Astronomers have been captivated by the unusual activities of the supermassive black hole 1ES 1927+654. Located about 100 million light-years away, this particular black hole has a mass that is equivalent to roughly one million Suns.&nbsp;



Initially, in 2018, researchers witnessed a striking event when the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-black-holes-become-supermassive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">black hole</a>'s corona - a cloud of whirling, white-hot plasma - vanished unexpectedly, only to reassemble months later. 



This dramatic "shut-off" was a first in the study of black holes, setting the stage for further intriguing events.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-x-ray-flashes-from-a-black-hole">X-ray flashes from a black hole</h2>



More recently, the same black hole has displayed another baffling phenomenon. Over a span of two years, astronomers detected <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/understanding-x-ray-radiation-that-spews-out-of-black-holes-surroundings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">X-ray</a> flashes from 1ES 1927+654 that increased in frequency from one flash every 18 minutes to one every seven minutes. This dramatic speed-up in X-ray oscillations is unprecedented for black holes.



The research team explored various explanations for these flashes and leaned toward a scenario involving a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hungry-white-dwarf-stars-eat-heavy-metals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">white dwarf</a>.&nbsp;



They propose that a spinning, compact core of a dead star - a white dwarf - is orbiting dangerously close to the black hole's event horizon.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-white-dwarf-hypothesis">The white dwarf hypothesis</h2>



This white dwarf appears to be approaching the boundary where nothing can escape the black hole's gravitational pull while remarkably avoiding being consumed.



“This would be the closest thing that we know of around any black hole,” said lead author Megan Masterson, a graduate student in physics at <a href="https://www.mit.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MIT</a>. “This tells us that objects like white dwarfs may be able to live very close to an event horizon for a relatively extended period of time.”&nbsp;



The scientists suggest that the white dwarf, estimated to be about one-tenth the mass of the Sun, is engaged in a precarious orbit around 1ES 1927+654. Its intense proximity is inferred from the observed X-ray variability, which points to processes occurring near the black hole's edge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flashes-from-a-death-defying-star">Flashes from a death-defying star</h2>



As the white dwarf orbits, it would emit <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gravitational-waves-dark-matter-big-bang-breakthrough/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gravitational waves</a>, drawing it ever closer to the black hole. This tightening orbit would naturally lead to an increase in the frequency of X-ray flashes. 



Remarkably, the white dwarf may not actually fall into the black hole despite its close approach.&nbsp;



The researchers theorize that as the white dwarf sheds part of its outer layers, this process provides a counteracting force that prevents the star from crossing the point of no return.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gravitational-waves-and-future-observations">Gravitational waves and future observations</h2>



If the white dwarf scenario is correct, the system is expected to emit gravitational waves at frequencies detectable by instruments like NASA’s upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA).&nbsp;



“These new detectors are designed to detect oscillations on the scale of minutes, so this black hole system is in that sweet spot,” said Erin Kara, an associate professor of physics at MIT and co-author of the study. 



The detection of such gravitational waves would offer a new way to study the extreme physics near black holes and confirm the presence of the white dwarf.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dramatic-variability-in-the-black-hole-flashes">Dramatic variability in the black hole flashes</h2>



Researchers have never before observed such dramatic variability in the X-ray emissions of a supermassive black hole.&nbsp;



“We’ve never seen this dramatic variability in the rate at which it’s flashing,” Masterson said. 



The frequent and escalating X-ray pulses suggest that the phenomenon is occurring very close to the black hole, where high-energy processes dominate and where objects must move at incredible speeds due to strong gravitational forces.



The team examined data from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Space Agency</a>’s XMM-Newton observatory, which specializes in capturing X-ray emissions. 



The discovery of quasi-periodic oscillations in the X-ray light from this black hole indicates that the source of these emissions is likely in the innermost regions near the event horizon.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extreme-environments-near-supermassive-black-holes">Extreme environments near supermassive black holes</h2>



While one possible explanation for the X-ray patterns was oscillations in the black hole’s corona, the team currently favors the white dwarf hypothesis due to a better grasp of the underlying physics.&nbsp;



The researchers plan to continue monitoring 1ES 1927+654 with current telescopes and prepare for future observations using LISA.



Masterson emphasized the need for continuous observation. “The one thing I’ve learned with this source is to never stop looking at it because it will probably teach us something new.”&nbsp;



As gravitational wave detectors are built, they may capture signals from this extraordinary system, providing deeper insights into the extreme environments near black holes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-physics-of-black-holes">Understanding the physics of black holes </h2>



The behavior of 1ES 1927+654 offers a rare opportunity to study the dynamics of objects in extreme gravitational fields. 



If a white dwarf is indeed orbiting close to the event horizon, this system will serve as a unique laboratory for understanding how matter behaves under such intense conditions.&nbsp;



The increasing frequency of X-ray flashes and the potential detection of gravitational waves could revolutionize our understanding of black hole physics and the life cycles of compact objects in their vicinity.



A preprint of the article - which has been accepted by the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a> - has been published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2501.01581" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arXiv</a> database.



Image Credit: Aurore Simonnet/Sonoma State University



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Mysterious x-ray flashes are accelerating in a black hole

Astronomers have been captivated by the unusual activities of the supermassive black hole 1ES 1927+654. Located about 100 million light-years away, this particular black hole has a mass that is equivalent to roughly one million Suns.&nbsp; Initially, in 2018, researchers witnessed a striking event when the black hole's corona - a cloud of whirling, white-hot plasma - vanished unexpectedly, only to reassemble months later. This dramatic "shut-off" was a first in the study of black holes, setting the stage for further intriguing events. X-ray flashes from a...

This winter, flu – alongside other respiratory illnesses such as RSV or Covid-19 - is ravaging many areas of the United States. However, humans do not seem to be the only animals suffering from this winter’s extreme flu season. In fact, a similar virus is now causing significant outbreak in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-domesticated-america-10000-years/">dogs</a>, with veterinarians across the country strongly advising dog owners to vaccinate their furry companions.



Canine flu causes symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, nose and eye discharges, fever, lethargy, and sometimes trouble breathing. Although there are limited treatment options once a dog gets infected, there is a preventive vaccine that dogs at risk for catching the flu can receive from their veterinary doctors for about $25 to $35.



According to an <a href="https://www.dogflu.com/">online resource</a> mapping the spread of this disease across the U.S., there currently are worrisome dog influenza outbreaks in nine American states, including New York, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania.



While veterinarians argue that not all dogs need to receive a vaccine, more social pets that are frequently interacting with other conspecifics would clearly benefit from such as vaccine. “It’s going to be somewhat specific, based on region and what they are exposed to, but, generally, dogs exposed to a lot of other dogs,&nbsp;dogs in doggie day care,&nbsp;boarding, things like that,” said Jess Fejes, the medical director of the <a href="https://veterinaryemergencygroup.com/">Veterinary Emergency Group</a>.&nbsp;



However, if owners decide to keep their dogs unvaccinated, there are ways of preventing their pets to catch the flu. Since the virus is airborne, places where dogs congregate, such as dog parks, could be risky, particularly for unvaccinated animals.



“Canine influenza is transmitted through droplets or aerosols containing respiratory secretions from coughing, barking, and sneezing. Dogs in close contact with infected dogs in places such as kennels, groomers, day care facilities, and shelters are at increased risk of infection,” experts from the <a href="https://www.avma.org/">American Veterinary Medical Association</a> explained. “Canine influenza can be spread indirectly through objects (e.g., kennels, food and water bowls, collars and leashes) or people that have been in contact with infected dogs.”



While vaccination will not always protect dogs from catching the virus, it may significantly reduce the severity and duration of the illness, thus remaining a helpful tool in stopping what for the moment remains a series of disparate outbreaks to turn into a full-blown epidemic.&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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Dog flu outbreaks spiking across the US

This winter, flu – alongside other respiratory illnesses such as...

Dinosaurs dominated the land habitats of Earth for over 100 million years during the Mesozoic era. At the peak of their success, they included species that were herbivorous, like the long-necked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/giant-sauropods-walked-more-like-hippos-than-elephants/">sauropods</a>, and others that were dedicated carnivores like Tyrannosaurus rex&nbsp;and its relatives. However, they were not always the grand and impressive reptiles with which we are so familiar.&nbsp;&nbsp;



When dinosaurs first evolved, way back in the early Triassic Period (some 230 million years ago), they were not initially very successful or diverse. They were mostly small and lived in the shadow of the much more successful crocodile-like archosaurs. Scientists do not know how diverse they were in terms of their diets and ecology, but they do know that something happened during their early evolution in the Triassic, that enabled them to adapt to a wide range of habitats and lifestyles.&nbsp;



At the end of the Triassic Period, a mass extinction event occurred that wiped out the crocodile-like competitors, but most of the early dinosaurs survived. After this event, the dinosaurs were able to adapt and evolve into a diverse array of species that dominated the earth until their extinction, 66 million years ago.&nbsp;



Significant ways in which the early dinosaurs changed involved the shapes of their skulls and the morphology of their teeth. This is thought to indicate that they began to diversify their diets and eat different foods. By looking at the tooth shapes of the earliest dinosaurs and simulating their tooth function with computational modelling, a team of researchers has now been able to compare them to living reptiles and their diets. Their findings are published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>.



“Soon after their origin, dinosaurs start to show an interesting diversity of skull and tooth shapes. For decades, this has made paleontologists suspect that different species were already experimenting with different kinds of diets," explained study lead author&nbsp;Dr. Antonio Ballell&nbsp;from the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>.



The researchers compared the fossilized teeth of early dinosaurs to those of modern lizard species and tried to infer what the dinosaurs ate, based on the similarities with modern lizard species, for which the diets are known.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We investigated this by applying a set of computational methods to quantify the shape and function of the teeth of early dinosaurs and compare them to living reptiles that have different diets," said Dr. Ballell. "This included mathematically modeling their tooth shapes and simulating their mechanical responses to biting forces with engineering software.”



“With this battery of methods, we were able to numerically quantify how similar early dinosaurs were to modern animals, providing solid evidence for our inferences of diets. Theropod dinosaurs have pointy, curved and blade-like teeth with tiny serrations, which behaved like those of modern monitor lizards," explained study co-author Professor Mike Benton. "In contrast, the denticulated teeth of ornithischians and sauropodomorphs are more similar to modern omnivores and herbivores, like iguanas.”



The innovative study used machine learning models to classify the earliest dinosaurs into the different diet categories, based on their tooth shape and mechanics. The researchers found that some of the species, such as Thecodontosaurus (one of the earliest and oldest known dinosaurs), had teeth that were perfectly adapted for a diet of plants. However, many groups that ended up being herbivorous actually had ancestors that were omnivorous. And the long-necked herbivores, such as Diplodocus, had ancestors that ate meat.&nbsp;



The researchers suggest that this ability to diversify their diets early in their evolution likely explains the evolutionary and ecological success of the dinosaurs.



“Our analyses reveal that ornithischians - the group that includes many plant-eating species like the horned dinosaurs, the armored ankylosaurs and the duck-billed dinosaurs - started off as omnivores. And another interesting finding is that the earliest sauropodomorphs, ancestors of the veggie long-necked sauropods like&nbsp;Diplodocus, were carnivores. This shows that herbivory was not ancestral for any of these two lineages, countering traditional hypotheses, and that the diets of early dinosaurs were quite diverse," said study co-author Professor Emily Rayfield.



Dr. Ballell concluded: “It seems that one of the things that made the first dinosaurs special is that they evolved different diets throughout the Triassic, and we think this might have been key for their evolutionary and ecological success.”



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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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Dinosaurs' ability to adapt to new diets may explain their success

Dinosaurs dominated the land habitats of Earth for over 100...

Australia is home to a vast variety of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/it-remains-unclear-which-mammals-can-survive-climate-change/">mammals</a>, with over 350 native species, half of which are marsupials such as the kangaroos, wombats, koalas, and Tasmanian Devils. Scientists believed for nearly two centuries that placental mammals and related marsupials (a group of animals known as “Theria”) had originated in the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;



But now, a new study led by the <a href="https://australian.museum/">Australian Museum</a> proposes that the ancestors of Theria evolved in Gondwana – a supercontinent encompassing today’s Australia, New Zealand, South America, Antarctica, Africa, Madagascar, and India - 50 million years before migrating to Asia during the early Cretaceous Period around 126 million years ago.&nbsp;



“This new research has completely revised and turned on its head our understanding of early mammal evolution. It’s the most important piece of palaeontological research, from a global perspective that I’ve ever published, but it may take some time to find full acceptance among Northern Hemisphere researchers,” said study lead author Timothy Flannery, an Honorary Associate at the Australian Museum.



“Our research indicates that Theria evolved in Gondwana, thriving and diversifying there for 50 million years before migrating to Asia during the early Cretaceous. Once they arrived in Asia they diversified rapidly, filling many ecological niches,” added study senior author Kristofer Helgen, a chief scientist at the same museum.



According to Helgen, teeth are a useful tool in identifying mammals, and advances in imaging techniques have significantly helped clarifying where fossils fit in the wider evolutionary picture. “A key component to the evolutionary success of Theria lies in their teeth. With their sophisticated molars, known as tropospheric molars, they were able to crush, puncture, and cut through food simultaneously.”&nbsp;



These astonishing discoveries have significantly changed our long-held theories about mammal evolution, suggesting that they evolved in the Southern Hemisphere in the Early Jurassic, about 50 million years prior to their earliest dated occurrence in the Northern Hemisphere. Unfortunately, human habituation and rapid climate change have had a major impact on Australia’s flora and fauna, leading to the extinction of many mammal species.



“If we can change the planet so profoundly, it is in our capability to rectify and stem the loss. We now know more about how our mammals evolved, and now we have to ensure that what is left pulls through the current extinction crisis we humans have triggered,” Helgen concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2022.2132288">Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology</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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New study changes our understanding of mammal evolution

Australia is home to a vast variety of mammals, with...

Although <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asexual-reproduction-can-negatively-impact-evolution/">asexual reproduction</a> – a process called “parthenogenesis” that allows some female animals to fertilize an egg with their own genetic material - is common for animals such as starfish, stick insects, or deep-sea worms, it is a rare phenomenon among vertebrates. Scientists have long assumed that female vertebrates which usually reproduce sexually turn to parthenogenesis as a last-ditch effort at reproduction when there aren’t enough males around.&nbsp;



However, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum of Natural History</a> in Chicago were surprised to discover recently that a female zebra shark in an aquarium reproduced via parthenogenesis, even though there were healthy, reproductive males in the same enclosure. These findings have implications not only for the continued care of zebra sharks in aquariums and zoos, but also for conservation efforts of their wild conspecifics.



“We've known for several years that parthenogenesis occurs in animals like sharks, but some aspects of it remain unknown, like why it occurs and what triggers it,” said study lead author Kevin Feldheim, a researcher at the Field Museum. “This latest paper is just another step in learning why these ‘virgin births’ happen.”



“As we started to see successful breeding of zebra sharks at Shedd in 2004, we also began genetic testing to confirm which of the sharks were the parents of the offspring,” added study senior author Lise Watson, the assistant director of Animal Operations and Habitats at the <a href="https://www.sheddaquarium.org/">Shedd Aquarium</a>. “By confirming the lineage of the offspring, we could more soundly make decisions on future breeding efforts to maintain maximum genetic diversity while supporting the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan for zebra sharks.”



Unfortunately, shark pups born by this type of “virgin birth” tend to have a short life expectancy, since they are likelier to experience rare recessive genetic conditions. Yet, although the pups examined in this study survived just a few months, the fact that they were born at all challenges long-standing biological theories.



“This is only the second case that we know of where sharks have been born by parthenogenesis even when there were healthy mates available,” said Feldheim. “This discovery throws a wrench in what we thought we knew about how and why parthenogenesis happens, and it illustrates a key aspect of science: we’re continually learning.”



“This study is just the beginning of our understanding of the occurrence of this genetic phenomenon in zebra sharks. Zoos and aquariums like Shedd have a key role to play in the conservation of species like zebra sharks, which are nearly extinct in some parts of the world. Knowing more about parthenogenesis and confirming the genetic makeup of our populations in zoos and aquaria is crucial to making informed decisions that fuel this work,” Watson concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15268">Journal of Fish Biology</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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"Virgin births" discovered in zebra sharks

Although asexual reproduction – a process called “parthenogenesis” that allows...

The food that we get on our table travels long distances and undergoes various modifications – from production to processing to distribution and, finally, consumption. Now, an international team of researchers have produced digital maps detailing the pressures that the global food system is exerting on the environment and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-whales-help-mitigate-climate-change/">climate</a>.



“The food system is the biggest threat to biological diversity and one of the worst drivers of the climate crisis,” said study co-author Daniel Moran, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a> (NTNU).



“There are lots of different foods on the planet and numerous ways to produce them. The environmental consequences are manifold and difficult to calculate. By gaining a better understanding of the negative impacts, we can achieve more environmentally efficient food production. Doing this will protect the environment and help ensure that we have enough food for the world's population.”



The scientists have gathered data on 99 percent of all food production in water and on land reported in 2017, while taking into account the main types of pressure that food production exerts on the environment, including CO2 emissions, water consumption, pollution, and habitat destruction. Moreover, they have also followed the entire “life cycle” of food – from the sowing of grain or birth of the piglet all the way to the bread and bacon on the consumers’ tables – in order to measure the total environmental impact.



The analysis revealed that five countries – China, India, the United States, Brazil, and Pakistan – account for nearly half of the global environmental impact from food production. In the current study, the countries with the smaller environmental footprint have not been “crowned,” since they are generally poor countries that live with severe food shortages and widespread hunger.&nbsp;



According to the scientists, 90 percent of all food production takes place on the ten percent of the Earth’s land area. Nevertheless, its environmental impact is highly variable according to the specific regions where processes related to food production occur. “In general, locally produced food is the most environmentally friendly option, but we were surprised at how much the production footprint of the same product varied in different countries,” Moran explained.



“A food product can be sustainable when it is produced in one country, but not in another. For example, it turned out that soy production in the USA is twice as environmentally efficient as in India.”



The researchers concluded that no particular diet can be considered best for protecting the environment, and can vary greatly from country to country. Moreover, they warned that, although local food is often sustainable, people should find a balance between their desire for self-sufficiency with all types of food and the most environmentally efficient production possible.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00965-x">Nature Sustainability</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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Food production is one of the biggest drivers of climate change

The food that we get on our table travels long...

For the last 3.7 billion years, Earth’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-may-worsen-neurologic-conditions/">climate</a> has undergone drastic changes, and yet life has kept on beating. A new study from the <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> has confirmed that the Earth has a “stabilizing feedback” mechanism that has pulled the climate back from the brink, keeping global temperatures within a steady, habitable range.



According to the experts, this phenomenon is likely caused by “silicate weathering” - the slow and steady weathering of silicate rocks involving chemical reactions that draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and into ocean sediments. The Earth’s enduring habitability points to some inherent, geologic check on extreme temperature swings.



“You have a planet whose climate was subjected to so many dramatic external changes. Why did life survive all this time? One argument is that we need some sort of stabilizing mechanism to keep temperatures suitable for life,” said study co-author Constantin Arnscheidt. “But it's never been demonstrated from data that such a mechanism has consistently controlled Earth's climate.”



Arnscheidt and Professor Daniel Rothman sought to confirm whether a stabilizing feedback has been at work by looking at data of global temperature fluctuations through geologic history. They worked with a range of global temperature records, from the chemical composition of ancient marine fossils and shells, as well as preserved Antarctic ice cores.



The team analyzed the history of average global temperatures over the last 66 million years, considering the entire period over different timescales to see whether any patterns of stabilizing feedback emerged.



Without stabilizing feedbacks, fluctuations of global temperature should grow with timescale. The study revealed a regime in which fluctuations did not grow, implying that a stabilizing mechanism reigned in the climate before fluctuations grew too extreme.&nbsp;



The timescale for this stabilizing effect — hundreds of thousands of years — coincides with what scientists predict for silicate weathering.



On longer timescales, the data did not reveal any stabilizing feedbacks. Over these longer timescales, then, what has kept global temperatures in check?



“There’s an idea that chance may have played a major role in determining why, after more than 3 billion years, life still exists,” said Professor Rothman.



As the Earth’s temperatures change, these fluctuations may just happen to be within a range that a stabilizing feedback, such as silicate weathering, could periodically keep the climate in check - and within a habitable zone.



“There are two camps: Some say random chance is a good enough explanation, and others say there must be a stabilizing feedback,” said Arnscheidt. “We’re able to show, directly from data, that the answer is probably somewhere in between. In other words, there was some stabilization, but pure luck likely also played a role in keeping Earth continuously habitable.”



The results of the study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adc9241">Science Advances</a>, imply that today’s global warming could be eventually canceled out by the stabilizing feedback. However, this would take hundreds of thousands of years to happen, and can’t be relied on to solve the climate crisis.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Earth has a stabilizing mechanism that keeps it habitable

For the last 3.7 billion years, Earth’s climate has undergone...

More than half of the global population currently lives in cities, and this is projected to increase significantly by the end of the century. As cities expand in size, their green spaces, including remnant natural areas, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-distance-between-humans-and-nature-is-growing/">nature</a> reserves and urban parks, will come under increasing pressure from human activities. Both managed and unmanaged green spaces are important as locations or people to exercise, get closer to nature, destress and improve their mental health. However, there is a delicate balance between allowing human access and conserving natural ecosystems.&nbsp;



Parks and other green spaces are also important for preserving ecosystem biodiversity and for providing services such as stormwater management and heat reduction. When people utilize green spaces, they can affect these functions, for example by disturbing wildlife and forging new trails that are then subject to erosion. It is therefore important for green space management strategies that the numbers and activities of visitors are measured in some way. This should not be invasive, but must be at a fine enough scale to inform management decisions.



Researchers from the University of Toronto and Conservation Halton have now partnered to test the usefulness of anonymized GPS data from peoples’ smartphones to quantify the extent to which green spaces are used, and for what purposes. Conservation Halton is a local conservation authority responsible for managing natural areas, protected reserves and urban parks in the regional municipality of Halton, Ontario. The various green spaces total around 1,000 km2 and include forests, riverside vegetation and grasslands. More than 1.2 million visitors use these spaces each year, most of them from nearby large urban centers.



Visitors to the green spaces often take part in activities such as hiking, dog walking, cross-country skiing and picnicking, and GPS data from visitors’ smartphones can be a powerful tool in understanding what activities are taking place and how many people are present.&nbsp;



The researchers in the current study used Mapbox Movement to obtain an anonymized activity index representing visitor density aggregated to 100 x 100 m grid cells and two-hour windows. They developed new methods for the synthesis, management and analysis of this GPS data from smart devices in the Conservation Halton green spaces in order to understand how this data compares with traditional measures of human access and activity, and to investigate whether the activity index can be used to infer human presence and activity in green spaces in future.&nbsp;



Alessandro Filazzola and colleagues present their findings in a paper in the open-access journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010725">PLOS Computational Biology</a>. They found that the GPS data did indeed capture insights about people’s use of these green spaces, showing, for instance, that mobile device activity was strongly correlated with data on reservations made by people to access parks.&nbsp;



The data also revealed which areas within green spaces had more or less human activity, with established trails being particularly popular. In addition, greater human presence was linked to certain types of land cover, such as rock formations, as well as certain tree species. These findings highlight the potential for anonymized GPS smartphone data to help inform management of green spaces, especially as cities grow worldwide. Such efforts could optimize the benefits of green spaces for people while also preserving biodiversity and other ecosystem services.



The experts note several challenges to this approach, such as some people’s tendency to disconnect from their mobile devices when visiting green spaces and the difficulty of distinguishing between a smart phone located within a green space and one that is in a car passing just outside the perimeter. Future research could address these issues and refine the methodology.



“Access to parks is important for city residents for recreation, connecting to nature, and socialization, but it’s challenging to understand how people use these green spaces," said the researchers. "Our study is using anonymized mobility data to help shed light on the relationship between people and nature in parks.”



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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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Smartphones track interactions between people and green spaces

More than half of the global population currently lives in...

Across the animal kingdom, female genitalia are often overlooked by scientists in comparison to their male counterparts. In the case of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-snakes-evolved-from-just-a-few-surviving-species/">snakes</a>, researchers have assumed for a long time that the clitoris (hemiclitores) is either absent or a non-functional anatomical part. However, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a> in Australia has recently provided the first anatomical description of the female snake clitoris, thus changing our understanding of these animals’ physiology and behavioral traits.



The experts examined female genitalia in adult snake specimens across nine species, and compared them to adult and juvenile male snake genitalia. “We found the heart-shaped snake hemiclitores is composed of nerves and red blood cells consistent with erectile tissue - which suggests it may swell and become stimulated during mating. This is important because snake mating is often thought to involve coercion of the female – not seduction,” reported study co-author Kate Sanders, an associated professor of Biological Sciences at Adelaide.



“Through our research we have developed proper anatomical descriptions and labels of the female snake genitalia. We can apply our findings to further understand systematics, reproductive evolution and ecology across snake-like reptiles, such as lizards.”



“We are proud to contribute this research, particularly as female genitalia across every species are unfortunately still taboo,” added study lead author Megan Folwell, a doctoral student in Biology at the same university.



According to the researchers, snake hemiclitores have functional significance in mating and clearly show that they are not just underdeveloped hemipenes or scent glands – as it was erroneously thought for a long time. Instead, they may have a crucial role in transducing sensation to the female snake during courtship and copulation, which might promote longer and more frequent mating leading to increased fertilization success.



“Further investigation into the sensory features of snake hemiclitores and hemipenes are needed to determine potential tactile sensitivity. Comparative morphological investigations of hemiclitores and hemipenes within and among taxa would also provide insight into the possible coevolution of male and female genitalia,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1702">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</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



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.

Scientists found the snake clitoris

Across the animal kingdom, female genitalia are often overlooked by...

The foods we choose to eat have environmental impacts in terms of their production, processing, transport and sale. Considering that humanity is facing increasingly dire consequences of global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-microclimates-impact-bird-species-diversity/">warming</a> and climate change, it is important to understand how our food choices contribute to environmental problems. Ideally, people should be encouraged to change their diets such that the environmental impacts are minimized, but many different barriers to change currently exist.&nbsp;



In a study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2022.106388">Appetite</a>, researchers interviewed 21 British participants about their knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a sustainable diet, and whether they would be prepared to make the necessary changes. The participants were mostly young adults who cooked for themselves, or for others in the household.&nbsp;



According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), sustainable diets are “diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations.” Previous research has suggested that 20–30 percent of environmental impacts in Europe and the UK originate from supplying the foods that people choose to eat; these impacts arise from greenhouse gas emissions, the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and the use of water, among others.



Previous modeing studies have suggested that the negative impacts can be reduced through changes to dietary consumption. For example, it is commonly understood that the production of animals and animal products has significant negative consequences for environments and for the planet as a whole, and that eating a plant-based diet is less environmentally damaging.&nbsp;



In the current study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/">Bournemouth University</a> took a qualitative approach and conducted in-depth interviews with the 21 participants. The participants were asked various questions about their understanding of a sustainable diet and their willingness to make changes in their own food choices. In this way, the researchers gained detailed, rich and personal responses from the participants. The interview transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.



Four themes were identified, in the participants’ responses, that related to understanding sustainable diets: ‘Consistent with the definition by the FAO,’ ‘Multiple benefits,’ ‘Unsure’ and ‘Competing Interests.’ Similarly, four themes were identified relating to making changes to one’s diet: ‘Willing, but unsure,’ ‘Small, easy changes,’ ‘Enablers’ and ‘Barriers.’



Within these themes, participants were able to define sustainable eating in a manner that was consistent with the definition by the FAO, could identify sustainable actions that they were undertaking or could undertake, and considered these to be beneficial. However, there was a lot of uncertainty expressed by the participants. Many did not know, or were very unsure of, what constituted a sustainable diet, and some admitted to choosing foods without considering the consequences for the environment or planet at all. Others thought their diet was sustainable to some degree already, that there was no need for them to change, and that they were content with the diet that they already had, for their lifestyle, pocket, and tastes.



“When thinking about how to live more sustainably, people seem to understand that this can mean taking fewer flights, using the car less, recycling more, but it seems that not everyone is aware of the difference that changing their diet can make as well,” explained Professor Katherine Appleton, who led the study.



Participants were also unclear on what would make their food choices more environmentally sustainable. When it came to making changes to their diet, participants explained that they would be willing to do that to help the environment, but there was significant uncertainty about what changes they should make. There is clearly a lot of contradictory information around concerning the best foods to eat in order to ensure a minimal environmental footprint.



Participants expressed the preference for making small, easy changes of high impact in their diets, but there was again considerable uncertainty as to exactly what changes to make. Their comments indicated hesitation and concern that any actions they may take could be sustainable from one perspective, but not from another. For example, eating tofu made from soy may be a suitable replacement for meat in a diet, but if forest has been cleared to plant that soy then its carbon footprint can be as much as twice that produced when raising chickens.&nbsp;



The researchers concluded that far more needs to be done to increase public awareness and knowledge of sustainable diets, and to educate people about the links between food production and environmental damage. They also recommend that sustainable foods need to be made more available and accessible to consumers, and that information concerning sustainable foods should be easy to access and should stem from credible, objective sources.&nbsp;



“We were surprised by our findings. We had originally intended looking at how we can encourage people to eat more foods such as beans and pulses, but we discovered that people still don’t know enough about why this is important, so to talk about increasing the consumption of specific foods is getting too far ahead for many,” explained Professor Appleton.



“We need to promote greater awareness and knowledge of how changes to eating habits can go some way to helping the planet, while also offering some suggested changes that are likely to be acceptable and acted upon,” she added.



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.



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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

Many people are unaware that food choices impact the environment

The foods we choose to eat have environmental impacts in...

One of the features that sets <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-struggle-to-predict-aggression-in-dogs-and-other-humans/">humans</a> apart from all other apes is the way they move around on the ground. They walk upright, placing one foot after the other and holding the torso erect. Other apes may adopt an upright stance at times, and may walk on two back legs for a short distance, but none of them has committed fully to bipedal locomotion. Since this was the first major adaptive change from the apelike ancestors of modern humans, it would be helpful to know why bipedalism evolved.&nbsp;



The savanna-based theory is one that is commonly used to suggest why early hominids began to walk upright. It postulates that climate change led to a reduction in forests and a proliferation of more open, savanna habitats. In savannas, a bipedal posture and locomotion would have allowed hominins (human ancestors) to watch over tall grasses, carry things, hunt effectively and be more aware of predators. This theory has had a lot of support over the years, but has also had its detractors.&nbsp;



In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>, the University of Kent, and Duke University, USA, the behaviors of wild chimpanzees living in the Issa Valley of western Tanzania, have been observed over a 15-month period. Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, but are not on the same evolutionary line as modern humans. Instead, chimpanzees and humans share a common ancestor that lived somewhere around 7 million years ago.&nbsp;



The Issa Valley falls within the East African Rift Valley region and has a vegetation type known as “savanna-mosaic." This&nbsp;a mix of dry open land with few trees, interspersed with patches of dense forest, and is considered very similar to the habitat in which our earliest human ancestors lived. The researchers chose to study chimpanzees in this particular habitat to explore whether the&nbsp;openness of this type of landscape&nbsp;could have encouraged bipedalism in hominins.



The study is the first of its kind to explore if savanna-mosaic habitats would account for increased time spent on the ground by the Issa chimpanzees, and compares their behavior to other studies on forest-dwelling chimpanzees in other parts of Africa.



The researchers recorded more than 13,700 instantaneous observations of positional behavior from 13 chimpanzee adults (six females and seven males), including almost 2,850 observations of individual locomotor events (e.g., climbing, walking, hanging). In particular, they noted each time a chimpanzee stood upright on its back legs and recorded whether this was associated with being on the ground or in the trees.&nbsp;



The results of the study, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.add9752">Science Advances</a>, showed that the Issa chimpanzees did not spend more time on the ground, as the researchers had expected. In fact, they spent as much time in the trees as other chimpanzees that live in dense forests, despite the fact that open savanna habitat was available.&nbsp; Furthermore, although the researchers expected the Issa chimpanzees to walk upright more often in the open savanna vegetation, where they cannot easily travel via the tree canopy, more than 85 percent of instances of bipedalism took place in the trees, when chimpanzees reached up to pick food or balanced themselves against upright trunks.&nbsp;



The authors say that their findings contradict the widely accepted theory that it was an open, dry savanna environment that encouraged our prehistoric human relatives to walk upright. Instead, their results suggest that early hominins may actually have evolved to walk on two feet in order to move around in the trees.



“We naturally assumed that because Issa has fewer trees than typical tropical forests, where most chimpanzees live, we would see individuals more often on the ground than in the trees. Moreover, because so many of the traditional drivers of bipedalism (such as carrying objects or seeing over tall grass, for example) are associated with being on the ground, we thought we’d naturally see more bipedalism here as well. However, this is not what we found," said study co-author Dr. Alex Piel.



“Our study suggests that the retreat of forests in the late Miocene-Pliocene era around five million years ago, and the more open savanna habitats, were in fact not a catalyst for the evolution of bipedalism. Instead, trees probably remained essential to its evolution – with the search for food-producing trees a likely a driver of this trait,” he added.



“To date, the numerous hypotheses for the evolution of bipedalism share the idea that hominins came down from the trees and walked upright on the ground, especially in more arid, open habitats that lacked tree cover. Our data do not support that at all," said study co-author Dr. Fiona Stewart.



“Unfortunately, the traditional idea of fewer trees equals more terrestriality (land dwelling) just isn’t borne out with the Issa data. What we need to focus on now is how and why these chimpanzees spend so much time in the trees - and that is what we’ll focus on next on our way to piecing together this complex evolutionary puzzle.”



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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

Early humans may have begun to stand upright in trees

One of the features that sets humans apart from all...

A recent study has confirmed that the goal of reaching 10,000 steps a day is an ideal target for optimal health outcomes. The experts also found that it's not just how far you <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/for-some-walking-boosts-cognitive-function/">walk</a>, but also how fast, that makes a difference.



For the investigation, the researchers monitored 78,500 adults with activity trackers. To date, these are the largest studies to objectively track steps in relation to health outcomes.



Study senior author Emmanuel Stamatakis is a professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Population Health at the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a>.



“Step count is easily understood and widely used by the public to track activity levels thanks to the growing popularity of fitness trackers and apps, but rarely do people think about the pace of their steps,” said Professor Stamatakis.



“Findings from these studies could inform the first formal step-based physical activity guidelines and help develop effective public health programs aimed at preventing chronic disease.”



The experts found that walking 10,000 steps per day is associated with a reduced risk of dementia, heart disease, cancer and premature death. Furthermore, participants who walked at a faster pace showed benefits above and beyond the number of steps achieved.



“The take-home message here is that for protective health benefits people could not only ideally aim for 10,000 steps a day but also aim to walk faster,” said co-lead author Dr. Matthew Ahmadi from the University of Sydney.



"For less active individuals, our study also demonstrates that as low as 3,800 steps a day can cut the risk of dementia by 25 percent,” noted co-lead author Professor Borja del Pozo Cruz from the University of Southern Denmark.



According to the researchers, every 2,000 steps lowered the risk of premature death incrementally by 8 to 11 percent - up to around 10,000 steps a day. The results were similar for cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence.



The analysis showed that a higher number of steps per day was associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia. In addition, a faster pace was linked to a reduced risk of dementia, heart disease, cancer, and premature death.



“The size and scope of these studies using wrist-worn trackers makes it the most robust evidence to date suggesting that 10,000 steps a day is the sweet spot for health benefits and walking faster is associated with additional benefits,” said Dr. Ahmadi.



“Going forward more research with longer-term use of trackers will shed more light on the health benefits associated with certain levels and intensity of daily stepping.”



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;



<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine">JAMA Internal Medicine</a>.



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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

Health benefits of 10,000 steps are enhanced with a faster pace

A recent study has confirmed that the goal of reaching...

Each year, about half a million people in sub-Saharan Africa suffer from snake bites, which lead to an estimated 7,000 to 20,000 deaths. Many snake species native to this region, such as the highly feared black mamba, are currently classified as species of the highest medical importance by the World Health Organization. Thus, using systematic approaches to better understand the composition and function of these creatures’ venom is a medical priority.



Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.bioengineering.dtu.dk/english/researchny/center-for-antibody-technologies">Center for Antibody Technologies</a> from the Technical University of Denmark has systematically analyzed and compared the protein compositions and functions of the venoms of the 26 medically most important snake species in sub-Saharan Africa. The snakes belong to two main categories – elapids, including the black and green mambas and the ring-necked spitting cobra, and vipers, such as the Puff adder and the Gabon viper.



The analysis revealed that the composition and function of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-protein-in-our-saliva-shares-an-origin-with-snake-venom/">snake venoms</a> is highly complex and varies significantly from species to species. Elapid venoms, for instance, contain large amounts of a type of proteins called “three finger toxins” that act by blocking neuronal transmission or by killing cells, as well as phospholipases A2&nbsp;(PLA2s), a class of enzymes which is found in many animal venoms.&nbsp;



On the other hand, the viper venoms seem to be dominated by a different mixture of protein, including PLA2s, but also substantial quantities of other enzymes like the Snake Venom Metalloproteinases and the Snake Venom Serine Proteinases.



While the venoms of most of these snake species have been described before, those of two species – the Anchieta’s cobra (Naja anchietae) and of the white-bellied carpet viper (Echis leucogaster)&nbsp;– have now been characterized for the first time.&nbsp;



Furthermore, while previous studies have typically focused on just a handfuls of species each – and often with little or even no data on functional aspects – the present study is an integrated approach that provides a solid foundation for further investigations of snake biology, and could be of crucial importance in the development of efficient antivenoms.



“Overall, this study provides a foundation for further studies on snake biology and evolution, for which we recommend an integrated approach combining genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to provide information on gene expression and other molecular mechanisms linked to phenotypic diversity," said the researchers.



"Moreover, the toxicovenomic profiles elucidated in this study may aid in the development of effective antivenoms through better understanding of the behavior of snake venoms and their roles as drug targets."



The research results are published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giac121">GigaScience</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



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.

Study provides a new understanding of snake venom

Each year, about half a million people in sub-Saharan Africa...

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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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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...