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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Meteorite that struck Mars reveals when the planet had liquid water

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

Many species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wing-transparency-helps-butterflies-avoid-predators/">butterflies</a> use eyespots – circular markings of contrasting colors found on their wings – to intimidate or distract predators. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.nus.edu.sg/">National University of Singapore</a> (NUS) has investigated the evolutionary origins of these eyespots and discovered that they seem to be derived from the recruitment of a complex network of genes which was already operating in the body of the butterflies to build antennae, legs, and sometimes even wings.



“This new study addresses how novel complex traits might originate. These complex traits require the input of many interacting genes for their development, and are often illustrated by the vertebrate eye, or the bacteria flagellum,” said study senior author&nbsp;Antónia Monteiro, a professor of Biology at NUS.



“In our study, we looked at the how butterfly eyespots – an example of a complex trait - came about and concluded that a network recruitment approach is adopted by butterflies for the creation of eyespots. We have also identified the specific network of genes that was likely recruited.”



According to Professor Monteiro and her colleagues, the evolution of new complex traits such as the butterfly eyespots proceeds through mutations in the genetic code that recall pre-existent gene regulatory networks which were already used for other complex traits such as antennae or other limbs. These networks can be compared to subroutines in a computer program that perform specific tasks and, although they are written in the code only once, they are referred to repeatedly by the program as it runs.



By deleting unique DNA regulatory sequences in the genome of the butterflies, the researchers proved that a single gene regulatory network was responsible for the development of a variety of traits, including eyespots, antennae, legs, and wings. When the functioning of this regulatory network was disrupted, all of these highly different traits failed to develop properly.



“It was amazing to observe how these significant complex traits were affected by the same changes in DNA,” concluded study co-author Dr. Heidi Connahs, a postdoctoral fellow studying the evolution of morphological diversity at NUS.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/119/8/e2108661119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



Image Credit: Kristof Zyskowski and Yulia Bereshpolova



---



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

Butterfly eyespots reuse genes that pattern limbs and wings

Many species of butterflies use eyespots – circular markings of...

New research shows the potential of sildenafil, a generic version of viagra, for treating dogs with a dangerous eating disorder known as megaesophagus.



The disorder is characterized by an enlargement of the esophagus, which makes it hard for dogs to get food into their stomachs. Left untreated, dogs often vomit their food back up and aspirate pieces of food into their lungs. When food is ingested in the lungs, it can cause an infection called aspiration pneumonia.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The literature tells us that many dogs with the disease die from aspiration pneumonia or are humanely euthanized due to poor quality of life within eight months of diagnosis,” said Dr. Jillian Haines, a veterinarian at Washington State University who co-led the study.



Sildenafil relaxes the dogs’ esophagus, allowing food to pass through and into the stomach. The only known side effect is rare gastrointestinal irritation, but at the dosages in the current study, there were no side effects.&nbsp;



“If you look at the literature, there are no drugs we can use to manage megaesophagus. Sildenafil is the first to target these mechanisms and reduce regurgitation, which is big because that’s what ultimately kills these dogs,” said Haines.&nbsp;



“It opens the lower esophageal sphincter for 20 minutes to an hour, which works really well for dogs because we only want that to open when they are eating.”



In the study, ten dogs with megaesophagus were given either a placebo or sildenafil for a two week period. Next, after one week without either treatment, the control and experimental groups were switched.&nbsp;



The dog owners were asked to monitor regurgitations. None of the owners were told whether their dog was taking the placebo or sildenafil.&nbsp;



Despite no significant difference showing between sildenafil and a placebo during a 30 minute videofluoroscopy, nine of the ten owners reported less vomiting when sildenafil was being administered. Unfortunately, the drug does not seem to work as well on severe cases of the disorder - possibly because it is harder to get the drug into the dog’s stomach.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Moderately affected dogs that were regurgitating frequently but not excessively seemed to see the most dramatic results,” Haines said. “I actually prescribed sildenafil to several of those patients after the study, and they are still using it today.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/javma-overview.xml">American Journal of Veterinary Medicine</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

Viagra is a possible treatment for dog eating disorder

New research shows the potential of sildenafil, a generic version...

Modern rates of sea level rise first emerged in 1863 as the Industrial Age ramped up, according to a new study led by <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a>. The experts report that this trend corresponds with evidence of early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-heat-is-the-new-normal-for-the-ocean/">ocean warming</a> and glacier melt.&nbsp;



"Sea-level rise is a significant indicator of broader climate changes, and the time of emergence concept can be used to identify when modern rates of sea-level rise emerged above background variability," wrote the study authors. "Yet a range of estimates of the timing persists both globally and regionally."



The researchers used a global database of sea-level records spanning the last 2,000 years. The findings will ultimately help decision makers prepare for the local impacts of future sea-level rise.



The experts found that the earliest shift to modern rates of sea-level rise appeared in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States during the mid to late 19th century. Across Canada and Europe, this pattern had emerged by the mid-20th century.



The study may help explain the findings of a recent report from NOAA, which describes the rapid acceleration of sea-level rise along the U.S. coastline.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We can be virtually certain the global rate of sea-level rise from 1940 to 2000 was faster than all previous 60-year intervals over the last 2,000 years,” said study lead author Jennifer S. Walker. “Having a thorough understanding of site-specific sea-level changes over long timescales is imperative for regional and local planning and response to future sea level rise.”



The statistical model used for the study could also be applied to more individual sites to further understand the processes driving sea-level change on global and regional scales, explained Walker.&nbsp;



“The fact that modern rates emerge at all of our study sites by the mid-20th century demonstrates the significant influence global sea-level rise has had on our planet in the last century."



“Further analysis of the spatial variability in the time of emergence at different locations will continue to improve society’s understanding of how regional and local processes impact rates of sea-level rise," said Walker.



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

Modern rates of sea level rise first emerged in 1863

Modern rates of sea level rise first emerged in 1863...

Modern approaches to animal tracking and monitoring are possible due to the development of technologies that generate large, high-resolution datasets. These technologies, along with advances in analytical methods, enable biologists to follow the movements of free-ranging mammals, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/big-brains-may-help-birds-cope-with-climate-change/">birds</a>, and fish at unprecedented scales. 



Modern technologies also help scientists understand how movement behavior helps animals survive and adapt in a changing world. These advantages do, however, come with typical big-data issues, such as computational load, intensive data management and processing, and challenging statistical analyses.&nbsp;



In a recent publication in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>, Professor Ran Nathan of the <a href="https://en.huji.ac.il/en">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a>, together with students and colleagues from 12 countries around the world, reviewed a variety of technologies that have been used to gather information on the movements of animals in their natural environments.&nbsp;



All animals move, whether actively or passively, regularly or during specific life stages, to meet energy, survival, reproductive and social demands. Today, the ability of species to move is crucial if they are to cope with the effects of human-induced environmental changes.



In their review, Nathan and his colleagues assessed the main tools, insights, challenges and opportunities of the big-data revolution that has turned the field of movement ecology from a data-poor to a data-rich discipline.&nbsp; Wildlife tracking technologies vary in how they tackle the basic trade-offs between data collection rate, spatial coverage, tracking duration and the size of tracked animals.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Among eight major tracking technologies examined in this study, a technology called “reverse-GPS” stood out because of its capacity to produce big data on animal movement in a cost-effective manner. &nbsp;Other tracking technologies, such as GPS devices, computer vision systems and radars, can also produce big data, and the researchers recommended viewing all major tracking technologies as complementary rather than competing alternatives.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The new reverse-GPS system, called ATLAS, was developed by Nathan and Professor Sivan Toledo of Tel Aviv University, and their teams, under the auspices of the Minerva Center for Movement Ecology. It is unusual in its ability to track dozens of wild animals simultaneously, to within a few meters of their actual location, and at a high resolution (every second), over months. In addition, this system uses small, inexpensive radio tags that are attached to each animal. The system has already been used in Israel, UK, the Netherlands, and Germany, where it has enabled researchers to answer questions about basic movement ecology that could previously not be investigated.&nbsp;



“This sophisticated tracking system has ushered in a range of exciting discoveries and novel insights, including the first evidence for the existence of a cognitive map in a wild animal (a fruit bat), a pioneering study linking variation among individual birds (pheasants) in their cognitive ability and space-use patterns, and a discovery of a notable spatial segregation in foraging areas among bats that roost in two adjacent colonies, owing to an individual’s memory and information transfer among bats, with surprisingly no evidence for competition as a driving force,” Nathan shared.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Acoustic telemetry,” another example of a reverse-GPS system, uses acoustic tags to track fish and other aquatic animals under water. Systems of this kind have been used in rivers, lakes and seas around the world, to gain insights into dealing with risks for wildlife that derive from their interactions with humans.&nbsp;



For example, by using an acoustic tracking system in European rivers, researchers found that downstream-migrating eels (a critically endangered species) and Atlantic salmon change their movement behavior when they encounter dams, which is likely to result in increased energy expenditure and mortality risk.



GPS is another important tracking technology that has been used to track relatively large animals at high resolution. For example, GPS tracking allowed Nathan and his students to reveal that young vultures from the declining population in Israel climb the thermals (rising columns of warm air) much less efficiently than do experienced adult vultures when those thermals are drifted by winds. &nbsp;



Elsewhere, GPS tracking of critically endangered California condors can provide early alerts to avoid collisions with wind turbines in the area, while GPS tracking of albatrosses can help locate vessels fishing illegally in remote ocean areas. All these applications help to uncover the reasons why animal behavior varies and to assist in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.



In another fascinating application, GPS tracking provided unique information about the avian flu epidemic that led to the death of thousands of cranes in Israel earlier this winter. This is such recent research that it has not been included in the review article in Science.



“At the first sign of death among a few dozen cranes, a much greater proportion of our GPS-tagged cranes died or were suspected to be infected, given the sudden reduction in their movement and activity. We informed the authorities that a drastic mortality event was coming, as unfortunately did happen, and that urgent measures should be taken,” Nathan explained.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Later, the team was able to trace the fate of infected birds and found that some had eventually recovered. &nbsp;“We now closely watch the data from cranes that winter in Africa to monitor the possible second wave of the outbreak when millions of migrating birds will soon arrive,” Nathan emphasized. &nbsp;



The field of movement ecology is rapidly expanding scientific frontiers, not only through the use of the big-data technologies discussed by Nathan and colleagues, but also through enhanced opportunities for interdisciplinary and collaborative research projects.&nbsp;



“This is also the story of our research,” Nathan explained, referencing a Fish Telemetry workshop in the Czech Republic organized by Professor Ivan Jarić in 2018 that he was invited to attend. “I met a group of excellent researchers with backgrounds, expertise and research subjects quite different from mine.&nbsp; I remember the exact moment that gave birth to our joint project, when I shared my vision for a big-data revolution in movement ecology. &nbsp;Preparing our review together has been a wonderful experience; working together across disciplines is certainly the way to go."



---



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

Big-data technologies reveal how animals survive in a changing world

Modern approaches to animal tracking and monitoring are possible due...

Stones,In,The,Calm,Water,Of,A,Mountain,Lake

Across North America and Europe, human activities are responsible for introducing salt pollution into freshwater ecosystems. Sodium chloride is used extensively to melt ice on roads in winter, and inorganic fertilizers contain various salts that can dissolve in rain water and run off into local waterways. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/illegal-gold-mining-dumps-mercury-in-the-peruvian-rainforest/">Mining</a> operations also introduce salts into the environment, many of which end up in freshwater ecosystems.&nbsp;



Freshwater organisms are very sensitive to the increased concentration of salts, and levels that are too high can result in decreased biodiversity. In particular, zooplankton are killed by increasing salt (sodium chloride) concentrations and, since these microscopic animals feed on algae and are eaten by young fish and many invertebrates, the entire food web is threatened when zooplankton populations decrease.&nbsp;



Many governments have environmental guidelines that limit the acceptable levels of salt in freshwater ecosystems. However, these vary widely and, as a new research study shows, negative impacts on zooplankton populations commonly occur at concentrations below these limits.&nbsp;The study, led by researchers from the University of Toledo and Queen’s University in Kingston, found that even at salt concentrations well below ranges that government regulators have deemed safe and protective of freshwater organisms, significant damage is being done to freshwater lakes.



“It’s clear that salt pollution in freshwater lakes, streams, and wetlands, even when constrained to levels specifically chosen to protect the environment, threatens the biodiversity and overall function of freshwater ecosystems. This is a global problem that has the potential to impact ecosystems and human health,” said study co-author Rick Relyea, an expert in the impacts of road salt on freshwater ecosystems, and director of Rensselaer’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute.&nbsp;



Dr. Relyea, a member of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://jeffersonproject.rpi.edu/">Jefferson Project at Lake George</a>, has conducted extensive research on the impacts of road salt pollution on aquatic environments. His previous work established that&nbsp;<a href="https://news.rpi.edu/content/2016/11/22/road-salt-%E2%80%9Cmasculinizes%E2%80%9D-frogs">road salt masculinizes developing frogs</a> and causes the population sex ratios to be biased in favor of males.&nbsp;



In addition, previous research has shown that, although some small zooplankton species can adapt to high levels of salt, this <a href="https://news.rpi.edu/content/2017/11/03/can-environmental-toxins-disrupt-biological-%E2%80%9Cclock%E2%80%9D">obliterates the circadian rhythm</a> in these individuals. In recent work, Dr. Relyea has collaborated with an experimental network of 16 sites in four countries across North America and Europe. Earlier this year, Dr. Relyea and that network produced experimental findings led by Canadian scientist Marie-Pier Hébert, which showed that&nbsp;<a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lol2.10239">lake salinization reduces zooplankton abundance and diversity</a>. &nbsp;



In the current study, researchers measured the chloride concentration in freshwater bodies across North America and Europe. They also quantified the population diversity and numbers of zooplankton present in naturally occurring communities in these habitats. The goal was to determine whether current chloride-based water-quality guidelines protect lake organisms in regions with different geology, water chemistry, land-use, and species pools.&nbsp;



In the United States, the limit to acceptable levels for chloride concentration in freshwater bodies is 230 milligrams of chloride per liter. This limit was established by the Environmental Protection Agency of the U.S. government. By contrast, the limit in Canada is 120 milligrams of chloride per liter. Throughout Europe, thresholds are generally even higher. For example, in Germany, chloride concentrations between 50 and 200 milligrams per liter are classified as “slightly polluted by salts,” while concentrations between 200 and 400 milligrams per liter are classified as “moderately polluted.” The drinking water guideline is 250 milligrams per liter across much of Europe.



Alarmingly, the results of the current study, published today in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, finds that negative impacts of salinization occur well below those limits. At nearly three quarters of the study sites, chloride concentration thresholds that caused more than a 50 percent reduction in zooplankton were at, or below, the governments’ established chloride thresholds.



Where zooplankton populations were reduced, numerous cascading ecosystem changes were recorded. For example, the biomass of phytoplankton (minute plants, also referred to as algae) increased where the numbers of herbivorous zooplankton were reduced, and this bloom in phytoplankton blocked the passage of sunlight to plants growing lower down in the water.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“More algae in the water could lead to a reduction in water clarity, which could affect organisms living on the bottom of lakes as well,” said Shelley Arnott, professor of aquatic ecology at Queen’s University and co-leader of the project and paper. “The loss of zooplankton leading to more algae has the potential to alter lake ecosystems in ways that might change the services lakes provide, namely recreational opportunities, drinking water quality, and fisheries.”



The researchers say their results indicate a major threat to the biodiversity and functioning of freshwater ecosystems and urge governments to reassess current threshold concentrations to protect lakes from salinization caused by sodium chloride.



“Many salt-contaminated lakes with chloride concentrations near or above thresholds established throughout North America and Europe might have already experienced food web shifts,” said Bill Hintz, assistant professor of ecology at the University of Toledo, author, and co-leader of the project. “This applies to lakes across the globe, not only among the study sites. And the variability in our experimental results demonstrates how new thresholds should integrate the susceptibility of ecological communities at the local and regional scale. While the government guidelines may protect freshwater organisms in some regions, that’s not the case for many regions in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.”



“Salt pollution occurring from human activities such as the use of road de-icing salts is increasing the salinity of freshwater ecosystems to the point that the guidelines designed to protect fresh waters aren’t doing their job,” said Dr. Hintz. “Our study shows the ecological costs of salinization and illustrates the immediate need to reassess and reduce existing chloride thresholds and to set sound guidelines in countries where they do not exist, to protect lakes from salt pollution.”



The experts conclude that potential solutions need to be identified that include finding ways to strike a careful balance between human use of salt and the ecological impacts on freshwater ecosystems. This might involve reducing the amount of road salt used to melt winter snow and ice to keep people safe and traffic moving.



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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

Salt pollution threatens freshwater ecosystems

Across North America and Europe, human activities are responsible for...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> has discovered extremely high rates of melting at the bottom of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-has-lost-4700-gigatons-of-ice-since-2002/">Greenland</a> Ice Sheet, caused by the huge quantities of meltwater falling from the surface to the base. 



As the meltwater descends from the surface of the ice sheet, through cracks and large fractures that form under the ice, down to the bed located over a kilometer below, energy is converted into heat in a process similar to the generation of hydroelectric power by large dams. This heat leads to phenomenally high rates of melting at the base, making this ice sheet the largest single contributor to global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-study-pinpoints-the-causes-of-sea-level-rise/">sea level rise</a>.



As part of the EU-funded <a href="https://www.erc-responder.eu/">RESPONDER</a> project, researchers from Cambridge’s <a href="https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/">Scott Polar Research Institute</a> have been studying for years the meltwater lakes that form on the top of the ice sheet, how and why they drain so fast, and the effect they have on the sheet as global temperatures continue to rise.



“When studying basal melting of ice sheets and glaciers, we look at sources of heat like friction, geothermal energy, latent heat released where water freezes and heat losses into the ice above,” explained study senior author Poul Christoffersen, an expert in the dynamics of glaciers at Cambridge University. “But what we hadn’t really looked at was the heat generated by the draining meltwater itself. There’s a lot of gravitational energy stored in the water that forms on the surface and when it falls, the energy has to go somewhere.”



By using phase-sensitive radio-echo sounding, the scientists measured basal melt rates, and found that they were often just as high as the melt rates measured on the surface with a weather station. According to their calculations, as much as 82 million meters of meltwater were transferred to the bed of the Store Glacier (one of the largest on the Greenland Ice Sheet) every day during the summer of 2014.&nbsp;



The researchers estimated that the power produced by the falling water from this glacier during peak melt periods was comparable to that produced by the Three Gorges Dam in China, the largest hydroelectric power station in the world. Considering that the entire ice sheet’s melt area expands to nearly a million square kilometers at the height of summer, it produces more hydropower than the world’s ten largest hydroelectric power stations combined.



“Given what we are witnessing at the high latitudes in terms of climate change, this form of hydropower could easily double or triple, and we’re still not even including these numbers when we estimate the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise,” concluded Christoffersen.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2116036119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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

Greenland Ice Sheet is the world’s largest "dam"

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

In order to explore and plan for possible climate futures, the scientific community uses various scenarios, or forecasts of how the future might evolve based on factors such as projected <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emissions-gap-report-greener-world-or-climate-catastrophe/">greenhouse gas emissions</a> and different possible climate policies. While the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement">Paris Climate Agreement</a>’s goal was to limit global warming this century to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures, some of the most pessimistic scenarios forecast temperatures rising by up to four or five degrees.&nbsp;



However, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a> (CU Boulder) suggests that such apocalyptic, worst-case scenarios are no longer possible, and that the goal set by the Paris Agreement may still be in reach.



The researchers compared a wide range of possible future climate scenarios developed by the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC) to the projected 2005-2050 fossil fuel and industry greenhouse emissions growth rates that were most consistent with real-life observations from 2005-2020 and with 2050 projections of the <a href="https://www.iea.org/">International Energy Agency</a> (IEA).



According to the scientists, from the 1,311 possible scenarios proposed by IPCC, only 100 to 500 were still plausible if current trends continue and countries adopt the climate policies they have already announced to reduce greenhouse emissions.



The most plausible climate scenarios project rises of temperature between two to three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with the most optimistic ones forecasting that warming may remain within the limits set by the Paris Agreement.&nbsp;



“This is cautiously optimistic good news with respect to where the world is today, compared to where we thought we might be,” said study lead author Roger Pielke Jr., a professor of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder. “The two-degree target from Paris remains within reach.”&nbsp;



According to Professor Pielke and his colleagues, relying on outdated or implausible scenarios has negative implications on how we think about, act, and spend money on climate change issues.&nbsp;



“There's a need for these scenarios to be updated more frequently. Researchers may be using a 2005 scenario, but we need a 2022 perspective,” said Professor Pielke. “You're going to have better policies if you have a more accurate understanding of the problem, whatever the political implications are for one side or the other.”&nbsp;



Although the findings appear to be quite optimistic, the scientists stress that two degrees of warming will still take a dramatic toll on the planet, and this is no time for complacency. “We're getting close to our two-degree target, but we definitely have a lot more work to do if we're going to get to 1.5,” said co-author Matthew Burgess, an assistant professor of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac4ebf">Environmental Research 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

Worst-case climate scenarios are no longer plausible

In order to explore and plan for possible climate futures,...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a>, scientists have engineered bacteria that can break down carbon waste into valuable industrial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forever-chemicals-are-released-from-sea-spray/">chemicals</a>. The team optimized one particular strain of bacteria to convert carbon dioxide into acetone and isopropanol (IPA). 



The technology has the potential to help remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere while reducing the use of fossil fuels, ultimately contributing to a net-zero emissions economy.&nbsp;



Study senior author Michael Jewett is a professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and director of the Center for Synthetic Biology. He co-led the study with Michael Koepke and Ching Leang, who are both researchers at LanzaTech.



“The accelerating climate crisis, combined with rapid population growth, pose some of the most urgent challenges to humankind, all linked to the unabated release and accumulation of CO2 across the entire biosphere,” said Jewett.&nbsp;



“By harnessing our capacity to partner with biology to make what is needed, where and when it is needed, on a sustainable and renewable basis, we can begin to take advantage of the available CO2 to transform the bioeconomy.”



Acetone and isopropanol are versatile chemical solvents that are widely used for a number of different applications. The chemicals have a combined global market value of $10 billion. But while these chemicals are incredibly useful and high in demand, their production requires the use of the fossil fuels that drive global warming.&nbsp;



The Northwestern team has found a way to manufacture these chemicals more sustainably through a new gas fermentation process. The technique uses Clostridium autoethanogenum, an anaerobic bacterium engineered at LanzaTech, and synthetic biology tools which ferment CO2 to make acetone and IPA.



“These innovations, led by cell-free strategies that guided both strain engineering and optimization of pathway enzymes, accelerated time to production by more than a year,” said Jewett.



The Northwestern and LanzaTech teams believe the developed bacterial strains and fermentation process could be used on an industrial scale.&nbsp;



“This discovery is a major step forward in avoiding a climate catastrophe,” said Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech CEO. 



“Today, most of our commodity chemicals are derived exclusively from new fossil resources such as oil, natural gas or coal. Acetone and IPA are two examples with a combined global market of $10 billion. The acetone and IPA pathways developed will accelerate the development of other new products by closing the carbon cycle for their use in multiple industries.”



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

Scientists use bacteria to convert CO2 into valuable chemicals

In a new study from Northwestern University, scientists have engineered...

Sad,Woman,With,Clown,Mask

According to UK-based author and “leadership mindset strategist” Frederique Murphy, although hiding our feelings is sometimes useful during social interactions, doing this too often can be emotionally straining and have negative effects on our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/loneliness-is-a-global-health-issue-that-must-be-addressed/" data-type="news" data-id="1904004">health</a>.&nbsp;



While many people think they can benefit from pretending that everything is fine when it actually isn’t, such actions are highly energy-consuming, and thus both cognitively and emotionally draining.&nbsp;



“Faking a response requires more energy from you because your brain must further engage to make it work for you in a way that it is unusual for you. This means that cognitively, more effort is needed, and this is emotionally straining,” explained Murphy.



Besides overworking our brain, pretending for the sake of appearances can increase the production of cortisol, a stress-related hormone. Higher stress, in its turn, weakens the immune system, making us more prone to various illnesses.



Finally, according to Murphy, people can often feel when someone is pretending. “In those situations, your gut feeling is actually telling you that something is off; indeed, the person is faking their response. So, if you know you’ve had this happen to you, you know this has happened to other people about you. So, stop doing that as in the long-term, it harms you and the people around you,” she said.



In order to quit this damaging form of behavior, Murphy argues that we should increase our self-awareness and learn how to “catch ourselves in the act.” Moreover, keeping a journal – a process she calls “affect labeling” – can help us diminish the intensity of our feelings and make sure that we are not bottling up our emotions.



Breathing exercises can also be useful for managing our feelings, since they can help us regulate our autonomic nervous system, and thus increase our calmness and wellbeing. Overall, learning how to control our emotions can help us stop self-damaging behaviors, and lead more fulfilling lives.



More details about Frederique Murphy’s activities and works can be found on her <a href="https://frederiquemurphy.com/">website</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

Hiding your feelings can damage your health

According to UK-based author and “leadership mindset strategist” Frederique Murphy,...

Local,Market,Fresh,Vegetable,,Garden,Produce,,Clean,Eating,And,Dieting

Eating enough <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fruit-vegetables-and-exercise-can-increase-life-satisfaction/">vegetables</a> is important for maintaining a balanced diet and avoiding a wide range of diseases. Until recently, scientists have assumed that a diet rich in vegetables significantly lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). 



However, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a>, the <a href="https://www.cuhk.edu.hk/">Chinese University of Hong Kong</a>, and the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> found no strong evidence for this, and argued that a variety of confounding factors, such as socio-economic status, physical activity, and other dietary factors might have explained previous spurious, positive correlations between vegetable intake and lower risk of CVD.



To reach this conclusion, the researchers used the large <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">UK Biobank</a>, which follows the health of half a million adults in the UK by linking to their healthcare records. Upon their enrollment between 2006 and 2010, the participants were asked about their lifestyle, diet, medical and reproductive history, and other factors. In the new study, scientists used this data to investigate the connection between vegetable consumption and risk of hospitalization or death from myocardial infarction, stroke, and other major CVD.



“The UK Biobank is a large-scale prospective study on how genetics and environment contribute to the development of the most common and life-threatening diseases. Here we make use of the UK Biobank’s large sample size, long-term follow-up, and detailed information on social and lifestyle factors, to assess reliably the association of vegetable intake with the risk of subsequent CVD,” explained study co-author Naomi Allen, a chief scientist at the UK Biobank.



Although the data analysis suggested that the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was about 15 percent lower for participants with the highest vegetable intake compared to those with the lowest, this apparent effect was substantially weakened (by over 80 percent) when other socio-economic, nutritional, and health- and medicine-related confounding factors were taken into account. 



“Our large study did not find evidence for a protective effect of vegetable intake on the occurrence of CVD. Instead, our analyses show that the seemingly protective effect of vegetable intake against CVD risk is very likely to be accounted for by bias from residual confounding factors, related to differences in socioeconomic situation and lifestyle,” said study lead author Dr. Qi Feng, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford.



Further research is needed to assess whether particular types of vegetables or their method of preparation might affect the risk of CVD. However, even if vegetable intake does not directly affect CVD, it remains important for a balanced diet that could reduce the risk of other major diseases, including some forms of cancer. Consuming at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day can significantly contribute to better health.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.831470">Frontiers in Nutrition</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

Vegetables may not protect against cardiovascular disease

Eating enough vegetables is important for maintaining a balanced diet...

During half a century of conflict in Colombia (1964–2016), plans and programs to conserve Colombia’s tropical forests for their biodiversity and mitigating role in climate change, have not been realized. And now that a lasting peace has been fashioned, it appears that the rate of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deforestation-in-the-amazon-hits-new-record-high/">deforestation</a> has increased. Past research has shown that deforestation often increases during peace times, but the specific driving forces and impacts are not well understood.



When a team of researchers recently analyzed deforestation data from 708 municipalities in Colombia, for the years 2001–2018, they found that different factors drive deforestation dynamics in different local areas. Their study combined regional datasets from the municipalities to model the relationships between deforestation, conflict events, displaced people, the size of municipalities, coca crops, and number of cattle and cattle farms.&nbsp;



Regression analysis of the data revealed that coca cultivation area, number of cattle, and municipality area were the top three drivers of deforestation dynamics at national, regional, and category levels. But, the importance of the different variables varied according to the different spatial dimensions.&nbsp;



“There are other studies that show increased pressure on forests after peace agreements, but our results show that it’s very hard to generalize deforestation in the context of conflict,” said study co-author Raphael Ganzenmüller of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT).



“There are various drivers at the local scale that have different effects, so it’s very important to look locally and to see the history and actors."



For example, the results confirmed a strong trend towards more forest loss at a national level after the peace agreement. This was mostly related to increased numbers of coca farms and cattle. But the impact and leading causes varied depending on the municipality area and region – cattle were the leading predictor in the Amazon, whereas coca cultivation was more important in the Andes.



It was a challenge for the authors to locate historical data on smaller regional levels and this remains an area of interest for future research. They hope that these insights will help make conservation efforts more effective by taking into account the land use, politics and socioeconomics on a local level.



“It’s really difficult to encompass all of the variables that could be driving different deforestation dynamics,” explained study co-author Janelle M Sylvester. “The approach that we took uses the best available data, and we hope that this research can provide critical insights into designing proposals to help curb deforestation.”



“What we can conclude is that there's not one perfect solution that you can generalize for the whole of Colombia,” said Dr. Augusto Castro-Nunez.



“We have an overall idea of the dynamics at play and next we need to break it down and confirm that this is really happening on the ground by surveying farmers and understanding local motivations. Then we need to provide farmers and those affected with policies and incentives that take into account their livelihoods as well as conservation.”



The exports conclude that insights gained from this study can be used to understand deforestation dynamics in other countries that experience times of conflict and peace, and will support decision-makers in creating programs that align actions for peacebuilding, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation more effectively.



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



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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

Peace is not necessarily good for Colombian forests

During half a century of conflict in Colombia (1964–2016), plans...

The United Nations (UN) declared March 3 as World Wildlife Day in an effort to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the world's most critically endangered plants and animals. Mainstream conservation and awareness campaigns such as World Wildlife Day typically focus on species and populations of wildlife. In this case, an individual is thought of as simply a representative of its kind.&nbsp;



Increasingly, organizations and a minority of scientists have been seeking to change this idea of minimizing individuals for a focus only on species and populations with movements like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/compassionate-conservation-animal-welfare/">compassionate conservation</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/donate">Wild Animal Initiative</a>, a unique organization, is now seeking to use World Wildlife Day as a way to draw attention to the plight not just of species but also individual animals. The focus is on wild animal welfare research, instead of species survival.&nbsp;



“Wildlife is a term that refers to all wild animals as a whole, and it reflects how a lot of people think about them. They think about them en masse; they think about them in terms of species,” said Michelle Graham, Strategy Director for Wild Animal Initiative. “But considering the unique experience of an individual in the wild, as opposed to the stability of its population size, is the unique perspective a wild animal welfare philosophy offers.”



The approach of wild animal welfare focuses on abundant wildlife and the hardships they face instead of looking only at species that face extinction. This is because abundant animals contribute more to suffering as a whole than a handful of individuals of a rarer species.



“There are trillions of wild animals, and we don't know what all of their lives are like. But we know unpleasant experiences, like struggling to find food and shelter, are likely very common,” Graham said. “There could be things we can do to make their lives better that we don't even know about yet because we never asked.”



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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

World Wildlife Day draws attention to individual animals

The United Nations (UN) declared March 3 as World Wildlife...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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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...