You probably know at least a little bit about ocean circulation around the world, also known as currents. In fact, you may have felt smaller currents yourself on a day at the beach.



But have you heard bout the "great global ocean conveyor belt," which is a vast network of currents that constantly moves water around the entire planet?



This massive system helps distribute heat around the world, influencing everything from temperatures to rainfall. Unfortunately, it's slowing down and on the verge of total collapse.



Scientists have been studying this phenomenon, and according to recent research published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01568-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Geoscience</a>, it's a bigger deal than we thought. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-circulation-and-the-amoc">Ocean circulation and the AMOC?</h2>



The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is like a massive ocean conveyor belt that moves warm and cold water around the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-the-atlantic-ocean-may-ultimately-vanish/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Atlantic Ocean</a>. 



It starts in the Gulf of Mexico, where warm, salty water flows northward along the eastern coast of the United States and across the Atlantic towards Europe. 



As this warm water reaches the North Atlantic, it cools down, becomes denser, and sinks deep into the ocean. 



This sinking process pulls more warm water north to replace it, creating a continuous loop that helps <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/collapse-of-major-ocean-system-would-cause-weather-chaos/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">regulate the climate</a> by distributing heat across the planet. 



Thanks to the AMOC, regions like Western Europe enjoy milder winters than they would otherwise.



Humans rely on the AMOC in several important ways. By regulating global temperatures, it helps maintain stable weather patterns, which are crucial for agriculture, ecosystems, and our daily lives. 



Researchers point out that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is now weaker than at any other time in the past 1,000 years.



The research team from several leading universities explains that global warming is behind this slowdown. 



Their new modeling suggests that meltwater from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenlands-melting-icebergs-may-not-be-threat-to-ocean-currents-amoc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Greenland ice sheet</a> and Canadian glaciers could be the missing piece of the puzzle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-should-we-care-about-this">Why should we care about this?</h2>



"Our results show the Atlantic overturning circulation is likely to become a third weaker than it was 70 years ago at 2°C of global warming," says the research team. 



"This would bring big changes to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-arctic-is-melting-fast-but-a-slowing-ocean-current-could-help/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate and ecosystems</a>, including faster warming in the southern hemisphere, harsher winters in Europe, and weakening of the northern hemisphere's tropical monsoons."



Think about that for a second. A weaker ocean current could mean colder winters in Europe and shifts in rainfall patterns that affect millions of people. It's not just about the ocean; <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/disastrous-climate-changes-of-the-last-ice-age-could-happen-again/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">it's about our daily lives</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meltwater-and-ocean-circulation">Meltwater and ocean circulation</h2>



The Earth has already warmed 1.5ºC since the industrial revolution. And get this: the Arctic has been heating up nearly four times faster than the rest of the planet. 



All that heat is melting Arctic sea ice, glaciers, and the Greenland ice sheet.



"Since 2002, Greenland lost 5,900 billion tons (gigatons) of ice," notes the research team. "To put that into perspective, imagine if the entire state of Texas was covered in ice 26 feet thick."



All this fresh meltwater flowing into the subarctic ocean is lighter than salty seawater, so it doesn't sink as much. 



That messes with the southward flow of deep, cold waters from the Atlantic and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-impact-the-gulf-stream-more-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">weakens the Gulf Stream</a> -- the same current that gives Britain its mild winters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ripple-effects-around-the-globe">Ripple effects around the globe</h2>



So, what's the big deal with the Gulf Stream slowing down? Well, for starters, Europe could face harsher winters. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-paradox-ocean-current-collapse-could-plunge-europe-into-cold/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Places like Britain</a> might start feeling more like their chilly counterparts at the same latitude, such as parts of Canada.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Atlantic-Meridional-Overturning-Circulation_AMOC_collapsing_Nature-Geoscience_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Atlantic-Meridional-Overturning-Circulation_AMOC_collapsing_Nature-Geoscience_1s.webp" alt="The addition of meltwater in the North Atlantic leads to localised cooling in the subpolar North Atlantic and warming in the South Atlantic. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2024)." class="wp-image-1951410" style="width:300px;height:auto"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The addition of meltwater in the North Atlantic leads to localised cooling in the subpolar North Atlantic and warming in the South Atlantic. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2024).</figcaption></figure>



"Our new research shows meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet and Arctic glaciers in Canada is the missing piece in the climate puzzle," the researchers explain. 



When they included this meltwater in their simulations, the slowing of the oceanic circulation made sense.



The study confirms that the Atlantic overturning circulation has been slowing down since the mid-20th century. It also gives us a sneak peek into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atlantic-and-arctic-mixing-is-crucial-for-earths-climate-stability/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">what's coming next</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-northern-and-southern-oceans-connected">Northern and Southern oceans connected</h2>



"Our new research also shows the North and South Atlantic oceans are more connected than previously thought," the team states. 



Changes in one part of the ocean can quickly affect distant regions. When the oceanic circulation is strong, it transfers a lot of heat to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-warming-triggers-rising-north-atlantic-sea-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">North Atlantic</a>. 



But when it weakens, the surface of the ocean south of Greenland doesn't warm up as much, leading to what's called a "warming hole." Meanwhile, the South Atlantic ends up storing more heat and salt.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-is-not-on-our-side">Time is not on our side</h2>



"Our simulations show changes in the far North Atlantic are felt in the South Atlantic Ocean in less than two decades," the researchers reveal. This means the effects of the slowdown are spreading faster than we thought.



Climate projections have suggested the Atlantic overturning circulation will weaken by about 30% by 2060. But hold on -- that's without considering all that extra meltwater.



"The Greenland ice sheet will continue melting over the coming century, possibly raising global sea level by about 4 inches," the study notes. 



"If this additional meltwater is included in climate projections, the overturning circulation will weaken faster. It could be 30% weaker by 2040. That's 20 years earlier than initially projected."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-can-we-do">What can we do?</h2>



Such a rapid decrease in the overturning circulation will shake things up. 



Europe might see colder winters, the northern tropics could get drier, and places like the southern United States might experience warmer, wetter summers.



"Our climate has changed dramatically over the past 20 years," the researchers warn. "More rapid melting of the ice sheets will accelerate further disruption of the climate system."



So, what does this all mean for us? It means we have even less time to get our act together. Reducing emissions isn't just a good idea -- it's crucial.



Our planet's systems are interconnected in ways we're only beginning to understand. If we want to keep things from getting worse, we need to act now. Every little bit counts, and the clock is ticking.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-024-01568-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Geoscience</a>.



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Collapse of Earth's main ocean water circulation system is already happening

You probably know at least a little bit about ocean circulation around the world, also known as currents. In fact, you may have felt smaller currents yourself on a day at the beach. But have you heard bout the "great global ocean conveyor belt," which is a vast network of currents that constantly moves water around the entire planet? This massive system helps distribute heat around the world, influencing everything from temperatures to rainfall. Unfortunately, it's slowing down and on the verge of total collapse. Scientists have...

Air pollution increases the risk of developing neurological disorders like dementia, according to a new study led by researchers at <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a>. The study reveals that prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5), even at levels that are considered "safe," is associated with a higher risk of first-time hospital admission for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other types of dementia.

In collaboration with experts at Emory and Columbia University, the researchers conducted the first nationwide investigation into the link between neurodegenerative diseases and PM2.5 pollution in the United States. The long-term, comprehensive study was focused on more than 63 million older adults.

"The 2020 report of the Lancet Commission on dementia prevention, intervention, and care has added air pollution as one of the modifiable risk factors for these outcomes," said study co-lead author Xiao Wu. 

"Our study builds on the small but emerging evidence base indicating that long-term PM2.5 exposures are linked to an increased risk of neurological health deterioration, even at PM2.5 concentrations well below the current national standards."

The researchers analyzed 17 years of hospital admissions data from 63,038,019 Medicare recipients and linked the cases with estimated PM2.5 concentrations by zip code. 

The experts determined that for each increase in annual PM2.5 concentrations of 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air (μg/m3), there was a 13-percent greater risk of first-time hospitalization for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias. The risk of hospitalization for dementia was found to remain elevated at PM2.5 levels that are considered by EPA standards to be safe for human exposure.

The study showed that the link was most pronounced among urban populations, women, and Caucasians. For first-time Parkinson's disease hospital admissions, the risk was highest in the northeastern United States, while the risk for first-time Alzheimer's disease was highest among older adults in the Midwest.

"Our U.S.-wide study shows that the current standards are not protecting the aging American population enough, highlighting the need for stricter standards and policies that help further reduce PM2.5 concentrations and improve air quality overall," said study co-senior author Antonella Zanobetti

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/home">The Lancet Planetary Health</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Exposure to air pollution linked to higher risk of dementia

Air pollution increases the risk of developing neurological disorders like...

Scientists at the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a> have pinpointed the ideal balance of daily activities for optimal bone health in children. The study shows that children typically need more sleep, more physical activity, and less sedentary time to build strong bones. 

"Children's activities throughout the whole 24-hour day are important for their bone health, but until now, we haven't known the perfect combination of exercise, sleep and sedentary time," explained study lead researcher Dr. Dot Dumuid.

"Higher levels of physical activity are known to be good for children's bone health, yet we can't just increase children's exercise without impacting their other activities."

"In this study, we looked at the interrelating factors of physical activity (both light, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), sedentary time and sleep, finding an ideal combination that delivers the best daily balance."

To identify the "Goldilocks Day" for bone health and function, the researchers focused on 804 children between the ages of 11 and 13. The participants were selected from the Child Health CheckPoint study, which collected exercise data from activity trackers, bone measurements from QCT scans, and self-reported information on sleep duration. 

According to the analysis, the perfect day for children's bone health includes: 1.5 hours of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, such as running or engaging in sports; 3.4 hours of light physical activity like cleaning or walking; 8.2 hours of sedentary time, such as reading or sitting in class; and 10.9 hours of sleep.

"The 'Goldilocks Day' tells us the durations of physical activity, sleep and sitting that are 'just right' for children's optimal bone health," said Dr. Dumuid. "Up to 90 percent of peak bone mass is achieved by age 18-20, which makes this especially important during childhood and adolescence."

"Optimizing bone health in children is a key protector against osteoporosis, the leading preventable cause of fracture in adults and a major public health problem with considerable economic and societal costs."

In Australia alone, 1.2 million people suffer from osteoporosis and 6.3 million people have low bone density. Dr. Dumuid said the current research also emphasizes the importance of sleep for bone health, especially among boys.

"We always talk about getting enough exercise to help build bones, but for children, it's vital that they also get enough sleep," said Dr. Dumuid. "Curiously, the study also showed that sleep is more important for boys' bone health than for girls, with boys needing an extra 2.4 hours of sleep a day. However, boys tended to be at earlier stages of pubertal development than girls, causing us to speculate that the need for longer sleep is related to rapidly changing hormonal processes rather than gender.

"By knowing the best balances and interrelations of sleep, exercise and rest, parents and caregivers can guide their child's daily activities to put them in good stead for future bone health."

The study is published in the <a href="https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15234681">Journal of Bone and Mineral Research</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleep and physical activity can optimize bone health in children

Scientists at the University of South Australia have pinpointed the...

Scientists at the <a href="https://stri.si.edu/">Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> (STRI) are exposing secrets about the late-night foraging habits of fringe-lipped bats based on the DNA contents of their poop. The researchers also discovered that fringe-lipped bats can locate a frog or lizard to feed on even when it is completely motionless and silent. 

The DNA stored in bat guano provides clues about how bats feed in the wild. By identifying their prey, experts can also investigate how bats change their behavior depending on their eating habits.

"Because bats forage at night, and in the dense forest, you can't observe what they are eating the way you can with a diurnal bird or mammal," said study lead author Professor Patricia Jones. "It feels so momentous, therefore, to have a glimpse into the diet of this species that we thought we knew so much about, to discover they are eating prey we had no idea were part of their diet."

The fringe-lipped bat is well-suited for hunting frogs, with salivary glands that neutralize the toxins of poisonous prey and hearing that is adapted to the low-frequency mating calls. The bats are also known to feed on insects, small reptiles, and other bats.

The analysis of DNA collected from bat poop samples showed that it mostly belonged to frogs and lizards. Some of the DNA was traced to other bats, and even to one hummingbird. 

In a separate experiment, the scientists exposed wild-caught fringe-lipped bats to recordings of prey sounds and stationary prey models. The bats were able to detect silent, motionless prey, as well as prey that made noise. The findings suggest that the fringe-lipped bat has more advanced echolocation skills than what was previously thought.

"This is interesting because we didn't know that these bats were able to detect silent, still prey," said study co-author May Dixon. "Detecting silent, still prey in the cluttered jungle is thought to be a really hard task for echolocation. This is because when the bats echolocate in the jungle, the echoes of all the leaves and branches bounce back along with the echoes of their prey, and they 'mask' the prey."

The findings suggest that bats in the tropics are nocturnal predators of birds and other sleeping animals. Among the common prey of the fringe-lipped bat, or Trachops cirrhosus, were also some unexpected frog species.

"We found T. cirrhosus were often eating frogs in the genus Pristimantis," said Professor Jones. "I think this will open new avenues of research with T. cirrhosus, because Pristimantis call from the canopy and their calls are hard to localize, so if T. cirrhosus are consuming them it means that they are foraging differently than we understood before."

The combination of dietary DNA analysis and behavioral experiment used for the study may be applied to understand the foraging behaviors of a wide range of animal species.

"It's really exciting to see the doors that open when animal behavior is combined with metabarcoding," said STRI staff scientist Rachel Page. "Even though we have studied Trachops intensely for decades, we actually know very little about its behavior in the wild. It was completely surprising to see prey items show up in the diet that we never anticipated, such as frog species whose mating calls seemed to lack acoustic parameters helpful for localization and, more surprising, prey that it seems the bats must have detected by echolocation alone, like hummingbirds." 

"This work makes us rethink the sensory mechanisms underlying this bat's foraging behavior, and it opens all kinds of new doors for future questions."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/beheco">Behavioral Ecology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hunting habits of fringe-lipped bats revealed in their poop

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) are exposing...

The Caribbean coral Acropora palmata will not vanish without a fight. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.rsmas.miami.edu/">University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School</a> of Marine and Atmospheric Science have analyzed the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scientists-uncover-a-very-efficient-immune-defense-mechanism/">immune</a> system capabilities of elkhorn coral, or Acropora palmata, which has become increasingly rare in the Caribbean. The study revealed that these branching corals are actively defending themselves against conditions such as white band disease and rapid tissue loss.

Acropora palmata is considered to be one of the most important reef-building corals in the Caribbean. Over the last few decades, these corals have been vanishing from the region at an alarming rate, and disease is the main culprit. 

"The primary cause of this decline is disease, and this is particularly worrying for these species as climate change and anthropogenic stressors are now being implicated in increasing disease prevalence, frequency, and severity," wrote the researchers.

"Coral disease outbreaks are expected to increase in prevalence, frequency and severity due to climate change and other anthropogenic stressors."

"This is especially worrying for the Caribbean branching coral Acropora palmata which has already seen an 80% decrease in cover primarily due to disease. Despite the importance of this keystone species, there has yet to be a characterization of its transcriptomic response to disease exposure."

For the investigation, healthy corals were grafted to corals infected with disease. After a week, the researchers examined several aspects of the modified corals, including their overall genetic and immune response to disease. The team also analyzed whether there were different signatures of gene expression for corals that did not show signs of disease. 

The experts found that A. palmata has a core immune response to disease regardless of the specific type of infection. The findings suggest that this particular coral species launches an immune response to pathogenic exposure regardless of the disease type or virulence.

"Our results show that elkhorn coral is not immunocompromised but instead is actually actively trying to fight off disease," said study senior author Professor Nikki Traylor-Knowles. "This gives me hope that the corals are fighting back with their immune system."

Based upon the results, the researchers speculate that the corals which did not get infected may have tougher epithelia, a protective layer of cells covering external surfaces of their body. In addition, they believe that the symbiotic organisms that live inside corals did not initially have differences in gene expression in response to disease, but developed these differences over the course of the two-year study.

The branching coral Acropora palmata has  been classified as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. "These corals are keystone species for Florida reefs, so understanding that their immune systems are active is an important component that can be useful for protecting reefs," said Professor Traylor-Knowles.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Caribbean coral Acropora palmata will not vanish without a fight

The Caribbean coral Acropora palmata will not vanish without a...

A new study from <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">UCLA</a> describes how the overall dynamics of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coffee-plants-have-core-relationships-with-certain-bacteria-and-fungi/">relationships</a> could be changed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The experts predict that the psychological fallout from the pandemic will affect families, work lives, relationships, and gender roles for years.

A team of 12 leading scientists analyzed 90 research studies to evaluate the potential social consequences of COVID-19.

According to senior author Professor Martie Haselton, marriages will be postponed, birth rates will drop, and planned pregnancies will decrease in the post-pandemic world. She said that people who are single will be less likely to start new relationships, and women who can afford to be independent will stay single longer.

Unlike many past crises, this pandemic is not bringing people closer together, noted study lead author Benjamin Seitz. Despite some exceptions, it is not producing an increase in kindness, empathy or compassion, especially in the United States, said Seitz. 

Professor Haselton explained that with children home due to the pandemic, women are spending more time providing care and schooling and are less available for paying work. This means that many women will have to rely more on male partners as breadwinners, and society could shift back toward socially conservative gender norms.

"The psychological, social and societal consequences of COVID-19 will be very long-lasting," said Professor Haselton. "The longer COVID-19 continues, the more entrenched these changes are likely to be."

As marriage rates drop and pregnancy is postponed, the populations of some nations will shrink and fall precipitously below "replacement level," wrote the researchers. Lower birth rates have cascading effects of their own, such as slowing economic growth and affecting job opportunities.

Studies have shown that women were more stressed by work and family responsibilities even before the pandemic, whereas now they have been forced to take over new jobs related to child care and education. In medicine and other sciences, women scholars are already publishing substantially less research than they did a year ago, while men are showing increased productivity, said Professor Haselton.

The study authors predict a shift toward social conservatism in the months and years to come. They refer to the pandemic as a "worldwide social experiment" that exploits our weaknesses by infecting us through contact with people we love who seem to be healthy. 

"Our social features that define much of what it is to be human make us a prime target for viral exploitation," said Professor Haselton. "Policies asking us to isolate and distance profoundly affect our families, work lives, relationships and gender roles."

Viruses and other infectious agents must evolve to better manipulate their hosts so they can survive and continue to spread. In this case, SARS-CoV-2 may be altering human neural tissue to change our behavior, the researchers explained. The virus appears to be suppressing feelings of sickness, and perhaps even enhancing our social impulses, during times of peak transmissibility before symptoms appear. 

According to the experts, we must gain a clearer understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 is enhancing its own transmission through behavioral and psychological impacts in an effort to make the virus less harmful and less lethal.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pandemic will alter families and relationships for years to come

A new study from UCLA describes how the overall dynamics...

Bioplastics are not any safer than traditional plastics, according to researchers at the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a>. Plastics are known to contain chemicals that are not safe for ingestion, including endocrine disruptors like Bisphenol A (BPA). The analysis of bioplastics and plant-based materials showed that about 75 percent contain toxic <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/it-pays-off-to-read-labels-and-avoid-products-with-harmful-chemicals/">chemicals</a>.

Bioplastics are mostly made from recycled material or plant cellulose, and are usually compostable or biodegradable. While these alternative plastics are safer for the environment, the new research suggests that they are not any safer for human health. 

The study revealed that bioplastics and their precursors contain hundreds to thousands of different chemicals.

"Plastics contain a complex mixture of known and unknown chemicals; some of which can be toxic," wrote the researchers. "Bioplastics and plant-based materials are marketed as a sustainable alternative to conventional plastics. However, little is known with regard to the chemicals they contain and the safety of these compounds."

The study was focused on 43 everyday bio-based products, including disposable cutlery, chocolate packaging paper, drink bottles, and wine corks. In the largest analysis of its kind, the researchers extracted and tested materials from the products to determine their chemical composition. 

"Eighty percent of the products contained more than 1,000 different chemicals. Some of them had as many as 20,000 chemicals," said Professor Martin Wagner.

The toxic substances identified in the bioplastics ranged from chemicals that are directly toxic to cells to those that can disrupt the body's hormone balance.

"Three out of four of these plastic products contain substances that we know are dangerous under laboratory conditions, the same as for conventional plastic," said Professor Wagner.

Study co-author Lisa Zimmermann pointed out that products based on cellulose and starch contained the most chemicals. They also triggered stronger toxic reactions under lab conditions.

According to the researchers, it is nearly impossible to keep track of all the potentially harmful effects of so many different materials. Even similar products were found to have a unique composition. For example, a plastic bag made of bio-polyethylene may contain completely different substances than a wine cork made of the same material.

"Making general statements about certain materials becomes almost impossible," said Professor Wagner. 

It is not yet clear to what extent the substances in plastic are transferable to humans, or what the health consequences of ingestion may be. With so many factors to consider, further research is needed to determine whether bioplastics are actually better alternatives to plastics.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international">Environment International</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bioplastics are just as toxic as traditional plastics

Bioplastics are not any safer than traditional plastics, according to...

Earlier this year, Dr. Michael Pittman of the <a href="https://www.hku.hk/">University of Hong Kong</a> reported that powered flight evolved at least three separate times: twice in feathered dinosaurs and once in early birds. The research also revealed that many ancestors of birds came close to having the wing loading and specific lift thresholds that are indicative of the potential for powered flight.

In collaboration with Dr. Thomas Dececchi, Dr. Pittman has expanded his flight origins investigation to include Scansoriopterygids, an unusual group of theropods that used bat-like wings for gliding.

The rare dinosaurs lived around 160 million years ago in what is now northern China. It is believed that Scansoriopterygids weighed about one kilogram and ate insects, seeds, and other plants. 

Testing the theory of gliding ability among Scansoriopterygids is important for understanding how flight evolved among theropod dinosaurs. If confirmed, this bat-winged lifestyle would have been unique to Scansoriopterygids, and would also make them the most distantly related dinosaurs to birds that glide. 

The team used mathematical models to predict how Scansoriopterygids may have flown, while accounting for many different variables such as weight, wingspan, and muscle placement. The experts found that Scansoriopterygids did not have powered flight potential but were capable of clumsy gliding. 

"They could glide, but they weren't very good at it. If I were them I would have been particularly worried about predators!" said Dr. Pittman. Their poor gliding abilities may have contributed to the brief existence of Scansoriopterygids.

"The two Scansoriopterygid species we studied were so poorly capable of being in the air that they just got squeezed out," said Dr. Thomas Dececchi. "Maybe you can survive a few million years underperforming, but with birds, pterosaurs, gliding mammals all around, Scansoriopterygids were simply squeezed out until they disappeared."

Since gliding is only a strategy that can be used from certain heights, it is not an efficient form of flight. However, it did help to keep Scansoriopterygids out of danger. 

"If an animal needs to travel long distances, gliding costs a bit more energy at the start, but it's faster. It can also be used as an escape hatch. It's not a great thing to do, but sometimes it's a choice between losing a bit of energy and being eaten," said Dr. Dececchi. 

"Once Scansoriopterygids were put under pressure, they just lost their space. They couldn't win on the ground. They couldn't win in the air. They were done." 

The findings provide new evidence to support the idea that dinosaurs evolved flight in several different ways before modern birds emerged. 

"Our team continues to uncover a greater sense of the breadth of experimentation involved in getting dinosaurs into the air," said Dr. Pittman. "We plan to reveal even more details moving forward, particularly the different routes taken by dinosaurs to occupy the skies."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rare dinosaurs used bat-like wings for gliding

Earlier this year, Dr. Michael Pittman of the University of...

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/carnivores-that-eat-human-foods-are-altering-their-ecosystems/">ecosystems</a> of the Falkland Islands were transformed by seabirds thousands of years ago. Researchers at the <a href="https://umaine.edu/">University of Maine</a> explain that high concentrations of seabird poop, or guano, increased nutrient availability that nourished the land and soil.

Today, the Falkland Islands remain a sanctuary for many important seabirds, including five species of penguins. However, the coastal breeding grounds have come under increasing pressure from sheep grazing and erosion in recent years. In addition, there are no long-term observations available to understand how the ground nesting seabirds will respond to climate change.

By reconstructing the paleoecological history of the islands, the researchers determined that the birds initially colonized the region 5,000 years ago during a period of cooling climate conditions. The fact that seabirds were absent in the islands before this time suggests that they may be sensitive to warmer sea surface temperatures, which can impact their food supply, explained the study authors. As the South Atlantic warms today, it is possible that the Falkland Islands may not remain a hotspot for breeding seabirds. 

"Our work suggests that as the Southern Ocean continues to warm in the coming decades, the Falkland Islands seabird communities may undergo abrupt turnover or collapse, which could happen on the order of decades," wrote the researchers. They noted that the Falkland Islands are at the boundary of a number of potential climate drivers.

There are no native mammals or trees in the Falklands, and sheep were brought to the islands by settlers in the 17th century. The locals currently make a living from sheep farming, fishing, and tourism.

The 14,000-year record developed by the researchers showed that for 9,000 years before the arrival of seabirds, the East Falklands were dominated by low levels of grasses, a heathland of ferns, and dwarf Ericaceous shrubs. But then, around 5,000 years ago, the region was transformed by elements such as phosphorus, zinc, and grass pollen that were deposited by the seabirds. The analysis of the record indicates that within 200 years of seabird colonization, tussac grasslands became established.

Study lead author Dulcinea Groff conducted the research during expeditions in 2014 and 2016 that were led by Jacquelyn Gill, an associate professor of Paleoecology and Plant Ecology in the UMaine Climate Change Institute.

"Our work emphasizes just how important the nutrients in seabird poop are for the ongoing efforts to restore and conserve their grassland habitats. It also raises the question about where seabirds will go as the climate continues to warm," said Groff.

"Our 14,000-year record shows that seabirds established at Surf Bay during cooler climates. Seabird conservation efforts in the South Atlantic should be prepared for these species to move to new breeding grounds in a warmer world, and those locations may not be protected."

According to the researchers, it is clear that the addition of seabird populations bringing nutrients from the marine environment to the island drove changes in the terrestrial plant community structure, composition, and function, as well as in fire activity and nutrient cycling. What remains unclear is what drove the abrupt ecosystem shift, said Professor Gill.

"We know seabirds arrived at Surf Bay during a time when the climate was becoming cooler in the South Atlantic, though we still don't know for sure what it was they were tracking. We also don't know where these birds took refuge when climates were warmer, and that's concerning as the South Atlantic gets hotter into the future," explained Professor Gill.

"Our study is also a powerful reminder of why we need to understand how different ecosystems are connected as the world warms. We know that many seabirds in the South Atlantic rely on these unique coastal grasslands, but it turns out that the grasses also depend on the nutrients seabirds provide. Because they rely on ecosystems in the ocean and on land for their survival, seabirds are really good sentinels of global change."

"We just don't have good long-term monitoring data for most of these species, so we don't know enough about how sensitive they are to climate change. The fossil record can help us fill in the gaps."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</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

Nutrients in seabird poop transformed the Falkland Islands

The ecosystems of the Falkland Islands were transformed by seabirds...

Language is one of the most powerful tools that we have available as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-instability-drove-early-humans-to-become-adaptable/">humans</a>, yet there is still much that is unknown about why and when this complex form of communication evolved. 

A study led by the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/">University of Warwick</a> has produced new clues to help solve this mystery by tracing the capacity for language all the way back to the last common ancestor of monkeys, apes, and humans 30 to 40 million years ago.

The scientists found that apes and monkeys can track relationships between sounds the same way as humans, which means that this ability predates the evolution of language itself.

Language is based on the ability to understand combinations of words and the relationships between them. To process language, for example, humans pick up on the correlation between words in a sentence. This includes words that are next to each other, which is known as an 'adjacent dependency, or words that are distant from each other, known as a "non-adjacent dependency."

"Most animals do not produce non-adjacent dependencies in their own natural communication systems, but we wanted to know whether they might nevertheless be able to understand them," said Dr. Stuart Watson.

The study was focused on experiments that tested the ability of marmosets, chimpanzees, and humans to recognize non-adjacent dependencies among sequences of meaningless tones, which were used instead of words. This made it possible to compare the ability to recognize non-contiguous dependencies between three different primate species, even though they do not share a common language.

The study revealed that all three species could reliably process the relationships between both adjacent and non-adjacent sound elements. This indicates that non-adjacent dependency processing is widespread in the primate family.

The implications of this finding are significant, said Professor Simon Townsend. "This indicates that this critical feature of language already existed in our ancient primate ancestors, predating the evolution of language itself by at least 30 - 40 million years."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</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

The foundation of language evolved 30 to 40 million years ago

Language is one of the most powerful tools that we...

<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard</a> researchers have found that, like humans, chimpanzees become very selective about who they socialize with later in life. As people get older, they begin to favor smaller social circles, focusing on friendships that are already established rather than seeking out new ones. Chimpanzees are surprisingly similar, and gravitate toward more meaningful relationships in their older age, according to the study.

When it comes to people, adults tend to steer clear of drama and conflict and lean toward positive relationships - a preference known as a positivity bias. Prior to this study, however, there was no evidence to suggest that nonhuman animals actively select who they socialize with during aging.

A team of psychologists and primatologists analyzed the social interactions of 21 male chimpanzees between the ages of 15 and 58 years old in the Kibale National Park in Uganda. The study was based on 78,000 hours of observations from more than two decades. 

The researchers focused on male chimpanzees because they exhibit stronger social bonds and have more frequent social interactions compared to female chimps.

The team recognized much of the same behavior in aging chimpanzees that is seen in aging humans. For example, the older chimpanzees preferred grooming and spending time with chimps they had developed mutual bonds with over the years. Meanwhile, the younger chimps engaged in many one-sided relationships where grooming was not always returned. 

The males spent more time alone when they were older, but also made time for their important social partners, such as aging mutual friends. Just like older humans who seek out peace and quiet, there was a noticeable shift among chimpanzees from negative interactions to more positive ones as they got older.

"The really cool thing is that we found that chimpanzees are showing these patterns that mirror those of humans," said Professor Alexandra Rosati. She said that future research may help to determine if these behaviors constitute the normal or successful course that aging should take. "There's really a pressing need to understand the biology of aging. More humans are living longer than in the past, which can change the dynamics of aging."

When friendships were categorized as mutual, chimps preferred sitting close to those who preferred sitting close to them, as was most often observed among the older individuals. In the one-sided friendships, one chimp preferred to sit close to a chimp that did not share that preference.

The study revealed that 15-year-old chimps had an average of 2 one-sided friendships and just one mutual friend. On the other hand, 40-year-old chimps hardly even bothered with one-side relationships and had an average of 3 mutual friendships.

"We see individuals having these more lopsided friendships and then as they age they start really spending time with individuals that reciprocate," said Professor Machanda. "When you have this kind of mutual friendship, you actually groom that individual more, so these older chimps have these mutual friendships and they're actually grooming those individuals quite a bit. They're really invested in these relationships."

A prevailing theory as to why people prioritize close, positive relationships during aging is known as socioemotional selectivity. This theory proposes that the central process driving social selection during aging results from people becoming aware that their time is running out and wanting to make the best of that time. The findings from the Harvard study, however, suggest there is more to understand.

"Even though chimps are very smart, they do not understand they're going to die," said Professor Zarin Machanda. "Much more likely something else is going on in chimps to explain why their relationships become more positive as they get older, and then the question is what applies to chimps the same as what applies to humans."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</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

Chimpanzees are picky about friendships when they get older

Harvard researchers have found that, like humans, chimpanzees become very...

In late February, Dr. Stephen Smith of the <a href="https://www.seattlechildrens.org/research/">Seattle Children's Research Institute</a> suspected that he had been infected by the coronavirus. Since his symptoms did not qualify for COVID-19 testing at that time, Dr. Smith set out to create a method for testing himself. The results of his work are now being translated into a new technique of testing for the presence of neutralizing antibodies that could provide individuals with COVID-19 immunity. 

"If you think you've had COVID-19 and go to the doctor, they can test your blood and tell you whether or not you have antibodies to COVID-19, but that doesn't tell you whether your antibodies are any good at functionally blocking the virus from binding to cells," said Dr. Smith. "There are tests on the market now that can tell you that, but they are expensive and take a long time to get results. We wanted to develop a way to give you additional information about your immune status without all the barriers that make it difficult to use in a community setting."

SARS-CoV-2 invades the body by binding its spike protein to specific receptors on the surface of human cells. Antibodies that block this binding are believed to provide immunity in people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection.

Dr. Smith used a technique called immunoprecipitation detected by flow cytometry (IP-FCM) to look for evidence that antibodies could block the virus from binding to cells. While current blood testing relies on live cells and viruses, IP-FCM uses proteins developed in the lab.

"Other tests that provide insight into immunity work by taking antibodies from your blood and mixing them together with a virus and then exposing that mixture to live cells. Three days later they can determine immunity based on whether your blood prevented the viruses from infecting the cells or not," said Dr. Smith. "Our cell-free test can provide that same information overnight."

Dr. Lisa Frenkel and Dr. Whitney Harrington from the Center for Global Infectious Global Disease Research are following a community cohort of Seattle Children's employees who have recovered from mild to moderate COVID-19 without being hospitalized. Dr. Smith is collaborating with the researchers to investigate immune responses to SARS-CoV-2.

Using IP-FCM, Dr. Smith tested blood samples from 24 cohort participants. The analysis revealed that 92 percent of the participants had developed COVID-19 antibodies about a month after they were infected. 

"Not only did the participants have antibodies, but our test also showed that their antibodies were pretty effective at neutralizing the binding between the spike protein and the cell's receptor," said Dr. Smith. "It's consistent with other studies from cell-based tests showing that people who get COVID do make neutralizing antibodies."

The researchers also discovered that individuals who developed a fever during COVID-19 infection had higher levels of antibodies. 

"It's going to be very important to look at people over a longer time period to track their antibody levels and whether or not they get re-infected," said Dr. Smith. "Until we do those studies, we really don't know how these clinical measures of antibody neutralization relate to susceptibility in the real world."

The team is now using Dr. Smith's testing technique to screen thousands of approved drugs that could potentially block the spike protein from binding with human cells.

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jid">Journal of Infectious Diseases</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

New technique can be used to test for COVID-19 immunity

In late February, Dr. Stephen Smith of the Seattle Children's...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a> is giving new meaning to the popular saying "couples that pray together stay together." According to the research, attending religious services at churches, mosques, synagogues, or other places of worship helps to strengthen marriages, especially later in life. 

"Understanding ways to strengthen marriage in middle age and beyond is increasingly important as the population of older adults rises," explained the study authors. 

The research was focused on hundreds of couples, most of whom had been married for about 30 years. The experts found that partners who did not initially identify as religious, yet frequently engaged in common activities with their significant other, increased their engagement in worship and religion over the course of the study.

"I see this with many retirees - they're sitting in retirement and sometimes it seems as though they get stuck in a rut. At times it can seem like they don't know what to do with all this time they have now. This can be damaging not only to their own well-being, but it can take a toll on their relationship with their spouse," said study lead author Victoria King. 

"Engaging in joint hobbies and finding things that they can do together is important and can help strengthen their relationship. Perhaps that hobby might be getting more involved in church. I know that my grandparents look forward to their church related activities that they do together."

The study measured each partner's level of devoutness by assessing how important religion was to them, and also how often they attended religious services. The experts also weighed in the activities that each couple participated in, such as riding bicycles, trying new hobbies, or taking weekend trips solo. 

The participants reported on their happiness with their partners and overall satisfaction in their marriage.

Previous studies have shown that as individuals age, religion often becomes more of a priority in their lives. King explained that because most religions emphasize the sanctity of marriage and the family unit, it makes sense that religious involvement would encourage couples to place an added value on doing things together and keeping their families strong.

"Families and couples now are always pulled in so many different directions, with jam-packed schedules, and family time is often pushed aside," said King. "It is important to find those little times where families or couples can engage in some sort of joint activity together that they can enjoy."

The driving factor in church involvement appeared to be the wives, who often reported being more religious or spending more time with their husbands. This indicates that women spend the most time on relationship maintenance. As a result, the wives may be more likely to suggest doing things as a couple or becoming more involved in church.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</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

Couples that pray together really do stay together

A new study from the University of Georgia is giving...

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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



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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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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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"

[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...