We all know processed food isn't the best thing on the plate. But how do we navigate the confusing language of food labeling? A remarkable tool now helps consumers and policymakers understand the processing levels of over 50,000 different items.



Researchers from Mass General Brigham created this public database to promote informed food choices and advocate for better food regulation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-processed-foods-the-basics">Understanding processed foods - the basics</h2>



Processed foods are those that have been altered from their natural state in some way, usually to make them last longer or taste better. 



This includes things like freezing vegetables, canning beans, or adding salt and sugar to bread. These changes can be pretty simple and often retain most of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-baby-food-isnt-nutritious-despite-what-the-label-says/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">original nutrients</a>. 



For example, a jar of tomato sauce or a bag of roasted nuts are considered processed foods because they've been prepared or packaged, but they still contain ingredients you’d recognize and are generally healthy when eaten in moderation.



On the other hand, ultra-processed foods go through much more extensive manufacturing and contain ingredients you wouldn’t normally find in a home kitchen. 



These foods often include artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, and other additives designed to enhance taste, texture, and shelf life. 



Think of things like sugary cereals, sodas, packaged snacks, instant noodles, and frozen dinners. Ultra-processed foods are usually higher in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-fat-diets-cause-high-anxiety-through-changes-in-gut-bacteria/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unhealthy fats</a>, sugars, and salt, and they tend to be lower in essential nutrients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-processed-foods-dominate-grocery-shelves">Processed foods dominate grocery shelves</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ultra-processed-foods-make-our-bodies-age-faster/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Highly and ultra-processed foods</a> make up a significant portion of what is available in most grocery stores.



While they may be convenient or taste appealing, research has linked diets high in these types of foods to serious health issues, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.



Despite growing awareness about the risks associated with these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-ultra-processed-foods-makes-your-muscles-weaker-and-more-fragile/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">foods</a>, many shoppers struggle to determine how processed a particular food item is. 



Ingredient labels and nutritional information can be overwhelming or unclear, making it difficult for the average consumer to make informed choices.



“There are a lot of mixed messages about what a person should eat. Our work aims to create a sort of translator to help people look at food information in a more digestible way,” said Dr. Giulia Menichetti, a lead researcher at <a href="https://www.brighamandwomens.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brigham and Women’s Hospital</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-grocerydb-simplifies-healthy-eating">GroceryDB simplifies healthy eating</h2>



To address the challenge of understanding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/minimally-processed-foods-cost-more-offer-no-extra-nutrition/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food processing levels</a>, researchers applied machine learning to analyze detailed data from three major grocery retailers: <a href="https://www.target.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Target</a>, Whole Foods, and Walmart. 



They examined ingredient lists, nutritional information, and pricing data to create a clear picture of the processing levels of various food items.



This effort led to the development of <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11177926/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GroceryDB</a>, a comprehensive database tool designed to empower consumers with easy-to-understand information about processed food ingredients.



GroceryDB provides each food item with a "processing score," which indicates the degree of processing involved in the production of the food.



The database is accessible to the public through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.truefood.tech" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TrueFood</a>&nbsp;website, where users can explore essential details such as processing scores, ingredient breakdowns, and complete nutritional facts. 



This innovative tool simplifies the often-confusing task of evaluating food processing, making healthier choices more attainable for everyone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-all-grocery-stores-are-the-same">Not all grocery stores are the same</h2>



The researchers employed the FPro algorithm to analyze <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/health-risks-of-ultra-processed-foods-revealed-in-30-year-study/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food processing</a> levels across products from the three major grocery retailers. Their findings revealed that the majority of items available in these stores were classified as ultra-processed.



While <a href="https://www.wholefoodsmarket.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Whole Foods</a> stood out for offering a broader selection of minimally processed foods, Walmart and Target provided fewer options in this category. 



For example, cereals at Whole Foods showed a wide range, spanning from minimally to ultra-processed. In contrast, all cereals available at <a href="https://www.walmart.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Walmart</a> and Target were categorized as highly processed.



This pattern extended beyond cereals to other product categories, including soups, milk substitutes, and cookies. Despite the apparent variety of brands and products on store shelves, the processing options remained strikingly limited. 



These findings highlight the challenge consumers face when trying to access healthier, less-processed food options, even in stores that appear to offer significant variety.



“When people hear about the dangers of ultra-processed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ultra-processed-foods-are-harmful-to-nearly-every-part-of-the-body/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">foods</a>, they ask, ‘OK, what are the rules? How can we apply this knowledge?’” said Menichetti. “We are building tools to help people implement changes to their diet.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-enters-the-fight-against-processed-foods">AI enters the fight against processed foods</h2>



This initiative demonstrates how artificial intelligence (AI) can play a transformative role in advancing public health. 



By leveraging AI and data science, the research team created a scalable system for analyzing and categorizing the processing levels of food items.



The team plans to enhance this database further by incorporating geolocation data and temporal monitoring. 



This expansion would provide insights into regional differences in food availability and how these variations influence social determinants of health, such as access to nutritious options.



“Most research activities in nutrition still depend on manual curation, but our study shows that artificial intelligence and data science can be used to scale up,” Menichetti emphasized. 



The ultimate goal is to make this an internationally comparable, open-access resource to advance global nutrition security.



With the TrueFood database, consumers now have the tools to make better informed food choices and push for healthier options in their communities.



The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-024-01095-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Food</a>.



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New tool lets you check how processed and unhealthy your food is

We all know processed food isn't the best thing on the plate. But how do we navigate the confusing language of food labeling? A remarkable tool now helps consumers and policymakers understand the processing levels of over 50,000 different items. Researchers from Mass General Brigham created this public database to promote informed food choices and advocate for better food regulation. Understanding processed foods - the basics Processed foods are those that have been altered from their natural state in some way, usually to make them last longer...

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, significantly contributing to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-microbe-may-help-in-the-fight-against-climate-change/">climate change</a>. For many years, scientists thought that this gas is produced only by single-celled microbes called Archaea, through the decomposition of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. However, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.mpi-marburg.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology</a> suggests that in fact all organisms release varying degrees of methane.



When researchers from the Max Planck Institute discovered the release of methane from plants in the presence of oxygen 16 years ago, they initially doubted the results. However, once fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria were also observed to form methane under aerobic conditions, scientists have started to realize that methane formation is more widespread than initially thought. Until recently though, enzymatic activities were considered responsible for the formation of this gas. Now, researchers have shown that this process could also take place via a purely chemical mechanism, with no enzymes involved.



“This study is therefore a milestone in our understanding of aerobic methane formation in the environment,” said senior author Frank Keppler, a geoscientist at <a href="http://uni-heidelberg.de/">Heidelberg University</a>. “This universal mechanism also explains the observations of our previous study on the release of methane from plants.”



Professor Keppler and his colleagues have shown, using the bacterium&nbsp;Bacillus subtilis, that there is a close connection between metabolic activity and the extent of methane formation. Under the influence of oxygen, metabolic activity leads to the formation of reactive oxygen species in cells, including hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. In interaction with iron, highly reactive tetravalent iron compounds and hydroxyl radicals are formed, which later on drive the cleavage of a methyl radical from methylated sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Finally, a chemical reaction between the methyl radical and a hydrogen atom leads to the formation of methane.



The scientists have verified the reactive oxygen species-driven formation of methane in over 30 model organisms, ranging from bacteria and archaea to yeasts, plant cells, and even human cell lines.&nbsp;



“Methane formation triggered by reactive oxygen species most likely occurs in all organisms,” reported study lead author Leonard Ernst, a doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute.



Ernst and his colleagues have also discovered that additional oxidative stress – triggered by higher ambient temperatures or the addition of reactive oxygen species-forming substances – led to an increase in methane formation in the examined organisms.&nbsp;



The findings could explain why methane production by a certain organism can significantly vary, and why stress factors deeply impact the amount of production. For instance, changes in environmental and temperature conditions caused by global warming could potentially influence the stress levels of many organisms and thus their methane emissions.&nbsp;



Further research is needed to clarify the chemical underpinnings of methane production and their intricate relationships to environmental stressors.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04511-9">Nature</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

Study suggests that all living organisms produce methane

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, significantly contributing to climate...

According to a research team led by the <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/">University of Technology Sydney</a> (UTS), a single-celled marine microbe (Prorocentrum&nbsp;cf.&nbsp;balticum) that is capable of both photosynthesis and hunting and eating prey may turn out to be a valuable secret weapon in the fight against climate change.&nbsp;



This microbe, abundant in the world’s oceans, photosynthesizes and releases a carbon-rich exopolymer which attracts and helps immobilize other marine microbes. After eating some of the entrapped prey, it abandons its exopolymer “mucosphere” which, heavy with entrapped prey, sinks and becomes part of the ocean’s natural biological <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meltwater-influences-carbon-storage-in-the-arctic/">carbon pump</a>.



While the contribution of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/phytoplankton-remain-surprisingly-active-underneath-arctic-sea-ice/">phytoplankton</a> to the carbon pump has already been well documented by scientists, the role of mixotrophic protists – microbes that can simultaneously photosynthesize and consume other organisms – is far less understood.



“Most terrestrial plants use nutrients from the soil to grow, but some, like the Venus flytrap, gain additional nutrients by catching and consuming insects. Similarly, marine microbes that photosynthesize, known as phytoplankton, use nutrients dissolved in the surrounding seawater to grow,” said study lead author Michaela Larsson, a marine biologist at UTS.



“However, our study organism, Prorocentrum&nbsp;cf.&nbsp;balticum, is a mixotroph, so is also able to eat other microbes for a concentrated hit of nutrients, like taking a multivitamin. Having the capacity to acquire nutrients in different ways means this microbe can occupy parts of the ocean devoid of dissolved nutrients and therefore unsuitable for most phytoplankton.”



According to a 2019 <a href="https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2018/10/technologies-that-remove-carbon-dioxide-from-air-and-sequester-it-need-to-play-a-large-role-in-mitigating-climate-change-says-new-report">report</a> of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, in order to meet climate change mitigation goals, about 10 gigatons of CO2 should be removed from the atmosphere each year until 2050. Dr. Larsson and her colleagues have estimated that this microbe species has the potential to sink between 0.02 and 0.15 gigatons of carbon annually. Thus, it could be used as a nature-based solution to enhance carbon capture in the world’s oceans.



“The natural production of extra-cellular carbon-rich polymers by ocean microbes under nutrient-deficient conditions, which we’ll see under global warming, suggest these microbes could help maintain the biological carbon pump in the future ocean,” said study senior author Martina Doblin, a professor of Oceanography at UTS.



“The next step before assessing the feasibility of large-scale cultivation is to gauge the proportion of the carbon-rich exopolymers resistant to bacteria breakdown and determine the sinking velocity of discarded mucospheres. This could be a game changer in the way we think about carbon and the way it moves in the marine environment,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28867-8">Nature Communications</a>.



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

Marine microbe may help in the fight against climate change

According to a research team led by the University of...

Agrilus,Planipennis,-,Emerald,Ash,Borer

Invasive insects will destroy hundreds of thousands of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tall-trees-in-the-amazon-face-an-uncertain-future/">trees</a> in the coming years, according to a new study published by the British Ecological Society. The experts report that by mid-century, invasive insects like the emerald ash borer could kill 1.4 million street trees in the United States, with an associated cost of over 900 million dollars.



The study represents the first nationwide forecast of street tree mortality from invasive insects. For the investigation, a research team led by McGill University analyzed data from about 30,000 urban areas across the United States.



The projections show that the emerald ash borer will be, by far, the most destructive of the invasive insects. The experts determined that the emerald ash borer will be responsible for 90 percent of the 1.4 million trees deaths. In particular, this pest is expected to kill every ash tree in more than 6,000 urban areas.



The impact of invasive insects will not be distributed evenly across the country, according to the study. The experts found that less than a quarter of US communities will be hit with 95 percent of all street tree mortality. Some of the areas that will be severely affected include New York, Chicago and Milwaukee.



The researchers noted that their findings can help urban tree managers predict which tree species, in which areas, will be at the greatest risk from invasive insects.&nbsp;



“These results can hopefully provide a cautionary tale against planting a single species of tree throughout entire cities, as has been done with ash trees in North America," said study lead author Dr. Emma Hudgins. "Increasing urban tree diversity provides resilience against pest infestations. While we know this more intuitively for monocultures of crops, many cities continue to plant what are essentially monoculture urban forests.”



“We can see a similar situation in Canada, since emerald ash borer arrived here by spreading across the border with the United States, and cities like Montréal are in the process of losing all of their ash trees. Colder cities like Winnipeg appear to be seeing delayed impacts of emerald ash borer due to its need to complete a longer life cycle at low temperatures.”



Dr. Hudgins pointed out that trees form an important part of our urban environments and provide a number of benefits including improving air quality, cooling streets, carbon capture, habitat provision for wildlife and improving citizens’ mental and physical health.



“This paper shows that unless we plant a variety of tree species in our cities, urban trees are seriously at risk from invasive pests," said Professor Jane Memmott at the University of Bristol, who was not involved in the study. "The take home message to urban planners, is to plant multiple species in cities rather than focus on just a few familiar species; It’ll keep trees wonderful, and it will keep them in our cities."



The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652664">Journal of Applied Ecology</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

Invasive insects will kill 1.4 million U.S. trees by 2050

Invasive insects will destroy hundreds of thousands of trees in...

After more than 50 years of protection, green turtles are showing signs of recovery at Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. A new study from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> reveals that green turtle populations have been steadily growing throughout the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/islands-are-not-evolutionary-dead-ends-for-animals/">islands</a>.&nbsp;



The Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles is home to some one of the world's largest populations of green turtles. However, before the turtles were granted protection through a hunting ban in 1968, they were nearly wiped out.



Researchers from the Seychelles Islands Foundation have been tracking this special turtle population by estimating how many clutches of eggs are laid. According to the latest analysis of the data, this figure has increased from 2,000 or 3,000 per year in the late 1960s to more than 15,000 per year by 2019.



"Green turtles have suffered massive historical population declines due to intensive harvesting of nesting females," said study lead author Adam Pritchard.



"Aldabra Atoll was the first green turtle nesting site to be protected in the Western Indian Ocean, with a ban on turtle capture in 1968, followed by continued long-term monitoring by Seychelles Islands Foundation researchers."



Professor Brendan Godley, who helped supervise the research, said that it has been an honor to support the analysis of the decades of work by the Seychelles team.



"The ongoing population increase of Aldabra's green turtles is testament to long-term protection, and offers some clear evidence of the fact that we can be optimistic about marine conservation, well enacted," said Professor Godley.&nbsp;



Overall, the results show that green turtle clutches have increased at Aldabra by 2.6 percent each year. The greatest increase in turtles has been found at Settlement Beach on Picard, which is where the most intense harvesting once took place.&nbsp;



"This study demonstrates the importance of long-term monitoring, which is often seen as less glamorous and valuable than targeted research," noted study co-author Cheryl Sanchez, who is currently doing a PhD on Aldabra’s turtles. "It has taken decades of tireless commitment to collect the data to confirm this increase, and the foresight to protect the nesting population before it was too late.



"Aldabra's green turtles should continue to be an incredible conservation success story that we can follow for decades to come."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.int-res.com/journals/esr/esr-home/">Endangered Species Research</a>.



Image Credit: Richard Baxter



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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

Green turtle populations have bounced back in the Seychelles

After more than 50 years of protection, green turtles are...

Crocodilians species such as the unique, small Chinese <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alligators-birds-hearing-dinosaur/">alligator</a> once flourished in China. However, during the Tang Dynasty in the 9th century, people started to push out crocodilians in the Han River Delta of Guangdong province.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



A government official named Han Yu is said to have attempted to warn the crocodilians, even offering them animal sacrifices to leave the area in peace. Unfortunately, the crocodilians did not need the warning, and new evidence suggests that they were most likely wiped out by humans.&nbsp;



Recently, a team of experts led by Professor Minoru Yoneda from the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo</a> studied two crocodilian subfossils found in the region. The animals appear to have died in the 10th and 14th centuries B.C. Although the timing means these crocodiles weren’t connected to Han Yu, the story fits with them nicely and the researchers named the croc Hanyusuchus sinensis.



Interestingly, the H. sinensis remains appear to have been beheaded as part of a ritual. Perhaps even more interestingly, the individual shares skull features both with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gharials-are-vanishing-in-bardia-national-park/">gharials</a> and with other crocodilians.&nbsp;



“I have studied modern crocodilians for years, but even though it’s extinct, Hanyusuchus sinensis is by far the most astonishing creature I’ve ever seen,” said study co-author Professor Jun Liu from Hefei University of Technology in China.



"Everyone is familiar with sharp-nosed crocodiles and blunt-nosed alligators, but may be less familiar with a third kind of modern crocodilian called gharials that have much longer and thinner skulls. Hanyusuchus sinensis is a type of gharial, but what’s exciting is how it also shares some important skull features with the rest of the crocodilians."



"This is significant as it could settle a decades-long debate about how, when and in what way crocodilians evolved into the three families still roaming the Earth today.”



The marks of human violence on the two subfossils indicate that they were driven to extinction by an expanding human population. The researchers believe that the crocodilians may have also left scars on the culture of China. Stories of dragons, and other cultural elements may have been inspired by the crocodilians people feared and even wiped from the Earth.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences</a>.



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

Ancient remains shed new light on crocodilian evolution

Crocodilians species such as the unique, small Chinese alligator once...

A research team led by the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> has recently described a new species of softshell turtle (Hutchemys walkerorum) that lived in North Dakota at the end of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 66.5 million years ago – just before the mass extinction that wiped-out the dinosaurs. Although the fossils – consisting of a partial carapace - were discovered in 1975 by a field crew from the <a href="https://www.appstate.edu/">Appalachian State University</a>, they have only been properly analyzed and described now.



Hutchemys walkerorum roamed the Earth during the same period as large dinosaurs such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/were-there-three-distinct-species-of-tyrannosaurus-rex/">Tyrannosaurus Rex</a> and Triceratops did. It belonged to a particular group of softshell turtles&nbsp;in the Trionychidae family called plastomenines which lived during the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods, approximately 80 million to 50 million years ago. Members of this group first appear in the fossil record during the Late Cretaceous, and were at their peak diversity before and after the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.



A phylogenetic analysis has revealed that this turtle belonged to a group of early trionychids (softshell turtles) in the subfamily Kuhnemydinae, which are fossil species from Asia. These findings suggests that the family Trionychidae originated in Asia before migrating to North America sometime in the Late Cretaceous. Although these turtles are similar to the softshell turtles that exist today, the bones covering their abdominal area were larger and more strongly sutured together.



“Until recently we didn’t understand these softshell turtles very well,” said study lead author Steven Jasinski, a paleontologist at <a href="https://www.harrisburgu.edu/">Harrisburg University</a>. “However, we are starting to get more information on this extinct group of turtles and further understanding their evolution, including how they dealt with the mass extinction.”&nbsp;



“With this study we gain further insight into winners and losers during the cataclysm that ended the Age of Dinosaurs,” added study senior author Peter Dodson, a professor emeritus of Paleontology at the University of Pennsylvania. “The mighty dinosaurs fell, and the lowly turtle survived.”



A detailed description of this specimen is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105172">Cretaceous Research</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

Softshell turtles lived alongside the dinosaurs

A research team led by the University of Pennsylvania has...

While some rivers in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amazon-rainforest-is-creeping-closer-to-a-tipping-point/">Amazon</a> basin are muddy, others run clean and clear due to different geographies. The Tapajos River, which feeds into the Amazon as a major tributary, is one of those rivers. In fact, the Tapajos is one of the largest clearwater rivers in South America and contributes six percent of the Amazon Basin’s water.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Illegal mining, which is being conducted by small scale operators who are running below the radar of environmental regulators, is destroying the Tapajos and other rivers in the region. The Tapajos has been transformed from its usual clarity to a turgid brown color. Small mining projects have long been a problem in the Amazon region, but with gold prices up, there has been a gold rush since 2019.&nbsp;



Dredging the river, digging pits and vacuuming sediment from the bottom along with deforestation all contribute to the muddying of the waters. Now, Conservation X Labs may have some solutions.



To deal with this ongoing problem, Conservation X Labs has hosted <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-technology-developed-to-protect-the-amazon/">contests</a> to encourage innovative groups to develop new approaches. Now, it's time for these solutions to be used in the field.



One proposed solution is a tool that could automatically detect illegal mining operations using satellites and artificial technology. Another idea is to make mining in the area safer and less detrimental to the environment. This approach would involve a safe and affordable system that increases gold yields.&nbsp;



Lastly, the organization developed tools to deal with mercury pollution. One of these is a new portable mercury detector that alerts the user to mercury in the field in realtime. A separate system was designed to capture mercury vapor released during amalgam burning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Altogether, these tools represent some of the high tech solutions being developed to solve conservation problems in the Tapajos River and beyond. Time will tell whether these newer solutions will work better than old ones.



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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

The Tapajos River is polluted by illegal gold mining

While some rivers in the Amazon basin are muddy, others...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-will-increase-by-50-percent-by-the-end-of-the-century/">wildfires</a> increase in frequency and severity, they are taking a significant toll on the wine industry. Volatile compounds in the smoke can be absorbed by grapes and produce an unpleasant taste known as “smoke taint” in the wines made from such grapes. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">University of California, Santa Cruz</a> provides practical guidelines for using biomarkers to identify grapes and wines affected by smoke taint.



Previous studies have associated smoke taint with volatile phenols that are present in the smoke produced by burning vegetation. These chemical compounds are absorbed through the skin of ripening grapes and, through binding with sugars, they form nonvolatile compounds called phenolic diglycosides. Although in their bound state, these compounds cannot be smelled or tasted, foul-tasting free phenols can be released by enzymes, either during the fermentation process or in the mouth by the enzymes present in saliva.



“We found that the phenolic diglycosides are stable in cabernet sauvignon during bottle aging, but then during tasting the monomers that smell bad get released in the mouth,” said study lead author Phillip Crews, a distinguished research professor of Chemistry at UC Santa Cruz.



By using sophisticated methods such as ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography and quantitative mass spectrometry, Professor Crews and his colleagues have provided some of the first quantitative measurements of phenolic diglycosides in premium California and Oregon grapes and wines that were exposed to six different levels of natural wildfire smoke.



“There are still major gaps in our understanding of these compounds, so more research is needed. But people can use these procedures now to look at a bottle of wine or a batch of grapes and tell if it’s likely to be affected by smoke taint,” explained Professor Crews.



“This research is highly valuable, with the potential to save countless dollars, and is increasingly relevant in our world of drought and climate change,” said Eleni Papadakis, a winemaking consultant from Portland, Oregon, who was not directly involved in the study, but helped connect the researchers with Oregon winemakers and participated in frequent discussions. “I believe I speak for the whole of the winemaking community when I express the excitement and appreciation for the strong data and evidence-based guidance Professor Crews and his team have provided with this groundbreaking work,” she concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.2c00028">Journal of Natural Products</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 is taking a toll on the wine industry

As wildfires increase in frequency and severity, they are taking...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London</a> has found that a “social supergene” drove the spread of a new form of society across groups of red fire <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ants-can-detect-cancer-through-smell/">ants</a>. The supergene emerged in one fire ant species, and then carried the instruction-set for the novel social organization into other species through hybridization (breeding between ants of different species).&nbsp;



Originally, red fire ants – which are native to South America and infamous for their painful sting – had only colonies with one queen. However, about one million years ago, a new social form evolved where colonies could have dozens of queens. 



The scientists found that a particular version of a large section of chromosomes, called the “social supergene,” included the genetic information which was necessary to make workers accept more than one queen, and was transferred through hybridization to many other red fire ant species.



Although transfer of massive amounts of genetic information across species is rare due to genetic incompatibilities, in this case, the advantage of having multiple queens overrode these incompatibilities, making the supergene spread widely.



“This research reveals how evolutionary innovations can spread across species. It also shows how evolution works at the level of DNA and chromosomes,” said study senior author Dr. Yannick Wurm, a Reader in Evolutionary Genomics and Bioinformatics at Queen Mary University.



“It was incredibly surprising to discover that other species could acquire a new form of social organization through hybridization. The supergene region that creates multi-queen colonies is a large piece of chromosome that contains hundreds of genes. The many parts of a genome evolve to work together in fine-tuned manners, thus suddenly having a mix with different versions of many genes from another species is complicated and quite rare.”&nbsp;



According to Dr. Wurm, the presence of this supergene made workers accept extra queens, instead of executing them as they would in a single-queen colony. This new form of social organization had multiple advantages. For instance, it had more workers and could thus outcompete colonies with a single queen. Moreover, during floods or other natural disasters, such a colony of fire ants was less likely to become queenless.



Further research is needed to identify which genes or parts of the supergene region lead to these changes in behavior, and thus shed more light on this rare evolutionary process.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28806-7">Nature Communications</a>.



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

"Supergene" transformed the social hierarchy of fire ants

A new study led by Queen Mary University of London...

On Monday, March 7, 2022, the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/">Food and Drug Administration</a> (FDA) have given their approval for the sale of beef from gene-edited cattle in the United States, after concluding that these genetically modified animals “do not raise any safety concerns.” 



The cattle were designed by <a href="https://recombinetics.com/">Recombinetics</a> – a Minnesota-based bioengineering company – to have short, slick coats that would make them more resistant to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-cattle-industry-could-lose-billions-due-to-heat-stress/">heat stress</a>. The beef resulting from these animals could be available for human consumption in about two years.



These cattle are the third genetically altered animals which were approved for human consumption in the U.S., after salmon and pigs. Unlike these animals though, the cattle did not have to go through an extended, years-long approval process, since their genetic makeup is similar to that of existing cattle and the trait can even be found naturally in some breeds.



According to Dr. Steven Solomon, the director of FDA’s <a href="https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-organization/center-veterinary-medicine">Center for Veterinary Medicine</a>, the agency’s review of Recombinetics’ cattle took only a few months, and there is no reason that meat from these animals should be labeled differently once it will start to be commercialized. However, he made clear that genetically altered animals marketed to have certain advantages – such as a considerably higher ability to withstand heat than their “natural” counterparts – may need to pass through the full approval process.&nbsp;



The gene-edited trait in these cattle can be inherited, so semen and embryos could be used to produce offspring with the same shorter, more heat-resistant coats. Once the semen is used to create embryos, gestation would take approximately nine months and the resulting calves could be slaughtered after about 10 more months. These genetic alterations could make beef production more sustainable and improve animal welfare in warmer climates.



While the speed with which FDA moved in this case was applauded by many scientists and industry leaders, others criticized the agency for the lack of transparency in the review process. For instance, Greg Jaffe, an expert in biotechnology at the <a href="https://www.cspinet.org/">Center for Science in the Public Interest</a> argued that more transparency could lead to better public acceptance and minimization of potential economic disruptions from global trade (since other countries could consider these cattle genetically modified foods in need of labeling).&nbsp;



Moreover, Jaydee Hanson, the Policy Director of the <a href="https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/">Center for Food Safety</a>, urged the FDA to keep track of the animals for several generations to ensure no unintended problems will arise.



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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

Genetically modified cattle have been cleared in the U.S.

On Monday, March 7, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration...

Climate change is significantly affecting a large number of wild populations, including many European <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-involved-in-more-seed-dispersal-have-evolutionary-stability/">bird</a> species. However, global warming’s relative importance compared to other causes of change is still unclear. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/">Australian National University</a> (ANU) has investigated the impact of climate change on over 60 different bird species from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.&nbsp;



The researchers found that half of all changes to major physical and behavioral bird characteristics since the 1960s can be linked to climate change. The other half is due to environmental factors that have changed at the same time as our climate, such as land use, urbanization, habitat loss, or the introduction of invasive species into ecosystems.



“We have shown that climate change is a major driver of these changes in the birds, but there is more at play here than we originally thought,” said study lead author Dr. Nina McLean, an expert in Climate Change Ecology at ANU.



“Not only were other unknown changes in the environment equally important in driving changes in the birds, surprisingly they generally did so in the same direction as climate change, such that their effects compounded.”



Dr. McLean and her colleagues analyzed three key traits: the timing of egg laying, the body condition of birds, and the number of offspring produced. While almost all the birds laid their eggs earlier due to climate change, in the case of the other two traits the scientists discovered a certain degree of variability.



“Some species are clearly increasing their body condition and offspring number, whereas others are suffering from it,” said Dr. McLean. “For example, garden warblers in the UK have experienced a 26 percent decrease in their average number of offspring over the past half century, which is really concerning for the long-term fate of this species, but only half of this reduction, 13 percent, can be attributed to climate change.&nbsp;By comparison, the redstart experienced a 27 per cent increase in offspring numbers over the past half century, but again only part of that increase is due to global warming.”&nbsp;



According to Dr. McLean, these findings clearly show that the impact of climate change does not act in isolation and that its effects occur in a world where wildlife resilience is already pushed to its limits due to other changes caused by humans. The compound effects of these factors pose significant threats to the livelihoods of various species that may already be endangered.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2105416119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



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

Climate is not the only thing changing the behavior of birds

Climate change is significantly affecting a large number of wild...

A new study published by Frontiers has identified a previously unrecognized impact that climate change has on endangered mountain gorillas. When <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/temperature-related-deaths-could-rise-exponentially/">temperatures</a> rise, mountain gorillas drink water much more frequently. 



Water plays a vital role in sustaining life. Understanding how various species use water is critical, especially as rising temperatures are expected to reduce water availability. This is a key concern for endangered species in small isolated populations vulnerable to drought and the risk of extinction.&nbsp;



Only two existing mountain gorilla populations exist. One population lives in the Virunga volcanic mountains that border Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the other lives in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda.&nbsp;



They are classified as an endangered species on the <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/">International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List</a>. Mountain gorillas continue to face threats from habitat destruction and poaching. There are only around 1,000 individuals left.



Mountain gorillas live in rainforests and rely on plants for water. They live in high elevations, which makes them susceptible to faster rises in temperature. As the climate warms, the gorillas will become increasingly dependent on free-standing water from streams, rivers or puddles.



“Understanding how animals obtain water is increasingly important in the face of climate change, as warmer temperatures and more extreme weather conditions are predicted to influence water availability, which could have implications for how they use their limited habitat,” said Dr. Edward Wright of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.&nbsp;



“This is particularly important in endangered species which are vulnerable to extinction, such as mountain gorillas.”



Existing research has shown that 22 percent of primate species are vulnerable to drought. Primate habitats will likely experience 10 percent more warming than the global average.&nbsp;



By 2050, temperatures in the habitats of mountain gorillas are projected to increase by 1°C to 2.5°C, which could result in more frequent drought conditions.&nbsp;



To understand how drinking water habits could be impacted by climate change, the researchers observed drinking water behavior in the two existing mountain gorilla populations over 10 years. The results showed that both populations drank more water at higher average temperatures than at cooler ones.



This behavioral change is a logical one. Mountain gorillas drink more water to cool down and maintain healthy body temperature, just as humans do.&nbsp;



However, a greater reliance on free-standing water could ultimately impact the survival of the endangered species. This is because mountain gorillas could face increased exposure to parasites and human diseases found in free-standing water. Additionally, water availability is not always guaranteed, especially for the very limited habitat range available to mountain gorillas.



Despite these increasing concerns, extensive conservation efforts successfully moved mountain gorilla populations from a classification of "critically endangered" to "endangered" on the IUCN Red List.&nbsp;



Yet, just as the study points out, climate change may bring negative consequences on the conservation and overall survival of the species. “Our results suggest that mountain gorillas may have to work harder to maintain water balance in the future.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://conservationbytes.com/2020/09/29/new-journal-frontiers-in-conservation-science/">Frontiers in Conservation Science</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mountain gorillas need more water in a warming climate

A new study published by Frontiers has identified a previously...

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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

[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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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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...