You've undoubtedly noticed that the Moon has two distinct sides, right? The near side that we see from Earth and the far side that remains a mystery because it is never turned towards us.



This unusual lunar characteristic -- a global dichotomy -- is what a team of scientists led by Professor XU Yigang from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (<a href="http://english.gig.cas.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GIGCAS</a>) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been investigating.



They have been studying lunar soil samples collected from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far side of the Moon, and returned to Earth by China's <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=CHANG-E-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chang’e-6 mission</a>.



These invaluable samples have allowed them to investigate the Moon's peculiar dichotomy and the results have shed light on some of its secrets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-chang-e-6">What is Chang’e-6?</h2>



The Chinese space program launched Chang'e 6, their latest Moon mission, on May 3, 2024. The spacecraft blasted off from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on a Long March 5 rocket at 9:27 UT (that's 5:27 PM Beijing time). 



Their goal? To grab about four pounds (2 kg) of Moon rocks from the far side - something no one had done before.



The lander touched down in a huge crater called the South Pole Aitken Basin. The team used both a scoop and a drill to dig up surface samples and even went 2 meters deep into the lunar soil. 



They also sent out a small rover that cruised around taking snapshots of the lander doing its work.



Once they collected the samples, the crew packed them into an ascent vehicle sitting on top of the lander. 



On June 3 at 11:38 PM UT (7:38 AM Beijing time the next day), this vehicle shot up from the Moon's surface and met up with the orbiter waiting above. They made the handoff on June 6, 2024.



After ditching the ascent vehicle (which crashed back into the Moon), the return vehicle hung around in orbit for a couple weeks before heading home. 



It pulled off a tricky skip-entry through Earth's atmosphere and landed in Inner Mongolia's Siziwang Banner region on June 25 at 6:07 UT (2:07 PM Beijing time). 



The final haul? Roughly 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg) of Moon rocks and soil from the far side -- marking another big win for China's space program.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-far-side-vs-visible-side-of-the-moon">Far side vs. visible side of the Moon</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/its-official-earth-now-has-two-moons-captured-asteroid-2024-pt5/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moon's</a> dichotomy is visible in its topography, chemical composition, crustal thickness, evidence of volcanism and, most noticeably, in the difference in geomorphology between its near and far sides.



The near side of the Moon is home to the familiar "man in the moon" maria - the dark "seas" that are the result of ancient volcanic activity. 



These areas were flooded with molten lava that created rocks known as mare basalts.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_diagram_credit-YANG-Muhan_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_diagram_credit-YANG-Muhan_1s.webp" alt="Distribution of distinct volcanic episodes on the Moon’s farside. The remote sensing image highlights the Chang’e-6 landing site along with nearby mare and cryptomare basaltic units. Credit: Image by YANG Muhan" class="wp-image-1950782"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Distribution of distinct volcanic episodes on the Moon’s farside. The remote sensing image highlights the Chang’e-6 landing site along with nearby mare and cryptomare basaltic units. Credit: Image by YANG Muhan</figcaption></figure>



How about the far side? Well, here's where it gets intriguing. Only about 2% of this hidden part of the Moon is covered in the basalts, compared to around 30% on the near side.



This inexplicable difference is a vital part of the lunar global dichotomy that the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program aims to unravel.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-secrets-of-the-moon-s-far-side">Secrets of the Moon's far side</h2>



Thanks to the Chang’e-6 lunar soil samples, Professor XU's team discovered the existence of two different types of mare basalts, low-Ti, and very low-Ti (VLT). 



“The samples returned by Chang’e-6 provide a best opportunity to investigate the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2024-pt5-mini-moon-say-goodbye-to-earths-second-moon-we-barely-got-to-know-you/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lunar</a> global dichotomy,” said Professor XU.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-eruptions_basalt-types_credit-GIGCAS_1s.webp" alt="The two types of basalts in Chang’e-6 soils and isochrons of the Chang’e-6 low-Ti basalt. Credit: GIGCAS" class="wp-image-1950784"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The two types of basalts in Chang’e-6 soils and isochrons of the Chang’e-6 low-Ti basalt. Credit: GIGCAS</figcaption></figure>



Let's not dismiss the aspect of dating these samples either. With high-precision Pb-Pb dating techniques, the team determined that the low-Ti basalt dates back to around 2.83 billion years ago.



This attests to the presence of "young" magmatism or volcanic activities on the far side of the Moon. But of course, young is a relative term when we talk about 2.83 billion years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-the-history-of-volcanoes">Mapping the history of volcanoes</h2>



With such valuable information now in our hands, we can clearly chart the volcanic timeline on the far side of the Moon. 



Led by Professor LI Qiuli, the team conducted radioisotope dating on 108 basalt fragments, with 107 of them revealing a consistent formation age of 2807 million years ago.



But there's more. One fragment, a high-aluminum basalt, was dated to a monumental 4203 million years ago, making it the oldest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/harvest-moon-2024-will-feature-a-partial-lunar-eclipse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lunar</a> basalt for which age has been precisely determined.



This implies elevated levels of volcanic activity on the far side of the Moon for at least 1.4 billion years - between 4.2 billion and 2.8 billion years ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



These findings, available for everyone to dissect, can help recalibrate the existing lunar crater chronology models. 



Christopher Hamilton, an independent planetary volcano expert, emphasized the importance of obtaining samples from this previously unchartered lunar territory.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_Change-6-mission_landing_credit-CLEP_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/moon_farside_volcanic-episodes_Change-6-mission_landing_credit-CLEP_1s.webp" alt="China's Chang’e-6 mission spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon. Credit: CLAP" class="wp-image-1950787"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">China's Chang’e-6 mission spacecraft landed on the far side of the Moon. Credit: CLAP </figcaption></figure>



More than just understanding the Moon, these lunar soil samples also have implications for some broad astronomical theories.



The new data indicates a constant impact flux after 2.83 billion years, which can offer new insights into planet migration in the early Solar System. 



So, by looking at the Moon, we are indirectly learning about our own cosmic neighborhood as well!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



With more missions like the Chang'e-6, the future will undoubtedly bring many enlightening discoveries about our constant celestial companion.



In the end, we see that the Moon, despite its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-may-have-captured-the-moon-from-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">familiar appearance</a>, still hides untold secrets waiting to be discovered. 



These lunar missions represent a new age of lunar and planetary exploration that pushes the boundaries of our understanding.



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The researchers from the <a href="https://english.cas.cn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> express their gratitude for the support received from various institutes such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. These institutions' enduring support enables such important lunar explorations.



The study is published in the journals <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08382-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a> and <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt1093" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



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Far side of the Moon had volcanic eruptions for over one billion years

You've undoubtedly noticed that the Moon has two distinct sides, right? The near side that we see from Earth and the far side that remains a mystery because it is never turned towards us. This unusual lunar characteristic -- a global dichotomy -- is what a team of scientists led by Professor XU Yigang from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (GIGCAS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been investigating. They have been studying lunar soil samples collected from the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin on the far...

Woman,With,Baby,Girl

New research shows how the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-consumption-may-reverse-the-detrimental-effects-of-aging-on-the-heart/">age</a> of ringworms (Caenorhabditis elegans) affects their offspring. The study showed that older parents had offspring that grew more quickly, had their own offspring at a younger age, and reproduced more often through a normal lifespan.



“Reduced lifespan in the offspring of older parents has been observed in many species, including humans," said lead researcher Dr. Laura Travers of the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a>.



"Producing offspring in later life may be harmful to offspring for several reasons. For example, older parents may have lower quality eggs or sperm, or be less well able to take care of their offspring."&nbsp;&nbsp;



"On the other hand, in some species it has been shown that older parents can produce more robust offspring because they have more resources to invest and are more experienced in later life which allows them to take better care of their offspring."



"We wanted to find out more about how parental age influences reproduction and lifespan of offspring. So, we investigated how older parents affect offspring over several generations in roundworms.”



Using the small transparent, soil dwelling worms, the researchers bred several generations. The lifespan and offspring of every second generation was measured. Dr. Travers explained why roundworms were good research subjects.



“They don’t have bones, a heart, or a circulatory system. But they’re a classic model organism for studying aging and reproductive processes in biology because they do share many genes and molecular pathways that control development with humans."



"They are also really useful because they have a short lifespan of about three weeks, so we can study them over several generations in a short amount of time. Doing a similar study in humans would take more than a century!”



It seems that older parents invested more energy in their eggs, giving their offspring a better start at growing larger and maturing faster. Ironically,&nbsp; this allowed the offspring of older parents to become parents at a younger age and create more offspring. Dr. Travers explains the importance of this finding,



“It has often been suggested that old parental age is detrimental for offspring lifespan, health and fitness. But our results show that old parental age has strong beneficial effects for offspring development and lifetime reproductive success.This is really important because it contradicts the established view that old parental age invariably reduces offspring lifespan and fitness.”



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



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

Older parents may be beneficial to offspring

New research shows how the age of ringworms (Caenorhabditis elegans)...

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 219 million confirmed cases and 4.55 million deaths to date. The impact the pandemic had on health care workers, and the exhaustion of workers taking on extra shifts and covering for inadequate staffing has been extensively documented. Until recently, the ways in which pandemic response crippled other public health services has received less attention.



A new study published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0255844">PLOS One</a> has found that the COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous impact on the provision of other public health services in the United States. During the past 18 months, a large number of public health workers have been redeployed to COVID-related duties, reducing or suspending the deployment of other critical public health services.&nbsp;



According to researchers from the <a href="https://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a>, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. public health system has been understaffed and underfunded. During the peaks of the pandemic, staff redeployments produced significant reductions in several areas, such as programs focused on HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (47 percent reduction), maternal and child health (42 percent), chronic disease (37 percent), injury (37 percent), substance abuse (28 percent), and environmental health (26 percent).&nbsp;



“That impacts the overall health of the population,” said study lead author Jennifer Horney, professor and founding director of the University of Delaware’s <a href="https://www.udel.edu/academics/colleges/chs/departments/epidemiology/">Epidemiology Program</a>. “Those things didn’t just go away. People still had high blood pressure, they were dying of substance abuse in increasing numbers, but those programs were put on hold.”



Moreover, an increasing number of health workers were on the job for more hours than before the pandemic, often resulting in burnouts, resignations, and early retirements. According to a large-scale <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7026e1.htm">survey</a> conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">CDC</a>), among 26,174 surveyed public health workers, 53 percent reported mental health problems. The symptoms were more prevalent among those who worked more than 40 hours per week or couldn’t take time off.&nbsp;



Further research is needed to explore these issues in greater depth, and understand how these experiences have changed during 2021. In order to mitigate the complex effects on public health this pandemic had and future health crises might engender, increased funding and enhanced educational opportunities must be urgently provided to train the next generation of frontline health workers.



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

The pandemic has had an enormous impact on public health

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 219 million confirmed...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ewg.org/">Environmental Working Group</a> (EWG) has found that nearly 42,000 sources of “forever chemicals” - a group of man-made chemicals also known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that don’t break down when released into the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/living-in-an-extreme-environment/">environment</a> – could be polluting drinking water in various communities across the United States.



PFAS are some of the most persistent toxic compounds. They are often added in common household products such as cookware, food packaging, personal care products, textiles, or carpets, and appear to be currently found in the blood of virtually everyone on Earth, including newborn babies, who are often exposed to PFAS already from their mother’s womb.



Using public data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://echo.epa.gov/">Enforcement and Compliance History Online database</a>, scientists analyzed the potential sources of PFAS contamination in drinking water supplies across the country, and identified as the most probable pollution sources solid waste landfills, petroleum refiners, wastewater treatment plants, and electroplaters and metal finishers.



In a 2020 study, EWG found PFAS chemicals in the drinking water of a large number of U.S. cities, with the highest&nbsp;levels detected in Miami, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and the northern New Jersey suburbs of New York City.&nbsp;In the current study, the highest levels of PFAS were found in Camp Pendleton, a Marine base close to San Diego, and in water systems from Sacramento, Orville, Rosemont, and Corona.



According to the scientists, even low doses of PFAS in drinking water can significantly suppress the immune system, and are associated to elevated cholesterol, hypertension, thyroid disease, increased risk of cancer, and reproductive and developmental harm.



“It is critical that the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">EPA</a> start regulating PFAS – now,” said&nbsp;study lead author David Andrews, a senior scientist at EWG. “Every community in the U.S. is likely affected by PFAS contamination, but those living near or downstream from industrial facilities may be more at risk.”



“Our investigation identifies a huge number of potential sources of contamination. It also provides a framework for deciding where and what to test so we can end releases into the environment."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://awwa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aws2.1233">AWWA Water Science</a>.



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

Chemicals from 42,000 sources are polluting drinking water in the U.S.

A new study led by the Environmental Working Group (EWG)...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a>, replacing petroleum-based aviation fuel with a plant-based fuel derived from Brassica carinata, a species of mustard <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-plants-disperse-their-seeds/">plant</a>, could reduce carbon emissions by 68 percent.



Currently, the aviation industry emits 2.5 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions in the United States and is responsible for 3.5 percent of global warming. In September of 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden set the goal of a 20 percent drop in aviation-related emissions by 2030 and a 100 percent drop by 2050.&nbsp;



According to the scientists form the University of Georgia, using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) derived from the non-edible oilseed crop Brassica carinata would easily make Biden’s goal feasible.



“If we can secure feedstock supply and provide suitable economic incentives along the supply chain, we could potentially produce carinata-based SAF in the southern United States,” explained study lead author Puneet Dwivedi, an associate professor in the <a href="https://www.warnell.uga.edu/">Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources</a> at the University of Georgia.



“Carinata-based SAF could help reduce the carbon footprint of the aviation sector while creating economic opportunities and improving the flow of ecosystem services across the southern region.”



Professor Dwivedi plays an important role in the Southeast Partnership for Advanced Renewables from Carinata (<a href="https://sparc-cap.org/">SPARC</a>), a $15 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s <a href="https://nifa.usda.gov/">National Institute of Food and Agriculture</a>. In the context of this project, during the past four years, researchers investigated how to optimally grow carinata in the Southeast.&nbsp;



“In the South, we can grow carinata as a winter crop because our winters are not as severe compared to other regions of the country,” explained Dwivedi.&nbsp;



“Since carinata is grown in the ‘off’ season it does not compete with other food crops, and it does not trigger food versus fuel issues. Additionally, growing carinata provides all the cover-crop benefits related to water quality, soil health, biodiversity, and pollination.”



Dwivedi’s current research aims to model the economic and environmental feasibility of producing and consuming carinata-based SAF in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.



&nbsp;“I am looking forward to pursuing more research for providing a sustainable alternative to our current model of air travel. Carinata has the potential to be a win-win situation for our rural areas, the aviation industry, and most importantly, climate change,” he concluded.



The study was published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcbb.12888">GCB-Bioenergy</a>.



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

Plant-based jet fuel could reduce carbon emissions by 68 percent

According to a new study led by the University of...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43630-021-00101-2">Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences</a> has found that during use, some types of sunscreens offer very limited protection against dangerous ultraviolet rays (UV). These sunscreens could even be harmful due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/indoor-air-is-an-underestimated-source-of-dangerous-chemicals/">chemical</a> reactions involving zinc oxide, one of their main ingredients.



There are two types of ultraviolet rays: UVA, which produces long-term DNA damage such as wrinkling and skin aging, and UVB, which is usually associated with short-term effects such as sunburn. 



Sunscreen safety and efficacy is currently evaluated based upon the properties of the individual chemicals they are composed of, and generally use a five-star UVA rating which shows how much protection against ultraviolet rays they offer. However, the photostability of sunscreens is highly dependent on how the various chemical compounds that they consist of interact during use.



Many sunscreens include zinc oxide, an ingredient proven to be highly efficient in blocking UV rays. During tests, the scientists examined how zinc oxide reacted to other ingredients when it was exposed to sunlight, and calculated how much UV the sunscreen managed to block out.



“On its own, zinc oxide is an effective and harmless UV blocker,” explained study co-author Richard Blackburn, a professor of Sustainable Materials at the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a>. “Our research raises concerns about how the individual formulation ingredients react with each other during use and this isn’t currently tested by the industry.&nbsp;



“Once exposed to sunlight for two hours, zinc oxide destroys the UVA protection provided by other ingredients. In this context, putting on sunscreen could actually make things worse because people believe they are being protected from harmful UV rays and may stay in the sun longer.”



“During tests, we found that zinc oxide causes degradation of other UV absorbers, and the protection provided by the sunscreens was reduced significantly over a relatively short time, particularly in the UVA region,” added co-author James Hutchinson, a professor of Chemistry at the <a href="https://www.uoregon.edu/">University of Oregon</a>. “The degradation of the UV filters not only decreased the effectiveness of the sunscreen, it also led to increased formula toxicity.”



According to the scientists, in the design of future sunscreens, it is critical to consider the potential for zinc oxide induced photodegradation during use, and search for less harmful alternatives.



---



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

Some sunscreens lose effectiveness and become harmful

A new study published in the journal Photochemical and Photobiological...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/">University of Victoria</a>, the physical disturbances caused by sea otter populations while they forage the seafloor for food has a significant role in increasing the genetic diversity of the surrounding eelgrass.&nbsp;



While it is well-known that predators have important effects on a variety of ecosystems, previous research has largely focused on observed changes in community structures driven by trophic interactions between the predators and the organisms that they feed upon. The non-trophic consequences of predation, such as the ways in which indirect disturbances caused by predators can affect the evolution and genetic diversity of plant communities have not yet been comprehensively studied.



According to a research team led by Erin Foster, a doctoral student in Conservation Science at the University of Victoria, foraging sea otters are routinely digging for small crabs and clams in eelgrass meadows, a behavior through which they are indirectly promoting conditions which facilitate the reproduction of these plants, increasing thus the eelgrass community’s genetic diversity.



By comparing genetic analyses from meadows where sea otters had been absent for more than a century to meadows in which the otters have been reintroduced within the past ten years and meadows where they have been present for decades, the researchers discovered that eelgrass genetic diversity was 30 percent higher in places where otters have been present for two or three decades. According to Foster and her colleagues, the longer the sea otters were present in a region, the more genetically diverse that area’s eelgrass communities were.



“The findings of Foster&nbsp;et al.&nbsp;come at a prescient time,” said Joe Roman, a conservation biologist from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a>. “The need to protect and monitor genetic diversity has often been overlooked in global communities such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. Research on the effects of disturbance and species interactions on genetic diversity could help inform the restoration efforts of trophic rewilding.”



By revealing less understood evolutionary processes through which predators promote genetic diversity and ecological resilience, this study sheds more light on the complex and diverse relationships established between highly different members of specific ecosystems.&nbsp;



This study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abf2343">Science</a>.



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

Digging sea otters promote eelgrass genetic diversity

A research team from the <a href="https://nutrition.tufts.edu/">Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy</a> at Tufts University has recently developed a new nutrient profiling system that can rank the healthfulness of foods. The tool will provide invaluable assistance to consumers, restaurants, cafeterias, and policy makers to produce, choose, and endorse healthy foods.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Low-Res_Friedman-Graphic_V4_Oct.52021.jpg.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1897107"/></figure>



Food Compass has been developed over three years and promises to be the most comprehensive and science-based nutrient profiling system to date. While many existing systems focus on the harmful factors of various foods and examine just a few nutrients, Food Compass is equally considering harmful and healthful factors, and takes into account a large variety of nutrients, ingredients (including phytochemicals and additives), and processing characteristics. Furthermore, while previous systems subjectively group and score foods differently, Food Compass is objectively scoring all foods, drinks, or even mixed dishes and meals by using a single consistent score.&nbsp;



“Once you get beyond ‘eat your veggies, avoid soda,’ the public is pretty confused about how to identify healthier choices in the grocery store, cafeteria, and restaurant,” said study lead author&nbsp;Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the Friedman School. “Consumers, policy makers, and even industry are looking for simple tools to guide everyone toward healthier choices.”



Food Compass is the most comprehensive nutrient profiling system in the world, scoring 54 different characteristics across nine domains representing various aspects of food that are related to health. These features and domains have been selected based on nutritional attributes linked to diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular issues, or cancer, as well as to risks of malnutrition.



Among the major food and drinks categories, the lowest scoring were snacks, sweet desserts, sugar-sweetened sodas, and energy drinks. Among the highest ranked foods were fruits, vegetables, fruits and vegetable juices, nuts, seeds, and seafood.



This system promises to be extremely useful in encouraging the food industry to develop healthier foods; enabling restaurants and cafeterias to offer healthier food options; informing agricultural trade policies; and guiding individual and institutional investors on environmental, social, and corporate governance investment decisions.&nbsp;



“With its publicly available scoring algorithm, Food Compass can provide a nuanced approach to promoting healthy food choices–helping guide consumer behavior, nutrition policy, scientific research, food industry practices, and socially based investment decisions,” concluded co-author Renata Micha, a former faculty member at the Friedman School.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00381-y">Nature Foods</a>.&nbsp;



Image Credit: Tufts University 



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

Nutrient profiling system ranks healthy foods

A research team from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science...

Little,Girl,Running,On,Meadow,With,Sunset

A recent study from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> has revealed that children with a connection to nature during the first <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/over-one-third-of-americans-had-covid-19-by-the-end-of-2020/">COVID-19</a> lockdown showed less behavioral and emotional problems than children without that connection. The study also found that children from wealthy economic backgrounds tended to increase their connection to nature during the pandemic.&nbsp;



The results of the study suggest that kids from less affluent backgrounds likely experienced more mental health challenges during COVID-19 because they had a lower connection with nature compared to their wealthier peers.



“We know that access to and engagement with nature is associated with wide-ranging benefits in children and adults, including lowering levels of anxiety and depression, and reducing stress," said study first author Dr. Samantha Friedman.



"The COVID-19 lockdowns meant that children no longer had their normal school activities, routines and social interactions. The removal of these barriers gave us a novel context to look at how changes in connection with nature affected mental health."



"Connecting with nature may have helped buffer some UK children against the effects of the lockdown, but we found that children from less affluent families were less likely to have increased their connection to nature during that time.”



The study used an online survey to collect data on 376 families with children from three to seven years old. Over half of these families reported that children increased their connection to nature during the pandemic. Not only does the research point to the benefits of a connection to nature for children, it also gives actionable data.&nbsp;



“Our study revealed the wide range of ways that parents can help children get more connected to nature. This might be a bit daunting to some, but it doesn’t have to be camping in the woods and foraging for food – it really can be as simple as going for a walk near your house or sitting outside for ten minutes a day," said Dr. Friedman.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/25758314">People and Nature</a>.



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

Nature improved mental health of children during lockdown

A recent study from the University of Cambridge has revealed...

Professor Tom Braden’s neuroscience lab at the University of Sussex recently examined how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebrafish-spinal-cord-injuries/">zebrafish</a> detect different colors. The results suggest that fish have better color perception than humans.&nbsp;



“Zebrafish, unlike humans, have four types of cone-photoreceptors, specialised neurons in the retina which respond to light," said Professor Braden. "These four types are often called red, green, blue and UV. The assumption is that each should do what it says on the tin - red should respond to red light, green to green light, and so on. However, we found that this isn’t the case.”



Using new in-vivo color detection methods, the researchers found that "red" cones also respond to brightness, while "green" cones respond to color information.&nbsp;



“In humans, some of these are distributed all over the eyes and brain in ways that are still far from understood. In contrast, zebrafish solve this basic problem themselves at the earliest possible site, in the synapse of the photoreceptors themselves," explained Professor Braden.



Zebrafish probably have a more evolutionarily conserved or “primitive” method of detecting colors, more similar to their ancestors than our own. Mammals hiding during the Mesozoic -age of the dinosaurs- were thought to be mainly nocturnal. During this nocturnal period, mammals largely lost their color vision.&nbsp;



Today, most mammals can see two colors but are red-green color blind. The primate group, which includes humans, evolved three color vision - possibly to identify ripe fruit in a forest environment. Regaining our color vision was more complicated than the original method though. This process was carried out in the brain as much as the eye.



“Our study essentially shows that vertebrates like zebrafish, and presumably most non mammalian vertebrates like other fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians, can actually solve this fundamental ‘colour puzzle’ right at the first synapse of vision," explained Professor Baden. "In comparison, humans are stuck with this overly complicated ‘knock-off’ strategy because of early mammalian ancestry!”



Interestingly, the research shows that insects have a color vision almost exactly the same as fish that evolved independently.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>.



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

Fish have better color perception than humans

Professor Tom Braden’s neuroscience lab at the University of Sussex...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320721003931?via%3Dihub">Biological Conservation</a> has found that illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade threatens numerous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discovered-three-new-species-of-freshwater-goby-fish/">species</a>. It can significantly affect humans too, both through the potential of pathogen spillovers that can lead to pandemics and the social and economic impact that the implication of dangerous criminal networks in wildlife trade engenders.&nbsp;



Wildlife trade is on the rise in many areas of the world. An increasingly large number of wild animals are used for various purposes, including the provision of food, medicine, fashion, ornaments, or furniture. They play different social or economic roles for local communities and are either consumed locally or passed along complex multinational trade chains.&nbsp;



“When people think about wildlife trade, they may think about ivory smuggling or the commerce in wild pets. But wildlife trade is more present in our daily lives than people imagine. For example, the timber that was used to make the table where your family has dinner may be a product of the wildlife trade,” said&nbsp;study lead author Caroline Fukushima, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.luomus.fi/en">Finnish Museum of Natural History</a>.



Illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade significantly affects the ecosystem services on which many species, including humans, depend. It can be a major driver of extinction for a variety of animal species, it can facilitate outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, it can fuel corruption and the emergence and proliferation of criminal networks, and it could even affect climate regulation, pollination of crops, and other ecosystem services.



“Invasive alien species, zoonotic diseases, connection with corruption and crime networks, negative repercussions on the local and global economy, and promotion of social, economic, and environmental injustice, are some of the many negative consequences of wildlife trade that is not well managed and regulated,” explained study co-author Pedro Cardoso, another researcher at the Finnish Museum of Natural History.



Recently, an international group of conservation biologists, activists, and policy enforcers, have built on the manifesto "World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity," issued by the <a href="https://scientistswarning.forestry.oregonstate.edu/">Alliance of World Scientists</a>, in order to review the dangers of illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade and offer directions for mitigating its negative consequences.



Strategies to curb illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade should take into account the cultural roots and drivers of wildlife consumption, and provide accurate measurements of the scope, scale, and impact of wildlife trade on biodiversity. Most importantly, more cooperation between different individuals, organizations, and disciplines is urgently needed.



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

Wildlife trade poses many dangers to humans and animals

A new study published in the journal Biological Conservation has...

A new study reveals that snakes experienced a magnificent burst of evolution from unassuming insectivorous ancestors to diverse genealogies after the demise of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-new-predatory-dinosaurs-found-on-the-isle-of-wight/">dinosaurs</a>. The new families of reptiles that evolved incorporated newly available birds, fish, and small mammals in their diets.&nbsp;



Snake diversification was similar to the extraordinary diversification of mammals and birds that occurred after the extinction of dinosaurs 66 million years ago, according to research by Michael Grundler of UCLA and Daniel Rabosky of the University of Michigan.



The experts report that the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs combined with the long-term physiographic changes created new habitats that provided an ecological opportunity for various species to evolve and diversify.



The K-Pg mass extinction event occurred 66 million years ago and resulted in the extinction of 75 percent of all species, including all non-avian dinosaurs. The event heralded the start of the Cenozoic period and created a plethora of unfilled niches for the remaining species to exploit. Snakes, like mammals and birds, diversified fast during the Cenozoic era, ultimately yielding around 4,000 species that live today.



The study authors combined primary natural history observations with stochastic model-based comparative methods to explain the evolution of complex ecological phenotypes. The researchers compiled published data on the diets of 882 surviving snake species and employed advanced mathematical models to reconstruct how their ancestors' diets altered and diversified since the K-Pg boundary. The models helped the researchers in understanding the pace and sequence of this phenomenon.&nbsp;



The experts discovered that the most recent common ancestor of surviving snakes was an insectivore. However, following the K-Pg boundary, the snakes modified their diets rapidly to include birds, fish, and small mammals – vertebrate taxa that were also prospering in the aftermath of dinosaur extinction.



The research investigated the explosive adaptive radiation that resulted in creating the snake diversity we witness today. After the first radiation,&nbsp; diet diversification in snakes decreased, but some lineages underwent additional bursts of adaptive evolution. For example, Colubroid snakes diversified when Old World ancestors colonized North and South America.



According to the scientists, the findings from the study suggest that major extinctions and new biogeographic opportunities can stimulate evolutionary change.&nbsp;



“Much of the stunning ecological diversity in snakes seems to result from evolutionary explosions triggered by ecological opportunity,” said Grundler. “We find a major burst of snake diet diversification after the dinosaur extinction, and we also find that, when snakes arrive in new places, they often undergo similar bursts of dietary diversification,” he added.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS Biology</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://mailto:ashikha92@gmail.com">Ashikha Raoof</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Snakes had an evolutionary explosion after dinosaur extinction

A new study reveals that snakes experienced a magnificent burst...

Jellyfish have big appetites, and they mainly float around and eat whatever comes their way. Instead of actively seeking out <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dancing-bees-reveal-that-urban-gardens-are-a-good-source-of-food/">food</a>, jellyfish basically eat almost anything that is small enough for them to consume.



For this reason, it has been unclear which foods help jellyfish survive or exactly where they fall in the marine food web. But now, a new study from the <a href="https://oceans.ubc.ca/">Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries</a> (IOF) has begun to unravel this mystery.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed unique isotope and fatty acid signatures, also known as “biomarkers,” that get passed from prey to predator. These markers can be used to trace connections in the food web and to identify the various elements of an animal's diet.



“Until now, jellyfish ecologists were using a generalized calibration value for these biomarkers because they didn’t have jellyfish-specific ones,” said study lead author Jessica Schaub. “This study tested how much the concentrations of isotopes and fatty acids changed, and how quickly they were absorbed when jellyfish digested their prey and incorporated prey signatures into their bodies.”



“The numbers we found were different enough that it’s worth going back to previous jellyfish studies that applied the general values - they will likely get different results if they applied our values."



In collaboration with staff members at the Vancouver Aquarium, the scientists fed jellyfish two unique crustacean prey diets. The larger Japanese sea nettle was also fed the smaller moon jellyfish.&nbsp;



The researchers measured how long it took for the jellyfish to incorporate the stable isotopes and fatty acids, and then calculated how much the two biomarkers changed.



“It seems straightforward, but it’s never that easy - you get the data and you’re like, ‘what’s happening here?' We were surprised about the moon jellyfish. We fed them two crustaceans, krill and artemia, but they didn’t really incorporate the krill," explained Schaub.



"We think of jellyfish as not being picky eaters, but in this case, it seemed that they didn’t like feeding on a single diet. Either it didn’t meet their nutritional needs, or they preferred the live artemia over the dead, frozen krill. The aquarium has been feeding them these krill for a long time, so it’s good to be able to tell the aquarium that it’s maybe not worth investing in the krill any longer.”



The investigation revealed that the jellyfish appeared to “elongate” fatty acids, indicating that jellyfish may be able to create their own essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for healthy body function. This finding came as a surprise to the experts, considering that most animals - with the exception of a rare few - have to obtain omega fatty acids from their diets.&nbsp;



The study authors hope that their findings will be a step towards better understanding the role that jellyfish play in marine ecosystems.



“Jellyfish have long been ignored in research, often considered more of a nuisance than an organism of interest”, said study co-author Dr. Brian Hunt. “However, there is a growing awareness that they can play a key role as both predators and prey.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-experimental-marine-biology-and-ecology">Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology</a>.



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

Secrets of the mysterious jellyfish diet revealed

Jellyfish have big appetites, and they mainly float around and...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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