In the hidden corners of our world, insects buzz, flutter, and crawl through shrinking habitats - playing roles that sustain life. Yet, while we look away, their numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate. Since the 1970s, studies suggest a jaw-dropping 50% decline in insect biomass.



The culprits? Habitat destruction and climate change. But what happens when these forces collide?



At the intersection of rising temperatures and vanishing habitats, a new and more lethal threat emerges. Researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) set out to unravel this intricate web. 



Led by Professor Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter as part of the LandKlif research cluster, the team conducted a sweeping study across 179 locations in Bavaria. Their findings offer a chilling glimpse into a world where insects struggle to survive in a rapidly changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-farming-is-causing-many-insect-species-to-collapse/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">landscape</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-urban-heat-slashes-bee-populations">Urban heat slashes bee populations</h2>



Picture this: a world without bees. Crops wither, habitats shrink, and the hum of life falls silent. The JMU study reveals that bees - crucial pollinators - are bearing the brunt of this environmental assault.



In forests, bees adapted to the heat and maintained their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/very-little-is-known-about-99-of-all-insects-on-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">populations</a>. But in cities, the story took a darker turn. Urban bee populations plunged by 65% - a staggering drop that spells disaster for pollination.



Dr. Cristina Ganuza, a biologist on the project, highlighted the overlooked role of nighttime temperatures. “The fact that night-time temperatures have such an impact on diurnal insects is significant. Precisely because average night-time temperatures rise even faster than daytime temperatures."



Days sear with heat, and nights fail to cool. Bees, already displaced from their natural habitats, cannot escape the relentless warmth. For them, the city becomes a death trap.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insects-struggle-in-agricultural-habitats">Insects struggle in agricultural habitats</h2>



Higher up the food chain, predators and parasitoids told a different story. These natural pest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-are-still-disappearing-and-there-are-hundreds-of-reasons-why/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">controllers</a> showed surprising resilience in forests and grasslands. But in open agricultural areas, they faced an uphill battle.



“This can have a negative impact on agricultural production because insects that contribute to natural pest control should be similarly affected,” said Dr. Sarah Redlich.



Without these predators to keep pests in check, agricultural losses could mount. However, in areas where agricultural land and natural habitats intermingled, predator populations fared better. This highlights a crucial lesson: not all landscapes are created equal in a warming world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-night-heat-worsens-insect-declines">Night heat worsens insect declines</h2>



As the sun dips below the horizon, insects should find respite. But the night now offers little relief. The JMU study uncovers a hidden enemy - rising nighttime temperatures that hammer diurnal insects like bees.



Bee diversity dropped across all habitat types, from cities to grasslands. This previously unnoticed threat could spell catastrophe for pollinators struggling to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pests-are-moving-to-cooler-regions-due-to-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">adapt</a>.



“This previously unknown negative effect of warmer nights on insects reveals a new threat that requires further research to uncover the underlying physiological mechanisms,” said Steffan-Dewenter.



Night after night, the heat persists, robbing insects of the chance to recover. As temperatures rise, even the dark becomes dangerous.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-natural-habitats-protect-insects">Natural habitats protect insects</h2>



Not all habitats shelter insects equally. The JMU study highlights a stark contrast between natural and urbanized landscapes. Forests and grasslands emerged as safe havens, providing refuge and resources.



Warmer daytime temperatures, surprisingly, increased bee diversity in these areas. But in cities, the same heat wave proved deadly, causing bee populations to nosedive.



Researchers emphasize the importance of connecting natural habitats within urban and agricultural areas. Without green corridors, insects lose not just their homes but their pathways to survival.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-insect-habitat-loss-disrupts-pollination">Insect habitat loss disrupts pollination</h2>



When insects vanish, the consequences ripple outward. Bees disappear, and flowers go unpollinated. Predators decline, and pests multiply unchecked. Food webs wobble, and entire ecosystems falter.



“Their different responses could disrupt food webs and important ecosystem functions such as pest control and pollination,” said Ganuza.



Insects may be small, but their absence creates a void that echoes throughout the ecosystem. Each disappearance is a thread pulled from the intricate web of life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-comes-next">What comes next? </h2>



The JMU study sounds a stark warning: climate change and habitat loss don’t just coexist - they amplify each other. Yet the findings also point to a way forward.



Maintaining green corridors within agricultural and urban landscapes could provide vital refuges for insects. Implementing strategies that reduce nighttime heat might offer a lifeline to diurnal species struggling to adapt.



Understanding why some insects resist climate change better than others could inform targeted conservation efforts. In a world that’s heating up fast, every degree matters.



The world of insects teeters on the brink. The time to act is now - before the silence grows deafening.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.3053" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</a>.



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Rising heat, shrinking habitats: Insects face hidden threats

In the hidden corners of our world, insects buzz, flutter, and crawl through shrinking habitats - playing roles that sustain life. Yet, while we look away, their numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate. Since the 1970s, studies suggest a jaw-dropping 50% decline in insect biomass. The culprits? Habitat destruction and climate change. But what happens when these forces collide? At the intersection of rising temperatures and vanishing habitats, a new and more lethal threat emerges. Researchers at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) set out to unravel this intricate...

Sound plays a major role in the battle between a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baby-mantis-shrimp-are-ferocious-predators/">predator</a> and its prey, and moths have found a way to use acoustics to evade bats, according to a new study. 

The experts report that some moths have developed a form of acoustic camouflage in the form of structures on their bodies and wings that can absorb ultrasound. This decreases the strength of a bat's echolocation call that is used to detect nearby prey.

During the 180th Meeting of the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/">Acoustical Society of America</a>, Thomas Neil from the University of Bristol will discuss how moths have developed anti-bat defenses in their wings.

"The wings of a moth will produce strong echoes to a hunting bat owing to their large size," said Neil. "As such, it is important the moth cloaks the wing with sound-absorbing material, so it matches the acoustic camouflage brought about by the fur on the body." 

"The only way to create the much thinner sound absorber allowed on the wings is by developing a resonant absorber, and we discovered moth wings have evolved this approach."

According to the researchers, the scales covering moth wings allow as much as 70 percent of the sound hitting them to be absorbed. What is even more amazing is that the scales are individually tuned to different frequencies. Together, they create broadband absorption by acting as the first known acoustic metamaterial in nature

Neil said that the strategies identified in moths have already been partially explored from a theoretical and technical standpoint. 

One of the advantages of using a metamaterial design is that the absorbers can be much thinner than the wavelength of the sound they absorb. For example, moths have absorbers that are 100 times thinner than the wavelength of a bat's vocalization.

"In theory, we could take inspiration from the moths and build sound absorbing panels made from lots of differently tuned resonating paddles, with the goal of achieving sound absorption that is on par with traditional sound absorber panels but being just a fraction of the width," said Neil. 

"With this approach, we would be getting close to a much more versatile and acceptable sound absorber wallpaper rather than the typically bulky absorber panels we use today."

The research will be presented at the <a href="https://www.emedevents.com/online-cme-courses/live-webinar/180th-meeting-acoustical-society-of-america-asa">180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Moth wings have structures that help them avoid bats

Sound plays a major role in the battle between a...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/">University of Melbourne</a>, experts have discovered that young clownfish exposed to artificial light are struggling to survive. The researchers found that juvenile clownfish living closest to shore are dying faster than those located farther offshore.

The scientists also determined that the surviving clownfish living near artificial light developed more slowly than clownfish under natural lighting conditions by 44 percent.

Professor Stephen Swearer said the team exposed 42 clownfish in their host anemones to either artificial light at night (ALAN) or natural light in the lagoon. The clownfish were monitored for over nearly two years.

"The impacts of light pollution found here are probably underestimated and mitigation measures and policy changes are urgently required," said Professor Swearer.

Study lead author Jules Schligler is an expert at the École Pratique des Hautes Études PSL Université Paris (EPHE) and the Centre of Island Research and Environmental Observatory (CRIOBE). He noted that clownfish can live in shallow coastal waters and are highly sedentary living in anemones, which means they can be easily impacted by night lights from streetlights, piers. or ports.

"As with many other reef fish, clownfish feed, reproduce, defend their territories and interact with other fish during the day and reset whilst sleeping at night. However, 36 per cent of the clownfish exposed to light pollution were more likely to die than fish under natural light cycles," said Schligler. "Like humans, fish need a period of inactivity, which is crucial for their well-being."

According to the researchers, even the fish that survived did not entirely escape the effects of artificial light as they grew less than fish from the control group.

"This is the first time that the impacts of ALAN have been tested on a coral reef fish in the wild and over such a long time," said study co-author Daphne Cortese.

"As 12 percent of all coral reef fish live in close association with another sedentary species, such as a coral or anemone, light pollution could already be having severe negative impacts on a fifth of fringing reef fish populations."

The experts hope their research will help raise awareness of the impacts of ALAN on coastal marine ecosystems.

"Many marine protected areas are impacted by light pollution at night, and authorities are not taking this pollution into account," said study co-author Professor Ricardo Beldade of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. "We hope that policy makers take this threat much more seriously for future management strategies."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Royal Society Proceedings B</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Young clownfish are struggling to survive under artificial lights

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

A new study has demonstrated that drone imagery combined with artificial intelligence is an effective yet inexpensive way to monitor remote seabird colonies.  

Scientists at <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) used machine learning to analyze more than 10,000 drone images of seabirds in the Falkland Islands. 

The experts found that this method can be just as effective as traditional on-the-ground methods, while reducing labor costs and the risk of human error. 

Located off the coast of Argentina, the Falklands are home to the world's largest colonies of black-browed albatrosses and second-largest colonies of southern rockhopper penguins. The islands provide breeding grounds for hundreds of thousands of birds.

A deep-learning algorithm used by the researchers was able to recognize and count albatrosses with 97 percent accuracy and penguins with 87 percent accuracy. Overall, the automated counts were within five percent of human counts 90 percent of the time.

"Using drone surveys and deep learning gives us an alternative that is remarkably accurate, less disruptive and significantly easier. One person, or a small team, can do it, and the equipment you need to do it isn't all that costly or complicated," explained study lead author Madeline C. Hayes, a remote sensing analyst at the Duke University Marine Lab.

Monitoring large colonies of birds that are densely interspersed on remote islands has been a tedious process that can also disrupt the behavior of the birds. 

For the drone survey, the WCS scientists collected more than 10,000 individual photos, which were converted into a large-scale composite image. Hayes analyzed the image using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to estimate the numbers of the two seabird colonies. 

"A CNN is loosely modeled on the human neural network, in that it learns from experience," said study co-author Professor David W. Johnston, director of the Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab. 

"You train the computer to pick up on different visual patterns, like those made by black-browed albatrosses or southern rockhopper penguins in sample images, and over time it learns how to identify the objects forming those patterns in other images such as our composite photo."

According to Professor Johnston, the new approach is widely applicable and greatly increases the ability to monitor the health of seabird colonies worldwide, as well as the health of the ecosystems they inhabit.

"Counting large seabird colonies of mixed species at remote locations has been an ongoing challenge for conservationists," said study co-author Guillermo Harris.  "This technology will contribute to regular population assessments of some species, helping us better understand whether conservation efforts are working."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/condor">Ornithological Applications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drones can help monitor the health of remote seabird colonies

A new study has demonstrated that drone imagery combined with...

Whale,Tail,With,Water,Cascading,Off

Bomb detectors have exposed a hidden population of pygmy blue whales in the Indian Ocean. A team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">UNSW Sydney</a> was analyzing recordings captured by underwater <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-hints-at-a-secret-musical-battle-between-fireflies-and-bats/">microphones</a> when they heard the blue whales singing. 

"We've found a whole new group of pygmy blue whales right in the middle of the Indian Ocean," said study senior author Professor Tracey Rogers. "We don't know how many whales are in this group, but we suspect it's a lot by the enormous number of calls we hear."

The data was obtained by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which monitors international nuclear bomb testing. 

Since 2002, the CTBTO has used advanced hydrophones to detect soundwaves from potential nuclear bomb tests. The recordings are made available to scientists to use for marine science research.

The UNSW team detected an unusually strong signal in the recordings, which they recognized as a mysterious whale song. The song structure, frequency, and tempo revealed that the songs belonged to a group of pygmy blue whales - but not to any of the individuals previously recorded in the area.

"I think it's pretty cool that the same system that keeps the world safe from nuclear bombs allows us to find new whale populations, which long-term can help us study the health of the marine environment," said Professor Rogers.

Even though pygmy blue whales are the smallest members of the blue whale family, they are still massive, reaching up to 24 meters in length. 

"Blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere are difficult to study because they live offshore and don't jump around - they're not show-ponies like the humpback whales," said Professor Rogers. 

"Without these audio recordings, we'd have no idea there was this huge population of blue whales out in the middle of the equatorial Indian Ocean."

Study lead author Dr. Emmanuelle Leroy is a bioacoustician who studies how animals create and receive sounds. When Dr. Leroy and the team scanned 18 years of CTBTO data, they discovered that the songs were not just a random occurrence.

"Thousands of these songs were being produced every year. They formed a major part of the ocean's acoustic soundscape," said Dr. Leroy. "The songs couldn't have just been coming from a couple of whales - they had to be from an entire population."

Songs produced by blue whales can travel anywhere between 200 and 500 kilometers. They are performed at a very low frequency and have a different structure compared to other whales' songs.

"Humpback whales are like jazz singers," said Professor Rogers. "They change their songs all the time. Blue whales, on the other hand, are more traditional. They sing very structured, simple songs."

"We still don't know whether they're born with their songs or whether they've learnt it. But it's fascinating that within the Indian Ocean you have animals intersecting with one another all the time but whales from different regions still retain their distinctive songs. Their songs are like a fingerprint that allows us to track them as they move over thousands of kilometers."

The researchers named the new population "Chagos" after the archipelago close to where they have been detected. Professor Rogers is currently using the CTBTO data to study how the Chagos population has changed over time. 

"We suspect that the whales singing the Chagos song move at different times across the Indian Ocean. We found them not only in the central Indian Ocean, but as far north as the Sri Lankan coastline and as far east in the Indian Ocean as the Kimberley coast in northern Western Australia," said Professor Rogers. 

"The largest animal in the world is one of the hardest ones to actually study. There are many more of these blue whales out there than we've realized - and we've only been able to find them with the help of this international infrastructure."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hidden group of blue whales discovered with bomb detectors

Bomb detectors have exposed a hidden population of pygmy blue...

African great apes will suffer massive range losses over the next 30 years, according to a new report from the <a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a>. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chest-beating-conveys-important-details-about-mountain-gorillas/">Gorillas</a>, chimpanzees and bonobos are being pushed out of their historical range as a result of human population growth, land use changes, and the impacts of climate change.

"There must be global responsibility for stopping the decline of great apes," said study senior author Hjalmar Kuehl. "Global consumption of natural resources extracted from ape range countries is a major driver of great ape decline. All nations benefiting from these resources have a responsibility to ensure a better future for great apes, their habitats and the people living therein by developing more sustainable economies."

The experts analyzed data on African great apes from the IUCN, using a database that contains two decades of information on population status and conservation for several hundred sites.

The researchers projected the combined effects of climate change, land use changes, and human population growth through 2050 based on a best- and worst-case scenario.

Even under the "best-case scenario," the authors predict that great apes will lose 85 percent of their range, half of which will fall outside of national parks and other protected areas. Under the worst-case scenario, the apes will lose 94 percent of their range.

"By integrating future climate and land-use changes as well as human population scenarios, this study provides strong evidence for synergistic interactions among key global drivers constraining African ape distribution," said lead author Joana Carvalho.

"Importantly, massive range loss is widely expected outside protected areas, which reflects the insufficiency of the current network of protected areas in Africa to preserve suitable habitats for great apes and effectively connect great ape populations."

Climate change will make the mountain areas more suitable than the lowlands for African great apes. If they are able to physically move from the lowlands to the mountains, they may be able to survive, and even increase their range - depending on the species. However, the researchers noted that the apes may not be able to relocate in the time remaining between today and 2050.

"As climate change forces the different types of vegetation to essentially shift uphill, it means that all animals - not only great apes - that depend on particular habitat types will be forced to move uphill along with the vegetation, or become locally extinct," said study co-author Fiona Maisels.

"And when the hills are low, many species, great and small, will not be able go higher than the land allows, and huge numbers of animals and plants will simply vanish."

The study authors argue that effective conservation strategies require careful planning for each species that focuses on both existing and proposed protected areas - the creation and management of which can be informed by these habitat suitability models. In addition, efforts to maintain connectivity between suitable habitats will be crucial for the survival of African great apes. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14724642">Diversity and Distributions</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

African great apes will lose most of their range in the next 30 years

African great apes will suffer massive range losses over the...

Cutting off lights could help save <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/migrating-seabirds-are-starving-and-eating-non-food-items/">migrating</a> birds from crashing into buildings, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a>. Decades of data collected at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center revealed that on nights when half the windows were darkened, there were 11 times fewer bird collisions during spring migration and 6 times fewer collisions during fall migration.

The experts report that every night during the spring and fall migration seasons, thousands of birds are killed when they become disoriented by the light from illuminated windows.

"Our research provides the best evidence yet that migrating birds are attracted to building lights, often causing them to collide with windows and die," said study lead author Benjamin Van Doren, a postdoctoral associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the paper's lead author. "These insights were only possible thanks to over 40 years of work by David Willard at the Field Museum, who led collisions and light monitoring efforts."

The research was initiated in 1978, after Willard heard a remark about birds hitting the McCormick Place, which is the largest convention center in North America.

"I went down early one morning, just out of curiosity, and wandered around and actually found four or five dead birds," said Willard. "I might not have gone back if I hadn't found anything that first day, and now here we are, 40 years later and 40,000 birds later."

Willard and his team, including study co-author Mary Hennen and other Field scientists and volunteers, have visited the site every day before sunrise during migration season. On a single trip, they have found as many as 200 birds. 

Around 20 years ago, Willard noticed that on nights when the lights were out at McCormick Place - during holidays or construction work - there were fewer birds on the ground the next morning. He began documenting which windows were illuminated each night.

"We developed a statistical model based on the number of windows illuminated at McCormick Place, weather conditions, migratory passage, and time of season. This allowed us to isolate the relationship between window lighting and collisions while accounting for these other factors," said Van Doren. "By joining these different sources of data, we were able to understand how lights, weather, and migration each contribute to collision mortality."

While the total number of birds in the sky and the direction of the wind both play a role in mortality on any given night, light was found to be the strongest predictor.

"The sheer strength of the link between lighting and collisions was surprising," said Van Doren. "It speaks to the exciting potential to save birds simply by reducing light pollution."

The researchers calculated that by turning out half the lights during migration seasons, bird mortality at McCormick Place could be reduced by 59 percent.

"Buildings all across North America, all across the world, are killing birds, and those add up," said study co-author Doug Stotz. "What we've learned in the past 20 years about lights being on has caused the city of Chicago to create its Lights Out program, which requires buildings' external lights to be turned off during peak migration. I hope this paper will show why it's important to turn off internal lighting as well, especially in Chicago, which is the country's deadliest city for migrating birds."

"Our study contains a hopeful message: we can save birds simply by turning off lights during a handful of high-risk days each spring and fall," said Van Doren. "By adapting our existing public migration forecasts to identify nights with high collision risk, we will be able to issue targeted lights-out advisories several days in advance."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Turning off lights could save thousands of birds each year

Cutting off lights could help save migrating birds from crashing...

Frogs have lost teeth over 20 times during the course of their evolution, which is more than any other vertebrate group, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/">Florida Museum of Natural History</a>. The experts report that some species have even re-evolved teeth millions of years after losing them.

Out of more than 7,000 species of frogs, only one species has teeth on both the upper and lower jaws. Some have tiny teeth on their upper jaws or on the roof of their mouth, while others have no teeth at all. 

The researchers identified a link between the absence of teeth in frogs and a specialized diet on small insects, such as ants and termites. The investigation is the most comprehensive of its kind to study tooth evolution in frogs, involving CT scans of nearly every living amphibian genus.

"Through this study, we have really been able to show that tooth loss in vertebrates is largely a story about frogs, with over 20 independent losses," said study lead author Daniel Paluh. "Only eight other groups of living vertebrates, including seahorses, turtles, birds and a few mammals, have also evolved toothlessness."

Teeth first evolved more than 400 million years ago, supporting the diversification of sharks, fish, and ultimately terrestrial vertebrates. Not many studies have focused on frog teeth because they are incredibly small.

"If you open a frog's mouth, chances are you will not see teeth even if they have them, because they're usually less than a millimeter long," or smaller than the tip of a pencil, said Paluh.

In the past, it was very challenging to determine which frogs had teeth, as it would have required tedious work that destroyed portions of preserved specimens. Furthermore, frogs are so diverse that it would have been a time-consuming task. 

However, the Florida Museum leads a massive multi-institutional effort to CT scan 20,000 vertebrate specimens, giving researchers the ability to study animals in ways that were not previously possible.

The project, called oVert, allows the public to access 3D models that are derived from the CT scans, depicting features such as bones, internal organs, muscle tissue, and teeth. 

The study provides a powerful example of the research that can be accomplished with open-access data, said study senior author David Blackburn."We effectively crowdsourced the data collection across our lab, including people that were not in the U.S. at that time."

The results showed that frogs have undergone "rampant tooth loss," said Paluh, with toothlessness popping up in groups as distantly related as toads and poison dart frogs.

The experts discovered a strong correlation between the presence or absence of teeth in frogs and their eating habits. For example, frogs without teeth were found to eat tiny insects. 

"Having those teeth on the jaw to capture and hold on to prey becomes less important because they're eating really small invertebrates that they can just bring into their mouth with their highly modified tongue," said Paluh. "That seems to relax the selective pressures that are maintaining teeth."

Blackburn noted that innovative techniques, such as those used in the oVert project, are beginning to underscore knowledge gaps and limitations like these, but they also open up the field to new discoveries.

"We now have lots of new questions in my lab inspired by the surprising things turning up from 3D imaging from the oVert project, and those will lead us both back into museum collections and to the field to see what these animals are doing in the wild."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/">eLife</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Frogs have lost their teeth more than any other vertebrate

Frogs have lost teeth over 20 times during the course...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ogre-faced-spiders-may-not-have-ears-but-they-can-hear/">Spiders</a> can sniff out killer ants to avoid building webs near them, according to a new study led by Andreas Fischer at <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a>. By identifying the chemicals produced by European fire ants that deter spiders, experts may ultimately develop natural repellents for homeowners.

"Widespread arachnophobia is fueled, in part, by fear of the few neurotoxic spiders," explained the study authors. "This fear has inspired the development of tactics to physically and chemically discourage synanthropic spiders from settling in and around human dwellings."

Many killer ants prey on spiders, and the researchers theorized that spiders instinctively know to avoid locations frequented by foraging ants. 

To test their theory, the experts exposed filter paper to several species of ants and placed it in a multi-chambered habitat containing four different species of spiders. Filter papers without ant semiochemicals were placed in one of the chambers to determine which area the spiders would prefer.

European fire ants are known to be aggressive scavengers that prey on many invertebrates. The study showed that all of the spiders clearly avoided the chemical deposits of these killer ants. They stayed in the chamber that was free of chemicals.

Given how much time and energy spiders put into building their webs, Fischer said it makes sense that spiders in the wild would pick locations that have fewer threats to their survival.

Many insecticides and other chemical products claim to repel spiders, but most have proven largely ineffective. This is because spiders can simply abandon their webs and rebuild nearby. 

Harnessing the chemicals produced by their natural predators could help create more effective repellents. 

"Once identified, the origin of these deterrents could be traced to a specific exocrine gland and/or the body surface of ants," wrote the study authors. "Moreover, synthetic replica of these deterrents could be developed, together with concurrently known spider deterrents, for earth-friendly manipulation of synanthropic spiders."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsos">Royal Society Open Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Spiders can track the scent of killer ants to avoid them

Spiders can sniff out killer ants to avoid building webs...

Great,White,Shark,Under,The,Sea

In a new study led by Earth scientists at  <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> and the College of the Atlantic, researchers have discovered a massive shark extinction that occurred roughly 19 million years ago. 

The experts report that at this time in Earth's history, there were more than 10 times more sharks patrolling the world's oceans than there are today. The cause of the massive die-off remains a mystery.

"We happened upon this extinction almost by accident," said study lead author Elizabeth Sibert, a Hutchinson postdoctoral associate in Yale's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies. 

"I study microfossil fish teeth and shark scales in deep-sea sediments, and we decided to generate an 85-million-year-long record of fish and shark abundance, just to get a sense of what the normal variability of that population looked like in the long term." "What we found, though, was this sudden drop-off in shark abundance around 19 million years ago, and we knew we had to investigate further."

According to Sibert, more than 70 percent of the world's sharks died off. The death rate was even higher for sharks in the open ocean compared to those in coastal waters. The death toll was twice that of an extinction event that sharks experienced during the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event 66 million years ago, when three-quarters of all living species were wiped out. 

The circumstances are mysterious, considering that there is no known climate or ecosystem disruption that occurred at the time of the shark die-off.

"This interval isn't known for any major changes in Earth's history, yet it completely transformed the nature of what it means to be a predator living in the open ocean," said Sibert.

"The current state of declining shark populations is certainly cause for concern and this paper helps put these declines in the context of shark populations through the last 40 million years," said study co-author Leah Rubin. 

"This context is a vital first step in understanding what repercussions may follow dramatic declines in these top marine predators in modern times."

The researchers noted that past discoveries of extinction events have led to waves of new research to learn the origins of the die-off and whether it signaled a larger, previously unknown, disturbance in global ecosystems.

For example, further research may confirm whether the shark extinction event caused remaining shark populations to change their habitat preferences to avoid the open ocean, explained the researchers.

Professor Pincelli Hull is an assistant professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Yale, who was not part of the study.

"This work could tip-off a race to understand this time period and its implications for not only the rise of modern ecosystems, but the causes of major collapses in shark diversity," said Professor Hull. "It represents a major change in ocean ecosystems at a time that was previously thought to be unremarkable."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Shark extinction 19 million years ago remains a mystery

In a new study led by Earth scientists at  Yale...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.sdu.dk/en">University of Southern Denmark</a> has revealed that songbirds have extremely high-resolution control over their vocal output. The experts report that birds can control single vocal muscle fibers while singing.

Songbirds have a unique vocal organ they use to produce their beautiful songs. This organ is surrounded by muscles that contract at high speeds.

"We found that songbirds have incredible fine control of their song, including frequency control below one Hertz," said study lead author Professor Iris Adam.

A motor unit refers to a motor neuron and all of the muscle fibers that it activates. The researchers found that a large portion of the motor units must be very small - even as small as single muscle fiber.

"Motor units vary in size from several hundreds or thousands of muscle fibers in our leg muscles down to only 5-10 in the muscles controlling eye position and the muscles in the larynx," explained study senior author Dr. Coen Elemans.

"In zebra finch song muscles our models predicted that 13-17% of the motor neurons innervates a single muscle fiber."

The team developed a new technique to measure the activity of all muscle fibers within a small muscle.

"Our new method allowed us for the first time to activate single motor neurons and visualize and record the activity of all responding muscle fibers simultaneously," said Professor Adam.

"Like this we were able to show that the song muscles of zebra finches indeed contain motor units as small as one muscle fiber."

The researchers wanted to know what effect such small motor units may have on birdsong. They measured the amount of stress the muscles can make and how such stress changes the frequency of the sound.

"Next to small motor units, we discovered that songbird vocal muscles have the lowest stress measured in any vertebrate," said Professor Adam.

"To be able to study how changes in muscle force alter the sound made by the birds' vocal organ, the syrinx, we had to invent a new setup," said Dr. Elemans. "This setup blows air through the syrinx while we can control the muscles with small motors."

Professor Adam noted that songbird vocal muscles are among the fastest muscles known, and now we show that they are also the weakest with the highest level of control possible.

It is important for the songbirds to maintain this level of control. Previous research has shown that females can detect small changes that influence whether they are attracted to a male or not.

"We think that next to a special syrinx and their amazing ability to imitate sounds, the fine gradation of the song features such as pitch has increased the amount of different sounds a bird can make," said Professor Adam.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Songbirds can control single muscle fibers while singing

A new study from the University of Southern Denmark has...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, experts have discovered that North <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predatory-lionfish-have-arrived-in-the-south-atlantic/">Atlantic</a> right whales have become significantly shorter in the last three to four decades. The experts report that, since the 1980s, the average length of the whales has declined by about seven percent.

The research suggests that even though whales are now largely protected from direct catch, other stressors are having an impact on their fitness. 

"On average, a whale born today is expected to reach a total length about a meter shorter than a whale born in 1980," explained <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">NOAA</a> scientist Joshua Stewart. "But that's just the average - there are also some extreme cases where young whales are several meters shorter than expected."

"Major impacts on life history like this have been documented in heavily exploited commercial species, especially fishes, but to our knowledge this is the first time these kinds of impacts are being recorded in a large mammal."

In collaboration with an international team of scientists, Stewart set out to document the challenges faced by right whales as indicated by changes in their life history characteristics, including size. The experts analyzed aerial photogrammetry measurements collected over 20 years.

"We were able to build on our previous work that used conventional aircraft in the early 2000s by adopting new drone technology to extend the time series in recent years," said John Durban at Oregon State University (formerly with NOAA). "In both cases, we were able to measure whales by flying a camera high above them, essentially giving them a health check without them knowing we were there."

The whales have been consistently monitored since the 1980s, including detailed records of attached-gear entanglements, age, and size. Beyond the effects of entanglements, the experts examined the potential impacts of other stressors such as noise, ship strikes, and prey availability.

"Fishing gear entanglements in this population are unfortunately fairly common, and entanglements resulting in attached gear and severe injuries have been generally increasing over the past several decades," Stewart said. 

"Previous studies have shown that the increased drag from entangling gear requires right whales to spend a lot of extra energy just to go about their normal activities, and that is energy they might otherwise spend on growth or reproduction. In some cases, entanglements can be lethal, but it turns out that even sub-lethal entanglements can have lasting impacts on right whales."

The findings show that entanglements are one of the stressors associated with shorter whales. According to the researchers, stunted growth in right whales may lead to a higher risk of life-threatening gear entanglements, as well as reduced reproductive success.

"The smaller you are, the less energetic reserves you have, and the harder it might be to survive a serious entanglement or sustained food shortage," explained Stewart. 

"So it's possible that these life history changes could translate into population viability impacts. But this really makes me wonder about how large whales worldwide are being impacted by entanglements. This is by no means a problem unique to right whales - entanglements are a major threat for whales, marine mammals, and other marine species worldwide."

"Because North Atlantic right whales have this incredibly detailed dataset with known ages, sizes, entanglement histories, and so forth, we could directly examine how these impacts are affecting growth rates. My guess is that many other species are being similarly affected, but we just don't have the ability to detect it in less well-studied populations."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

North Atlantic right whales are getting shorter

In a new study published by Cell Press, experts have...

A recent study led by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> suggests that sea ice in coastal regions of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-warming-is-not-properly-represented-in-climate-targets/">Arctic</a> is thinning at up to double the rate that was expected. 

The researchers used a new computer model designed to estimate snow depth as it varies year to year. The results showed that coastal Arctic sea ice is thinning 70 to 100 percent faster than previously thought.

"The thickness of sea ice is a sensitive indicator of the health of the Arctic," said study lead author Robbie Mallett. "It is important as thicker ice acts as an insulating blanket, stopping the ocean from warming up the atmosphere in winter, and protecting the ocean from the sunshine in summer. Thinner ice is also less likely to survive during the Arctic summer melt."

"Previous calculations of sea ice thickness are based on a snow map last updated 20 years ago. Because sea ice has begun forming later and later in the year, the snow on top has less time to accumulate. Our calculations account for this declining snow depth for the first time, and suggest the sea ice is thinning faster than we thought."

According to study co-author Professor Julienne Stroeve, there are a number of uncertainties in measuring sea ice thickness, but the researchers believe their new calculations represent a major step forward in terms of more accurately interpreting satellite data.

"We hope this work can be used to better assess the performance of climate models that forecast the effects of long-term climate change in the Arctic - a region that is warming at three times the global rate, and whose millions of square kilometres of ice are essential for keeping the planet cool."

The experts used radar from the European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 satellite to calculate sea ice thickness. They combined the data with a new computer model that calculates snow depth and density using inputs such as air temperature, snowfall, and ice motion. 

Based on this information, the team estimated the overall rate thinning sea ice in the Arctic, as well as the variability of sea ice thickness from year to year.

When compared to earlier calculations, the rate of decline had increased across the three coastal seas of Laptev, Kara and Chukchi seas by 70, 98, and 110 percent respectively. Furthermore, across all seven coastal seas, the variability in sea ice thickness from year to year increased by 58 percent.

The rapid thinning of sea ice in the coastal Arctic seas has implications for human activity in the region, both in terms of shipping along the Northern Sea Route for a larger part of the year, as well as the extraction of resources from the sea floor such as oil, gas and minerals.

"More ships following the route around Siberia would reduce the fuel and carbon emissions necessary to move goods around the world, particularly between China and Europe. However, it also raises the risk of fuel spillages in the Arctic, the consequences of which could be dire," said Mallett. 

"The thinning of coastal sea ice is also worrying for indigenous communities, as it leaves settlements on the coast increasingly exposed to strong weather and wave action from the emerging ocean."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.the-cryosphere.net/">Cryosphere</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Coastal sea ice is thinning faster than expected in the Arctic

A recent study led by University College London suggests that...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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