The Red Planet has always been a subject of intrigue and fascination. Recent research led by Curtin University has added more fuel to this age-old curiosity. The scientists discovered what could possibly be the oldest evidence of hot water activity on Mars.



This discovery opens up possibilities that at some point in its mysterious past, Mars may have been a place where life could exist.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-water-on-mars">Hot water on Mars</h2>



The study focused on a zircon grain from the renowned <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-water-found-on-mars-would-cover-the-planet-over-one-mile-deep/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Martian</a> meteorite NWA7034, fondly known as Black Beauty. This tiny grain, although no larger than a grain of sand, holds secrets dating back billions of years.



The analysis of the 4.45 billion-year-old zircon grain revealed geochemical fingerprints of ancient water-rich fluids. These traces of the past suggest that hot water was once present on Mars.



Dr. Aaron Cavosie from Curtin's <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/about/learning-teaching/science-engineering/school-of-earth-and-planetary-sciences/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School of Earth and Planetary Sciences</a> noted that this discovery opens new paths for understanding early Martian hydrothermal systems and the planet's past habitability.



"We used nano-scale geochemistry to detect elemental evidence of hot water on Mars 4.45 billion years ago," said Dr. Cavosie.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-conditions-on-mars">Early conditions on Mars</h2>



Hydrothermal systems are vital for the development of life. They were crucial for life to flourish on Earth. Dr. Cavosie noted that the same essential ingredients for habitable environments were present on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meteorite-that-struck-mars-reveals-when-the-planet-had-liquid-water/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mars</a> during its early crust formation period. 



The team utilized nano-scale imaging and spectroscopy to identify essential elements on the zircon grain, including iron, aluminum, yttrium, and sodium.



The presence and pattern of these elements, added during the zircon's formation billions of years ago, suggest that water was present during early Martian magmatic activity. 



This intriguing discovery indicates that during the initial stages of the Red Planet's existence, conditions were conducive to the existence of water.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-resilience-of-mars-crust">Resilience of Mars' crust</h2>



The study also highlighted the resilience of Mars' crust. Despite enduring massive meteorite impacts, causing upheaval of its surface, Mars still had <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-lost-most-of-its-water-but-where-did-it-go/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">water</a> during the early Pre-Noachian period, which was before about 4.1 billion years ago.



In 2022, Curtin researchers studied the same zircon grain. They found that it had been "shocked" by a meteorite impact, marking it as the first and only known shocked zircon from Mars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-life-on-mars">Implications for life on Mars</h2>



The discovery of ancient hydrothermal activity on Mars significantly changes our understanding of the planet's potential for life. Hydrothermal systems could have created environments rich in chemical energy and nutrients vital for life.



The presence of warm, mineral-laden waters in Mars' crust could have served as a cradle for microbial communities, much like the hydrothermal vents on Earth harbor diverse ecosystems despite the absence of sunlight. 



This implies that if life ever existed on early Mars, hydrothermal systems may have been havens, providing conditions to support some form of life.



The research offers valuable insights into planetary habitability within our solar system and beyond.



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



The revelations from the zircon grain continue to ignite curiosity and lay the groundwork for future Mars exploration missions. 



Planetary scientists are eager to explore other ancient Martian rocks and meteorites that might hold additional clues about Mars' hydrothermal systems and geological history. 



Missions equipped with advanced technology could further investigate the surface and subsurface of Mars, searching for more evidence of past water activity and potential biological markers.



These future efforts could significantly enhance our understanding of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-vanishing-water-mystery-new-insights-curiosity-rover/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Red Planet</a> and refine our search for life beyond Earth, spurring innovative technologies and methodologies in planetary science research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-mars-and-its-water-activity">Early Mars and its water activity</h2>



This recent study builds on previous research, taking us a step closer to understanding what early Mars was like. 



According to Dr. Cavosie, identifying the signs of water-rich fluids from the zircon's formation period provides geochemical markers of water in the oldest known Martian crust.



The research was conducted by scientists from Curtin’s Space Science and Technology Centre, the John de Laeter Centre, and the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Adelaide</a>. 



Dr. Jack Gillespie is the lead author of the paper detailing study, which is set to be published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq3694" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances.</a>



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Discovery: Ancient Mars had hot water that could have supported life

The Red Planet has always been a subject of intrigue and fascination. Recent research led by Curtin University has added more fuel to this age-old curiosity. The scientists discovered what could possibly be the oldest evidence of hot water activity on Mars. This discovery opens up possibilities that at some point in its mysterious past, Mars may have been a place where life could exist. Hot water on Mars The study focused on a zircon grain from the renowned Martian meteorite NWA7034, fondly known as Black Beauty....

As experts all over the world search for ways to halt the spread of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/men-are-more-than-twice-as-likely-to-die-from-covid-19/">COVID-19</a>, an effective treatment may be available in a very unlikely source. A preliminary study led by the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> has revealed that antibodies from llamas have the potential to wipe out COVID-19 infection.

The research team has engineered a new weapon against SARS-CoV-2 using a llama antibody that was tested to treat the first SARS coronavirus. The experts previously demonstrated that the antibody bound tightly to spike proteins on SARS-CoV-1 to stop them from spreading infection. 

When a llama's immune system detects a pathogen such as a virus, the animal produces two types of antibodies - one that is similar to a human antibody and another that is about a quarter of the size. The smaller ones, called single-domain antibodies or nanobodies, can be nebulized and used in an inhaler.

"That makes them potentially really interesting as a drug for a respiratory pathogen because you're delivering it right to the site of infection," said study co-first author Daniel Wrapp.

A four-year-old llama named Winter who lives on a Belgian farm became the focus of coronavirus studies in 2016 at the age of nine months.

In an effort to identify preventive substances for SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV, researchers injected Winter with stabilized spike proteins from the viruses over the course of about six weeks. 

The experts isolated antibodies in blood samples, and identified one antibody called VHH-72 that prevented the SARS coronavirus from infecting cells in culture.

"That was exciting to me because I'd been working on this for years," said Wrapp. "But there wasn't a big need for a coronavirus treatment then. This was just basic research. Now, this can potentially have some translational implications, too."

When the researchers tested VHH-72 against the new coronavirus, it did not bind as tightly to the spike proteins. The experts crossed-linked two copies of the antibody and got much better results.

The initial tests conducted with the modified antibody show that it attaches itself tightly to SARS-Cov-2 spike proteins, and is capable of preventing the virus from infecting cells in culture.

Study co-senior author Professor Jason McLellan said this is "one of the first antibodies known to neutralize SARS-CoV-2."

Next, the team will test the antibody in animals such as nonhuman primates before hopefully conducting tests in humans. The goal is to develop an antibody that can treat people soon after SARS-Cov-2 infection.

"Vaccines have to be given a month or two before infection to provide protection," said Professor McLellan. "With antibody therapies, you're directly giving somebody the protective antibodies and so, immediately after treatment, they should be protected. The antibodies could also be used to treat somebody who is already sick to lessen the severity of the disease."

This type of treatment would be particularly helpful for high-risk individuals or for people who have an increased risk of exposure, such as health care workers.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Antibodies from llamas may be effective against COVID-19

As experts all over the world search for ways to...

The analysis of a 66 million-year-old fossil recovered in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/poachers-loggers-biodiversity-madagascar/">Madagascar</a> is shedding new light on early mammals. The well-preserved remains have been traced to an unusual, previously-unknown creature named Adalatherium.

According to the researchers, the fossil was remarkably complete, which is rare for a specimen that dates back to the days of the dinosaurs. 

Dr. Guillermo Rougier is a paleontologist at the <a href="https://louisville.edu/">University of Louisville</a> and an expert in the skulls and teeth of ancient mammals. He was asked by Dr. David Krause, curator at the Denver Museum of Nature &amp; Science, to inspect the special 3-D fossil. 

Dr. Rougier was immediately struck by how unusual the creature was, describing it as roughly resembling a beaver or a small capybara.

"When Dr. Krause showed it to me in a scientific meeting and asked me for my opinion, I said I had never seen anything like this," said Dr. Rougier. "This mammal has teeth for which we have no parallel."

Dr. Krause and a team of paleontologists had discovered the fossil during an expedition in Madagascar. The experts spent more than a decade working to determine where the fossil fits into the long history of mammalian evolution. 

"First, it is surprising how complete it is," noted Dr. Rougier. "Second, this fossil is preserved in three dimensions."

"When you have an animal that dies and is preserved in the rocks, the weight of the rocks on top of it flattens it out. Often it looks like a steam roller ran over it. So you might have a complete skeleton but it will be the thickness of a piece of paper - all splat out."

"This animal was preserved in 3-D so this gives us a wealth of detail that we very rarely have in other specimens."

The creature's name, Adalatherium, means "crazy beast" in Greek and Malagasy. The mammal likely belonged to Gondwanatheria, an extinct group of mammals that once lived in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dr. Rougier analyzed Adalatherium's teeth and skull to figure out how it is connected to both modern and ancient mammals.

"Teeth in mammals reflect their ancestry, diet and environment. In the case of Adalatherium, the morphology is so peculiar that it is hard to use the characters we normally use to establish family relationships," explained Dr. Rougier. 

"Mammalian systematics and evolution rest heavily on dental morphology, so when you do not have teeth - or they are so strange that you do not know what to do with them (think of anteaters, whales, armadillos and pangolins) - we have a problem."

The country of Madagascar is famous for having unique animal species, which branched out independently after the island broke off from India millions of years ago. The island gradually drifted toward Africa over a period of 100 million years, but never arrived. This means the animals evolved separately from other populations.

"Adalatherium is a product of this time of isolation when Madagascar was an island, detached from India and shifting towards Africa, but before there was any African influence. So it was basically an experiment, an example of what we call island biogeography or island evolution," said Dr. Rougier.

"Long isolated places produce very unique results in biology. These fossils keep reminding us of the unexpected forms and shapes that evolution can take over long periods of time in an isolated place. Adalatherium is an animal for which we don't have any real parallels."

The discovery of Adalatherium is providing new details on ancient mammals, particularly the Gondwanatherians, but this group still remains a huge mystery to scientists. 

"Adalatherium is just one piece, but an important piece, in a very large puzzle on early mammalian evolution in the Southern Hemisphere," said Dr. Krause. "Unfortunately, most of the pieces are still missing."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Intriguing ancient mammal recovered in Madagascar

The analysis of a 66 million-year-old fossil recovered in Madagascar...

In a moving article published by <a href="https://u7061146.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=4tNED-2FM8iDZJQyQ53jATURJjcpEzk69xAdzQE6f-2FdT-2Fl4PkK1b-2BLxp3wbCelUJB8b1UYp0IO3ubyRD5vLT2Ws7uQDGGseSPpgTBuvgEFWu06bq6YH6vJ5sRjx8VsvcQsBeYNK3AHaeB1f6ABxTAVhO1fBgf7zgAmNUKBIuMRp-2FY-3DeTpS_8UuaF1eCRAO-2BF-2F5wvArQ6TbXOubIR1PWjHsc9ApZ8KvqKo6FZKO0wLgEncUpVYubmvBPu9Dm9XHoDc5XLcHkCsbSJ1SrBSho86saUD4Sf1IEXeXgpSfooKrsKuxldHh4h7xUmIVxhbHEMEy1aivoZ65rbUK56flHAiOhfxnPjSOHN25eLSJz4jmUjWMnPXb570065gzkPjecAhYGLA5rYZLWwMlL40GRytpM4jGpirLeeY-2Fl2A8ZINiReSQ4Huc04mU04ji98hGnv7jP1RN8-2BGx-2FxOsAo7jk8T2rME0RaXXHY-2FqpXafvbNTj1lne3IYPzRPHLGF67mmNegQLE6IWDX2kxxrFlTzprGukQwzDwn8-3D">The American Conservative</a> today, Republican speech writer Landon Parvin shares his thoughts on the Trump administration's proposal to lift critical <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/trumps-epa-environmental-protections/">protections</a> in the Tongass National Forest.

"The Tongass has glaciers, fjords, islands and 11,000 miles of shoreline. It is a natural and national jewel," writes Parvin. 

"It is home to an abundance of indigenous wildlife, including bears, wolves, Sitka black-tailed deer, northern goshawks, marbled murrelets and the largest known concentration of bald eagles."

"In the glistening waters surrounding the forests of the Tongass, humpback and orca whales, otters, sea lions, porpoises and all five species of Pacific salmon can be found."

"Migratory birds in the hundreds of thousands - snow geese, sandhill cranes, sandpipers, plovers and other species - make their way to the Tongass..."

"The proposal to lift the protections of the Roadless Rule is an effort by the Trump Administration to open up logging for the timber industry. It would irreversibly devastate millions of acres of land and damage nearby water sources, destroying the interwoven habitats of animals, birds and fish."

The Tongass National Forest is part of the largest intact temperate rainforest on the planet. The ancient trees help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change by storing massive amounts of carbon.

In 2001, the majority of the Tongass National Forest became off-limits to road construction, mining, and logging when the Clinton administration adopted the Roadless Rule. Designed to protect 58.5 million acres of forest in 39 states and territories, the legislation was considered a huge victory by millions of Americans. 

But now, the Trump administration is once again moving to support big business over critical environmental protections. Last year, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced plans to remove roadless protection on more than nine million acres of wilderness in Tongass National Park. 

“Alaskans and Americans overwhelmingly want to see roadless areas within the Tongass National Forest protected,” said Patrick Lavin, the Alaska policy advisor for Defenders of Wildlife. “Instead, the Trump administration has moved to open our remaining wild lands to logging to benefit private industry."

"Clearcutting ancient forests is bad for fish and wildlife, bad for the region’s tourism and fishing industries, expensive for taxpayers, and makes no economic sense. This proposal would bring great destruction and no benefit.”

Last year, <a href="https://www.npr.org/">NPR</a> interviewed Buck Lindekugel, an attorney with the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. He said the government's arguments to lift protections in the Tongass are not even relevant in this day and age. 

"They're making the same arguments today that they made 30 years ago. Oh, the industry - if we don't do this, the industry's not going to survive. The industry can't survive as it is," said Lindekugel.

Landon Parvin is a former speech writer for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush. In his article, he explains that America needs economic growth, but America also needs sacred lands. The economic growth that would be associated with logging in the Tongass, he says, is simply not worth it.

"In a time of social distancing and sheltering in place, it is a great comfort to call upon the peace and sustenance the natural world can provide. It is an enduring good," writes Parvin.

"American presidents of both parties - from Teddy Roosevelt to my old boss, Ronald Reagan, to Barack Obama - have embraced this enduring good and sought to protect our country’s natural heritage."

"American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau once stated that there 'are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.'"

"This is why, now, more than ever, we must protect the federal lands so designated by generations of American leaders. We must conserve this heritage, our birthright as Americans, so that these lands will remain untouched, a sanctuary in trying times."

Parvin is one of many conservative leaders supporting Citizens for the Republic's <a href="http://cftr.org/tongass-national-forest/">campaign</a> to maintain the protections of the Roadless Rule.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Trump's plan would "irreversibly devastate" the Tongass National Forest

In a moving article published by The American Conservative today,...

A new study from <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> has revealed that ocean algae steal genes from bacteria for an <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/birds-with-innovative-feeding-strategies-have-an-evolutionary-advantage/">evolutionary</a> advantage. Gene acquisition provides algae with specific benefits, such as the ability to tolerate stressful environments or break down carbohydrates for food.

Previous studies have shown that bacteria and other prokaryotes swap genes to adapt to new habitats in a process known as horizontal gene transfer. The new research suggests that a massive group of eukaryotes has a long history of gene acquistion as well. 

The study was focused on 23 species of brown and golden-brown algae. The experts found that gene acquisition had a major impact on the evolution of these ancient marine species, which help form the base of the ocean food chain. 

Through photosynthesis, marine algae produce more than 70 percent of the Earth's oxygen. Some types of algae, such as diatoms, are responsible for about 45 percent of global primary production of organic matter.

Study co-author Debashish Bhattacharya is a distinguished professor in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She explained that hundreds of thousands of species make up a group known as CRASH, and these organisms have thrived on Earth for more than a billion years

The enormous group includes algae such as diatoms and dinoflagellates, as well as alveolates and oomycetes. Professor Bhattacharya noted that CRASH organisms create and consume immense amounts of organic matter.

The research team, led by experts at the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, produced a sweeping genomic dataset consisting of more than 524,000 protein sequences from 23 CRASH species. The researchers analyzed the dataset using sophisticated techniques.

The study revealed that the extent of horizontal gene transfer is highly variable among different CRASH species. Overall, an average of one percent of all CRASH organisms' genes were acquired from bacteria. 

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;

Ocean algae steal genes from bacteria

A new study from Rutgers University has revealed that ocean...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/conservation-efforts-to-save-amphibians-are-largely-insufficient/">Conservation</a> efforts to protect biodiversity alongside future development will be hindered by a lack of space, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a>. Even with policies in place for biodiversity offsetting, developers will struggle to find enough land.  

Dr. Laura Sonter is an expert in UQ's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. She said the challenges are evident worldwide and could significantly limit the ability to achieve global conservation goals.

"Most countries now have offsetting policies requiring developers to revegetate or protect areas of habitat and ecosystems, to compensate for biodiversity losses caused by their projects," said Dr. Sonter.

"When these activities create as much biodiversity as that lost to development, the offsets are said to achieve no net loss of biodiversity.

Dr. Sonter explained that in many cases, there simply is not enough land to completely offset the huge biodiversity losses expected from expected future development.

"For example, in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, twice the amount of land that is currently available for revegetation would be required to compensate for losses from proposed developments, in order to achieve no net loss of biodiversity - and we found similar results in Mozambique and Brazil."

"For places like these, it is inevitable that development will result in an overall loss of biodiversity, because land availability constraints make no net biodiversity loss impossible to achieve."

As offsetting policies become stricter, some will require more conservation for every unit of biodiversity lost. This means that even more land will be needed.

"Other policies limit conservation activities to already rare habitats to prevent extinctions, so they rapidly run out of land for offsetting."

Martine Maron is a UQ professor of Environmental Management. She said the findings have implications for reconciling development with crucial global biodiversity conservation goals.

"If offsetting policies are strictly enforced and countries run out of land for these activities, any new proposed development projects will not be permitted, potentially slowing global biodiversity losses," said Professor Maron.

"The more likely scenario is that if land availability becomes a constraint, then offsetting requirements will be relaxed, enabling development with less compensation, and biodiversity losses will soar."

"This detracts from broad conservation goals, and particularly, a move towards 'global no net loss of ecosystems', which nations of the world are looking to commit to under the Convention on Biological Diversity."

According to Dr. Sonter, there are two ways forward, and avoiding biodiversity losses is key. She said the consequences of offset failure for rare species and habitats could be disproportionately large, including near-certain extinction.

"However, since development is essential in many instances, we recommend governments explicitly account for land availability constraints in their offset policies and making decisions about projects."

"A key step forward in addressing these challenges is designing offset policies so that they are directly linked to national biodiversity goals."

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;

Biodiversity offsetting may be limited by land constraints

Conservation efforts to protect biodiversity alongside future development will be...

The chemicals in tobacco <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/young-smokers-have-a-harder-time-quitting-as-adults/">smoke</a> can cause serious damage to the structure and function of blood vessels and arteries. A new study published by the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a> has revealed that e-cigarettes may induce the same vascular damage as traditional cigarettes. 

"Many people believe e-cigarettes are safer than combustible cigarettes. In fact, most e-cigarette users say the primary reason they use e-cigarettes is because they think e-cigarettes pose less of a health risk," said study lead author Dr. Jessica L. Fetterman. 

"Meanwhile, the evidence from scientific studies is growing that e-cigarettes might not be the safer alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes when it comes to heart health. Our study adds to that evidence."

The research was focused on over 400 individuals between the ages of 21 and 45 with no pre-existing heart disease risk factors. Among the study participants, there were 94 nonsmokers, 285 cigarette smokers, 36 e-cigarette users, and 52 smokers of both traditional and e-cigarettes. 

Dual smokers and traditional cigarette smokers were mostly older than e-cigarette users, who were predominantly young white males. E-cigarette users were all former smokers of traditional cigarettes.

"We studied measures of blood vessel function in e-cigarette and dual users who had been using e-cigarettes for at least three months," said Dr. Fetterman. 

"Most studies to-date have looked at the impact of acute use of e-cigarettes on blood vessel function measured right before and after use, whereas our study evaluated blood vessel function in chronic e-cigarette use among young, healthy adults."

The researchers found that former smokers who switched to e-cigarettes and dual users had arteries that were just as stiff as traditional cigarette users.

"Stiffening of the arteries can cause damage to the small blood vessels, including capillaries, and puts additional stress on the heart, all of which can contribute to the development of heart disease," said Dr. Fetterman.

The study also revealed that the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels appeared to have sustained the same amount of damage in those who smoked e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes,  or both.

"The endothelial cells from e-cigarette users or dual users produced less of the heart-protective compound nitric oxide, compared to non-tobacco users. Their cells also produced more reactive oxygen species, which cause damage to the parts of cells such as DNA and proteins," said Dr. Fetterman.

"Our study results suggest there is no evidence that the use of e-cigarettes reduces cardiovascular injury, dysfunction or harm associated with the use of combustible tobacco products."

According to Dr. Fetterman, long-term studies are needed to further examine the progression of vascular damage from e-cigarettes alone.

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/jaha">Journal of the American Heart Association</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

E-cigarettes may not reduce vascular damage

The chemicals in tobacco smoke can cause serious damage to...

A new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a> is the first to investigate how gender may influence the severity of COVID-19 infection. The researchers discovered that while men and women have the same chance of becoming infected by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, men are more than twice as likely to die. 

As the COVID-19 <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/flu-resistant-chickens-pandemic/">pandemic</a> persists, experts are urgently working to understand why some people are more dangerously impacted by the virus than others. At this point, it is known that older age and pre-existing health complications pose the greatest risk.

The new research suggests that males who are older or suffer from underlying medical conditions like heart disease may require additional precautions and care. 

Around 80 percent of people who contract COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms, and recent studies have shown that as many as 50 percent of these individuals are not even aware they have the disease. 

Identifying the factors that set severe cases of infection apart may help protect high-risk people from serious complications and death. 

Dr. Jin-Kui Yang, a physician at Beijing Tongren Hospital in China, recognized a trend among COVID-19 patients who died.

"Early in January we noticed that the number of men dying from COVID-19 appeared to be higher than the number of women," said Dr. Yang. "This raised a question: are men more susceptible to getting or dying from COVID-19? We found that no-one had measured gender differences in COVID-19 patients, and so began investigating."

Dr. Yang and his colleagues analyzed patient records to look for potential differences in how men and women respond to COVID-19. The records included data on 43 patients who the doctors had treated themselves and a public dataset on more than 1,000 COVID-19 patients.

Due to the similarities between the first SARS coronavirus and the novel virus, the doctors also analyzed a dataset of 524 SARS patients from 2003.

The analysis confirmed that the elderly and those with comorbid conditions were more likely to die from COVID-19 infection. The age and the numbers of men and women affected were similar, yet men were more likely to develop a severe infection. 

In the largest COVID-19 dataset, over 70 percent of the patients who died were men, which means that men have nearly 2.5 times the death rate of women. Males were also more prone to serious infections, regardless of their age. 

In the SARS dataset, the researchers identified a similar pattern. This is likely tied to the finding that levels of ACE2, the protein that is exploited by the coronavirus, is often present in higher levels among men, individuals with cardiovascular disease, and diabetes patients.

Further research is needed to determine exactly why men struggle more with COVID-19 than women, but the implications are clear.

"We recommend that additional supportive care and prompt access to the intensive care unit may be necessary for older male patients," said Dr. Yang.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/journal/2296-2565_Frontiers_in_Public_Health">Frontiers in Public 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;

Men are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 

A new study published by Frontiers is the first to...

An international team of experts led by the <a href="https://ki.se/en">Karolinska Institutet</a> has found evidence to suggest that Parkinson's disease originates in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/gut-messages-brain-lightning/">gut</a>. The researchers identified cells from the gut's nervous system that are involved in an early stage of Parkinson's.

The nervous system is composed of hundreds of different types of cells with unique functions. By understanding which cells influence a particular brain disorder, experts can develop new treatments to target those cells. 

The research team combined mice gene expression studies with human genetics to map out the cell types involved in various neurological and psychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's disease. This neurodegenerative disorder is characterized by nerve cell damage in the brain that causes dopamine levels to drop.

"As expected, we found that dopaminergic neurons were associated with Parkinson's disease," said study co-author Professor Patrick Sullivan. "More surprisingly, we found that enteric neurons also seem to play an important role in the disorder, supporting the hypothesis that Parkinson's disease starts in the gut."

The researchers compared brain tissue from healthy individuals to people with various stages of Parkinson's disease. The experts were surprised to find that a group of specialized brain cells called oligodendrocytes were affected early on in the progression of the disease.

"The fact that the animal studies pointed us to oligodendrocytes and that we were then able to show that these cells were also affected in patients suggests that the results may have clinical implications," said study co-author Jens Hjerling-Leffler.

The team found evidence that oligodendrocytes are affected even before the loss of dopaminergic neurons. "This makes them an attractive target for therapeutic interventions in Parkinson's disease," said study co-first author Julien Bryois.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ng/">Nature Genetics</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;

Parkinson's disease may originate in the gut

An international team of experts led by the Karolinska Institutet...

Schizophrenia linked to irregular fatty metabolism in the brain. A discovery made by experts at the <a href="https://www.riken.jp/en/research/labs/cbs/">RIKEN Center for Brian Science</a> (CBS) in Japan has the potential to improve treatments for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/parasite-cats-risk-schizophrenia/">schizophrenia</a>. The researchers have linked the disorder to a deficiency of fatty molecules found in the white matter of the brain. 

A postmortem comparison showed that schizophrenia was associated with lower levels of S1P, a fatty molecule that is necessary for the production of highly specialized neural cells called oligodendrocytes. 

Existing treatments for schizophrenia, which primarily target dopamine, are not effective for many patients. Schizophrenia linked to irregular fatty metabolism in the brain

"Because we don't have another angle on what causes schizophrenia, many pharmaceutical companies are pulling out of schizophrenia-related drug development," said RIKEN CBS team leader Takeo Yoshikawa. "Hopefully, our findings can provide the new angle with a new target for drug development."

The effects of schizophrenia on the brain are not entirely understood. It is known that people suffering from the disorder have less white matter than normal brains. 

White matter is made up of fatty substances formed by oligodendrocytes, specialized cells that are regulated by S1P. The interaction between these specialized cells and neurons are critical for communication within the central nervous system. 

Schizophrenia is characterized by hallucinations and the inability to distinguish fantasy from reality. These symptoms may originate in white matter abnormalities that disrupt communication between neurons.

The RIKEN CBS team conducted a postmortem analysis of the large white matter tract that connects the left and right sides of the brain. The experts found a severe deficiency in S1P fatty molecules, which are needed for the creation of oligodendrocytes. 

The study revealed that normal amounts of S1P had been initially produced, but many of these fatty molecules had metabolized and degraded. 

"Drugs that prevent S1P degradation could be particularly effective in treating schizophrenia," said study first author Kayoko Esaki, who contributed his expertise in the technique of mass spectrometry to measure S1P levels.

"This was the first psychiatric study of the postmortem brain to use mass spectroscopic analysis, and our discovery would not have been possible without our newly established comprehensive technique for screening sphingolipids," said Yoshikawa.

Further analysis revealed that the postmortem brains of people with bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder did not have abnormal levels of S1P, indicating that the deficiency is specific to schizophrenia.

"The next important step is to determine precisely which S1P receptor-acting drugs are effective in experimental animals," explained Yoshikawa. "Although the new blockbuster drug fingolimod works at the S1P receptor and is effective at treating multiple sclerosis, we do not yet know how effective it would be for schizophrenia."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin">Schizophrenia Bulletin</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;

Schizophrenia linked to irregular fatty metabolism in the brain

Schizophrenia linked to irregular fatty metabolism in the brain. A...

Plastic pollution is increasingly invading Antarctica. Two long-term studies from the <a href="https://www.bas.ac.uk/">British Antarctic Survey</a> (BAS) have measured the extent of plastic pollution in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ice-loss-sea-level/">Antarctica</a>. The collective findings show an increased prevalence of plastic waste and highlight the impact that plastic pollution has on animals in remote polar habitats. 

Over the last three decades, BAS scientists have collected marine debris on the beaches of Bird Island and Signy Island. The amount of debris has increased, and the majority of 10,000 items recovered by the team was plastic waste. 

"While we found an increase in the quantity of beached plastic debris, recent surveys have shown increasing numbers of smaller pieces. This might be due to the breakdown of larger pieces of plastic which have been in the Southern Ocean for a long time," said study lead author Dr. Claire Waluda.

"It's not all bad news. With the amount of plastic recovered on beaches peaking in the 1990s, our study suggests that the measures to restrict the amount of debris entering the Southern Ocean have been successful, at least in part. But more still needs to be done." 

"By putting our data into oceanographic models we will learn more about the sources and sinks of plastic waste and how it is transported into and around the Southern Ocean."

In the second study, the researchers looked at plastic waste ingested by three species of albatrosses, including the wandering albatross on Bird Island. Seabirds often mistakenly ingest plastic and other debris while hunting for natural prey. 

The experts found significant variation in the type of plastic garbage ingested by different seabirds. Wandering albatrosses and giant petrels had primarily consumed food-related packaging, which is likely due to their tendency to forage behind fishing boats. Plastic waste is frequently discarded or lost from the vessels. 

"Our study adds to a growing body of evidence that fishing and other vessels make a major contribution to plastic pollution," said study lead author Professor Richard Phillips. "It's clear that marine plastics are a threat to seabirds and other wildlife and more needs to be done to improve waste-management practices and compliance monitoring both on land and on vessels in the South Atlantic."

"There is some good news, we found that black-browed albatrosses typically ingested relatively low levels of debris, suggesting that plastic pollution in the Antarctic waters where they feed remains relatively low."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international">Environment International</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;

Plastic pollution is increasingly invading Antarctica

Plastic pollution is increasingly invading Antarctica. Two long-term studies from...

The extreme heat associated with <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/strategies-for-marine-reserves-are-overruled-by-climate-change/">climate change</a> is placing insects under a great deal of strain, and even small temperature changes can damage an insect's ability to reproduce. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> has investigated the link between heat stress and fertility loss in honey bees.

While it is known that heat kills sperm in a broad range of animals, it is challenging to monitor these changes in honey bees and other pollinators.

For the current study, the researchers used mass spectrometry to analyze sperm stored in honey bee queens. The experts identified five proteins that are activated when the bees are exposed to extreme heat.

These proteins provide a great tool for monitoring heat stress in queen bees, as well as for predicting wider insect fertility losses related to heat stress. 

"Just like cholesterol levels are used to indicate the risk of heart disease in humans, these proteins could indicate whether a queen bee has experienced heat stress," said study lead author Alison McAfee. "If we start to see patterns of heat shock emerging among bees, that's when we really need to start worrying about other insects."

Honey bees are more resilient to heat stress than many other insects, but they are a useful proxy for measuring heat response because they are easily accessible. 

The reproductive capacity of queen bees is directly linked to the health and productivity of a colony. A queen bee needs viable sperm to produce enough worker bees to maintain her colony.

"We wanted to find out what 'safe' temperatures are for queen bees and explore two potential routes to heat exposure: during routine shipping and inside colonies," said McAfee. 

"This information is really important for beekeepers, who often have no way to tell what condition the queens they receive are in. That can have a really dramatic impact on their quality and quality of their colonies."

The team set out to determine how much heat the queen bees could handle before they "failed" to carry enough live sperm.

"Our data suggests that temperatures between 15 to 38 degrees Celsius are safe for queens," said McAfee. "Above 38 degrees, the percentage of live sperm dropped to or below the level we see in failed queens compared to healthy queens, which is an 11.5 percent decrease from the normal 90 per cent."

The researchers monitored the temperatures in three honey bee hives in California during the month of August, when the ambient temperature below each hive reached up to 45 degrees Celsius in the shade.

Within all three hives, the temperatures at the two outermost frames spiked upwards of 40 degrees Celsius for two to five hours. In two of the hives, temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius one or two frames closer to the core.

"This tells us that a colony's ability to thermoregulate begins to break down in extreme heat, and queens can be vulnerable to heat stress even inside the hive," said study co-author Jeff Pettis.

Now that the researchers have established these key parameters, they will continue to examine how the heat-activated proteins in queen bees can be used to monitor fertility loss. 

"Proteins can change quite easily, so we want to figure out how long these signatures last and how that might affect our ability to detect these heat stress events," said McAfee. 

"I also want to figure out if we can identify similar markers for cold and pesticide exposure, so we can make more evidence-based management decisions. If we can use the same markers as part of a wider biomonitoring program, then that's twice as useful."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</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;

Honey bees reveal how heat stress affects fertility among insects

The extreme heat associated with climate change is placing insects...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/">Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.</a>, experts have found that men are mostly portrayed on Instagram as having muscular and lean bodies. Even though this depiction of men has the potential to encourage exercise and other healthy behaviors, it is more likely to cause body dissatisfaction among men. 

"Body dissatisfaction is associated with a plethora of health consequences," wrote the study authors. "Social media has been named as one contributing factor for male body dissatisfaction." 

"Up until now, women have been the focus of body image-related social media studies." 

The researchers analyzed 1,000 relevant Instagram posts to investigate how the male body is portrayed on Instagram and how users respond to the images. 

Most of the men featured in the Instagram posts were lean and muscular, while only a small percentage of posts showed men with high body fat or low muscle content. 

The most common posts displayed men with very little body fat, and exercise was the most frequently shown behavior. 

It is often assumed that men are primarily driven by muscularity, but the results of this study "emphasize body fat being just as important for men," said the researchers.

The experts found that the number of likes and comments was strongly linked to body composition. As body fat levels dropped and levels of muscularity rose, the responses increased.

"Nowadays, men are faced with sociocultural influences giving rise to the desire for a muscular and lean body, resulting in men facing body dissatisfaction, which is associated with health consequences such as depression and eating pathology," wrote the study authors.  

"One of the sociocultural influences playing a role in the development of body dissatisfaction is ideal body type portrayal on media platforms. Men face a standard emphasizing muscularity and leanness in both traditional and social media."

Dr. Brenda K. Wiederhold is president of the Virtual Reality Medical Center and a clinical psychologist. She explained that, based on the social cognitive theory, body image pictures on Instagram may have a positive impact if the portrayals lead men to lead more healthy lifestyles.

"On the negative side, the skewed images may lead to male body dissatisfaction, depression, and eating disorders. We can use this knowledge to educate our patients about the false sense of reality often portrayed on social media," said Dr. Wiederhold.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.liebertpub.com/loi/cyber">Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking</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;

Portrayal of men on Instagram may cause body dissatisfaction

In a new study published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.,...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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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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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



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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



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How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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...