High in northern Peru, three frogs no bigger than a thumbprint have stepped out of anonymity and into the scientific spotlight. Their world is a maze of wet cliffs, dripping bromeliads, and wind‑scoured ridges where moss carpets the rocks.



“They’re <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-frog-day-2025-protecting-natures-tiny-guardians/">small</a> and unassuming, but these frogs are powerful reminders of how much we still don’t know about the Andes,” said Germán Chávez of the Center for Ornithology and Biodiversity (<a href="https://corbidi.org/">CORBIDI</a>). 



Chávez and his colleagues trekked those ridges between 2021 and 2024, often in freezing rain, to reach calling sites above 9,000 feet.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mountains-support-unique-frog-species">Mountains support unique frog species</h2>



The <a href="https://blog.pensoft.net/2025/06/27/hidden-gems-in-the-mist-three-new-frog-species-uncovered-in-northern-peru/cordillera-de-huancabamba-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cordillera de Huancabamba</a> forms a natural break in the Andes, splitting watersheds and isolating species. 



Ecologists classify the region as a <a href="https://www.cepf.net/sites/default/files/tropicalandes_techsummary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biodiversity hotspot</a>, one of only thirty‑five on Earth where extraordinary endemism collides with severe habitat loss.



"The Cordillera de Huancabamba is not just a remote range - it's a living archive of biodiversity and cultural legacy," said Wilmar Aznaran. "And we've barely scratched the surface."



Isolation breeds novelty, and novelty fills the genus Pristimantis. With 619 described species, Pristimantis is now the most diverse <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whistling-forest-frogs-recently-discovered-may-be-wiped-out-before-we-learn-about-them/">amphibian</a> genus on the planet.



The new frogs, Pristimantis chinguelas, P. nunezcortezi, and P. yonke, occupy different niches along the same ridge. One clings to cliff faces, one prowls leaf litter beside clear streams, and the smallest tucks itself deep inside tank bromeliads.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-confirming-the-new-species">Confirming the new species</h2>



Night surveys began after dusk, when temperatures hovered near 50 °F and fog erased headlamp beams. Team members listened for faint “peep” notes that barely rose above dripping leaves. 



Finding a caller did not end the chase. Each frog had to be photographed, swabbed for DNA, measured, and released without harming delicate skin.



Back in Lima, the researchers compared mitochondrial 16S sequences. Genetic distances exceeded the three‑percent threshold herpetologists often use to flag separate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/missing-frog-species-alsodes-vittatus-resurfaces-after-130-years/">species</a>, clinching the case for formal description.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-many-amphibians-are-poorly-studied">Many amphibians are poorly studied </h2>



All three newcomers enter the IUCN books as <a href="https://www.thebhs.org/publications/the-herpetological-bulletin/issue-number-169-autumn-2024/4079-03-how-many-data-deficient-amphibians-are-threatened-iucn-red-list-assessments-for-amphibian-species-previously-classed-as-data-deficient" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data Deficient</a>, meaning scientists lack enough information to judge extinction risk. 



The label sounds neutral, yet recent reassessments show that roughly half of amphibians that start as Data Deficient later prove threatened.



Formal names unlock funding and legal tools that nameless creatures rarely receive. Conservation plans, environmental‑impact statements, and protected‑area budgets almost always hinge on a taxon’s standing in recognized databases.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-indicators-of-climate-shifts">Indicators of climate shifts</h2>



The Cordillera de Huancabamba isn't just a biological goldmine, it’s wrapped in layers of folklore. In nearby villages, frogs are often seen as signs of rain or omens tied to agriculture and spiritual beliefs.



This cultural lens makes local communities key allies for conservation. When researchers name <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frogs-lead-the-way-in-developing-new-antibiotics/">species</a> after regional icons or traditions, like P. yonke, they honor local identity and encourage stewardship.



Unlike most frogs, species in the <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/64811-Pristimantis" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pristimantis genus</a> bypass the tadpole stage entirely. They hatch from eggs as fully formed froglets, ready to climb, hop, and call without ever entering water.



This reproductive shortcut allows them to thrive in places where standing water is rare or seasonal. It also makes them sensitive indicators of climate shifts and microhabitat changes in mountain ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-frog-species-in-fire-prone-habitats">Frog species in fire-prone habitats</h2>



Each frog occupies an area smaller than four square miles, hemmed in by crop fields and fire scars. Peru recorded about 10,400 wildfires in 2024, more than double its previous record, burning grasslands and cloud‑forest edges alike.



P. chinguelas calls from a road‑cut cliff where charred bamboo still smells of smoke. P. nunezcortezi shares a single stream corridor that now borders new potato plots.



P. yonke lives higher, inside bromeliads at roughly 9,800 feet, in what locals call the <a href="https://lacgeo.com/northern-andean-paramo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">páramo</a>, a chilly grassland‑wetland mosaic perched above the treeline. 



Páramo vegetation stores water like a sponge, so every lost bromeliad weakens both the frogs and the human communities farther down‑slope.



“Exploring this area is more than fieldwork - it’s an immersion into wilderness, culture, and resilience,” said Karen Victoriano‑Cigüeñas.&nbsp;



"Many of these mountain&nbsp;ridges&nbsp;are isolated, with no roads and extreme terrain," noted Ivan Wong. "The weather shifts within minutes, and the steep cliffs make every step a challenge. It's no wonder so few scientists have worked here before. But that's exactly why there's still so much to find."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-the-new-frog-species">Protecting the new frog species </h2>



No one has recorded the breeding calls of P. nunezcortezi or P. yonke, so females remain unverified. Diet, predators, and lifespan also remain mysteries for all three species.



Future expeditions will test whether the frogs persist on neighboring ridges or whether each ridge hosts its own micro‑endemic. 



Acoustic monitors and <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2019.2353" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">eDNA traps</a> could reveal silent populations hiding in moss tunnels or bromeliad tanks beyond the reach of hikers.



For now, the frogs depend on local goodwill. Community fire patrols, low‑impact grazing, and small protected micro‑reserves can buy time while researchers gather the missing data.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://evolsyst.pensoft.net/article/148522/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Evolutionary Systematics</a>.



Image Credit: Germán Chávez et. al



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Three new frog species found in Peru face an uncertain future

High in northern Peru, three frogs no bigger than a thumbprint have stepped out of anonymity and into the scientific spotlight. Their world is a maze of wet cliffs, dripping bromeliads, and wind‑scoured ridges where moss carpets the rocks. “They’re small and unassuming, but these frogs are powerful reminders of how much we still don’t know about the Andes,” said Germán Chávez of the Center for Ornithology and Biodiversity (CORBIDI). Chávez and his colleagues trekked those ridges between 2021 and 2024, often in freezing rain, to reach...

Dolphins are intriguing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-mammals-play-a-role-in-combating-climate-change/">mammals</a> with complex social behaviors and relationships. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> have found that male bottlenose dolphins maintain social relationships through whistle exchanges.&nbsp;



Previously, male dolphins have been known to use physical contact like petting to connect with strongly bonded allies. This new research shows that male dolphins can also use different tactics to connect with weaker allies through vocal exchanges.&nbsp;



“Many animals, including humans, use tactile contact, touch, to strengthen and reaffirm important relationships. But as the number of close social relationships increases, so too do the demands on the time and space available for relationship maintenance through physical contact," said study lead author Emma Chereskin, from Bristol’s <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/biology/">School of Biological Sciences</a>.



"Male bottlenose dolphins form strategic, multi-level alliances, and we wanted to know how they maintained multiple alliance relationships in large groups.”



To better understand how male dolphins maintain relationships, the scientists relied on nine years of acoustic and behavioral data from <a href="https://www.sharkbay.org/">Shark Bay</a>, a dolphin population in Western Australia.



Groups of males were followed so that researchers could observe their physical and acoustic behavior. By doing so, the research team was able to identify the different approaches to bonding. For example, within dolphin alliances, bonded dolphins engage through physical contact, whereas those that are weakly bonded engage through whistle exchanges.&nbsp;



“This illustrates that these weaker but still key social relationships can be maintained with vocal exchanges," said study senior author Dr. Stephanie King.



The social bonding hypothesis proposes that vocalizations and language have evolved as a form of ‘vocal grooming’ to replace physical grooming as larger groups make physical contact more demanding and can take up more time. This hypothesis does differ when applied to primates, as studies suggest that vocal exchanges among primates happen between bonded individuals and don’t necessarily replace physical bonding.



The study provides new evidence that vocal exchanges can serve as a method of bonding - “but more importantly, and in line with the social bonding hypothesis, that vocal exchanges can function as a replacement of physical bonding, allowing allied male dolphins to ‘bond-at-a-distance’. This evidence in support of the social bonding hypothesis outside of the primate lineage raises exciting new questions on the origins and evolution of language across taxa,” said Chereskin,



The research was funded by The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science and the National Geographic Society.



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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

Male dolphins whistle to maintain social relationships

Dolphins are intriguing mammals with complex social behaviors and relationships....

Scientists have already studied in great depth the venom of cone snails – predatory marine animals that prowl on the ocean floor, hunting and feeding upon <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-killer-whales-ate-fish-not-other-mammals/">fish</a> – and found that it contains chemical compounds that can be adapted to treat chronic pain, diabetes, and other human diseases. In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> and the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>, an international team of scientists discovered that a particular group of cone snails (Conus rolani) produces a venom compound similar to the hormone somatostatin.



Somatostatin is a hormone that, in humans and many other vertebrates, acts as a multipurpose inhibitor. For instance, it is the main inhibitor of growth hormone, and can be used to treat acromegaly, an excessive growth disorder. Moreover, it also inhibits hormones in the pancreas, as well as signals of inflammation and pain.



“So it’s this hormone that has many, many different functions in the human body,” said study senior author Helena Safavi-Hemami, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Utah and associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. “But it’s always blocking something. And because of that, it had been an interesting hormone for drug development for some time.”



While studying C.rolani - a species of cone snail that injects venom into fish to leave them sensory-deprived and disoriented and thus an easy prey - Professor Safavi-Hemami and her colleagues discovered that their venom contained a small peptide (chain of amino acids) called Consomatin Ro1 that had a few similarities with somatostatin. This peptide is short, stable, and efficient in the receptors it targets, appearing to activate two of the five human receptors for somatostatin with unique selectivity.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Laboratory studies have shown that Consomatin Ro1 can block pain in mice with an efficiency similar to that of morphine, and thus may be used by cone snails to block pain so their prey does not know it has been struck.



Further research is needed to understand the origin of Consomatin Ro1 in snails, and to assess the potential of the compound to act as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever in humans. “This gives insight to the development of next-generation therapeutics,” said Christopher Hill, a distinguished professor of Biochemistry at the University of Utah.&nbsp;“More generally, this is a great example of how evolution in the natural world has already developed drug-like natural products that have great potential to improve human health.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abk1410">Science Advances</a>.



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

Cone snail venom could be used to produce painkillers

Scientists have already studied in great depth the venom of...

New research published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/">PLoS Pathogens</a> shows that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can transmit COVID up to five days after infection. Moreover, like humans, the virus reproduces in the upper respiratory tract of deer, especially in the nose.&nbsp;



Study co-author Dr. Diego Diel is an associate professor and director of the <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> Virology Laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.



"It's a relatively short window of time in which the infected animals are shedding and are able to transmit the virus," said Dr. Diel.



For the investigation, the researchers infected six captive white-tailed female fawns, who were less than eight months old, along with six adults, who were three to four years of age. Six fawns were used as contact animals, and three were used as controls. For the adult portion of the study, two animals were used as controls.



Over approximately 20 days, the researchers introduced the contact fawns to the virus. They monitored the animals and took biological samples to determine which animals were infected and to learn more about how they carried the virus. Although there is no evidence that humans have caught COVID from deer (evidence points rather to transmissions from humans to deer), the researchers feel this study is important because they believe white-tailed deer could become a reservoir species for the virus. The study authors are particularly concerned about transmission through the hunting of deer in the United States.



"Given the broad practice of deer hunting in the U.S., knowing the sites of virus replication is important to minimize the risks of exposure and transmission from these wild animals that could potentially transmit the virus back to humans," said Dr. Diel.



The researchers hope that by learning more about where the virus replicates, they can educate hunters on the best practices to avoid infection. For example, the study shows that the virus replicates in deer tonsils, lymphoid tissues, and the central nervous system. Hunters might want to take extra precautions when handling these areas.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study shows deer can transmit COVID for up to five days

New research published in PLoS Pathogens shows that white-tailed deer...

A new study led by the <a href="https://iisc.ac.in/">Indian Institute of Science</a> (IISc) has revealed that large <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-herbivores-must-be-restored-to-balance-ecosystems/">herbivores</a> like yak play a very important role in the stability of soil carbon in grazing ecosystems. By studying soil composition in the Spiti region of the Himalayas, the researchers found that soil carbon levels are less stable in the absence of grazing animals.&nbsp;



According to the experts, this phenomenon could have unintended negative consequences for the global carbon cycle, especially considering that soil contains more carbon than all plants and the atmosphere combined. Maintaining the stability of soil carbon is critical in helping to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, including global warming.&nbsp;



Study senior author Sumanta Bagchi is a professor at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) who began studying the impact of grazing animals on Himalayan ecosystems back in 2005. Bagchi led a long-term research project that was made possible with support from the Himachal Pradesh state government, local authorities, and the people of the Kibber village in Spiti.



The researchers created fenced plots without animals, as well as plots with grazing animals like yak and ibex. Over the following decade, Bagchi and his students collected soil samples from the plots. Each year, the team analyzed the chemical composition of the soil, tracking and comparing the levels of carbon and nitrogen in each plot.



The study revealed that soil carbon fluctuated 30 to 40 percent more in the fenced plots without grazing animals. In the grazed plots, soil carbon remained more stable.&nbsp;



Study first author Dilip GT Naidu explained that many previous studies have focused on measuring carbon and nitrogen levels at long time intervals, assuming that the accumulation or loss of carbon is a slow process. However, he said the interannual fluctuations the team noticed in their data paint a very different picture.



According to the researchers, since grazing ecosystems make up about 40 percent of Earth’s land surface, protecting the herbivores that keep the soil carbon stable should remain a key priority for mitigating climate change.



“Both domestic and wild herbivores influence climate via their effects on soil carbon,” explained study co-author Shamik Roy. The CES team is also investigating how the ecosystem impacts of domestic herbivores, such as goats and sheep, differ from the effects of wild grazing animals.&nbsp;



“Domestic and wild herbivores are very similar in many respects, but they differ in how they influence plants and soil," said Roy. "Understanding why they are not alike can lead us toward more effective stewardship of soil carbon."



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2211317119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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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.

Grazing animals play a key role in stabilizing soil carbon

A new study led by the Indian Institute of Science...

Urban areas are often hotter than surrounding countryside. Cities both produce heat as well as trap it with man-made materials like concrete and asphalt, creating “heat islands.” There’s a well known record of people dying during extreme heat events pushed to greater highs due to urban heat islands.&nbsp;



Researchers wondered what impact urban heat has on wildlife, specifically <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lead-poisoning-from-hunting-is-killing-europes-most-charismatic-birds/">birds</a>. In a new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>, experts have investigated the impact of extreme heat events on urban and forest dwelling great tits (a common songbird).&nbsp;



“Our results suggest that natural populations may be more vulnerable to more frequent extreme heat," said study lead author Dr. Ivett Pipoly of the University of Pannonia.



"We already know several environmental changes that urban populations have adapted, or are adapting, to in cities. It is interesting that urban individuals might adapt better to the climate crisis as well, maybe because they have more experience with heat as they live inside the urban heat island.”



The scientists installed hundreds of nest boxes throughout two Hungarian cities and adjoining forests. From 2013 to 2018, the scientists watched 760 broods, measuring chicks at two weeks old and then recording their survival.&nbsp;



Counterintuitively, chicks in the hotter cities survived the extreme heat events better than their forest dwelling counterparts. Urban birds even showed a small benefit from the heat, while forest birds were smaller and less likely to survive.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The mechanism behind this surprising increased survival of city birds isn’t yet known, and raises more questions than answers. The research also points to the fragility of birds as well as other animals in the face of human caused destruction.&nbsp;



“We could hear about more frequent mass mortality events of wild desert birds, bats and even large herbivores nowadays, which could be a consequence of the vulnerability of natural populations to high temperatures," said Dr. Pipoly.



"It will be extremely important to get more knowledge about the less conspicuous effects of extreme weather events, like the ones we found in great tits, and from several populations with different local environments. Then we can see a more detailed picture of the interactive effects of climate change and urbanization on wildlife and biodiversity.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</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

Extreme heat is harder on birds in the forest than in the city

Urban areas are often hotter than surrounding countryside. Cities both...

Spinosaurus was among the largest terrestrial dinosaurs ever to exist, possibly even larger than the other two contenders for this crown, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/were-there-three-distinct-species-of-tyrannosaurus-rex/">Tyrannosaurus</a> and&nbsp;Giganotosaurus. Its length has been estimated at 15 to 16 meters (49 to 52&nbsp;ft), while its weight was somewhere between 6 and 7 metric tons. This formidable dinosaur had a skull that measured 1.5 meters in length and a massive “sail” structure on its back, supported by enormous bony spines that originated on its vertebrae.



The dinosaur is known from only six partial skeletons, all excavated in North Africa, and its anatomy has led to intense debate about the kind of lifestyle this creature had.&nbsp;



Since fossilized fish scales were present with some of the Spinosaurus bones, it would appear that it was a piscivore (preyed on fish). However, some scientists proposed that, although it had some features of modern crocodiles, its enormous body, bony spines and large sail would have made it unstable and slow while swimming in the water. They thought, instead, that it was probably a terrestrial predator like T. rex.



Others proposed that its excessive length, rather short back legs and unusually small pelvis would have made it an ineffective hunter on land, and that its great mass would have made walking in muddy lagoon or estuarine environments impossible.&nbsp;



A new study, published today in <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, has taken a different approach to the problem, since anatomical clues left in the fossilized bones have given no obvious answers. Scientists from the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> decided to examine the density of the fossilized bones instead. Bone density is a function of several different factors but, by comparing Spinosaurus bones with the bones of other animals, such as penguins, hippos and alligators, the team hoped to gain new understanding.&nbsp;



“The fossil record is tricky - among spinosaurids, there are only a handful of partial skeletons, and we don’t have any complete skeletons for these dinosaurs,” said study lead author Matteo Fabbri. “Other studies have focused on interpretation of anatomy, but clearly if there are such opposite interpretations regarding the same bones, this is already a clear signal that maybe those are not the best proxies for us to infer the ecology of extinct animals.”



Fabbri and his colleagues put together a dataset of femur and rib bone cross-sections from 250 species of extinct and living animal species, both land-dwellers and water-dwellers. The researchers then compared these cross-sections to cross-sections of bone from&nbsp;Spinosaurus&nbsp;and its relatives Baryonyx and&nbsp;Suchomimus.



“We had to divide this study into successive steps,” said Fabbri. “The first one was to understand if there is actually a universal correlation between bone density and ecology. And the second one was to infer ecological adaptations in extinct taxa.”&nbsp;



Essentially, the researchers had first to show that a relationship exists, in living species, between bone density and choice of aquatic or terrestrial habitat. After that, they could apply this criterion to extinct animals for which habitat choices can no longer be observed.&nbsp;



When selecting animals to include in the study, the researchers had to consider as wide a selection of different species as possible.&nbsp;



“We were looking for extreme diversity,” said Fabbri. “We included seals, whales, elephants, mice, hummingbirds. We have dinosaurs of different sizes, extinct marine reptiles like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs. We have animals that weigh several tons, and animals that are just a few grams. The spread is very big.”



This wide array of different species showed a clear link between bone density and underwater foraging behavior. All the animals that forage underwater have bones that are almost completely solid. This suggests that dense bones have a buoyancy function and help the animal to stay submerged while moving around and hunting. In contrast, the bones of species that spend their lives on land are less dense and contain spongy tissue and a hollow center.&nbsp;



“There is a very strong correlation, and the best explanatory model that we found was in the correlation between bone density and sub-aqueous foraging. This means that all the animals that have the behavior where they are fully submerged have these dense bones, and that was the great news,” explained Fabbri.



When the bones of Spinosaurus&nbsp;and&nbsp;Baryonyx&nbsp;were tested for density, they both had the dense bone structure associated with being able to submerge underwater and hunt for prey. The closely related&nbsp;Suchomimus, however,&nbsp;had bones that were more hollow. It still lived by water and ate fish, as evidenced by its crocodile-like snout and conical teeth, but based on its bone density, it wasn’t actually swimming, stated the authors.&nbsp;



Animals that are heavy also have dense bones, even when they spend their lives on land. “Very heavy animals like elephants and rhinos, and like the sauropod dinosaurs, have very dense limb bones, because there’s so much stress on the limbs,” explained Fabbri. “That being said, the other bones are pretty lightweight. That’s why it was important for us to look at a variety of bones from each of the animals in the study.” Fabbri is excited by the potential for this new approach to reveal more about how dinosaurs lived.



“One of the big surprises from this study was how rare underwater foraging was for dinosaurs, and that even among spinosaurids, their behavior was much more diverse that we’d thought."



Jingmai O’Connor, a curator at the Field Museum and co-author of this study, says that collaborative studies like this one that draw from hundreds of specimens, are the future of paleontology. "They're very time-consuming to do, but they let scientists shed light onto big patterns, rather than making qualitative observations based on one fossil. It’s really awesome that Matteo was able to pull this together, as it requires a lot of patience.”



Fabbri also notes that the study shows how much information can be gleaned from incomplete specimens. “The good news with this study is that now we can move on from the paradigm where you need to know as much as you can about the anatomy of a dinosaur to know about its ecology, because we show that there are other reliable proxies that you can use. If you have a new species of dinosaur and you just have only a few bones of it, you can create a dataset to calculate bone density, and at least you can infer if it was aquatic or not.”



Image Credit: Davide Bonadonna



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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

Spinosaurus reveals a link between bone density and hunting underwater

Spinosaurus was among the largest terrestrial dinosaurs ever to exist,...

The pandemic has created interest among the scientific community to better understand human-to-wild animal disease transmission. An international research team led by scientists at <a href="https://www.georgetown.edu/">Georgetown University</a> has found that humans give viruses back to animals more often than expected.



The study describes nearly 100 different cases where diseases have undergone “spillback” from humans back into wild animals. This has been seen most recently with SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) spreading in mink farms, zoo lions and tigers, and among white-tailed deer in the wild.



The researchers found that almost half of these cases took place in captive settings like zoos, where veterinarians keep a close eye on animals and are more likely to notice changes in health. Interestingly, more than half of the overall cases were human-to-primate transmission. This is likely because it is easier for pathogens to jump between closely-related hosts, and because endangered great ape populations are carefully monitored.



“This supports the idea that we’re more likely to detect pathogens in the places we spend a lot of time and effort looking, with a disproportionate number of studies focusing on charismatic animals at zoos or in close proximity to humans,” said study lead author Dr. Anna Fagre. “It brings into question which cross-species transmission events we may be missing, and what this might mean not only for public health, but for the health and conservation of the species being infected.”



In Canada and the United States, disease spillback has attracted attention due to the spread of COVID-19 in white tailed deer. <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.22.481551v1">Some data</a> suggests that deer have given the virus back to humans in at least one case. This has raised concern amongst scientists and suggests that animal reservoirs might create opportunities for the virus to evolve into new variants.



The study also sheds light on some good news, as it found that artificial intelligence can be used to help anticipate the species at risk of contracting the virus. ”The pandemic gave scientists a chance to test out some predictive tools, and it turns out we’re more prepared than we thought.”&nbsp; said study co-author Dr. Colin Carlson.



The research is part of a National Science Foundation-funded project called the Viral Emergence Research Initiative, or <a href="http://viralemergence.org/">Verena</a>. The Verena team uses machine learning to study the science of the host-virus network. This is a new field that provides critical insights for scientists to understand how and why humans share diseases with animals.



While new technology can help predict spillover, there is still so little we understand about wildlife disease, creating opportunity for continuous research.&nbsp;



“Long-term monitoring helps us establish baselines for wildlife health and disease prevalence, laying important groundwork for future studies,” said Dr. Fagre. “If we’re watching closely, we can spot these cross-species transmission events much faster, and act accordingly.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14610248">Ecology Letters</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

Experts identify 100 cases of humans passing disease to animals

The pandemic has created interest among the scientific community to...

Beetles can be found in most ecosystems, from the local parks to tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/temperate-rainforests-can-help-fight-climate-change/">rainforests</a> and the Arctic tundra. They are the most diverse group of animals ever known to exist, with almost 400 thousand species already described. This immense diversity has puzzled scientists for centuries. Famous figures such as Charles Darwin or Alfred Russel Wallace drew inspiration for their evolutionary theories from the study of beetles.



However, understanding the origins and evolution of beetles is complicated. By using a previously published and carefully curated 68-gene dataset, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> were recently able to build a comprehensive evolutionary tree of beetles, including data on 57 fossils to contain the timescale of their evolution.&nbsp;



The findings suggest that different beetle clades diversified independently, as various new ecological opportunities emerged. &nbsp;



“There was not a single epoch of beetle radiation, their secret seems to lie in their remarkable flexibility,” explained study lead author&nbsp;Dr. Chenyang Cai, a research fellow in Earth Sciences at Bristol. “The refined timescale of beetle evolution will be an invaluable tool for investigating the evolutionary basis of the beetle’s success story.”



The updated classification of beetles, reflecting the latest genetic and morphological findings, recognizes 193 living and extinct families. The oldest fossils were found to date back to around 295 million years ago, long before the first dinosaurs appeared. 



“Reconstructing what happened in the last 300 million years is key to understanding what gave us the immense diversity beetles are known for today,” said Dr. Cai.



According to study co-author Erik Tihelka, a paleo entomologist at Bristol, “because evolution leaves its signature in all aspects of biological organization, our best option is to draw on as many lines of evidence as we can find and see where the threads coalesce. In our case, we have focused on the molecular genetics of living beetles, their morphology, and rare beetle fossils to draw up an updated understanding of their evolutionary history.”



The scientists concluded that beetles first roamed the world in the Carboniferous period and later diversified alongside the earliest dinosaurs during the Triassic and the Jurassic, becoming “the single best case-study in biodiversity that nature gave us,” as Dr. Cai put it.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos">Royal Society Open Science</a>.&nbsp;



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

Reconstructing 300 million years of beetle evolution

Beetles can be found in most ecosystems, from the local...

A new nanotexture that kills 70 percent of bacteria was created in a lab by a team of Australian and Japanese scientists. The goal of the research is to tackle the issue of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotics-used-on-food-crops-may-be-starving-bees/">food</a> waste, especially in meat and dairy.&nbsp;



It is estimated that more than 30 percent of the food we produce goes to waste. Sometimes an entire shipment of food is lost when bacteria is found. The scientists were inspired by the texture of some insect wings that are known to kill bacteria.&nbsp;



“Eliminating bacterial contamination is a huge step in extending the shelf life of food,” said study co-author Professor Elena Ivanova of <a href="https://www.rmit.edu.au/">RMIT University</a>. "We knew the wings of cicadas and dragonflies were highly-efficient bacteria killers and could help inspire a solution, but replicating nature is always a challenge."



"We have now created a nanotexturing that mimics the bacteria-destroying effect of insect wings and retains its antibacterial power when printed on plastic. This is a big step towards a natural, non-chemical, antibacterial packaging solution for the food and manufacturing industry.”



The texture, as on insect wings, is made of very small “nano pillars.” When bacteria land on the nano pillars, their membranes are pierced and they are killed.&nbsp;



“It’s like stretching a latex glove,” said Professor Ivanova. “As it slowly stretches, the weakest point in the latex will become thinner and eventually tear.”



The pattern of the antibacterial texture was discovered in Australia and then shared with the Japanese researchers who discovered how to implant the texture onto plastic, where it could be used for packaging.&nbsp;



“The nanotexturing created in this study holds its own when used in rigid plastic," said Ivanova. "Our next challenge is adapting it for use on softer plastics."



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/acsappliednanomaterials">ACS Applied Nano Materials</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

Insect wings inspire new method to kill bacteria on food

A new nanotexture that kills 70 percent of bacteria was...

According to new research published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28742-6">Nature Communications</a>, although <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/atlantic-fish-found-unexpectedly-in-the-central-arctic-ocean/">ocean</a> life could possibly adapt to major climate changes, there may be unforeseen costs to quickly evolving in a suddenly-hot world. Thus, while plasticity may facilitate initial survival in global change conditions, it could erode after populations adapted, limiting resilience to new stressors and previously benign environments.



In order to assess how marine organisms adapt to climate change over several generations, the scientists used copepods (Acartia tonsa) as a case study. Since this tiny and humble sea creature reproduces, matures, and creates a new generation in about twenty days, it takes less than one year for twenty generations to pass.&nbsp;



The scientists exposed thousands of copepods to the high temperatures and carbon dioxide levels that are predicted for the future of the oceans, and examined what happened to these creatures as twenty generations passed. Afterwards, they took some of the marine organisms and returned them to the temperature and carbon dioxide levels that the first generation started in, and observed them as three more generations passed.



The results showed that these creatures have the genetic capacity to adapt over twenty generations, evolving to maintain their fitness in radically-changed environments (a process called “phenotypic plasticity”). The researchers observed many changes in the copepods’ genes related to how they managed heat stress, grew their skeletons in more acidic waters, and produced energy, suggesting that they can be highly resilient to rapid warming and acidification. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



However, the flexibility that helped the copepods evolve over twenty generations seemed to be eroded when they tried to return them to what had previously been their normal environment. Brought to the initial temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations, the copepods were less healthy and produced smaller populations. Although they were able, after three generations, to re-evolve to their ancestral conditions, the marine organisms nevertheless lost the ability to tolerate limited food supply and showed less resilience to new forms of stress.



“If copepods or other creatures have to go down this adaptive path - and spend some of their genetic variation to deal with climate change - will they be able to tolerate some new environmental stressor, some other change in the environment?”&nbsp;wondered study lead author Melissa Pespeni, a biologist at the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a>. This study suggests that it may not be so easy.&nbsp;



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

Marine organisms may adapt to climate change, but with hidden costs

According to new research published in the journal Nature Communications,...

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spread-coyotes-deer-numbers/">coyotes</a> have spread outside their native regions from the western United States towards the east, they have started to hunt North Carolina’s two native species of fox. A new study led by <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> has found that preserving tree cover may be essential in helping the gray fox survive with coyotes in rural areas, most probably due to the fox’s ability to climb trees. However, in suburban forest fragments, gray foxes appeared to be able to easily coexist with the coyotes.



“Coyotes are well known to persecute smaller foxes,” said study co-author Roland Kays, an associate professor of Biology at NC State University. “They go out of their way, more than you see in other interactions between species, to really bully, chase and kill the smaller foxes. There is some reason for concern if this species is going to survive. How is that going to happen in an urban environment where you also have people?”



Professor Kays and his colleagues used wildlife photos taken by volunteers to find out in which places coyotes and gray foxes coexist. They discovered that the two species are most likely to be found together in regions with high housing density and low forest cover, such as the suburbs.



“These two species were more likely to use the same sites in suburban areas, especially small forested wood lots,” said study lead author Arielle Parsons, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State University. “We expected them to use these wood lots at different times to avoid each other, but actually we found that they use these suburban forest fragments at the same time.”



According to the scientists, the two species could coexist in the suburbs because coyotes are just moving through, without establishing territories. In rural areas though, coyotes and foxes are less likely to be seen together. However, gray foxes were more likely to inhabit rural regions with extensive tree cover.



“Gray foxes are very good at climbing trees; they have sharp claws,” said Professor Kays. “They’re one of the only dog relatives that can climb trees. Coyotes can’t. It could be that climbing trees helps them deal with coyotes.”



Thus, gray foxes appear to be at risk in areas with few houses and little tree cover. “There are things we can do to change the ways wildlife species are able to adapt to human-dominated environments. Reducing habitat fragmentation and preserving forest and green spaces can help enhance the ability for these species to coexist,” concluded Dr. Parsons.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.3993">Ecosphere</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

Trees help gray foxes coexist with coyotes

As coyotes have spread outside their native regions from the...

The evolution of jaws in early vertebrates was an extremely significant innovation. The fossil record shows that the earliest jawed fish were around at the start of the Devonian Period, just over 400 million years ago. Prior to that, all fish were jawless, much like the hagfish and lampreys of today. Jaws allowed vertebrates to exploit a wide range of food sources, and to become formidable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predators-help-prevent-biodiversity-loss/">predators</a>.&nbsp;



However, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> has shown that fish with the earliest jaws were stuck in a compromise between maximizing the strength of their jaws and their bite speed. Big, strong jaws would enable the fish to handle sizeable prey, but the weight of these jaws would make lightning-speed reactions impossible. It seems that, irrespective of the particular way in which early fish species evolved to use their jaws, they were always faced with this same trade-off.&nbsp;



Jaws evolved from the gill arches of jawless fish; these structures supported the gills of early fish and therefore had more of a gaseous exchange function. In fact, the original selective advantage gained by fish with jaws was probably related to increased efficiency in gaseous exchange, rather than to feeding. However, the advantages of jaws for feeding would soon have made this their primary function. All vertebrate jaws, including the human jaw, evolved from the early fish jaw plan.&nbsp;



The new study, which is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>, investigates how a breathing structure came to be a successful biting structure and what constraints there were on this evolutionary change. The researchers collected data on the shapes of the earliest fossil jaws and developed mathematical models to characterize them. They then imagined the range of theoretical jaw forms that early fish might have exploited, and ran these through the model in order to characterize them and compare them to the actual fossil jaws.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Previous research had identified that the jaws in early fish fossils are rather similar, showing little of the diversification and radiation that evolutionary biologists might have expected for such a useful innovation. However, when the researchers tested all the different jaw shapes (both actual and theoretical) for their strength (how likely they were to break) and speed (how efficiently they could be opened and closed), they found that the jaws of early fish represented an optimal trade-off between these two factors. They had already reached this state of optimal compromise early on in evolutionary history.



The researchers say their results show that many fish taxa have independently evolved similar jaw morphologies that represent a compromise between strength and snappiness, and that this is evidence for a widespread convergence in jaw shape. Since this optimality was achieved very early in jaw evolution, they feel this supports the idea that early jaws were soon adopted for a predatory function, which would have required both speed and strength.&nbsp;



Some fish groups appear to have evolved away from this optimum balance between strength and speed over time, perhaps as a result of specializing in slower prey or prey that are smaller or weaker. For example, feeding on plankton by filtering the water would not require optimum strength in the jaws.&nbsp;



“Jaws are an extremely important feature to gnathostomes – or jaw-mouths. They are not only extremely widespread, but almost all creatures that have them, use them in the same way – to grab food and process it. That’s more than can be said for an arm or a foot or a tail, which can be used for all sorts of things," said study lead author <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/william-j-deakin">William Deakin</a>, who is a PhD student at the&nbsp;University of Bristol.



“This makes jaws extremely useful to anyone studying the evolution of function. Very different jaws from very different animals can be tested in similar ways. Here we have shown that studies on a large variety of jaws, using theoretical morphology and adaptive landscapes to capture their variety in function, can help shed some light on evolutionary questions.”



According to study co-author Professor <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Philip-Donoghue-4fd2d6ef-3986-4566-97e4-7ae7db296525/">Philip Donoghue</a>, the earliest jawed vertebrates have jaws in all shapes and sizes, long thought to reflect adaptation to different functions. "Our study shows that most of this variation was equally optimal for strength and speed, making for fearsome predators.”



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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

Early animal jaws optimized bite strength and speed

The evolution of jaws in early vertebrates was an extremely...

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

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

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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

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

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features 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

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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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