An asteroid impact on Mars 11 million years ago sent fragments of the red planet hurtling through space. One of these pieces eventually crashed into Earth, making its way to Purdue University and becoming known as the Lafayette Meteorite.&nbsp;



This rare find has been instrumental in unlocking secrets of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/manganese-discovery-ancient-mars-earth-like-water-lake-habitable/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mars</a>’ watery past, with new research recently published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2443" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Geochemical Perspective Letters</a> that provides insight into the timing and nature of Mars’ ancient water activity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracing-mars-watery-past">Tracing Mars’ watery past</h2>



Scientists have long known that the Lafayette Meteorite interacted with liquid water on Mars, but the exact timing of this event was uncertain.&nbsp;



Dr. Marissa Tremblay, an assistant professor at Purdue University’s <a href="https://www.eaps.purdue.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences</a> (EAPS), led an international research team to determine the age of the water-altered minerals in the meteorite, pinpointing it to 742 million years ago.



“Dating these minerals can therefore tell us when there was liquid water at or near the surface of Mars in the planet's geologic past,” Tremblay explained.&nbsp;



The findings suggest that while liquid water wasn’t abundant on the surface at this time, it likely came from melting subsurface ice, or permafrost, caused by intermittent volcanic activity - a phenomenon still observed on Mars today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preserving-a-moment-in-mars-geological-timeline">Preserving a moment in Mars’ geological timeline</h2>



The study not only identified when water interacted with the meteorite but also established that the dating was unaffected by events after the meteorite left Mars.&nbsp;



“The age could have been affected by the impact that ejected the Lafayette Meteorite from Mars, the heating it experienced during the 11 million years it was floating in space, or the heating when it fell to Earth,” Tremblay said.&nbsp;



However, the team confirmed that none of these factors altered the age, validating the timeline of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-lost-most-of-its-water-but-where-did-it-go/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">water</a> interaction.



Study co-author and Purdue EAPS researcher Ryan Ickert applied heavy isotope analysis to further verify that previous data on the meteorite’s water-rock interaction had likely been skewed by other geological processes.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This meteorite uniquely has evidence that it has reacted with water. The exact date of this was controversial, and our publication dates when water was present,” said Ickert.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mysterious-journey-of-the-meteorite">Mysterious journey of the meteorite </h2>



The Lafayette Meteorite’s journey to Purdue is something of a mystery. It was found in a university drawer in 1931, though how it got there remains unknown.&nbsp;



In previous research, Tremblay and her team used crop disease markers from organic contaminants found on the meteorite to narrow down when it might have fallen to Earth.



Once the meteorite was ejected from Mars, it endured constant cosmic ray bombardment in space, which produced certain isotopes, offering clues to its time of impact on Earth.&nbsp;



“Many meteoroids are produced by impacts on Mars and other planetary bodies, but only a handful will eventually fall to Earth,” Tremblay said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planetary-time-capsules">Planetary time capsules</h2>



Meteorites like Lafayette serve as planetary time capsules, offering invaluable data on the geological and environmental history of their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-meteorites-can-be-traced-to-three-asteroid-families/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">home worlds</a>. With their dense structure, metallic content, and magnetic properties, meteorites are often distinguishable from Earth rocks.&nbsp;



“We can identify meteorites by studying what minerals are present in them, their mineral relationships, and by checking for a fusion crust formed during entry into Earth’s atmosphere,” Tremblay explained.&nbsp;



By analyzing these traits and their chemical signatures, scientists can often determine a meteorite’s planetary origin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complex-history-of-meteorites">Complex history of meteorites</h2>



This research marks a significant milestone for the team, which included scientists from institutions across the globe, such as the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Center (SUERC), the University of St. Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Bristol, and London’s <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural History Museum</a>.&nbsp;



“Before moving to Purdue, Ryan and I were both based at SUERC, where the argon-argon isotopic analyses of the alteration minerals in Lafayette took place,” Tremblay said.&nbsp;



Their partners at SUERC and the Natural History Museum have long contributed to studying Lafayette’s complex history.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dating-minerals-in-meteorites">Dating minerals in meteorites</h2>



Dating the water-altered minerals in Lafayette, and others in its class of Martian meteorites called nakhlites, has been a central focus in planetary science, as they uniquely capture moments when liquid water was present on Mars.&nbsp;



Due to complex alterations over time, previous attempts to date these minerals were plagued with uncertainties.&nbsp;



However, the team has now developed a robust dating method that could be applied to other meteorites, enhancing our understanding of when water might have been present on Mars and other planetary bodies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-planetary-science">The future of planetary science</h2>



Thanks to the Stahura Undergraduate Meteorite Fund, Tremblay and Ickert’s research on the Lafayette Meteorite will continue, with the involvement of undergraduate students in Purdue EAPS.&nbsp;



This opportunity allows students to engage in real-world planetary science, helping to reveal the intricate histories of meteoritic samples.



Tremblay and her team’s work on the Lafayette Meteorite highlights its scientific significance, revealing a complex history that ties it to Mars’ geological past.&nbsp;



Their findings not only deepen our understanding of Mars but also set a precedent for future studies that might unveil even more about the red planet’s climate history, water activity, and potential for supporting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-mars-rocks-contain-signs-of-life-scientists-call-to-bring-them-back-to-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life</a>.



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Meteorite that struck Mars reveals when the planet had liquid water

An asteroid impact on Mars 11 million years ago sent fragments of the red planet hurtling through space. One of these pieces eventually crashed into Earth, making its way to Purdue University and becoming known as the Lafayette Meteorite.&nbsp; This rare find has been instrumental in unlocking secrets of Mars’ watery past, with new research recently published in the journal Geochemical Perspective Letters that provides insight into the timing and nature of Mars’ ancient water activity. Tracing Mars’ watery past Scientists have long known that the Lafayette...

Ripe,Red,Apples,On,Wooden,Background

When they are prepared for transport, apples and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fruits-vegetables-memory-loss-men/">fruits</a> are often treated with fungicides that protects them against spoilage and extends their shelf life. While this practice is useful for preserving the fruits’ freshness, it nevertheless may help select and boost the transmission of multi-drug resistant pathogenic yeasts, according to a team of researchers led by the <a href="http://www.du.ac.in/">University of Delhi</a> in India and <a href="https://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a> in Canada.



The scientists examined the surface of 84 fruits representing nine different tree fruit types that were collected between 2020 and 2021 from regions in northern India. These fruits included 62 apples – 20 freshly picked from orchards and 42 purchased from a market in Delhi.&nbsp;



The researchers found that 13 percent of the apples contained traces of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/candida-auris/index.html">Candida auris</a>, a multi-drug resistant pathogenic yeast that currently poses an urgent threat to public health worldwide, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC). All of the apples on which the pathogen was found had been stored before purchase, and most probably treated with fungicides to remain fresh.



C.auris was first discovered in Japan in 2009, and has subsequently spread to all inhabited continents, causing significant outbreaks in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Since some strains are resistant to all available classes of antifungal drugs, this pathogen is highly difficult to treat and may soon become a global menace.&nbsp;



While the forces that drive the simultaneous emergence of multiple distinct clusters of C.auris all over the world are not yet fully understood, this new study suggests that apples could be a selective force for the pathogen, helping it spread and become more resistant to medicines.&nbsp;



“When we look at human pathogens, we tend to look at what’s immediate to us,” said study co-lead author Jianping Xu, a professor of Biology at the McMaster University. “But we have to look at it more broadly. Everything is connected, the whole system. Fruit is just one example.” 



Further research is needed to clarify what types of fruits are helping spread the pathogen, what is the role of fungicides in making it resistant to multiple drugs, and which are the current pathways of global transmission.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00518-22">mBio</a>.



---



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

Apples can help store and transmit drug-resistant pathogens

When they are prepared for transport, apples and other fruits...

According to a new study led by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> (UCL), achieving net-zero <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-dissolved-in-rivers-is-damaging-our-planet/">carbon</a> emissions by 2050 would be possible without damaging the economy. Moreover, the experts argue that, with stringent public policy, the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to&nbsp;1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 is feasible, and could be achieved while maintaining robust economic growth.



Although some researchers have repeatedly claimed that resolving the climate crisis is not consistent with continued economic growth in rich countries, the current situation in the European Union already shows strong evidence that curbing global warming while maintaining economic growth is in fact possible. Between 1990 and 2016, for instance, EU’s economy grew by more than 50 percent, while carbon dioxide emissions fell by 25 percent.



“Continuing global economic growth is clearly compatible with achieving the temperature target in the Paris Agreement,” said study lead author Paul Ekins, a professor of Resources and Environmental Policy at UCL. “Governments now need to step up to put in place the policies to stimulate the investments that are required to turn these projections into reality.”



Professor Ekins and his colleagues modeled various scenarios to slow the growth of global primary energy demand, so that, by the end of the 21st century, demand is only 30 percent above its 2020 levels. Moreover, they also modeled the deployment of renewable technologies needed to decarbonize electricity almost completely by the end of the century while producing seven times as much power as the world used in 2010, and to replace the use of fossil fuels in the transportation and heating industries. In addition, they modelled the global phasing down of coal, taking as an example the way in which the United States has reduced its use in recent years.



The result of these simulations is clear: under all the scenarios taken into consideration, it would be possible to reach net-zero emissions without reducing economic growth, while also limiting temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. However, in order to achieve this, national governments and policies worldwide would need to stimulate significant increases in energy and resource efficiency, and to rapidly deploy low-carbon technologies and strong environmental policies.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ooenergy/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ooenergy/oiac005/6550337">Oxford Open Energy</a>.



---



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

Reducing carbon emissions while maintaining economic growth

According to a new study led by University College London...

The global population is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-can-reverse-the-aging-process-in-middle-aged-mice/">aging</a>, and policy makers are interested in the life satisfaction of older adults after leaving the workforce. A new study has found that the personality traits of older adults are connected to the paths they take, and their overall well-being, once they leave their jobs.&nbsp;



To understand this connection, researchers analyzed data from more than 2,000 adults aged 50 to 75 who participated in the British Household Panel Survey. Participants were surveyed against the “Big Five'' personality traits as a standard evaluation. They were also surveyed on life satisfaction after leaving their jobs.&nbsp;



The results of the study showed connections between the routes people took to leave their jobs and their satisfaction with life, income, and leisure which varied according to personality traits.



For example, respondents who identified as conscientiousness had an increased satisfaction with leisure time after mandatory retirement, and increased life satisfaction amongst those who became unemployed. This suggests that conscientious individuals are proactive in finding new fulfilling lifestyles after work.



The extraverted respondents who retired early had a lower satisfaction with life, income, and leisure. However, the extroverts who stopped working due to ill health or caregiving demands had a higher satisfaction with leisure time. This could suggest that extraverts miss social relationships at work, but might also be motivated to find sociable, rewarding hobbies.



The three remaining traits were agreeableness, openness, and neuroticism. Amongst these, results did not find relationships or patterns with life satisfaction.



Regardless, the findings are interesting and could help policy makers guide targeted interventions to support the well-being of aging adults. Researchers consider this especially relevant during the mass exodus of workers throughout the pandemic.



“Our study uncovered associations between the routes people took to exit their jobs and their subsequent satisfaction with life, income, and leisure," said the study authors. "These associations varied according to people’s personality traits. Conscientious individuals were more proactive in finding new fulfilling life patterns.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLoS ONE</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

Personality traits linked to life satisfaction after work

The global population is aging, and policy makers are interested...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a> (UVM) has measured the “happiness effects” of city parks in the 25 largest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/future-cities-must-be-designed-to-protect-biodiverse-habitats/">cities</a> in the United States. Using massive amounts of data from social media – about 1.5 million Twitter posts – the researchers have found that city parks in Indianapolis, Austin, and Los Angeles had the most mood boosting benefits. According to the scientists, the feelings experienced by visitors to these parks appear to be equivalent to the mood spikes on holidays like Thanksgiving or New Year’s Eve.



“We understand the irony of using Twitter and technology to measure happiness from nature,” said study lead author Aaron Schwartz, a PhD student at UVM. “But our goal is to use technology for the greater good - to better understand the effect nature has on humans, which until now has been difficult to quantify in such large numbers.”



Schwartz and his colleagues were surprised by several top ranked cities in the study, such as Indianapolis, Austin, or Jacksonville, which have lower per capita funding levels for parks compared to many other cities ranking lower on the list. Apparently, a more powerful predictor of happiness was park size. Thus, the happiness benefit was highest in parks over 100 acres in area.



“Being in nature offers restorative benefits not available for purchase in a store, or downloadable on a screen,” said study co-author Chris Danforth, a professor of Mathematics at UVM. “However, not all parks appear to be equal when it comes to happiness.&nbsp;The ability to immerse yourself in a larger, greener natural areas had a greater effect than smaller paved city parks.”



According to the scientists, one possible explanation could be that larger parks provide greater opportunities for mental restoration and separation from the stressful city environment.



“These new findings underscore just how essential nature is for our mental and physical health. These results are especially timely given our increased reliance on urban natural areas during the COVID pandemic,” concluded UVM scientist Taylor Ricketts.



The study – containing a complete ranking of the cities - is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261056">PLoS ONE</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

Experts rank the 25 happiest city parks in the United States

A new study led by the University of Vermont (UVM)...

Agriculture,Worker.,Young,Farmer,Spraying,Pesticides.,Taking,Care,About,Vineyard.

Most of commercial chemicals that enter the U.S. market each year have insufficient health and safety data. Although in the case of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pesticides-have-become-increasingly-toxic-to-insects/">pesticides</a>, the U.S. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) used various techniques to evaluate chemical hazard, exposure, and risk, concern over the potential threat posed by these substances has steadily grown in recent years.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.gwu.edu/">George Washington University</a> (GW) has now developed an innovative computational approach to rapidly and efficiently screen pesticides for safety, performance, and endurance in the environment. Moreover, this new method may aid in the design of next-generation molecules to develop safer pesticides.



“In many ways, our tool mimics computational drug discovery, in which vast libraries of chemical compounds are screened for their efficacy and then tweaked to make them even more potent against specific therapeutic targets,” said study senior author Jakub Kostal, an assistant professor of Chemistry at GW.



“Similarly, we use our systems-based approach to modify pesticides to make them less toxic and more degradable, while, at the same time, making sure they retain good performance. It’s a powerful tool for both industry and regulatory agencies that can help design new, safer analogs of existing commercial agrochemicals, and so protect human life, the environment and industry’s bottom line.”



By using this model, Professor Kostal and his colleagues analyzed over 700 pesticides from the EPA’s pesticide registry and found that only seven percent of these chemical compounds fulfilled the criteria for safety. “Our analysis reveals there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to developing safer pesticides,” said study lead author Jessica Lewer, a graduate student at GW.



“Moreover, the computational approach we’ve developed to better screen and design safe pesticides can be used as a blueprint and applied to other industries that rely on commercial chemicals, for example cosmetics and cleaning products.”



In future research, the scientists hope to augment their model with pesticide design from biobased, renewable chemical building blocks in order to make chemical design more sustainable.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abn2058">Science Advances</a>.



---



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

Scientists develop new tool to design safer pesticides

Most of commercial chemicals that enter the U.S. market each...

Avocados are a common <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/popular-foods-are-bad-for-humans-and-our-planet/">food</a> in the US and use of them as a source of oil and for other products is on the rise. According to the internet, there’s one thing avocados aren’t good for - dogs. Lots of sources claim that avocados are toxic for pets, pointing in particular to a chemical known as persin as the culprit. Scientists at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a> were suspicious of this claim, and set out to test avocado meal for use in dog foods.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Being from Brazil, avocados grow in our backyards. They fall on the ground, and if dogs get hold of them, they eat them. Just like they do with mangoes, bananas, or any other fruits that grow natively in our country. I'd never heard of a dog dying from eating an avocado, so I was really curious why they were considered toxic here,” said Maria Cattai de Godoy, associate professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at U of I.



The scientists discovered that there is little research on the toxicity of avocados in dogs.&nbsp;



“When you look at the literature for avocado toxicity, all that exists are a few case studies," said Cattai de Godoy. "Dogs reported to have a fondness for avocado showed some signs of toxicity, but the case reports couldn’t prove avocados caused those symptoms. There are a lot of uncontrolled factors in these cases.”



The scientists prepared avocado meal by drying avocado pulp, seed and skins after the fruit has been used for oil. They tested this meal for persin and found that none could be detected, leaving no active ingredient claimed to be toxic to dogs.



“Persin is structurally similar to a polyunsaturated fatty acid, meaning there are a lot of double bonds,” said Cattai de Godoy. “They’re not very stable; heat and light can make them break down. Processing is very likely breaking down persin, which is probably why we cannot see it in the meal.”



The researchers then tested the avocado meal on beagles and found it to be comparable to other fibers already used in dog food and quite palatable. The experts caution, however, that more research is needed before avocado meal becomes a staple of pet foods.&nbsp;



“I certainly think there's still work to be done in order to say there are no concerns, especially if we were giving the fresh fruit. But according to our study, I think avocado meal is a safe bet and can be used effectively as a sole source of dietary fiber or in fiber blends.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jas">Journal of Animal Science</a>.



---



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

Avocado may be a safe source of fiber for dogs

Avocados are a common food in the US and use...

As the extent of suitable habitat decreases and conflict with humans increases, many African lions end up being moved to sanctuaries where they can be cared for and protected. Add to this the lions rescued from circuses, foreign <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wild-animals-lead-longer-lives/">zoos</a> and war zones, and it becomes apparent that significant numbers of lions need to be managed at such sanctuaries. This is not a simple task when dealing with a large apex predator that can be aggressive and territorial.&nbsp;



Often lone lions are rescued and brought to a facility where other lions already live in groups. It is not healthy for lions to live alone as they are social animals with complex group structures and they thrive on close relationships with others. It would be ideal to introduce newcomer lions into established groups, but this is usually not possible due to the levels of aggression and intolerance towards outsiders.



In a rather novel approach, researchers from the <a href="https://twin-cities.umn.edu/">University of Minnesota</a> have been treating captive lions with the hormone oxytocin to determine whether this would make their behavior more prosocial and manageable. Oxytocin is known to enhance social bonding in some group-living mammals, such as meerkats, although most of the previous research on the effects of the hormone has been focused on bonded pairs of animals, such as marmosets, macaques and chimpanzees. The effects of oxytocin have never before been tested in a non-domesticated social group of carnivores, such as lions.



The current study took place during 2018 and 2019, on a wildlife reserve in Dinokeng, South Africa. Researchers, led by animal biologist Craig Packer and neuroscientist Sarah Heilbronner from the University of Minnesota, used hunks of raw meat to lure lions up to a fence so they could spray oxytocin up their noses with a modified squeeze-bottle.&nbsp;



“By spraying the oxytocin directly up the nose, we know it can travel up the trigeminal nerve and the olfactory nerve straight up into the brain.” said study first author Jessica Burkhart. “Otherwise the blood-brain barrier could filter it out.”



After spraying 23 lions with oxytocin, Burkhart and her colleagues measured changes in aggressive behavior within the group and between groups. Their findings are published today in the journal iScience, where they describe the effects of the hormone on lion social behavior. &nbsp;



“You can see their features soften immediately, they go from wrinkled and aggressive to this totally calm demeanor,” said Burkhart. “They totally chill out. It’s amazing.”&nbsp;



The researchers found that a sprayed lion would allow other members of the group to approach more closely when it was in possession of a favorite toy.&nbsp;



“After the lions were treated with oxytocin, and we gave them their favorite pumpkin toy to play with, we saw the average distance between them drop from about 7 meters with no treatment to about 3.5 meters after oxytocin was administered,” explained Burkhart.



This greater social tolerance was not seen when sprayed lions were in possession of food, however. But the hormone did lead to decreased vigilance and greater tolerance in the presence of potential intruders from another group. Recordings of the roars of other, unknown lions were played and, whereas untreated lions always roared back in response, lions treated with oxytocin never responded by roaring. This finding is important when considering possible approaches to the introduction of new lions into an established group.



In order to keep lions safe and away from humans, many have been transported to private fenced reserves, which often results in lions from different prides being mixed in with one another. In addition, when lone lions arrive at such sanctuaries they need to be integrated into existing groups and the oxytocin treatment may help facilitate this.



“Currently we’re working on introductions of animals who have been rescued from circuses or overseas or war zones that now live in sanctuaries,” said Burkhart. “The hope is that this will translate to animals being relocated in the wild, helping them to become more inclined to their new social environment so they're more curious and less fearful, leading to more successful bonding.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.



---



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

Hormone treatment makes captive lions more manageable

As the extent of suitable habitat decreases and conflict with...

Portrait,Of,Two,Scarlet,Macaws,Perched,On,A,Tree,Branch

Animal behaviorists have long wondered why certain species of parrots have such long lifespans, considering that they are so small. Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ab.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior</a> and the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/index/">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> are shedding some new light on the topic. The key to parrot <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-explain-longevity-in-mammals/">longevity</a> might be found in their brain size and cognitive ability.&nbsp;



To gather reliable data, the scientists needed to compare living parrots. To get the data, they coordinated with Species360, which contains animal records from zoos and aquariums. Overall, they were able to look at over 130,000 individuals representing 217 species.&nbsp;



They found that there was a lot of variation in life expectancy between species. The shortest-lived is the fig parrot, with an average lifespan of two years. The longest-lived species is the Scarlet Macaw, with an average life expectancy of 30 years.&nbsp;



After analyzing the data, the scientists were confident that parrots' brain size and life expectancy are positively correlated. The question remained... Why? They had two hypotheses. One theory is that larger brains mean that the birds are more intelligent and better able to fend for themselves and avoid predators. The second was that since larger brains take more time to grow, larger birds require longer lifespans.&nbsp;



After running both hypotheses through models, the researchers determined that the models support the first hypothesis. The scientists believe that large brain sizes relative to body size, have cognitive abilities that allow them to solve problems in their natural environments, allowing the parrots to survive longer.&nbsp;



"This supports the idea that in general larger brains make species more flexible and allow them to live longer," said study lead author Simeon Smeele. "For example, if they run out of their favorite food, they could learn to find something new and thus survive."&nbsp;



The research team hopes to explore this subject in the future by examining how sociality and cultural learning might influence longevity.&nbsp;



"Large-brained birds might spend more time socially learning foraging techniques that have been around for multiple generations," said Smeele. "This increased learning period could potentially also explain the longer life spans, as it takes more time but also makes the foraging repertoire more adaptive."&nbsp;



This research is published in <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</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

Longevity in parrots linked to brain size and cognitive ability

Animal behaviorists have long wondered why certain species of parrots...

Humans and other vertebrate species hear using eardrums that can turn soundwave pressure into signals to the brain. A new experimental study led by <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/">Binghamton University</a> has investigated the auditory processing of orb-weaving <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-reveal-spiders-web-making-secrets/">spiders</a> and found that these small creatures are using their webs as extended auditory rays to capture sounds. Such a procedure is possibly giving spiders advanced warning of incoming predators or prey.



It has long been known that spiders readily respond when something vibrates in their webs, such as potential pray. In these new experiments though, researchers discovered for the first time that spiders turned, crouched, or flattened out in response to sounds travelling through their web.&nbsp;



Spider silk is so thin and sensitive that it can easily detect the movements of vibrating air particles that make up soundwaves. “The spider is really a natural demonstration that this is a viable way to sense sound using viscous forces in the air on thin fibers,” said study senior author Ronald Miles, a professor of mechanical engineering at Binghamton. “If it works in nature, maybe we should have a closer look at it.”



According to professor Miles and his colleagues, spiders can detect minuscule movements and vibrations through sensory organs located on their tarsal claws at the tips of their legs, which they use to grasp their webs. Since orb-weaving spiders build large webs, they are creating “acoustic antennas” with a sound-sensitive area that is often 10,000 times larger than the spiders themselves.



To better understand spiders’ auditory mechanisms, the scientists used laser vibrometry to measure over one thousand locations on a spider’s web, while the spider was located in the center of the web. They placed a mini-speaker five centimeters away from the center of the web and two millimeters away from the web plane, allowing the sound to travel to the spider both through the air and through the web.&nbsp;



The results were amazing: while the soundwave from the mini-speaker died out significantly while travelling through the air, it propagated readily through the web with very little attenuation, providing evidence that the web moves with sound almost at maximum physical efficiency across an ultra-wide frequency range.



The researchers also found that, by stretching and crouching, spiders are changing the tension of the silk strands, tuning them to pick up different frequencies, and thus customizing their external auditory “organ” to hear different sorts of sound.



Further research is needed to investigate how spiders make use of the sounds they can detect using their web and to find whether other species of web-weaving spiders also use their silk to outsource their hearing.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2122789119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&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

Spiders use their webs to detect sounds

Humans and other vertebrate species hear using eardrums that can...

Two,Zebra,Finches

While it may just sound pretty to the human ear, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-song-of-the-east-african-sunbird-may-be-a-million-years-old/">bird song</a> has in fact multiple functions. For instance, a male’s song may be used to repel other male competitors, or to attract females. In some of the more than 5,000 songbird species, the males are real “virtuosos.” Throughout their entire life, they acquire new songs and can vary them according to specific purposes.&nbsp;



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.orn.mpg.de/en">Max Plank Institute for Ornithology</a> has found that songs of four different zebra finch populations differ systematically. These “cryptic dialects” appear to be decisive for females’ choice of mate. In other words, female zebra finches pay more attention to “cultural” traits than to the males’ appearance.



Zebra finch males learn their songs from conspecifics at an early-age, in an individual-specific manner. The songs each male learns in infancy are generally used for a lifetime. Due to these individual signatures in songs, scientists have long assumed that dialect formation is not possible in zebra finches. However, by using a machine learning algorithm able to recognize the songs of males from four different, separately kept zebra finch populations, the Max Plank researchers have managed to detect different dialects in zebra finch songs.



“We were indeed surprised by this result. It appears that there are cryptic dialects in zebra finches, which remained undetected by conventional analysis methods,” said study co-lead author Wolfgang Forstmeier, a behavioral ecologist at Max Planck.



Dr. Forstmeier and his colleagues have also shown that these dialects are biologically highly relevant, playing a key role in mate choice. In order to disentangle the role of biology from that of culture in female mate choice, the researchers made zebra finch parents from one population raise chicks from another population. This led to zebra finches with different combinations of genetic (e.g. body size) and culturally acquired traits (e.g. dialect).



The analysis of social interactions between the finches have revealed that females preferred partners who sang the same dialect as the males with whom these females grew up. Dialect preference turned out to be much stronger than the tendency to choose a mate based on appearance, highlighting the fundamental role song plays in birds’ social interaction.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28881-w#Sec13">Nature Communications</a>.



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

Female zebra finches choose mates based on their dialects

While it may just sound pretty to the human ear,...

Eating two or more servings of avocado on a weekly basis can lead to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to new research published by the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>. This benefit was also present when substituting fats containing foods like butter, cheese and processed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-meats-are-better-for-heart-health/">meats</a> with avocado alternatives.&nbsp;



Avocados have sky-rocketed in popularity with health food trends. They contain dietary fiber, healthy fats and other favorable components associated with cardiovascular health.&nbsp;



This study is the first and largest prospective study with a positive association between higher avocado consumption and lower cardiovascular events, such as coronary heart disease and stroke.



“Our study provides further evidence that the intake of plant-sourced unsaturated fats can improve diet quality and is an important component in cardiovascular disease prevention,” said study lead author Dr. Lorena S. Pacheco. “These are particularly notable findings since the consumption of avocados has risen steeply in the U.S. in the last 20 years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”



For more than three decades, the researchers followed more than 68,780 women (ages 30 to 55 years) from the Nurses’ Health Study and more than 41,700 men (ages 40 to 75 years) who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. During the 30 years of follow up, the experts documented 9,185 coronary heart disease events and 5,290 strokes.



The diet of each participant was assessed by questionnaires every four years. The researchers calculated avocado intake where one serving equaled half an avocado.



The results of the study offer guidance for healthy diets. The experts found that participants who ate at least two servings each week had a 16 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease compared to individuals who never or rarely ate avocados.



Replacing half a serving daily of margarine, butter, egg, yogurt, cheese or processed meats with avocado was associated with a 16 to 22 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease events.



“These findings are significant because a healthy dietary pattern is the cornerstone for cardiovascular health, however, it can be difficult for many Americans to achieve and adhere to healthy eating patterns,” said Dr. Cheryl Anderson, chair of the American Heart Association’s Council on Epidemiology and Prevention.



Healthcare professionals can now recommend that patients replace certain spreads and saturated fat-containing foods, such as cheese and processed meats, with avocado is something physicians and other health care practitioners such as registered dietitians can do when they meet with patients, especially since avocado is a well-accepted food, said Dr. Anderson.



This aligns with the <a href="https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/mediterranean-diet">American Heart Association’s guidance to follow the Mediterranean diet</a> – focused on fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and fish. Researchers suggest that we need strategies that recommend healthy diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits and vegetables. While recognizing no one food is a magic solution, researchers emphasize that avocados have demonstrated health benefits.&nbsp;



“This is promising because it is a food item that is popular, accessible, desirable and easy to include in meals eaten by many Americans at home and in restaurants.” said Dr. Anderson.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/jaha">Journal of the American Heart Association</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

Avocados substantially reduce the risk of heart disease

Eating two or more servings of avocado on a weekly...

Earthworm,In,Garden,In,Grass

Northern North America, such as Canada, is a land where worms were relatively latecomers. Only after the arrival of Europeans on the continent did earthworms, which are also from Europe, get introduced to Canadian forests.&nbsp;



Since the arrival of earthworms, little research has been done on their environmental impact. Scientists from the <a href="https://www.idiv.de/en/index.html">German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research</a> (IDIV) set out to change this. The researchers sampled above ground <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-insects-will-kill-more-than-a-million-street-trees-by-2050/">insects</a> in areas with earthworms and areas without, near Calgary, Canada.&nbsp;



Insect abundance, species richness (biodiversity) and biomass were all less in areas with earthworms compared to areas without earthworms. In the places with the highest earthworm biomass, insect populations were reduced by 61 percent, insect biomass by 27 percent, and species richness by 18 percent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We had expected that earthworms would have an impact on aboveground insects,” said study lead author Dr. Malte Jochum from iDiv and Leipzig University. “Even so, I was surprised at how pronounced the effects were, and that not only the abundance but also biomass and species richness were affected”.



Why there is an inverse relationship between earthworms and above ground insects is unknown. Interestingly though, in these areas spiders and predatory insects were present in greater numbers and seemed to benefit from areas with worms. The scientists hypothesize that perhaps there are less of other insects because plant life is impacted by worms.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“It’s possible that the earthworms eat the food and reduce the habitat of those above ground insects, such as beetles and fly larvae, which break down dead plant material,” said Jochum.&nbsp;



There is, however, no evidence that plant life is significantly different in species or composition between areas with worms and those without. This research is just a start and more is needed for the full explanation of mechanism and causation behind the observed phenomena. The scientists are quick to emphasize that earthworms have coevolved with many other environments and will not have the same effect in places they’re native to.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



”For regions like Europe, where natural communities have always co-developed with earthworms, comparable negative effects due to new earthworm species are very unlikely,” said Jochum. “Quite the opposite. Here they are important ecosystem engineers, which many important ecosystem functions depend on.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsbl">Biology Letters</a>.



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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

European earthworms hurt biodiversity in North America

Northern North America, such as Canada, is a land where...

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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

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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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

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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...