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...

More than eight million babies have been born around the world thanks to in-vitro fertilization (IFV), according to the <a href="http://www.icmartivf.org/">International Committee for Monitoring Advanced Reproductive Technology</a> (ICMART).

The <a href="https://www.eshre.eu/">European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology</a> (ESHRE) has been collecting national registry data of ART cycles performed in Europe since 1997, and the first successful baby born from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fertility-treatment-likelihood-divorce/">IVF</a> was Louise Brown in 1978. 

Since then, IVF treatments have skyrocketed and estimates show that more than half a million babies are born from IVF and ICSI treatments every year. 

ICMART along with ESHRE have collected information on infertility treatments in Europe and found inconsistencies with how ART is used throughout different countries to help would-be parents. 

Researchers collected data from 1991 to 2014 and also found that more than 2 million treatment cycles are performed each year. 

Spain is the most active country in ART use and in 2015, a record 119,875 treatment cycles were performed in Spain, more than any other country. 

Russia was close behind Spain, with 110,723 treatment cycles performed and 96,512 in Germany. 

France used to be the most active for IVF and ICSI but in 2015, the country was behind Germany with 93,918 cycles. 

IVF and ICSI, as well as egg donations, have given options to millions of hopeful parents who for whatever reason are unable to conceive, and the efforts of ESHRE and ICMART show how much ART is used throughout <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-scale-deforestation-europe/">Europe</a> as well as highlighting any disparities between countries. 

This most recent report includes a total of 800,000 treatment cycles performed in 2015 which resulted in the successful births of 157,449 babies. It is the largest and most accurate representation of ART in Europe. 

In Europe, the report shows that clinics favor ICSI over IVF by two to one and this something that is increasing throughout the rest of the world. 

Pregnancy rates throughout Europe with ART are also rising and stabilizing with fewer twins born each year. 

Italy and Austria offer fewer treatments to their populations than other countries and the report shows that many countries do not meet the demand for ART. 

The report will be presented in Barcelona at the 34th annual meeting ESHRE. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Over 8 million babies have been been from IVF since 1978

More than eight million babies have been born around the...

A study from the <a href="http://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a> has revealed that most asteroids and meteorites emerged from the disintegration of just a few minor planets that formed during the earliest days of our solar system. The researchers found that at least 85 percent of the 200,000 asteroids contained in the inner asteroid belt came from only five or six small, primitive planets. 

Study lead author and theoretical astronomer Stanley Dermott explained that the other 15 percent may also be traced back to the same minor planets. He said that the discovery is important for understanding the materials that shaped the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-triggered-global-warming/">Earth</a>.


The revelation also provides a more accurate interpretation of the evolutionary history of asteroids and the materials that form them. According to Dermott, the finding could prove to be critical in protecting the Earth and its inhabitants from massive meteorites that are as large as the Statue of Liberty and asteroids that are more powerful than atomic bombs.

“These large bodies whiz by the Earth, so of course we're very concerned about how many of these there are and what types of material are in them,” said Dermott. “If ever one of these comes towards the earth, and we want to deflect it, we need to know what its nature is.”


The research team demonstrated that the size of an asteroid determines its trajectory. Dermott pointed out that this indicates that the differences in meteorites found on Earth are caused by evolutionary changes that occurred inside a few large bodies more than four billion years ago.

“I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually trace the origins of all asteroids in the main asteroid belt, not just those in the inner belt, to a small number of known parent bodies.”

Dermott said that understanding the evolutionary history of the space bodies that formed our early solar system helps theoretical astronomers answer questions related to where planets like our own might exist in the universe. Before this, however, we have to understand the processes that are responsible for producing the planet that we live on.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natastron/">Nature Astronomy</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Over 85 percent of asteroids formed from the same ancient planets

A study from the University of Florida has revealed that...

Researchers have developed technology that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans of resting brain activity to test human intelligence. The new system could ultimately replace traditional IQ testing as a stronger indicator of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crossword-puzzles-improve-brain-function/">brainpower</a>.

Study co-author Ralph Adolphs is the Bren Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/">California Institute of Technology</a> (Caltech).

“We found if we just have people lie in the scanner and do nothing while we measure the pattern of activity in their brain, we can use the data to predict their intelligence,” said Adolphs.

The study was focused on data collected by the Human Connectome Project (HCP), which aims to gain insight into the many neural networks contained in the human brain. The team transferred the brain scans and intelligence scores from almost 900 individuals who participated in the HCP into their system.


Julien Dubois, a researcher at <a href="https://www.cedars-sinai.org/">Cedars-Sinai Medical Center</a>, said that the new algorithm was able to predict intelligence at statistically significant levels across the HCP participants. Dubois also explained that the technology has room for improvement, and that a lot of critical information from the brain scans is not being utilized by the system.

“The information that we derive from the brain measurements can be used to account for about 20 percent of the variance in intelligence we observed in our subjects,” said Dubois. "We are doing very well, but we are still quite far from being able to match the results of hour-long intelligence tests, like the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.”


Because the algorithm was trained using predetermined intelligence scores, the researchers developed a method of measuring intelligence across 10 different cognitive tasks performed by the study participants to improve upon the accuracy of the IQ test scores.

Study co-author Paola Galdi was formerly a PhD student at the <a href="https://web.unisa.it/en/home">University of Salerno</a> and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Edinburgh.


“If trained properly, these algorithms can answer questions as complex as the one we are trying to answer here. They are very powerful, but if you actually ask, ‘How do they learn? How do they do these things?’ These are difficult questions to answer,” said Galdi.


The analysis was developed as part of ongoing research with a goal of building a diagnostic tool that can interpret valuable information about a person's mind using brain scans. The team hopes to eventually use MRIs to identify conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, and anxiety - just as they are currently used for recognizing aneurysms or tumors.

“Functional MRI has not yet delivered on its promise as a diagnostic tool. We, and many others, are actively working to change this,” said Dubois. “The availability of large data sets that can be mined by scientists around the world is making this possible.”


The research is available online through <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/">bioRxiv</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Intelligence can be measured using resting brain activity

Researchers have developed technology that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging...

Researchers at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> (UCSD) School of Medicine are using the DNA and stem cells of Neanderthals to develop tiny brains, or organoids, to examine the minds of ancient human beings.

The scientists hope to gain a better understanding of how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-skull-shape-oxygen/">Neanderthal</a> brains differed from those of modern humans. The experts will also explore why our distant relatives became extinct, yet humans today have flourished.

The pea-sized brain masses mimic the outer layer of a real brain, known as the cortex. Brain tissue has been also grown in the same manner from human DNA for comparison.

Some major discrepancies have been identified. For example, the shape of the Neanderthal organoids are different compared to those developed from modern humans. According to the researchers, the small brains grown from modern-day human DNA have a spherical shape, while those developed from ancient humans have a “popcorn” shape.

There are also differences in the neural networks. The Neanderthal neurons were found to make fewer synaptic connections, creating what resembles an abnormal neuronal network that may have influenced the Neanderthals’ ability to socialize. The experts say that this resembles the neural development in children with autism.

“I don't want families to conclude that I'm comparing autistic kids to Neanderthals, but it's an important observation,” said study lead author and geneticist Alysson Muotri. “In modern humans, these types of changes are linked to defects in brain development that are needed for socialization. If we believe that's one of our advantages over Neanderthals, it's relevant.”

Next, the human organoids will be hooked up to crab-like robots to see if the electrical impulses generated by the mini-brains will control the automated machines. Brain tissue grown from Neanderthal DNA will also be connected to the robots, enabling scientists to draw further comparisons.

In April of 2018, Japanese researchers were the first to analyze the structure of the Neanderthal brain based on fossil skulls. Currently, experts at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, are also recreating and studying the brains of the ancient people.

The UCSD research was presented at the conference <a href="https://carta.anthropogeny.org/events/imagination-and-human-origins">Imagination and Human Origins</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Recreating Neanderthal brains to reveal how they lived

Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School...

A team of 54 scientists from 29 different institutions across seven countries has just made a major scientific breakthrough, sequencing the entire <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-likely-to-turn-up-heat-on-koalas/">koala</a> genome. The Australian led research team published their findings in <a href="https://www.nature.com/ng/">Nature Genetics</a>, outlining the most complete marsupial genome ever sequenced. It is believed that this new, highly accurate genomic data will provide scientists with information that could help with conservation efforts, aid in the treatment of diseases, and prolong the survival of this species.

“The Koala Genome Consortium has been an ambitious journey affording us great insights into the genetic building blocks that make up a koala - one of Australia’s, as well as the world’s, most charismatic and iconic mammals,” says Rebecca Johnson, director of the <a href="https://australianmuseum.net.au/amri">Australian Museum Research Institute</a>. “This milestone has come from our vision to use genomics to conserve this species. The genetic blueprint has not only unearthed a wealth of data regarding the koalas unusual and highly specialized diet of eucalyptus leaves, but also provides important insights into their immune system, population diversity and the evolution of koalas.”

The research group sequenced over 3.4 billion base pairs and more than 26,000 genes within the koala genome – significantly more than are present in the human genome. “The genome enables a holistic and scientifically grounded approach to koala conservation,” says Johnson. “Australia has the highest mammal extinction record of any country during the Anthropocene. Koala numbers have plummeted in northern parts of its range since European settlement, but have increased in some southern parts, notably in Victoria and South Australia.”

Notably, researchers from the <a href="http://www.earlham.ac.uk/">Earlham Institute</a> in the UK identified that koalas have two large expansions in a gene family known to be integral to detoxification – the Cytochrome P450 gene family of metabolic enzymes. The expression of these genes in many koala tissues – particularly in the liver – indicate they have an important role in detoxification, likely allowing this species to become dietary specialists. “This probably helped them to find their niche to survive, as they could rely on a food source that would have less competition from other species who were not able to detoxify as effectively,” explains Johnson.

Another discovery was the characterization of the composition of koala milk. All marsupials do the majority of their development in the mother’s pouch, and koalas are no different. They are born without an immune system after 34-36 days of gestation, and spend about six months developing in the pouch. “We characterized the main components of the mothers’ milk - which is crucial for koala joeys - born the size of a kidney bean and weighing half of one gram,” says Katherine Belov of the <a href="https://sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a>. “We identified genes that allow the koala to fine tune milk protein composition across the stages of lactation, to meet the changing needs of their young.”

Using the genome, the team discovered and analyzed koala-specific milk proteins that are necessary for various stages of koala development. They also determined these proteins may have an antimicrobial role, as they showed activity across a range of bacterial and fungal species, including one that is known to cause ocular and reproductive disease in koalas. Chlamydia has severely impacted koala populations in Australia, causing both infertility and blindness. Scientists hope to use this new information to develop a vaccine to fight this disease.

The koala is an internationally recognized species, and quite important to the ecosystems in which the species exists. This new research can help aid the survival of these marsupials, as well as the continued health of their habitats. 

“Our next efforts must be in the application of these findings to genetically manage koala populations, advance the treatment of the diseases affecting koalas, with the goal of conserving this very important species,” concludes Johnson.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Koala genome sequencing will help survival rates for the species

A team of 54 scientists from 29 different institutions across...

Scientists may have finally unraveled the mystery of how conditions on our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yosemite-discovery-earths-formation/">planet</a> have remained stable enough for life to persist over billions of years, despite catastrophic threats such as volcanoes and meteor strikes. 

The “Gaia” hypothesis suggests that the interaction between living things and inorganic processes has somehow managed to strike the right balance. Exactly how this may work, however, has been the subject of debate for many years. A research team led by the <a href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> recently proposed a likely solution. 

“We can now explain how the Earth has accumulated stabilizing mechanisms over the past 3.5 billion years of life on the planet,” said study co-author Professor Tim Lenton.

“The central problem with the original Gaia hypothesis was that evolution via natural selection cannot explain how the whole planet came to have stabilizing properties over geologic timescales.”

“Instead, we show that at least two simpler mechanisms work together to give our planet with life self-stabilising properties. Our findings can help explain how we came to be here to wonder about this question in the first place.”

The experts determined that the planet’s stability most likely comes from “sequential selection.” In this process, the environment is only destabilized by life for a short time and subsequent changes continue until stable conditions emerge. 

As the steady conditions persist, the system has more time to acquire traits that help to maintain its stability, which is a process known as “selection by survival alone.”

Study co-author Dr. James Dyke is an associate professor of Sustainability Science Within Geography and Environment at the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>.

“As well as being important for helping to estimate the probability of complex life elsewhere in the universe, the mechanisms we identify may prove crucial in understanding how our home planet may respond to drivers such as human-produced climate change and extinction events,” said Dr. Dyke.

Professor Dave Wilkinson of the <a href="http://www.lincoln.ac.uk/">University of Lincoln</a> is also a co-author of the study.

“I have been involved in trying to figure out how Gaia might work for over 20 years - finally it looks like a series of promising ideas are all coming together to provide the understanding I have been searching for,” said Professor Wilkinson.

The Gaia hypothesis was first proposed by James Lovelock in the 1970s and is named after the god who personified the Earth in Greek mythology.


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/home">Trends in Ecology and Evolution</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

After decades of debate, the Gaia puzzle may have been solved

Scientists may have finally unraveled the mystery of how conditions...

In an unprecedented study, researchers have analyzed the full DNA sequence of a fern. The team was so determined to examine the genome of the floating water fern, Azolla filiculoides, that they set up an online campaign to raise money for the project.

Study first author Fay-Wei Li is a professor at the <a href="https://btiscience.org/">Boyce Thompson Institute</a>. Professor Li started out on his mission to inspect the Azolla genome when he was a graduate student at <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a> under the advisement of Professor Kathleen Pryer, who had been trying to get the project funded for almost 20 years.

The duo created an online campaign on a crowdfunding site called <a href="http://experiment.com">Experiment.com</a>.

This strategy proved to be so successful that the project received 147 percent of its goal, bringing in $22,160 from 123 supporters.

The campaign also led to an offer from the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) to provide all of the sequencing for the project free of charge. 

Professor Li explained why the researchers found this particular project to be so intriguing.

“Azolla has a really cool biology and evolutionary history,” said Professor Li. “Azolla engages in symbiosis with cyanobacteria for nitrogen fixation, and for this reason it has been used as a green manure for rice paddies in Asia for hundreds of years.

The analysis revealed that Azolla lacks the genes needed for the more widespread arbuscular mycorrhizal and root-nodule symbioses, which the water ferns do not create. The ferns were found to contain several genes specific to their interaction with Nostoc, the cyanobiont, which had been previously sequenced.

“Now that we have genomes available for both the fern and cyanobacterium, there is great promise for tapping into the secrets of this natural biofertilizer that may help lead to future sustainable agricultural practices,” said Professor Pryer.


The researchers were excited to discover the origin of an important insecticidal gene in ferns. The gene has been recently isolated and transferred to cotton plants, where it protects against <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-survive-eaten-bird/">insects</a>.

“When you walk into a forest, it's usually very striking to find that ferns show little to no sign of insect damage,” said Professor Li. 

The insecticidal gene was found to be unique to ferns, which explains why most other plants are not nearly as resilient. The experts also found that the gene was most likely transferred from a bacterium.

“In other words, the ferns' ability to fend off insect herbivores is likely due to a 'genetic gift' from bacteria,” said Professor Li.

With the extra project funding, the team also sequenced a second fern, Salvinia cucullata. The analysis of these two genomes has answered many questions and has also raised some new ones, so the researchers plan to continue sequencing ferns.

“We are going fernatic to sequence more ferntastic genomes!” said Professor Li. “As part of the 10K Plant Genomes Project collaboration we are working with BGI to strategically sample the fern tree of life for genome sequencing. Currently we have about 10 fern species in the sequencing pipeline.”

“The endorsement and confirmation by the public and the media that our project was of significance was a fantastic outreach and learning experience for us. It is very reaffirming to find out first-hand that people do care about pure science!”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nplants">Nature Plants</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: Laura Dijkhuizen

Crowdfunding results in first ever fern genome sequencing

In an unprecedented study, researchers have analyzed the full DNA...

It may be difficult to wrap your head around the fact that the same manufacturer of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange">Agent Orange</a> – a highly toxic herbicide used during the Vietnam era to clear forest and starve opponent soldiers – is also a huge controller of our cotton, corn and soy crops, and seems to be taking over the world. 

Founded by a pharmaceutical company agent John F. Queeny, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto">Monsanto</a> has not only created one of the most used herbicides in the world Roundup, but it also formed a manmade seed that learned to survive against its toxic counterpart and overtake the farming industry as we know it. So, one begs the question:  How does a sugar-replacement company turned chemical company become world’s most antipathic corporation?

Monsanto’s parasitic infestation has been something of a slow burn since it’s 1901 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharin">saccharin</a> introduction, an artificial sweetener that was quickly met with resistance from the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/topics/food-and-nutrition">USDA</a>. In 1907, they found that replacing sugar with saccharin violates the Pure Food and Drug Act, a consumer protection law. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-parks-trump-ghost-teddy-roosevelt/">Theodore Roosevelt</a> (who enjoyed saccharin) fought against this investigation, which, in turn, set the wheels in motion for Monsanto’s origins. 

However, in 1911, the USDA determined that saccharin violated it’s pure food protection; once again, it worked to ban the alternative sweetener. When World War I began in 1914, it brought sugar shortages; so, saccharin was reintroduced to the market. With the expansion of their line to include caffeine and vanillin, Monsanto rose to be a million dollar company and garnered Coca-Cola as their top customer.

In time, the company became the nation’s top producer of aspirin, and the torch was passed to John F.’s son, Edgar M. Queeny, who took over and decided to enlarge the company mission. They renamed their brand:  Monsanto Chemical Company in 1933 and again proved to be a huge resource during wartime, now in World War II, for their production of <a href="https://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/text_version/chemicals.php?id=87">styrene</a>. During this period, Japan had taken over most rubber plantations in Asia and used this to their advantage by restricting exports to the United States. Monsanto Chemical Company created styrene, which would soon aid in the country’s own synthetic rubber production. Of course, keeping to their theme, styrene has been observed to cause major health risks – but was ignored due to a high market demand.

Once more, the business rebranded to Monsanto Company in an attempt to showcase their variety of offerings and announce one of the most since-publicized herbicides, Agent Orange, for yet another war, this time in Vietnam. 20 years later, war veterans aggregated to settle a lawsuit with Monsanto for the horrible effects of Agent Orange exposure, costing the company a cool $180 million. Regardless of the payout – and a record of 4.8 million people exposed to the herbicide, which caused 400,000 deaths and disfigurements, and birth defects in 500,000 babies – Monsanto refused to accept responsibility. This marked a significant theme in Monsanto’s subversive character.

They say that “All roads lead to Rome,” and this was certainly the case with Monsanto’s corporate infrastructure. In 2003, their subsidiary company <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solutia">Solutia</a>’s corporate plant, located in Anniston, AL., was found by a jury to have polluted the land and water of the southern community with <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pcbs/learn-about-polychlorinated-biphenyls-pcbs">Polychlorinated biphenyls</a> (PCBs). The state found PCBs to be linked to cancer, immune system problems and other severe health issues. Monsanto and Solutia agreed to pay $700 million to settle claims for the 20,000 Anniston residents of PCB contamination; Solutia personally filed for bankruptcy thereafter. Unfortunately, the damage didn’t stop in Anniston, as PCB pollution was subsequently found in San Diego and San Jose, CA., Westport, MA., and Spokane, WA. In the Spokane River, in particular, there are still <a href="https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Food/Fish/Advisories">13 active fish consumption advisories</a> related to PCBs, and more than 600 suspected or confirmed contamination sites across the state of Washington from Seattle’s Puget Sound to the Wenatchee River.

Monsanto Company then began to shift gears and started focusing on agricultural endeavors. After undergoing years of regulatory review, they commenced commercial production on a hormone known as <a href="https://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/safetyhealth/productsafetyinformation/ucm055435.htm">BST</a>, which was to be injected into dairy cows to boost milk production. This was also around the time that <a href="https://monsanto.com/products/seeds/">Roundup Ready Seeds</a> came into play, genetically engineered to survive against the company’s best-selling Roundup herbicide. To save face, the corporation provided a new image, citing that they were helping people “lead longer, healthier lives, at costs that they and their nations can afford and without continued environmental degradation.” Irrespective of their marketing ploys, scientists later discovered that they were doing the exact opposite with their genetically modified maize and herbicide – both found to be have caused tumors and organ damage.

As a rule, there’s a huge power struggle between Monsanto and small farmers whose crops have been overtaken by the company’s seeds through cross-pollination. No matter how much the farmers fight against this contamination, the genetically modified seeds are stronger than any heirloom seeds on the market. To make matters worse, Monsanto has taken advantage of this by embarking on a nationwide scurge on these mom and pop farmers, who are unintentionally growing their GMO seeds, suing them for infringement on their patent. Sadly, such small agriculturists don’t have the wherewithal to defend themselves and ultimately lose to this relentless corporate machine.

On the upside, there have been many isolated uprisings in more recent years. In 2014, the <a href="https://act.nrdc.org/donate/af-public-lands-180302/?source=MRSENRDC0018_AdWords&amp;utm_source=AdWords&amp;utm_medium=Search&amp;utm_campaign=Fundraising">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC) began a petition for the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">EPA</a> to review its rules for glyphosate use, the active herbicide in Roundup, and the connection it has with plummeting numbers of monarch butterflies and honeybees, which have now both become endangered species. Yet, like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Monsanto continues to dive deeper into its “environmental sustainability” façade – claiming that they are restoring the monarch’s habitats.

Fast forward to this year, implementation for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/04/mandatory-gmo-labels-are-coming-for-your-food/?noredirect=on&amp;utm_term=.909e214748f2">GMO Labeling</a> is set to start in July, companies like <a href="https://www.nongmoproject.org/">Non-GMO project </a>have grown exponentially to give clairvoyance within food production, and hundreds of lawsuits have been sought against Monsanto for the cancer-causing effects of Roundup. Likewise, many documentaries have come to light, giving us a clearer picture of the proverbial beast on our back named Monsanto. Collectively, all of these are steps in the right direction of making smarter food choices and supporting local, organic farmers instead of mass marketed corporate byproducts.

Lo and behold, Monsanto was recently acquired by <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/section/reuters/bayer-to-buy-monsanto-creating-a-massive-seeds-and-pesticides-company/">Bayer</a>, another behemoth corporation whose products have been in question for years on end. And, though it probably goes without saying here, two wrongs definitely don’t make a right. It’s paramount to not be fooled by Monsanto’s pretty propaganda and false messages of sustainability – this is a company that will be remembered throughout history for taking a part in destroying our environment, creating major health dilemmas and having keen knack for pulling the wool over our eyes about it. To quote the great author and activist Michael Pollan, “If it came from a plant, eat it. If was made in a plant, don’t.”

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By <a href="mailto:drkcopy@gmail.com">Derek Kaplan</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

GMOs and biochemical warfare: Monsanto’s reign of illness

It may be difficult to wrap your head around the...

Humans have always wondered whether they are alone in the universe, from stories about trolls, elves and other mythical beings to modern speculation about beings from other planets. Now, one physics professor is questioning whether humanity should take reports of UFOs and alien encounters more seriously.

In a column for The Conversation, Dr. Kevin Knuth – a former <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> research scientist and current physics professor at <a href="https://www.albany.edu/">State University of New York, Albany</a> – thinks it’s time to reconsider whether we’re really alone.

“I have always been interested in UFOs. Of course, there was the excitement that there could be aliens and other living worlds. But more exciting to me was the possibility that interstellar travel was technologically achievable,” he wrote.

The idea that extraterrestrials exist is actually more realistic than the belief that they don’t, Knuth points out. 

“Even if intelligent life developed on a very small percentage of these planets, then there should be a number of intelligent civilizations in the galaxy,” he wrote.

However, the distance between planets and stars and the nature of time and technological discovery makes the chances of other sentient beings finding us – or vice versa – much more unlikely. Even so, there should have been evidence of other civilizations existing, even if humans and aliens have never met one another, he wrote.

And there might be. 

“The problem is that there has been no single well-documented UFO encounter that would alone qualify as the smoking gun. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many governments around the world have covered up and classified information about such encounters. But there are enough scraps of evidence that suggest that the problem needs to be open to scientific study,” Knuth wrote.

The idea of studying UFO sightings like other phenomena – that is, scientifically – has been discouraged for decades, he notes. Governments around the world prefer to declare UFO sightings to be the results of either weather or human activities, and skepticism surrounding alien encounters has taken on a life of its own.

But when scientists do look at UFO sightings, they find that they’re more common than previously thought. A survey of astronomers found that more than 60 percent reported seeing unexplained activity in the night skies. Many felt that UFOs should be better studied, and a majority were willing to do so.

Knuth leaves the idea of whether UFOs exist or not open. Instead, he asks people to be more open-minded about the idea of alien encounters as a topic for serious study.

“This is a topic worthy of open scientific inquiry, until there is a scientific consensus based on evidence rather than prior expectation or belief. If there are indeed extraterrestrial craft visiting Earth, it would greatly benefit us to know about them, their nature and their intent,” he wrote.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Christian Plass, <a href="https://pixabay.com/en/ufo-forest-collage-invasion-1784349/">Pixabay</a>

Could stories of alien encounters be real?

Humans have always wondered whether they are alone in the...

Combating the spread of bird flu requires researchers to first know where the next outbreak could start and also how the flu virus is transmitted from bird to bird, across different species and even sometimes from birds to humans.

Every strain of influenza can be traced back to aquatic birds, even the pesky seasonal flu bug that comes around every winter. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.stjude.org/">St. Jude Children’s Hospital</a> are working to stay ahead of the flu by collecting fecal samples from migrating seabirds who make a pitstop in Delaware Bay to eat freshly hatched horseshoe crab eggs every spring. 

The area is particularly attractive to researchers because of how much data the researchers can collect on influenza from the samples. 

Thousands of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hawaiian-forest-birds-endangered/">birds</a> flock to this beach including seagulls and birds that stick to the shores.

To obtain the samples, the researchers work very carefully to avoid the horseshoe crab nests and the qualifications for a good sample are very specific. 

The team look for droppings specifically from the calico-patterned ruddy turnstone. 

“We have trained our eyes for this, that's for sure,” said Pamela McKenzie told the <a href="https://www.ap.org/">Associated Press</a>.

The fecal material must be the right size and fresh because if its too dry testing won’t be accurate. 

Flu strains carried from birds are a threat to domesticated chickens and turkeys which can then transfer to humans. 

The researchers also test live poultry markets in Bangladesh and wild birds in China and Canada. 

It’s important that the researchers continually test and collect data so the Delaware Beach operation takes place every year. 

The flu virus is always changing which can hinder efforts to make vaccines.

“It only has to happen once,” Richard Webby, who directs St. Jude's Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance, told the AP. “The right virus comes and gets into the right population which happens to fly over the right farm of turkeys which happens at the right time of year where the right farmer picks up the wrong bird - and we're in trouble.”

Webby and his colleagues' work is extremely valuable to our understanding of influenza, and data from St. Judes Influenza Research program could help save lives and prevent further outbreaks from occurring down the line. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Researchers use Delaware Bay to get ahead of bird flu

Combating the spread of bird flu requires researchers to first...

The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe has fascinated the minds of scientists and<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-news-alien-life/"> alien enthusiasts alike</a>, but it’s one that we seem no closer to answering despite our ever advancing knowledge of planets, life, and our own solar system. 

A new study, however, may have finally found an answer to the ever-enigmatic question of life among the stars. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/">Oxford University’s Future of Humanity</a> Institute found that it is highly unlikely that there is intelligent alien life in our observable universe. 

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. 

The report, titled “Dissolving the Fermi paradox,” references the famous contradiction first created in the 1950’s to explain humanity’s lack of alien encounters.

A famous equation known as the Drake Equation has long been used to show that alien life is possible because of how expansive the universe is. 

The researchers discovered that the Drake Equation does not accurately account for uncertainty and so its calculations are not realistic by any degree. 

“The expectation that the universe should be teeming with intelligent life is linked to models like the Drake equation, which suggest that even if the probability of intelligent life developing at a given site is small, the sheer multitude of possible sites should nonetheless yield a large number of potentially observable civilizations,” the <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1806.02404">researchers say</a>. “We show that this conflict arises from the use of Drake-like equations, which implicitly assume certainty regarding highly uncertain parameters.”

Once the researchers added uncertainty to the Drake Equation, the model showed a high probability that we are alone in the universe. 

To put it in numbers, the results showed that there was a 53 to 99.6 percent chance that humanity is the only intelligent civilization in the galaxy and a 39 to 85 percent chance in the observable universe. 

“This result dissolves the Fermi paradox, and in doing so removes any need to invoke speculative mechanisms by which civilizations would inevitably fail to have observable effects upon the universe,” the researchers conclude. 

However, this does not mean that the search for intelligent life (SETI) is pointless, rather the researchers say their study provides ample evidence for the importance of such scientific explorations. 

“The paper shows that astrobiology and SETI can play a big role in reducing the uncertainty about some of the parameters,” the researchers told <a href="https://www.universetoday.com/139467/new-model-predicts-that-were-probably-the-only-advanced-civilization-in-the-observable-universe/">Universe Today. </a>

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New research claims it’s highly likely that aliens don’t exist

The question of whether or not we are alone in...

Researchers at <a href="http://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/">Nagoya University</a> have developed a composite material that can mimic the vibrant color changes of chameleons. The material contains crystals and dyes that can be manipulated to change colors and patterns when exposed to visible or ultraviolet light.

Many animals such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/glowing-patterns-chameleons/">chameleons</a> and frogs can shift their colors in response to changes in their environment. While experts have studied this phenomenon extensively, it has not yet been interpreted well enough to be translated into artificial applications.

“This is an exciting stage in this field of study, as we are increasingly able to adapt the color-changing mechanisms that some animals use to artificial devices,” said study first author Miki Sakai. 

“If these artificial color-changing materials can equal or surpass the vibrant displays that some animals such as octopuses and frogs make, it could have exciting applications in the development of new display technologies.”

Inspired by the elaborate color transformations that takes place in the skin cells of certain frogs, the team layered their new material with components that have unique responsibilities.


The dyes, for example, contribute color that can be adjusted by mixing them to different extents. In addition, some of the dyes change color upon exposure to light.

Spherical crystals are also incorporated into the material. Rather than directly influencing the color, the crystals have microscopic structures that interfere with the light. 

Finally, a black pigment and different background colors are integrated into the system to alter the colors displayed by the other components of the material.

“We examined the influences of the different components in the system, such as by changing the size of the crystals, switching the background from white to black, or performing exposure to visible or ultraviolet light,” explained study co-author Yukikazu Takeoka. 

“We found these changes resulted in different colors being displayed across the material, resembling the way in which some organisms can change color in response to various factors in their environment.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/16136829">Small</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New material mimics the color transformation of chameleons

Researchers at Nagoya University have developed a composite material that...

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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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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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



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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...