In the hidden corners of our world, insects buzz, flutter, and crawl through shrinking habitats - playing roles that sustain life. Yet, while we look away, their numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate. Since the 1970s, studies suggest a jaw-dropping 50% decline in insect biomass.



The culprits? Habitat destruction and climate change. But what happens when these forces collide?



At the intersection of rising temperatures and vanishing habitats, a new and more lethal threat emerges. Researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) set out to unravel this intricate web. 



Led by Professor Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter as part of the LandKlif research cluster, the team conducted a sweeping study across 179 locations in Bavaria. Their findings offer a chilling glimpse into a world where insects struggle to survive in a rapidly changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-farming-is-causing-many-insect-species-to-collapse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">landscape</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-urban-heat-slashes-bee-populations">Urban heat slashes bee populations</h2>



Picture this: a world without bees. Crops wither, habitats shrink, and the hum of life falls silent. The JMU study reveals that bees - crucial pollinators - are bearing the brunt of this environmental assault.



In forests, bees adapted to the heat and maintained their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/very-little-is-known-about-99-of-all-insects-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">populations</a>. But in cities, the story took a darker turn. Urban bee populations plunged by 65% - a staggering drop that spells disaster for pollination.



Dr. Cristina Ganuza, a biologist on the project, highlighted the overlooked role of nighttime temperatures. “The fact that night-time temperatures have such an impact on diurnal insects is significant. Precisely because average night-time temperatures rise even faster than daytime temperatures."



Days sear with heat, and nights fail to cool. Bees, already displaced from their natural habitats, cannot escape the relentless warmth. For them, the city becomes a death trap.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insects-struggle-in-agricultural-habitats">Insects struggle in agricultural habitats</h2>



Higher up the food chain, predators and parasitoids told a different story. These natural pest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-are-still-disappearing-and-there-are-hundreds-of-reasons-why/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">controllers</a> showed surprising resilience in forests and grasslands. But in open agricultural areas, they faced an uphill battle.



“This can have a negative impact on agricultural production because insects that contribute to natural pest control should be similarly affected,” said Dr. Sarah Redlich.



Without these predators to keep pests in check, agricultural losses could mount. However, in areas where agricultural land and natural habitats intermingled, predator populations fared better. This highlights a crucial lesson: not all landscapes are created equal in a warming world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-night-heat-worsens-insect-declines">Night heat worsens insect declines</h2>



As the sun dips below the horizon, insects should find respite. But the night now offers little relief. The JMU study uncovers a hidden enemy - rising nighttime temperatures that hammer diurnal insects like bees.



Bee diversity dropped across all habitat types, from cities to grasslands. This previously unnoticed threat could spell catastrophe for pollinators struggling to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pests-are-moving-to-cooler-regions-due-to-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adapt</a>.



“This previously unknown negative effect of warmer nights on insects reveals a new threat that requires further research to uncover the underlying physiological mechanisms,” said Steffan-Dewenter.



Night after night, the heat persists, robbing insects of the chance to recover. As temperatures rise, even the dark becomes dangerous.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-natural-habitats-protect-insects">Natural habitats protect insects</h2>



Not all habitats shelter insects equally. The JMU study highlights a stark contrast between natural and urbanized landscapes. Forests and grasslands emerged as safe havens, providing refuge and resources.



Warmer daytime temperatures, surprisingly, increased bee diversity in these areas. But in cities, the same heat wave proved deadly, causing bee populations to nosedive.



Researchers emphasize the importance of connecting natural habitats within urban and agricultural areas. Without green corridors, insects lose not just their homes but their pathways to survival.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insect-habitat-loss-disrupts-pollination">Insect habitat loss disrupts pollination</h2>



When insects vanish, the consequences ripple outward. Bees disappear, and flowers go unpollinated. Predators decline, and pests multiply unchecked. Food webs wobble, and entire ecosystems falter.



“Their different responses could disrupt food webs and important ecosystem functions such as pest control and pollination,” said Ganuza.



Insects may be small, but their absence creates a void that echoes throughout the ecosystem. Each disappearance is a thread pulled from the intricate web of life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-comes-next">What comes next? </h2>



The JMU study sounds a stark warning: climate change and habitat loss don’t just coexist - they amplify each other. Yet the findings also point to a way forward.



Maintaining green corridors within agricultural and urban landscapes could provide vital refuges for insects. Implementing strategies that reduce nighttime heat might offer a lifeline to diurnal species struggling to adapt.



Understanding why some insects resist climate change better than others could inform targeted conservation efforts. In a world that’s heating up fast, every degree matters.



The world of insects teeters on the brink. The time to act is now - before the silence grows deafening.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.3053" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</a>.



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Rising heat, shrinking habitats: Insects face hidden threats

In the hidden corners of our world, insects buzz, flutter, and crawl through shrinking habitats - playing roles that sustain life. Yet, while we look away, their numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate. Since the 1970s, studies suggest a jaw-dropping 50% decline in insect biomass. The culprits? Habitat destruction and climate change. But what happens when these forces collide? At the intersection of rising temperatures and vanishing habitats, a new and more lethal threat emerges. Researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) set out to unravel this intricate...

Fish are a major source of micronutrients and essential fatty acids that have a high potential of reducing the rates of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cost-healthy-foods-malnutrition/">malnutrition</a> and its associated health conditions such as maternal mortality, stunted growth, or pre-eclampsia. Unfortunately, a research team led by <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a> has recently found that foreign fishing and international seafood trade exacerbate nutrition insecurity by taking fish away from the waters of nations with high levels of malnutrition and diverting them to wealthier countries.&nbsp;



By analyzing global fish catches, trade, and nutrient composition (calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, omega-3, protein, and vitamin A) for global marine fisheries, the scientists found that over 60 percent of countries receive net gains in fish-related nutrients through international trade, with Nigeria, France, Japan, and Italy gaining the most. However, these practices cause a third of the world’s nations net losses of such nutrients, with over half of them among African countries and vulnerable small island states, where malnutrition is already a major public health problem.



“The findings suggest that when nutritional differences among fish species and nations’ nutritional needs are considered, distributions of fish supplies through foreign fishing, and amplified by international trade, may be undermining nutritional food security and international equity,” said study lead author Kirsty Nash, a research fellow in Marine Socioecology at the <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/">University of Tasmania</a>.



“Marine fisheries hold unrealized potential to help address global nutrient deficiencies but we need to harmonize fisheries, health, and trade policies to ensure nutrients reach people vulnerable to undernutrition. And decision-makers must consider nutrients derived from fisheries as a key resource that needs protection.”&nbsp;



According to study senior author Christina Hicks, an environmental social scientist at the University of Lancaster, these findings highlight that there is an urgent need for greater transparency regarding the distribution of fish and the practice of foreign fishing and international trade. “If fisheries are to achieve their potential to reduce global malnutrition, and the terrible health consequences associated with it, then nutrition security needs to be considered more centrally when countries develop international trade agreements,” she argued.



Together with her team, Professor Hicks developed a new “nutritional vulnerability framework,” which provides strong evidence that small island states and African countries that are currently benefiting from international fishing and trade will likely be among the most vulnerable to future shifts in nutrient supplies caused by changes in international trade and fishing practices.&nbsp;



Moreover, by taking into account the effects of climate change – which will likely lead to overall declines in fisheries production - the experts predict that tropical countries and small island states, such as Papua New Guinea or Guyana, will be the most affected by climate-related changes in fishing and trade patterns.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2120817119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Seafood trade takes fish away from malnourished populations

Fish are a major source of micronutrients and essential fatty...

For over 25 years, drug hunters have been searching for the source of eleutherobin - a natural chemical which has shown promise for treating cancer in initial trials. Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://healthcare.utah.edu/">University of Utah Health</a> has discovered that easy-to-find soft <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-coral-communities-are-doing-better-than-expected/">corals</a> (flexible corals resembling underwater plants) produce this elusive compound. By identifying this source, as well as the corals’ DNA code for synthesizing the chemical, scientists were already able to begin recreating this potentially therapeutic compound in the laboratory.



Soft corals are known to harbor thousands of chemical compounds that could act as anti-inflammatory agents, antibiotics, and other types of drugs. In the 1990s, marine scientists found that a rare coral near Australia carried eleutherobin, a chemical used by corals as a defense against predators. Laboratory investigations showed that this compound could also act as a potent inhibitor of cancer cell growth. However, for over two decades, scientists could not manage to find the chemical in the quantities needed for drug development.



The researchers analyzed samples from soft corals living off the Florida coast to find out whether their genetic code carried instructions for making the compound. Although they did not initially know what the instructions for making the chemical should look like, they searched for regions of coral DNA that resembled genetic instructions for similar kinds of compounds from other species.&nbsp;



After programming lab-grown bacteria to follow coral DNA instructions specific to the soft corals, the microorganisms appeared able to replicate the first steps of producing this potential cancer therapeutic. This proved not only that soft coral are major sources of eleutherobin, but also that this precious compound could be easily manufactured in the laboratory.



“This is the first time we have been able to do this with any drug lead on Earth,” said study senior author Eric Schmidt, a professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Utah Health. “These compounds are harder to find but they’re easier to make in the lab and easier to take as medicine.”



Professor Schmidt and his team hope that, in the near future, drugs derived from these compounds could be given as pills with a glass of water, rather than by injection or other more invasive means.



“My hope is to one day hand these to a doctor,” said study lead author Paul Scesa, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Utah Health. “I think of it as going from the bottom of the ocean to bench to bedside.”&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41589-022-01027-1">Nature Chemical Biology</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Chemical found in soft corals could be used to treat cancer

For over 25 years, drug hunters have been searching for...

Wandering salamanders can parachute and glide from some of the world’s tallest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-value-of-trees-far-exceeds-their-commercial-value/">trees</a>. According to a new study published by Cell Press, the salamanders manage to do this by using postures much like those used by skydivers to slow and control their fall.



“Although hundreds of species of lungless salamanders are known to climb, aerial behavior had not been described,” said study lead author Christian Brown, a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida.



“Our investigation of aerial behavior revealed that highly arboreal species of salamanders, especially the wandering salamander (Aneides vagrans), reliably engage in parachuting and gliding to slow and direct their descent.”



Brown said that since the first time he read about wandering salamanders in National Geographic magazine, he could never stop thinking about them. Years later, he found that the amphibians would jump from his hand before quickly assuming skydiving postures. Brown set out to investigate whether this behavior takes place in nature.



Using a series of wind-tunnel experiments, the researchers observed that salamanders parachuted consistently, and were able to slow their vertical speed by up to 10 percent while falling. About half of the time, the animals also used their tail and torso when gliding at non-vertical angles.



“To observe salamanders, which are generally associated with ponds and streams, in the air is a bit unexpected in and of itself,” said Brown. “Most surprising to us was the exquisite level of control that the more arboreal salamanders had in the vertical wind tunnel. Wandering salamanders were especially adept and seemed to instinctively deploy skydiving postures upon first contact with the airstream."



“These salamanders were not only able to slow themselves down, but also used fine-scale control in pitch, roll, and yaw to maintain upright body postures, execute banking turns, and glide horizontally. This level of aerial control was unexpected because these salamanders do not seem to possess conspicuous features for aerial control.”



Brown said what he finds most noteworthy is that the salamanders, and presumably other animals, don’t necessarily need flashy control surfaces such as webbing or skin flaps to parachute and glide. He wonders what other animals might have hidden skydiving abilities. 



“Scientists have barely scratched the surface in studying the redwood canopy ecosystem and the unique fauna it has shaped through evolutionary time,” said Brown. “With the climate changing at an unprecedented rate, it is vitally important that we collect more data on animals like wandering salamanders so we may better understand, protect, and preserve this delicate ecosystem.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.



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

Some salamanders use skydiving postures to parachute out of trees

Wandering salamanders can parachute and glide from some of the...

Children who grow up in a large family, or with a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-poisoning-in-pets-is-on-the-rise/">pet</a> dog, may have some protection from Crohn’s disease, according to a new study from the <a href="https://gastro.org/">American Gastroenterological Association</a>.



Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects around half a million people in the U.S. It most often develops in young adults, people who smoke, and those with a close family member who has irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain and weight loss. Treatments currently aim to prevent symptom flare-ups through diet modification, medication, and surgery.



“Our study seems to add to others that have explored the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ which suggests that the lack of exposure to microbes early in life may lead to lack of immune regulation toward environmental microbes,” said study senior author Dr. Williams Turpin, a research associate with Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto.



An environmental questionnaire was used to collect information from nearly 4,300 first-degree relatives of people with Crohn’s disease enrolled in the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Genetic, Environmental, and Microbial (CCC-GEM) project.&nbsp;



The research team analyzed several environmental factors, including family size, pet dogs or cats, the number of bathrooms in the house, living on a farm, drinking unpasteurized milk and drinking well water. The analysis also included age at the time of exposure.



The results showed that exposure to dogs from ages 5 to 15 was linked to healthy gut permeability and balanced microbes in the gut and the body’s immune response. These factors are all likely to help protect against Crohn’s disease. In other age groups that had exposure to dogs, similar effects were observed.



Interestingly, the research team did not find the same association with pet cats. “It could potentially be because dog owners get outside more often with their pets or live in areas with more green space, which has been shown previously to protect against Crohn’s," said Dr. Turpin.&nbsp;



The findings also suggest that living with three or more family members in the first year of life was associated with microbiome composition later in life. It is not yet clear why dog ownership or living in a larger family provides protection from Crohn’s.



The gut microbiome is believed to play an important role in many health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure.



Dr. Turpin and his colleagues hope their work can help physicians when diagnosing patients with Crohn’s disease to help determine risk.&nbsp;



The research will be presented at <a href="https://gastro.org/digestive-disease-week-ddw/">Digestive Disease Week</a> (DDW) 2022.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Children with pet dogs have a lower risk of Crohn’s disease

Children who grow up in a large family, or with...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/">British Ecological Society</a> has found that targeted conservation measures are needed to protect bumblebees. Of the 24 bumblebee species found in the UK, one third are listed as species of conservation concern, threatened by loss and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forest-degradation-is-a-major-cause-of-bird-population-declines/">degradation</a> of nesting and feeding habitat.&nbsp;



For the investigation, the researchers used 10 years of data from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s BeeWalk scheme collected by citizen scientists. The study provides the most detailed overview of bumblebee habitat requirements across the UK.



The data from the BeeWalk scheme was combined with land cover data, climate date and detailed observer-collected habitat data. This allowed the researchers to look at associations between 14 UK bumblebee species and types of habitat.



A wide range of differences was found between the species and the types of habitat they are associated with. This suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach to conservation will not protect all species,&nbsp; and that conservation efforts need to be carefully tailored.



The experts identified the kinds of habitat that could be used for conservation. Arable areas were found to be important for rare species like the large garden bumblebee (Bombus ruderatus), the largest species in the UK. Whereas large areas of semi-natural land, like moorland, were important for species such as the moss and the brown-banded carder bees (Bombus muscorum and Bombus humilis), and the bilberry bumblebee (Bombus monticola).



“Our results suggest that reversing the loss of semi-natural areas such as wetlands may be the single most generally effective action for bumblebee conservation, while improving habitats in urban and arable areas could benefit particular rare species. As one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world it’s really important that we better protect our native species and habitats in the UK," said Dr. Penelope Whitehorn of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, who led the study.



"Our study highlights the value of citizen science for understanding bumblebees and their habitats. Citizen science also gives everyone a chance to contribute to protecting these species.”



The study also identified the different habitats of individual bumblebees. The queens and males were associated with areas of scrub, bracken and herbs - habitats that are good for nesting. By contrast, workers were more commonly associated with hedges and lanes, suggesting that these areas are valuable for providing food.



“Bumblebees need areas with lots of flowers available from March right through to September/October. Bees lose this vital resource when habitats are lost entirely because they’re either built on or changed into other environments or degraded through things like pesticide use," explained Richard Comont.



As with many studies that rely on volunteers, the researchers did detect biases. Namely, a bias towards urban areas as volunteers selected sites to monitor bumblebees that were close to where they live. However, the scale of volunteer efforts still covered a wide range of landscapes, allowing for statistically robust findings.



“We’d like to find out why different species are associated with different habitats, so we can create and preserve the right conditions for them in the future," said Dr. Whitehorn. "We also need to better understand how shifting climate and land uses might affect bumblebees and their habitats.”



This study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652664">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Multiple habitats must be protected to save bumblebees

A new study from the British Ecological Society has found...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a> has found that nighttime <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/light-pollution-has-increased-almost-everywhere/">light pollution</a> can interfere with the extraordinary navigational abilities of monarch butterflies, which often travel from Canada to Mexico during multigenerational migrations. Since artificial nightlights interfere with butterflies’ circadian rhythms, the animals often become disoriented and fly when they should be resting.



Scientists have long known that light pollution can significantly disrupt normal circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles of both wildlife and humans. For instance, previous studies have shown that city lights interfere with the navigation of animals such as baby sea turtles, which mistake the artificial lights for the glow of the moon on the ocean, and head out of the water when they should in fact be hatching.&nbsp;



While researchers have already investigated in great depth the effects of light pollution on birds and other animals that migrate at night, animals that migrate during the day, such as the monarch butterflies, have received far less attention.



Although the erratic, circuitous movements taking them to and fro across gardens or orchards can make it difficult to imagine that these creatures are able to stick to a rigid flight plan, their mass migrations across entire continents is a clear proof that they have remarkable navigational capacities.&nbsp;



For instance, millions of monarch butterflies living east of the Rocky Mountains leave their summer breeding grounds in southern Canada and northern US, and travel as much as 4,000 kilometers to overwintering sites across Mexico. They can take up to five generations during this cross-continent journey, which is made possible by amazingly precise internal clocks that tell them where to orient themselves in relation to the position of the sun.



Yet, researchers have now found that monarchs exposed to nighttime light pollution – such as street lamps above their tree roosts – can experience a phase shift, making their bodies think that it’s either earlier or later than it really is. “It’s like jet lag,” said study senior author Patrick Guerra, an assistant professor of Biology at the University of Cincinnati. “Essentially, their sense of time is disturbed.”&nbsp;



By conducting controlled laboratory experiments that simulated and isolated the effects of light trespass perturbation on the monarchs, Professor Guerra and his team found clear evidence that light pollution disrupts the animals’ day-night cycle. Thus, if we want to be hospitable to these beautiful creatures, we should protect them from exposure to nightlights. “It’s something to think about if you’re making a pollinator garden or if you want to be eco-friendly,” Guerra&nbsp;advised.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.104310">iScience</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Light pollution disorients monarch butterflies

A new study led by the University of Cincinnati has...

Pterosaur,Scene,3d,Illustration

With gigantic wings that reach 10 meters in length, the Quetzalcoatlus was the largest flying species to have ever lived. One of the most exciting moments of the new Jurassic Park sequel, Jurassic World Dominion, is when one of these giant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-solved-pterosaurs-had-colorful-feathers/">pterosaurs</a> swoops down and attacks the heroes’ aircraft.&nbsp;



However, researchers from <a href="https://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/">Nagoya University</a> suggest that the movie gets it wrong. By undertaking aerodynamic analysis, the experts have demonstrated that Quetzalcoatlus would not have been able to fly more than a short distance.&nbsp;



The research team compared the ability of extinct giant flying creatures and modern birds to soar using wind and air currents in an energy-efficient way..



There are two types of soaring: thermal soaring, which uses updrafts to ascend and glide, such as eagles and frigatebirds; and dynamic soaring, which uses wind gradients over the ocean, as in the case of albatrosses and petrels.&nbsp;



The performance of thermal and dynamic soaring was calculated for four extinct species and compared to the performance of present-day birds. The research team found that the famous Pteranodon of Jurassic Park III fame likely excelled at soaring using updrafts over the sea, similar to modern frigatebirds.



However, the study found that Quetzalcoatlus was not suited for soaring flight even when atmospheric density parameters were changed. This was largely due to the proportions of its large wings and large body size resulting in poor performance.



“This suggests that the wind conditions under which Quetzalcoatlus could conduct sustainable thermal soaring were limited," explained the study authors&nbsp; Although it had previously been thought that Quetzalcoatlus was a proficient thermal soarer able to cover 10,000 miles without touching the ground, our studies show that its thermal soaring abilities were below that of modern birds."&nbsp;



"We suppose that&nbsp; the flight styles of Quetzalcoatlus and other similar sized pterosaurs were similar to those of the kori bustard that is a short-range flyer and spend most of their time on land.”&nbsp;



The experts also looked at two extinct giant birds, Argentavis magnificens, the heaviest flying bird that ever existed, and Pelagornis sandersi, which had the largest known wingspan. Here, a surprising discovery was found. Like previous studies which showed that Argentavis was suited to thermal soaring, the results of the current study found that Pelagornis was suited to thermal soaring, (despite previous studies that thought the bird used dynamic soaring).



While these findings were released too late to improve Jurassic World Dominion, the results will likely change the way extinct giant birds and pterosaurs are portrayed in future sequels.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus">PNAS Nexus</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Jurassic Park was wrong about how fast pterosaurs could fly

With gigantic wings that reach 10 meters in length, the...

A new strategy using technology like satellites and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drones-can-help-monitor-the-health-of-remote-seabird-colonies/">drones</a> can provide key information to protect pollinators. The researchers examined innovative ways of using these techniques to track the availability of flowers. When combined with behavioral studies, this could help us see the world through the eyes of insects.



The flowers that are available to insects can vary, and human activities are changing landscapes in ways that affect pollinators. The University of Exeter researchers hope their findings can help better understand these changes, leading to better conservation.



"Recent advances in drone and satellite technology have created new opportunities," said lead author Dunia Gonzales, from the <a href="https://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/research/centres/crab/">Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour</a> at the University of Exeter.



"Drones can now give us fine details of a landscape - on the scale of individual flowers - and combining this with satellite imagery, we can learn about the food available to pollinators across a large area."



"Along with behavioral studies of insects, this will help us understand the threats they face and how to design conservation programmes.”



Pollinator species, including wild bees, provide key services such as pollinating food crops. Sadly, many pollinator species are in decline.&nbsp;



The research team believes that their work can help protect the great diversity of pollinator species that play vital roles in our ecosystems. This is more urgent now than ever before, as the impacts of climate change on pollinator behavior and habitats are unknown.



"Up to now, most research using satellites has focussed on large-scale agricultural landscapes such as oilseed rape, maize and almond farms," said Gonzales. "We highlight the need to study landscapes with complex communities of plants and pollinators."



"These vary from place to place – and using satellites and drones together is a good way to learn about these local differences.”



The paper is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</a>. The article is part of a special issue called "What sensory ecology might learn from landscape ecology" edited by Brazilian researchers.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drones can assist efforts to save bees and other pollinators

A new strategy using technology like satellites and drones can...

Baby sea <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-sea-turtles-still-dying-on-the-east-african-coast/">turtles</a>, including leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), typically hatch at night. The young leatherbacks use the difference of light reflecting off the sea to orient themselves. It’s because of this method of navigation that turtles which hatch near inhabited areas often crawl toward the light from buildings and away from the ocean.&nbsp;



While trying to find the ocean, leatherback babies sometimes crawl in circles. This "circling" behavior depletes energy and leaves the young turtle at greater risk of being picked off by a predator such as a crab or gull.



To understand why circling happens in leatherbacks, researchers at <a href="https://www.fau.edu/">Florida Atlantic University</a> first studied how sensitive the babies are to light. The scientists determined that compared to hard-shelled loggerhead sea turtles, leatherbacks are 10 to 100 times less sensitive to light.



The research, which was published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/animal-behaviour">Animal Behaviour</a>, revealed that leatherback circling increased when there was a new moon and the night sky was at its darkest. On the other hand, loggerheads rarely circled, even when they had little light to guide their way. The results are surprising because while leatherbacks feed during both day and night, loggerheads are known to only be active during daylight hours.          



“Leatherback eyes are less sensitive to all wavelengths of light than loggerheads, and during a dark night, they experience difficulty in determining the location of the seaward horizon,” said study first author Samantha Trail.



“Even so, leatherback hatchlings eventually crawl to the sea, even during new moon. It just takes them longer because they stop occasionally to circle, which we think enables them to re-evaluate, and eventually confirm, the correct crawl direction.”



The real question is why leatherback turtles would remain less sensitive to light when it's so important for their survival. From an evolutionary perspective this is a major cost.&nbsp;



The scientists theorize that leatherbacks haven’t evolved more light sensitivity because their difference in vision has other benefits. Perhaps having less light sensitive eyes allows them to better find prey, mates or suitable habitat - which is possible because loggerheads live in different parts of the ocean.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Baby leatherbacks are blind to the ocean

Baby sea turtles, including leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), typically hatch at...

Humans rely on a variety of cues to identify their friends, including their voices and smiles, or the way they talk. Biologists have long known that dolphins too can form close friendships with their conspecifics, and they can identify their friends by their unique whistles. Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St Andrews</a> in Scotland has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/are-bottlenose-dolphins-really-that-smart/">bottlenose dolphins</a> also rely on a very surprising cue to recognize their pals: the taste of their urine.



The researchers conducted a series of experiments on captive dolphins at the <a href="https://dolphinquest.com/">Dolphin Quest</a> facilities in Hawaii and Bermuda, where they knew which dolphins were familiar with each other based on who had lived together for at least five years. By pouring both familiar and unfamiliar urine samples into a pool, they discovered that dolphins spent about three times longer investigating the familiar urine than the unfamiliar one.



“We still know very little about how the sense of taste works in dolphins,” said study senior author Vincent Janik, a professor of Biology at the University of St Andrews. “Other studies have shown that they lost a lot of the common tastes that we find in other mammals such as sour, sweet, umami, or bitter. But they have unusual sensory cells on their tongue that are probably involved in this detection of individual tastes of other animals.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



“It is likely that dolphins use a lipid taste receptor to identify urine cues in their fellow dolphins,” added study lead author Jason Bruck, an assistant professor of Physical and Social Ecology at the <a href="https://www.sfasu.edu/">Stephen F. Austin State University</a> in Texas, who conducted this research during a fellowship at the University of St. Andrews.&nbsp;



In order to test whether dolphins had a paired understanding of other dolphins’ cues – if their whistles and urine were connected in their minds – Professor Bruck and his colleagues performed an “expectation violation” experiment, in which they exposed dolphins to incorrect urine-whistle combinations.&nbsp;



While the dolphins did not pay much attention in the case of mismatches, when they encountered a correct urine-whistle pair, they explored the area for an average of 10 seconds longer. These results suggest that dolphins can identify conspecifics by taste alone, but can also integrate information from acoustic and taste inputs.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Future research is needed to clarify the mechanisms through which dolphins use gustatory cues to identify their conspecifics, and to investigate how commercial and industrial chemicals might affect dolphins’ “urine cuing.”&nbsp;



“We may find that oil spills, chemical runoff and other human effects can impede the dolphins’ natural ability to chemically signal to one another. This might prevent males from identifying reproductively capable females or diminish dolphins’ abilities to recognize individuals through honest signals,” Professor Bruck concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm7684">Science Advances</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dolphins recognize their friends by the taste of their urine

Humans rely on a variety of cues to identify their...

Caring for insects as pets may sound strange, but thousands of people all over the world already have praying mantises and other stick <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-found-a-terrifying-decline-in-flying-insects/">insects</a> as pets, according to a new report from <a href="https://pensoft.net/">Pensoft Publishers</a>.



Praying mantises are gaining popularity and fueling a largely unknown market. They are sold at fairs and pet markets, or collected in the wild and then reared by amateurs or professionals.&nbsp;



Some are elegant, with flower-like coloration (the Orchid Mantis, Hymenopus coronatus), and some resemble Pokémons (the Jeweled Flower Mantis, Creobroter wahlbergii). Surprisingly, some of these creatures can even be cuddled (the Giant Shield Mantis Rhombodera basalis).



When selecting an insect as a pet, features such as shape, size, colors, and behaviors are considered. Customers also shop for species that are rare or easy to care for.&nbsp;



It is important to understand how this market, which is largely unregulated, is changing. This could be crucial to conserve rare species and promote awareness of their habitat and place in the ecosystem.



Now, researchers have published a <a href="https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.31.71458">first overview</a> of the praying mantis pet market. The research team includes Roberto Battiston of Museo di Archeologia e Scienze Naturali G. Zannato (Italy), William di Pietro of the World Biodiversity Association (Italy) and entomologist Kris Anderson (USA).&nbsp;



The study authors surveyed 200 hobbyists, professional sellers in the mantis community from 28 different countries. The results showed that the targets of this market are indeed predictable. The typical mantis breeder or enthusiast is 19 to 30 years old, prefers beautiful species over rare ones, and is willing to spend over $30 per insect.&nbsp;



The researchers identified buyers as “mostly curious enthusiasts with poor knowledge of the market dynamics and the laws behind it, even if they seem to generally care about their pet.”



But the data suggests the trade is not always legal. One out of four instances lack permits or transparency from the seller. To ensure these species are conserved in nature, the researchers emphasize that collaboration between scientists and the insect pet community should be considered.&nbsp;



The biology, distribution, and threats to insects are largely unknown. Many species are still waiting to be discovered. This is a big limit to conservation, since you cannot protect what you don’t know.



“Hobbyists and pet insect enthusiasts are producing and sharing a huge quantity of observations on the biology and ecology of hundreds of species, even rare or still undescribed ones, a priceless heritage for the scientific community,” said the researchers.&nbsp;



“Strengthening the dialogue between them, promoting a white market over a black one, may be a crucial help for the conservation of these insects, fundamental parts of the biodiversity of our planet, that are replacing our traditional pets at home.”



The research is published in the <a href="https://jor.pensoft.net/">Journal of Orthoptera Research</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Praying mantises are becoming more popular as pets

Caring for insects as pets may sound strange, but thousands...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acv.12788">Animal Conservation</a> has provided the first global evaluation of all terrestrial vertebrate species that have not been declared <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pink-pigeons-need-a-genetic-rescue-to-survive-extinction/">extinct</a> in order to identify which of these species have not been spotted for at least 50 years, and are thus considered to be “lost,” but perhaps not yet fully extinct. By reviewing information on 32,802 species from the IUCN Red List, the experts have identified 562 such lost species.



The IUCN considers a species as extinct “when there is no reasonable doubt the last individual of a species has died,” and declared a total of 311 terrestrial vertebrate species as extinct since 1500. However, according to the study authors, extinction declarations are rare, partly due to inherent uncertainties in knowing when the last individual of the species has died. 



"This has led to the growth of a group of ‘lost’ species that have not been observed in decades or even centuries, yet are not declared extinct, and as such possess an uncertain conservation status," said the researchers.



From the 562 species that are considered lost, the Red List categorizes 75 as “possibly extinct.” Among this list, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-in-five-reptiles-is-currently-at-risk-of-extinction/">reptiles</a> lead the way with 257 lost species, followed by 137 species of amphibians, 130 of mammals, and 38 of birds. Most of these species were last spotted in megadiverse countries such as Indonesia (69 species), Mexico (33), and Brazil (29).



While not surprising, this distribution of lost species is particularly worrying. “The fact most of these lost species are found in megadiverse tropical countries is worrying, given such countries are expected to experience the highest numbers of extinctions in the coming decades,” explained study lead author Thomas Martin from the <a href="https://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/">Paignton Zoo</a> in the United Kingdom.



According to study senior author Arne Mooers, a professor of Biodiversity at the<a href="https://www.sfu.ca/"> Simon Fraser University</a>, future survey efforts concentrated on the identified “hotspots” where the existence of many species is uncertain are needed to either rediscover lost species or to remove the reasonable doubt that a particular lost species actually still exists. 



“While theoretical estimates of ongoing ‘extinction rates’ are fine and good, looking hard for actual species seems better,” Professor Mooers concluded.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

More than 500 animal species are lost, but are they extinct?

A new study published in the journal Animal Conservation has...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" 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 Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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;



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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"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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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;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" 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> 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



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



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

The 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...

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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



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://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;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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