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...

Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) are highly mobile, widely distributed sharks that feed on a range of vertebrate prey. They live in diverse habitats in tropical and subtropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lakes-are-losing-oxygen-much-faster-than-oceans/">oceans</a> throughout the world and are expected to mix and interbreed freely due to their ability to travel widely. 



However, a recent analysis of the genomes of 242 tiger sharks from ten localities around the world has revealed that there are two distinct populations of tiger sharks in the world’s oceans. Conducted by Dr. Andrea Bernard from Nova Southeastern University, the research identifies an Atlantic and an Indo-Pacific population that are significantly different from one another.  



“These results mean that Atlantic and Indo-Pacific tiger sharks, despite their ability to travel vast distances, have not intermingled to reproduce for a long time,” explained study co-author Professor Mahmood Shivji, the director of the <a href="https://saveourseas.com/sosf-shark-research-center/">Save Our Seas Shark Research Centre</a> (SOSF-SRC).&nbsp;



“This long-term separation between Atlantic and Indo-Pacific tiger sharks has resulted in them developing into separate populations, each with its own unique genetic diversity."



The study also found that tiger sharks from Hawaii, one of the world’s most geographically isolated archipelagos, are genetically different from those found in the Indian Ocean. 



The scientists made use of genome-scale analysis at the sites of 2,000 different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which allowed a very detailed look at the differences between tiger shark populations. 



“SNPs repeat across the entire genome,” explained Professor Shivji. “This increases the amount of information for geneticists to work with relative to previous surveys that were limited to small subsections of genetic information.”&nbsp;



The SOSF-SRC uses genetics to gain knowledge and understanding about sharks and rays in the world’s oceans. Its aim is then to apply this knowledge to improve the protection of these species. 



"A guiding principle for our work is to focus primarily on shark species that are of high conservation concern," said Professor Shivji. "We spread our work across both discovery research questions (for instance, understanding how sharks function) and applied conservation research (for instance, understanding interactions between shark migration patterns and fisheries or investigating trade in shark parts). The important point is that all of this information advances our knowledge of sharks and informs conservation.”



Tiger sharks are apex predators and are therefore important in the ecology of ocean systems. Even though they are globally distributed, their populations are threatened by fishing and their ecosystems are impacted by climate change, pollution and habitat destruction.&nbsp;



“Overfishing poses a clear danger to sharks. The genetic diversity in overfished species will inadvertently be diminished and they won’t adapt to the fast pace of environmental change,” said Professor Shivji.&nbsp;



“Compared to other fish species, tiger sharks occupy an unusually wide variety of habitats. Given their influential ecological role and their widespread movements that expose them to a variety of fisheries, science-informed fisheries management of tiger sharks is important to achieve global conservation goals.”



Considering the results of the study, scientists will need to manage the two distinct populations of tiger sharks in specific ways in order to preserve their genetic diversity. This will be particularly important as climate change affects ocean ecosystems and tiger sharks require all their genetic resources in order to adapt rapidly. The study recommends that a targeted conservation plan is devised for Hawaiian tiger sharks as well.&nbsp;



“Tiger sharks are part of not only the ocean’s overall health, but also its beauty and wonder. Our ongoing mission at the SOSF is to know more in order to do better by these species and their ocean home. Improving our insights into tiger sharks is ultimately linked to our health and well-being,” said His Excellency Abdulmohsen Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh, the founder of the SOSF.



If our understanding of tiger sharks had remained that populations are similar wherever they are found across the oceans, we might have stood to lose their true diversity and undermined their resilience as a powerful and ancient species.



The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jhered">Journal of Heredity</a>,



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

Tiger shark genomes reveal two distinct populations

Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) are highly mobile, widely distributed sharks...

An increasing body of evidence links depression with dementia. However, while most studies have pointed to this association in later life, a research team from the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California, San Francisco</a> has recently found that depression in early adulthood might lead to lower <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/office-air-quality-affects-cognitive-functioning-and-productivity/">cognitive</a> processing within ten years and to dementia in old age.



The scientists used statistical methods to predict average trajectories of depressive symptoms for 15,000 participants with ages ranging from 20 to 89. They used a questionnaire to screen for depression and found moderate or high depressive symptoms in 13 percent of young adults, 26 percent of midlife adults, and 34 percent of the older participants. Among the participants, 1,277 were diagnosed with cognitive impairment after neuropsychological testing, documented use of dementia treatments, or prior hospitalizations related to dementia.



The data analysis showed that the odds of cognitive impairment during old age were 73 percent higher for those who had depressive symptoms in early adulthood than for those who were happier during that period. On the other hand, people diagnosed with depression in later life had only 43 percent more chances to develop dementia than those without depressive symptoms.&nbsp;



“Several mechanisms explain how depression might increase dementia risk,” said study first author&nbsp;Willa Brenowitz, an epidemiologist at the&nbsp;<a href="https://psychiatry.ucsf.edu/#:~:text=UCSF%20Psychiatry%20and%20Behavioral%20Sciences,UCSF%20Benioff%20Children's%20Hospitals%2C%20Zuckerberg">UCSF Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://weill.ucsf.edu/">Weill Institute for Neurosciences</a>. “Among them is that hyperactivity of the central stress response system increases production of the stress hormones glucocorticoids, leading to damage of the hippocampus, the part of the brain essential for forming, organizing and storing new memories.”



According to Brenowitz, the greater the depressive symptoms in early adulthood, the lower the cognitive abilities later on and the faster the rate of decline. "Older adults estimated to have moderate or high depressive symptoms in early adulthood were found to experience a drop in cognition over 10 years," she reported.



With more than 20 percent of the Earth’s population suffering from depression during their lifetime, it is highly important to understand its impact on cognitive aging. This study, published in the <a href="https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad210588">Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease</a>, is a first step towards shedding more light on these pressing issues.&nbsp;



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

Depression in early adulthood may lead to dementia

An increasing body of evidence links depression with dementia. However,...

A new study has made the surprising discovery that Australia’s blue-tongue lizard is resistant to the venom of the deadly red-bellied black <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-snakes-evolved-from-just-a-few-surviving-species/">snake</a>. Possibly as interesting, the large monitor lizards that feed on venomous snakes are not resistant. While the effects of venom on humans has been heavily researched, this is not the case with other reptiles.&nbsp;



"It was a shock discovering that the eastern blue-tongue, along with the shingleback, showed resistance specifically to red black snake venom," said Nicholas Young, a PhD candidate at the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a>.



"Since their resistance was so specific to only this snake species, it seems these lizards have evolved a special plasma component -- known as a serum factor -- in their blood."



"This prevents specific toxins in red-bellied black snake venom from clotting the lizards' plasma, which would lead to a rapid death in most other animals. This resistance doesn't mean they're completely immune, but it would give them a greater chance of survival, allowing them to escape or fight back.”



The scientists tested the venom of seven snakes on the plasma of two species of blue-tongue lizards as well as on the monitor lizards or goanas that hunt snakes. Although it initially seems strange that the blue-tongued lizards were the only animals to show venom resistance, there is an explanation.&nbsp;



"You'd think that a goanna would be significantly resistant to the venom of any snake it was hunting and eating, but that isn't the case," said Dr. Bryan Fry, head of University of Queensland’s venom lab.



"Snake venom can only cause harm to goannas if it's injected into its body by the snake's fangs, it can't be absorbed directly through the skin."



"Goannas are heavily armored and their scales act like medieval chain mail, with each containing a piece of bone, meaning venomous snakes' fangs struggle to pierce this armor."



Each reptile - both the blue-tongue lizard and the goanna - have evolved a response to the snake’s bite. It’s just that in the case of the blue-tongued lizard, there is a direct response to the venom itself, while the goanna never has to worry about the venom at all.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



"These two divergent forms of resistance are fascinating examples of evolutionary novelty," said Dr. Fry.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins">Toxins</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

The blue-tongue lizard can resist deadly snake venom

A new study has made the surprising discovery that Australia’s...

New research just published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/">eLife</a> found that starfish, like us, have a chemical signal that tells them to stop eating. Despite this similarity, starfish feed in a very strange way. The animal everts it’s stomach, pushing the organ out of the mouth, to digest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wild-seafood-has-one-sixth-the-carbon-footprint-of-red-meat/">food</a> outside of the body cavity.&nbsp;



"Starfish exhibit one of the most remarkable feeding behaviors in the animal kingdom – they evert their stomach out of their mouth and digest large prey externally, and once the prey has been digested, the stomach is withdrawn," wrote the study authors.



While it was known that a hormone similar to oxytocin in humans signals the beginning of eating among starfish, it was not known what called for an end to food consumption.&nbsp;



To investigate, the researchers used the common starfish (Asterias rubens) as a research subject. The scientists injected the feeding starfish with SK/CCK-type neuropeptides, a hormone that inhibits appetite in both humans and insects. When the hormone was injected, the starfish retracted their stomachs. Even when offered their favorite food - a mussel - the starfish refrained from eating.&nbsp;



Dr. Ana Tinoco, one of the lead authors of the study, explained why this finding was interesting.



"The unusual way that starfish feed where they evert their stomachs out of their mouths, makes them a good model to study chemicals that regulate feeding processes."&nbsp;



"Whilst we already knew that this type of hormone was important for feeding, what's fascinating is that the important role of these chemicals in feeding in other animals has been preserved in starfish despite their dramatically different feeding behaviour, lack of a brain and unique body plan."



The study shows that the regulation of eating is conserved among animals, as starfish occupy a unique place as an evolutionary stepping stone between invertebrates and vertebrate animals. The researchers hope that this study may help in the development of new drugs to help treat eating disorders.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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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

A chemical signal tells starfish they’re full

New research just published in the journal eLife found that...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021GL094888">Geophysical Research Letters</a> has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-will-force-millions-to-migrate/">warming</a> ocean waters related to climate change have caused a significant drop in Earth's brightness. 



According to observations gathered by the <a href="https://www.bbso.njit.edu/">Big Bear Solar Observatory</a> in Southern California, the Earth is now reflecting approximately half a watt less light per square meter compared to two decades ago, with most of the decrease occurring in the past three years.



By using decades of measurements of earthshine (the light reflected from the Earth which illuminates the Moon’s surface), together with satellite measurements, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.njit.edu/">New Jersey Institute of Technology</a> recently discovered a significant drop in Earth’s reflectance, or “albedo,” over the past two decades.&nbsp;



This 0.5 percent decrease in Earth’s brightness was quite unexpected, especially since it has mostly transpired in the past three years. “The albedo drop was such a surprise to us when we analyzed the last three years of data after 17 years of nearly flat albedo," said study lead author Philip Goode, a researcher at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.



The net sunlight reaching our planet is affected by the Sun’s brightness and the Earth’s reflectivity. According to the scientists, since the recent changes in the Earth’s albedo did not correlate with changes in the Sun’s brightness, they must have been caused by something on the Earth.&nbsp;



Using satellite measurements made as part of NASA's <a href="https://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/">Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System</a> (CERES) project, Professor Goode and his colleagues have identified a significant reduction of bright, reflective low-lying clouds over the eastern Pacific Ocean. This phenomenon appeared to be caused by increases in the ocean’s surface temperatures related to climate change.



In recent years, scientists have hoped that a warmer Earth might lead to more clouds and thus higher albedo, which would subsequently help moderating the warming and balancing the climate. However, the new findings show that the opposite might actually be true. The Earth’s dimming could in fact cause additional solar energy to be captured in the planet’s atmosphere and oceans, and may thus increase global warming and exacerbate climate change.



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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

Scientists find an unexpected drop in Earth’s brightness

A new study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters...

Climate change has caused France’s highest and Europe’s second-highest peak, Mont Blanc, to shrink by three feet since 2017, according to a team of geographical experts performing biennial measurements since 2001. On average, the mountain has been losing 5.1 inches in height each year due to global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-will-unleash-more-intense-tropical-cyclones/">warming</a>.&nbsp;



Located on the border between France and Italy, Mont Blanc is measured every two years in order to help create an accurate model of the dynamics of the ice sheet covering its summit and thus better understand the effects of climate change on the mountain’s structure and its ecosystems.&nbsp;



Since its peak is covered with a permanent layer of snow with a thickness that changes with precipitation levels and wind intensities, the height of the mountain varies from one year to another.&nbsp;



“Since the dawn of time, the altitude of Mont Blanc has varied continuously,” the geographers explained in a news conference in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. However, the changes recorded from 2001 onwards leave no doubt that the mountain is gradually shrinking: while its height in 2001 was 15,783.79 feet, at the most recent measurement in September 2021, the mountain had only 15,773.65 feet.



This Alpine peak is not the only one that has been negatively affected by climate change. In September, 2021, experts from <a href="https://www.su.se/cmlink/stockholm-university">Stockholm University</a> <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/04353676.2018.1542130">reported</a> that Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise, shrank by almost 6.5 feet in a single year. In the United States too, record high temperatures have left California’s Mount Shasta (one of the country’s highest peaks) without its usual snow cover.



Although the geographers responsible for measuring Mont Blanc warn that no hasty conclusions should be drawn, taking into account the fact that precise measurements have only been performed since two decades ago, increasingly more scientists are worrying about the dangers to alpine ecosystems the melting of various glaciers pose all over the globe. In order to save these glaciers and other natural structures worldwide, immediate action to mitigate the effects of global warming should be taken at both local and global levels.&nbsp;



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

France’s highest mountain is shrinking due to climate change

Climate change has caused France’s highest and Europe’s second-highest peak,...

The Bigleaf Maple is a tree native to the wet <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/african-mountain-forests-store-huge-amounts-of-carbon/">forests</a> of the Pacific Northwest, famous for hosting leaves that can grow to an unbelievable 1.5 feet in width. However, new research from the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> predicts a bleak future for the Bigleaf Maple.



Hikers, residents, and scientists have observed an increasing number of stressed and dying Bigleaf Maples since 2011. The new study has concluded that the root cause of this decline is the increasingly hot and dry summers in Washington, ultimately weakening the tree immune systems.



“These trees can tolerate a lot, but once you start throwing in other factors, particularly severe summer drought as in recent years, it stresses the trees and can lead to their death,” explained study co-author Patrick Tobin, associate professor in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.



While climate change is an obvious culprit for the change in Washington’s climate, the study found that human development is another key contributor. The research showed that the Bigleaf Maples are significantly less likely to survive in hot urban areas, near roads, and other man-made structures.



“Managing, protecting, and utilizing our urban and wild ecosystems in the face of climate change and human population growth is and will continue to be one of the major challenges facing us,” stated lead author Jacob Betzen, a biological technician with the U.S. Forest Service.



The researchers revisited 36 roadside and 59 pastoral sites of Bigleaf Maples, collecting soil, leaves, stems, and tree cores from locations that had previously been sampled in 2014 and 2015. Tree cores allow scientists to analyze the age, weather history, and growth rate of trees without cutting them down, a process that showed that over a quarter of the 95 trees were declining rapidly.



“These results show that summer heat and drought impact the health of iconic tree species of Washington, like bigleaf maple, even in Western Washington, a region known for abundant precipitation. Health impacts to our forests and tree species are likely to continue as we have increased periods of drought each year,” said co-author Amy Ramsey, an environmental planner and forest pathologist with Washington DNR.



Whilst it is likely too late to prevent the already rising heat and dryness of summers in Washington, Betzen and his co-researchers hope that the findings will encourage conservation efforts. Preventing the urbanization of suitable forest habitats, using seed stock better, and treating Bigleaf Maples already present in urban areas all present themselves as potentially effective conservation methods.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/forest-ecology-and-management">Forest Ecology and Management</a>.



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

Bigleaf Maple decline caused by hot, dry summers

The Bigleaf Maple is a tree native to the wet...

The public is becoming increasingly aware of the impact that climate change is having on endangered species and their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/illegal-cannabis-farms-infringe-on-crucial-animal-habitats/">habitats</a>. However, many people do not realize that one of the biggest contributing factors to this conundrum is wildfires, caused by increasing global temperatures.



A key example of this is the Australian native bee family. New research from <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> suggests that the number of endangered Australian bee species will rise fivefold after the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.



The researchers studied 553 species to assess the long-term damage of the natural disaster. They found that the wildfire, which burned over 24 million hectares of Australian land, had a destructive impact on the habitats of bees, insects, and invertebrates.



“Our research is a call for action, from governments and policymakers, to immediately help these and other native populations most in danger,” stated James Dorey, lead author of the study.&nbsp;



Nine species of Australian bees were assessed as vulnerable, and two were classified as endangered. “In these circumstances, there is a need for government and land managers to respond more rapidly to implement priority conservation management actions for the most-affected species in order to help prevent extinctions,” explained Mr. Dorey.



In addition to highlighting the destruction caused by the natural disaster, the study aimed to provide an assessment foundation for other taxa across the globe in order to help conserve species that have not been registered or widely studied by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN Red List).



“Climate change is increasing the frequency of natural disasters like wildfire, which impacts our wildlife,” reiterated co-author Dr Stefan Caddy-Retalic. However, the researcher remained optimistic, explaining that the “study shows that we can assess the likely impact of natural disasters on poorly studied species, even when we can’t physically visit the field to do surveys.”



Native bees and their pollination cycles are essential to the ecosystem, but awareness of them is not high. The team believes that contributing to the IUCN Red List will be essential in lobbying governments to take action.



“Most people aren’t aware of just how vulnerable our native bees are because they are not widely studied,” said study co-author Olivia Davies. “The fact that no Australian bees are listed by the IUCN shows just how neglected these important species are.”



Ultimately, the researchers hope that their data collection model can be used by other academics to further understand the impact of natural disasters on key species and their ecosystems. “Being able to collect targeted data will always be the gold standard but we shouldn’t let data gaps stop us from acting to protect species we know are vulnerable,” concluded Dr. Dorey.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.



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

Australian bees are struggling to bounce back from wildfires

The public is becoming increasingly aware of the impact that...

A recent study led by <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State University</a> found that corals’ microbiomes (comprising a large array of viruses, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-pick-up-new-gut-bacteria-as-they-travel/">bacteria</a>, and fungi) play a fundamental role in the ability to withstand <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/95-percent-of-ocean-could-become-inhospitable-this-century/">rising ocean temperatures</a>. Scientists also identified several coral genes and photosymbionts residing within their tissues which may improve corals’ responses to heat stress.



“Prolonged exposure to heat can cause ‘bleaching’ in which photosymbionts (symbiotic algae) are jettisoned from the coral animal, causing the animal to die,” said study co-author Monica Medina, a professor of Biology at Penn State.&nbsp;



“We found that when some corals become heat stressed, their microbiomes can protect them from bleaching. In addition, we can now pinpoint specific genes in coral animals and their photosymbionts that may be involved in this thermal stress response.”



While previous studies on the mechanisms underlying corals’ heat-stress tolerance tended to focus only on the animals or their photosymbionts, this new study analyzed how the entire holobiont (the coral animal, its photosymbionts, and microbiome) is involved in the stress response.&nbsp;



By performing a heat-stress experiment on three species of corals known to differ in their sensitivities to heat stress and the composition of their holobionts, the researchers investigated the varying contributions of each holobiont member to the corals’ stress tolerance.&nbsp;



“Our goal with this research was to determine if there have been lineage-specific innovations to heat stress in corals and their algal photosymbionts, as well as whether all members, including bacterial communities, differentially contribute to holobiont robustness,”&nbsp;said co-author Viridiana Avila-Magaña, a former doctoral student at Penn State.&nbsp;



The gene-expression data revealed that the three coral holobionts differed in their responses to heat-related stress, and that members of each holobiont had different contributions to the corals’ ability to cope with thermal stress. The scientists concluded that the greater thermal tolerance observed in some coral holobionts, such as the starlet coral, are partly due to the higher number and density of their thermally resistant microbes in their microbiomes.



“We found that some corals harbor a stable and diverse microbiome translating to a vast array of metabolic capabilities that we have shown remain active during the thermal challenge. By contrast, we found that less thermally tolerant species had reduced bacterial activity and diversity,” reported Dr. Avila-Magaña.



“Corals have been highly impacted by climate change, and the methods we developed in our study represent an excellent tool for scientists trying to understand the adaptive potential of populations and species,” the researchers concluded.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.



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

Corals depend on their microbiomes to endure heat stress

A recent study led by Penn State University found that...

According to a massive review of data from almost 300 studies, researchers at <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> and the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> have confirmed that exposure to nature leads to a variety of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hyena-scavenging-brings-health-and-economic-benefits/">health</a> benefits in children. The scientists found that the presence of parks and other green spaces near homes and schools is associated with improved physical activity and mental health in children of all ages. 



“By looking at the full scope of existing quantitative evidence, we were able to see the importance of ready access to nature for both physical and mental health outcomes in childhood,” said lead study author Amber Fyfe-Johnson, an assistant professor at the <a href="https://ireach.wsu.edu/">Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health</a> (IREACH) at Washington State University.&nbsp;



“Access to nature – and the benefits that come with it – are a necessity, not a nicety. Unfortunately, not all kids are able to have regular nature contact. This is due partly to urbanization, increased screen time and more sedentary indoor lifestyles.”



According to Professor Fyfe-Johnson, historically marginalized communities are disproportionally affected by a lack of exposure to nature since they usually have fewer residential parks and outdoor spaces near their homes and schools. Moreover, poorer families also face significant problems in accessing parks and natural areas outside of the city.&nbsp;



Increased contact with nature could offer greater health benefits to disadvantaged populations by counteracting some of the toxic effects of poverty, such as lack of proper diets or exposure to various <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-air-pollutants-contribute-to-cardiovascular-disease/">pollutants</a>.



Although evidence to support the benefits of nature exposure for children’s physical and mental health has been mounting for years, little political action has been taken to enact policies that ensure equitable contact to nature. The fundamental social and demographic inequities in access to nature have recently been magnified by the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/over-one-third-of-americans-had-covid-19-by-the-end-of-2020/">Covid-19</a> pandemic, which has given rise to a worldwide health public health crisis related to physical inactivity and its deleterious effects on mental health.



“Making this information available to pediatric health care providers and policy makers provides support for practices and policies promoting environmental justice and equitable nature contact for kids in places where they live, play and learn,” explained study senior author Dr. Pooja Tandon, an associate professor at <a href="https://www.seattlechildrens.org/research/">Seattle Children’s Research Institute</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We sincerely hope our work will help lead to improved access to nature and health outcomes for kids, in addition to reducing health disparities in childhood,” concluded Professor Fyfe-Johnson.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2021/09/28/peds.2020-049155">Pediatrics</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

Children with access to nature are mentally and physically healthier

According to a massive review of data from almost 300...

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns not only impacted human beings but also impacted the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blue-foods-are-healthy-and-environmentally-friendly/">environment</a> around us, including biodiversity and ecosystems. Recently, a research team led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> investigated the effect of lockdown on the behavior of the birds based on their sighting information.



The study analyzed bird abundances during the 2020 spring migration season in the United States and Canada. The experts set out to determine whether changes in the number of bird counts were a result of changes in the level of human activities during the pandemic.&nbsp;



The researchers considered changes in traffic, migration overlap, distance to major roads, distance to international airports, and urban versus rural sites as parameters influencing the behavior of birds.&nbsp;



To examine the correlation between the bird counts and human activities, the team used data collected in the online eBird tool to compare the pandemic period (2020) against the pre-pandemic period (2017-2019).



“Having so many people in North America and around the world paying attention to nature has been crucial to understanding how wildlife react to our presence," said study lead author Michael Schrimpf, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Manitoba.



"Studies such as this one rely on volunteer&nbsp;birdwatchers, so if you enjoy watching wildlife, there are many projects out there,&nbsp;like eBird and iNaturalist, that can use your help.”



The researchers selected a total of 4,353,739 observations of individual birds from the eBird database after filtering and subsampling to obtain reliable and unbiased data.



According to the results, it was observed that 66 of the 82 focal species showed a change in relationship with at least one index of reduced human activity during 2020. The authors said the results indicate “birds were 14 times more likely to consistently show increased rather than decreased counts when considering all indices studied."



“A lot of species we really care about became more abundant in human landscapes during the pandemic," said study co-author Nicola Koper. She added that she was astonished after learning that many species were affected by decreased traffic and activity during lockdowns.



The researchers noted that more than one-fourth of the observed species exhibited both increasing and decreasing responses to reduced human activity, depending on which variable was evaluated.&nbsp;



The results of the study also indicate that the positive and negative correlation between the bird counts and indices cannot be generalised as conditions favorable for each species to thrive is&nbsp;different.



The researchers found that the count for birds in the Parulidae and Passerellidae&nbsp;families- which account to nearly 50% of the 3 billion birds lost in North America since 1970 - demonstrated increases in bird counts in response to declining human activities.&nbsp;



The study observed that the count of Bald Eagles, ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Barn Swallows increased as human activity decreased.



“We also needed to be aware of the detectability issues," said study co-author Alison Johnston from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Were species being reported in higher numbers because people could finally hear the birds without all the traffic noise, or was there a real ecological change in the numbers of birds present?”&nbsp;



The counts for the rock pigeon and house sparrow species associated with the urban landscapes was not impacted by the lockdowns. On the contrary, the Icteric species which is well adapted to human-altered landscapes, were comparatively more likely to decline in counties with more migration overlap or as distance to roads decreased.



The researchers concluded that the lockdown had a strong positive influence in increasing the number of birds counted in urban areas when activity and traffic decreased.



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

Birds altered their behavior during lockdowns

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdowns not only impacted...

In the past decades the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-tits-are-nesting-earlier-due-to-climate-change/">climate</a> change and the plastic pollution crises have competed for public and policy attention. However, the complex interconnections between these two crises have not yet been explored.&nbsp;



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.zsl.org/">Zoological Society of London</a> (ZSL) and <a href="https://www.bangor.ac.uk/">Bangor University</a> is the first to investigate the fundamental links between climate change and marine plastic pollution, arguing that they have the same root cause, the overconsumption of finite resources, and that many marine species and ecosystems are vulnerable to both.



Both the impact of climate change and plastic pollution on ocean ecosystems have been widely studied by scientists and policy makers. “Climate change is undoubtedly one of the most critical global threats of our time,” said study co-author Heather Koldewey, a Senior Technical Specialist at ZSL.&nbsp;



“Plastic pollution is also having a global impact, from the top of Mount Everest to the deepest parts of our ocean. Both are having a detrimental effect on ocean biodiversity; with climate change heating ocean temperatures and bleaching coral reefs, to plastic damaging habitats and causing fatalities among marine species.”



However, according to Professor Koldewey and her colleagues, the less studied compounded impact of both crises significantly exacerbates the crisis. “It's not a case of debating which issue is most important, it's recognizing that the two crises are interconnected and require joint solutions.”



The research team tracked the ways in which climate change and plastic pollution are connected. During its life cycle, from production to disposal, plastic significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (the plastic production between 2015 and 2020, for instance, was responsible for emitting 56 billion megatons of CO2 in the atmosphere).&nbsp;



Extreme weather associated to climate change further disperses and worsens plastic pollution. These problems are increasingly harming many marine species and ecosystems all over the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Our study shows that changes are already occurring from both plastic pollution and climate change that are affecting marine organisms across marine ecosystems and food webs, from the smallest plankton to the largest whale,” said study lead author Helen Ford, a PhD student at Bangor University.&nbsp;



“We need to understand how these threats to ocean life will interact as they build and encourage policy-makers to act to address these global threats,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S0048-9697(21)05469-3">Science of the Total Environment</a>.&nbsp;



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

Plastic pollution and climate change are interconnected

In the past decades the climate change and the plastic...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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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

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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

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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



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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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