The age-old debate around the role of homework in student success has recently witnessed a shift. Reseach from Ireland provides new evidence that could be used to inform and influence educational policies worldwide.



Experts in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at <a href="https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Maynooth University</a> have thoroughly investigated the impact of homework on students.



“Much of the research on homework indicates a modest yet positive impact on academic outcomes. However, this assertion demands critical examination,” noted the researchers.



“Notably, there is a growing awareness of the need to scrutinize how homework is distributed throughout the week, how its effects may differ by subject, and how students from different socioeconomic backgrounds can be impacted by homework.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-focus-of-the-research">Focus of the research </h2>



Using an innovative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-intelligence-boosts-creativity-but-reduces-variety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">artificial intelligence</a> (AI) model, the team dissected and scrutinized data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2019).



The researchers meticulously evaluated the outcomes of differing homework patterns on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/board-games-help-children-improve-their-math-skills/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mathematics</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/child-care-quality-has-direct-impact-on-later-success-in-science-and-math/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">science performance</a> among 4,118 students in the eighth grade.



"Only a limited number of studies have ventured into determining the optimal amount of time students should dedicate to homework," the experts noted. 



"The precise identification of a threshold, beyond which additional homework yields no discernible benefit, holds substantial value."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-homework-frequency-over-duration">Homework frequency over duration</h2>



According to the researchers, the results of the analysis revealed a clear positive effect of increasing homework frequency, but not homework duration.&nbsp;



“We therefore recommend that frequent homework assignments of short duration may be most effective for improving student outcomes. This strategy can help to promote academic achievement whilst avoiding the potential drawbacks associated with many hours spent on homework,” noted the study authors.&nbsp;



In particular, the researchers found that daily homework assignments had the most potent impact on improving mathematics achievement.



Conversely, optimal science performance was achieved when homework was assigned three to four times a week.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-power-of-short-homework-assignments">Power of short homework assignments</h2>



The study also showed that shorter assignments, barely lasting up to 15 minutes, enhanced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zombie-neurons-shed-new-light-on-learning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">learning</a> as much as longer homework assignments.



"Short-duration assignments proved equally as effective as longer ones in both subjects," noted the researchers.



This compelling evidence suggests that routine, concise homework can galvanize learning without drowning students in a sea of work.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefiting-students-across-the-board">Benefiting students across the board</h2>



The research goes against the grain by demonstrating that homework equally benefits all students, irrespective of their socioeconomic background.



This provides a paradigm shift, indicating uniform benefits across a diverse spectrum of student populations.



"Our study provides strong evidence that regular homework can significantly enhance <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/school-field-trips-linked-to-better-student-performance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">student performance</a>, especially when given 'little and often,'" said study lead author Nathan McJames.



"By avoiding very long homework assignments, this also allows students to balance schoolwork with other important activities outside of school."



Professor Andrew Parnell noted that the team's use of advanced causal inference methods ensures the reliability of our findings.



"This research provides valuable insights that can guide evidence-based policy changes in education, ultimately benefiting students across the board," said Professor Parnell. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maximizing-student-engagement">Maximizing student engagement </h2>



Ultimately, the findings promote regular, short-duration assignments as the optimal strategy for maximizing student engagement and academic success without inducing distress.



The results of the study not only challenge traditional views on homework but also offer actionable recommendations for educators and policymakers.



By shifting the focus from long, time-consuming assignments to shorter, more frequent tasks, schools can improve engagement and academic outcomes without overwhelming students.



The results highlight the potential for a more balanced approach to homework, where quality and consistency take precedence over quantity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-little-and-often-approach-to-homework">The "little and often" approach to homework </h2>



Furthermore, this study could influence future curriculum development, guiding teachers to design homework that reinforces learning while giving students ample time for extracurricular activities and personal growth.



As educational institutions continue to adapt, the "little and often" approach may become a cornerstone of effective student learning strategies, ensuring that homework serves its intended purpose without contributing to burnout.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475224000951?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learning and Instruction</a>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Students benefit the most from shorter homework assignments

The age-old debate around the role of homework in student success has recently witnessed a shift. Reseach from Ireland provides new evidence that could be used to inform and influence educational policies worldwide. Experts in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Maynooth University have thoroughly investigated the impact of homework on students. “Much of the research on homework indicates a modest yet positive impact on academic outcomes. However, this assertion demands critical examination,” noted the researchers. “Notably, there is a growing awareness of the need to...

When offered a choice between free <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/colorful-foods-can-prevent-cognitive-decline/">food</a> or food that requires some effort to obtain, most animals prefer to work for their meal. However, a new study from <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">UC Davis</a> reveals that this is not the case for domestic cats, who are more than willing to eat without putting in any effort. 

The researchers noted that foraging is a natural behavior: most animals in the wild must forage in some way to survive.

"Contrafreeloading is the willingness of animals to work for food when equivalent food is freely available. This behavior is observed in laboratory, domesticated, and captive animals," explained the study authors.

"However, previous research found that six laboratory cats failed to contrafreeload. We hypothesized that cats would contrafreeload in the home environment when given a choice between a food puzzle and a tray of similar size and shape. We also hypothesized that more active cats would be more likely to contrafreeload."

To investigate, the researchers analyzed the behavior of 17 neutered, indoor domestic cats, who were presented with a food puzzle and a tray during 30- minute trials. The experiments revealed that the animals would rather eat from a tray of easily available food than work out a simple puzzle to earn their food.

“It wasn’t that cats never used the food puzzle, but cats ate more food from the tray, spent more time at the tray and made more first choices to approach and eat from the tray rather than the puzzle,” explained study lead author Mikel Delgado, a cat behaviorist and research affiliate at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

“There is an entire body of research that shows that most species including birds, rodents, wolves, primates - even giraffes - prefer to work for their food." 

“What’s surprising is out of all these species cats seem to be the only ones that showed no strong tendency to contrafreeload.”

The cats were monitored with activity trackers over the course of the research. The results show that the study subjects were not simply being lazy - even those that were more active still chose the freely available food. 

"Cats who consumed more food from the puzzle, consumed more food in general, suggesting a relationship between hunger and effort," noted the study authors.

"Further research is required to understand why domestic cats, unlike other tested species, do not show a strong preference to work for food."

The study is published in the journal journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10071">Animal Cognition</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Most animals prefer to work for their food, but not cats

When offered a choice between free food or food that...

Scientists have discovered a new species of marmoset hidden away in the forests of the Brazilian Amazon, and the monkeys are already highly threatened by habitat loss, according to a study from the <a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a>. 

The small monkey, which is now known as Schneider’s marmoset, has been found in the "arc of deforestation." This is a region along the southern edge of the Amazon that is rapidly being deforested and converted for agriculture. The experts report that this particular area accounts for half of the global land use change in the past 30 years.

The discovery of Schneider’s marmoset was made by a team of researchers led by Rodrigo Costa Araújo, who is currently a researcher at Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. 

The marmoset has been named after Professor Horacio Schneider, a pioneer and major contributor to the research of diversity and evolution of monkeys.

The Amazon marmosets - which belong to the genus Mico - are among the more diverse groups of monkeys. This group is found only in the threatened forests of the arc of deforestation. 

There is currently no conservation response to address the habitat losses that threaten the future of Mico monkeys, mainly because they are poorly studied, and the total number of Amazon marmoset species remains unknown. 

According to the experts, further research is needed to assess the conservation status of M. schneideri and to investigate the southern portion of its geographical distribution. The first step toward protecting the endangered monkeys of the Amazon is a better understanding of exactly how many species exist. 

"There are 146 primate species and subspecies in Amazonia, representing 20 percent of the global primate diversity and comprising the most diverse primate fauna in the world," wrote the study authors.

"Nonetheless, primate diversity remains understudied in Amazonia, as manifested by regular discoveries of new species. This incomplete taxonomic knowledge and the scarcity of basic ecological and distributional data for even well-known species is a major impediment to the design and implementation of effective conservation actions."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Highly threatened species of marmoset discovered in the Amazon

Scientists have discovered a new species of marmoset hidden away...

Black howler monkeys navigate the forests of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala while visiting trees in search of fruit and other food. They move in a complex environment and need to adapt their route maps depending on which trees are fruiting as well as to cope with unforeseen changes in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-create-cloud-cover-that-cools-the-climate/">forest</a>.

Humans are understood to navigate using internal maps that lay out the routes between frequently visited locations. These simple, mental maps focus on specific routes and carry little information about where each route lies in relation to others. However, humans are able to use their knowledge of distance and direction in order to link up their mental maps and take short cuts, thus adapting their maps to their navigational needs. 

In a new study published by the <a href="https://www.biologists.com/">Company of Biologists</a>, scientists Miguel de Guinea (Oxford Brookes University, UK), Sarie Van Belle (University of Texas at Austin, USA) and colleagues investigated whether howler monkeys were also able to modify their mental-based route maps in the way that humans do.

The researchers followed groups of monkeys in the forests covering the Mayan ruins in Palenque National Park, Mexico. The groups were easy to locate because they called loudly at dawn. 

"We’d arrive at the study area where our focal group was expected to be found before sunrise," said de Guinea. The team then followed the monkeys as they moved through the 50-hectare area. 

The trek was often very challenging for the researchers on foot, as the monkeys traversed the canopy, visiting their favorite fruit trees on high hills and in valleys. 

After a year of following five troops of monkeys, de Guinea and Van Belle analyzed 91 kilometers of route information and compared this with the simulated routes of randomly moving virtual primates. 

The experts found that the howler monkeys regularly travelled through the same sequence of trees and visited their favorite trees often, approaching these trees from a select few directions only. They clearly used mental maps to navigate along familiar routes through their environment. By contrast, the virtual primates seldom repeated a route. 

The howler monkeys were also able to adapt their route in the face of unforeseen changes. On one occasion, the monkeys encountered a 5m gap in one of their regular routes.

"A tree had fallen overnight," explained Van Belle. "They stopped for half an hour and then travelled along the edge to reconnect with the second half of their travel path … as if they knew this was a new obstacle and they needed to consider their options on what to do next."

Furthermore, when the researchers compared the distances traveled by monkey troops with the distances traveled by simulated primates, it was clear that the howlers used their knowledge of direction and distance to link familiar routes together in order to take short cuts and travel efficiently between locations. 

According to the researchers, the data from the study shows that howler monkeys can supplement their mental maps with knowledge of distance and direction, just as humans do. This is the first evidence which demonstrates that animals use the same cognitive skills as humans when navigating through their environment.  

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Howler monkeys use mental maps for route navigation

Black howler monkeys navigate the forests of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala...

While we are all aware that our metabolism changes with age, the results of a study published today in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> reveal unexpected trends in the timing of metabolic changes. 

“There are lots of physiological changes that come with growing up and getting older,” said study co-author Professor Herman Pontzer at <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a>. “Think puberty, menopause, other phases of life. What's weird is that the timing of our ‘metabolic life stages’ doesn't seem to match those typical milestones.”

Pontzer and his team of scientists combined the results from metabolic studies in many different laboratories all over the world. In all instances, metabolic rates were measured using doubly labeled water, a type of drinking water that is marked with heavy forms (isotopes) of hydrogen and oxygen. 

The rates of elimination of these substances are used to measure metabolic rate, or the speed at which we burn calories. In total, the average calories burned were measured for more than 6,600 people from 29 different countries. The ages of the participants varied from one week to 95 years old. 

The results from this very large sample presented a few surprises. Contrary to the expectation that people in their teens and early 20s would burn calories fastest, it was infants that had the highest metabolic rates. Their energy needs increase substantially during the first year of life. 

By the time they reach a year of age, infants burn calories 50 percent faster than an adult, once body size is taken into consideration. This is partly because they are increasing in size. 

“Of course they're growing, but even once you control for that, their energy expenditures are rocketing up higher than you'd expect for their body size and composition,” said Professor Pontzer. “Something is happening inside a baby’s cells to make them more active, and we don't know what those processes are yet.” 

Another surprise in the findings was that our energy expenditure during our 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s remains pretty stable. It is only after we turn 60 that our metabolic rates begin to decrease, and then the decrease is relatively slow. This may be due to the fact that we lose muscle mass as we age, and muscle tissue burns more calories than fat. But this is not the whole explanation. “We controlled for muscle mass,” said Professor Pontzer. “It’s because their cells are slowing down.”

The researchers attribute the change in metabolic rate to more than just changes in lifestyle and body condition as we age. 

“All of this points to the conclusion that tissue metabolism, the work that the cells are doing, is changing over the course of the lifespan in ways we haven’t fully appreciated before,” said Professor Pontzer. “You really need a big data set like this to get at those questions.”

---

By <a href="http://bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Age-related changes in metabolism don’t match our expectations

While we are all aware that our metabolism changes with...

Raw,Potato,Food,.,Fresh,Potatoes,In,An,Old,Sack

The fungus-like microorganism Phytophthora infestans is a devastating plant pathogen that causes global crop damage amounting to around $6 billion each year and threatens <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-foods-linked-to-drastically-lower-risk-of-heart-disease/">food</a> security. 

P. infestans belongs to a group of organisms called oomycetes and is the cause of potato blight, a disease that results in the decomposition of potato tubers and the subsequent loss of food resources for people. The Great Irish Famine of the late 1940s, during which a million people died of starvation, was exacerbated by potato blight. 

In a study published today in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, researchers report finding a new type of enzyme in P. infestans that enables the microorganism to break down pectin in the cell walls of plants and infect the cells. The enzyme is from a class of enzymes known as lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs).

The experts also identified the gene that codes for production of the enzyme, and found that disabling this gene rendered the pathogen unable to infect the cells of the host plant. 

The scientists hope this discovery will lead to the development of new techniques to prevent the crop damage that is caused by this devastating pathogen.

“These new enzymes appear to be important in all plant pathogenic oomycetes, and this discovery opens the way for potentially powerful strategies in crop protection," said study lead author Dr Federico Sabbadin, from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/biology/centrefornovelagriculturalproducts/">Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP)</a> at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>. 

According to Professor Simon McQueen-Mason, the work was the result of interdisciplinary collaborations between biologists and chemists at York along with plant pathologists at the James Hutton Institute and geneticists at CNRS, with invaluable molecular insights from Professor Neil Bruce (CNAP) and Professors Gideon Davies and Paul Walton in the Department of Chemistry at York.

The research is part of the project <a href="https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FV000675%2F1">New Enzymatic Virulence Factors in Phytophthora infestans</a>. The experts behind the project say that by identifying new virulence factors produced by major crop pathogens, they can pinpoint genes that can serve as targets for precision crop protection strategies.

"New carbohydrate active enzymes, such as the pectin-active LPMOs we recently discovered, may find utility as industrial enzymes. Pectinases are used widely in the food and beverage sector to modify food texture and clarify fruit juices." 

"The York team has a close working relationship with Novozymes (a major producer of industrial enzymes) and will explore this potential with them and other potential industry partners in this sector."

---

By <a href="http://bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Discovery of new enzyme could help prevent crop damage

The fungus-like microorganism Phytophthora infestans is a devastating plant pathogen...

Humans are to blame for the extinction of many hundreds of bird species over the last 20,000 to 50,000 years, according to a new study from <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/">Tel Aviv University</a>.

In collaboration with researchers at the Weizmann Institute, the team has investigated a major extinction event that ultimately led to the disappearance of about 10 to 20 percent of all avian species.

The experts report that the vast majority of the extinct bird species shared several features: they were large, lived on islands, and many of them were flightless.

Study lead author Shai Meiri is a professor in the School of Zoology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University.

"We conducted a comprehensive review of scientific literature, and for the first time collected quantitative data on the numbers and traits of extinct species of birds worldwide. Those that became extinct in the last 300 years or so are relatively well known, while earlier species are known to science from remains found in archaeological and paleontological sites worldwide," explained Professor Meiri.

"Altogether we were able to list 469 avian species that became extinct over the last 50,000 years, but we believe that the real number is much higher."

The researchers believe the widespread extinction of birds was primarily driven by humans, who hunted the birds for food. Humans also introduced new animals to islands - such as pigs, rats, monkeys, and cats - that preyed on the birds and their eggs. 

The experts' theory is based on two main facts - the majority of the bird remains were found on human sites, and most of the extinctions occurred a short time after the arrival of humans.

Furthermore, the extinctions were not random, as most of the victims had three major features in common. Approximately 90 percent of the extinct birds lived on islands where they were hunted. 

In addition, most of the lost bird species were large, making them an ideal target for hunters. According to the researchers, the body mass of extinct birds was up to 10 times larger than that of surviving birds.  

Furthermore, a large portion of the extinct bird species were flightless, which means they would have struggled to evade hunters. The experts found that the number of flightless bird species that became extinct is double the number of flightless species still existing today. 

Overall, 68 percent of all known flightless bird species became extinct. The moa bird in New Zealand is one of the best known examples. Within 300 years, 11 moa species fell victim to hunting by humans. 

"Our study indicates that before the major extinction event of the past millennia, many more large, even giant, as well as flightless avian lived on our globe, and the diversity of birds living on islands was much greater than today," said Professor Meiri.

"We hope that our findings can serve as warning signals regarding bird species currently threatened with extinction, and it is therefore important to check whether they have similar features. It must be noted, however, that conditions have changed considerably, and today the main cause for extinction of species by humans is not hunting but rather the destruction of natural habitats."

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652699">Journal of Biogeography</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans have wiped out hundreds of bird species

Humans are to blame for the extinction of many hundreds...

During the recent <a href="https://www.aip.org/">American Institute of Physics</a> Energy Storage and Conversion virtual conference, researchers Andrew Shore and Behrang Hamadan presented findings that may very will impact how we use our devices - powering them from ambient light in our own homes. 

It’s no secret that renewable energy sources - such as wind, water, and solar - are the future. But precisely what form that future may take is always shifting.

Using one LED calibrated to to give off the light and color of a normal indoor light, the researchers tested how much power three different modules generated by absorbing ambient light. Gallium indium sulphide, gallium arsenide, and silicon semiconductors were used. 

The results? Andrew Shore provides some answers. “Under these light settings, the GaInP mini module performed with the highest power conversion efficiency, followed by the GaAs mini module, with the Si mini module as the lowest performer. The GaInP and GaAs modules have a better spectral match with this visible-spectrum LED light source." 

Shore cautions that what is true for LEDs may not be true of all light sources. “Fluorescent lights have several spikes in intensity at different places in the visible spectrum. LED lights generally have one short, prominent peak around 450 nanometers and another more gradual peak around 600 nm. Each of these light sources will affect the power conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic technology." 

All of the semiconductors are viable under normal indoor lighting conditions. This means that many of our devices that require smaller amounts of energy will be charged through the simple flick of switch, though the authors intend to test the different semiconductors under real-world conditions - ambient light conditions that may perhaps be more inconsistent than normal laboratory ones. 

Shore and Hamadan’s presentation,  "Indoor photovoltaics for battery-powered sensors,” may very well pave the way for one of a myriad of ways we power our future. 

---

By <a href="http://rugerpaleo@gmail.com">Alex Ruger</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Ambient light could be used to power our devices

During the recent American Institute of Physics Energy Storage and...

Climate change will alter the way that volcanic eruptions interact with the atmosphere, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>. These changes will compromise the cooling effects of most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-are-volcanoes-in-indonesia-so-dangerous/">volcanoes</a>.

“Due to more frequent and more intense wildfires, as well as other extreme events, the composition of the upper atmosphere is changing in front of our eyes, and so is our understanding of the consequences of these changes,” said study co-author Dr. Anja Schmidt.

“As we continue to emit greenhouse gases, the way that volcanic emissions interact with the atmosphere will continue to change and it is important to quantify these interactions in order to fully understand climate variability.”

The experts report that the cooling effects of large-magnitude eruptions will be enhanced by global warming. On the other hand, the cooling effects of small- and medium-sized eruptions will decrease by up to 75 percent. 

Considering that smaller eruptions are much more common, it is especially important to understand their overall influence on the climate. 

In a warming atmosphere, plumes of ash and gas ejected by large volcanic eruptions will rise increasingly higher. In addition, the transport of volcanic sulfate aerosols will be accelerated.

When it comes to large eruptions, these aerosols will block more sunlight from reaching Earth’s surface, which will ultimately amplify the temporary cooling effect.

In 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines, and the effects were felt worldwide. The plume from the eruption was ejected more than 30 kilometres into the sky. The resulting layer of haze moved across the planet, causing temperatures to drop by as much as 0.5 degrees Celsius in 1992.

Human activities have warmed global temperatures by over one degree Celsius since 1850. The major difference is that volcanic aerosols only persist for one or two years, but greenhouse gases influence the climate for centuries.

“Beyond the data we have from recent eruptions like Pinatubo, we can also see the cooling effect of volcanoes going back two thousand years from the information contained in tree rings,” said study first author Dr. Thomas Aubry.

“However, we wanted to look at the question from the opposite angle: how could a warming climate affect the cooling from volcanic eruptions?”

To investigate, the researchers looked at how high in the atmosphere volcanic plumes can rise and be transported under different warming scenarios.

The study showed that for large eruptions like Mount Pinatubo, climate change will cause the plumes to rise higher and the aerosols to spread faster across the globe, amplifying the overall cooling effects by 15 percent.

For moderate-sized eruptions, however, the cooling effect will be reduced by about 75 percent under a high warming scenario. This is because the height of the tropopause is predicted to increase, making it harder for volcanic plumes to reach the stratosphere. 

When aerosols are confined to the troposphere, they are washed out by precipitation in a matter of weeks. The subsequent climatic impacts are relatively minor and much more localized, according to the researchers.

“Climate change isn’t something that’s coming - it’s already here, as clearly demonstrated by this week’s IPCC report,” said Dr. Schmidt. 

“The effects of climate change and some of the feedback loops it can cause are becoming more obvious now. But the climate system is complex: getting a grasp of all these feedback loops is critical to understanding our planet and making accurate climate projections.”

“The new feedback loops between climate and volcanic eruptions that we highlight in this work are currently unaccounted for by IPCC,” said Dr. Aubry. “It could shed new light on the evolution of future volcanic influences on climate. Even if volcanoes have a limited influence on climate compared to human greenhouse gas emissions, they are an important part of the system.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Volcanic eruptions will lose their cooling effects on a warmer planet

Climate change will alter the way that volcanic eruptions interact...

Hermit crabs may become sexually “excited” by an additive that is released from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baby-sea-turtles-are-swallowing-plastic-trash/">plastics</a> in the ocean, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.hull.ac.uk/">University of Hull</a>.

The plastic additive oleamide is known to act as a pheromone that affects the behavior of certain marine animals, such as shrimp. 

The researchers, including PhD candidate Paula Schirrmacher, have been studying the compounding effects of marine plastic pollution and climate change on hermit crabs.

The experts found that oleamide increases the respiration rate of hermit crabs, signifying attraction and excitement. The substance can easily be mistaken for food. This means that hermit crabs may travel over a long distance in pursuit of a meal, only for the energy to be wasted on plastic. 

“Our study shows that oleamide attracts hermit crabs. Respiration rate increases significantly in response to low concentrations of oleamide, and hermit crabs show a behavioural attraction comparable to their response to a feeding stimulant," said Schirrmacher.

“Oleamide also has a striking resemblance to oleic acid, a chemical released by arthropods during decomposition. As scavengers, hermit crabs may misidentify oleamide as a food source, creating a trap."

“This research demonstrates that additive leaching may play a significant role in the attraction of marine life to plastic.”

Study co-author Luana Fiorella Mincarelli said that it is important to understand how plastic additives work on molecular levels, especially on reproductive success. “We have found that their toxic effect can be amplified in a climate change scenario.”

The research shows that male blue mussels were the most adversely affected by increased temperature, but females were more sensitive to DEHP, a toxic chemical found in many plastics.

The study authors concluded that rising ocean temperatures, combined with rising levels of plastic pollution, disrupt the breeding cycles of blue mussels and has a negative impact on their reproduction rates.

In another experiment, the team found evidence which confirms the theory that ocean acidification impairs the sense of smell of hermit crabs and other creatures, limiting their ability to communicate.

“Whether or not marine animals can smell plastics is a topic that previously attracted a lot of scientific controversy, but there was not much actual data," said study co-author Dr. Jorg Hardege.

But now, Schirrmacher's study on hermit crabs in Robin Hood’s Bay has revealed that the creatures are actually attracted to a chemical cue known as PEA (2-phenylethylamine). PEA is known to warn sea creatures of predators.

“To receive smell-related information correctly, the odor molecule needs to properly fit and bind to the receptor," said Dr. Christina Roggatz.

“Our results show how lower environmental pH causes small changes in the chemical properties of the odour molecules, which in turn facilitate this crucial binding step. In short: pH can make or break successful communication in the ocean.”

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hermit crabs are actually attracted to plastic additives

Hermit crabs may become sexually “excited” by an additive that...

By uncovering the secrets of how fish swim so efficiently at various speeds, scientists are getting ideas for the next generation of underwater drones. 

Typically, underwater vehicles are designed for one cruising speed - and fall short at other speeds. The technology is very limited compared to the impressive skills of fish, which swim well at various speeds by adjusting their tail stiffness. It would be very useful for underwater drones to move both quickly and slowly. 

Professor Dan Quinn at the <a href="https://engineering.virginia.edu/">University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science</a>, in collaboration with postdoctoral researcher Qiang Zhong, developed a key strategy for enabling multi speed missions in underwater vehicles. The experts have demonstrated a simple way to implement their strategy in robots.

When scientists design swimming robots, it is challenging to determine the ideal stiffness of the piece that propels the robots through the water. This difficult because different levels of stiffness are needed for various conditions. 

“Having one tail stiffness is like having one gear ratio on a bike,” said Professor Quinn. “You’d only be efficient at one speed. It would be like biking through San Francisco with a fixed-gear bike; you’d be exhausted after just a few blocks.”

Most likely, fish solve this problem by adjusting their tail stiffness in real-time, tuning into different levels of stiffness depending on the situation.

While there is no known way to measure the stiffness of a swimming fish, Quinn have combined fluid dynamics and biomechanics to create a model for how and why tail stiffness should be tuned.

“Surprisingly, a simple result came out of all the math: Stiffness should increase with swimming speed squared," said Professor Quinn.

“To test our theory, we built a fishlike robot that uses a programmable artificial tendon to tune its own tail stiffness while swimming in a water channel. What happened is that suddenly our robot could swim over a wider range of speeds while using almost half as much energy as the same robot with a fixed-stiffness tail. The improvement was really quite remarkable.”

“Our work is the first that combines biomechanics, fluid dynamics, and robotics to comprehensively study tail stiffness, which helps to uncover the long-existing mystery about how tail stiffness affects swimming performance,” said Zhong. 

“What is even more fantastic is that we are not just focused on theory analysis, but also on proposing a practical guide for tunable stiffness. Our proposed tunable stiffness strategy has proved effective in realistic swimming missions, where a robot fish achieved high speed and high efficiency swimming simultaneously.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://robotics.sciencemag.org/">Science Robotics</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Secrets of fish tails will help design underwater drones

By uncovering the secrets of how fish swim so efficiently...

Apes use signals to start and finish their social interactions, much like people say hello and goodbye, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>. This behavior has never been documented in any species other than humans. 

The researchers discovered that dynamics such as social status influence the communication efforts that apes use during their interactions - a pattern that is similar to human politeness.

“We were able to launch rockets and land on the moon because we have the ability to share our intentions, which allows us to achieve things so much bigger than a single individual can achieve alone. This ability has been suggested to be at the heart of human nature,” said Raphaela Heesen, a postdoctoral researcher at Durham University in the United Kingdom. 

Humans work together to achieve common goals, and this mutual sense of obligation is known as joint commitment. Through observations of great apes, Heesen and her team have uncovered evidence which suggests that joint commitment is not unique to humans.

In previous studies of joint commitment, children protested when an adult abruptly stopped playing with them. By offering toys and using vocalizations, the children tried to re-engage the adult in playtime. 

The researchers noticed a similar exchange between two bonobos. When the animals were interrupted during a grooming session, they used gestures to resume the grooming. 

The experts set out to investigate when joint commitment first appeared in the human lineage. They propose that joint commitment is not solely based on the feeling of obligation to fulfill a shared promise, but also involves the process of setting up the agreement and mutually deciding when the agreement has been fulfilled. 

This could be something as simple as initiating an interaction by saying “hello,” and wrapping it up with "goodbye." If great apes have a similar entry and exit process in their social interactions, this would demonstrate the process of joint commitment, according to the researchers.

The study was focused on 1,242 interactions within groups of bonobos and chimpanzees. The experts found that the apes did, in fact, frequently gaze at and communicate with each other to initiate and finalize social interactions. 

Bonobos exchanged entry signals and mutual gaze prior to playing 90 percent of the time, while chimps used these signals 69 percent of the time. 

Exit signals were found to be even more common - they were used during 92 percent of bonobo and 86 percent of chimpanzee interactions. The entry and exit signals included touching each other, holding hands or butting heads, or gazing at each other before and after grooming or playing. 

Interestingly, the observations revealed that the closer bonobos were to each other, the shorter the duration of their entry and exit phases, if they even used signals at all. This is similar to how we, as humans, communicate with others, explained the study authors.

“When you’re interacting with a good friend, you’re less likely to put in a lot of effort in communicating politely,” said Heesen. She noted that while this study is a step forward, further research is still needed to understand the origin and evolution of joint commitment.

“Behavior doesn’t fossilize. You can’t dig up bones to look at how behavior has evolved. But you can study our closest living relatives: great apes like chimpanzees and bonobos,” said Heesen. “Whether this type of communication is present in other species will also be interesting to study in the future.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Great apes politely end their social interactions

Apes use signals to start and finish their social interactions,...

Politics has for years obfuscated the debate over climate change, with deniers claiming time and time again that any increase in carbon dioxide content or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-alter-photosynthesis-and-plant-growth/">temperature</a> is due simple natural changes and variations. A new study from scientists at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a> can put that claim to rest. The experts report that there is a less than a one percent probability that Earth's energy imbalance has occurred naturally. 

Satellite data has consistently shown that the Earth is undergoing a warming trend. The authors state in the new paper that the satellite record provides clear evidence of a human-influenced climate system. 

"Knowing that human activity is responsible for the acceleration of planetary heat uptake implies the need for significant policy and societal action to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions to curb further increases in Earth’s energy imbalance.”

The energy imbalance the authors are referring to essentially means we are retaining more of the sun’s radiation then we are putting out. While the normal greenhouse effect plays a significant role, the retention of more infrared heat from the sun is also influenced by other factors. 

“We always think, ‘Increasing greenhouse gases means trapping more infrared heat’ - the classic greenhouse effect becomes larger. This is correct, but the flip side is that the resulting warmer planet now also radiates more infrared heat away to space, so the greenhouse gas heating impact is canceled," explained study lead author Shiv Priyam Raghuraman.

"Instead, much of the imbalance increase comes from the fact that we are receiving the same amount of sunlight but reflecting back less, because increased greenhouse gases cause cloud cover changes, less aerosols in the air to reflect sunlight - that is, cleaner air over the U.S. and Europe - and sea-ice decreases.”

The only explanation is “anthropogenic forcing” - humans adding more energy into the Earth’s natural systems. “Our study shows that even with the given observational record, it is almost impossible to have such a large increase in the imbalance just by Earth doing its own oscillations and variations.” 

While science is an ever-ongoing process that operates on falsification, this is yet another nail in the denialists coffin. 

“It is exceptionally unlikely - less than 1% probability - that this trend can be explained by natural variations in the climate system,” said Raghuraman.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://rugerpaleo@gmail.com">Alex Ruger</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Less than 1% chance that Earth's energy imbalance has occurred naturally

Politics has for years obfuscated the debate over climate change,...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



---



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...