Greenland sharks cruise the North Atlantic at a pace slower than most people walk, yet some were already adults when the United States was founded. 



Their astonishing lifespan has turned this elusive fish into a living time capsule, capturing the imagination of biologists and longevity researchers alike.



Julius Nielsen of the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a> leads many of the modern expeditions that tag, scan, and sometimes briefly corral these giants in the icy dark.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-greenland-sharks-live-so-long">Why Greenland sharks live so long</h2>



<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf1703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eye‑lens radiocarbon dating</a> shows females can live at least 272 years, with one specimen estimated at 392 ± 120 years. The method pinpoints birth dates because the lens proteins stop exchanging carbon after a shark pup forms in utero.



“This is the longest living vertebrate that we know of,” said Nielsen, who helped age the record fish. He and colleagues calculate that females do not reach sexual maturity until roughly 150 years, a timetable unheard of in other sharks.



Slow annual growth, barely half an inch, means injuries heal gradually but bones and organs escape the cumulative cellular wear seen in faster‑growing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shark-skeletons-could-lead-to-technological-innovations/">animals</a>. 



Researchers suspect a combination of frigid water, low oxygen demand, and genes that police DNA damage all contribute, yet no single “silver bullet” for longevity has appeared.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greenland-sharks-have-slow-heartbeats">Greenland sharks have slow heartbeats</h2>



Greenland sharks have resting <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/221/19/jeb186957/33812" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heart rates</a> of about 10 beats per minute and unusually low blood pressure. That’s much lower than what you’d find in other large sharks, and it may help protect their blood vessels from long-term damage like heart attacks or strokes.



Even with such a slow heartbeat, each pump moves a lot of blood, keeping their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/different-shark-species-seen-scavenge-feeding-together-in-rare-event/">bodies</a> fueled during slow swimming under Arctic ice. 



Doctors are paying attention, hoping this natural “strong pump, gentle pressure” system could offer ideas for treating high blood pressure in people.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-slow-bodies-save-energy">Slow bodies save energy</h2>



These sharks burn energy very slowly. In fact, their oxygen use is among the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-76371-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lowest ever recorded</a> for a fish their size. That kind of slow metabolism may reduce cell damage over time and help them survive long gaps between meals. 



A 280-pound shark might get through the day on fewer calories than a cheeseburger, making a single big meal last for months.



Because the deep Arctic is so cold, they digest food slowly too. Instead of burning energy for speed or growth, they stretch it out for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-sharks-face-growing-threats-despite-conservation-efforts/">survival</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-they-are-toxic-top-predators">Why they are toxic top predators</h2>



Greenland shark meat is laced with <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5127123/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trimethylamine N‑oxide</a>, a compound that stabilizes proteins under high pressure yet renders the raw flesh neurotoxic to mammals.



Icelanders neutralize it through months of fermentation to create the ceremonial dish kæstur hákarl, but few tourists finish more than a nibble.



The species ranks as an apex predator; evidence shows adults seizing fish, squid, and the occasional sleeping seal. 



Sightings in the Gulf of Mexico and off Spain reveal a wider range than once believed, hinting at deep‑water corridors that connect polar and temperate seas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-greenland-sharks-are-at-risk">Greenland sharks are at risk</h2>



Commercial trawlers unintentionally haul up about 3,500 Greenland <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2022/11/07/greenland-shark-finally-gets-protection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharks</a> each year as bycatch. Because breeding may not begin for a century and a half, losing even sub‑adults chips away at population recovery.



The <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60213/3112909" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> lists the species as “Vulnerable,” citing low fecundity and expanding deep‑sea fisheries. 



Simple changes, switching to LED‑lit nets that deter sharks, banning deep set gill nets in nursery zones, and funding release‑training for crews, can cut mortality without shrinking catches of cod or halibut.



Scientists also urge Arctic nations to establish no‑take refuges around known mating aggregations once those secret sites are found. Protecting a fish that may still be swimming in 2425 demands policies that look far beyond typical political horizons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-search-for-hidden-nursery-grounds">The search for hidden nursery grounds</h2>



No one has ever observed Greenland sharks mating or giving birth in the wild. Only one pregnant female has been studied, and her embryos suggest the species may be <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/sharpen-your-shark-facts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aplacental viviparous</a>, meaning the young develop inside eggs that hatch within the mother’s body.



Females seem to carry up to 10 pups at a time, but the <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/five-wild-facts-about-shark-reproduction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gestation period</a> could last several years. Without regular breeding or nursery sightings, it's hard to estimate how often they reproduce or whether their range shifts during these vulnerable periods.



This gap in knowledge makes population modeling difficult. Without better data, scientists can't say how quickly these sharks could recover if current bycatch trends continue. 



Tagging mature females may help reveal mating routes or hidden nursery grounds. Learning how and where they reproduce could play a key role in designing effective marine protected areas.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf1703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



Image Credit: Julius Nielsen



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Longest-living vertebrates on Earth survive for centuries in icy waters

Greenland sharks cruise the North Atlantic at a pace slower than most people walk, yet some were already adults when the United States was founded. Their astonishing lifespan has turned this elusive fish into a living time capsule, capturing the imagination of biologists and longevity researchers alike. Julius Nielsen of the University of Copenhagen leads many of the modern expeditions that tag, scan, and sometimes briefly corral these giants in the icy dark. Why Greenland sharks live so long Eye‑lens radiocarbon dating shows females can live at...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03042-3">Nature Communications Biology</a> has revealed a worrisome correlation between warming waters, decreased sea ice levels, and reduced abundance of Antarctic Silverfish. If this trend continues, the Silverfish could be brought on the brink of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/higher-levels-of-biodiversity-reduce-extinction-risks-in-birds/">extinction</a>, an outcome that would affect many other marine populations too.



The Antarctic Silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica) comprises over 90 percent of adult and larval fish biomass in the coastal areas of the Southern Ocean. Due to their availability and abundance, they are important prey for many other marine species, including seals, penguins, seabirds, and other fish.



Currently, their natural habitat faces significant changes due to global warming. From 1945 to 2009, the average winter air temperature in the region increased by six degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit). At the same time, the annual duration of sea ice decreased by almost two months. &nbsp;



“The study area is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, with increases in air and water temperatures leading to substantial reductions in sea-ice coverage over the last half century,” said study co-author Deborah Steinberg, a professor of Marine Biology at the <a href="https://www.vims.edu/">Virginia Institute of Marine Science</a> (VIMS).



In order to investigate the correlation between climate change and the abundance of Antarctic Silverfish populations, Professor Steinberg and her colleagues analyzed over 7,000 larval fish specimens collected over 25 years (1993-2017) as part of the <a href="https://pallter.marine.rutgers.edu/">Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research program</a> (an ongoing investigation of the effects of climate change on the ocean food web along the western coast of the Antarctic Peninsula). They found that warmer sea surface temperature and decreased sea ice were strongly associated with reduced larval abundance, and consequently to declining populations of mature Antarctic Silverfish.



“This is the first statistically significant relationship reported between sea ice and the long-term abundance of any Antarctic fish species,” said study lead author Andrew Corso, a doctoral student in fisheries sciences at VIMS.



“With continued regional warming, these fish could disappear from the region entirely, triggering major changes in the marine ecosystem,” he warned.



Image Credit: Andrew Corso/VIMS



---



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

Antarctic fish are increasingly threatened by climate change

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications Biology...

On February 24th, Tule elk had their day in court. No word yet on the outcome of the hearing after animal activists sued the National Park Service (NPS) over their management of rare Tule elk in Point Reyes National Seashore.



Harvard Law School’s Animal Law &amp; Policy Clinic filed the <a href="https://animal.law.harvard.edu/news-article/nps-fail-to-protect-tule-elk/">lawsuit</a> against the National Park Service for negligence, alleging that the government agency has been allowing Tule elk to die from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-whale-sharks-starvation/">starvation</a> and dehydration.



The animal rights organization is suing not only NPS and the Department of the Interior (DOI), but also Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.&nbsp;



According to NPS elk survey numbers, the Tule elk population has dropped from 442 individuals in 2019 to 221 in December of 2021. The plaintiffs in the case claim that this is directly caused by the NPS fence which, at 3 miles long and 8 feet high, keeps elk from reaching other possible sources of food and water.&nbsp;



Instead, the land and water on the other side of the fence is utilized by cattle. The plaintiffs pushed back on NPS claims of natural population declines, pointing out that the land the elk now occupy was already overgrazed and that cattle ponds in the elk allotment dry up periodically. Pressure from citizens and In Defense of Animals (IDA) activists forced NPS to install water troughs for the elk last year while they still claimed the death was due to starvation.&nbsp;



In Defense of Animals Communication Director Fleur Dawes said her organization is "fully committed to saving Tule elk lives in all three herds at Point Reyes Seashore, with more activist demonstrations and public outreach."&nbsp;



"Wild elk should be wild, not fenced in a national park. Five thousand cows, commercially exploited for meat and milk profits at taxpayer expense, don’t belong inside a national park.”



The bottom line for the activists seems to be the claim that NPS is intentionally limiting Tule elk to a small portion of their former range solely for the profit of private ranching interests subsidized by the federal government.&nbsp;



Lead plaintiff Jack Gescheidt is also the Tule Elk Campaigner for In Defense of Animals.



“The Park Service is intentionally and lethally confining rare Tule elk for one reason, and one reason only: to please private cattle operators," said Gescheidt. "Ranchers prefer to have elk fenced, starved, and shot rather than sharing publicly-owned parklands.”



---



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

National Park Service accused of willfully killing Tule elk

On February 24th, Tule elk had their day in court....

A bizarre new species of frog (Synapturanus danta) with a nose similar to a tapir’s has recently been discovered in the Amazon rainforest in Loreto, Peru. Its body shape and general appearance seem to be perfectly adapted for burrowing in the soft soils of the Amazonian peatlands. The field researchers were only able to find it by tracking its distinctive, “beeping” calls through the peatlands and digging on their hands and knees, with the help of local guides.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The inhabitants of Peru’s Comunidad Nativa Tres Esquinas have long been familiar with this tiny, burrowing frog with a long snout. A local name for it is rana danta (“tapir frog”) due to its resemblance to the large-nosed Amazonian mammal.



“These frogs are really hard to find, and that leads to them being understudied,” said study co-author Michelle Thompson, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> in Chicago. “It's an example of the Amazon's hidden diversity, and it's important to document it to understand how the local ecosystem functions.”



“Frogs of this genus (Synapturanus) are spread throughout the Amazon, but since they live underground and can't get very far by digging, the ranges each species is distributed in are fairly small. Since we found this new species in Amazon peatland, it wouldn't be strange for it to be restricted to this environment. Its body shape and general look seems to be adapted to the soft soil of the peatland, rather than the robust and wider shape of species in other environments,” added study lead author Germán Chávez, a researcher at the Instituto Peruano de Herpetología in Lima, Peru.



Synapturanus danta is a brown, small creature with a blobby body and a tiny pointy head that emits a pointed, “beeping” sound that helped researchers localize it. This species belongs to a group that evolved in the prehistoric wetlands of the Western Amazon. Due to their burrowing behavior, these frogs most probably have a crucial role in nutrient cycling and changing the soil structure.



Peru’s Putumayo Basin, where the frog was discovered is part of a larger conservation scheme. “The Putumayo Corridor spans from Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, and down to Brazil, following the Putumayo River. There's very little deforestation, and it's also one of the last free flowing rivers that has no current dams. There's like a huge conservation opportunity to conserve the whole corridor, watershed and surrounding areas. This tapir frog is another piece of evidence of why scientists and local people need to work together to protect this region,” concluded Thompson.



A detailed description of this new species is published in the journal <a href="https://evolsyst.pensoft.net/article/80281/element/8/4930/">Evolutionary Systematics</a>.



Image Credit: Field Museum&nbsp;



---



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

Bizarre frog with tapir-like nose discovered in Peru

A bizarre new species of frog (Synapturanus danta) with a...

A new study led by the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> has found that higher levels of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-biodiversity-crisis-will-take-millions-of-years-to-recover-from/">biodiversity</a> – the enormous variety of life in specific ecosystems – appears to reduce the risk of extinction in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-populations-are-declining-worldwide/">birds</a>. These results suggest that species conservation targets could best be achieved by maintaining high levels of overall biodiversity in natural ecosystems.



Past research has already discovered various short-term benefits of biodiversity. Diverse systems seem to be less prone to invasion and more disease-resistant, and have more stable productivity. This recent study has revealed yet another positive aspect of biodiversity: its fundamental role in reducing extinction rates.



The scientists constructed a comprehensive dataset of the functional traits in birds by using natural history museum specimens covering over 99 percent of all bird species in the world. They used this data to measure the diversity of birds around the world, including the species found in specific communities, together with their evolutionary relationships and functional traits.



By employing structural equation modelling, the researchers found that diversity was associated with lower levels of contemporary extinction risk in birds. While many attributes, such as large body size, poor dispersal ability, or small range size, can make the species that have them more likely to go extinct, it appears that the benefits afforded by living in a diverse community protect these extinction-prone species, allowing a large number of them to continue to exist and thrive. Thus, diverse communities are providing a safe harbor for species that are at risk of extinction.



“While we know that biodiversity impacts the functioning of ecosystems in predictable ways, it is less clear how these biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships impact extinction risk across longer timescales,” said study lead author Brian Weeks, an evolutionary biologist and ornithologist at the University of Michigan. “Our findings suggest that the conservation of biodiversity is not only a goal of conservation but is also likely a necessary component to effective conservation interventions.”



Moreover, according to Professor Weeks and his colleagues, since single-species conservation interventions are quite expensive, the maintenance of biodiverse communities could be a more cost-effective approach to preventing extinction.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.13860">Ecology Letters</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



---



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

Higher levels of biodiversity reduce extinction risks in birds

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

In the animal kingdom, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/orangutan-mothers-are-actively-involved-in-helping-offspring-learn/">offspring</a> are produced via two main reproductive pathways: sexual, through the fertilization between male and female gametes, and asexual, when offspring emerge through a single unfertilized egg. Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction in which females pass on their genes without a male being involved.&nbsp;



A new study led the <a href="https://www.unil.ch/index.html">University of Lausanne</a> in Switzerland in collaboration with the <a href="https://portal.uni-koeln.de/en/sub/uoc-home">University of Cologne</a> in Germany has found that parthenogenesis can negatively affect the genome evolution of the animals that practice it, by reducing genetic diversity and leading to adaptation problems.



“The shift from sexual reproduction to parthenogenesis has occurred repeatedly in animals, but how the loss of sex affects genome evolution remains poorly understood,” the study authors wrote. Through genetic analyses of asexually reproducing Timema (a genus of stick insects native to western North America that includes both sexually and asexually reproducing species), the scientists discovered that, in the long term, these insects cannot pass on beneficial mutations as efficiently as their sexually reproducing relatives.



Like humans and other animals, Timema have a double set of chromosomes. The extent to which these two genomes differ is called “heterozygosity.” During parthenogenesis, this difference is lost and the two genome copies become very similar. This reduces variability and leads to genetically uniform populations, which find it more difficult to adapt to their environments.&nbsp;



“The results show that genetic exchange during sexual reproduction promotes the speed of adaptation and genetic diversity in the insects’ natural populations,” said study co-author Dr. Jens Bast, a professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Cologne.



“By using replicated sexual-parthenogenetic comparisons, our study reveals how the absence of sex affects genome evolution in natural populations, providing empirical support for the negative consequences of parthenogenesis as predicted by theory,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.abg3842?af=R">Science Advances</a>.



---



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

Asexual reproduction can negatively impact evolution

In the animal kingdom, offspring are produced via two main...

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>



---



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.



---



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>.



---



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>.



---



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.



---



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>.



---



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>.



---



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...

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.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

News coming your way