A recent scientific breakthrough reveals the profound influence of human breast milk on the health of an infant. In a nutshell, our body's most natural nourishment for newborns, breast milk, is found to have a protective effect against asthma by shaping the baby's microbiome during the first year of life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mother-s-milk-natural-pacemaker-for-infants">Mother's milk: Natural pacemaker for infants</h2>



You might wonder why breast milk is a big deal. Well, the answer lies in our body's complex community of microorganisms, known as the microbiome. 



A recent study led by NYU Langone Health and the <a href="https://umanitoba.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Manitoba</a> shows that breastfeeding for more than three months supports the gradual maturation of the microbiome in the infant's digestive system and nasal cavity. 



Stopping breastfeeding before this period disrupts this development process, leading to a higher risk of preschool asthma.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breast-milk-and-the-microbiome">Breast milk and the microbiome</h2>



Human breast <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/engineered-gmo-plants-make-baby-formula-healthy-as-breast-milk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">milk</a> isn't just about nutrition. It is also about promoting the right microbes in the infant's gut and nasal cavity. 



Some components in breast milk, like complex sugars called human milk oligosaccharides, can only be broken down with the help of certain microbes. 



This gives a leg-up to these microbes over others, creating a specialized microbiome environment within the infant.



Early weaning from breast milk, on the other hand, leads to a different set of microbes thriving, ones that help digest formula components.



These microbes eventually colonize all babies, but their early arrival is linked to an increased risk of asthma.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breast-milk-for-asthma-prevention">Breast milk for asthma prevention</h2>



Study co-senior investigator Dr. Liat Shenhav is an assistant professor at <a href="https://med.nyu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NYU Grossman School of Medicine</a> in the Institute for Systems Genetics and the Department of Microbiology.



“Just as a pacemaker regulates the rhythm of the heart, breastfeeding and human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thc-from-cannabis-use-lingers-breast-milk-new-mothers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">milk</a> set the pace and sequence for microbial colonization in the infant’s gut and nasal cavity, ensuring that this process occurs in an orderly and timely manner,” said Dr. Shenhav. 



“Healthy microbiome development is not only about having the right microbes. They also need to arrive in the right order at the right time."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microbiome-asthma-and-breast-milk">Microbiome, asthma, and breast milk</h2>



This is the part where science gets interesting. Breastfed children had a later appearance of a bacterial species called Ruminococcus gnavus in their guts compared to formula-fed babies. 



This bacterium is related to the production of molecules called short-chain fatty acids, and the formation and breakdown of the amino acid tryptophan.



Both of these processes have ties to immune system regulation and disruption, including an increased asthma risk.



Through tracking the changes in the infants' microbiomes and their mothers' breastfeeding habits, the researchers were able to identify breastfeeding duration as a crucial determinant of the child's microbial makeup. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-valuable-insights-through-machine-learning">Valuable insights through machine learning</h2>



The team also created a machine-learning model that predicted asthma years in advance based on these microbial patterns and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-triggers-the-release-of-breast-milk-in-mothers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">milk components</a>. The primary way breastfeeding reduces asthma risk, they found, is through shaping the infant's microbiome.



“The algorithms we developed provide valuable insights into microbial dynamics during an infant’s first year of life and how these microbes interacted with the infant,” said Dr. Shenhav.



These insights allowed the team to move beyond identifying associations, enhancing their ability to make predictions and explore causal relationships.



“Our research highlights the profound impact of breastfeeding on the infant microbiome and breastfeeding’s essential role in supporting respiratory health,” Shenhav explained.



By uncovering the mechanisms behind the protective effects of breast milk, as demonstrated in this study, scientists aim to inform national guidelines on breastfeeding and weaning from breast milk in a data-driven manner.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-milestone-in-infant-health-research">Milestone in infant health research</h2>



The research has been supported through a variety of grants and programs, including the National Institutes of Health and the <a href="https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/home-accueil-eng.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canada Research Chair Program</a>.



The study was a part of the CHILD Cohort Study, which has been studying the same 3,500 Canadian children at different life stages, starting from the womb and stretching into adolescence.



The tireless efforts of a large, dedicated group of investigators from various institutions have made this research possible. 



The experts have provided valuable insights into the complex dynamics of the microbiome in an infant's first year of life, showing us how important mother's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nutrition-for-neurons-the-role-of-breast-milk-in-shaping-our-brains/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">milk</a> are for respiratory health and asthma prevention.



This is a reminder that sometimes, the most natural solutions are the most effective ones.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00782-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cell</a>.



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Breast milk is crucial for microbiome development in babies

A recent scientific breakthrough reveals the profound influence of human breast milk on the health of an infant. In a nutshell, our body's most natural nourishment for newborns, breast milk, is found to have a protective effect against asthma by shaping the baby's microbiome during the first year of life. Mother's milk: Natural pacemaker for infants You might wonder why breast milk is a big deal. Well, the answer lies in our body's complex community of microorganisms, known as the microbiome. A recent study led by NYU...

The trade in traditional “medicines” has severely hurt the population of wild tigers. Meanwhile, there has been a boom in the demand for tiger farms.&nbsp;



At these farms, the striped cats are raised as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-discovered-in-the-blood-of-livestock/">livestock</a> to be sold and cooked in high pressure cookers to dissolve their skeletons and create “tiger bone glue.” In 2017, the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) identified over 200 tiger farms, mainly in Vietnam, China and Thailand.



The EIA found that across all of the tiger farms, there were somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 tigers, more than twice the estimated wild population. Tiger glue producers buy cubs from farms, raising the cats until they’re large enough to be killed and their bones cooked down. The tiger bone glue is then sold for as much as $15,000 per kilogram.&nbsp;



Because of the illicit nature of the business, little has been known about the buyers of tiger bone glue. Dang Vu Hoai Nam, a PhD Fellow at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>, has used networking and hard work to track down some of the buyers.&nbsp;



"Among other things, we gained access to the tennis and golf clubs where many of these buyers spend time. These people are from Vietnam’s most affluent class, typically senior citizens who earn about 15 times as much as the average Vietnamese person," said Hoai Nam.



Together with a research assistant, Hoai Nam tracked down 228 buyers and tiger bone glue users. Because many of these users prefer tiger bone glue from wild animals, it seems unlikely that legalizing tiger farms will take pressure off of wild populations.&nbsp;



"Most of the buyers we interviewed prefer tiger bone glue from wild tigers over farmed ones because they believe wild bones are more potent, and thus provide better treatment for a host of musculoskeletal diseases. At the same time, buyers seek the highest possible tiger bone content in their mixture," said Hoai Nam.



Instead of legalization, Dang Vu Hoai Nam suggests tougher enforcement and more monitoring of tiger habitat as well as information campaigns explaining that tiger bone remedies are ineffective.&nbsp;



"Even with legalization, demand for wild tigers will remain strong. A third of our respondents are still willing to buy tigers poached in the wild, which will simply sustain the black market."



"Vulnerable countries should increase their investments in natural tiger habitats, the strengthening of police and park ranger forces, and information campaigns aimed at consumers that point them towards treatment alternatives which are more sustainable than tiger bones."



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1617138121001357">Journal for Nature Conservation</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

More tigers are in farms than in the wild

The trade in traditional “medicines” has severely hurt the population...

Being only a fraction of the size of the massive, cannibalistic female, the tiny male orb-weaving spider is facing significant challenges when searching for a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/albatrosses-are-divorcing-more-due-to-climate-change/">mate</a>. He must carefully enter her web and approach silently if he wants to escape being captured and eaten by his desired mate. Moreover, he is also forced to compete with other male spiders on the delicate arena of the web, where every wrong step could turn to be fatal.



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.ab.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior</a> and the <a href="https://www.weizmann.ac.il/pages/">Weizmann Institute of Science</a> has struggled for almost a decade to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics characterizing these intricate mating strategies.



“Our initial concept was to explore the idea that these spiders moving on the web behave like electrons orbiting a nucleus, or planets orbiting a star,”&nbsp;said study co-author Alex Jordan, an evolutionary biologist at Max Planck. Although the precise physics explaining spiders’ movements ultimately diverged from atomic or cosmic parallels, these metaphors proved very useful.&nbsp;



“Imagine electrons orbiting a nucleus, or a massive star in space, so large that it generates its own gravitational field pulling in objects around it—the giant, cannibalistic female can be thought of in the same way,” explained Jordan. “Now imagine smaller planets, satellites, or comets coming near this attractive force—these are our tiny, brave males.”&nbsp;



Like a cosmic collision that vaporizes a small planet caught in the force field of a large star, male spiders that approach the female too rapidly, or from a wrong angle, run the risk of turning into prey.&nbsp;



“Working in the rainforests of Panama, I’ve seen over-zealous males fall victim to the cannibalistic females many times, especially when they take the wrong path, or approach the female too fast,” said study co-author Sylvia Garza, a Master’s student at Max Planck.



The relationship between competing males can also be explained through cosmic metaphors. Just as the smaller planets have their own gravitational pulls, the males initially approach and attract each other, but as they come closer and closer, the attraction turns into repellence, and they will end up crashing into open fighting.



All this fascinating choreography does not require advanced intelligence. Instead, the surface of the web acts as a conduit for the physical vibrations spiders use to communicate and to balance risk and reward. The effective physical forces that males and females experience on the elastic surface of the web can help them solve intricate tasks that would otherwise require a much more complex cognitive machinery.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/49/e2106269118">Proceedings of the National Academy of Science</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 explain spiders’ complex mating choreography

Being only a fraction of the size of the massive,...

In the American population, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/moderate-sleep-reduces-the-risk-of-cognitive-decline/">sleep</a> deprivation has become a major public health concern, with only two-thirds of the adult population reporting the recommended 7–9 hours of sleep nightly. Cannabis is commonly used in the US as a sleep aid, despite there being mixed findings in the scientific literature in regard to its efficacy.



At the same time, cannabis use in North America has also increased dramatically. Approximately 45 million adults in the USA reported cannabis use in 2019, which is double the prevalence reported in the early 2000s. This increase is due in part to the widespread decriminalization of the drug during the past decade, but also due to research that shows cannabinoids may have therapeutic value in relieving pain, and in treating anxiety and sleep disorders. Evidence of the effective use of cannabis to normalize sleep patterns is, however, usually derived from small studies that show inconclusive results.&nbsp;



New research, published today in the online journal&nbsp;<a href="https://rapm.bmj.com/">Regional Anesthesia &amp; Pain Medicine</a> makes use of data on sleep duration and cannabis use from US adults who took part in the biennial National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for the years 2005 to 2018. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between cannabis use and nightly sleep duration in a nationally representative dataset.



"Despite the current literature demonstrating mixed effects of cannabis and various cannabinoid formulations on sleep architecture and quality, these agents are being increasingly used as both prescribed and unprescribed experimental therapies for sleep disturbances," said the study authors.&nbsp;



The researchers categorized participants as non-users of cannabis, or as recent users if they had used in the past 30 days. Among those, moderate users were defined as those who had used cannabis on fewer than 20 of those days, while heavy users were those who had used on 20 or more of the past 30 days.&nbsp;



Sleep duration was defined as short (less than 6 hours), optimal (6–9 hours), or long (more than 9 hours).&nbsp;Participants were asked whether they had difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping for too long in the past 2 weeks. They were also asked whether they had ever consulted a doctor about a sleep problem.



Surveys from a total of 21,729 participants were used in the analysis, and the researchers state that these people were representative of an estimated 146.5 million US adults. Of these participants, 3,132 (14.5%) reported that they had used cannabis in the preceding 30 days, while the rest were non-users.



The average nightly sleep duration for all participants was just less than 7 hours but recent users were 34 percent more likely to report short sleep and 56 percent more likely to report long sleep than non-users. They were also 31 percent more likely to report difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much in the preceding 2 weeks, and 29 percent more likely to have discussed a sleeping problem with a doctor.&nbsp;



Furthermore, moderate users were 47 percent more likely to sleep 9 or more hours a night compared with non-users, while heavy users were 76 percent more likely to experience long sleep. Heavy users were also 64 percent more likely to experience short sleep.



The analysis took into consideration other factors that could potentially influence the relationship, such as: age; race; educational attainment; weekly working hours; a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and coronary artery disease; weight (BMI); smoking; heavy alcohol use (4 or more drinks daily); and prescriptions for opioids, benzodiazepines, ‘Z drugs’ (approved for insomnia), barbiturates, other sedatives, and stimulants.



The findings indicate that recent cannabis use is linked to extremes of nightly sleep duration, with users being more likely to experience less than six hours or more than nine hours of sleep a night. No clear relationship between cannabis use and improved sleep patterns was observed.&nbsp;



“Our findings highlight the need to further characterize the sleep health of regular cannabis users in the population," wrote the study authors. "Sleep-wake physiology and regulation is complex and research about related endocannabinoid pathways is in its early stages.”



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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

Recent cannabis use linked extreme sleep patterns

In the American population, sleep deprivation has become a major...

In the early 1900s, Chestnut Blight was accidentally introduced to the United States. Over four decades, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-confirms-plastics-contribute-to-heart-disease/">disease</a> wiped out billions of chestnut trees in forests across the eastern part of the country.



A new study by researchers at the <a href="https://uconn.edu/">University of Connecticut</a> Global Environmental Remote Sensing (GERS) Laboratory is focused on finding new ways to detect forest infestations as early as possible. The experts are investigating the use of remote sensing technology to detect subtle changes in the landscape.



According to GERS director Professor Zhe Zhu, the factors that result in landscape changes are not always as stark as land conversion, but can still be dramatic owing to the interconnectedness of food webs and ecosystems. Remote sensing technology, like satellites, can help alert scientists to these processes.



Postdoctoral researcher Su Ye was the lead author on a recent study focused on mountain pine beetle and spruce beetle infestations of pine trees in Colorado. He collected data on the ground in affected forests.



Ye said that by the time the signs are visible and it is clear that land change is imminent, it is too late to intervene.



“The signal happens mostly in short-infrared bands, therefore we have to rely on remote sensing measurements like Landsat to detect the signal,” explained Ye. “If we can detect these subtle signals at an early stage and have early warnings for these potentially forest change in future, then maybe we can apply some forest management in a timely manner. For instance, infected trees can be removed to stop the expansion of beetles to some degree.”



“I make a metaphor to describe this subtle change detection,” said Professor Zhu. “It’s like you’re in a very noisy restaurant and someone’s calling your name, you want to hear it, but other voices are at about the similar volume. How can we detect anything when everything is similar as this change signal?”



An algorithm called CCDC is becoming a standard for analyzing a series of Landsat images. The UConn team set out to address the limitations of CCDC by developing a more tailored approach.



"CCDC is the acronym for Continuous Landcover Classification and Change Detection and has been used by a number of agencies," said Professor Zhu. "For one location - a single pixel - we can get dense time series observations with thousands of observations. We do a lot of preprocessing to remove cloud clouds, shadow, and snow and ice, we try to get a free, clear surface."



By combining the data he collected on the ground with Landsat data from the same location, Ye developed a method called PIDS, or Parameter optimization, Index selection, Dynamic stratified monitoring, and Spatial consideration. He included specific details about the infestation stage and how the color of the pine and spruce needles changes over time after infection. 



“PIDS is a framework to adapt CCDC to detect very user-targeted specific change,” explained Ye. "The framework lets the user specify their training samples for turning model parameters, as if we focus on the subtle change, we need to adjust our model parameters to capture the weak signals.”



Using PIDS, Ye said the researchers were able to detect signals of beetle infestation in the transition between two very subtle stages of infection where needles begin to change color, roughly one year after the beetle start to attack the trees. This is a significant improvement in sensitivity compared to using CCDC.&nbsp;



“PIDS is so good,” said Professor Zhu. “If you see the differences between PIDS and CCDC, PIDS is much better for those subtle change detections.”



“Remote sensing cannot directly do the decision making about the landscape and conversation, but as we are able to do it more near real-time, and at large-scale, this information can help with decisions and options," said study co-author Kexin Song.



"Forest management policy has shifted from the replacement or harvest of forest to maintaining good, healthy trees in their current condition. Now that we can apply detailed information about subtle change in the forest degradation with this information, we can try to reach out to see how this information can change people’s minds about management. It is important, and we’ll keep doing this work.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/remote-sensing-of-environment">Remote Sensing of Environment</a>.



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

Remote sensing can help detect forest infestations

In the early 1900s, Chestnut Blight was accidentally introduced to...

If nations taxed carbon and the revenue returned to their citizens, climate change could be limited to 2°C and poverty could be alleviated, according to new research published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>. In a best case scenario, the authors predict that such a plan could reduce global emissions by 60 percent by 2030.&nbsp;



“These results indicate that it is possible for a society to implement strong climate action without compromising goals for equity and development, but this requires a careful focus on equity in policymaking,” explained study co-author Mark Budolfson, associate member of the Center for Population-Level Bioethics at <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers</a>.



The key to the plan is returning carbon tax to the people evenly. Without this, the researchers caution a slower approach to climate change may be necessary because of the negative impact on the poor.&nbsp;



”The idea would be that rich households pay more because they emit more, but receive the same amount as poor households. In this way there is a net transfer to poorer households,” explained study co-author and senior <a href="https://iiasa.ac.at/">IIASA</a> researcher Fabian Wagner.



The results suggest that the best approach to climate change is to start with a fast reduction of carbon emissions initially, followed by a slower approach to carbon neutrality. In practice, such an approach should quickly lessen climate change and reduce poverty, while maintaining the carbon tax for future benefit as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Adopting strong climate policy need not entail a tradeoff where the people of today (and the poor in particularly) must sacrifice for the benefit of future generations,” said Budolfson.



The current research looked at the feasibility and speed of decarbonization, opinion and political will to back policy support, and the government’s ability to transfer taxes back to citizens.&nbsp;



The scientists feel future research efforts may focus on the distribution of tax revenues across various regions with different carbon taxes, as well as the effect of carbon tax on households with the same income level but different consumption patterns.



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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

Addressing climate change could help reduce poverty

If nations taxed carbon and the revenue returned to their...

The way in which we access and respond to current news on social <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-causes-depression-in-adults-too/">media</a> may inadvertently isolate us and place us in social groups with like-minded people. According to a study led by researchers at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a>, this leads to polarization of user networks and may add to the politically divisive environment currently prevailing in the U.S.



The team of scientists that included Christopher Tokita, a PhD student at Princeton, developed a model of complex contagion, and applied it to the way in which reaction to news coverage may spread and lead to online polarization. Complex contagion is the phenomenon seen on social media whereby users need multiple exposures to a new idea or innovation before they change their own behavior.



The model also makes use of the concept of “information cascades,” or the process whereby individuals observe and mimic the actions of others, thereby causing a wide online shift in behavior. This phenomenon is not unlike the collective behavior seen in schools of fish or insect swarms.



Working with <a href="https://spia.princeton.edu/faculty/aguess">Andy Guess</a>, assistant professor of politics and public affairs at the&nbsp;<a href="https://spia.princeton.edu/">Princeton School of Public and International Affairs</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://eeb.princeton.edu/people/corina-tarnita">Corina Tarnita</a>, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology with the&nbsp;<a href="https://eeb.princeton.edu/">Princeton Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology</a>, Tokita then tested the model’s predictions using data from real social networks on Twitter.



They examined 1,000 followers of each of four news outlets: CBS News, USA Today, Vox, and the Washington Examiner.&nbsp;CBC News and USA Today are mainstream news outlets known for fact-based reporting, while Vox and the Washington Examiner provide more slanted and agenda-based coverage. Over a six-week period in summer 2020, the researchers recorded who followed and unfollowed whom in order to track political and ideological shifts among social networks.&nbsp;



The findings showed that followers of CBS News and USA Today represented a more ideologically diverse group than followers of the other two media outlets. In addition, the followers of Vox and the Washington Examiner&nbsp;tended to lose political and ideological diversity among their own online connections faster than users who followed CBS News and USA Today. These trends indicate the potential for networks to become politically polarized by virtue of their online activities.&nbsp;



The researchers found that when people are less reactive to news, they continue to receive news feeds from a diversity of sources and their online environment therefore remains politically mixed. However, when users constantly react to and share articles from their preferred news sources, they are more likely to end up in a network of like-minded users and become politically isolated. The researchers refer to these homogeneous but isolated groups as “epistemic bubbles.”



The model shows that, once such a network group is formed, users in these bubbles tend to miss out on news articles, not only from other media outlets, but also from their own, preferred sources. This is because they seem to avoid what they deem “unimportant” news at the expense of missing out on subjectively important news.



“Our study shows that, even without social media algorithms, coverage from polarized news outlets is changing users’ social connections and pushing them unknowingly into so-called political ‘echo chambers,’ where they are surrounded by others who share their same political identity and beliefs,” said&nbsp;Tokita, who is now a data scientist at cybersecurity startup&nbsp;‘<a href="https://phylum.io/">Phylum</a>’. “Whether a user chooses to react to or ignore certain news posts can help determine if their social network will become ideologically homogenous or remain more diverse.”



Once a user has unwittingly ended up in a network of like-minded people, he or she can deepen the extent of the polarization by the action of ‘curating’ or managing online relationships. For example, when viral news stories are shared, users can conclude that some of the “friends” they follow on social media are misrepresenting the news as reported by their own preferred outlets.&nbsp;When users subsequently decide to “unfollow” untrustworthy connections they unintentionally sort themselves into polarized networks.



“It’s not hard to find evidence of polarized discourse on social media, but we know less about the mechanisms of how social media can drive people apart. Our contribution is to show that polarization of online social networks emerges naturally as people curate their feeds. Counterintuitively, this can occur even without knowing other users' partisan identities,” Guess said.&nbsp;



Although it is likely that the divisions currently evident in American politics are due to many factors, online interactions have doubtless contributed by influencing human behavior and relationships. The study’s results show that blatant knowledge of political ideology or alignment is not necessary for social networks to become politically segregated for users.



The research team advocates for further investigation into how these trends may contribute to the spread and consumption of “fake news” and misinformation, and how inaccurate news fuels political division among members of the public. For example, the study suggests that people who consume and share fake news might be inadvertently isolating themselves from everyone else who follows mainstream sources.



“Though derived from a simple theoretical model of collective dynamics, our results demonstrate the power of a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of political polarization. We hope that they may inspire future examinations into social network-specific algorithms and patterns as potential contributors to societal polarization,” Tarnita said.



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



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

Social media behavior groups people into opposing networks

The way in which we access and respond to current...

As part of an ongoing saga of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) removing wild horses from public land in favor of private grazing interests, <a href="http://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=NUV7kTaSJeqTXZQ8Bosj22KFILO8e0YucA-2BU3INq7DXPJlkIpum67y6-2FPNg5H-2BhNRvqe_CAutWfm8j05RwFS7sOyY4Te5MWVtGwYBuuvxnmVSDT70wrYq6on4oO5ji6MjyScW-2BgoEIa-2FCDG3ArOEWG94udnZFLX1XNLWY5dXQRcuZFq7rRHWFhTZ6SUjUUeNAO2XeARyvFNyw9xcwOaTShBH2dzT9IoCXRHCwiCoMQSynajwXeg5MRxzjc3BRWkh-2FyljfqCC3hrxkfACiX5SyKrkgfBoh0Y5bK8OyMxqYQeTpj-2BatdGg2nyViLK3bE6vHRCARxjkrhcPpUm0s4YclSQuN2q6XrUTfVu5QKjCdxrXIQK78ZaMJaQqUNqQ9ixYFHHniynD0rs6-2BuJyE6RIUsRjyuV8BnIbzTcrwEoksKMJCt8kq2BLlyaHLygNAgbFXnAFn8C7A5uJAUxq4crXh7kee4g-3D-3D">American Wild Horse Campaign </a>(AWHC) is threatening a lawsuit.&nbsp;



With completion of this project - the largest roundup in BLM history - 50 percent of Wyoming’s wild horses will be removed. The brutal helicopter roundup will prove fatal for some, and at least 50 of the iconic horses are expected to die by the end of the campaign.&nbsp;



The AWHC now claims that the BLM has removed 59 horses more than legally allowed under the Environmental Assessment and Decision Record during the ongoing roundup near Rock Springs, Wyoming. To rectify the removal of too many horses, AWHC demands that the BLM return horses to their range immediately.&nbsp;



“This roundup is of great importance to the public, not only due to the sheer number of wild horses being removed but because of the continued scapegoating of this herd in favor of privately-owned livestock," said Grace Kuhn, communications director for AWHC.



"We want to send a clear message to the agency that we are watching closely and that every horse counts and matters.”&nbsp;



The horses in question live in the Salt Wells Horse Management Area (HMA) a 1.1 million acre habitat, federally designated for wild horses. The Bureau of Land Management on their <a href="https://www.blm.gov/wyoming/2021-rock-springs-gather">website</a> says that it estimates wild horse levels to be more than double the combined wild horse appropriate management levels across five HMAs.&nbsp;



The agency plans to remove approximately 3,500 horses and return an estimated 800 animals. As of November 29, 2,383 horses had been removed and 11 deaths reported.&nbsp;



“In its attempt to hide from the public that too many horses are being removed from the Salt Wells Creek HMA and too few are being returned to their homes, the Bureau of Land Management once again proves that the public cannot trust them to follow their own protocols or to protect and properly manage the wild horses in their care," said Carol Walker, a wild horse photographer who has been observing the roundup.



“Instead of protecting our iconic mustangs as federal law requires, the BLM is using the cruelest, most costly and unsustainable method possible to manage them while reducing wild populations to near extinction levels,” said Suzanne Roy, Executive Director of the American Wild Horse Campaign.&nbsp;



“The roundup underway in Wyoming is an extreme action that demands a reasonable, common sense alternative -- such as scientifically proven fertility control -- to preserve Wyoming’s wild mustang herds and humanely manage them in the wild where they belong.”



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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

Biggest wild horse roundup in US history is raising concerns

As part of an ongoing saga of the Bureau of...

Cataracts - cloudy areas in the lens of the eye leading to decrease in vision – affects a large number of older adults. A new study published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.6990">JAMA Internal Medicine</a> has found that cataract surgery is associated with a lower risk of developing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dementia-cases-expected-to-triple-over-the-next-three-decades/">dementia</a>.



Based on longitudinal data of over 3,000 participants in the <a href="https://www.maelstrom-research.org/study/act">Adult Changes in Thought</a> (ACT) observational study at <a href="https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/">Kaiser Permanente Washington</a>, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.uwmedicine.org/school-of-medicine">University of Washington School of Medicine</a> discovered that subject who underwent cataract surgery had almost 30 percent lower risk of developing dementia from any cause. This lowered risk persisted for at least ten years after the surgery.



“This kind of evidence is as good as it gets in epidemiology,” said study lead author Cecilia S. Lee, an associate professor of Ophthalmology at UW School of Medicine. “This is really exciting because no other medical intervention has shown such a strong association with lessening dementia risk in older individuals.”



Although the precise mechanisms by which cataract surgery and lowered risks of dementia were associated have not been determined in this study, scientists hypothesize that the fact that people are getting higher quality sensory input after cataract surgery may have a beneficial effect in reducing the risk of dementia.



“These results are consistent with the notion that sensory input to the brain is important to brain health,” said study co-author Dr. Eric B. Larson, a principal investigator in the ACT study and senior researcher at Kaiser Permanente.



Another hypothesis could be that, after cataract surgery, people are getting more blue light, which improve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rem-sleep-risk-dementia/">sleeping patterns</a> and thus increase cognitive functioning. “Some special cells in the retina are associated with cognition and regulate sleep cycles, and these cells respond well to blue light. Cataracts specifically block blue light, and cataract surgery could reactivate those cells,” Professor Lee explained.



Further research on the eye-brain connection in aging is needed in order to better understand how age-related vision problems could affect cognitive functioning. Clarifying these issues may offer new insights and potential therapies to slow or even prevent the development of age-related dementia.



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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

Cataract surgery reduces the risk of dementia

Cataracts - cloudy areas in the lens of the eye...

Migratory birds travel long distances, twice each year, to access <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/feeding-your-dog-once-a-day-may-improve-its-health/">feeding</a> grounds in distant parts of the world. They are adapted to navigate these journeys successfully, and to withstand the extreme physiological demands of flying without stopping much along the way.&nbsp;



Now, new research published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a> suggests another way in which migratory birds may be adapted to make these challenging migratory journeys – they may have lighter-colored plumage.



Kaspar Delhey of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany, along with his colleagues, had conducted previous studies on the effects of climate on bird coloration. The research showed that birds inhabiting regions with high temperatures and little shade had lighter coloration, in general. Light-colored objects absorb less heat and the researchers assumed that birds with pale plumage would be able to keep cooler in hot environments.&nbsp;



However, the researchers also came across other studies showing that migrating birds increase their flight altitude dramatically during the day and fly at much lower levels during the night. These other studies suggested that this phenomenon is driven by thermoregulatory needs: flying where it is cooler may help birds to cope with the daytime heat they absorb from the sun’s radiation.&nbsp;



“Because flying at high altitude is likely costly [energetically], these changes required an explanation,” said Delhey. “One possibility was that flying higher, where it is colder, would offset the heat absorbed by the plumage when the sun was shining.”&nbsp;



If migrating birds have to cope with problems of overheating while flying then it is also possible that they may have evolved lighter-colored plumage in order to reduce the absorption of heat radiated by the sun. Delhey and colleagues hypothesized that migratory species – especially long-distance migrants – should be lighter colored than resident species.&nbsp;



To test the relationship between plumage lightness and migration distance, they used the bird species described in the ‘Handbook of the Birds of the World’ (<a href="https://birdsoftheworld.org/">https://birdsoftheworld.org</a>), and divided them into those that are resident, those that migrate over short distances (&lt; 2,000 km), and those that are long-distance migrants (&gt; 2,000 km). They then quantified plumage lightness (from 0 = black to 100 = white) by averaging pixel lightness values from the illustration plates in the handbook.&nbsp;



The experts tested the effect of migration strategy on plumage lightness, while controlling for other factors known to affect plumage lightness, like climate, habitat and body size. They found that resident species were darker than short-distance migrants that were, in turn, darker than long-distance migrants.&nbsp;



Furthermore, they found the same relationship in 12 of the 15 orders of birds, when they considered each order separately (for example within the passerines, cuckoos, ducks and geese, shorebirds, pigeons, pelicans, or cranes). This demonstrates a general association between lightness and migratory behavior across all birds.&nbsp;



"We found across nearly all species of birds, migratory species tend to be lighter colored than non-migratory species,” said Delhey. “We think that lighter plumage coloration is selected in migratory species because it reduces the risk of overheating when exposed to sunshine. Lighter surfaces absorb less heat than darker ones, as anybody wearing dark clothes on a sunny day can attest! This would be particularly important for long-distance migrants that undertake extensive flights during which they cannot stop to rest in the shade.”



Delhey notes that many factors influence bird coloration and light colors are but one of many ways that migratory birds can avoid overheating. His team will continue exploring the connections between migration, climate, and other selective factors that shape the evolution of plumage colors in birds.&nbsp;



The research is another reminder of the important role of temperature and climate factors in shaping the evolution of animal coloration. According to the researchers, the findings also have clear implications for understanding the impacts of global warming and potential adaptive evolutionary responses.



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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

Lighter feathers help migratory birds to keep cool

Migratory birds travel long distances, twice each year, to access...

Vitamin D, which we generally get from exposure to the sun, is essential for our bodies, particularly the bones. However, new research from the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a> has found that low levels of vitamin D do not only affect the bones, but could also increase the risk of cardiovascular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-have-a-high-risk-of-disease-due-to-inbreeding/">disease</a>.&nbsp;



Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death worldwide, taking an average of 17.9 million lives each year. In Australia, one in four deaths is caused by CVDs, and treatment for such diseases cost the Australian economy five billion dollars per year.&nbsp;



Low levels of vitamin D are common in many parts of the world, with data from the <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">UK Biobank</a> showing that 55 percent of participants have low levels (&lt;50 nmol/L), and 13 percent have severe deficiency (&lt;25 nmol/L). In the United States, 24 percent of the people suffer from vitamin D deficiency, in Canada 37 percent, and in Australia 24 percent.



By using a genetic approach to assess the vitamin levels of 267,980 participants and compare it with CVD risks, scientists found that people with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to suffer from heart disease and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/long-term-pollution-exposure-linked-to-hypertension/">hypertension</a>. For the participants with the lowest concentrations of this essential vitamin, the risk of heart disease was more than double than for those with sufficient concentrations.



“Severe deficiency is relatively rare, but in settings where this does occur it is very important to be proactive and avoid negative effects on the heart. For example, deficiency can be a problem for people living in residential care who may have limited exposure to sun,”&nbsp;said study lead author Elina Hyppönen, a professor of Nutritional and Genetic Epidemiology at the University of South Australia.



“We can also get vitamin D from food, including oily fish, eggs, and fortified foods and drinks. This said, food is unfortunately a relatively poor source of vitamin D, and even an otherwise healthy diet does not typically contain enough.”



Fortunately, vitamin D can also be taken from daily supplements, which can be safely used by people with low exposure to sun in order enhance their concentrations and thus improve their overall health.



“Those with the lowest concentrations are likely to have the strongest effects, yet a population-wide approach to eradicate vitamin D deficiency could reduce the global burden of CVDs,” Professor Hyppönen concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehab809/6448753">European Hearth Journal</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

Vitamin D is essential for heart health

Vitamin D, which we generally get from exposure to the...

New research led by the <a href="https://www.uab.cat/en/">Universitat&nbsp;Autònoma&nbsp;de&nbsp;Barcelona</a> (UAB) has found that the knowledge possessed by Amazonian inhabitants can be crucial for assessing wildlife abundance trends in a context of urgent need for conservation strategies combined with limited financial resources.



The Amazon rainforest is home to 390 billion tree species and represents one of the world’s largest biodiversity regions. However, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deforestation-in-the-amazon-rainforest-hits-new-records/">deforestation</a> is rapidly increasing, resulting in an unprecedented loss of biodiversity. If this process continues at the current rate, 27 percent of the Amazon will be lost by 2030.&nbsp;



The impact of human activity on the rainforest can be measured by fast and accurate estimates of animal populations. However, gathering data about wildlife abundance remains very challenging, since it requires high logistics and financial resources, especially for longitudinal studies carried out in areas that are difficult to access.



Recently, scientists have started considering methods based on local ecological knowledge (LEK), gathered from empirical observations of local peoples. While such methods have previously been accused of subjectivism and lack of scientific validation, a research team from UAB has shown that in fact LEK is as accurate, or even more accurate, than standard scientific practices, especially when it comes to finding species that are rarely observed, such as nocturnal, cryptic, less abundant, or hunted ones.



“The perception of local people is multisensory, involving hearing, smelling,&nbsp;and&nbsp;observing indirect visual signs, such as footprints&nbsp;and scratches, which increase the ability&nbsp;of local people&nbsp;to detect the presence&nbsp;and estimate the abundance&nbsp;of an animal,” explained study lead author Franciany&nbsp;Braga-Pereira, a researcher at UAB.&nbsp;



“In addition,&nbsp;different from surveys on conventional line transects,&nbsp;LEK's effort involves different scales since&nbsp;local people have contact with the forest&nbsp;when&nbsp;carrying&nbsp;out their usual activities, such as hunting, fishing, agriculture, and harvesting of timber and non-timber products,&nbsp;at all times of the day and year, and throughout the territory&nbsp;where they live.”&nbsp;



Braga-Pereira and his colleagues argue that incorporating this method into community-based wildlife monitoring projects could significantly improve the quality of science and contribute to the sustainability of our planet’s tropical forests. Moreover, local communities will be more empowered by having more decision-making capacities in managing their natural resources.



“Ecological knowledge of local populations is more accurate than 10 years of conventional scientific monitoring for animal abundance in the Amazon,” Braga-Pereira concluded.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.13773">Methods in Ecology and Evolution</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

Indigenous knowledge can help protect Amazon wildlife

New research led by the Universitat&nbsp;Autònoma&nbsp;de&nbsp;Barcelona (UAB) has found that...

According to a team of researchers at <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/">Tel Aviv University</a> (TAU), a substance extracted from edible marine algae could stop the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/omicron-high-transmissibility-and-chance-for-reinfection/">coronavirus</a> from infecting human cells. Due to its antiviral properties, a water-soluble polysaccharide extracted from the cell wall of green seaweed called ulvan could prove to be an essential weapon in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.



“The lack of access to vaccines takes the lives of many victims and even accelerates the creation of new variants,” said&nbsp;study lead author Alexander Golberg, a professor of Environmental Studies at TAU. “The study is still in its early stages, but we hope that the discovery will be used in the future to develop an accessible and effective drug, preventing infection with the coronavirus.”



Golberg and his colleagues have been working with seaweed for the past eight years, looking for different compounds, particularly for the food industry. During the first lockdown, they also started to investigate whether some seaweed components could be used as a treatment for COVID-19. Since previous research has already shown that seaweed compounds had antiviral properties, the scientists decided to evaluate them against COVID.



“Ulvan is extracted from marine algae called Ulva, which is also called ‘sea lettuce,’ and is food in places like Japan, New Zealand and Hawaii,” Golberg explained. “It has previously been reported that ulvan is effective against viruses in agriculture and also against some of the human viruses − and when coronavirus arrived, we asked to test its activity.”



The Israeli scientists grew ulvan and sent it to the <a href="https://southernresearch.org/">Southern Research Institute</a> in Alabama, US, where a cellular model was built and exposed to both ulvan and the coronavirus. The researchers discovered that, in the presence of ulvan, the coronavirus did not infect the cells that they modelled.&nbsp;



However, since ulvan is actually a mixture of many natural substances, more research is needed to find out which is the one that actually prevents infection. Moreover, clinical tests on animals and, ultimately, humans are necessary before such a treatment can be commercialized.



“As long as billions in the low-income world do not have access to the vaccine, the virus is expected to develop more and more variants, which may be resistant to vaccines – and the war against the coronavirus will continue. For this reason, it is very important, for the sake of all mankind, to find a cheap and accessible solution that will suit even economically weak populations in developing countries,” Professor Golberg concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/12398/">PeerJ</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

Seaweed could stop coronavirus from infecting human cells

According to a team of researchers at Tel Aviv University...

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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

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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



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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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

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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...