Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features smoke streaming over the Atlantic Ocean from a deadly fire outbreak in Portugal. The Copernicus Sentinel-3 image was captured on September 17, 2024.



“Dozens of wildfires are reported throughout the country, mainly in the north. The fires forced the closure of two railway lines and several motorways, including part of the main road between Lisbon and Porto,” said <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESA</a>.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-firefighters-stretched-to-the-limit">Firefighters stretched to the limit</h2>



According to a report from NPR, more than 100 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-season-of-2023-redefined-what-is-possible/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildfires</a> stretched thousands of firefighters to the limit in northern Portugal on Wednesday, as Prime Minister Luís Montenegro declared a state of calamity.



"We are well aware that these difficult hours are not over yet," Montenegro told the nation. "We have to continue to give everything we have and ask for help from our partners and friends so that we can reinforce the protection of our people and property."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fire-outbreak-in-northern-and-central-portugal-nbsp">Fire outbreak in northern and central Portugal&nbsp;</h2>



The fires have been fueled by dry conditions, strong winds, and high temperatures. The northern and central regions of Portugal, particularly in areas like Aveiro and Albergaria-a-Velha, have been hit hardest by the fire outbreak.&nbsp;



Over 5,000 firefighters were deployed to combat the flames, but the blazes have still managed to consume over 62,000 hectares of land, resulting in the deaths of at least seven people, including firefighters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-widespread-fire-damage-and-evacuations">Widespread fire damage and evacuations</h2>



Residents were forced to evacuate, with many homes and industrial areas destroyed. Roads were also closed due to the encroaching flames and thick <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfire-smoke-is-an-underestimated-threat-to-public-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">smoke</a>, severely affecting transportation.



NPR said that while authorities have yet to release figures for property damage or the number of evacuees, Portuguese state broadcaster RTP has shown charred houses in rural villages and local residents trying to battle flames with buckets of water, hoses, and even large tree branches.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-responding-to-the-portugal-fires">Responding to the Portugal fires</h2>



The situation became so severe that Portugal sought assistance from the European Union. Greece, Spain, and France contributed firefighting aircraft, while the European Commission activated its RescEU program to provide additional support.&nbsp;



“The Copernicus Emergency Management Service was activated to help authorities respond to the emergency,” said ESA.



“Using satellite data, the service provides information for emergency response for different types of disasters, including meteorological and geophysical hazards, deliberate and accidental disasters, humanitarian disasters, and for prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-climate-breakdown">A climate breakdown</h2>



The situation remains critical, although there are signs of improvement as the weather is expected to turn, which could help contain the fires.&nbsp;



The dry conditions which fueled the wildfire outbreak in Portugal coincided with deadly flooding in central Europe. The European Union said that the juxtaposed extreme weather events are proof of a “climate breakdown.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dry-conditions-and-fire-outbreaks-nbsp">Dry conditions and fire outbreaks&nbsp;</h2>



Hot, dry conditions are a key factor in the outbreak and spread of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/twenty-years-of-air-quality-improvement-erased-by-wildfires/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildfires</a>. These conditions create a highly flammable environment where vegetation, like grasses, shrubs, and trees, becomes dry and can easily ignite.&nbsp;



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dry-vegetation">Dry vegetation</h3>



When the weather is dry for extended periods, vegetation loses its moisture content and becomes more combustible. Even a small spark can set off a fire in such conditions.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-temperatures-nbsp">High temperatures&nbsp;</h3>



Heat intensifies the drying of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/increased-co2-is-making-wildfires-more-severe-and-frequent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">vegetation</a> and raises the temperature of the fuel (plants, leaves, etc.), making it easier for it to catch fire and spread. High temperatures also reduce soil moisture, drying out more of the surrounding area.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wind-fans-the-flames">Wind fans the flames </h3>



In dry, hot conditions, winds can carry embers to new locations, causing fires to spread rapidly. Wind also fans the flames, intensifying the heat and increasing the speed of the fire's movement.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-low-humidity">Low humidity</h3>



Dry air, often measured by low humidity levels, exacerbates fire risk. When humidity is low, moisture is drawn out of plants and soil more quickly, further drying the landscape.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lightning-and-human-activity">Lightning and human activity</h3>



In hot, dry conditions, natural causes like lightning can ignite wildfires. However, human activities (campfires, discarded cigarettes, power lines) also play a significant role, particularly in areas that are primed for fire due to these weather patterns.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-change-nbsp">Climate change&nbsp;</h3>



In areas prone to drought, wildfires can be particularly destructive, and as climate change intensifies, hotter and drier weather is becoming more common, increasing wildfire risks globally.



Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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More than 100 fires are burning in Portugal

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency features smoke streaming over the Atlantic Ocean from a deadly fire outbreak in Portugal. The Copernicus Sentinel-3 image was captured on September 17, 2024. “Dozens of wildfires are reported throughout the country, mainly in the north. The fires forced the closure of two railway lines and several motorways, including part of the main road between Lisbon and Porto,” said ESA.&nbsp; Firefighters stretched to the limit According to a report from NPR, more than...

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features an astronaut photograph of Fayzabad, a culturally diverse city in the Kokcha River valley of northern Afghanistan. The photo was captured as the International Space Station passed over central Asia.



Fayzabad is the capital of the Badakhshan Province. It is located in a mountainous part of northeastern Afghanistan at an elevation of about 4,000 feet.



“The city is situated along the Kokcha River, which flows northward within a deep river valley surrounded by the Hindu Kush Mountains and eventually discharges into the Amu Darya River,” noted NASA.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-of-fayzabad-nbsp">Climate of Fayzabad&nbsp;</h2>



According to <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>, the climate of Fayzabad varies from cold semi-arid to Mediterranean-influenced warm-summer humid continental.



The summer months are warm, with average high temperatures ranging from 77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.&nbsp;



The winter months are cold, with average low temperatures often dropping below freezing - sometimes reaching as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.&nbsp;



The region receives moderate precipitation, mostly during the spring and winter. Snowfall is common in winter, adding to the mountainous region's picturesque landscape.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fayzabad-culture">Fayzabad culture</h2>



Historically, Fayzabad has been a center of learning and culture, though its development has been hampered by years of conflict.&nbsp;



Despite these challenges, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-started-cumulative-culture-around-600000-years-ago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">culture</a> remains a vital component of the region, which is known for its traditional crafts including weaving and embroidery.



Cultural life in Fayzabad is influenced by its predominantly Tajik population, along with other ethnic groups such as Uzbeks and Hazaras. The local cuisine is a blend of traditional Afghan flavors, incorporating ingredients like rice, meat, and a variety of spices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-land-use-changes-nbsp">Land use changes&nbsp;</h2>



“This territory has experienced notable changes in its land use in recent decades, especially with commercial and administrative growth near the airport,” noted NASA.



“Among the changes: a new airstrip built west of the Kokcha River. However, mountains hem in the city and limit how much development is possible.”



“Despite these topographical barriers, some development has spread into hilly areas south of Fayzabad. Green vegetation is mostly confined to mountain valleys, stream channels, and the Kokcha River floodplain.”&nbsp;



“The Kokcha River meanders through the valley, providing a vital water resource for the region. Fields of predominantly wheat and rice cover much of the floodplain, though these flat areas are mixed with residential, industrial, and commercial activity as well.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kokcha-river-nbsp">Kokcha River&nbsp;</h2>



The Kokcha River originates in the Hindu Kush mountains. It stretches approximately 360 kilometers before joining the Amu Darya, one of Central Asia's major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hypoxia-is-a-serious-problem-in-rivers-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rivers</a>.&nbsp;



The Kokcha River traverses rugged terrain, providing vital irrigation for agriculture in the region and supporting local communities' livelihoods.&nbsp;The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-amount-of-water-do-earths-rivers-hold/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">river</a> basin features diverse landscapes that include mountainous areas and fertile valleys.&nbsp;



Throughout history, the Kokcha River has played a crucial role in the region's cultural and economic development, serving as a natural resource for the inhabitants and influencing settlement patterns.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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Fayzabad and the Kokcha River valley 

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features...

Wildfires are burning in 18 Mexican states Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> shows a large wildfire burning in a forest located west of Cienega de Escobar in Durango, Mexico.

The photo was captured on April 17, 2019 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite two days after it was detected. 

According to news reports, the fire is one of 95 wildfires burning in 18 Mexican states. Wildfires are burning in 18 Mexican states.

Mexico (Spanish: México [ˈmexiko] (listen); Nahuatl languages: Mēxihco), officially the United Mexican States (UMS; Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos, EUM [esˈtaðos uˈniðoz mexiˈkanos] (listen), lit. Mexican United States), is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico.

Covering almost 2,000,000 square kilometers (770,000 sq mi), the nation is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent state in the world. With an estimated population of over 129 million people, Mexico is the tenth most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, while being the second most populous nation in Latin America after Brazil. Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states plus Mexico City (CDMX), which is the capital city and its most populous city. Other metropolises in the country include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, and León. Wildfires are burning in 18 Mexican states and causing a horrible disaster.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Wildfires are burning in 18 Mexican states

Wildfires are burning in 18 Mexican states Today's Image of...

iss059e019955

Today’s Image of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> features a spectacular view of the moon in its first quarter phase positioned at the edge of the Earth’s horizon.

The photograph was captured on April 11, 2019 by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station as it passed 255 miles above the Pacific Ocean just south of Hawaii. The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits Earth as its only natural satellite. It is the fifth-largest satellite in the Solar System, and by far[13] the largest among planetary satellites relative to the size of the planet that it orbits (its primary). The Moon is, after Jupiter's satellite Io, the second-densest satellite in the Solar System among those whose densities are known.
The Moon is thought to have formed about 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth. The most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a hypothetical Mars-sized body called Theia. New research of Moon rocks, although not rejecting the Theia hypothesis, suggests that the Moon may be older than previously thought.
The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, and thus always shows the same side to Earth, the near side. Because of libration, slightly more than half (about 59%) of the total lunar surface can be viewed from Earth. The near side is marked by dark volcanic maria that fill the spaces between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. After the Sun, the Moon is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth's sky.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA

&nbsp;

The moon hovers at the edge of the Earth's horizon

Today’s Image of the Day from NASA features a spectacular...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features a “bomb cyclone” that struck the upper midwestern United States in April.

The storm hit several states with more than 12 inches of snow, and wind gusts that were in excess of 50 miles per hour. 

According to news reports, whiteout conditions caused tens of thousands of homes to lose power and grounded hundreds of flights.

With more than 24 inches of snow falling across much of the state, South Dakota was one of the hardest hit.

This image was captured on April 13, 2019 by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Bomb cyclone strikes the Upper Midwest

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> shows Alaska, where temperatures were unusually hot in March of 2019.

According to the Alaska Climate Research Center, March began with an unsettled weather pattern that brought warm, wet storms to the state. By halfway through the month, a high-pressure ridge developed with clear skies and very warm temperatures. Unusually warm weather in Alaska

The event was just part of a warming trend that has been ongoing across the region in recent years. 

This image was captured on March 30, 2019 with MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite.

Alaska  Inupiaq: Alaasikaq; Alutiiq: Alas'kaaq; Tlingit: Anáaski; Russian: Аляска, romanized: Alyaska) is a U.S. state in the northwest extremity of the United States West Coast, just across the Bering Strait from Asia. The Canadian province of British Columbia and territory of Yukon border the state to the east and southeast. Its most extreme western part is Attu Island, and it has a maritime border with Russia (Chukotka Autonomous Okrug) to the west across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas—southern parts of the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest. It is the largest U.S. state by area and the seventh largest subnational division in the world. In addition, it is the 3rd least populous and the most sparsely populated of the 50 United States; nevertheless, it is by far the most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel in North America: its population—estimated at 738,432 by the United States Census Bureau in 2015—is more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the fishing, natural gas, and oil industries, resources which it has in abundance. United States armed forces bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy. --

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Unusually warm weather in Alaska

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory shows...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> is a mosaic of solar images that were captured by three different telescopes on April 29, 2015. Extreme ultraviolet light combined with solar X-rays

High-energy X-rays from NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) are shown in blue, while low-energy X-rays from Japan's Hinode spacecraft appear in green. In addition, extreme ultraviolet light from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is yellow and red. Extreme ultraviolet light combined with solar X-rays

NuSTAR is typically used to look deeper into space to observe X-rays from supernovas and black holes, but it can also look safely at the sun and capture images of its high-energy X-rays.One of the first people to offer a scientific or philosophical explanation for the Sun was the Greek philosopher Anaxagoras. He reasoned that it was not the chariot of Helios, but instead a giant flaming ball of metal even larger than the land of the Peloponnesus and that the Moon reflected the light of the Sun.[158] For teaching this heresy, he was imprisoned by the authorities and sentenced to death, though he was later released through the intervention of Pericles. Eratosthenes estimated the distance between Earth and the Sun in the 3rd century BC as "of stadia myriads 400 and 80000", the translation of which is ambiguous, implying either 4,080,000 stadia (755,000 km) or 804,000,000 stadia (148 to 153 million kilometers or 0.99 to 1.02 AU); the latter value is correct to within a few percent. In the 1st century AD, Ptolemy estimated the distance as 1,210 times the radius of Earth, approximately 7.71 million kilometers (0.0515 AU).
The theory that the Sun is the center around which the planets orbit was first proposed by the ancient Greek Aristarchus of Samos in the 3rd century BC, and later adopted by Seleucus of Seleucia (see Heliocentrism). This view was developed in a more detailed mathematical model of a heliocentric system in the 16th century by Nicolaus Copernicus.
Observations of sunspots were recorded during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) by Chinese astronomers, who maintained records of these observations for centuries. Averroes also provided a description of sunspots in the 12th century. The invention of the telescope in the early 17th century permitted detailed observations of sunspots by Thomas Harriot, Galileo Galilei and other astronomers. Galileo posited that sunspots were on the surface of the Sun rather than small objects passing between Earth and the Sun

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA

Extreme ultraviolet light combined with solar X-rays

Today's Image of the Day from NASA is a mosaic...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features a “superbloom” of poppies and wildflowers across Antelope Valley in Southern California. 

The poppy season in this desert region depends entirely on precipitation. After a very rainy winter season, the brilliantly colored flowers have exploded this year. 

The image was captured on April 2, 2019 by NASA Armstrong aerial photographer Jim Ross from from a T-34 airplane. There are three main deserts in California: the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Desert, and the Great Basin Desert.:408 The Mojave Desert is bounded by the Tehachapi Mountains on the northwest, the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains on the south, and extends eastward to California's borders with Arizona and Nevada; it also forms portions of northwest Arizona. The Colorado Desert lies in the southeastern corner of the state, between the Colorado River and the Transverse Ranges, and continues into Mexico and Arizona to the south and east, (as the named Sonoran Desert). The Great Basin desert lies immediately to the east of the Sierra Nevada cordillera and extends eastward into the state of Nevada.
The deserts encompass all of Imperial County, the southern and eastern portion of Inyo County, the Eastern portions of Mono County, Los Angeles County, Kern County, San Diego County, and Riverside County, and most of northern and eastern San Bernardino County. The major urban populations of western San Diego County, Orange County, the Inland Empire, and Greater Los Angeles are over the high mountains toward the Pacific Ocean. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Poppy superbloom in the California desert

Cold-based glacier is moving at an unbelievable pace Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the Vavilov Ice Cap located in the Russian High Arctic.

This ice sheet is categorized as a cold-based glacier, which means that it is generally stable and rarely moves more than a few meters per year. However, in 2013, the outlet glacier of the Vavilov Ice Cap began sliding at an unbelievable pace.

“The fact that an apparently stable, cold-based glacier suddenly went from moving 20 meters per year to 20 meters per day was extremely unusual, perhaps unprecedented,” said University of Colorado Boulder glaciologist Michael Willis. “The numbers here are simply nuts. Before this happened, as far as I knew, cold-based glaciers simply didn’t do that...couldn’t do that.” Cold-based glacier is moving at an unbelievable pace

By 2018, the glacier’s ice shelf had more than doubled and the ice had substantially thinned on land, particularly around the edges.

“This event has forced us to rethink how cold-based glaciers work,” said Willis. “It may be that they can respond more quickly to warming climate or changes at their bases than we have thought.”

 --

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer


Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Cold-based glacier is moving at an unbelievable pace

Cold-based glacier is moving at an unbelievable pace Today's Image...

Record-breaking rainfall across Queensland Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> shows the aftermath of intense rainfall across Australia in February of 2019.

A series of slow-moving storm systems dumped record-breaking levels of rain in northern Queensland. 

In some areas, 40 inches of rain fell in just seven days, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

Queensland (locally /ˈkwiːnzlænd/ KWEENZ-land,abbreviated as Qld) is the second-largest and third-most populous state in the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the north-east of the country, it is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, with Papua New Guinea located less than 200 km across it from the mainland. The state is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, with an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi). Record-breaking rainfall across Queensland
As of 15 May 2018, Queensland had a population of 5,000,000,concentrated along the coast and particularly in the state's South East. The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city. Often referred to as the "Sunshine State", Queensland is home to 10 of Australia's 30 largest cities and is the nation's third-largest economy. Tourism in the state, fuelled largely by its warm climate, is a major industry. 

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer


Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Record-breaking rainfall across Queensland

Record-breaking rainfall across Queensland Today's Image of the Day from...

Have you ever wondered if the adage "birds of a feather flock together" is actually true? A recent study confirms this idea, showing that a bold pair of parenting geese produce a bounty of offspring.



The research, which zeroes in on a group of captive greylag geese, was conducted by a team of bird behavior experts led by Flinders University.



The researchers Investigated the parental benefits of "made in heaven" matches between well-paired geese couples.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bold-personalities-and-parenting-success">Bold personalities and parenting success</h2>



Study lead author Lauren Common is now based in the Konrad Lorenz Research Centre for Behavior and Cognition at the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vienna</a> in Austria.



"Like in humans, the personality of both parents and their similarity in personality traits can influence their success as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mothers-care-linked-to-the-evolution-of-longer-lifespans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parents</a>," said Common.



"Successful pair bonds where partners were similar in their boldness, mainly by responding to risky situations in the same way, can have higher hatching success." 



According to Common, this bold parenting style can lead to consistency and responsiveness, which can result in successful reproductive output and survival of young and fledgling success.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geese-parenting-and-behavioral-compatibility">Geese parenting and behavioral compatibility</h2>



For their investigation, the researchers observed a flock of more than 100 habituated greylag geese over three peculiarly intense breeding seasons. They meticulously measured reproductive and fledgling success.



The team included Sonia Kleindorfer, a professor at the University of Vienna and founder of the BirdLab in the College of Science and Engineering at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Flinders University</a>.



Professor Kleindorfer emphasized the critical role both geese parents play - especially during incubation when thermal stability and protection from predators is crucial.



"In species with biparental care and monogamy, reproductive output and success may be influenced not only by the personality of each individual but also the behavioral compatibility of the pair," said Kleindorfer.



"This kind of pairing in greylag geese is linked to their well-developed cognitive capacity and&nbsp;social awareness&nbsp;and individuals consistently differ in personality traits such as boldness, aggressiveness, sociability and other behavioral traits."



Thus, the love story of greylag geese is more than just about affection - it's about survival too.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-geese-parenting-traits">Geese parenting traits</h2>



"Animal personality was once considered a figment of human imagination and, worse, anthropomorphism," said Professor Kleindorfer.



She noted that the study adds to a growing body of work showing that animals such as greylag geese have consistent individual differences in behavior, also called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-play-a-crucial-role-in-the-evolution-of-intelligence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">personality</a>.



"But more than that, personality traits in animals can be linked to successful love matches and reproductive success. Therefore, these traits may be targets of natural and sexual selection," explained Professor Kleindorfer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-conservation-and-species-management">Conservation and species management</h2>



Understanding the intricate dynamics of personality-driven pairing and parenting success in greylag geese provides valuable insights for conservation efforts and species management. 



Conservationists can harness this knowledge to create environments that promote behavioral compatibility. 



By ensuring that captive breeding programs focus on matching individuals with complementary personality traits, the reproductive success rate can be enhanced, ultimately contributing to the stability and growth of population numbers. 



In turn, these practices may serve as a model for conserving other avian species facing similar ecological challenges.



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



While the current study sheds light on the relationship between personality traits and reproductive success in greylag geese, it opens up numerous avenues for future research beyond parenting. 



Further exploration into the genetic basis of personality traits could reveal the heritability of behaviors that lead to successful pair bonding and parenting. 



Additionally, expanding the research to include other species with biparental care systems would help determine the universality of these findings across avian species. 



With increasing environmental pressures and habitat loss, it is crucial that we continue to deepen our understanding of the role personality plays in animal behavior, ensuring <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-adversity-reduces-life-expectancy-of-most-mammals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effective strategies</a> for species preservation and biodiversity conservation.



The profound insights from this study break down the barrier between us and our feathery friends. The next time you spot a pair of birds, remember, there might be a deep love story and an inspiring tale of successful parenting hidden in their flight towards the horizon.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347224002252?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Animal Behaviour</a>.



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Bold personality traits improve parenting success in geese

Have you ever wondered if the adage "birds of a...

With climate change and limited resources creating tough challenges, researchers are trying out different methods to improve agricultural productivity and crop yields. You might be surprised by one of the answers they've come up with: electric soil.



This technique involves applying electrical currents to the soil, which has been found to stimulate plant growth, enhance nutrient uptake, and improve overall crop health. 



By tapping into the power of electricity in farming, scientists hope to develop more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-footprint-a-new-frontier-in-sustainable-farming/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sustainable practices</a> that can lead to better yields and greater food security for everyone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-electricity-soil-tremendous-plant-growth">Electricity + soil = tremendous plant growth</h2>



Leading this study was Eleni Stavrinidou, an esteemed associate professor at <a href="https://liu.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Linköping University</a> in Sweden. 



Together with her team, she discovered that barley seedlings grew up to 50% more in just 15 days -- all thanks to some electric jolts to the soil in which their roots were growing.



Stavrinidou emphasizes how desperately we need to evolve our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/organic-farming-practices-boost-soil-carbon-storage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cultivation strategies</a>. 



She asks, "With the population explosion and climate change, can we keep up with the food demands of the planet with only the existing agricultural methods?" 



The answer, she believes, lies in urban hydroponics, a form of controlled farming that doesn't rely on soil.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hydroponics-and-urban-farming">Hydroponics and urban farming</h2>



Before we dig into the electrifying soil revelation, let's get our hands dirty with hydroponics. Hydroponics is a revolutionary farming method that's been gaining momentum, particularly in urban landscapes where space is scarce.



In hydroponic systems, plants don't need soil to grow. Instead, they are nurtured in nutrient-rich water, with substrates providing the much-needed support.



But what's really eye-catching about hydroponics is its efficiency. 



Hydroponic systems consume significantly less water than traditional farming because the water is reused, and each plant gets exactly what it needs -- not an ounce more, not an ounce less.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-electric-soil-esoil-is-a-real-game-changer">Electric soil (eSoil) is a real game-changer</h2>



Now let's talk about eSoil, the secret sauce in Stavrinidou's study. 



The pivotal element that sets eSoil apart is its blend of cellulose (the material that constitutes plant cell walls) and a conductive polymer known as PEDOT. 



The resulting concoction paves the way for the root stimulation that fosters unprecedented growth.



Not just that, eSoil is also a far greener alternative to the mineral wool substrates widely used in hydroponic setups today. 



It's biodegradable, consumes less energy during production, and did I mention the growth-boosting electrical conductivity?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stunning-results">Stunning results</h2>



The electric buzz didn't stop at the breakthrough. When Stavrinidou and her team put eSoil to the test, the results were, quite literally, shocking. 



Barley seedlings on eSoil outgrew their non-electrified counterparts by 50% in a mere fortnight.



"In this way, we can get seedlings to grow faster with less resources. We don't yet know how it actually works, which biological mechanisms that are involved," Sarvrinidou explains. 



"What we have found is that seedlings process nitrogen more effectively, but it's not clear yet how the&nbsp;<a href="https://phys.org/tags/electrical+stimulation/">electrical stimulation</a>&nbsp;impacts this process."



Looking ahead, Stavrinidou acknowledges that hydroponics won't entirely address global food security concerns. "But it can certainly be a lifeline, particularly in areas with limited arable land and harsh environmental conditions," she adds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-electric-soil-and-the-future-of-farming">Electric soil and the future of farming</h2>



Envision vertical farms housed in urban skyscrapers, producing fresh produce right in the heart of the city. Or hydroponic systems in desert regions, cultivating crops with minimal water. 



And let's not forget about long-term space missions -- efficient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sustainable-food-systems-are-gaining-momentum/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food production strategies</a>, such as eSoil, would indeed be invaluable.



With much still to uncover about how electrical stimulation impacts plant growth, the journey doesn't stop here. Could this technique work for other plant types? How are other nutrients influenced by electric stimulation? 



As Stavrinidou said, this study is just the tip of the iceberg, and the pursuit of answers will undoubtedly "open the pathway for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smart-soil-can-absorb-water-from-the-air-and-feed-itself/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new research areas</a> to develop further hydroponic cultivation."



There's no question about it -- as we grapple with food production challenges on a global scale, innovative solutions like eSoil could be a shot in the arm for agriculture. 



A future where robust plants grow faster using fewer resources, where fresh produce is accessible within bustling cities, could be on the horizon. And it all starts with a jolt of electric soil.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2304135120" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PNAS</a>.



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'Electric soil' boosts crop production by 50% in just 15 days

With climate change and limited resources creating tough challenges, researchers...

An,Artist's,Illustration,Of,A,Black,Hole,In,Interstellar,Space

Astronomers recently discovered the biggest pair of black hole jets ever observed and named this system Porphyrion. Imagine something so massive that it lines up 140 Milky Way galaxies back to back. Then multiply that thought by two. It's almost too much for our minds to fathom, but that's exactly what they found.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meet-black-hole-jet-system-porphyrion">Meet black hole jet system Porphyrion</h2>



Martijn Oei is a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caltech</a> postdoctoral scholar with a flair for digging into the mysteries of the universe. His recent work published in a new Nature paper has everyone talking.



Oei and his team discovered this enormous pair of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/awakening-of-a-black-hole-witnessed-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">black hole</a> jets named Porphyrion. Derived from Greek mythology, Porphyrion is a fitting moniker for a structure with such colossal proportions.



This jet megastructure not only spans 23 million light-years in total length, but it also dates back to when our universe was just 6.3 billion years old. 



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/black-hole-jet_23-million-light-years_Porphyrion_credit-Caltech-Oei_Martijn_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/black-hole-jet_23-million-light-years_Porphyrion_credit-Caltech-Oei_Martijn_1s.webp" alt="An artist's illustration of the longest black hole jet system ever observed. Nicknamed Porphyrion after a mythological Greek giant, these jets span roughly 7 megaparsecs, or 23 million light-years. That is equivalent to lining up 140 Milky Way galaxies back-to-back. Porphyrion dates back to a time when our universe was less than half its present age. Credit: Caltech" class="wp-image-1945007"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An artist's illustration of the longest black hole jet system ever observed. Nicknamed Porphyrion after a mythological Greek giant, these jets span roughly 7 megaparsecs, or 23 million light-years. That is equivalent to lining up 140 Milky Way galaxies back-to-back. Porphyrion dates back to a time when our universe was less than half its present age. Credit: Caltech</figcaption></figure>



That's less than half its present age of 13.8 billion years. To put that into perspective, it's like the universe was still in its adolescence.



These ferocious outflows of energy, with a total power output equivalent to trillions of suns, emanate from a supermassive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/directly-detecting-dark-matter-primordial-black-holes-simple-as-monitoring-mars-orbit/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">black hole</a> at the heart of a distant galaxy. 



Before Porphyrion, the record-holder for the largest jet system was Alcyoneus, another giant named after a figure in Greek mythology. 



Alcyoneus, discovered in 2022 by the same team, measures about the equivalent of 100 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/newly-discovered-stars-milky-way-are-old-as-universe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milky Ways</a>. Comparatively, the Centaurus A jets, the closest major jet system to Earth, only spans 10 Milky Ways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shaking-up-the-neighborhood">Shaking up the neighborhood</h2>



What makes Porphyrion's discovery more groundbreaking is the implications it holds for our understanding of galaxy formation. 



Co-author George Djorgovski, professor of astronomy and data science at <a href="https://www.caltech.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Caltech</a>, provided some insights on this.



"Astronomers believe that galaxies and their central black holes co-evolve, and one key aspect of this is that jets can spread huge amounts of energy that affect the growth of their host galaxies and other galaxies near them,” he says. "This discovery shows that their effects can extend much farther out than we thought."



But Porphyrion's scale reveals that the effects of these jets may extend far beyond our previous understanding.



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="D4GGVHtxYz-3864208-12187" type="single"]</div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scanning-the-cosmos-and-black-hole-jets">Scanning the cosmos and black hole jets</h2>



The discovery of Porphyrion is part of a larger sky survey, which unveiled a staggering number of similar structures -- over 10,000.



This massive population of gargantuan <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-holes-captured-redirecting-jets-beams-like-death-star-weapon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">jets</a> was found using Europe's <a href="https://www.astron.nl/telescopes/lofar/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LOFAR</a> (LOw Frequency ARray) radio telescope.



"Giant jets were known before we started the campaign, but we had no idea that there would turn out to be so many," says Martin Hardcastle, second author of the study and a professor of astrophysics at the <a href="https://www.herts.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Hertfordshire</a> in England. 



"Usually when we get a new observational capability, such as LOFAR's combination of wide field of view and very high sensitivity to extended structures, we find something new, but it was still very exciting to see so many of these objects emerging."



The origins of Porphyrion took the team across continents and observatories. They used the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India and supplementary data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. 



The observations pointed the team to a hefty galaxy, about 10 times more massive than our Milky Way, as the birthplace of Porphyrion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-black-hole-jet-system-porphyrion-s-size">Black hole jet system Porphyrion's size</h2>



Porphyrion resides a mind-boggling 7.5 billion light-years from Earth. Its far-off residency and its emergence from a radiative-mode black hole suggest that it may not be a lone titan, but the harbinger of countless colossal jets yet to be discovered. 



Oei suggests as much, saying, "We may be looking at the tip of the iceberg."



There are still many unanswered questions surrounding these giant black hole jet systems. How do they extend so far and get so big without destabilizing? 



"Martijn's work has shown us that there isn't anything particularly special about the environments of these giant sources that causes them to reach those large sizes," says Hardcastle, who is an expert in the physics of black hole jets. 



"My interpretation is that we need an unusually long-lived and stable accretion event around the central, supermassive black hole to allow it to be active for so long -- about a billion years -- and to ensure that the jets keep pointing in the same direction over all of that time. What we're learning from the large number of giants is that this must be a relatively common occurrence," Hardcastle concluded.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surrounding-influence-and-magnetism">Surrounding influence and magnetism</h2>



How do they influence their surroundings? And perhaps most intriguingly, have these giant jets spread magnetism throughout the cosmos?



"We know magnetism pervades the cosmic web, then makes its way into galaxies and stars, and eventually to planets, but the question is: Where does it start?" Oei rightly says.



This research is the exciting beginning of a new chapter in our understanding of the universe. With the discovery of Porphyrion, we're reminded that we still have a lot to uncover about the mysteries of the cosmos. Even a sky full of stars is just the beginning.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07879-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



Video Credit: Caltech 



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Largest black hole jets ever seen are 23 million light years long

Astronomers recently discovered the biggest pair of black hole jets...

SECORE International has developed a coral seeding method that utilizes assisted reproduction - breeding corals to help restore reefs. This approach has been implemented across the Caribbean through a network of training and partners.&nbsp;



A recent study confirms that the coral seeding method is making a significant impact: during the severe 2023 heatwave in the Caribbean, young <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-corals-and-reefs-are-showing-surprising-resilience-as-global-waters-warm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">corals</a> that were bred through SECORE's efforts remained healthy, while many wild corals bleached and died.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-seeding-in-the-caribbean-nbsp">Coral seeding in the Caribbean&nbsp;</h2>



The summer of 2023 brought devastation to many coral reefs in the Caribbean Basin. An unprecedented <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-escalate-coral-bleaching-threats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heatwave</a>, both in intensity and duration, hit the region, leading to widespread coral bleaching. 



With high seawater temperatures persisting, many corals were unable to recover and perished.&nbsp;



However, during this time of crisis, a hopeful discovery was made by SECORE’s Restoration Coordinator in Mexico, Sandra Mendoza Quiroz.&nbsp;



While conducting a routine dive to monitor their outplanted corals, she found that the young corals they had bred were healthy, standing out among the bleached and dying reefs.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-assisted-reproduction-and-coral-survival">Assisted reproduction and coral survival</h2>



Similar findings were reported by SECORE’s team in Curaçao, where another species of bred coral had withstood the heat.



“We were excited to observe this pattern showing another benefit of using assisted coral recruits in restoration,” said Margaret Miller, research director of <a href="https://www.secore.org/site/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SECORE</a>.



The team in Curaçao and Mexico, working with Coralium Lab at the <a href="https://www.unam.mx/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México</a>, collected data on the health of various species and groups of outplanted corals. 



The experts reached out to partners across their Caribbean Restoration Network, including the Dominican Foundation for Marine Studies, the <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/caribbean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean</a>, and Reef Renewal Foundation Bonaire. 



Together, the researchers confirmed that young corals bred for restoration were significantly more resistant to bleaching compared to their wild counterparts across six coral species at 15 reef sites in five different Caribbean nations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-seeding-builds-resilience-nbsp">Coral seeding builds resilience&nbsp;</h2>



This study marks the first scientific evidence that corals restored using natural reproduction methods demonstrate greater resistance to extreme sea temperatures than wild or fragmented corals.



Miller, who has been breeding corals in the Caribbean for over 30 years, expressed optimism about the findings.&nbsp;



“These results provide a lot of encouragement and confirmation that restoration using assisted coral recruits can play an important role in orchestrating coral persistence into our warmer future,” said Miller.&nbsp;



“Nonetheless, truly securing the future of coral reefs is absolutely dependent on humankind’s success in controlling global warming.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-producing-millions-of-coral-embryos-nbsp">Producing millions of coral embryos&nbsp;</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reef-sounds-the-melodic-key-to-coral-restoration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coral restoration</a> methods have evolved significantly in the past decade. Traditionally, corals were propagated by breaking fragments off source colonies and growing them in nurseries before manually transplanting them onto the reef. 



Today, SECORE’s coral seeding approach, which breeds corals specifically for restoration, is widely implemented throughout the Caribbean.&nbsp;



This method involves collecting coral spawn from wild corals, fertilizing the eggs and sperm in a controlled environment (either on a boat or beach), and producing millions of coral embryos.&nbsp;



The coral larvae are grown in ocean enclosures and settled on special substrates before being outplanted onto the reef.



Each generation of corals that reproduces naturally receives a new combination of genes, enhancing their ability to adapt.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-importance-of-the-new-breeding-efforts">Importance of the new breeding efforts</h2>



The study revealed that the young corals produced through breeding showed greater resistance to bleaching than adult coral colonies and fragments.&nbsp;



However, due to the recruitment failure of many reef-building species in the Caribbean, natural offspring are rare, which further underscores the importance of SECORE’s breeding efforts.



Dirk Petersen, the founder of&nbsp; SECORE, is thrilled with the study’s positive results.&nbsp;



“Our coral seeding approach is an important contribution to help coral reefs deal with climate change,” said Petersen. “Our investment over the past five years to build a large network for coral restoration in the Caribbean has paid off.”&nbsp;



“This network not only produces and outplants tens of thousands of corals every year but could also immediately assess how these corals responded to this unprecedented heatwave. Our priority is now to further scale efforts to the ecosystem level.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-chance-for-coral-reefs-to-survive">A chance for coral reefs to survive</h2>



Coral restoration, however, is not a solo endeavor. It requires collaboration across various disciplines, from science and engineering to on-the-ground implementation.&nbsp;



The process involves logistics, effectiveness, and thorough training, and must be grounded in strong management strategies that engage local communities.&nbsp;



While coral restoration is crucial, it alone cannot solve the broader challenges posed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/massive-study-provides-answers-to-how-coral-reefs-can-survive-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">climate change</a>. Still, it provides vital time to help coral populations survive in the face of environmental pressures.



“Our Caribbean Training and Capacity Building Program has turned out to be a successful model, which we urgently need to take to other regions across the world,” Petersen said.&nbsp;



In his view, as extreme weather events continue to increase in frequency and severity, regions beyond the Caribbean will also be affected.&nbsp;



“Restoration measures are best implemented at an early stage to strengthen the reefs. Once degradation has reached a critical level, restoration becomes much more challenging,” said Petersen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-coral-restoration-efforts">Expanding coral restoration efforts</h2>



SECORE is now expanding its efforts globally. In 2023, the organization hosted its first training session for participants from U.S. jurisdictions in the Western Pacific and plans to establish a team in Mauritius by the end of the year.&nbsp;



This new base will serve as a hub for restoration training in the Indian Ocean. “Restoration truly is a cooperative effort - let’s all work together to give these valuable ecosystems a future!” Peterson concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309719" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLoS ONE</a>.



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‘Coral seeding’ increases resistance to extreme heatwaves

SECORE International has developed a coral seeding method that utilizes...

Some of the most dramatic climate events in history are the Snowball Earth episodes, which occurred hundreds of millions of years ago. Nearly the entire planet was covered in ice up to a kilometer (0.6 miles) thick during these periods.&nbsp;



The rare Snowball Earth events did not follow regular cycles but lasted for millions to tens of millions of years before being followed by intense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-global-warming-event-sheds-light-on-earths-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a>. Despite their significance, the details surrounding how these frozen periods ended are still not fully understood.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a> (UW) offers a more complete picture of how the last Snowball Earth episode ended and sheds light on why it was followed by a major expansion of life, including the emergence of Earth's first animals.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changes-in-key-earth-properties">Changes in key Earth properties</h2>



The research, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51412-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>, focuses on ancient rocks known as “cap carbonates,” which are believed to have formed as the planet’s ice sheets thawed.&nbsp;



These rocks provide clues about the state of Earth's atmosphere and oceans roughly 640 million years ago - long before ice cores or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-largest-ever-solar-storm-discovered-through-tree-rings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tree rings</a> could record such history.



Study lead author Trent Thomas is a doctoral student in earth and space sciences at UW.



“Cap carbonates contain information about key properties of Earth's atmosphere and ocean, such as changing levels of carbon dioxide in the air or the acidity of the ocean,” said Thomas. "Our theory now shows how these properties changed during and after Snowball Earth.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-formation-of-cap-carbonates-nbsp">Formation of cap carbonates&nbsp;</h2>



Cap carbonates are layered limestone or dolomite rocks with distinct chemical properties. Today, they can be found in more than 50 locations worldwide, including places like Death Valley, Namibia, Siberia, Ireland, and Australia.&nbsp;



These formations are believed to have resulted from the melting of the ice sheets that once covered Earth, triggering significant shifts in atmospheric and oceanic chemistry. The unique sediments were then deposited on the ocean floor.



The rocks are called “caps” because they lie atop the glacial deposits left behind after the Snowball Earth <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-complete-record-of-snowball-earth-found-in-rock-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">events</a>, and they’re classified as “carbonates” because they consist of carbon-containing limestone or dolomite.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-animals-appeared-after-the-last-snowball-earth-nbsp">Animals appeared after the last Snowball Earth&nbsp;</h2>



Understanding how these rocks formed helps clarify the carbon cycle during periods of dramatic climate shifts. 



This latest study, which models these environmental changes, also provides clues about the evolution of life on Earth and explains why more complex life-forms emerged following the last Snowball Earth.



“Life on Earth was simple - in the form of microbes, algae, or other tiny aquatic organisms - for over two billion years leading up to Snowball Earth,” said senior author David Catling, a professor of earth and space sciences at UW.&nbsp;



“In fact, the billion years leading up to Snowball Earth are called the ‘boring billion’ because so little happened. Then two Snowball Earth events occurred, and soon after, animals appear in the fossil record.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chemistry-of-a-snow-covered-earth-nbsp">Chemistry of a snow-covered Earth&nbsp;</h2>



The new research offers a framework to explain how these two events may be connected. The study models the chemistry and geology during three distinct phases of Snowball Earth.&nbsp;



During the peak of the icy period, the thick ice sheets covering the planet reflected sunlight, though some open water allowed limited exchange between the ocean and atmosphere. Meanwhile, the cold seawater continued reacting with the ocean floor.



Over time, carbon dioxide built up in the atmosphere until it trapped enough heat to warm the planet and melt the ice.&nbsp;



Once this occurred, rainfall began again, and freshwater from glacial melt poured into the oceans, creating a layer of meltwater that floated on top of the denser, salty ocean water.&nbsp;



This layering slowed down ocean circulation. Eventually, ocean mixing resumed, allowing the upper ocean, deep ocean, and atmosphere to interact again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-recovery-from-the-snowball-period-nbsp">Earth's recovery from the Snowball period&nbsp;</h2>



“We predict important changes in the environment as Earth recovered from the Snowball period, some of which affected the temperature, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-for-ocean-acidification-a-silent-killer-of-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">acidity</a>, and circulation of the ocean. Now that we know these changes, we can more confidently figure out how they affected Earth’s life,” noted Thomas.



The research team plans to continue exploring how pockets of life that may have survived during Snowball Earth’s tumultuous aftermath could have evolved into the more complex <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-life-and-environment-co-evolved-over-500-million-years/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life</a> forms that appeared shortly after.



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‘Snowball Earth’ event set the stage for complex life

Some of the most dramatic climate events in history are...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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