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>. 



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

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...

A new study from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> has revealed that global warming influences the distribution of blue whales by altering <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/destructive-weather-pattern-may-return-to-the-indian-ocean/">ocean</a> conditions and the availability of prey.

The research was focused on a population of blue whales that was recently discovered by the OSU team in New Zealand. 

Professor Leigh Torres is the director of the Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory at the Marine Mammal Institute.

Understanding how changes in climate affect the ability of blue whales to feed gives researchers more insight into the whales' overall health and provides critical information for conservation and management, explained Professor Torres.

"These whales don't move around at random. We found that the same ocean patterns that determine where whales are also determine where their prey are, under both typical and warm ocean conditions." 

"The more we learn about what drives these whales' movement, the more we can help protect them from whatever threats they face."

The new whale population documented by the researchers was found to be genetically distinct from other blue whales. The group lives primarily in the South Taranaki Bight between New Zealand's North and South Islands.

Study lead author Dawn Barlow is a doctoral student in the lab of Professor Torres.

"The goal of our study is to understand the habitat use patterns of this population of blue whales - why they are where they are and how they respond to changing ocean conditions," said Barlow. 

"We know this area is important to this population of whales, and we want to understand what it is about this spot that is desirable to them."

The region often has an abundance of krill, which is the blue whale's preferred food, but the numbers of krill fluctuate alongside ocean temperature and composition. 

The South Taranaki Bight also sees frequent shipping traffic and activity from oil and gas exploration and production, noted Professor Torres.

The study was focused on data collected during average summer conditions in 2014 and 2017 and warmer than average conditions in 2016. 

The researchers used the data to analyze how changing ocean conditions affect blue whale distribution and the location of their prey.

The study showed that during a marine heat wave in 2016, there were fewer aggregations of krill available for blue whales. 

Barlow explained that with fewer options, the whales pursued the densest aggregations of krill they could find.

The research also revealed that during both warm and typical ocean conditions, the whales were more likely to feed in areas where the water was cooler. 

In the South Taranaki Bight, cooler water temperatures represent deeper, nutrient-rich water that was pushed toward the surface in a process called upwelling, explained Professor Torres.

This explains why blue whales are drawn to the cooler water - it provides nutrients that support large numbers of krill.

According to Professor Torres, the findings can be used to inform and adjust the management of human activities in the region to reduce impacts on New Zealand blue whales.

"Documenting information like this can really help us understand how to reduce threats to these animals," said Professor Torres. 

"We need continued monitoring to understand how these whales will respond to both the changing climate and human impacts."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.int-res.com/journals/meps/">Marine Ecology Progress Series</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Blue whales follow their prey as ocean conditions change

A new study from Oregon State University has revealed that...

A team of neuroscientists at <a href="https://www.sissa.it/">SISSA</a> has confirmed that what we see in the earliest years of life has a lasting influence on how our <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exercise-boosts-blood-flow-to-the-brain-and-improves-memory/">brain</a> interprets visual stimuli. 

Passive visual experiences were found to play an important role in the development and function of neurons that are central to the vision system.

According to the researchers, what we passively observe happening around us in early life teaches our brain "how to see."

The findings are providing new insight into the learning mechanisms that affect neural development.

Even during gestation, we are exposed to continuous visual stimuli that become more intense and structured after birth. These stimuli feed into the learning mechanisms that are necessary for the development of vision. 

Lead researcher Davide Zoccolan is the director of the Visual Neuroscience Lab at SISSA. He explained that there are two types of learning: supervised, which is guided by a teacher, or unsupervised, which is influenced by exposure to the surrounding environment. 

"The first is the one we can all associate with our parents or teachers, who direct us to the recognition of an object. The second one happens spontaneously, passively, when we move around the world observing what happens around us."

In some theoretical models that describe biological learning processes mathematically, spontaneous visual experience is considered fundamental to the development of the visual system. 

To test this theory, the team designed an experiment that would expose two groups of young rodents to different visual environments. The researchers were particularly focused on the role of the temporal continuity of visual stimuli in training the brain to see.

"We played a series of videos, in either their original version or after randomly shuffling the single frames (or images), thus destroying the temporal continuity of visual experience," said the study authors. 

"In the subjects exposed to this discontinuous visual flow we observed the impairment of the maturation of some cells of the visual cortex called 'complex.'" 

"These neurons play a key role in visual processing: they allow recognizing the orientation of the contour of an object regardless of its exact position in the visual field, a perceptual ability that only recently has been implemented in artificial vision systems." 

"Having shown that their maturation is highly sensitive to the degree of continuity of visual experience is the first direct experimental confirmation of the theoretical prediction."

The findings highlight the importance of passive visual experience for the development of the visual system. 

Zoccolan noted that the study has important implications for clinical and technological applications.

"In some developing countries, there are children suffering from congenital cataract, who, after the surgery to remove it, have to develop substantially from scratch their visual recognition skills " said Zoccolan.

"Already today, some rehabilitative approaches exploit the temporal continuity of specific visual stimuli (for example, geometric shapes in motion) to teach these patients to distinguish visual objects."

"Our results confirm the validity of these approaches, revealing the neuronal mechanisms behind it and suggesting possible improvements and simplifications."

Zoccolan pointed out that artificial visual systems use mainly "supervised" learning techniques, which require millions of images. 

"Our results suggest that these methods should be complemented by 'unsupervised' learning algorithms that mimic the processes at work in the brain, to make training faster and more efficient."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

What we observe in early life teaches our brain how to see

A team of neuroscientists at SISSA has confirmed that what...

Reintroduction of wolves helped Yellowstone willows recover. The reintroduction of wolves in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/driving-force-yellowstone-supervolcano/">Yellowstone</a> National Park has been linked to the recovery of tall willows, according to a new study led by <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>. 

The research shows that the wolves' predation on elk is a major reason for an increase in the height of willows in northern Yellowstone, said lead author and wildlife ecologist Luke Painter.

He explained that there has been a debate among scientists over the degree to which willows may have recovered following the restoration of wolves in 1995.

"Our results demonstrate that the reduction of elk browsing over the last two decades in northern Yellowstone has allowed willows to grow taller in many places, despite a warming and drying climate." 

Painter noted that willows are not recovering in some areas due to an increased number of bison.

The researchers compared data from three time periods: 1988 to 1993, when elk densities were high and most willows very short; 2001 to 2004, when the willows may have begun to recover; and 2016 to 2018.

The study confirmed that, overall, willows have become more widespread and have grown taller in the decades since wolves were reintroduced.

In 1995, there were nearly 20,000 elk in northern Yellowstone. By March of 2019, elk numbers had diminished to 4,149.

Painter and study co-author Michael Tercek found notable differences among willows located along streams compared to those in wet meadows. 

Willows near streams had grown significantly, exceeding six feet tall, which is the height accessible to elk. Meanwhile, willows in the meadows had not gained in height.

The researchers found that willow thickets had also grown taller at stream sites. According to Painter, tall willow thickets are an important habitat feature and an indicator of willow recovery.

The findings show that passive restoration through the return of predators has begun to reverse the loss of willows, something active culling of elk was unable to accomplish in the past, said Painter.

"Wolves didn't do it all by themselves. Other predators and hunters also affected elk, but this would not have happened without the wolves."

"This does not mean a wider expanse of willow habitat has been restored as existed in the early days of the park when beavers created large wetland expanses. This may eventually happen as beavers return but could take a long time to develop."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://eco-sphere.com/">Ecosphere</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Reintroduction of wolves helped Yellowstone willows recover

Reintroduction of wolves helped Yellowstone willows recover. The reintroduction of...

FDA outlines the drugs that show potential for treating COVID-19. Clinicians and researchers all over the world are working as fast as possible to find safe and effective methods to treat <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/prevalence-of-silent-covid-19-infection-underestimated/">COVID-19</a>. Many experts are investigating the potential of existing drugs to help speed up this process. 

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/home">U.S. Food and Drug Administration</a> (FDA) have examined the findings of every study involving COVID-19 to date. 

In a review published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>, the team provides a breakdown of key immunological factors underlying the clinical stages of COVID-19 that could be targeted by existing therapeutic drugs.

"There are multiple factors involved in determining if the patient's immune response will be insufficient or successful in combating the infection," said study senior author Dr. Montserrat Puig.  

"Our review is an overview of these factors and how they can be considered to define the context in which medications currently used for other diseases, or development of novel agents, can be utilized to prevent, ameliorate or cure COVID-19."

During the early stage of COVID-19, many individuals have only mild symptoms and the disease resolves on its own. For others, COVID-19 turns deadly. 

The infection can progress into a stage that is complicated by Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome along with severe lung inflammation and damage. Patients with severe COVID-19 are often admitted to intensive care units and require life support and ventilation.

The FDA research has produced a summary of published studies on the body's immune response to COVID-19, as well as information acquired from studies focused on previous coronaviruses.

The experts highlight key immunological events that might tip the balance from a protective to a hyperinflammatory response that leads to life-threatening conditions. 

The review also outlines the drugs that are currently available or under development that show promise for preventing and treating severe COVID-19 infection. These drugs include those that could block SARS-CoV-2 from entering into host cells, antivirals with the potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication, and therapies that can potentially improve the function of the lungs.

"Approaches to therapy in the early stage of the disease will differ from those in its severe late stage," said Dr. Puig. 

"As the results of clinical trials become available, it may become increasingly clear that there is likely no single magic bullet to resolve the disease but a combination of several interventions that target different key factors of COVID-19 may well be required."

Dr. Puig explained that the research and data obtained from COVID-19 studies are rapidly evolving and continuously updating. FDA outlines the drugs that show potential for treating COVID-19

"Thus, as clearly stated in our review, the information provided is a 'lessons learned' to date and describes the knowledge available at the time of the publication of the review."

"Our hope is that the information contained in our review will help professionals in COVID-19 research develop new tools and agents to better treat those at high risk of severe COVID-19."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://reports.frontiersin.org/reports/frontiers-in-immunology-report.html">Frontiers in Immunology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

FDA outlines the drugs that show potential for treating COVID-19

FDA outlines the drugs that show potential for treating COVID-19....

Canine arthritis is a common condition in the United States, affecting one out of every five dogs.

Researchers at <a href="https://www.baylor.edu/">Baylor College</a> have demonstrated that cannabidiol, commonly known as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cbd-pain-relief-research/">CBD</a>, can ease arthritis symptoms in dogs and greatly improve their quality of life.

The study is the first of its kind to investigate the potential for CBD to relieve arthritic pain in dogs. The experts chose dogs for their research because of the similarities between canine arthritis and the human version of the disorder. 

"We studied dogs because experimental evidence shows that spontaneous models of arthritis, particularly in domesticated canine models, are more appropriate for assessing human arthritis pain treatments than other animal models," explained study co-author Dr. Matthew Halpert, who is an expert in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Baylor. 

"The biological characteristics of arthritis in dogs closely resemble those of the human condition." 

Arthritis is the leading cause of pain and disability in the United States for which there is no effective treatment, but the Baylor study could soon change that. 

"CBD is rapidly increasing in popularity due to its anecdotal health benefits for a variety of conditions, from reducing anxiety to helping with movement disorders," said said Dr. Halpert.

"In 2019, Medterra CBD approached Baylor to conduct independent scientific studies to determine the biological capabilities of several of its products."

Initially, the researchers used lab tests and mouse models to show that CBD can significantly reduce the production of inflammatory molecules and immune cells associated with arthritis. 

Next, the experts recruited 20 dogs that were seen at Sunset Animal Hospital in Houston. They randomly provided dog owners with medication bottles that contained either a form of CBD or a placebo. 

Neither the owners nor the veterinarians knew which treatment each dog received. Before and after the trial, the dogs were tested for blood cell counts and indicators of liver and kidney function. 

After four weeks of daily treatment, the owners and veterinarians reported on the condition of the dogs, including any observed changes in their level of pain such as those related to running or gait. 

"We found encouraging results," said Dr. Halpert. "Nine of the 10 dogs on CBD showed benefits, which remained for two weeks after the treatment stopped."

"We did not detect alterations in the blood markers we measured, suggesting that, under the conditions of our study, the treatment seems to be safe."

The study also revealed that CBD treatment significantly improved quality of life, as documented in both owner and veterinarian assessments.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.lww.com/pain/pages/default.aspx">Pain</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

CBD improves eases arthritis symptoms in dogs

Canine arthritis is a common condition in the United States,...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-transforming-forests-worldwide/">Climate change will cause abrupt shifts in Great Britain's vegetation Climate</a> change could lead to sudden shifts in vegetation growing in parts of Great Britain, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>.

The researchers combined high resolution images with climate models to investigate the potential impacts of two climate change scenarios across the country. 

The study revealed that even gradual environmental changes could trigger abrupt shifts in the amount of vegetation in some places.

Professor Tim Lenton is the director of Exeter's Global Systems Institute (GSI).

"We didn't expect to see hundreds of localized abrupt shifts in the projections. Up to now, climate-driven abrupt shifts in vegetation have been rare in Great Britain," explained Professor Lenton.

"Our results should not be taken as specific predictions of where abrupt ecosystem change will happen. But they serve to illustrate that it could happen across Great Britain in a changing climate."

According to the study, most regions will experience an increase in vegetation as warmer and wetter conditions combine with higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and stimulate more plant growth. 

In some places, however, warmer conditions may cause soil to dry out, which would reduce plant productivity and rapidly diminish vegetation.

Dr. Chris Boulton is an associate research fellow in the GSI.

"The general expected trend towards warmer, wetter weather is likely to cause an overall increase in vegetation in temperate places like Great Britain," said Dr. Boulton.

"However, we wanted to find out whether even 'smooth' climate change might lead to abrupt shifts in vegetation."

"A lot of research has focused on 'tipping points' in large systems like rainforests and oceans.

"Our study doesn't predict abrupt shifts across the whole of Great Britain - 0.5-1.5% of the land area depending on the climate scenario - but it shows numerous shifts can happen on a localized level."

The researchers used a new method of identifying abrupt shifts in vegetation to look for sudden changes in the total amount of carbon that is stored in it. Climate change will cause abrupt shifts in Great Britain's vegetation and change a lot in the area as far as vegetation for the community.

"We also find early warning signals before some of the abrupt shifts. This is good news as it shows the potential for being able to predict them in the real world," said Dr Boulton.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Climate change will cause abrupt shifts in Great Britain's vegetation 

Climate change will cause abrupt shifts in Great Britain's vegetation Climate...

An analysis of 152-million-year-old <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-with-long-legs-were-not-built-for-speed/">dinosaur</a> bones has revealed that large theropods were not very particular about what they ate. The researchers even found evidence to suggest that the biggest theropods resorted to cannibalism.  

Study lead author Stephanie Drumheller is a paleontologist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at <a href="https://www.utk.edu/">UT Knoxville</a>.

"Scavenging, and even cannibalism, is pretty common among modern predators," said Drumheller. "Big theropods, like Allosaurus, probably weren't particularly picky eaters if it meant they got a free meal."

The research was focused on more than 2,000 bones recovered from the Jurassic Mygatt-Moore Quarry, a fossil deposit in western Colorado. 

The paleontologists discovered hundreds of bite marks in unusually high frequencies on the bones.

Theropod bites were present on the enormous bones of large sauropods, on the heavily armored Mymoorapelta, and on other theropods as well. The bite marks were particularly prevalent among the common remains of Allosaurus.

Some of the bite marks were on meaty bones like ribs, but others were found in unexpected places, like on tiny toe bones.

The findings suggest that dinosaur remains often laid out in the open landscape for months at a time, with multiple scavengers and predators feeding on them.

The abundance of bite marks at the Mygatt-Moore site provided the researchers with many more details than are normally available from smaller sites. For example, theropod teeth are serrated and this tooth shape was apparent in some of the bite marks they left behind.  

In previous work, study co-author Domenic D'Amore of <a href="https://www.daemen.edu/">Daemen College</a> established a method for translating tooth marks into body size estimates.

"We can't always tell exactly what species were marking up the Mygatt-Moore bones, but we can say many of these marks were made by something big," said D'Amore. "A few may have been made by theropods larger than any found at the site before."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Experts find evidence of cannibalism among dinosaurs

An analysis of 152-million-year-old dinosaur bones has revealed that large...

At the end of the last Ice Age, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-turning-the-coast-of-antarctica-green/">Antarctic</a> ice shelves along the coastline retreated at a rate of 50 meters per day. This is about ten times faster than the maximum observed rates of ice retreat today.

The study was led by the Scott Polar Research Institute at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> as part of the Weddell Sea Expedition. 

The researchers set out to estimate how quickly Antarctic ice retreated about 12,000 years ago, as the Earth emerged from the Pleistocene Epoch.

When the ice sheets began to float, wave-like ridges were imprinted in the seafloor sediment as the ice moved up and down with the tides. The experts analyzed patterns in these ridges using high-resolution images that were acquired using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

"By examining the past footprint of the ice sheet and looking at sets of ridges on the seafloor, we were able to obtain new evidence on maximum past ice retreat rates, which are very much faster than those observed in even the most sensitive parts of Antarctica today," said study lead author Professor Julian Dowdeswell.

The use of drones, satellites and AUVs enabled the researchers to study ice conditions in the Weddell Sea in unprecedented detail. The goal was to investigate the past and present flow of the ice shelves that make up about 75 percent of the Antarctic coastline.

"By examining landforms on the seafloor, we were able to make determinations about how the ice behaved in the past," said Professor Dowdeswell. "We knew these features were there, but we've never been able to examine them in such great detail before."

Based on the analysis of seafloor ridges that date back to the end of the last ice age, the team estimated that the ice was retreating as much as 40 to 50 meters per day, or more than 10 kilometers per year. 

By comparison, even the fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica today are melting at a rate of about 1.6 kilometers per year.

"The deep marine environment is actually quite quiet offshore of Antarctica, allowing features such as these to be well-preserved through time on the seafloor," said Professor Dowdeswell. 

"We now know that the ice is capable of retreating at speeds far higher than what we see today. Should climate change continue to weaken the ice shelves in the coming decades, we could see similar rates of retreat, with profound implications for global sea level rise."

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;

Antarctic ice sheets once retreated by 50 meters a day

At the end of the last Ice Age, Antarctic ice...

Climate change is transforming forests worldwide. Rising carbon dioxide levels and warming temperatures are transforming the world's forests by accelerating rates of tree mortality. As a result, forest ecosystems are now dominated by younger and shorter <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/resistance-genes-could-save-billions-of-ash-trees-from-beetles/">trees</a>. 

This translates to lower levels of carbon storage and biodiversity, which both play central roles in climate change mitigation. 

The study was led by Dr. Nate McDowell, who is an Earth scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's <a href="https://www.pnnl.gov/">Pacific Northwest National Laboratory</a> (PNNL).

Based on the analysis of satellite imagery and a detailed literature review, the researchers concluded that the global average tree size has declined over the last century.

"This trend is likely to continue with climate warming. A future planet with fewer large, old forests will be very different than what we have grown accustomed to," said Dr. McDowell. "Older forests often host much higher biodiversity than young forests and they store more carbon than young forests."

According to study co-author Dr. Tom Pugh, there is mounting evidence that climate change is accelerating tree mortality and increasingly altering the age and stature of Earth's forests. 

"This implies a reduction in their ability to store carbon and potentially large shifts in the mix of species that compose and inhabit these forests," said Dr. Pugh.

"This is likely to have big implications for the services those forest provide, such as mitigating climate change. Increasing rates of tree mortality driven by climate and land-use change, combined with uncertainty in the mix of species that will form the next generation, pose big challenges for conservationists and forest managers alike."

Dramatic tree losses in recent decades can be linked to many factors including pests,  clear-cutting, environmental stress, carbon dioxide fertilization, and the increasing frequency and severity of disturbances such as fires, drought, and wind damage.

When a forest experiences high tree losses, a balance is shifted among three important characteristics: recruitment of new seedlings, growth, and mortality.

"Examination of the global patterns of those three parameters over recent decades shows that mortality is rising in most areas, while recruitment and growth are variable over time, leading to a net decline in the stature of forests," said Dr. McDowell. 

"Unfortunately, mortality drivers like rising temperature and disturbances such as wildfire and insect outbreaks are on the rise and are expected to continue increasing in frequency and severity over the next century. So, reductions in average forest age and height are already happening and they're likely to continue to happen."

Dr. McDowell said the conditions promoting deforestation will likely accelerate, drastically altering the living conditions for plants and animals.

"Over the last hundred years we've lost a lot of old forests, and they've been replaced in part by non-forests and in part by young forests. This has consequences on biodiversity, climate mitigation, and forestry."

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;

Climate change is transforming forests worldwide

Climate change is transforming forests worldwide. Rising carbon dioxide levels...

Underwater vision has evolved in sea snakes for 15 million years. In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/">University of Plymouth</a>, researchers have determined that sea snakes have been refining their ability to see underwater ever since they entered the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marine-species-adapt-to-warming-faster-than-terrestrial-species/">marine</a> environment 15 million years ago. 

The study is the first of its kind to describe when, where, and how frequently a species has adapted its ability to see in color.

The evidence suggests that the vision of sea snakes has evolved over millions of years as the snakes adapted to new environments. Genetic modifications helped the snakes spot their prey, as well as predators, in the deep sea.

Surprisingly, the researchers also discovered that sea snakes have the same adaptive properties as some fruit-eating primates.

"In the natural world, species obviously have to adapt as the environment around them changes. But to see such a rapid change in the sea snakes' vision over less than 15 million years is truly astonishing," said study lead author Dr. Bruno Simões.

"The pace of diversification among sea snakes, compared to their terrestrial and amphibious relatives, is perhaps a demonstration of the immensely challenging environment they live in and the need for them to continue to adapt in order to survive."

Dr. Simões said the study also shows that snake and mammal vision has evolved very differently in the transition from land to sea. 

"Sea snakes have retained or expanded their color vision compared to their terrestrial relatives, whereas pinnipeds and cetaceans underwent a further reduction in the dimensions of their color vision. This contrast is further evidence of the remarkable evolutionary diversity of snake eyesight."

The researchers explained that despite being descended from highly visual lizards, snakes have limited color vision that is attributed to the dim-light lifestyle of their early snake ancestors.

The family of venomous front-fanged snakes, known as elapids, includes around 300 terrestrial species and 63 fully marine sea snakes.

To investigate the evolution of spectral sensitivity in elapids, the team analyzed the genes that produce visual pigments, retinal photoreceptors, and eye lenses of various terrestrial and marine species.

The analysis showed that the visual pigments of sea snakes had diversified much more rapidly in response to their surroundings compared to terrestrial and amphibious snakes.

For example, one particular lineage of sea snake had expanded its UV-Blue sensitivity, which would help the snakes navigate the variable light conditions of the ocean water column.

The study also suggests that sea snakes had two slightly different copies of the same gene, or alleles, just like fruit-eating primates. In sea snakes, this mechanism was used to expand their underwater vision with both UV sensitive and blue-sensitive alleles.

"Different alleles of the same gene can be used by organisms to adapt to new environmental conditions," said study senior author Dr. Kate Sanders. "The ABO blood types in primates are a result of different alleles of the same gene." 

"However, despite being very important for the adaptation of species this mechanism is still poorly reported. For vision, it has been only reported on the long-wavelength opsin of some primates but our study suggests an intriguing parallel with diving sea snakes."

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;

Underwater vision has evolved in sea snakes for 15 million years

Underwater vision has evolved in sea snakes for 15 million...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>, experts have identified a process triggered by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exercise-boosts-blood-flow-to-the-brain-and-improves-memory/">exercise</a> that keeps our muscles healthy and optimizes their function. 

The researchers found that after physical activity, the "death marker" protein Ubiquitin tags onto damaged proteins that are subsequently degraded and replaced. 

Muscles are not only important for keeping our bodies in motion, but are also responsible for the movement of internal organs.

The new research highlights the critical role of exercise in building and maintaining healthy muscles. By preventing the accumulation of worn-out proteins, Ubiquitin makes room for new, freshly synthesized proteins.

The research team found that an intense 10-minute bicycle ride is enough to increase the activity of Ubiquitin and initiate the protein cleanup process.

"Muscles eliminate worn-out proteins in several ways," explained study co-author Professor Erik Richter. "One of these methods is when Ubiquitin, 'the death-marker,' tags a protein in question." 

"Ubiquitin itself is a small protein. It attaches itself to the amino acid Lysine on worn-out proteins, after which the protein is transported to a Proteasome, which is a structure that gobbles up proteins and spits them out as amino acids. These amino acids can then be reused in the synthesis of new proteins." 

"As such, Ubiquitin contributes to a very sustainable circulation of the body's proteins."

While a lot is known about how muscles regulate the build-up of new proteins during physical activity, much less is known about how muscle contractions and exercise help to clear out damaged proteins.

"The important role of Ubiquitin for 'cleaning up' worn-out proteins in connection with muscular activity was not fully appreciated," said Professor Bente Kiens. "Now we know that physical activity increases Ubiquitin tagging on worn-out proteins."

Professor Jørgen Wojtaszewski explained that the findings serve to strengthen the entire foundation for the effect of physical activity.

"Basically, it explains part of the reason why physical activity is healthy. The beauty is that muscle use, in and of itself, is what initiates the processes that keep muscles up to date, healthy, and functional."

Further research is needed to understand how various factors such as training regimens, gender, or diet influence Ubiquitin and muscle function.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.fasebj.org/">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;

"Death marker" protein rejuvenates muscles after exercise

In a new study from the University of Copenhagen, experts...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://thorax.bmj.com/">Thorax</a> has revealed that the prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection may be drastically higher than what was previously realized. 

The research was focused on passengers and crew members who were isolated during the pandemic on an expedition ship. More than 80 percent of those who tested positive for the coronavirus had no symptoms. 

Professor Alan Smyth, joint editor-in-chief of the journal, said the study has implications for the easing of lockdown restrictions. The findings also highlight the urgent need for accurate data on how many people have actually been infected with COVID-19.

The researchers were all present onboard the cruise ship, which was carrying 128 passengers and 95 crew members. The expedition departed from Argentina for a 21-day tour of the Antarctic. 

The ship disembarked in mid-March after the World Health Organization had declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.

Passengers who had traveled in countries with high rates of COVID-19 infection over the previous three weeks were not allowed to board, and those who boarded had their temperature taken.

The researchers describe having an abundance of hand sanitizing  stations on the ship, particularly in the dining area.

The first case of fever was reported on day 8, and COVID-19 infection control measures were immediately enforced. This included passenger confinement to cabins with no services provided other than the delivery of meals. 

In addition, any crew members in contact with sick passengers wore personal protective equipment.

Argentina had already closed its borders, and the ship arrived in Uruguay on day 13. At this point, eight passengers and crew members required medical evacuation for respiratory failure.

On day 20, the remaining 217 passengers and crew were swabbed for coronavirus, and 128 individuals tested positive.

There were ten separate instances when two people sharing the same cabin had different test results. According to the study authors, this discrepancy is likely due to the fact that the current swab test produces a substantial number of false negatives.

Among those who tested positive, only 19 percent had symptoms of COVID-19 infection, while 81 percent were asymptomatic.

The researchers conclude that the prevalence of COVID-19 infection on cruise ships is likely to be "significantly underestimated." They say that passengers should be monitored after a cruise ship disembarks to prevent the potential rapid spread of the virus.

"It is difficult to find a reliable estimate of the number of COVID positive patients who have no symptoms," Professor Smyth wrote in a blog post.

"As countries progress out of lockdown, a high proportion of infected, but asymptomatic, individuals may mean that a much higher percentage of the population than expected may have been infected with COVID."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://thorax.bmj.com/">Thorax </a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Prevalence of silent COVID-19 infection underestimated

A new study published in the journal Thorax has revealed...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



---



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...