The Mediterranean Sea, the largest enclosed sea on Earth, is a unique ecosystem renowned for its rich biodiversity. Home to over 11,000 animal species, some of which are endemic, this basin is now facing a significant challenge: the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predatory-lionfish-have-arrived-in-the-south-atlantic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">invasion of lionfish</a>.



A comprehensive study conducted by researchers from Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, has shed light on the rapid spread of lionfish in the Mediterranean and the potential ecological impacts of this invasive species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-venomous-spines-and-unconventional-beauty">Venomous spines and unconventional beauty</h2>



Lionfish possess a striking appearance that sets them apart from other marine fish species. Their body bears a series of distinctive vertical stripes, alternating between dark brown or maroon and white. These stripes act as a warning coloration, signaling to potential predators that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/targeted-removal-of-lionfish-may-prove-helpful/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lionfish are venomous</a>. 



Lionfish have a complex system of venomous spines along their dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins. Their spines contain venom glands that can deliver a painful and potentially dangerous sting to humans and other predators. 



The fins of lionfish are large and elongated, giving them a majestic and flowing appearance as they swim through the water. Their head features a series of elaborate, antennae-like projections called cirri, which add to their unique and striking appearance. 



Lionfish can grow up to 18 inches (45 cm) in length and weigh up to 2.6 pounds (1.2 kg), making them a substantial presence in the ecosystems they inhabit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ravenous-lionfish-appetite-quickly-destroys-ecosystems">Ravenous lionfish appetite quickly destroys ecosystems</h2>



Lionfish are opportunistic and voracious predators that consume a wide variety of prey. Their diet primarily consists of small fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. 



They use their large, fan-like pectoral fins to corral and trap their prey before swiftly engulfing them with their expandable stomachs. They're also known to consume prey up to half their own body size, allowing them to take advantage of a broad range of food sources. 



Lionfish have a high metabolism and can consume substantial amounts of prey in a single feeding session. Studies have shown that lionfish can reduce the abundance of native fish populations by up to 80% in heavily invaded areas. 



Their indiscriminate appetite and ability to adapt to various prey species make them a significant threat to the biodiversity of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/functional-eradication-may-be-the-best-approach-to-invasive-species/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ecosystems they invade</a>. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seas-under-siege-as-lionfish-spread-around-the-world">Seas under siege as lionfish spread around the world</h2>



The new study from <a href="https://www.wur.nl/en.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wageningen University and Research</a>, published in the open-access journal NeoBiota, reveals that the lionfish species Pterois miles has significantly expanded its territory in the Mediterranean since the invasion began around a decade ago.



Lead author Davide Bottacini is very impressed by the adaptability of these predators. Expressing his astonishment, he explained, "After years studying these predators, I find it amazing how they can easily adjust to so many different environments and be successful in areas that are so different from the ones where they evolve."



Originally from the Indo-Pacific region, lionfish species Pterois miles and Pterois volitans are considered the most successful <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/invasive-species-plants-animals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">invasive fishes</a> in marine ecosystems. They have established a presence in the eastern Mediterranean, with observations now extending to colder waters previously thought to be unsuitable for the species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lionfish-show-remarkable-resilience-in-new-ecosystems">Lionfish show remarkable resilience in new ecosystems</h2>



Lionfish exert a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lionfish-invasion-is-the-fastest-ever-reported-in-the-mediterranean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">significant ecological impact</a> on the ecosystems they invade through their predatory behavior. As generalist predators, they voraciously consume a wide variety of native fish species, including those of high conservation value and endemic to the region.



Bottacini notes, "It is always impressive to see how such a flamboyant and–to us–conspicuous predator can approach its prey without being noticed." Native prey species, unaccustomed to lionfish, usually do not flee from this new predator.



Lionfish's indiscriminate appetite can drastically alter local fish communities and threaten biodiversity in invaded areas. Their efficient hunting tactics, combined with the naivety of native prey species unfamiliar with this new predator, allow lionfish to catch their prey with ease.



The presence of lionfish can lead to a decline in the abundance and diversity of native fish populations, potentially disrupting the delicate balance of the ecosystem.



The impact of lionfish extends beyond their immediate prey, as they may compete with other predators for food resources and alter the structure of the food web.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-the-red-sea-to-the-mediterranean">From the Red Sea to the Mediterranean</h2>



Genetic studies have revealed that the lionfish found in the Mediterranean originate from the Red Sea and likely entered through the Suez Canal. 



This finding underscores the importance of monitoring and regulating the movement of species through artificial waterways to prevent the introduction of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-glaciers-unleash-invasive-species-into-unexpected-areas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">invasive species</a> into vulnerable ecosystems.



The study identifies gaps in our understanding of the lionfish's interactions with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollution-in-the-mediterranean-sea-is-an-urgent-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mediterranean ecosystems</a> and proposes future research directions to address these challenges. 



Such information is vital for biodiversity conservation and will have practical implications for policymakers aiming to devise effective mitigation plans.



The researchers also highlight the crucial role of citizen science initiatives in tracking and reporting lionfish sightings. 



Community involvement provides valuable data that supports ongoing research efforts and is essential for enhancing our understanding of the invasion dynamics and devising effective control measures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lionfish-and-the-future-of-earth-s-marine-ecosystems">Lionfish and the future of Earth’s marine ecosystems</h2>



In summary, the lionfish invasion in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-in-the-mediterranean-are-moving-to-deeper-water-to-survive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mediterranean Sea</a> demands immediate attention and action. As these adaptable predators continue to expand their territory and threaten the region's unique biodiversity, we must prioritize research efforts to better understand their ecological impact and develop effective mitigation strategies. 



By fostering collaboration among scientists, policymakers, and local communities, we can work towards controlling the spread of lionfish and protecting the Mediterranean's delicate ecosystems. 



The future of this remarkable sea and its countless species depends on our collective commitment to conservation and our willingness to confront the challenges posed by invasive species head-on.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/110442/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NeoBiota</a>.



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Invasive lionfish continue conquering global marine ecosystems

The Mediterranean Sea, the largest enclosed sea on Earth, is a unique ecosystem renowned for its rich biodiversity. Home to over 11,000 animal species, some of which are endemic, this basin is now facing a significant challenge: the invasion of lionfish. A comprehensive study conducted by researchers from Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands, has shed light on the rapid spread of lionfish in the Mediterranean and the potential ecological impacts of this invasive species. Venomous spines and unconventional beauty Lionfish possess a striking appearance that sets...

A new study from <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">UC Boulder</a> has produced the first evidence that coral reefs are highly sensitive to how quickly a target fishing level is reached. The researchers found that when fishing is increased too rapidly, it can cause entire <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-corals-found-deep-in-the-great-barrier-reef/">reef</a> ecosystems to collapse. 

Many fisheries set target fishing levels in an effort to maximize harvest while maintaining long-term sustainability. It would seem that target fishing levels should be approached as quickly as possible. 

However, the results of the study suggest that fishing levels should be reached more slowly to protect reef communities. "The ecosystem depends on the pace at which the environment is changing, not just the magnitude," explained study lead author Mike Gil.

In previous studies, Gil determined that fish look to each other to assess the risk of venturing out to eat algae from a patch of reef. With more fish at a location, it appears safer and additional fish are likely to join the feast. 

This type of feedback loop also works in the other direction. If there are not many fish at a location on the reef, other fish are deterred because it does not seem safe. 

"This feedback makes the ecosystem more prone to collapse under fishing pressure but also more prone to recovery as fishing is reduced. Social fish essentially cause the ecosystem to be much more sensitive, overall, and to be hypersensitive to exactly how quickly we remove fish," said Gil.

The researchers used extensive datasets on reef fish behavior as well as artificial intelligence to track exactly what each fish did and saw every second. 

"We've shown that an animal that maybe a lot of folks would assume is kind of dumb is, in fact, embedded in a social network and is highly influenced by its neighbors, just like humans," said Gil.

Even fish of different species were found to pay close attention to each other, looking for clues as to when it was safe to wander out into dangerous parts of the reef. The fish also stay longer and eat more in these exposed areas when there are larger numbers of fish around.

The new details on how fast fish can be sustainably harvested can inform local and regional scale management decisions that deal with fishing quotas.

Beyond the pressures of fishing, reefs also face other human-induced environmental changes such as nutrient pollution and ocean warming, which has severely damaged reefs worldwide.

"Coral reefs are incredibly tough, resilient ecosystems, but they are not so tough in the face of many challenges happening simultaneously," said Gil.

"As ecologists, we're trying to understand why we see what we see when we step into nature. And if we understand how these ecosystems function, we can effectively manage them and keep them around for future generations."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fishing levels can destroy or save coral reef ecosystems

A new study from UC Boulder has produced the first...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.stir.ac.uk/">University of Stirling</a> have led an international study to investigate how climate change has impacted Central Africa's <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/extreme-rainfall-patterns-disrupt-rainforest-food-webs/">rainforests</a>, as well as the unique elephants that dwell in them. 

The study revealed that a substantial decline in the body condition of the forest elephants has coincided with a drop in the productivity of fruit trees in the Lopé National Park in Gabon. 

The research team determined that fruit production had declined by 81 percent between 1986 and 2018. This correlated with an 11-percent drop in the physical condition of forest elephants since 2008.

On average, elephants and other animals would have been able to find ripe fruit on one in every 10 trees in the 1980s, but have to search more than 50 trees today.

"Large animals like forest elephants are already under severe pressure in Central Africa due to hunting, habitat loss and habitat degradation. If important protected areas like Lopé National Park in Gabon can no longer support them because there is not enough food, then we may see further population declines, jeopardizing their survival in the long-term," said study co-lead author Dr. Robin Whytock.

"We know that large bodied animals, like elephants, are disproportionately important for the healthy functioning of ecosystems and their loss could result in broad changes to forest systems and even reduce the amount of carbon stored there."

The climate of central Africa has become hotter and drier since the 1980s, with the average temperature increasing by almost 10 degrees Celsius. This climate shift is most likely responsible for the decline in rainforest fruit production. For example, some fruit tree species in Lopé National Park are dependent on cooler temperatures to trigger flowering. 

"The massive collapse in fruiting among more than 70 tree species studied at Lopé National Park, Gabon may be due to species missing the environmental cue to bear fruit, because of increased temperatures and less rainfall," said study co-lead author Dr. Emma Bush.

"Less fruit in the ecosystem will have huge impacts on forest dynamics such as seed dispersal, plant reproduction and food availability for wildlife such as forest elephants, chimpanzees, and gorillas."

The research is part of a 37-year, ongoing collaboration between the University and the Government of Gabon. The study has generated a unique dataset that allows researchers to monitor how the rainforests and wildlife of the Congo Basin are responding to climate change.

Study co-author Lee White is Gabon's Minister of Water, Forest, Sea and Environment, and an honorary professor at the University of Stirling.

"Long-term ecological research such as ours is unfortunately extremely rare in the tropics, and it is possible that similar processes are underway, but undetected, throughout the tropical rainforests of our planet," said Professor White. 

"It is alarming that climate change may be resulting in forest elephants going hungry, and we need to seriously consider whether this is forcing elephants out of the forests to approach rural villages in search of food, resulting in an increase in crop raiding."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

African forest elephants are running out of fruit

Researchers at the University of Stirling have led an international...

Biologists at the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/">University of Massachusetts Amherst</a> are describing how cichlid fish changed their shape after a river in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-amazon-is-rapidly-approaching-a-tipping-point/">Amazon</a> was dammed. By studying fish in this context, experts can gain a better understanding of how living organisms, in general, may adapt to major human-induced environmental changes.

In 1984, a dam was closed in the Tocantins River in Brazil. The modification rapidly transformed this clear, flowing river into a deep, murky reservoir. The researchers theorized that fish would exhibit changes in body shape as they shifted their habitats and foraging behavior to adapt to the drastically different surroundings. 

"The once-historic rapids and streams that characterized the system have disappeared from the surrounding area, which in turn has affected the abundance and variety of food sources available to native fishes," wrote the study authors.

The team analyzed museum collections of cichlid fish from before the dam was closed and compared the characteristics of these fish with specimens collected by fishermen 34 years later.

Study co-lead author Craig Albertson said that cichlid fish are known for their ability to alter, in as little as a single season, aspects of their body shape to match feeding conditions and other environmental shifts. 

The researchers evaluated changes in six native species of cichlid fish, ranging from large carnivores to small omnivores. The fish represented distinct local groups with body shapes that match their ecological roles.

"Our overarching hypothesis is that the damming of the Tocantins and subsequent formation of the Tucuruí reservoir has induced shifts in habitat and foraging behavior and that the anatomy of resident cichlid populations has change in ways that allow them to adapt to this novel environmental conditions. This study represents a first step toward assessing this hypothesis," explained Albertson.

"Was anything surprising? Yes! While we expected to see changes in generalist species - those that are already predisposed toward living in a variety of habitats - we were surprised to see shape changes in the specialists as well," said study co-lead author Chase Gilbert. 

"Evolving to specialize on a particular prey-type or habitat, can provide a competitive advantage in the near term, but it can also be an evolutionary dead end in the face of major environmental changes."

According to the researchers, not only are these specialist species still found in the area, but they seem to be just as capable of changing body shape as the generalists.

Albertson said that changes across all species were associated with functionally relevant aspects of anatomy, such as the head, fin, and body shape. He noted that the parts of the body that changed over time are exactly those most likely to allow them to survive in their new environment.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17524571">Evolutionary Applications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cichlid fish transform their shape to handle environmental changes

Biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst are describing how...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.uab.cat/">Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona</a> have investigated the case of the first known cat infected with <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/viruses-related-to-sars-cov-2-could-cause-future-pandemics/">SARS-CoV-2</a> in Spain. The researchers ultimately confirmed that cats produce antibodies that not only block the spread of the virus, but also protect cats from developing any symptoms.

The 4-year-old cat named Negrito lived with a family affected by COVID-19. When the cat seemed to be having respiratory difficulties, he was diagnosed with a terminal case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and euthanized at a veterinary hospital.

A necropsy performed at the High Biosafety Level Laboratories of the Animal Health Research Center (CReSA) confirmed that Negrito suffered from feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and had no other symptoms compatible with a coronavirus infection. Meanwhile, testing showed that the cat had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 with a low viral load.

The experts performed serological tests on Negrito and on another cat that also lived with the same family, Whisky, who had not displayed any symptoms of coronavirus. The tests revealed that both cats had developed antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. 

"In both cases we have detected neutralizing antibodies, in other words, they have the ability to bind to the virus and block it, this is important because it shows us that the immune system of cats can deal with SARS-CoV-2 and, in these specific cases, protect them from developing symptoms," said study co-author Julià Blanco. 

Ongoing trials have shown that, in addition to becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2, cats can transmit the virus to nearby cats without any clinical signs. However, the researchers suspected that both Negrito and Whisky had been infected by their owners because they did not have contact with other cats.

The genetic sequence of the virus that infected Negrito turned out to share 99.9 percent similarity with the virus of one of the owners, who had died from COVID-19. Study co-author Marc Noguera-Julián said that this suggests that the cat became directly infected from family members.

Considering the number of humans infected with COVID-19 compared to the relatively few cases in animals, the experts say that animals are not playing a significant role in the spread of the virus.

"Pets play a negligible role in the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 and, in particular, cats become very residually infected and there is no evidence of transmission of the virus to humans. This is a case of reverse zoonosis, in which cats are the side victims without the virus causing them health problems," said study co-author Júlia Vergara-Alert.

There has been one reported case in the Netherlands in which a farmer became infected with SARS-CoV-2 through a minks cat, which is the first known potential case of human transmission from a cat.

"We want to check if the case of Negrito and Whisky has been punctual or is repeated in more cases; in this way we will have more scientific information on how the most common pets can become infected with SARS-CoV-2 and to what degree," said study co-author Professor Joaquim Segalés. 

"So far, it is known that around the world there have been some cases of cats and dogs that have become infected through their owners, but these animals have not suffered a serious illness and there is no evidence that they have transmitted the virus to their owners."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cats can fight off COVID-19 with no symptoms of infection

Scientists at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona have investigated the case...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/">Yale-NUS College</a> and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have discovered that tarantulas can see colors, which provides brand new insight into why the giant <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hurricanes-aggressive-spiders/">spiders</a> are often bright blue or green.

The experts report that tarantulas are not as color-blind as previously thought, as their findings suggest that the spiders can perceive the bright blue colors on potential mates. While the blue colors on tarantulas are likely used for signaling mates, the researchers theorize that the green colors are used as a camouflage.

"While the precise function of blueness remains unclear, our results suggest that tarantulas may be able to see these blue displays, so mate choice is a likely potential explanation," said study co-lead author Dr. Saoirse Foley.

"We have set an impetus for future projects to include a behavioural element to fully explore these hypotheses, and it is very exciting to consider how further studies will build upon our results."

The researchers studied the expression of various proteins known as opsins, which are usually found in the eyes of animals. They found that most tarantulas have almost the same range of opsins that are expressed in spiders that have good color vision, such as the Peacock Spider.

The team used phylogenetic analyses to  reconstruct the colors of 110 million-year-old tarantula ancestors and determined that they were most likely blue. The study revealed that the evolution of green coloration appears to depend on whether the spider is tree-dwelling, which means that the color functions as a camouflage.

The research also showed that the blue coloration of tarantulas has been lost more frequently than it has been gained. On the other hand, the green coloration has evolved a few times but has never been lost.

"Our finding that blueness was lost multiple times in the New World, while regained in the Old, is very intriguing. This leaves several fascinating avenues for future research, when considering how the ecological pressures in the New and the Old Worlds vary," said study co-lead author Dr. Vinod Kumar Saranathan. 

"For instance, one hypothesis would be differences in the light environments of the habitats between the New and the Old World, which can affect how these colours might be perceived, if indeed they can be, as our results suggest."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/for-authors">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists solve the mystery of why tarantulas are blue

Scientists at Yale-NUS College and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have...

Pets played a role in protecting their owners from psychological <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pandemic-related-losses-and-media-exposure-linked-to-stress-and-depression/">stress</a> and loneliness during COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>. Among thousands of survey respondents who were pet owners, 90 percent said their pet helped them cope emotionally with the lockdown, while 96 percent said their pet helped keep them stay active and fit.

"Findings from this study also demonstrated potential links between people's mental health and the emotional bonds they form with their pets: measures of the strength of the human-animal bond were higher among people who reported lower scores for mental health-related outcomes at baseline," said study lead author Dr. Elena Ratschen.

Overall, most pet owners who participated in the research perceived their pets to be a source of considerable support for them as they sheltered in place. The researchers found that the mental health benefits were not significantly different among species, with the most common pets being cats and dogs.

"We also discovered that in this study, the strength of the emotional bond with pets did not statistically differ by animal species, meaning that people in our sample felt on average as emotionally close to, for example, their guinea pig as they felt to their dog," said Dr. Ratschen. "It will be important to ensure that pet owners are appropriately supported in caring for their pet during the pandemic."

Study co-author Daniel Mills  is a professor in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln.

"This work is particularly important at the current time as it indicates how having a companion animal in your home can buffer against some of the psychological stress associated with lockdown. However, it is important that everyone appreciates their pet's needs too, as our other work shows failing to meet these can have a detrimental effect for both people and their pets."

The surveys, which were conducted in the UK, revealed that the most popular interaction with animals other than pets was birdwatching. Nearly 55 percent of participants reported watching and feeding birds in their garden.

"While our study showed that having a pet may mitigate some of the detrimental psychological effects of the COVID-19 lockdown, it is important to understand that this finding is unlikely to be of clinical significance and does not warrant any suggestion that people should acquire pets to protect their mental health during the pandemic," noted Dr. Ratschen.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pet owners felt less lonely and stressed during COVID-19 lockdown

Pets played a role in protecting their owners from psychological...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a> reveals that reduced noise pollution during <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-will-be-a-seasonal-virus-after-herd-immunity-is-reached/">COVID-19</a> restrictions gave some bird communities the opportunity to improve their songs. 

When scientists evaluated the birdsong of white-crowned sparrows in the San Francisco Bay area, they discovered that the birds were performing higher quality songs after the lockdown.

"Anthropogenic noise pollution (ANP) is a globally invasive phenomenon impacting natural systems, but most research has occurred at local scales with few species," wrote the researchers. 

"We investigated continental‐scale breeding season associations with ANP for 322 bird species to test whether small‐scale predictions related to breeding habitat, migratory behavior, body mass and vocal traits are consistent at broad spatial extents for an extensive group of species."

The study was focused on the difference in bird songs before and after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in both urban and rural environments.

The findings strongly suggest that previously reported regional changes, which resulted in lower quality songs, were the direct result of increased anthropogenic noise pollution. The interference of noise can compromise the male birds' ability to defend their territories, and the long-term consequences on reproductive success are largely unknown. 

A research team led by Elizabeth Derryberry has been monitoring urban and rural populations of white-crowned sparrows in the San Francisco Bay area for years. The scientists previously showed that as urban noise levels have increased in the region - primarily due to rising levels of traffic - the sparrows have begun singing songs that are characterized by higher minimum frequencies. This strategy allows the birds to communicate across greater distances, but results in a lower quality vocal performance. 

In the current study, the experts set out to see how birds may have adapted their songs with a drop in traffic and noise levels during the statewide COVID-19 shelter-in-place order. They compared birdsong data from April to June 2015 to recordings made at the same sites from April to May 2020. 

The scientists discovered that sparrows in the most recent group showed reductions in vocal minimum frequencies that led to higher quality vocal performance.

The study authors noted that these changes were much more notable for birds in urban areas, which likely gave these birds much greater capacity to compete for breeding territories. 

According to the researchers, the results reveal how quickly birds can adapt to changing environments and suggest that lasting remediation might lead to other promising outcomes, including higher species diversity.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Birds emerged from COVID-19 shutdown with better songs

A new study from the American Association for the Advancement...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a>, experts describe how better conservation planning could improve the lives of humans while still protecting <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/latin-america-contains-a-third-of-the-worlds-biodiversity/">biodiversity</a>.

Study lead author Jaramar Villarreal-Rosas is a PhD candidate in UQ's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. She said the benefits people receive from ecosystems, also known as ecosystem services, are under increasing threat worldwide due to the negative impacts of human activities.

"There's been a substantial decrease in the quality and quantity of freshwater from wetland ecosystems in the Americas since European settlement, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services," said Villarreal-Rosas. "The same data shows that, at the same time, pollination services - from insects and birds - are declining in Europe and Central Asia." 

According to Villarreal-Rosas, these are critical services that we tend to take for granted - the food we eat, the air we breathe, or the sense of relaxation after a walk in a park. "And to date, landscape planning decisions have largely been made without fully considering the multiple benefits people obtain from nature."

The research team analyzed 326 published studies that applied systematic conservation planning for ecosystem services worldwide. The experts investigated the extent to which the papers correctly integrated the benefits people receive from ecosystems, and whether the research had accounted for multiple values and connections to land.

The analysis revealed that only two percent of the conservation plans considered all of the aspects of ecosystem services that benefit people and acknowledged different values of the land.

"This means we're largely making planning decisions that may put ecosystem services at risk, and in turn, people's livelihoods and lifestyles may be greatly affected," said Villarreal-Rosas.

"Conservation plans are falling short of maximizing benefits for both people and nature. There is an urgent need to develop efficient and effective planning strategies to protect and restore ecosystem services for multiple stakeholders."

Study senior author Professor Jonathan Rhodes said the research team did just that, outlining a formal process that governments and policy makers can use when putting together their conservation plans.

"Solutions must explicitly include benefits to different people in space, time and socioeconomic status," said Professor Rhodes."People have different values and connections to land and these should be acknowledged to ensure planning decisions have positive outcomes for multiple people."

"Through the principles we've outlined in this study, we're hoping to not only improve ecosystem services globally, but to increase efficiency, transparency and equity in decision making processes."

"We see conservation planning shifting towards holistic approaches, where both the diversity of people and nature is valued, respected, and protected.

Professor Rhodes noted that making these changes is essential to achieve international policy agendas such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/home">Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Conservation plans could benefit both nature and people

In a new study from the University of Queensland, experts...

Male baboons live longer when they have female friends, according to a new study from <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a>. The researchers found that strong social bonds between members of the  opposite sex were linked to higher <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/contaminated-manure-dung-beetles/">survival</a> rates.

While it is easy to assume that males are friendly with certain females for reproductive benefits, the new findings suggest that having female friends may give males a better chance at survival.  

Among humans, previous studies have shown that making and keeping friends can be as important for longevity as losing weight and getting exercise. Similar patterns have been found in a wide variety of animals, ranging from monkeys and horses to dolphins and killer whales. 

However, most of this research was focused on females, who tend to stay with the same groups as the males come and go. As a result, the dynamics of male social bonds are much less understood.

The study was focused on data from more than 540 baboons in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. Since 1971, researchers have followed individual baboons on a near-daily basis as part of the Amboseli Baboon Research Project. The experts documented who the baboons socialized with and how they fared over their lifetime. 

The Duke team used statistical techniques to calculate mortality risk at each age, and to investigate whether the link between survival and friendship was the same for males and females.

Baboon friendships are reflected in the time they spend grooming one another. This is a give-and-take interaction that involves sitting close together and stroking and picking through each other's fur to remove parasites such as ticks.

"It's a baboon's way of bonding and relieving stress, as well as providing some help with hygiene," said study senior author Susan Alberts.

Males spend very little time grooming each other, but they do groom with females, and not just when the females are fertile, explained the researchers.

The team used more than 35 years of data to estimate the strength of the bonds in each baboon's inner circle by measuring how often they spent time grooming with their closest friends. The study revealed for the first time that "baboon males live longer lives if they're socially connected."

The experts found that males who maintained strong female friendships were 28 percent more likely to survive until their next birthday. By contrast, social isolation was found to be a bigger threat to male survival than the stress and dangers of social competition.

Alberts said further research is needed to confirm that the link in baboons is in fact a causal one, and if so, to figure out exactly how the bonds of friendship affect physiology to lengthen their lifespans.

According to the researchers, their work on baboon social behavior suggests that the power of friendship may have deep evolutionary roots in the primate family tree.

"How do primate friendships get 'under the skin' to lengthen life?" said Alberts. "We still don't know; it's one of the most wonderful black boxes in my life."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rstb">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</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

Male baboons live longer when they have female friends

Male baboons live longer when they have female friends, according...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> suggests that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-the-nutritional-appeal-of-moon-jellyfish/">jellyfish</a> or sardines could replace fish and chips in an effort to make commercial fishing more sustainable and to protect threatened species. The experts said that when it comes to seafood, you don't always know what you are actually eating.

After analyzing global industrial fishing records, the researchers found that 92 endangered species are caught for seafood, 11 of which are critically endangered.

Study lead author Leslie Roberson is a PhD candidate in the UQ Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science. She noted that it is legal to fish for species that are threatened with extinction, and that seafood does not have to be labeled according to its species.

"This means that the 'fish,' 'flake' or 'cod' that Australians typically order at the fish and chip shop could be critically endangered," said Roberson.

"Australian seafood is not as sustainable as consumers would like to think, and it's definitely not in line with many of the large international conservation agreements that Australia has signed to protect threatened species and ecosystems."

"We would never consider eating mountain gorillas or elephants, both of which are endangered."

Study co-author Dr. Carissa Klein was recently awarded an ARC Future Fellowship to research the nation's seafood consumption and find ways to make the industry more sustainable. Her team will investigate the costs and benefits of embracing different types of seafood that can be caught more sustainably within Australian waters, such as abalone and wild-caught sardines.

Dr. Klein said Australia was just one of many wealthy countries importing and catching threatened seafood species while maintaining its international marine conservation reputation.

"Australia imports around 75 percent of the seafood we consume and is internationally regarded as having effective conservation and fisheries management policies," said Dr. Klein.

"When importing seafood from other places, we are displacing any social or environmental problems associated with fishing to that place, which is likely to have less capacity to sustainably manage its ocean."

According to the study authors, the number of threatened species they recorded was a very conservative estimate.

"The seafood industry is difficult to manage from a conservation perspective because it has supply chains that span multiple international waters, without a governing body," said Roberson.

"A typical situation might look something like - a fishing boat operating in Australian waters, owned by a Chinese company, with a crew of fishermen from the Philippines. Then one part of the fish might get processed in China, and the other can go to Europe."

"We don't know what we're eating, it's really hard to trace seafood back to its origin and species because the industry is such a mess."

"Improving the sustainability of Australia's seafood trade policies could significantly benefit the ocean worldwide, as well as the billions of people that depend on a healthy ocean for their health and livelihoods," said Dr. Klein.

"It should be illegal to eat something that is threatened by extinction, especially species that are critically endangered - if we can better coordinate fisheries and conservation policies, we can prevent it from happening."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms">Nature Communications</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

Experts work to take threatened species off the seafood menu

A new study from the University of Queensland suggests that...

A new study that tracked the development of whale sharks over ten years has produced the first evidence that males and females of this <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-and-tropical-species-may-vanish-at-alarming-rates/">species</a> develop differently. The investigation revealed that even though the male sharks grow at a faster rate, the females ultimately outgrow them. 

The research, published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>, shows that male whale sharks grow at a faster rate, but their body development plateaus around the time they reach 8 or 9 meters. The female sharks develop more slowly, gradually reaching an average length of about 14 meters to overtake the males.

Study lead author Dr. Mark Meekan is a fish biologist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). He noted that whale sharks have been reported up to 18 meters long.

"That's absolutely huge - about the size of a bendy bus on a city street. But even though they're big, they're growing very, very slowly. It's only about 20cm or 30cm a year."

The research was conducted along Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef during 11 seasons from 2009 to 2019. The experts tracked the growth of 54 whale sharks based on the unique "fingerprint" of spots that can be used to identify individuals.

According to AIMS marine scientist Dr.  Brett Taylor, the team recorded more than 1, 000 whale shark measurements using stereo-video cameras.

"It's basically two cameras set up on a frame that you push along when you're underwater," explained Dr. Taylor. "It works the same way our eyes do - so you can calibrate the two video recordings and get a very accurate measurement of the shark."

For the females, there are huge advantages to being big, said Dr. Meekan. "Only one pregnant whale shark had ever been found, and she had 300 young inside her. That's a remarkable number, most sharks would only have somewhere between two and a dozen."

Dr. Meekan suggested the massive females are probably getting big because of the need to carry a whole lot of pups.

Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia is one of the only places in the world where whale sharks appear regularly near the shore. Swimming with the sharks at Ningaloo Reef boosts the local economy by $24 million a year. However, the iconic fish were listed as endangered in 2016.

Dr Meekan said the new findings have huge implications for conservation, with whale sharks threatened by targeted fishing and ships strikes.

"If you're a very slow-growing animal and it takes you 30 years or more to get to maturity, the chances of disaster striking before you get a chance to breed is probably quite high, and that's a real worry for whale sharks."

Dr Meekan said the findings also explains why groups of whale sharks that gather in tropical regions are made up almost entirely of young males. "They gather to exploit an abundance of food so they can maintain their fast growth rates."

According to Dr. Taylor, the discovery that whale sharks plateau in their growth goes against everything scientists previously thought."This paper has really re-written what we know about whale shark growth."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science">Frontiers in Marine Science</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

Female whale sharks grow slower yet larger than males

A new study that tracked the development of whale sharks...

The Komodo dragon may completely vanish unless urgent action is taken to mitigate <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dams-will-prevent-some-river-fish-from-surviving-climate-change/">climate</a> change, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a>. These giant lizards already have restricted habitats, which are further threatened by global warming and sea level rise. 

"Climate change is likely to cause a sharp decline in the availability of habitat for Komodo dragons, severely reducing their abundance in a matter of decades," said study lead author Dr. Alice Jones. "Our models predict local extinction on three of the five island habitats where Komodo dragons are found today."

The Komodo dragon, which is the world's largest lizard species, has existed on Earth for more than a million years. Today, there are only an estimated 4,000 individuals remaining in the wild in southeast Indonesia.

"Current-day conservation strategies are not enough to avoid species decline in the face of climate change. This is because climate change will compound the negative effects of already small, isolated populations," said Dr. Jones.

"Interventions such as establishing new reserves in areas that are predicted to sustain high-quality habitats in the future, despite global warming, could work to lessen the effects of climate change on Komodo dragons."

The study is based on many years of fieldwork on the ecology and conservation status of Komodo dragons.

"Using this data and knowledge in conservation models has provided a rare opportunity to understand climate change impacts on Indonesia's exceptional but highly vulnerable biodiversity," said co-author Dr. Tim Jessop.

For their investigation, the researchers closely collaborated with the Komodo National Park and the Eastern Lesser Sunda Central Bureau for Conservation of Natural Resources.

Study co-author Deni Purwandana is the coordinator of the Komodo Survival Program. He said that the severity and extent of human impacts on Komodo dragon populations are only just being realized.

"Having an insight into future impacts of climate change provides new possibilities to work with conservation agencies and local communities to find on-ground solutions that will limit climate and other threats to Komodo dragons and their habitats," said Purwandana.

According to the researchers, climate-change-informed decisions should be a common part of conservation practice.

"Our conservation models show that Komodo dragons on two protected large islands are less vulnerable to climate change. However, even these island habitats might not provide an adequate insurance policy for the survival of the species," said Professor Damien Fordham.

"Conservation managers in coming decades may need to consider translocating animals to sites where Komodo dragons have not been found for many decades. This scenario can be tested easily using our approach."

"Our research shows that without taking immediate action to mitigate climatic change, we risk committing many range restricted species like Komodo dragons to extinction."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20457758">Ecology and Evolution</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

Komodo dragons are severely threatened by climate change

The Komodo dragon may completely vanish unless urgent action is...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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 



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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



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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



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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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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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



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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"

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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



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Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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