Do you recall those childhood days when you eagerly anticipated bedtime stories about Peter Rabbit, Toad or Ratty from The Wind in the Willows? Or the excitement that washed over you every time you opened a children's book teeming with playful, animated animals? 



Well, a new study is giving us a fresh perspective on the role of these furry, iconic characters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-children-s-books-animal-characters">Children's books animal characters</h2>



The research has shed light on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddlers-learn-faster-after-witnessing-impossible-events/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">potential influence</a> of non-human characters in children's books.



The researchers aimed to gauge how these animal characters affected children's theory of mind skills - crucial abilities which include deciphering social changes in the environment based on voice tone, word choice, or facial expressions.



They worked with over 100 children aged five to 10, each of whom were tested on their theory of mind skills after hearing stories featuring animal characters, as well as those highlighting human characters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-vs-animal-characters-in-books">Human vs. animal characters in books</h2>



The study unveiled an interesting pattern. When exposed to stories centered around human characters, an age-related progression was observed. 



Older children were consistently outperforming their younger counterparts, with 3rd grade children surpassing the researchers' expectations in tests featuring human characters.



But the revelations didn't stop there. The tests that involved animal characters threw up another surprise. 



The younger participants were able to match the scores achieved by pupils in 3rd grade, who were two years their senior. That's quite a feat for our young champions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-insight-into-children-s-development">New insight into children's development</h2>



These findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, highlight the importance of both human and non-human characters in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/outdoor-classes-improve-childrens-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">children's developmental stages</a>.



The research was led by Dr. Gray Atherton and Dr. Liam Cross from the University of Plymouth’s <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools/psychology" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Psychology</a>.



"Animals play a huge part of children’s stories, whether that is in books and comics or through TV and film. We wanted to test if that is down to more than simply liking the characters, and whether there are actual benefits of children learning through by watching or reading about animals and if this changes over time," said Dr. Atherton.



"Our findings showed that both human and non-human characters are important in helping children interpret the world around them, and that they play differing roles at different stages in their development. Adapting activities and lessons in nurseries and the early school years to take that into account could be hugely effective in helping to support their development."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-educators-and-parents">Implications for educators and parents</h2>



The insights gained from this study have substantial implications for educators and parents aiming to support children's cognitive and social development.



By incorporating both human and animal characters into books, educators can craft a more balanced learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of children across age groups. 



Parents, too, can enrich their children's home learning experiences by selecting a variety of stories that include both human and animal protagonists. 



This approach not only makes reading sessions more engaging but also aids in developing empathy and understanding of complex social scenarios.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions</h2>



While this study provides valuable insights, it also opens avenues for further exploration. 



Future research could go deeper into the types of animal characteristics that are most effective in nurturing children's theory of mind. For instance, exploring whether anthropomorphized animals or more realistic portrayals have differing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-who-use-humor-have-better-relationships-with-their-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">impacts</a>. 



Similarly, cross-cultural studies could investigate whether the affinity towards animal characters holds true in diverse cultural contexts. These inquiries could refine understanding and application in educational strategies, enhancing the efficacy of storytelling as a developmental tool.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animal-characters-and-autism-treatment">Animal characters and autism treatment</h2>



In previous studies, Dr. Atherton and Dr. Cross examined the factors influencing the educational and social development of individuals with autism and learning difficulties.



The experts launched initiatives proving how board and online games can bolster confidence among people with autism. 



Borrowing insights from this research, the scholars now plan to dig deeper to explore if their findings could provide specific benefits to children with such conditions.



Dr. Cross envisions a significant impact of this study on individuals with autism or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-with-behavioral-issues-have-high-cortisol-levels-in-their-hair/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">other conditions</a> affecting their learning. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-way-of-looking-at-animal-characters">A new way of looking at animal characters</h2>



The researchers have observed how tasks involving animal characters can result in autistic individuals performing on par with non-autistic children. 



The plan is to replicate this study with autistic children in an effort to unveil more effective ways to support them at a critical stage in their development.



In a nutshell, this study has unraveled an entirely new dimension of how we view animals in children's books. 



Those delightful animal characters do more than simply entertain; they help shape our children's minds and understanding of the world around them in their formative years.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002209652400256X?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Child Psychology</a>. 



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Animal characters boost social and emotional skills in children

Do you recall those childhood days when you eagerly anticipated bedtime stories about Peter Rabbit, Toad or Ratty from The Wind in the Willows? Or the excitement that washed over you every time you opened a children's book teeming with playful, animated animals? Well, a new study is giving us a fresh perspective on the role of these furry, iconic characters. Children's books animal characters The research has shed light on the potential influence of non-human characters in children's books. The researchers aimed to gauge how these...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.pik-potsdam.de/pik-frontpage">Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research</a> (PIK) are describing how tough lessons from the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/proteins-identified-that-may-help-covid-19-spread-in-the-body/">COVID-19</a> pandemic could be used to tackle climate change and slow global warming.

"The corona crisis is a test case for global emergency prevention and management in general," said study lead author Kira Vinke. "The pandemic has shown that when reaction time is kept to a minimum, a larger public health crisis can be averted. In fact, we should take this very lesson to heart and apply it to managing the climate emergency."

The analysis was focused on four dimensions of risk management: diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, and rehabilitation. 

"The risks and causes of both the coronavirus and the climate crisis have to be scientifically assessed and quantified," explained study co-author Johan Rockström. 

"Countries like New Zealand and Germany were able to predict the outbreak's possible effects and moreover had the ability of immediate action. In the same vein, the global community must integrate climate risks assessments into decision making and act accordingly."

The researchers propose that insights from the pandemic can help to identify pathways for treating the causes and symptoms of climate change. 

"Both the corona and the climate crisis are the result of increasing human pressure on the planet," said study co-author Sabine Gabrysch. "But the good news is that the pandemic has demonstrated that with a combination of government action and individual lifestyle changes, it is possible to prevent damages. If there is a will, there is a way."

The researchers have created a climate corona contract that is designed to unite the younger and older generations on the principle of social justice. 

"Younger generations would agree to protect the elderly from COVID-19 by adhering to social distancing measures, while the older generations would push for measures to keep global warming in line with the Paris Agreement," explained study co-author Hans Joachim Schellnhuber.

The researchers are cautiously optimistic. They hope that governments and societies around the world are willing to address climate change with the same effort that has been dedicated to addressing the coronavirus.

"Experience is a hard teacher, but the lessons from the corona crisis should be taken forward to protect our planet and preserve it for future generations," wrote the study authors. "The outbreak has brought to light the potential to transform some of the foundations of our society. This can serve systemic change, not just in the short term."

"In a time when ‘social distancing’ is the new norm, new ways of coming together are being ingenuously found. This renewed appreciation of our shared destiny may well help us to think in the long term about the very value of the only planet we have and our role therein."

The study is published in the <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

&nbsp;

The pandemic shows us how to tackle the climate crisis

Researchers from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.usask.ca/">University of Saskatchewan</a>, researchers describe an explosion of deep ocean life 540 million years ago. Numerous worm-like <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sponges-dna-sea-creatures/">sea creatures</a> appeared that tunneled complex holes and structures into mud and sand that had previously been barren.

This boom in biodiversity was one of two such events that took place across a 100-million-year timespan. Insight into ancient ocean life gives scientists a better understanding of changes that are taking place in the deep sea today.

"We can see from the trace fossils - tracks, trails, borings, and burrows animals left behind - that this particular environment of the ocean floor, the offshore, served as a 'crucible' for life," said study lead author Luis Buatois. "Over the next millions of years, life expanded from this area outwards into deeper waters and inwards into shallower waters."

Over the course of two decades, Buatois and his team examined hundreds of rock formations in locations across every continent.

"Until now, these two events, the Cambrian Explosion and the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, have been understood mostly through the study of body fossils - the shells, carapaces and the bones of ancient sea creatures," said Buatois. 

"Now we can confidently say that these events are also reflected in the trace fossil record which reveals the work of those soft-bodied creatures whose fleshy tissues rot very quickly and so are only very rarely preserved."

The study has produced the first evidence of ancient animals actively engineering their ecosystem through the construction of burrows on the ocean floor.

"Never underestimate what animals are capable of doing," said study co-author Gabriela Mángano. "They can modify their physical and chemical environment, excluding other animals or allowing them to flourish by creating new resources. And they were definitely doing all these things in these ancient seas."

The innovative behavior of prehistoric sea creatures seems to have set the stage for greater diversity in marine life. The team identified a 20-million-year time frame during the Cambrian Explosion when there was greater diversification in trace fossils but not in animal body fossils. This indicates that engineered changes helped the animals which emerged later to diversify even more.

The study also revealed that, just like oceans today, the Cambrian ocean had certain areas that were full of life and others that lacked the oxygen needed to support life.

"The fact that trace fossil distribution shows that there were spots where life flourished adjacent to others devoid of animal activity all through the early Cambrian period is a strong argument in favor of the idea that zones with enough oxygen to sustain a diversity of animals co-existed with oxygen-depleted waters in deeper areas," said Mángano. 

"It's a situation similar to what happens in modern oceans with oxygen minimum zones in the outer part of the continental shelf and the upper part of the continental slope, but oxygenated ones in shallower water."

The research could ultimately help predict upcoming changes in marine life.

"Understanding changes that took place early in the history of our planet may help us to face present challenges in modern oceans, particularly with respect to oxygen changes," said Buatois.

The study is published in the <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

&nbsp;

Ancient animals built ecosystems that diversified ocean life

In a new study from the University of Saskatchewan, researchers...

Air pollution appears to be decimating wild pollinators like <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/a-single-gene-allows-cape-honey-bees-to-reproduce-asexually/">honey bees</a>, according to new research. The study is one of the first of its kind to address the physiological and molecular impacts of air pollution on our wild plants and animals.

The four-year investigation of over 1,800 wild bees revealed that air pollution has major impacts on many important aspects of health, including immunity, heart rhythm, blood cell count, metabolism, and stress. 

A multidisciplinary team of experts led by Shannon Olsson of the <a href="https://www.ncbs.res.in/">National Center for Biological Sciences</a> used a series of lab and field experiments at sites in India to show that bees were less healthy and productive in polluted areas compared to bees surrounded by cleaner air.

In particular, Giant Asian honey bees from polluted parts of the Indian megacity of Bangalore exhibited lower flower visitation rates and significant differences in health markers and gene expression. 

The Giant Asian honey bee makes a critical contribution to food security in India, producing over 80 percent of the country's honey and pollinating hundreds of crops. Furthermore, India is the largest fruit and second largest vegetable producer in the world. 

The importance of bees and other wild pollinators throughout India cannot be overstated.

The nature of the study enabled the researchers to eliminate the possibility that the detrimental effects they observed were caused by any environmental factors other than pollution.

"The study was done with wild bees naturally visiting flowers in Bangalore city and not in lab assays on reared honey bees kept in hive boxes that may already be stressed or immuno-compromised. Thus, in my opinion this study provides us with hard evidence that all is not well with our wild bees," explained Dr. Hema Somanathan.

"Given the scale of landscape alteration and urbanization in India, it is expected that these effects are widespread and likely to worsen with time."

The most surprising finding of the study was that more than 80 percent of the bees collected from moderate and highly polluted sites died within 24 hours. 

"So far, much of the air quality studies in India have either considered sources of pollution or impact on human health, and to an extent on economic productivity. This study covers important new ground, by examining the impact of air pollution on pollinators, which would have serious implications for agricultural output in India. Such findings further underscore the need to raise India's ambient air quality standards."

"Better application of research and evidence in development policy-making can save lives, reduce poverty, and improve quality of life," said Shloka Nath. "In the case of this study, the research speaks for itself: we now have concrete proof that by polluting our air, we are not only endangering our own health, we are also affecting the wild animals and plants who depend on it for sustenance."

"This has far-reaching implications for the complex ecosystems we are part of, as these changes affect the quality of habitat and food sources we all depend on."   

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Air pollution is wiping out bees and other wild pollinators

Air pollution appears to be decimating wild pollinators like honey...

An abnormal family of proteins that can cause major neurodegenerative diseases in humans may help to facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to experts at <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a>. The experts have identified a link between proteins known as prions and the rapid spread of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coronavirus-detected-in-air-pollution-particles/">coronavirus</a>. 

The groundbreaking research highlights key characteristics of the virus that could ultimately inform the development of treatments for COVID-19.

Prior to the pandemic, study co-authors Eric Ross and Sean Cascarina had already been analyzing prions, which are misfolded proteins that can transfer this abnormal shape onto normal variants of the same protein. 

While their function is still not entirely understood, prions are known to cause several fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative illnesses such as mad cow disease - which is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. 

The early research was focused on low-complexity domains, or regions in a protein's sequence that differ from typical regions in both composition and behavior.

What is really interesting about low-complexity protein domains is their tendency toward liquid-liquid phase separation. This phenomenon occurs when a homogeneous liquid separates itself into two distinct forms of liquid, similarly to how oil separates from water.

Some of these proteins form "biomolecular condensates," small areas in a cell where the protein is highly-concentrated.

When Ross and Cascarina shifted the focus of their research to COVID-19, they found that the nucleocapsid (N) protein in the SARS-CoV-2 virus has a low-complexity domain that may utilize liquid-liquid phase separation to facilitate the development and movement of virus particles that can infect neighboring cells.

According to the researchers, the N protein may also be associated with reducing an infected cell's antiviral stress response. 

"The cell can react to a stress event by making changes in the cellular environment, including making these modifications to some proteins," explained Ross.

"But viruses obviously want to avoid a cell's defenses," noted Cascarina. "They want to be infectious, so sometimes they are able to regulate these stress granules." Hijacking the normal stress response of a cell may allow SARS-CoV-2 to reduce the cell's capacity to fight it.

In the time since the study was published, four additional labs have confirmed some of this new theory about the N protein.

The research could inform treatments for patients that already have the virus, rather than preventing SARS-COV-2 infection like a vaccine.

"Medically, if you could counteract the virus' ability to interfere with a cell's immune response, then you could help the cells to fight off the virus," said Ross. "I think this falls into the category of very basic science: if we understand the viral process, then conceivably we can try to design a drug that reverses that process."

 The study is published in the <a href="https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15306860">FASEB Journal</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Proteins identified that may help COVID-19 spread in the body   

An abnormal family of proteins that can cause major neurodegenerative...

River avulsions, which occur when a river jumps its course and forms a new channel, will become much more frequent as a result of sea-level rise. Researchers at <a href="http://Caltech.edu">Caltech</a> found that the intensity of these hazards will depend on the rate of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coral-reef-islands-have-the-potential-to-adapt-to-sea-level-rise/">sea-level rise</a> and the sediment load carried by the river.

Even though avulsions are a natural phenomenon, they can turn into catastrophic and deadly flooding disasters. For example, river avulsions caused the 1887 Yellow River floods and the 1931 China floods which collectively killed about six million of people.

"A river avulsion is a catastrophic flood that is also crucial for sustaining coastal land," said study lead author Austin Chadwick. "But the question is: how will sea-level rise affect these catastrophic floods?"

A 2014 report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projected that the global average sea level could rise by as much as three feet by the end of this century. Scientists have been investigating how this would affect avulsions on deltas where a river meets an ocean or lake.

"Avulsions are the earthquakes of rivers," said study co-author Professor Michael Lamb. "They are sudden and sometimes catastrophic natural events that occur with statistical regularity, shifting the direction of major rivers. We are trying to understand where and when the next avulsions will occur." 

The researchers combined theory, numerical modeling, and field observations to estimate how often river avulsions will occur with future climate change. 

The analysis showed that the occurrence of future avulsions primarily depends on two main factors: the amount of silt and sand carried by a river and the rate of sea-level rise.

On most deltas, sea-level rise will cause more frequent catastrophic river avulsions. The rivers will respond to the rising ocean by depositing more of their sediment into the channel. This raises the riverbed relative to its surrounding landscape and leaves the river unstable. Eventually, the river will find a shorter and steeper path to the ocean. 

More frequent avulsions are particularly threatening to coastal communities like New Orleans, which is already extremely susceptible to flooding.

Sea-level rise will impact not only when, but also where, future river avulsions occur. 

"If sea level rises faster than rivers can deposit sediment, then the zone of deposition and avulsion will shift upstream, introducing new avulsion hazards to upstream communities," said Chadwick. In this case, dams and levees that exist today would become obsolete and expensive mitigation efforts will be needed.

The Caltech team hopes that this research will help guide river management on densely populated deltas, highlighting what can be expected in the coming decades.

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

&nbsp;

Sea-level rise will cause catastrophic river avulsions

River avulsions, which occur when a river jumps its course...

A new study has revealed that human activities will be a major driver of ocean warming, which up until now has been primarily influenced by natural circulation patterns. In particular, the researchers identified an unexpectedly strong link between ocean heat and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/carbon-capture-technology-could-greatly-reduce-emissions/">carbon</a> storage.

The study findings are significant because regional sea level rise, which affects coastal communities worldwide, is strongly influenced by ocean warming.

The research shows that both ocean warming and sea level rise will become more intense, and some regions will be affected more than others. The study predicts that increased warming near the eastern edges of ocean basins will substantially boost sea levels along the western coastlines of continents in the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

"In the future, the imprint of rising atmospheric temperatures on ocean warming will likely dominate that of changes in ocean circulation," said study co-author Laure Zanna. "Initially, we might think that as the climate warms more, changes in ocean currents and their impact on ocean warming patterns will become larger. However, we show that that this is not the case in several regions of the ocean."

Using a new approach to climate modeling, researchers at the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> found that ocean warming patterns will increasingly be influenced by the simple uptake of atmospheric warming. The modeling technique makes it easier to predict warming compared to earlier simulations that were based on changing ocean circulation patterns.

Since changes in ocean warming due to the uptake of atmospheric warming are easier to model, the researchers hope that their work will pave the way for more accurate projections.

Study lead author Dr. Ben Bronselaer began conducting the research while he was a PhD student at Oxford.

"I think it is an encouraging possibility that climate models, which struggle to simulate past ocean warming, might be better at predicting future warming patterns," said Dr. Bronselaer. "Better prediction of warming patterns implies better prediction of regional sea level rise, which will help to mitigate climate impacts such as flooding on individual communities. Of course, we do need to understand predictions of ocean circulation better to solidify this result."

"During our research, we found a surprising relationship between ocean heat and carbon storage which appears to be unique. While there is a connection between these two quantities that is not yet fully understood, we think we have made significant progress towards uncovering it."

While ocean warming and carbon uptake are separate systems, the study shows that they are much more interconnected than previously realized. 

As humans activities pump more heat and carbon into the ocean, the state of the ocean is shifting. The research indicates that carbon emissions have a direct impact on atmospheric surface temperature.

"We find that the ocean's capacity to absorb heat and carbon are coupled, and constrained by the ocean state," said Professor Zanna. "This implies that the present ocean state will regulate surface warming whether CO2 emissions continue to rise or decline."

"The rates of ocean warming over the past 60 years have been significantly altered by changes in ocean circulation, particularly in the North Atlantic and parts of the Pacific Ocean, where we can identify cooling over some decades." 

"However, in the future changes in ocean currents appear to play a smaller role on patterns of ocean warming, and the oceans will transport the excess anthropogenic heat in the ocean in a rather passive manner in these regions."

Based on their findings, the researchers will now investigate how the storage of heat and carbon in the ocean will affect atmospheric temperatures if carbon emissions are reduced.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Future ocean warming depends on human decisions

A new study has revealed that human activities will be...

A new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a> has revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/feathered-dinosaurs-were-flying-before-birds/">bird</a> and reptile tears are very similar to human tears. The research provides new insight into the evolution of tears, and may ultimately lead to improved treatments for eye disease.

Study first author Professor Arianne P. Oriá is an associate professor of Veterinary Sciences at the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil.

"Discovering how tears are able to maintain the ocular homeostasis, even in different species and environmental conditions, is crucial for understanding the evolution and adaptation processes, and is essential for the discovery of new molecules for ophthalmic drugs," said Professor Oriá.

Across species, tears play a very important role in maintaining healthy eyesight. Prior to the current study, however, tears had been studied in very few species beyond humans.

Professor Oriá's team has now analyzed tears from seven species of birds and reptiles.

"Although birds and reptiles have different structures that are responsible for tear production, some components of this fluid (electrolytes) are present at similar concentrations as what is found in humans," explained Professor Oriá. 

"But the crystal structures are organized in different ways so that they guarantee the eyes´ health and an equilibrium with the various environments."

The researchers collaborated with

veterinarians from wild animal care centers and a commercial breeder to collect tear samples from healthy, captive animals. 

The team compared tears from 10 healthy human volunteers to those of macaws, hawks, owls, parrots, sea turtles, and other animals. 

The detailed analysis of tear composition revealed that all of the tear types contained similar levels of electrolytes such as sodium and chloride, even though these levels were slightly lower among human tears.

In addition, owls and sea turtles had greater concentrations of urea and protein in their tears. 

The researchers also examined the crystals that formed when the tear fluid dried out. This crystallization pattern can be used as an indicator of certain types of eye disease.

All of the different species had similar tear composition, but the experts were surprised to find that the crystals showed more variation. 

Sea turtle and caiman tear crystals were extremely unique, which is probably the result of adaptation to their specific environments.

Further research that involves  additional species is needed to expand our knowledge of tears and treatments for eye diseases.

"This knowledge helps in the understanding of the evolution and adaption of these species, as well as in their conservation," said Professor Oriá.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science">Frontiers in Veterinary Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Bird and reptile tears are very similar to human tears

A new study published by Frontiers has revealed that bird...

You can trick your brain into having a more positive outlook by forcing a smile, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a>. The groundbreaking research suggests that we have the power to instantly change our <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/emotional-well-being-has-a-real-impact-on-physical-health/">mindset</a> by simply moving a few facial muscles.

The researchers had study participants hold a pen between their teeth so that their facial muscles would replicate the movement of a smile. Meanwhile, the researchers assessed how a person's perception of various facial and body expressions may change while a smile was being imitated.

The study revealed that facial muscle activity had a positive influence on how nonverbal communication was perceived. The individuals with a fake smile interpreted both face and body language in a different way that generated more optimistic emotions.

"Under the 'pen-in-the-teeth' condition, participants tended to lower their threshold of perception of happy expressions in facial stimuli compared to the 'no-pen' condition," wrote the researchers. 

"A similar effect was found for the biological motion stimuli such that participants lowered their threshold to perceive happy walkers in the pen-in-the-teeth condition compared to the no-pen condition."

According to Dr. Fernando Marmolejo-Ramos, the simple act of forcing a smile stimulates the emotional center of the brain - the amygdala - which releases neurotransmitters to encourage an emotionally positive state.

Dr. Marmolejo-Ramos, an expert in human and artificial cognition, said the finding has important insights for mental health.

"When your muscles say you're happy, you're more likely to see the world around you in a positive way," said Dr. Marmolejo-Ramos.

"For mental health, this has interesting implications. If we can trick the brain into perceiving stimuli as 'happy,' then we can potentially use this mechanism to help boost mental health."

The findings come at a time when depression, anxiety, loneliness, and uncertainty are rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Marmolejo-Ramos noted that there is a strong link between action and perception. "In a nutshell, perceptual and motor systems are intertwined when we emotionally process stimuli."

"A 'fake it 'til you make it' approach could have more credit than we expect," he concluded.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen">JAMA Network Open</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Fake it 'til you make it: smiling tricks the brain to be positive 

You can trick your brain into having a more positive...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fasting-diets-are-effective-for-weight-loss/">Weight loss</a> between young and middle adulthood greatly reduces the risk of premature death, according to research from the <a href="https://www.bu.edu/sph/">Boston University School of Public Health</a> (BUSPH). 

"The present study provides important new evidence on the benefit of maintaining a healthy weight across the life course," said lead author Dr. Wubin Xie.

According to the results, individuals who dropped from the obese range in young adulthood to the overweight range in midlife cut their risk of premature death by more than half compared to people who remained in the obese category.

By contrast, weight loss after midlife did not seem to reduce an individual's risk of early death. The team estimated that up to 12.4 percent of early deaths in the United States are attributable to having a higher body mass index BMI at any point during the transition from young to middle adulthood.

"The results indicate an important opportunity to improve population health through primary and secondary prevention of obesity, particularly at younger ages," said study co-author Dr. Andrew Stokes.

The investigation was focused on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was conducted between 1998 and 2015 and involved 24,205 adults. 

After accounting for other risk factors such as smoking, the experts determined that study participants whose BMIs went from the "obese" range at age 25 down to the "overweight" range in midlife were 54 percent less likely to die by the end of the study period compared to participants whose BMIs stayed in the "obese" range. 

According to the researchers, 3.2 percent of deaths in the study would have been avoided if all of the individuals who started in the obese range had brought their weight down to the overweight category. Instead, the experts found that very few of the subjects managed to do this and that weight loss was rare overall.

"Although this study focused on preventing premature deaths, maintaining a healthy weight will also reduce the burden of many chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer," said study co-author Dr. JoAnn Manson.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen">JAMA Network Open</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Losing weight before middle adulthood can save your life

Weight loss between young and middle adulthood greatly reduces the...

At the end of the last ice age, the spread of early humans into new regions placed too much strain on some animal species due to overhunting. While it has been assumed that this is why the woolly rhinoceros vanished, a new study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a> suggests that global <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-has-transformed-flooding-patterns/">warming</a> was responsible.

The analysis of ancient DNA revealed that the woolly rhinoceros population in Siberia remained stable until a few thousand years before it was wiped out. The experts speculate that temperatures simply became too warm for the cold-adapted species.

Study senior author Love Dalén is a professor of Evolutionary Genetics at the <a href="https://palaeogenetics.com/">Centre for Palaeogenetics</a>, a joint venture between Stockholm University and the Swedish Museum of Natural History. 

"It was initially thought that humans appeared in northeastern Siberia fourteen or fifteen thousand years ago, around when the woolly rhinoceros went extinct. But recently, there have been several discoveries of much older human occupation sites, the most famous of which is around thirty thousand years old," said Professor Dalén.

"So, the decline towards extinction of the woolly rhinoceros doesn't coincide so much with the first appearance of humans in the region. If anything, we actually see something looking a bit like an increase in population size during this period."

The study was focused on the DNA testing of tissue, bone, and hair samples collected from the remains of 14 individuals.

"We sequenced a complete nuclear genome to look back in time and estimate population sizes, and we also sequenced fourteen mitochondrial genomes to estimate the female effective population sizes," said study co-first author Edana Lord.

The genetic diversity that was revealed through genomic testing made it possible for the team to estimate the woolly rhino populations for tens of thousands of years before they disappeared. 

"We examined changes in population size and estimated inbreeding," said co-first author Nicolas Dussex. "We found that after an increase in population size at the start of a cold period some 29,000 years ago, the woolly rhino population size remained constant and that at this time, inbreeding was low."

The stability of the rhino numbers persisted until well after humans appeared in Siberia, which means that hunting was not responsible for their demise.

"That's the interesting thing," said Lord. "We actually don't see a decrease in population size after 29,000 years ago. The data we looked at only goes up to 18,500 years ago, which is approximately 4,500 years before their extinction, so it implies that they declined sometime in that gap."

The researchers also discovered various genetic mutations that would have helped the woolly rhinoceros adapt to colder weather. One of these mutations has also been found in woolly mammoths. These types of adaptations suggest the woolly rhinoceros was not suited for the warmer temperatures that abruptly emerged toward the end of the last ice age.

"We're coming away from the idea of humans taking over everything as soon as they come into an environment, and instead elucidating the role of climate in megafaunal extinctions," said Lord. "Although we can't rule out human involvement, we suggest that the woolly rhinoceros' extinction was more likely related to climate."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Woolly rhinoceros vanished as a result of global warming

At the end of the last ice age, the spread...

A team of experts warns that obesity rates may explode as a result of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/why-does-covid-19-affect-people-so-differently/">COVID-19</a> lockdowns. The stress, anxiety, and lack of physical activity associated with the pandemic creates psychosocial insecurity that leads to obesity, warn the researchers.

Strategies are needed to keep the public healthy and safe from COVID-19 infection. Investment in obesity research could help to inform counter measures that encourage healthier diets and more physical activity, while also combatting COVID-19.

Study co-author Christoffer Clemmensen is a professor in the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>.

"We are concerned that policy makers do not fully understand how strategies such as lockdowns and business closures could fuel the rise of obesity - a chronic disease with severe health implications, but with few reliable treatment options," said Professor Clemmensen.

In collaboration with two other experts, Professor Clemmensen has outlined how COVID-19 containment strategies could increase rates of obesity.

First, the study authors explained that people with limited economic resources are more likely to eat highly-processed and energy-rich food. Such foods are known to increase both appetite and calorie intake.

"It is likely that more people will turn to these forms of food, as more people lose their jobs and experience economic hardship," said study co-author Professor Michael Bang Petersen of Aarhus University.

The researchers also acknowledged that physical distancing increases anxiety by limiting our ability to socially interact. Feelings of loneliness and isolation combined with confinement at home can trigger excessive eating, said the experts.

Study co-author Professor Thorkild I.A. Sørensen noted that we still do not exactly understand how a person's mental health and economic status influence the risk of developing obesity.

"We know that there are links between obesity and a person's class and mental health, but we don't exactly understand how they make an impact," said Professor Sørensen.

Even though further research is needed to establish cause and effect, the study authors said the scientific expectations are clear: physical distancing and rising rates of unemployment should lead us to expect increased rates of obesity.

The researchers are urging governments and decision makers to consider what impact COVID-19 containment strategies, such as lockdowns, will have on the public's metabolic health. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nrendo">Nature Reviews Endocrinology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Measures to contain COVID-19 could worsen obesity crisis

A team of experts warns that obesity rates may explode...

In a new study from the <a href="https://sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a>, researchers have discovered that male seahorses transport energy-rich fats and other nutrients to their developing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/biomarker-found-in-babies-that-may-predict-autism/">babies</a>. 

While it was known that pregnant male seahorses can carry as many as 2,000 eggs at a time, it has not been entirely clear how they actually feed the babies.

Seahorses and their close relatives, including seadragons and pipefish, are the only male animals in the world that get pregnant and give birth to their offspring. Until they hatch and develop, the babies are protected inside of a brood pouch.

"This work adds to the growing evidence that male pregnancy in seahorses could be as complex as female pregnancy in other animals, including ourselves," said study co-author Dr. Camilla Whittington.

"We now know that seahorse dads can transport nutrients to the babies during pregnancy, and we think they do this via a placenta. It's not exactly like a human placenta though - they don't have an umbilical cord, for example. We need to do further histological work to confirm this."

According to Dr. Whittington, seahorses are emerging as important model species for understanding the evolution of live-bearing reproduction.

"We can draw some parallels between seahorse pregnancy and human pregnancy." 

"Seahorse dads seem to do some of the same things that human mums do, including transporting nutrients and oxygen to developing embryos, and immune modulation to protect the babies from infection."

The study provides the first conclusive evidence that male seahorses transport nutrients to developing embryos, which is a phenomenon known as "patrotrophy." 

The findings raise new questions, such as whether seahorse embryos can influence how much nutrition they receive while they are still in the brood pouch.

"My team is using a range of techniques to investigate the biology of seahorse pregnancy," said Dr. Whittington. "We want to understand more about the seahorse pouch and the ways it protects and supports the baby seahorses."

 Study lead author Zoe Skalkos said the research is really exciting because it's a big step in understanding the relationship between dad and baby in male pregnancy.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/360">Journal of Comparative Physiology B</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Pregnant male seahorses transport nutrients to their babies

In a new study from the University of Sydney, researchers...

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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



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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



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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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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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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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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...