America, known for its global influence, also ranks high in food waste production. In 2016, the federal government established a bold goal to halve food waste by 2030. However, recent findings reveal a significant gap between these ambitions and actual progress.



Despite the targets, the U.S. remains among the top three countries wasting the most food. Plans aimed to reduce average waste to 164 pounds per person by 2030, but progress remains stagnant.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-issue-of-food-waste">Growing issue of food waste</h2>



A new study led by researchers at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Davis</a> uncovers an alarming truth - food waste per person has been climbing instead of descending since 2016.



“We’re just five years away from 2030 so it’s quite alarming how little progress we have made. More comprehensive policies need to be implemented as soon as possible,” noted Sarah Kakadellis, a postdoctoral researcher with the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discrepancy-between-state-and-federal-policies">Discrepancy between state and federal policies</h2>



This study sheds light on the alignment - or lack thereof - between state policies and federal targets. It's up to individual states to decide which policies to execute.



Most state-privileged policies lean towards methodologies like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/compost-could-boost-crop-yields-by-millions-of-tons/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">composting</a> and anaerobic digestion - more recycling and less prevention and rescue. 



The scale tips more towards turning waste into compost than feeding the hungry or channeling it towards animal feed.



“Instead of recycling our excess food, we should be redirecting as much as we can to populations that need it,” noted Kakadellis. 



In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency modified its definition of food waste to exclude recycling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-of-food-waste">Impact of food waste</h2>



Composting or recycling food certainly keeps landfills clean, but we should also consider the resources consumed in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/increasing-plant-based-food-production-would-have-extremely-positive-impact/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food production</a>. 



“When we waste food, we’re wasting all the resources it takes to grow that food, including energy, water, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-waste-could-be-used-as-sustainable-fertilizer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fertilizer</a>," noted the researchers.



"Meanwhile, wasted food represents 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-many-states-are-not-reaching-their-targets">Many states are not reaching their targets</h2>



The researchers evaluated the states’ potential to reduce food waste across four policy areas: prevention, rescue, repurposing, and recycling.



The findings suggest that recycling policies have a high diversion potential, but many states are still not reaching their targets.



Among all the states, only California, Vermont, and Arizona are on track to achieve the reduction goal.



Using the revised EPA definition that leaves out recycling, states could divert as little as 11 pounds to as high as 30 pounds per person. 



Nevertheless, the amount of food waste generated by Americans would still be around 328 pounds per person annually. This figure is double the federal target.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-the-focus-to-waste-prevention">Turning the focus to waste prevention</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19s-impact-on-life-expectancy-is-worse-than-anticipated/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COVID-19</a> pandemic may have played a role in the recent rise of food waste. People were more cautious about food waste during the initial lockdown phase. However, with the resumption of normal activities, old habits may be creeping in.



“When state policies focus on recycling, it’s very easy to think we’re addressing the food waste problem. Recycling food waste is important but not the only solution, nor should it be the first,” said Kakadellis.



The researchers passionately believe that policies should focus more on waste prevention and rescue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-consumer-behavior-in-waste-reduction">Role of consumer behavior in waste reduction</h2>



While policies and recycling efforts dominate discussions on food waste, individual habits and consumer awareness play a pivotal role in reducing waste at its source. 



Studies reveal that households account for a significant portion of food waste, often due to over-purchasing, improper storage, or a lack of understanding of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-develop-smart-food-packaging-show-contamination/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">expiration labels</a>. 



For example, confusion over "best by" and "use by" dates leads many to discard perfectly edible food.



Educating consumers about mindful shopping, meal planning, and storage techniques could have a profound impact. 



Initiatives like community food-sharing apps and workshops can further help households reduce waste and redirect surplus food to those in need.



By promoting greater awareness and equipping consumers with practical tools, the U.S. could make significant strides in meeting its 2030 food waste reduction goal. 



However, without widespread behavioral changes, the collective effort required to cut waste in half may remain elusive.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-024-01092-w" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Food</a>.



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Food waste crisis: Why U.S. goals remain out of reach

America, known for its global influence, also ranks high in food waste production. In 2016, the federal government established a bold goal to halve food waste by 2030. However, recent findings reveal a significant gap between these ambitions and actual progress. Despite the targets, the U.S. remains among the top three countries wasting the most food. Plans aimed to reduce average waste to 164 pounds per person by 2030, but progress remains stagnant. Growing issue of food waste A new study led by researchers at the University...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> has exposed the widespread harm that is caused by palm <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/orangutans-are-starving-from-fruit-shortages/">fruit</a> harvesting in Peru. The experts found that changing the way fruit is gathered from the palm tree Mauritia flexuosa could have enormous environmental and economic benefits.



The Mauritia flexuosa palm tree is dioecious, (with both female and male trees), and the females bear the fruit. The palm tree’s fruit, aguaje, is an important part of the Peruvian economy. With a large extent of the female trees being cut down, many forests contain mostly male trees and do not produce much fruit.



In collaboration with experts at the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute, the researchers investigated where and why the palm trees were felled. Detailed maps produced by the team reveal the extent of the environmental and economic damage caused by cutting the palm trees down.



“Cutting down female palm trees to harvest the fruit has halved the total production of fruit of this palm that is available to local communities," said study lead author Gabriel Hidalgo.&nbsp;



“This is a clear example of the impact of humans on natural resource levels, in an ecosystem that, on first look, appears undamaged."



“However, changing the way the fruit is harvested can increase both the number of fruit-bearing palms trees, and the value of these Amazonian peatland ecosystems to people.”



Mauritia flexuosa is the most common species of tree in the lowland tropical peatlands in northeastern Peru. These peatland ecosystems store more carbon than any other part of the vast Amazon region.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed data from 93 sites across palm swamp forests. They found that there are a few places where people climb the palm trees to collect fruit - rather than cutting the trees down. As a result, these areas have a higher number of fruit-bearing female trees.



The researchers estimate that by switching to tree climbing, the overall harvest could increase by 51 percent and generate $62 million a year for the local economy.



"This study shows that financially, over the long term, the potential value of the palm fruit ‘aguaje’ for this region of Peru is similar in value to activities such as logging and oil extraction. Sustainable palm fruit harvesting could therefore provide a real economic alternative for local people," said study co-author Dennis del Castillo.



Professor Tim Baker noted that reducing deforestation of tropical forests is a global priority to mitigate climate change. "Achieving success depends on increasing the value of standing forest to people who live in these landscapes. This study demonstrates a pathway to do this in one of the most carbon-rich landscapes on the planet.”



The study, which was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</a>.



---



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

Palm trees in Peru could help save the environment

A new study from the University of Leeds has exposed...

Through a unique combination of experimental methods and field studies, a research team led by the <a href="https://ki.se/en">Karolinska Institute</a> in Sweden and the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> in the UK has found that what smells we like or dislike is primarily determined by the structure of particular odor molecules. Thus, people around the world seem to generally share <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-odors-repellent-crops/">odor</a> preferences regardless of their cultural background.



“We wanted to examine if people around the world have the same smell perception and like the same types of odor, or whether this is something that is culturally learned,” said study lead author Artin Arshamian, an expert in Medical Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute. “Traditionally it has been seen as cultural, but we can show that culture has very little to do with it.”



The scientists selected nine indigenous communities representing different lifestyles, including four hunter-gatherer groups and five groups engaging in various forms of fishing and farming activities. In total, 235 individuals were asked to rank different smells on a scale from pleasant to unpleasant.&nbsp;



“Since these groups live in such disparate odiferous environments, like rainforest, coast, mountain, and city, we capture many different types of ‘odor experiences,'” said Dr. Arshamian.



Although the results showed variations between individuals in each group – which can be largely explained by molecular structure (41 percent) and by personal preference (54 percent) – there was a strong global correspondence on which odors were considered pleasant or unpleasant.



Most of the participants ranked the smell of vanilla as the most pleasant, and that of isovaleric acid – found in foods such as cheese, soy milk, or apple juice, as well as in foot sweat – as the least pleasant. According to the researchers, a possible reason why people like some smells more than others regardless of their cultural background is that such odors may have increased the risk of survival during human evolution.



“Now we know that there’s universal odor perception that is driven by molecular structure and that explains why we like or dislike a certain smell. The next step is to study why this is so by linking this knowledge to what happens in the brain when we smell a particular odor,” Dr. Arshamian concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.062">Current Biology</a>.



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

People around the world like the same smells

Through a unique combination of experimental methods and field studies,...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-has-destroyed-14-percent-of-the-worlds-coral-reefs/">Coral</a> reefs are often described by scientists as the rainforests of the ocean, since they host a high diversity of species and play a fundamental role in the proper functioning of marine ecosystems. Recently, climate change and local threats such as overfishing have caused a marked global decline in corals, making researchers ponder whether our planet will still have healthy, functional reefs in the near future. However, it is not yet clear what makes a coral reef functional.



By analyzing more than 500 coral reefs worldwide, a new study led by the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawai’I at Mānoa</a> has argued that five key functions performed by fish communities residing in coral reefs – the removal of algae, predation, biomass production, and the cycling of phosphorous and nitrogen – are inherently interconnected and need to remain in a delicate balance in order for the reefs to function properly. According to the scientists, while the performance of these processes is influenced by the community structure of fishes in any given reef, no reef can maximize all of the processes simultaneously.



“Imagine a coral reef fish community swirling with small fishes that feed on algae,” said study lead author Nina Schiettekatte, a postdoctoral fellow at UH Mānoa. “This community will be characterized by high algal consumption and high biomass production, but it will have low phosphorus cycling because these species excrete very little phosphorus.”



The discovery that no coral reef can excel in all functions led researchers to wonder whether there is a certain set of species that is more important than others in maintaining reef stability and health. Surprisingly, they found that no single species was consistently important in all locations where it was found, but half of all species played a crucial role in at least one location.



“This means that there are no global super-hero fish species for ecosystem functioning,” said study co-author Sébastien Villéger, a researcher at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.occitanie-est.cnrs.fr/fr">National Center of Scientific Research</a> (CNRS) in Montpellier, France. “But there are many local super heroes.”



“This work really changes the way we need to think about coral reef conservation,” added study co-author Simon Brandl, an assistant professor of Marine Ecology at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>. “Since we cannot maximize all aspects of functioning, we clearly need to develop a more nuanced approach to conserving coral reefs that considers local species, ecosystem dynamics, and stakeholder needs.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01710-5">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



---



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

Coral reefs must strike a delicate balance in order to function

Coral reefs are often described by scientists as the rainforests...

Cancer patients who are treated with the chemotherapy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/apples-can-help-store-and-transmit-drug-resistant-pathogens/">drug</a> doxorubicin may experience side effects that have long-lasting consequences. Among these, damage to the heart muscle and wasting away of skeletal muscle can affect a survivor’s physical stamina and quality of life. It is, however, a potent anti-cancer drug and is currently on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. It is used to treat breast cancer,&nbsp;bladder cancer,&nbsp;Kaposi's sarcoma,&nbsp;lymphoma, and types of leukemia. The fact that it can cause serious side effects is of great concern to patients and doctors alike.



The results of a recent study to test the effect of vitamin C supplementation in rats treated with doxorubicin will be presented at the annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.physiology.org/">American Physiological Society</a>. This meeting will be held under the auspices of the annual <a href="https://www.experimentalbiology.org/">Experimental Biology (EB) 2022 meeting</a>, where scientists gather to share the newest research findings in anatomy, biochemistry, molecular biology, investigative pathology, pharmacology and physiology.&nbsp;



“Our results suggest vitamin C as a potential adjunct therapy to assist in the management of peripheral muscle disorders after treatment with doxorubicin, thereby improving functional capacity and quality of life and reducing mortality,” said study first author Antonio Viana do Nascimento Filho, a master’s student in medicine at the University Nove de Julho (UNINOVE) in Brazil. Nascimento Filho will present the findings at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.physiology.org/">American Physiological Society</a>&nbsp;annual meeting.



Previous research, conducted in conjunction with scientists from the University of Manitoba in Canada, found that vitamin C supplementation improved markers of heart health and survival in rats given doxorubicin. The heart pathology resulting from treatment with doxorubicin appears to involve inflammation and oxidative stress, and vitamin C acts as an anti-oxidant that can reduce these processes. This led the authors to investigate whether vitamin C could also help to prevent the drug’s negative effects on skeletal muscle.



The researchers worked with four groups of rats, each with eight to 10 individuals. One group received both vitamin C and doxorubicin, while another received neither. A third group received only doxorubicin and a fourth received only vitamin C. The researchers then measured and compared skeletal muscle mass and markers of oxidative stress in all the rats.&nbsp;



The results showed that rats that received vitamin C along with doxorubicin had reduced oxidative stress and better muscle mass compared with those that were given doxorubicin but not vitamin C.



“It is exciting that the vitamin C prophylactic and concurrent treatment, given for just one week before and maintained for another two weeks after the use of doxorubicin, was sufficient to attenuate the side effects of this drug on skeletal muscle, contributing to a hugely positive impact on the health of the studied animals,” said Nascimento Filho. “Our work demonstrated that vitamin C treatment can mitigate the loss in muscle mass and improve many markers of free radical imbalance in rats subjected to doxorubicin administration.”



Future research would need to include randomized clinical trials in order to confirm whether vitamin C is also helpful for human patients receiving treatment with doxorubicin. In addition, appropriate dosages of vitamin C would need to be established for humans. Previous studies have suggested vitamin C could interfere with the effects of chemotherapy drugs, so patients are not advised to take these supplements during cancer treatments unless directed to do so by their doctor.



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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

Vitamin C may reduce adverse effects of cancer treatment

Cancer patients who are treated with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.ulisboa.pt/en">University of Lisbon</a> reveals that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urbanization-does-not-always-decrease-food-diversity/">urbanization</a> impacts the personalities of individual shrews. The greater white-toothed shrew is expanding its range in Europe and has been identified as invasive on some islands in Ireland. In order to predict where else shrews may emerge, it is important to understand how these small mammals adapt so rapidly to new environments.



"Urban environments differ in many aspects from natural or rural ones and thus pose challenges for many animal species. Some of these challenges have been connected to the observation that urban individuals of many animal taxa are bolder and more aggressive than their rural conspecifics," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"Apart from average behavioral differences between rural and urban populations, the variation of such behaviours within these populations may differ, enabling them to deal with the spatially and temporally heterogeneous habitats within cities. Here we tested average differences in behavior as well as the components of variation in these behaviors in rural and urban populations of shrews."



Beyond confirming that urban shrews are more active and aggressive, the researchers have discovered that shrews from urban environments differ more in their individual behavior than those in rural environments.



“Possibly, such diverse city personalities are caused by the high spatial and temporal heterogeneity in urban environments,” explained study first author Sophie von Merten.



The shrews that were observed for the study came from a diverse assortment of sites, ranging from small patches of vegetation on a busy university campus to city parks or green spaces located next to a noisy highway. Furthermore, the same results were found in two different species of shrews: the greater white-toothed shrew and the common shrew.



“The fact that similar results were found in two species that are so different to each other hints at a general pattern," said study co-author Professor Leszek Rychlik. “As cities are continuously growing around the globe, studies like ours are important to better understand of the consequences of urbanization on wild animals. Ultimately this might help us to protect biodiversity."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/animal-behaviour">Animal Behaviour</a>.



Image Credit: Ana Cerveira



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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

City shrews have bigger personalities

A new study from the University of Lisbon reveals that...

Just like flash floods, flash <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/europe-will-face-more-frequent-and-extreme-droughts/">droughts</a> occur rapidly, often drying out the soil in a matter of days. Such events can wipe out crops and cause enormous economic losses. According to an international research team led by the <a href="https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en">Hong Kong Polytechnic University</a>, although the number of flash droughts has remained relatively stable over the past two decades, many of these droughts are coming on faster, sending areas into drought conditions sometimes within just five days.



The scientists analyzed global hydroclimate data sets that use satellite soil moisture measurements to capture how the dynamics of flash droughts has changed over the past 21 years. The data revealed that about 34 to 46 percent of flash droughts came on in just five days. The rest usually emerged within a month, with 70 percent developing in two weeks or less.



According to the researchers, rising global temperatures are most probably the main cause behind the fast onset of droughts. “Every year, we are seeing record-breaking warming episodes, and that is a good precursor to these flash droughts,” said study co-author Zong-Liang Yang, a professor of Geosciences at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>. “The hope and purpose of this research is to minimize the detrimental effects.”



Professor Yang and his colleagues have also discovered that humidity and variable weather patterns are influencing the emergence of flash droughts, with these events becoming more likely when there are shifts from humid to arid conditions like those occurring seasonally in Southeast Asia, the Amazon Basin, and the East Coast and Gulf Coast of the United States. In such areas, flash droughts that come on the fastest have increased by 22 to 59 percent.



“We should pay close attention to the vulnerable regions with a high probability of concurrent soil drought and atmospheric aridity,” said study co-author Shuo Wang, an assistant professor of Geosciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The advancements in drought-detecting technologies and modeling tools have led to a growing awareness of the influence and impact of flash droughts. However, further research is needed to find ways of translating this knowledge into on-the-ground planning to mitigate the environmental and economic impact of such extreme weather events.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28752-4">Nature Communications</a>.



Image Credit: United States Department of Agriculture



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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

Flash droughts are coming on faster due to climate change

Just like flash floods, flash droughts occur rapidly, often drying...

Many species of large-bodied, land <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-mammals-play-a-role-in-combating-climate-change/">mammals</a> went extinct in the late Quaternary Period, between 115,000 and 500 years ago. These megafaunal extinctions are usually attributed to changing climatic conditions during this time, as well as to the impacts of hunting by humans. However, not all of the mammal species went extinct. Previous research has shown that mammals with larger bodies had an increased risk of extinction,&nbsp;although even this does not tell the whole story.



There are many mammal taxa (groups of related species) with some representatives that went extinct while others, of similar body size, survived into modern times. Jacob Dembitzer, from the School of Zoology, University of Tel Aviv, and colleagues, hypothesized that brain size may also have been a factor in whether mammalian species went extinct. They set out to determine whether there is a difference in brain size between extant (living) species and those that went extinct during the Late Quaternary, after accounting for differences in body size.&nbsp;



To do this, they measured the endocast volume (a measure of cranial capacity) of 291 living mammal species and 50 that went extinct during the Late Quaternary. In total, the researchers collected data on the volumes of 3,616 specimen skulls, with a median of three specimens per species, to calculate brain size. They used previously published research data on mammal body mass and extinction dates.&nbsp;



The species belonged to a total of 10 taxonomic orders, nine of which have both extinct and extant members, meaning that comparisons could be made between closely related species. More than half of the dataset was made up of species belonging to the Xenarthrans (sloths, armadillos and anteaters), Proboscideans (mastodons, mammoths and elephants), and Primates, which reflects a good cross-section of species that went extinct during the Late Quaternary.



The findings of the investigation, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, showed that the major factor correlated with risk of extinction was indeed body size, as expected. However, brain size was also a significant predictor of extinction. In a linear regression model, extant species had endocast volumes that were 83 percent larger, on average, than similar-sized extinct counterparts. The brain size was still 53 percent larger in extant species when mammalian order was used as a random effect.



The authors suggest that having a larger brain would have predisposed certain mammalian species to cope better with changes in climate, habitat and predation scenarios during the Late Quaternary Period. They feel that differences in brain size may explain why some large mammals went extinct (e.g., the relatively small brained&nbsp;Mammut americanum) while others, such as the large brained extant elephants (Elephas maximus&nbsp;and&nbsp;Loxodonta africana), survived.&nbsp;



Interestingly, extinct species from the mammalian orders Notoungulata, Pilosa (sloths and anteaters), Cingulata (armadillos), and Diprotodontia (marsupials) possessed, on average, the smallest brains (relative to body size) of any species in the dataset). Almost no large-bodies species from these orders have survived to modern times as the risk of extinction probably increased with body size and with small brain capacity.



The authors propose that, on the other hand, larger brain size may have helped large-bodied species that were prone to extinction anyway, to survive. A larger brain may have helped species to adapt quickly to changes such as increased hunting by humans, and may have meant the species were able to remember several sources of food and water within a changing landscape.



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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

Greater risk of extinction for large-bodied mammals in the past

Many species of large-bodied, land mammals went extinct in the...

A compound found in wild blueberries may speed up the process of wound healing, according to new research. The results of the study suggest that blueberry <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/could-a-botanical-extract-extend-the-lifespan-of-humans/">extract</a> could dramatically improve wound healing, and may ultimately reduce the massive cost of $50 billion that is spent on wound care each year.&nbsp;



Diabetic ulcers and other non-healing wounds often develop among the elderly. These wounds persist due to a reduced development of nutrient-rich blood vessels, which is known as vascularization. A lack of vascularity is associated with diabetes, vascular disease and other conditions. The trouble is, vascularity&nbsp;is critical for the efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients to support tissue and wound healing.



In a previous study that was focused on human umbilical cord cells, researchers at the <a href="https://umaine.edu/">University of Maine</a> found that a phenolic extract from wild blueberries improved vascularization and cell migration - critical steps in the healing process.



For the current study, a team of experts led by Dr. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas analyzed the effects of phenolic extract on wounds. Found naturally in some foods, phenols are compounds that serve as antioxidants, which can prevent and even reverse some types of cell damage.



Using a mouse model, the experts treated a group of animals with a topical gel that contained a wild blueberry phenolic extract. These mice were compared with animals that were treated with a base gel lacking the phenolic extract, and with a control group that received no treatment.



The experiment revealed that the treated mice exhibited improved migration of endothelial cells to the wound site, as well as a 12 percent increase in wound closure.



“Wild blueberries have the potential to enhance cell migration, new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and vascularization and to speed up wound closure," said study first author Tolu Esther Adekeye. "This is especially important in conditions that require enhanced wound closure in patients with chronic wounds such as diabetic wounds, burns and pressure ulcers."



The study will be presented this week in Philadelphia at the American Physiological Society’s (APS) annual meeting at <a href="https://www.experimentalbiology.org/">Experimental Biology 2022</a>.



---



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

Blueberries could be key to treating non-healing wounds

A compound found in wild blueberries may speed up the...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) has found that, by the third quarter of 2021 – thus, before the emergence of the highly contagious <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/omicron-high-transmissibility-and-chance-for-reinfection/">Omicron</a> variant in South Africa in November – 65 percent of the African population already had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Since at the time when this data was gathered only four percent of the population of the continent has been vaccinated (to date, this number has increased to 14 percent), the vast majority of these antibodies appear to be the result of natural infection.&nbsp;



But why have hospitalizations and deaths remained so low in West and Central Africa throughout the pandemic? According to Sierra Leone’s health minister Austin Demby, the answers to this question “are relevant not just to us, but have implications for the greater public good.”



Some scientists argue that perhaps Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths are simply not counted in Africa and that, in fact, the pandemic’s toll has been as great on this continent as in many other parts of the world. Indeed, excess mortality data in South Africa shows that during the first two years of the pandemic, over 250,000 more people died than expected from mortality patterns in previous years. Could it be that in other countries there are similar death rates and they are not noticed and reported?



“We have not seen massive burials in Africa. If that had happened, we’d have seen it,” said Dr. Thierno Baldé, the leader of WHO’s Covid emergency response in Africa. “A death in Africa never goes unrecorded, as much as we are poor at record-keeping,” added Dr. Abdhalah Ziraba, an epidemiologist at the <a href="https://aphrc.org/">African Population and Health Research Center</a> in Nairobi, Kenya.&nbsp;



“There is a funeral, an announcement: A burial is never done within a week because it is a big event. For someone sitting in New York hypothesizing that they were unrecorded - well, we may not have the accurate numbers, but the perception is palpable. In the media, in your social circle, you know if there are deaths.”



Sierra Leone’s health minister – a trained epidemiologist – strongly agrees: “We haven’t had overflowing hospitals. We haven’t. There is no evidence that excess deaths are occurring.”&nbsp;



Some scholars argue that high temperatures, the fact that much of daily life is spent outside, the low population density in many areas, and the relatively young population could have been crucial factors that helped spare the Africans from the worst Covid outcomes. However, India has largely similar conditions, and it nearly collapsed under the Delta variant last spring, with over four million estimated deaths.



Perhaps a more plausible explanation would be that many Africans had cross-immunity from being exposed to a variety of other pathogens, including not only other coronaviruses, but also microbes causing deadlier infections such as malaria, Lassa fever, or Ebola. However, this remains an unproven hypothesis in need of investigation. Urgent research is needed to find out if and which of these pathogens might offer cross-protection against SARS-CoV-2. Clarifying this issue is critical not only for solving Africa’s mysterious relation to Covid-19, but also for the future development of better vaccines and treatments worldwide.&nbsp;



A pre-print version of the WHO seroprevalence study can be found <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.14.22270934v1.full">here</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

Why has Covid-19 largely spared Africa?

A new study led by the World Health Organization (WHO)...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a> has found that infant monkeys conceived while their mothers were naturally exposed to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aerosols-in-wildfire-smoke-can-affect-the-climate-for-days/">wildfire smoke</a> shown significant behavioral changes compared to those conceived a few days after the exposure. These findings prove the importance of timing in the effects of smoke exposure during pregnancy, and suggest that exposure to such pollutants could have similar impacts on human infants.



“I think this will have an effect on future studies of exposures in pregnancy, because we’ll know when to look,” said study senior author Bill Lasley, a professor emeritus of Population Health and Reproduction at UC Davis. According to Lasley, existing studies of environmental exposure to pollutants during pregnancy in humans are largely retrospective, since women may not even realize that they are pregnant until weeks into the first trimester.



The Camp Fire – one of the largest and deadliest wildfires in California’s history – began on November 8, 2018 and provided a natural experiment in the effects of smoke exposure. At the peak of the breeding season for rhesus macaques housed in outdoor corrals at the <a href="https://cnprc.ucdavis.edu/">California National Primate Center</a> in Davis, the smoke blanketed the area, exposing many of the pregnant monkeys.



The 89 macaques conceived around that time were born approximately six months later. The researchers divided them into 52 animals conceived on or before November 22 – which were considered to be exposed to wildfire smoke during the first trimester – and 37 that were conceived later.



According to the scientists, the smoke exposed monkey infants showed increases in markers of inflammation, reduced cortisol responses to stress, memory deficits, and more passive temperaments than those conceived later. These effects appear similar to those identified in studies of prenatal exposure to air pollution, and are probably caused by airborne hydrocarbons such as phthalates, which were found in the smoke from the Camp Fire.



Unlike in the case of other mammals, the placenta of primates such as monkeys or humans produces hormones supporting brain development through the adrenal system. “Since fetal adrenal glands are the source of cortisol and other steroids for neurologic development, which determines behaviors, a scenario of a placenta-adrenal-brain axis could be the causal pathway,” explained Professor Lasley.



Further research is needed to clarify whether smoke exposure in humans could cause similar effects. The scientists are now beginning a prospective study on women with implanted embryos as a result of in vitro fertilization, since the time of conception is exactly known if the women are incidentally exposed to wildfire smoke or other types of pollutants.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29436-9">Nature Communications</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

Wildfire smoke exposure changes behavior of infant monkeys

A new study led by the University of California, Davis...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.su.se/cmlink/stockholm-university">Stockholm University</a> has found that longer and warmer autumns make it less likely that green-veined white <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-monarch-butterflies-are-killed-by-parasites-yearly/">butterflies</a> – a species common throughout Europe and the United Kingdom - will survive winter. Although the butterflies exposed to warmer conditions did not die immediately, those that experienced them were less likely to survive to adulthood the following spring.



“Climate change is making autumns warmer and last longer, and it was this specific combination of conditions that had the greatest impact on the butterflies in our study,” said study lead author Dr. Matthew Nielsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Stockholm University. “We show that stressful conditions experienced at one time of year can have lasting negative consequences at other times of year, linking changes in one season to consequences in others.”



According to Dr. Nielsen, animals which enter a dormant stage through the winter are particularly vulnerable to increasing temperatures because this raises their metabolic rates, making them run out of energy faster. “Even though dormant animals use less energy than active animals, they use more when it’s warmer, and they can’t eat to replace that lost energy. It is already established that warmer winters are actually worse for dormant animals than colder ones, and our findings show that warmer autumns are potentially even more dangerous,” he said.



In laboratory conditions, the scientists exposed the chrysalises of butterflies to simulated autumn conditions of varying temperature and length and found that those exposed to warmer and longer conditions lost significantly more weight and used more energy than those exposed to milder conditions.



Since the study was performed in the lab, it may be difficult to extrapolate these findings to populations in the wild that are exposed to natural seasonal and daily variations. However, according to the researchers, such variations could in fact further intensify the metabolic costs of autumn conditions.



The scientists are now expanding their research to explore the effects of climate change on butterflies in more detail and assess the effects of different seasons. “In our study we only considered survival to adulthood, but there could be even more negative effects later in life, for example on the ability to find mates or the number of eggs laid. Studying how warming in autumn, winter, and spring interact will also be key to understanding the actual impacts of climate change on dormant animals,” Dr. Nielsen concluded.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.14037">Functional Ecology</a>.



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

Warmer autumns reduce the life expectancy of butterflies

A new study led by Stockholm University has found that...

A 2016 study found that 22 percent of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-doubles-the-risk-of-severe-pregnancy-complications/">pregnant</a> women in Colorado had detectable levels of cannabinoids in their bodies. Research shows that exposure to cannabis, including the popular CBD products, during pregnancy put children at risk for health problems.&nbsp;



CBD is seen as non psychoactive and is advertised as helping a host of psychological issues such as anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Because CBD is seen as therapeutic and few side effects are noted, it’s used in a whole host of products from tinctures and lotions to food.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The risks of cannabinoid exposure in the womb for the children include risks of obesity, high blood sugar and behavioral problems.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We found that cannabis use during pregnancy was linked to increased fat mass percentage and fasting glucose levels in 5-year-old children,” said Dr. Brianna Moore of the <a href="https://coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu/">Colorado School of Public Health</a>. “We would encourage women to refrain from using any cannabis while pregnant or breastfeeding to minimize adverse health effects in the offspring.”



The researchers tested for cannabinoids in urine samples from 103 pregnant women, and 15 percent of those tested had detectable levels of cannabinoids in their urine. The children of the women who tested positive for cannabinoids had children with higher fat content and higher fasting glucose levels than the children of women without cannabinoids in their urine. This is clear evidence of the negative impact of using cannabinoid products when pregnant. Still yet, the scientists caution that more research is needed to fully understand the full effect caused by cannabis use in pregnant women.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“More studies are needed to understand how exposure to different cannabinoids during pregnancy may impact the offspring,” said Dr. Moore.



The research, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health, is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcem/advance-article/doi/10.1210/clinem/dgac101/6554396?login=false">published</a> by The Endocrine Society.&nbsp;



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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

Prenatal exposure to cannabis linked to health risks later in life

A 2016 study found that 22 percent of pregnant women...

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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

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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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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