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...

Lithium in public drinking water has been linked to a decrease in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/computer-models-predict-suicide-risk-by-screening-heath-records/">suicides</a>, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.sussex.ac.uk/">University of Sussex</a>. Based on the analysis of studies from around the world, the researchers found that areas with relatively high levels of naturally occurring lithium in drinking water had lower suicide rates.

 "It is promising that higher levels of trace lithium in drinking water may exert an anti-suicidal effect and have the potential to improve community mental health," said study lead author Professor Anjum Memon.

"The prevalence of mental health conditions and national suicide rates are increasing in many countries. Worldwide, over 800,000 people die by suicide every year, and suicide is the leading cause of death among persons aged 15-24 years."  

"In these unprecedented times of COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent increase in the incidence of mental health conditions, accessing ways to improve community mental health and reduce the incidence of anxiety, depression and suicide is ever more important."   

Lithium is a mood stabilizer that is used to treat depressive and manic episodes in people with bipolar disorder and clinical depression. It can reduce suicide risk, as well as impulsivity, aggression, and substance abuse.

The element occurs naturally in vegetables, grains, spices, and drinking water. Lithium is also present in trace amounts in most rocks, and is often released into soils and groundwater, which is how it enters public water supplies.

The health benefits and healing powers of naturally occurring lithium have been known for centuries. Recent studies have linked lithium to a lower risk of cognitive degeneration and dementia.

"This synthesis and analysis of all available evidence confirms previous findings of some individual studies and shows a significant relationship between higher lithium levels in drinking water and lower suicide rates in the community," said study co-author Professor Allan Young.

"The levels of lithium in drinking water are far lower than those recommended when lithium is used as medicine although the duration of exposure may be far longer, potentially starting at conception." 

"These findings are also consistent with the finding in clinical trials that lithium reduces suicide and related behaviors in people with a mood disorder."

Professor Memon said that future research could include randomized community trials of lithium supplementation of the water supply, particularly in communities with a high prevalence of mental health conditions, violent criminal behavior, chronic substance abuse, and suicide risk. 

"This may provide further evidence to support the hypothesis that lithium could be used at the community level to reduce or combat the risk of these conditions."

"This study shows that the boundaries between medication and nutritional interventions are not as rigid as we used to think, opening up the possibility of new treatments that span both domains," said study co-author Professor Carmine Pariante. 

"More knowledge of the beneficial properties of lithium and its role in regulating brain function can lead to a deeper understanding of mental illness and improve the wellbeing of patients with depression and other mental health problems."  

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry">British Journal of Psychiatry</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

&nbsp;

Lithium in public drinking water may lower suicide risk

Lithium in public drinking water has been linked to a...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> have identified ways to determine which patients have the greatest risk of developing severe <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mild-obesity-linked-to-greater-risk-of-severe-covid-19-infection/">COVID-19</a> based on their immune activity. The research shows that the body's immune system provides early indications of whether an infection will become life-threatening.

The findings may help doctors recognize which patients will likely require critical care, and could also help pinpoint which drugs will be most effective.

The researchers examined 113 patients admitted to Yale New Haven Hospital, analyzing their immune system responses from the time of admittance until discharge or death.

In the early stages of infection, the experts found that all of the patients shared a common COVID-19 "signature" in immune activity. 

Over time, those who experienced only moderate symptoms exhibited diminishing immune system responses and viral load. Patients who developed severe COVID-19 infections showed no decrease in their immune activity or viral load, and many of the immune signals accelerated.

However, there were indicators early on that predicted which patients were at greatest risk of severe infection."We were able to pull out signatures of disease risk," said study senior author Professor Akiko Iwasaki.

While it was known that the immune system unleashes a massive "cytokine storm" in the worst cases of COVID-19, it was not known which specific components of the immune system are responsible. The Yale team has found some new clues as to the cause of this damaging immune response. 

Curiously, said researchers, one risk factor was the presence of alpha interferon, a cytokine mobilized to combat viral pathogens such as the flu virus. However, high levels of alpha interferon were associated with the worst COVID-19 outcomes.

"This virus just doesn't seem to care about alpha interferon," said Professor Iwasaki. "The cytokine appears to be hurting, not helping."

Another early indicator of severe disease is activation of the inflammasome, a network of proteins triggers an inflammatory response when pathogens are detected. 

The researchers found that individuals who had the best outcomes expressed high levels of a type of cytokine that repairs tissue damage to the linings of blood vessels and lungs.

Taken together, the data can help predict patients at high risk of poor outcomes, said the study authors. They added that drugs which target specific causes of inflammation identified in the study could help treat patients at risk of developing severe cases of COVID-19.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</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

&nbsp;

Severity of COVID-19 can be predicted by the immune system 

Researchers at Yale University have identified ways to determine which...

The oldest trees on the planet date back nearly 5,000 years, and some species do not appear to show signs of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/experts-identify-factors-that-protect-the-brain-from-aging/">aging</a>. A recent study of ginkgo trees found that they seem to be able to escape whole-plant senescence, the biological aging process where deterioration becomes obvious.

However, in a new report published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, Professor Sergi Munné-Bosch of the University of Barcelona explains that while senescence in ancient trees may be almost undetectable, it is still taking place.

"When we try to study these organisms, we're really astonished that they live so long. But this doesn't mean that they're immortal," said Professor Munné-Bosch. "They live so long because they have many mechanisms to reduce a lot of the wear and tear of aging."

Ancient trees have evolved methods for prolonging the aging process, but research has confirmed that they still experience physiological stress associated with senescence. "They have limits," said Professor Munné-Bosch. "There are physical and mechanical constraints that limit their ability to live indefinitely."

Because they are so challenging to study, little is known about what the process of senescence looks like in millennial trees. "When a species of tree can live for five millennia, it's very difficult to find even two trees that are between two and five millennia."

Professor Munné-Bosch explained that while dying of senescence is a possibility, the trees will likely die from other causes. "They don't have to worry about senescence because they have other things that worry them more."

Due to their extreme lifespans, the aging process of trees would have to be studied at a timescale that is much larger than that of existing studies.

"The measure of time is something that we have invented as humans, and to a millennial tree, it does not matter at all," said Munné-Bosch.

Trees have a variety of ways to reduce their chances of death from aging. For example, they can "build life on death" by growing new shoots from trunks composed of 90 percent nonliving biomass. Even though long-lived trees can survive for millennia through these methods, there is still some stress associated with aging that prevent immortality. "Time, in some respects, can be considered as a sort of stress. Living is stressful, and this very slowly will bring you to death."

According to Professor Munné-Bosch, understanding how trees prolong senescence is important. "We have a lot to learn from them. For instance, aspects of regenerative medicine are based on mechanisms that have already evolved in trees." 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/home">Trends in Plant Science</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Some trees live thousands of years with no signs of aging

The oldest trees on the planet date back nearly 5,000...

When it is time to make an important choice, people often rely on their gut instinct. This inherent guidance originates in the enteric nervous system (ENS), which is referred to as the "second brain" because it operates independently.

The ENS is an extensive network of neurons and transmitters in the human gut that serves the primary purpose of managing digestion.

Experts in the lab of Professor Nick Spencer at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> set out to learn more about the ENS, such as how it manages to transmit critical information to the brain almost instantaneously.

The researchers identified a specific type of neuron in the gut that sends signals to neurons near the spinal cord, where they are carried to the brain.

The study represents a giant step toward understanding ENS functions and the complexity of the gut and brain connection. 

"There is significant interest in how the gut communicates with the brain as a major unresolved issue because of growing evidence that many diseases may first start in the gut and then travel to the brain, an example of which is Parkinson's Disease," said Professor Spencer.

"The new study has uncovered how viscerofugal neurons provide a pathway so our gut can 'sense' what is going on inside the gut wall, then relay this sensory information more dynamically than was previously assumed to other organs, like the spinal cord and brain which influence our decisions, mood and general well-being."

The findings may ultimately help to reveal why the ENS plays an increasingly important role in human health. The research could also lead to the development of new treatments for conditions like Parkinson's disease.

"What is particularly exciting about the gut, is that it is unlike all other internal organs (e.g. heart, liver, bladder) because the gut has its own nervous system, which can function independently of the brain or spinal cord," said Professor Spencer. 

"Understanding how the gut communicates and controls other organs in the body can lead to important breakthroughs for disease treatment and this is an important step in the right direction."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Experts discover how our gut instincts reach the brain

When it is time to make an important choice, people...

Obesity has been referred to as the "parallel pandemic," and a growing collection of research shows that excess weight is an independent and causal risk factor for mortality among COVID-19 patients. Now, a new study has traced this seemingly complex link to something as simple as a hormone that influences the body's immune response.

The hormone leptin not only regulates appetite and metabolism, but also manages the cells that fight infection. Leptin is produced by fat cells and is secreted into the bloodstream. People with more fat have higher levels of leptin circulating in their body.

Study lead author Dr. Candida Rebello is a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://www.pbrc.edu/">Pennington Biomedical Research Center</a>.

"The problem for people with obesity is that their leptin levels are always high, and that can affect the response to a COVID-19 infection," said Dr. Rebello.

According to Dr. Rebello, elevated leptin levels hamper the body's ability to fight off infections, in the lungs and elsewhere. High leptin levels promote inflammation throughout the body.

"If you have obesity, there are a number of underlying health issues that make it more difficult for you to fight off a COVID-19 infection," said study co-author Dr. John Kirwan. "Your entire body, including your lungs, may be inflamed. Your immune response is likely compromised, and your lung capacity reduced.

"Add in a virus that further weakens the body's ability to fight infection, that can limit the body's ability to control lung inflammation, and you have the recipe for disaster."

The findings suggest that the immunocompromised state associated with obesity must be taken into consideration for the development of COVID-19 vaccines in the same way that older age is accounted for.

"The multifaceted nature of obesity including its effects on immunity can fundamentally alter the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia, which are the major causes of death due to SARS-CoV-2 infection," wrote the researchers.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/ijo">International Journal of Obesity</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

&nbsp;

Obesity and COVID-19 death are linked by a hormone 

Obesity has been referred to as the "parallel pandemic," and...

Good genes and strong cognitive skills can help protect the brain from aging and prevent memory loss in older adults, according to a new study published by the <a href="https://www.aan.com/">American Academy of Neurology</a>. Meanwhile, modifiable lifestyle factors including smoking and high blood pressure can accelerate brain aging.

The researchers set out to investigate how some people remain sharp into their 90s, even if they have the amyloid plaques in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Other people have been found to reach their 90s without ever developing plaques.

The study followed 100 older adults without dementia for 14 years, at which point the participants had an average of 92 years old. The volunteers were given thinking and memory assessments, as well as brain imaging scans to determine whether they had amyloid-beta plaques in their brains.

Study lead author Dr. Beth E. Snitz is a professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh.

"With more and more people living into their 90s and even 100s, it's increasingly important that we be able to understand and predict the factors that help people preserve their thinking skills as they age and determine if there are any changes people can make during their younger years that can improve their chances of cognitive resilience," said Dr. Snitz.

The investigation revealed that participants who had normal scores on the thinking and memory tests at the start of the study were less likely to exhibit signs of brain aging, even if they had amyloid plaques.

"This finding is consistent with the theory that people with better lifelong thinking and memory skills have a 'cognitive reserve' that provides a buffer of protection against changes in the brain," said Dr. Snitz. "They can better compensate for any underlying brain changes."

The researchers also found that people with the gene variant apolipoprotein E ε2 (APOE ε2) were more resistant to developing amyloid plaques. This gene was previously associated with improved brain aging, including a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

The study showed that individuals with the APOE ε2 gene version were six times less likely to develop plaques than people without the gene. This gene variant is not extremely common, and only one out of ten study participants were found to have it.

The experts report that participants who never smoked were over 10 times more likely to maintain their thinking skills, even with plaques. 

Furthermore, individuals who had higher scores on a blood pressure measure called pulse pressure tended to have a greater number of plaques over time. Pulse pressure increases with age and represents aging of the vascular system.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.neurology.org/">Neurology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

What factors protect the brain from aging?

Good genes and strong cognitive skills can help protect the...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a>, researchers are describing a breakthrough method for capturing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-will-increase-arctic-co2-emissions-by-40-billion-tons/">carbon dioxide</a> that could greatly reduce harmful emissions from power plants. 

The technology provides an inexpensive yet efficient technique that can be used by natural gas plants to remove carbon dioxide from their flue emissions.

The new carbon capture and storage (CCS) technique was developed by the UC Berkeley team in collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and ExxonMobil. 

The CCS technology consists of a highly porous material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) modified with nitrogen-containing molecules to capture CO2. In addition, the method uses low temperature steam to flush out the CO2 to be re-used or sequestered.

The team has demonstrated that this approach is six times more effective in removing CO2 from flue gas than current amine-based technology. Testing showed that the technique can capture more than 90 percent of CO2, and required minimal energy to do so.

Study senior author Jeffrey Long is a professor at UC Berkeley and a senior faculty scientist at Berkeley Lab.

"For CO2 capture, steam stripping - where you use direct contact with steam to take off the CO2 - has been a sort of holy grail for the field. It is rightly seen as the cheapest way to do it," said Professor Long. "These materials, at least from the experiments we have done so far, look very promising."

Study co-author Simon Weston is a senior research associate and the project lead at ExxonMobil Research and Engineering.

"We were able to take the initial discovery and, through research and testing, derive a material that in lab experiments has shown the potential to not only capture CO2 under the extreme conditions present in flue gas emissions from natural gas power plants, but to do so with no loss in selectivity," said Weston. 

"We have shown that these new materials can then be regenerated with low-grade steam for repeated use, providing a pathway for a viable solution for carbon capture at scale."

&nbsp;

Carbon dioxide emissions account for around 65 percent of the harmful greenhouse gases that drive global warming, which has already increased Earth's average temperature by one degree Celsius since the 19th century. If greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, the planet will face dangerous consequences such as catastrophic storms, droughts, fires, and famine.

"In reality, of the kinds of things that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says we need to do to control global warming, CO2 capture is a huge part," said Long. "We don't have a use for most of the CO2 that we need to stop emitting, but we have to do it."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">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;

Carbon capture technology could greatly reduce emissions

In a new study from UC Berkeley, researchers are describing...

In a phenomenon known as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-will-increase-arctic-co2-emissions-by-40-billion-tons/">Arctic</a> amplification, regions like Alaska and Siberia are warming at about twice the rate of the rest of the planet. The accelerated climate change is producing record-breaking heat waves and wildfires in Siberia, while Alaska is experiencing excessive rainfall.

Arctic amplification is expected to intensify, and scientists are urgently trying to predict what this extreme warming means for the Arctic permafrost that covers about 25 percent of the Northern Hemisphere.

Permafrost not only supports infrastructure and buildings, but also stores about twice the amount of carbon that is currently in the atmosphere. This means that thawing permafrost has enormous potential to accelerate global warming even further.

In a new study from <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">UC Boulder</a>, researchers have investigated how extreme rainfall is impacting Alaska's permafrost, which underlies about 85 percent of the state. The research is the first to compare how rainfall is affecting permafrost across time, space, and a variety of ecosystems. 

Study lead author Thomas A. Douglas is a scientist with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, and a resident of Fairbanks, Alaska.

"In our research area the winter has lost almost three weeks to summer," said Douglas."This, along with more rainstorms, means far more wet precipitation is falling every summer."

Over five years, the experts took 2,750 measurements to document how far below the land's surface permafrost had thawed by the end of summer across a wide range of environments near Fairbanks. 

The five-year study period consisted of two summers with average precipitation, one that was unusually dry, and two summers that broke records for high rainfall. The differences in annual rainfall were found to have a major influence on the amount of permafrost thaw, with more rainfall leading to deeper thaw across all sites. 

"I was just at one of our field sites and you need hip waders to get to areas that used to be dry or only ankle deep with water," said Douglas. "It is extremely wet out there. So far this year we have almost double the precipitation of a typical year."

As a result of a wet summer in 2014, the researchers found that permafrost did not freeze back to previous levels, even after two dry summers that followed. The most thawing was observed in wetlands and disturbed sites, like trail crossings and clearings.

Forest ecosystems were found to be the most resistant to permafrost thaw, especially spruce forests with thick sphagnum moss layers.

Charlie Koven, an Earth system modeler with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, used the field measurements to build a model that showed how rain was driving heat down into the permafrost ground.

The study highlights the major influence that land cover types have on the relationships between summer rainfall and permafrost thaw. 

Alaska's vegetation is expected to be altered by climate change, and wildfires will disturb larger areas of the landscape. These conditions could lead to a reinforcing feedback loop between more permafrost thaw and wetter summers. As climate conditions change rapidly, the researchers will continue to investigate.

Study co-author Merritt Turetsky is the director of UC Boulder's Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR).

"This study adds to the growing body of knowledge about how extreme weather, ranging from heat spells to intense summer rains, can disrupt foundational aspects of Arctic ecosystems," said Turetsky. "These changes are not occurring gradually over decades or lifetimes; we are watching them occur over mere months to years."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/npjclimatsci">Climate and Atmospheric 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;

Summer rainfall accelerates permafrost thaw in Alaska

In a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification, regions like Alaska...

A new study reveals that crown-of-thorns starfish can significantly enhance their growth by shifting their diets at a younger age.

Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) feed heavily on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sharks-have-vanished-from-20-percent-of-coral-reefs/">coral</a> polyps, and outbreaks can be extremely detrimental to coral reefs. 

When the juvenile COTS first settle into a reef, they feed on eating rock-hard coralline algae. Researchers have found that the sooner the young starfish get a taste for coral polyps, the larger and more destructive they ultimately become.

A team led by Jennifer Wilmes of the <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/">ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies</a> compared the growth of juvenile COTS who switch their diets within six months of settlement and those that continue to feed on coralline algae for up to a year.

The researchers found that juveniles which shift to eating corals earlier grow much faster and larger. The bigger COTS have higher reproductive success and consume coral at higher rates. 

"Here we demonstrate, based on extensive field sampling of juvenile starfish, that marked variation in body size among juvenile starfish is linked to an ontogenetic diet shift from coralline algae to coral," wrote the study authors.

"This transition in diet leads to exponential growth in juveniles and is essential for individuals to reach maturity. Because smaller individuals experience higher mortality and growth is stunted on an algal diet, the ontogenetic shift to corallivory enhances individual fitness and replenishment success." 

"Our findings suggest that the availability of coral prey facilitates early ontogenetic diet shifts and may be fundamental in initiating population irruptions."

By preventing COTS outbreaks, experts can help to protect coral reefs from irreparable damage.

"Understanding the mechanisms that determine population replenishment is essential to develop effective early management intervention strategies," wrote the researchers. 

"Failing to develop well-informed decision tools risks to produce counterproductive management outcomes and could in the worst case contribute to the collapse of the system itself, with potentially devastating and irreversible impacts on reef ecosystems."

The study is published in the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society 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;

Starfish that prey on corals early in life become more destructive

A new study reveals that crown-of-thorns starfish can significantly enhance...

Data from the last 500 years shows that river flooding has become more extreme and follows a completely different pattern in recent decades. 

The findings are the result of a major international study involving 34 research groups led by Austrian flood expert Professor Günter Blöschl from the <a href="https://www.tuwien.at/en/">Vienna University of Technology</a>.

The research provides clear evidence that river flooding in Europe over the last three decades has intensified, and global warming is to blame.

Compared to the past five centuries, floods are now larger in many places, the timing has shifted, and the relationship between flood occurrence and air temperatures has reversed. 

"From our previous research, we already knew how climate change has affected Europe's floods in the past 50 years," said study co-author Alberto Viglione. 

"For forecasts of the next decades, however, it is also important to understand whether this is a completely new situation or whether this is just a repetition of something that has already occurred." 

"So far, the available data had not been sufficient to ascertain whether this is the case or not. We have examined this question in great detail and can now say with confidence: Yes, flooding characteristics in recent decades are unlike those of the previous centuries."

For the current study, researchers and historians collaborated to analyze tens of thousands of documents containing river flood reports from 1500 to 2016.

"The particular challenge of this study consisted in making the very different texts of the different centuries and different cultural regions comparable," said study co-author Andrea Kiss.

"We managed to achieve this comparability by putting all the texts in their respective historical contexts with painstaking attention to detail."

The team pinpointed nine flood-rich periods and found that historically, these events were triggered by cooler weather.

"This finding seems to contradict the observation that, in some areas such as in the northwest of Europe, the recent warmer climate is aligned with larger floods," said Professor Blöschl. "Our study shows for the first time that the underlying mechanisms have changed: While, in the past, floods have occurred more frequently under colder conditions, the opposite is the case now. The hydrological conditions of the present are very different from those in the past."

The seasonal timing of the floods has also changed. Central European floods have become much more frequent in the summer due to shifts in precipitation, evaporation, and snowmelt. 

The study is the first of its kind to evaluate historical flood periods for an entire continent in such elaborate detail. The findings will help to distinguish the role of climate change from the contribution of other factors such as deforestation and river management.

Professor Blöschl recommends the use of flood-risk assessment tools that capture the physical processes involved, and management strategies that can incorporate the recent changes that were identified in the study. 

"Regardless of the necessary efforts of climate change mitigation, we will see the effects of these changes in the coming decades," said Professor Blöschl. "Flood management must adapt to these new realities."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</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

&nbsp;

Global warming has transformed flooding patterns

Data from the last 500 years shows that river flooding...

An edible seaweed extract may be more effective in blocking <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coronavirus-detected-in-air-pollution-particles/">coronavirus</a> infection than remdesivir, a drug that received emergency use authorization by the FDA to treat severe cases of COVID-19. 

At the <a href="https://www.rpi.edu/">Rensselear Polytechnic Institute</a>, lab testing with mammalian cells showed that the antiviral activity of a fucoidan found in brown seaweed had a higher potency against SARS-CoV-2 than remdesivir.

In addition, the common blood thinner heparin - as well as a heparin variant stripped of its anticoagulant properties - were found to be almost as effective as remdesivir in inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 infection in mammalian cells.

The research is the latest example of a decoy strategy that the Rensselear team is developing against viruses like COVID-19.

The spike protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 latches onto a molecule on the surface of human cells called the ACE-2 receptor. Once it has attached itself securely, the virus inserts its own genetic material inside of the cell and initiates the replication process.

Experts recognize that the virus could easily be manipulated to latch onto a suitable decoy molecule, where it would be trapped and neutralized.

Previous studies have shown this decoy strategy works in trapping other viruses such as dengue, Zika, and influenza A. 

"We're learning how to block viral infection, and that is knowledge we are going to need if we want to rapidly confront pandemics," said lead researcher Professor Jonathan Dordick. "The reality is that we don't have great antivirals. To protect ourselves against future pandemics, we are going to need an arsenal of approaches that we can quickly adapt to emerging viruses."

In the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at at Rensselaer, the experts tested the antiviral activity in three variants of heparin and two fucoidans extracted from seaweed, RPI-27 and RPI-28. All five compounds are sulfated polysaccharides with structures that make them good candidates for use as a decoy.

The team performed a dose response study known as an EC50 with each of the five compounds to test their effectiveness on SARS-CoV-2 in mammalian cells. The results of an EC50 are expressed in a molar concentration, where a lower value represents a higher potency.

The seaweed extract RPI-27 yielded an EC50 value of approximately 83 nanomolar. When remdesivir was tested on the same mammalian cells in a previous study, it yielded an EC50 value of 770 nanomolar. 

Heparin was found to be about one-third as active as remdesivir, and a non-anticoagulant strain of heparin was one-fifth as active as remdesivir.

Even at the highest concentrations tested, there was no cellular toxicity in any of the compounds, according to the researchers.

"What interests us is a new way of getting at infection," said study co-author Professor Robert Linhardt. "The current thinking is that the COVID-19 infection starts in the nose, and either of these substances could be the basis for a nasal spray. If you could simply treat the infection early, or even treat before you have the infection, you would have a way of blocking it before it enters the body."

While studying SARS-CoV-2 sequencing data, the professors recognized several features on the structure of the spike protein that suggest it would be a compatible fit with heparin. A binding study produced more evidence of this compatibility.

"It's a very complicated mechanism that we quite frankly don't know all the details about, but we're getting more information," said Professor Dordick. 

"One thing that's become clear with this study is that the larger the molecule, the better the fit. The more successful compounds are the larger sulfated polysaccharides that offer a greater number of sites on the molecules to trap the virus."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/celldisc">Cell Discovery</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Is seaweed more potent against COVID-19 than remdesivir?

An edible seaweed extract may be more effective in blocking...

Eating chocolate more than once a week is associated with a lower risk of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/experts-find-a-gut-bacteria-that-reduces-the-risk-of-heart-disease/">heart</a> disease, according to new research published by the <a href="https://www.escardio.org/">European Society of Cardiology</a>.

Study lead author Dr. Chayakrit Krittanawong is a cardiologist at <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/">Baylor College of Medicine</a>.

"Our study suggests that chocolate helps keep the heart's blood vessels healthy," said Dr. Krittanawong. 

"In the past, clinical studies have shown that chocolate is beneficial for both blood pressure and the lining of blood vessels. I wanted to see if it affects the blood vessels supplying the heart (the coronary arteries) or not. And if it does, is it beneficial or harmful?"

The team analyzed research on the relationship between chocolate consumption and coronary artery blockage. The analysis was focused on six studies published over the last five decades, involving a total of 336,289 participants.

During a follow-up period of eight years, 14,043 participants developed coronary artery disease and 4,667 had a heart attack.

The researchers determined that, compared with individuals who ate chocolate less than once a week, those who consumed chocolate more than once a week had an eight-percent reduced risk of developing coronary artery disease.

"Chocolate contains heart healthy nutrients such as flavonoids, methylxanthines, polyphenols and stearic acid which may reduce inflammation and increase good cholesterol," said Dr. Krittanawong.

He noted that the study did not examine whether any particular type of chocolate is more beneficial or if there is an ideal portion size. Further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms of chocolate's  cardioprotective effects.

"Chocolate appears promising for prevention of coronary artery disease, but more research is needed to pinpoint how much and what kind of chocolate could be recommended."

Despite the potential health benefits, Dr. Krittanawong warned against overeating.

"Moderate amounts of chocolate seem to protect the coronary arteries but it's likely that large quantities do not. The calories, sugar, milk, and fat in commercially available products need to be considered, particularly in diabetics and obese people."

Dr. Krittanawong recently led a separate study that revealed the heart health benefits of meditation. The researchers found that meditation lowered the risk of high cholesterol by 35 percent, diabetes by 30 percent, stroke by 24 percent, and lowered the risk of coronary artery disease by 49 percent.

The study is published in the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2047487320936787">European Journal of Preventive Cardiology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Chocolate lowers the risk of coronary artery disease 

Eating chocolate more than once a week is associated with...

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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;



---



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

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[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...