Meat lovers can attest that the move to plant-based alternatives isn't always a simple transition. However, thanks to a team of innovative Stanford engineers, life is becoming a little tastier for those wishing to embrace greener diets.



Working from a unique mechanical engineering perspective, they’ve developed an intriguing approach to food texture evaluation. 



This could potentially lead to plant-based steaks that even the staunchest meat enthusiasts will find impossible to resist.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-innovation-in-plant-based-meat-texture">Innovation in plant-based meat texture</h2>



The team from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford University</a> recently showcased how mechanical testing, combined with machine learning, can essentially mimic the palate of human taste testers. Their ingenious method could potentially accelerate the evolution of superior plant-based meats.



Interestingly, they discovered that several plant-based products are already successfully emulating the texture of the meats they strive to replicate. According to Ellen Kuhl, the senior author of the recent study, it is possible to close the gap between animal meat texture and that of plant-based meats. 



"We were surprised to find that today’s plant-based products can reproduce the whole texture spectrum of animal meats,” noted Kuhl.



This is phenomenal progress since the days when tofu was the only <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-meat-paradox-people-care-about-animals-but-still-eat-meat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meat</a> substitute available.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-environmental-impact-of-our-food-choices">The environmental impact of our food choices</h2>



Industrial animal agriculture's environmental toll is heavy; it leads to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-consumption-climate-change-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a>, pollution, habitat loss, and antibiotic resistance. An effective way to lighten this is by shifting from animal proteins to plant proteins.



Previous studies have shown that plant-based meats cause, on average, 50% less environmental impact than animal meats. However, most meat eaters are hesitant to make this change.



For instance, in one survey, only a third of Americans stated their likelihood of purchasing plant-based <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-plant-based-meat-alternatives-the-key-to-a-healthier-heart/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">alternatives</a> as "very likely' or 'extremely likely."



"People love meat. If we want to convince the hardcore meat eaters that alternatives are worth trying, the closer we can mimic animal meat with plant-based products, the more likely people might be open to trying something new," explained Skyler St. Pierre, the lead author of the paper. 



Unfortunately, conventional food testing methods are neither standardized nor transparent, making it tougher for scientists to collaborate on creating new recipes for alternatives.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-food-texture-testing">The future of food texture testing</h2>



This novel and futuristic food texture test that makes use of AI came to life as part of a class project by St. Pierre. He was looking for affordable materials to use in engineering tests on stress, load and stretching. He turned to tofu and hot dogs as possible study materials.



Through the summer of 2023, student researchers experimented with the texture and mechanics of these and other foods, and then trialed their findings on eight products including animal and plant-based hot dogs, sausages, turkey, and firm and extra firm tofu. 



A machine was used to simulate the act of chewing, and to test how the materials reacted when pulled, pushed, and sheared.



This data was then processed using machine learning to design a new type of neural network, and resulted in equations defining the properties of the different meats.



A survey was later conducted to test if these equations could truly replicate the sensation of texture. 



The survey respondents, after sampling the eight products, rated them in 12 categories including softness, hardness, brittleness, chewiness, gumminess, viscosity, springiness, stickiness, fibrousness, fattiness, moistness, and meat-likeness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-based-findings-and-hope-for-the-future">Plant-based findings and hope for the future</h2>



The results were thrilling. For instance, plant-based hot dogs and sausages were very similar to their animal counterparts in terms of their stiffness. Human testers ranked the stiffness of the hot dogs and sausages very similarly to the mechanical tests. 



“What’s really cool is that the ranking of the people was almost identical to the ranking of the machine. That’s great because now we can use the machine to have a quantitative, very reproducible test,” said Kuhl.



Such discoveries suggest that data-driven methodologies may accelerate the development of delectable plant-based products. 



The team even suggests using generative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/could-artificially-intelligent-machines-take-over-food-production/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AI</a> for creating plant-based meat recipes that have specific desired properties.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-open-source-collaboration-and-future-prospects">Open-source collaboration and future prospects</h2>



In an effort to push this field forward, the team has opted for open-source data, allowing other researchers to view, add to, and learn from their work. 



“Historically, some researchers, and especially companies, don’t share their data and that’s a really big barrier to innovation,” Kuhl added.



The team continues in their food testing endeavors as they look to establish a public database of their findings.



They're now testing deli slices, both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-carrots-and-colorful-veggies-really-can-improve-your-eyesight/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vegetable</a> and meat-based. They also plan to test engineered fungi that has been developed by a new addition to their team.



Kuhl has generously extended an invitation to the wider community to contribute to the ongoing study. 



“If anybody has a plant-based meat they want to test, we’re so happy to test it to see how it stacks up,” said Kuhl.



In their quest to save the planet one bite at a time, these Stanford engineers are transforming our perception of plant-based diets. 



Their commitment to open-source information and collaboration is setting the stage for a more sustainable future.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-024-00330-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science of Food</a>.



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Scientists are perfecting plant-based meats with AI

Meat lovers can attest that the move to plant-based alternatives isn't always a simple transition. However, thanks to a team of innovative Stanford engineers, life is becoming a little tastier for those wishing to embrace greener diets. Working from a unique mechanical engineering perspective, they’ve developed an intriguing approach to food texture evaluation. This could potentially lead to plant-based steaks that even the staunchest meat enthusiasts will find impossible to resist. Innovation in plant-based meat texture The team from Stanford University recently showcased how mechanical testing, combined...

Cannabis is a commonly used recreational drug that has become legalized and decriminalized in Canada and parts of the US in recent years. However, despite its increasing availability and social acceptance, the effects of cannabis on cardiovascular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/9-11-responders-are-battling-long-term-health-issues/">health</a> have not yet been established.



In new research published in the <a href="https://www.cmaj.ca/">Canadian Medical Association Journal</a>, researchers used national health survey data to assess the prevalence of recent cannabis use in young adults (aged 18 to 44) in the US, and its relationship with occurrence of heart attacks (myocardial infarction). Young adults of this age group are not usually considered to be at risk of having a heart attack, and this allowed the researchers to consider the effects of cannabis use in particular.



Survey data from 33,000 young adults was included in this study. The data were derived from a survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during 2017 and 2018. In the survey, 17 percent of young adults reported recent use of cannabis (within the past 30 days) and among these users, 1.3 percent also reported having a heart attack. By comparison, the incidence of a heart attack was only 0.8 percent among non-users. This represents an increased risk to cannabis users of more than one and a half times.



Although the method of consumption made no difference to this relationship, the researchers found that the effect was stronger in those people who used cannabis more frequently. These results support the findings of earlier studies conducted in hospitals that established a link between heavy cannabis use and heart attack incidence.&nbsp;



"With recent legalization and decriminalization, cannabis use is increasing in young adults in North America, and we do not fully know its effects on cardiovascular health," says Dr.&nbsp;Karim Ladha, a clinician scientist at Unity Health Toronto. "We found an association between recent cannabis use and myocardial infarction, which persisted across an array of robust sensitivity analyses. Additionally, this association was consistent across different forms of cannabis consumption, including smoking, vaporization, and other methods such as edibles. This suggests that no method of consumption is safer than another in this regard."&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers found that cannabis users tended to be male, smoke cigarettes or e-cigarettes (vape) and to have a high alcohol intake; these factors may have contributed to the risk of heart attack but were adjusted for in the analysis conducted in this study. It is also noteworthy that, although the study provides evidence of a link between cannabis use and heart attack, the biological mechanisms by which these two variables are related is not known.



"We analyzed the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data set (2017–2018) because it is the best available source for providing insights which are generalizable and nationally representative," says Nikhil Mistry, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. "As a young adult, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with cannabis use, especially in the current climate where we are exposed to a wealth of misinformation and non–evidence-based health recommendations."&nbsp;



Dr.&nbsp;David Mazer, a clinician scientist at Unity Health Toronto, adds, "Not only young adults, but physicians and other clinicians need to be aware of this potentially important relationship. Cannabis use should be considered in cardiovascular risk assessment. When making decisions about cannabis consumption, patients and physicians should consider its associated benefits and risks, in the context of their own health risk factors and behaviors."&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Cannabis use increases risk of heart attacks in young adults

Cannabis is a commonly used recreational drug that has become...

As the true impact of anthropogenic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-may-slow-the-spread-of-dengue-fever/">global warming</a> sets in, the need for vigilance among the world’s coastal cities grows. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to over 250,000 residents, Venice, Italy knows this more than most.&nbsp;



“When you are this close to the upper limit of the tidal range, any meteorological event can be hazardous and cause an extreme flood. Small increases can have a large impact," explained Piero Lionello, a researcher at the Università del Salento.



Lionello and a group of international researchers have just published a review of the threats Venice faces in a special issue of <a href="https://www.natural-hazards-and-earth-system-sciences.net/">Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences</a>. They focus on three key areas - relative sea level rise, the occurrence of extreme water heights, and the prediction of extreme water heights and floods.



Relative sea level rise in the region surrounding Venice can be hard to estimate, with forecasts ranging from 17 to 120 centimeters by the end of the century. 



“There are important feedbacks in the climate system, for instance related to polar ice sheet dynamics, that we need to understand and better simulate to make more reliable projections," explained study co-author Davide Zanchettin.



Fighting back against extreme water heights is dependent on accurate forecasts. For nearly a year, Venice has been protected by the Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, or MoSE, a series of barriers and gates located at several key inlets to the lagoon. These gates are opened or closed four to six hours ahead of the tidal maximum. 



“The MoSE system will be operated on the forecast,” said study co-author Georg Umgiesser. “If the forecast is wrong, the operation of the MoSE becomes wrong - and that is very important both economically and ecologically.”



According to Lionello, we could stop global warming completely by stopping the use of fossil fuels and the sea level would continue to rise in spite of this, though at a much reduced pace.



Given that this goal seems to be a decade or so off, he warns: “the present evidence is that we will need to change our adaptation strategies. It’s clear that we need to be prepared to act.”



---



By <a href="mailto:rugerpaleo@gmail.com">Alex Ruger</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Venice and other coastal cities must be prepared to act

As the true impact of anthropogenic global warming sets in,...

A new study led by the <a href="https://birdlabaustralia.com/">BirdLab research group</a> at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> discovered evidence of prenatal auditory learning in embryos of five bird species. Using non-invasive techniques, researchers found fluctuations in heartbeat responses to their parents’ calls in the embryos of three vocal learning species (the superb fairy-wren, the red-winged fairy-wren, and Darwin’s small ground finch), as well as two vocal non-learning species (the little penguin and the Japanese quail).



“By studying the capacity for sound learning in embryos, we are paving the way to new inroads into evolutionary and developmental timescales,” said study first author Dr. Diane Colombelli-Négrel. “Long before actual vocalization, we found that these tiny songbirds were also discriminating towards non-specific sounds and capable of ‘non-associative’ (not from parents) sounds, building on the complexity of vocal learning in songbirds.” &nbsp;



According to study co-author Professor Sonia Kleindorfer, vocal production learning is believed to occur in just seven lineages of birds and mammals: songbirds, hummingbirds, parrots, cetaceans, pinnipeds, bats, and, among primates, only humans.&nbsp;



“As a result of the rarity of vocal production learning, animals have been grouped into so-called ‘vocal learners’ (those that learn to imitate a vocalisation from a vocal tutor) and ‘vocal non-learners’ (animals that produce vocalisations without imitating a vocal tutor),” explained Professor Kleindorfer.



Surprisingly though, this new study found that embryos could grow accustomed to another bird’s call in both vocal learning and non-learning species, and may thus point to a phenomenon more widespread than initially thought.



“This research will hopefully inspire more study into the remarkable capacity of animals to learn sound,” said Professor Kleindorfer. “By moving the time window for sound learning to the prenatal stage, this research direction opens pathways to measure neurobiological downstream effects of early auditory experience on behaviour and information processing.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rstb.2020.0247?af=R">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</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

Baby birds can learn sounds before birth

A new study led by the BirdLab research group at...

The strength of the connection between the brain and other organs has an influence on a person's body image, according to a new study from <a href="https://aru.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a>. The experts determined that weak signals from the heart and gut can adversely affect the way we see ourselves.&nbsp;



The research is the first to identify an association between body image and the brain’s processing of internal signals that occur unconsciously. People with brains that are less efficient at detecting these signals are more likely to experience body shame and weight preoccupation, the researchers found.



"We experience our body both from the inside and out: we can be aware of how our skin and limbs look, but also of how hungry we feel or how strongly our heart is beating during exercise. The brain also continuously processes internal signals that we are not conscious of," explained study senior author Dr. Jane Aspell, an ARU associate professor of Cognitive Neuroscience.



“We found that when the brain is less responsive to these implicit signals from inside the body, individuals are more likely to hold negative views about their external bodily appearance. It may be that when the brain has a weaker connection to the internal body, the brain puts more emphasis on the external body and so appearance becomes much more important for self-evaluation.”



The study was focused on a group of healthy UK adults, who participated in four body image assessments. The experts measured their feelings of body appreciation, body functionality appreciation, body shame, and weight preoccupation.



The team recorded the electrical activity of both the brain and the gut at the same time to estimated the strength of the connection. The researchers also measured brain responses to heartbeats.



The results showed that weaker brain responses to the gut and heart were both associated with greater levels of body shame and weight preoccupation among the participants.



“Our research could have implications for those experiencing negative body image, which can have a serious impact on people’s lives," said study lead author Dr. Jennifer Todd.



“The gut and heart signal measurements used in our study could potentially act as a biomarker to help identify, or even predict, negative body image and associated conditions, such as eating disorders. Additionally, by training people to become more aware of internal sensations, it might be possible to amplify these unconscious signals."&nbsp;



“We need to understand why some brains are better at detecting these internal signals than others. We expect it is partly due to differences in neuro-anatomical connections between the brain and internal organs, and this will be the subject of future research.”



The study is ublished in the journal <a href="https://www.meetcortex.com/">Cortex</a>.



---



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

Weaker gut and heart signals linked to negative body image

The strength of the connection between the brain and other...

A recent study examined the origin of ultra-diffuse dwarf galaxies (UDGs), a rare type of galaxies containing a small number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gaia-mission-has-obtained-new-details-about-two-billion-stars/">stars</a> that are spread out over large regions in space, and have an extremely low surface brightness, making them highly difficult to detect.&nbsp;



Using <a href="https://www.tng-project.org/about/">sophisticated computer simulations</a>, scientists detected a few “quenched” UDGs (ultra-diffuse galaxies that have stopped producing stars) in low-density environments in the universe.&nbsp;



“What we have detected is at odds with theories of galaxy formation since quenched dwarfs are required to be in clusters or group environments in order to get their gas removed and stop forming stars,” said co-author Laura Sales, an associate professor of&nbsp;Physics and Astronomy at the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>.&nbsp;



“But the quenched UDGs we detected are isolated. We were able to identify a few of these quenched UDGs in the field and trace their evolution backward in time to show they originated in backsplash orbits.”&nbsp;



According to Professor Sales, a backsplash galaxy looks like an isolated galaxy in the present, but in the past was a satellite of a more massive system. “Isolated galaxies and satellite galaxies have different properties because the physics of their evolution is quite different,” she explained. “These backsplash galaxies are intriguing because they share properties with the population of satellites in the system to which they once belonged, but today they are observed to be isolated from the system.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



Scientists believe that in the past, quenched UDGs coalesced within halos of dark matter with unusually high angular momentum. Similar to a cotton candy machine, such an extreme environment might have spun out dwarf galaxies that were unusually stretched out. Although they evolved within galaxy clusters, at a certain moment in the past, interactions within the cluster most probably ejected the UDGs into the void, giving them wide, boomerang-like trajectories (the so-called “backsplash orbits”). During this process, the UDGs gas was stripped away, leaving them unable to produce stars (“quenched”).



“These orbits are almost like those of comets in our solar system,” said Professor Sales. “Some go out and orbit back around, and others may come in once and then never again. For quenched UDGs, because their orbits are so elliptical, they haven’t had time to come back, even over the entire age of the universe. They are still out there in the field.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natastron/">Nature Astronomy</a>.



---



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

Astronomers explain the origin of isolated ultra-diffuse galaxies

A recent study examined the origin of ultra-diffuse dwarf galaxies...

New research from <a href="https://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a> (UCR) has found that, contrary to what scientists previously thought, hummingbirds have an active sense of smell which helps them make foraging decisions and avoid dangerous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-from-jamaica-transmit-diseases-to-florida-palm-trees/">insects</a>.



Researchers have long been familiar with vultures’ strong sense of smell caused by their huge olfactory bulbs. However, until recently, no one knew that the tiny hummingbirds had the ability to smell things too.



In a study published in the journal <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00265-021-03067-4">Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology</a>, a research team from UCR found that, regardless of the small size of their olfactory bulbs, hummingbirds are in fact highly sensitive to smells, an ability which keeps them safe while searching for food.



“This is pretty exciting, as it is the first clear demonstration of hummingbirds using their sense of smell alone to make foraging decisions and avoid contact with potentially dangerous insects at a flower or feeder,” explained study co-author Erin Wilson Rankin, an associate professor of entomology at UCR. 



In order to prove this, Professor Rankin and her team allowed over 100 hummingbirds to choose between two visually-identical feeders, one containing only sugar water, and the other sugar water plus one of several chemicals signaling the presence of an insects. These chemicals included the scent deposited on flowers by European honeybees, a chemical pheromone secreted by Argentine ants, and formic acid, a dangerous substance produced by some Formica ants that is harmful for both birds and mammals.&nbsp;



The hummingbirds avoided the ant-produced chemicals, particularly the formic acid, which was a very wise decision, according to Professor Rankin. “If a bird has any exposed skin on their legs, formic acid can hurt, and if they get it in their eyes, it isn’t pleasant. It’s also extremely volatile.”



To make sure that the hummingbirds were in fact capable of identifying dangerous chemicals and not just afraid of new smells, the researchers conducted an additional test with ethyl butyrate, an inoffensive food additive. Although its smell is not common in nature, the hummingbirds did not avoid it.&nbsp;



These findings prove the importance that the sense of smell plays in hummingbirds’ foraging decisions and can provide new directions of research in the field of trophic interaction, or as Professor Rankin calls it, the science of “who eats who” in nature.&nbsp;



“Hummingbirds and insects might be competing for floral resources,” said Professor Rankin. “Their foraging decisions help us understand how the ecosystem functions, and any actions that ultimately might be needed for conservation.”&nbsp;



---



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

Hummingbirds can smell dangerous insects

New research from University of California, Riverside (UCR) has found...

A new report from the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for the Conservation of Nature</a> (IUCN) highlights the growing pressures on the world's marine species, noting that 37 percent of sharks and rays are now threatened with extinction. While the primary issue is overfishing, sharks and rays are also vulnerable to habitat loss and climate change.&nbsp;



The Red List of Threatened Species was updated on Saturday at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille. Of the 138,374 species that are now included on the list, 28 percent are threatened with extinction.



The Komodo dragon has moved from Vulnerable to Endangered on the Red List. The experts found that the future effects of climate change and human activities pose the biggest threats to the species, which is endemic to Indonesia. Rising temperatures and sea levels are expected to reduce the Komodo dragon’s habitat by at least 30 percent in the next 45 years.



“Komodo dragons were first introduced to the British public by Sir David Attenborough just 60 years ago, on BBC’s iconic series Zoo Quest for a Dragon with ZSL," said Dr Andrew Terry, conservation director at the Zoological Society of London.



“The idea that these prehistoric animals have moved one step closer to extinction due in part to climate change is terrifying - and a further clarion call for nature to be placed at the heart of all decision making on the eve of the COP26 in Glasgow.”



The IUCN Red List update reveals some good news as well. Four commercially-fished tuna species, including the Atlantic bluefin tuna, Southern bluefin tuna, albacore and yellowfin tuna, are on the path to recovery. The enforcement of regional fishing quotas over the last decade have boosted some tuna populations.&nbsp;



Despite global improvement at the species level, however, the number of species that are at high risk continues to grow, according to the IUCN. The agency said that many regional tuna stocks remain severely depleted.&nbsp;



“These Red List assessments are proof that sustainable fisheries approaches work, with enormous long-term benefits for livelihoods and biodiversity. We need to continue enforcing sustainable fishing quotas and cracking down on illegal fishing,” said Dr. Bruce B. Collette, Chair of the IUCN SSC Tuna and Billfish Specialist Group. “Tuna species migrate across thousands of kilometers, so coordinating their management globally is also key.”



Dr. Malin Rivers of Botanic Gardens Conservation International heads the <a href="https://globaltreeassessment.org/">Global Tree Assessment</a> to compile extinction risk information on the 58,497 tree species worldwide. He says that thousands of trees species assessments have been added to the IUCN Red List this year, including trees from over 186 countries.&nbsp;



"In addition, more than 1,000 species identified as impacted by logging and wood harvesting, such as Dipterocarps, ebonies, rosewoods and many others, have also been assessed for the first time this year,” said Dr. Rivers.&nbsp;



"With every tree assessment, added to the IUCN Red List, we continue to tell the story for the word’s threatened tree species, and provide the essential information for taking effective conservation action.”



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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

IUCN Red List: 37 percent of sharks are threatened

A new report from the International Union for the Conservation...

The secrets of how animals manage to learn sounds have intrigued humans for thousands of years. Insight into this ability, known as vocal learning, could reveal new details about the evolution of human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-and-humans-use-similar-speech-patterns/">speech</a> and language.&nbsp;



"Comparative work investigating this trait across different types of animals is particularly important," explained Sonja Vernes of the <a href="https://www.mpi.nl/">Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics</a>.



In their paper, the researchers propose a novel classification system, taking into account how accurately sounds are copied and the time it takes to learn them. Timing is important, explained the study authors, as animals differ in when and how quickly they learn. Parrots are known to mimic sounds throughout their life, while zebra finches can only learn a limited range of sounds while they are young.



The ability to learn sounds was once thought to be rare in the animal kingdom, but a growing collection of evidence reveals that many groups are capable of vocal learning.



"In addition to parrots and songbirds, evidence for vocal production learning has recently come to light in a number of other bird groups, showing that its occurrence is now more widespread than realized even a few years ago," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



Scientists have studied this phenomenon among seals, elephants, bats, dolphins, and whales, as the fascination for animal vocalizations has grown into a research tradition.



"Humans are of course the most-studied vocal learners of all, and the brain networks underlying our vocal abilities have been studied intensively in the 150 years since Paul Broca identified his eponymous brain area," noted the researchers.



Among animals that use vocal learning, the type and role of learning varies greatly. For example, zebra finches learn to copy their father’s song, while parrots pick up sounds from different species, including humans. According to Vernes, the complexity of vocal learning presents particular challenges to the field, but also provides clear opportunities.



"The neurobiology of vocal learning is well studied in some songbirds, such as zebra finches. However, in many bird and mammal species, because of the complexity of the question under study and behaviour involved, the neuroscientific basis of vocal learning remains unknown," said the researchers.



While studying spear-nosed bats, MPI lead author Ella Lattenkamp and her colleagues discovered that bats who could not hear had atypical vocalizations. This shows that bats need to hear the sounds of others to learn their normal calls, just like humans.&nbsp;



The research is published in a special issues of the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rstb">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</a>, along with a collection of articles that raise fascinating questions about the development of animal communication and human speech and language.



"We hope that the current issue illustrates the vibrant and wide-ranging research approaches currently surrounding the topic of vocal learning. The increasing diversity of perspectives, methods and study species suggests that this field will continue to grow and innovate in the future, leading to exciting new avenues and a clearer understanding of vocal learning and its evolution.



---



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

Scientists explore the fascinating topic of vocal learning in animals

The secrets of how animals manage to learn sounds have...

Data collected for more than 20 years in the Paraná River basin of Brazil has produced evidence of a drastic decline in the number of aquatic insects in the region. The research suggests that this decline is linked to the construction of over 180 dams on the Paraná basin and its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oysters-respond-to-stress-by-growing-less-meat-on-their-shells/">tributaries</a>.



“Our study analyzed data collected on a seasonal basis over a 20-year period. We detected a decline from thousands to tens of individuals per square meter,” said Professor Gustavo Romero.&nbsp;



The project was supported by the <a href="https://fapesp.br/en">FAPESP Research Program</a>, and the fieldwork was conducted by researchers with the State University of Maringá’s Center for Research in Limnology, Ichthyology and Aquaculture (NUPELIA-UEM).&nbsp;



The team studied a floodplain with an area of 40 square kilometers containing rivers, shallow lakes, channels, and backwaters.&nbsp;



According to Professor Romero, the drastic decline in insect populations is a global phenomenon and studies have shown its correlation with human activities.&nbsp;



“A sharp decline was observed not only in more susceptible species but in all aquatic insect orders and families that live in the area. These insects inhabit freshwater environments until they reach adulthood when they migrate to terrestrial environments. This includes dragonflies and water beetles, to mention only the most well-known,” explained Professor Romero.



Considering that some insects transmit diseases, many people assume that all insects are harmful to humans, but Professor Romero pointed out that the insects that are being wiped out in the Paraná River basin are extremely useful.&nbsp;



"They provide many ecosystem services, including pollination, biological control of crop pests and disease-transmitting insects, decomposition of organic matter, and nutrient cycling."



Professor Romero explained that dams have impacted aquatic insects in three ways. First, the dams make the water much clearer. Without the camouflage of murky water, insects are more vulnerable to predators.



In addition, the exotic fish species introduced into dam reservoirs eat insects as well as native fish. Furthermore, the researchers detected a chemical imbalance of the nutrients in the water, changing the proportions of nitrogen and phosphorus.&nbsp;



“The algae that proliferate in dam reservoirs fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and transfer it to the water. Part of the phosphorus is deposited on the reservoir bed. The water that flows through the dam spillway is poor in phosphorus and proportionally richer in nitrogen as a result. This changes its nutritional quality, affecting the animals that depend on a balanced quantity of these nutrients,” explained Professor Romero.



Changes in the ecosystems of the Paraná River sub-basin are significant for all of South America. This is because the river basin touches seven Brazilian states and is part of one of South America’s three main basins.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsbl">Biology Letters</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

Aquatic insects have drastically declined in Brazil

Data collected for more than 20 years in the Paraná...

Avocados may be a powerful weapon for women in the fight against dangerous belly fat, according to a new study. The researchers have found that an avocado a day helps women redistribute belly fat toward a healthier profile.



In a randomized controlled trial, 105 overweight or obese adults were provided one meal a day for 12 weeks. The experts discovered that women who consumed avocado as part of their daily meal had a reduction in deeper visceral abdominal fat.



The study was led by Naiman Khan, a professor of Kinesiology and Community Health at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</a>.



“The goal wasn’t weight loss; we were interested in understanding what eating an avocado does to the way individuals store their body fat. The location of fat in the body plays an important role in health,” said Professor Khan.



“In the abdomen, there are two kinds of fat: fat that accumulates right underneath the skin, called subcutaneous fat, and fat that accumulates deeper in the abdomen, known as visceral fat, that surrounds the internal organs."&nbsp;



"Individuals with a higher proportion of that deeper visceral fat tend to be at a higher risk of developing diabetes. So we were interested in determining whether the ratio of subcutaneous to visceral fat changed with avocado consumption."



The participants were divided into two groups. One group received meals which contained fresh avocado, while the other group received meals with nearly identical ingredients and similar calories but no avocado.



The researchers measured participants’ abdominal fat and their glucose tolerance, a measure of metabolism and a marker of diabetes, at the beginning and end of the 12 weeks.



The results showed that female participants who consumed an avocado a day as part of their meal had a reduction in visceral abdominal fat. These women also exhibited a reduction in the ratio of visceral fat to subcutaneous fat, indicating a redistribution of fat away from the organs. Among males, there was no change in fat distribution. Glucose tolerance was not improved in either gender.&nbsp;



“While daily consumption of avocados did not change glucose tolerance, what we learned is that a dietary pattern that includes an avocado every day impacted the way individuals store body fat in a beneficial manner for their health, but the benefits were primarily in females,” explained Professor Khan.&nbsp;



“It’s important to demonstrate that dietary interventions can modulate fat distribution. Learning that the benefits were only evident in females tells us a little bit about the potential for sex playing a role in dietary intervention responses.”



The researchers said they hope to conduct a follow-up study that would provide participants with all their daily meals and look at additional markers of gut health and physical health to get a more complete picture of the metabolic effects of avocado consumption and determine whether the difference remains between the two sexes.



“Our research not only sheds a valuable light on benefits of daily avocado consumption on the different types of fat distribution across genders, it provides us with a foundation to conduct further work to understand the full impact avocados have on body fat and health,” said study co-author Professor Richard Mackenzie of the University of Roehampton in London.



“By taking our research further, we will be able to gain a clearer picture into which types of people would benefit most from incorporating avocados into their diets and deliver valuable data for health care advisers to provide patients with guidance on how to reduce fat storage and the potential dangers of diabetes."



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

Avocados reduce dangerous belly fat in women

Avocados may be a powerful weapon for women in the...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">AAAS</a>, scientists have identified a link between climate change in the Arctic and extreme winter weather events in the United States. The surprising findings suggest that climate warming is driving severe winter weather in a phenomenon called stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) disruption.



"Anthropogenic global warming is projected to increase some weather extremes - for example, more heat waves and heavy precipitation events - but not severe winter weather such as cold air outbreaks and heavy snowfalls. Yet, contrary to global climate model (GCM) projections, recent weather extremes have included an increase in cold air outbreaks and/or heavy snowfalls across the Northern Hemisphere since 1990 up to the recent past," explained MIT climatologist Judah Cohen and co-authors.



"The most recent example of extreme winter weather was the anomalous cold weather of January and February 2021 in Asia, Europe, and especially the United States (US). The US Southern Plains cold wave of February 2021 may be exceptional in the observational record for the region based on the aggregate severity of the cold intensity, cold duration, and widespread disruptive snowfall."&nbsp;



"The collapse of the Texas energy infrastructure could make it the state’s costliest natural disaster, even more so than previous hurricanes and at least twice as costly as the entire record-breaking North Atlantic 2020 hurricane season. This event has reignited the debate whether climate change contributes to more severe winter weather."



The researchers used observational and modeling data to establish a physical link between anthropogenic climate change and stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) disruption. This atmospheric feature is defined by the strong westerly winds that encircle the Arctic and - under normal conditions - keep its cold air contained.



The study shows that accelerated warming in the Arctic, or Arctic amplification (AA), is driving extreme winter weather by disturbing the Arctic stratospheric polar vortex.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, their results could be used to extend the warning lead time of cold extremes in Asia, Canada, and the United States. They emphasize that the analysis is also informative for policy-makers.&nbsp;



"Preparing for only a decrease in severe winter weather can compound the human and economic cost when severe winter weather does occur, as exemplified during the Texas cold wave of February 2021," wrote the study authors.



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

Arctic warming linked to extreme winter weather in the U.S.

In a new study published by AAAS, scientists have identified...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.buffalo.edu/">University of Buffalo</a> suggests that whale songs are very different from the songs performed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-involved-in-more-seed-dispersal-have-evolutionary-stability/">birds</a>. After years of research, Dr. Eduardo Mercado has found that whale songs have a dynamic nature that signifies much more sophisticated sound production.



“The analyses in this paper suggest that we shouldn’t be thinking about whale songs as language or musical notes,” explained Dr. Mercado. “What the singers are doing seems to be much more dynamic, both within songs and across years."



“Maybe it’s a matter of switching from thinking about whale songs as musical notes to something more freeform, like dancing.”



Most existing theories are based on the assumption that whales combine sounds, or units, into phrases to build songs that broadcast important information about their health and fitness to potential mates. From this perspective, said Dr. Mercado, single units are like individual quills in a peacock’s tail - each functionally equal and useful only as a collective.



However, according to the new study, the units of whale songs are not functionally equal. In collaboration with study co-author Professor Christina E. Perazio from the University of New England, Dr. Mercado explains that the units within whale songs are dynamic, changing through the years.



The researchers found that this unit morphing produces some units that are much less detectable than others. The findings of the study challenge previous conclusions regarding fitness. Instead, the new research supports the idea that whale songs reveal locations and movements - with each change making relevant units easier to hear across long distances.



“There are clear differences in the units when listening to whale songs from different years,” said Dr. Mercado. “They’re so different that it’s like switching from one musical genre to another. In any given year, the whales are using an altogether different set of sounds.”



Despite the irregularities, the morphing units are more likely to be random. According to Dr. Mercado, the changes appear evolutionary in nature, with the modifications adhering to a clear set of rules, such as maintaining the same pitch range as the previous unit.&nbsp;



The researchers said this could possibly increase the number of positions from which whales can reliably detect and track the signals. Overall, the research highlights the fact that whale songs are too sophisticated to be studied based on bird songs and other animal vocalizations.



“These labels are a bad idea,” said Dr. Mercado. “Shifts in pitch and duration might force an incorrect re-categorization of units. We might think we’re hearing something different, but the whale might be saying nothing has changed.”



“Humans are not the gold standard for distinguishing sounds, and we have to acknowledge and respect that when conducting research.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10071">Animal Cognition</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

Whale songs are in a sophisticated league of their own

A new study from the University of Buffalo suggests that...

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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

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" 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 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

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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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...