Robots are transforming the way nursing homes tackle critical challenges like employee turnover and a shrinking workforce in an aging world. 



These innovative helpers are stepping in to assist with essential care tasks, offering solutions to ease the burden on caregivers. 



A new study from the <a href="https://www.nd.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Notre Dame</a> sheds light on the profound impact of robots on worker retention, productivity, and patient outcomes in nursing homes. The research provides important insights into the future of care.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-robots-in-long-term-care">Role of robots in long-term care</h2>



The study was led by Yong Suk Lee, an associate professor of technology, economy, and global affairs at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs.



While most research on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-hula-hooping-inspires-robotics-and-energy-efficiency/">robotics</a> has focused on industrial sectors, Lee’s work broke new ground by analyzing the role of robots in long-term care. 



The team studied data from Japanese nursing homes collected in 2020 and 2022. This setting was chosen for its relevance to the challenges faced by rapidly aging populations.



“Our research focused on Japan because it is a super-aging society that provides a good example of what the future could entail elsewhere - a declining population, a growing share of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/older-adults-make-decisions-and-take-risks-just-like-young-people/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">senior citizens</a>, and a declining share of working-age people,” Lee explained. “We need to be ready for this new reality.”



By 2050, the number of U.S. residents aged 65 or older is expected to reach 88.5 million, making the study's findings particularly timely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-addressing-specific-care-needs">Addressing specific care needs</h2>



The study identified three main types of robots commonly used in nursing homes, each designed to address specific care needs. 



Transfer robots assist nurses with physically demanding tasks such as lifting, moving, and rotating patients - reducing the strain on caregivers.



Mobility robots enhance patients' independence by helping them move around and assisting with activities like bathing. 



Meanwhile, monitoring and communication robots leverage advanced technologies, including computer vision, to track patient data and relay vital information to caregivers, ensuring timely and efficient care.



Lee’s findings revealed that adopting these robots complemented care workers, notably by reducing quit rates, which is a significant issue in nursing homes.



“Turnover is a big concern in nursing homes,” Lee said. “Workers typically experience a great deal of physical pain, particularly in their knees and back. The work is hard, and the pay is low. So robot use was associated with employee retention.”



While robot adoption led to an overall employment increase, it also sparked changes in workforce dynamics. These changes included a higher demand for part-time, less experienced employees and a decline in demand for highly experienced workers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-robots-improve-patient-care">How robots improve patient care</h2>



The research also highlighted the benefits for patients. Nursing homes with robots reported reduced use of patient restraints and fewer instances of pressure ulcers, both key indicators of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-future-of-ai-enhancing-patient-safety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">patient care</a> quality.



These improvements stemmed from reducing the physical strain on workers, allowing them to focus on tasks better suited to human empathy and dexterity.



“Robots can improve productivity by shifting the tasks performed by care workers to those involving human touch, empathy, and dexterity,” Lee noted. “Ultimately, robots can help workers provide a higher level of patient care.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-robots-in-care-settings">The future of robots in care settings </h2>



Lee’s study highlights the broader implications of robotics in care settings. 



“This research provides critical insights into how societies can successfully navigate the challenges of caring for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-migration-patterns-will-result-in-rapidly-aging-coastal-populations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aging populations</a>,” Lee said. “It will help inform the work of the long-term care industry and help us better understand how technologies impact workers and patients.”



The research was co-authored with Toshiaki Iizuka from the University of Tokyo and Karen Eggleston from Stanford University. 



The work is part of Lee’s broader exploration into how technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence influence inequality and the future of work.



The study also highlights the importance of cross-institutional collaboration in addressing global challenges, emphasizing the need for a collective effort to harness technology for societal benefit.



As societies worldwide prepare for the realities of aging populations, the findings offer a roadmap for integrating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-can-predict-health-deterioration-in-hospital-patients/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">technology into care settings</a> to enhance both worker and patient experiences.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0927537124001623" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Labour Economics</a>.



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A glimpse of the future: Robots in nursing homes

Robots are transforming the way nursing homes tackle critical challenges like employee turnover and a shrinking workforce in an aging world. These innovative helpers are stepping in to assist with essential care tasks, offering solutions to ease the burden on caregivers. A new study from the University of Notre Dame sheds light on the profound impact of robots on worker retention, productivity, and patient outcomes in nursing homes. The research provides important insights into the future of care. Role of robots in long-term care The study was...

In a recent study, a team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.monash.edu/">Monash University</a> in Australia has found that only 0.18 percent of the global land area and 0.001 percent of the world’s population are exposed to levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) deemed safe by the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> (WHO). While daily levels of these dangerous pollutants have reduced in Europe and North America during the two decades to 2019, in Australia, New Zealand, Southern Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean they have increased, with over 70 percent of days globally witnessing potentially hazardous levels.



The experts combined traditional air quality monitoring observations, satellite-based meteorological and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-will-increase-dramatically-in-a-hotter-climate/">air pollution</a> detectors, and statistical and machine learning methods to more accurately assess PM2.5&nbsp;concentrations worldwide.&nbsp;



“In this study, we used an innovative machine learning approach to integrate multiple meteorological and geological information to estimate the global surface-level daily PM2.5&nbsp;concentrations at a high spatial resolution of approximately 10km ×10km for global grid cells in 2000-2019, focusing on areas above 15 μg/m³, which is considered the safe limit by WHO (the threshold is still arguable),” explained senior author Yuming Guo, a professor of Global Environmental Health and Biostatistics at Monash.



The analysis revealed that, regardless of a slight decrease in high PM2.5 days globally, over 70 percent of days still had PM2.5&nbsp;concentrations higher than 15 μg/m³ by 2019, with areas in southern and eastern Asia witnessing such dangerous concentrations in more than 90 percent of days.&nbsp;



While the annual average concentration between 2000 and 2019 was 32.8 µg/m3 globally, the highest concentrations were found in eastern Asia (50.0 µg/m3), southern Asia (37.2 µg/m3), and northern Africa (30.1 µg/m3), and the lowest ones in Australia and New Zealand (8.5 μg/m³), Oceania (12.6 μg/m³), and southern America (15.6 μg/m³).



The researchers also discovered that unsafe PM2.5&nbsp;concentrations exhibited different seasonal patterns, with northeast China and north India facing high concentrations in winter, and eastern areas in northern America being exposed to more air pollution in summer.&nbsp;



According to Professor Guo, this study is important since it provides a deep understanding of the current state of outdoor air pollution and its possible impacts on human health. “With this information, policymakers, public health officials, and researchers can better assess the short-term and long-term health effects of air pollution and develop air pollution mitigation strategies,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(23)00008-6">The Lancet Planetary Health</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Almost no place on Earth is safe from air pollution

In a recent study, a team of scientists led by...

Chinstrap,Penguin,,Antarctica,,January,2019

On February 21, 2023, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-sea-ice-levels-are-at-their-lowest-on-record/">Antarctic sea ice</a> extent dropped to its lowest level since satellite observations began 45 years ago, marking the second year in a row with an ice area below two million km2. These worrisome findings raise the question of whether this change is merely a brief anomaly – since sea ice in the Southern Ocean is known to be highly variable, both seasonally and interannually – or an early sign of a transition to a long-term decline comparable to the current situation in the Arctic.



After the 2022 minimum of 1.924 million km2, massive heatwaves in mid-March contributed to further declines – particularly in East Antarctica and coastal areas – and since late May, the pace of seasonal ice growth had slowed dramatically, mostly due to anomalous northerly and northwesterly winds in parts of the eastern Pacific, western Atlantic, and central Indian Oceans that transported warm air southwards. Later in the year, the seasonal ice melt continued to increase in response to a stronger seasonal warming anomaly, culminating in the seasonal minimum of 1.788 million km2 measured in February.



According to an analysis published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.34133/olar.0007">Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Research</a>, this new record low could be a sign that Antarctic sea ice might enter a new regime, involving “a robust transition from long-term increasing Antarctic sea ice to decreasing sea ice, in which anthropogenic forcing outweighs natural variability.”



“Concern about a tipping point is enhanced by the fact that the latest generation of climate and earth system models projects a large decrease in Antarctic sea ice associated with increased greenhouse gases during the 21st century,” the authors explained.



If sea ice continues to dwindle at such a rate, Antarctica will likely witness more frequent climate extremes and severe instability of its ice shelves, phenomena that will disastrously impact the local food chains and wildlife populations, and have major global consequences such as sea level rise and carbon cycle feedback.



“The question is, has climate change reached Antarctica? Is this the beginning of the end? Will the sea ice disappear for good in the coming years in the summer?” asked Christian Haas, head of the Sea Ice Physics Research Section at the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/">Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research</a> in Germany.&nbsp;



However, since until now Antarctica’s response to climate change has been highly different from the Arctic’s, it is not yet clear how Antarctic sea ice will evolve during the following years. “The downward trend in sea ice may be a signal that global warming is finally affecting the floating ice around Antarctica, but it will take several more years to be confident of it,”&nbsp;concluded Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the <a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/">Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences</a> (CIRES).



—



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Antarctic sea ice hits a new record low this year

On February 21, 2023, Antarctic sea ice extent dropped to...

A recent study led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has found that growing commercial crops at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floating-solar-farms/">solar farms</a> not only increases food production, but also improves solar panel performance and longevity. These findings highlight the importance of developing and employing new technologies at a critical time for agricultural production, as global food demands are expected to rise by 50 percent by mid-century to feed up to 10 billion people, while the development of renewable energy sources is urgently needed to mitigate the impact of climate change.&nbsp;



“We now have, for the first time, a physics-based tool to estimate the costs and benefits of co-locating solar panels and commercial agriculture from the perspective of increased power conversion efficiency and solar-panel longevity,” said lead author Henry Williams, a doctoral student in Sustainable Solar Development at Cornell.



“There is potential for agrivoltaic systems – where agriculture and solar panels coexist – to provide increased passive cooling through taller panel heights, more reflective ground cover and higher evapotranspiration rates compared to traditional solar farms,” added senior author Max Zhang, an expert in Energy and the Environment at the same university. “We can generate renewable electricity and conserve farmland through agrivoltaic systems.”



In New York, for instance, nearly 40 percent of utility-scale solar capacity has been developed on agricultural lands, and 84 percent of land considered suitable for utility-scale solar development is agricultural.&nbsp;



According to the scientists, solar panels mounted over vegetation have lower surface temperatures than those built over bare ground. For instance, solar panels mounted four meters above a soybean crop showed temperature reductions by nearly 10 degrees Celsius compared to those mounted a half-meter above bare soil. This cooling effect – which is more significant than that induced by greater panel height – not only adds to solar panel efficiency, but also leads to improved solar panel lifespan and, thus, major long-term economic potential.



“As you decrease the solar panel operating temperature, you can increase efficiency and improve the longevity of your solar modules. We’re showing dual benefits. On one hand, you have food production for farmers, and on the other hand, we’ve shown improved longevity and improved conversion efficiency for solar developers,” Williams concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120478">Applied Energy</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Growing crops at solar farms increases panel efficiency

A recent study led by Cornell University has found that...

A century of research has shown that honeybees are excellent navigators. They use a combination of cues and senses to find their way, including their sense of smell, the sun, patterns of polarized light, vertical landmarks and perhaps even the Earth’s magnetic field. And now, a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1070957/full">Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience</a> has found that honeybees also use the layout of linear features in the environment to guide themselves home.



Dr. Randolf Menzel is an emeritus professor at the Department of Neurobiology of the Free University of Berlin and the study’s lead author. “Here we show that honeybees use a ‘navigation memory,’ a kind of mental map of the area that they know, to guide their search flights when they look for their hive, starting in a new, unexplored area. Linear landscape elements, such as water channels, roads, and field edges, appear to be important components of this navigation memory," explained Dr. Menzel.



The researchers placed a beehive in each of five rural areas close to the village of Klein Lüben in Brandenburg, Germany. The five home areas, A–E, had a different number and layout of linear features, such as fields and roads, which the researchers referred to as "edges." They also identified a test area where they planned to release bees, and which would represent a brand new, unexplored location with its own pattern of linear structures.



After the bees from each colony had acclimatized to their specific home areas, the researchers caught experienced foragers that had just fed at a feeding station. Each of the captured bees (a total of 50) was fitted with a tiny (10.5 mg) harmonic radar tracking device and transported to the test area to be released. All the bees were released at the same place in the test area, and their flight paths were then monitored for between 20 minutes and three hours as they familiarized themselves with the position of the hive in the new location.&nbsp;



The presence and layout of linear features in the test area were not the same as in any of the home areas, A–E. These features most closely resembled the layout in Areas A and B, while being least similar to the layout in Area E. The researchers expected that honeybees released in the test areas would perform search flights interspersed with multiple returns to the release site, in order to familiarize themselves with the new layout. This is common behavior for honeybees that find themselves in a new and unfamiliar location.&nbsp;



However, if the search flight patterns of individuals from the different home areas differed, then then researchers hypothesized that the memories of features from the home areas may affect the way in which the bees investigate and learn about their new area.&nbsp;



The experts analyzed the flight patterns of released bees by quantifying the frequency with which each bee flew over of each 100 x 100 meter block within the test area. They then compared the results to random flight patterns generated by models. This revealed that the bees from the five home colonies did not use the same flight patterns to become familiar with the layout of the test area, and none of them simply flew around randomly during their orientation flights.&nbsp;



Indeed, the analysis showed that the honeybees spent a disproportionate amount of time flying alongside the linear features in the test area. Analyses showed that these continued to guide the exploratory flights even when the bees were more than 30 meters away, the maximum distance from which honeybees are able to see such landscape elements. This implies that the bees kept them in their memory for prolonged periods.



Interestingly, the bees from home Area E, which was least similar to the test area and had few linear features, showed flight patterns that most closely resembled those predicted by the random flight models. The researchers suggested this indicated that these bees had not learned to use linear features to navigate in their home area.&nbsp;



However, the bees from home Areas A and B, which were most similar to the test area and had numerous linear features, behaved differently from the modeled random flight patterns; the flights of these bees focused on the field, road and canal edges in the test area. This indicated to the researchers that the bees had acquired a navigation memory in their home area that made use of linear features, and they used this to help them learn about the layout in the test area.



“Our data show that similarities and differences in the layout of the linear landscape elements between their home area and the new area are used by the bees to explore where their hive might be,” said Menzel.&nbsp;



The findings suggests that the bees retained a navigational memory of their home area, based on linear landscape elements, and were able to generalize this memory to help find their way back to the release site in the unfamiliar test area. This technique of finding one’s way home is reminiscent of what pilots did in the earliest days of human flight, before the invention of the first radio beacons, ground-based electronic systems or modern GPS. They commonly navigated by following roads and railways – striking linear landscape elements at ground level that guide towards a destination of interest.



“Flying animals identify such extended ground structures in a map-like aerial view, making them highly attractive as guiding structures. It is thus not surprising that both bats and birds use linear landmarks for navigation. Based on the data reported here we conclude that elongated ground structures are also salient components of the honeybees’ navigation memory,” concluded the authors.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Honeybees create mental maps to find their way home

A century of research has shown that honeybees are excellent...

Until now, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-chimpanzees-take-risks-like-human-teens/">chimpanzees</a> have stood out as the only non-human animals to make use of a tool set. This means they can use two or more different tools, with separate functions, to achieve a single goal. Not only this, but they also recognize the need to bring all components of the tool set along in order to succeed.&nbsp;



The most famous example of this is given by the chimpanzees of the N’doki forest in northern Congo, when they fish for termites. They need both a short, rigid stick for opening the termite nest, and a long, thin probe to reach deep into the nest and access the termites. Some of the chimpanzees carry around both of these tools when foraging for termites, instead of starting with the short stick and then heading off to look for a thin probe once the nest is open.



Recent experimental research has now shown that Goffin’s cockatoos (Cacatua goffiniana) can also make use of a tool set. These small, white birds from the parrot family are indigenous to parts of Indonesia and have been shown to be competent tool users, and even capable of making their own tools to help extract seeds from a fruit.&nbsp;



Up until now, though, it wasn’t clear whether the cockatoos considered these tools as a “set." It’s possible that what may look like a tool set is instead nothing more than a sequence of single tool uses, with the need for each new tool occurring to the animal as the task evolves.



In a new study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.023">Current Biology</a>, researchers have used controlled experiments to clarify that the cockatoos do indeed recognize when a job requires more than one tool. “With this experiment we can say that, like chimpanzees, Goffin’s cockatoos not only appear to be to using tool sets, but they&nbsp;know&nbsp;that they are using tool sets,”&nbsp;said study first author Antonio Osuna-Mascaró, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. “Their flexibility of behavior is stunning.”



The experiments were set up to mimic the termite fishing behavior of the famous chimpanzees. Each of ten cockatoos was faced with a perspex box containing a cashew nut. In order to access the nut, the bird had to insert a short, rigid stick through a grid in the box and puncture a membrane. Then the bird had to switch tools to a long, flexible straw that was cut in half longways, and poke this through the hole it has just made in the membrane. By waving the straw around, the bird could dislodge the nut.&nbsp;



Of the ten cockatoos, seven were able to use the tool set successfully and reach the criterion of nine successful trials. The two star birds, Figaro and Fini, solved the problem on their very first attempt, taking only 31 and 34 seconds respectively. The cockatoos don’t have an equivalent foraging behavior in the wild, so their tool use could not have been based on any innate behaviors, and each cockatoo used a slightly different technique when trying to access the nut.&nbsp;



Next, the team tested the cockatoos’ ability to change their tool use in a flexible manner depending on the situation. To do this, they presented each cockatoo with two different types of box: one with a membrane in front of the nut, and one without. The cockatoos were given the same two tools, but they only needed the pointy stick when a membrane was in the way. “The cockatoos had to act according to the problem; sometimes the tool set was needed, and sometimes only one tool was enough,” said Osuna-Mascaró.



All of the cockatoos mastered the test in a very short period of time and were able to recognize when a single tool was sufficient. However, the birds engaged in an interesting behavior during this choosing phase. “When making the choice between which tool to use first, they were picking one up, releasing it, then picking up the other one, releasing it, returning to the first one, and so on,” said Osuna-Mascaró. The researchers found that when cockatoos did this switching, they performed better on the tests.



Next, the team tested the cockatoos’ ability to transport the tools as a set on an as-needed basis. They put the cockatoos through a series of increasingly challenging trials to reach the boxes: first they had to climb a short ladder while carrying their tools; then they had to fly horizontally with them; and in the final test, they had to carry the tools while flying vertically. As before, the birds were only sometimes presented with a box with a membrane barrier, so they had to decide whether the problem required one or both tools.



Some cockatoos learned to carry the two tools together – by inserting the short punching stick into the groove of the halved straw – when they were presented with a box that required both. This meant they only had to make one trip, albeit while carrying a heavier tool set. Most of the cockatoos transported the toolset on an as-needed basis, further indicating that they could judge beforehand whether two tools were required, though some made two trips when necessary. One cockatoo, Figaro, decided not to waste time thinking and instead carried both tools in almost every trial.



“We really did not know whether the cockatoos would transport two objects together,” said study senior author Alice Auersperg, a cognitive biologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. “It was a little bit of a gamble because I have seen birds combining objects playfully, but they very rarely transport more than one object together in their normal behavior.”



There’s a lot more to be learned about cockatoo tool use, the researchers say. “We feel that, in terms of technical cognition and tool use, parrots have been underestimated and understudied,” said Auersperg.



“We’ve learned how dexterous the cockatoos are when using a tool set, and we have a lot of things to follow-up on,” noted Osuna-Mascaró. “The switching behavior is very interesting to us, and we are definitely going to use it to explore their decision making and their metacognition – their ability to recognize their own knowledge.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Cockatoos can recognize the need for a tool set

Until now, chimpanzees have stood out as the only non-human...

Researchers from <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> recently published a paper which suggests that “greening” - the amount of leaves that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-plants-adapt-to-rapid-warming-and-drought/">plants</a> can produce - will significantly impact how much carbon dioxide plants can capture and store.



“As we work to anticipate the future climate, a big question is: What’s going to happen to vegetation, one of the largest stores of carbon on Earth? We know temperatures will rise and the growing season will be longer in most places, but there are a lot of unknowns about how that will affect how carbon is cycled between plants and the atmosphere. Our new results allow us to be more confident about what those changes will be," said study co-author Josh Gray.&nbsp;



Although climate change has led to more greening in some areas, it leaves other places vulnerable to “browning.” This process is caused by high temperatures which negatively impact photosynthesis and promote more carbon release.



“An earlier spring might be good for plant productivity because you have a longer period of carbon uptake,” said study first author Xiaojie Gao. “However, a longer autumn might make the situation worse. In autumn, plants tend to emit carbon.”



The researchers used satellites that measured infrared light to determine leaf biomass.



“Healthy green leaves are sort of like infrared mirrors,” said Gray. “So, they look really ‘bright’ to satellites in these wavelengths. With a few tricks, we can calculate an index that is the combination of how bright a place is in infrared and red wavelengths, and corresponds to how many leaves are in a place.”



The experts discovered that leaf biomass might have a larger impact on carbon uptake than the length of the growing season.



“There are some places where we have more leaves than we used to have, particularly at the higher latitudes,” Gray said. “There are also some places where spring might be coming early, and fall might be coming late. These changes are all affecting the amount of photosynthesis that is going on, but the amount of leaves plants are producing has a stronger association with carbon uptake than changes in growing season length. In other words, we found that greening trends were more important pound for pound than an extension in the growing season for carbon uptake.”



The research team believes satellites will play an essential role in future research and hope their research will help inform climate predictions.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022GB007462">Global Biogeochemical Cycles</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Earth greening affects carbon uptake by plants

Researchers from North Carolina State University recently published a paper...

Visual cues affect our eating patterns whether we are aware of these signals or not, according to a study from <a href="https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/">Osaka Metropolitan University</a>. The research suggests that unconscious neural processes have a big influence on what <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-impact-labeling-has-a-strong-influence-on-food-selection/">foods</a> we crave, making it difficult to control our eating behavior.



"Obesity is a serious health problem in modern society. Considering the fact that the outcomes of treatments targeting appetitive behavior are suboptimal, one potential reason proposed for these poor outcomes is that appetitive behavior is driven more by unconscious decision-making processes than by the conscious ones targeted by traditional behavioral treatments," wrote the researchers.



"In this study, we aimed to investigate both the conscious and unconscious decision-making processes related to eating behavior, and to examine whether an interaction related to eating behavior exists between conscious and unconscious neural processes."



The research was focused on healthy male participants who were presented with images of food and non-food items. The volunteers viewed the photos both consciously and unconsciously.



The inferior frontal gyrus is a region of the brain’s frontal lobe that controls eating behavior. The study revealed that in this brain region, the neural response to food stimuli depended on whether the images were presented consciously or unconsciously.



According to the researchers, the results indicate that eating behavior cannot be understood without taking into account both unconscious and conscious neural processes.



"The interactions were associated with eating behavior indices such as emotional eating and cognitive restraint, suggesting that conscious and unconscious neural processes are differently involved in eating behavior," wrote the study authors.



"These findings provide valuable clues for devising methods to assess conscious and unconscious appetite regulation in individuals with normal or abnormal eating behavior."



"If we can learn more in future research about how eating behavior is controlled by unconscious neural processes, we can combine that understanding with our current knowledge of conscious neural processes to potentially develop more effective methods for regulating eating behavior,” said Professor Takahiro Yoshikawa, who led the research team.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275959">PLoS ONE</a>.



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Eating behavior is influenced by the unconscious mind

Visual cues affect our eating patterns whether we are aware...

By analyzing the genetic makeup of grapevines, a team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.ariel.ac.il/wp/en/">Ariel University</a> in Israel has found that the harsh <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-disruption-threatens-humanitys-survival/">climate</a> during the Pleistocene period resulted in the fragmentation of wild ecotypes. This process paved the way towards the domestication of grapevine about 11,000 years ago in the Near East (Israel) and Caucasus.&nbsp;



In order to identify the genetic changes that occurred during the domestication and evolution of grapevines in Eurasia, the experts sequenced the genomes of 3525 grapevine accessions (2503 domesticated (V. vinifera) and 1022 wild (V. sylvestris)).&nbsp;



The investigation revealed that the Israel wild grapevine population (Syl-E1) is the source for the domestication of grapes, which afterwards dispersed into many areas of Europe with early farmers, introgressed with ancient wild western ecotypes, and - by the late Neolithic - diversified into unique western wine grape ancestries. Thus, although the precise timeline for these processes is not yet clear, hybridization with local V. Sylvestris seemed to be common in creating extant European wine grapes.



“Our findings provide important insights into the domestication and evolution of grapevine, which is a religiously, culturally, and economically important crop,” said study co-author Elyashiv Drori, an expert in Molecular Biology and Oenology at Ariel.



“The indigenous grapevine population we have collected in the last 12 years, containing both wild and domesticated subpopulations, have central importance in this research. The Israeli wild grapevines (Syl -E1) were found to be the source of domestication for all the cultivated group of table grapes (CG1), which includes the Israeli domesticated grapevines. This initial group of grapevine varieties then were dispersed to eastern and western Europe, to form most of the known wine grapes.” &nbsp;



“This is a research breakthrough in the field of the beginning of agriculture as well,” added co-author Ehud Weiss, a specialist in the domestication of crops at Bar Ilan University. “The accepted view was that annual crops, like wheat, barley, and legumes, were domesticated some 10,000 years ago, while perennials were domesticated thousands of years later. Current research changes this view and demonstrates these transitions occurred simultaneously, and moreover, with the same species, some 1,600 kilometers apart – a phenomenon we have never met.”



Since vineyards worldwide are currently threatened by climate change and a variety of emerging diseases, these findings could help develop new strategies to protect and sustain the wine industry in the future. By studying in greater detail the main features of Israel’s indigenous grapevine and what allowed it to develop in the dry and harsh climatic conditions of ancient Levant, the researchers hope to discover a repository for resistance genes that could be used to protect extant grapevine species.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.add8655">Science</a>.



—



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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.

Grapevines first domesticated in Israel 11,000 years ago

By analyzing the genetic makeup of grapevines, a team of...

In urban areas, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-majority-of-urban-trees-are-threatened-by-climate-change/">trees</a> and other greenery provide many benefits. For instance, their leaves and needles play a fundamental role in filtering air pollutants and reducing exposure to dangerous airborne substances that are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. However, it is not yet clear which species of trees purify the air more effectively.&nbsp;



To clarify this issue, a research team from the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en">University of Gothenburg</a> in Sweden has collected leaves and needles from eleven different tree species from the Gothenburg Botanical Garden’s arboretum and analyzed which pollutants they have captured. The investigation has focused on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a type of pollutants emerging mostly from traffic.



“Our analyses show that different tree species have different abilities to absorb air pollutants. Conifers generally absorbed more gaseous PAHs than broadleaved trees. Another advantage of conifers is that they also act as air purifiers in winter, when air pollution is usually at its highest,” reported study co-author Jenny Klingberg, a postdoctoral fellow in Biology and Environmental Sciences at Gothenburg.&nbsp;



While needles continue to absorb air pollutants for several years – which leaves, for obvious reasons, cannot – broadleaved trees were found to be more efficient at cleaning the air of particles, due to their larger surface area to which these particles can attach.



“The various species differed more than we expected. Larch, which is a conifer that sheds its needles each autumn, was best in test. Larch trees absorbed the most particle-bound pollutants, but were also good at capturing gaseous PAHs,” Klingberg added.



However, since needles and leaves cannot significantly break down pollutants (even if sunlight can start the process), the soil beneath the trees can become contaminated when they shed and decompose, placing soil ecosystems at risk. Fortunately, the pollutants do not seem to impact trees’ photosynthesis.&nbsp;



“Leaf chlorophyll content is just as high in the most polluted areas of Gothenburg compared with trees that grow in less polluted environments. But this likely looks different in cities with even worse air quality,” explained lead author Håkan Pleijel, a professor of Applied Environmental Science at Gothenburg.



These findings suggest that authorities should not simply start filling city streets with trees but rather combine different tree species to optimize air purification, while also taking into account other functions and benefits particular trees may have. Finally, while trees and greenery can definitely contribute to better air quality in urban settings, the most important measure remains reducing emissions.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109681">Ecological Indicators</a>.&nbsp;



—



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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.

Which trees are best at purifying the air?

In urban areas, trees and other greenery provide many benefits....

A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-023-01603-w">Nature Climate Change</a> has found that, by the end of this century, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-will-cause-widespread-impacts-sooner-than-expected/">sea level rise</a> may disproportionately affect several Asian megacities – such as Chennai, Kolkata, Yangon, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Manila - as well as western tropical Pacific islands and the western Indian Ocean.&nbsp;



Scientists have long known that increases in ocean temperatures will lead to sea level rise, since water expands when it warms and melting ice sheets release more water into the ocean. However, studies have also indicated that such rises in sea levels will vary regionally because changes in ocean currents will direct more water to certain coastlines (including northeastern U.S.).



A notable aspect of this study is that it incorporates naturally occurring sea level fluctuations caused by El Niño or changes in the water cycle (a process called “internal climate variability”). By combining computer models estimating how the global climate may change in a high-emissions scenario with a specialized statistical model, the experts examined the extent to which these natural fluctuations might amplify – or, in some cases, reduce – the impact of climate change on sea level rise along certain coastlines.



The analysis revealed that, in some regions, internal climate variability could increase sea level rise by 20 to 30 percent more than climate change alone, thus leading to an exponential spike in extreme flooding events. In Manila, for instance, while coastal flooding events are predicted to occur 18 times more often by 2100 due to climate change alone, they could occur 96 times more often from a combination of both climate change and internal climate variability.



According to the researchers, although the complex and unpredictable interactions in our planet’s climate system create significant difficulties in reliably estimating sea level rise, it is critical for society to be aware of the potential of extreme sea level rise in order to develop effective adaptation strategies.



“The internal climate variability can greatly reinforce or suppress the sea level rise caused by climate change. In a worst-case scenario, the combined effect of climate change and internal climate variability could result in local sea levels rising by more than 50 percent of what is due to climate change alone, thus posing significant risks of more severe flooding to coastal megacities and threatening millions of people,” concluded study senior author Aixue Hu, a meteorologist and oceanographer at the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NCAR).&nbsp;



—



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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.

Sea level rise will disproportionally affect Asian megacities

A new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change...

In a new study led by <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/">Curtin University</a>, experts report that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fireworks-release-toxic-metals-that-can-harm-human-cells/">fireworks</a> should be replaced with cleaner drone and laser light shows to prevent "highly damaging” impacts. Lead author Professor Bill Bateman noted that fireworks remain globally popular despite the overwhelming evidence that they negatively impact wildlife, domestic animals, and the environment.



“Fireworks create short-term noise and light disturbances that cause distress in domestic animals that may be managed before or after a firework event, but the impacts to wildlife can be on a much larger scale,” said Professor Bateman.



“The annual timing of some large-scale firework events coincides with the migratory or reproductive movements of wildlife, and may therefore have adverse long-term population effects on them. Fireworks also produce significant pulses of highly pollutant materials that also contribute significantly to the chemical pollution of soil, water, and air, which has implications for human as well as animal health.”



To investigate the potential harm caused by firework displays, the researchers reviewed the ecological effects of Diwali festivities in India, Fourth of July celebrations across the United States, and other events in New Zealand and Europe.&nbsp;



The review confirmed that fireworks affect wildlife in the long-term. For example, the experts found that sea lions along the coastline of Chile have changed their breeding season as a result of New Year’s fireworks. In California, July firework displays are associated with a decline of Brandt’s cormorant colonies. Furthermore, Spanish festivals have been linked to lower breeding success among house sparrows.



Professor Bateman said that firework bans at sensitive periods for wildlife migration or mating periods could limit these ecological impacts.



“Other than horses, for which there is some evidence that they can be gradually familiarized with flashes of light, there is very little that can be done to address the disturbing impact of noise from fireworks on animals and wildlife,” said Professor Bateman.



“The future of firework displays may be in the use of safer and greener alternatives such as drones, eco-friendly fireworks or visible-wavelength lasers for light shows."



“There is growing evidence that these community events can be managed in a sustainable way and it’s clear that out-dated firework displays need to be replaced by cleaner options that are not harmful to wildlife and the environment.”



The study authors noted that firework residues also contribute significantly to chemical pollution of soil, water, and air, which has implication for human as well as animal health.&nbsp;



"Modern technological alternatives to traditional fireworks - both ‘eco-friendly’ fireworks, and reusable drone and laser-based light shows - provide safer, ‘greener’ alternatives that also present a sustainable way forward for maintaining cultural traditions without perpetuating their adverse impacts," wrote the researchers.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/PC22040">Pacific Conservation Biology</a>.



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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.

Fireworks have long lasting impacts on wildlife

In a new study led by Curtin University, experts report...

A,Spotted,Dolphin,Family,Leaping,Out,Of,The,Clear,Blue

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dolphins-may-also-suffer-from-alzheimers-disease/">Dolphins</a> and other toothed whales are social, highly intelligent predators, which can hunt prey down to two kilometers deep in complete darkness using echolocation. Although scientists have long known that these remarkable behaviors are mediated by sound that travels fast and far in murky, dark waters, until recently, the precise way in which this processes functions has remained a mystery.



Now, a team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.sdu.dk/en">University of Southern Denmark</a> (SDU) and Aarhus University has found that toothed whales evolved an air-driven nasal sound source which, just like the human voice, operates at different registers, allowing them to locate their prey in deep waters. These registers include the vocal fry register (which produces the lowest tones), the chest register (which is similar to humans’ normal speaking voice), and the falsetto register (which produces high frequencies). The researchers found that toothed whales use the vocal fry register to produce echolocation calls that help them catch prey.



“Vocal fry is a normal voice register that is often used in American English. Kim Kardashian, Kate Perry, and Scarlet Johannsen are well-known people using this register,” said study senior author Coen Elemans, an expert in Sound Communication and Behavior at SDU. “During vocal fry, the vocal folds are only open for a very short time, and therefore it takes very little breathing air to use this register.”



Although it was previously thought that toothed whales make sounds with their larynx just like other mammals, four decades ago scientists discovered that, in fact, they use their noses to produce sound. In the current study, the experts found that these animals evolved an air-driven sound production system in their nose which, although it functions in a physically analogous way to laryngeal and syringeal sound production in mammals and birds, is not located in the same place.



“Evolution has moved it from the trachea into the nose, which allowed much higher driving pressures – up to five times what a trumpet player can generate - without damaging lung tissues,” explained study lead author Peter Madsen, a biologist at Aarhus.



“This high driving pressure allows toothed whales to make the loudest sounds of any animal on the planet,” Elemans added.



At depths over 100 meters, the whales’ lungs collapse in order to avoid compression sickness, while the remaining air – found in the nasal passages – provides a small, but sufficient airspace to produce echolocating sounds at depths of up to 2,000 meters. When echolocating, the whales pressurize air in their bony nose and let it pass through structures called phonic lips which vibrate in a similar way to human vocal folds.



“While vocal fry may be controversial in humans and may be perceived as everything from annoying to authoritative, it doubtlessly made toothed whales an evolutionary success story,” Elemans concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adc9570">Science</a>.



—



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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.

Toothed whales use vocal fry to catch their prey

Dolphins and other toothed whales are social, highly intelligent predators,...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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