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...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/home/">German Research Centre for Geosciences</a> (GFZ) have used <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hunting-method-hawks-drones/">drone</a> images of active volcanoes to create 3D models with incredible resolution. 

Due to the high risk of collapse or explosion, as well as limited accessibility, it is very challenging for scientists to take pictures of active volcanoes.

The GFZ team conducted a series of survey flights at the Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala using drones equipped with optical and thermal imaging cameras.

The survey was focused on the volcano's lava dome, a mound-shaped projection that is formed from the extrusion of viscous lava.

The researchers found that the lava dome had two types of movements with different time scales: slow expansion and growth of the dome and fast extrusion of viscous lava. 

"We have equipped a drone with different cameras," said study first author Edgar Zorn. "We then flew the drone over the crater at various intervals, measuring the movements of lava flow and a lava dome using a specific type of stereo photography with a precision never seen before." 

"By comparing the data from the drone, we were able to determine the flow velocity, movement patterns and surface temperature of the volcano."

These particular parameters are needed to assess the hazard risks of explosive volcanoes. The researchers were able to use this data to estimate the flow properties of the lava.

"We have shown that the use of drones can help to completely re-measure even the most dangerous and active volcanoes on Earth from a safe distance," said Zorn. 

The two drone cameras captured both high-resolution photos and thermal imaging of the Santa Maria volcano's lava dome. The team developed a three-dimensional topography and temperature model with a resolution of only a few centimeters. 

"The 3D models of the various flights must be positioned exactly so that they can be compared. This requires painstaking detail work, but the effort is worth it because even minimal movements become immediately visible," said Zorn. 

"In the study, we presented some new possibilities for the representation and measurement of certain ground movements, which could be very useful in future projects."

"A regular and systematic survey of dangerous volcanoes with drones seems to be almost within one's grasp," noted study co-author Thomas Walter.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Drone images help experts monitor active volcanoes 

Experts at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) have...

Glass <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/overharvested-water-frogs-will-soon-vanish-in-turkey/">frogs</a> have a fascinating transparent appearance, but why the frogs evolved to have see-through skin has remained a mystery. 

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>, experts set out to find the ecological significance of translucent skin in glass frogs and identified a previously unknown form of camouflage.

The research combined behavioral studies with computational visual modeling and a computer-based detection experiment. 

The investigation revealed that glass frog translucency serves as a type of camouflage, but the mechanism differs from that of true transparency.

"The frogs are always green but appear to brighten and darken depending on the background. This change in brightness makes the frogs a closer match to their immediate surroundings, which are predominantly made up of green leaves," explained study lead author Dr. James Barnett.

"We also found that the legs are more translucent than the body and so when the legs are held tucked to the frog's sides at rest, this creates a diffuse gradient from leaf color to frog color rather than a more salient sharp edge."

Dr. Barnett said this finding represents a new form of camouflage that the researchers refer to as "edge diffusion."

According to Dr. Barnett, scientists have often been skeptical of the degree to which glass frogs can be called transparent.

"Transparency is, at face value, the perfect camouflage. It is relatively common in aquatic species where animal tissue shares a similar refractive index to the surrounding water."

"However, air and tissue are quite different in their refractive indices, so transparency is predicted to be less effective in terrestrial species. Indeed, terrestrial examples are rare." 

"Although glass frogs are one commonly cited example of terrestrial transparency, their sparse green pigmentation means they are better described as translucent," said Dr. Barnett.

The research was supervised by Professor Nick Scott-Samuel and Professor Innes Cuthill when Dr. Barnett was a PhD student at the University of Bristol.

"Animal camouflage has long been a textbook example of the power of Darwinian natural selection," said Professor Cuthill. "However, in truth, we are only beginning to unravel how different forms of camouflage actually work. Glass frogs illustrate a new mechanism that we hadn't really considered before."

Professor Scott-Samuel said the study addresses a question that has been the topic of much speculation, both among the public and the scientific community. "We now have good evidence that the frogs' glass-like appearance is, indeed, a form of camouflage," he concluded. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Glass frogs have a previously unknown form of camouflage

Glass frogs have a fascinating transparent appearance, but why the...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London</a> may ultimately protect ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a deadly pest that is projected to wipe out billions of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tropical-trees-higher-elevations/">trees</a> around the world. 

Over the last decade, EAB has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America, and is also threatening European ash populations.

Insecticides can protect individual ash trees, but a long-term solution is needed. 

"The emerald ash borer has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in North America since it was accidentally imported to Detroit from Asia in wooden packaging," said study co-author Professor Richard Buggs. 

"The beetle is now spreading across Europe, where we don't yet know how it will interact with the invasive fungal pathogen causing the ash dieback epidemic. We need to be prepared to take decisive action to stop the spread of pests and pathogens that damage trees and the natural environment, as well as pathogens that attack humans."

The team collaborated with experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens to sequence the complete sets of genes, or genomes, of 22 species of ash trees to determined how they are related.

The researchers also partnered with scientists at the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service in Ohio, who tested the EAB resistance of over 20 ash tree species by hatching eggs attached to the bark of trees. 

The ash trees with resistance were able to kill the beetle larvae when they burrowed into their stems, while trees without resistance could not kill the larvae. 

The researchers found that several of the resistant ash tree species were more closely related to susceptible species than to other resistant species. This meant that the UK scientists could pinpoint resistance genes by looking for similarities within the DNA of resistant species that were different from their susceptible relatives.

The experts identified 53 genes with the potential to promote resistance. Several of these candidates are involved in making chemicals that are likely harmful to insects.

"These candidate resistance genes, once validated, have the potential to greatly expedite the breeding process and the production of improved planting stock for restoration of forests and landscapes decimated by EAB," said study co-author Dr. Jennifer Koch.

Breeding or gene editing could be used to transfer these resistance genes into susceptible ash species.

"Ash trees are key components of temperate forest ecosystems and the damage caused by EAB also puts at risk the many benefits that these forests provide," said study first author Dr. Laura Kelly. 

"Our findings suggest that it may be possible to increase resistance in susceptible species of ash via hybrid breeding with their resistant relatives or through gene editing."

"Knowledge of genes involved in resistance will also help efforts to identify trees that are able to survive the ongoing threat from EAB, and in turn, could facilitate restoration of ash woodlands in areas which have already been invaded."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology and Evolution</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Resistance genes could save billions of ash trees from beetles

A new study led by Queen Mary University of London...

The temperatures of the deep <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/destructive-weather-pattern-may-return-to-the-indian-ocean/">ocean</a> may be warming at a slower pace, but a new study suggests that climate change will have a stronger impact on life in the deep sea. 

An international team of researchers led by the University of Queensland has found that animals in the deep ocean are more vulnerable to climate warming and will find it increasingly difficult to maintain their preferred thermal habitats.

The scientists analyzed future patterns of climate velocity, or the rate and direction that the climate will shift, across the deepest layers of the ocean below 1,000 meters. 

Climate velocity measures the speed at which species will have to migrate in order to remain in a suitable environment. By analyzing climate change velocity, the researchers can examine how deep sea creatures will respond to warming waters and estimate species extinction risks.

The study revealed that despite faster surface warming, the global average climate velocities in the depths of the ocean have been two to four times as fast as the surface velocities for decades. 

According to the study authors, the greater thermal homogeneity of the deep ocean environment is responsible for the larger climate velocities. 

Furthermore, even though climate change velocities are projected to slow down under certain emissions scenarios, the rate of shifting habitats will continue to accelerate in the deep ocean.

Study co-author Jorge Garcia Molinos is a climate ecologist at the <a href="https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/">Hokkaido University</a> Arctic Research Center.

"Our results suggest that deep sea biodiversity is likely to be at greater risk because they are adapted to much more stable thermal environments," said Molinos.

"The acceleration of climate velocity for the deep ocean is consistent through all tested greenhouse gas concentration scenarios. This provides strong motivation to consider the future impacts of ocean warming to deep ocean biodiversity, which remains worryingly understudied."

By the end of this century, climate velocities in the mesopelagic ocean layer are projected to be between four and 11 times higher than current velocities at the surface. 

The mesopelagic layer contains a great abundance of small fish that support larger animals, including tuna and squid. If predators and their prey do not follow similar range shifts in this layer, it could present major challenges for commercial fisheries.

The researchers caution that while uncertainty of the results increases with depth, life in the deep ocean is also limited by many factors other than temperature, such as oxygen concentrations. 

"Without knowing if and how well deep ocean species can adapt to these changes, we recommend to follow a precautionary approach that limits the negative effects from other human activities such as deep-sea mining and fishing, as well as planning for climate-smart networks of large Marine Protected Areas for the deeper ocean," said Molinos.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Deep sea life cannot escape global warming

The temperatures of the deep ocean may be warming at...

A new study from <a href="https://www.indiana.edu/">Indiana University</a> has found a strong correlation between mental health, mortality, and work stress. According to the study, the risk of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/recent-breakthrough-may-lead-to-better-antidepressants/">depression</a> and death can be predicted by the amount of control we have at work, the demands of the job, and our cognitive ability to deal with with those demands.

Study lead author Erik Gonzalez-Mulé is an assistant professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources.

"When job demands are greater than the control afforded by the job or an individual's ability to deal with those demands, there is a deterioration of their mental health and, accordingly, an increased likelihood of death," said Professor Gonzalez-Mulé. 

"We examined how job control - or the amount of autonomy employees have at work -- and cognitive ability - or people's ability to learn and solve problems - influence how work stressors such as time pressure or workload affect mental and physical health and, ultimately, death."

"We found that work stressors are more likely to cause depression and death as a result of jobs in which workers have little control or for people with lower cognitive ability."

On the other hand, the team found that work demands can lead to better physical health and a lower risk of death when an individual has more control over their work responsibilities.

According to Professor Gonzalez-Mulé, this may be because job control and cognitive ability act as resources that help people cope with work stressors.

"Job control allows people to set their own schedules and prioritize work in a way that helps them achieve their work goals, while people that are smarter are better able to adapt to the demands of a stressful job and figure out ways to deal with stress."

The study was focused on data from the Midlife in the United States survey, which involved 3,148 Wisconsin residents. Over the course of the 20-year study, 211 participants died.

"Managers should provide employees working in demanding jobs more control, and in jobs where it is unfeasible to do so, a commensurate reduction in demands. For example, allowing employees to set their own goals or decide how to do their work, or reducing employees' work hours, could improve health," said Professor Gonzalez-Mulé. 

"Organizations should select people high on cognitive ability for demanding jobs. By doing this, they will benefit from the increased job performance associated with more intelligent employees, while having a healthier workforce."

"COVID-19 might be causing more mental health issues, so it's particularly important that work not exacerbate those problems. This includes managing and perhaps reducing employee demands, being aware of employees' cognitive capability to handle demands and providing employees with autonomy are even more important than before the pandemic began."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/apl/">Journal of Applied Psychology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Work stress linked to depression and death    

A new study from Indiana University has found a strong...

In a surprising study from the <a href="https://publichealth.yale.edu/">Yale School of Public Health</a>, researchers have found that during the pandemic in China, more premature deaths were avoided as a result of cleaner air than were lost to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/impacts-of-covid-19-are-visible-from-space/">coronavirus</a>. 

After the virus started to spread, the Chinese government issued countrywide travel restrictions from February 10 to March 14 that limited automobile emissions and drastically improved air quality.

The Yale team discovered that the cleaner air prevented 12,125 premature deaths. As of May 4, there were 4,633 deaths from the coronavirus.

"This is a very surprising result. The pandemic continues to be a terrible thing for China and the rest of the world, but the decrease in emissions that accompanied it has actually conferred some positive health results," said study first author Professor Kai Chen. "The question is, how can we have one without the other?"

According to Professor Chen, there are likely similar health benefits from cleaner air in other regions as well. He explained that while the findings cannot be directly applied to other countries due to different severity of and responses to COVID-19, as well as varying air pollution levels and population characteristics, reduced air pollution levels have been detected in the United States, Asia, and Europe due to lockdowns.

The study authors estimated the decreases in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM2.5) throughout China. Next, they calculated the number of avoided deaths based on the short-term association between these pollutants and daily mortality. 

The analysis was based on data from a previous epidemiological study of 272 Chinese cities and mortality data from the China Health and Family Planning Statistical Yearbook 2018.

The study revealed that among the thousands of avoided deaths, about two-thirds were from avoided cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The researchers said the findings illustrate the substantial human health benefits related to cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality that can be achieved when aggressive air pollution control measures are put in place to reduce emissions from vehicles, such as through climate mitigation-related traffic restrictions or efforts to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.

"This unexpected health benefit suggests that if we were to address the climate crisis as aggressively as we are combating the COVID-19 pandemic with strong political will and urgent action, we could prevent the enormous health burdens associated with climate change," said study co-author Professor Paul T. Anastas.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/planetary-health">Lancet Planetary Health</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

 

&nbsp;

Cleaner air during China's lockdown saved thousands of lives

In a surprising study from the Yale School of Public...

Psychedelic drugs may safely treat mental health disorders. Researchers at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> are exploring the potential of hallucinogenic drugs to provide powerful benefits for mental health disorders. 

Previous studies have shown that psychedelic drugs such as LSD are very effective in treating <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/work-stress-linked-to-depression-and-death/">depression</a> and post-traumatic stress disorders, but the use of these drugs is limited by their side effects. 

In the lab of Professor Ron Dror, researchers are using computer simulations to find a solution. 

"What if we could redesign drugs to keep their benefits while eliminating their unwanted side effects?" said Professor Dror.

The team pinpointed methods that could be used to minimize or eliminate side effects in a broad class of drugs that target G protein-coupled receptors, or GPCRs. 

Psychedelic molecules attach to GPCRs in the same way as antihistamines, beta blockers, and opioids. When a drug molecule attaches to a GPCR, changes take place in the cell that can be both helpful and dangerous.

In 2012, Stanford Professor Brian Kobilka shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in discovering how GPCRs work.

In the current <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6480/881">study</a>, Professor Dror's team unraveled the mystery of how a drug molecule can alter the GPCR's shape to produce benefits while preventing dangerous side effects. 

The researchers have now created new molecules that behave in this way. Altough the modified molecules are not yet suitable for human trials, they represent a crucial first step toward developing drugs that are free of side effects. 

The research may lead to the development of safe and effective drugs for mental health issues while saving billions of dollars by eliminating the need for lengthy trials. 

"In addition to revealing how a drug molecule could cause a GPCR to trigger only beneficial effects, we've used these findings to design molecules with desired physiological properties, which is something that many labs have been trying to do for a long time," said Professor Dror.

"Armed with our results, researchers can begin to imagine new and better ways to design drugs that retain their effectiveness while posing fewer dangers."

Professor Dror hopes that research on this topic will eventually eliminate dangerous side effects of drugs used to treat a wide variety of diseases, including heart conditions, psychiatric disorders, and chronic pain.

The <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6480/881">study</a> 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;

Psychedelic drugs may safely treat mental health disorders

Psychedelic drugs may safely treat mental health disorders. Researchers at...

A new study from <a href="https://tulane.edu/">Tulane University</a> has revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marsh-plant-stems-shrink-co2/">marshes</a> in the Mississippi Delta may not be able to survive the impacts of rising sea levels. 

The researchers found that coastal marshes have a tipping point, where a small increase in sea-level rise could create a domino effect that is detrimental to marshes across the region.

Over the past century, an estimated 2,000 square miles of wetlands have been lost in coastal Louisiana. 

Scientists are now faced with the daunting task of predicting what will happen to the remaining 6,000 square miles of marsh in the Mississippi Delta.

For the current study, the Tulane team used hundreds of sediment cores collected since the early 1990s to investigate how marshes have responded to sea-level rise over the past 8,500 years.

Study lead author Torbjörn Törnqvist is a professor of Geology in the Tulane Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

"Previous investigations have suggested that marshes can keep up with rates of sea-level rise as high as half an inch per year, but those studies were based on observations over very short time windows, typically a few decades or less," said Professor Törnqvist.

"We have taken a much longer view by examining marsh response more than 7,000 years ago, when global rates of sea-level rise were very rapid but within the range of what is expected later this century."

The study revealed that once sea-level rise exceeds about one-tenth of an inch per year, most Mississippi Delta marshes drown in a few centuries. 

If the rate of sea-level rise surpasses a quarter of an inch per year, the marshes are submerged in much less time - about five decades. 

"The scary thing is that the present-day rate of global sea-level rise, due to climate change, has already exceeded the initial tipping point for marsh drowning," said Professor Törnqvist. 

"And as things stand right now, the rate of sea-level rise will continue to accelerate and put us on track for marshes to disappear even faster in the future."

Despite the grim forecast for coastal marshes along the Mississippi Delta, it is not too late to prevent the worst possible outcomes. 

According to Professor Törnqvist, the most important action is to drastically curb greenhouse gas emissions to prevent sea-level rise from ramping up to rates where marshes will drown within a matter of decades.

The next important step is to implement major river diversions as quickly as possible. This way, some portions of the Mississippi Delta have a better chance for survival. 

However, the window of opportunity for these actions to be effective is rapidly closing, said Professor Törnqvist.

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;

Marshes in the Mississippi Delta are drowning 

A new study from Tulane University has revealed that marshes...

A team of researchers at the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> has discovered an ancient great white <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/shark-sanctuaries-offer-little-protection/">shark</a> breeding ground in northern Chile. It is the first undisputed fossil nursery of the great white that has ever been found.

The legendary great white shark is the largest predatory fish on Earth, reaching an average of 15 feet in length. Despite its notoriety, the species is now threatened with extinction as a result of human activities such as pollution and illegal fishing. 

Great white sharks are born and protected in designated breeding areas until they are large enough to compete with other predators. These nurseries are critically important for maintaining stable populations and evolutionary success.

With this in mind, researchers have recently ramped up the search for great white nurseries in an effort to develop new conservation strategies. 

"Our knowledge about current breeding grounds of the great white shark is still very limited, however, and palaeo-nurseries are completely unknown," said study co-author Jaime Villafaña.

The research team analyzed great white shark teeth that were two to five million years old. The fossilized teeth had been uncovered at several sites along the Pacific coast of Chile and Peru.

The researchers reconstructed the fossils and determined that the body sizes of great whites varied considerably along the South American paleo-Pacific coast. 

One particular site in northern Chile contained the highest percentage of young sharks, the lowest percentage of "teenagers," and no sexually mature shark remains were present. 

The discovery of this ancient great white nursery has major implications for conservation efforts because it dates back to a time when the climate was much warmer than it is today and comparable to what is projected with future warming trends. 

"If we understand the past, it will enable us to take appropriate protective measures today to ensure the survival of this top predator, which is of utmost importance for ecosystems," explained study co-author Jürgen Kriwet.

"Our results indicate that rising sea surface temperatures will change the distribution of fish in temperate zones and shift these important breeding grounds in the future."

Warming ocean temperatures will directly impact the population dynamics of the great white shark and will threaten its future reproductive success.

"Studies of past and present nursery grounds and their response to temperature and paleo-oceanographic changes are essential to protect such ecological key species," said Kriwet.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

First-ever great white shark fossil nursery found

A team of researchers at the University of Vienna has...

Arctic heatwave is breaking records, and it's not even summer yet. A record-breaking <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwave-pushed-species-northward/">heatwave</a> has arrived in the Arctic this month, appearing unusually early and with shocking intensity. Forecasts show that temperatures will remain higher than average next week, and possibly for the rest of the year.

By mid-May, temperatures in the Arctic were the warmest ever recorded this time of the season. 

Last week, the temperature reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit above the Arctic Circle. A little farther south in Siberia, the temperature hit 86.

The Arctic has been warming at a rate that is twice as fast as the rest of the world as a result of climate change. The early appearance of unprecedented temperature spikes indicates that this rate is accelerating. 

According to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">Washington Post</a>, the Siberian town of Khatanga recorded a temperature of 78 degrees on Friday. The average high for this day in Khatanga is 32 degrees. 

Above-average temperatures have persisted in Siberia since winter,  and the region is already experiencing unusually large wildfires and shrinking snow cover. 

In the Kara Sea, just north of central Siberia, Arctic sea ice started melting more than a month early this year. The sea ice cover has reached the lowest extent that has ever been recorded in May.

Zack Labe is a graduate student at UC Irvine who studies Arctic climate change.

“Although Siberia is known for wild temperature swings, the persistence and magnitude of warmth over the region so far this year has been astonishing,” Labe told the Washington Post. 

“This week is an example of an extreme event, with summer-like temperatures over parts of Western Siberia thanks to a strong upper level ridge." 

"We can already see this reflected in snow cover data, as there are large negative departures of snow extent stretching across the entire Siberian coast of the Arctic."

Beyond concerns about how much sea ice will be lost this year and the implications for sea-level rise, scientists are also closely monitoring the stability of Arctic permafrost. 

Greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon are released from thawing permafrost that have been stored in the ground for centuries. This will only accelerate global warming, and further intensify its impacts on the Arctic.

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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;

Arctic heatwave is breaking records, and it's not even summer yet

Arctic heatwave is breaking records, and it's not even summer...

New research from the <a href="https://www.acponline.org/">American College of Physicians</a> highlights the powerful role of fruits and vegetables in protecting heart health. 

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of disease and death worldwide. 

A healthy <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dietary-supplements-can-help-you-fight-off-covid-19/">diet</a> is a critical lifestyle factor for maintaining a healthy heart, and the new study suggests that some nutritious diets may be even more beneficial than others. 

Mediterranean, vegetarian, and DASH diets are the most widely recommended for cardiovascular health.

The DASH diet is high in vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, and a moderate amount of whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, and poultry. 

The traditional Mediterranean diet includes the same plant-based foods as the DASH diet but also includes high consumption of extra-virgin olive oil and moderate consumption of wine. 

Essentially, both of these diets, as well as the vegetarian diet, are centered around plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables.

In a study focused on middle-aged adults without a known history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the researchers set out to compare a typical American diet with diets rich in fruits and vegetables to examine any <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eat-well-live-longer-a-dash-of-protein-could-add-years-to-your-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential cardiovascular effects</a>.

"Participants were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of monitored feeding with a control diet typical of what many Americans eat; a diet rich in fruits and vegetables but otherwise similar to the control diet; or the DASH diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and fiber and has low levels of saturated fat and cholesterol," explained the study authors. 

After the eight week intervention, participants in the DASH and fruit-and-vegetable diet groups had significantly lower concentrations of the biomarkers for myocardial injury and cardiac stress. 

The experts theorize that large dietary amounts of potassium, magnesium, and fiber can partially explain the beneficial effects of the DASH and vegetarian diets on heart health. 

The protection from myocardial injury and cardiac stress may also be explained by the influence of fruits and vegetables in reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

According to the experts, recommendations to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables to at least 10 servings per day should be generalized to the overall population, regardless of health status. 

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.acpjournals.org/journal/aim">Annals of Internal Medicine</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

Fruit and vegetables are very beneficial to heart health

New research from the American College of Physicians highlights the...

Experts map the genetic diversity of mammals on a global scale . Researchers at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> have mapped the worldwide distribution of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/female-mammals-live-longer-than-males-in-the-wild/">mammals</a> in an effort to unravel the origins of their genetic diversity.

Understanding global patterns of biological diversity, including variation among species and their ecosystems, is critical for protecting Earth's wildlife.

Up until now, the lack of genomic data and relevant geographic information has greatly limited the ability for experts to map genetic diversity, which is very difficult to detect. 

In addition to mapping and georeferencing a massive dataset, the Copenhagen team examined long-standing theories about the distribution of genetic diversity among terrestrial mammals. 

The analysis revealed that regions with the richest evolutionary history also contain the highest levels of genetic diversity. 

These areas include the Northern Andes, the Eastern Arc Mountains, the Amazon, the Brazilian Atlantic forest, the jungles of Central America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia.

The researchers determined that these regions have had a relatively stable climate over the past 21,000 years, which contributed to diversity among individual species. 

Study lead author Spyros Theodoridis is a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate.

"Genetic diversity within species is a critical component of biodiversity, playing two important roles at the same time. It reflects species evolutionary history and defines their capacity to adapt under future environmental change," said Theodoridis.

"However, and despite the predictions of major biodiversity theories, the actual global distribution of genetic diversity remained, so far, a mystery."

According to Theodoridis, recent efforts to populate public databases with genetic sequences and their locations enabled the team to generate the first global maps of genetic diversity in terrestrial mammal groups.

Study senior author David Nogues-Bravo is an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen.

"The tropics, and more specifically tropical mountain regions, host large amounts of the global pool of genetic diversity," said Professor Nogues-Bravo. 

"These arks of biodiversity are under a high pressure today due to climate and land-use change. The conservation of genetic diversity in these areas should be a priority in on-going conservation efforts."

The researchers investigated how the past 21,000 years of climate change affected current patterns of genetic diversity. They found that regions which had endured less extreme fluctuations in temperature and precipitation have higher levels of genetic diversity. This is likely due to a lower rate of population extinctions. 

Study co-author Damien Fordham is an associate professor at the University of Adelaide's Environment Institute.

"While we show that areas of high genetic diversity tend to occur in regions where climates have remained relatively unchanged during past periods of global-scale climate change, many of these regions are forecast to experience major climate disturbances in the near future," said Fordham. "Unfortunately, this is likely to lead to a loss of genetic diversity in many biodiversity hotspots."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Experts map the genetic diversity of mammals on a global scale 

Experts map the genetic diversity of mammals on a global...

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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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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