The influence of synthetic plastic on our planet is concerning, to say the least. It's everywhere - from the depths of our oceans to the food we eat, even finding its way into our bodies. But, Avinash Manjula-Basavanna, a seasoned research scientist at Northeastern University, sees "MECHS" as a solution. 



"The kind of impact that human-made materials are making on the living world is resulting in&nbsp;climate change, pollution and more," he says. 



"One of the ways that we are able to address this is to make materials sustainable and also make materials which are smart or intelligent."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-birth-of-a-new-bioplastic">Birth of a new bioplastic</h2>



Joining forces with Neel S. Joshi, an associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern, Manjula-Basavanna gave birth to a new bioplastic named MECHS.



It stands for Mechanical Engineered Living Materials with Compostability, Healability, and Scalability.



The team recently showcased their discovery in the journal Nature Communications. Here, they articulated their unique work with engineered living materials, living cells that produce functional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-changing-the-entire-earth-system/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">materials</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wonders-of-bioplastic">Wonders of bioplastic</h2>



What makes MECHS stand out? Manjula-Basavanna and Joshi gave us two major reasons.



Firstly, MECHS exhibits the beauty of nature-inspired solutions, with the ability to regenerate, regulate themselves, and respond to external stimuli such as light. 



The second reason is even more significant in today's context. Unlike the harmful plastics choking our planet and bodies, MECHS is biodegradable in water and even in a compost bin. 



"Right now we use a lot of conventional nonbiodegradable plastics for applications they don't need to be used in at all," Joshi says. "If we replace that with our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/major-plastic-pollution-lurks-beneath-the-surface-of-rivers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plastic</a>, you could just flush it down the toilet and it would biodegrade."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-engineered-living-materials">Engineered living materials</h2>



Until now, such engineered living materials haven't been scalable for broad production. Enter MECHS.



Essentially, it's comprised of engineered E. coli bacteria intertwined with a fiber matrix, crafted into a paper- or film-like material. 



The fibrous structure gives MECHS some desirable properties. For instance, the bioplastic can stretch like plastic wrap and be genetically engineered for variable stiffness. And, quite fascinatingly, it has self-healing capabilities.



But the real cherry on top? MECHS is fully dissolvable, be it in large amounts of water or a compost bin. It dissolves rapidly, much faster than other existing biodegradable plastics. Plus, it can be mass-produced similarly to paper.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-potential-applications">Potential applications</h2>



The scientific marvels envision MECHS as the solution to "primary packaging." This includes the plastic cover protecting your new iPhone or the detergent pods for your appliances. Imagine MECHS wrapped around a pot plant, slowly breaking down and releasing proteins to fertilize the plant!



Addressing the global problem of plastic pollution, Manjula-Basavanna sees a strong potential for MECHS in plastic packaging, which covers almost one-third of the plastic market. 



He observes that such packaging’s lifespan could last a few days to two years, but the petrochemical plastics used can take hundreds of years to biodegrade.



"For such a short lifespan of packaging, the petrochemical plastics that can take hundreds of years to biodegrade are unnecessary in many cases and thus a sustainable alternative like MECHS due to its biodegradability, flushability, and mechanical tunability could be a game changer," says Manjula-Basavanna.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenges-in-adopting-mechs">Challenges in adopting MECHS</h2>



While MECHS presents a revolutionary solution to the global plastic crisis, adopting this technology on a large scale is not devoid of challenges. One primary concern lies in the genomic stability of the engineered E. coli bacteria used in MECHS. 



Scientists must ensure that the bacteria remain safe and stable under various environmental conditions to avoid unintended consequences. Additionally, transitioning industries reliant on traditional plastics to MECHS involves overcoming significant economic and logistical barriers. 



Production facilities worldwide may need to adopt new techniques and infrastructure to accommodate this novel material, potentially incurring considerable costs in the short term. 



Furthermore, public perception and regulatory hurdles need to be navigated to gain trust and approval for its widespread use.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-sustainable-materials">Future of sustainable materials</h2>



Looking to the future, the innovations around MECHS signal a burgeoning era of sustainable and adaptable materials capable of transforming industries. 



As research into living materials progresses, new possibilities emerge, such as enabling the development of dynamic, adaptable materials for technologies yet to be imagined. 



Building on their success with MECHS, Manjula-Basavanna and Joshi envision an expanding palette of biodegradable materials, each tailored for specific applications ranging from environmental conservation to health care. 



Their work emphasizes collaboration across disciplines - bridging biology, chemistry, and engineering - to advance sustainable solutions.



Ultimately, MECHS is a testament to how embracing nature-inspired innovation can lead to breakthroughs with the power to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-on-beaches-is-now-visible-from-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reshape our relationship with the materials</a> we use and the environment we inhabit.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53052-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</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.



-----

Nature-inspired solutions: New bioplastic dissolves rapidly in water

The influence of synthetic plastic on our planet is concerning, to say the least. It's everywhere - from the depths of our oceans to the food we eat, even finding its way into our bodies. But, Avinash Manjula-Basavanna, a seasoned research scientist at Northeastern University, sees "MECHS" as a solution. "The kind of impact that human-made materials are making on the living world is resulting in&nbsp;climate change, pollution and more," he says. "One of the ways that we are able to address this is to make materials...

The vast majority of people would agree that video games promote critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork among <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nature-improved-mental-health-of-children-during-lockdown/">children</a> who play them. On the other hand, many people also believe that violent video games promote aggressive and violent behavior in real life, yet existing research on the matter is very limited.



One of the key catalysts for the prevalence of this discussion is mass public shootings, with some people believing that violent video games are potentially influential in the time leading up to the event. However, there are usually other more obvious contributing factors, such as relaxed gun laws and mental health issues.&nbsp;



In 2013, President Obama called for more government-funded research to explore the link between violence and video games. He wanted to establish whether restrictive policies should be put into place to reduce access to such games. 



A recent study led by Dr. Agne Suziedelyte from the Department of Economics at the University of London has set out to investigate the link even further, specifically focusing on violent behavior among gamers.



The study was focused on violent behaviors among boys between the ages of 8 and 18. This is the demographic which is believed to be most likely to play violent video games. 



Violent tendencies that could potentially result from playing games were split into two categories: the destruction of property and aggression against others.&nbsp;



As opposed to using basic association methodology, Dr. Suziedelyte used econometric methods that could identify the potential causal effects of violent video games on violence. However, no evidence was found of such causality, with the data showing no correlation between increased violence and the release of a new violent video game.&nbsp;



Despite this conclusion, parents commonly reported that their children were more likely to destroy things around the house after playing violent video games.&nbsp;



“Taken together, these results suggest that violent video games may agitate children, but this agitation does not translate into violence against other people – which is the type of violence which we care about most," explained Dr. Suziedelyte.



“A likely explanation for my results is that video game playing usually takes place at home, where opportunities to engage in violence are lower. This ‘incapacitation’ effect is especially important for violence-prone boys who may be especially attracted to violent video games. Therefore, policies that place restrictions on video game sales to minors are unlikely to reduce violence."



The research has been published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-economic-behavior-and-organization">Journal of Economic Behavior &amp; Organization</a>.&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:calumvaughan05@gmail.com">Calum Vaughan</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study finds no evidence that video games promote violence

The vast majority of people would agree that video games...

Plenty of evidence shows that invasive species damage <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-damages-the-base-of-the-marine-food-web/">food webs</a> but the specifics of these damages over time remain somewhat mysterious. A new study conducted at the <a href="https://www.umt.edu/">University of Montana</a> Flathead Lake Biological Station is providing new insight into the impacts of invasive species.&nbsp;



"This has been a truly collaborative effort," said Shawn Delvin of FLBS. "The work leverages the rather bleak history of introduction and invasion of nonnative species in northwest Montana lakes into an ecological experiment built on the power of long-term data and a deeper understanding of lake ecology.”



U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife biologist Charles Wainright, who just finished his graduate school work at FLBS explained the importance of the study.



“This study provides new details about how invasive lake trout affect entire lake food webs," said Wainright. "The findings will be important for conserving native species and ecosystems in Montana and elsewhere.”



The researchers examined long term fisheries records to determine the timing of introduction of invasive lake trout in ten Montana lakes. The researchers also examined the impact of these introductions on the food webs in the lakes.&nbsp;



The results showed that native fishes were forced to feed on less than ideal diets and scrape by in unfamiliar habitats. Eventually, this led to the loss of native bull trout, a threatened species under the US Endangered Species Act.&nbsp;



“Native bull trout populations have drastically declined in many lakes across western Montana due to competitive interactions with invasive lake trout," said Clint Muhlfeld, an aquatic ecologist with the USGS.



"For the first time, we show what happens not only to bull trout but entire food webs supporting them as lake trout invade and upset lake ecosystems over time.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The research showed the invasive fish populations grew over time for decades. After 50 years, lake trout were the dominant apex predator in these food webs.&nbsp;



The findings confirmed that over time, invasive lake trout disrupted - and ultimately replaced - the native fish species, drastically changing the ecosystem.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



---



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

Invasive species can drastically alter food webs

Plenty of evidence shows that invasive species damage food webs...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0239691">PLOS One</a> has found that mountaintop removal - a coal-mining method that clear-cuts <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tracking-endangered-bats-across-indiana-forests/">forests</a> and uses explosives to remove soil and bedrock – poses a significantly more serious and widespread threat to endangered animal species and humans than previously thought.



By combining 30 years of satellite imagery data mapping large surface mines in central Appalachia and water-quality measurements from over 4,000 monitoring sites across different watersheds, a team of scientists led by the <a href="https://defenders-cci.org/">Defenders of Wildlife’s Center for Conservation Innovation</a> (CCI) discovered that mountaintop removal mining activity strongly contributes to water-quality degradation.



“We have been watching mountaintop removal mining expand across the Appalachian landscape for years using satellite imagery,”&nbsp;said study co-author Christian Thomas, a geospatial engineer&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://skytruth.org/">SkyTruth</a>, a nonprofit environmental technological company that helped with data collection.&nbsp;“By combining our imagery with water-quality data, we have finally revealed how profoundly this activity harms sensitive aquatic species.”



The scientists found that chronic and acute toxicity thresholds for chemicals such as aluminum, copper, lead, and manganese, as well as acidity levels in streams were exceeded thousands of times even in places relatively distant from the mines. These areas are home to many threatened and endangered species, including 39 mollusk species, 12 fish species, and several snail and crustacean species.



“More than 50 federally protected species inhabit the streams of this region, and we haven’t historically known the full impact of these mines, until now,”&nbsp;said study lead author Michael Evans, a senior conservation data scientist at CCI.&nbsp;"This research expands the ability for state and federal agencies to make better decisions that directly affect vulnerable people and wildlife.”&nbsp;



“This research really emphasizes the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aluna-its-not-too-late-to-avoid-catastrophe-if-we-open-our-eyes/">interconnectedness</a> of ecosystems and how distant human activity can have ripple effects that aren’t immediately apparent. Being able to assess impacts at a landscape scale opens a completely new door for conservation,” he added.



This study is an important step forward for improving the protection of imperiled species and provide more rigorous scientific standards for mining practices. “While approved practices for assessing and permitting the operation of an individual mine may successfully mitigate impacts to immediately surrounding ecosystems, our results demonstrate that a landscape scale assessment is necessary to fully account for the impacts of surface mining on imperiled species,” the authors concluded.



---



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

Mountaintop removal mining affects endangered species

A new study published in the journal PLOS One has...

A new study carried out by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> predicts that the impacts on crops imposed by global climate change will emerge within ten years. Published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natfood/">Nature Food</a>, the study shows that under high greenhouse gas emissions, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-humidity-has-a-big-influence-on-rainfall-in-the-corn-belt/">corn</a> and wheat production will be significantly impacted.&nbsp;



Climate change models were used to predict the possible changes in twelve crops worldwide. Under a high emissions scenario, corn crops are expected to decline by 24 percent, while wheat production will likely increase by 17 percent.



“What we're doing is driving crop simulations that are effectively growing virtual crops day-by-day, powered by a supercomputer, and then looking at the year-by-year and decade-by-decade change in each location of the world,” explained study co-author Alex Ruane.



The results are surprising in light of previous crop projections. Study lead author Jonas Jägermeyr is climate change scientist and crop modeler at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and The Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York City.



“We did not expect to see such a fundamental shift, as compared to crop yield projections from the previous generation of climate and crop models conducted in 2014. A 20% decrease from current production levels could have severe implications worldwide," said Jägermeyr.



The study looked exclusively at the impacts of climate change on plants, and the model did not account for changing economics, adaptive behavior or the potential introduction of new crop varieties. The team plans to follow up with a second model including these variables as well.&nbsp;



Soybeans and rice showed some declines in certain regions but on a global scale, it was unclear what the overall impact would be on these crops. For wheat and corn, the results were much clearer. Overall, the model seems to predict severe global changes.&nbsp;



“Even under optimistic climate change scenarios, where societies enact ambitious efforts to limit global temperature rise, global agriculture is facing a new climate reality," said Jägermeyr. "And with the interconnectedness of the global food system, impacts in even one region’s breadbasket will be felt worldwide.”



---



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

Major shift in crop production expected within 10 years

A new study carried out by NASA predicts that the...

In a <a href="https://ukcop26.org/global-coal-to-clean-power-transition-statement/">deal</a> recently announced at the <a href="https://ukcop26.org/">COP26</a> UN climate summit in Glasgow, over 40 countries pledged that they will end the use of coal power in the coming decades in order to protect the Earth’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">climate</a> from the negative effects of one of its dirtiest fossil fuels.&nbsp;



Coal is the biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Thus, ending its use has been a major issue at the Glasgow summit. According to Germany’s environment minister Svenja Shulze, ending coal is “essential” to keep the average global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.&nbsp;



To meet this goal, wealthy countries should replace in maximum 15 years all coal, oil, and gas power plants with wind, solar, and nuclear power sources. “In the near future we will have left behind all fossil fuels and live in a new and sustainable energy world based on renewable energy,” Ms. Schulze said.



Whether this will happen or not remains to be seen. Although countries such as Italy, Denmark, Canada, Poland, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, and Ukraine promised to stop building and issuing permits for new coal plants and eventually completely stop using this fuel, other major coal producers and users, including the United States, China, or India, refused to sign the pledge. Furthermore, the <a href="https://www.worldcoal.org/">World Coal Organization</a> declared that coal “remains critical to energy supply in 80 countries and the livelihood of more than 790 million people who have no access to reliable and affordable power.”



The United States’ decision to abstain from any clear commitments regarding coal production and use appears to be at least partly driven by internal politics: President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda relies heavily on the support of Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia, who has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/19/climate/manchin-climate-biden.html">financial ties</a>&nbsp;to the coal industry and is strongly opposed to policies that would curb the use of fossil fuels.&nbsp;



Nevertheless, after its peak in 2007, the use of coal power is significantly declining in the United States, being currently replaced by cheaper natural gas, wind, and solar power. Moreover, the Biden administration did join an <a href="https://ukcop26.org/statement-on-international-public-support-for-the-clean-energy-transition/">agreement</a> to end financing for coal, gas, and oil in other countries by the end of 2022.



---



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

Over 40 countries pledged to stop using coal power at COP26

In a deal recently announced at the COP26 UN climate...

Researchers have long been fascinated by the extraordinary skills spiders show in building intricate and beautiful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reef-food-webs-threatened-by-the-loss-of-picky-eaters/">webs</a> by relying mostly on the sense of touch.&nbsp;



A team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> has recently used night vision and artificial intelligence to track and record every movement the spiders made in order to shed more light on how creatures with such small brains are capable to build these elegant, complex, and geometrically precise structures.



“I first got interested in this topic while I was out birding with my son. After seeing a spectacular web, I thought, 'if you went to a zoo and saw a chimpanzee building this, you'd think that's one amazing and impressive chimpanzee,'” said senior author Andrew Gordus, a behavioral biologist at Johns Hopkins.&nbsp;



“Well, this is even more amazing because a spider's brain is so tiny and I was frustrated that we didn't know more about how this remarkable behavior occurs. Now we've defined the entire choreography for web building, which has never been done for any animal architecture at this fine of a resolution."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;



Gordus and his colleagues designed an arena with infrared lights and cameras to record the web-building activities of six hackled orb weavers, a species of spider native to the western United States. They used machine vision software designed specifically to detect limb movements in order to track the millions of individual leg movements the spiders performed in order to build their webs.



By analyzing the footage, the scientists found that web-making behaviors were extremely similar across spiders.&nbsp;



"Even if the final structure is a little different, the rules they use to build the web are the same," Gordus explained. "They're all using the same rules, which confirms the rules are encoded in their brains. Now we want to know how those rules are encoded at the level of neurons."



In future studies, the researchers aim to experiment with mind-altering drugs to determine which circuits of the spiders’ brains are responsible for each stage of web-building.



"The spider is fascinating because here you have an animal with a brain built on the same fundamental building blocks as our own, and this work could give us hints on how we can understand larger brain systems, including humans,” said study lead author Abel Corver, a graduate student at Johns Hopkins.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960982221012707">Current Biology</a>.



---



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

Scientists reveal spiders’ web-making secrets

Researchers have long been fascinated by the extraordinary skills spiders...

Instances of animals being infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-evidence-that-covid-19-is-a-seasonal-infection/">COVID-19</a>) have bee)n documented from around the world. The species affected include pet dogs, cats and ferrets, zoo animals such as big cats, otters and primates, farmed mink and wild white-tailed deer. 



A new study reports the first instav7thnce of pet infection by the alpha&nbsp;variant of SARS-CoV-2, which&nbsp;was first detected in southeast England and is commonly known as the UK variant or B.1.1.7. This variant rapidly outcompeted pre-existing variants in England due to its increased transmissibility and infectivity.&nbsp;



Two cats and one dog returned positive PCR tests for this variant of the Coronavirus, while two additional cats and one dog displayed antibodies to the virus two to six weeks after they had developed signs of cardiac disease. All of the pets had suffered an acute onset of cardiac disease, including severe myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).



Many of the owners of these pets had also tested positive for COVID-19, and had developed respiratory symptoms several weeks before their pets became ill.



“Our study reports the first cases of cats and dogs affected by the COVID-19 alpha variant and highlights, more than ever, the risk that companion animals can become infected with SARS-CoV-2,” said lead author Luca Ferasin,&nbsp;DVM, PhD, of The Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre, in the UK.



“We also reported the atypical clinical manifestations characterized by severe heart abnormalities, which is a well-recognized complication in people affected by COVID-19 but has never been described in pets before."&nbsp;



"However, COVID-19 infection in pets remains a relatively rare condition and, based on our observations, it seems that the transmission occurs from humans to pets, rather than vice versa."



The study is published by <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/">Wiley</a> in the journal <a href="https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20427670">Veterinary Record</a>.



---



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

Dogs and cats test positive for alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2

Instances of animals being infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that...

Fresh,Vegetables,,Fruits,And,Seeds,On,Wooden,Table,,Flat,Lay

Many people consider the environment as part of the calculus of which foods to buy and consume along with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/red-wine-grapes-have-unexpected-gut-health-benefits/">health</a> and financial costs. Which foods are best for the environment though?&nbsp;



Because animals are inefficient at converting food into energy, it’s often been suggested that switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet is the best way to shrink your dietary carbon footprint. With most people unwilling to commit to such a drastic change in how they eat, researchers are looking for other ways to reduce the environmental impact of food.&nbsp;



Traditionally, eco-friendly food recommendations have been based on a mythical "average" American diet. In reality, people across the country eat in extremely diverse ways. By analyzing the groceries that Americans buy, <a href="https://www.acs.org/">ACS</a> researchers have devised new dietary recommendations report.&nbsp;



Lead by scientist Hua Cai, the research team looked at grocery purchases from 57,000 US households in 2010 and found that 71 percent of those surveyed could reduce their carbon footprint with three suggestions.



First, the team noted that small households should buy less bulk food. Often bulk food purchased for one or two people leads to food waste. The researchers also suggested that packaging should be changed to be more efficient in smaller quantity foods.&nbsp;



Next, the scientists found that cutting foods high in calories but low in nutritional value would reduce total carbon output by as much as 29 percent while also benefiting people’s health.&nbsp;



Finally, the scientists claim that people should reduce the amount of savory baked goods and ready-made foods. They say that these foods produce relatively little carbon but because they’re consumed in large amounts those small emissions add up.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers acknowledge funding from Purdue University Environmental and Ecological Engineering for providing the Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship.



The study is published by the American Chemistry Society in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/esthag">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Healthier American diets could greatly benefit the environment

Many people consider the environment as part of the calculus...

According to a recent survey conducted by the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02990-w">Nature</a>, two thirds of the climate scientists on the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC) said that they expect the world to warm by at least 3°C, compared to pre-industrial temperatures, by the end of this century. The estimate is well beyond the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5–2 °C.



Most of the scientists who responded to the survey expressed fear that the world is running out of time to avoid the catastrophic effects of anthropogenic climate change, and showed marked skepticism that governments will manage to slow the pace of global warming - despite the political promises they made at the Paris agreement in 2015.



Eighty-eight percent of the respondents claimed that the world is experiencing an enormous climate crisis and said that they expected to witness catastrophic impact of climate change during their own lifetimes.&nbsp;



Half of the participants said that global warming is causing them to reconsider major life decisions, such as where to live and whether to have children or not, and over 60 percent reported that they experience <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-people-are-increasingly-anxious-over-climate-change/">climate-induced anxiety</a>, grief, and other psychological distress.&nbsp;



“The pessimism expressed by some IPCC panelists underscores the vast gulf between hopes and expectations for the climate summit that began this week in Glasgow. In advance of the meeting, the United States, the European Union, China and others have announced new plans to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, although scientific analyses suggest those plans still fall well short of the Paris goals."&nbsp;



"Over the next two weeks, countries will formalize and perhaps even strengthen those commitments. But making them a reality will require as-yet-unprecedented political mobilization at the national level once leaders return home,” the survey authors warned.



Fortunately, a pessimistic outlook does not seem to completely extinguish hope that the situation could improve. Two-thirds of the scientists involved in the survey claimed that they are persistently engaging in advocacy related to climate change, by promoting science through speeches, publications, and videos, contacting lawmakers or government officials to advocate specific climate policies, signing letters or petitions calling for action, or participating in demonstrations.



As Charles Koven, a climate scientist at <a href="https://www.lbl.gov/">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory</a> in California, put it, “I believe that the majority of people really do care about the future, and that it is possible for governments to coordinate and avoid the worst climate outcomes.”



---



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

Is there still time to avoid catastrophic climate outcomes?

According to a recent survey conducted by the journal Nature,...

A new binding agreement augers hope for the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/african-rainforests-are-surprisingly-resilient-to-heat-and-drought/">rainforests</a> of central Africa. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed an agreement in cooperation with the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) to limit deforestation over the next ten years. 



DRC governs the world’s second largest rainforest, the Congo, home to stunning biodiversity as well as indigenous cultures. The country also has one of the most progressive approaches to tackling deforestation in Africa.&nbsp;



Community based forest management allows communities to define the parameters of conservation based on their customary forest uses. This approach helps to protect the forest while meeting the demands of the community that depends on it.&nbsp;



“Protecting rainforests is paramount to solving the climate and biodiversity crises, and keeping these forests intact is necessary for sustainable development in Africa,” said Toerris Jaeger, Secretary General of Rainforest Foundation in Norway.&nbsp;



The agreement made ambitious goals to preserve the remaining intact rain forest. For these lofty goals to be met, industrial activities already rampant in the area must be curtailed.&nbsp;



"Land-use planning and forest reforms are key instruments to forest protection. Land rights of local communities and the sustainable use of the forest should form the basis for better land use policies," said Jaeger.



Currently, the land rights of indigenous people are not well enforced, and changing this seems to be key to protecting forests going forward. President Tshisekedi has promised to make indigenous rights a priority.&nbsp;



“If you aspire to sustainable development, you need to secure indigenous land rights and their governance systems for effective rainforest protection. Because without rainforests, we will not be able to cope with climate change, and there will be no development," said Patrick Saidi Hemedi, national coordinator of the Dynamic of the Indigenous Peoples’ Groups (DGPA).



Last April, the DRC National Assembly voted to strengthen indigenous peoples’ rights, a bill which will soon be submitted to the Senate for a vote. President Tshisekedi has already committed himself to indigenous peoples' land rights.&nbsp;



The DRC stands at a point in history where they have the real ability to be a leader in protecting forests in Central Africa.&nbsp;



---



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

Progressive approach brings new hope to forest conservation

A new binding agreement augers hope for the rainforests of...

In many animal species, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blue-orchard-bees-respond-to-fires-by-producing-more-females/">females</a> apparently choose male mates based on the presence of adornments, such as large antlers or bright colors, or the use of ritualized displays that in some way indicate a male’s fitness. This is known as sexual selection and is thought to be responsible for the presence of extravagant and unusual male characteristics.&nbsp;



But when the pool of possible mates is limited, females who are too choosy run the risk of ending up with no partner and no possibility of reproducing. The risks associated with female choosiness were the subject of a recent study by Wolfgang Forstmeier of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, and colleagues, who used populations of captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to test their hypotheses.



Zebra finches are socially monogamous songbirds that have regionally distinct songs. Females prefer to select mates that have the same song dialect.&nbsp;



The researchers capitalized on this situation and set up 10 aviaries, each containing 12 male and 12 female finches from the two different dialect lineages. In each captive breeding colony, one-third of the females (4 birds) could choose from two-thirds (8 birds) of the males that shared the same dialect. This was considered to be a situation of relaxed competition as there was an excess of males from which the 4 females could select a suitable mate.&nbsp;



However, in each aviary the remaining two-thirds of females (8 birds) had only one-third of the males (4 birds) that shared their song dialect. This was thus a situation of high competition as these females had a shortage of preferred males from which to select a mate. They could either choose a male with a different song dialect or choose not to breed at all.



The researchers hypothesized that females that experienced high competition for mates would have less reproductive success (measured in terms of offspring that reached independence). They also theorized that these females would lay fewer eggs and start egg-laying later – because they would be busy competing for mates.



The results showed that 31 percent of females in the high-competition treatment chose to pair with a male of a different song dialect, while 26 percent refused to settle for this and remained unpaired throughout the experiment. The researchers termed these unpaired females “wallflowers.”



The surprise came, however, when it turned out that the “wallflowers” produced, on average, the same number of eggs and successful fledglings as the breeding pairs. It seems that there was no shortage of mating opportunities between unpaired females and paired males.&nbsp;



The unpaired females then chose either to build a nest and rear the young on their own, or they sneaked their fertilized eggs into the nests of pair-bonded individuals and left the chick rearing to them, like a cuckoo does.



Some previous studies have suggested that there will be a cost to a female that is too fussy when selecting a male, and that this cost (not reproducing) would act against the evolution of sexual selection as a process. However, the current study found that females who refused to pair with a male of the wrong song dialect would suffer no cost at all in terms of offspring produced.&nbsp;



In addition, unpaired females chose to mate with, and to deposit their eggs in the nests of males that had the same song dialect. With this reproductive strategy, these unpaired females were achieving the desired result even though they were not able to form pair-bonds with the preferred males.



The study is the first to quantify the fitness costs to females of being too picky. And indeed, the results indicate that, at least in zebra finches, these costs are non-existent, as long as the females are able to employ alternative reproductive strategies. This behavioral flexibility can facilitate the evolution of female choice and male sexual selection in monogamous species, the authors say.



“Our study asks how females cope with the situation that their mate preferences are difficult to satisfy," said Forstmeier. "The answer is: more successfully than we had expected.”



The study is published today in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLoS Biology</a>.



---



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

Female finches can afford to be picky when selecting a mate

In many animal species, females apparently choose male mates based...

Many consumers are concerned about the presence of toxic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pesticides-have-become-increasingly-toxic-to-insects/">pesticides</a> in their food, but few are aware of the effect that these harmful chemicals are having on ecosystems. Bees and other pollinators are essential to the world’s ecosystems and their decline presents some devastating predictions.



New research from the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities at the <a href="https://www.uib.no/en">University of Bergen</a> (UiB) is investigating the implications that insect and pollinator decline will have on society as a result of toxic pesticide usage.&nbsp;



“What is at stake is nothing less than the world’s ecosystems and food production,” said Professor Jeroen van der Sluijs of the research center. He noted that data contained in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility database illustrates that the biodiversity of wild bees has decreased by 25 percent since 1990.



Wild bees are key pollinators to many plants, facilitating the formation of seeds and reproduction, and their decline presents a serious threat to these plants and their survival.&nbsp;



“The decline in bees and other pollinators continues with increasing strength, and we are running out of time,” said Professor Van Der Sluijs.&nbsp;



Researchers have been tracing the decline of insects due to the modern use of pesticides, toxic chemicals with high levels of usage that are currently being ignored by the European regulatory system. This is due to a common misconception that modern pesticides are far safer than they used to be, but Professor Van Der Sluijs says that this is simply not true.



His research demonstrates that environmental contamination from the "neonicotinoids" found in modern-day pesticides is linked to a decline in wild bee and other pollinator populations.



“One main reason why modern pesticides are not yet banned is that researchers have not taken enough responsibility for communicating the crucial expertise needed for governments and other decision-makers to make informed choices."&nbsp;



To combat this lack of responsibility and communication, Professor Van Der Sluijs is urging fellow researchers to take on the social responsibility, investigate the pesticide crisis and communicate the results to industries. However, the researcher is aware that this will be difficult.



“Assuming one’s social responsibility as a scientist is always an uphill struggle. The academic reward system pushes you to prioritize scientific impact over societal impact,” said Professor Van Der Sluijs.&nbsp;



To communicate critically important knowledge and make a genuine impact, insect researchers must engage in transdisciplinary coalitions with governments, politicians, and industries. Through these relationships, Professor Van der Suijs believes that scientists may be able to bring their knowledge and awareness of early warning signals to the light of decision-makers.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/current-opinion-in-insect-science">Current Opinion in Insect Science</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:calumvaughan05@gmail.com">Calum Vaughan</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global bee decline continues, and we are running out of time

Many consumers are concerned about the presence of toxic pesticides...

<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...