Do you recall those childhood days when you eagerly anticipated bedtime stories about Peter Rabbit, Toad or Ratty from The Wind in the Willows? Or the excitement that washed over you every time you opened a children's book teeming with playful, animated animals? 



Well, a new study is giving us a fresh perspective on the role of these furry, iconic characters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-children-s-books-animal-characters">Children's books animal characters</h2>



The research has shed light on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddlers-learn-faster-after-witnessing-impossible-events/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential influence</a> of non-human characters in children's books.



The researchers aimed to gauge how these animal characters affected children's theory of mind skills - crucial abilities which include deciphering social changes in the environment based on voice tone, word choice, or facial expressions.



They worked with over 100 children aged five to 10, each of whom were tested on their theory of mind skills after hearing stories featuring animal characters, as well as those highlighting human characters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-vs-animal-characters-in-books">Human vs. animal characters in books</h2>



The study unveiled an interesting pattern. When exposed to stories centered around human characters, an age-related progression was observed. 



Older children were consistently outperforming their younger counterparts, with 3rd grade children surpassing the researchers' expectations in tests featuring human characters.



But the revelations didn't stop there. The tests that involved animal characters threw up another surprise. 



The younger participants were able to match the scores achieved by pupils in 3rd grade, who were two years their senior. That's quite a feat for our young champions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-insight-into-children-s-development">New insight into children's development</h2>



These findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, highlight the importance of both human and non-human characters in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/outdoor-classes-improve-childrens-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">children's developmental stages</a>.



The research was led by Dr. Gray Atherton and Dr. Liam Cross from the University of Plymouth’s <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools/psychology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Psychology</a>.



"Animals play a huge part of children’s stories, whether that is in books and comics or through TV and film. We wanted to test if that is down to more than simply liking the characters, and whether there are actual benefits of children learning through by watching or reading about animals and if this changes over time," said Dr. Atherton.



"Our findings showed that both human and non-human characters are important in helping children interpret the world around them, and that they play differing roles at different stages in their development. Adapting activities and lessons in nurseries and the early school years to take that into account could be hugely effective in helping to support their development."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-educators-and-parents">Implications for educators and parents</h2>



The insights gained from this study have substantial implications for educators and parents aiming to support children's cognitive and social development.



By incorporating both human and animal characters into books, educators can craft a more balanced learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of children across age groups. 



Parents, too, can enrich their children's home learning experiences by selecting a variety of stories that include both human and animal protagonists. 



This approach not only makes reading sessions more engaging but also aids in developing empathy and understanding of complex social scenarios.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions</h2>



While this study provides valuable insights, it also opens avenues for further exploration. 



Future research could go deeper into the types of animal characteristics that are most effective in nurturing children's theory of mind. For instance, exploring whether anthropomorphized animals or more realistic portrayals have differing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-who-use-humor-have-better-relationships-with-their-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">impacts</a>. 



Similarly, cross-cultural studies could investigate whether the affinity towards animal characters holds true in diverse cultural contexts. These inquiries could refine understanding and application in educational strategies, enhancing the efficacy of storytelling as a developmental tool.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animal-characters-and-autism-treatment">Animal characters and autism treatment</h2>



In previous studies, Dr. Atherton and Dr. Cross examined the factors influencing the educational and social development of individuals with autism and learning difficulties.



The experts launched initiatives proving how board and online games can bolster confidence among people with autism. 



Borrowing insights from this research, the scholars now plan to dig deeper to explore if their findings could provide specific benefits to children with such conditions.



Dr. Cross envisions a significant impact of this study on individuals with autism or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-with-behavioral-issues-have-high-cortisol-levels-in-their-hair/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other conditions</a> affecting their learning. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-way-of-looking-at-animal-characters">A new way of looking at animal characters</h2>



The researchers have observed how tasks involving animal characters can result in autistic individuals performing on par with non-autistic children. 



The plan is to replicate this study with autistic children in an effort to unveil more effective ways to support them at a critical stage in their development.



In a nutshell, this study has unraveled an entirely new dimension of how we view animals in children's books. 



Those delightful animal characters do more than simply entertain; they help shape our children's minds and understanding of the world around them in their formative years.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002209652400256X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Child Psychology</a>. 



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Animal characters boost social and emotional skills in children

Do you recall those childhood days when you eagerly anticipated bedtime stories about Peter Rabbit, Toad or Ratty from The Wind in the Willows? Or the excitement that washed over you every time you opened a children's book teeming with playful, animated animals? Well, a new study is giving us a fresh perspective on the role of these furry, iconic characters. Children's books animal characters The research has shed light on the potential influence of non-human characters in children's books. The researchers aimed to gauge how these...

<div>Hurricane Lester becomes fourth major Eastern Pacific hurricane When NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over hurricane Lester it was on the verge of becoming a major hurricane. That happened less than 12 hours later.</div>
<div>

On Aug. 28 at 6:05 p.m. EDT (2205 UTC) the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of Hurricane Lester as it was strengthening and organizing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The image showed the system was developing a well-defined circulation and a cloud-filled eye. The image also revealed strong thunderstorms wrapping tightly into the low-level center.

Less than 12 hours later by 5 a.m. EDT on Aug. 29, Lester became a major hurricane hitting Category 3 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. At that time the ragged eye that had formed earlier had cleared out, exposing the eye to satellites. Lester has become the fourth major hurricane of the 2016 eastern North Pacific hurricane season.

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Lester was located near 18.0 degrees north latitude and 127.8 degrees west longitude, about 1,205 miles (1,940 km) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Lester is moving toward the west near 15 mph (24 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts.

NHC forecasters noted that little change in strength is expected today, but slow weakening is expected to begin by Tuesday, Aug. 30.
###
For updates on Lester, visit the NHC website: <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.nhc.noaa.gov</a>.

</div>

Hurricane Lester becomes fourth major Eastern Pacific hurricane

Hurricane Lester becomes fourth major Eastern Pacific hurricane When NASA-NOAA's...

<div>Climate change has smaller impact on drought than expected As a multiyear drought grinds on in the Southwestern United States, many wonder about the impact of global climate change on more frequent and longer dry spells. As humans emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, how will water supply for people, farms, and forests be affected?</div>
<div>

A new study from the University of California, Irvine and the University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/mount-rainier-in-washington/">Washington</a> shows that water conserved by plants under high CO2 conditions compensates for much of the effect of warmer temperatures, retaining more water on land than predicted in commonly used drought assessments. Also the Climate change has smaller impact on drought than expected

According to the study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the implications of plants needing less water with more CO2 in the environment changes assumptions of climate change impacts on agriculture, water resources, wildfire risk, and plant growth.

The study compares current drought indices with ones that take into account changes in plant water use. Reduced precipitation will increase droughts across southern North America, southern Europe and northeastern South America. But the results show that in Central Africa and temperate Asia -- including China, the Middle East, East Asia and most of Russia -- water conservation by plants will largely counteract the parching due to climate change.

"This study confirms that drought will intensify in many regions in the future," said coauthor James Randerson, UCI professor of Earth system science. "It also shows that plant water needs will have an important influence on water availability, and this part of the equation has been neglected in many drought and hydrology studies."

Recent studies have estimated that more than 70 percent of our planet will experience more drought as carbon dioxide levels quadruple from pre-industrial levels over about the next 100 years. But when researchers account for changes in plants' water needs, this falls to 37 percent, with bigger differences concentrated in certain regions.

The reason is that when Earth's atmosphere holds more carbon dioxide, plants actually benefit from having more of the molecules they need to build their carbon-rich bodies. Plants take in carbon dioxide through tiny openings called stomata that cover their leaves. But as they draw in carbon dioxide, moisture escapes. When carbon dioxide is more plentiful, the stomata don't need to be open for as long, and so the plants lose less water. The plants thus draw less water from the soil through their roots.

Global climate models already account for these changes in plant growth. But many estimates of future drought use today's standard indices, like the Palmer Drought Severity Index, which only consider atmospheric variables such as future temperature, humidity and precipitation.

"New satellite observations and improvements in our understanding hydrological cycle have led to significant advances in our ability to model changes in soil moisture," said Randerson. "Unfortunately, using proxy estimates of drought stress can give us misleading results because they ignore well-established principles from plant physiology."

Planners will need accurate long-term drought predictions to design future water supplies, anticipate ecosystem stresses, project wildfire risks and decide where to locate agricultural fields.

"In some sense there's an easy solution to this problem, which is we just have to create new metrics that take into account what the plants are doing," said lead author Abigail Swann, a University of Washington assistant professor of atmospheric sciences. "We already have the information to do that; we just have to be more careful about ensuring that we're considering the role of the plants."

Is this good news for climate change? Although the drying may be less extreme than in some current estimates, droughts will certainly increase, researchers said, and other aspects of climate change could have severe effects on vegetation.

"There's a lot we don't know, especially about hot droughts," Swann said. The same drought at a higher temperature might have more severe impacts, she noted, or might make plants more stressed and susceptible to pests.

"Even if droughts are not extremely more prevalent or frequent, they may be more deadly when they do happen," she said.
###
Other co-authors are Forrest Hoffman at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Charles Koven at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit <a href="http://www.uci.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.uci.edu</a>.

Contact:

Brian Bell
949-824-8249
<a href="mailto:bpbell@uci.edu">bpbell@uci.edu</a>

</div>

Climate change has smaller impact on drought than expected

Climate change has smaller impact on drought than expected As...

<div>Biodiversity in the Amazon forests helps mitigate climate change risks "Plant trait diversity may enable the Amazon forests, the world's greatest and maybe most fascinating tropical ecosystem, to adjust to some level of climate change - certain trees dominant today could decrease and their place will be taken by others which are better suited for the new climate conditions in the future," says Boris Sakschewski from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), lead-author of the study to be published in Nature Climate Change. Tree survival for instance depends on what the scientists call 'leaf economics': their different size, thickness, longevity or density defines how well the plant can deal with higher temperatures and water scarcity. "Biodiversity shows not to be a nice-to-have but indeed a must-have," says Sakschewski. "We find it could be functional for the long-term survival of<a href="http://www.earth.com/image/aerosols-swirling-around-the-earth/"> Earth's</a> large reservoirs of biomass, such as the forests of the Amazon region. "Biodiversity in the Amazon forests helps mitigate climate change risks</div>
<div>

However, this depends on the level of stress. Only in a scenario of moderate climate change, high biodiversity can, after a sharp decline of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass">biomass,</a> contribute to substantial recovery in vast areas across the Amazon region after a few hundred years. Here, more than 80 percent of the Amazon area would show substantial regrowth, according to the study. In contrast, in a business-as-usual scenario of greenhouse-gas emissions leading to massive climate change, less than 20 percent of the area would show this positive effect.

A significant step forward in Earth system modelling

Never before have these dynamics been integrated in a biogeochemical vegetation simulation of climate effects, so this is a significant step forward in Earth system modelling. "To explain how plant trait diversity contributes to the resilience of rainforest we first investigated an experimental site in Ecuador and then extended the simulations to the Amazon basin," says team leader Kirsten Thonicke from PIK. "We've been working on this for years. While it is well-known that biodiversity is relevant for ecosystem productivity and biomass storage, up to now it could not be shown in a large-scale quantitative way. We're glad to advance previous research by closing this important gap."

"This is good news for the Amazon forest - still, it doesn't mean that climate change would not harm this unique ecosystem substantially, quite the contrary," says Wolfgang Lucht, co-chair of PIK's research domain Earth System Analysis. While high biodiversity enables the forest to eventually regain much of its biomass, there is a huge disruption in the transition and the species composition would be different afterwards even under moderate global warming. "Despite the encouraging findings on biodiversity's functional value, the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/amazon-rainforest-burning/">Amazon rainforest</a> unfortunately remains one of the critical hotspots on the planet that demand very rapid decreases in CO2 emissions."

Article: Sakschewski, B., von Bloh, W., Boit, A., Poorter, L., Peña-Claros, M., Heinke, J., Joshi, J., Thonicke, K. (2016): Resilience of Amazon forests emerges from plant trait diversity. Nature Climate Change (Advance Online Publication) [DOI:10.1038/nclimate3109]

&nbsp;

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<div></div>

Biodiversity in the Amazon forests helps mitigate climate change risks

Biodiversity in the Amazon forests helps mitigate climate change risks...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Tropical Depression 9 photographed in the Gulf of Mexico Although the center of Tropical Depression 9 moved away from Cuba and into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, western Cuba was still getting drenched from the system. A visible image from NOAA's GOES-East satellite showed the reach of the large depression.</div>
The National Hurricane Center said at 11 a.m. EDT that torrential rains continue over western Cuba and that a tropical storm watch likely to be issued for a portion of the Florida Gulf Coast later today, Aug. 30.

An infrared look at Tropical Depression 9 on Aug. 30 at 3:05 a.m. EDT (0705 UTC) from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite showed that the strongest storms were more concentrated around the center of circulation than the visible cloud imagery showed.

Infrared data takes temperatures, and the colder the cloud tops, the higher they are in the troposphere. Cloud tops around the center of Tropical Depression 9 were as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius), indicating they were high in the troposphere. Storms with cloud tops that cold have been shown to generate heavy rainfall. Tropical Depression 9 photographed in the Gulf of Mexico

Visible satellite imagery on Aug. 30 at 10:45 a.m. EDT from NOAA GOES-East showed the extent of the large depression. The southwestern extent of the depression's clouds were over the northeastern part of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, while the northeastern extent of the depression's clouds stretched over Cuba and the Florida Keys. The GOES image was generated at the NASA/NOAA GOES Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Nine was located near 24.0 degrees north latitude and 87.2 degrees west longitude. That's about 340 miles (550 km) west of Key West, Florida, and 310 miles (495 km) west of Havana, Cuba.

The depression is moving toward the west-northwest near 7 mph (11 kph). NHC forecasts a turn toward the northwest is expected later today, Aug. 30, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest tonight. A turn toward the north-northeast is expected on Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of the depression will continue to move slowly away from western <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/cubas-twilight-zone-reefs/">Cuba</a>, and move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico during the next 48 hours.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 kph) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and the depression is expected to become a tropical storm today.

For updated forecasts, visit the NHC website at <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.nhc.noaa.gov</a>.


</div>
<div></div>

Tropical Depression 9 photographed in the Gulf of Mexico

Tropical Depression 9 photographed in the Gulf of Mexico Although...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">Tropical Storm Lionrock is quickly weakening. Tropical Storm Lionrock moved over Honshu, the big island of Japan and then proceeded over the Hokkaido, the northernmost island, when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA</a> Terra satellite passed overhead and analyzed the storm's cloud top temperatures.</div>
On Aug. 30 at 8:55 a.m. EDT (1255 UTC) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured an infrared image of Tropical Storm Lionrock when it was centered over southern Hokkaido, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/nearly-complete-duck-billed-dinosaur-fossil/">Japan</a>. Infrared data showed some strong thunderstorms remained as cloud top temperatures were as cold as minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The higher the clouds the colder the cloud tops and typically the stronger the storms. Also Tropical Storm Lionrock is quickly weakening has shown in the image above how serious it can be.

On Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Lionrock was located near 40.6 degrees north latitude and 140.2 degrees west longitude. That's about 47 nautical miles west-northwest of Misawa, Japan. Maximum sustained winds dropped to 51.7 mph (45 knots/83.3 kph). Lionrock is moving to the north-northwest at 36.8 mph (32 knots/59.6 kph).

Lionrock is weakening rapidly and is forecast to track across the Sea of Japan to Manchuria, where it will dissipate.


</div>
<div></div>

Tropical Storm Lionrock is quickly weakening

Tropical Storm Lionrock is quickly weakening. Tropical Storm Lionrock moved...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">New technique helps scientists study Antarctic sea ice and glaciers. New technique helps scientists study Antarctic sea ice and glaciers Historic changes to Antarctic sea ice could be unraveled using a new technique pioneered by scientists at Plymouth University. It could also potentially be used to demonstrate past alterations to glaciers and ice shelves caused by climatic changes, a study published in Nature Communications suggests.</div>
The new method builds on an existing technique, also developed by Plymouth University over the last 10 years, which identified a means by which scientists could measure changes to sea ice in the Arctic.

That has already led scientists to reveal periods when the <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/winter-habitat-found-under-the-arctic-ice/">Arctic</a> was previously ice free during summers, and when sea ice first expanded to is modern extent. Also New technique helps scientists study Antarctic sea ice and glaciers have shown in image above the amount of beauty it creates.

Simon Belt, Professor of Chemistry at Plymouth University and lead author on the study, said: "In addition to allowing us to unlock historical changes to Antarctic sea ice, our new method also has the potential to provide further insights into other critical climatic features that may have changed in the past. Indeed, sea ice around the Antarctic coastline is strongly influenced by nearby glaciers and ice shelves, both of which contribute to increased global sea level when they melt. Therefore, our new approach may also permit a much broader spectrum of climatic changes to be unraveled in the future."

The previous technique is based on the presence of IP25 (ice proxy with 25 carbon atoms), a lipid chemical made solely by microalgae that live in the bottom of Arctic sea ice. When the ice melts, the algae and its lipids fall into the sediments which can be recovered, dated and analysed.

IP25 does not exist in the Antarctic, but scientists from Plymouth - working with colleagues from Hanyang University, the Korea Polar Research Institute, the British Antarctic Survey and Isoprime Limited - have discovered a related chemical in the Southern Ocean. Although these glaciers are thick and beautiful they tend to melt down a lot come spring time. Also the ice glaciers that build up over the winter time show how awesome nature is by creating these thickly built up sculptures.

Analysis of surface sediments covering different regions of Antarctica - including the Weddell Sea, the Antarctic Peninsula, the Bellingshausen Sea and the Ross Sea - showed the presence of IPSO25 (ice proxy for the Southern Ocean with 25 carbon atoms) in nearly all cases. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA">NASA's</a> view of it all.

Its source, Berkeleya adeliensis, is a widespread and commonly occurring constituent of microalgae inhabiting Antarctic sea ice, which explains why IPSO25 is so common in the sediments.

The paper concludes: "The identification of IPSO25 in the Antarctic sea ice diatom Berkeleya adeliensis likely ensures that future interpretations of the sedimentary occurrence of this sea ice proxy can be made with greater confidence and in more detail. Thus, in addition to representing a qualitative measure of the past occurrence of Antarctic landfast ice during late spring/summer, our findings indicate that variability in sedimentary IPSO25 potentially provides further insights into changes to ice shelf and glacial melt processes in long-term records."


</div>
<div></div>

New technique helps scientists study Antarctic sea ice and glaciers

New technique helps scientists study Antarctic sea ice and glaciers....

<div>Hurricane Madeline nearing the Hawaiian Islands NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP and NOAA's GOES satellites showed major Hurricane Madeline nearing the Hawaiian Islands. An animation of satellite imagery showed the movement of Madeline and nearby Hurricane Lester over a two day period.</div>
<div>

At 7:25 p.m. EDT (23:25 UTC) on Aug. 29, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible image of major Hurricane Madeline. The storm's eye extended up to 13 nautical miles wide in diameter and Madeline appeared very well organized.

By 11 p.m. EDT (5 p.m. HST) the storm was classified as a major hurricane when maximum sustained winds reached 115 mph (185 kph). Madeline had become a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale.

On Aug. 30, Madeline has sparked a hurricane watch for Hawaii County, Hawaii.

At NASA/NOAA's GOES project office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, an animation of NOAA's GOES-East satellite imagery from Aug. 28 to Aug. 30 was created. The animation showed the movement of Hurricane Madeline intensify from a Category 2 to Category 4 hurricane. To the east of Madeline, Hurricane Lester was moving through the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

At 8 a.m. EDT (2 a.m. HST/1200 UTC), the center of Hurricane Madeline was located near 19.3 degrees north latitude and 147.7 degrees west longitude. That puts the eye of Madeline about 490 miles (790 km) east of Hilo, Hawaii and 680 miles (1,095 km) east of Honolulu, Hawaii.

NOAA's Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) said that Madeline is moving toward the west near 9 mph (15 kph) and this motion is expected to become west southwesterly late today through early Thursday. On the forecast track, the center of Madeline will pass dangerously close to the Big Island Wednesday and Wednesday night. The estimated minimum central pressure is 950 millibars.

Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 kph) with higher gusts. Madeline is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some weakening is forecast through early Thursday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 125 miles (205 km).

Hurricane conditions are possible over Hawaii County on Wednesday, Aug. 31, and ocean swells are expected to reach the Hawaiian Islands over the next couple of days, possibly becoming damaging along some coastlines Wednesday and Thursday.

NOAA's CPHC said that heavy rains associated with Madeline may reach Hawaii County on Wednesday, and may impact other <a href="http://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/hawaiian-flower-identification-for-beginners/">Hawaiian</a> Islands later Wednesday into Friday. Madeline is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 5 to 10 inches, with isolated maximum amounts near 15 inches, especially over windward portions of the Big Island. This rainfall may lead to dangerous flash floods and mudslides.
###
For updates on Madeline, visit the CPHC website: <a href="http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc</a>.

</div>

Hurricane Madeline nearing the Hawaiian Islands

Hurricane Madeline nearing the Hawaiian Islands NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP and...

<div>
<div class="img-wrapper">A new study has found that plants regulate their leaf temperature with some independence from the surrounding air temperature, a trait that increases carbon uptake through photosynthesis. The research offers promise for refining Earth system models that help predict climate change impacts and feedbacks. Study: Plants regulate their leaf temperature to boost carbon uptake</div>
"This research combines theory for leaf energy flows with globally distributed temperature data for diverse plant taxa to show that leaves generally do not match air temperature, but instead thermoregulate," said Sean Michaletz, a plant ecologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which led the study. Los Alamos studies and models climate change and related impacts as part of its mission to maintain the nation's energy security. "The end result is that leaves are generally warmer than air in cold temperatures, and cooler than air in warm temperatures." Study: Plants regulate their leaf temperature to boost carbon uptake

In the paper recently published in Nature Plants, Michaletz and the team developed a novel theory that combined energy budgets, which account for incoming and outgoing thermal energy fluxes in a leaf, with the carbon economics theory, which posits that leaf form and function are ultimately constrained by the efficiency of the leaf's structure in processing carbon. By synthesizing these theories, the team showed how leaf thermoregulation helps to maximize leaf photosynthesis and, therefore, the total lifetime carbon gain of a leaf.

The team's theory is key to developing a more quantitative plant ecology that examines the origins of leaf thermoregulation, or the process whereby leaf temperature varies from ambient air temperature. Their research shows that plant functions are decoupled from ambient temperatures, a finding that will support improved climate models.

[caption id="attachment_2413573" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2413573" src="http://cff1.greenatom.earth/uploads/2016/08/30124911/cff1.greenatom.earthuploads20160830124910media.eurekalert.orgmultimedia_prodpubweb122888_web-b01636dbe3564c0b448ff839a80af9bc0796ddfa-1da6a4ae44f81a3324947f190c49d47eaf319022-150x150.jpg" alt="The thermal traits of a leaf" width="150" height="150" /> The thermal traits of a leaf[/caption]

Most plants photosynthesize, converting light energy and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into sugars that become leaves, stems and roots. Leaf thermoregulation is critical for plant carbon economics because leaf temperatures determine the speed of photosynthesis and respiration. Because it is generally assumed that plants take on the temperature of the environment, many current Earth system models for predicting plant-atmosphere feedbacks assume that plant physiology operates at the ambient air temperature. However, data from the team's study show that leaf temperature can differ dramatically from air temperatures. This decoupling weakens the link between the climate and plant functions, limiting climactic impacts on plant growth and the carbon budgets of an ecosystem.

Michaletz, McDowell and their colleagues at the Laboratory conduct this research to help identify linkages among climate, plant traits and plant physiology rates. These recent research results may help to improve <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/aerosols-swirling-around-the-earth/">Earth</a> system models and predict climate change impacts and feedbacks.

Michaletz, a Los Alamos Director's Postdoctoral Fellow, and his mentor Nate McDowell published their Nature Plants paper in collaboration with authors from the University of Arizona, University of Oklahoma, Tsinghua University, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, University of Pennsylvania, The Santa Fe Institute, The iPlant Collaborative, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies.
###
About <a href="http://www.lanl.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Los Alamos National Laboratory</a>

Los Alamos National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, a team composed of Bechtel National, the University of California, BWXT Government Group and URS, an AECOM company, for the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Los Alamos enhances national security by ensuring the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, developing technologies to reduce threats from weapons of mass destruction and solving problems related to energy, environment, infrastructure, health, and global security concerns.

</div>

Study: Plants regulate their leaf temperature to boost carbon uptake

A new study has found that plants regulate their leaf...

<div>Collecting DNA from rivers uncovers biodiversity Collecting DNA from rivers uncovers biodiversity Most natural ecosystems are heavily affected by changes to the human habitat, climate change or invasive species. In order to protect these ecosystems, one needs to know which organisms live in them. Therefore, assessing the state of and change in biodiversity is central to ecology and conservation biology. However, classical methods are often only suitable for determining a subset of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coastal-mud-cool-climate/">organisms</a>. Moreover, they are expensive and involve collecting the organisms themselves.</div>
<div>

Recently, scientists came up with the idea of collecting the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomass">DNA</a> of organisms from environmental samples instead, such as soil or water, and determining the various species that way. All organisms constantly shed DNA into the environment, such as via feces or skin particles. This environmental DNA is sequenced using state-of-the-art technology and subsequently matched with databases to determine the species. "This completely novel approach has the potential to revolutionize the study of biodiversity," says Florian Altermatt, a professor at the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag).

[caption id="attachment_2413431" align="alignleft" width="150"]<img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-2413431" src="http://cff1.greenatom.earth/uploads/2016/08/30101726/cff1.greenatom.earthuploads20160830101725media.eurekalert.orgmultimedia_prodpubweb122870_web-a22d4860565dc1e534432c0f881040972e7d301a-7cb7a8dcc373f60548cb41abca9acb002bffdf03-150x150.jpg" alt="extracting DNA from river water" width="150" height="150" /> extracting DNA from river water[/caption]

NA from mayflies and beavers

Altermatt and his team at Eawag in Dübendorf recently provided practical evidence of this idea by collecting water at various points in the Glatt, a river in the Canton of Zurich, and subsequently extracting all the DNA. "We collected a liter of water, which meant we could extract DNA from a staggering number of species, from aquatic insects, such as mayflies, to the beaver who lives further upstream," explains study coordinator Altermatt. DNA from thousands of organisms was compared with traditional estimates of biodiversity. This confirmed that the organisms detected actually live in this environment.

In previous studies, the authors had already demonstrated that rivers transport DNA for several kilometers. "This opens up completely novel approaches to collect information on the diversity of organisms in river systems," says Altermatt. "We can now potentially determine biodiversity in a similar way to the chemistry of the water." Not only do the individual water samples contain information on aquatic organisms, but also land organisms found along the river. Consequently, the scientists gained a fingerprint of the organisms living in entire catchment areas and demonstrate the potential of environmental DNA for determining the biodiversity of all animals, from aquatic insects to mammals.

Routinely determining biodiversity

The study conducted by the UZH researchers reveals that, through their unique network structure, rivers collect and transport DNA containing information on the organisms in the water and on land. As the method can be automated, it might be possible to obtain data on biodiversity in an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution in the future. "I could imagine that the water samples currently taken by cantonal or federal authorities on a daily or even hourly basis for chemical screening could also be used to record biodiversity," speculates Altermatt.

Literature:

Kristy Deiner, Emanuel A. Fronhofer, Elvira Mächler, Jean-Claude Walser and Florian Altermatt. Environmental DNA reveals that rivers are conveyer belts of biodiversity information. Nature Communications. August 30, 2016. Doi: 10.1038/ncomms12544

Contacts:

Prof. Florian Altermatt
Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies
University of Zurich
Phone: +41 58 765 55 92 / +41 79 222 98 10
E-mail: <a href="mailto:florian.altermatt@ieu.uzh.ch">florian.altermatt@ieu.uzh.ch</a>

Media Relations
University of Zurich
Phone: +41 44 634 44 32
E-mail: <a href="mailto:mediarelations@kommunikation.uzh.ch">mediarelations@kommunikation.uzh.ch</a>

</div>

Collecting DNA from rivers uncovers biodiversity

Collecting DNA from rivers uncovers biodiversity Collecting DNA from rivers...

<div>Study: Banning high seas fishing would help coastal fishermen Closing the high seas to fishing could increase fish catches in coastal waters by 10 per cent, helping people, especially the most vulnerable, cope with the expected losses of fish due to climate change, new UBC research finds. Study: Banning high seas fishing would help coastal fishermen</div>
<div>

"Many important fish stocks live in both the high seas and coastal waters. Effective management of high seas fisheries could benefit coastal waters in terms of productivity and help reduce climate change impacts," said lead author William Cheung, associate professor and director of science of the Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries. Study: Banning high seas fishing would help coastal fishermen

The high seas are areas of ocean outside the jurisdiction of any country and cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean's surface.

Researchers used computer models to predict catches of 30 important <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fish-feel-pain/">fish</a> that live in both the high seas and coastal waters stocks in 2050 under three different management scenarios: closing the high seas to fishing, international cooperation to manage fishing, and maintaining the status quo.

They found that both strengthening governance and closing the high seas to fishing increased the resilience of coastal countries to climate change, especially in tropical countries where there is a high dependence on fisheries for food and livelihood.

"The scenarios of closing the high seas may greatly reduce the issue of inequity of benefits and impacts among different countries under climate change," said co-author Vicky Lam, a postdoctoral fellow at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.

Climate change is expected to disproportionately impact countries in the South Pacific, Indo-Pacific, West African coast and west coast of central America. Previous UBC research shows that if carbon dioxide levels continue to rise on the current trajectory and the Earth warms, these countries could face a 30 per cent decrease in fish stocks as fish migrate to cooler waters.

"The high seas can serve as a fish bank of the world by providing the insurance needed to make the whole global ocean more resilient," said paper co-author Rashid Sumaila, professor at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and director of OceanCanada, one of the research funders. "By closing the high seas to fishing or seriously improving its management, the high seas can help us mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems."

The study was published today in Fish and Fisheries.
###
About the Nippon Foundation Nereus Program

The Nereus Program, a collaboration between the Nippon Foundation and the University of British Columbia Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, has engaged in innovative, interdisciplinary ocean research since its inception in 2011. The program is currently a global partnership of six leading marine science institutes with the aim of undertaking research that advances our comprehensive understandings of the global ocean systems across the natural and social sciences, from oceanography and marine ecology to fisheries economics and impacts on coastal communities. Visit <a href="http://nereusprogram.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">nereusprogram.org</a> for more information.

This research was supported by the Nippon Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Social Sciences and Humanity Research Council of Canada through the OceanCanada partnership grant project.

</div>

Study: Banning high seas fishing would help coastal fishermen

Study: Banning high seas fishing would help coastal fishermen Closing...

New map shows where climate change will force animals to move. Scientists predict that as Earth warms and climate change patterns morph in response, animals will be forced to move to survive. That usually means hightailing it to higher latitudes as equatorial areas become too hot and dry.

This movement pattern has happened fluidly and naturally in the past as climates have shifted, but now with human developments such as cities, highways and agriculture, critical animal migrations will be limited in surprising and troubling ways.New map shows where climate change will force animals to move

The University of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/mount-rainier-in-washington/">Washington</a> and The Nature Conservancy have created an animated map showing where mammals, birds and amphibians are projected to move in the Western Hemisphere in response to climate change. The visualization draws upon flow models from electronic circuit theory, taking inspiration from existing visualizations of wind flow across the U.S.

“This is the best visualization of any of these studies we’ve done. It’s much more compelling than our static maps,” said Joshua Lawler, a UW professor in the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences and lead author of the study informing this animated map. “The flow diagram really makes the data much more accessible.”

In 2013 Lawler, along with Julian Olden, a UW associate professor of aquatic and fishery sciences, then UW graduate student Aaron Ruesch and Brad McRae of the Conservancy, published a landmark study in Ecology Letters that considered the likely movement patterns of nearly 3,000 species under climate change — determining which areas will be hot spots for animal migration in the coming decades and centuries.

<a href="http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2016/08/igrations-in-Motion-The-Nature-Conservancy20160826122035.gif" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2016/08/igrations-in-Motion-The-Nature-Conservancy20160826122035.gif</a>

<a href="http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2016/08/igrations-in-Motion-The-Nature-Conservancy201608261150171.gif" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.washington.edu/news/files/2016/08/igrations-in-Motion-The-Nature-Conservancy201608261150171.gif</a>

In the U.S., they predict that the Appalachians will likely serve as a highway for species moving north. In the west, mountain ranges and protected areas will also serve as conduits, but many of the higher mountains will also serve as refuges themselves.

The researchers had created fixed maps showing species’ movement and patterns, but the data practically begged to be animated to visualize the full effect of the paper’s results, Lawler said. They asked data whiz Dan Majka with the Conservancy’s science team to produce an animation, and in mid-August Migrations in Motion launched.

The map is color-coded to depict separate movement patterns for mammals, birds and amphibians. The animations show a mass exodus toward northern regions, with empty black zones showing where large cities or landscape features like the Great Lakes block migration. It’s important to note that each dot and subsequent streaking line show the accumulation of species’ movement, not just one animal’s future migration, Lawler explained.

The researchers were surprised to see how clearly migration routes appeared once the data were visualized. They knew from the data that the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains were important movement areas, but once the data were animated on a map, those routes popped out like well-trodden paths, Lawler said.

“It was shocking to see these features emerge so clearly. You can really see them when the data are visualized like this,” he said.

In South America, the most striking pattern is a projected movement of species west out of the Amazon, Lawler added.

The researchers plan to calculate migration shifts for species in the U.S., particularly in the western regions, at finer resolutions, then apply that information to find the places most important to protect for movement under climate change. They also hope to visualize that data.

Read more about Migrations in Motion on the Conservancy’s blog, and see related stories in Wired, The Atlantic’s CityLab and Fast Company.

---

<a href="http://www.washington.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Washington</a>

New map shows where climate change will force animals to move

New map shows where climate change will force animals to...

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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



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Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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