A recent NASA-funded study has deepened the enigma of why life uses molecules with specific orientations.&nbsp;



Researchers have discovered that RNA - a crucial molecule thought to have potentially carried life's instructions before DNA emerged - can favor making the building blocks of proteins in either left-handed or right-handed forms. This finding could provide valuable clues to the origin of life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-puzzle-of-life-s-molecular-orientation">The puzzle of life's molecular orientation</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-life-begins-egg-sperm-and-a-covert-team-of-proteins/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proteins</a> are essential molecules in all living organisms, serving functions from structural components like hair to enzymes that speed up or regulate chemical reactions. 



Similar to how the 26 letters of the alphabet combine to form countless words, life uses 20 different amino acids in a vast array of arrangements to create millions of different proteins.&nbsp;



Some amino acids exist in two mirror-image forms, like left and right hands, but life predominantly uses the left-handed variety - a phenomenon known as homochirality.&nbsp;



Scientists remain puzzled about why life chose left-handed amino acids over right-handed ones, especially since life based on right-handed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-did-the-building-blocks-of-life-form/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">amino acids</a> would presumably function just as well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploring-the-rna-world-hypothesis">Exploring the “RNA world” hypothesis</h2>



DNA holds the instructions for building and maintaining living organisms but is complex and specialized. It “subcontracts” the work of reading instructions to RNA molecules and building proteins to ribosomes.&nbsp;



Due to DNA's complexity, scientists theorize that a simpler molecule preceded it billions of years ago during early life evolution. RNA, capable of both storing genetic information and building proteins, is a leading candidate, giving rise to the “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rna-world-unraveling-mysteries-life-origin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RNA world</a>” hypothesis.



If this proposition is correct, perhaps something about RNA caused it to favor building left-handed proteins over right-handed ones.&nbsp;



However, the new research did not support this idea, deepening the mystery of why life favored left-handed proteins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-evolutionary-pressures-nbsp">The role of evolutionary pressures&nbsp;</h2>



The experiment tested RNA molecules that act like enzymes to build proteins, called ribozymes.&nbsp;



“The experiment demonstrated that ribozymes can favor either left- or right-handed amino acids, indicating that RNA worlds, in general, would not necessarily have a strong bias for the form of amino acids we observe in biology now,” said corresponding author Irene Chen, a scientist at the <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Los Angeles</a> (UCLA) Samueli School of Engineering.



In simulating potential early-Earth conditions of the RNA world, researchers incubated a solution containing ribozymes and amino acid precursors to observe the relative percentages of right-handed and left-handed phenylalanine amino acids produced.&nbsp;



They tested 15 different ribozyme combinations and found that ribozymes can favor either left-handed or right-handed amino acids. This lack of inherent preference challenges the notion that early life was predisposed to select left-handed amino acids, which dominate in modern proteins.



“The findings suggest that life’s eventual homochirality might not be a result of chemical determinism but could have emerged through later evolutionary pressures,” said co-author Alberto Vázquez-Salazar, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar and member of Chen’s research group.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-understanding-life-s-origins">Implications for understanding life's origins</h2>



Earth's prebiotic history predates the oldest fossil records, which have been erased by plate tectonics - the slow movement of Earth's crust.&nbsp;



During that time, the planet was likely bombarded by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-would-happen-small-asteroid-hit-earth-nasa-ai-simulation-found-out/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">asteroids</a>, which may have delivered some of life's building blocks, such as amino acids. Alongside chemical experiments, other origin-of-life researchers are examining molecular evidence from meteorites and asteroids.



Study co-author Jason Dworkin is a senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA’s <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Goddard Space Flight Center</a> in Greenbelt, Maryland, and director of <a href="https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/691/analytical/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Goddard’s Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory</a>.



Dworkin is also the project scientist on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission - which extracted samples from the asteroid Bennu and delivered them to Earth.



“Understanding the chemical properties of life helps us know what to look for in our search for life across the solar system,” said Dworkin.&nbsp;



“We are analyzing OSIRIS-REx samples for the chirality (handedness) of individual amino acids, and in the future, samples from Mars will also be tested in laboratories for evidence of life including ribozymes and proteins.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-search-for-life-s-molecular-secrets">The search for life's molecular secrets</h2>



This discovery adds complexity to our understanding of life's molecular orientations, suggesting that homochirality might not have resulted from initial chemical conditions but could have developed due to evolutionary factors.&nbsp;



The findings prompt further research into the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-clues-about-the-origins-of-life-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">origins of life</a> and may influence how scientists search for life beyond Earth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52362-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



Image Credit: NASA



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Life’s molecular orientation: New discovery deepens the mystery

A recent NASA-funded study has deepened the enigma of why life uses molecules with specific orientations.&nbsp; Researchers have discovered that RNA - a crucial molecule thought to have potentially carried life's instructions before DNA emerged - can favor making the building blocks of proteins in either left-handed or right-handed forms. This finding could provide valuable clues to the origin of life. The puzzle of life's molecular orientation Proteins are essential molecules in all living organisms, serving functions from structural components like hair to enzymes that speed up...

In a special report from <a href="https://www.monash.edu/">Monash University</a>, experts warn that without limiting greenhouse gas <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/carbon-emissions-from-fire-are-controlled-by-soil-composition/">emissions</a>, the threat of severe wildfires will continue to drastically increase worldwide. On the other hand, if immediate action is taken to limit global warming, wildfire exposure could be reduced by up to 80 percent worldwide by the end of this century.

The researchers analyzed relevant studies published over the last 20 years. They found that climate change is the primary driving force behind the three essential conditions for wildfires - fuel, oxygen, and an ignition source. For example, the combination of more frequent drought, inconsistent rainfall, and hotter temperatures results in more flammable vegetation.

The report noted that the global average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from wildfires accounted for about 22 percent of the carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels between 1997 to 2016. 

Future projections indicate that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, wildfire exposure could increase to over 74 percent of the global land mass by the year 2100. According to the researchers, however,  limiting global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius would help to avoid an increase in wildfire exposure of 60 to 80 percent.

"The world has already observed many devastating effects of human-induced climate change," wrote the study authors. "A vivid manifestation is the several large wildfires that have occurred recently - in some cases, fires of unprecedented scale and duration - including wildfires in Australia in 2019 to 2020, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil in 2019 and 2020, the western United States in 2018 and 2020, and British Columbia in 2017 and 2018."

"Robust projections indicate that the risk of wildfires will continue to increase in most areas of the world as climate change worsens, and that the fires will increase excess mortality and morbidity from burns, wildfire smoke, and mental health effects."

The physical consequences of wildfire exposure include eye irritation, corneal abrasions, and respiratory impacts. The psychological effects include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and insomnia. 

Since August of this year, wildfires have burned more than 7 million acres in the western United States. More than 30 people have been killed and tens of thousands of victims have lost their homes. 

While the wildfires are fueled by climate change, they are also contributing to it. "Substantial greenhouse-gas emissions and forest loss from wildfires are likely to accelerate climate change further and possibly lead to a reinforcing feedback loop," wrote the researchers. 

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/">New England Journal of Medicine</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wildfire exposure could be drastically lowered by reducing emissions

In a special report from Monash University, experts warn that...

Individuals who have been infected by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/what-if-humans-are-spreading-covid-19-to-other-mammals/">COVID-19</a> have antibodies that provide lasting immunity, according to a new study from the <a href="https://health.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona Health Sciences</a>. These antibodies will likely prove to block SARS-COV-2 for years or even decades. 

More than 38 million people have been infected by COVID-19 worldwide, leading to over a million deaths. There have only been five known cases of patients who were reinfected by SARS-COV-2 a second time, and experts have been working to determine whether the body's immune response to the virus provides immunity. 

"We clearly see high-quality antibodies still being produced five to seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection," said Dr. Deepta Bhattacharya. "Many concerns have been expressed about immunity against COVID-19 not lasting. We used this study to investigate that question and found immunity is stable for at least five months."

In response to an infection, the immune system deploys short-lived plasma cells that produce antibodies to fight off the virus. These antibodies can be detected in blood tests within 14 days of infection.

During the second phase of the immune response, long-lived plasma cells are created to produce high-quality antibodies that provide lasting immunity. 

The experts tracked SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels over several months and found that they were present in blood tests at viable levels for at least five to seven months. The researchers believe that immunity lasts much longer. People who were infected with SARS-CoV-1, for example, are still immune 17 years later. 

"Whether antibodies provide lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2 has been one of the most difficult questions to answer," said Dr. Michael D. Dake. "This research not only has given us the ability to accurately test for antibodies against COVID-19, but also has armed us with the knowledge that lasting immunity is a reality."

Previous studies that were based on antibody production from initial infections suggested that antibody levels drop quickly after infection, providing only short-term immunity. Dr. Bhattacharya believes that those conclusions failed to take into account long-lived plasma cells and the higher quality antibodies they produce.

"The latest time-points we tracked in infected individuals were past seven months, so that is the longest period of time we can confirm immunity lasts," said Dr. Bhattacharya. "That said, we know that people who were infected with the first SARS coronavirus, which is the most similar virus to SARS-CoV-2, are still seeing immunity 17 years after infection. If SARS-CoV-2 is anything like the first one, we expect antibodies to last at least two years, and it would be unlikely for anything much shorter."

The antibody test developed by the UArizona Health Sciences team proved to be so accurate that it received U.S. Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization in August.

According to Dr. Nikolich-Zugich, the experts have now tested almost 30,000 people. Antibody tests are still available for adults at multiple locations throughout Arizona. Visit <a href="https://covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu/">covid19antibodytesting.arizona.edu</a> for more information.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/immunity/home">Immunity</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

COVID-19 antibodies provide lasting immunity

Individuals who have been infected by COVID-19 have antibodies that...

In Europe, concerns are growing that American signal crayfish will wipe out other populations, including Britain's endangered white-clawed crayfish. A new study from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> reveals that trapping the invasive animals is not helping to control them. 

The idea that "trapping to eat" American signal crayfish may control their numbers has caught on in recent decades. However, scientists are warning that this will inadvertently lead to the further spread of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-species-assemblages-cause-local-extinctions/">species</a> - not to mention the trapping of protected native crayfish.

"Invasive signal crayfish from the US were introduced to England in the 1970s. Since then they have spread rapidly, displacing native crayfish, impacting fish and damaging ecosystems," said study co-author Eleri Pritchard.

"While celebrity chefs and conservation charities have, with good intentions, promoted trapping and foraging as a way to control American signal crayfish, our research shows trapping to be ineffective. We are also concerned that trapping risks spreading the fungal pathogen, called crayfish plague, which is lethal to native European crayfish."

The researchers found that trapping is also not effective in determining signal crayfish numbers, considering that most are too small to catch using standard baited traps.

The research was focused on surveying populations in an upland stream in North Yorkshire, UK. The experts set out to compare the effectiveness of three methods: baited funnel trapping, handsearching, and the triple drawdown technique, which involves draining a section of stream to calculate crayfish numbers. 

The study showed that the triple drawdown method was the best for determining the size of crayfish populations. Using this technique, the scientists estimated signal crayfish densities of up to 110 per square meter. This estimate far exceeds the numbers calculated in similar streams using traps.

The researchers discovered that only two percent of the individuals were big enough to be caught in standard traps. They explained that signal crayfish can become sexually mature before reaching a size large enough to be trapped.

"We now have strong data to show that trapping does not help to control invasive crayfish. On the contrary, there is growing evidence that trapping furthers the spread," said study co-author Paul Bradley.

"In the short-term, conservation efforts should re-focus on promotion of aquatic biosecurity, and in the longer-term we need further research to better understand the invasion biology of American signal crayfish. This will help to inform more effective and sustainable approaches to the management and control of this problematic invasive species."

The scientists strongly recommend that recreational trapping is stopped. They want to shift the focus to initiatives like the UK's national Check Clean Dry campaign, which is aimed at educating the public. 

"Signal crayfish have a devastating impact on our waters, harming fish populations, increasing economic costs for fisheries and causing a nuisance for anglers," said Dr. Emily Smith. 

"These findings present a new chapter in management practices, providing invaluable intelligence for fisheries and angling clubs, supporting them in refining practical solutions to controlling this highly aggressive species."

The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652664">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Invasive crayfish cannot be controlled through trapping

In Europe, concerns are growing that American signal crayfish will...

While it is known that plants have the incredible ability to develop <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/flowers-spread-parasitic-bee-diseases/">flowers</a>, roots, roots, branches based on cues from their environment, not as much is understood about the underlying mechanisms that drive variations in plant shapes.

Study lead author Doris Wagner, a biologist in the School of Arts &amp; Sciences at the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a>, has long been interested in the how plants translate environmental inputs into physical traits. Her team has been studying two key groups of proteins that influence plant shapes, as well as the timing of developmental transitions.

The two proteins - Terminal Flower 1 (TLF1) and Flowering Locus T (FT) - are nearly identical yet serve different purposes. TLF1 proteins promote branch formation, while FT proteins promote flowering in response to seasonal cues like the number of daylight hours.

"These two elements have significance galore," said Wagner. "Besides flowering, they're involved in tuberization in potatoes, bulb formation in onions, tendril formation in grapes, growth cessation in trees, lots of things."

Some experts believe that manipulating these genes could lead to the next "green revolution" by tricking plants to flower more quickly. For example, by editing TFL1, plants could be programmed to produce seeds and fruit in the winter and but just during the long days of summer. On the other hand, altering growth through FT could increase branching followed by more abundant flowering and fruit production.

The two proteins are known to oppose each other - with TFL1 suppressing flowering and FT suppressing branch formation. Using the model species Arabidopsis thaliana, the researchers found thousands of sites where TFL1 was present in the nuclei of plant cells, and these regions were consistent with its role in suppressing flowering.

Next, the team examined the relationship of both TFL1 and FT with LEAFY, a gene that is known to give rise to flowers. When they mutated the sites where TFL1 regulates LEAFY, the protein was now found in parts of the plant where TFL1 is present. "We also saw something that we didn't expect," said Wagner. "LEAFY was gone from all the regions that should make flowers."

The study ultimately revealed that both proteins could activate the FD transcription factor that is required for flowering. In other words, FT and TFL1 compete for this FD factor binding site to influence plant shapes

Wagner is very interested in learning more about this mechanism to better understand how plants can "tune" their growth to best adapt to their environment. In future work, her team will investigate how both proteins respond to cues from the environment, such as the length of day. Wagner also wants to know how FT and TFL1 can control such different processes like flower, bulb, or tendril formation.

"You can imagine locally adapting crops, maybe for a high-altitude site in the Himalayas or maybe a location in the far north where days are short," said Wagner. "These elements could even play a role in rational solutions for climate change, breeding plants that are specifically adapted for new conditions."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Two competing proteins determine plant shapes

While it is known that plants have the incredible ability...

In order to calculate the true value of nature, we must focus on how much people benefit from it, according to researchers at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>. For example, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fully-stocking-u-s-forests-could-reduce-carbon-emissions-by-20-percent/">forests</a> provide so many different benefits, even just as a refuge to connect with nature, but these benefits are not the same for everyone. 

"Context matters," said study lead author Lisa Mandle, who is the lead scientist at the Stanford Natural Capital Project. "If we want to protect the critical natural assets we all depend on, we need actionable policies that incorporate people's diverse needs. It shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all approach when we're talking about people and nature."

Worldwide, there is a growing movement to invest in nature in an effort to protect invaluable resources and improve climate resilience. For policies and management decisions to account for nature, however, the researchers say the science behind them needs to be more inclusive and people-centric.

The experts also emphasize the need for a focus on equity. For some people, a forest has deep cultural significance, while for others it is a source of timber. When all of these benefits are not considered, many people who depend on nature will be left out of important management decisions.

"If you don't know who specifically would benefit from which ecosystems, how can you prioritize where and how to conserve?" said study co-author Taylor Ricketts, director of University of Vermont's Gund Institute for Environment. "We want to make sure the benefits of ecosystems are shared equitably, so that we don't make existing racial and social inequality even worse."

"People need to see themselves - their values and needs - supported in conservation efforts. Often, research will try to assign an overall dollar value to nature without thinking about who will benefitting from it," said Mandle. "That's like saying you have $50 of food in your pantry, but you don't know what kind of food it is or who will be eating. You can't plan your meal without knowing what you have and what your diners need."

The researchers are calling for the scientific community to help build an understanding around who is benefitting from nature in the communities they are hoping to serve. They emphasize direct engagement with people, so that science and policy can be better equipped to meet societal needs, increase equity, and protect vital resources.

"This is a call for us all to do a better job. We can better deliver the information needed to move towards a more sustainable and equitable future," said Mandle. "And that's what we're all working toward."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain">Nature Sustainability</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Identifying the benefits of nature can help protect it

In order to calculate the true value of nature, we...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>, experts have determined that carnivores living near people are eating so much human <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-more-accurately-recall-the-location-of-high-calorie-foods/">food</a> that it has become a threat to their ecosystems. The researchers found that more than half of the diets of these animals come from human sources, and the consequences could put North America's carnivore-dominated ecosystems at risk.

The study is the most comprehensive of its kind to evaluate how major carnivores like gray wolves, coyotes, and bobcats have changed their diets in response to people.

The researchers analyzed the diets of seven predators across the Great Lakes region. Bone and fur samples of more than 700 species were collected from diverse sites, ranging from remote national parks to metropolitan areas like Albany, New York. The study revealed that the closer the carnivores lived to cities and farms, the more human food they ate.

Evolution shaped predators to compete for different resources, but having a common food source will put new species in conflict with each other. The ecological balance between different carnivores, and between predators and prey, could be completely disrupted. 

The amount of food eaten by the animals varied by location to a great degree. In the most human-altered habitats, an average more than 25 percent of the carnivores' diets came from human sources, and some species indulged more than others. Bobcats, for example, ate a relatively small amount of human food. 

"But what you see is that the sort of generalist species that you might expect - coyotes, foxes, fishers, martens - in human-dominated landscapes, they're getting upwards of 50 percent of their diet from human foods," said study lead author Phil Manlick. "That's a relatively shocking number, I think."

The study revealed that relying on human food sources increased how much carnivores overlapped in their competition for food. Heavy reliance on human food could also make the carnivores vulnerable to human attacks near towns, or change how and when they hunt traditional prey.

Considering the geographic extent of the study and the large number of species involved, the trend of human-sourced food in carnivore diets is widespread, and the consequences are not yet clear.

"When you change the landscape so dramatically in terms of one of the most important attributes of a species - their food - that has unknown consequences for the overall community structure," said Professor Jon Pauli. "And so I think the onus is now on us as ecologists and conservation biologists to begin to understand these novel ecosystems and begin to predict who are the winners and who are the losers."

The study is published in the journal <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

Carnivores that eat human foods are altering their ecosystems

In a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, experts...

Scientists at the <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania  School of Medicine</a> are using wasp venom to create new <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fda-outlines-the-drugs-that-show-potential-for-treating-covid-19/">drugs</a>. The research is focused on the potential for proteins found in wasp venom to be converted into bacteria-killing molecules. The ultimate goal is to develop powerful antibiotics, which are desperately needed as antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasingly emerging worldwide. 

The experts altered a highly toxic protein from the Korean yellow-jacket wasp, Vespula lewisii, which enhanced the molecule's ability to kill bacterial cells. At the same time, the modification greatly reduced the risk for the protein to harm human cells.

The scientists demonstrated that their new antimicrobial molecules could protect mice from otherwise lethal bacterial infections.

The CDC estimates that nearly three million Americans are infected with antibiotic-resistant microbes each year, resulting in more than 35,000 deaths. A persistent bacterial infection can lead to sepsis, which was responsible for about one in five deaths worldwide in 2017.

"New antibiotics are urgently needed to treat the ever-increasing number of drug-resistant infections, and venoms are an untapped source of novel potential drugs. We think that venom-derived molecules such as the ones we engineered in this study are going to be a valuable source of new antibiotics," said study senior author Dr. César de la Fuente.

Experiments showed that the family of bacteria-killing molecules engineered by the team were comparable to existing antibiotics such as gentamicin and imipenem. Alternatives are needed due these and other older antibiotics due to the spread of resistant bacterial strains.

The researchers created dozens of variants of the molecules and identified several that enhanced antimicrobial potency with no toxicity to human cells. They hope to develop one or more of these molecules into new antibiotics, and will explore the potential for other venom toxins to be used as well. 

"The principles and approaches we used in this study can be applied more broadly to better understand the antimicrobial and immune-modulating properties of peptide molecules, and to harness that understanding to make valuable new treatments," said Dr. de la Fuente.

The study is published in the journal <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

Scientists are using wasp venom to create new antibiotics

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania  School of Medicine are...

Fires are becoming more frequent and more intense in the North American boreal <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/african-forest-elephants-are-running-out-of-fruit/">forest</a>, and experts are urgently working to estimate how much carbon is being released as a result. Researchers at <a href="https://nau.edu/">Northern Arizona University</a> have found that the carbon stored in soil organic matter underground is the most important predictor of how much carbon will be released in a fire.

The study suggests that carbon emissions from fire are primarily determined by the amount of fuel available, rather than by the weather conditions. 

The team studied the diverse composition of the Western Boreal forest conditions by analyzing field data from 417 burn sites in Canada and Alaska. The research revealed that the biggest predictor of how much carbon would combust was the amount of carbon that was stored in the soils, and that soil moisture was also a good indicator of carbon release.

"In these northern forests, soil, not trees, can account for up to 90 percent of carbon emissions, so we expected that these organic soils would be a significant driver," said study  lead author Xanthe Walker. "But we were surprised that fire weather and the time of year a fire starts proved to be poor indicators of carbon combustion. It's really about the fuels that are there when a fire starts."

This discovery is particularly important considering that the Fire Weather Index, which measures weather conditions, is one of the main tools that is used to model carbon emissions in boreal forests.

"When we think of climate change and wildfires, we often instinctively think of extreme weather conditions," said study co-author Marc-André Parisien. "But our study shows that vegetation also matters - a lot! Predicting future vegetation is a tough nut to crack, but this study emphasizes the need to keep chipping away at it."

The vegetation patterns that were uncovered in the study were very complex. The researchers found that factors such as soil moisture and tree species composition interact to predict combustion amounts. For example, highly flammable black spruce was generally a predictor of carbon combustion, and the presence of this species increased with site moisture.

Climate change alters the species composition of a forest. As fires become more frequent, black spruce trees will gradually be replaced by deciduous trees and jack pine, which grow in soils that are shallow and release less carbon during fires, according to the study authors. 

"We really need to move beyond the misconception of the boreal forest as a monotonous stretch of forest," said study co-author Professor Sander Veraverbeke. "While only a few tree species occur in the boreal forest, its diversity in ecosystem structure, forest age, topography, peatland occurrence and permafrost conditions is enormous, and our paper shows that these features dictate the carbon emissions from boreal fires. The good news is that we can map aspects of this fine-scale ecosystem variation with current tools from NASA and other space agencies. Now we need to do this at the continental scale."

"We are figuring out that fire-vegetation feedbacks a lot stronger than we thought they were just a few years ago," said Parisien. "Of course, we'll never be able to manage all of vast boreal biome - nor should we want to - but this helps us know what targeted actions, such as fire management or modifying forest vegetation, we can take to limit carbon loss."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate">Nature Climate Change</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Carbon emissions from fire are controlled by soil composition

Fires are becoming more frequent and more intense in the...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/what-if-humans-are-spreading-covid-19-to-other-mammals/">Humans</a> are much more accurate in recalling the location of high calorie foods compared to those with less calories, according to a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</a>. The research suggests that human spatial memory, which allows us to remember where an object is located in relation to another object, has evolved to prioritize the location of high calorie foods.

One behavioral ecology model, the optimal foraging theory, proposes that an animal’s fitness is the direct result of the efficiency with which the individual acquires energy. This theory assumes that under the pressure of natural selection, animals hunt for higher calorie meals to maximize the rate of energy gain.

"Although this theory has been extensively referenced in relation to the foraging strategies of other animals, the question of whether humans also inherently carry adaptations geared toward energy-efficient foraging has not been thoroughly assessed to date," wrote the study authors. 

"For about 99 percent of human evolution, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers inhabiting a highly complex and variable physical food environment, where food sources varied on both spatial and temporal availabilities." 

"A cognitive adaptation that could have evolved to optimize foraging efforts within such erratic food habitats of the past is a high-calorie bias in spatial memory. Such an inbuilt spatial bias entails the automatic registration and prioritization in memory of high-calorie food locations."

The researchers said that this foraging strategy would have improved the ability of hunter-gatherers to navigate toward calorie-rich resources without competing for limited attentional capacities required in other important activities, such as avoiding predators.

To investigate, a team of researchers led by Rachelle de Vries measured food location memory among 512 volunteers. The participants were divided into two groups that were instructed to follow a fixed route around a room that contained either eight food samples or eight food-scented cotton pads placed in various locations. 

When the individuals reached a sample, they rated how much they liked it based on how it tasted or smelled. The food and odor samples included apples, potato chips, brownies, and cucumbers.

Next, the volunteers were presented with a map of the room and were asked to identify the location of each food or food odor.

The participants presented with food samples at the study site were nearly 30 percent more accurate at mapping high calorie foods and in mapping the room in general. 

While spatial memory was influenced by calorie content, it was not influenced by how much an individual liked a particular sample. Overall, the mapping of rooms was 243 percent more accurate when participants were presented with actual food samples.

The findings confirm that human spatial memory is biased towards locating high calorie foods. According to the study authors, this bias could have helped human ancestors to survive in environments with fluctuating food availability by enabling them to efficiently locate calorie-dense foods through foraging 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</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

Humans more accurately recall the location of high calorie foods

Humans are much more accurate in recalling the location of...

SARS-CoV-2 can survive for up to 28 days on common <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/modifying-metal-surfaces-to-instantly-kill-viruses/">surfaces</a> such as dollar bills, mobile phones, and stainless steel, according to a new study from the Australian national science agency <a href="https://www.csiro.au/">CSIRO</a>.

To investigate the survivability of SARS-COV-2, the researchers conducted tests at the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) in Geelong. 

The team found that SARS-CoV-2 is more persistent at lower temperatures. The virus also remains viable for longer on non-porous, smooth surfaces like glass or stainless steel compared to porous surfaces such as cotton.

According to CSIRO Chief Executive Dr. Larry Marshall, the surface survivability study builds on the agency's other COVID-19 research, including vaccine testing, wastewater testing, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) manufacture and accreditation.

"Establishing how long the virus really remains viable on surfaces enables us to more accurately predict and mitigate its spread, and do a better job of protecting our people," said Dr. Marshall. 

"Together, we hope this suite of solutions from science will break down the barriers between us, and shift focus to dealing with specific virus hotspots so we can get the economy back on track."

Dr. Debbie Eagles is the deputy director of ACDP, where experts have been working on a potential vaccine for the virus.

"Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious on surfaces for long periods of time, reinforcing the need for good practices such as regular handwashing and cleaning surfaces," said Dr. Eagles.

"At 20 degrees Celsius, which is about room temperature, we found that the virus was extremely robust, surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes."

"For context, similar experiments for Influenza A have found that it survived on surfaces for 17 days, which highlights just how resilient SARS-CoV-2 is."

For their investigation, the researchers dried artificial mucus containing the virus on different surfaces. The concentrations used were similar to those reported in samples from infected patients.

Experiments carried out at 30 and 40 degrees Celsius showed that SARS-COV-2 became less persistent as the temperature increased. 

"While the precise role of surface transmission, the degree of surface contact and the amount of virus required for infection is yet to be determined, establishing how long this virus remains viable on surfaces is critical for developing risk mitigation strategies in high contact areas," said Dr. Eagles.

Professor Trevor Drew, the director of ACDP, said that many viruses remained viable on surfaces outside their host.

"How long they can survive and remain infectious depends on the type of virus, quantity, the surface, environmental conditions and how it's deposited - for example touch vs droplets emitted by coughing," said Professor Drew. "Proteins and fats in body fluids can also significantly increase virus survival times."

"The research may also help to explain the apparent persistence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 in cool environments with high lipid or protein contamination, such as meat processing facilities and how we might better address that risk."

The study is published in the <a href="https://virologyj.biomedcentral.com/">Virology Journal</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 coronavirus can survive on common surfaces for weeks

SARS-CoV-2 can survive for up to 28 days on common...

Researchers at the <a href="https://en.ustc.edu.cn/">University of Science and Technology of China</a> (USTC) are shedding new light on the remarkable ability of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plants-from-ancient-rainforests-can-be-identified-in-fossil-teeth/">plant</a> stem cells, or meristems, to block out viruses as they divide and reproduce, even if the rest of the plant is infected.

Meristems exist at the tips of all plants. They convert themselves into the various specialized cells that make up the plant, dividing and producing various types of new cells as needed. 

The ability of meristems to block viruses was discovered in the 1950s. Farmers and scientists use this to their advantage by snipping a part of the tip of infected plants to cultivate new, healthy plants. 

The research was focused on Arabidopsis thaliana, a thale cress related to cabbage and mustard that is often used in botanical studies as a model. The experts introduced the plants to the Cucumber Mosaic Virus to investigate how the meristems responded. 

The study revealed that as the virus spread towards the meristems, it stopped just before it reached the WUSCHEL-expression domain. 

WUSCHEL is an extremely important protein that plays a key role in determining the fate of stem cells in the earliest developmental stages of a plant embryo. This protein also regulates the meristems and specifies what type of daughter cells they will produce.

The scientists closely analyzed the distribution of the WUSCHEL proteins, and found that more of these proteins had appeared where the virus had initially tried to establish itself.

When the experts injected the virus directly into the plant's meristems and just below them, the infection only spread in the lower region. 

"There's a chemical called dexamethasone that can induce production of these WUSCHEL proteins in our tested plants, so next, we inoculated more cress with the virus and then gave some of the plants dexamethasone treatment, and some we just left alone," explained study co-author Professor Zhong Zhao. 

Among the untreated plants, 89 percent were infected by the virus. Meanwhile, 90 percent of the treated plants were free from virus invasion. The team was surprised to find that the WUSCHEL proteins worked to inhibit production of viral proteins.

Viruses cannot make their own proteins, so they must manipulate the proteins in an organism in order to replicate. To protect the meristems, the WUSCHEL proteins had essentially frozen all protein production, which prevented the viruses from replicating.

"Our results reveal a conserved strategy in plants to protect stem cells against viral intrusion and provide a molecular basis for WUSCHEL-mediated broad-spectrum innate antiviral immunity in plants," wrote the study authors. 

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

Study reveals how the tips of plants block viruses

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China...

Nearly a century ago, scientists discovered an aquatic mouse in a stream in Ethiopia with water-resistant fur and broad feet for wading in the water. No one has ever found another mouse belonging to this species, which is now thought to be <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-species-assemblages-cause-local-extinctions/">extinct</a>. 

However, in a new study, scientists have identified close relatives of the mysterious mouse, including two previously unknown species. 

Study co-author Julian Kerbis Peterhans is a researcher at the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> who has studied the rodents for more than three decades. 

"These two groups of mice have been confused with one another for a century," said Peterhans. "They've been so elusive for so long, they're some of the rarest animals in the world, so it's exciting to finally figure out their family tree."

The genus represented by the single specimen collected in Ethiopia is known as Nilopegamys. The relatives of Nilopegamys, which are rare animals found in the Congo Basin and western Africa, belong to the genus Colomys. The name Colomys roughly translates to "stilt mouse" because of its elongated feet for wading and foraging in shallow streams.

"These mice are long-footed, kind of like a kangaroo. They sit up on their haunches, and they wade through shallow streams with their whiskers on the water's surface detecting movements, like sonar," said Peterhans. 

"When I caught my first one some 30 years ago, it was the most beautiful African mouse I'd ever seen, it had water repellent fur that's very thick and lush and warm and cozy. They're incredibly soft, and they have this remarkable snow-white belly."

The mice prefer shallow streams where they can use their whiskers to help them hunt, but they are also found in rivers and swamps.

"To cross one of the rivers where I caught a Colomys, you have to use walking sticks, the water's up to your waist," said study co-author Terry Demos. "And you can have torrential rain in the tropics, so sometimes half the traps get swept away, and you have to go downriver to try to find them."

The research is the first of its kind to evaluate Colomys throughout its broad range. Drawing from field studies and museum collections, the team compared the physical traits of the mice and conducted DNA testing. 

The analysis revealed that within the Colomys genus, there were two new species that had not yet been described, which are now known as Colomys lumumbai and C. wologizi. 

"The new species we named are part of a global effort to understand the biodiversity of African rainforests and highlight the critical areas to be preserved," said Demos. "There are vast areas of the Congo Basin that have barely been explored in the last seventy years, places that are hard to access due to political instability. We're not even completely sure how these animals are distributed, there are big gaps."

Study lead author Professor Tom Giarla managed to extract DNA from a piece of dried tissue on the skull of the 93-year-old specimen, which ultimately revealed that Nilopegamys is the closest known relative of Colomys. 

"It's underappreciated how little is known about the biodiversity of small mammals, especially in tropical parts of the world. We're not discovering a whole lot of new lions, tigers, and bears, but there's an incredible potential for discovery of new species of small mammals because they're tough to find," said Professor Giarla.

"And they're sort of underappreciated animals - they're really cool when you start to learn about their ecology. These are semi-aquatic mice, so they're not just your average, everyday rodents."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean">Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New aquatic mice have long feet to wade in rivers and streams

Nearly a century ago, scientists discovered an aquatic mouse in...

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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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[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



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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"

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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

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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...