The solar system, billions of years old, holds many secrets about its formation. Among its fascinating residents is Chiron, a centaur orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune. 



New findings by scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shed light on this hybrid of comet and asteroid, revealing unprecedented insights into its surface chemistry and activity.



The study was led by Dr. Noemí Pinilla-Alonso of the University of Oviedo and Dr. Charles Schambeau from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Their findings could reshape our understanding of centaurs and the solar system’s early history.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-capsules-of-the-solar-system">Time capsules of the solar system </h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-space-objects-called-centaurs-29p-continue-to-perplex-nasa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centaurs</a> are objects with dual characteristics, straddling the line between asteroids and comets. 



Chiron, discovered in 1977, is unique even among centaurs. It exhibits comet-like behavior, including a coma - a cloud of gas and dust - alongside distinct surface and interior features.



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso emphasizes that centaurs act as “time capsules,” preserving information about the solar system’s formation. "All small bodies in the solar system talk to us about how it was back in time,” she explained. 



Chiron’s activity, driven by solar heating, offers a rare opportunity to explore these preserved secrets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unprecedented-chemical-diversity-in-a-centaur">Unprecedented chemical diversity in a centaur</h2>



Using <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JWST</a>, the team discovered that Chiron's surface hosts carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide ice. Its coma contains methane and other gases, marking the first detection of such diversity in a centaur. 



“These results are like nothing we’ve seen before,” noted Dr. Schambeau from <a href="https://www.ucf.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCF</a>.



JWST’s advanced capabilities allowed the researchers to study Chiron even at its farthest point from the Sun. This distance usually limits the activity of similar objects, such as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs).



Unlike <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/comet-will-be-visible-for-the-first-time-in-50000-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">comets</a> closer to the Sun, Chiron’s thinner coma offers clearer insights into its surface chemistry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chiron-s-ice-and-gas-dynamics">Chiron's ice and gas dynamics</h2>



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso noted that Chiron’s dual nature makes it invaluable for studying processes in both comets and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-large-asteroids-will-pass-near-earth-this-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">asteroids</a>. 



"What is unique about Chiron is that we can observe both the surface and the coma,” she said.



This dual observation provides critical information about the ice layer's thickness, porosity, and chemical properties.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2060-Chiron_coma_asteroid-comet-hybrid_credit-USF_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2060-Chiron_coma_asteroid-comet-hybrid_credit-USF_1s.webp" alt="Artist's impression of 2060 Chiron, an active centaur, surrounded by a faint disc of debris. Bright icy deposits and active areas are visible on its surface. Credtis: William D. González Sierra of the Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida." class="wp-image-1954508"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Artist's impression of 2060 Chiron, an active centaur, surrounded by a faint disc of debris. Bright icy deposits and active areas are visible on its surface. Credtis: William D. González Sierra of the Florida Space Institute, University of Central Florida.</figcaption></figure>



JWST’s observations revealed the coexistence of primordial ices, such as methane and water, and newer compounds formed through surface processes. 



“Every active centaur we observe shows some peculiarity,” said Dr. Pinilla-Alonso. Understanding these peculiarities may uncover patterns across these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/once-in-a-lifetime-comet-will-be-easily-visible-this-month/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">enigmatic objects</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-oddball-among-centaurs">An oddball among centaurs</h2>



Chiron stands out due to its unusual behavior, including comet-like activity and potential rings of debris. 



Dr. Schambeau describes it as “an oddball” with a unique thermophysical process. He analyzed methane in Chiron’s coma, linking its outflow to sun-heated regions on its surface.



These findings deepen our understanding of <a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2060-chiron_debris-disk_asteroid-comet-hybrid_credit-USF_1big.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">centaurs’ evolution and behavior</a>. 



Chiron’s dynamic environment provides clues about how solar heating influences its surface and subsurface, offering a glimpse into processes shaping similar bodies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-origins-and-future-of-chiron">Origins and future of Chiron</h2>



Chiron likely originated in the TNO region before moving into its current orbit. Gravitational interactions with giant planets alter the paths of centaurs, exposing them to varied environments.



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso explained that centaurs typically remain in the giant planets’ region for about a million years before being ejected. “They may end their lives as Jupiter Family comets or return to the TNOs region."



Chiron’s journey across the solar system exposes it to solar radiation, driving surface changes and creating its unique chemical composition. 



Understanding this evolution provides valuable insights into the early solar system.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-of-chiron-s-discovery">Broader implications of Chiron’s discovery</h2>



The study’s implications extend beyond Chiron. Identifying gases and ices on distant objects enhances our understanding of the solar system’s building blocks. 



These findings could also inform future research on centaurs and other icy bodies.



Dr. Pinilla-Alonso noted that JWST’s spectra revealed intricate details about Chiron’s ices and their interactions. "Based on our new JWST data, I’m not so sure we have a standard centaur."



Further studies may uncover shared traits among centaurs, offering a clearer picture of their origins and diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-more-about-centaurs">Learning more about centaurs</h2>



The researchers from <a href="https://www.uniovi.es" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oviedo</a> and UCF plan to continue observing Chiron as it approaches the Sun.



Closer proximity will enable more detailed studies of its surface and coma, potentially uncovering new chemical and physical properties.



Future research may also explore seasonal variations and illumination effects on Chiron’s ice reservoir. Such studies could refine our understanding of how centaurs interact with their environments and evolve over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unveiling-the-mysteries-of-the-solar-system">Unveiling the mysteries of the solar system</h2>



The JWST, an international collaboration led by NASA, has revolutionized space science. 



Its ability to observe distant objects like Chiron is solving long-standing mysteries about the solar system and beyond. These discoveries highlight the telescope’s transformative impact on planetary science.



“JWST has made these detections accessible. These results enhance our understanding of Chiron’s interior composition and its unique behaviors,” concluded Dr. Schambeau.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-chapter-in-solar-system-exploration">New chapter in solar system exploration</h2>



Chiron’s unique chemistry and activity mark a significant milestone in understanding the solar system’s origins. 



The ongoing research, powered by JWST’s capabilities, promises to unravel more secrets about this enigmatic centaur and its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/its-official-earth-now-has-two-moons-captured-asteroid-2024-pt5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">counterparts</a>.



Through Chiron, scientists are not just uncovering the past - they are laying the groundwork for future exploration of icy bodies across the solar system.



“The analysis of Chiron’s gases and ices opens new frontiers and opportunities for exciting research,” said Dr. Pinilla-Alonso.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2024/12/aa50124-24/aa50124-24.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics</a>.



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Rare asteroid-comet hybrid is unlike anything ever seen before

The solar system, billions of years old, holds many secrets about its formation. Among its fascinating residents is Chiron, a centaur orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune. New findings by scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) shed light on this hybrid of comet and asteroid, revealing unprecedented insights into its surface chemistry and activity. The study was led by Dr. Noemí Pinilla-Alonso of the University of Oviedo and Dr. Charles Schambeau from the University of Central Florida (UCF). Their findings could reshape our understanding of centaurs...

A New Zealand stinging tree produces toxins that could hold clues for future pain medication, according to researchers at <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">The University of Queensland</a> (UQ).



In a quest to find new molecules that affect pain pathways, Dr. Thomas Durek, Dr. Sam Robinson and a team from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) studied toxins from tree nettle - one of New Zealand’s most poisonous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-birds-and-bees-flock-to-gardens-with-rare-plants/">plants</a>. This nettle species causes painful stings that can be fatal.



The tree nettle toxins were found to activate pain receptors in a new way. “The New Zealand tree nettle can grow up to four meters tall and its leaves and stems are covered with stinging hairs that pierce the skin and deliver venom which causes long-lasting pain,” said Dr. Robinson.



Fossil remains show that a large flightless bird known as the Moa would frequently eat the tree nettle. It’s likely that the strong toxins evolved to fend off the now-extinct bird.



“COVID made it difficult to source nettles, but to keep our research going through the pandemic, we managed to source seeds from the New Zealand tree nettle and grow the plant under quarantine in the lab,” said Dr. Robinson.



Professor Irina Vetter, Director of IMB’s Centre for Pain Research, said understanding pain pathways was key to finding new ways to treat chronic pain.



“Animal venoms have been studied for decades but plants have evolved toxins differently, and this gives us a chance to find molecules that work in a unique way,” explained Professor Vetter.



Around the world, there are hundreds of tree nettles with stinging hairs. The researchers intend to study as many as possible to find new treatments for common pain. The goal is to tackle pain more effectively without side effects and addiction.



With travel bans lifting, Dr. Gilding plans to go to Vietnam later this year to experience anything that stings. “There are several hundred nettles in the Urticaceae family with stinging hairs around the world - we’re keen to compare how they have evolved and whether they all use the same toxins."



The research is published in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102218">Journal of Biological Chemistry</a>.



---



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

Stinging tree may reveal new ways to treat chronic pain

A New Zealand stinging tree produces toxins that could hold...

Consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood sugar levels and improve gut health. New research focused on individuals with a risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/links-between-climate-and-heart-disease-must-be-addressed/">heart disease</a> found that green tea extract can lower inflammation and decrease "leaky gut." 



This is the first study to assess whether health risks linked to metabolic syndrome could be diminished by green tea’s anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut Metabolic syndrome affects up to one-third of adults in the U.S. This is the first study to assess whether health risks linked to metabolic syndrome could be diminished by green tea’s anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut. 



Study senior author Richard Bruno is a professor of Human Nutrition at The Ohio State University. 



“There is much evidence that greater consumption of green tea is associated with good levels of cholesterol, glucose and triglycerides, but no studies have linked its benefits at the gut to those health factors,” said Bruno. 



The clinical trial was conducted on 40 individuals as a follow-up to a 2019 study that associated lower obesity and fewer health risks in mice that consumed green tea supplements. 



In the current study, the researchers made an unexpected discovery. They found that green tea extract lowers blood sugar and decreases gut inflammation and permeability in healthy people. 



“What this tells us is that within one month we’re able to lower blood glucose in both people with metabolic syndrome and healthy people, and the lowering of blood glucose appears to be related to decreasing leaky gut and decreasing gut inflammation – regardless of health status,” Bruno said. 



People with metabolic syndrome are diagnosed with at least three of five factors that increase the risk for heart disease,and other health problems – excess belly fat, high blood pressure, low good cholesterol, and high levels of fasting blood glucose and triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. 



These risk factors are often only slightly altered as physicians commonly recommend weight loss and exercise. But overall lifestyle modifications can be difficult for some people, and these risk factors can continue to threaten overall health. 



"Our work is aiming to give people a new food-based tool to help manage their risk for metabolic syndrome or to reverse metabolic syndrome.” said Bruno. 



For 28 days, participants consumed gummy confections containing green tea extract rich in anti-inflammatory compounds called catechins. The daily dose equaled five cups of green tea. All participants spent another 28 days taking a placebo, with a month off of any supplement between the treatments. 



The participants followed a diet low in naturally occurring antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, teas and spices during the placebo and green tea extract periods to ensure that results could be attributed to the effects of green tea alone. 



The results showed that fasting blood glucose levels for all participants were significantly lower after taking green tea extract compared to levels after taking the placebo. The experts found that all participants had decreased gut inflammation and a decrease in small intestine permeability. 



Gut permeability, or leaky gut, enables intestinal bacteria and related toxins to enter the bloodstream, stimulating low-grade chronic inflammation. 



“That absorption of gut-derived products is thought to be an initiating factor for obesity and insulin resistance, which are central to all cardiometabolic disorders,” said Bruno. “If we can improve gut integrity and reduce leaky gut, the thought is we’ll be able to not only alleviate low-grade inflammation that initiates cardiometabolic disorders, but potentially reverse them.” 



The researchers believe there is potential for green tea to alleviate the risk of either developing or reversing metabolic syndrome. 



The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Ohio State. The findings are published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition. 



--- By Katherine Bucko, Earth.com Staff Writer

Green tea extract lowers blood sugar and improves gut health

Consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood...

More than 30 million people in Europe live in mountain valleys, many of them in small villages. Dwellings in such places are more likely to be heated using wood as a fuel, especially with the recent rises in the cost of living in general, and in the cost of fossil fuels in particular. Since wood combustion is the largest source of small particulate matter (PM 2.5), it is possible that people living in mountain valleys, and even other rural areas, are exposed to significant levels of air <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-pollution-has-been-linked-to-heart-disease/">pollution</a> that is dangerous for their health.&nbsp;



Air quality studies have so far mostly focused on cities. However, in the EU, the UK and the four EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, over a quarter of the population lives in rural areas.&nbsp;



A team of researchers led by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Germany set out to investigate the pollution levels in shallow mountain valleys, also called hollows. The study was focused on a mountain valley around the village of Retje in Slovenia.&nbsp;



This shallow valley, in the municipality of Loški Potok, is typical of many mountainous and hilly rural areas in Central and South-Eastern Europe where people use wood for residential heating. The study area is home to 243 households and has a topography that favors the formation of temperature inversions.



The researchers used an instrumented backpack, specially developed by TROPOS, to take mobile readings of air quality along a fixed, six-kilometer route. The team walked the backpack along the chosen route through the valley three times a day – once each in the morning, at midday and in the evening – in December 2017 and January 2018. In total they walked the route 107 times and 642 kilometers on foot, measuring air quality all the way.



Along the route, the readings on the mobile instruments were compared to measurements made by two fixed measuring stations, one at the bottom of the valley in the village, and one on an adjacent hill. This helped to ensure the quality of the data from the mobile platform.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers measured particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations as well as equivalent black carbon (eBC). Black carbon, commonly known as soot, is a component of particulate matter that derives from incompletely combusted wood. It is known that carcinogenic substances may adhere to the tiny particles of soot, making this component a particular concern in terms of public health.&nbsp;



The results of the air pollution measurements are published in a paper in the journal <a href="https://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/">Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics</a>. The researchers found that aerosol pollution events in the shallow valley were associated with high local emission intensities originating almost entirely from residential wood burning and shallow temperature inversions. During such temperature inversions the measured mean eBC and PM2.5&nbsp;mass concentrations in the whole hollow were as high as&nbsp;4.5 and 48.0 micrograms per cubic meter respectively, which is comparable to levels recorded in larger European urban centers where there is heavy traffic.



Temperature inversions occurred on 70 percent of all the winter nights and mornings during the study period. In the morning, the sun warms the upper parts of the hollow more rapidly than the parts close to the ground, with the morning fog preventing warming near the ground, while the hills on either side may catch the sunlight and warm up. With no wind to mix the two layers, the temperature inversion acts like a lid on a pot, preventing the escape or dispersal of exhaust gases and particles from the combustion of wood. These cannot move upwards and so concentrate in the hollow. As measured by the EU Air Quality Index for fine particulate matter (PM10&nbsp;and PM2.5), air quality was very poor during such temperature inversions.



“During temperature inversions, pollutant levels in the hollow were highest in the early evening, reaching up to 22 micrograms per cubic meter for black carbon and 560 micrograms per cubic meter for particulate matter. This is the result of domestic wood burning, which increases when people come home after work, and the stable air layer at the bottom of the hollow,” explained Dr. Kristina Glojec, who studied for her PhD at the University of Ljubljana.&nbsp;



“However, with some wind, both black carbon and particulate matter levels in the basin dropped to less than 1 and 12 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, which is about four times lower than during a temperature inversion and in line with European regional background levels,” she added.&nbsp;&nbsp;



During morning and afternoon temperature inversions, in the village of Retje, people living on the lower part of the south-facing slopes were most exposed to the high concentrations of particulate matter, while in the early evening hours, when the inversion is limited to the bottom of the hollow, people there breathe in the highest levels of pollutants.



“These very stable conditions prevent effective mixing of the air in the relief depression, which leads to increased pollutant levels. Therefore, during temperature inversions, particulate matter concentrations in the sink rise to levels comparable to those in larger European city centers and above the EU daily limit value (PM10&nbsp;= 50 micrograms per cubic meter) as well as above the annual limit value and the WHO daily guideline values (PM2.5&nbsp;= 20 and 15 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively),” explained Professor Mira Pöhlker from TROPOS.



The researchers state that air pollution in the shallow mountain valley they studied is not limited to this region alone: “The pollutant concentrations measured during the temperature inversions in the rather sparsely populated small relief hollow are worrying, as similar conditions can be expected in numerous hilly and mountainous regions throughout Europe, where about 20 percent of the total population live, 30 percent of whom live in rural relief hollows comparable to the Retje site,” said Professor Griša Močnik.



The study highlights the importance of high-resolution measurements of air quality in rural areas in order to monitor the effects and, ultimately, to reduce the incidence of residential wood-burning, especially in mountainous areas with limited atmospheric self-purification capacity. The team made the following specific suggestions to protect human health in the future research:&nbsp;&nbsp;



<ol><li>Look at pilot sites on a smaller spatial scale, which could help decision makers in taking effective measures at a local scale.</li><li>Raise awareness and knowledge about the air pollution problem of wood burning among the people, including capacity building about the negative health effects, energy efficiency, economical costs of ineffective combustion, optimal use, and regular maintenance of heating appliances, and use of quality fuel (e.g. dry wood).</li><li>Inform the inhabitants when atmospheric conditions impede effective dispersion and wood burning is not recommended.</li><li>Identify local super emitters, since they could be the main cause of deteriorated local air quality.</li><li>Upgrading existing stoves, enhancing energy-related building renovations, and changing the fuel if a better alternative exists are seen as possible options to reduce wood burning pollution.</li></ol>



The study authors conclude by saying that it is important to involve the local population actively in the measures to reduce pollution emissions. They add that everyone should be aware that there is not one universal solution to this complex problem; rather, measures are needed at several levels, taking into account geographical and cultural specificities.&nbsp;



---



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

Wood heating is polluting European mountain valleys

More than 30 million people in Europe live in mountain...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> (OSU), the damaging effects of daily, lifelong exposure to the blue light emanating from phones, computers, or household appliances worsen with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swans-sacrifice-rest-to-defend-their-foraging-areas/">age</a>. Although the investigation was focused on the impact of blue light on the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), the findings could potentially be extended to humans too, since this model organism shares many cellular and developmental mechanisms with us.



The scientists examined the survival rates of flies kept in darkness and then moved at progressively older ages (two, 20, 40, and 60 days) to an environment of constant blue light. By focusing on the impact of the light on flies’ mitochondria – which act as cells’ power plants, generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a source of chemical energy – the researchers discovered that prolonged exposure significantly affected flies’ longevity, regardless of whether they were able to visually perceive this light or not.



“The novel aspect of this new study is showing that chronic exposure to blue light can impair energy-producing pathways even in cells that are not specialized in sensing light,” said study lead author Jadwiga Giebultowicz, an expert in circadian clocks at OSU.&nbsp;



“We determined that specific reactions in mitochondria were dramatically reduced by blue light, while other reactions were decreased by age independent of blue light. You can think of it as blue light exposure adding insult to injury in aging flies.”&nbsp;



The flies exposed to blue light showed damage to their retinal cells and neurons and had impaired locomotion. Surprisingly, even mutant flies that didn’t develop eyes displayed such impairments, suggesting that flies don’t need to actually see the light in order to be harmed by it. The damage caused by exposure to blue light was strongly age-dependent.&nbsp;



“The same length of exposure to the same intensity of light decreases lifespan and increases neurodegeneration more significantly in old flies than in young ones,” said Giebultowicz.



While it is not yet clear whether these findings apply to humans too, there is a significant possibility that similar processes might be at play during humans’ exposure to blue light.&nbsp;



“There are increasing concerns that extended exposure to artificial light, especially blue-enriched LED light, may be detrimental to human health. While the full effects of blue light exposure across the lifespan are not yet known in humans, accelerated aging observed in this short-lived model organism should alert us to the potential of cellular damage by this stressor,” Giebultowicz concluded.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-022-00092-z">NPJ Aging</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Damage from blue light exposure increases with age

According to a new study led by the Oregon State...

Researchers have found that cloudy ocean waters caused by climate change can make it harder for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seabirds-are-damaging-their-health-by-eating-plastic/">seabirds</a> to catch fish. Off the coast of Ireland, on a small island called Little Saltee, the scientists attached trackers to the feathers of Manx shearwaters.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The aim of the study was to understand how underwater visibility affects seabirds’ when foraging for fish and other prey. It is the first study to examine the impact of ocean clarity on seabirds’ diving abilities.



"An increasingly turbid ocean may have negative consequences for oceanic consumers that use visual cues for prey capture," wrote the researchers.



"Some fishes have reduced movement efficiency when foraging in turbid conditions, and one study found that fish biomass in the North Sea was 76–85% positively correlated with water visibility alone, suggesting that visibility is pivotal in the habitat preference of many fish species."



Study lead author Jamie Darby is a marine ecologist in the School of Biological Environmental and Earth Sciences and the MaREI centre at <a href="https://www.ucc.ie/">University College Cork</a>.



“The chemical and physical properties of the planet’s oceans are changing at an unnatural rate, bringing about challenges for marine life. One consequence of climate change is that large areas of our oceans are becoming cloudier," explained Darby.



The research team investigated the diving patterns of the black and white Manx shearwaters in relation to local environmental conditions like cloud cover and water clarity.&nbsp;



Birds dove deeper when sunlight could penetrate further underwater, suggesting that visibility is key when diving for food. As the planet continues to warm, oceans will become cloudier, leaving seabirds to overcome this challenge.&nbsp;



“Our findings support the idea that the birds needed sufficient sunlight to be able to forage at depth," said Darby. "While this study examined one particular seabird. The results can be extended to other animals. Many visually-dependent predators could find themselves struggling to find food as human activities continue to make the oceans murkier."



The study is published in <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.0862">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Seabirds struggle to find food in cloudy ocean water

Researchers have found that cloudy ocean waters caused by climate...

According to a new population assessment conducted by the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for the Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN), an estimated 3,726 to 5,578 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tigers-are-threatened-by-road-and-railway-development/">tigers</a> currently live around the world – which represents a 40 percent increase since 2015. While part of this increase can simply be the result of improvements in monitoring, conservation efforts over the past years could also have played a major role in halting – and perhaps even reversing - the decline of this endangered species.



“A fairly significant chunk of that&nbsp;40 percent increase&nbsp;is explained by the fact that we’re better at counting them, that many governments in particular have really sort of moved heaven and earth to do massive scale surveys,” said Luke Hunter, the executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) <a href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&amp;ai=DChcSEwjhycOOk5b5AhUIg4MHHdz3DPoYABAAGgJlZg&amp;ae=2&amp;ohost=www.google.com&amp;cid=CAESbeD2gHdx4PS47HzT4ej9WQb5Ew3Q4i04q0k4c_ccs5Qfp2I8nzUIhxwsW8Zk2VbWlpM6Ob0PHS1joQhjgESIu75eoYH-5A_qBWwh06PTdsM9-1znzOAUouRUJrAYYVJyNRzkdGANKjS6-IIzH_o&amp;sig=AOD64_0khdBoNlBMaUaKmaezqZ3uS1Drfw&amp;q&amp;adurl&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj59LWOk5b5AhUsif0HHVwOCyYQ0Qx6BAgCEAE">Big Cats</a> program.



Besides better monitoring, Hunter also attributes the higher tiger numbers to increased conservation efforts in the countries where these rises in tiger populations were identified. However, this species is still considered endangered by IUCN, since tiger populations continue to decline in many parts of the globe and have lost a huge amount of their range due to poaching, habitat loss, and other human-caused factors.



Although tigers are just one among an enormous number of endangered species, efforts to conserve them could benefit other ecosystems surrounding them, as well as humans. “When you succeed in saving tigers or conserving tigers, you are conserving very large wilderness landscapes, with a huge host of biodiversity but also a whole bunch of benefits to the human communities that live in and around those landscapes,” Hunter explained.



IUCN’s tiger assessment is an important proof that conservation interventions can work and tiger populations are beginning to recover. “Expanding and connecting protected areas, ensuring they are effectively managed, and working with local communities living in and around tiger habitats, are critical to protect the species,” IUCN experts concluded.



---



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;

Tiger populations increased by 40 percent since 2015

According to a new population assessment conducted by the International...

A new study led by <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/">Tel Aviv University</a> has found that, contrary to popular belief, the reproductive capacity of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chemical-found-in-soft-corals-could-be-used-to-treat-cancer/">soft coral</a> is much weaker for deep water reefs than for those living in shallow waters. While many scientists hoped that deep water coral populations may help replenish degraded shallow ones – which endure significant damage from climate change and human activities – the experts discovered that coral spawning events at the deep end of the species’ depth range (30 to 45 meters) occur in fact at much lower intensities than those in shallower water (0 to 30 meters). Thus, in order to survive, deeper coral populations may more often rely on shallow-reef coral than vice-versa.



The researchers examined five breeding seasons of a species of soft coral called Rhytisma fulvum from the Gulf of Aqaba and Eilat, which lives along a large depth range. This type of coral reproduces by “surface-brooding” - a process that begins when male colonies release sperm cells in a synchronized manner, which then reach female colonies where internal fertilization occurs. Unlike in most other coral species, where embryos develop internally within the coral, in this species the fertilized eggs are released and cling to the colony via mucus for about six days before developing into larvae.



“The developing embryos have such a vibrant yellow color that makes it a very colorful event, lasting for several days. Thanks to that fact, we were able to monitor rather easily a large number of colonies along a large depth range throughout five annual reproductive seasons,” said study lead author Ronen Liberman, a doctoral student in Zoology at the Tel Aviv University.



By diving to various depths and positioning temperature sensors, the scientists examined the characteristics of coral breeding events, such as their timing, duration, and intensity. The analysis revealed that the timing and synchronization of reproduction events are associated with fast increases in water temperatures – a type of “heat wave” common in the Gulf of Aqaba and Eilat in early summer. In shallow water, the reproductive events occurred days to weeks earlier than at greater depths, most likely due to the fact that these “heat waves” occurred later on in deeper water.



Moreover, the researchers found that the number of colonies releasing embryos was significantly smaller at depths greater than 30 meters. “Whereas at a shallow depth, about half of the colonies participated in each spawning event, in the deeper water the participation rate dropped to only 10–20 percent,” said Liberman.



These findings suggest that, due to lower breeding intensity, deep-water coral populations are less likely to thrive on their own, and are reliant on corals from shallower reefs. “Therefore, these hidden deep reefs require attention and protection on their own right, perhaps even more than the shallow reefs,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecy.3760">Ecology</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;&nbsp;

Coral reproductive capacity decreases with depth

A new study led by Tel Aviv University has found...

Plesiosaur <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-marine-ichthyosaur-fossils-found-high-in-the-alps/">fossils</a> occur commonly in deposits from the late Triassic Period, through the Jurassic and right to the end of the Late Cretaceous Period. These iconic reptiles, with their small heads, long necks, rounded bodies and four long flippers, reigned for over 100 million years and had a wide geographical distribution. They are considered to be highly successful marine reptiles and so many of their fossils have now been found that over a hundred different extinct species are recognized today.&nbsp;



The majority of these fossil remains have been recovered from ancient marine rocks, although a few have also been found in coastal environments, such as shallow waters, bays or estuaries, where salinity would have been lower than in the ocean. Now, in a new study led by the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a>, the fossil remains of small plesiosaurs have been reported from a Cretaceous-aged river system in Africa.



The fossils have been accumulated from several different regions of the Kem Kem deposits in eastern Morocco and include vertebrae from the neck, back and tail regions, shed teeth and a small flipper bone thought to be from a juvenile individual. Initially, Dr. Nick Longrich from the University of Bath’s Milner Centre for Evolution identified the flipper bone mixed in amongst various fossils in a rock shop in Erfoud, on the edge of the Sahara. He was surprised to find it there, as he thought of plesiosaurs as marine reptiles and the Kem Kem is in an ancient river system.&nbsp;



Once his interest had been piqued, he began to search around for other plesiosaur fossils from the area. His student, Georgina Bunker, identified the flipper bone as a humerus and his colleague Dave Martill, from the University of Portsmouth, recognized the bone as most likely belonging to a member of the Leptocleididae, a family of small plesiosaurs that typically only grows to around 3 m in length. Over next few years, the scientists gathered a small collection of teeth and vertebrae that had been found in the Kem Kem deposits; their analysis of these fossils appears in a publication in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/cretaceous-research">Cretaceous Research</a>.



“It’s scrappy stuff, but isolated bones actually tell us a lot about ancient ecosystems and animals in them. They’re so much more common than skeletons, they give you more information to work with,” said Dr. Longrich, who is corresponding author on the paper.



“The bones and teeth were found scattered and in different localities, not as a skeleton. So each bone and each tooth is a different animal. We have over a dozen animals in this collection.”



The researchers were interested in the fact that the numerous shed teeth showed significant signs of wear, including damage to the tips. This pattern was also found on the teeth of the fish-eating dinosaurs,&nbsp;Spinosaurus, which are found in the same deposits. Damage to the teeth is thought to have resulted from preying upon the heavily armored fish species that are also represented in the Kem Kem fossil record, and that attained enormous sizes. Furthermore, the authors feel that this implies the newly discovered plesiosaurs fed routinely on the same resources as Spinosaurus and were therefore not simply occasional visitors to the freshwater environment.&nbsp;



Although plesiosaur fossils have occasionally been found in estuarine or brackish water environments, they are not thought of as fresh water inhabitants. However, at Kem Kem they lived amongst numerous other freshwater species, such as frogs, salamanders, turtles, Spinosaurus, lungfish and bivalves. This has led the researchers to propose that these plesiosaurs were fully adapted to living in fresh water habitats and spent most of their time, if not all of it, in this environment.



Dr. Longrich said: “We don’t really know why the plesiosaurs are in freshwater. It’s a bit controversial, but who’s to say that because we paleontologists have always called them ‘marine reptiles’, they had to live in the sea? Lots of marine lineages invaded freshwater.”



Marine mammals sometimes enter fresh water environments to seek refuge, while river dolphins and the Baikal seal only inhabit fresh water habitats. In fact, fossils from the family Leptocleididae – to which the Kem Kem plesiosaurs are thought to belong – have been found in brackish or freshwater deposits elsewhere, in England, Africa, and Australia. And other fossil plesiosaurs, including the long-necked elasmosaurs, turn up in brackish or fresh waters in North America and China.



Based on these various lines of evidence, the researchers hypothesize that the new plesiosaurs were adapted to life in fresh water.&nbsp;



“We don’t really know, honestly,” said Dr. Longrich. “That’s how paleontology works. People ask, how can paleontologists know anything for certain about the lives of animals that went extinct millions of years ago? The reality is, we can’t always. All we can do is make educated guesses based on the information we have. We’ll find more fossils. Maybe they’ll confirm those guesses. Maybe not.”



"It's been really interesting to see the direction this project has gone in,” said lead author Georgina Bunker. The study initially began as an undergraduate project involving a single bone, but over time, more plesiosaur fossils started turning up, slowly providing a clearer picture of the animal.



The new discovery also expands the diversity of Morocco’s Cretaceous fauna. “This is another sensational discovery that adds to the many discoveries we have made in the Kem Kem over the past fifteen years of work in this region of Morocco," noted Dr. Samir Zouhri. "Kem Kem was truly an incredible biodiversity hotspot in the Cretaceous.”



“What amazes me,” said co-author Dave Martill, “is that the ancient Moroccan river contained so many carnivores all living alongside each other. This was no place to go for a swim.”



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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

Plesiosaur fossils found in a 100-million-year old river

Plesiosaur fossils occur commonly in deposits from the late Triassic...

While it is clear that vertebrates can feel pain, whether this holds for invertebrates too has been a matter of fierce debate in the scientific community. Now, a research team led by <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London</a> has discovered that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/temperature-changes-negatively-impact-bumblebees/">bumblebees</a> are not only intelligent and innovative creatures, but may also be capable of experiencing pain. These findings suggest that bumblebees – and perhaps many other species of insects - should be included in animal welfare laws.



Previous studies have found that bumblebees are highly intelligent insects, able to do simple mathematics, understand the concept of zero, and distinguish among human – and probably bee – faces. Moreover, they show optimism when successfully foraging, and can become depressed if they are momentarily trapped by a spider. Thus, they are clearly capable of experiencing emotional states.



To discover whether these emotions include pain, the scientists looked at one of the criteria most commonly used to define pain in animals: “motivational trade-offs.” For instance, humans will endure a significant amount of pain at the dentist for the longer-term benefits of having healthy teeth, and hermit crabs will leave preferred shells to escape an electric shock only if the jolt is particularly high.



In order to assess whether bumblebees are capable of similar behaviors, the researchers gave them a choice between two high-quality feeders containing a 40 percent sugar solution, and two feeders with low percentages of sucrose. The feeders were placed on top of individual heating pads, which were initially all turned off. In such a situation, all the bees preferred the feeders containing the most sugar.



When the pads beneath the high sucrose feeders were warmed up to 55°C – a temperature high enough to cause discomfort, but not as high as to cause significant injuries - the bees were still choosing these feeders in order to get more sugar. However, when both the hot and the cool feeders contained high-sugar solutions, the insects always avoided the hot ones. “This is the first direct demonstration that arthropods can also do trade-offs,” said Jonathan Birch, an expert in Animal Sentience at the <a href="https://www.lse.ac.uk/">London School of Economics</a> who was not involved in the study.



However, it still remains unclear whether bees really feel what we call pain. Nevertheless, given that insects represent at least 60 percent of all animals, this possibility should not be ignored. “There is still anthropocentrism in Western science that rejects the idea of caring about ‘dumb invertebrates.’ Papers like this one will gradually chip away at this self-centered attitude,” concluded Jennifer Mather, a zoologist at the <a href="https://www.ulethbridge.ca/welcome-university-lethbridge">University of Lethbridge</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2205821119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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

Bumblebees may be able to experience pain

While it is clear that vertebrates can feel pain, whether...

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, the Senate Democrats announced a surprising agreement that would open the path for the most ambition climate action ever undertaken by the United States. The $369 billion climate and tax package will significantly reset this country’s role in the global fight against <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/how-does-the-climate-affect-the-behavior-of-migratory-birds/">climate</a> change, by ramping up wind, solar, geothermal, battery, and several other sustainable energy industries over the next decade.



“By a wide margin, this legislation will be the greatest pro-climate legislation that has ever been passed by Congress,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader. “This is the action the American people have been waiting for,” President Biden added, praising the bill’s “investments in our energy security for the future.”



This groundbreaking deal will provide companies financial incentives to keep open nuclear plants that might have otherwise closed, and to capture emissions from industrial facilities and bury them underground before they can contribute to global warming. Moreover, car buyers with income beneath a certain threshold will receive a $7,500 tax credit to purchase a new electric car and $4,000 for a used one, while most Americans will be offered rebates to install heat pumps in order to make their homes more energy-efficient.



According to the Senate Democrats, this legislation would enable the U.S. to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 40 percent below 2005 levels by the end of the decade, thus coming closer to President Biden’s earlier promise to reduce emissions by 50 percent over the following years. This would be a major step forward to limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius below pre-industrial levels - a threshold beyond which the chance of extreme climate events, such as droughts, wildfires, storms, and catastrophic floods would significantly increase.



The bill “keeps us in the climate fight and makes it possible that executive action, state and local government policies, and private sector leadership can get us across the finish line,” said Jesse Jenkins, a macro-scale energy systems engineer at <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a>. “Without this bill, we’d be hopelessly far from our climate goals.”



Climate experts hope that this new deal will revitalize international efforts to curb climate change and restore American credibility in international negotiations. “You can’t preach temperance from a bar stool, and you can’t ask China, India, Brazil or other countries to cut emissions if we’re not doing it ourselves in a significant way,”&nbsp;said Democrat Senator Edward J. Markey.&nbsp;



The bill – which will hopefully pass as early as next week – includes $30 billion in incentives for companies to construct wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries, and to process critical minerals in the United States,&nbsp;as well as&nbsp;$60 billion to solve the disproportionate burden of pollution on low-income and minority communities, $27 billion for a “green bank” that will offer financial support to clean energy projects, and $20 billion for programs to cut agricultural emissions.



“The entire clean energy industry just breathed an enormous sigh of relief,” said Heather Zichal, chief executive of the <a href="https://cleanpower.org/">American Clean Power Association</a>. “This is an 11th-hour reprieve for climate action and clean energy jobs.”



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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;

Groundbreaking climate action underway in the United States

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, the Senate Democrats announced a...

Recent research completed by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) and <a href="https://www.ru.nl/en">Radboud University</a> demonstrates that human land use directly influences elephant movement through corridors.



The expansion of human-dominated landscapes means huge consequences for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/huge-win-for-wildlife-endangered-species-act-is-restored/">wildlife</a>. Not only can these environments make navigation more difficult for animals, they are also a driving factor for human-wildlife conflict. Habitat loss and fragmentation are some of the leading threats to biodiversity, and well-managed corridors are essential for species survival.&nbsp;



"This is the first study of this type that takes an in-depth look at comparing how varying land-use affects elephant movements and their use of wildlife corridors," said study lead author Tempe Adams of EWB.



The researchers spent seven years observing elephant movements through six wildlife corridors in Botswana and Zambia. They used camera traps to determine whether elephants used agricultural and urban corridors differently.&nbsp;



The experts found that varying land use can affect the times of day elephants move through passageways. Elephants using corridors in landscapes dominated by agriculture opted for nocturnal movement, thereby avoiding human activity. On the other hand, elephants did not alter when they moved through urban corridors, so their movements often coincided with human activity.



"This was a great opportunity to link our work on examining human pressures on biodiversity at Radboud University with the conservation work being done by Elephants Without Borders,' said study co-author Marlee Stevens. "Our results show that elephants alter their behaviour in human-modified landscapes, but their response varies depending on the human disturbance."



Since the study demonstrates wildlife may alter their behavior based on the type of human environment they encounter, corridor management strategies should consider land use.



"What is truly remarkable is that we found elephants do not perceive all human development the same way, but they are adjusting their behaviors to adapt to the variations and human pressure," said Adams. "It also further highlights the need for transparent documentation of human pressure within and around protected wildlife areas, which is critical to assist in the conservation of species."



This study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/conservation-science">Frontiers in Conservation Science</a>.



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

Land use changes affect elephant movement

Recent research completed by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) and Radboud...

A new study led by the <a href="https://uiowa.edu/">University of Iowa</a> has found that, for some <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/managing-invasive-species-can-improve-climate-resilience/">invasive species</a> aiming to conquer new territory, their success may lie in living fast and dying young. By examining a type of invasive snail that has become established in a variety of freshwater ecosystems worldwide, the experts discovered that the most successful invaders matured and reproduced much faster than their non-invasive conspecifics.



The freshwater mud snails studied by the scientists are native to New Zealand, and have spread all over the world (most likely through commercial ships at first), coming to dominate numerous lake and river ecosystems in North America, Europe, and Asia. Since the invasive snails reproduce both sexually and asexually, it can be used to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of sexual reproduction.



The scientists found that the asexual snails – with females reproducing without males by making genetic copies of themselves – have been the most successful invaders, although they have lower genetic diversity than those reproducing sexually. Moreover, these highly successful invaders had slower growth rates and were smaller in size than the sexual snails.



“It’s like these snails have this unusual constellation of traits that becomes almost ubiquitous in the invaders. So, that gets to the core question we’re asking, ‘What makes an invasive lineage invasive?’” said study senior author Maurine Neiman, a professor of Biology at Iowa. “I think the data suggest there seems to be a real advantage to this combination of slow growth rate and early reproductive maturity. Their generation times are faster, and they are likely to outcompete other snail lineages that mature more&nbsp;slowly.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



In the laboratory, Professor Neiman and his team grew populations of freshwater snails originally collected in Belgium and in six regions of the United States and examined their “life history traits” - the features related to their fitness and reproductive success that allows them to thrive in new environments.



“They grow up substantially faster than their New Zealand counterparts,” reported study lead author Carina Donne, a doctoral student in Biology at the <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a>. “That just shortens the whole life cycle. If you can make babies at a younger age, then all things being equal, your populations will grow&nbsp;faster.”



Further research is needed to discover the life history traits that make other invasive species successful. “A lot of invasive species research focuses on prevention measures. We have so many invasive species, once they’re there and established, it’s harder to get rid of them. If we can find some way to predict what would be good invasive species, we could implement prevention&nbsp;measures,” Professor Nieman concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00442-022-05222-8">Oecologia</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;&nbsp;

Invasive snails live fast and die young

A new study led by the University of Iowa has...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" 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 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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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