Scientists have long looked to oxygen when searching for signs of life beyond Earth. This gas sustains breathing and enables animals and plants to flourish. Now, researchers suggest that oxygen might also point to advanced technology. 



If an exoplanet’s atmosphere holds enough oxygen, it may not only support organisms but also help them spark fire, build structures, and craft machinery.



A study in Nature Astronomy presents this view, highlighting oxygen’s value as more than just a sign of biology. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oxygen-civilization-and-technology">Oxygen, civilization, and technology</h2>



Leading this research are <a href="https://www.pas.rochester.edu/people/faculty/frank_adam/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Adam Frank</a>, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester, and <a href="https://www-en.fisica.uniroma2.it/phone-directory/balbia_en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amedeo Balbi</a>, an associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Roma Tor Vergata, Italy.



Together with their team, they set out to explore whether oxygen is a key factor in allowing extraterrestrial civilizations to emerge and thrive through the development of technology.



“We are ready to find signatures of life on alien worlds,” Frank says. “But how do the [oxygen] conditions on a planet tell us about the possibilities for intelligent, technology-producing life?” 



This question drives efforts to examine oxygen’s role beyond respiration and metabolism, especially in relation to large-scale industrial activities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-oxygen-matters-for-civilizations">Why oxygen matters for civilizations</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animal-cells-capable-of-photosynthesis-created-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Photosynthesis</a> on Earth accounts for the bulk of our oxygen on our planet, thanks to countless organisms that use sunlight to make food. 



Because this process produces so much oxygen, it has been considered a biosignature. A planet with significant oxygen levels hints that life may be present, but Frank and Balbi argue that oxygen also has a second function.



“<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-023-02112-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">In our paper</a>, we explore whether any atmospheric composition would be compatible with the presence of advanced technology,” Balbi says. “We found that the atmospheric requirements may be quite stringent.”



The link to technology comes from open-air combustion. Smelting metals, cooking food, and powering engines all rely on oxygen. 



Any alien civilization that forges metals would need a certain percentage of oxygen in its air to keep fires burning reliably. That percentage, according to Earth’s history, appears to be around 18 percent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fire-and-the-18-threshold">Fire and the 18% threshold</h2>



“You might be able to get biology -- you might even be able to get intelligent creatures -- in a world that doesn’t have oxygen,” Frank says, “but without a ready source of fire, you’re never going to develop higher technology because higher technology requires fuel and melting.” 



He calls attention to fire’s role in shaping tools, infrastructure, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-wellbeing-is-a-more-effective-focus-area-when-discussing-energy-solutions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy production</a>. Metalworking, for instance, depends on sustaining flames hot enough to melt ore and craft refined structures.



Frank and Balbi refer to this requirement as an “oxygen bottleneck.” A planet might host life forms of various kinds, yet remain stuck without the combustion needed to fuel industrial breakthroughs. 



“The presence of high degrees of oxygen in the atmosphere is like a bottleneck you have to get through in order to have a technological species,” Frank says. 



“You can have everything else work out, but if you don’t have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/it-took-200-million-years-for-earth-to-get-its-oxygen/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oxygen in the atmosphere</a>, you’re not going to have a technological species.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oxygen-technology-create-technosignatures">Oxygen + technology create "technosignatures"</h2>



Frank thinks that exoplanets with oxygen levels at or above 18 percent should be at the top of our search list. 



“Targeting planets with high oxygen levels should be prioritized because the presence or absence of high oxygen levels in exoplanet atmospheres could be a major clue in finding potential technosignatures,” Frank says. 



Planets that exceed this level may have the capacity for factories, infrastructure, or communication networks.



Balbi notes that interpreting any possible signal of intelligent life will be challenging. 



“The implications of discovering intelligent, technological life on another planet would be huge,” adds Balbi. “Therefore, we need to be extremely cautious in interpreting possible detections. 



Their study suggests that astronomers should be skeptical of potential technosignatures from a planet with insufficient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-ancient-breath-study-links-atmospheric-oxygen-and-mantle-chemistry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">atmospheric oxygen</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-technosphere-vs-biotechnosphere">Technosphere vs. biotechnosphere</h2>



Frank and Balbi’s perspective also covers the idea of a technosphere, which is the collective output of an advanced civilization. 



Factories, vehicles, and power grids all fit under this label. They rely on resources provided by the planet’s biosphere but stretch beyond purely natural processes. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bronze-age-technology-is-a-modern-solution-for-clean-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Burning fuels in open air</a> has been central to every major industrial leap, from forging steel to generating electricity.



When these technologies reach a global scale, they form a biotechnosphere. This term applies to the interplay of living systems and technology -- essentially, how organisms and machines coexist. 



On Earth, that includes everything from smartphones to farms, all running side by side. A well-established biotechnosphere might produce clear signals in the atmosphere: waste gases, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mapping-2024s-record-heat-unveiling-earths-climate-danger-zones/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unusual heat patterns</a>, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forever-chemicals-found-in-tap-and-bottled-water-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chemicals not normally found in nature</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-balancing-machines-and-ecosystems">Balancing machines and ecosystems</h2>



History shows that as technology expands, it can sometimes damage or alter environments. Factories might pump pollutants into the air, while deforestation removes habitats that produce oxygen. 



Yet there is an ongoing move toward cleaner energy and more efficient resource use. If any alien civilization follows a similar path, we might detect certain byproducts in the form of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2023-climate-change-report-record-high-temperatures-greenhouse-gases-sea-level-rise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">greenhouse gases</a> or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/banning-forever-chemicals-may-threaten-us-national-security/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">engineered molecules</a>.



Though the focus is on oxygen, other factors matter too, such as temperature and access to metals or fuels. A planet may need stable conditions for life to progress to a point where industry becomes possible.



That said, Frank and Balbi’s findings highlight how oxygen stands out among these factors, because it directly enables combustion processes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fire-and-progress-in-earth-s-past">Fire and progress in Earth’s past</h2>



Earth’s own development through advances in technology offers insight into how vital oxygen has been for technical achievements.



Once our atmosphere had enough of it, humans learned to manipulate fire for cooking and for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-wooden-structure-completely-rewrites-early-human-history/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">making stronger materials</a>. 



From simple smithing to modern manufacturing, every stage of growth involved open-air combustion.



“You can have everything else work out, but if you don’t have oxygen in the atmosphere, you’re not going to have a technological species,” Frank says. 



This idea underlines how a single factor -- oxygen -- can open or close the door to industrial progress, altering a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/decarbonizing-worlds-industrial-emissions-possible-with-current-technology/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">planet’s entire future path</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-oxygen-technology-and-next-steps">Oxygen, technology, and next steps</h2>



Observatories now in the works may soon gather data about exoplanet atmospheres in detail. Detecting a high oxygen content could mark a world that supports advanced living organisms. 



The next task is to look for proof of industry or technology, sometimes called technosignatures. These might appear as chemical emissions, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-space-radio-signal-reaches-earth-after-8-billion-years-frb-20220610a/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">radio signals</a>, or specific spectral lines.



If these two checks-- oxygen above 18 percent and evidence of artificial activity -- both yield results, we will have a strong indication that we share the universe with another technological civilization. 



That reality could reshape how we see ourselves and our place among the stars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter-0">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



Understanding the significance of atmospheric oxygen can also inspire reflection on our home planet. Human industries <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-from-fossil-fuels-kills-5-million-people-each-year/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rely heavily on combustion</a>, from running cars to powering factories. This has changed Earth’s ecosystems. 



As we learn more about how oxygen in an atmosphere enables or limits technology, we might gain new ideas on how to manage our own balance between growth and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/un-report-calls-for-global-change-to-stop-biodiversity-loss/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">environmental health</a>.



Ultimately, Frank and Balbi’s argument shows that oxygen may do far more than keep living cells alive. It might be the clearest signal of whether a planet can support the technologies that shape modern societies. 



By recognizing the 18 percent threshold, scientists can refine their search for advanced life and possibly move closer to answering the age-old question: Are we alone, or is someone else using fire to reshape their world?



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-023-02112-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Astronomy</a>.



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Oxygen levels on exoplanets reveal presence of alien technology

Scientists have long looked to oxygen when searching for signs of life beyond Earth. This gas sustains breathing and enables animals and plants to flourish. Now, researchers suggest that oxygen might also point to advanced technology. If an exoplanet’s atmosphere holds enough oxygen, it may not only support organisms but also help them spark fire, build structures, and craft machinery. A study in Nature Astronomy presents this view, highlighting oxygen’s value as more than just a sign of biology. Oxygen, civilization, and technology Leading this research are...

According to a new study presented at the <a href="http://www.eurospe.org/meetings/2022/espe-2022/programme/">60th Annual European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Meeting</a>, exposure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blue-light-exposure-may-cause-premature-aging/">blue light</a> through regular use of smartphones and tablets may alter hormone levels and increase the risk of early-onset puberty. Although this study has only focused on the effects of blue light exposure on rats, its findings could potentially be applied to humans too, due to the similarities between the time-point of puberty and the hormonal changes occurring during pre-puberty and puberty in both rats and humans.&nbsp;



Scientists have long noticed that the escalating use of blue light emitting devices can reduce sleep quality in both children and adults, by disrupting the functioning of melatonin, a hormone which plays a fundamental role in regulating our circadian rhythms. Since melatonin levels are generally higher during pre-puberty than in puberty, researchers have argued that this hormone could also play a role in delaying the onset of puberty.



To test this potential correlation in the case of rats, the scientists used a cohort of female rats divided into three groups and exposed to either a normal light cycle, or to six hours or 12 hours of blue light. In both groups exposed to blue light, the first signs of puberty occurred significantly earlier, and the longer the duration of exposure, the earlier the onset of puberty. Rats exposed to blue light also had lower melatonin levels and higher levels of specific reproductive hormones – such as oestradiol and luteinising hormone - as well as physical changes in their ovarian tissues, which are all known to be trademarks of puberty onset. Moreover, at the 12 hours exposure, rats showed some signs of inflammation and even cell damage in their ovaries.



“We have found that blue light exposure, sufficient to alter melatonin levels, is also able to alter reproductive hormone levels and cause earlier puberty onset in our rat model. In addition, the longer the exposure, the earlier the onset,” said study lead author Aylin Kilinç Uğurlu, an expert in Pediatric Endocrinology at the <a href="https://gazi.edu.tr/">Gazi University</a> in Turkey. “As this a rat study, we can’t be sure that these findings would be replicated in children but these data suggest that blue light exposure could be considered as a risk factor for earlier puberty onset.”



“Although not conclusive, we would advise that the use of blue light emitting devices should be minimized in pre-pubertal children, especially in the evening when exposure may have the most hormone-altering effects,” she concluded.



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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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Excessive screen time may lead to early puberty

According to a new study presented at the 60th Annual...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="http://english.kiz.cas.cn/">Kunming Institute of Zoology</a> (KIZ) in China has recently discovered and described the earliest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gibbon-new-species-found/">gibbon</a> fossil in the Yuanmou area of the Yunnan Province in southwestern China. This finding could help scientists fill a long-elusive evolutionary gap in the history of apes.



The study focused on hylobatids – a family of apes also including 20 species of living gibbons found throughout tropical Asia, from the northeastern part of India to Indonesia. “Hylobatids fossil remains are very rare, and most specimens are isolated teeth and fragmentary jaw bones found in cave sites in southern China and southeast Asia dating back no more than two million years ago,” said study co-author Terry Harrison, a professor of Anthropology at the <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/">New York University</a>.



“This new find extends the fossil record of hylobatids back to seven to eight million years ago and, more specifically, enhances our understanding of the evolution of this family of apes.”



This specific fossil belongs to a species of small ape called&nbsp;Yuanmoupithecus xiaoyuan. By analyzing the teeth and cranial specimens discovered in Youanmou, the researchers estimated that&nbsp;Yuanmoupithecus&nbsp;was similar in size to today’s gibbons, with a body weight of approximately six kilograms.



“The teeth and the lower face of&nbsp;Yuanmoupithecus&nbsp;are very similar to those of modern-day gibbons, but in a few features the fossil species was more primitive and points to it being the ancestor of all the living species,” Professor Harrison reported.



The scientists also found that Kapi ramnagarensis – an ape claimed to be an earlier species of hylobatid, based on a single isolated fossil molar discovered in India, is in fact not a hylobatid, but a member of a more primitive group of primates which are not closely related to modern apes.



“Genetic studies indicate that the hylobatids diverged from the lineage leading to the great apes and humans about 17 to 22 million years ago, so there is still a 10-million-year gap in the fossil record that needs to be filled. With continued exploration of promising fossil sites in China and elsewhere in Asia, it is hoped that additional discoveries will help fill these critical gaps in the evolutionary history of hylobatids,” Professor Harrison concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103251">Journal of Human Evolution</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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Earliest gibbon fossil discovered in China

A team of researchers led by the Kunming Institute of...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.unr.edu/">University of Nevada</a> has uncovered a nasty truth about milkweed plants. The study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biological-conservation">Biological Conservation</a>, found that milkweed plants bought from retail nurseries are contaminated with dangerous poisons that harm monarch caterpillars' capabilities to forage and migrate. The results showed that even plants labeled as wildlife-friendly contained toxic pesticides.&nbsp;



The researchers discovered the contamination after testing 235 leaf samples from 15 states. They found that all of the plants were contaminated, with an average of 12 pesticides found on each plant. There were a total of 61 different pesticides detected.&nbsp;



Monarch caterpillars depend on milkweed; it's their only source of food. The situation is especially sad since most people who purchase milkweed plants do so to support monarchs, yet are inadvertently endangering them.&nbsp;



"In a previous study in California that primarily looked at milkweed in agriculture and urban interfaces, we had looked at a small number of plants from retail nurseries, and found that they contained pesticides," explained study co-author Matt Forister.&nbsp;



"So we were prepared for this much larger sample of nursery plants to again uncover contamination, but it was surprising to see the great diversity of pesticides found in these plants. In many ways, they are as contaminated or even worse than plants growing on the edges of agricultural fields. That was a surprise, at least to me."



Fungicides, pesticides that are often ignored in insect conservation, seem to be the main culprits.



"The farther along in the life stage you go, the higher concentration you need to have a sublethal effect," said study lead author Christopher Halsch. "For the caterpillars, this means a low concentration can have a more damaging effect than it would have on the butterflies."&nbsp;



However, people are not powerless. We can still help the monarch by planting healthy milkweed.



"Everyone can take steps to address the risks we uncovered," said Aimee Code of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. "Consumers can let their nurseries know they want plants that are free from harmful pesticides. Nursery outlets can talk with their suppliers and encourage safer practices, and government agencies can improve oversight."



"And it's important to keep gardening for pollinators for the long term, just take steps to reduce pesticide exposure: cover new plants the first year, water heavily, discard the soil before planting, as it may be contaminated, and avoid pesticide use."&nbsp;



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

Retail milkweed exposes monarch caterpillars to pesticides

A team of researchers led by the University of Nevada...

Wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) are known to some as the most romantic birds on Earth. A recent study published in the journal <a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1098%2Frsbl.2022.0301&amp;data=05%7C01%7Ckylee.denesha%40whoi.edu%7C4c702b0d08f8404ead1008da95b5423d%7Cd44c5cc6d18c46cc8abd4fdf5b6e5944%7C0%7C0%7C637986903012872775%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=9ogBmLDL9wNNAow7%2BnntUbCVd80onHomCyzxnFDdjm8%3D&amp;reserved=0">Royal Society Biology Letters</a> has revealed that bolder males of this species are likely to get and keep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cowbird-chicks-need-nest-mates-but-two-is-better-than-four/">mates</a>. This paper is notable because it's the first to show a link between personality and divorce in the species.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Researchers with the <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> (WHOI) utilized data from long-term studies conducted on Possession Island in the Southern Indian Ocean. They found that bolder males were more able to keep their mates when other males attempted to usurp them.&nbsp;



These love birds are known to mate for life, but sometimes "forced divorces" occur because of Possession Island's high female death rate, partially due to conflict with commercial fishing. Consequently, many male widowers are looking for a new mate; some of these males simply try to steal a female from another male.&nbsp;



"In instances of forced divorce, bolder individuals are more likely to guard their partner. Shyer individuals tend to avoid risks and engaging in antagonistic interactions with intruders," explained lead author Ruijiao Sun, a Ph.D. candidate with the MIT-WHOI joint program. "Breeding is very costly to wandering albatross. So individuals have to make a trade-off between reproduction and their own survival."



The researchers analyzed data from a 54-year monitoring program to carry out their study. They also conducted their own experiments, which included approaching albatrosses and observing their reaction to human or novel object presence. If the male birds were marked as bold if they called or stood up, they were deemed shy if they had little to no response.



Although fascinating, this phenomenon may not occur with albatross populations that have more breeding females since there would be less competition for partners.



"Divorce can sometimes be adaptive, to gain a better partner or offspring. But in the case of forced divorce, there is no benefit to future reproduction," explained Stéphanie Jenouvrier, a WHOI biologist, Sun's advisor, and senior author of the paper. "We were able to study the impact of personality on divorce only because we had access to incredible long-term data sets combining demography and personality for this population."



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

Albatrosses with bolder personalities have lower divorce rates

Wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) are known to some as the...

Throughout Earth’s geologic history, the sea level has risen and fallen numerous times, under the influence of cooling and warming conditions, as well as tectonic plate movements. At times in the past there was no ice at the poles, and the sea surface was several hundred meters higher than it is now. In contrast, when ice covered the planet the sea level was more than a hundred meters lower. These changes are part of Earth’s natural glacial cycles but they are of special interest to climate scientists today as we consider the potential consequences of the current <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-soils-may-be-deeply-changed-by-global-warming/">global warming</a>.



A team of researchers, led by scientists from <a href="https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/">Victoria University of Wellington</a> (NZ) and Birmingham (UK) have recently published the first record of Antarctic Ocean temperatures over the past 45 million years, which offers important insights into future sea level changes. They used a combination of evidence from molecular fossils and machine learning in order to track changes in sea temperature.



The molecular fossils came from core samples obtained during ocean drilling projects. Within these cores are the fossilized remains of lipid molecules that were produced by archaea – single-celled organisms that are similar to bacteria. The lipid molecules were part of the organism’s outer membrane and the composition of these molecules changed in response to differences in sea temperature. By studying these changes, scientists can draw conclusions about the ancient sea temperature which would have surrounded the archaea when they were alive.



While the use of molecular fossils is familiar to paleoclimatologists, the current researchers went a step further and used machine learning to refine the technique. This gave them the first record to date of changing Antarctic sea temperatures throughout the past 45 million years, which represents much of the Cenozoic Period.



The findings, published in Nature Geoscience, enable scientists to pinpoint much more accurately the historic temperatures which caused ice sheets to grow and shrink during that period. This is critical to our understanding of the possible consequences of the current global warming, as the loss of ice sheets and the retreat of glaciers in the Antarctic could mean a sea level rise of up to 50 m.



“The record we’ve produced offers a much more robust overview of fluctuating Antarctic temperatures and how these relate to changes in the amount of ice, and the topography of Antarctica, over this period and paves the way for improved estimates of future events,” explained study lead author Dr. James Bendle.



The link between CO2, sea-surface temperatures and the amount of ice on Antarctica is clearly evidenced in the study’s data from the last 45 million years. But one surprising finding was that ocean cooling did not always correspond to increases in Antarctic ice. This applies specifically to a period of 1 million years of ocean cooling that occurred between 25 and 24 million years ago. “We show that this is likely related to tectonic subsidence and the influx of relatively warm ocean water in the Ross Sea region,” said Dr. Bendle.



“We can see that ice in Antarctica is currently changing, not least with the loss of some ice-shelves and cracks appearing recently in the Thwaites Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in the region. This new study of Earth’s past is one of the clearest indications yet that humans continue to produce CO2&nbsp;levels for which we can expect major ice loss at the Antarctic margins, and global sea-level rise over the coming decades and centuries.”



In fact, the researchers say their results suggest we are nearing a ‘tipping point’ where ocean warming, caused by atmospheric CO2,&nbsp;will lead to catastrophic rises in sea levels because of melting ice sheets. They plan to continue to apply biomarker and machine learning approaches to reconstruct the climatic evolution of Antarctica and understand the implications for future warming and sea-level rise.



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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

Earth is heading for a tipping point as Antarctic ice sheets melt

Throughout Earth’s geologic history, the sea level has risen and...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-mimic-males-to-avoid-violence/">Birds</a> with bright and unique colors are often considered the most beautiful, and this makes them attractive and aesthetically valuable to people. Not only do some of these species end up as icons and logos for famous brands and conservation programs, but they also become targets of the global pet trade because people want to own them. Ironically, this means that the most uniquely and brightly colored birds are often those most threatened with extinction.&nbsp;



In a new study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers have used data on the international trade in songbirds to explore the link between commercially desirable birds and their coloration. They used novel metrics of color to evaluate the aesthetics of taxonomic groups of birds across the world and found that the exploitation of songbirds for trade is closely linked to their coloration.&nbsp;



“Aesthetic value is an important part of how people value nature,” said study senior author Rebecca Senior of Durham University. “However, there is potential for conflict when what motivates some people to protect certain species is the same thing that makes other people want to own them. Songbirds are highly sought after in the pet trade, particularly for their beautiful songs. However, songbirds can also be remarkably colorful – a highly desirable trait in other commonly traded species, such as parrots.”



Using the recently published Songbirds in Trade Database, Senior and colleagues found that the total pet trade impacts 1,408 passerine species (perching birds, including songbirds), which amounts to approximately 30 percent of them. Globally, close to 3,000 bird species are traded as pets or products (e.g., as feathers, bills, or eggs). This trade is, in large part, driven by humanity’s passion for beauty and aesthetics, based on attributes like color, pattern, shape, and texture, state the authors of the study.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers also found that trade status was non-random with respect to bird phylogeny, meaning that certain groups of related bird species, such as birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae) and weavers (Ploceidae), were more likely to be traded than others. Further analysis showed that these groups generally contain more colorful species.&nbsp;



The researchers measured color using two novel approaches. They determined the diversity of a bird’s coloration by recording the plumage colors present in six different anatomical locations on the bird’s body, and they also assessed the uniqueness of a bird’s colors.&nbsp;



The analysis shows that the tropics are the epicenter of bird color, with 91 percent and 65 percent of the world’s most diversely and uniquely colored assemblages of songbirds, respectively. They report that the pet trade particularly targets clusters of related birds that have unique color signatures; species with more unique coloration were both more likely to be traded as pets, and more likely to be classed as threatened. More colorful bird species were also likely to fetch higher prices than duller species when traded.



“We were surprised to see the strength of the latitudinal gradient in color; even when you account for the greater number of species in the tropics, the diversity of color in the tropics dwarfs all other regions,” Senior said.



While it seems obvious that birds with plumages of brilliant blues, oranges, and yellows would be more at risk, the researchers also discovered that pure white is a unique color found in many sought-after species, such as the endangered Bali myna. The findings highlight that the same color features that make some people willing to travel around the world for a mere glimpse of a bird through binoculars also potentially puts these birds at risk for pet trading. The findings have important implications for conservation.



“Understanding what motivates trade is essential to identify at-risk species potentially requiring more proactive protection from trapping,” Senior said. “Trade has the capacity to be regulated and managed sustainably with a better understanding of what is traded as well as where and why trade occurs. Loss of colorful species also directly erodes aesthetic value, which is problematic because, for better or worse, it is this value that often fundamentally motivates and funds conservation efforts.”



As the more colorful species succumb to global trade pressures, their numbers are likely to decrease and their populations will edge closer to extinction. In this scenario, the authors note that, as the abundance of prized species declines, trade will probably shift to congenerics (others in the same family group) with similarly desirable features. According to their analysis, this puts approximately 500 additional passerine species that are not currently traded, at risk being traded as pets in future.&nbsp;



Furthermore, as the most uniquely and diversely colored songbird species are gradually removed from wild bird communities, the authors predict that bird fauna left behind will manifest more drabness. This may have the consequence of making them less valuable to humans aesthetically, which may mean they will not be adequately conserved.&nbsp;



The researchers recommend programs to conserve nature’s aesthetic value through protecting the most colorful hotspots on Earth, which are to be found in tropical forests of South America, Africa and Indonesia. They say that because these areas are also hotspots of biological diversity in general, protecting them would also be beneficial for other exploited and threatened species.&nbsp;



In future studies, they hope to disentangle even more factors that play into regional variation in patterns of trade among birds. They’d also like to explore the role of color in the trade of other groups of animals and plants.



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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

For songbirds, bright colors are a blessing and a curse

Birds with bright and unique colors are often considered the...

Astronomers have long known that planets are born in protoplanetary disks – rings of dust and gas surrounding young, newborn stars. However, although hundreds of such disks have been spotted throughout the universe, observations of actual planetary birth and formation are quite difficult due to technological limitations. Now, a team of astronomers from the&nbsp;<a href="http://cfa.harvard.edu/">Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &amp; Smithsonian</a> has developed a novel method to detect such elusive newborn planets through which they spotted a young <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronomers-have-found-a-planet-that-could-support-life/">planet</a> located 518 light years away.



“Directly detecting young planets is very challenging and has so far only been successful in one or two cases,” said study lead author&nbsp;Feng Long, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Astrophysics. “The planets are always too faint for us to see because they’re embedded in thick layers of gas and dust.”



“In the past few years,&nbsp;we’ve seen many structures pop up on disks that we think are caused by a planet’s presence, but it could be caused by something else, too. We need new techniques to look at and support that a planet is there.”



Together with her colleagues, Dr. Long re-examined a protoplanetary disk called LkCa 15, located 518 light years away from the Earth, in the Taurus constellation. By using high-resolution data collected from the <a href="http://almaobservatory.org/en/home/">ALMA Observatory</a>, the scientists discovered a dusty ring with two separate, bright bunches of material orbiting within it approximately 42 astronomical units from the star (about 42 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun). This material consisted of a small clump and a larger arc separated by 120 degrees. According to Dr. Long, the size, location, and structure of these materials suggested the presence of a newborn planet.



“This arc and clump are separated by about 120 degrees. That degree of separation doesn’t just happen — it’s important mathematically,” she explained. “We’re seeing that this material is not just floating around freely, it’s stable and has a preference where it wants to be located based on physics and the objects involved.”&nbsp;



To detect this planet, the scientists investigated positions in space known as Lagrange points, where two bodies in motion, such as a star and its orbiting planet, produce enhanced areas of attraction around them where matter can accumulate.&nbsp;In this case, the arc and clump of material detected were located at the L4&nbsp;and L5&nbsp;Lagrange points. Hidden 60 degrees between them was a small, young planet causing the accumulation of dust at these points. The analysis revealed that the planet is roughly the size of Saturn or Neptune, and was formed between one and three million years ago – a young age when it comes to planets.&nbsp;



Although imaging this small, newborn planet may not be possible in the near future due to technological limitations, the researchers hope that further ALMA observations of LkCa 15 can provide additional evidence supporting this planetary discovery, and that this new approach of detecting planets – with material accumulating at Lagrange points – could be used by other astronomers.



“I do hope this method can be widely adopted in the future. The only caveat is that this requires very deep data as the signal is weak,” Dr. Long concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac8b10">Astrophysical Journal Letters</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Newborn planet detected hundreds of light years away

Astronomers have long known that planets are born in protoplanetary...

Green,Leaf,Of,A,Soybean,Plant,Close-up,On,The,Background

While most viral infections negatively affect an organism’s health, one specific <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-plant-virus-could-help-cure-cancer/">plant virus</a> – the soybean vein necrosis orthotospovirus (SVNV) – may actually benefit a species of insects which commonly feeds on soybean plants and can transmit them the virus. According to a laboratory study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://agsci.psu.edu/">Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences</a>, when soybean thrips – small insects ranging from 0.03 to 0.20 inches in length – are infected with SVNV, they tend to survive longer and reproduce better than uninfected thrips.



Soybean vein necrosis orthotospovirus causes vein necrosis in soybean plants. Once the plant is infected, the pathogen first attacks the veins of the leaves, causing them to turn yellow, and later on spreads to other parts of the leaves, which eventually develop brown lesions. If the infection progresses, the leaves can turn necrotic and fall off. In addition, this virus can also reduce the amount of oil and proteins in the plants’ seeds and can lower seed germination rate and seed weight. The virus is usually spread by either infected seeds or infected soybean thrips.



“Since there are no cures for plants infected with viruses, control of the virus vectors [in this case, thrips] is one of the best options for virus disease management,” said study co-author Cristina Rosa, an associated professor of Plant Biology at Penn State. 



“Knowing the identity, biology, transmission propensity, and changes in behavior and physiology of the thrips that transmit soybean vein necrosis virus is fundamental to designing soybean vein disease prevention programs and to calculating the economic threshold of any intervention.”



The scientists collected soybean thrips and released them onto soybean plants in a laboratory setting. Both plants and thrips were monitored regularly for SVNV using PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing, and the thrips’ lifespan, mortality, fertility, and reproduction were observed through two generations.



Surprisingly, the analyses revealed that infected thrips tended to survive longer. “We also found that infected thrips tended to produce more offspring,” said lead author Asifa Hameed, who conducted the study during her doctoral degree at Penn State. “On average, uninfected females produced 84 eggs on average while those infected with SVNV produced 89.”



“In addition to prolonging the life of the insects, SVNV infection also shortened the doubling time of soybean thrip populations [the amount of time it takes a population to double in size]. This means infected thrips populations grew much more quickly, which could enhance the spread of the virus to additional soybean plants.” While among uninfected thrips, the doubling time was around four days, in the SVNV-infected populations, it was just half a day.



Although more research is needed to clarify the interaction between soybean thrips and SVNV, a possible explanation for why infected thrips survive longer may be an increase in amino-acids in the virus-infected plants, which can benefit the insects.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/insects13070632">Insects</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&nbsp;

Plant virus can benefit soybean-eating insects

While most viral infections negatively affect an organism’s health, one...

Insect,Fly,On,On,Green,Leaf.,Fly,House.

As increasingly frequent and more intense heat waves expose a wide range of animals to temperatures outside of their normal limits, an international team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> has investigated more than 100 species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-insects-are-more-sensitive-to-climate-change-than-expected/">insects</a> to clarify how these climatic changes will affect them. The analysis revealed that insects have weak ability to adjust their thermal capacities to withstand high temperatures, and are thus more susceptible to global warming than previously thought.



One way in which insects deal with extreme temperatures is through a process called acclimation, where previous thermal exposure extends their critical thermal limits. Acclimation usually triggers a series of physiological changes, such as the upregulation of heat shock proteins, and results in modifications of the phospholipid composition in their cell membranes.&nbsp;



However, the scientists found that most insects have significant problems to do this effectively: for each 1°C shift in exposure, their limits were adjusted by only 0.092°C and 0.147°C respectively (a 10 and 15 percent compensation). However, juvenile insects appeared to be better able to acclimate, suggesting that there can be critical periods in development when experiencing heat waves may improve later resilience.



“As temperature extremes become more intense and frequent in our warming world, many insects will have to rely on shifting to new ranges or changing their behavior to cope, rather than being able to physiologically tolerate wider temperatures,” said study lead author Hester Weaving, an expert in Biology at the University of Bristol.



“Our comparative study identified some major gaps in understanding insect responses to climate change and we urge for more studies on species in underrepresented groups and locations.”



The scientists are currently investigating how the reproduction of insects is affected by exposure to extreme temperatures. Clarifying this aspect could turn out to be more important in predicting future distributions than measures of performance or survival.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32953-2">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&nbsp;

Insects struggle to adjust to high temperatures

As increasingly frequent and more intense heat waves expose a...

Tuataras are strange reptiles found living only in New Zealand. A few key traits like teeth fused to jaws and an odd chewing motion point to their divergence from lizards some 230 million years ago. Instead of lizards, tuataras are rhynchocephalians. Now, scientists from the <a href="https://www.si.edu/">Smithsonian</a> have found the fossil remains of another member of rhynchocephalia.&nbsp;



The newly discovered animal was described in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2022.2093139">Journal of Systematic Palaeontology</a>. The reptile, named Opisthiamimus gregori, lived in Jurassic North America alongside such superstars as Stegosaurus and Allosaurus. The animal in question was much smaller, only about 6 inches long, but representative of a massive evolutionary epic.



“What’s important about the tuatara is that it represents this enormous evolutionary story that we are lucky enough to catch in what is likely its closing act,” said Matthew Carrano, the National Museum of Natural History curator of Dinosauria. “Even though it looks like a relatively simple lizard, it embodies an entire evolutionary epic going back more than 200 million years.”



The discovery comes from several specimens, including a complete one, discovered in a Morrison formation quarry in Wyoming focusing on an Allosaurus nest. During the late Jurassic, rhynocephalians were common.&nbsp;



At the peak of their existence, rhynocephalians were found all over the world and made a diverse group from herbivores to dedicated fishers. As lizards and snakes grew in diversity, for unclear reasons, rhynocephalians dwindled. Today, the tuatara is the only living representative.&nbsp;



“These animals may have disappeared partly because of competition from lizards but perhaps also due to global shifts in climate and changing habitats,” said Carrano. “It’s fascinating when you have the dominance of one group giving way to another group over evolutionary time, and we still need more evidence to explain exactly what happened, but fossils like this one are how we will put it together.”



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New Mesozoic reptile was an ancient relative of the tuatara

Tuataras are strange reptiles found living only in New Zealand....

The release of carbon caused by degradation in the Atlantic Rainforest could result in emissions that are more than 30 percent higher than those&nbsp;associated with climate change. This is the conclusion of a recent study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abl7968">Science Advances</a>, which clarifies carbon sequestration in the Atlantic Rainforest.&nbsp;



“We still know little about the factors that can lead forests to store more or less carbon," said study co-author <a href="https://bv.fapesp.br/en/pesquisador/668300/renato-augusto-ferreira-de-lima">Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima</a>. "We used a large forest inventory database to see which factors are uppermost in explaining current levels of carbon storage in the Atlantic Rainforest."



"We found that factors relating to the different types of human impact on the forest are key, with two to six times the significance of factors such as climate, soil and the characteristics of the tree species in the forest."



Therefore, the researchers propose that reversing human-caused damage would be the best way to increase carbon sequestration.



The study also considered how climate change would affect the forest's health. If global warming falls within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, they predict the Atlantic Rainforest will release 3.53 (+ 5.12%) tons of carbon per hectare.



"But if the average temperature continues to rise at the current rate, carbon emissions could exceed 9.03 tons per hectare [+ 13.11%]," said study first author Marcela Venelli Pyles, a PhD candidate in the Ecology and Conservation Department of the <a href="https://ufla.br/en/ufla/">Federal University of Lavras</a> (UFLA).



Moreover, forest restoration should include planting denser, larger trees, and whatever methods are used to conserve carbon should be noted when considering carbon stocks.



&nbsp;"The difference between methodologies used in the field can lead to errors in estimating carbon, entailing misinterpretation and inefficient climate change mitigation measures," said Pyles.



Importantly, the authors note that species diversity will suffer if conservation policies only focus on carbon. Therefore, separate actions must be taken for species conservation.



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

Study explores forest degradation in the Atlantic Rainforest

The release of carbon caused by degradation in the Atlantic...

The development and composition of the gut microbiome in humans are known to be important in shaping host physiology, immunity and long-term health outcomes. However, our understanding of this dynamic process in wild <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-mammals-of-the-anthropocene-are-deeply-altered/">mammals</a> is poor. Mothers are important initially, as bacteria are transmitted to the young offspring through milk and suckling, determining the composition of the bacterial populations colonizing the gut. But as the offspring transition to an adult diet, the gut bacteria gradually change in ways not yet understood.&nbsp;



A new study has investigated developmental changes in the gut microbiomes of wild geladas (Theropithecus gelada), Old World monkeys that live in the highlands of Ethiopia and consume a diet consisting almost entirely of grass. The study provides the first evidence of clear and significant maternal effects on the gut microbiome both before and after weaning in a wild mammal. The findings are published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.037">Current Biology</a>.



The research team, co-led by Stony Brook University anthropologist&nbsp;Dr. Amy Lu, and biologists&nbsp;Dr. Alice Baniel&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dr. Noah Snyder-Mackler&nbsp;at <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a>, made use of one of the largest datasets on gut microbiome&nbsp;development in any wild mammal. The experts used high throughput DNA sequencing to identify and characterize the bacteria present in the guts of young geladas in their first three years of life, and assessed the role of maternal effects in shaping the young’s gut microbiome.



The analysis revealed a total of 3,784 different genetic strains of bacteria, belonging to 19 distinct phyla and 76 families, that resided in the gut microbiomes of the geladas. Overall, they found that&nbsp;postnatal microbial colonization in geladas was remarkably similar to that seen in humans, with microbial diversity increasing rapidly after birth and being followed by gradual changes in composition until the time of weaning.&nbsp;



Young infants that were still feeding predominantly off milk had microbiomes that reflected this diet – for instance, there were bacteria present that could digest milk glycans, molecules that cannot be broken down without the action of bacteria. In contrast, older geladas that included more plant matter in their diet had fewer milk-oriented gut microbes and more microbes necessary for the digestion of grass.



Although the main driver of gut microbe composition was the change in diet from milk dominated to grass dominated food, maternal input was also a key factor. The researchers found that the infants of experienced mothers (who had raised infants previously) showed faster maturation of the microbial biome in the gut. This reflected a faster developmental pace overall for infants born to these mothers.&nbsp;



“Infants of first-time moms showed slower development of their gut microbiota, meaning that their guts were specialized toward milk digestion for longer, compared to kids from other moms. This may put offspring of newer moms at a slight developmental disadvantage,” said Baniel. “In addition, even after infants were weaned, their microbiome community was more similar to mom’s than to other adult females in the population, suggesting that moms may be sharing microbes with their offspring.”



“Early life gut microbial development is known to have a large impact on later life health in humans and other model organisms," said Lu. "Now we have solid evidence that mothers can influence this process, both before and after weaning. Although we’re not 100 percent certain how mothers do this, one possible explanation is that they transfer specific bacteria to their offspring.”



According to Snyder-Mackler, these early life changes might have far-reaching consequences which impact the health and survival of these offspring once they become adults.



Future work from this research team is therefore going to examine how differences in the gut microbiome during infancy influence other aspects of development, such as growth, the maturation of the immune system, and the pace of reproductive maturation. Luckily, because they are continuing to study the same infants as they age, the researchers will eventually be able to link the infant gut microbiome and the early-life maternal effects to health, reproduction, and survival in adulthood.&nbsp;



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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

Primate moms influence their child’s microbiome, even after weaning

The development and composition of the gut microbiome in humans...

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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

[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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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