Many decades ago, a massive star collapsed. A shockwave erupted, tearing the star apart. As this shockwave hit the star’s surface, it created a burst of intense X-rays, ultraviolet light, and a powerful light echo.



This pulse traveled across space, and 350 years later, it reached a vast region of interstellar gas and dust. This explosion lit up the surrounding material, warming it and causing it to glow in infrared light.



Thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are now able to observe this glowing cosmic material in unprecedented detail. 



The infrared light echoes created by this supernova have revealed intricate structures, like the knots and whorls of wood grain. These observations have allowed scientists to map the interstellar medium in 3D for the very first time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-interstellar-gas-and-dust-details">Interstellar gas and dust details</h2>



"We were pretty shocked to see this level of detail," said Jacob Jencson, principal investigator from <a href="https://www.ipac.caltech.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caltech/IPAC</a> in Pasadena. 



The telescope revealed layers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-dust-may-contain-signs-of-extraterrestrial-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interstellar material</a>, resembling the layers of an onion.



"We think every dense, dusty region that we see, and most of the ones we don’t see, look like this on the inside. We just have never been able to look inside them before," noted Josh Peek of the <a href="https://www.stsci.edu/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Space Telescope Science Institute</a> in Baltimore.



Webb's infrared imaging is allowing scientists to peer into areas of space that were once completely concealed, uncovering a hidden cosmic landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-light-echoes">What are light echoes?</h2>



The light echo phenomenon occurs when a star explodes, sending light into the surrounding clumps of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-storms-can-engulf-the-entire-planet-of-mars-but-how/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interstellar dust</a>. This light then heats up the dust, causing it to glow in an expanding pattern. 



Webb's Near-Infrared Camera (<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/nircam/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NIRCam</a>) has been crucial in studying these light echoes, revealing their intricate expansion over just a few weeks - a remarkably fast evolution for cosmic phenomena.



The researchers have focused on a particular light echo near the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. This light echo comes from background material behind Cassiopeia A, not from the material ejected by the star’s explosion. 



NASA's retired <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/spitzer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spitzer Space Telescope</a> first observed this phenomenon, but Webb’s exquisite resolution has provided a far clearer view of these cosmic echoes.



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="huBQbcgU76-4226095-12187" type="single"]</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stunning-images-from-webb">Stunning images from Webb</h2>



The most striking features in the Webb images are dense, tightly packed sheets of gas and dust. These filaments appear on scales of about 400 astronomical units - less than one-hundredth of a light-year.



“We did not know that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-storm-triggered-stunning-auroras-worldwide-october-11-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interstellar medium</a> had structures on that small of a scale, let alone that it was sheet-like,” said Josh Peek.



These sheet-like structures might be influenced by interstellar magnetic fields. Webb's images also showcase areas resembling knots in wood grain, which could represent magnetic "islands" within the interstellar medium's more uniform magnetic fields.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3d-scan-of-the-cosmos">3D scan of the cosmos</h2>



The data collected from <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Webb</a> are revolutionary. "This is the astronomical equivalent of a medical CT scan," explained Armin Rest of the Space Telescope Science Institute.



"We have three slices taken at three different times, which will allow us to study the true 3D structure. It will completely change the way we study the interstellar medium."



These findings will not only enhance our understanding of the space around us, but they could also change how we approach the study of the universe's most distant and mysterious regions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-opportunities-to-study-light-echoes">Opportunities to study light echoes</h2>



In addition to these spectacular images, the team is planning to conduct spectroscopic observations using Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/mid-infrared-instrument-miri/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MIRI</a>). 



"We can observe the same patch of dust before, during, and after it’s illuminated by the echo and try to look for any changes in the compositions or states of the molecules," said Jencson.



Infrared light echoes are rare events that require a unique type of supernova explosion. The upcoming Nancy Grace <a href="https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Roman Space Telescope</a> is expected to provide additional opportunities to study light echoes, potentially offering new insights that Webb can explore in greater detail.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-lasting-legacy-of-webb">The lasting legacy of Webb</h2>



"Even as a star dies, its light endures - echoing across the cosmos. It's been an extraordinary three years since we launched NASA's James Webb Space Telescope," reflected NASA Administrator <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-administrator-bill-nelson/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bill Nelson</a>.



"Every image, every discovery, shows a portrait not only of the majesty of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-space-station-observes-something-unknown-55-miles-above-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe</a> but the power of the NASA team and the promise of international partnerships.



"What a privilege it has been to oversee this monumental effort, shaped by the tireless dedication of thousands of scientists and engineers around the globe. This latest image beautifully captures the lasting legacy of Webb - a keyhole into the past and a mission that will inspire generations to come."



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. Jencson (Caltech/IPAC)



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Webb captures the light echoes of an exploding star

Many decades ago, a massive star collapsed. A shockwave erupted, tearing the star apart. As this shockwave hit the star’s surface, it created a burst of intense X-rays, ultraviolet light, and a powerful light echo. This pulse traveled across space, and 350 years later, it reached a vast region of interstellar gas and dust. This explosion lit up the surrounding material, warming it and causing it to glow in infrared light. Thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are now able to observe this glowing cosmic...

A team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> and the <a href="https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/">University of Nottingham</a> has found that the Earth’s atmosphere contained far less cardon dioxide than previously thought when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diverse-forests-are-more-resilient-and-productive/">forests</a> first emerged on our planet about 385 million years ago. These findings have major implications for understanding how land plants affect the climate.



Before the Earth’s continents were colonized by tall trees and forests, shallow shrub-like plants with vascular tissue, stems, shallow roots, and no flowers had already invaded the land. Scientists have long thought that the atmosphere at that time had far higher CO2 levels than today - with an intense greenhouse effect leading to a warmer climate - and that only with the emergence of forests which assumedly promoted the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, the Earth tipped into a colder state, with ice covers forming at the poles.



However, by using a cutting-edge method to calculate CO2 levels based on observations made from fossil plant material, the researchers discovered that, between 410 and 380 million years ago, the atmospheric CO2 levels were only 30 to 70 percent higher than today. Moreover, a paleoclimate model showed that the Earth was a temperate planet with average tropical surface air temperatures ranging from 24.1 to 24.6 degrees Celsius.



“We used a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean model to find that Earth had ice-covered poles when forests emerged. Yet, land plants could thrive in the tropical, subtropical and temperate zones,” said study co-author Georg Feulner, an expert in Climate Modelling at the <a href="https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/home">Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research</a> in Germany.&nbsp;&nbsp;



These findings suggest that trees may actually play an insignificant role on atmospheric CO2 levels over longer time scales, since early trees had deeper root systems and produced more developed soils that were linked to lower nutrient loss. Due to this more efficient nutrient recycling system, trees have a smaller weathering demand than the shallow shrub-like vegetation that came before them. This idea contradicts previous theories arguing that trees with deeper root systems promoted CO2 removal through enhanced chemical weathering and dissolution of silicate rocks.



The researchers concluded that primitive shrub-like vascular plants may have caused a massive decline in atmospheric CO2 levels earlier in history, when they first spread across the continents, while simultaneously leading to a rise in atmospheric oxygen levels.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35085-9">Nature Communications</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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How did ancient plants affect atmospheric CO2 levels?

A team of scientists led by the University of Copenhagen...

Many vertebrate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-are-a-powerful-driver-of-forest-recovery/">animals</a> communicate effectively using sounds that convey their state of emotional arousal and valence (whether they are experiencing positive or negative emotions). If you have ever heard a pig scream, you will know that this sound is extremely efficient at expressing emotional distress. Is it possible that humans can understand the emotional content of sounds made by different species? Darwin himself described similarities between how humans and other animals express emotions, which leads to the possibility that there is a universal system of expressing emotional content within mammalian groups.&nbsp;



In a new study by researchers led by the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>, participants listened to sounds made by several different ungulate species and answered questions about what they perceived the emotional state of the animal to be. Although previous research has shown that humans can detect the level of emotional arousal (bodily activation), there is very little research on whether humans can interpret the valence of another mammal’s calls.&nbsp;



For the investigation, more than a thousand people from 48 different countries listened to the vocalizations made by individuals from six mammal species. The sounds of goats, cattle, Asian wild horses (Przewalski's horses), domesticated horses, pigs and wild boars were played to participants online. This marks the first time that so many different animal sounds have been tested on humans, both in terms of arousal (i.e., stress/excitement).&nbsp;



The participants successfully identified the arousal states of the ungulate calls in 49 to 54 percent of cases. They were also able to identify the correct valence of the call, but there was a much larger variation in this variable between species (33–68 percent correct). These results were greater than would have been expected if the participants had simply made random guesses about the arousal state and valence associated with the animal’s call, indicating that humans are able, at least to some extent, to understand the emotional expressions of other mammals.



The researchers recorded the calls of test animals in various states of arousal, as assessed by the animal’s heart rate and body movement behavior. Each animal’s valence was also noted at the time that the call was made. For example, animals making calls while expecting to receive food were in a positive emotional state, whereas those experiencing food frustration made calls while in a negative emotional state. The emotional valence was also verified using behavioral indicators described in the research literature.&nbsp;



“Our results show that, based on its sounds, we humans can determine whether or not an animal is stressed (or excited), and whether it is expressing positive or negative emotions. This applies across a number of different mammals. We can also see that our ability to interpret the sounds depends on several factors, such as age, close knowledge of animals and, not least, how empathetic we are towards other people,” said study co-author Elodie Briefer.



Participants also gave details of their age, gender, occupation and level of education. They were asked whether they worked with animals of any sort and, just before completing the online process, were required to take an empathy test to assess the extent to which they understand and share the emotions of other humans.&nbsp;



The results, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, showed that people who do well on human empathy tests are also measurably better at decoding the emotional sounds of animals. In addition, the ability to understand the emotional content of animal vocalizations is most developed in people who are between 20 and 29 years old, and in people who regularly work with animals. Thus, the results suggest that an intimate knowledge of animals generally promotes the understanding of animals’ emotional lives.



“It was really surprising for me and very interesting that those who performed well in a recognized test to assess people's empathic level – towards other people, mind you – were also significantly better at understanding the emotional lives of animals,” said Briefer.&nbsp;



“We could have used other tests that measure how a person relates to animals, but to make it simpler, we stuck to this particular empathy test, which was translated and validated for the eight languages in the study. It is a recognized test, but it measures empathy towards other people. Nevertheless, we see a clear correlation with the ability to interpret animal sounds."



“This is good news for animal welfare. For example, farmers who want to ensure that their pigs are thriving are well-equipped to capture that. Today, animal welfare is defined by the emotional life of animals. Therefore, new knowledge provided by this study is important for both basic and applied research. On the one hand, it increases the understanding of animal emotions, and it opens opportunities to improve that understanding."



According to Briefer, the knowledge contributed by the study shows the path to concrete ways to work on improving animal welfare through an understanding of their emotional lives.



“For example, the development of an app where AI supports those who work with animals offers promising perspectives. But it is also important to note that there is nothing to prevent someone from beginning to improve their own skills now if they interact with animals on a daily basis,” Briefer points out.



“When students try the test in class, they obtain an average of 50 percent of correct answers on the first try. After we talk about the sounds and knowledge that we have about animal vocalizations, they improve. On their second attempts, they typically get above 70 percent correct. It is natural to explore this potential in future studies. I definitely think that it’s possible to practice and improve this ability for the vast majority of people,” said Briefer.



The researchers conclude that their results support the idea of a common emotional system between mammals, which may have been preserved throughout evolutionary history. They found that participants were able to recognize high and low arousal states in particular, but could also discern whether animals were experiencing positive or negative emotions at the time they made the vocalization.&nbsp;



According to Briefer, this may be because we in the mammalian family share common traits when it comes to how we express the intensity of our emotions (i.e., arousal), and these have been conserved throughout evolution. In contrast, the expression of emotional valence is more difficult to interpret and may not have been as highly conserved across species.



“Roughly speaking, higher-frequency sounds (in addition to other features) are often a sign of higher arousal, and lower-frequency sounds a sign of lower. If a subject uses the same standard to interpret animal sounds that he or she would use to understand a human, then it is often correct. We express arousal more similarly than valence because it is linked to stress pathways, which are evolutionarily well preserved in mammals."



The researchers say that domestication may have played a role in the ability of humans to recognize and empathize with the emotions of animals. Their results show that humans are better able to recognize the emotional expressions of domesticated species than of wild species. However, they do acknowledge that more research is needed to test whether humans can perceive subtle differences in animal calls conveying information about emotional arousal and valence.



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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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Empathetic humans are better at understanding animal sounds

Many vertebrate animals communicate effectively using sounds that convey their...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.dukehealth.org/locations/duke-university-medical-center">Duke University Medical Center</a> have discovered why some people take longer to recover their sense of smell after <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/over-90-percent-of-people-have-some-resistance-to-covid/">Covid</a> infection. The experts have linked this prolonged loss of smell to an immune assault on olfactory nerve cells, and also to a decline in the number of those cells.



According to the researchers, similar biological mechanisms may be responsible for other long Covid symptoms as well, including brain fog, fatigue, and shortness of breath.&nbsp;



“One of the first symptoms that has typically been associated with COVID-19 infection is loss of smell,” said study senior author Dr. Bradley Goldstein.



“Fortunately, many people who have an altered sense of smell during the acute phase of viral infection will recover smell within the next one to two weeks, but some do not. We need to better understand why this subset of people will go on to have persistent smell loss for months to years after being infected with SARS-CoV-2.”



In collaboration with experts at Duke, Harvard and UC San Diego, Dr. Goldstein analyzed samples from 24 biopsies. Some of the samples were collected from patients who were experiencing long-term loss of smell following Covid infection.&nbsp; 



The analysis showed widespread infiltration of T-cells engaged in an inflammatory response in the olfactory epithelium, which is the tissue in the nose where smell nerve cells are located. This inflammation was detected even after the patients tested negative for Covid infection.&nbsp;



Furthermore, the number of olfactory sensory cells had been diminished due to damage from the virus. “The findings are striking,” said Dr. Goldstein. “It’s almost resembling a sort of autoimmune-like process in the nose.”



Learning what sites are damaged and what cell types are involved is a key step toward beginning to design treatments, explained Dr. Goldstein. He said the researchers were encouraged that neurons appeared to maintain some ability to repair even after the long-term immune onslaught.



“We are hopeful that modulating the abnormal immune response or repair processes within the nose of these patients could help to at least partially restore a sense of smell."



 



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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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Covid loss of smell linked to abnormal immune response

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have discovered why some...

Climate change doubled the likelihood of extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/how-the-ocean-and-climate-influence-each-other/">ocean</a> warming near Japan over the last two decades, according to new research from the <a href="https://www.nies.go.jp/index-e.html">National Institute for Environmental Studies</a>. The experts report that record heat in the northwestern Pacific in August 2020 would not have occurred without human-induced climate changes.



The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) documented record high sea surface temperatures again in July and October 2021 and from June to August 2022.



“Impacts of global warming is not uniform, rather show regional and seasonal differences,” said study co-author Hideo Shiogama. “A comprehensive analysis on regional SSTs for a long period may provide a quantitative understanding of how much ocean condition near Japan has been and will be affected by global warming. This better informs policymakers to plan climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.”



The research was focused on ten monitoring areas operationally used by the JMA. The scientists confirmed that the observed sea surface temperature changes from 1982 to 2021 were well reproduced by 24 climate models in all but one of the monitored regions.&nbsp;



"In the present climate, every extreme ocean warming event is linked to global warming,” said co-lead author Michiya Hayashi. “We found that the occurrence probability of almost all the extreme ocean warming events has already at least doubled since the 2000s than the preindustrial era. It is increased more than tenfold in sizeable cases since the mid-2010s, especially in southern Japan.”



Using the 24 climate models, the researchers estimated the probability of exceeding the monthly record high sea surface temperatures around Japan at global warming levels from zero to two degrees Celsius.



“Once global warming reaches 2°C, all of nine monitoring areas are expected to experience SSTs warmer than the past highest levels at least every two years,” said study co-author Tomoo Ogura. “Limiting global warming below 1.5°C is necessary not to have the record warm conditions in Japan's marginal seas as the new normal climate.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022GL100785">Geophysical Research Letters</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



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Extreme ocean warming in Japan linked to human activities

Climate change doubled the likelihood of extreme ocean warming near...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.indiana.edu/">Indiana University</a> has found that self-care – the process of engaging with a product of experience in order to boost one’s emotional well-being – is highly beneficial, particularly in periods of increased <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/turn-stress-productive-energy/">stress</a>. Unfortunately, the experts argued, people rarely take advantage of this technique to help themselves pass through difficult times.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“There are so many ads reminding us to take a moment for ourselves, for self-care, but we find that people are least likely to engage in this kind of behavior when they need it most,” said study co-author Kelley Gullo Wight, an assistant professor of Marketing at Indiana.&nbsp;



“There’s this moment of self-sabotage. People who feel the most constrained or stressed aren’t taking advantage of these self-gifts. You might think, I’ll be too distracted, or I won’t be able to have a mindful moment to benefit, but our research shows this belief is wrong. People are able to benefit and focus even if they’re stressed. In fact, that exactly when you need it the most. Taking the time to ‘self-gift’ will lead you to feel less stressed in the long run.”



The researchers used behavioral experiments to understand why people would not take advantage of self-gifting experiences – which can range from listening to music to drinking tea or just taking a moment to relax – particularly when it would benefit them the most.&nbsp;



The analysis revealed that people who felt pressed for time were least likely to engage in self-gifting, although they were the ones who experienced the strongest boosts in how happy and relaxed they felt afterwards. These findings could help marketers encourage consumers to “self-gift,” by framing their products or experiences as beneficial, especially during busy and stressful periods.



“This holiday season, if you’re focusing on everyone else, you’ve got people coming into town, and absolutely no time for yourself, take two minutes. You may tend to want to wait for self-care until the stressor is over, but our research shows you’ll benefit most by taking a minute for yourself anyways. That’s when you should be looking out for you,” Wight concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucac053">Journal of Consumer Research</a>.&nbsp;



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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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Prioritizing self-care is essential in stressful periods

A new study led by Indiana University has found that...

December 21 marks this year’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-shortest-day-of-the-year-has-arrived/">winter solstice</a>, the longest night of the year and – since the skies will be particularly dark ahead of the new moon from Friday, December 23 - a perfect opportunity for passionate stargazers to see myriad stars from our galaxy, along with Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, as well as three meteor showers.



The winter solstice is an annual event occurring when the Earth’s North Pole is at its furthest tilt away from the Sun. This year, the best locations from which to enjoy this event are the British Isles, where people could get an amazing glimpse of the skies without needing telescopes or binoculars. For instance, across the Isle of Man, there are 26 official <a href="https://www.darkskydiscovery.org.uk/dark-sky-discovery-sites/map.html">Dark Sky Discovery sites</a> where there are very low levels of light pollution and, thus, the possibility to see the sky clearly.



“This year the solstice promises to be full of celestial wonders, with three of the brightest planets, meteor showers, and many constellations on show,” said Howard Parkin, the co-founder and vice chair of the <a href="http://www.iomastronomy.org/">Isle of Man Astronomical Society</a>.&nbsp;



“We are blessed in the northern hemisphere with a dramatic display of stars, and these sights in the night sky are best shared with others.&nbsp;Stargazing is an activity that the whole family can enjoy and involves nothing more than stepping outside and looking up.”



During this night, anyone in the northern hemisphere should be able to easily spot 12 out of the 30 brightest stars in the skies, including three closely located stars that make up the Belt of Orion. Further down, Sirius – the brightest star in our galaxy – should also be visible. Other constellations that stargazers can enjoy are Canis Major (also known as “the Big Dog”) and Taurus. In addition, planets such as Mars, Jupiter, and Venus will also be distinctly visible if the skies are clear.



Finally, during the following nights, stargazers can enjoy three meteor showers: the Geminid shower, which started a few weeks ago and peaked in mid-December, the Ursid shower, which will peak on December 2022, and the Quadrantids shower, which can be seen between the end of December and the beginning of January.



While the Isle of Man most likely remains the best spot on the planet to enjoy these celestial spectacles due to its low light pollution, even in busy cities people could take a moment to stop, look up, and enjoy these natural wonders.



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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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The winter solstice has arrived

December 21 marks this year’s winter solstice, the longest night...

Wandering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/albatrosses-with-bolder-personalities-have-lower-divorce-rates/">albatrosses</a> are the bird species with the largest wingspan (three meters on average) and can live up to 50 years of age. They usually mate for life, breeding with the same partner every two years. After the female lays a single egg, the prospective parents spend the next 78 days – one of the longest incubation periods among birds – taking turns to incubate the egg, while their mate goes to sea to search for food. Such foraging trips take about 12 days on average, during which the nest-bound parent must stay without food. This can have a negative impact on their body condition, which usually gets worse the longer their partner is away.



Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/">University of Liverpool</a> has found that wandering albatrosses with older partners tend to spend less time on foraging trips than those with younger partners, so that their mates spend less time without food. The experts believe this might be because the birds are able to assess how long their partner can go without food. Since older birds may struggle more to withstand the pressures of prolonged fasting, their partners may choose to return faster – a behavior which ultimately benefits both parents, who rely on each other to rear their offspring.



“On paper, this behavior looks very caring: one parent gives up feeding time to help protect the other. In reality, this behavior benefits both parents. Albatrosses cannot be single parents; the conditions are too harsh. If one parent runs the other one ragged by making them do too much work, they will lose the chick which is disastrous for both partners,” explained study lead author Finn McCully, a PhD student in Environmental Sciences at Liverpool.



“Our findings suggest that the birds have a way of telling how much pressure their partner is able to take. This familiarity may develop over the years they spend breeding together, as they get to know each other’s limits, but more research is required to test this theory. So if you are a wandering albatross and your partner is that little bit older and less able to recover from a long fast, it’s in your best interests to take extra steps to help keep them fighting fit.”



While previous research has suggested that wandering albatrosses adjust their own foraging behavior as they get older, this is the first study to show that their partner’s age may also play a major role in these behavioral changes.



“We thought that birds would care more about their own age than that of their partner when making decisions, so these results were truly unexpected. Our results just go to show how complicated the lives of animals can be and how nature is full of surprises!”&nbsp;McCully concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.9621">Ecology and Evolution</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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Albatrosses put their partners' needs before their own

Wandering albatrosses are the bird species with the largest wingspan...

Dna,Molecule,Is,Located,In,Front,Of,A,Colored,Background.

According to a new study the <a href="http://hbio.gr/member/bsrc-%E2%80%9Calexander-fleming%E2%80%9D">Biomedical Sciences Research Center (BSRC) “Alexander Fleming”</a> in Vari, Greece, although humans evolutionarily split from our chimpanzee ancestors nearly seven million years ago, we are continuing to evolve. The experts identified 155 new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-genes-evolution-humans/">genes</a> within the human lineage which spontaneously arose from tiny sections of our DNA. Some of these “microgenes” date back to the ancient origins of mammals, with a few of them thought to be associated with human-specific diseases.



“This project started back in 2017 because I was interested in novel gene evolution and figuring out how these genes originate,” said study lead author Nikolaos Vakirlis, a researcher at BSRC. “It was put on ice for a few years, until another study got published that had some very interesting data, allowing us to get started on this work.”



By using the previously published dataset of functionally relevant new genes, the scientists created an ancestral evolutionary tree to compare humans to other vertebrate species. They tracked the relationship of these genes during evolution and discovered 155 that emerged from regions of unique DNA.



“It was quite exciting to be working in something so new,” says senior author Aoife McLysaght, a professor of Genetics and Molecular Evolution at <a href="https://www.tcd.ie/">Trinity College Dublin</a>. “When you start getting into these small sizes of DNA, they're really on the edge of what is interpretable from a genome sequence, and they’re in that zone where it’s hard to know if it is biologically meaningful.”



Among these 155 new genes, 44 were associated with growth defects in cell cultures, proving their importance in maintaining a healthy, living system. However, since these genes are human-specific, it is difficult to test directly their function. Yet, by examining patterns found within the DNA, the scientists found hints at what roles some of the genes may play in specific diseases.



Three of the newly identified genes had disease-associated DNA markers that pointed to connections to health conditions such as muscular dystrophy, retinitis pigmentosa, and the Alazami syndrome. Moreover, the researchers found a new gene associated with human heart tissue that most likely originated in humans and chimpanzees right after the evolutionary split from gorillas, an aspect showing how fast a gene can evolve to become essential for an organism.



“It will be very interesting in future studies to understand what these microgenes might do and whether they might be directly involved in any kind of disease,” says Vakirlis.



“These genes are convenient to ignore because they’re so difficult to study, but I think it’ll be increasingly recognized that they need to be looked at and considered. If we’re right in what we think we have here, there’s a lot more functionally relevant stuff hidden in the human genome,” concluded McLysaght.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111808">Cell Reports</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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Discovery of new genes proves that humans continue to evolve

According to a new study the Biomedical Sciences Research Center...

In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a>, researchers have revealed the first detailed description of the neuroanatomy of Europasaurus. This herbivorous, long-necked dinosaur lived in the Late Jurassic on a small island in modern-day Germany.&nbsp;



"Macronaria, a group of mostly colossal sauropod dinosaurs, comprised the largest terrestrial vertebrates of Earth’s history," wrote the study authors. "However, some of the smallest sauropods belong to this group as well. The Late Jurassic macronarian island dwarf Europasaurus holgeri is one of the most peculiar and best-studied sauropods worldwide."



While some of these sauropods could reach up to 40 meters in length, Europasaurus had a much smaller body length of up to three meters.&nbsp;



Europasaurus, which lived about 154 million years ago, is the earliest known example of insular dwarfism. This is an evolutionary process in which large island-dwelling animals become smaller over time.&nbsp;



The experts used micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to analyze braincase material of Europasaurus. By digitally reconstructing the inner ear, the team was able to learn more about the dinosaur's hearing ability and behavior.



The fossil remains that were examined for the study belonged to specimens ranging from very young to fully grown. The experts found that the part of the inner ear responsible for hearing was relatively long. This indicates that Europasaurus had a good sense of hearing, and was likely very sociable and relied on intraspecific communication.



A different part of the inner ear that is associated with equilibrium was found to contain three tiny arches. The scientists noted that the inner ear cavities of very small specimens resembled the cavities of adults in form and size.&nbsp;



"This supposes that very young individuals of Europasaurus strongly relied on the ability to equilibrate already. Some considered skull remains were so tiny (~2 cm) that they may belong to hatchlings, which renders the species precocial," explained study co-author Sebastian Stumpf.&nbsp;



The researchers explained that some sauropods weighed several tens of tons more than their newly-hatched offspring, which could be deadly for the young dinosaurs. Still yet, they said the hatchlings of Europasaurus may have immediately followed the herd.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.82190">eLife</a>.



Image Credit: Commissioned artwork by Davide Bonadonna.



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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



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Fossil analysis reveals new details about Europasaurus

In a new study led by the University of Vienna,...

Although many different animal species can communicate by making sounds and gestures, humans are the only ones that can speak. The origin of this ability has always fascinated people, and previous research has identified that, in order to speak, humans needed to develop large brains, a tongue with a particular shape and position in the larynx, closed rows of teeth and a smooth palate. And then they needed fine motor control over their speech organs.&nbsp;



Fully functional speech anatomy first appears in fossil humans only from around 50,000 years ago, and is absent from all great apes and earlier hominins, including Neanderthals. There are many different theories about how human speech originated, and non-human primates have been studied for decades in search of clues to cast light on this question. However, the calls of non-human primates are composed primarily or exclusively of voiced vowel-like sounds, while humans mix up vowels and consonants.&nbsp;



New research from scientists at the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/">University of Warwick</a> has now revealed that orangutans, the most arboreal of the great apes, produce consonant-like calls more often and of greater variety than their African, ground-dwelling cousins (gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees).&nbsp;This runs contrary to expectations since the African apes are most closely related to humans and could be expected to have calls that reflect this.&nbsp;



In this study, Professor Adriano Lameira, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Warwick, investigated the origins of human spoken language, which is universally composed of vowels that take the form of voiced sounds, along with voiceless sounds in the form of consonants.&nbsp;



“Existing theories of speech evolution have thus far, focused exclusively on the connection between primate laryngeal anatomy and human use of vowels,” explained Professor Lameira. “This doesn’t explain though, how voiceless, consonant-like sounds became a fundamental component of every language spoken around the globe. This raises questions about where all the consonants, that compose all the world’s languages, originally come from."



In order to understand the origin of consonant sounds in the human lineage, Professor Lameira compared patterns of consonant-like vocal production in the vocal repertoire of three major great ape lineages that survive today from a once-diverse family – orangutans, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees.&nbsp;These great apes have call repertoires that consist of both consonant-like and vowel-like sounds, but there is great variation in the way the apes use these sounds in nature.&nbsp;



“Wild gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos don’t use a huge variety of consonant-like calls,” explained Lameira.&nbsp;“Gorillas, for example, have been found to use a single, particular consonant-like call, but this is only prevalent in some gorilla populations and not others. Some chimpanzee populations produce one or two consonant-like calls associated with a single behavior, for example while they are grooming, but these same grooming calls are uncommon in other chimpanzee populations.”&nbsp;



“Wild orangutans, however, use consonant-like calls universally and consistently across different populations and for multiple behaviors, much like humans do with speech. Their vocal repertoire is a rich display of smacking, clicks, kiss-sounds, splutters and raspberries."



Professor Lameira has observed orangutans in their natural habitat throughout the last 18 years and thinks their arboreal lifestyle and feeding habits could help to explain the complexity and sophistication of their consonant-like calls.&nbsp;



“All apes are accomplished extractive foragers. They have developed complex mechanisms to access protected or hidden foods like nuts or plant piths, which often requires either meticulous use of hands or tools. Apes, such as gorillas and chimpanzees, need the stability of the ground in order to successfully handle these foods and use tools, however orangutans are largely tree-dwelling, and access their food up in the canopy, where at least one of their limbs is constantly used to provide stability among the trees," said Professor Lameira.



“It is because of this limitation, that orangutans have developed greater control over their lips, tongue and jaw and can use their mouths as a fifth hand to hold food and maneuver tools. Orangutans are known for peeling an orange with just their lips so their fine oral neuro-motoric control is far superior to that of African apes, and it has evolved to be an integral part of their biology."



The findings of this study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/home">Trends in Cognitive Sciences</a>, suggest that despite being more closely related to humans, African apes may not have evolved the prerequisites for using consonant-like sounds because they spent more time on the ground.&nbsp;



Arboreal, rather than terrestrial, lifestyles appear to have driven great apes to develop different vocal repertoires with large and varied inventories of consonant-like calls. If the habit of living in trees did indeed provided the stimulus to develop and use consonant-like sounds, then this also suggests that our own evolutionary ancestors might have lived a more tree-dwelling lifestyle than previously thought.



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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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Orangutan communication uses consonants, like human speech

Although many different animal species can communicate by making sounds...

A recent study led by <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> (OSU) has compared the genetics and relocation patterns among two populations of threatened rattlesnakes in order to guide <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephant-tweets-often-misrepresent-conservation-issues/">conservation</a> planning that would give these endangered creatures a better chance of survival. 



According to the experts, a collection of six closely situated but isolated populations of Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes in northeast Ohio could increase their numbers if strategic alterations were made to stretches of land between their home ranges. Reconnecting these genetically disparate populations could not only help Eastern massasaugas escape extinction, but also establish a thriving habitat for other endangered prey and predator species.



Eastern massasauga rattlesnakes live in isolated spaces in midwestern and eastern North America and were listed as&nbsp;threatened under the Endangered Species Act&nbsp;in 2016 due to loss and fragmentation of their habitat. The scientists examined two groups of Eastern massasaugas in Ohio – a large, genetically diverse population inhabiting the Kildeer Plains Wildlife Area in north central Ohio, and six small, separate populations clustered near each other in Ashtabula County.



By genetically analyzing blood samples of 109 snakes cohabitating in the Kildeer Plains area, the researchers found that the snakes living in fragmented sites in northeast Ohio were very distantly related, and stopped mingling three generations ago. “Once we knew that they didn’t seem to be moving around, the real question is why aren’t they moving? It’s not that big of a distance – so we focused on finding out what was stopping them from being connected,” said study lead author Scott Martin, a PhD student in Conservation Genetics at OSU.



“It seemed to be about specific features of the habitat. If the snakes in northeast Ohio were moving as far as we would expect them to, based on how the Killdeer snakes move and data on the species’ range, they should be able to move between these little sites. And yet when we look at the genetics and use pedigrees to see if there is any breeding between the sites, there’s just not.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to the scientists, wooded areas, cropland, roads, and housing developments – known as “impervious surfaces” – were the main obstacles to snake relocation. By contrast, wet prairies were an ideal habitat for these snakes, offering them more possibilities to move and intermingle.



“You can imagine two snakes in the same habitat that are probably very genetically similar because they can move easily. And then in this other region you have two snakes near each other, but on either side of a four-lane highway, and they will be genetically different because snakes don’t move across that highway, and over time they’ve diverged,” Martin explained. “That means a highway would have a high resistance value and an open field would have a very low resistance value.”



These findings helped the states of Ohio and Michigan to obtain a $2.3 million grant from the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> to acquire land that could benefit Eastern massasaugas in both states.&nbsp;



“To me, this is a clear example of where Ohio State basic research has produced practical results that have then been directly used to help conserve wildlife in Ohio – in other words, achieving one of the goals of a land-grant institution, which is to provide useful, practical knowledge of value to the citizens of the state,” concluded senior author H. Lisle Gibbs, a professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at OSU.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.2793">Ecological Applications</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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How can we save Ohio’s endangered rattlesnakes?

A recent study led by Ohio State University (OSU) has...

A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12197">Ecological Solutions and Evidence</a> has found that UK forests could store nearly double the amount of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-ocean-floor/">carbon</a> than previous models estimated. These findings have major consequences for our understanding of carbon stocks and could more efficiently guide humanity’s response to climate change.



The scientists used a 3D scanning technique and analysis called “terrestrial laser scanning” (TLS) to assess the amount of aboveground biomass (AGB) - used to derive carbon storage - of 815 trees in a 1.4 ha section of Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire. The analysis revealed that UK woodlands could in fact store 77 percent more carbon than previously thought.



“Forests currently act as a carbon sink in the UK. However, whilst our finding that the carbon storage capacity of typical UK woodland could be nearly double what we previously thought might seem like a purely positive outcome, in practice this means that for every ha of woodland lost, we’re potentially losing almost twice the carbon sink capacity we thought,” said study senior author Mathias Disney, a professor of Remote Sensing at the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> (UCL). “This has serious implications for our understanding of the benefits of protecting trees in terms of climate mitigation - and deforestation and afforestation targets more broadly.”



These findings bring into question the certainty of previous estimates of forest carbon storage across the UK, especially for the largest and most carbon-heavy trees, which are based on models estimating tree mass from the trunk diameter.



“Currently, most estimates of forest carbon stocks are based on simple allometric models that assume that a tree’s size and mass increase at a steady rate. Our findings show that relying on these models is problematic, as they are not representative of UK forests,” explained study lead author Kim Calders, a professor of Earth Observation and Terrestrial Ecology at <a href="https://www.ugent.be/en">Ghent University</a>.



“While the models work well for trees smaller than around 50 cm in diameter, which are fairly uniform in terms of their size and volume, this isn’t what we see for larger, heavier trees. These are far more complex when it comes to structure - and they vary hugely across place and species.”



“It’s vital that we’re able to reduce uncertainty in forest carbon estimates, given that land use, and forest protection and restoration in particular, constitute a quarter of countries’ current commitments to their Paris Agreement targets."



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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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Some forests store more carbon than previously thought

A new study published in the journal Ecological Solutions and...

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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

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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



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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

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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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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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

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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

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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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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"

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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...