface and met up with the orbiter waiting above. They made the handoff on June 6, 2024.



After ditching the ascent vehicle (which crashed back into the Moon), the return vehicle hung around in orbit for a couple weeks before heading home. 



It pulled off a tricky skip-entry through Earth's atmosphere and landed in Inner Mongolia's Siziwang Banner region on June 25 at 6:07 UT (2:07 PM Beijing time). 



The final haul? Roughly 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg) of Moon rocks and soil from the far side -- marking another big win for China's space program.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-far-side-vs-visible-side-of-the-moon">Far side vs. visible side of the Moon</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/its-official-earth-now-has-two-moons-captured-asteroid-2024-pt5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moon's</a> dichotomy is visible in its topography, chemical composition, crustal thickness, evidence of volcanism and, most noticeably, in the difference in geomorphology between its near and far sides.



The near side of the Moon is home to the familiar "man in the moon" maria - the dark "seas" that are the result of ancient volcanic activity. 



These areas were flooded with molten lava that created rocks known as mare basalts.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_diagram_credit-YANG-Muhan_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_diagram_credit-YANG-Muhan_1s.webp" alt="Distribution of distinct volcanic episodes on the Moon’s farside. The remote sensing image highlights the Chang’e-6 landing site along with nearby mare and cryptomare basaltic units. Credit: Image by YANG Muhan" class="wp-image-1950782"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Distribution of distinct volcanic episodes on the Moon’s farside. The remote sensing image highlights the Chang’e-6 landing site along with nearby mare and cryptomare basaltic units. Credit: Image by YANG Muhan</figcaption></figure>



How about the far side? Well, here's where it gets intriguing. Only about 2% of this hidden part of the Moon is covered in the basalts, compared to around 30% on the near side.



This inexplicable difference is a vital part of the lunar global dichotomy that the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program aims to unravel.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-secrets-of-the-moon-s-far-side">Secrets of the Moon's far side</h2>



Thanks to the Chang’e-6 lunar soil samples, Professor XU's team discovered the existence of two different types of mare basalts, low-Ti, and very low-Ti (VLT). 



“The samples returned by Chang’e-6 provide a best opportunity to investigate the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2024-pt5-mini-moon-say-goodbye-to-earths-second-moon-we-barely-got-to-know-you/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lunar</a> global dichotomy,” said Professor XU.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-eruptions_basalt-types_credit-GIGCAS_1s.webp" alt="The two types of basalts in Chang’e-6 soils and isochrons of the Chang’e-6 low-Ti basalt. Credit: GIGCAS" class="wp-image-1950784"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The two types of basalts in Chang’e-6 soils and isochrons of the Chang’e-6 low-Ti basalt. Credit: GIGCAS</figcaption></figure>



Let's not dismiss the aspect of dating these samples either. With high-precision Pb-Pb dating techniques, the team determined that the low-Ti basalt dates back to around 2.83 billion years ago.



This attests to the presence of "young" magmatism or volcanic activities on the far side of the Moon. But of course, young is a relative term when we talk about 2.83 billion years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-the-history-of-volcanoes">Mapping the history of volcanoes</h2>



With such valuable information now in our hands, we can clearly chart the volcanic timeline on the far side of the Moon. 



Led by Professor LI Qiuli, the team conducted radioisotope dating on 108 basalt fragments, with 107 of them revealing a consistent formation age of 2807 million years ago.



But there's more. One fragment, a high-aluminum basalt, was dated to a monumental 4203 million years ago, making it the oldest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/harvest-moon-2024-will-feature-a-partial-lunar-eclipse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lunar</a> basalt for which age has been precisely determined.



This implies elevated levels of volcanic activity on the far side of the Moon for at least 1.4 billion years - between 4.2 billion and 2.8 billion years ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



These findings, available for everyone to dissect, can help recalibrate the existing lunar crater chronology models. 



Christopher Hamilton, an independent planetary volcano expert, emphasized the importance of obtaining samples from this previously unchartered lunar territory.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_Change-6-mission_landing_credit-CLEP_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_Change-6-mission_landing_credit-CLEP_1s.webp" alt="China's Chang’e-6 mission spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon. Credit: CLAP" class="wp-image-1950787"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">China's Chang’e-6 mission spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon. Credit: CLAP </figcaption></figure>



More than just understanding the Moon, these lunar soil samples also have implications for some broad astronomical theories.



The new data indicates a constant impact flux after 2.83 billion years, which can offer new insights into planet migration in the early Solar System. 



So, by looking at the Moon, we are indirectly learning about our own cosmic neighborhood as well!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



With more missions like the Chang'e-6, the future will undoubtedly bring many enlightening discoveries about our constant celestial companion.



In the end, we see that the Moon, despite its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-may-have-captured-the-moon-from-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">familiar appearance</a>, still hides untold secrets waiting to be discovered. 



These lunar missions represent a new age of lunar and planetary exploration that pushes the boundaries of our understanding.



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The researchers from the <a href="https://english.cas.cn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> express their gratitude for the support received from various institutes such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. These institutions' enduring support enables such important lunar explorations.



The study is published in the journals <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08382-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a> and <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt1093" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



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Far side of the Moon had volcanic eruptions for over one billion years

You've undoubtedly noticed that the Moon has two distinct sides, right? The near side that we see from Earth and the far side that remains a mystery because it is never turned towards us. This unusual lunar characteristic -- a global dichotomy -- is what a team of scientists led by Professor XU Yigang from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (GIGCAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been investigating. They have been studying lunar soil samples collected from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far...

The beauty aisles in department stores have grown to a massive, and frankly, overwhelming size. These aisles are crammed with bright bottles printed with buzz words such as “moisturizing”, “revitalizing” and “nourishment”. 

As awareness spreads about the plight of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-testing-method-saves/">research animals</a>, more and more people are reading the bottles for words such as “cruelty-free” and “not tested on animals” as well. Unfortunately, there is a lack of clarity about what these words mean and if animals were actually tested on.

Consumers might assume that “cruelty-free” and “not tested on animals” are straight-forward terms that make it clear that no animals were used to test the product. However, as the<a href="https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/labeling/claims/ucm2005202.htm"> U.S. Food &amp; Drug Administration</a> (FDA) website points out, “Some cosmetic companies promote their products with claims of this kind in their labeling or advertising. The unrestricted use of these phrases by cosmetic companies is possible because there are no legal definitions for these terms.”

Cosmetic companies may use the phrases “cruelty-free” and “not tested on animals” to describe their finished cosmetic products. This means that the cosmetic a consumer buys at the store was not tested on animals but separate ingredients used to make the product were. While technically the finished product is cruelty free, animals still suffered in a laboratory for the product to be made.

Manufacturers may also use a “cruelty-free” label if they themselves did not perform the animal testing but outsourced the testing to a third party.

Complicating matters even further is a Chinese law that requires foreign cosmetic products to be tested on animals in order to be sold in the country. The incentive of a huge market in China is often too much for manufacturers to turn down.

While many large companies sell their products in China, some are also working to advance the field of non-animal cosmetic testing. L’Oreal has been creating human skin cell models as an alternative since 1979 and is currently researching other alternatives such as molecular modeling and imaging techniques.

As our society advances, so does our science. Cosmetic animal testing is seen by many scientists and researchers as an outdated and inaccurate model. The European Union even banned the use and sale of cosmetic products tested on animals.

Technical phrasing and global politics may be headache inducing for the average consumer, especially one who is trying to pick up some quick groceries. Thankfully, people trying to take a stand with how they spend their dollar can download apps which will tell them if their products are truly cruelty free. 

They can also keep their eye out for the Leaping Bunny logo, which guarantees that neither the manufacturer nor any of their ingredient suppliers tested on animals at any stage of the process. As for companies that sell in China the website says, “At this time, any company that markets or sells their products in China may be removed from the Leaping Bunny Program unless a company can provide proof that they are exempt from animal testing now and anytime in the future.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

“Cruelty-free” doesn’t always mean what it implies

The beauty aisles in department stores have grown to a...

Microorganisms like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-environment/">bacteria</a> and even sperm have to be excellent swimmers in order to navigate the environments they frequent.

Now, researchers from <a href="https://www.tmu.ac.jp/english/index.html">Tokyo Metropolitan University</a> have uncovered the mechanisms that allow microorganisms to maneuver through fluids with a gel-like consistency. 

Microorganisms need fluids with the right kind of viscosity to swim around effectively, but previous research that focused on how microorganisms swim paid little attention to the fluids themselves. 

The results of the most recent study, published in the journal Europhysics Letters, show that changes in the microorganism’s features invoke different responses from the fluid around it and that the size of the structure of the fluid and microorganism impacts movement. 

Researchers studying the swimming movements of microorganisms use a model called a three-sphere-microswimmer, which is a string of three microscopic spheres attached to a string. The model propels itself forwards by pumping its arms. 

For this study, the researchers immersed the three-sphere model in a polymer gel. 

The model was able to achieve motion through two mechanisms. The first involved breaking something called time-reversal symmetry and the other mechanism required that the arms of the model change the amplification of their propelling motion. 

Movement was also impacted by the structure of the fluid itself, and if the microspheres were larger than the components of the fluid, there was more resistance against the swimmer.

The study could help provide insight into the movement of bacteria and cells and could even be used to create robots that can maneuver through debris after a flood or landslide. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How to microorganisms maneuver through different environments

Microorganisms like bacteria and even sperm have to be excellent...

Hundreds of millions of years before the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-event-darkness/">K-T or K-Pg extinction</a> wiped out the dinosaurs, another massive extinction event, the largest in the history of the world, took place. 

The End-Permian Extinction occurred around 250 million years ago, jump-started by a volcanic eruption in Siberia. 

Nearly 90 percent of all life on Earth was destroyed in the aftermath leaving just a little less than five percent of the sea’s species and little vegetation, according to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/permian-extinction/">National Geographic.</a>

All life on Earth evolved from the few remaining species after the End-Permian which is also aptly called the Great Dying. 

While researchers know that a huge volcanic eruption was behind the extinction, a new study has provided insight into just how the eruption effectively wiped out most of life on Earth. Geologists call the eruption the Siberian Flood Basalts and it went on for nearly one million years. 

The new study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://ensg.univ-lorraine.fr/english/research/crpg/">Centre for Petrographic and Geochemical Research in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy,</a> France and <a href="https://www.utk.edu/">University of Tennessee</a> professor Lawrence Taylor. 

The results of the study were published in the journal Nature Geoscience and help to explain what made the End-Permian Extinction so deadly. 

“The scale of this extinction was so incredible that scientists have often wondered what made the Siberian Flood Basalts so much more deadly than other similar eruptions,” said Michael Broadley, the lead author of the paper.

The researchers analyzed samples of mantle xenoliths provided by Taylor (who passed away in September). Mantle xenoliths are rock sections of the layers between the crust and mantle. During a volcanic explosion, the components of the lithosphere are brought to the surface. 

After examining the rock sections the researchers found that the lithosphere’s composition changed after the eruption. Before the Siberian Flood Basalts, the lithosphere below was packed with chlorine, bromine, and iodine. 

However, after the eruption, these elements were no longer present in the lithosphere. 

The researchers theorize that the elements, all part the of the halogen group, were expelled into the atmosphere during the eruption.

“We concluded that the large reservoir of halogens that was stored in the Siberian lithosphere was sent into the earth's atmosphere during the volcanic explosion, effectively destroying the ozone layer at the time and contributing to the mass extinction,” said Broadley. 

The study shows that the End-Permian extinction was so catastrophic because ozone eroding elements destroyed Earth’s protective defense against harmful UV radiation after the massive volcanic eruption. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Michael W. Broadley

The driving forces behind the largest extinction event ever

Hundreds of millions of years before the K-T or K-Pg...

While most of us in developed countries often take <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cape-town-water-crisis/">clean water</a> for granted – not counting Flint, Michigan – there are still countries and communities around the world where access to clean water is a daily struggle. In dry, arid locations with no freshwater sources, how can people collect the water they need to survive? A new invention may just have a solution.

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.uakron.edu/">University of Akron</a> have developed a nanofiber cloth that is able to capture clean drinking water from the air. This lightweight, battery-powered freshwater harvester can take as much as 10 gallons per hour from the air – even in arid locations. 

This nanofiber cloth uses electrospun polymers to “squeeze” water out of the air. The nanoscale fiber polymers have an extremely high surface-area-to-volume ratio, and are tangled around fragments of expanded graphite that give this large surface area on to which water droplets condense. The graphite encourages the water to drip out of this material when it is squeezed or heated. 

Sing-Chung Josh Wong of the University of Akron led the team that created this material. He claims that water harvesters made with these nanofibers could yield up to 180 liters of water per square meter every day. Furthermore, the fibers act as a filter for dirt and bacteria, which means the water collected is already safe to drink.

The water collector only needs to be about 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding environment for it to be effective. “We could confidently say that, with recent advances in lithium-ion batteries, we could eventually develop a smaller, backpack-sized device,” Wong says. 

He hopes to receive additional funding to build a prototype of this freshwater harvester, and believes that once the prototype is produced, it should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture. If this all turns out to be the case, it could mean improved access to freshwater for people around the world. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New nanofiber technology can capture drinking water from air

While most of us in developed countries often take clean...

The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/">Food and Drug Administration</a> (FDA) will allow a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms - psilocybin - as a treatment for depression. Previous research has suggested that psilocybin can ease the symptoms of chronic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magic-mushrooms-depression-emotions/">depression</a> in patients who have been resistant to other forms of treatment.

<a href="https://compasspathways.com/">COMPASS Pathways</a> has been given the approval by the FDA to proceed with an ongoing psilocybin therapy trial. The company was founded in 2016 with a goal of giving mental health patients faster access to evidence-based, innovative therapies. 

George Goldsmith is the chairman and co-founder of COMPASS Pathways.

“We are excited to be starting this landmark trial which has the potential to transform lives,” said Goldsmith. “Depression is the leading cause of ill-health and disability worldwide, and treatment-resistant depression affects more than 100 million people. It is a huge unmet need and the trial will teach us more about how this new approach might address it.”

The next phase of the study by COMPASS will be focused on 216 patients in 12 to 15 research sites across Europe and North America, beginning in the UK later this month.

Psilocybin therapy combines a dose of psilocybin with psychological support. In previous academic studies across the United States and the UK, psilocybin therapy has proven to be effective and safe. 

COMPASS co-founder Ekaterina Malievskaia is also the company's chief medical officer. She explained: “The design of this study has been a truly collaborative effort, with scientists, clinicians, patient representatives and regulators from Europe and North America working together with the goal of helping patients suffering with treatment-resistant depression.”

If the upcoming phase of the trial by COMPASS proves to be successful, the team will move into a third phase.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Magic mushroom ingredient approved by FDA for depression trial

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will allow a clinical...

About 390,000 years ago, two early human species split apart from each other and formed the now-since extinct Neanderthals and Denisovans species.

Archaeological excavations and DNA analysis have provided insight into the lives of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-humans-relations-ghost-species/">early Neanderthals</a>, and researchers have found evidence in ancient human genomes that <a href="http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/ancient-dna-and-neanderthals/interbreeding">Neanderthals interbred with modern humans</a> hundreds of thousands of years ago. 

Far less is known about another human relative, the Denisovan, but now new research shows that just like humans and Neanderthals, Denisovans paired with Neanderthals quite frequently. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> analyzed a bone fragment found in 2012 in the Denisova Cave in Russia. 

Because the fragment was identified as belonging to a hominin, it was taken to the Max Planck Institute to further examination. 

The researchers mapped the genome of the individual the bone fragment belonged to and found that it came from the ancient offspring of interbreeding Neanderthals and Denisovans. 

The findings were published in the journal Nature. 

“We knew from previous studies that Neandertals and Denisovans must have occasionally had children together,” said Viviane Slon, a lead author of the study. “But I never thought we would be so lucky as to find an actual offspring of the two groups.”

The discovery is a remarkable one because not only were the researchers able to estimate that the bone fragment came from the 13-year-old progeny of two different human species, but the newly mapped genome also provides crucial insight into the lives of Denisovans and later Neanderthals. 

“An interesting aspect of this genome is that it allows us to learn things about two populations - the Neandertals from the mother's side, and the Denisovans from the father's side,” said Fabrizio Mafessoni, a co-author of the study. 

The girl’s mother likely came from a group of Neanderthals who lived in western Europe and who migrated between western and eastern Eurasia before they went extinct.

With the Denisovan father, the researchers found evidence that he also had Neanderthal heritage farther back in his family tree. 

“So from this single genome, we are able to detect multiple instances of interactions between Neanderthals and Denisovans,” said Benjamin Vernot, the third co-author of the study.

The results of the analysis provide a better understanding of how early human relatives migrated and interacted with each other.  Interbreeding, as it turns out, was much more common than previously realized. 

“It is striking that we find this Neanderthal/Denisovan child among the handful of ancient individuals whose genomes have been sequenced,” said Svante Pääbo, the lead author of the study. “Neanderthals and Denisovans may not have had many opportunities to meet. But when they did, they must have mated frequently - much more so than we previously thought.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ancient teen had parents from two different human species

About 390,000 years ago, two early human species split apart...

Scientists have found that a drug called galantamine, which is commonly used for treating Alzheimer's disease, is a highly effective way of inducing lucid dreams. In this type of dream state, an individual becomes aware that he or she is dreaming and can take control of what happens during the dream.

Many experts believe that lucid dreaming has mental, physical, and spiritual benefits, such as overcoming <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amygdala-experience-fear/">fears</a> and phobias.

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> and <a href="http://www.lucidity.com/">The Lucidity Institute</a> found that 42 percent of study participants who had taken galantamine experienced lucid dreams. The team, which was led by Dr. Stephen La Berge, says this is “one of the most effective methods for inducing lucid dreams available today.”

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is believed to regulate the stage of sleep that is associated with dreaming, or REM sleep. Chemicals called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEls) help promote this compound by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase - an enzyme in the brain called that deactivates acetylcholine. 

Galantamine is an AChEI that is used to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The drug is fast-acting and has only a few mild side effects.

The study was focused on 121 individuals who had previously received some training on how to induce lucid dreams. The participants were given a placebo on the first night, followed by four milligrams of galantamine on the second night, and eight milligrams on the third night.


“On 3 consecutive nights, they awoke approximately 4.5 hours after lights out, recalled a dream, ingested the capsules and stayed out of bed for at least 30 minutes,” wrote the study authors.

As the individuals fell back asleep, they practiced the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) technique.

“To effectively practice MILD requires good dream recall,” wrote the researchers. “One begins by remembering a dream, either from a previous night or, ideally, from which one has just awakened. One then identifies an anomaly within the dream that is characteristic of one’s dreams.”


While taking the placebo, only 14 percent of the participants had a lucid dream. This number increased to 27 percent on the second night, and jumped up to 42 percent on the third and final night.

“Galantamine also significantly increased dream recall, sensory vividness and complexity. Dream recall, cognitive clarity, control, positive emotion, vividness and self-reflection were increased during lucid compared to non-lucid dreams.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS One</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Alzheimer's drug found to be effective for inducing lucid dreams

Scientists have found that a drug called galantamine, which is...

The Earth’s magnetic field is in a constant state of flux and every couple hundred thousand years or so, the poles undergo a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-magnetic-poles-flip/">complete reversal and flip</a>. 

Throughout Earth’s history the poles have flipped many times and as <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012-poleReversal.html">NASA</a> points out, pole reversals are the “rule not the exception.” 

As a result, it’s not really a matter of if the poles will flip but when, and since we’re long overdue (roughly over 700,000 years) for a flip, many researchers are weighing on when the next flip may occur. 

A new study examining previous magnetic pole shifts through cave stalagmite samples found that a flip can occur within a matter of centuries.

More attention has been paid to the Earth's magnetic field because there is speculation that a flip may happen sometime in the near future. 

According to a piece in <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-an-anomaly-in-the-earths-magnetic-field-portend-a-coming-pole-reversal-47528">The Conversation,</a> the Earth’s magnetic poles are weakening and the strength of the magnetic field has been decreasing over the years. 

If a pole shift were to occur in our lifetime, researchers from the <a href="http://www.anu.edu.au/">Australian National University </a>recently discovered that, based on previous shifts, it could happen over the span of a century or more. 

The researchers collected and analyzed stalagmites from a cave in Southwestern China in order to map the paleomagnetic record form 107,000 to 91,000 years ago, according to <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6088607/Earths-magnetic-field-FLIP-sooner-previously-thought.html">the Daily Mail. </a>

Using both radiometric dating and magnetic analysis of a long stalagmite sample, the researchers discovered that the Earth’s magnetic field previously underwent a rapid reversal over a period of two centuries. 

The study provides important insight into the history of the Earth’s magnetic field and could help predict when the next flip will happen. 

If the poles were to flip in the immediate future, it could have devastating consequences. The Earth would be exposed to high concentrations of dangerous solar radiation and the Earth’s electric grid could go dark causing trillions of dollars in damage. 

That’s why it’s important to be as prepared as we can for an imminent flip. 

“Hopefully such an event is a long way in the future and we can develop future technologies to avoid huge damage, where possible, from such events,” Professor Roberts from the Australian National University’s Research School of Earth Sciences told the Daily Mail. “The record provides important insights into ancient magnetic field behavior,’ Professor Roberts said, ‘which has turned out to vary much more rapidly than previously thought.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Earth’s magnetic poles could flip relatively quickly

The Earth’s magnetic field is in a constant state of...

When materials make contact with the natural air they are coated with a thin layer of molecules that change their properties. This molecular dirt has proven very challenging for scientists to study, and some have theorized that the coating is simply a layer of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frozen-water-discovered-moon/">water</a> molecules.

To investigate, researchers at <a href="https://www.tuwien.ac.at/en/">TU Wien</a> have developed a new method by creating pure ice in a vacuum chamber and then melting it. This has enabled the scientists to produce the world's cleanest water drops, which they applied to titanium dioxide surfaces.


Using this technique, the researchers discovered that the molecular dirt that changes the properties of titanium dioxide surfaces is made up of two organic acids, acetic and formic acid, in a layer that is a single molecule thick. This was unexpected, due to the fact these acids are only found in minute amounts in the air.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) plays an important role in a wide range of technical applications, including self-cleaning surfaces. Experts around the world had previously observed an unknown molecule attaching to titanium dioxide surfaces when they came in contact with water.

The two acids that have been identified in the current study as coating TiO2 are simple organic acids produced by plants. The traces of these acids in the air are tiny, at just a few acid molecules per billion air molecules. While these molecules are not very common in the air, they stick to the metal oxide surface and change its behavior.

“In order to avoid impurities, experiments like these have to be carried out in a vacuum,” said study co-author Ulrike Diebold. “Therefore, we had to create a water drop that never came into contact with the air, then place the drop on a titanium dioxide surface that had been scrupulously cleaned down to the atomic scale.”

The research team found that the molecules appeared on the sample only when it made contact with the air. In addition, the same molecules were discovered in completely different parts of the world - in an urban region of Vienna and a rural region of the United States.


“This result shows us how careful we need to be when conducting experiments of this kind,” said Diebold. “Even tiny traces in the air, which could actually be considered insignificant, are sometimes decisive.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: TU Wien

Even the cleanest water droplets contain molecular dirt

When materials make contact with the natural air they are...

A billion years ago, the Sun was not nearly as bright as it is now, and scientists have speculated that atmospheric gases must have warmed the planet enough to sustain life. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.gatech.edu/">Georgia Institute of Technology</a> suggests that nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, may have made a large contribution.


While previous studies have established that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-dioxide-record-broken/">carbon dioxide</a> and methane were present on ancient Earth, they would not have been abundant enough on their own to warm the planet. This led scientists to theorize that the powerful greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) may have also existed.

For the current study, which was funded by the <a href="https://nai.nasa.gov/">NASA Astrobiology Institute</a>, the researchers used atmospheric computer modeling and experimentation to test out the N2O hypothesis. The investigation was focused on the middle of the Proterozoic Eon, over a billion years ago. 


“People in our field often refer to this middle chapter in Earth’s history roughly 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago as the ‘boring billion’ because we classically think of it as a very stable period,” said study first author Chloe Stanton. “But there were many important processes affecting ocean and atmospheric chemistry during this time.”

“The ocean chemistry was completely different back then,” said study lead author Jennifer Glass. “Today’s oceans are well-oxygenated, so iron rapidly rusts and drops out of solution. Oxygen was low in Proterozoic oceans, so they were filled with ferrous iron, which is highly reactive.”


Lab experiments revealed that ferrous iron (Fe2+) in seawater reacts with nitrogen molecules to produce N2O in a process called chemodenitrification. The resulting N2O can then make its way into the atmosphere.


When higher levels of N2O were accounted for in the atmospheric model, the experts found that N2O levels could have been ten times what they are today with just ten percent of modern-day oxygen levels. This would have given the planet a boost of warming.

Prior to the Proterozoic, when oxygen was even lower, aquatic microbes could have been breathing N2O.

“It’s quite possible that life was breathing laughing gas long before it began breathing oxygen,” said Professor Glass. “Chemodenitrification might have supplied microbes with a steady source of it.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14724669">Geobiology</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: Georgia Tech/Allison Carter

Laughing gas may have supported life on Earth before oxygen

A billion years ago, the Sun was not nearly as...

The largest monumental cemetery ever discovered in eastern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-humans-africa/">Africa</a> has now been uncovered by an international research team. The Lothagam North Pillar Site near Lake Turkana in modern-day Kenya was a communal site that was built around 5,000 years ago.

The remains of at least 580 men, women, and children suggest that they were engaged in an egalitarian society without a social hierarchy.

The development of such a massive public project by “mobile pastoralists” contradicts the idea that a complex social structure was required for the construction of large public monuments.

The research team, which included researchers from <a href="https://www.stonybrook.edu/">Stony Brook University</a> and the <a href="https://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a>, determined that the cemetery was used for several centuries between 5,000 and 4,300 years ago. 

A platform that was about 98 feet in diameter was built over a large, excavated hole where the bodies were buried. The cavity was filled and capped with stones, followed by megalith pillars. 

According to the researchers, all of the individuals that were buried - from infants to the elderly - were placed in the same area. The distribution of personal ornaments was also evenly distributed, suggesting that everyone in this particular society was considered to be equal.

“This discovery challenges earlier ideas about monumentality,” said study co-author Elizabeth Sawchuk. “Absent other evidence, Lothagam North provides an example of monumentality that is not demonstrably linked to the emergence of hierarchy, forcing us to consider other narratives of social change.”

Ancient monuments have long been considered to be indicators of complex societies with distinct social classes. In this case, however, the cemetery shows no evidence of a rigid social hierarchy. 

“The monuments may have served as a place for people to congregate, renew social ties, and reinforce community identity,” said study co-author Anneke Janzen. “Information exchange and interaction through shared ritual may have helped mobile herders navigate a rapidly changing physical landscape.” 

“The Lothagam North Pillar Site is the earliest known monumental site in eastern Africa, built by the region's first herders,” said study leader Elisabeth Hildebrand. “This finding makes us reconsider how we define social complexity, and the kinds of motives that lead groups of people to create public architecture.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: PNAS

Ancient graveyard reveals social structure from 5,000 years ago

The largest monumental cemetery ever discovered in eastern Africa has...

In the year 2005, there were so many tropical storms that the <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/">U.S. National Hurricane Center</a> ran out of tropical cyclone names. Towards the end of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-slowing-down-hurricanes-making-them-stronger/">hurricane season</a>, they had to begin calling tropical storms by letters of the Greek alphabet. 

The year 2005 was the biggest year for tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic since the 1940s, and by some measurements, the biggest in over 150 years. Suffice to say, scientists have been intensely studying any factors that may have contributed to this phenomenon ever since.

Now, a new study published in <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a> uses climate simulations and analysis of tropical cyclone activity to estimate the maximum number of tropical cyclones that might occur in the Atlantic in our current climate. Their findings show that this maximum number possible under existing climate conditions is very close to the number of storms that occurred in 2005 (28). 

The study involved thousands of years of climate model simulations being analyzed to determine if they could result in climate conditions more favorable for tropical cyclone formation than what occurred in 2005. The models rarely exceeded the observed 2005 cyclone numbers, producing more than 28 storms just about one percent of the time.

“It’s hard for the Atlantic climate to generate a lot more tropical cyclones in this region than occurred in 2005,” says lead author Dr. Sally Lavender of the <a href="https://www.csiro.au/">Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization</a> (CSIRO). “Even when we looked at thousands of years of climate model simulations, they didn’t really indicate a convincing possibility of many more tropical storms.”

The study’s authors look to refine their climate model simulations in order to increase the accuracy of the depicted relationships between climate and tropical cyclone formation rates. And while it may seem like a complicated attempt to predict an unpredictable future, this type of research is important for risk management and determining the potential for damage to infrastructure and endangerment to the public. The researchers also plan on assessing the potential for damage caused by future storms, and how climate affects that as well.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

2005 acts as a benchmark for maximum possible Atlantic hurricanes

In the year 2005, there were so many tropical storms...

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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

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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

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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

[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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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

[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

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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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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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