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...

Engineers are pulling carbon out of the air to make gas and fuels. In the future, gasoline may originate from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-profitable-business/">carbon dioxide</a> pulled straight out of the sky rather than from oil pumped out of the ground. In fact, engineers at a facility in British Columbia are already successfully capturing carbon and turning it into fuel.

<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> Professor David Keith is the founder and chief scientist of <a href="http://carbonengineering.com/">Carbon Engineering</a>, a Canadian CO2-capture and clean fuels enterprise.

“The carbon dioxide generated via direct air capture can be combined with sequestration for carbon removal, or it can enable the production of carbon-neutral hydrocarbons, which is a way to take low-cost carbon-free power sources like solar or wind and channel them into fuels that can be used to decarbonize the transportation sector,” explained Professor Keith.

Direct air capture technology uses giant fans to bring air into contact with an aqueous solution that strains out and traps carbon dioxide. Through heating and several chemical reactions, the filtered carbon dioxide is re-extracted and ready for further use, such as making valuable chemicals like fuels.


Professor Keith and his colleagues have implemented one of the first scalable and cost-effective working systems for direct air capture. 

The team has estimated that using their system on an impactful scale will cost roughly $94 to $232 per ton of carbon dioxide captured, which is drastically less than previous estimates of the cost of direct air capture that have ranged up to $1,000 per ton. 

“Electricity from solar and wind is intermittent; we can take this energy straight from big solar or wind installations at great sites where it's cheap and apply it to reclaim and recycle carbon dioxide into new fuel,” said Professor Keith. “Making fuels that are easy to store and transport eases the challenge of integrating renewables into the energy system.”


Hundreds of years of carbon emissions from human activities can provide an essentially unlimited stock of CO2 to be transformed into new fuels, including gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

“We are not going to run out of air anytime soon,” said Carbon Engineering CEO Steve Oldham. “We can keep collecting carbon dioxide with direct air capture, keep adding hydrogen generation and fuel synthesis, and keep reducing emissions through this <a href="http://carbonengineering.com/about-a2f/">AIR TO FUELSTM</a> pathway.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/home">Joule</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: Carbon Engineering

Engineers are pulling carbon out of the air to make gas and fuels

Engineers are pulling carbon out of the air to make...

&nbsp;

New way to estimate how fast magma is building under Yellowstone.  The Yellowstone supervolcano has been the focus of news stories, conversation, and speculation, as according to several experts, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yellowstone-supervolcano-eruption/">it's overdue for the next mega-eruption.</a>

The big question then is, when will Yellowstone erupt? 

Unfortunately, geologists and volcanologists are not yet able to pinpoint exactly when the volcano will erupt, but a new study has provided a technique for measuring how quickly magma is building up beneath of the supervolcano. 

The study was conducted by researchers from <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> and helps provide a better foundation for understanding the inner workings of one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes. 

Magma building up in chambers beneath a volcano, a process called recharging, is a key part of an eruption and could lead to accurate predictions for Yellowstone. 

“It is the coal in the furnace that's heating things up,” said Peter Larson, the study’s co-author. “It's heating up the boiler. The boiler is what explodes. This tells us what is heating the boiler.”

Once Yellowstone’s magma chambers have refilled, an eruption could be imminent so it's important to understand how quickly the volcano is recharging. 

For the study, the researchers focused on rhyolite, the volcanic rock that causes such explosive eruptions. 

The rate that rhyolite is being heated from magma plumes below the supervolcano can give researchers a better understanding of how much magma is recharging according to Larsen. 

Larsen and his colleagues placed the stable radioactive isotope deuterium into hot springs in Yellowstone that were linked to hydrothermal vents. 

The researchers then recorded temperatures of the springs and calculated how much water was leaving the springs. 

Much more water than had been previously thought is flowing through Yellowstone's hot springs as the calculations showed, and the researchers were able to estimate how much magma was involved in the recharging process. 

 If Yellowstone’s supervolcano erupts, it could cause untold devastation with long-lasting impacts worldwide, which is why so many researchers are working to understand its driving mechanisms  and predict its next potential eruption. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New way to estimate how fast magma is building under Yellowstone

&nbsp; New way to estimate how fast magma is building...

Oldest animal fossil footprint on record discovered in China. Researchers may have uncovered the oldest fossil footprints on record, dating back to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-animals-grew-large/">Ediacaran Period</a> 600 million years ago, in China. 

Fossils and footprints can reveal a great deal about what life was like millions of years before humans walked the Earth. 

The Cambrian Period marks the time in the fossil record when most major groups of animals <a href="http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/cambrian.php">first appeared</a>. This abundance of life is known as the Cambrian Explosion and some of the oldest fossils ever discovered come from this period. 

Some forms of life are suspected to have evolved before the Cambrian Explosion, for example, bilaterian animals with paired appendages, and now researchers can confirm that this is true. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://english.nigpas.cas.cn/">Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology</a> of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with the <a href="https://vt.edu/">Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University</a> examined trackways and burrows in sediment dating back to the Ediacaran Period. 

The burrows were found in the Ediacaran Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation (551 to 541 million years ago) in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China, and the trackway patterns suggested that they were left by species with paired appendages. 

The trackways were also connected to the burrows which just strengthened the hypothesis that they were left by animals who dug burrows in the sediment for food. 

These are thought to be the earliest fossil footprints ever discovered and the find extends the fossil record of animals with appendages from the early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-seek-solve-mystery-cambrian-oxygen-spike/">Cambrian</a> to the late Ediacaran Period. 

A paper detailing the new fossil footprints was published in the journal Science Advances. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NIGP

Oldest animal fossil footprint on record discovered in China

Oldest animal fossil footprint on record discovered in China. Researchers...

Brain structure determines whether you make healthy food choices.  An old phrase that is now commonly used in reference to adopting a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-air-pollution/">healthier diet</a> or lifestyle is “mind over matter,” which is the theory that willpower can help us to overcome physical obstacles. A new study from the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society for Neuroscience</a> has revealed exactly why this strategy may be more successful for some individuals than others. 

A team of experts led by Liane Schmidt has discovered that differences in the structure of the brain's prefrontal cortex influence the ability to make healthier food choices. The study findings suggest that our anatomy plays a role in critical decisions that have long-term effects on our health and well-being.

In order to maintain a healthy diet, healthy foods must be consistently chosen over more tempting foods. Individuals vary in their ability to exercise control over dietary choices, and disability has been linked to differences in real-time brain activity.

The current investigation was focused on 78 healthy women and 45 healthy men who were given MRI scans, in an effort to determine whether differences in the anatomy of the brain could account for variations in self-control.

The team also analyzed three previous studies that took different approaches to examining the relationship between food choices and self-control. 

In one approach, participants made the dietary choice between appealing or healthy foods, or made food selections based on the way they normally would. In another trial, participants were instructed to stay away from high-calorie foods that they craved.

The researchers discovered that individuals who had greater volume in the dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex demonstrated more self-control and selected healthier foods.

According to the study authors, considering that brain structure and connectivity can change over time in response to lifestyle, the brain regions identified in this research represent key targets for the development of interventions that promote healthy choices. 

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Brain structure determines whether you make healthy food choices

Brain structure determines whether you make healthy food choices.  An...

Researchers are reporting that the vast majority of Americans believe the United States should take the lead in space exploration. Even as private companies are emerging in the industry, NASA remains an absolutely necessary source of space discovery, according to study participants.

The research is focused on a national survey from the <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/">Pew Research Center</a> of over 2,500 American adults. Around 80 percent of adults in the United States feel that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/international-space-station-work/">International Space Station</a> has been a good investment, and strong public support for NASA is shared across political, generational, and gender groups.

Space exploration has changed drastically in the decades following the first landing on the moon by United States astronauts. Other countries have made major advancements in exploration technologies and private companies are investing more in the observation of outer space as well.


Around 65 percent of Americans believe that NASA's role in space exploration is essential, while 33 percent say that private companies could make sufficient progress without NASA's involvement.


Across nine specific NASA missions, the majority of participants believe the priority should be monitoring key parts of the Earth's climate system or monitoring asteroids and other objects that could hit Earth.

When given the choice of humans or robots in future NASA space expeditions, 58 percent of American adults believe that human astronauts are essential, while 41 percent say that humans are not essential to these types of missions.

Around half of Americans share the opinion that people will travel routinely to space as tourists over the next 50 years. However, 58 percent say they have no interest in taking this trip themselves, stating that the trip would either be “too expensive,” “too scary,” or that their age or health would not allow it.

The full report from the Pew Research Center can be found <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/06/06/majority-of-americans-believe-it-is-essential-that-the-u-s-remain-a-global-leader-in-space">here</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Most Americans want the US to remain leader in space exploration

Researchers are reporting that the vast majority of Americans believe...

It was long assumed that the unusual lack of seismic activity in East Antarctica was because of all of the weight of <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/operation-icebridge-returns-to-antartica/">Antarctica's thick ice</a>. 

But new research has revealed that East Antarctica's “silence” was simply due to the fact that no seismic instruments were installed there or capable of detecting tectonic activity.

There have just been eight recorded seismic events since the first ever earthquake in East Antarctica was detected in 1982, but everything changed when a team set up an array of instruments that recorded seismic activity in 2009. 

That year, 27 earthquakes were recorded, tripling the total number of reported earthquakes detected in East Antarctica. 

“Ultimately, the lack of recorded seismicity wasn't due to a lack of events but a lack of instruments close enough to record the events,” said Amanda Lough of <a href="http://www.drexel.edu/">Drexel University</a>, who was part of the East Antarctic expedition and lead author of a study discussing seismicity in the region. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience. 

Lough’s team wasn’t the first to emphasize the necessity of properly monitoring seismic activity in Antarctica, but the harsh and remote conditions prevented any serious attempts. 

The researchers had to fly from point to point across Antarctica and sometimes had to dig out their own runways in order to install seismic recording equipment. 

It was an expedition that took considerable effort, but once the instruments recorded 27 earthquakes in just one year with magnitudes ranging from 2.1 to 3.9, those efforts greatly paid off. 

The majority of the activity occurred near Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains which may be part of an ancient continental rift system. 

“There is a study we cite in the paper that shows that more than 52 percent of seismic events in continental areas occur in rifted crust, so it's not unexpected that we see the correlation here,” said Lough. “The rifts provide zones of weakness that enable faulting to occur more easily, and it may be that the situation here is such that activity is occurring preferentially along these areas of preexisting weakness.” 

The researchers only have one year of data to go off of, but already the recorded activity shows that area’s seismicity is worth investigating and provides more insight about the Earth’s tectonic plates. 

“Antarctica is the least-instrumented continent, but other areas of the globe also lack sufficient instrumentation,” said Lough. “There are some obvious holes in coverage in the Global Seismic Network. For example, the ocean covers 71 percent of the planet, but it is expensive and very difficult to get instruments there. We need to think about improving coverage and then improving the density of it.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

East Antarctica found to be surprisingly seismically active

It was long assumed that the unusual lack of seismic...

The United States has led the world in scientific research for a century, but experts are warning that the nation is losing the upper hand in this field. As President Trump makes moves toward major budget cuts for scientific and medical research, other countries are showing much more support for science.

According to the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/nsb/">National Science Board</a>, China is now the second highest investor in research and development (R&amp;D), and the country's financial support for innovation is growing faster than that of any other nation. At the current rate, China is set to overshadow the United States by the end of this year.

The advancement of science relies heavily on investment from the government, and the United States spends around half a trillion dollars on R&amp;D each year. However, a 2015 review from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> (NSF) found that nine other countries spent a higher percentage of their gross domestic product (GDP) on science.


Over a year after taking office, President Trump has yet to name a top science advisor. Critical decisions and policies are being made, such as that to leave the Paris Agreement, without anyone to fill the role of top-ranking science official. The responsibility currently falls on Michael Kratsios, who was brought into the White House to advise on tech issues.

According to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">Washington Post</a>, “many U.S. researchers say their work has been devalued, threatened by budget cuts and hampered by stricter immigration policies that could deter international collaborations and the influx of talent that has long fueled American innovation.”

Meanwhile, China is charging forward, recently announcing plans to become the world leader in the development of artificial intelligence, with a target of growing the field to a $150 billion industry by 2030.

China is also aggressively pursuing scientists who have graduated from prestigious schools in the United States and other countries, promising substantial sign-on bonuses and guaranteed research funding. 

The Washington Post reported that a program launched by China in 2008 called Thousand Talents has been very successful, recruiting over 7,000 scientists and entrepreneurs to the country.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-china-us-economy/">China</a> has also steadily increased its published work in scientific journals, outnumbering the United States in the number of publications for the first time in 2016.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The U.S. is losing its rank as the world leader of science

The United States has led the world in scientific research...

Researchers are now getting a rare look into unexplored reef habitats deep below the ocean’s surface thanks to a new device that allows for the transport of marine species. 

The Submersible Chamber for Ascending Specimens (SubCAS) device is a pressurized chamber that allows deep sea divers to easily transport twilight zone coral reef fish to the surface for research and public display, 

SubCAS is bringing many new species to light, literally, as the twilight zone is a narrow deep stretch of the ocean 200 to 500 feet below the surface where sunlight is scarce and diving down to such extreme depths takes considerable effort. 

Because of how much work and coordination is required to safely dive and explore twilight zone reef habitats, scientists at the <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/">California Academy of Sciences </a>and the <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/">Monterey Bay Aquarium</a> created a device that made specimen collection easy and safe for both divers and the species being brought to the surface. 

A report discussing SubCAS and its implications for marine science and habitat conservation was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science.

“A rapid ascent can rupture a fish's swim bladder,” said Luiz Rocha, the paper’s co-author. “Using an adjustable pressure control valve, we ensure that the pressure inside the chamber is similar to the depth where the fishes were collected. Over the course of two to three days, we bring them to the surrounding surface pressure in a highly controlled manner.”

The SubCAS consists of an inner collecting jar and a larger chamber housing. The device is transparent so divers can monitor specimens while ascending to the surface. 

At a depth of 180 feet, the inner collecting jar is placed in the larger chamber and an air bubble is blown into the device which maintains air pressure in the SubCAS. 

When the divers reach 100 feet, all the while monitoring their own air pressure and making controlled decompression stops, the device is handed off to a support dive team that take the fish to a facility for decompression before being shipped to the Academy in San Francisco. 

The survival rate is nearly 100 percent which is impressive. and researchers found that the type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/technology-fishermen-conservationists/">fish</a> collected greatly dictated the likelihood of surviving the ascent. 

Thanks to SubCAS, both researchers and the public have access to a little explored part of the world hundreds of feet below the surface thanks to aquarium exhibits displaying the newly collected specimens. 

“The SubCAS is an important innovation,” said Hudson Pinheiro, a fellow co-author. “It allows for detailed study of new-to-science species while they're thriving outside of their natural habitat. We can gain important insights about fish biology and behavior that we couldn't obtain otherwise, helping us better understand what it takes to survive in a region as mysterious as the twilight zone.”

Exploring the twilight zone reefs will also help with reef conservation and management, particularly now when corals are dying off at an alarming rate. 

“These species are ambassadors of important environments that are rarely included in marine protected areas or sanctuaries,” said Bart Shepherd, the lead author of the paper. “Our goal is to remind the public of the ocean's vast and unexplored wonders and to inspire its conservation for future generations.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image © 2015 California Academy of Sciences

New device offers rare glimpse into deep ocean fish

Researchers are now getting a rare look into unexplored reef...

As people get older, they often feel like Earth’s days are getting shorter. That’s an illusion. A new study has found that the moon has been bringing us longer days for more than a billion years now.

Dr. Stephen Meyers of the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> and Alberto Malinverno of <a href="https://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> used statistical modeling, geological data and astronomical theory to track the moon’s movements back more than 1.4 billion years. They found that, back then, Earth’s satellite was much closer to the planet. 

They also discovered that days were much shorter – about 18 hours long, compared to today’s 24. 

"As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out," Meyers said in a press release.

Scientists have studied the passage of time on Earth for billions of years through the geologic record. Variations in the record – known as Milankovitch cycles – show the pattern of Earth’s seasons and climate and offer up clues to how the moon and other astronomical bodies affect the planet’s movement.

But even with the help of Milankovitch cycles, it’s been difficult to look back billions of years.

Enter Meyers and Malinverno, their work to see what Earth’s closest spatial neighbors were doing a billion years ago, and their discovery of the moon’s gift of longer days on Earth.

Meyers brought the problem to a presentation he gave at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in 2016. 

"I was sitting there when I said to myself, 'I think I know how to do it! Let's get together!'" Malinverno said. "It was exciting because, in a way, you dream of this all the time; I was a solution looking for a problem."

The two combined their work on statistics and astronomical theory to create a method they call TimeOptMCMC. Then they tested it on two rock layers: the Xiamaling Formation in China that dates back 1.4 billion years, and the 55 million-year-old Walvis Ridge in the south Atlantic.

The new approach allowed them to detect the Earth’s rotation and axis tilt during those times, and from that, they could determine the moon’s location – and discovered that we enjoy longer days now than 1.4 billion years ago. 

Teams at Lamont-Doherty and in New Zealand have tested Meyers and Malinverno’s method on other geologic records.

"The geologic record is an astronomical observatory for the early solar system," Meyers said. "We are looking at its pulsing rhythm, preserved in the rock and the history of life."

Their study has been published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>. It received funding from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a>.


—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Scientists: moon is responsible for longer days on Earth

As people get older, they often feel like Earth’s days...

Primatologists at <a href="https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/">Kyoto University</a> are looking to our closest cousins to solve a gut-churning mystery: how the concept of disgust evolved.

The researchers looked at how bonobos reacted to a wide variety of foods to see if they share this emotion with humanity, and perhaps get some clues into why it exists in the first place. Did the “ick factor” originate as a way to protect against germs, millennia before humans even knew what a germ was?

"Current studies suggest that animals evolved a system to protect against such threats, now known as the adaptive system of disgust," lead author Dr. Cecile Sarabian said in a news release. "For example, bodily fluids are universal disgust elicitors in humans, and recently, we published evidence that the same reaction exists in our primate cousins."

In the new study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2017.0195">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</a>, the researchers wanted to see whether bonobos also showed disgust at food items that might spread illness.

To test this theory, they presented the primates with a variety of fruits. Some was fresh while other pieces were rotten. Some food items were “dirtied” with items like soil or feces and presented alongside clean, fresh fruit. In other sets, they slipped in fruits that the bonobos wouldn’t see in the wild, like apples, to see if disgust evolved among the primates toward new or unfamiliar foods – something that picky human eaters might be accused of.

The bonobos were happy to sample clean, fresh food, but avoided anything that seemed contaminated, even if it was just linked by smell. They ignored food close to a source of contamination, even if it was otherwise clean, but ate foods farther away. 

But unlike humans, bonobos were eager to try new foods, as long as they were clean and fresh.

"There's some evidence from humans and other animals – classically with rats – on what we call food neophobia, which is an inclination to stay away from or be cautious around new foods," senior author Andrew MacIntosh said. "This might also be related to our tendencies to avoid things that might make us sick, with different individuals being more or less conservative in both cases."

Bonobos don’t seem to have developed the same disgust toward new food items – but more research would be needed to confirm that adventurous spirit toward new flavors, the researchers said.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Dr. Cecilie Sarabian, <a href="https://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en/">Kyoto University </a>

Bonobos offer clues into how human disgust evolved

Primatologists at Kyoto University are looking to our closest cousins...

Scientists have made a pair of discoveries that could leave one UK city feeling shaken. The two newly discovered fault lines are raising concerns over the potential that a London earthquake may be in store.

Researchers from <a href="http://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> discovered the fault lines using PSInSAR imagery and datasets of London collected from 1992 to 2000 and 2001 to 2010. The PSInSAR data – which stands for Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar – revealed patterns of ground movement that pointed to the existence of two undiscovered fault lines.

The team determined that one fault line lies beneath central London, while another runs under Canary Wharf. Both faults move about 1 to 2 millimeters each year, the researchers found.

The discovery could help Londoners prepare for a moderate-intensity quake.

“London has a very overloaded infrastructure and is therefore very sensitive to damage that affects more than one point on the system – think of the effect of multiple signal failures delaying or closing two or three tube lines,” Dr. Richard Ghail, who led the research, told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html">Daily Mail</a>. “Apart from the small risk of an earthquake, it is the potential for cost overruns of difficult engineering and damage to old infrastructure (like tube lines) that is most economically significant.”

The researchers suspect that a London earthquake may be overdue, though the chances of a temblor larger than 5.0 magnitude are slim. 

London has seen moderate quakes before. In 1580, the city was shaken by a 5.5-magnitude tremor. Moderate quakes with magnitudes ranging from 5.5 to 6.0 can cause slight damage to structures, according to <a href="http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/">Michigan Tech’s UPSeis</a> program. 

Even if a London earthquake strikes, however, it’s not likely to be as strong as the 1580 shakeup.

The possibility is “enough to be scary but not fundamentally a problem,” Ghail told the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/">Telegraph</a>.

But the finding shows the importance of sharing information collected by government agencies, like the PSInSAR data sets. If those sets had been shared years ago, builders and property owners in London could already have begun retrofitting to deal with a potential future London earthquake.

“Until very recently (the last ten years or less), data have not been freely shared,” Ghail said.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Fault lines trigger worries about future London earthquake

Scientists have made a pair of discoveries that could leave...

In a new breakthrough study, researchers may have found a way to both reverse the aging process and also treat fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects about <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nonalcoholic-fatty-liver-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354567">80 to 100 million people</a> in the United States and occurs when there’s a buildup of fat cells in the liver. 

The disease can cause the liver to look like swiss cheese, and although there are rarely symptoms for NAFLD, if left to progress, the disease can cause serious damage to the liver. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/">University of Virginia</a> were studying fatty liver disease and discovered that the build-up of fat cells is caused by an increase in wrinkles in the cells.

Wrinkles of a cell’s membrane increase as we age because of a protein deficiency and in turn these wrinkles can turn liver cells into fat cells. 

“We have the same DNA in every single cell but each cell is different,” Irina Bochkis, one of the study authors, told <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5787211/Scientists-claim-turn-time-removing-wrinkles-INSIDE-cells.html">Daily Mail</a>. “So how does that work? Well, actually, certain genes need to be on in the liver and they have to be turned off in the brain, for example, and vice versa. When your nuclear membrane is no longer functioning properly, it can release the DNA that's supposed to be turned off, so then your little liver cell becomes a little fat cell.”

The study, published in the journal Aging Cell, suggests that adding protein to the membrane will smooth out the wrinkles and reverse the fat cells back to healthy liver cells. 

The researchers say that modifying a virus to transport proteins to the liver and the wrinkled cells could help smooth out the cell membranes and reduce NAFLD in the liver. 

What’s more, this process could potentially be applied to other aging factors to combat the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-connections-slow-brain-aging/">aging process</a>. 

“You're going to have normal, healthy cells, and they will appropriately express the genes that should be expressed,” said Bochkis. “You're going to eradicate the stuff that shouldn't be there.

Every time I give this talk to colleagues, they say, ‘Do you think this is a universal mechanism?’ In my opinion, I think it is.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists working to reverse wrinkles from the inside out

In a new breakthrough study, researchers may have found a...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[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

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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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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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...