Concussions and repeated head injuries are no longer seen as mere occupational hazards of contact sports; they are now recognized as serious health concerns.&nbsp;



Recent research from <a href="https://www.tufts.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tufts University</a> and the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oxford</a> reveals a potential link between head trauma and the activation of dormant viruses in the brain, which may lead to long-term neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.&nbsp;



The findings, published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scisignal.ado6430" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Signaling</a>, suggest that early preventive treatments using antiviral drugs could help mitigate these risks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-threat-of-dormant-viruses">Hidden threat of dormant viruses</h2>



Our bodies host many dormant viruses, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-sores-and-dementia-the-unexpected-connection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">herpes simplex virus 1</a> (HSV-1) and varicella-zoster virus, which commonly reside in neurons and glial cells without causing harm.&nbsp;



Dana Cairns, lead author and research associate in Tufts University’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, explained her previous findings.



“In that study, another virus - varicella - created the inflammatory conditions that activated HSV-1. We thought, what would happen if we subjected the brain tissue model to a physical disruption, something akin to a concussion? Would HSV-1 wake up and start the process of neurodegeneration?” 



This question drove the new study, which investigates how concussions might trigger these latent viruses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mimicking-brain-trauma-in-the-lab">Mimicking brain trauma in the lab</h2>



To explore this, the researchers developed a unique brain tissue model. This model is a 6mm wide, donut-shaped sponge made of silk protein and collagen, infused with neural stem cells.&nbsp;



The stem cells matured into neurons and glial cells, forming a network similar to that of a real brain, and some even harbored dormant HSV-1. The team simulated a concussion by enclosing the model in a cylinder and delivering a sudden jolt with a piston.



After subjecting the tissue to this controlled shock, Cairns observed that in models containing HSV-1, the virus reactivated.&nbsp;



Following this reactivation, the tissue began to exhibit key markers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alzheimers-disease-attacks-the-brain-in-two-separate-phases/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alzheimer’s disease</a>: amyloid plaques, tau protein tangles, inflammation, neuronal death, and a surge in glial cells - a condition known as gliosis. Repeated shocks intensified these effects.&nbsp;



In contrast, tissue models without HSV-1 showed only minor gliosis and no other Alzheimer's indicators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-concussions-and-dormant-viruses-nbsp">Concussions and dormant viruses&nbsp;</h2>



The results strongly indicate that concussions might awaken dormant viruses in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/concussions-alter-brain-signals-that-are-crucial-for-memory-and-focus/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain</a>, potentially leading to neurodegenerative conditions over time. 



“This opens the question as to whether antiviral drugs or anti-inflammatory agents might be useful as early preventive treatments after head trauma to stop HSV-1 activation in its tracks, and lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” Cairns said.&nbsp;



This points to a potential new direction in post-concussion care, aiming to prevent the long-term damage often linked to repeated head injuries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-breakthrough-brain-model">A breakthrough brain model</h2>



David Kaplan, Stern Family Endowed Professor of Engineering at Tufts and co-author of the study, highlighted the significance of their lab-based brain model.&nbsp;



“The brain tissue model takes us to another level in investigating these connections between injury, infection, and Alzheimer’s disease,” he said.&nbsp;



This model allows researchers to recreate a realistic brain environment in which they can monitor virus behavior, plaque formation, and inflammatory responses in response to simulated trauma.



“There is a lot of epidemiological evidence about environmental and other links to the risk of Alzheimer’s. The tissue model will help us put that information on a mechanistic footing and provide a starting point for testing new drugs,” he added.&nbsp;



The model thus serves as a crucial tool in bridging the gap between large-scale health data and the specific biological processes that underlie neurodegenerative diseases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-targeted-interventions-for-concussions">Targeted interventions for concussions </h2>



The study’s findings underscore the potential for antiviral or anti-inflammatory treatments following head injuries to prevent the reactivation of latent viruses like HSV-1.&nbsp;



This approach could reduce the risk of developing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-grounds-could-help-prevent-neurodegenerative-diseases/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neurodegenerative diseases</a> later in life. Moreover, the research highlights the broader importance of understanding how environmental factors and bodily responses interplay after trauma.



As scientists continue to refine these brain models and further investigate how concussions affect brain chemistry, they hope to develop targeted interventions.&nbsp;



Such advancements could not only benefit athletes but also countless individuals worldwide who suffer from traumatic brain injuries, potentially transforming post-injury care and long-term health outcomes.



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Concussions may activate dormant viruses in the brain

Concussions and repeated head injuries are no longer seen as mere occupational hazards of contact sports; they are now recognized as serious health concerns.&nbsp; Recent research from Tufts University and the University of Oxford reveals a potential link between head trauma and the activation of dormant viruses in the brain, which may lead to long-term neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.&nbsp; The findings, published in the journal Science Signaling, suggest that early preventive treatments using antiviral drugs could help mitigate these risks. Hidden threat of dormant viruses Our...

According to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.18262">New Phytologist</a>, Lantana strigocamara&nbsp;– a highly invasive horticultural herb or shrub native to Central and South America - is the second-ever documented case of a plant creating blue-colored fruits with layered fat molecules, using a trick of light called “structural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/true-color-ancient-insects/">color</a>.”



Structural color is very common among animals. It is what gives many butterflies their bright blue coloring, or the peacock’s otherwise brown feathers their brilliant greens. This optical illusion of sorts is produced by microscopically structured surfaces fine enough to interfere with light, and is very rare in the plant world. Until now, only six species of plants have been found to produce their fruits’ hues using structural color.



What makes L. strigocamara special is that it creates this structural color in the skin of its berries by using layers of lipid molecules, or fats – a phenomenon previously documented in only one other plant species, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/science/blue-fruits-viburnum.html">Viburnum tinus</a>. To create their unique colors, L. strigocamara’s blue fruits use microscopic structures in their skin to manipulate light and reflect the wavelengths human eyes perceive as blue, giving them a distinctive metallic finish.&nbsp;



Thus, structurally-colored berries have no color within themselves: when they are peeled and held up to the light, for instance, they look completely translucent. However, when placed against a dark background, they look blue again, due to nanostructures on their surface that are responsible for reflecting the color.



The scientists argue that, in evolutionary terms, structural coloring may help with seed dispersal, which could explain the fact that the handful of plants known to use this strategy are highly invasive and spread all over the world. By providing a strong contrast with the surrounding foliage, the mechanic, shiny nature of their fruit perhaps attracts animals to eat them and spread their seeds. Moreover, this theory could also fit with the fact that humans are highly interested in using these plants in horticulture.&nbsp;



“The fact that they made their way into horticulture suggests that we are susceptible to the same things are that other animals find attractive about them,” explained study co-author Stacey Smith, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado, Boulder</a>. “We're like, oh, look at that sparkly, cute thing. I should put that in my garden.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



However, another evolutionary explanation could be that the thick, fatty layer that creates the color is a protective mechanism for the plant, providing defenses against pathogens or improving the structural integrity of the fruit.



Scientists hope that, as more structurally colored fruits are discovered, they will manage to learn more about the evolutionary prompts for this fascinating mechanism. According to study lead author Miranda Sinnott-Armstrong, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Boulder, so few of such plants have been found until now simply because people were not actively looking for them. “They're out there. We just haven’t seen them all yet,” she concluded.



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

Blue berries found to manipulate light using structural color

According to a new study published in the journal New...

Antarctica is dominated by ice, mainly two massive glacial ice sheets called the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets. Unsurprisingly, these ice sheets have been losing mass in recent years.&nbsp;Two glaciers within these ice sheets - the Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers - are especially threatened. Scientists estimate that at the current melt rates, the ice sheets together will add as much as 3.4 meters to rising sea levels in the coming centuries.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Now, new research led by the <a href="https://umaine.edu/">University of Maine</a> and the British Antarctic Survey has measured the rates of sea level change around Antarctica. The research shows something disturbing. The glaciers have been retreating at rates not seen for 5,500 years. Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers have lost 192,000 square kilometers and 162,300 square kilometers, respectively. These glaciers alone could add significantly to global sea level rises.&nbsp;



“We reveal that although these vulnerable glaciers were relatively stable during the past few millennia, their current rate of retreat is accelerating and already raising global sea level," said study co-author Dr Dylan Rood, an expert in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a>.



"These currently elevated rates of ice melting may signal that those vital arteries from the heart of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet have been ruptured, leading to accelerating flow into the ocean that is potentially disastrous for future global sea level in a warming world. Is it too late to stop the bleeding?"



During the mid Holocene, more than 5,000 years ago, the earth’s climate was much warmer than it is today. Because of the warmer climate, the scientists wanted to look at the sea levels to compare them to what may be our future. To look at the sea levels, the researchers studied sea shells and penguin bones, indicators of sea levels. Using carbon dating, they were able to pinpoint these remains in time.&nbsp;



Interestingly, sea levels in Antarctica seemed to be lower during the warmer period while at the same time higher globally. This is because the weight of glacial ice pushes land down, causing it to ride lower in the water and ride higher when the ice melts away, relieving the pressure.&nbsp;



Overall, the researchers have been able to see a drop in sea levels for Antarctica as the glaciers melted but a rise in sea levels nearly everywhere else. To further understand the phenomenon and hopefully find possible solutions, the scientists plan to carry out more research.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</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

Antarctic glaciers are melting at highest rate in 5,500 years

Antarctica is dominated by ice, mainly two massive glacial ice...

Scientists’ understanding of the Earth’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-evidence-suggests-earths-inner-core-is-rotating/">inner core</a> – a hot, dense ball of solid iron the size of the planet Pluto – has expanded dramatically over the past three decades. In a new study, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://dornsife.usc.edu/">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences</a> has found that the inner core oscillates, contradicting previously proposed models that suggested it consistently rotates at a faster rate than the Earth’s surface. 



By analyzing seismic data, the experts discovered that the inner core changed direction in the six-year period from 1969 to 1974, a phenomenon that also explains the variation in the length of day that has been shown to oscillate persistently during the past few decades.



“From our findings, we can see the Earth’s surface shifts compared to its inner core, as people have asserted for 20 years,” said study co-author John E. Vidale, a professor of Earth Sciences at USC Dornsife. “However, our latest observations show that the inner core spun slightly slower from 1969-71 and then moved the other direction from 1971-74. We also note that the length of day grew and shrank as would be predicted. The coincidence of those two observations makes oscillation the likely interpretation.”



By analyzing seismic waves generated from Soviet underground nuclear bomb tests from 1971 to 1974 in the Arctic archipelago Novaya Zemlya, Professor Vidale and his colleagues found that the inner core rotated slower than previously predicted (approximately 0.1 degrees per year). Applying the same methodology to a pair of earlier atomic tests beneath Amchitka Island at the tip of the Alaskan archipelago, the researchers were surprised to discover that the inner core had reversed direction, sub-rotating at least a tenth of degree per year.



“The idea the inner core oscillates was a model that was out there, but the community has been split on whether it was viable,” Professor Vidale explained. “We went into this expecting to see the same rotation direction and rate in the earlier pair of atomic tests, but instead we saw the opposite. We were quite surprised to find that it was moving in the other direction.” These findings support the hypothesis that the inner core oscillates based on variations in the length of day (plus or minus 0.2 seconds during six years) and geomagnetic fields.



“The inner core is not fixed — it’s moving under our feet, and it seems to going back and forth a couple of kilometers every six years. One of the questions we tried to answer is, does the inner core progressively move or is it mostly locked compared to everything else in the long term? We’re trying to understand how the inner core formed and how it moves over time — this is an important step in better understanding this process,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm9916">Science Advances</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

Scientists find proof that the Earth’s inner core oscillates

Scientists’ understanding of the Earth’s inner core – a hot,...

Due to climate change, the frequency of extreme weather phenomena, such as droughts, fires, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flash-floods-are-set-to-become-much-more-common-in-the-u-s/">floods</a> has significantly increased. Floods have a highly negative impact on agriculture, with scientists estimating that about 15 percent of global crop losses are due to flooding. 



However, an international team of experts has now found that a signaling molecule can make plants more resistant to flooding: the gaseous plant hormone ethylene causes plants to switch on a type of emergency power system helping them survive the lack of oxygen during flooding.



Plant species differ greatly in their ability to withstand long periods of flooding. “In the case of potatoes, the roots die after two days due to a lack of oxygen. Rice plants are much more resistant, able to survive their entire lives in waterlogged paddy fields,” explained study co-author Sjon Hartman, an expert in Plant Biology at the <a href="https://uni-freiburg.de/">University of Freiburg</a>.&nbsp;



Professor Hartman and his colleagues used Arabidopsis thaliana – a model organism for plant research - to examine how plants cope with flooding conditions. By placing Arabidopsis seedlings in a bell jar without light or oxygen and exposing them to ethylene gas, they found that the plants stopped root growth and switched energy production in the cells to oxygen-free metabolic processes. 



Moreover, the ethylene also seemed to protect the cells against harmful oxygen radicals which accumulate in oxygen-deprived plants.



“Plants notice that they are surrounded by water because the gas ethylene, which all plant cells produce, can no longer escape into the air,” said Professor Hartman. “Taken together, these rearrangements that ethylene triggers improve plant survival during and after flooding. As we better understand these signaling pathways, we can learn to make crops more resilient to flooding to combat climate change.”



Further research is needed to identify which species of plants are using these flood survival mechanisms, and to clarify how such processes could be artificially reproduced by scientists to improve the resilience of species that are less adapted to extreme weather conditions.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/plphys/advance-article/doi/10.1093/plphys/kiac245/6595039">Plant Physiology</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

What makes some plants resistant to flooding?

Due to climate change, the frequency of extreme weather phenomena,...

A new study has found that women can have a longer lifespan - beyond the age of 90 - with higher levels of optimism. This association was made across racial and ethnic groups in a study led by researchers at <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a>.



“Although optimism itself may be affected by social structural factors, such as race and ethnicity, our research suggests that the benefits of optimism may hold across diverse groups,” said study lead author Hayami Koga, a PhD candidate in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences.



“A lot of previous work has focused on deficits or risk factors that increase the risks for diseases and premature death. Our findings suggest that there’s value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups.”



Previously, the research group found that optimism was linked to a longer lifespan and longevity. However, this study only looked at white populations.&nbsp;



This time around, the participant pool was broadened to include women from various racial and ethnic groups. Including diverse participants in public health research helps to inform policy decisions.&nbsp;



For the investigation, the researchers analyzed data and survey responses from 159,255 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative, which included women aged 50–79 from 1993 to 1998. These individuals were followed for up to 26 years.&nbsp;



The results of the analysis showed that the 25 percent of women who were the most optimistic were likely to have a 5.4 percent longer lifespan and a 10 percent greater likelihood of living beyond 90 years.



No interactions were found between optimism and race or ethnicity, even after taking into account demographics, chronic conditions, and depression. The results may encourage people to reconsider decisions that affect their health.&nbsp;



“We tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health,” said Koga. “It is also important to think about the positive resources such as optimism that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups.”



The Women’s Health Initiative is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services.



The research is published in the <a href="https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15325415">Journal of the American Geriatrics Society</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

Optimism appears to help women live longer

A new study has found that women can have a...

Throughout history, philosophers have long debated whether <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-pass-on-gut-microbes-to-urban-wildlife/">humans</a> are innately good. New research from Japan has found that infants can act on moral judgments, shedding light on the origin of morality.



Researchers at <a href="https://www.osaka-u.ac.jp/en">Osaka University</a> revealed that 8-month-old infants can punish antisocial behavior exhibited by others. This led the experts to conclude that the motivation driving punishment might be intrinsic as opposed to learned.



Across all cultures, punishing antisocial behavior is only found in humans. However, how we develop moral behavior is not well understood as it can be difficult to examine decision making in infants. The researchers at Osaka University aimed to address this.&nbsp;



“Morality is an important but mysterious part of what makes us human,” said study lead author of Yasuhiro Kanakogi. “We wanted to know whether third-party punishment of antisocial others is present at a very young age, because this would help to signal whether morality is learned.”



For the investigation, the experts developed a new research paradigm. First, infants were familiarized with a computer system that displayed animations on a screen. The infants could control the actions on the screen using a gaze-tracking system -&nbsp; looking at an object for a sufficient period of time led to the destruction of the object.&nbsp;



The infants then watched a video where one geometric agent appeared to “hurt” another, and watched whether the infants “punished” the antisocial geometric agent by gazing at it. The results showed that infants chose to punish the aggressor by increasing their gaze towards the aggressor.&nbsp;



“The observation of this behavior in very young children indicates that humans may have acquired behavioral tendencies toward moral behavior during the course of evolution,” said Kanakogi. Punishing antisocial behaviour could have evolved from the importance of cooperation.&nbsp;



This could be a turning point in infant cognitive research and the study of decision making. Previous research has relied on third party observations to study infant cognition. The eye-gaze paradigm allows for observation of active decision making in infants.



The research model could be useful in future learning about cognitive abilities in infants, and could put an end to the nature vs. nurture debate.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/">Nature Human Behaviour</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

Are humans born with a moral compass?

Throughout history, philosophers have long debated whether humans are innately...

According to a study published in 2021 in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-021-00955-3">Nature</a>, a genetic variant inherited from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetic-variant-linked-to-both-covid-risk-and-hiv-protection/">Neanderthals</a> – an ancient population of hominids that lived in Eurasia between 200,000 and 35,000 years ago - may have increased the risk factors for developing severe Covid-19 for a significant number of the world’s population.&nbsp;



A modification in the gene called LZTFL1&nbsp;- which is believed to act on lung cells – seems to have a significant role in boosting the production of a lung surface protein which the coronavirus uses to latch onto and spread to the lungs, leading to pneumonia and sometimes even death. Nowadays, this genetic quirk seems to be more common in people of south Asian origin, a feature which could partially explain the high death toll in India during the devastating Delta wave in 2021.&nbsp;



Now, James Davies, a professor of Genomics at the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> and one of the experts that identified this gene, has argued at the <a href="https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/science">Cheltenham Science Festival</a> that this mutation has probably emerged from a single “romantic liaison” between a Neanderthal and a member of our species about 60,000 years ago.&nbsp;



“If you stop and think about it, this comes from a single interspecies relationship and a single child. And if the dinner date between the human and the Neanderthal had gone wrong, we would have had a much better time in Covid, and had hundreds of thousands fewer deaths,” Professor Davies explained.



Since the average Neanderthal group size is estimated to have been about 20 to 25 individuals, the chances of Neanderthals bumping into each other, let alone Homo sapiens, were probably very low, making the sexual encounter that introduced the Covid-related gene into modern humans a remarkable event. Moreover, genetic analyses which found that many people with high-risk of severe Covid have exactly the same 28 differences in the “letters” making up their genetic code suggest that they all descended from the same two people, rather than from a variety of interbreeding Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.&nbsp;



“We think it’s a single romantic liaison, and the reason we know that is that it’s inherited as this block with 28 single-letter changes, and you can track that all the way back and it has to be a single event,” explained Professor Davies. Asked for a rough estimate of how many people may have died of Covid as a result of this single, 60,000-year-old interspecies sexual encounter, Davies provided a rather grim figure: “It’s in the hundreds of thousands to a million.”



“I want you to keep in mind, when we start thinking about the time when Neanderthals and Homo sapiens bumped into each other and went on that dinner date, just how far back in time this was, and 60,000-odd years later, we are seeing the impact of that encounter in the world today in more severe forms of Covid,” concluded Simon Underdown, a professor of Biological Anthropology at <a href="https://www.brookes.ac.uk/">Oxford Brookes University</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

Severe Covid linked to a Neanderthal genetic variant

According to a study published in 2021 in the journal...

Certain species become emblems for nature organizations and conservation projects because they attract the attention of people and help them connect to the natural world. Charismatic species, such as plants with beautiful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invisible-colors-in-sunflowers-dont-only-attract-bees/">flowers</a> or large, impressive mammals are often used to capture the imagination of the public and raise funds for protecting endangered species and threatened ecosystems.&nbsp;



Wild cherry trees and their iconic blossoms have featured in the culture of Japanese people since ancient times. They are represented in ancient writings, plays, arts and festivals, and therefore have a unique significance in connecting people in Japan to the world of nature. For this reason, the Sakuragawa city government chose wild cherries as a symbol for the promotion of local development. The city has long been renowned for the beautiful scenery of its wild cherry species,&nbsp;Cerasus jamasakura and&nbsp;Cerasus leveilleana, so it was logical to choose this symbol to support the city’s projects in Satoyama forest management and environmental education.&nbsp;&nbsp;



However, wild cherries symbolize different things to different people and so it was important to understand the diverse value perceptions of wild cherries and the ecosystem services they provide. In a new study by researchers from the University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, the perceptions of three social groups towards wild cherry trees and their value were investigated. The survey focused particularly on people’s understanding of Satoyama ecosystems, which is where forests (that include wild cherry trees) are managed for the use of people and nature in harmony. Satoyama forests are common around Sakuragawa city and they are the focus of the city’s forest management projects.&nbsp;



“Understanding how people perceive the value of symbolic species’ ecosystem services is crucial because these perceptions often affect how land is managed,” said study co-author Professor Ikuyo Saeki. “These perspectives are also key to sustaining links between people and nature, and must be examined if we are to successfully transition to more sustainable societies.”



The researchers used questionnaires to survey 321 participants who were in three categories – adult residents, visiting tourists and high school pupils. Apart from answering questions about themselves and their understanding of Satoyama forests, the participants were asked which of the following eight values of ecosystem services provided by wild cherries they perceive to be important: history, recreation, economy, aesthetic in spring, aesthetic in fall, biodiversity, education, and culture. Their knowledge of the differences between wild cherries and common cultivars was also assessed.&nbsp;



The results, published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26395916.2022.2065359">Ecosystems and People</a>, revealed interesting differences between the groups. First, local residents and tourists favored wild cherries more than they did the common cultivar, and the majority of them had basic knowledge of wild cherries and Satoyama. In contrast, many of the high school students did not seem to recognize the difference between wild cherries and the cultivar, and could not describe the characteristics of Satoyama. These results indicate that high school students have limited knowledge of and experience with wild cherries.&nbsp;



In addition, the residents and tourists placed most value on the ecosystem service termed ‘aesthetic in spring’, when evaluating the role of wild cherry trees, although they also highlighted the historical value of these trees. The high school students, in contrast, ranked multiple values equally, such that no one ecosystem value stood out as more important than the others. The sites renowned for their wild cherry scenery were highly valued by local residents and tourists, but not by students, who placed more value on urbanized areas.



According to the study authors, the results suggest most of the students were not able to discriminate among the values due to limited knowledge of wild cherries. "A majority of students commuted from outside of the city and expressed little interest in outdoor recreation. Thus, they likely had fewer opportunities to learn about and visit wild cherry sites in Sakuragawa city compared to residents and tourists.”



The researchers draw two important conclusions from their findings. For successful conservation of Satoyama forests in future, it will be important to share the diverse values, which are appreciated by local residents and knowledgeable visitors, with younger generations. This could be done through education and taking high school pupils on outings to the forests, instead of focusing on places of historical and cultural significance in the urban environment.&nbsp;



In addition, the wild cherry and its blossoms could be a successful symbol of local conservation projects as this tree is highly visible in the Satoyama forests and is a key species in the ecosystem. The maintenance of Satoyama landscapes is challenging because it requires a large labor force and cooperation from land owners and local communities, and the use of wild cherries as a symbol would serve to attract people’s attention and encourage their consistent support of conservation work.&nbsp;



“While symbolic species enhance the way people value nature, filling gaps in knowledge and ensuring that a variety of values are shared within local communities is key to the promotion of community-based management of wild cherry landscapes,” said Professor Saeki.



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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

Cherry blossom emblems could unite people to save forests

Certain species become emblems for nature organizations and conservation projects...

Although the Covid-19 pandemic had a highly disruptive effect on global health and economy, it also reduced carbon emissions in 2020 by six to seven percent. Many governments worldwide have now invested in recovery plans to stimulate the economy and support employment. However, these measures could affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/impacts-of-methane-emissions-are-greatly-underestimated/">emissions</a> for years to come.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.pbl.nl/en">PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency</a> has argued that, if recovery packages would focus on accelerating the transition to low-carbon energy production and improving energy efficiency in industry, a long-lasting reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from energy production and industrial processes could be achieved. According to the experts, a one percent global GDP investment could reduce global CO2 emissions by six to 8.5 percent by the end of this decade.&nbsp;



“After successfully analyzing the results of the pandemic on global emissions in a previous modelling study, we thought it would be an interesting exercise to investigate the possible effects of a targeted economic recovery focused on ‘green’ measures and policies,” said study lead author Ioannis Dafnomilis, an expert in climate change mitigation at PBL.&nbsp;



“At that time, governments had announced numerous recovery measures, but the focus was mostly on economic recovery in general. To our knowledge, we are still the only scientific team to investigate a green recovery from Covid using a multi-model approach.”



By focusing on investments in areas that directly support emissions reduction in energy production and industrial processes, Dr. Dafnomilis and his colleagues have modelled an investment plan over three years. The analysis revealed that even a temporary stimulus package could potentially achieve long-lasting reductions of CO2 emissions by driving the low-carbon transition in the energy, transportation, and industry sectors.&nbsp;



“The share of renewables in total electricity generation is projected to increase, uptake of electric vehicles is accelerated, and energy savings in industry and building sectors lead to additional emission reductions. Our findings showcase the multiple benefits a green recovery stimulus can have, in terms of minimizing CO2 emissions from energy production and industry and upscaling low-carbon technologies,” said Dr. Dafnomilis.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



However, the scientists stressed that an investment increase in low-carbon technologies of only three years is insufficient to change the trajectory of global emissions on its own. This investment should be combined with strong climate policies aiming to limit the production and consumption of fossil fuels. Moreover, the green recovery packages will need to be tailored for each specific country in order to maximize sustainability and socio-economic benefits.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.840933">Frontiers in Climate</a>.&nbsp;



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

Green recovery from Covid could greatly reduce CO2 emissions

Although the Covid-19 pandemic had a highly disruptive effect on...

According to an international team of climate scientists, even if societies curb greenhouse gas emissions and manage to reach a “net zero” scenario by mid-century – as many countries pledged in the Paris Agreement in 2015 – slow emerging changes such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-ocean-temperatures-are-steadily-rising/">deep ocean warming</a> and sea-level rise will continue long afterward due to a phenomenon called “ocean thermal inertia.” Thus, climate actions need to be established at multiple time scales, taking into account developments over larger, centuries-long periods.&nbsp;



The global ocean, which covers about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, is slower both to absorb and release heat than land. Moreover, its enormous mass and heat capacity makes it much more capable of storing heat than land or even air, turning it into the most important controlling component of the Earth’s climate.&nbsp;



This “ocean thermal inertia” offers both good and bad news with respect to global warming. While our planet would heat up much faster without oceans, the oceans will keep on warming for a long time, even if we manage to stop emissions completely by mid-century: like a speeding train taking time to slow down once the brakes are hit, the climate system will continue to change for a considerable time afterwards, as heat is transported downwards into deeper ocean waters.



“This process means that while surface warming may stabilize at about 1.5-2°C when global emissions reach net-zero emissions, sub-surface ocean warming will continue for at least hundreds of years, yet we normally only talk about climate action on the scale of a few decades to the end of the century at the most,”&nbsp;explained study lead author John Abraham, a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the <a href="https://www.stthomas.edu/">University of St. Thomas</a> in Minnesota. “That needs to change.”&nbsp;



“Changes to the ocean will also continue to impact extreme weather over these longer periods, as well as sea-level rise,” added study co-author Lijing Cheng, an ocean and climate scientist at the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn/">Institute of Atmospheric Physics</a> from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “And infiltration of sea water into fresh water supplies can affect coastal food supplies, aquifers, and local economies. Other impacts that are connected to ocean warming and so need to be considered for the very long term include more damaging storm surges, coastal erosion, marine heatwaves, ocean acidification, and marine oxygen depletion.”



Moreover, key decision-makers, city planners, and vulnerable communities should also take into account the possibility of “high impact, low probability” events, such as an abrupt slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), passing a tipping point for losing an ice sheet, massive methane emissions from the seafloor or thawing permafrost, or abrupt shifts in ocean ecosystems, including major extinction events.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674283422000964?via%3Dihub#!">Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters</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

Ocean warming will likely continue for centuries

According to an international team of climate scientists, even if...

Polar reversals have happened before, and although the average time between them has been 200,000 years, these events occur at irregular intervals. There is a strange and mysterious zone in the South Atlantic where the strength of the magnetic field is waning quickly. This odd phenomenon has led some to speculate that the Earth’s magnetic field is moving towards flipping or reversing itself. Now, a new study shows that a polar reversal is unlikely any time soon. 



Over the last 180 years, Earth’s magnetic field has decreased as the strange area in the South Atlantic with a weak magnetic field has grown in size. This spot often causes satellites to falter due to exposure to highly charged particles from the sun and is known as the “South Atlantic anomaly."&nbsp;



“We have mapped changes in the Earth’s magnetic field over the past 9,000 years, and anomalies like the one in the South Atlantic are probably recurring phenomena linked to corresponding variations in the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field," said study co-author Andreas Nilsson, a geologist at <a href="https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/">Lund University</a>.



The researchers were able to map the magnetic field by looking at volcanic rock samples, core drillings, even clay pots heated to temperatures over 580 degrees celsius. When rocks are heated to such temperatures, the liquid magnetic components align themselves with the Earth’s magnetic field. As the rocks cool, they harden into a snapshot of the magnetic field at the time. 



“We have developed a new modeling technique that connects these indirect observations from different time periods and locations into one global reconstruction of the magnetic field over the past 9,000 years," said Nilsson.



With this magnetic field record in hand, the scientists were able to compare the modern magnetic field, anomalies included with past iterations and come to the conclusion that a reversal is not imminent,&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Based on similarities with the recreated anomalies, we predict that the South Atlantic Anomaly will probably disappear within the next 300 years, and that Earth is not heading towards a polarity reversal," concluded Nilsson.



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

Earth's magnetic field is not likely to reverse any time soon

Polar reversals have happened before, and although the average time...

Scientists have recently identified <a href="https://news.osu.edu/ocean-water-samples-yield-treasure-trove-of-rna-virus-data/">5,500 marine RNA virus species</a>. The study has revealed that several of these species could drive carbon absorbed from the atmosphere to be stored on the ocean floor.



A small portion of these newly identified species had “stolen” genes from organisms they infected, helping researchers identify their hosts and functions in marine processes. This research is leading to a fuller understanding of the role these tiny particles play in the ocean ecosystem.



“The findings are important for model development and predicting what is happening with carbon in the correct direction and at the correct magnitude,” said Ahmed Zayed, a research scientist at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a> and co-first author of the study.



Lead author Matthew Sullivan envisions identifying viruses that, when engineered on a massive scale, could function as controllable “knobs” affecting how carbon in the ocean is stored.



“As humans put more carbon into the atmosphere, we’re dependent on the massive buffering capacity of the ocean to slow climate change. We’re growing more and more aware that we might need to tune the pump at the scale of the ocean,” said Sullivan.



“We’d be interested in viruses that could tune toward a more digestible carbon, which allows the system to grow, produce bigger and bigger cells, and sink. And if it sinks, we gain another few hundred or a thousand years from the worst effects of climate change.”



These RNA viruses were detected in plankton samples collected by the <a href="https://fondationtaraocean.org/en/home/">Tara Oceans Consortium</a>, a global study on the impact of climate change on the ocean. The research project aims to predict how the ocean will respond to climate change by understanding the organisms that absorb half of human-generated carbon in the atmosphere and produce half of the oxygen we breathe.



These marine viral species infect organisms using their cellular machinery to make copies of themselves. While this is bad for the host, the virus could generate environmental benefits, such as reducing a harmful algal bloom.



As a result of the statistical analysis, the study revealed that while warmer regions usually are more biodiverse, the diversity of RNA viral species was higher than expected in the Arctic and Antarctic.



“When it comes to diversity, viruses don’t care about the temperature,” said co-first author Guillermo Dominguez-Huerta. “There were more apparent interactions between viruses and cellular life in polar areas. That tells us the high diversity we’re looking at in polar areas is basically because we have more viral species competing for the same host. We see fewer species of hosts but more viral species infecting the same hosts.”



The viruses were also found to integrate themselves into genomes accidentally. “When it happens, it’s a clue about the host because if you find a virus signal within a host genome, it’s because at some point the virus was inside the cell,” Dominguez-Huerta said.



The experts found that RNA viruses mostly infect fungi and microbial eukaryotes and invertebrates. Only a tiny fraction of the viruses infect bacteria.



Further analysis identified 1,243 RNA virus species connected to carbon export. Eleven species were involved in promoting carbon export to the bottom of the sea. Of those, two viruses linked to hosts in the algae family were selected as the most promising targets for follow-up.



“I’m envisioning our use of AMGs and these viruses that are predicted to infect particular hosts to actually dial up those metabolic maps toward the carbon we need. It’s through that metabolic activity that we probably need to act.” said Sullivan.



Sullivan, Dominguez-Huerta and Zayed are also team members in the <a href="https://emerge-bii.github.io/people/">EMERGE Biology Integration Institute</a> at Ohio State.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn6358?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D55374184033133270110813161660133997534%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1654732824">Science</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

Marine viruses may help slow climate change

Scientists have recently identified 5,500 marine RNA virus species. The...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[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

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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