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...

In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/universitaet/">University of Würzburg</a>, scientists have found that carnivorous <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/arctic-temperatures-rise-when-plants-stop-breathing/">plants</a> share a basic set of genes. The researchers traced the carnivorous genes back to a duplication event that occurred millions of years ago.

Plants can generate energy through photosynthesis, but there are some plants that prefer to trap and eat insects instead. The current study is shedding new light on how carnivorous plants evolved. 

The researchers sequenced the genomes of three carnivorous plant species: the Venus flytrap Dionaea muscipula, the waterwheel plant Aldrovanda vesiculosa, and the spoon-leaved sundew Drosera spatulata.

Despite the fact that these three species all belong to the sundew family, they have each adapted to unique habitats. The plants have also developed different trapping mechanisms. 

In Dionaea and Aldrovanda, the ends of the leaves contain sensitive hairs that signal the leaves to snap shut, trapping whatever is inside. On the other hand, the sundew uses sticky tentacles on its leaves to catch prey.

The carnivorous plants may have different lifestyles, but the researchers found that their most essential genes are the same. 

"The function of these genes is related to the ability to sense and digest prey animals and to utilise their nutrients," said study co-author Rainer Hedrich.

"We were able to trace the origin of the carnivory genes back to a duplication event that occurred many millions of years ago in the genome of the last common ancestor of the three carnivorous species," added study co-author Jörg Schultz. 

The duplication of the entire genome provided an opportunity for new genetic material to arise, changing the structure and function of future descendants on a molecular level. 

The researchers expected to find that carnivorous plants would require a larger set of genes. Instead, the three species were found to have substantially fewer genes. For example, most plants have between 30,000 and 40,000 genes, yet sundew has only 18,111.

"This can only mean that the specialization in animal food was accompanied by an increase in the number of genes, but also a massive loss of genes," said Hasebe.

According to the researchers, most of the genes required for the insect traps can also be found in slightly different form in normal plants. 

"In carnivorous plants, several genes are active in the trapping organs, which in other plants have their effect in the root. In the trapping organs, these genes are only switched on when the prey is secure," said Hedrich. 

This explains why the Venus flytrap and sundew have small roots and the waterwheel has no roots.

Next, the researchers plan to investigate the trapping function and compare its molecular structure among various carnivorous plants.

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;

The secret lives of carnivorous plants 

In a new study led by the University of Würzburg,...

A new study has found that Mauna Loa on Hawaii's Big Island is not the world's largest shield <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/driving-force-yellowstone-supervolcano/">volcano</a>, as experts have believed for many years.

Scientists at the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Mānoa</a> have now determined that Pūhāhonu, a volcano that has been extinct for more than 12 million years, is two times larger than Mauna Loa.

The research team, which included volcanologists and oceanographers, surveyed the ocean floor along the Hawaiian volcano chain using sonar and gravity sensors to measure mass. The experts also chemically analyzed rocks preserved in the UH Mānoa rock collection. 

The researchers then modeled the results of these studies to estimate the size of Pūhāhonu.

The Hawaiian islands formed over a hotspot in the Earth's mantle. Volcanoes in this region have been erupting some of the hottest magma on the planet for millions of years. 

Based on the chemical analysis of rocks from Pūhāhonu, the team found that the volcano was once the source of the hottest magma that is known in the past 66 million years. 

"It has been proposed that hotspots that produce volcano chains like Hawaii undergo progressive cooling over 1-2 million years and then die," said study lead author Michael Garcia. 

"However, we have learned from this study that hotspots can undergo pulses of melt production. A small pulse created the Midway cluster of now extinct volcanoes and another, much bigger one created Pūhāhonu. This will rewrite the textbooks on how mantle plumes work."  

In 1974, limited survey data indicated that Pūhāhonu was the largest Hawaiian volcano, but subsequent studies concluded that Mauna Loa was larger. 

The advanced surveying and modeling techniques used for the current study were similar to the methods used to examine Mauna Loa. 

The findings confirm that Pūhāhonu is the world's largest and hottest shield volcano.

The research draws attention to an often overlooked part of Hawaii that has ecological, historical, and cultural importance.

"We are sharing with the science community and the public that we should be calling this volcano by the name the Hawaiians have given to it, rather than the western name for the two rocky small islands that are the only above sea level remnants of this once majestic volcano," said Garcia.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/earth-and-planetary-science-letters">Earth and Planetary Science Letters</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

World's largest and hottest shield volcano revealed

A new study has found that Mauna Loa on Hawaii's...

Exercise can boost <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/depression-memory-loss/">memory</a> and other cognitive functions at any age, according to a new study published by the <a href="https://www.aan.com/">American Academy of Neurology</a>. 

The researchers found that older adults performed better on critical thinking and memory tests after just six months of aerobic exercise.

Study lead author Dr. Marc J. Poulin is a professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary

"As we all find out eventually, we lose a bit mentally and physically as we age. But even if you start an exercise program later in life, the benefit to your brain may be immense," said Dr. Poulin.

"Sure, aerobic exercise gets blood moving through your body. As our study found, it may also get blood moving to your brain, particularly in areas responsible for verbal fluency and executive functions. Our finding may be important, especially for older adults at risk for Alzheimer's and other dementias and brain disease."

The study was focused on more than 200 adults with an average age of 66 and no history of heart or memory problems. Prior to the study, the participants worked out moderately less than four days a week or intensely no more than two days per week.

Memory and thinking skills were assessed at the beginning of the trial, and the individuals were given an ultrasound to measure blood flow in the brain.

The study participants enrolled in an aerobic exercise program that was held three days a week. Over time, they progressively increased their workout from 20 minutes to at least 40 minutes a day. The individuals were also asked to work out on their own once per week.

The researchers found that after six months of consistent exercise, the participants improved by 5.7 percent on tests of executive function. 

In addition, their ability to retrieve information quickly, or verbal fluency, increased by 2.4 percent. "This change in verbal fluency is what you'd expect to see in someone five years younger," explained Professor Poulin.

Average peak blood flow to the brain also improved, increasing from an average of 51.3 centimeters per second to an average of 52.7 centimeters per second.

According to Professor Poulin, the increase in blood flow with exercise was associated with a number of modest but significant improvements in aspects of thinking that usually decline as we age.

"Our study showed that six months' worth of vigorous exercise may pump blood to regions of the brain that specifically improve your verbal skills as well as memory and mental sharpness," said Professor Poulin. "At a time when these results would be expected to be decreasing due to normal aging, to have these types of increases is exciting."

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://n.neurology.org/">Neurology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff

&nbsp;

Exercise can boost brain health at any age 

Exercise can boost memory and other cognitive functions at any...

Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to find an improved method for transforming waste carbon into valuable products. 

A team led by the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto</a> enlisted the help of machine learning to speed up the process of identifying a catalyst that can efficiently convert <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/experts-create-a-new-class-of-membrane-for-carbon-capture/">carbon</a> dioxide (CO2) into ethylene.

The result of the AI project is an electrocatalyst that has unprecedented efficiency. In addition, the new catalyst can be used with wind or solar power to store electricity.

"Using clean electricity to convert CO2 into ethylene, which has a $60 billion global market, can improve the economics of both carbon capture and clean energy storage," said study senior author Professor Ted Sargent.

The research team has previously developed a number of world-leading catalysts to reduce the energy cost of the reaction that converts CO2 into ethylene and other carbon-based molecules. 

Better catalysts are always possible, but testing millions of potential material combinations is not realistic. This is where machine learning becomes very useful. Computer models, theoretical data, and algorithms can be used to identify the best candidates for catalysts without exhaustive tests. 

Professor Zachary Ulissi of Carnegie Mellon University specializes in the computer modeling of nanomaterials.

"With other chemical reactions, we have large and well-established datasets listing the potential catalyst materials and their properties," said Professor Ulissi.

"With CO2-to-ethylene conversion, we don't have that, so we can't use brute force to model everything. Our group has spent a lot of time thinking about creative ways to find the most interesting materials."

The algorithms created by Professor Ulissi and his team can predict what kinds of products a given catalyst is likely to produce, even without detailed modeling of the material itself.

The algorithms were applied to over 240 different materials, and four were predicted to have desirable properties for CO2 conversion. 

The top performer was found to be an alloy of copper and aluminum. After the two metals were bonded at a high temperature, some of the aluminum was etched away, leaving behind a nanoscale porous structure.

The new catalyst was tested in an electrolyzer, and its performance was the best ever recorded for this type of catalyst. 

According to Professor Sargent, the energy cost will need to be lowered even further so the system can produce ethylene that is cost-competitive. 

The strong performance of the new catalyst suggests that machine learning is a very strategic method to screen for potential catalysts.

"There are many ways that copper and aluminum can arrange themselves, but what the computations showed is that almost all of them were predicted to be beneficial in some way," said Professor Sargent. "So instead of trying different materials when our first experiments didn't work out, we persisted, because we knew there was something worth investing in."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff

&nbsp;

AI used to find new catalyst for CO2 conversion

Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to find an improved...

A new study on striped <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ancient-sharks-feed/">bass</a> in the Potomac River is providing new insight into rockfish migration. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.umces.edu/">University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science</a> have discovered that when rockfish reach 32 inches in length they leave Chesapeake Bay and head out to the ocean. 

The study also revealed that the smaller fish which remained in the bay had higher mortality rates compared to the ocean migrators.

"Knowing the size at which they leave, we can do improved management that is tailored better to commercial and recreational fishing sectors those related to catch and size limits," said study co-author Professor Dave Secor. "It allows us to bring different parts of the fishery into an assessment model to evaluate stock health and test how effective regulations will be."

The team tagged 100 striped bass, also known as a rockfish, to monitor their movements in and out of the Chesapeake Bay. The larger fish were found to migrate to ocean waters at a length of 32 inches, regardless of their gender.

"By our best estimates they are in the Chesapeake Bay for 9 years, and when they reach 32 inches they head north," said Professor Secor.

Migrating striped bass spend the summer and fall seasons in Massachusetts, where they contribute to important recreational fisheries. In the late fall, they migrate south and then journey back to the Chesapeake Bay in the springtime to spawn. A few weeks after spawning, the bass return to the ocean. 

The mortality rate of the small resident striped bass that remain in the Chesapeake Bay is 70 percent, which is nearly twice as high as the larger fish that migrate to the ocean. 

The researchers surgically implanted small acoustic transmitters inside of the fish to track their migrations. 

"Biotelemetry has allowed us to move beyond the question of whether Potomac River striped bass leave the Chesapeake Bay, to where do they go when they leave? All arrows point to Massachusetts," said Professor Secor. "There is a remarkable connection between fisheries in Potomac and Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod."

By quantifying the exact size that striped bass reach before leaving the Chesapeake Bay, assessment models can be improved to inform both anglers and fisheries managers. 

"An improved understanding of differential migration allows fisheries managers to specify stock assessments according to different population sub-components, and tailor reference points and control rules between regions and fishing stakeholder groups," said Professor Secor.

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

&nbsp;

Rockfish leave Chesapeake Bay at a specific length

A new study on striped bass in the Potomac River...

Researchers have determined that the new <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coronavirus-detected-in-air-pollution-particles/">coronavirus</a> did not spread to humans from pangolins. Although the scaly anteaters are not responsible for SARS-CoV-2, the experts said it is possible that they are hosts of other unknown coronaviruses.

Pangolins are natural hosts of coronaviruses. According to the study authors, the large-scale surveillance of coronaviruses in pangolins could improve our understanding of the spectrum of coronaviruses circulating in the wild, and could help prevent and control emerging infectious diseases.

The COVID-19 outbreak was first discovered last year in Wuhan, China. Recent studies have shown that the virus that causes COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may have originated in bats. 

Experts believe that there was likely an intermediate host between bats and humans, but the identity of this host remains a mystery. 

To effectively control the disease, it is critical to identify the animal origin of SARS-CoV-2. A research team led by Jinping Chen of the <a href="http://www.giabr.gd.cn/en/aboutus/Introduction/201707/t20170724_378809.html">Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources</a> set out to determine whether the virus jumped to humans from pangolins.

The experts sequenced the entire genome of a coronavirus identified in two groups of sick Malayan pangolins. The results suggest that the pangolin coronavirus is genetically related to SARS-CoV-2 and to certain bat coronaviruses, but is not the virus that caused the pandemic. 

According to the study authors, wildlife conservation and limited exposure to wildlife will be important to minimize the risk that coronaviruses will spill over from wild animals to humans.

"Pangolins could be natural hosts of beta-coronaviruses with an unknown potential to infect humans," said the researchers. "However, our study does not support that SARS-CoV-2 evolved directly from the pangolin-CoV."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/">PLOS Pathogens</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff

&nbsp;

Pangolins are not the source of the COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers have determined that the new coronavirus did not spread...

Plants have a major influence on <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/loss-of-arctic-sea-ice-threatens-polar-bears/">Arctic</a> warming and melting sea ice, according to a new study from <a href="http://www.postech.ac.kr/">Pohang University of Science and Technology</a> (POSHTECH). Arctic temperatures rise when plants shut down a process that naturally cools their surroundings.

Plants release a water vapor that lowers the land surface temperature around them during transpiration, but higher levels of atmospheric CO2 are disrupting this system.

During photosynthesis, the stomata of plant leaves open to absorb CO2 from the air, while simultaneously releasing moisture. But when CO2 levels rise, the plants can absorb enough CO2 without opening their stomata. As a result, less water vapor is released. 

The land temperature can rise rapidly with diminished transpiration. A decrease in transpiration was recently cited as one of the causes of increasingly frequent and intense heat waves in the northern hemisphere.

The widespread response of plants to higher atmospheric CO2 contributes to climate change by controlling the exchange of energy between Earth's surface and atmosphere, which is referred to as "physiological forcing." 

The POSHTECH study is the first to confirm the effects of physiological forcing on the Arctic climate system.

For the investigation, the research team analyzed Earth system models (ESM) simulations. The experts confirmed that an increase in CO2 causes stomatal closure in land vegetation and subsequent land warming, which ultimately accelerates Arctic warming.

The researchers estimated the extent of the Arctic warming linked to stomatal closure and found that about 10 percent of the greenhouse effect is caused by this type of physiological forcing.

"The stomatal closure effect due to the increased CO2 levels is not fully counted in the future climate projection," said study co-author Professor Jong-Seong Kug. "This means that Arctic warming can proceed much faster than the current forecast." 

"The increase in CO2 is accelerating global warming not only through the greenhouse effect that we all knew of, but also by changing the physiological function of plants."

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://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

&nbsp;

Arctic temperatures rise when plants stop breathing

Plants have a major influence on Arctic warming and melting...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">University of Sheffield</a>, scientists have discovered why some <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/birds-with-innovative-feeding-strategies-have-an-evolutionary-advantage/">birds</a> take longer to develop. The researchers found that size, safety, and parenting are all factors that influence the speed at which a particular bird species matures.

The experts set out to understand why there is so much variation in the length of time it takes birds to develop from a fertilized egg to an independent adult.

All living creatures have to strike the balance between reproduction and survival, and they have different strategies. 

The researchers found that bird species with a "live fast die young" strategy grow up faster in order to maximize the number of offspring they can produce in a short time.

The study, which was focused on thousands of bird species, revealed that birds living and breeding in safe environments with few predators took longer to develop. This is likely because they can afford to spend longer in a vulnerable state.

The research also showed that migratory birds develop much faster, which is necessary for them to be prepared for a journey to their winter habitats at the end of the summer.

It was no surprise to find that bigger birds took longer to develop, but the experts noted that even among birds of a similar size there was variation in development times.

"The amount of time it takes for a fertilized egg to develop into a fully grown adult varies hugely across the animal kingdom," said study lead author Dr. Chris Cooney. "For instance, it takes an elephant almost 10 years to reach independence, whereas a fruit fly is fully grown after only a matter of days."

"This extraordinary diversity is also encapsulated within birds, where albatrosses can take almost a year to develop from an embryo to an independent adult, but a typical UK garden songbird takes little more than a month. We found that certain aspects of a species' lifestyle and environment are important in explaining how long they take to develop."

The study is the first of its kind to consider the significance of body size, lifestyle, and environment while explaining evolutionary differences. 

"Our study on birds gives us some clues about the type of factors that may be important in other species. However, it may be that different factors are important for determining development length in other animal groups," said study co-author Dr. Alison Wright.

"The next step is therefore to address these questions using data that covers the breadth of the animal kingdom - from fish to mammals to insects - to gain an even broader insight into the factors shaping these fundamental differences across species."

Study co-senior author Dr. Nicola Hemmings said the research may prove crucial in understanding and predicting how organisms may respond when conditions change as the climate warms and habitats are modified. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://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

&nbsp;

Why do some birds develop so much faster than others?

In a new study from the University of Sheffield, scientists...

Drinking coffee may help you maintain a healthy <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mindfulness-training-weight-loss/">weight</a>, according to a new study from <a href="https://aru.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a>. The researchers found that women who consume two or more cups of coffee a day have significantly lower body fat than those who do not drink coffee. 

The study was focused on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The experts zeroed in on the relationship between the amount of coffee drank per day, total body fat percentage, and abdominal fat.

Women between the ages 20 and 44 who drank two or three cups of coffee per day had the lowest levels of abdominal fat, which was 3.4 percent lower than people who did not consume coffee. 

Women between the ages of 45 and 69 who drank four or more cups of coffee each day had 4.1 percent less abdominal fat.

The average total body fat percentage was 2.8 percent lower among women of all ages who drank two or more cups of coffee per day.

The benefits were found to be consistent regardless of the type of coffee consumed or the health status of the women. 

In addition, males between the ages of 20 and 44 who drank two or more cups of coffee per day had 1.3 percent less total fat and 1.8 percent less abdominal fat.

"Our research suggests that there may be bioactive compounds in coffee other than caffeine that regulate weight and which could potentially be used as anti-obesity compounds," said study senior author Dr. Lee Smith.

"It could be that coffee, or its effective ingredients, could be integrated into a healthy diet strategy to reduce the burden of chronic conditions related to the obesity epidemic."

"It is important to interpret the findings of this study in light of its limitations - the study was at a specific point in time so trends cannot be established. However, we don't believe that someone's weight is likely to influence their coffee consumption."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn">Journal of Nutrition</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff

&nbsp;

Women who drink coffee have less body fat

Drinking coffee may help you maintain a healthy weight, according...

While investigating how hurricanes develop, <a href="https://www.fsu.edu/">Florida State University</a> researchers have found that even a slight atmospheric disturbance can trigger a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/future-hurricanes-wetter-and-windier/">hurricane</a>. A better understanding of hurricane formation will help meteorologists predict these storms and give the public more time prepare for them.

"The whole motivation for this paper was that we still don't have that universal theoretical understanding of exactly how tropical cyclones form, and to really be able to forecast that storm-by-storm, it would help us to have that more solidly taken care of," said study co-author Jacob Carstens.

Existing theories on hurricane formation propose that some sort of disturbance is what sets in motion the development of a storm. To investigate how these disturbances arise, Carstens used mathematical models to project hurricane formation beginning with the simplest conditions.

"We're trying to go as bare bones as possible, looking at just how exactly clouds want to organize themselves without any of these external factors playing into it to form a tropical cyclone more efficiently," said Carstens. 

"It's a way we can further round out our broader understanding and look more purely at the actual tropical cyclones themselves rather than the surrounding environment's impact on it."

The simulations started with stable conditions, and then the researchers added a very small amount of random temperature fluctuations. 

As the thermal radiation interacted with water vapor and other factors, the simulated clouds formed into clusters that circulated through the atmosphere. 

The experts repeated the model at simulated latitudes between 0.1 degrees and 20 degrees north, a range that includes the latitudes where tropical cyclones typically form. This range also includes latitudes very close to the equator where hurricane formation is rare.

The study revealed that every simulation in latitudes between 10 and 20 degrees produced a major hurricane. The first sign of a vortex emerged well above the surface and affected its surrounding environment, giving rise to a hurricane a few days later.

A better theoretical understanding of hurricane formation will help meteorologists recognize the conditions that could trigger a storm, improving forecasts and helping people prepare for dangerous weather. 

"It's becoming ever more important in our field that we connect with emergency managers, the general population and other local officials to advise them on what they can expect, how they should prepare and what sorts of impacts are going to be heading their way," said Carstens. 

"A more robust understanding of how tropical cyclones form can help us to better forecast their location, their track and their intensity. It really goes down the line and helps us to communicate sooner as well as more efficiently and eloquently to the public that really needs it."

The study is published in the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19422466">Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems</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

&nbsp;

Hurricane formation triggered by very small disturbances

While investigating how hurricanes develop, Florida State University researchers have...

Scientists at the <a href="https://stri.si.edu/">Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> (STRI) have analyzed the movements of humpback <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/changing-ocean-conditions-threaten-the-health-of-gray-whales/">whales</a> to investigate their risk of ship strikes in the Magellan Strait. Located in southern Chile, the narrow strait is a popular feeding ground for the whales in the summertime and is also a busy shipping route. 

The researchers tracked and modeled the movement of 25 whales. The study revealed that, on average, each whale had a close encounter with a ship seven times per season. 

Humpback whales embark on the longest migratory journeys of any mammal. Whales in the Southern Hemisphere spend their summers in the Antarctic and Chile and their winters in the tropical Pacific waters of northern South America and Central America. 

These migrations often overlap with boat traffic, threatening potentially fatal collisions. 

Study lead author Héctor M. Guzmán previously conducted research that initiated new laws to separate vessel traffic from whale routes near the Panama Canal and in southern Costa Rica. The legislation drastically reduced collision rates.

"Designing and implementing traffic-separation schemes for Panama and Costa Rica was difficult, because any measures had to be adopted by the International Maritime Organization," said Guzmán. 

"It was achieved by having the scientific information explain the whale movements and thanks to the unconditional support of both governments."

For the current study, the researchers collected tracking data on 25 whales during different years and compared their movements with available records of ship traffic. 

The study showed that individual animals varied dramatically in how often they encountered ships, ranging from less than one to as many as 18 encounters per season.

"Studying variation among whales is a novel feature," said study co-author Richard Condit. "Other studies I know only considered the average risk of all whales, but the whales most likely to suffer in collisions are those with higher than average risk. This is a major plus of tracking individuals. During the study period, the tagged whale with the highest encounter rate was found dead."

The team found that most of the vessels exceeded the recommended speed limit near the whale feeding sites.

"The Strait humpback population increased nearly 300% in 17 years, reaching between 110 and 100 individuals in 2016 and 2017 and then gradually decreasing to 65 individuals in 2019," said study co-author Juan Capella. 

"In addition, we report the death of six humpbacks in 10 years, including one young female during our study. If we consider that half of this population is female, a single death represents 3% of the female population in full reproductive age."

The study findings allowed the scientists to come up with policy suggestions  including speed limits within the Strait of Magellan and a mandatory observer onboard all commercial vessels.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/marine-policy">Marine Policy</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

&nbsp;

Whales are at risk of ship strikes in the Magellan Strait

Scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) have analyzed...

Dinosaurs with long legs were not built for speed. Contrary to the idea that theropods like T. Rex had long limbs for speed, a new study has found that large <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scientists-cannot-conclusively-identify-the-sex-of-a-dinosaur/">dinosaurs</a> evolved big legs to help them conserve energy for long walks. 

Study author Thomas Holtz is a principal lecturer in the Department of Geology at the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>. 

"The assumption tends to be that animals with adaptations for running, such as long legs, are adapted for a higher maximum speed, but this paper shows that there's more to running than top speed," said Holtz. 

"When you're a bigger animal, those adaptations may also be for endurance and efficiency. It may be about being a marathoner rather than a sprinter."

The researchers estimated the top speeds of more than 70 theropod species based on factors such as limb proportions, size ratio, body mass, and gait. 

While theropods like T. Rex weighed as much as nine tons, there were also tiny theropods that weighed less than a pound. 

Some of the biggest theropods dominated the animal kingdom for 180 million years, and bipedalism and running speed were believed to be major contributors to their success. The current study, however, suggests otherwise. 

The researchers determined that longer legs were associated with higher top speeds in small and medium-sized dinosaurs, but this was not the case among dinosaurs weighing over 2,200 pounds. These larger dinosaurs were not any faster than those with short legs, but they moved more efficiently.

The experts calculated how much energy each dinosaur expended while walking and found that large dinosaurs with longer legs needed less energy to move around. 

"That's actually a very beneficial savings, because predators tend to spend a great deal of their time foraging, searching for prey," said Holtz. 

"If you are burning less fuel during the foraging part of the day, that's an energy savings that dinosaurs with shorter leg forms didn't get."

The findings highlight the limiting effect of large body size on running speed. The research may prompt a new investigation into what it means to be adapted for running.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</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

&nbsp;

Dinosaurs with long legs were not built for speed

Dinosaurs with long legs were not built for speed. Contrary...

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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

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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...