Wild chimpanzees have surprised scientists again. They seem to combine single calls in ways that create new meanings for different situations.



In a new investigation led by Dr. Catherine Crockford of the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/index/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a>, researchers have found that chimpanzees can embed one vocal call into another to shift its message in several ways.



This approach sheds light on how meaningful combinations of sounds might not be an exclusively <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-share-alcoholic-fruit-to-increase-social-bonding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human trick</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chimpanzee-calls-and-language-origins">Chimpanzee calls and language origins</h2>



Chimpanzees produce a set of pant calls, grunts, and hoos that can match specific events or contexts. Scientists studying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bonobos-and-chimps-express-empathy-much-like-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">primate</a> communication often focus on whether these calls can be recombined to express novel ideas.



“Generating new or combined meanings by combining words is a hallmark of human language, and it is crucial to investigate whether a similar capacity exists in our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, in order to decipher the origins of human language,” said Dr. Crockford. 



Observing apes in rich forest environments over many years helped researchers gather thousands of vocal utterances, matching them to various daily events.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-chimpanzees-use-call-combinations">How chimpanzees use call combinations</h2>



Previous analyses suggested that primates usually rely on single calls. But chimpanzees in this project displayed a variety of two-call combinations that seemed to deliver more complex messages than either single call alone.



“Recording chimpanzee vocalisations over several years in their natural environment is essential in order to document their full communicative capabilities, a task that is becoming increasingly challenging due to growing human threats to wild chimpanzee populations,” said Roman Wittig, co-author of the study and director of the Taï Chimpanzee Project. 



Calls like hoo, pant, and grunt were often linked to feeding, traveling, approaching <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-select-the-best-materials-for-termite-fishing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">companions</a>, or even building a nest.



Some paired calls strayed far from the meaning of either individual call. Others narrowed or clarified the meaning of one call by combining it with another.



Researchers also discovered that a pair of calls could add both meanings together. Sometimes, flipping the order of the same two calls changed which events triggered that combination.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chimp-calls-are-complex">Chimp calls are complex</h2>



“Our findings suggest a highly generative vocal communication system, unprecedented in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-chimp-nests-can-tell-us-about-early-independence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animal kingdom</a>, which echoes recent findings in bonobos suggesting that complex combinatorial capacities were already present in the common ancestor of humans and these two great ape species,” said Cédric Girard-Buttoz, first author of the study. 



”This changes the views of the last century which considered communication in the great apes to be fixed and linked to emotional states.”&nbsp;



Humans rely on syntax to shift the message of a group of words by rearranging them. Chimpanzee call combinations seem to share a similar principle, at least in miniature form.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chimp-calls-and-specific-events">Chimp calls and specific events</h2>



Scientists matched each vocal utterance to events such as resting, traveling, or social interactions. 



Earlier <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982205010407" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> found that certain hoo calls link with resting or feeding. This project took that approach further by analyzing two-call sequences in multiple communities of wild chimpanzees.



Some call pairs combined rest and social signals, while others popped up in contexts that had little to do with either call used alone. The addition or repositioning of a second call often changed the full vocal sequence’s event links.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chimp-calls-hint-at-early-language">Chimp calls hint at early language</h2>



Human language can create countless meanings from a limited set of sounds. These chimpanzee findings point to a flexible communication system that can widen its meaning capacity using simple steps.



Researchers say it is possible that human ancestors carried similar abilities. Over time, these may have expanded into the more detailed language structures we know today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-researchers-still-need-to-learn">What researchers still need to learn</h2>



Questions remain about longer sequences that might chain three or more calls. Future studies may investigate how that chaining impacts clarity or social bonding among chimpanzees.



Scientists also want to see if other primates or animals use multiple call-combining strategies. Some suggest that more species might do the same if studied across enough time and daily contexts.



Experts emphasize that playback experiments could confirm how receivers interpret each combination. Wild animals rarely stand still for tests, but careful monitoring might reveal which part of a call they respond to.



There is also the question of whether some call pairs express reference to upcoming events. Knowing that certain sequences appear during, say, nest-building might help reveal how apes convey planning or intention.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-data-is-needed">More data is needed </h2>



With more data, researchers hope to better map how these combinations relate to specific events or states. Each new finding challenges the idea that only humans generate layered meanings from limited vocal elements.



Spending years in the field was crucial. It took that long to observe enough high-quality instances of different chimp calls, especially for rarer behaviors like nest-building.



Many wonder if these chimp call strategies might extend to gestures or other signals. Studies of both vocal and non-vocal communication could fill in gaps that remain.



Efforts to protect wild populations are also vital. Researchers stress that deforestation or poaching will cut short our chance to learn more about ape communication in its natural setting.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq2879" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Chimpanzees mix vocal calls to create new meanings, like humans

Wild chimpanzees have surprised scientists again. They seem to combine single calls in ways that create new meanings for different situations. In a new investigation led by Dr. Catherine Crockford of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, researchers have found that chimpanzees can embed one vocal call into another to shift its message in several ways. This approach sheds light on how meaningful combinations of sounds might not be an exclusively human trick. Chimpanzee calls and language origins Chimpanzees produce a set of pant calls, grunts,...

Leatherback sea turtles entangled in old <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/overfishing-is-a-major-threat-to-coral-reef-fish/">fishing</a> gear are much more likely to survive if they are found quickly, according to a new study led by Dr. Kara Dodge of the <a href="https://www.neaq.org/">New England Aquarium</a>.



The researchers analyzed data collected by entanglement response volunteers for 15 years. The goal was to better understand turtle bycatch and mortality in an effort to advise conservation efforts.&nbsp;



Overall, 280 turtle entanglements were recorded during the study period, 272 of which were leatherback sea turtles. Most of the turtles had rope wrapped around their heads and front flippers.



The good news is that for the cases with sufficient documentation, the research suggests that 88 percent of the turtles were estimated to have low to moderate risk of death from their injuries. Some of the turtles were equipped with tracking tags, allowing researchers to confirm they were still moving up to years after being entangled.&nbsp;



“This dataset gave us a unique opportunity to really dig into and understand leatherback turtle entanglement in buoy lines, which is critical to determining how entanglement happens and identifying workable solutions to solve this problem,” said Dr. Dodge, a research scientist in the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.&nbsp;



“Bycatch of endangered species is rarely observed, so this dataset is an incredible testament to all the watchful mariners reporting these events and the disentanglement network consistently collecting high quality data for over 15 years.”



Leatherback sea turtles are the world’s most massive living sea turtles, with some weighing in at over 1,000 pounds. Unfortunately neither size or charisma saves the turtles from entanglement, a fate they share with many other marine creatures. Leatherbacks are the most endangered sea turtles and looking at their problems can help us understand not only how to save them but possibly give insight into saving other creatures as well.&nbsp;



“Our findings for leatherbacks mirrors what we have seen in whales. They are very likely to become entangled in whatever rope is most available to them. Reducing rope, which is not meant to mean reducing fishing, will be the best strategy for reducing entanglements,” said study co-author Scott Landry from the Center for Coastal Studies, which leads entanglement response efforts in the region and carried out most of the data collection for the study.&nbsp;



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.int-res.com/journals/esr/esr-home/">Endangered Species Research</a>



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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

Finding tangled leatherbacks is crucial for their survival

Leatherback sea turtles entangled in old fishing gear are much...

People feel an emotional connection with their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pet-ownership-has-mental-health-benefits/">pets</a> and this bond is known to have a variety of potential health benefits for the owners, such as reduction in stress and lowering of blood pressure. This connection also extends beyond actual ownership, such that pet owners respond to images of dogs and cats, and feel the emotional bond and connection, even if it doesn’t involve their own pet. Marketing professionals know this, and often use animals in their advertisements in order to convey a message about a product and influence consumer behavior.&nbsp;



A new study, published recently in the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jmx">Journal of Marketing</a>, compares the consumer-related decisions made by dog owners and cat owners, in response to marketing adverts in which pets are shown as mascots, characters or “spokespersons.” The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the University of South Carolina, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and is authored by Lei&nbsp;Jia, Xiaojing&nbsp;Yang, and Yuwei&nbsp;Jiang.



Pets have assumed increasing importance in households during the COVID-19 pandemic and pet adoptions in the U.S. have risen; about one in five households has acquired a dog or cat since the start of the pandemic. Currently, 68 percent of U.S. households (84.6 million homes) own a pet. Of these, 48 percent (60 million homes) own at least a dog and 37 percent (47 million homes) own at least a cat.



Pets frequently appear in mass media and marketing communications, even in cases where the product advertised is not related to pets or pet ownership. For example, Target chose a dog as its brand mascot, Microsoft featured dogs in its 2020 holiday commercial to inspire people to find joy, and Wells Fargo used a cat in its commercial to advertise its suspicious card activity alert services.&nbsp;



The findings of the study show that exposure to dogs and cats, in the form of recalling experience interacting with these animals, or viewing ads featuring a dog or a cat as the spokesperson, had different effects on consumers’ subsequent judgments and decisions. In each case, adverts reminded consumers of the stereotypical temperaments and behaviors of the pet species, and these attributes activated different mindsets in the pet owners. Dogs stereotypically symbolize loyalty, human interaction and family, whereas cats are seen as inquisitive, aloof and smart.&nbsp;



In the study, exposure to dogs made consumers more promotion-focused, meaning that they were more eager in pursuing a goal and more risk-seeking when making decisions. By contrast, exposure to cats made consumers prevention-focused, which meant they were more cautious in pursuing goals and more risk-averse when making decisions. Jia explains that “These effects occur because pet exposure experiences remind consumers of the stereotypical temperaments and behaviors of the pet species.”



The results&nbsp;were supported&nbsp;across multiple product and service contexts. For example, exposure to dogs led research participants to choose the riskier stock investment option, while exposure to cats led participants to choose the mutual fund investment option, which was less risky. Exposure to dogs was also associated with willingness to risk monetary compensation for a chance to win an even bigger payment. In addition, exposure to dogs led participants to prefer ad messages that&nbsp;are framed&nbsp;with a promotion focus, or messages that appeal to eagerness. Exposure to cats had the opposite effect, leading participants to prefer ad messages with a prevention focus or messages appealing to vigilance.&nbsp;



These effects of pet exposure on consumers were only seen to the extent that the marketing material reminded them of the stereotypical traits and behaviors of the pet species.&nbsp;The results offer some important insights into how marketers could best incorporate pets into advertisements or use them to get the message across. For products or services mainly perceived as promotion-focused (e.g., stock investments, sports cars), featuring dogs in the ad is likely to increase the ad’s persuasiveness. On the other hand, for products or services that are prevention-focused (e.g., mutual fund investment, insurance), featuring cats may increase the ad’s appeal.&nbsp;



“Marketers should ensure that stereotypical pet temperaments are made salient in the message. For example, the eagerness aspect of the dog or the cautiousness aspect of the cat should be highlighted. Otherwise, the intended effects of featuring pets in the ad&nbsp;may not be achieved," said Jiang.



Yang describes the novel implications of these findings to marketers. “First, marketers should consider&nbsp;crafting&nbsp;their advertising messages differently or recommending different products and services when they target consumers depending on their pet exposure situations. For example, to enhance the effectiveness of advertising appeals or communication messages, marketers should emphasize promotion-focused goals such as gains and&nbsp;non-gains&nbsp;if they are targeting dog owners or after consumers are exposed to dogs or dog-featuring stimuli,&nbsp;such as in an advertisement."



"Conversely, they should focus on prevention-focused goals such as losses and&nbsp;non-losses&nbsp;if they are pursuing cat owners or after consumers are exposed to cats or cat-featuring stimuli. Importantly, our findings show that this advice holds even when the advertised product or service has nothing to do with pets or pet products,” said Yang.



Another aspect of the research found that people in U.S. states with a higher percentage of dog ownership were more likely to get COVID-19 during the pandemic. This implied higher transmission rates between dog owners and, according to the authors, could help develop policies related to the prevention of COVID-19 and potentially other infectious diseases. For example, policymakers in states with more dog owners could design customized educational programs and materials related to the diseases. Alternatively, when designing ads to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, cats&nbsp;could be incorporated&nbsp;as a spokesperson and/or the cat temperament could be referenced in the message to enhance the effectiveness of the ad.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Consumer choices are influenced by ads with cats and dogs

People feel an emotional connection with their pets and this...

A new study led by Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario (<a href="https://www.beco-birds.org/">BECO</a>) - a non-profit organization that uses ecological research to advance the conservation of birds – has found that 47 percent of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fight-or-flight-birds-are-not-equipped-for-both/">bird</a> species with currently unknown population trends are declining. Globally, the top predictor associated with bird declines was a severely fragmented population, with non-migratory birds in South American and Southeast Asian tropical and subtropical forests being the most vulnerable.



“Birds are crucial for the functioning of Earth’s ecosystems but bird population declines have been documented worldwide in recent decades. A global assessment of potential causes of population declines is needed,” wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



“Our goal here was to combine the power of big data and machine learning to identify predictors correlated with bird population declines and to predict population declines for species with unknown population trends on the IUCN Red List.”



Initially, in order to train and test the machine learning model that they had constructed, the researchers gathered detailed species-level data for 10,964 bird species from all around the globe with known population trends. Then, they used this artificial intelligence model to analyze 801 bird species with previously unknown population trends. The model estimated that almost half (47 percent) of these species are currently declining.



According to the researchers, the main causes of decline are habitat loss and fragmentation. “Populations experiencing habitat fragmentation are subject to greater demographic, environmental and genetic stochasticity, and hence higher extinction risk,” wrote the study authors.



“Previous studies have suggested that habitat loss and fragmentation are major drivers of bird population declines. Our results support this hypothesis, as severely fragmented populations emerged as the top predictor explaining bird population declines worldwide,” wrote the study authors.”



Since birds play important ecological roles such as pollination, seed dispersal, and nutrient cycling, their marked decline could have severe cascading impacts on a variety of ecosystems worldwide, and needs immediate attention from conservationists and policy makers.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ibi.13045">Ibis</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

Bird populations are declining worldwide

A new study led by Bird Ecology and Conservation Ontario...

New research reveals that pet ownership may have some benefits to mental health benefits. The results of the study suggest that owning a cat, dog or other animal may slow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/colorful-foods-can-prevent-cognitive-decline/">cognitive decline</a> in older adults.



“Prior studies have suggested that the human-animal bond may have health benefits like decreasing blood pressure and stress,” said study author Dr. Tiffany Braley of the University of Michigan Medical Center. “Our results suggest pet ownership may also be protective against cognitive decline.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers collected cognitive data from 1,369 adults with an average age of 65 and normal cognitive abilities at the start of the study. Overall, 53 percent of the participants had pets and 32 percent of the whole group were long term pet owners.&nbsp;



Long term pet ownership was defined as owning a pet for five or more years. Cognitive tests were obtained through the Health and Retirement Study, a large study of medicare beneficiaries was used.&nbsp;



The cognitive test included a composite of simple tests including basic mathematics and language skills. Each participant was given a cognitive score from zero to 27. The association between cognitive score and pet ownership was then estimated by the scientists.&nbsp;



Over six years, cognitive test scores declined at slower rates among pet owners compared to those without pets. This benefit was most pronounced for long term pet owners. Taking other factors into account, the study showed that long term pet owners were still scoring an average of 1.2 points higher on cognitive function after six years.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“As stress can negatively affect cognitive function, the potential stress-buffering effects of pet ownership could provide a plausible reason for our findings,” said Dr. Braley. “A companion animal can also increase physical activity, which could benefit cognitive health. That said, more research is needed to confirm our results and identify underlying mechanisms for this association.”



Interestingly, the study showed that pet ownership was more beneficial to black adults, those who were college educated and men. The study also had the weakness of questioning the study participants about pet ownership only at one point. More research is needed to address this weakness and also to explain why some groups benefit more from pet ownership than others.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The research will be presented at the annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.aan.com/">American Academy of Neurology</a>.



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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

Pet ownership has mental health benefits

New research reveals that pet ownership may have some benefits...

Grieving behavior has been reported in a variety of animals, including elephants, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-tend-to-each-others-wounds/">chimpanzees</a> and birds, but it has remained unclear whether domestic dogs grieve after the death of another dog in the family. Studies have remained inconclusive as it is difficult to identify the exact cause of behavior considered to indicate mourning.



A new survey of 426 dog owners in Italy has found that dogs show behavioral and emotional changes after the death of a conspecific in the household, indicating that they may experience grief. The survey included adults whose pet dog had died while there remained at least one other dog in the family.&nbsp;



The participants, 66 percent of whom had lost their dog over one year before the study, were asked about the ways in which the surviving dog’s behavior changed in the time immediately following the death. They were also asked to assess their own levels of distress after the bereavement.



Negative changes in the behavior of the surviving dog were reported by 86 percent of the dog owners in the survey. These changes were reported to last between two and six months in 32 percent of the cases, and for more than six months in 25 percent of the cases.



Owners reported that, after the death of a pet, the surviving dog sought attention more frequently (67 percent of cases), played less (57 percent), and became less active (46 percent). Thirty-five percent of owners noted that their remaining dog slept more and became more fearful after losing a canine companion. In 32 percent of cases, bereaved dogs ate less, while 30 percent of owners reported more frequent whining or barking in the surviving dog.&nbsp;



The findings, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, showed that 93 percent of dog owners in the survey responded that their dogs had lived together for longer than one year at the time of the death. Sixty-nine percent of dog owners stated that their dogs had a friendly relationship with each other before the time that one of them died.&nbsp;



The analysis showed that, while the length of time that the dogs had lived together did not influence the surviving dog’s behavior, having a friendly relationship with the deceased dog did. In addition, the grief of the owner had an influence on the extent of negative behavior and fearfulness in the remaining dog.



According to the researchers, the negative behavioral and emotional changes observed in the surviving dogs after their conspecific passed on could be seen as both a grief-like reaction and a response by the surviving dog to the grieving behavior of the owner. The authors conclude that grief-like responses among dogs are potentially a major pet welfare issue that has been overlooked.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dogs can grieve when they lose a canine buddy

Grieving behavior has been reported in a variety of animals,...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/">University of Massachusetts Amherst</a> has found a negative link between flight-worthiness and fight-worthiness in birds. According to the scientists, evolutionary pressures demanded that birds could either fly well or arm themselves with bony spurs on their legs – but usually not both. Moreover, developing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/owl-wings-inspire-noise-reduction-in-wind-turbines-and-aircraft/">wings</a> instead of bony spurs seems to be caused by both natural and sexual selection.



“It’s kind of puzzling. Birds have such spectacular songs, plumage and dances, but they mostly don’t have specialized weapons. It’s strange because dancing, singing, fancy feathers, and fighting are all ways of successfully obtaining a mate, and often go together,” said study lead author&nbsp;João C. T. Menezes, a PhD student in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at UMass Amherst.



By estimating how many species of birds do in fact carry weapons and assessing how much and how well different species fly, the researchers found that, although the vast majority of birds are unarmed, 1.7 percent pack weapons in the form of bony spurs on their legs. However, these species seem to be less proficient in flying than their weapon-less counterparts. According to Menezez, “the best fliers tend to lack spurs, and the most heavily armed fighters tend to struggle in the air.”



To explain this strange phenomenon, the scientists ran a number of simulations and models, which showed that bony spurs may impose heavy evolutionary costs. Although weapons such as plumage, dancing, and the ability to sing helps attracting mates and are thus an advantage in sexual selection, the bony spurs make flying a more energy-intensive activity, decreasing birds’ ability to takeoff easily, and fly fast and far.&nbsp;



Thus, spurs might make birds more likely to get eaten by predators or require more food to meet their energy requirements. By contrast, their unspurred counterparts can escape easier from predators, eat less, and live to breed again.



“This helps explain why birds have an amazing range of plumage, song and dance, while almost totally lacking in the weaponry department,” Menezes concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.13964">Ecology Letters</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

Fight or flight: birds are not equipped for both

A new study led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst...

Fears of snakes and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-reveal-spiders-web-making-secrets/">spiders</a> are widespread. Scientists think they may have arisen long ago during our evolutionary history, and had a role of protecting us against these dangerous animals that people were meeting far more often than now. However, while these fears can protect us, if they turn into phobias – extreme or irrational fears – they can cause significant distress and interfere with our daily lives, as we struggle to avoid all confrontation with the phobic stimuli.



A new study of over a thousand participants in Hungary has found that people who feel more connected to nature are less likely to be affected by fears or phobias of snakes and spiders.&nbsp;



“Analysis of our data showed one clear picture: the more you like nature and feel a part of it, the less you are at risk of developing a snake or spider phobia, an anxiety disorders which can significantly lower your quality of life,” said study co-author Dr. Jakub Polák, a postdoctoral researcher in Psychology at <a href="https://cuni.cz/uken-1.html">Charles University</a>, Czech Republic.



Dr. Polák and his colleagues assessed participants’ connection to nature using the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00813/full">Nature Relatedness Scale</a>, and rated their fears and phobia through established questionnaires that are used in clinical screenings for these afflictions. They found that people who scored highly in their self-perceived connection to nature – particularly a longing to be close to nature and engagement to protect it – were less likely to score highly in measures of snake and spider phobias. Older age and living in less urbanized environments were also associated with reduced fear of these animals.



According to the scientists, the association found in this study can go both ways. “A connection to nature may cause people to experience less fear of snakes and spiders. However, it is also possible that people with lower fear of snakes and spiders are consequently more interested in nature and feel a stronger connection with the natural environment,” explained study co-author Dr. Carlos Coelho, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.up.pt/">University of Porto</a>, Portugal.



Regardless of the direction of causality, these findings add to the growing evidence of the positive effects of spending time in nature and feeling connected to it, such as better health, reduced stress, and enhanced mood.



“Connectedness to nature, can have a wide range of positive effects. In our study we find that it may prevent the development of animal phobias or could facilitate coping with such fear if they already exist. It’s also been shown that being connected to nature carries health benefits and can result in more knowledge and a more positive attitude towards animals, along with greater environmental responsibility,” concluded study lead author Dr András Norbert Zsido, an assistant professor of Psychology at the<a href="https://international.pte.hu/"> University of Pécs</a>, Hungary.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.10303">People and Nature</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

Feeling connected to nature reduces fear of spiders

Fears of snakes and spiders are widespread. Scientists think they...

You’ve likely watched a flock of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hummingbirds-are-experts-at-regulating-body-temperature/" data-type="news" data-id="1903233">birds</a> heading south in awe and wondered, how do they know which direction to go? And how do they stay on course for thousands of kilometers?&nbsp; This winter, neuroscientists and ecologists from <a href="https://www.doshisha.ac.jp/en/">Doshisha University</a> and Nagoya University conducted a study to answer this curiosity.



Studies have proven that migratory birds have magnetically sensitive proteins in their eyes and the magneto-receptive cells in their brain that allow them to perceive geomagnetic fields of the earth. This helps migratory birds navigate through new terrains, or travel over the ocean without the help of any landmarks.&nbsp;



To understand how birds know which direction to follow during long-distance flight, Professor Susumu Takahashi hypothesized that the directional and the magnetoreception senses in birds may share a few common neural players.



For the investigation, the team selected the streaked shearwater bird - a seabird that breeds on islands in Japan, Korea, and China and migrates to warmer regions such as Philippines, Indonesia, and northern Australia in the winter.&nbsp;



“Interestingly, during their first migratory flight, juvenile birds do not follow the easier detours along the coastline taken by their parents. Instead, they fly directly towards the destination through difficult mountain ranges. This suggests that the juvenile birds rely heavily on the orientation of their in-built compass, rather than the environmental cues followed by the adult ones,” said Professor Takahashi.



The researchers used a device that wirelessly records the electrophysiological activity of the brain. First, they housed chicks in light-shielding cages. Then, they used the device to record the electrophysiological activity from the medial pallium region of the brain. Next, they let the baby birds walk freely in a room&nbsp; in which the sun’s direction was not visible. The birds also were brought to walk around a sea-facing cliff, a far distance from where they were found.



This experiment revealed that head direction (HD) cells act as an internal compass to help the birds navigate during their initial migratory flight.



This was determined as 20 percent of the HD cells in the medial pallium region fired electrical pulses with higher frequency when the birds faced north. And when birds faced other directions, the cells became less active. The birds had a preference for the north, regardless of what study location they were placed in.&nbsp; This suggests that the location-independent geomagnetic field was used as a cue for head orientation.&nbsp;



The researchers are hopeful that these findings will open new doors in future studies. “Our findings suggest that the avian internal compass can be utilized to gain insights into the neuronal underpinning of animal migration patterns," said Professor Takahashi.



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

Birds rely on an inner compass to guide long migrations

You’ve likely watched a flock of birds heading south in...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/workplace-exposure-to-pesticides-linked-to-greater-copd-risk/">Pesticides</a> are often used to control the spread of mosquito-transmitted diseases, such as malaria or Dengue fever. However, pesticide-resistance among mosquitoes has significantly increased in recent decades, making scientists worry that some of the most successful ways of controlling many severe infectious diseases may stop functioning in the near future.&nbsp;



According to a new study led by Frédéric Tripet, the director of the Center for Applied Entomology and Parasitology (<a href="https://www.keele.ac.uk/caep/">CAEP</a>) at <a href="https://www.keele.ac.uk/">Keele University</a> in the United Kingdom, female mosquitoes are able to learn to avoid pesticides after a single exposure.



Professor Tripet and his colleagues exposed female Aedes&nbsp;aegypti&nbsp;and Culex quinquefasciastus mosquitoes (which transmit severe illnesses such as Dengue, Zika, or West Nile fevers) to non-lethal doses of some of the most frequently used anti-mosquito pesticides, including malathion, propoxur, deltamethrin, permethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin. Afterward, they tested whether subsequent exposures of these mosquitoes to the same pesticides deterred them from feeding and resting in the proximity of these substances.



The scientists discovered that mosquitoes which were pre-exposed to these pesticides avoided passing through a net treated with the same pesticide in order to reach food sources. Only 15.4 percent of&nbsp;A. aegypti&nbsp;and 12.1 percent of&nbsp;C. quinquefasciastus which were pre-exposed passed through the net in search of food, compared to 57.7 percent of A. aegypti&nbsp;and 54.4 percent of&nbsp;C. quinquefasciastus from a control group. Subsequently, the survival rate of pre-exposed mosquitoes was more than double that of mosquitoes in the control group.



The researchers also found that pre-exposed mosquitoes were more likely to rest in a container that smelt of a different substance, rather than in one that smelt of the pesticide to which they have been exposed, with 75.7 percent of&nbsp;A. aegypti&nbsp;and 83.1 percent of&nbsp;C. quinquefasciastus&nbsp;choosing to rest in the pesticide-free container (compared to 50.2 percent of&nbsp;A. aegypti&nbsp;and 50.4 percent of&nbsp;C. quinquefasciastus&nbsp;from the control group).



These findings suggest that mosquitoes that have been already exposed to non-lethal doses of pesticides learn to avoid such substances in the future – a behavior which increases their survival and reproduction rates, and makes them even more dangerous vectors of disease.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-05754-2">Nature Scientific Reports</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

Mosquitoes learn to avoid pesticides after single exposure

Pesticides are often used to control the spread of mosquito-transmitted...

Recent advances in medical science have resulted in vastly improved life expectancies for people all over the world. However, this has created the new challenge of how to promote healthy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-disasters-may-lead-to-premature-aging/">aging</a> and reduce disability risk. To achieve this, health policies need to focus on helping older adults maintain their functional capacity, without disability, for as long as possible.



In Japan, data collected as part of a community-wide intervention trial (the Ota Genki Senior Project), were used to assess the relationships between ownership of a dog or cat, the onset of disability, and mortality along the senior population in Ota City, Tokyo. The study was led by Yu Taniguchi of the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba.&nbsp;



Taniguchi and colleagues used the information from questionnaires completed by 11,233 Japanese seniors (aged between 64 and 84) who were part of the Ota Genki Senior Project. The respondents answered questions pertaining to pet ownership, and stated whether they owned a dog or a cat currently, had owned these pets in the past, or had never been a pet owner.&nbsp;



The participants also reported on their health, physical activity levels, social connectedness and disability status. The participants were then followed for 3.5 years (June 2016 to January 2020) and their general health was monitored.



Previous research has linked pet ownership to many different positive outcomes for older people. For example, owning a pet has been linked to lower mortality rates, fewer visits to the doctor and a greater capacity to carry out the ordinary activities of daily living.&nbsp;



The authors of the current study previously linked dog ownership with a lower risk of frailty among Japanese seniors. Since physical frailty greatly increases the risk falls and future disability, the researchers hypothesized that owning a pet would also be associated with reduced risk of developing a disability.



Overall, 8.6 percent of the survey respondents currently owned a dog, 22.6 percent were past owners and 68.8 percent had never owned a dog. The figures were slightly lower for owners of cats.&nbsp;



During the study period, older adults who currently owned a dog were half as likely to suffer the onset of a disability compared to those who had never owned a dog. In addition, dog owners who exercised regularly had an even lower risk of developing a disability.



Regular exercise is important for preserving physical strength and preventing the advent of frailty. Dog owners are likely to be more physically active when taking their dog for a walk. The findings of the study also showed that dog owners had better relationships with their neighbors and were more socially active.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The analysis indicated that cat ownership was not associated with any difference in disability risk, and neither dog nor cat ownership was associated with reduced risk of death from any cause.



The study suggests that dog ownership – especially combined with regular exercise – may protect against disability for older Japanese adults. These findings could help inform efforts to promote successful aging. Meanwhile, future research could investigate physical or psychological mechanisms by which dog ownership might provide benefits, or examine relationships between dog ownership and disability risk in other countries.



“Dog ownership protects against the onset of disability in older adults," wrote the study authors. "The daily care, companionship and exercise of a pet dog&nbsp;may have an important role to play in successful aging.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLoS ONE</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dog ownership linked to lower disability risk

Recent advances in medical science have resulted in vastly improved...

According to the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>’s (IPCC) intermediate <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/emissions-scenarios/">emissions scenario</a> RCP4.5, it is predicted that global average temperatures will rise by between 0.9 and 2.0&nbsp; degrees Celsius until mid-21st century. As a result, many species, particularly specialists with very specific food, habitat, and reproductive requirements, may not be able to adapt to these changes.



A research team led by <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> has recently investigated the impact of global warming on the fitness of insects and the wildflowers on which they depend for food, by simulating climate change on outdoor experimental plots at an agricultural research station in the UK.



According to study lead author Dr. Ellen Moss, a postdoctoral researcher in Entomology and Ecology at Newcastle University, a 1.5°C increase in temperature can drastically reduce food resources for pollinating insects, cause pollinators to visit a wider range of plants for food, and reduce seed production for some wildflowers, while increasing it for others.



Dr. Moss and her colleagues raised the ambient temperature of the experimental plots by a constant 1.5ºC with infrared heaters, and compared plant and insect biodiversity, as well as insects’ visiting patterns on the flowers, between these plots and unheated control plots during 2014 and 2015. Since climate change in northern Europe is predicted to lead to an increase in rainfall too, the scientists irrigated some of the experimental plots with extra water, both in combination with and separately from heating.



They found that the number of plant or insect species did not change significantly in the experimental plots, suggesting that heating by 1.5 ºC, with or without extra water, does not lead to immediate changes in species diversity. Instead, the immediate effects were more subtle. For instance, most of the plant species from the heated plots were “losers” in reproductive terms: they grew fewer flowers and produced fewer or lighter seeds.



“Our experiment showed that under an increase of 1.5°C there was almost a 40 percent reduction in the number of floral units throughout the season, which represents a significant decrease in available food for flower visitors,” the study authors reported.



Moreover, this reduction in available food caused subtle changes in insect foraging behavior too, with insect species tending to visit a greater number of plant species, and to return to each flower more times.&nbsp;



“Our results demonstrate that climate warming could have severe consequences for some species of wildflowers and their pollinators in agricultural systems, and shows that their community composition is likely to change in the future,” Dr. Moss concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.826205">Frontiers in Plant Science</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

Wildflower and pollinator communities are silently shifting

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) intermediate...

New research shows Chicxulub, the meteoroid that smashed into the Yucatán and led to the extinction of the dinosaurs approximately 65 million years ago, hit in the springtime. To reach this conclusion, an international team of paleontologists from the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, Uppsala University, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility studied fish that died after the impact. 



X-rays and analysis of carbon isotope records show that the fish died within 60 minutes after the meteoroid hit the Earth. The fish skeletons were immaculately preserved, with their bones showing very little geochemical alterations. Bones hold information about seasonal growth like tree rings do, so the team started by analyzing the bones. 



“The retrieved growth rings not only captured the life histories of the fishes but also recorded the latest Cretaceous seasonality and thus the season in which the catastrophic extinction occurred,” said study senior author Jeroen van der Lubbe.



Bone cell size, shape and distribution also vary depending on the season, and these features provided further evidence.



&nbsp;“In all studied fishes, bone cell density and volumes can be traced over multiple years. These were on the rise but had not yet peaked during the year of death,” said Dennis Voeten of <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University</a>.



A paddlefish that was part of the study was also analyzed for evidence of its diet. This fish prefers to feed upon zooplankton, which naturally fluctuate throughout the year depending on the season. The evidence shows that the zooplankton population was rising towards the summer climax when the fish died.   



“This temporary increase of ingested zooplankton enriched the skeleton of its predator with the heavier 13C carbon isotope relative to the lighter 12C carbon isotope,” explained Suzan Verdegaal-Warmerdam. 



“The carbon isotope signal across the growth record of this unfortunate paddlefish confirms that the feeding season had not yet climaxed – death came in spring,” said study lead author Melanie During.



The scientists hope their study will not only increase our understanding of the dinosaur extinction, but also help to explain why the ancestors of modern birds and mammals survived the extinction event.    



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.&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

The dinosaurs died in the springtime

New research shows Chicxulub, the meteoroid that smashed into the...

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

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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

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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?

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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

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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



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

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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

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

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

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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



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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