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...

According to a new <a href="https://bcse.org/factbook/">report</a> released on Thursday, March 3, 2022 by the <a href="https://about.bnef.com/">Bloomberg New Energy Finance</a> (Bloomberg NEF), solar and wind energy grew last year at the fastest rate in the history of the United States, and now account for a record 13 percent of the country’s power generation. 



Coming soon after after the grim <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ipcc-report-window-to-secure-a-liveable-future-is-rapidly-closing/">United Nations report</a> warning that humanity must act immediately to curb climate change in order to secure a livable future, the new Sustainable Energy in America Factbook&nbsp;offered some good news about what&nbsp;has already been done in this direction.



“It was not that long ago that critics of clean energy would snicker and say that its contributions amounted to a rounding error compared to total generation,”&nbsp;said Ethan Zindler,&nbsp;head of the Bloomberg NEF. “That's definitely no longer the case. Anyone who still calls clean energy 'alternative energy' is just so, so 2009.”



Renewable energy production in the United States, obtained from hydroelectric dams, wind turbines, and solar arrays, grew more than four percent last year, and – together with nuclear energy – met 40 percent of United States’ demand for carbon-neutral energy sources.



“Ten years ago that would have been unfathomable. Six years ago, people would have been incredulous,” said Dan Whitten, the vice president for public affairs at the <a href="https://www.seia.org/">Solar Energy Industries Association</a>.



Although natural gas remains the largest source of U.S. electricity generation (38 percent) and power from coal-fired plants increased slightly in 2021 (to 22 percent), the future for renewable energy is looking very bright, with a record of 37.3 gigawatts of wind and solar power installed last year. Considering that one gigawatt is enough to power over 750,000 homes, this new record provides hope that increasingly more Americans will use sustainable energy that will not harm the climate.



The use of renewable energy is likely to increase substantially over the following years, as federal and private investments in clean energy are rising, with $105 billion invested in the U.S.&nbsp;last year, and a total of&nbsp;$755 billion&nbsp;invested globally to aid the transition to carbon-neutral energy.&nbsp;



Although more investments are needed to continue this upward trend in the use of carbon-neutral energy sources and help the world reach its goal of maintaining temperature rises to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the costs of not meeting this goal will be significantly higher, according to Lisa Jacobson, the President of the <a href="https://bcse.org/">Business Council for Sustainable Energy</a> (BCSE).



“We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change, and it is extremely costly,” she warned. Thus, investments should continue in order to save our planet from the devastating effects of global warming.



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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

Solar and wind energy use hit new records in the United States

According to a new report released on Thursday, March 3,...

On Friday, March 4, 2022 a new chapter of the pandemic has started in New York City: wearing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/disposable-masks-are-increasingly-impacting-marine-animals/">masks</a> in schools, restaurants, bars and many other public places will no longer be required and customers can enter such locations without a proof-of-vaccination or a negative test result. 



These relaxation measures have increased in frequency in other American states too, as well as many countries across the globe, as the highly-contagious Omicron variant is starting to subside, giving rise to hopes that the Coronavirus pandemic is entering its endemic phase.



However, while many scientists argue that Omicron is <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00007-8">intrinsically less severe</a> than other coronavirus variants such as Delta, affecting the upper respiratory tract rather than the lungs, others warn that it is far from being just a “simple cold” and that people should continue to be vigilant. For instance, an expert panel advising Japan’s health ministry announced on March 2 that the fatality rate from Omicron was <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-03/omicron-is-40-deadlier-than-seasonal-flu-japanese-study-finds">40 percent higher</a> than that of seasonal flu.



Omicron’s virulence – especially in populations with low levels of previously acquired immunity from vaccination or prior infection - is nowhere more visible today than in <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/05/asia/hong-kong-covid-crisis-intl-hnk-dst/index.html">Hong Kong</a>. For much of the pandemic, Hong Kong was a model of success in the fight against the Coronavirus. Their “zero Covid” approach kept cases and deaths very low, and allowed daily activities to continue in a relatively normal way.&nbsp;



However, once the Omicron wave started, Hong Kong has witnessed a terrifying spike in cases, hospitalization, and deaths. Today, bodies are piling up in hospital hallways because officials can’t move the dead fast enough.



Part of the reason for this gruesome situation – reminiscent of India’s near collapse under the Delta wave from the spring of 2021 – is Hong Kong’s low vaccination rates, particularly among the elderly. For instance, only about 30 percent of people over 80 are vaccinated.&nbsp;



According to Karen Grepin, an associate professor at the <a href="https://sph.hku.hk/">School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong</a>, the “zero Covid” approach was so successful before that the citizens of Hong Kong have “started to believe that even the minuscule risk associated with vaccination was higher than the risk of Covid” and are now “paying for that complacency.”&nbsp;



By contrast, other countries that followed a “zero Covid” policy but had a highly vaccinated population, such as Australia, New Zealand, or Singapore are faring much better during their (unavoidable) Omicron waves. This shows that, while Omicron may indeed be less pathogenic than other variants, it still poses a high risk for immunologically naïve populations, and highlights once more the importance of vaccination, particularly among vulnerable populations.&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

Omicron wreaks havoc among immunologically naïve populations

On Friday, March 4, 2022 a new chapter of the...

Despite their long-term reputation as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/urban-gardens-provide-a-reliable-food-supply-for-pollinators/">garden</a> menaces, slugs and snails will no longer be classified as pests, according to Britain’s leading garden charity, the <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/">Royal Horticultural Society</a> (RHS). According to scientists from RHS, these slimy creatures are highly misunderstood and in fact play a very important role in maintaining the health of various garden ecosystems.



“The RHS is all too aware of the role that gardens have in supporting biodiversity and as such will no longer label any garden wildlife as ‘pests,’” declared RHS principal entomologist, Andrew Salisbury. “



Instead, there will be greater consideration of and focus on the role that slugs, aphids, and caterpillars play in a balanced garden ecosystem along with more popular wildlife (or animals) such as birds, hedgehogs, and frogs.”



For a long time, snails and slugs were at the top of RHS’s pest charts, with a large number of people complaining that these gastropods are destroying their crops. However, new findings show that, for example, only nine of the 44 recognized species of slugs in the UK feed upon garden plants. According to RHS, these animals should be considered nature’s recyclers, playing a fundamental role in clearing dead matter from the gardens, and constituting an important food source for birds or hedgehogs.



When slugs or snails cause unwanted damage to plants, more “ethical” modes of intervention are advised by RHS scientists, such as using mulch or planting species that gastropods will eat near prized blooms in order to attract them to these plants instead.



“We are never going to eliminate slugs, aphids, caterpillars, and other plant-munching invertebrates from our gardens – their existence after all predates the garden itself – and our plots are all the more lively and valuable because of them,” said Salisbury. “Amid the climate and biodiversity emergencies, now is the time to gracefully accept, even actively encourage, more of this life into our gardens.”



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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

Slugs and snails no longer classified as pests

Despite their long-term reputation as garden menaces, slugs and snails...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/">Liverpool John Moores University</a> (LJMU) has found that giant, long-necked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sauropod-dinosaurs-lived-only-in-earths-warmer-regions/">sauropod</a> dinosaurs such as diplodocus had a gait that was most similar to that of a hippopotamus. In this so-called “diagonal gait,” each step of a front leg is in tandem, or very closely followed by, the hind leg from the opposite side. 



Such a gait allowed for efficient walking while maintaining diagonal limb support throughout the step cycle, which was very important for these huge, wide-gauged creatures.



The sauropods – a group of herbivorous dinosaurs that lived between 200 million and 66 million years ago - were among the largest animals to have ever walked the Earth, some of them weighing the equivalent of 14 African elephants. Scientists have previously thought that these creatures used to walk like elephants, employing a “lateral gait,” with the two limbs on the same body side tending to move forward one after the other.



“Everybody always assumed that sauropods walked like modern elephants,” said study lead author Jens Lallensack, a paleontologist at LJMU. “But they didn’t, and we think that’s because the sauropods were just so much broader.”



Four-footed animals use different gaits, such as trots, walks, or pace gaits. In a trot, one diagonal pair limb - such as the hind right and front left legs - moves together, followed by the other diagonal limb pair. A large number of mammals use trots while running, while reptiles use this type of gait at slow speeds.



By analyzing fossilized Lower Cretaceous sauropod footprints from three sites in Arkansas, Dr. Lallensack and his colleagues&nbsp;have found that the sauropod gait was most similar to a trot, while still presenting slight differences.&nbsp;



When most animals trot, the two diagonal limbs land at the same time. In the case of sauropods though, the front foot touched down just before the hind, diagonal one. This particular gait allowed them to have at least one foot on the ground on both the left and right sides of the body at all times, preventing them to sway from side to side and lose their balance.&nbsp;



“Sauropods chose a gait that maximized stability, but still allowed for efficient walking,” concluded Dr. Lallensack.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.012">Current Biology</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

Giant sauropods walked more like hippos than elephants

A new study led by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU)...

A recent press release from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that enforcement data has declined for ten years. From 2018 to 2021, there was a decline in the number of inspections, criminal investigations, and prosecutions by about 50 percent compared to averages between 2002 and 2017. The amount of fines paid by violators was also down by 28 percent for civil cases and by 49 percent for criminal cases.&nbsp;



A small sign of hope is that in the fiscal year 2021, fines were closer to normal when adjusted for inflation. Unfortunately, the number of cases referred to the justice department by the EPA for civil prosecution was less than 50 percent of the annual average for 2002-2017 and criminal cases opened and polluters charged was at its second lowest in twenty years. Fines and incarceration rates were at their lowest.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Eric Schaeffer is the executive director of the <a href="https://environmentalintegrity.org/">Environmental Integrity Project</a> and former director of the Office of Civil Enforcement at the EPA.&nbsp;



“From a long-term perspective based on twenty years of data, almost every measure of performance - inspections, criminal investigations, civil cases referred to or concluded by the Justice Department, criminal defendants charged, civil penalties or criminal fines paid, cleanup costs recovered from polluters - points to a serious decline in EPA’s capacity to enforce our environmental laws. That is a wake-up call the Biden Administration needs to answer before it is too late,” said Schaeffer.&nbsp;



“While the last four years saw new lows, EPA enforcement’s decline really began in the second term of the Obama Administration when the budget ax fell hard on EPA.”



Although fluctuations in enforcement from year to year are to be expected, the current numbers seem to reflect systematic decline. Over the last ten years, EPA has lost 700 enforcement staff, approximately 22 percent of its whole workforce.&nbsp;



The problem doesn’t fall entirely on the shoulders of presidents. Biden requested increases in staff for the EPA, but a dysfunctional Congress seems unlikely to approve it. The nominee for lead of EPA’s enforcement program, David Uhlmann, was put forward on June 22, 2021, yet is still waiting to be confirmed by the Senate.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



On his first day in the oval office, Biden pledged to “hold polluters accountable, including those who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities.”&nbsp;



Without cooperation from the legislature, and states to rebuild and empower the EPA and other government institutions, it’s unlikely a commitment he can keep.



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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

EPA enforcement of environmental laws has seriously declined

A recent press release from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

Mussel,On,A,Sandy,Beach.,Background.,Close-up.

Mussels attach themselves tenaciously to rocks and other substrates to survive the pummeling of harsh <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/invasive-species-can-hitchhike-on-ocean-plastic/">ocean</a> waves. The secret to their powerful bond is a type of natural glue. Made of multiple proteins, this “glue” coats the mussel’s foot and sticks it to surfaces.&nbsp;



Engineers have sought to understand this “glue” better and create their own version of the substance. Now, researchers at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> think they’ve cracked the code of the mussel glue.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, in an attempt to mimic the mussel’s glue, they somehow improved upon it. The new substance, which is made of protein-like polymers, could be useful for medicine.&nbsp;



“The polymer could be used as an adhesive in a biomedical context, which means now you could stick it to a specific tissue in the body,” said Northwestern’s Nathan Gianneschi. “And keep other molecules nearby in one place, which would be useful in wound healing or repair.”



In the natural mussel glue, there are chains of amino acids that give the substance the properties of being stretchy, sticky and strong. This is very hard for researchers to replicate. Study first author Or Berger found a way to mimic these same properties in the lab, placing the amino acid building blocks into a synthetic polymer.&nbsp;



“Proteins arrange amino acids as chains, but instead we took them and arranged them in parallel, on a dense synthetic polymer backbone,” said Gianneschi. “This was the same thing we have begun to do for controlling specific biological interactions, so the same platform technology we will use for future therapeutics has really become potentially interesting in materials science.”



After creating their version of mussel glue, the scientists tested the substance alongside the native glue. They put both substances on glass plates and then watched to see which would adhere more cells to the plate. It turned out that their synthetic glue held more cells than the native mussel glue.



“We actually didn’t mean to improve on the mussel’s properties," said Berger. "We only meant to mimic it, but when we went and tested it in several different assays, we actually got better properties than the native material in these settings.”



The scientists already have other ideas of nature-based synthetic materials, such as those inspired by substances found in insect legs and wings.&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/jacsat">Journal of American Chemistry Society</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

Glue inspired by mussels may help heal the human body

Mussels attach themselves tenaciously to rocks and other substrates to...

Ichthyosaurs, also known as “fish lizards,” were porpoise-like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-complicated-story-of-tooth-evolution-among-reptiles/">reptiles</a> that swam the Earth’s seas for about 160 million years. They lived during the time of dinosaurs, from the early Triassic to late Cretaceous.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Ichthyosaurs have been the subject of paleontological research for a long time, and there are some exceedingly well-preserved fossils, such as one which seems to have a fetus preserved inside her. This is a lot of material for scientists to work with.&nbsp;



"Since the initial discoveries of ichthyosaur remains, great strides have been made in understanding their biology and ecology, making them one of the better known fossil tetrapods," wrote the study authors. "These scientific achievements have also inspired a chain of progressively evolving life style reconstructions, particularly during the 20th century, that mirror our constantly refined perception of these animals."



“This research history spans 300 years. It is worth noting that the term ichthyosaur was coined in 1814, i.e. almost 30 years before the term dinosaur," said Mats E. Eriksson, professor of paleontology at <a href="https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/">Lund University</a>.



To consolidate 300 years of research into one visual project, Swedish paleontologists teamed up with Danish sculpting company <a href="https://www.10tons.dk/">10tons</a> to create a life-like sculpture. Ichthyosaur fossils, like most fossils, preserve mainly hard parts. Recent discoveries, however, have given new insights into the soft tissues and coloration of the animals, allowing the creation of a highly accurate sculpture.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Our reference point was a fish lizard that was found in Holzmaden, Germany. This fossil has previously been the subject of an extensive study on the biology and coloration of fish lizards, which I did together with Mats and several other colleagues, and was published in Nature”, explained Johan Lindgren, geology researcher at Lund University.



The sculpting was a painstaking and detailed enterprise, taking many methods to complete from 3D printing to clay sculpting to finish painting. The sculpture took about a year to create and is now on display in the Department of Geology in Lund.&nbsp;



“Our reconstruction is the scientifically most modern, and hopefully correct, interpretation of what these animals looked like. It will be valuable for students and researchers who want to learn more about the iconic fish lizard," concluded Mats E. Eriksson.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/earth-science-reviews">Earth-Science Reviews</a>.



Image Credit: Johan Joelsson



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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

Scientists reconstruct an ancient fish lizard

Ichthyosaurs, also known as “fish lizards,” were porpoise-like reptiles that...

New research on Australian bull ants shows how their venom has evolved to perfectly target a key <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predators-help-prevent-biodiversity-loss/">predator</a>, the echidna, by inflicting long-term pain.&nbsp;



Dr. Sam Robinson and David Eagles from UQ’s <a href="https://imb.uq.edu.au/">Institute for Molecular Bioscience</a> found a venom molecule that exploits a pain pathway in mammals, which has evolved as a ‘secret weapon’, specifically to stop echidnas attacking the ant’s nests and going after their young.&nbsp;



“Venoms are complex cocktails and while bull ant venom contains molecules similar to those found in honey bee stings which cause immediate pain, we also found an intriguing new molecule that was different,” said Dr Robinson.



The venom molecule appears to be present for the sole purpose of defending against mammals as it matched the sequence of hormones related to Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and was closely related to that of the echidna.



In other words, the venom has a toxin that mimics a hormone of it’s enemy, which exploits the pain pathway, causing not just an immediate sting, but long-term sensitivity to pain. This long-term pain may cause the echidna to think twice before it strikes again.&nbsp;



“Many small carnivorous marsupials, like bandicoots, eat individual ants, but only the echidna is known to attack bull ant nests and target their young – we think that making the echidna sensitive to pain, in tandem with the immediate ‘bee-sting’ pain, may dissuade it from returning to the nests," said Dr. Robinson. "It brings to mind the ancient proverb ‘to know your enemy, you must become your enemy.’”



While the study is specific to how the bull ant’s venom inflicts chronic pain on its greatest predator, the research shows promise of informing new approaches to treating long-term pain in humans.&nbsp;



For example, EGF-inhibitor drugs are commonly used to slow cancer tumor growth, and the patients that take them experience less pain.



The researchers hope that their findings can encourage new strategies for pain treatment, especially for long-term pain, where treatment is limited.&nbsp;



A quick <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh7iwGemJeo">Youtube video</a> provides a summary of the research findings, which are published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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

Bull ants have a ferocious sting that causes long-term pain

New research on Australian bull ants shows how their venom...

Chile and Argentina are home to the Andes mountain range, made up of icefields that stretch for hundreds of miles. Sadly, these are some of the world’s fastest melting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-worlds-glaciers-contain-less-ice-than-previously-thought/">glaciers</a>. As these glaciers disappear, the ground beneath them is shifting and rising. A research team led by seismologist Douglas Wiens of <a href="https://wustl.edu/">Washington University in St. Louis</a> recently completed one of the first seismic studies of the Patagonian Andes.&nbsp;



Wiens first visited Patagonia 25 years ago and is shocked by the changes he has observed. “The beautiful glaciers are being reduced in size,” said Wiens. “Over the coming decades, the ice fronts will recede higher up the mountains and farther into the interior, potentially making them more difficult to visit. I can easily see that the glaciers have shrunk since I first visited this area in 1996.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



A group of students helped the research team collect data from the seismographs as part of a field trip. This trip was cut short, and made complicated, by the pandemic. On the bright side, the study instruments were trapped on site for much longer than intended, gathering an additional 10 months of data.



Among the study’s key findings is that the mantle responds to deglaciation on the time scale of tens of years, rather than thousands of years



The experts discovered a link between recent ice mass loss, rapid rock uplift and a gap between tectonic plates that underlie Patagonia. This combination of ice mass changes and uplift is seen in places all over the world.&nbsp;



“Variations in the size of glaciers, as they grow and shrink, combined with the mantle structure that we’ve imaged in this study are driving rapid and spatially variable uplift in this region,” said study first author Hannah Mark.



Weins and Mark analyzed seismic data that demonstrated how a gap in the downwards tectonic plate has enabled hotter, less viscous mantle material to flow underneath South America.



Above this gap, icefields are shrinking and removing weight that previously caused the continent to shift downward. The scientists found very low seismic velocity within and around the gap, as well as a thinning of the rigid lithosphere overlying the gap. This activity is driving the observed changes in Patagonia.



“Low viscosities mean that the mantle responds to deglaciation on the time scale of tens of years, rather than thousands of years, as we observe in Canada for example,” said Wiens.&nbsp;



When glaciers melt, a tremendous weight is lifted from the ground that once supported them. The water that was previously held in ice, is released and flows towards oceans, while the earth rebounds and rises. This movement of land -&nbsp; ‘glacial isostatic adjustment’ -&nbsp; creates uncertainty in sea level rise projections under future climate warming scenarios.&nbsp;



Knowing more about what’s happening below the ground is important for future monitoring of icefields across the world.&nbsp;



“Plate tectonics and the properties of the deep earth are vitally important for understanding how the land responds to glaciation [and deglaciation],” said Wiens. “With better earth models, we can do a better job of reconstructing recent changes in the ice sheets.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</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

Patagonia rises as the glaciers melt below

Chile and Argentina are home to the Andes mountain range,...

Abalone mollusks – a type of giant sea snails that are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity – are threatened, endangered, or otherwise vulnerable in nearly every corner of the world. They face multiple, often intertwining threats ranging from warming ocean temperatures and disease to crashing kelp forests and habitat <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-era-of-pandemics/">degradation</a>.



Abalone suction onto surfaces and have to be pried off for gonad inspection before spawning. However, these animals are very sensitive and can be easily harmed during this process.&nbsp;



As part of an effort to conserve federally endangered black abalone and find better ways to assess their reproductive health, a research team led by the <a href="http://archive">University of California Davis</a> has developed a technique that uses an ultrasound transducer to quickly and noninvasively detect when abalone are ready to spawn. Although this technique has already been used for gonad assessments on sturgeon and catfish, it has not been tested on sea snails before.



“There are not a lot of animal welfare methods applied to invertebrate animals, let alone for aquatic species,” said study corresponding author Jackson Gross, an assistant professor of Cooperative Extension in Aquaculture at UC Davis. “Here's a way to increase the welfare of an abalone without bringing added stress to them.”



The scientists found that ultrasounds could differentiate reproductive tissues from digestive tissues. By submerging the abalone underwater in its tank and placing the ultrasound transducer on the outside of the tank by the abalone’s foot, the researchers could assess the abalone’s reproductive readiness without touching it at all.&nbsp;



“This is very helpful for broodstock managers when trying to select individuals for a spawning season, whether for production aquaculture or conservation,” said study lead author Sara Boles, a postdoctoral researcher&nbsp;at UC Davis. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We're excited to see how much faster we can use this technology to assess the health of these animals, especially in a world where climate change is making an impact,” concluded Professor Gross.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.784481/full">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.



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

Ultrasound technology can help protect abalone mollusks

Abalone mollusks – a type of giant sea snails that...

An international team has created <a href="https://fishsounds.net/">FishSounds.net</a>, the first-ever online interactive database of fish sounds. Many people are familiar with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-populations-are-declining-worldwide/">bird</a> songs, howling coyotes, and whale songs, and these sounds are well understood. Still, a lot of people don't know that fish create sounds to communicate.&nbsp;



“People are often surprised to learn that fish make sounds. But you could make the case that they are as important for understanding fish as bird sounds are for studying birds," said Audrey Looby, a doctoral candidate at the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a> IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.



Scientists have been listening to fish sounds for almost 150 years. Nearly one thousand fish species actively produce noises like the "croaking" sounds of the toad fishes, and several hundred make passive sounds like splashing and chewing. Kieran Cox of the University of Victoria believes that we will find more species that make sound with further research.&nbsp;



So why do fish make noises? Some scientists believe that they do so because sound is a practical way to communicate in water, which provides excellent acoustics.&nbsp;



Since many fish species live in murky waters where other forms of communication are challenging, sound allows them to still send messages to each other. Moreover, fish have a lot to talk about.&nbsp;



"Fish sounds contain a lot of important information," explained Looby. "Fish may communicate about territory, predators, food, and reproduction. And when we can match fish sounds to fish species, their sounds are a kind of calling card that can tell us what kinds of fish are in an area and what they are doing."



Sounds created by fish communication could provide conservationists and managers with another way to monitor fish. With the help of fish sound databases, like <a href="https://fishsounds.net/">FishSounds.net</a>, the hope is that ecologists could use specialized underwater microphones called hydrophones to find out where fish are and perhaps gain more insight into the inner world of fish.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/11160">Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fish sounds are important for conservation efforts

An international team has created FishSounds.net, the first-ever online interactive...

A research team led by <a href="https://www.nuigalway.ie/">National University of Ireland Galway</a> (NUI Galway) has published the first record of a noble false widow spider feeding on a protected species of Pipistrelle bats in the United Kingdom. It is also the first time for any species of false widow spiders to be recorded preying on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-mammals-are-vanishing-in-the-uk/">mammals</a>, offering new evidence of how these spiders continue to impact native UK species.



The noble false widow is a species of spiders belonging to the family Theridiidae. It was first reported in southern England in 1879 and has significantly increased its range and population density in recent decades, spreading through Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. During the same period, the false widow has also spread globally to Europe, East Asia, North America, and South America.&nbsp;



These spiders possess a fast-acting neurotoxic venom with a very similar composition to that of true black widows, which can cause neuromuscular paralysis in terrestrial vertebrates. Although their bites are known to cause a range of mild to severe symptoms in people, their impact on native animal species has not yet been systematically documented.



Wildlife artist Ben Waddams has recently found two bats living in the attic of his home in North Stropshire, England, entangled in the spider’s web below the entrance to the roost. While a young bat pup was already dead and completely immobilized with its limbs pinned tightly to the torso with silk, the second, much larger bat, was still alive and was rescued.



“In more exotic parts of the world, scientists have been documenting such predation events by spiders on small vertebrates for many years, but we are only beginning to realize just how common these events occur. Now that this alien species has become well established in Ireland and Britain, we are witnessing such fascinating events on our very own doorstep,” said study lead author Dr. John Dunbar, a postdoctoral fellow at NUI Galway.



“Even other, much smaller, species of false widows are known to capture and feed on snakes and lizards. This study presents yet another example of the invasive impact by the noble false widow spider on native species. We know they are much more competitive than native spiders, and this further confirms their impact on prey species.”



“In the last three years alone, we have observed two occasions of the alien noble false widow capturing and feeding on protected species of vertebrate animals in Ireland and Britain,” added study co-author Aiste Vitkauskaite, a research assistant at NUI Galway.



“As the noble false widow continues to expand its range and increase populations across Ireland and Britain, we should expect to observe similar predation events on small vertebrate animals by this spider, including protected species.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.3959">Ecosphere</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

Noble false widow spiders prey upon protected bat species

A research team led by National University of Ireland Galway...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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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

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

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://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...