An asteroid impact on Mars 11 million years ago sent fragments of the red planet hurtling through space. One of these pieces eventually crashed into Earth, making its way to Purdue University and becoming known as the Lafayette Meteorite.&nbsp;



This rare find has been instrumental in unlocking secrets of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/manganese-discovery-ancient-mars-earth-like-water-lake-habitable/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mars</a>’ watery past, with new research recently published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2443" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geochemical Perspective Letters</a> that provides insight into the timing and nature of Mars’ ancient water activity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracing-mars-watery-past">Tracing Mars’ watery past</h2>



Scientists have long known that the Lafayette Meteorite interacted with liquid water on Mars, but the exact timing of this event was uncertain.&nbsp;



Dr. Marissa Tremblay, an assistant professor at Purdue University’s <a href="https://www.eaps.purdue.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences</a> (EAPS), led an international research team to determine the age of the water-altered minerals in the meteorite, pinpointing it to 742 million years ago.



“Dating these minerals can therefore tell us when there was liquid water at or near the surface of Mars in the planet's geologic past,” Tremblay explained.&nbsp;



The findings suggest that while liquid water wasn’t abundant on the surface at this time, it likely came from melting subsurface ice, or permafrost, caused by intermittent volcanic activity - a phenomenon still observed on Mars today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preserving-a-moment-in-mars-geological-timeline">Preserving a moment in Mars’ geological timeline</h2>



The study not only identified when water interacted with the meteorite but also established that the dating was unaffected by events after the meteorite left Mars.&nbsp;



“The age could have been affected by the impact that ejected the Lafayette Meteorite from Mars, the heating it experienced during the 11 million years it was floating in space, or the heating when it fell to Earth,” Tremblay said.&nbsp;



However, the team confirmed that none of these factors altered the age, validating the timeline of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-lost-most-of-its-water-but-where-did-it-go/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">water</a> interaction.



Study co-author and Purdue EAPS researcher Ryan Ickert applied heavy isotope analysis to further verify that previous data on the meteorite’s water-rock interaction had likely been skewed by other geological processes.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This meteorite uniquely has evidence that it has reacted with water. The exact date of this was controversial, and our publication dates when water was present,” said Ickert.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mysterious-journey-of-the-meteorite">Mysterious journey of the meteorite </h2>



The Lafayette Meteorite’s journey to Purdue is something of a mystery. It was found in a university drawer in 1931, though how it got there remains unknown.&nbsp;



In previous research, Tremblay and her team used crop disease markers from organic contaminants found on the meteorite to narrow down when it might have fallen to Earth.



Once the meteorite was ejected from Mars, it endured constant cosmic ray bombardment in space, which produced certain isotopes, offering clues to its time of impact on Earth.&nbsp;



“Many meteoroids are produced by impacts on Mars and other planetary bodies, but only a handful will eventually fall to Earth,” Tremblay said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planetary-time-capsules">Planetary time capsules</h2>



Meteorites like Lafayette serve as planetary time capsules, offering invaluable data on the geological and environmental history of their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-meteorites-can-be-traced-to-three-asteroid-families/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">home worlds</a>. With their dense structure, metallic content, and magnetic properties, meteorites are often distinguishable from Earth rocks.&nbsp;



“We can identify meteorites by studying what minerals are present in them, their mineral relationships, and by checking for a fusion crust formed during entry into Earth’s atmosphere,” Tremblay explained.&nbsp;



By analyzing these traits and their chemical signatures, scientists can often determine a meteorite’s planetary origin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complex-history-of-meteorites">Complex history of meteorites</h2>



This research marks a significant milestone for the team, which included scientists from institutions across the globe, such as the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Center (SUERC), the University of St. Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Bristol, and London’s <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural History Museum</a>.&nbsp;



“Before moving to Purdue, Ryan and I were both based at SUERC, where the argon-argon isotopic analyses of the alteration minerals in Lafayette took place,” Tremblay said.&nbsp;



Their partners at SUERC and the Natural History Museum have long contributed to studying Lafayette’s complex history.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dating-minerals-in-meteorites">Dating minerals in meteorites</h2>



Dating the water-altered minerals in Lafayette, and others in its class of Martian meteorites called nakhlites, has been a central focus in planetary science, as they uniquely capture moments when liquid water was present on Mars.&nbsp;



Due to complex alterations over time, previous attempts to date these minerals were plagued with uncertainties.&nbsp;



However, the team has now developed a robust dating method that could be applied to other meteorites, enhancing our understanding of when water might have been present on Mars and other planetary bodies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-planetary-science">The future of planetary science</h2>



Thanks to the Stahura Undergraduate Meteorite Fund, Tremblay and Ickert’s research on the Lafayette Meteorite will continue, with the involvement of undergraduate students in Purdue EAPS.&nbsp;



This opportunity allows students to engage in real-world planetary science, helping to reveal the intricate histories of meteoritic samples.



Tremblay and her team’s work on the Lafayette Meteorite highlights its scientific significance, revealing a complex history that ties it to Mars’ geological past.&nbsp;



Their findings not only deepen our understanding of Mars but also set a precedent for future studies that might unveil even more about the red planet’s climate history, water activity, and potential for supporting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-mars-rocks-contain-signs-of-life-scientists-call-to-bring-them-back-to-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life</a>.



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Meteorite that struck Mars reveals when the planet had liquid water

An asteroid impact on Mars 11 million years ago sent fragments of the red planet hurtling through space. One of these pieces eventually crashed into Earth, making its way to Purdue University and becoming known as the Lafayette Meteorite.&nbsp; This rare find has been instrumental in unlocking secrets of Mars’ watery past, with new research recently published in the journal Geochemical Perspective Letters that provides insight into the timing and nature of Mars’ ancient water activity. Tracing Mars’ watery past Scientists have long known that the Lafayette...

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> has launched a new public web portal making all scientific NASA research available to everyone. Oh – and it’s all free of charge. Cue a collective cheer from space geeks everywhere!

This is all happening thanks to NASA’s new policy regarding NASA research articles in peer-reviewed journals. They must be made publicly accessible and it has to happen within a year after they’re published. 

Science fans aren’t the only ones celebrating. Officials at NASA are also pretty pleased with the chance to show off all of their research and hard work. 

“At NASA, we are celebrating this opportunity to extend access to our extensive portfolio of scientific and technical publications,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Dava Newman in a news release. “Through open access and innovation we invite the global community to join us in exploring Earth, air and space.”

Previously, people had to pay to access many of NASA’s published journal articles. The new policy was put into place after a 2013 request from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. They wanted to ensure that the public had easy and open access to the results of federally-funded research. 

NASA developed public access plan through a coordinated effort between science and technology research teams across the organization. As time goes on, it hopes to further improve the plan in ways that will increase public access to search results. 

At the moment, the database – called <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/open/researchaccess/pubspace">PubSpace</a> – has 861 articles available for public perusal. People can simply wander through the site or search for a topic that interests them. NASA will add to the database as more research is published. 

“Making our research data easier to access will greatly magnify the impact of our research,” said NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. “As scientists and engineers, we work by building upon a foundation laid by others.”

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: Dava Newman and Ellen Stofan, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>

Access to NASA research made free to the public

NASA has launched a new public web portal making all scientific NASA...

Has human behavior really changed the Earth’s climate baseline? Specifically, has our carbon dioxide emissions helped make the planet hotter? Scientists are working to define a “pre-industrial” period of time to use as a baseline in order to accurately take measurements to find out how humankind has affected global temperatures. 

For years, scientists have used the time period 1850-1900 as the “pre-industrial” time before factories and gas-guzzling cars sent fumes spiraling into the air. However, according to a paper published in the<a href="http://journals.ametsoc.org/toc/bams/current"> Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society</a> (BAMS), that might soon change.

The researchers who published the paper say that humans were already affecting the Earth’s climate long before 1850. In fact, they say that by that time, there were already higher amounts of greenhouse gases such as methane.

This has caused Ed Hawkins from<a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/"> Reading University</a>, as well as his colleagues who worked on the paper, to suggest that 1720-1800 would serve as a better baseline time period to know what our climate was like before industry started ramping up.

Why this particular period? It was before big industry and fossil fuel use exploded in popularity. There were also no major natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions that might have altered global temperatures during this time. 

Having a more precise idea of how much our climate has changed due to human industry and behavior will give policymakers the ability to make better-informed decisions about setting climate goals. If the original baseline was already hotter due to human activity, this means that current temperature limits may need to be readjusted. This includes the one laid out in the Paris agreement, which seeks to maintain the Earth’s temperature at “well below 2C above pre-industrial levels.”

Hawkins said that politicians may want to use the new baseline in future policy discussions. ”We obviously have much better observations now and over the past few decades, and so the policy-makers may want to reframe the question,” he said to BBC News.

–

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: Ed Hawkins,<a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/"> Reading University</a>

Scientists reconsider “pre-industrial” climate baseline

Has human behavior really changed the Earth’s climate baseline? Specifically,...

During a blizzard, you may be used to finding out how much snow has fallen by simply tuning into your local weatherperson. But it turns out that traditional methods used to measure snowfall may not be as accurate as you might think.

The trouble with using the usual tools like yardsticks or snow gauges is that they often give inaccurate or varying measurements. Providing precise measurements is vital to the success of local transportation and emergency crews. 

Now, a team of researchers at the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado are developing new technologies using specialized lasers to provide more accurate readings to measure snowfall. The new devices use satellite signals and light pulses with the potential to instantly measure large areas of snowfall.

"We've been measuring rain accurately for centuries, but snow is much harder because of the way it's affected by wind and sun and other factors," said NCAR researcher Ethan Gutmann. "It looks like new technology, however, will finally give us the ability to say exactly how much snow is on the ground."

NCAR has collaborated on the project with several other organizations, including the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) and the <a href="http://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a>. The research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

"Snow represents both a hazard and a water resource in the western states," said Thomas Torgersen, NSF Program Director for Hydrologic Sciences. "Both require detailed assessments of snow amounts and depth. This technology will provide new and important guidance."

For emergency crews, accurate snow measurements are critical so in how they mobilize plows and decide which roads need to close. Snow measurements can also indicate if an area qualifies to receive disaster assistance.

Measurements are often the most inaccurate during severe conditions. During extremely windy snowstorms, snow gauges can be off by almost a third of the actual total. Meanwhile, yardsticks require continuous in-person measurements that typically can’t keep up with real time snow accumulation.

Researchers had previously begun using ultrasonic devices that track the length of time required for a pulse of ultrasonic energy to bounce off the top of the snow and come back to the transmitter. But the radar signal can be easily interrupted by atmospheric conditions.

By using laser instruments, however, NCAR researchers can correct such issues. Unlike ultrasonic radars, lasers use light pulses that are not impacted by surrounding conditions. Once in place, the lasers can automatically measure snow depth across wide regions. 

The next step for the team will be to develop lasers that can accurately measure snowfall over the span of several square miles.

"If we're successful, these types of instruments will reveal a continually-updated picture of snow across an entire basin," said Gutman.

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123106">National Science Foundation</a>

Scientists develop ways to more accurately measure snowfall

During a blizzard, you may be used to finding out...

A whopping 466 million years ago, an event known as the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) caused an explosion of life under the sea. For years, scientists thought the event was set in motion when the Earth was pelted by an ancient meteor shower. New information has caused them change their minds. 

Information obtained from the dating of crystals collected from meteorite-bearing sediments in Sweden show that the GOBE happened around two million years before the ancient meteor shower began. In the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>, researchers wrote that this shows “that the two phenomena were unrelated.”

Previously, scientists believed that the GOBE was caused by a traffic incident in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/shattered-asteroid-millions-years-ago/">asteroid</a> belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter. When objects in those belts collided, they created a storm of debris that rained onto the Earth. This would have been disruptive enough to potentially stimulate new life, scientists thought.  

The new data was decisive enough to cause the researchers to do a scientific about-face. 'This study shows that the two phenomena were unrelated,” they wrote. 

Studies continue in order to find out more about both phenomena. Scientists feel that learning more about asteroid collisions and falling meteorites can help them better understand how the solar system formed and evolved over time.

Meanwhile, scientists also continue their search for the cause of the GOBE. Anders Lindskog of <a href="http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se">Lund University</a> in Sweden co-authored the study. He wrote that the data indicates that the new data indicates “no measurable 'extraterrestrial' influence on biodiversity” amongst sea life. He said, however, that high sea levels during the Ordovician Event definitely provided more space for life there to thrive. 

Scientists aren’t giving any alternate theories about what sparked the GOBE. The event happened around 470 million years ago. This was after the first explosion of life on our planet – that one happened nearly 540 million years ago during the Cambrian period. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: Anders Lindskog, <a href="http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se">Lund University</a>

Ancient meteor shower did not cause ‘explosion of life’ in ocean

A whopping 466 million years ago, an event known as...

At 29,029 feet tall, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level. That record isn’t at risk any time soon – even if an earthquake in Nepal dropped the peak a little.

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 rocked the Himalayan country in April 2015. Known as the Ghorka earthquake, it killed nearly 9,000 people and injured close to 22,000. It also triggered huge avalanches, including one on Mount Everest.

The shaking may have also lowered Everest’s lofty height by anywhere from a few millimeters to a full inch. At least, that’s what satellite data indicated when the shaking stopped.

It wouldn’t be unusual for land to shift during an earthquake. In fact, the 2015 quake appears to have shifted Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, several feet south, according to geologists.

And swaths of the Himalayas sunk by as much as 36 inches following the temblor, scientists said.

However, they’re split on whether the satellite data on Mount Everest is accurate. Some scientists believe that once the dust settled, Everest’s height remained the same.

That’s why <a href="http://www.surveyofindia.gov.in/pages/view/15/11-organization">Dr. Swarna Subba Rao</a>, India’s surveyor general, will lead an expedition to settle the question. The team will remeasure the mountain to find its actual height, and determine if the satellites or the scientists are right.

The expedition is expected to head to the mountain from India in two months. It will take about a month to complete the study, and another two weeks or so to compile and release the data, Rao said.

Despite Rao’s plan, Nepalese authorities told news agencies that they have not yet agreed to allow the Indian team to access the mountain.

In fact, <a href="http://dos.gov.np/language/en/">surveyors with the Nepalese government</a> said they planned their own expedition to measure the mountain.

Regardless of which team treks to Everest, they’ll need to use GPS data and triangulation to measure the peak’s height.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Did a 2015 quake make Mount Everest shorter?

At 29,029 feet tall, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain...

For some time now, it has been widely understood that the Mayan civilization collapsed on two separate occasions. The first time occurred in the second century AD, known as the Preclassic Maya collapse, while the second took place in the ninth century AD, called the Classic Maya collapse.

But now, a team of researchers from the <a href="http://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> have used radiocarbon dating to find out why the Mayan civilization collapsed twice. According to their findings, published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, both periods underwent similar trajectories of warfare and social instability. 

“What we found out is that those two cases of collapse (Classic and Preclassic) follow similar patterns,’ said Takeshi Inomata, lead author of the study. “It’s not just a simple collapse, but there are waves of collapse.” 

“First, there are smaller waves, tied to warfare and some political instability, then comes the major collapse, in which many centers got abandoned.Then there was some recovery in some places, then another collapse.”

Radiocarbon dating from archaeological excavation sites has allowed the researchers to track the chronology of each event. The data revealed similar patterns of population size and construction increasing and decreasing.

“It’s really, really interesting that these collapses both look very similar, at very different time periods,” said Melissa Burham, co-author of the study. “We now have a good understanding of what the processes looked like, that potentially can serve as a template for other people to try to see if they have a similar pattern at their (archaeological) sites in the same area.”

“Radiocarbon dating has been used for a long time, but now we’re getting to an interesting period because it’s getting more and more precise,” added Inomata. “We’re getting to the point where we can get to the interesting social patterns because the chronology is refined enough, and the dating is precise enough.”

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image: Takeshi Inomata/<a href="http://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a>

Mayan civilization collapsed twice for the same reasons, study shows

For some time now, it has been widely understood that...

Almost 4 billion years ago, the rocky debris of failed planets that never managed to fully form may have slammed against the surface of Earth, the moon, and other terrestrial planets in our solar system.

It has long been accepted that this period, referred to as the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB), was caused by a body of asteroids that currently rests in the belt between Mars and Jupiter. New research, however, suggests that huge rock and dust clusters that remained after the formation of the failed planets were instead responsible for the giant craters on Mars and the moon.

According to impact scientist William Bottke of the <a href="http://www.swri.org/">Southwest Research Institute</a> in Colorado, the LHB was likely a result of ‘dancing planets,’ a phenomenon in which larger planets leave residual matter as they migrate. That material then pummeled the surface of smaller planets in the solar system. 

“We have evidence for two early-bombardment populations and a time difference between them – a late one, plausibly made my escapees from the asteroid belt, and an early one from elsewhere,” Bottke told <a href="http://space.com">Space.com</a>.

The surfaces of terrestrial planets, including Earth and Venus, were scarred by the LHB some 3.8 - 3.9 billion years ago. Evidence of such may have been erased by weathering and tectonics on Earth and volcanic activity on Venus. Scientists have long attributed this marring to the cluster of astroids in the belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Researchers now suggest that these objects originated in two separate regions and rained down onto the surface of the planets at different times.  A recent paper suggests that planetesimals – the debris from the formation of planets – was solely to blame. 

“We find that asteroids were probably not responsible for the LHB, independently of whether the dynamical instability on the outer solar system happened early or late, because the calibrated flux is not large enough to explain the ancient lunar record,” writes Bottke’s colleague David Nesvorny. 

“Comets and leftovers of the terrestrial planet accretion probably provided a dominant source of impacts during the early epochs,” Nesvorny adds.

However, Bottke warns that additional research is required before we abandon the LHB theory entirely. 

--

By Darryl Joseph, <a href="http://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Failed planets scarred Earth's surface 4 billion years ago

Almost 4 billion years ago, the rocky debris of failed...

<a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> scientists have confirmed a groundbreaking 2009 study: it’s possible to isolate dinosaur collagen from fossilized bones.

The new study isolated collagen peptides from a Brachylophosaurus specimen dating back 80 million years. The research lends support to the original breakthrough in 2009, showing that organic molecules can survive in fossils for much longer than previously believed. 

“Sequence data from biomolecules such as DNA and proteins, which provide critical information for evolutionary studies, have been assumed to be forever outside the reach of dinosaur paleontology,” the researchers wrote in the new study.

Mass spectrometry technology improvements, along with new databases of proteins, allowed for the breakthroughs in dino genetics.

Using the new equipment, the North Carolina State researchers extracted and analyzed a sample from the same fossils used for the 2009 study. They confirmed two of the peptide sequences recovered in 2009, and discovered six new peptide sequences.

Collagen – even 80 million-year-old dinosaur collagen – is a protein. Proteins are made up of peptides, so collecting ancient peptides from fossil remains allows paleontologists to piece together dino DNA. That allows them to study how a dinosaur may fit into evolutionary chains, and discovered any distant modern relatives. 

Brachylophosaurus canadensis, the duck-billed dinosaur that was the star of the new study, is related to modern crocodiles and alligators, as well as some ancient bird ancestors.

Previous studies that found dinosaur collagen peptides were controversial. However, the new study shows that with modern instrumentation and equipment, the results can be repeated.

“[T]his study demonstrates the importance of reexamining previously studied specimens with updated methods and instrumentation, as we obtained roughly the same amount of sequence data as the previous study with substantially less sample material,” the scientists wrote.

The study was published in the <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00873">Journal of Proteome Research</a>. The scientists also submitted their data to <a href="http://www.proteomexchange.org/">ProteomeXchange</a>, with the identifier PXD005087.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Study confirms 2009 dinosaur collagen discovery

North Carolina State University scientists have confirmed a groundbreaking 2009...

Differences in mineral content show that some ancient meteorites may have been the remains of a shattered asteroid, according to a new study.

An international team of scientists led by Dr. Philipp Heck of the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> discovered that the types of meteorites that fall to Earth today are different from those that fell in the past. Some types of meteorites that are now rare used to be common, they found.

An equally fascinating find is that meteorites that date to about 466 million years ago are even more different. The find could be the remains of an ancient space disaster, the team said.

The researchers believe that some space object crashed into an asteroid between 466 and 467 million years ago. Based on the types of minerals found in meteorites from that time, the remains of the shattered asteroid seem to have fallen to Earth, they said.

The drastic differences between modern meteorites and those that fell in the past may point to other cosmic events. For example, a cratering event on the asteroid 4 Vesta may have sent basaltic meteorites down to Earth in another space disaster.

“This is the first reconstruction of the background flux of the different meteorite types in a geological time perspective. Similar reconstructions are ongoing for other periods in the Earth’s ­geological past,” the researchers wrote in the study.

To better understand the differences between modern and ancient meteorites, the scientists collected “micrometeorites” from an exposed seafloor in Russia that is millions of years old. They dissolved the minerals the micrometeorites were made of to expose the chrome-spinels that act as their core.

From there, they could determine what minerals they were originally made of, and trace them back to “families” of asteroids made of the same materials.

The study has shaken up astronomers’ beliefs about the solar system.

Astronomers believed that for the past 500 million years or so, the solar system has been relatively stable, the scientists said. The new study shows that this may not have been the case.

The study could help astronomers learn more about the evolution of the solar system’s asteroid belt, Heck said.

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-016-0035">Nature Astronomy</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Image credit: Don Davis, <a href="http://www.swri.org/">Southwest Research Institute</a>

Shattered asteroid fell to Earth millions of years ago

Differences in mineral content show that some ancient meteorites may...

Climate scientists leap into action as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/president-trump-takes-action/">President Donald Trump’s</a> administration has taken office. They’re working hard to save data gathered through years of taxpayer-funded research into climate change. 

Scientists fear the Trump team will potentially purge climate change data stored on government sites and databases. In addition to this, they expect to see budget cuts to various scientific and research programs within the<a href="https://energy.gov"> Department of Energy</a>,<a href="https://www.nasa.gov"> NASA</a>,<a href="http://www.noaa.gov"> NOAA</a>, and the<a href="https://www.usgs.gov"> United States Geological Survey</a>.

Experts are concerned that if they don’t take action, the data could be lost, destroyed, put into deep storage, or degrade in quality as the agencies that maintain them lose funding. Even if the information still exists, climate <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/leopards-roommates-scientists/">scientists</a> worry that it could become difficult or impossible for them to access.  

Furthering scientists’ concerns are what happened on the official White House website on Friday. Immediately after Donald Trump took office, all references to climate change and global warming disappeared from the site. 

The Trump administration replaced the pages that referenced climate change science with information about the administration’s plans to boost the fossil fuel industry by lessening regulations and increasing development, as well as opening up public lands to mining and drilling.

All of this flies in the face of a large community of defense experts and military leaders who suggest that climate change research is crucial to America’s national security. 

In a 2014 report titled “<a href="https://www.cna.org/cna_files/pdf/MAB_5-8-14.pdf">National Security and the Accelerating Risks of Climate Change</a>,” the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/israeli-desert-military-site/">Military</a> Advisory Board called for “cooperation and change” around issues of climate change. The report said that impacts from climate change “are already accelerating instability in vulnerable areas of the world and are serving as catalysts for conflict.” 

From dealing with global conflict to predicting the weather and discovering ways to better grow crops, a wide range of experts agree that climate change data is a valuable tool in America’s military and economic power.

–

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

As Trump takes office, climate scientists rush to save data

Climate scientists leap into action as President Donald Trump’s administration...

The famed bard Taliesin wrote poems and songs about Urien, the powerful ruler of the lost kingdom of Rheged – a kingdom that may not be lost anymore.

Taliesin’s work was so popular that Urien and his son appear in Arthurian lore. According to the Arthurian version of Urien’s life, the ruler of Rheged and other northern kings rebelled against King Arthur. They became Arthur's vassals when he defeated them in battle.

This version of Urien married one of King Arthur’s sisters – often Morgan le Fey – and had at least one son. Urien's Arthurian son, like the eldest son in Taliesin's tales, is named Owain.

Legends of the great king and his land have survived, but the location of Rheged did not.

A groundbreaking new archaeological find in Galloway may have solved the ancient mystery.

An excavation carried out in the region may have uncovered the 6th and 7th century seat of Rheged, archaeologists Ronan Toolis and Dr. Christopher Bowles said. Toolis led the excavation in the town Gatehouse of Fleet, located in Dumphries and Galloway in Scotland, with Bowles overseeing the work.

Artifacts uncovered by their team point to <a href="http://www.gatehouse-of-fleet.co.uk/index.php/trusty-s-hill">Trusty’s Hill</a>, an ancient fort, being at the center of Scottish life in the Dark Ages. The newly discovered artifacts give every sign that the site was not just any fortress. It was a royal stronghold.

That makes it very likely the fort was once the center of Rheged, which was the most influential kingdom in the region at that time, Toolis and Bowles said.

The two didn’t expect to uncover the lost kingdom of Rheged when they set about their work. Instead, Pictish carvings drew them to the site. The carvings are unique to the region; Pictish stones are usually found much farther north.

The stones date back to around 600 C.E., they found. They appear to be linked to a Dark Ages kingdom located at the site, they said.

Bowles and Toolis had hoped to find evidence that Pictish people had once lived as far south as Galloway.

Instead, they believe they’ve found Rheged.

Toolis and Bowles published their findings in their new book, “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Dark-Age-Kingdom-Rheged/dp/1785703110">The Lost Dark Age Kingdom of Rheged: the Discovery of a Royal Stronghold at Trusty's Hill, Galloway</a>.”

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Image credit: <a href="http://www.dgnhas.org.uk/">Dumfriesshire &amp; Galloway Natural History and Antiquarian Society</a> / <a href="http://www.guard-archaeology.co.uk/">GUARD Archeology LTD</a>

Archaeological site could be lost kingdom from the Dark Ages

The famed bard Taliesin wrote poems and songs about Urien,...

Coal or wind? Natural gas or solar? If one company has its way, the debate over the best source of power will soon be meaningless. That is, if it can get its commercial fusion reactor off the ground by 2027, like it plans to.

<a href="http://trialphaenergy.com/">Tri Alpha Energy</a> is seeking to be the first firm to develop a working fusion reactor. If it succeeds, the world could soon have a cheap, near-limitless source of energy.

The company has raised $500 million in pursuit of its goal: to develop a machine that can contain plasma at temperatures hotter than the sun.

Tri Alpha Energy has already developed a machine that can hold plasma at temperatures up to 18 million degrees Fahrenheit for 11.5 milliseconds. But to achieve nuclear fusion, they need to develop a containment device that can withstand temperatures of 5.4 billion degrees, and for longer.

That’s where they plan to invest their current funds. The company hopes to have a commercial fusion reactor in the next decade.

It’s not quite Mr. Fusion from “Back to the Future Part II.” Instead of relying on garbage, Tri Alpha’s reactor would use hydrogen atoms – the most abundant element in the universe, according to scientists.

The type of fusion the company hopes to produce involves heating hydrogen atoms and submitting them to intense pressure, until their nuclei fuse to create helium atoms. Strong magnetic fields keep the atoms from brushing the sides of the container; that way, they don’t lose energy.

If the plasma can be kept contained long enough for fusion to occur, the event would produce enormous amounts of energy.

Tri Alpha is keeping some of the details of its project hidden, but the firm shared a few of its secrets with the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/08/exclusive-secretive-fusion-company-claims-reactor-breakthrough">Science</a>.

They’re not the only team working to create a commercial fusion reactor. Along with rival start-ups, the nuclear race includes a multi-national collaboration in France dubbed the <a href="https://www.iter.org/">International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor</a>, and a <a href="https://science.energy.gov/fes/">Department of Energy</a> project.

But according to Science, Tri Alpha Energy has made the most progress.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Commercial fusion reactor could end energy debate by 2027

Coal or wind? Natural gas or solar? If one company...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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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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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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[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



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...