Florida is a state teeming with biodiversity. With the nickname “The Sunshine State,” Florida must have loads of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-protect-sunshine-overdose/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sun-loving plant life</a> - and indeed it does! Although there are thousands of plant species native to the state, a handful of them are quite characteristic and important parts of Florida ecosystems.

One could spend a lifetime learning how to identify all the plants in Florida. Luckily, we’ve created this quick guide to Florida plant identification for beginners. Below is how to identify several Florida palms, trees, shrubs, and more, in no particular order.

&nbsp;
<h2>Trees</h2>
We’ll start with the most common Florida trees. These are common wild and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/roadside-hedges-urban-pollution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">roadside trees</a> that are characteristically Floridian.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876548 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/geiger-tree.jpg" alt="geiger tree cordia sebestena" width="1000" height="681" />
<h3>Geiger tree (Cordia sebestena)</h3>
This common South Florida tree is one of the most popular roadside trees in the state. It has large orange flowers that grow in clusters at the tips of branches, and effectively attract hummingbirds. The tree itself grows to be up to 8 meters (30 feet) tall. The leaves are rather large, growing up to 20 centimeters (9 inches) in length and have a rough, sandpapery texture.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876557 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Taxodium_distichum_exposed_knees.jpg" alt="taxodium distichum bald cypress" width="600" height="800" />
<h3>Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)</h3>
Bald cypress trees are massive, densely crowned conifers. They typically grow next to or near moving water. Cypress trees typically have <a href="https://www.lewisginter.org/trees-with-knees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">large, woody “knees”</a> which are root protrusions that grow above water to help the tree respire. They resemble small stalagmites. Bald cypresses are deciduous, and shed their light green needles in the winter, unlike other conifers, which are evergreen.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876556 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/mangrove.jpg" alt="red mangrove rhizophora mangle" width="800" height="532" />
<h3>Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)</h3>
Red mangroves are characteristic trees along the coastlines of tropics. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floridas-mangroves-rising-sea-level/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mangrove forests</a> are necessary to protect the land from storms, and they also provide essential habitat for fish and other animals. The trees themselves can be identified by their tough, dark green leaves that are always clustered together towards the ends of branches. Red mangroves also have numerous prop roots that look like multiple stems.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876555 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/longleaf-pine.jpg" alt="longleaf pine pinus palustris savannah" width="800" height="600" />
<h3>Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)</h3>
Pines are increasingly rare in Florida, but they are incredibly important parts of pine savannah ecosystems throughout the Southeastern United States. The endangered longleaf pine grows up to 35 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of just under a meter. Long needles up to 45 cm (18 inches) in length give this tall tree its name. The needles are always grouped together in threes, unlike some other pines which have groups of two or five.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876554 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/strangler-fig.jpg" alt="florida strangler fig ficus aurea" width="900" height="675" />
<h3>Florida strangler fig (Ficus aurea)</h3>
Strangler figs are common staples of tropical forests all over the world. Their unique structure allows them to grow around a host tree they use for support. Because it grows faster than it’s host, it constricts and shades out the tree that once was essential for the fig, giving it a “hug of death.” The leaves are waxy and large, but are often tough to discern from the leaves of the fig’s host tree!

&nbsp;
<h2>Palms</h2>
In general, palms are tall, slender plants that often evoke ideas of warm, tropical beaches. Florida is chock full of palms. Not only do they line idyllic coastlines, but they can also be found far inland, as well as in front yards grown ornamentally. Palms are some of the most quintessential types of Florida plants. Here are two of the most common species found in Florida.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876553 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/everglades-palm.jpg" alt="everglades palm Acoelorrhaphe wrightii" width="1000" height="750" />
<h3>Everglades palm (Acoelorrhaphe wrightii)</h3>
The Everglades palm grows in, you guessed it,<a href="https://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> the Everglades</a>! It’s also found throughout other swampy habitats of the Caribbean and Latin America. The plant has massive palmate, fan-shaped leaves that can be 2 meters (6.6 feet) wide! It doesn’t grow quite as tall as some other palms, capping out at around 7 meters (23 feet) high.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876552 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Sabal_minor.jpg" alt="sabal minor dwarf palmetto palm" width="1000" height="667" />
<h3>Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor)</h3>
Another swamp loving Florida palm is the dwarf palmetto. The aptly names plant is much smaller than other palms, never growing more than a couple meters (6 feet) in height. Its leaves are much smaller as well, though similar in shape to the Everglades palm. Horticulturists love this plant due to its ability to withstand cold temperatures.

&nbsp;
<h2>Shrubs</h2>
These shrubs all grow wild in The Sunshine State and are also commonly seen in gardens. Admittedly, this list of shrubs contains one plant some people wouldn’t consider a shrub in the technical sense. Nonetheless, it certainly isn’t a tree or palm, so we’ve put it in with the shrubs.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876551 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/beautyberry.jpg" alt="american beautyberry" width="1000" height="664" />
<h3>American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)</h3>
American beautyberry has some of the most strikingly colored fruits in the plant kingdom. The bright purple clusters of berries that adorn this shrub make it a popular choice for a garden. The light green leaves are covered in tiny hairs and grow opposite one another. The branches can be extremely long and arching.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876550 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/zamia-pumila.jpg" alt="coontie palm zamia pumila cycad" width="1000" height="666" />
<h3>Coontie palm (Zamia pumila)</h3>
Unlike its name implies, the coontie palm is not actually a true palm. It’s a species of cycad, which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-insect-pollinated-plant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one of the most primitive types of plants in the world</a>. To make matters more confusing, the leaves look similar to a fern, to which it’s not even closely related. Coontie palm doesn’t produce showy flowers but will produce a large cone filled with bright red seeds. It seems this plant is having a bit of an identity crisis.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1876549 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Psychotria_nervosa.jpg" alt="psychotria nervosa wild coffee" width="1000" height="667" />
<h3>Wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa)</h3>
This coffee relative is another Florida native that’s commonly planted as an ornamental. Its small, white flowers attract butterflies and other insects. The shiny, green leaves grow opposite of each other and have slightly indented veins. Birds love the small, red fruit produced by the wild coffee plant.

&nbsp;

These Florida plants are just a drop in the bucket. There’s an incredibly diverse array of plants found in the state, but now you have a foot in the door of becoming a Florida plant identification expert!

Florida Plant Identification for Beginners

Florida is a state teeming with biodiversity. With the nickname...

Look below, we live on that tiny little bit of light inside the blue circle. This is a photo taken of Earth from 4 billion miles away by the spacecraft, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/voyager-2-approaches-interstellar-space/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Voyager 2</a>.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1876321" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/pale-blue-dot.jpg" alt="earth, space" width="792" height="895" />

&nbsp;

Carl Sagan, the popular astronomer, once said "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives." All the materials we use to build homes, cars, and furniture comes from our one and only planet. When it comes down to it, these materials don't come from Home Depot or Target. They come from forests, mines, and oceans. Our food doesn't come from Safeway or Walmart. It comes from farms, pastures, and fisheries. Our water doesn't come from the tap. It comes from the beneath the ground or from the sky. These raw materials, such as lumber, metals, food, and water are "natural resources."

Humans have built the world's economy upon the use, and many times exploitation, of these resources. To understand natural resources, it is helpful to break them into categories. The two most broad categories are renewable and non-renewable resources. 

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1876247" style="font-size: 16px;" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/industry-2023592_1280.jpg" alt="coal, natural resources, mining" width="1280" height="856" /></h2>
&nbsp;
<h2>Non-renewable Resources</h2>
Non-renewable resources are resources that nature doesn't quickly remake. Natural resources that fall into this group include gasoline, coal, natural gas, gold, sand, and metals. Fossil fuels were made 360-300 million years ago, when the earth was covered in swamps. Dying plants and algae fell to the bottom of swamps. Over a long period of time, a thick layer of rocks and sediment settled on top of the plant material. The pressure from the rocks above squeezed the plants under high pressure. By some miracle of chemistry, this created high-energy fossil fuels. The conditions to remake these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-fuels-lower-energy-return/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fossil fuels</a> don't exist on Earth today, so they are considered non-renewable. By contrast, biofuels, where humans use industrial processes to create fuels, are renewable.

Metals are a huge category of non-renewable resources. This group includes everything from uranium to gold to aluminum to iron. These metals were made during the formation of the Earth, under super-high pressures. These conditions don't exist on Earth (we would be very dead if they did), so these metals can't form today. All the metals in our cans, cars, and appliances come from a limited supply on our planet.

&nbsp;
<h2>Economists Versus Environmentalists?</h2>
Traditional economists argue that humans will not run out of non-renewable resources like oil, because we will always create new technologies that will help us find more oil, or find a way to replace it. There are many examples throughout history that prove this type of thinking right. However, environmentalists argue that, while we haven't run out of metals or sand or oil yet, we will at some point in the future.

These two types of thinking can lead to different ways of using these resources. The economists want to use them as quickly as possible to grow the economy faster. On the other hand, environmentalists want to conserve resources to avoid running out of them in the future.

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1876246" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/logs-498538_1280.jpg" alt="logging, natural resources" width="1280" height="848" /></h2>
&nbsp;
<h2>Renewable Resources</h2>
Renewable resources are resources that nature can replenish year after year, even with humans using some of them. These resources include air, lumber, fish, crops, wind, and sun. The sun and wind are very clear renewable resources. The sun will burn for another five billion years, so it is certainly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/renewable-energy-carbon-capture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">renewable</a>. The wind is typically a product of the sun, therefore it will also be around forever.

Crops and trees are great renewable resources. Plants suck in sunlight to create more wood and food. Incredibly enough, plants don't take any mass out of the soil they live in. They use water, which comes as rain, air, and sunlight (all renewable resources) to create all the wonderful materials we use to live.

Fish reproduce and make a surplus of eggs every year. For example, each salmon lays upwards of 5000 eggs. Enough of these eggs survive to become adult fish that humans can take some fish without decreasing their population. In fact, Alaskans caught 114 million salmon last year. Incredibly enough, this is a sustainable amount of salmon. The earth provides an incredible amount of renewable resources for us. However, it can be easy to take too many of them. A difficult question to answer is how much is enough? While renewable resources may seem endless, there is a limit to how many of them we can use.

&nbsp;
<h2>Fish - A Diminished Renewable Resource</h2>
At least<a href="https://sustainablefisheries-uw.org/fact-check/how-many-fisheries-are-overfished/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> one-third of all fisheries</a> in the world are over-fished. This means that humans take fish out of the ocean at a rate faster than the fish can replace. When this process happens for too long, the number of fish in the ocean is too low to replace itself, and the fishery will collapse.

&nbsp;
<h3>Atlantic Cod</h3>
&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1876244" align="alignnone" width="1700"]<img class="wp-image-1876244 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/overfishing.jpg" alt="fishing, overfishing" width="1700" height="1146" /> Photo courtesy of <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trawlers_overfishing_cod.jpg">Asc1733 </a>[/caption]

&nbsp;

This process happened in the Atlantic Cod fishery off the eastern coast of Canada. This fishery was one of the largest in the world. However, humans created better technologies to find cod in the 60's. This technology allowed humans to find and kill more fish than the fish population could replace.

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1876245" align="alignnone" width="765"]<img class="wp-image-1876245 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/codpopulatin.jpg" alt="cod, atlantic cod, overfishing" width="765" height="599" /> <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surexploitation_morue_surp%C3%AAcheEn.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Graph courtesy of Lamoit</a>[/caption]

&nbsp;

After decades of overfishing, the fishery completely disappeared 1992. The Canadian government has banned cod fishing from 1992 until now. The fish have not come back in many places and have come back very slowly in others. The government recently allowed fishing for a few years in areas that seemed to be recovering. However, after just two years of fishing, the population seemed to decrease, so Canada banned fishing again. We have lost three decades of fish because of that spike in the graph above, which lasted about ten years. We don't know how long it will take for the Atlantic Cod to truly recover, so it's possible we won't because able to eat these fish for many more decades.

The lasting impact of poor fishery management is the loss of nearly 40,000 jobs and enough seafood to feed 135 million Americans. This food was free food provided by nature that no longer exists.

The Atlantic Cod fishery is an alarming example of how humans can overuse a renewable natural resource. In the coming decades, our changing climate will make it more difficult to predict how to manage resources, like the Atlantic Cod. As the climate changes, the habitat for each species of fish will change. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fishing-communities-fewer-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">This could pose challenges for fishing communities everywhere. </a>

&nbsp;
<h2>How Much Is Enough?</h2>
Currently, humans are overusing many of the Earth's renewable resources. As a result, many resources could face a future like the Atlantic Cod. With 8 billion people living on the planet, there aren't unlimited resources for everyone. Check out the <a href="http://www.footprintcalculator.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Human Footprint Calculator</a> to see how many Earth's worth of resources we would need if everyone in the world lived your lifestyle. When living your life, consider asking yourself 'how much is enough?' when it comes to the things you buy and use!

&nbsp;

What Are Natural Resources and How Do We Use Them?

Look below, we live on that tiny little bit of...

A relative of the catfish, the swai fish has become one of the most common whitefish in the United States. Even if you have never heard of swai fish, you have probably eaten it. At around two dollars per pound, this fish is one of the cheapest edible fish (compared with $10-20 per pound for many other common species of edible fish).

Swai fish is <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2009/01/what-the-heck-is-swai/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">native to the Mekong river in Southeast Asia</a>. However, most swai fish comes from Vietnam, where they are farmed in the Mekong Delta. These fish farms are poorly regulated, leading to various issues. The mass production of these fish not only has environmental consequences, but may be detrimental to your health.

This fish goes by many different names. It was originally marketed as “Asian catfish.” The swai fish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) is a close relative of the American catfish (in the family Ictaluridae). However, it is in a different family than American catfish. In 2003, the US FDA passed a law that “catfish” only refers to members of the family Ictaluridae. This has led to a wide variety of names for swai, and some confusion as to what exactly swai is.

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1874564" align="alignnone" width="624"]<img class="wp-image-1874564 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Mekong_delta.jpg" alt="An aerial photo of the Mekong delta." width="624" height="624" /> The Mekong Delta in Vietnam.[/caption]

&nbsp;
<h2>A Fish With Many Names</h2>
The reclassification of “Asian catfish” has made identifying swai more complex. Stores sell <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/10/22/5-things-you-didnt-know-swai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> swai under many different names</a>, including iridescent shark, basa, tra, and sutchi. These names are misleading since swai is not a shark or a true basa fish. Many of these names are also used for other related species of fish.

Swai also goes by the far more generic name of “fish.” Many restaurants that serve dishes simply described as “fish” such as fish sandwiches or fish tacos may be serving swai. Swai is a white fish, like cod and halibut, but costs a fraction of the price. For this reason, swai is one of the most common food fish in the United States. In <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713516300172" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one study</a>, 67% of dishes containing unspecified fish contained swai.

The many different names for this fish, as well as the overlap with other species, makes it difficult to know exactly what you are getting, even when they are marketed honestly. However, honest marketing isn’t always a certainty either.

&nbsp;
<h2>These Are Not The Fish You Are Looking For</h2>
Adding to the confusion caused by Swai’s many names are intentionally mislabeled fish. Because swai is so cheap, passing it off as another fish is very profitable. The many steps from fish farms in Vietnam to your table make it difficult to know with certainty that your fish is what it is sold as.

A Virginia company marketed $15.5 million of swai as sole, grouper, and flounder. Though <a href="https://draxe.com/swai-fish/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the owner received a 5-year jail sentence</a>, other companies may also be misleading customers.

&nbsp;
<h2>Is Swai Safe to Eat?</h2>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1874565" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/catfish-1798834.jpg" alt="A catfish filet" width="1920" height="931" />

People have many concerns about the safety of eating swai fish. The industrial farming of this fish and the lack of regulation in this industry has serious consequences. Raising fish in dense pools causes many sanitation and health issues. In addition, the industrial processes involved expose the fish to toxins. Though some argue <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farming-fish-food-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">farmed fish prevent overfishing</a>, most of their diet comes from small wild fish. In addition, fish farming in the Mekong delta disrupts the local ecosystem. The added food, waste, and chemicals are detrimental to the delta's natural ecology.

&nbsp;
<h3>Food Poisoning</h3>
The most direct threat from poor-quality food is food poisoning. This term refers to a wide <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/most-common-types-of-food-poisoning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">variety of infections that can be transmitted by food</a>. The severity of food poisoning varies, but it is never a good time.

Farmed swai has a greater risk of causing food poisoning due to their dense farming conditions. Just like in all species, living in close quarters increases the risk of infectious disease. In one study, researchers found Vibrio bacteria contaminating <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25907121" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">70-80% of tested swai imports</a>. This form of food poisoning causes severe gastrointestinal distress.

&nbsp;
<h3>Antibiotics</h3>
Pharmaceuticals and disinfectants are used to combat the risks associated with farming fish. Because of the infections that these farms are prone to, large doses of de-wormers, antibiotics and other drugs are fed to the fish. Though this decreases the amount of bacteria, it also exposes the consumer to these drugs. Many of these compounds are not approved for use in humans.

Far more dangerously, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antimicrobial-resistance-policies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">uncontrolled use of antibiotics</a> poses an existential threat to humanity. Bacteria evolve very quickly and are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antimicrobial-resistance-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">becoming immune to our antibiotics</a>. The more antibiotics that are used, the more quickly these pathogens become resistant. Letting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-polluted-antibiotics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">antibiotics leach into rivers</a> just multiplies this problem.

Antibiotics changed the face of medicine and made many previously terminal illnesses easily treatable. Since this time, the world population has more than tripled and cities have become far denser. A large, antibiotic-resistant epidemic in our globalized world would be deadly on an unimaginable scale.

&nbsp;

To sum things up, swai fish is an extremely affordable edible fish. It has become increasingly common in the United States. However, the farming of these fish in Vietnam involves some questionable practices. The exposure of these fish to pharmaceuticals and bacteria may make their low price a bad deal in the long-run.

&nbsp;

What Is a Swai Fish?

A relative of the catfish, the swai fish has become...

<div itemprop="video" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/VideoObject"><div id="58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1" class="vdb_player vdb_58e3ebce955a315103d39bd158d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49" > <script type="text/javascript" src="https://delivery.vidible.tv/jsonp/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/vid=5cb5d7bde98ab5792e009cde/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.js?"></script></div> <meta itemprop="name"content="What are the Physics of Global Warming?" /> <meta itemprop="duration" content="T2M48S" /> <meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" content="https://img.vidible.tv/prod/2019-04/16/5cb5d7bde98ab5792e009cde/5cb5d7f69d15d700019e8e70_1280x720_FES_v1.jpg" /> <meta itemprop="embedUrl" content="https://delivery.vidible.tv/htmlembed/pid=58e3ebce955a315103d39bd1/58d96b98cd4fed198a0d2a49.html?vid=5cb5d7bde98ab5792e009cde" /> <meta itemprop="uploadDate" content="2019-04-16T13:32:00Z" /> <meta itemprop="expires" content="" /> <meta itemprop="description" content="" /> <meta itemprop="height" content="720" /> <meta itemprop="width" content="1,280" /></div>

&nbsp;

The observed global warming on Earth is a manifestation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The Earth operates like any heat engine. Input heat from solar radiation and exhaust heat, in this case, terrestrial radiation, largely determine the operating temperature or "global surface temperature". Over geological periods this heat exchange reaches equilibrium and the temperature is stable. If the input heat increases or the exhaust heat decreases the temperature rises and vice versa. Natural processes over geologic time have changed the input and affected both output heat and outside temperature.

In the present era, the quantity of exhaust heat is being rapidly restricted by the greenhouse effect; consequently, the earth's temperature must rise to reach equilibrium. How much higher it must rise depends on human activity, many pose.

The input heat, the solar energy received, is a function of solar activity and oscillations in characteristics of the Earth’s orbit.

The quantity of exhaust heat, terrestrial radiation, is largely a function of the presence of certain gases in the atmosphere that absorb outgoing infrared radiation. This is known as the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is due to the differential absorption of certain wavelengths of solar as compared to terrestrial radiation.

The solar energy reaching the surface of the Earth is concentrated in short wavelengths, which can easily penetrate the greenhouse gases, such as Carbon Dioxide and Methane. The Earth, however, is cooler than the sun and it radiates its heat in the form of energy in the far infrared range. These longer wavelengths are partially absorbed by the greenhouse gases and some of the solar heat is returned to planet Earth.

At a certain temperature, these processes are in equilibrium and the surface temperature of the Earth is stable. However, if more greenhouse gases are put in the atmosphere the amount of trapped terrestrial radiation increases, leading to an increase in global temperature.

Currently the heating effect of extra greenhouse gases, since the start of the industrial revolution, from the mid 1700s to the mid 1800s, is equal to about one watt per square meter.

That means the recent period has recorded parallel increases in concentration of carbon dioxide and the average global temperature. As more greenhouse gases are put into the atmosphere the temperature will increase further. There are certain effects of a warmer Earth which could accelerate the process, even if no more greenhouse gases are put into the atmosphere.

We respectfully credit <a href="https://www.ck12.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CK12.org</a>. Those who provide Open Source, educational information need your support!

&nbsp;

What Are the Physics of Global Warming?

&nbsp; The observed global warming on Earth is a manifestation...

Deep below the ocean floor exists an unearthly biome that was unknown to science until 1977: hydrothermal vents. These alien landscapes are home to superheated water, billowing clouds of toxic chemicals, and strange life that exists nowhere else on earth.

&nbsp;
<h2>What Causes Hydrothermal Vents?</h2>
Hydrothermal vents typically form at locations called mid-ocean ridges. These are giant underwater mountain ranges formed when two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tectonic-plates-less-stable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tectonic plates</a> slowly move away from each other. In their absence, new land called crust forms. These ridges form the l<a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/midoceanridge.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ongest mountain range on earth</a> spanning 65,000 kilometers. To date, the <a href="https://vents-data.interridge.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">InterRidge Database</a> has record of over 500 vent sites. They are scattered around the globe, and typically found in locations where there is also existing volcanic activity.

Deep below the surface of these forming mountain ranges is the material for new earth: magma. Seawater is able to leak down through cracks and porous rock, eventually coming into contact with this magma - which is often over 1000 degrees Celsius. This water becomes superheated and flows upwards towards the boundary between the tectonic plates. Sometimes this water can attain temperatures in excess of <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/vents.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">700 degrees Celcius as it exits the vent</a>. As this water rises, is also takes with it dissolved chemicals.

&nbsp;
<h2>Types of Hydrothermal Vents</h2>
Hydrothermal vents can be broadly divided into two categories: black smokers and white smokers. Each is named for the characteristic color of the smoke that they emit which contains a specific profile of minerals. Black smokers are typically found in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/bathyal-zone" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bathyal zone</a> (a division of the ocean from 1000 to 4000 meters below the surface) most commonly between 2500 to 3000 meters down. The characteristic black color comes from the high content of sulfur-containing compounds, called sulfides. When these dissolved particles make contact with cold surrounding ocean water, they precipitate out of solution and form giant black chimneys far underwater. 

White smokers are similar to their black counterparts but are typically much older. Their characteristic white color comes from dissolved minerals that are lighter in color including calcium, silicon, and barium. White smokers are usually slightly cooler, and the vents are <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-642-11274-4_1691" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘off-axis.’</a> This means that they are located slightly away from the mid-ocean ridges from which they get their energy. 

&nbsp;
<h2>Home to Strange Life</h2>
The water and ocean floor surrounding hydrothermal vents are one of the most unique biomes that exist on earth. The combination of hot water temperatures and unique dissolved minerals gives rise to species that exist nowhere else on earth. Let’s take a look at some of the animals that call this place home.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1874027" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/awdfaw-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" />
<h2>Giant Tube Worm</h2>
This worm (<a href="http://faculty.montgomerycollege.edu/gyouth/FP_examples/student_examples/sathya_ramachandran/tubeworms.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Riftia pachyptila</a>) was discovered on the <a style="font-size: 16px;" href="https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/the-discovery-of-hydrothermal-vents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">original 1977 expedition</a> that discovered hydrothermal vents off the coast of the Galápagos Islands. Colonies of worms live next to the vents - they thrive in moderate temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. The worms live up to their namesake, sometimes growing as long as eight feet. They do not have mouths or digestive tracts, but instead rely on a <a style="font-size: 16px;" href="https://www.earth.com/news/simplest-organisms-symbiosis-bacteria/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">symbiotic relationship</a> with bacteria that live inside of them. The bacteria break down the chemicals released from the hydrothermal vents and produce organic molecules that the worms can use for energy.

&nbsp;

<img class="size-full wp-image-1874028" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/awdfa.jpg" alt="yeti crab Kiwaidae" width="1000" height="1000" />
<h2>Yeti Crab</h2>
Named for their characteristic <a href="http://sciencepress.mnhn.fr/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/z2005n4a3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">white body and hairy arms</a>, the yeti crabs (Kiwaidae) are a family of crustaceans that live next to hydrothermal vents. They were <a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170412-in-the-deep-sea-there-live-crabs-that-look-like-yetis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">discovered in 2005</a> off the coast of Easter Island in the south Pacific, and since then, several species belonging to the family have been identified. One of the oddest behaviors of the crabs is that they do not live in solidarity. Because the zone that they are capable of living in is so small, scientists have estimated their population density to be roughly <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0127621" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">700 crabs per square meter</a> near some vents.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1874029" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/dafa-1024x768.jpg" alt="hydrothermal vent octopus" width="1024" height="768" />
<h2>Antarctic Octopus</h2>
This deep-sea swelling cephalopod (Vulcanoctopus hydrothermalis) is very different from its more temperate family members. First of all, like many deep ocean creatures, <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/octopus-chronicles/why-is-the-new-deep-sea-antarctic-octopus-so-pale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">it doesn’t have any pigmentation</a>. There is no need to blend into its surroundings when potential predators can't see their prey. Secondly, there is no evidence that V. hydrothermalis has an ink sac. Unlike a classic movie octopus, it is not able to spray a plume of dark ink while it gets away. This is likely due to the confined habitat where the octopus lives. Too close to the vents, and it will fry, too far away, and it can die of hypothermia.

&nbsp;
<h2>Important Deep-Sea Ecosystems</h2>
Why do we even care about these strange ecosystems and the creatures that inhabit them? Hydrothermal vents are important for many reasons. Firstly, they help to move energy, in the form of heat, from the earth’s interior to its surface. In the process, these events can also help to <a href="https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/seafloor-below/hydrothermal-vents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">regulate global ocean chemistry</a>. As we’ve seen, they also provide a home for rich and complex ecosystems of creatures that exist nowhere else on planet earth. By gaining a better understanding of how life survives in such harsh conditions, scientists hope to one day better understand how life could live in distant parts of our solar system - like Mars and beyond.

&nbsp;

What Are Hydrothermal Vents? An Unlikely Home

Deep below the ocean floor exists an unearthly biome that...

The taiga is a harsh place for animals to call home. Winter temperatures can fall to -50 degrees Fahrenheit and some parts of the taiga are frost-free for <a href="https://www.sundogs.sk.ca/Boreal_Climate_and_Energy.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">only 38 days</a>. Many species have evolved unique strategies to survive in this harsh environment, but before we learn about the coolest taiga animals let’s learn about the taiga. 

The taiga and the boreal refer to the same biome - just in different locations. The boreal refers to the areas just south of the Arctic circle in most of Canada and the Nordic countries. The taiga refers to the same latitude - but in Russia. All parts of the taiga have long winters, short, wet summers, and an abundance of coniferous trees like pines, spruces, and larches. The boreal forest is also the largest land biome on earth, encompassing about <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/taiga" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">17% of the earth’s surface area</a>. This massive piece of land is home to thousands of species, let’s take a look at some of the coolest.

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1873114" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/feature-3977915_1280-776x1024.jpg" alt="eurasian lynx" width="776" height="1024" /></h2>
<h2>Lynx</h2>
The <a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/eurasian-lynx-lynx-lynx/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Eurasian Lynx</a> (Lynx lynx) is a solitary, nocturnal feline species native to the taiga of northern Europe and Asia. They are the largest of the four Lynx species, standing near a meter at the shoulder and weighing over 30 kilograms. Like most cats, they prefer to live alone and have even been found at elevations <a href="http://www.lynxuk.org/lynx.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">over 5,000 meters</a>! Their territories are quite large - sometimes boasting 400 square kilometers. L. lynx preys upon small mammals that also are native to the taiga - like rabbits, hare, squirrels, and rodents. Occasionally, they may attempt to hunt large prey - like deer - but they may compete for this prey with other predators.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1873115" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mink-934581_1280-1024x942.jpg" alt="european mink" width="1024" height="942" />
<h2>Mink</h2>
The European mink (Mustela lutreola) is a small, darkly colored carnivorous mammal. M. lutreola is a semiaquatic species, so they not only live in the southern portion of the taiga but also rarely make their dens more than 10 meters away from the water’s edge. They feed primarily on small animals like voles and fish. Unfortunately, the European mink is also listed as critically endangered by the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a>. Researchers believe this is primarily due to habitat loss, disease, and <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23735563?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">competition with other mink species.</a>

Photo by <a href="https://pestpush.com/">Jared Belson</a>

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1873116" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/reindeer-1323000_1280-1024x682.jpg" alt="reindeer" width="1024" height="682" />
<h2>Reindeer</h2>
Reindeer (<a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/reindeer-rangifer-tarandus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rangifer tarandus</a>) are large deer closely related to moose and elk. They are found almost anywhere where boreal forests exist. During the harsh winter months, R. tarandus <a href="http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/dec2000.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mainly eat lichen</a> - the only large mammalian species which can do so. One of the unique aspects of this cool taiga animal's behavior is the size of their herds. The <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38297464" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taimyr herd</a> in Russia is the largest in the world - in 2000 the herd was estimated to be 1 million strong. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/278435?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Many peoples</a> across boreal forests around the globe rely on these herds for food, shelter, and trade.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1873117" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/wolf-690102_1280-1024x648.jpg" alt="grey wolf" width="1024" height="648" />
<h2>Grey Wolves</h2>
A portion of the 38 subspecies of grey wolf (<a href="https://www.earth.com/endangered-species/canis-lupus-3/#" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canis lupus</a>) is native to the taiga. C. lupus is the largest of the canine species and is usually the apex, or dominant, species wherever it exists. Grey wolves are known for hunting in packs of roughly 10, mostly for large prey like deer, cow, and moose. When prey pickings are slim - as they often are in the taiga - the grey wolf is often forced to consume much smaller prey like squirrels and rabbits. 

L. lupus is also typically monogamous - meaning individuals mate for life. After the death of a mate, the surviving wolf is usually quick to find a new partner. There is even significant evidence to support the notion that the death of a packmate <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0137378" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stresses the members</a> of the wolf pack.

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1873113" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/boreal-owl-1160758_1280-1024x818.jpg" alt="boreal owl" width="1024" height="818" /></h2>
<h2>Song Birds</h2>
All in all, there are roughly <a href="https://www.borealbirds.org/what-is-boreal-bird" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">325 different bird species</a> that call boreal forests home, and they are some of the coolest taiga animals. According to the <a href="https://www.borealbirds.org/what-is-boreal-bird" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Boreal Songbird Initiative</a>, a boreal bird is defined as one that ‘breeds in, migrates through, or otherwise relies on North America's boreal forest region during its life cycle.” The sheer amount of birds that rely on the boreal forest is staggering. Each year it is estimated that 1-3 billion birds return to the northern forests to breed. Some of these birds come from relatively close locations - the lower 48 states. But some of these birds will come all the way from South America!

&nbsp;
<h2>Taiga Animals in Danger</h2>
All told, the taiga and boreal are home to a rich and diverse range of species. Wolves, bear, birds, insects, reindeer - they all depend on this harsh biome for food and shelter. But, these animals only thrive if the forest still exists. Timber harvesting is on the rise in many parts of the world, and Canada now clear cuts <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/anthony-swift/boreal-clearcutting-undermines-canadas-climate-leadership" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">roughly one million acres</a> of forest every year. This is an area equivalent to the size of Ohio. Consider supporting <a href="https://www.earth.com/take-action-save-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">organizations</a> that help save preserve boreal forests around the world!

&nbsp;

5 Coolest Taiga Animals

The taiga is a harsh place for animals to call...

First of all, what is hibernation?

Some animals give a whole new meaning to “sleeping in.” Hibernation is a behavior in many animals that allows them to enter an extended sleep-like state during the winter.

Though hibernation seems a lot like sleep, it is actually a unique state. During sleep, our bodies still function normally. Our heart rate drops and metabolism slows, these changes are minor.

Hibernation, on the other hand, is when animals enter a state called torpor for an extended period of time. Torpor is far more extreme than sleep. In torpor, <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/animals-hibernation-science-nature-biology-sleep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">metabolism drops below 5% of the normal level</a>. Most physiological functions grind to a halt or slow to a fraction of normal. Heart rates go below 10% of their normal level. Some animals take only one breath a minute. This state is so extreme, they may appear to be dead.

&nbsp;
<h2>Why Hibernate?</h2>
Hibernation occurs during the winter when resources are scarce and conditions extreme. Animals hibernate in order to conserve limited resources. By dropping their metabolism, many animals go for months at a time without needing food. Instead, they rely on the energy stored in their body fat.

This might sound pretty nice. You pack on calories, eating your fill and getting fat in the fall. Then you go to take a long nap through the winter, during which all that fat magically disappears. You wake up to springs flowers, plenty of food, and the prospect of a huge feast when it starts getting cold again.

However, hibernation requires careful preparation. In order to survive for extended periods with no food, animals need to focus on eating in the months before hibernation. It is also essential that they find a safe and warm place to hibernate.

I addition to saving on calories, hibernation can provide protection from predators. Though it might seem odd that sleeping provides protection, it actually makes sense. Hibernating animals are hidden, perfectly still and don’t sweat. Animals are <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/278/1723/3355.short" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five times less likely to die</a> while hibernating.

&nbsp;
<h2>Which Animals Hibernate?</h2>
There are many different species throughout the animal kingdom that hibernate. Below are some of the most well-known or impressive hibernators.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1872066 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/black-bear-1611349_1920-1024x729.jpg" alt="Black bear behind ferns looking at the camera" width="1024" height="729" />
<h3>Black Bears (<a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/american-black-bear-ursus-americanus/">Ursus americanus</a>)</h3>
Bears are certainly the most well-known hibernators. However, out of 9 species of bears, only 4 of them hibernate. These are the American Black Bear, Asiatic Black Bear, Brown Bear, and Polar Bear. Though hibernation is associated with them, Bears hibernation is not complete. Their body temperature does not drop to the temperature outside. They can also <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/animals-hibernation-science-nature-biology-sleep/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wake up during hibernation</a>. Females wake up to have their cubs during hibernation.

Human activity can influence bear hibernation. A recent study showed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-food-bears-hibernate-age-faster/">eating human food makes bears hibernate for less time</a>. This can decrease the bear's lifespan and survival rate.

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1872067" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-1872067 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2048px-Common_Poorwill-1024x683.jpg" alt="Common poorwill on a hand with a black background" width="1024" height="683" /> Photo credit to <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Connorlong90" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connor Long</a>[/caption]
<h3>Common Poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)</h3>
The common poorwill is quite unique. It is the <a href="https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/11-animals-hibernate-arent-bears" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only bird that is known to hibernate</a>! Most birds deal with the extremes of winter by migrating south. The poorwill has evolved hibernation to avoid this arduous journey. The Hopi people have known about the poorwill’s hibernation for a long time, naming it “the sleeping one.” Poorwills generally hibernate from October to March.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1872068 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/painted-turtle-565974_1920-1024x685.jpg" alt="Close up of a painted turtles head" width="1024" height="685" />
<h3>Painted Turtles (<a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/painted-turtle-chrysemys-picta/">Chrysemys picta</a>)</h3>
Turtles are reptiles and therefore are cold-blooded. This means they need external sources of heat in order to keep their body temperature and metabolism high enough to move. When temperatures get low, they are no longer able to forage. There are hundreds of species of turtles ranging across most of the earth, both on land and in the water. Each species deals with this problem differently.

The painted turtle survives the winter by hibernating. They remain below the ice of their ponds for months. They will often burrow into the mud at the bottom of lakes, using it to insulate themselves from the cold. Though these turtles need oxygen to survive, they are able to absorb dissolved oxygen through their skin. Even in the absence of oxygen, these turtles can live for over 100 days in water that is only 3°C. They do this by reducing their metabolism by as much as 99%. The cold water makes these feats possible. The low temperatures act like a fridge to slow down damage and growth in this state.

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1872069" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-1872069 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/1024px-Fat-tailed_Dwarf_Lemur_Kirindy_Madagascar-1024x768.jpg" alt="A fat-tailed dwarf lemur on a branch at night" width="1024" height="768" /> Photo credit to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/42244964@N03" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank Vassen</a>[/caption]
<h3>Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemurs (<a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/western-fat-tailed-dwarf-lemur-cheirogaleus-medius/">Cheirogaleus medius)</a></h3>
The fat-tailed dwarf lemur is <a href="https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/11-animals-hibernate-arent-bears" target="_blank" rel="noopener">another lonely hibernator</a>. They are one of only three primates that are known to hibernate. All of these species are lemurs, which live only on Madagascar.

The fat-tail lemur is tiny, weighing an average of 160 grams (less than half a pound!) Their fat-tail is more than just cute. It is an essential part of hibernation. They store much of the energy they need for hibernation as fat in their tail!

They can hibernate for as long as 7 months! These lemurs do take breaks from this extended hibernation. They will become active for periods of six to 12 days during these extended hibernations.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1872070 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/garter-snake-3546237_1920-1024x686.jpg" alt="A garter snake on a rock with lichen" width="1024" height="686" />
<h3>Garter Snakes (<a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/common-garter-snake-thamnophis-sirtalis/">Thamnophis sirtalis</a>)</h3>
Snakes hibernation is called brumation, or wintering. As cold-blooded animals, they need to find a way to avoid the frost. The garter snake (and other species) form groups that hibernate together to protect each other from the cold. These groups are called “hibernacles” and <a href="https://animalsake.com/animals-that-hibernate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sometimes have hundreds of snakes</a> twisted together. A mountain of slithering snakes is quite a sight! Stumbling upon a hibernacle could be quite the shock if you aren’t a fan of snakes.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1872071 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/bee-535247_1920-1024x680.jpg" alt="A bumble bee on a white flower" width="1024" height="680" />
<h3>Bumblebees (<a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/small-garden-bumblebee-bombus-hortorum/">Bombus spp.</a>)</h3>
Bumblebees hibernate in a way consistent with their eusocial nature. The majority of the colony dies off in the winter. The queen survives, eating the nectar collected by her workers. When the spring comes, she starts a new colony.

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1872072 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/1024px-Lithobates_sylvaticus_wood_frog-1024x768.jpg" alt="A close up photo of a wood frog" width="1024" height="768" />
<h3>Wood Frogs (<a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/wood-frog-lithobates-sylvaticus/">Lithobates sylvaticus</a>)</h3>
These tiny amphibians give a new meaning to the phrase “chilled to the bone.” They are literally <a href="https://www.kidactivities.net/animals-that-hibernate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">frozen and thawed every winter</a>! Unlike other hibernators, they don’t spend too much time trying to find a warm hole. Instead, they bury themselves in some leaves and let the cold make them into cute little ice cubes. When they thaw out in the spring they happily hop back out of their hiding places, good as new!

&nbsp;

Hibernation is a common adaptation to deal with the difficulties of winter. There animals from nearly every part of the animal kingdom that hibernate. It can even be argued that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-hibernate-underground/">plants hibernate</a>! Hibernation is also a fascinating phenomenon that may help us learn more about human metabolism.

&nbsp;

Which Are the Animals That Hibernate?

First of all, what is hibernation? Some animals give a...

The above-ground world only reveals a small part of the diversity of our planet. The soil can provide protection from predators, rain and sun.

The cold-blooded (ectothermic) reptiles are particularly well-suited to an underground lifestyle. Below ground temperatures change less than on the surface. Burrowing underground can help them regulate their body temperature, an essential task for reptiles.

Living underground comes with a unique set of challenges. Lack of light renders vision useless. Traveling underground makes legs far less useful. Tough soils require thick, specially shaped heads. Burrowing animals develop unique adaptations to succeed in this environment.

Some burrowing reptiles look far more like worms or moles than normal lizards. The similarity between these species is a great example of convergent evolution. When confronted with a similar environment, evolution finds a similar solution. Let’s take a looks at some of the most interesting underground reptiles.

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1871076" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-1871076 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Bipes_biporus-1024x683.jpg" alt="A mole lizard, macro photo of a mole lizards head and legs on a rock." width="1024" height="683" /> Mexican Mole Lizard - Bipes biporus - Photo courtesy of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/28867468@N08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marlin Harms</a>[/caption]
<h2>Mole Lizards</h2>
The mole lizards look like someone stitched the upper half of a mole onto a worms body. Unlike other underground lizards, they retain their front legs. The mole lizard is an unusual and interesting species.

The mole lizards appearance is bizarre. Rings cover their bodies, much like an earthworm. However, unlike an earthworm, the mole lizards rings are rows of scales. Their two front legs are quite small, but pack a punch. They have large clawed toes, much like a mole. The claws help mole lizards dig through sand and soil.

<a href="https://owlcation.com/stem/Weird-and-Interesting-Reptiles-Mole-and-Worm-Lizards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">There are 4 species of mole lizards</a> currently known. They are in the genus Bipes, in the family Bipedidae, which contains no other groups. This group split from other living animals around 55 million years ago. All four of these species occur only in Mexico.

These cute underground creatures <a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/12/absurd-creature-of-the-week-mexican-mole-lizard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have an unsavory reputation</a>. Some believe that mole lizards will enter humans while they use the bathroom. Next, they will shred your organs from the inside! Thankfully, this horrifying myth is entirely untrue. The mole lizard is a predator, but its prey has to be small enough and soft enough to fit in its small jaw. They generally eat ants, earthworms and small insects.

The mole lizard is not well studied. Their below-ground lifestyle makes them challenging to find. Their skin lacks the pigment melanin, which protects us from the sun. Because of this, they rarely come to the surface. They only come above ground at night or after heavy rain. Despite their cryptic nature, the genus is <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/63724/12710708" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not considered to be at-risk of extinction</a>.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h2>The Madagascar Blind Snake</h2>
The Madagascar blind snake is a rare and unique reptile. This species is endemic to a small area of Northern Madagascar. Because it spends most of its time underground, it is rarely seen. In fact, there were no verified <a href="http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptiles-And-Amphibian-Of-Madagascar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sightings of this species for over a century</a>!

At first glance, the Madagascar blind snake might be mistaken for a large earthworm. With pink skin and minuscule size, the <a href="http://www.edgeofexistence.org/species/madagascar-blind-snake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resemblance is uncanny</a>.

The Madagascar blind snake differs from its earthworm doppelgangers in one key way. It is a vicious predator! These tiny snakes prey on ants, termites, and other insects.

This snake is the only species in the genus Xenotyplops and the family Xenotyphlopidae. This group split from all other life 65 million years ago! This unique evolutionary history makes the Madagascar blind snake an important species to protect.

This species is still believed to be alive, but it is at great risk of extinction. Its small range and unique behavior present a risk to the survival of this species. Logging, charcoal production, and cattle grazing threaten this snake's already small habitat.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1871077" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-1871077 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/slow-worm-755710_1280-1024x682.jpg" alt="A worm lizard crawling over the sand." width="1024" height="682" /> Worm lizard[/caption]
<h2>Worm Lizards</h2>
The worm lizard is another strange underground reptile. Though they lack limbs, much like snakes, they are actually an unrelated group. Though they have some superficial similarities, <a href="https://allyouneedisbiology.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/apodus-lizards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legless lizards and snakes have some key differences</a>. Snakes don’t have moveable eyes or visible ear holes. Additionally, snakes use their ventral scales to move while worm lizards rely on the texture of the surface they are moving on. Legless lizards are also capable of shedding their tails.

These odd species look like an odd mashup of a snake and an earthworm. They move through the soils by burrowing with their hardened skulls. Most worm lizards are nearly blind. They don’t have much use for eyesight underground. Instead, worm lizards rely primarily on sensing chemicals. They pick up traces of chemicals on their tongues which they transfer to the vomeronasal organs in their head. This chemical sense is used to find prey and mates.

The worm lizards are in a class of reptiles called the amphisbaenians. There are 6 different families in this group. They are <a href="https://owlcation.com/stem/Weird-and-Interesting-Reptiles-Mole-and-Worm-Lizards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">distributed throughout the world</a>. They are most common in Africa and South America, and the Iberian Peninsula.

There are around 180 species of worm lizard. Detailed research has been done on very few of them. Those that have are not considered endangered. The population status of the remaining species is still unknown.

&nbsp;
<h2>There are many more</h2>
These three examples are far from an exhaustive list of underground reptiles. There are many other species that live entirely, or partially underground. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crocodiles-hide-caves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Even crocodiles </a>spend a significant amount of their time below the surface. Many snakes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rubber-boa-snakes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take advantage of premade burrows</a> for protection.

&nbsp;

Top 3 Coolest Underground Reptiles

The above-ground world only reveals a small part of the...

Grasslands are one of the most important habitat types on our planet. They cover almost 25% of Earth’s surface on land and are found on every continent except <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-antarctica-green/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Antarctica</a>. The animals that live in grasslands need to be extremely resourceful. How does an animal eat when their food is under a meter of snow? Without trees and shrubs to hide in, how would an animal escape or avoid its predators? Before we look into 5 of the most resourceful grassland animals, let’s define what a grassland is first.

&nbsp;
<h2>What’s a Grassland?</h2>
As its name implies, a grassland is an ecosystem comprised of - you guessed it - grass! Plants called rushes and sedges often accompany the grass to create the characteristic plains and savannahs we see today. Grasslands go by many names, depending on the locale. In North America, they are referred to as prairies. Pampas are the grasslands of South America. In Central Asia, they’re called <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/steppe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">steppes</a>. Savannas usually refer to the expansive grasslands of Africa.

So, which grassland animals are the most resourceful?

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1871144 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Giraffe.jpg" alt="giraffe pair savanna" width="1000" height="667" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Giraffe (Giraffa spp.)</h3>
Giraffes have adapted to take advantage of a food resource almost no other animals has. They are one of the only animals in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fire-african-savanna-diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African savanna</a> that can reach the highest leaves on trees, thanks to their extremely long neck. For a giraffe, eating the highest leaves from the tallest savanna trees is a walk in the park. Giraffes eat about 34 kilograms (75 pounds) of leaves a day. For their size, they actually require much less food than the average herbivore because the leaves they eat are extremely nutritious - a luxury other herbivores don’t have.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3><img class="alignnone wp-image-1871145 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/prairie-dog-1024x682.jpg" alt="prairie dog" width="1024" height="682" /></h3>
&nbsp;
<h3>Prairie Dog (Cynomys spp.)</h3>
A characteristic animal of North American prairies is the aptly named prairie dog. Unlike dogs, these rodents are not carnivores. They’re some of the most abundant animals in the grasslands of North America. Although they are the prey of various other animals, they still manage to thrive.

Prairie dogs succeed in highly competitive grasslands by using resources above and below ground. They create burrows that can be dozens of meters long, and even make different chambers for varying purposes. Because they live above the soil as well as within it, they eat every single part of a plant. Leaves, seeds, stems, and roots are all fair game for the prairie dog. Other animals, like moles and gophers, eat only the below-ground parts, while other herbivores eat only the above-ground portions.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3><img class="alignnone wp-image-1871146 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Vicuna.jpg" alt="vicuna" width="800" height="600" /></h3>
&nbsp;
<h3>Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna)</h3>
The vicuña is a relative to the domesticated llama and alpaca of South America. They live in the highest alpine plains of the Andes at 3,200 to 4,800 meters (10,500 to 15,700 feet), which are some of the harshest grasslands in the world. At night, temperatures drop well below freezing. Luckily for the vicuña, it has some of the warmest wool in the animal kingdom. Their fur is extremely fine, with each hair measuring only 12 micrometers in diameter. For this reason, it’s highly prized by people and is some of the <a href="https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/inside-the-business-of-vicuna-the-wool-worth-more-than-gold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most expensive wool in the world</a>. Vicuñas trap their own body heat very close to their skin thanks to their wool, which is how they survive in the cold, harsh environment of the Andes.

Vicuñas need to use another odd resource to supplement their low nutrient diet. In order to get the minerals they need, vicuñas simply lick rocks to obtain salt and other small amounts of nutrients. Ingenious!

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1871143 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/caribou-1024x691.jpg" alt="caribou" width="1024" height="691" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Caribou (Rangifer tarandus)</h3>
Caribou are also known by the name of reindeer. They’re found in northern regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. Why do Santa’s trusty companions make the list of most resourceful grassland animals? It has to do with the lengths they go to obtain their food and care for their young. Every year, caribou embark on one of Earth’s greatest animal migrations. As summer approaches, herds of caribou migrant northward to reach the abundant plants beginning to grow. A full round trip sees caribou traveling up to 2500 kilometers (1600 miles) in a single year!

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1871142 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/bison.jpg" alt="bison herd grassland" width="1000" height="561" />

&nbsp;
<h3>Bison (Bison spp.)</h3>
Bison are another one of the dominant animals in the grasslands of North America. They have been incredibly important for humans for millennia because their meat is highly nutritious and their pelts are valuable. Sadly, in the 1800’s humans were responsible for the near-extinction of the animal. Fortunately, bison are extremely resilient and resourceful, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bison-american-survival-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">their numbers have been steadily growing</a> for the past 100 years.

Bison, like many grassland animals, eat plants. One problem they face is finding food during the cold winter months when they have to wade through waist-deep snow. Amazingly, bison use their enormous head to dig through and push the snow aside to access the scant amount of grass below. The grass, which is frozen and nearly dead, is hardly nutritious. Bison eat enough to survive through the winter, thanks to using a resource no other animal would even consider.

&nbsp;

Top 5 Resourceful Grassland Animals

Grasslands are one of the most important habitat types on...

The alpine zone is a region or biome of that world with <a href="http://w3.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/alpine.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high-altitude conditions</a>. It is an incredible ecozone to explore and learn from. However, anyone who has been caught in an unexpected wind gust or summer storm in the region knows that these environments can be super harsh places to live. While it might not be ideal for most Homo sapiens to call home, there are plenty of plants that survive and thrive under these conditions. Here are some alpine plants to look for when hiking through the region:

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1870195 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/primula-catchfly-117427_960_720.jpg" alt="moss campion" width="960" height="720" />
<h2>Moss Campion</h2>
While hiking along your chosen high-country trail, you might come across what looks to be a soft, green cushion. Peppered with small, pink flowers, Moss Campion is an alpine plant found in the sandy, rocky mountains of the Rocky Mountains as well as the Alps of Switzerland. Moss cushion’s round shape protects the plant from harsh, drying winds. It only grows from about 5 - 15 cm tall. With the plant’s small stature, it is able to hug the ground for warmth and survive the freezings temps found in the alpine biome.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1870197 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/wildflower-2578730_960_720.jpg" alt="columbine" width="960" height="640" />
<h2>Rocky Mountain Columbine</h2>
Find yourself hiking in Colorado? Well, the state’s official state flower (and an alpine plant) won’t be far away. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia/plant/en/rocky-mountain-columbine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rocky Mountain Columbine’s</a> white and lavender flower’s petals pop out along the trails of Alpine country. Inside the flower’s white cup, you’ll see a splash of yellow color. This flower is especially attractive to hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies because of its strong aroma. 

However, as you pass this enchanting flower, you’ll have to leave it behind. Uprooting the plant while on public land <a href="https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol/colorado/state-flower/rocky-mountain-columbine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is illegal</a>. And leaving the beautiful landscape (that you’re lucky enough to hike through) just as it is is pretty as you found it is hiking tip #1. Do the right thing, you know?  

&nbsp;

&nbsp;
<h3><img class="alignnone wp-image-1870199 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bristlecone-pine-1044189_960_720.jpg" alt="bristlecone pine" width="960" height="642" /></h3>
<h2>Bristlecone Pine</h2>
The Bristlecone Pine, or Pinus longaeva is the oldest known tree species in the world. Found in the arid mountainous regions of the American West, the oldest trees can be found in the White Mountains of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/southern-california-mountain-lions-extinction/#.XJfHJGRKgy4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a>. Their age? <a href="http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/alpine_plant_page.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Almost 5,000 years.</a> This ancient alpine tree can survive up to elevations of 11,000 - 12,000 feet. Living in such an extreme, harsh climate, it is free from competition from other plants, insects and disease. 

These pine trees are multi-trunked. Their appearance is twisted and rugged. The tree’s needles are a deep-yellow green with a blunt end and purple-red flowers.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1870203" align="alignnone" width="683"]<img class="wp-image-1870203 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Phacelia_sericea_4793-683x1024.jpg" alt="silky phacelia" width="683" height="1024" /> Photo by: Walter Siegmund[/caption]
<h2>Silky Phacelia</h2>
Silky Phacelia, or Phacelia sericae, is an easy-to-spot perennial species in Western North America. An upright stem of purple flowers grows out of a woody base. They look similar to a paintbrush. Its leaves are silvery green. You’ll see this alpine plant’s blooms from early May to the end of August.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1870200 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bluebells-669490_960_720.png" alt="Bluebells" width="560" height="720" />
<h2>Mountain Bluebells</h2>
Mountain Bluebells, also known as Mertensia ciliata, are a mountainous perennial alpine plant that prefers almost <a href="https://extension.usu.edu/rangeplants/forbsherbaceous/mountain-bluebells" target="_blank" rel="noopener">constant moisture</a> and elevations of 5,000-12,000 feet. You’ll be able to identify the plant by its bell-like blossoms that bounce in the wind. These bell flowers are blue and often tinged with pink. The flowers grow in clusters and the plant itself can get up to 3 feet tall. Because of this plant’s love of water, you’re most likely to see it along streambanks, meadows and wet cliffs. 

The bluebell flowers are also edible. The plant is a favorite snack of sheep and goats - but it works for humans, too. you can delight in a taste whether cooked or raw. Cheyanne Indians used the plant to make a tea that <a href="https://extension.usu.edu/rangeplants/forbsherbaceous/mountain-bluebells" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increases milk flow</a> of nursing mothers. They also used the powdered root to relieve the itching symptoms of diseases like measles and smallpox, just one aspect of the many horrors that Europeans brought to the Americas. 

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1870204" align="alignnone" width="442"]<img class="wp-image-1870204 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CO_Plants_alpine_willow.jpg" alt="alpine willow " width="442" height="333" /> Photo by: <a href="http://shelledy.mesa.k12.co.us/">shelledy.mesa.k12.co.us</a>[/caption]
<h2>Alpine Willow</h2>
Alpine Willow, or Salix petrophilia, is a tiny, creeping willow found throughout the world. It has been identified on the northern coast of greenland, the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevadas <a href="https://calscape.org/Salix-petrophila-(Alpine-Willow)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and parts of China</a>. This shrub thrives in rocky moorlands with tundra conditions and you can spot its shiny green leaves.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

[caption id="attachment_1870201" align="alignnone" width="1024"]<img class="wp-image-1870201 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/1024px-Polylepis_rugulosa_A._Yates.jpg" alt="Polylepsis " width="1024" height="768" /> photo by Alexander Yates[/caption]
<h2>Polylepsis Forest</h2>
Located in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/winter-paints-andes-mountains-snow-ice/#.XJfHTWRKgy4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Andes Mountains</a>, polylepsis forests can be found in sheltered areas at elevations of up to 4,500 meters. They are evergreen trees with knarled-looking roots and actually belong to the rose family. The original forest can be found in the cold corners of Bolivia’s Western Cordillera, though less than <a href="http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/alpine_plant_page.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10% of the original forest survives today</a>. This is particularly bad news since the loss of high-mountain forests such as these is considered the main cause of water scarcity. These forests are also home to three of South America's beloved, and endangered birds: Parrots, Toucans, and Royal Cinclodes. 

Communities native to the Andean mountains use the trees for medicine, food, rituals, and building materials. While the forests began disappearing as early as the time of Incan civilization, even more forest was lost when the conquistadores arrived with sheep and cattle. There are on-going efforts to purchase swaths of land back and restore these ancient forests. Doing so would <a href="http://armoniabolivia.org/programs/polylepis-forest-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preserve this unique habitat</a> and help to alleviate water erosion.  

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1870202 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Wild_Potato-vine-1024x683.jpg" alt="wild potato " width="1024" height="683" />
<h2>Wild Potato</h2>
Long before the Yukon Gold took over the world via McDonald’s french fry, wild potatoes stubbornly flourished in the Andean mountains. It was first cultivated by indigenous peoples near Lake Titicaca in Peru <a href="http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/alpine_plant_page.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over 8,000 years ago</a>.  

If you spot one while hiking now - count yourself lucky. These delicious tubers are <a href="https://www.bioversityinternational.org/news/detail/conservation-concerns-for-endemic-potato-species-in-bolivia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endangered</a> and can be tricky to find, preferring thickets and waste areas. A member of the nightshade family, there are over 199 species of wild potato. Scientists and activists work to register as many varieties as they can before these ancient strains are cross-cultivated and lost to time.

Alpine Plants To Look For When Hiking

The alpine zone is a region or biome of that...

You may think of bees as annoying, stinging pests or cute, fluffy balls, but their most important role is as pollinators of food plants. There are <a href="https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bees/bee-diversity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">almost 20,000 different species of bees</a>, many of which provide essential services to humans and ecosystems. In the United States alone there are around 3,500 species.

&nbsp;
<h2>What Is a Bee?</h2>
Bees are a <a href="https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bees/bee-diversity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">group of animals</a> that include a handful of different families. The best-known group, Apidae, includes honey-bees and bumblebees and have a shared “hivemind.” These collective bees dominate most peoples image of bees. <a href="https://www.beelab.umn.edu/bees/bee-diversity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">However, 98% of bee species are naturally solitary</a>, living without a queen or hive. Many nest in the ground, others form biological plastics to keep their homes dry. The many adaptations of bees are impressive and contain an amazing amount of diversity.

Another common misconception <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/wasps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">is that wasps are bees</a>. Wasps share many characteristics with bees. Both wasps and bees are classified in the order Hymenoptera (along with ants.) There are 30,000 unique species of wasps. You can tell wasps from bees by their narrow waist that connects their abdomen to their thorax. Wasp nests are papery and made from wood fiber, compared to the waxy hives of bees.

&nbsp;
<h2>Are Bees Endangered?</h2>
In recent years, bee populations have been declining globally. Increased rates of colony collapse disorder, climate change, and other factors have contributed to these changes. These changes have sparked fear that bees may go extinct, leaving us without essential pollination services. As a result, researchers are even exploring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spider-robots-electronic-bees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">creating robotic replacements for bees</a>.

The American Fish and Wildlife Service has recognized the severe decline in some threatened wild bee populations. In 2016, seven species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seven-bee-species-put-endangered-species-list/">Hawaiian yellow-faced bees were placed on the endangered species list</a>. In 2017 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rusty-patched-bumble-bee-endangered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the rusty patch bumble bee (Bombus affinis) was designated as an endangered species</a>. This was the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-lists-a-bumble-bee-species-as-endangered-for-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first bumblebee species to receive this classification</a>. This provides these species some protection under the endangered species act.

In addition, <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?taxonomies=135293&amp;searchType=species" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists</a> 16 species of bees as vulnerable, 18 as endangered and 9 as critically endangered globally. However, these endangered species include American native bee species that are not on the endangered species list. Groups in California are <a href="https://newsroom.defenders.org/conservation-organizations-seek-protection-for-californias-endangered-bumble-bees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pushing to protect these species.</a>

&nbsp;

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1869701 size-large" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/bee-170551_1920-1024x680.jpg" alt="A bee on a yellow flower" width="1024" height="680" />

&nbsp;
<h2>Why Do Bees Matter?</h2>
The great diversity among species of bees means that there is a great risk of losing species before we understand them. Many bee species have developed extremely complex and intricate relationships with plant species. These relationships provide pollination for plants that could otherwise never reproduce. With the loss of bees comes the loss of many plants.

The diversity and evolution of insects likely played a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollination-insects-plant-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">major role in the evolution of flowering plants</a>. We could lose this diversity that has developed over hundreds of millions of years in just decades.

&nbsp;
<h2>Humans and Bees</h2>
Humans rely upon bees to pollinate our food, as well as the many flowering plants we grow for all sorts of uses. In the wild, bees play an essential role in keeping our natural lands healthy.

However, human impacts are a serious threat to many species of bees.

&nbsp;
<h2>The Biggest Bee in the Business</h2>
The western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most important pollinator for agriculture. These bees are cultivated on every continent except Antarctica. This species plays a huge role in the food supply. As a result, they are domesticated and bred at a large scale.

In recent years, colony collapse disorder has risen for unknown reasons, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/save-native-bees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">harming many apiarists and farmers</a>. Though honey bee populations have experienced substantial changes over the last few decades, they are not endangered.

&nbsp;
<h2>Are Pesticides Killing Bees?</h2>
One of the most likely culprits harming bee colonies is a common insecticide used on crops. Neonicotinoids are synthetic compounds derived from nicotine, a natural insecticide. These chemicals are often sprayed on seeds to prevent insects from eating them before they begin to grow. Studies have shown that these compounds may affect bees at extremely low concentrations. Additionally, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/harmful-pesticides-bee-colonies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">these insecticides are neurotoxic to bees </a>and cause harm to colonies even in non-deadly doses.

&nbsp;
<h2>How Agriculture Harms Bee Diversity</h2>
The loss of bees is not enough to fully explain changes in pollination. Decreasing bee diversity <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bee-losses-pollination-problems/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">due to habitat fragmentation from agriculture may play a role</a>. In addition, many pesticides have non-lethal effects on bee behavior. This may cause bees to pollinate less effectively, and has the potential to change how our forests and grasslands are pollinated.

&nbsp;
<h2>Climate Change and Bees</h2>
Climate change also plays a significant role in threatening populations of bees and other pollinators. Changing seasonal trends in temperature, water availability, and season length can have significant impacts on flowering plants. Many of these species rely on these seasonal cues to know when to flower. Historically, pollinators have been in sync with these cycles. But when climate change disturbs these cycles, pollinators may emerge to find that all of the flowers have already bloomed, or that none are open yet. These complex relationships are difficult to predict, and changes to them ripple throughout the ecosystem.

&nbsp;

There are only a few bee species classified as endangered. However, the many sudden changes to their environment pose a real threat. The incredible importance of bees makes it essential that we find ways to protect them.

&nbsp;

Are Bees Endangered?

You may think of bees as annoying, stinging pests or...

English,Bulldog,Puppy,Playing,With,A,Lilac,Flower

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1877620 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bison-above-old-faithful-3886102_1280.jpg" alt="Bison or Plants? Plant blindness example" width="1280" height="856" />

What would you say this is a picture of? Obviously, it seems like the right answer is a bison. The bison is front and center. It is the most engaging object in the photo. Notice, however, that the bison is a very small part of the photo. In fact, it covers only 4% of the photo area. What covers the rest? Aside from some steam from the hot springs and cliffs in the background, plants cover the vast majority of this picture. For some reason, it would seem wrong to call this a plant photo rather than a bison photo. Why is that? Perhaps you are experiencing plant blindness.
<h2>Our Brains Are Wired to Pay Attention to Animals</h2>
It is impossible to analyze all the neural signals our eyes send to our brains. As a result, our brains prioritize some objects over others. Human brains respond intensely to the emotion of fear. A bison is much more likely to instill fear in us compared to stationary plants. Even when something isn't dangerous, such as a squirrel, our brains still respond more to its' movement rather than the stillness of the background.

We prefer to pay attention to things that seem more 'human'. Since it is difficult to see anything human about plants, we choose to see the squirrel instead. It has eyes, arms, and a mouth, whereas plants have just about nothing we can connect to (interestingly enough, we share about 60% of the exact DNA of a banana). Responding to movement is evolutionarily advantageous because it allows us to recognize predators and avoid them.

Additionally, we have a bias against anything that blends together. <a href="https://plants.usda.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Plants</a> tend to be some shade between brown, yellow, and green. Our brains tend to ignore this sort of monotony. Instead, it prefers to focus on more vivid, contrasting objects in our field of vision. If a plant is flowering with a particularly bright flower, we might prefer to look at it over other plants. However, add an animal to the equation and we are likely to ignore the flowering plant to pay attention to the animal. In short, animals tend to catch our attention, while plants rarely do. We respond to fear, movement, and contrast.

This is our biology as humans. This hasn't changed much throughout human history. However, it provides the backdrop for understanding the concept of plant blindness.

[caption id="attachment_1877618" align="alignnone" width="1280"]<img class="wp-image-1877618 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/floral-art-2761477_1280.jpg" alt="Ducks or plants? Plant blindness exercise" width="1280" height="747" /> Do you see ducks or plants?[/caption]
<h2>What Is Plant Blindness?</h2>
Plant blindness, as described 20 years ago by two botany professors, is "the inability to see plants in one's own environment". Many botanists believe that plant blindness has become increasingly common in recent years. As humans become more urban, people spend less time in the natural world. Fewer hours in nature results in less time interacting with plants. How are we supposed to know the plants if we don't spend any time with them?

For example, did you know that there are over 3,000 species and varieties of grasses in the U.S. alone? It's easy to overlook these modest plants and instead categorize them into a simple group, such as 'grass'. Many of the plants you might categorize as 'grasses' are instead sedges or rushes, completely different plant families all together!

[caption id="attachment_1877619" align="alignnone" width="1280"]<img class="wp-image-1877619 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/botanical-garden-850860_1280.jpg" alt="Cacti at Chicago Botanic Garden" width="1280" height="960" /> A botanic garden display highlighting the diversity of cacti. Note how those bright red flowers probably caught your attention first.[/caption]
<h3>Shuttering of Botany Programs</h3>
Botanists fear that a diminishing botanical literacy will result in fewer resources for plant science and conservation. A real example of this trend is seen in botany departments at universities. Since 1988, over half of the 50 most well-funded universities in the U.S. have axed their botany programs. These botany programs have been combined into general biology programs. These general biology programs have far fewer options in plant science than their former, botany-exclusive counterparts. The result? A frightening loss in plant knowledge.

This closing of programs has led to a similar decrease in botany degrees. While more students currently attend college than ever, universities produce 50% fewer students with botany degrees now than they did in the late '80s.  In fact, across the entire U.S., fewer than 200 students received undergraduate degrees in botany in 2008.

Take a moment to consider the astonishing extent to which plants are present in our lives. We wear them as clothes. We eat them every day as food. We use them to build structures that we live and work in. We use them in over 28,000 currently prescribed medicines. We sleep on them in our beds. They regulate our climate. If plants disappeared, humans would be in trouble very quickly. Now consider again that only 200 people graduate with degrees in botany each year in the U.S.
<h2>Plant Blindness and Climate Change</h2>
Plants will have difficulty with our changing climate. Unlike animals, who are mobile, plants stay in one place their entire lives. If the climate becomes hotter and drier, a tree can't walk to a cooler, wetter place. As a result, local populations of plants are threatened with extinction. With so few botanists in the country, many of these populations may go extinct unnoticed. As they disappear, we lose genetic material than could be helpful in producing the next drug or food. In order to combat the effects of climate change on plants, we need more watchful eyes than ever. Unfortunately, we know that there are fewer field botanists each year.

If everyone was as tuned into their natural world as they were two hundred years ago, we would be able to see the effects of climate change more directly. We would notice that the trees turn yellow in November instead of October. We might notice that our garden plants produce flowers earlier in the spring. Scientists have shown these trends with data, but that hasn't seemed to make climate change the important political issue it needs to be. Perhaps if we took the time to pay attention to how our local surroundings have changed, we would be more alarmed by what's happening. Climate change isn't an invisible ghost. It is here now and it is only going to become more intense.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1877617 size-full" style="font-size: 16px;" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/st-louis-2656461_1280.jpg" alt="Missouri Botanic Gardens" width="1280" height="960" />Botanical gardens, such as the Missouri Botanical Garden, are incredible resources for plant knowledge.
<h2>Can Social Media Cure Plant Blindness?</h2>
Maybe. It's difficult to overstate the importance of traditional, hands-on botanical training. However, social media may provide a useful way for people to learn about their local plants. Platforms like Twitter have helped people accidentally discover new populations of rare plants. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/citizen-scientists-rare-species/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Citizen science</a>, where regular people contribute little bits of info to the scientific community, is on the rise.

Users take pictures of a plant, and the app helps identify it. Users can see pictures of plants posted from their area. They can also communicate and share with other people in the online plant community. Apps like this are a great way to increase botanical literacy. They are easy to use, helpful, and accessible to everyone.

Can social media and citizen science make up the lack of funds for botany programs? Let's hope so!

-----

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

-----

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

-----

What Is Plant Blindness? How Is it Related to Climate Change?

What would you say this is a picture of? Obviously,...

Pandas are recognizable, lovable bears that have appeared in movies, on money, and even in the Olympics. These bears are also the international symbol of conservation, appearing on the logo of the <a href="https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions.aspx?sc=AWY1800OQ18507A01324RX&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwo7foBRD8ARIsAHTy2wmnwmPbmvroanfQPzDTdTj-6o_ntRaRedPsH1D_KyGKPyg128AFV2YaAkFeEALw_wcB" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Wildlife Foundation</a>. If these bears are being closely watched, why are pandas endangered? Like most species, the answer is human activity. But before we can answer that question more completely, let's first learn more about who panda bears are and how they live.

&nbsp;
<h2>What do Pandas Look Like?</h2>
Surprisingly, not all pandas look like the movie-classic bears portrayed in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0441773/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kung Foo Panda</a>. There are actually two extant (living) species of panda. 
<ol>
 	<li>The first bears the coloration that most people are familiar with - black spots and bands around the eyes, ears, and body. This sub-species is sometimes called the black panda. The species is known as Ailuropoda melanoleuca melanoleuca and represents the majority of the wild population.</li>
 	<li>The second subspecies, Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis, is more commonly known as the <a href="http://www.bearconservation.org.uk/qinling-panda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">qinling panda</a>, or brown panda. Instead of the black on white coloration, they (unsurprisingly) have dark brown on light brown coloring.</li>
</ol>
Regardless of the subspecies, pandas are relatively small bears that stand 60-90 cm (2-3 feet) while on all fours and can grow to be 120-180 cm (4-6 feet) <a href="https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-panda" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">standing on their hind legs</a>. Pandas are among the lightest of the bears, with males being heavier than females at 113 kg (250 pounds) and females usually less than 100 kg (220 pounds).

&nbsp;
<h2>Where do Pandas Live?</h2>
Pandas, also known as giant pandas, inhabit an incredibly small region of the globe. The black panda mainly lives in just a few mountain ranges in central China. They typically live in Sichuan province but are also inhabit the neighboring provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. The brown panda inhabits an even smaller territory, only in the Qinling mountains in southern Shaanxi province. They live in isolated patches of bamboo forest and have relatively small territories of <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/giant-panda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">about five square kilometers</a> (two miles).

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1874311" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/nature-1283976_1280-1024x682.jpg" alt="bamboo forest" width="1024" height="682" /></h2>
&nbsp;
<h2>Pandas' Diet</h2>
The simple answer to what these bears eat is bamboo. While they technically fall under the order Carnivora, they are actually classified as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vegetarian-diet-giant-panda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">folivores</a>. Folivores are highly specialized herbivores that have evolved to eat primarily leaves. They are fairly common in the animal kingdom; animals such as elephants, beetles (some species), and iguanas are all folivores. 

Pandas rely on the leaves and shoots of bamboo for the vast majority of their diet. Depending on the region, the bears may eat black bamboo, <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia/plant/en/pseudosasa-makino/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arrow bamboo</a>, and 'water bamboo,' in addition to other species. What kind of bamboo pandas eat, and what part of the plant they consume is also subject to the season. During the spring and summer, when the plants are flowering, the bears will typically consume the leaves and shoots. As fall turns to winter, their main diet is the root of the bamboo plant. 

Due to the lack of nutrients in bamboo, they must consume a massive amount of the plant each day. Typically, they will eat <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/what_do_pandas_they_eat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">23–40 kg of bamboo</a> (50-90 pounds) each and every day. Occasionally, pandas will consume meat in the form of small rodents, but this comprises only about 1% of their diet.

&nbsp;
<h2>How Many Pandas Are in the Wild?</h2>
Pandas are extremely difficult to count, even under the best circumstances. Since the mid-1970s, China has conducted an official survey of their wild populations in order to help with conservation efforts. This survey has been conducted by many various methods including spotting of pandas, estimating based on bite marks of bamboo, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/animal-magic/2015/jan/20/how-many-giant-pandas-china-census-survey" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">counting dung left by the bears</a>. Recently, researchers have attempted to estimate the population size by utilizing the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/advancing-technology-genomic-studies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">genomics</a> of various wild populations. 

Figures suggest the wild panda population size may have been around 3,000 in the mid-1950s. By the mid-1970s, the Chinese government estimated that size to be about 1,100 individuals. In the 1980s that number hadn’t changed, but by the 1990s, the population had grown to about 1,600. 

There may be hope that those numbers are higher, though. A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982206016253" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2006 study </a>conducted in the Wanglang Reserve in Sichuan Province estimated the wild population to be twice as high as a survey conducted just five years prior. This is good news for the population, the researcher concluded: “if similar disparities between traditional and molecular census estimates are found for the other key giant panda reserves…there may be as many as 2,500–3,000 giant pandas in the wild.”

&nbsp;
<h2><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-1874312" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/animal-1852789_1280-1024x678.jpg" alt="red panda" width="1024" height="678" /></h2>
&nbsp;
<h2>Why Are Pandas Endangered?</h2>
Now that we know where and how they live, we can revisit our first question: why are pandas endangered? As we mentioned above, the answer is human activity. Historically, the natural range of pandas was over ten times as large, spanning across much of central China. The country’s population has <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/china-population/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">doubled since 1960</a>, and those people have to live somewhere. 

China's population pushing further and further into the mountains has destroyed much of the panda’s native habit. Because 99% of their food source is bamboo, they must live in the bamboo forests on the sides of Chinese mountains. 

For the past 80 years, Chinese authorities have built and maintained panda reserves. These are designated wildlife preserves meant to protect the habitat and food source for the giant bears. Today, there are over <a href="https://www.pandasinternational.org/panda-reserves/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">40 panda reserves</a> across central and southwestern China. These serve not only to protect the animals, but also to help researchers better study them to assist with conservation efforts in the future. 

Do you want to help bring giant pandas back from the brink of extinction? Consider donating to organizations that <a href="https://www.earth.com/take-action-save-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">support their habitat reconstruction</a> today!

&nbsp;

Why Are Pandas Endangered?

Pandas are recognizable, lovable bears that have appeared in movies,...

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



---



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



---



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



---



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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



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.

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

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



Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



---



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



---



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



---



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



---



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



---



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.

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



---



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



---



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...