Spaghetti, a word that evokes thoughts of delicious Italian cuisine and hearty meals, has taken on an entirely new meaning in the realm of science.



Imagine strands so impossibly thin they are 200 times slimmer than a human hair -- not destined for marinara sauce but poised to revolutionize fields as diverse as medicine and advanced materials science.



Recently, a team of scientists from University College London (<a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCL</a>) has crafted the world’s thinnest strands of material, daintily dubbed "spaghetti" in an attempt to blend the familiar with the extraordinary.



Beatrice Britton, the study's lead author, carried out the work as part of her master’s degree in chemistry at UCL.



“To make spaghetti, you push a mixture of water and flour through metal holes. In our study, we did the same except we pulled our flour mixture through with an electrical charge. It’s literally spaghetti but much smaller,” explained co-author Dr. Adam Clancy from the UCL Department of Chemistry.



However, this remarkable creation isn’t for your dinner plate. Its potential lies in novel applications for wound healing, tissue <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-killifish-regeneration-may-help-us-heal-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">regeneration</a>, and drug delivery, thereby setting a new benchmark in nanotechnology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-healing-power-of-spaghetti-nanopasta">Healing power of "spaghetti" nanopasta</h2>



The secret lies in its base material - starch. This <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-refined-carbs-can-make-you-less-attractive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbohydrate</a>, accumulated in abundance by green plants, provides us with fascinating prospects for creating nanofibers.



The microscopic mats of nanofibers are permeable enough to permit the passage of water and moisture, while acting as a protective barrier against harmful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-form-memories-and-pass-them-on-to-future-generations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bacteria</a>. 



“Nanofibers, such as those made of starch, show potential for use in wound dressings as they are very porous,” said Professor Gareth Williams from UCL School of Pharmacy. 



“In addition, nanofibers are being explored for use as a scaffold to regrow tissue, as they mimic the extra-cellular matrix – a network of proteins and other molecules that cells build to support themselves.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-spaghetti-nanopasta">Making spaghetti nanopasta</h2>



Nanofibers made from starch offer remarkable potential for applications in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/increasing-plant-extinction-threatens-the-future-of-medicine-and-human-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">medicine</a> and industry. 



However, traditional methods for producing these materials rely on extracting and purifying starch from plant cells - a process that demands significant energy and water and raises environmental concerns.



The UCL team has devised an innovative alternative: creating nanofibers directly from starch-rich flour, a widely available and sustainable resource.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/spaghetti_worlds-thinnest_nanopasta_single-strand_credit-UCL_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/spaghetti_worlds-thinnest_nanopasta_single-strand_credit-UCL_1s.webp" alt="Each individual strand is too narrow to be clearly captured by any form of visible light camera or microscope, so the team used a scanning electron microscope, scanning the mat with a focused beam of electrons and creating an image based on the pattern of electrons that are deflected or knocked-off. Credit: Beatrice Britton / Adam Clancy" class="wp-image-1951309"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Each individual strand is too narrow to be clearly captured by any form of visible light camera or microscope, so the team used a scanning electron microscope, scanning the mat with a focused beam of electrons and creating an image based on the pattern of electrons that are deflected or knocked-off. Credit: Beatrice Britton / Adam Clancy</figcaption></figure>



Bypassing the need for intensive purification, this approach not only reduces resource consumption but also leverages a common food ingredient in an unexpected and transformative way.



This method represents a shift towards greener nanotechnology, aligning material science innovation with environmental responsibility.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-spaghetti-nanopasta">Future of spaghetti nanopasta</h2>



The researchers are optimistic about the future of these ultra-thin nanofibers, especially when they are made using starch-rich flour as a starting material.



“Starch is a promising material to use as it is abundant and renewable -- it is the second largest source of biomass on Earth, behind cellulose -- and it is biodegradable, meaning it can be broken down in the body,” said Dr. Clancy.



However, the process of creating nanofibers from flour is not without challenges. Impurities such as proteins and cellulose increase the mixture’s viscosity, making fiber formation more difficult.



The study highlights how using formic acid instead of water effectively breaks down the giant starch helices, allowing the creation of nanofibers. 



The researchers also carefully controlled the mixture’s temperature during preparation to achieve the right consistency. 



This novel approach not only simplifies the process but also opens the door to sustainable and scalable production methods.



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



While the team has made significant progress, much work remains to fully explore the potential of this "healing spaghetti." 



“We’ve shown that a simpler way to make nanofibers using flour is possible. The next step would be to investigate the properties of this product. We would want to know, for instance, how quickly it disintegrates, how it interacts with cells, and if you could produce it at scale,” explained Dr. Clancy.



The versatility of these nanofibers opens the door to applications beyond medicine, potentially transforming areas such as environmental engineering and biodegradable materials.



Despite the promise of starch-based nanofibers in medicine and industry, their culinary applications remain out of reach. 



“I don’t think it’s useful as pasta, sadly, as it would overcook in less than a second, before you could take it out of the pan,” Professor Williams stated humorously.



The researchers plan to continue refining the electrospinning process and exploring the properties of their nanofibers to determine their viability for practical applications. 



For now, the world's thinnest "spaghetti" stands as a remarkable example of the creativity and ingenuity of modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/astronauts-are-studying-materials-science-in-space/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">materials science</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2024/na/d4na00601a">Nanoscale Advances</a>.



Image Credit: Beatrice Britton / Adam Clancy



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World’s thinnest spaghetti 'nanopasta' could heal wounds and regrow tissues

Spaghetti, a word that evokes thoughts of delicious Italian cuisine and hearty meals, has taken on an entirely new meaning in the realm of science. Imagine strands so impossibly thin they are 200 times slimmer than a human hair -- not destined for marinara sauce but poised to revolutionize fields as diverse as medicine and advanced materials science. Recently, a team of scientists from University College London (UCL) has crafted the world’s thinnest strands of material, daintily dubbed "spaghetti" in an attempt to blend the familiar with...

Scientists solve the mystery of why we need sleep. In the first couple years of life, sleep helps build the brain's infrastructure. After the age of two and a half, sleep takes on an entirely new decluttering role, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">UCLA</a>.

While it is known that sleep deprivation can lead to severe <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/our-immune-system-may-protect-us-from-mental-health-issues/">health</a> problems, much about the purpose and function of rest has remained a mystery. The UCLA team has discovered for the very first time that the purpose of sleep takes a dramatic shift early in life.

Before the age of 2.5 years, the brain grows very rapidly. As vivid dreams occur during the REM phase, the young brain is building and strengthening synapses, which are the structures that connect brain cells together so they can communicate.

"Don't wake babies up during REM sleep - important work is being done in their brains as they sleep," said senior study author Professor Gina Poe, who has conducted sleep research for more than 30 years.

The researchers report that after the age of 2.5, the primary purpose of rest switches from building the brain to maintaining and repairing it, and this becomes its permanent role.

A certain amount of neurological damage naturally accumulates during waking hours, including damage to genes and proteins within neurons. Over time, this debris can build up and cause brain disease. Sleep helps repair this damage, essentially decluttering the brain and eliminating the debris that can lead to serious illness.

According to study senior author Professor Van Savage, nearly all of this brain repair occurs during sleep. "I was shocked how huge a change this is over a short period of time, and that this switch occurs when we're so young. It's a transition that is analogous to when water freezes to ice."

For the investigation, the researchers conducted the most comprehensive statistical analysis of sleep to date. The analysis was focused on data from more than 60 studies involving humans and other mammals. 

The evidence was very consistent that all species experience a dramatic decline in REM sleep when they reach the human developmental equivalent of about 2.5 years of age. The fraction of time spent in the REM phase after this point was found to be roughly the same across all humans and animals studied.

While newborns spend about 50 percent of their rest time in the REM phase, this drops to 25 percent by age 10 and continues to decline with age. The significant dropoff in REM sleep at about 2-and-a-half happens just as the major change in the function of sleep occurs, said Professor Poe.

"Sleep is as important as food. And it's miraculous how well sleep matches the needs of our nervous system. From jellyfish to birds to whales, everyone sleeps. While we sleep, our brains are not resting."

Chronic sleep deprivation likely contributes to long-term health problems such as dementia and other cognitive disorders, diabetes, and obesity, to name a few, said Professor Poe. When you start to feel tired, she said, don't fight it - go to bed.

"I fought sleep and pulled all-nighters when I was in college, and now think that was a mistake," said Professor Savage. "I would have been better off with a good night's sleep. Now when I feel tired, I don't have any guilt about sleeping."

According to Professor Poe, a regular seven-and-a-half hours of rest a night is normal, and time lying awake doesn't count. "A good night's sleep is excellent medicine. And it's free."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists solve the mystery of why we need sleep

Scientists solve the mystery of why we need sleep. In...

The immune system may not only be guarding our physical health, but our <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/resilience-training-can-help-address-mental-health-crisis/">mental health</a> as well. Experts led by <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> came to this conclusion while they compared immune system cells in the spinal fluid of MS patients and healthy subjects.

In the spinal fluid of healthy patients, the team discovered an inflammatory autoimmune response that is typically associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS).

The findings support an emerging theory that gamma interferons, a type of immune cell that helps induce and modulate a variety of immune system responses, may also help to prevent depression in healthy people.

"We were surprised that normal spinal fluid would be so interesting," said study senior author Professor David Hafler.

Previous studies have shown that blocking gamma interferons, along with the T cells they help produce,  can cause depressive symptoms in mice. Professor Hafler noted that depression is also a common side effect in patients with MS treated with a different type of interferon.

The investigation was made possible through a powerful new technique which allows individual cells to be examined in great detail. Using this technology, the researchers determined that while the characteristics of T cells in the spinal fluid of healthy people share similarities with those of MS patients, they lack the ability to replicate and cause the damaging inflammatory immune system response seen in autoimmune diseases such as MS.

In the brain of all people, the immune system is prepared to make an inflammatory response and may have another function than defending against pathogens, said Professor Hafler. "These T cells serve another purpose and we speculate that they may help preserve our mental health."

According to Professor Hafler, his lab and colleagues at Yale plan to explore how immune system responses in the central nervous system may affect psychiatric disorders such as depression.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://immunology.sciencemag.org/">Science Immunology</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Our immune system may protect us from mental health issues

The immune system may not only be guarding our physical...

A study from the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> describes a new early-warning method for predicting droughts in the Amazon rainforest up to 18 months in advance. The experts have confirmed that sea surface temperatures in the adjacent tropical <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/unraveling-the-mysteries-of-the-ocean/">oceans</a> can be used to forecast droughts in the central Amazon basin.

Weather extremes in tropical South America can cause enormous damage to ecosystems and threaten the livelihoods of millions of people. The ability to predict when droughts will strike can help to mitigate some of these impacts. 

Study lead author Dr. Niklas Boers is a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

"The fact that changes in sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans impact rainfall patterns in the tropical parts of South America is long known," said Dr. Boers. "What we did was use a new complex network approach which made it possible to discriminate between areas in the oceans which have negative or positive effects on rainfall in tropical South America." 

The study revealed that monitoring two specific regions in the Atlantic Ocean will reliably forecast droughts in South America. These two areas, which are north and south of each other, sometimes go out of phase - one ocean region warms up while the other cools down. When this occurs, the Amazon is likely to experience a severe drought within one to 1.5 years.

Sea surface temperature anomalies in the two relevant areas of the Atlantic shift the so-called trade winds north or south. This changes the overall moisture budget for the Amazon, which cause severe droughts in the rainforest.

"For the first time, we can accurately predict drought in the tropical regions of South America as far as 18 months in advance. The two crucial factors in this research are the selection of the precise, relevant locations in the Atlantic Ocean, and the observation that the correlation between the southern and the northern ocean regions can be used for prediction," said Dr. Boers.

There are numerous indigenous tribes in the Amazon whose way of life is already threatened by land removal and deforestation. In addition, farmers with cattle and fisheries throughout the Amazon depend on rainfall to keep lakes and rivers high enough for transport. An early warning system will give people the opportunity to prepare for drought conditions.

Unfortunately, there is no way to protect the forest itself from damaging droughts, which are increasing in frequency and duration. During two separate "droughts of a century" in 2005 and 2010, the Amazon rainforest was transformed from being a carbon sink to becoming a carbon source for months at a time. 

Climate models predict the Amazon will eventually reach a tipping point due to global warming and deforestation. At this time, the rainforest will permanently transition into a savanna.

"It is really the combined effect of the two which is the problem. I am not expecting the Amazon to be there more or less like today at the end of my life," said Dr. Boers.

The research is part of the TiPES project, an EU Horizon 2020 funded climate science project investigating tipping points in the Earth system.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326">Environmental Research Letters</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Ocean temperatures in the Atlantic can be used to forecast droughts in the Amazon

A study from the University of Copenhagen describes a new...

Rapidly melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are believed to be the two main drivers of sea-level rise, and calculating future ice loss is critically important to gain a better idea of how much we can expect the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-oceans-absorb-much-more-carbon-than-previously-thought/">oceans</a> to expand in the coming decades. 

In an unprecedented study from <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/about-us/organisation/profile.html">AWI</a>, 36 research institutes have compared 14 ice-sheet models using the same atmospheric and ocean data to calculate the amount of sea-level rise that will be contributed by Greenland and Antarctica throughout the remainder of this century.

The model simulations showed consistent results for Greenland. If greenhouse gas emissions and global warming continue at the current rate, Greenland will lose enough ice to contribute nine centimeters to global sea-level rise by the year 2100.

On the other hand, the model simulations for Antarctica were widely variable. Some models predicted an additional sea-level rise of up to 30 centimeters, while others projected much lower numbers. 

Developing realistic ice-sheet models is challenging for several reasons. First of all, certain measurements of ice sheets cannot be tested and confirmed in the lab. In addition, there are key parameters that are missing, such as how the land surface in Greenland and the Antarctic affects the behavior of ice masses. The only way for ice sheet modelers to test the quality of a model is to compare it to other models. 

Study co-author Dr. Martin Rückamp is a glaciologist and ice-sheet modeler at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven.

"The 14 ice-sheet models compared match our latest observations, which indicate that the Greenland Ice Sheet is increasingly losing ice, especially at the margins," said Dr. Rückamp. "But viewed more broadly, the losses of mass predicted by the models for the timeframe from 2015 to the present lie far below the actually observed losses. To put it simply: the ice-sheet models for Greenland underestimate the current changes in the ice sheet due to climate change."

The study findings suggest that global warming will lead to more snowfall and strengthen ice masses in East Antarctica.

"These simulations show that, in a warmer world, there would be so much snowfall in East Antarctica that the new ice formed there would outweigh the ice lost to the warming seawater in West Antarctica," said study co-author Dr. Thomas Kleiner.

In West Antarctica, the models predict that ice retreat that will produce an additional 18 centimeters of sea-level rise by 2100. However, if global warming is limited to two degrees Celsius, the ice losses in the Antarctic would be significantly less and would produce an additional sea-level rise of between -1.4 and 15.5 centimeters.

"For the past 40 years, we've observed a clear downward trend in the Antarctic. The ice sheet is losing more and more ice, especially in West Antarctica, where our models also predicted major losses of ice," said study co-author Professor Angelika Humbert. "That being said, the acceleration of the glaciers simulated in the models was much less pronounced than what we actually observed."

"If our suspicions prove to be true, it will also mean that the models underestimate how much Antarctica as a whole will contribute to future sea-level rise."

According to Dr. Kleiner. the spectrum of results produced by the models is now smaller. "As a result, we can have more confidence in their projections." 

However, the study had some limitations. For example, in the Antarctic simulations, the ocean's effects on ice shelves and glaciers were not represented using complex approaches for each ice tongue. The models relied on simplified formulas, which introduced considerable uncertainty. 

"As a result, the models weren't able to reflect the different melting rates on the underside of the ice shelves, or to simulate the actually observed acceleration of the glaciers, which I personally find quite troubling," said Professor Humbert.

"Our goal will then be to produce simulations of the ice sheets' development that are as realistic as possible. To do so, simulation timeframes need to be selected that will allow the models' results to be compared to actual observational data." 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.the-cryosphere.net/">The Cryosphere</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How much sea-level rise can we expect this century?

Rapidly melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are believed...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a> have found that the alcohol industry is increasingly funding academic research into the impacts of alcohol consumption. Many of these studies make claims about the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exercise-during-pregnancy-improves-the-health-of-babies/">health</a> benefits of alcohol.

Since 2009, there has been a 56-percent increase in research funded by alcohol companies or affiliated organizations, according to the study.

The sponsorship of scientific research by the alcohol industry raises concerns over the potential for conflicts of interest and selective reporting of outcomes, explained the researchers. The team discovered just under 13,500 studies that were directly or indirectly funded by the alcohol industry.

Study co-author Dr. Su Golder is an expert in the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. 

"Our study identified a worrying trend. While there has been a steep decline in the alcohol industry conducting its own research on health at the same time there has been an increase in the alcohol industry funding such research, by providing financial support to researchers or via alcohol related organizations," said Dr. Golder.

"This allows alcohol companies to exploit a 'transparency loophole' as many people assume these organizations are charities and don't realize the connection to the industry."

"While there are many legitimate fields for research funded by the alcohol industry - such as studies into ingredients and environmental impacts - their involvement in health research is particular cause for concern. Many of these studies make claims about the protective cardiovascular effects of alcohol and suggest that substance abuse problems are down to individual choices rather than industry behaviors."

Furthermore, the researchers believe that the level of involvement by the alcohol industry in scientific research uncovered in their investigation is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"While researchers are meant to declare funders in peer reviewed research publications this often doesn't happen and we don't get the level of transparency we should have," said study co-author Professor Jim McCambridge from York's Department of Health Sciences.

"It is well known that by sponsoring research pharmaceutical and tobacco companies successfully conspired to subvert the scientific evidence-base in order to influence policy for decades and so, while more research is needed, the scale, nature and breadth of the alcohol industry's influence on scientific research provides cause for concern."

"While alcohol companies may claim they are carrying out a civic duty through their funding of research, these are studies that independent academics would be much better placed to conduct."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurpub">European Journal of Public Health</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Surge in alcohol-industry funded research may be cause for concern

Researchers at the University of York have found that the...

Climate change is causing some animals to age more rapidly, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.fecyt.es/en">Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology</a>. As a result of rising temperatures, ectotherms including <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/shellfish-are-moving-away-from-safety-as-the-ocean-warms/">fish</a>, amphibians, and reptiles will experience a rise in their body temperature that will have serious consequences, including accelerated growth and aging. 

Ectotherms cannot actively control their internal temperature, which is regulated by their surroundings, and the organisms are highly susceptible to environmental changes. Some ectotherms are already growing too fast and struggling with the thermal stress of prolonged heat.

"Heat waves take animals out of their thermal preferences, to the point even of reaching their temperature tolerance limits. The longer and more frequent the heat waves, the greater their impact on the physiology of ectotherms," said study co-author Germán Orizaola.

In collaboration with an international team of scientists, Orizaola reviewed relevant studies on the effects of rising temperatures on ectotherms. The results of the analysis indicate that the animals will age faster as the climate warms.

"Higher growth rates will generate physiological imbalances in ectotherms, increasing, for example, oxidative damage to the proteins and DNA, which may also affect the telomeres, the repeated sections of non-coding DNA located at the ends of chromosomes," explained Orizaola.

"As telomeres protect DNA, the faster the telomeres are lost, the faster the cells degrade and the body ages. This clear link between climate change and aging is described for the first time in our article."

According to Orizaola, if the life expectancy of individuals in a population is reduced, their ability to produce offspring may be compromised. With shorter lifespans, ectotherm populations will have a much harder time recovering from natural disasters such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. Furthermore, population losses have cascading impacts on other species, potentially throwing off the balance of entire ecosystems as certain predators or prey decline.

"This is a field that has barely been explored so far, but everything indicates that it could be another of the possible problems facing wildlife that is exposed to climate change," said Orizaola. He said that a better understanding of the effects of the climate crisis on ectotherm aging could help experts develop better conservation and management programs.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heat stress accelerates aging in fish, amphibians, and reptiles

Climate change is causing some animals to age more rapidly,...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> has exposed the shocking impacts of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/disease-spreading-mosquitoes-are-thriving-near-humans/">human</a> disturbances in the Neotropics over the last 500 years. More than half of all medium and large Neotropical mammals have vanished since the region was first colonized in the 1500s.

The researchers determined that the overwhelming decline in Neotropical mammal diversity is tied to human activities such as overhunting and land use changes associated with agriculture and development. 

The Neotropical region is made up of Central and South America, including the Caribbean. The investigation was focused on animal surveys conducted over the past 30 years at more than 1,000 Neotropical study sites. This information was compared with baseline data going back to the Colonial era.

The findings draw on a collection of 1,029 mammal assemblages, in which species typically co-existed a few kilometers from each other, across 23 countries in the Neotropics.

The study produced clear evidence that human activities and disturbances are the primary cause of local species extinctions. Major land use changes associated with farming, logging, and fires have devastated many habitats, and these impacts are worsened by overhunting.

"Our findings can be used to inform international conservation policies to prevent further erosion of, or restore, native biodiversity," said study co-lead author Dr. Juliano André Bogoni. "Further conservation efforts should be mobilized to prevent the most faunally-intact biomes, such as Amazonia and the Pantanal wetlands, from following in the footsteps of 'empty ecosystems' that are now typical of historically degraded areas such as the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and the Caatinga."

"This includes effective implementation and law enforcement in existing protected areas, and curbing political pressures to either downgrade or downsize these areas. Greater investment should be allocated to more effective control of illegal hunting, particularly commercial hunting, deforestation, and anthropogenic fires, as well as ensure that fully implemented protected areas are working."

The team analyzed local losses of 165 species of medium to large-bodied mammals that had been surveyed across the Neotropics. On average more than 56 percent of the local wildlife within mammal assemblages across the Neotropics had been wiped out. The lowland tapir and white-lipped peccary suffered the most losses.

"Sound resource management should be sensitive to the socioeconomic context, while recruiting rather than antagonizing potential local alliances who can effectively fill the institutional void in low-governance regions," said study co-lead author Professor Carlos Peres.

"Hominins and other mammals have co-existed since the earliest Paleolithic hunters wielding stone tools some three million years ago. Over this long timescale biodiversity losses have only recently accelerated to breakneck speeds since the industrial revolution."

"Let us make sure that this relentless wave of local extinctions is rapidly decelerated, or else the prospects for Neotropical mammals and other vertebrates will look increasingly bleak."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</a> .

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Centuries of human activities have taken a toll on Neotropical mammals

A new study from the University of East Anglia has...

In collaboration with experts from 14 universities and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/drones-are-a-growing-threat-to-waterbirds/">bird</a> conservation organizations, researchers at <a href="http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/">Lund University</a> have observed a very rare migration pattern that is used by common swifts known as chain migration. 

Common swifts are the most mobile terrestrial birds in the world, which likely explains why they have adopted a unique migration strategy that gives them constant access to food.

When common swifts are not breeding, they spend 24 hours a day airborne. This means that the birds are essentially flying for a total of ten months out of the year.

To remain constantly mobile, the birds must have a steady supply of food for energy. They use a chain migration strategy that puts them in the right place at the right time for the greatest availability of insects. 

"Our study is very significant for understanding how organisms, in this case the common swift, can migrate from one part of the world to another, where access to food is much better at a given time," said study lead author Professor Susanne Åkesson.

The researchers tracked 102 common swifts from 11 different European populations that have a nesting range from Swedish Lapland in the north to Spain in the south. The birds were tagged with tiny devices to track their precise location at various times of the year.

The study revealed that common swifts that nest in northern Europe arrive in sub-Saharan Africa four to six weeks later than the swifts that nest in southern Europe. By this time, the southern European swifts have already migrated even further south. 

The clever foraging pattern used by swifts is referred to as chain migration, which is different from the much more common pattern known as leap-frog migration. When bird populations arrive in an area at the same time, those that arrive first claim the territory, which forces other groups to leap-frog over the occupied area and fly further south.

The researchers explained that swifts cannot claim a territory in the same way as birds that spend more time on the ground.

"The core reason why the common swift engages in chain migration, whereas almost all other birds such as songbirds, ducks, geese and waders have leap-frog migration patterns, can probably be found in the amount of time they spend airborne. The common swift is unique in spending ten months in the air," said Professor Åkesson.

"I think it is amazing that they know where food is to be found and when they should head for that specific location. They migrate over continents in such a way as to ensure continuous access to food and thereby to survive - they have a lifespan of over 20 years."

Until now, chain migration had only been observed in two species: the sharp-shinned hawk and the northern gannet.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15585646">Evolution</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

Common swifts use a unique migration strategy to support their grueling lifestyle

In collaboration with experts from 14 universities and bird conservation...

Scientists at the <a href="https://www.cshl.edu/">Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</a> (CSHL) have identified nerve cells in the brains of mice that help the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/animals-have-a-biological-switch-that-prepares-them-for-seasonal-changes/">animals</a> learn to avoid negative experiences. The neurons are located in the striosome, a brain region involved in behavior that is motivated by the desire for reward or reinforcement.

Previously, the striosome thought to be dedicated to supporting our ability to learn from positive reinforcement. The fact that nerve cells in this same structure are involved in negative-reinforcement learning shows that the striosome is a complex motivation-processing center in the brain. 

Study lead author Bo Li said that it is critical to understand the function of the striosome because motivation processing is impaired in people with certain mental illnesses.

"We know those neurons are important for normal motivation - the motivation to pursue a reward or the motivation to avoid punishment," said Li. "So we have hopes that the striosome neurons could be critical for either, or both, depression and addiction." 

The striosome is located in a brain region called the dorsal striatum. Previous studies have shown that the dorsal striatum is involved in making decisions regarding actions that are more flexible or goal oriented, sensitive to rewarding feedback, or those that are habitual or related to addiction.

The cells of the dorsal striatum are defined by the chemicals they produce rather than by  their anatomical boundaries, and this has made it difficult to study their function. 

The CSHL team was able to pinpoint the function of specific cells in this brain region by identifying a gene, Tshz1, that is associated with some of these neurons. 

Using Tshz1 as a genetic tag, the researchers were able to trace the neurons within the striosome, which allowed the experts to manipulate the cells and monitor their activity in mice.

The experiments revealed that mice need Tshz1-expressing cells in the striosome to learn to associate certain places or sounds with an unpleasant experience. The researchers found that these particular cells had nothing to do with positive reinforcement or reward learning, which means this responsibility is delegated to other nerve cells in the striosome. 

"So it seems like the striosome is not as simple as we initially believed. There are actually two kinds of neurons in the striosome that allow the animal to do both - reward pursuing and also punishment avoidance," said Li. "Those different things are both critical for us to survive with. You can imagine if you are not sensitive to punishment, you're going to get into trouble if you run into danger and if you are not sensitive to reward, of course, you can also have a difficulty in survival, because you are not going forward for the food, for example."

According to Li, understanding how neurons in the striosome interact with other motivation-processing parts of the brain to guide behavior will ultimately allow researchers to pinpoint the cells or circuits that contribute to mental illnesses. He hopes this will lead to the development of better treatments.

The research team also included experts from Stanford University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Research Campus.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The brain region that motivates us may also help us avoid punishment

Scientists at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have identified...

The Arctic climate is shifting away from its frozen state much faster than what can be projected, according to the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NCAR). The experts report that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-changing-insect-communities-in-the-arctic/">warming</a> is progressing so rapidly that future climate changes are no longer predictable based on past fluctuations.

Arctic weather patterns have always experienced seasonal variability from year to year, with levels of precipitation and sea ice that are dependent on colder or warmer winters. However, the comprehensive new NCAR study reveals that Arctic temperatures have increased to the point that year-to-year variability no longer reflects historical patterns.

"The rate of change is remarkable," said study lead author Laura Landrum. "It's a period of such rapid change that observations of past weather patterns no longer show what you can expect next year. The Arctic is already entering a completely different climate than just a few decades ago."

In collaboration with study co-author Marika Holland, Landrum found that the extent of Arctic sea ice retreat in recent decades is so drastic that even an unusually cold year will no longer be able to produce the amount of summer sea ice that existed as recently as the mid-20th century. 

The experts determined that air temperatures in the fall and winter will warm up enough for the Arctic to enter a statistically distinct climate by the middle of this century. The transition will be characterized by major changes in precipitation, where rainfall will replace snowfall for months out of the year.

For the investigation, the researchers used five of the world's leading climate models, hundreds of detailed computer simulations, and direct observations of Arctic climate conditions. By analyzing this massive dataset, the researchers were able to clearly define the climate boundaries of the "old Arctic," or the amount of natural variability each year. They were also able to pinpoint when human-caused warming will push the Arctic beyond these natural boundaries and into an entirely new climate. 

According to the study, the changes in the Arctic climate are so pronounced that the average extent of sea ice in September has dropped by 31 percent since the first decade of the satellite era.

Each of the five models used in the study showed that a new climate for sea ice already emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Over the next several decades, the Arctic will likely begin to experience frequent ice-free conditions. 

Based on a high emissions scenario, several of the climate models indicated that the Arctic will become mostly ice free for 3 to 10 months out of the year by the end of this century.

"The Arctic is likely to experience extremes in sea ice, temperature, and precipitation that are far outside anything that we've experienced before," said Landrum. "We need to change our definition of what Arctic climate is."

If greenhouse gas emissions and global warming continue at the current rate, the seasonal cycle of precipitation will soon change dramatically. Most continents will experience an increase in the rainy season by 20 to 60 days within the next three decades, according to the study authors.

The research 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

The Arctic is transitioning into an entirely different climate

The Arctic climate is shifting away from its frozen state...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-may-have-arrived-in-los-angeles-last-year/">COVID-19</a> is set to become a seasonal illness in countries with temperate climates, but will remain a year-round threat until herd immunity is achieved, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>.

Respiratory viruses like the flu are not unusual during the colder months of the year, but COVID-19 will continue to circulate across the seasons for an indefinite time period. 

The findings highlight the urgent need for public health measures to control the virus. Study senior author Dr. Hassan Zaraket is an assistant professor of Virology at the <a href="https://www.aub.edu.lb/">American University of Beirut</a>.

"COVID-19 is here to stay and it will continue to cause outbreaks year-round until herd immunity is achieved. Therefore, the public will need to learn to live with it and continue practicing the best prevention measures, including wearing masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene and avoidance of gatherings," said Dr. Zaraket.

Study co-author Dr. Hadi Yassine explained that there could be multiple waves of COVID-19 before herd immunity is reached.

Several types of viruses, including those that cause common colds, are known to follow seasonal patterns. While these viruses peak in the winter months across temperate regions, they circulate year-round in tropical regions. 

The experts analyzed various seasonal viruses, investigating the factors that control their duration. They also reviewed the latest research on the stability and transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

As a result of changes in temperature and humidity, the duration of viruses and the susceptibility of human transmission differ across the seasons. For example, people are more likely to be crowded indoors during cold weather, increasing the potential spread of respiratory viruses.

However, in comparison to similar viruses such as the flu, COVID-19 has a higher rate of transmission. This is due, in part, to the fact that it is a new virus that people have not yet built up immunity against.

The factors that control the seasonality of common viruses cannot yet slow the spread of COVID-19 during the summer months. However, once a sufficient percentage of the population has become immune to SARS-COV-2 infection - whether through vaccination or previous infection - herd immunity will make COVID-19 susceptible to seasonal factors.

"The highest global COVID-19 infection rate per capita was recorded in the Gulf states, regardless of the hot summer season," said Dr. Yassine. "Although this is majorly attributed to the rapid virus spread in closed communities, it affirms the need for rigorous control measures to limit virus spread, until herd immunity is achieved."

There are other coronaviruses that have become seasonal over time, including NL63 and HKU1, which now follow the same circulation patterns as the flu.

"This remains a novel virus and despite the fast-growing body of science about it there are still things that are unknown," said Dr. Zaraket. "Whether our predictions hold true or not remains to be seen in the future. But we think it's highly likely, given what we know so far, COVID-19 will eventually become seasonal, like other coronaviruses."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://reports.frontiersin.org/reports/frontiers-in-public-health-report.html">Frontiers in Public Health </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 will be a seasonal virus after herd immunity is reached

COVID-19 is set to become a seasonal illness in countries...

While it is well-known that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-future-of-caribbean-hurricanes-depends-on-the-extent-of-global-warming/">global warming</a> promotes the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes, a new study suggests that human activities are also making a major contribution to the issue. Researchers at <a href="http://oregonstate.edu">Oregon State University</a> report that mosquitoes are more abundant in areas that have been altered by human activities compared to undisturbed areas.

The team surveyed Kruger National Park in South Africa and discovered that there were substantially lower numbers of mosquitoes inside the park compared to the densely populated areas around it. One particularly concerning finding was that mosquito species which are known to spread diseases such as malaria and Zika virus were found more commonly in the human-impacted areas outside the park.

Study co-author Dr. Brianna Beechler, a disease ecologist and assistant professor of research in Oregon State's Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine.

"People care a lot about what environment a lion needs to succeed in; we've researched that extensively. But people don't do that with mosquitoes. We don't understand them as a group of species and how their ecology differs between species." 

Dr. Beechler said that finding disease mitigation strategies for vector-borne diseases is an obvious target, but scientists do not yet understand mosquitoes well enough to specifically target the species that cause disease. "All we can do is reduce mosquitoes overall, but what may be more effective is to reduce certain species by modifying their habitats."

To investigate the presence of mosquitoes in disturbed areas, the researchers focused on five pressures associated with human activities including pesticide abundance, the over-mineralization of water that leads to widespread algae growth, population density the presence of domestic and wild animals, and vegetation loss.

The influence of humans on the presence of mosquitoes occurs in a series of cascading effects. For example, pesticide use kills fish and removes the natural predators that would otherwise eat mosquito larvae and help control the population.

During South Africa's wet season in 2016, the experts trapped nearly 4,000 female mosquitoes, representing 39 different species,  from both inside and outside the national park. Mosquito abundance was found to be nearly three times higher outside the park in areas dominated by humans.

The species composition was extremely different as well, with the species known to spread dengue, West Nile virus,  yellow fever, Zika virus, and other diseases residing in larger numbers in human-impacted areas.

"It seems to suggest that disease-carrying mosquito species certainly did better in human-altered environments," said Dr. Beechler. As of now, further research is needed to understand why this is the case.

"With climate change, mosquito distributions are likely to change, and disease distributions are likely to change," said Dr. Beechler. "So it'd be nice to know how to target those species before that happens."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports </a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Disease-spreading mosquitoes are thriving near humans

While it is well-known that global warming promotes the spread...

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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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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