Scientists have long known that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-rally-against-the-worlds-first-octopus-farm/">octopus</a> is an extraordinary organism with a highly complex brain and cognitive abilities that are unique among invertebrate creatures. According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.sissa.it/">International School for Advanced Study</a> (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy, the neuronal and cognitive complexity of these animals could originate from a molecular analogy with the human brain. The experts found that the octopus and human brain share similar transposons, or “jumping genes” – a type of genes that can move from one point to another of an individual’s genome, shuffling or duplicating.



Over 45 percent of the human brain is composed of such jumping genes. However, most of them lost their ability to move, or are inactive because they accumulated mutations over generations. Moreover, even some of the intact ones are most of the time blocked by cellular defense mechanisms. The most relevant mobile elements, though, belong to the Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINE) family. These are still potentially active, and are thought to be associated with cognitive abilities such as learning or memory.&nbsp;



The scientists found that the genomes of two common species of octopus – Octopus vulgarisms and Octopus bimaculoides – are also rich in jumping genes, although most of them are inactive. However, some elements of the LINE family were discovered in parts of the octopus brain that are crucial for these creatures’ amazing cognitive abilities.



“The discovery of an element of the LINE family, active in the brain of the two octopus species, is very significant because it adds support to the idea that these elements have a specific function that goes beyond copy-and-paste,” explained study co-senior author Remo Sanges, the director of the Computational Genomics Laboratory at SISSA.



“I literally jumped on the chair when, under the microscope, I saw a very strong signal of activity of this element in the vertical lobe, the structure of the brain which in the octopus is the seat of learning and cognitive abilities, just like the&nbsp;hippocampus&nbsp;in humans,” added study co-author Giovanna Ponte, a researcher in Biology and Neurophysiology at the <a href="https://www.szn.it/index.php/it/">Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn</a>.



According to the researchers, this similarity between the genetic constitution of the human and octopus brain are a fascinating example of convergent evolution – a phenomenon for which, in two genetically distinct species, the same molecular processes develop independently, in response to similar needs.&nbsp;



“The brain of the octopus is functionally analogous in many of its characteristics to that of mammals. For this reason, also, the identified LINE element represents a very interesting candidate to study to improve our knowledge on the evolution of intelligence,” concluded co-senior author Graziano Fiorito, the director of the Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-022-01303-5">BMC Biology</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;

Human and octopus brains are more similar than expected

Scientists have long known that the octopus is an extraordinary organism with a highly complex brain and cognitive abilities that are unique among invertebrate creatures. According to a new study led by the International School for Advanced Study (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy, the neuronal and cognitive complexity of these animals could originate from a molecular analogy with the human brain. The experts found that the octopus and human brain share similar transposons, or “jumping genes” – a type of genes that can move from one point to...

New animal testing method saves lab mouse lives. According to PETA, over 100 million mice are killed in laboratory experiments each year – and that’s in the U.S. alone. Japanese scientists are hoping to lessen <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/animal-cruelty-video-sparks-boycott/">animal suffering</a> and mortality by creating a new animal testing method for human drug trials.

Associate Professor Noriyuki Yanaka from<a href="https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en"> Hiroshima University</a> worked with a team to develop a non-invasive method of testing the anti-inflammatory properties of fortified health foods and medications on mice. Their hope is that this procedure will change the way scientists conduct animal testing.

The research, published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/srep38697">Nature</a>, involved looking at inflammation of fatty tissues inside the body. Metabolic disorders such as cancer, Type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular doses result in over-nutrition. The body fights this by releasing white blood cells. While this is meant to be a good thing, it can be problematic for obese fatty tissue, which becomes inflamed and damaged. 

In order to study these tissues, scientists had to euthanize a large number of mice as they progressed through their research. Yanaka and his team have discovered a gene called Serum Amyloid A3 (Saa3) that can be detected when fatty tissue is inflamed. 

They injected this gene into fertilized mouse eggs and created a batch of mice that could be examined in a non-invasive fashion to determine if their fatty tissue exhibited signs of inflammation. Scientists then divided the mice into two groups – feeding the first group a high-fat diet and the others a natural-wild diet. They were able to use bioluminescence to examine the fatty tissues of the mice, noting that the ones on the high-fat diet showed signs of inflammation, while the ones on the natural-wild diet did not. 

Yanka said that the new method does not completely eliminate the need to euthanize lab mice, but hopes that it will cut known on the number of deaths. "What we are proposing is a way to reduce not only the number of animals which are used in experiments, but also animal experiments themselves,” he said.

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 
Source: Noriyuki Yanaka, <a href="https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en">Hiroshima University</a>

New animal testing method saves lab mouse lives

New animal testing method saves lab mouse lives. According to...

In the “X-Men” comics and movies, Wolverine has the unique ability to heal wounds within seconds. Sharks aren’t quite so fast, but their speedy healing abilities recently led scientists to study shark DNA in search of a cure for cancer. 

Scientists have known for a while that cancer rates are incredibly low among sharks. The ocean predators also heal quickly. An open wound can heal in a matter of hours on a healthy shark.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>, <a href="http://www.clemson.edu/">Clemson University</a>, and <a href="http://www.nova.edu/">Nova Southeastern University</a> thought the two unique aspects of shark health might be related. They teamed up to study shark DNA and see what, if any, clues they could find.

“In addition to their ancient history and fundamental position in vertebrate systematics, chondrichthyans possess a wide variety of biological characteristics of note,” the researchers wrote in their study. 

Chondrichthyans include sharks, rays, skates, and related fish. 

Over hundreds of millions of years, the DNA of chondrichthyans has undergone unique changes that may grant them accelerated healing abilities, the researchers found. 

“Such traits include, but are not limited to, the presence of a primitive adaptive immune system, efficient wound healing, and the evolution of regional endothermy in several species,” the scientists wrote.

When a shark is injured, a layer of new cells rapidly grows to fill in the wound, much more quickly than in mammals. 

Two genes particularly stood out to the researchers. Both are linked to higher rates of cancer in humans. In sharks, however, they act to prevent cancer. 

“Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a process that eliminates dysfunctional cells and one of the hallmarks of cancer is the ability of malignant cells to evade apoptosis,” they wrote. 

In humans, the two genes seem to work together to shut off cell death in some cells, which encourages formation of cancerous tumors. In sharks, however, those genes seem to induce death in cancerous cells, the researchers said.

Now, the scientists are studying tissues from those species using genomics, which focuses on the structure, function, and mapping of genomes. Little genetic mapping of shark DNA has been completed.

They hope that they can pinpoint how sharks developed their healing superpowers, the scientists said. They also hope to find out if those abilities can be used to help humans who are ill or injured.

Maybe Wolverine’s nickname should have been “Shark Boy.”

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-016-3411-x">BMC Genomics</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Scientists: shark DNA may hold the key to curing cancer

In the “X-Men” comics and movies, Wolverine has the unique...

Next winter, you may not be the only one heading to the doctor for your annual flu shot. According to new research, your <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/negotiating-world-dog-walking/">dog</a> may need to get a similar flu vaccine.

Soon, this will be easier than ever, thanks to Luis Martinez-Sobrido and his team at the<a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd.aspx"> University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry</a>. They’re in the process of developing a canine influenza vaccine that can be given intranasally. Their new study was published in the<a href="http://jvi.asm.org"> Journal of Virology</a>.

Unlike the canine flu vaccine injection that’s currently available, the nasal vaccine will be made with a live form of the virus. This makes it more effective than the injectable form, which is made of an inactive flu virus and requires two separate shots over a period of several weeks.

While canine flu isn’t as well known as the human form of the virus, it causes similar symptoms. Dogs infected with canine influenza often experience lethargy, loss of appetite, sneezing, and coughing. While dogs tend to pass the illness to each other and not to humans, scientists say dog-to-human flu transmission is possible.  

“Dogs are great companion animals, and we’re in much closer contact with them than we are with birds or swines,” Martinez-Sobrido said to<a href="http://www.time.com"> Time</a> magazine. “It could be a matter of time before a dog’s virus is able to transmit to humans.”

This is why experts are recommending that dogs get flu shots along with their owners. They compare dogs passing flu to human owners with swine and avian flu outbreaks that have occurred in the past. Like the human flu vaccine, the doggy version would need to be given annually in order to remain current and outpace virus mutations. 

So next winter, when you stop by to get your yearly flu shot, keep your fine furry friend in mind, too – they don’t like the sniffles any more than you do! 

--

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: Luis Martinez-Sobrido,<a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd.aspx"> University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry</a>

Scientists suggest a new flu vaccine for your dog

Next winter, you may not be the only one heading...

Hamsters fed corn turn from cute and cuddly into something from a horror movie.

Hamsters are cuddly, adorable, and sweet – until you feed them a corn-based diet. In a scene that’s reminiscent of a 1980’s horror movie, corn-fed hamsters turn into dark-tongued cannibals that store their young in their hamster pantries and munch on them during mealtimes.

Surprised? Scientists in northeastern France were, too, as they started what they thought would be an experiment on how a hamster’s diet affects its ability to reproduce in the wild. They tested groups of hamsters with two different diets – one that was corn-based and one that was wheat-based. Both diets included sides of yummy worms and clover.

Neither group had problems reproducing and had babies at similar rates. However, the mortality rates of the babies in the corn-based diet group were higher. Researchers soon found that this was because the mothers would store the tiny pups in with their supply of maize and then eat it all – pups included.

The reason? Scientists suspected Vitamin B3 deficiency after they noted that the corn-fed hamsters had dark, swollen tongues, thick blood, and would run around in circles and pound on their feeders when scientists appeared in the room. To confirm their suspicion, they added Vitamin B3 supplements to the hamsters’ diets without making any additional changes. The frantic and cannibalistic behavior ceased.

The team of researchers, led by Mathilde Tissier at the<a href="http://en.unistra.fr/"> University of Strasbourg</a>, believe that the study sheds light on the plummeting population of Cricetus cricetus hamsters in western Europe. There, hamsters live in virtual mazes of maize as their natural habitat has given way to industrial corn farming. The scientists published their findings in the British Royal Society journal<a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org"> Proceedings B</a>.  

Gerard Baumgart, President of the Research Centre for Environmental Protection in Alsace has worked for years to protect endangered hamster. He believes the study is a call to action and said to the <a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news-hub">AFP</a>, “There's clearly an imbalance. Our hamster habitat is collapsing.” 

–

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: Mathilde Tissier,<a href="http://en.unistra.fr/"> University of Strasbourg</a>

&nbsp;

Hamsters fed corn become carnivorous cannibals

Hamsters fed corn turn from cute and cuddly into something from...

The mercury is rising, in more ways than one. As ocean temperatures rise, they may be dragging mercury levels in fish along with them, scientists discovered in a new study.

Climate scientists have recorded steadily rising surface air and ocean temperatures for the past several years. Climate change has already been linked to an ongoing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-scientists-pacific-ocean-warming-caused-east-african-drought/">drought in East Africa</a>. One study showed extreme drought linked to global warming had the potential to cause <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-new-dust-bowl/">another Dust Bowl</a>. 

But new studies are showing that warmer air has also been linked to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/attribution-science-extreme-weather-events/">extreme rainfall events</a>. Along with flooding and crop damage, heavy rainfall can lead to toxic seafood, a team of Swedish scientists has discovered.

And all that rain brings runoff.

At issue is the amount of mercury that already exists in coastal waters.

“The input of mercury (Hg) to ecosystems is estimated to have increased two- to fivefold during the industrial era, and Hg accumulates in aquatic biota as neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg),” the research team wrote in their study. 

In some places, mercury levels are even higher. For example, the San Francisco Bay has high mercury levels, not just from the usual sources but from the <a href="https://ww2.kqed.org/quest/2015/11/05/mercury-in-san-francisco-bay/">1849 Gold Rush</a>. Hydraulic mining operations used mercury to process ore, and that mercury washed in enormous amounts down rivers to the bay. 

Now, rainfall could wash organic matter from inland down those rivers and others around the world. In coastal waters, that organic matter can react with mercury to create a powerful neurotoxin known as methylmercury.

That neurotoxin can accumulate in zooplankton in high amounts, the scientists said. As fish and other marine creatures eat the zooplankton, methylmercury builds in those animals. And as humans fish and eat their catch, it transfers again.

To test their theory, the researchers used a newly developed isotope tracer to monitor formation of methylmercury in runoff events at the Bothnian Sea, off the coast of Sweden. They found that increased runoff caused more organic matter to flow into the sea, and that encouraged bacterial growth. The bacteria, an added step to the sea’s food chain, caused methylmercury levels to spike, the scientists found.

Infants and pregnant women are especially sensitive to methylmercury poisoning, but all humans are at risk. Symptoms of methylmercury poisoning can include blindness, cerebral palsy, deafness, and central nervous system impairment, according to <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001651.htm">MedlinePlus</a>. Symptoms can’t be reversed after exposure.

According to the <a href="http://www.who.int/ipcs/assessment/public_health/mercury/en/">World Health Organization</a>, mercury is highly toxic to humans when ingested. One of the most common ways it’s eaten? As methylmercury in fish. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/1/e1601239.full">Science Advances</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Mercury levels in fish may rise with global temperatures

The mercury is rising, in more ways than one. As...

Building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border would be an “act of self-sabotage,” according to the <a href="http://www.sierraclub.org/">Sierra Club</a> and other conservation organizations.

The wall, a pet project of new President Donald Trump, has met with resistance since it was proposed. But beyond the $12 to $25 billion <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37243269">price tag</a> and the risk of the U.S. damaging relations with its <a href="https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/americas/mexico">third biggest trading partner</a>, activists are now raising concerns about the wall’s environmental impact.

The president insists the wall is necessary to prevent illegal immigration from Mexico. The Mexican government will pay for it, he said; Mexico has refuted that claim.

The amount of concrete needed to build a wall on the magnitude the president has proposed would produce massive amounts of carbon dioxide, engineers in New York and London told <a href="https://about.bnef.com/blog/scientists-warn-trumps-border-wall-will-be-bad-for-the-planet/">Bloomberg News</a>. 

A wall stretching 1,000 miles – slightly over half the length of the U.S.-Mexico border – would require about 275 million cubic feet of concrete, the engineers said. That could release up to 1.9 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere, they said.

Still, while most scientists agree that human-produced atmospheric carbon is a major contributor to climate change, a handful of skeptics and the president himself disagree.

Unfortunately, the atmospheric carbon produced by a massive wall on the border are not the only ecological costs. 

For the members of the animal kingdom who live along the border, a man-made wall could cut through their territory. Animals such as El Jefe, the only wild jaguar in the United States, and American black bears that rely on mating with their Mexican counterparts could be cut off from others of their species.

Animals that regularly migrate could be blocked from their summer homes. Species that have been shifting north to cooler climes could also find themselves stuck.

“Walls and barriers have already been constructed across more than 650 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border,” the Sierra Club said on its Borderlands website. “These barriers block wildlife migration, cause flooding and damage pristine wild lands, including wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, and national forests.”

The Sierra Club has taken up positions against a number of the president’s actions during his first week in office, including an order restarting work on the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

Activists: wall on U.S.-Mexico border will damage environment

Building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border would be an...

“You have to share!” It’s a lesson we try to teach children from the time they are born. According to a recent study, scientists have discovered that humans aren’t the only animals capable of sharing things. It turns out that man's best friend can display generosity, as well – especially with other <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cats-just-smart-dogs-thank-much/">dogs</a> that they know and love. 

Rachel Dale, Friederike Range, and their other colleagues at the <a href="https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/messerli/">Messerli Research Institute</a> in Vienna conducted an experiment in which they gave dogs a bar-pulling task in which they could deliver treats to other dogs. They found that the dogs would deliver treats to partner dogs, but would do so more often if the other dog was familiar to them. The research was published in the journal<a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/"> PLOS ONE</a>.

Scientists also conducted tests to find out if man's best friend would continue to deliver treats to a partner dog under various circumstances. What if the task were more complex? What if the partner dog was a stranger? What would the effect be if another dog were present in the room? 

The next setup was different. ”The dogs were first trained to touch a token in exchange for a food reward for themselves. They were then trained to recognize two more tokens: one that resulted in a reward being delivered to a partner dog and another which did not,” Dale explained. Partner dogs were in a separate enclosure that was visible to the dog being tested.

During the tests, they discovered that dogs were willing to deliver treats to partner dogs even when the task grew more complicated. The experiment showed that the dogs preferred delivering treats to partners who were familiar to them, as they did so three times more often than they gave treats to unfamiliar dogs. If another dog was present in the room with the test dog, treat-giving went up. If the dog was alone in the room, the number of treat deliveries dropped.  

So now you know: knick knack, paddy whack, give a dog a bone – and he’ll share it.

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: Rachel Dale, Friederike Range, <a href="https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/messerli/">Messerli Research Institute</a>

Man’s best friend has the capacity to share, scientists say

“You have to share!” It’s a lesson we try to...

When male <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/jumping-spiders-hear-without-ears/">jumping spiders</a> want to mate, they do the arachnid equivalent of flexing their muscles or leaning up against a bar and trying to look cool – they dance around and show off in front of females in order to attract a partner. Two types of male spiders from North America and Australia have upped the dating game ante, displaying vibrant colors in hopes of getting a female’s attention.

This is noteworthy for two reasons. “It's rare to see bright colours on most spiders, as they don't usually have the visual sensitivity to perceive colour beyond drab blues, greens, and browns,” said <a href="http://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a> biologist Nate Morehouse. He presented the research at the 2017 <a href="http://www.sicb.org">Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology</a> Conference.

The Maratus “peacock” jumping male spiders of Australia and the Habronattus jumping spider of North America are game-changers in this regard. Not only do the males of both species show off bright colors in a bid for mates; these spiders have also developed the ability to see colors such as red, yellow, and orange. 

This is because the Maratus spiders evolved additional photoreceptors that allow them to see colors that most spiders can’t. Meanwhile, the Habronattus spiders have a red filter on their retina that combines with green-sensitive retinal cells.

How do you test a spider’s vision? Scientists did not pull out tiny eye charts and ask spiders to read the last line from the bottom. Rather, they used something called microspectrophotometry. This measures how photoreceptor cells in the retina absorb light. They also used visual system modeling, a method that relies on mathematical modeling to determine how the retina might perceive color. 

Although the two species of spiders are similarly colorful, they are not related. In fact, the peacock spider has something that the Habronattus does not: an abdomen flap that they can wave as they do their mating dance. While it’s not crushing beer cans on one’s head, female spiders are no doubt impressed. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: Nate Morehouse, <a href="http://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a>

Photo: Jurgen Otto

Male spiders use rainbow colors and dancing to find females

When male jumping spiders want to mate, they do the...

Let’s all celebrate with a round of butterbeers! Scientists who recently identified a new <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidification-threatening-crab-populations/">crab</a> species delighted Harry Potter fans worldwide when they named it after two of the wizarding world’s most beloved characters.

The crab, Harryplax severus, pays triple homage with its name. First, it honors the late researcher Harry Conley, who picked up the tiny crab along the coast of Guam 20 years ago. The name also alludes to the title character in J.K. Rowling’s series, as well as potions professor Severus Snape.

Conley donated his collections to Gustav Paulay, a curator at the <a href="https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/">Florida Museum of Natural History</a>. He turned them over to biologists Peter Ng and Jose Christopher E. Mendoza from the <a href="http://www.nus.edu.sg">National University of Singapore</a>. They found the crab, measuring just 0.3 by 0.2 inches, in the collection.

Mendoza, a self-proclaimed Potterhead, was excited to link the name of its founder with one of the most famous boy wizards of all time. He and Ng said that Conley had an almost magical talent at finding new and rare species. The minuscule crab lives deep in the ocean and has small eyes, long legs, and antennae that help it get around in the dark depths. 

The last part of the name – severus - also has a double meaning. In Latin, the word translates to “harsh” or “rigorous,” which the researchers say “alludes to the rigorous and laborious process by which this crab was collected.” 

Harry Potter aficionados will also appreciate the explanation offered by the researchers in their study, which was published in the journal <a href="http://zookeys.pensoft.net">ZooKeys</a>. They say the name is “an allusion to a notorious and misunderstood character in the Harry Potter novels, Professor Severus Snape, for his ability to keep one of the most important secrets in the story, just like the present new species which has eluded discovery until now, nearly 20 years after it was first collected.”

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: Peter Ng and Jose Christopher E. Mendoza, <a href="http://www.nus.edu.sg">National University of Singapore</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/LiveScience">Live Science</a>

New crab species named after Harry Potter favorite

Let’s all celebrate with a round of butterbeers! Scientists who...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cats-just-smart-dogs-thank-much/">Cat lovers</a> take a lot of heat. They’re stereotyped as being eccentric recluses who struggle to find a piece of cat hair-free clothing every time they set foot out the door. Their lives revolve around the care and feeding of a demanding, aloof little fur ball (or three). And now, cat lovers are getting no love from the scientific community, as researchers have just announced a possible link between cat litter and Alzheimer’s disease. 

The problem lies in a tiny parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. It thrives in soiled litter boxes and is a real threat to pregnant women who end up with litter scooping duty. However, it’s also a risk to other cat owners who scoop the litter box and fail to wash their hands thoroughly afterwards. 

If a person is infected with T. gondii, the parasite moves into their brain. There, it can increase the risk of anxiety, schizophrenia, and even brain cancer. Scientists are also looking into whether or not the infection may cause Alzheimer’s disease. 

Scientists published the study in the <a href="http://www.journalofparasitology.org/">Journal of Parasitology</a>. Journal editor Michael Sukhdeo of <a href="http://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> said that the Alzheimer’s-T. gondii link is likely because “the parasite likes to live in the brain. 

In their research, they looked at mice who were infected with T. gondii, as well as others who were altered to show symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that mice infected with the parasite demonstrated impairments to their learning and memory that mimicked the classic symptoms of Alzheimer’s. 

They also noted that the infection altered the mice’s brain chemistry and increased their chances of developing Alzheimer’s. 

The findings increase the health risk posed by cat litter to pregnant women, but they also mean that other adults need to be more cautious when handling soiled cat litter. People who are infected may notice flu-like symptoms; they may also experience no symptoms whatsoever. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: Michael Sukhdeo, <a href="http://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a>

Oh, poop! Scientists link cat litter to Alzheimer’s

Cat lovers take a lot of heat. They’re stereotyped as...

The great cat-versus-dog debate has waged for years amongst pet lovers everywhere. Cat owners insist that despite most cats eschewing being trained to play fetch or do other activities upon their human’s bidding, their feline friends are just as smart as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/negotiating-world-dog-walking/">dogs</a>. Meanwhile, dog owners scoff at the idea that cats have equal intelligence to man’s best friend.

Are cats really as smart as dogs? Scientists may have finally settled the question once and for all – and cat owners can finally celebrate. 

There’s no doubt that dogs are smart. They’re even able to use something called episodic memory to recall specific events like enjoying a favorite toy or a tasty snack. However, Japanese scientists have discovered that cats share this ability to recall pleasant experiences. They published their findings in the journal<a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/behavioural-processes/"> Behavioural Processes</a>. 

How do you test a cat’s memory? The team analyzed the behavior of 49 domestic cats, observing their ability to recall which bowl they had already eaten out of after 15 minutes away from being away from the test food bowls. This was similar to results that the same group of scientists had seen in tests they’d performed involving dogs. 

Scientists think that cats ability to remember information about food can assist them with hunting and surviving in the wild. Psychologist Saho Takagi from <a href="http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en">Kyoto University</a> was part of the research team. Besides survival, she explained to BBC News that such memories might be fun for cats. 

"An interesting speculation is that they may enjoy actively recalling memories of their experience like humans,” she said.

While seeking out the same food bowl might not seem impressive, a cat’s intelligence goes beyond simple memory skills. They’re also on par with dogs in mental tests such as responding to human gestures, different facial expressions, as well as emotions. Who says a cat can’t be trained? 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: Saho Takagi, <a href="http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en">Kyoto University</a>

Cats are just as smart as dogs, thank you very much

The great cat-versus-dog debate has waged for years amongst pet...

When Margaret Groom, the archivist for the village of Uley, began piecing together the tiny town’s history for a book, she knew she had to include John Daniel. Though the gorilla's story only spanned 4 ½ years, it was a big event in Uley history.

The story began in 1918, when French officers shot the parents of a baby <a href="http://www.earth.com/endangered-species/gorilla-gorilla/">lowland gorilla</a>. The little gorilla ended up in a London department store, according to Groom’s book.

When Major Rupert Penny discovered the baby ape, he purchased it for what would be about $31,000 today. Penny named the gorilla John Daniel, according to “Notes from the Uley Archives.”

The book describes how Penny gave John Daniel to his sister Alyce Cunningham, who nicknamed him “Sultan” and raised him like a human child.

The village’s children would go for walks with John Daniel or push him in a wheelbarrow, the book said. Some of the villagers shared with Groom how John Daniel would eat roses and knew which house had the best cider. He also enjoyed watched the village cobbler work, Groom said.

Cunningham gave the little gorilla his own bedroom, where he learned to use the light switch and made his own bed, the archivist added. John Daniel even went to dinner parties in London.

“Notes from the Uley Archives” shares the gorilla's story, along with photos of his childhood in the village.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last.

Like most gorillas, John Daniel grew much larger than a human – to about 210 pounds, the book said. Cunningham could no longer care for him, so when an American man offered to buy him in 1921, she agreed. The American buyer promised to take John Daniel to a safe home in Florida, Groom said.

Instead, he was sent to a circus, then displayed at the Ringling Bros. zoo in New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The gorilla began to have health problems. The circus owners believed he was pining, and wrote to Cunningham urging her to visit.

She set off right away, according to the book, but was too late. John Daniel died at 4 ½ years old.

John Daniel’s body was sent to a taxidermist and is still on display at the <a href="http://www.amnh.org/">American Museum of Natural History</a> in New York, Groom said.

Though short, the gorilla's story is a fascinating peek into the bond between animals and their human companions, and the history of an English village.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

It takes a village: archivist reveals gorilla's story

When Margaret Groom, the archivist for the village of Uley,...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. The archipelago consists of eight main islands including Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Palma, as well as many small islands and islets. The Canary Islands are the southernmost region of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp;



Tenerife is dominated by Mount Teide, the third largest volcano in the world. Teide National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is located in the center of the island. Tourists flock to the beaches of Tenerife, which have sand that ranges in color from golden yellow to black.&nbsp;



"Owing to the island’s diverse topography and unique climatic factors, Tenerife has multiple microclimates, which means that the weather can vary drastically from one part of the island to the other," says ESA.



"Weather and climate are heavily influenced by the trade winds blowing from the northeast for most of the year, bringing humidity and precipitation to the north of the island, as well as to the northern slopes of Mount Teide."&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency



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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

Tenerife in the Canary Islands

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> explores how rising sea levels and increasing levels of salinity are impacting coastal wetlands.



The salinity of ocean water is 400 times that of fresh water, and the salt water that is left behind after an ocean intrusion can lead to intolerable salt levels for the plants and animals in a wetland ecosystem.&nbsp;



The Discovery Files video focuses on the work of Dr. Sparkle Malone, a professor in the Department of Biological Science at Florida International University.&nbsp;



In the Florida Everglades, Dr. Malone is taking measurements to assess how plants and animals are responding to changes in salt levels. High salt levels reduce vegetation cover and have a negative effect on productivity throughout the entire wetland ecosystem.&nbsp;



Video &amp; Image Credit: National Science Foundation/Florida International University



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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

Coastal wetlands are threatened by salt water intrusion

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features a time lapse of the Northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, captured from space. The images were acquired in November of 2021 during ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s second mission to the International Space Station, the Alpha mission.&nbsp;



According to ESA, the camera was set up to take pictures at intervals of two per second, and the time lapse video plays 25 pictures a second.&nbsp;



The fascinating light show, which can be viewed at both the north and south poles, is produced when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million miles per hour. Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles, creating the fascinating waves of light.&nbsp;



The earliest known record of the northern lights is in a cave painting in France that dates back 30,000 years.&nbsp; In 1619, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei named the northern lights "aurora borealis" after the Roman goddess of dawn (Aurora) and the Greek god of the north wind (Boreas).



When Pesquet shared the stunning Alpha mission video on social media, he noted that the pictures were taken from the docked Crew Dragon spacecraft windows. Pesquet said it was the strongest aurora the crew had seen during their six months in space.



Video 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

Spectacular astronaut view of the northern lights

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Patagonia, which includes Argentina and Chile at the southern tip of South America. The region is known for its rugged beauty, with an abundance of glaciers and dramatic mountain peaks.&nbsp;



"Covering an area of around 673,000 square kilometers, Patagonia is split by Argentina and Chile," reports ESA. "The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains, with lakes, fjords, rainforests and glaciers in the west and deserts and tablelands to the east."



"The island archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, located at the southern tip of Patagonia, is shared by Argentina and Chile, with the eastern part of the main island belonging to Argentina and the southern point of the archipelago, which forms Cape Horn, belonging to Chile. The Strait of Magellan, named after the discoverer, lies between Tierra del Fuego and mainland Argentina."



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

Patagonia: the southernmost region of South America

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life.



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide absorbed depends on a number of ocean variables, all of which can be measured from space."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



Video 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

How the ocean and climate influence each other

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Singapore, a city-island-nation with a total of 64 offshore islands. The port of Singapore is the largest in Southeast Asia, and is one of the busiest in the world - connecting to more than 600 ports in 123 countries.



"The Republic of Singapore is located just off the southern tip of the Malayan Peninsula, between Malaysia and Indonesia, around 135 km north of the equator. It consists of the 710 sq km Singapore Island, visible in the top-centre of the image, as well as some 60 small islets," reports ESA.



"Nearly two-thirds of the Singapore Island is less than 15 m above sea level. The highest summit, Timah Hill, has an elevation of only 160 m. Changi Airport, one of the largest transportation hubs in Asia, can be seen at the eastern end of the island."



Singapore Island is separated from Peninsular Malaysia to the north by the Johore Strait, while the southern end faces the Singapore Strait. The city is among the most densely populated places in the world, and is known for its clean streets and modern buildings.



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

The modern city-island-nation of Singapore

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> reveals a fascinating discovery from Gaia, a space observatory launched in 2013. The researchers have discovered that Gaia is capable of detecting starquakes – tiny motions on the surface of stars that change their shape. This is unexpected, considering that detecting starquakes is not something that Gaia was built for.  



"Previously, Gaia already found radial oscillations that cause stars to swell and shrink periodically, while keeping their spherical shape. But Gaia has now also spotted other vibrations that are more like large-scale tsunamis. These nonradial oscillations change the global shape of a star and are therefore harder to detect," says ESA.



"Nonradial oscillation modes cause a star's surface to move while it rotates, as shown in the animation. Dark patches are slightly cooler than bright patches, giving rise to periodic changes in the brightness of the star. The frequency of the rotating and pulsating stars was increased 8.6 million times to shift them into the audible range of humans."



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

Gaia spacecraft is capable of detecting starquakes

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Balkhash in east-central Kazakhstan. It is the largest lake in Central Asia, with a length of 605 kilometers from east to west and a maximum depth of 25 meters.&nbsp;



"Jutting out into the lake is the Sarymsek Peninsula which divides Balkhash into two separate hydraulic parts. The west part is wide and shallow with its water on this side particularly fresh and suitable for drinking," reports ESA.



"The east part, on the other hand, is narrow and relatively deep, with its waters on this side of the basin brackish and salty. The two parts of the lake are united by a narrow strait, the Uzynaral visible in the centre of the image, with a depth of around 6 m."



A sediment plume is visible passing through the Uzynaral Strait. According to ESA, it is most likely due to waves stirring up sediments from the bottom of the lake. Near the southern coastline, an abundance of sea ice appears in bright blue-green colors. Balkhash itself is usually frozen from the end of November to the beginning of April.



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

Lake Balkhash in east-central Kazakhstan

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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 data release from the Gaia observatory, which was launched in 2013. The observatory has been mapping our galaxy from Lagrange point 2, creating the most accurate and complete multi-dimensional map of the Milky Way.



"By now two full sets of data have been released, the first set in 2016 and a second one in 2018. These data contained stellar positions, distances, motions across the sky, and colour information, among others," says ESA.



"Now on 13 June 2022 a third and new full data set will be released. This data release will contain even more and improved information about almost 2 billion stars, Solar System objects and extragalactic sources. It also includes radial velocities for 33 million stars, a five-time increase compared to data release 2."



"Another novelty in this data set is the largest catalog yet of binary stars in the Milky Way, which is crucial to understand stellar evolution."



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

Gaia has captured the largest catalog of stars in the Milky Way

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Batura Glacier in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Batura Glacier, which is located in the upper Hunza Valley in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. Batura is one of the largest and longest glaciers in the world outside of the polar regions.



According to ESA, the glacier flows from west to east and feeds the Hunza River in north Pakistan, then joins the Gilgit and Naltar Rivers before it flows into the Indus River.



Batura Glacier is just north of the Batura Muztagh, a sub-range of the Karakoram mountain range. Unlike many glaciers around the world, the glaciers in the mountain ranges of Karakoram are not shrinking in response to climate change. Some are retreating less than the global average, while others are even growing in size. This exceptional behavior is referred to as the "Karakoram Anomaly."



Located in the upper Hunza Valley, in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, the Batura Glacier is visible in the centre of the image and is approximately 57 km long. It flows from west to east and feeds the Hunza River in north Pakistan, then joins the Gilgit and Naltar Rivers before it flows into the Indus River. 



Video 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

Batura Glacier in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features part of the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve on the coast of southeast Alaska. This region has a diverse group of animals, such as humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, bears, moose, wolves and mountain goats. The landscape of Glacier Bay includes rugged mountains, freshwater lakes, glaciers and deep fjords.



"The bay contains some of the world’s most impressive glaciers that descend from the ice-covered St. Elias Range in the east and the Fairweather Range in the west, with a few notable tidewater glaciers extending all the way to the sea," reports NASA.



"Glacier Bay is just one of the many areas suffering from the effects of global warming. The bay is expected to become warmer and drier over the next century, with widespread effects including the further shrinking glaciers, reduced sea ice and shoreline erosion."



The remoteness of the area makes it challenging to monitor, but satellite images provide an opportunity for scientists to observe and study Glacier Bay with great detail. In 2021, experts with ESA’s CryoSat mission used radar altimeter data to determine how much ice has been lost from mountain glaciers in the region.&nbsp;



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

Glacier Bay National Park in southeast Alaska

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Italian city of Carrara, which is known around the world for its prestigious marble. Carrara is located on the Carrione River in northern Tuscany about 130 kilometers from Florence.&nbsp;



"The city is famous for its white or blue-grey marble, called Carrara, taken from nearby quarries in the Apuan Alps, a mountain range that stretches for approximately 55 kilometers and reaching around 2,000 meters high," reports ESA. "What appears as snow cover on the rugged mountains is actually bright white marble, contrasting with Tuscany’s lush green vegetation."



According to ESA, Carrara marble is one of the most prestigious marbles in the world, and its quarries produce more marble than any other place on Earth. The famous stone was formed by calcite-rich shells that were left behind by marine organisms after they died.&nbsp;



"When water bodies evaporate, the deposited remains form limestone, and when buried under multi-tonne layers of rock, the intense heat and pressure cause the limestone to metamorphose into marble," explains ESA.



"The special quality of the Carrara marble has made it a popular resource for many famous sculptures, including Michelangelo’s Pietà, and has been used for some of the most remarkable buildings in Ancient Rome, including the Pantheon and Trajan’s Column."



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Carrara, Italy and its world famous marble

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the sighting of a giant comet that is hurtling toward the Earth. Fortunately, the closest the comet will come is one billion miles away from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunlight-helps-green-sea-turtles-with-tumors-recover/">Sun</a> in the year 2031.



The comet is the largest ever spotted, with an estimated diameter of 80 miles across, and is approximately 50 times larger than typical comets. The mass is estimated at 500 trillion tons, which is one hundred thousand times greater than usual.&nbsp;



Scientists at UCLA used radio observations and photos captured by the Hubble space telescope to study the giant comet. “This is an amazing object, given how active it is when it’s still so far from the sun,” said study lead author Man-To Hui, who earned his doctorate from UCLA in 2019 and is now with the Macau University of Science and Technology. “We guessed the comet might be pretty big, but we needed the best data to confirm this.”



“This comet is literally the tip of the iceberg for many thousands of comets that are too faint to see in the more distant parts of the solar system,”said study co-author and UCLA PR David Jewitt. “We’ve always suspected this comet had to be big because it is so bright at such a large distance. Now we confirm it is.”



Image/ Video 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

Hubble confirms that giant comet is the largest ever spotted

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> describes the first observation of a white dwarf star ripping apart the rocky and icy material of its planetary system. A white dwarf is a remnant of a dead star that has burned through all of the hydrogen that it once used as nuclear fuel.&nbsp;



When a star like the sun begins to die it expands into a "red giant" and then begins to lose mass as it sheds its outer layers. This alters the gravitational pull that the star has on its planetary system.&nbsp;



Scientists have determined that our sun will reach the end of its life in approximately ten billion years. In about five billion years, the sun will become a red giant. This expansion is expected to completely vaporize Mars, Venus, and Earth.



According to NASA, the star’s death throes have so violently disrupted its planetary system that the dead star is siphoning off debris from both the system’s inner and outer reaches. The agency says that data from the Hubble Space Telescope and other NASA observatories were essential in identifying this "cosmic cannibalism."&nbsp;



"The findings help describe the violent nature of evolved planetary systems and can tell astronomers about the makeup of newly forming systems," reports NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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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

Scientists observe a violent dead star

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Aerial,View,Of,Amazon,Rainforest,In,Brazil,,South,America.,Green

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features a satellite view of the Amazon River in the rainforest of South America.



The Amazon River flows more than 4,000 miles from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean on the northeast coast of Brazil, passing through six countries along the way.



With its source high in the Peruvian Andes, the river runs through Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.&nbsp;



The Amazon is considered the widest river in the world. It also has the largest drainage system, with more than 1,100 tributaries. These rivers provide a range of habitats for various types of wildlife, including swamps, marshes and streams.



According to WWF, it is estimated that approximately one-sixth of all the freshwater that drains into the world’s oceans goes through the Amazon delta, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.&nbsp; During what many archaeologists called the formative stage, Amazonian societies were deeply involved in the emergence of South America’s highland agrarian systems.



The trade with Andean civilizations in the terrains of the headwaters in the Andes formed an essential contribution to the social and religious development of higher-altitude civilizations like the Muisca and Incas.



Video 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

The Amazon River in South America

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Nasser, a vast reservoir located in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Nasser is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world.



"The lake was created as a result of the construction of the Aswan High Dam across the waters of the Nile in the late-1960s. This ambitious project was designed to provide irrigation to new agricultural developments and attract people to the region," reports ESA.



"The dam impounds floodwaters from the Nile, releasing them when needed to maximise their utility on irrigated land, to water hundreds of thousands of hectares of land downstream, but also in the nearby area. The dam also helps improve navigation through Aswān and generates an enormous amount of hydroelectric power."



The Toshka Lakes are natural depressions that are filled by overflow from Lake Nasser. They were created in the 1980s and 1990s by the diversion of water from Lake Nasser through a man made canal.



"The rise and fall of the lakes depend on multi-year fluctuations in water flow from the Nile," explains ESA. "From 2012 to 2018, the lakes had shrunk significantly, leaving only small remnants of water in the basins."&nbsp;



"Summer rainfall in Sudan in 2019 and record-breaking floods in 2020, resulted in the rapid filling of the lake’s waters. The lakes are relatively salty, with visible signs of eutrophication and algae formation."



Video 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

Lake Nasser in southern Egypt

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



Video 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

Kangerlussuaq Glacier 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 why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world." 



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Gulf of Morbihan, a natural harbor with numerous islands and islets in northwest France. 



In this region, Brittany is an important cultural center that is divided into four departments: Ille-et-Vilaine, Côtes d'Armor, Finistère, and Morbihan.



According to ESA, Brittany is known for its rich and varied agriculture including meats and dairy products and a variety of high quality fruit and vegetables.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Gulf of Morbihan opens onto the Bay of Quiberon by a narrow passage between Locmariaquer and Port-Navalo.



Morbihan is known for its Alignements de Carnac, which consists of around 3,000 standing stones and megalithic tombs. The stones were erected during the Neolithic period, around 4500 BC.&nbsp;&nbsp; 



The towns and villages around the edges of the Morbihan Gulf are a popular destination with visitors and the bay itself contains numerous small islands, some of which can be visited, and is a haven for wildlife, especially birds. 



The most important towns around the coast of the Morbihan Gulf are Vannes to the north-east and Auray to the north-west. The Morbihan Gulf is an area of sea that extends 20 kilometres inland from the Bay of Quiberon.



Video 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

The Gulf of Morbihan in northwest France

[sendtonews key="8V1sUR2uFM-1651636-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise 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="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

[sendtonews key="qnLyB4nNr7-1783681-12187" type="single"] Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures...