The development of a big brain in humans and its connection to social bonding has been a hot topic of debate, and secrets found in fossil teeth may hold the answers.



Researchers have been studying the fossilized teeth of an early Homo from Georgia, dating back approximately 1.77 million years. The research was made possible by the European Synchrotron in Grenoble, France.



The findings suggest that despite having a small brain and reaching adulthood at a similar pace to great apes, these early humans had a prolonged childhood. 



This could mean that the large brain of modern humans resulted from an extended childhood along with cultural transmission across generations instead of vice versa.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-long-childhood-big-brains">Long childhood, big brains</h2>



A team of researchers - including specialists from Switzerland's <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Zurich</a>, the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Georgia's National Museum - have challenged the theory that modern humans' extended childhood is directly linked to their large brains.



The team analyzed dental development in an early Homo that was almost an adult. The results suggest that though these early humans reached adulthood at a similar age as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/buronius-manfredschmidi-tiny-great-ape-species-lived-11-million-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">great apes</a>, their tooth development followed a longer timeline similar to modern humans.



This proposes the distinct possibility of a longer dependency on adults and an elongated childhood for these early humans.



Remarkably, the brain size of these early Homo specimens was only marginally larger than that of a chimpanzee. This made the researchers question the link between the prolonged development and cultural transmission across generations.



An extended childhood within a three-generation context might have allowed the immature members of the group to effectively assimilate growing amounts of knowledge. 



Eventually, this led to the development of larger brains and longer life spans, traits characteristic of modern humans.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dental-development-in-early-homo">Dental development in early Homo</h2>



An enduring assumption has been that humans' extended growth period is a consequence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-sizes-are-growing-possibly-lowering-dementia-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increased brain volume</a> since a larger organ requires more energy resources to grow. But analysis of the fossil's dental growth has caused researchers to question this hypothesis.



The research team used synchrotron imaging to study the dental development of a near-adult fossil of early Homo from the Dmanisi site in Georgia, dated to around 1.77 million years ago. 



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="CWxiqQg039-4024544-12187" type="single"]</div>



“Childhood and cognition do not fossilize, so we have to rely on indirect information. Teeth are ideal because they fossilize well and produce daily rings, in the same way that trees produce annual rings, which record their development,” noted study first author Christoph Zollikofer from the University of Zurich.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unexpected-findings-and-a-new-perspective">Unexpected findings and a new perspective</h2>



“Dental development is strongly correlated with the development of the rest of the body, including brain development," explained study co-author Paul Tafforeau, scientist at the ESRF.



"Access to the details of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/search-results/?search=fossil%20hominid&amp;start=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fossil</a> hominid's dental growth therefore provides a great deal of information about its general growth."



After almost two decades of research beginning in 2005, the initial results startled researchers. 



“We expected to find either dental development typical of early hominids, close to that of the great apes, or dental development close to that of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-genes-still-influence-modern-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">modern humans</a>," said Tafforeau.



"When we obtained the first results, we couldn’t believe what we saw, because it was something different that implied faster molar crown growth than in any other fossil hominin or living great ape."



In the following years, the team conducted five series of experiments and completed four full analyses, employing various methods as dental synchrotron imaging technology advanced.



As the consistent results suggested significant implications for the "big brain - long childhood" hypothesis, the scientists needed to think creatively to interpret this fossil's findings.



“It's been a slow maturation, both technically and intellectually, to finally arrive at the hypothesis we are publishing today,” said Tafforeau.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-longer-childhood-evolution-s-early-experiment">Longer childhood: Evolution's early experiment?</h2>



The dental development of the studied fossil suggested that milk teeth were used longer than in great apes, implying that early Homo children were dependent on adult care for a longer duration.



This could be the first experiment evolution took towards a prolonged childhood. Despite having brains only slightly larger than australopithecines or great apes, early Homo are believed to have lived longer.



The survival of a very old individual with no teeth for several years indicates that the group sufficiently cared for him. This alludes to a three-generation structure, a key aspect of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-started-cumulative-culture-around-600000-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cultural transmission in humans</a>.



The new hypothesis begins with children's growth slowing down as cultural transmission increased. 



The accumulation of information from older to younger individuals had an advantageous effect on resource utilization and the development of complex behaviors, thus favoring a longer childhood. 



Once this mechanism was established, natural selection acted on cultural transmission, not just biological traits. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-brains-and-delayed-adulthood">Big brains and delayed adulthood</h2>



As the volume of transferrable information grew, evolution supported a larger brain and delayed adulthood, enabling a longer learning period in childhood and time to grow a bigger brain despite limited food resources.



The large brain of modern humans could be attributed to an extended childhood and a three-generation structure encouraging bio-cultural evolution. These mechanisms may have led to increased brain size, delayed adulthood, and longer lifespan. 



The study of this exceptional fossil could motivate researchers to rethink the evolutionary mechanisms that led to Homo sapiens.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08205-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



Image &amp; Video Credit: ESRF/Paul Tafforeau, Vincent Beyrand



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How did humans get big brains? Fossil teeth reveal new clues

The development of a big brain in humans and its connection to social bonding has been a hot topic of debate, and secrets found in fossil teeth may hold the answers. Researchers have been studying the fossilized teeth of an early Homo from Georgia, dating back approximately 1.77 million years. The research was made possible by the European Synchrotron in Grenoble, France. The findings suggest that despite having a small brain and reaching adulthood at a similar pace to great apes, these early humans had a prolonged...

Oil slicks are microscopically thin layers of oil that float on the surface of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whiskers-help-seals-hunt-in-the-darkness-of-the-deep-ocean/">ocean</a> and are a form of marine pollution. They are the result of oil spills from ships or oil and gas platforms, and from natural seeps that occur at the bottom of the ocean. Oil slicks also emerge when industrial runoff is channeled to the sea. In previous research, around 50 percent of ocean oil slicks were said to be attributable to human activities, but new research has found that this is an underestimate.&nbsp;



A team of U.S. and Chinese scientists has used satellite imagery to map oil pollution across the Earth’s oceans. Since oil slicks are continuously being shifted around by winds and currents, and broken up by wave action, it is not easy to identify their source or origin. The scientists used artificial intelligence to examine more than 560,000 satellite radar images collected between 2014 and 2019 to determine the location, extent and probable sources of the ocean’s oil slicks.&nbsp;



Their findings, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>,&nbsp;indicate that up to 90 percent of the oil slicks in the ocean derive from human activities. Study co-author Ian MacDonald is a professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science at <a href="https://www.fsu.edu/">Florida State University</a>.



“What’s compelling about these results is just how frequently we detected these floating oil slicks – from small releases, from ships, from pipelines, from natural sources such as seeps in the ocean floor and then also from areas where industry or populations are producing runoff that contains floating oil,” said Professor MacDonald.



Oil slicks are dangerous for marine life, from large mammals like whales down to microscopic plankton. Air-breathing organisms such as whales, porpoises and turtles can be affected when they surface in the oil and attempt to breathe. Sea birds get coated in oil and are unable to swim or forage, which leads to their rapid demise. For these reasons, it is imperative to be able to monitor the extent of oil spills in the ocean and try to limit their effects.



“Satellite technology offers a way to better monitor ocean oil pollution, especially in waters where human surveillance is difficult,” said study co-author Professor Yongxue Liu of Nanjing University. “A global picture can help focus regulation and enforcement to reduce oil pollution.”



Using this technology, the researchers found that most oil slicks occur close to the coast. About half of them were located within 25 miles of the coast, and 90 percent were within 100 miles. This indicates an anthropogenic origin for most of them.&nbsp;



Interestingly, the researchers found relatively fewer oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico compared to elsewhere on the globe, suggesting that government regulation and enforcement, as well as compliance from oil platform operators in U.S. waters, reduces leakage.



“If we can take those lessons and apply them to places globally, where we have seen high concentrations of oil slicks, we could improve the situation,” MacDonald said.



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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

Majority of the world’s oil slicks caused by human activity

Oil slicks are microscopically thin layers of oil that float...

The 2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (USDGs) recommend that adults increase their consumption of seafood in order to obtain adequate quantities of two specific omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Ideally, adults should eat fish twice a week as this is a rich source of these fatty acids, as well as being a good source of protein and of important <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-threatens-vital-micronutrients-from-fisheries/">micronutrients</a>. However, a new study shows that nearly 90 percent of American adults do not eat seafood twice a week.&nbsp;



The study, published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn">American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</a>, explores how socioeconomic and racial/ethnic factors, along with seafood affordability, influence seafood consumption overall, as well as affecting the choices people make concerning which specific seafood items they eat. The researchers considered the diets of adults in three income categories, namely low, middle and high, as well as in four racial/ethnic groupings, namely Hispanic, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Asian.&nbsp;



Dietary data was collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES), which relied on self-reported dietary records from participants during the years 2011 through to 2018. In total, dietary information from 17,559 individuals was collected, but only 3,285 of these reported consuming seafood. The NHANES dataset was also used to analyze seafood intake by species, including those species high in omega-3 fatty acids.



The two omega-3 fatty acids involved in human physiology, EPA and DHA, can be obtained from eating fish and algae. Marine algae and phytoplankton are primary sources of the fatty acids, which accumulate in the fish that eat these marine producers. Also known as long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, EPA and DHA are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in humans, although many of the previous research studies have produced conflicting results. It remains true, however, that seafood is rich in micronutrients and that protein from seafood has a more balanced amino acid profile than protein from most plant sources.&nbsp;



Data on the costs of different types of seafood were accessed from NielsenIQ (using an average from 2017-19 prices) by seafood type, as well as data from the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies. This enabled the researchers to assess nutrient values for seafood in relation to price. They also investigated the different methods of seafood production (e.g., wild caught or farmed) as well as the habitat from which the seafood came, in relation to people’s dietary choices.



Analysis of the data showed that, on average, consumption of seafood is lower than that recommended in U.S. dietary guidelines. These guidelines suggest a consumption of 227–283&nbsp;g per week of a variety of seafood, whereas the current study found people in the low-income group consumed an average of 120.2 g per week and those in the high-income group consumed an average of 141.8 g per week. People with low incomes ate 18 percent less seafood every week than those with high incomes, but even those in the high-income group ate less seafood than recommended.&nbsp;



Furthermore, the researchers found a strong association between income and the price of seafood that people chose to include in their diets. The seafood most commonly consumed by people with low incomes was shrimp and fish, but not the fish species high in omega-3 fatty acids. People in the middle-income category favored salmon and canned tuna (which do have high levels of omega-3s), while those with higher incomes selected salmon in particular. Fresh, wild-caught salmon was the most expensive seafood, while canned tuna was less expensive and freshwater fish, shrimps and mussels were the least expensive.



Fish species with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids only made up 18 percent of all seafood in the diets of people with low incomes, 28 percent for those with middle incomes, and 33 percent for those with high incomes. Seafood high in omega-3s, such as salmon, also costs more at retail outlets than species low in omega-3s, such as cod, tilapia and catfish.



Analysis of seafood consumption by race/ethnic grouping showed that seafood consumption by Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks increased sharply as income increased. However, low- and middle-income Asians were the only groups on average to eat the recommended amounts of seafood; among higher income Asians, consumption decreased. Among the other groups, only the diets of non-Hispanic blacks with higher incomes approached the recommended amounts.



“Although seafood is nutritious, the higher cost of seafood poses a barrier to Americans with lower incomes,” said study lead author Dr. David Love, a senior scientist with the John Hopkins <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/johns-hopkins-center-for-a-livable-future">Center for a Livable Future</a>. “Eating seafood twice a week can be challenging on a tight budget, but it can be done – for example, by buying seafood that is frozen or canned instead of fresh.”



Nearly 3,000 species are categorized as seafood. Lower-priced species with favorable nutrient profiles – those with omega-3s, vitamins, and minerals – include mackerel, herring, mussels, octopus, and eel. Of these five species, only mussels are eaten with any degree of frequency, comprising 2 percent of the seafood consumed by adults with low incomes and 1 percent by adults with high incomes. The researchers note that many Americans consume only a limited range of species that includes mostly shrimp, salmon, canned tuna, tilapia, and cod.



The researchers found that Americans consume a mix of farmed and wild-caught seafood, and that the majority comes from the ocean, rather than from fresh water localities. Farmed fish can have different nutritional value from wild-caught fish because their feed includes soybean meal and oil and other crops, instead of or in addition to the species’ natural diets.&nbsp;



“More research is needed to explore the cultural differences that exist within the race and ethnicity groups as defined by the NHANES dataset,” said study senior author Martin Bloem. “Culture plays a vital role in shaping our individual dietary choices, so future recommendations should account for and reflect these differences.”



Because culture plays such an important role in people’s dietary choices, specific policies and interventions may be needed to enhance the consumption of seafood by different groups of American adults.



The authors conclude that their study helps fill an important gap by describing the seafood consumption patterns of groups of different incomes and ethnicities in the United States. This information is needed to design and implement policy and interventions that aim to enhance seafood consumption among specific income and race/ethnic groups and&nbsp;to identify and promote sustainable and affordable diets crucial for planetary health.



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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

Nutritious seafood is too expensive for most Americans

The 2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (USDGs) recommend that...

A fossilized jaw is the discovered remains of what paleontologists from the Natural History Museum of Basel are calling a type of "bear dog" (known scientifically as Amphicyonidae) found in the Pyrenees. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-different-types-of-animals-see/">animals</a> which could weigh up to 320 kilograms emerged 36 million years ago before going extinct 7.5 million years ago.



Bear dogs belong to carnivores, a diverse group that includes cats, dogs, bears, seals and badgers among others. During the Miocene, some 23 to 5.3 million years ago, bear dogs flourished - with many species living spread throughout Europe. The group was varied, weighing between 9 and 320 kilograms.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



A team of scientists led by paleontologist Bastien Mennecart described the jaw as belonging to a species new to science. The bone itself comes from 12.8 to 12 million-year-old marine sediments near Sallespisse in southwestern France.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



What makes the jaw unique from most other bear dog jaws is the presence of a fourth lower premolar tooth. This tooth is important in determining the taxonomy of the mysterious jaw, making it probable that the jaw belongs to not only a new species but a new genus as well.&nbsp;



The scientists named the genus Tartarocyon after Tartaro, a dangerous one eyed giant of Basque mythology from the region in which the jaw was discovered. The mythological monster is similar to the more familiar Cyclops of the Odyssey. In reality, Tartarocyon probably weighed about 200 kilograms (about 440 pounds) and lived the life of an active predator.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Fossil discoveries from the Miocene are rare in this part of France. The discovery of something that sheds light on the diversity and evolution of bear dogs is even more rare. This discovery helps scientists understand the history of bear dogs in a changing European landscape.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>.



Image Credit: Denny Navarra



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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

Extinct "bear dog" found in the Pyrenees

A fossilized jaw is the discovered remains of what paleontologists...

To preserve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-pass-on-gut-microbes-to-urban-wildlife/">wildlife</a>, habitat and mitigate climate change effects, protecting land and water is essential. Many countries, as well as the U.S. federal government and state of California, have pledged to protect 30 percent of all land and water by 2030, also known as the “30x30” initiative.



Achieving this target at the global level will require most countries to rapidly expand protected areas.&nbsp; A team of researchers at the <a href="https://spia.princeton.edu/">Princeton School of Public and International Affairs</a> and the National University of Singapore investigated how this ambitious target will benefit conservation and reduce climate change effects.



The researchers modeled several scenarios by which the 30x30 target can be achieved. Using a “scenario analysis” model, different ways of protecting lands were compared, factoring in conservation, climate change, and nutrient regulation.



Their research found that protecting 30 percent of global lands by 2030 will yield huge environmental benefits:



<ul><li>Protection of 2.8 million hectares (equal to nearly 7 million acres of land)&nbsp;</li><li>1,000 animal species will be safeguarded because they inhabit these spaces.</li><li>Half of these species are considered critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, or near-threatened by wildlife experts.</li></ul>



However, the researchers state that while 30 percent is already an ambitious target, 50 percent would be even better.



“We show the environmental benefits nearly double if 50% of global lands are protected. With careful planning, this can also achieve multiple targets across important global policies found in the Paris Agreement and other frameworks," said Yiwen Zeng.



“For decision makers concerned about the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis, and sustainability, the single best tool they have to address these issues is to protect nature," said Professor David S. Wilcove.



To reach this goal, establishing new protected areas will be driven by differing goals and objectives across the world. However, the researchers state that creating protected areas is key to maximizing multiple goals at once.&nbsp;



This research was supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under its NRF Returning Singaporean Scientists Scheme (NRF-RSS2019-007).



The paper is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>.



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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

Protecting land is the best tool to address the climate crisis

To preserve wildlife, habitat and mitigate climate change effects, protecting...

Feral cats are pushing the critically endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart to the brink of extinction, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.springer.com/">Springer</a>. The small, mouse-sized marsupial is found exclusively on Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia.



The study authors say their research highlights the urgent need to protect vulnerable species from feral cat predation, particularly following natural disasters such as bushfires.



Scientists estimate that there are only around 500 Kangaroo Island dunnarts remaining.



Kangaroo island was heavily damaged during the 2019-20 bushfires. Around 38 percent of the island was burned, 83 percent of which was burned at levels classified as high to very high severity. Overall, 98 percent of the dunnart’s habitat was severely burned.&nbsp;



Feral cats are known to threaten the future of many native Australian species. However, this study is the first to investigate and confirm the impacts that feral cats are having on Kangaroo Island dunnarts.&nbsp;&nbsp;



For the investigation, a team of researchers led by Louis Lignereux assessed the stomach contents and digestive tracts of 86 feral cats. These cats had been captured in specially designated conservation areas on the island between February and August 2020.



According to the researchers, the cats were captured as part of the national feral cat control program, and were euthanized in accordance with South Australia animal welfare laws.&nbsp;



In the digestive systems of seven different cats, the experts found the remains of eight individual Kangaroo Island dunnarts. These results indicate that the cats are very efficient hunters of this species, given the small numbers of dunnarts that remain following the bushfires, explained the researchers.



The experts say that the combined pressures of a small, isolated population, natural disasters like bushfires, and predation from introduced predators such as feral cats could lead to the extinction of this vulnerable species.&nbsp;



The study highlights the urgent need for controlling feral cat populations, particularly those in close proximity to endangered and threatened animals.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</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

Feral cats are wiping out endangered marsupials

Feral cats are pushing the critically endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> were curious about the development of altruistic behavior in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honeybee-virus-has-a-new-strain-that-is-even-more-lethal/">bee</a> colonies. While it is well known how altruistic behavior in bee colonies is maintained, the evolution of this behavior has been a mystery until now.&nbsp;



To explore this question, the researchers studied Amphylaeus morosus, a bee species that inhabits montane forests in their native Australia. What's unique about this species is that they are the only ones in their family that recently transitioned from individual reproduction to “selfless” social colonies. This quality made them perfect for studying the beginning of altruistic evolution.&nbsp;



The experts found that these bees do not exhibit the typical morphological distinctions between queen and worker bees seen in more advanced social species such as honeybees.&nbsp;



Using data from DNA, the researchers determined that a typical A. morosus nest is small and usually contains two females. One egg-laying female and another closely related female who guards the nest but does not reproduce. These findings came as a surprise.



"This kind of extreme reproductive skew and high relatedness is very unexpected and challenges our theories about how social complexity evolves," explained study senior author Professor Michael Schwarz.



According to the experts, the findings indicate that the evolution into a "selfless" community can happen more quickly than previously thought. "It seems that some species can quickly skip multiple rungs of the evolutionary 'social ladder," said Professor Schwarz.



The researchers say this study sheds light on the evolution of worker bee sterilization. "This provides some of the first evidence that kin selection can promote worker sterility at the initial transition from solitary to social living," said Professor Schwarz.



According to study lead author Dr. Lucas Hern, the knowledge gained from this study goes well beyond bees. It could possibly inform the evolution of all life on Earth.&nbsp;



"The existence of life as we know it can be broadly separated into the major transitions that define changes in complexity," said Dr. Hern. "This includes the evolution of multicellular life from single-celled organisms or, the origin of sophisticated communication in the form of human language. The ramifications of this understanding are very far-reaching."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.



Image Credit: James Dorey Photography



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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

Bee altruism may be key to understanding social evolution

Researchers at Flinders University were curious about the development of...

A new study in the journal <a href="https://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/">Canine Medicine and Genetics</a> suggests that the breed standards for English bulldogs should be changed for the health of the dogs themselves. The study authors warn that without such changes, breeding of the iconic English bulldog may be outlawed - even in the UK - for the welfare of the dogs.&nbsp;



The English bulldog was originally bred for athletic ability in fighting bulls. Over time, this breeding standard changed towards a more purely aesthetic standard. Modern bulldogs have short snouts, folds in their skin and squat, heavy bodies.&nbsp;



The standard characteristics of modern English bulldogs have led to many health issues. In response, some nations such as Norway and the Netherlands have restricted breeding of these bulldogs.&nbsp;



The authors of the new research from the <a href="https://www.rvc.ac.uk/">Royal Veterinary College</a> compared the health risks of English bulldogs compared to the health of other dogs. To carry out the study, the scientists used VetCompass, an online database of veterinary records from across the UK from 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



A random sample of 2,662 English bulldogs and 22,039 other dogs was analyzed. The study showed that these dogs were twice as likely to develop some health disorder than other dogs.&nbsp;



English bulldogs were 38.12 times more at risk for developing dermatitis, 26.79 times more likely to develop "cherry eye." They were also more likely to have problems with their jaws and breathing problems due to their shortened snouts.&nbsp;



“These findings suggest that the overall health of the English Bulldog is much lower than that of other dogs," said study co-author Dan O’Neill. "However, what is most concerning is that so many of the health conditions that English Bulldogs suffer from, such as skin fold dermatitis and breathing problems, are directly linked to the extreme structure of their bodies that has been selectively bred for."&nbsp;



"Given the continued popularity of the breed, the body-shape of the typical pet English Bulldogs should be redefined towards more moderate physical characteristics. Doing so will not only improve the dogs’ health, but could also enable the UK to avoid following other countries in banning the English Bulldog on welfare grounds.”



Unfortunately the overall results suggest that English bulldogs live shortened lives due to poor breeding practices. If these practices are changed, it could mean a better and longer life for the dogs.&nbsp;



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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

English bulldogs are suffering from poor breeding practices

A new study in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics...

Prolonged exposures to stressors can have a negative impact on children’s health, well-being, learning, and behavior. Experts have explored several approaches to alleviating stress in school, including yoga, mindfulness, meditation, physical exercise, teaching style interventions, and animal-assisted interventions (AAI). A new study led by the <a href="https://www.lincoln.ac.uk/">University of Lincoln</a> in the United Kingdom has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/feeding-your-dog-once-a-day-may-improve-its-health/">dog</a>-assisted interventions can significantly lower stress levels in children both with and without special needs.



The scientists tracked levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the saliva of 105 eight- to nine-year-old children in four UK mainstream schools, as well as 44 similarly aged children from seven special education needs schools. The participants were randomly assigned in one of three groups: a dog group, a relaxation group, and a control group. While in the relaxation group, children had to meditate for 20 minutes, in the dog group, they had to interact for 20 minutes with a trained dog and its handler. These sessions were carried out bi-weekly for a month.



The findings reveal that dog interventions led to significantly lower cortisol levels in children in both the mainstream and special needs schools, compared to their peers in the relaxation and control groups. While mainstream school children from these two groups had increases in the mean salivary cortisol during the school term, those who interacted with dogs had no statistically significant increases in cortisol. Moreover, their cortisol levels were lower immediately after each dog session. Similar results were found in the case of children with special needs. Thus, dog-assisted interventions appear to be very effective in attenuating stress levels in school children.



“Future work will need to investigate further questions of group dynamics, social pressure, individual differences and dosage, as well as differences in children’s ability and the role of physical touch among other questions to refine advice and guidance on best practice for AAI. As this work investigated AAI effects in everyday school settings, it is innovative in integrating typical and hard to reach populations and in finding best ways to administer AAI,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269333">PLoS ONE</a>.&nbsp;&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

Dog-assisted interventions reduce stress in children

Prolonged exposures to stressors can have a negative impact on...

Children all over the world are being affected by air pollution and the consequences of climate change. This is the finding of a review article published today in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nejm.org/">New England Journal of Medicine</a>.&nbsp;



The article, written by Frederica Perera&nbsp;of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and&nbsp;Kari Nadeau&nbsp;of the <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> School of Medicine, looks at evidence of the multiple different ways in which air pollution and fossil fuel-driven climate change harm the health of children.&nbsp;



The experts cite dozens of research studies that find children’s health to be compromised by the consequences of air pollution and climate change. They state that all children are particularly vulnerable to health impacts from these sources as they are still in developmental stages. This applies to the fetus, infant, and child.&nbsp;



In addition, although all children are at risk, the greatest burden falls on those who are socially and economically disadvantaged. The authors allude to the existence of significant inequities between different income groups and races. As one example, risks from heatwaves are greatest in low-income communities of color where discriminatory policies such as redlining created urban heat islands (characterized by heat-trapping asphalt, few trees, dense buildings, traffic, industry and highways), and where resources to protect children from heat are fewer.



Some examples of instances where climate changes have been linked to negative outcomes for the physical and mental health of children are as follows:



<ul><li>Extreme Heat.&nbsp;Exposure to heatwaves in utero is associated with increased risk for preterm birth and low birth weight, hyperthermia and death in infants, heat stress, kidney disease, and other illnesses in children.</li><li>Climate-Intensified Extreme Events.&nbsp;Globally, climate-related events have already contributed to more than 50 million children being forced to leave their homes. In the U.S. over 900,000 displacements, many of them involving children, occurred in 2020 as a result of disasters.&nbsp;</li><li>Air Quality.&nbsp;An estimated 7.4 million children in the U.S. were exposed to lung-damaging wildfire smoke every year between 2008 and 2012. This number has risen in recent years as large forest fires have become more frequent.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Food and Water Supply and Safety.&nbsp;In developing countries, climate-change-related food insecurity has led to a sharp increase in malnutrition, resulting in stunting of physical and mental development. Infection risk from waterborne pathogens like Salmonella is also exacerbated.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Change in Disease Vector Ecology.&nbsp;Infection with Zika virus in pregnancy can cause microcephaly, severe brain malformations, and other birth defects. The U.S. has also experienced a marked increase in Lyme disease, with the highest rates in children.</li><li>Air Pollution.&nbsp;One billion children worldwide are exposed to very high levels of air pollution. Air pollution is strongly associated with increased risks of infant mortality, adverse birth outcomes, asthma and other respiratory illness, developmental disorders, and lifelong health problems, including reduced cognition, mental health problems, and autism.</li></ul>



Action on two fronts is required in order to deal with the alarming health impacts on children, according to the authors. Firstly, children need to be protected from climate hazards, a strategy that the authors term “adaptation.” This could involve measures such as providing clean water to children and families facing drought and water contamination, early warning systems for flooding and air pollution, training and evacuation planning for families and children, shaded areas where children play, live and go to school, and mosquito nets to protect children from insect-borne pathogens such as malaria and dengue.



Secondly, the root problem of high greenhouse gas emissions and dwindling natural carbon sinks needs to be addressed. The authors term this aspect of dealing with children’s health problems “mitigation.” They stress that solutions are available and being implemented by governments around the world to address air pollution and mitigate climate change, and that these will hopefully reduce the harms to children’s health in the future.



The experts also suggest that clinicians are in a position to help identify and guide individuals who are at particular risk from the effects of climate change or air pollution. Identification of vulnerable individuals may be based on the presence of an underlying illness (e.g., asthma), on geographic location (e.g., proximity to air pollution, urban heat island or flooding), and on mental health burdens (e.g., anxiety after being forced to relocate after a wildfire). Guidance could be in terms of how to manage or change the situation for a vulnerable child, and the clinician could be the source of advice, education and information in such circumstances.&nbsp;



Given the cumulative impacts of fossil fuel on children’s physical and mental health, the researchers are calling upon health professionals to use their power to protect children "by screening to identify those at high risk for associated health consequences; educating them and their families about these risks and effective interventions; and by advocating for strong mitigation and adaptation strategies.”



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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

Children’s health is increasingly affected by climate and pollution

Children all over the world are being affected by air...

New research has found further evidence of the relationship between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/teens-should-use-entertainment-related-technology-in-moderation/">teenage</a> well-being and online engagement. The study, from <a href="https://www.tcd.ie/">Trinity College in Dublin</a>, contributes to mounting international evidence on the dangers of high levels of social media use.&nbsp;



However, the opposite end of the spectrum isn’t all that better. In today's connected world, a low social media presence is also associated with poor mental health among adolescents.



These findings support the goldilocks hypothesis - there is a point between low and high social media use that is "just right" for young people. This is the first time the goldilocks theory has been examined in Irish teenagers and young adults.



“Evidence is mounting internationally that online engagement among adolescents may be damaging for mental well-being but the evidence is mixed," said study co-author Professor Richard Layte. "Our work provides fresh insights on the impact of digital engagement at the age of 17/18 and the results provide worrying evidence of real harms that require urgent action."



“There is a simple narrative out there that more is worse. It is important to emphasise that online engagement is now a normal channel of social participation and non-use has consequences."&nbsp;



"Our findings also raise the possibility that moderate use is important in today’s digital world and that low levels of online engagement carries its own risks. Now the questions for researchers are how much is too much and how little is too little?”



The researchers analyzed the association between adolescent use of online engagement and mental well-being in over 6,000 young people between the age of 13 and again at the age of 17-18.&nbsp;



Participants reported their time spent online, and what they engaged in, such as online messaging, school or college work, watching movies and listening to music. A young person’s online behavior was characterized by the length of time spent online and online behaviors they engaged in.&nbsp;



The results showed that high engagement in digital media strongly predicted worse mental health outcomes for both boys and girls. While low use of digital media was associated with worse mental health for both boys and girls and was also predictive of peer problems for girls.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This study is novel in that it considers the importance of both time and online behaviors when examining associations between digital media and mental wellbeing," said Dr Ross Brannigan, lead author of the study and a former postdoctoral researcher in Trinity’s Department of Sociology.



"We found clear distinctions between groups spending similar time online, but differing in their behaviours online. This indicates the importance of considering both time and behaviours online as well as the quality of these behaviours, for example passive compared to active behaviours, or the types of behaviours such as social, educational, entertainment.”



The research team hopes that their work will be further expanded upon to investigate why exactly online activity is related to mental well-being.&nbsp;



The study is part of the TeenPath Project, a collaborative project between the Department of Sociology in Trinity College Dublin and the Department of Public Health and Epidemiology in The School of Population Health, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.&nbsp;



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563222001121">Computers in Human Behavior</a>



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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

"Goldilocks amount" of social media time may protect teens

New research has found further evidence of the relationship between...

The future of coastal wetlands surviving sea-level rise by migrating inland is hotly debated.  A new study using elevation maps of the Chesapeake Bay region shows that human barriers will do little to slow this marsh migration. As salty water creeps upward into rural areas that are now <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cherry-blossom-emblems-could-unite-people-to-save-forests/">forests</a> and farmland, coastal marshes could persist or even expand.



Study lead author Grace Molino is a Ph.D. student at William &amp; Mary’s <a href="https://www.vims.edu/">Virginia Institute of Marine Science</a>. The research team also included experts from the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center and the Woods Hole Science Center.



“The numbers are striking. Baywide, we expect more than 600 square miles of inundated land in the Chesapeake region by 2100.” Four times the area that has been converted since observations began in the 1840s. More than 75% of this area will be rural - mainly forests, forested wetlands, and farm fields," said Molino.&nbsp;



“As far as I know, this is the first projection of inundated land in the Bay area, and one of the few and most high-resolution predictions in the U.S.” said study co-author Dr. Matt Kirwan. “Our analysis shows that marsh migration is constrained more by natural topography than by human development.”



The Chesapeake region and North American coastal plain are resilient to sea-level rise, and are considered global outliers. Urbanized coasts of Europe and Asia are more likely to experience the “coastal squeeze," which refers to the loss of coastal wetlands as rising saltwater floods their seaward edge while natural or human barriers block their landward migration.



“Despite a perception that urban centers will block marsh migration, our predictions suggest that the most vulnerable land in the Chesapeake Bay remains largely undeveloped, even in what are typically thought of as urban watersheds,” said Dr. Kirwan.



“We found that developed lands generally occupy less than 10% of predicted migration areas within individual watersheds even under our high scenarios of sea-level rise, despite more extensive development in the watershed overall," said Molino.&nbsp;



The Elizabeth River in Chesapeake Bay is highly developed, yet developed surfaces occupy only 16 percent of the potential marsh-migration area under 1 meter of sea-level rise, compared to 31 percent of developed land across the entire watershed.



The Bay’s other major urban areas lie in more elevated watersheds with only small areas of potential marsh migration. The challenge for landowners and governments will be to equitably manage the conversion of what is now privately owned, income-producing rural land into coastal wetland habitats that provide publicly valued ecosystem services such as flood protection and the nurture of fish and bird populations.



The team began their analysis by using more than 200,000 GIS data points to map the present-day boundary between forest and marsh around the Bay. They also measured the area of land within each watershed that would be flooded under each sea-level-rise scenario. This determined whether it is currently covered by forest, forested wetlands, turf grass, farm fields, or development such as roads, parking lots, and buildings.



The results found that “potential marsh migration areas” will increase over the coming decades and with the magnitude of sea-level rise, from 405 square miles by 2100 under their low scenario to 1,447 square miles under their high scenario.&nbsp;



What was unexpected within the increasingly developed Chesapeake Bay watershed is that the marsh-migration areas are dominated by upland and wetland forests, and not urban or suburban land.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23782242">Limnology and Oceanography Letters</a>.



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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

Rural areas will be hardest hit by sea-level rise in the U.S.

The future of coastal wetlands surviving sea-level rise by migrating...

The wild house mouse (Mus musculus) is the most common species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/migratory-birds-can-change-their-restless-ways/">rodents</a> and can be found across the entire world. Although it is most often considered a pest, this mouse has also been domesticated as a pet and laboratory mouse. 



Laboratory mice have been invaluable to medical and genetic research as animal models, and their genetic structure has been comprehensively studied. However, until recently, the wild house mouse received much less scientific attention. Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/">Hokkaido University</a> has investigated the genetic structure and diversity, as well as the population history, of the wild house mouse in Europe and Asia. Their findings will likely facilitate future biomedical and evolutionary research.



Previous research has revealed that, genetically, wild house mice are highly diverse, consisting of three main subspecies: M. m. musculus from northern Eurasia, M. m. castaneus from southern and southeast Asia, and M. m. domesticus from western Europe. By sequencing the whole genomes of 121 wild house mice, the scientists confirmed that these animals have a greater genetic diversity than humans, with castaneus being the most diverse among the three subspecies. Moreover, samples from Japan and China showed the highest degrees of interbreeding between the musculus and castaneus subspecies.



The researchers also reconstructed the population history of these three subspecies, and found that they diverged between 187,000 and 247,000 years ago, the most recent being the evolutionary split between the musculus and the castaneus. According to the experts, the domesticus and musculus subspecies experienced major population bottlenecks and expansions in the recent past, most likely associated with the worldwide spread of agricultural practices.



These findings suggest that the extent and geographical range of interbreeding between the three subspecies is greater than previously thought, and occurred most likely after their spread alongside human populations. The genomic and evolutionary mappings the experts constructed can significantly contribute to a better understanding of mice models too.



“As the lab mouse was bred from wild house mice, our study paves the way for significantly increasing the understanding of mice models,” concluded study senior author Naoki Osada, a professor of Evolutionary Biology at Hokkaido.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/gbe/article/14/5/evac068/6582302#355559007">Genome Biology and 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

Study reveals the genetic diversity of the wild house mouse

The wild house mouse (Mus musculus) is the most common...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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...