In a fascinating new study, scientists documented 34 attempts by wild killer whales to give food to humans. These rare cases spanned four oceans and 20 years. Some happened near boats, others in open water or even from the shore. 



The events highlight the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/killer-whales-use-kelp-to-massage-and-groom-each-other/">orcas</a>’ possible interest in humans and raise important questions about whale intelligence, communication, and social behavior.



“Orcas often share food with each other - it’s a prosocial activity and a way that they build relationships with each other,” said study lead author Jared Towers, of <a href="https://baycetology.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bay Cetology</a> in British Columbia, Canada. “That they also share with humans may show their interest in relating to us as well.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-lives-of-killer-whales">Social lives of killer whales</h2>



Orcas live some of the most complex social lives in the animal kingdom. They stick together in tight-knit family groups called pods, usually led by an older matriarch. 



These family units aren’t just casual gatherings - they’re lifelong bonds. Calves stay with their mothers for life, swimming, hunting, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/photographer-captures-killer-whales-wearing-fish-hats/">playing together</a>. 



In some regions, pods form larger communities or clans that share unique vocal dialects, kind of like cultural accents passed down through generations. This tight social structure helps them coordinate during hunts and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/killer-whales-use-kelp-to-massage-and-groom-each-other/">protect each other</a> from threats.



But it’s not all business. Orcas socialize for the joy of it too. They engage in what clearly looks like play - tossing kelp, breaching dramatically, or nudging one another during underwater games. 



They form friendships beyond their pods and even flirt, showing preferences and personalities. These interactions suggest that orcas have emotional lives and a sense of identity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-orcas-gave-humans">What orcas gave humans</h2>



The 34 incidents involved six distinct populations of killer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-helps-humans-have-20-minute-conversation-with-humpback-whale-named-twain/">whales</a>. They offered humans a total of 18 species: six fish, five mammals, three invertebrates, two birds, one reptile, and even one piece of seaweed.



In 97 percent of these cases, the orcas waited for a human response. Some hovered for several minutes. 



On several occasions, they tried again when the humans ignored or returned the offering. In two especially curious cases, whales retrieved birds after humans returned them, only to offer them again.



This behavior could be a form of interspecies curiosity, communication, or even social learning. As the authors suggest, these events might represent "generalized altruism" - an advanced trait observed in only a few social animals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exploration-more-than-play">Exploration more than play</h2>



Though play was observed in 38 percent of the interactions, the researchers argue most cases were not playful. The age of the whales varied widely, and many offered whole, fresh prey. 



In over 75 percent of ignored cases, the whales later used the prey for themselves or their group. This suggests the offerings had purpose and value, not just entertainment.



Curiosity-driven behavior, distinct from play, seemed a stronger motivator. As the study explains, animals often explore to reduce uncertainty. 



Offering food to humans might help orcas learn how we respond, just as they would with unfamiliar members of their own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whales-blow-bubble-smoke-rings-near-humans-to-communicate/">species</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-deep-social-intelligence-at-work">Deep social intelligence at work</h2>



Some whales returned the same item to humans multiple times. Others acted in pairs or small groups. 



Most of the 34 events involved a single whale separating from a larger group. This suggests the act was not for show. Rather, it might reflect the whale's individual decision to interact.



Interestingly, killer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-dolphin-brains-evolved-to-see-underwater-by-using-sound-echolocation/">whales</a> have also been documented cooperating with human fishers in places like Australia and Russia. The authors noted that this history could influence modern interactions, especially as human activity increases near their habitats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-whales-may-view-humans-as-companions">Whales may view humans as companions</h2>



Killer whales rank second only to humans in brain-to-body ratio. They also show advanced emotional and social behavior. 



These traits support complex social learning, reciprocal behavior, and possibly even empathy.



“Offering items to humans could simultaneously include opportunities for killer whales to practice learned cultural behavior, explore or play and in so doing learn about, manipulate or develop relationships with us,” the researchers wrote.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-humans-should-not-approach-whales">Humans should not approach whales</h2>



Despite the remarkable nature of these encounters, the researchers urge caution. Orcas can show complex and sometimes unpredictable behavior. 



While no wild killer whale has killed a person, some interactions have been intense. They warn against seeking out such encounters or encouraging the behavior without proper permissions.



Most of these whales belonged to populations that hunt near the surface and share prey frequently. 



No deep-water, fish-only populations were involved. This suggests that cooperative surface hunting may lead to more frequent and visible interspecies interactions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complex-minds-of-whales-and-humans">Complex minds of whales and humans</h2>



The findings challenge our assumptions about human-animal relationships. If orcas are experimenting with ways to relate to us, it means they recognize us not as threats, but as potential social partners.



These whales are not just predators. They are thinkers, observers, and maybe, in some way, explorers of culture, curiosity, memory, learning, and emotion. 



Their actions suggest complex minds in both whales and humans, capable of choice, empathy, and communication.



The study is published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2026-29805-001.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Comparative Psychology</a>. 



-----



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Killer whales are attempting to bond with humans, according to scientists

In a fascinating new study, scientists documented 34 attempts by wild killer whales to give food to humans. These rare cases spanned four oceans and 20 years. Some happened near boats, others in open water or even from the shore. The events highlight the orcas’ possible interest in humans and raise important questions about whale intelligence, communication, and social behavior. “Orcas often share food with each other - it’s a prosocial activity and a way that they build relationships with each other,” said study lead author Jared...

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>.

---

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>.

---

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...

A new study has confirmed that lionfish have invaded the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil. An international team of experts led by the <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/">California Academy of Sciences</a> warns that management of the predatory fish is critical to protecting Brazil's coral reefs and marine biodiversity. 

According to <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/ecosystems/impacts-invasive-lionfish">NOAA</a>, a single lionfish residing on a coral reef can reduce recruitment of native reef fish by 79 percent. "Lionfish feed on prey normally consumed by snappers, groupers, and other commercially important native species. This means their presence could negatively affect the well-being of valuable commercial and recreational fisheries," reports NOAA.

Less than 30 years after arriving in the northern Atlantic Ocean, lionfish have expanded at astonishing speeds to become one of the most widespread and destructive invasive species. They have negatively impacted coral reefs and other marine ecosystems from the northeast coast of the United States to the Caribbean Islands. 

"For a while it was uncertain whether or not lionfish would extend into the South Atlantic," said study co-author Luiz Rocha. "Now that we know they are here, it is imperative that we uncover how they arrived and work with local communities to keep the population under control." 

"If left unchecked, lionfish could have a huge impact on local species, particularly those that exist solely in the reefs surrounding Brazil's oceanic islands."

Lionfish have maroon stripes and more than a dozen venomous spines. They are native to the tropical waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, but are very popular in the aquarium trade. It is likely that aquarium releases are responsible for the lionfish invasion in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Lionfish have expanded faster than any other invasive marine species. The researchers explain that the capacity to spread is due to their broad diet, lack of natural predators, unique hunting style, and year-round reproduction of eggs that can travel long distances on ocean currents.

Up until 2015, when a local diver photographed a lionfish swimming off the southern coast of Brazil, the predators remained noticeably absent in the South Atlantic. 

After the researchers were alerted to the sighting, they enlisted the help of local fishermen and divers to track down the initial specimen along with three additional lionfish in Brazil's waters.

"The arrival of lionfish to Brazil's oceanic islands is especially worrying," said study co-author Clara Buck. "These unique ecosystems have a high number of endemic species found nowhere else on Earth making them much more sensitive to adverse impacts."

To stop the invasion before it ramps up, scientists must determine how the lionfish are arriving in the region in the first place. Regardless of how they arrived, however, the researchers are urging the Brazilian government and local communities to stem the invasion. 

The experts say that keeping population numbers low could buy precious time for species to adapt to the voracious fish and ultimately avoid predation. Local fishermen and divers, such as those who assisted with this study, will play a critical role in managing the invasion.

"Brazil, and Fernando de Noronha in particular, have robust local diving and fishing communities," said Rocha. "If we put the right tools in their hands, it is absolutely possible to keep the invasion under control."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/10530">Biological Invasions</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Predatory lionfish have arrived in the South Atlantic

A new study has confirmed that lionfish have invaded the...

Puppies have the capacity to interact with people at a very young age without any prior experience or training. In a new study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, experts report that some puppies communicate better with people from the start based on their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetics-will-show-which-corals-can-resist-bleaching/">genetics</a>.

"We show that puppies will reciprocate human social gaze and successfully use information given by a human in a social context from a very young age and prior to extensive experience with humans," said Emily E. Bray of the University of Arizona. 

"For example, even before puppies have left their littermates to live one-on-one with their volunteer raisers, most of them are able to find hidden food by following a human point to the indicated location."

The researchers also found that more than 40 percent of the variation in a puppy's ability to follow a human's finger pointing is explained by the genes they have inherited. Genetics were also tied to variation in gazing behavior during a human-interest task.

"These are quite high numbers, much the same as estimates of the heritability of intelligence in our own species," said Bray. "All these findings suggest that dogs are biologically prepared for communication with humans."

Over the last decade, Bray and her colleagues have been conducting research with dogs in collaboration with Canine Companions, the largest service dog organization in the United States. 

The goal of the research is to gain a better understanding of how dogs think and solve problems. The experts also want to learn how a dog's abilities develop and change over time, as well as how genetics and individual experiences contribute.

To investigate whether a dog's capacity for communication can be explained by biology, the researchers took advantage of their access to hundreds of budding service dogs at the same early age. All of the dogs had an extremely similar rearing history and a known pedigree going back multiple generations. 

The team tested 375 eight-week-old puppies on the exact same tasks. The results showed that social communication through gestures and eye contact came naturally to puppies from the start. 

However, social communication cues only worked when a person initiated the interaction by speaking to the puppy in a high-pitched voice. Otherwise, the puppies did not usually look to people for answers in a task which involved food locked in a container.

"From a young age, dogs display human-like social skills, which have a strong genetic component, meaning these abilities have strong potential to undergo selection," said Bray. 

"Our findings might therefore point to an important piece of the domestication story, in that animals with a propensity for communication with our own species might have been selected for in the wolf populations that gave rise to dogs."

According to Bray, the next step in the research is to explore whether puppies can identify some of the specific genes that contribute to social behaviors. The team is currently collecting cognitive data and blood samples from adult dogs for a genome-wide association study, which will aim to identify genetic markers associated with social behaviors. 

The researchers will also follow up to see if performance on any of the social tasks at eight weeks predicts successful graduation as a service dog. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Puppies can communicate with people at a very young age

Puppies have the capacity to interact with people at a...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>, experts are describing how declining fish biodiversity can affect human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nutritional-value-of-crops-varies-by-location/">nutrition</a>. 

The research was focused on the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon, where inland fisheries serve as a critically important source of nutrition for 800,000 people. 

The findings are also applicable to fish biodiversity elsewhere. Worldwide, more than two billion people depend on fish as their primary source of animal-derived nutrients.

"Investing in safeguarding biodiversity can deliver both on maintaining ecosystem function and health, and on food security and fisheries sustainability," said study first author Sebastian Heilpern.

In Loreto, individuals eat about 110 pounds of fish annually. The experts report that this is one the highest fish consumption rates in the world and about half the amount of meat an average American consumes each year. 

According to catch data, Loreto residents eat a wide variety of fish, including about 60 species like large predatory catfish.  These migratory fish are declining due to overfishing and hydropower dams that block their paths. At the same time, however, the amount of fish caught has remained relatively consistent over time. 

"You have this pattern of biodiversity change but a constancy of biomass," said Heilpern. "We wanted to know: How does that affect nutrients that people get from the system?"

In collaboration with experts at Columbia University, the researchers took all these factors into account and ran extinction scenarios. They wanted to predict which species are more likely to go extinct, and which species are likely to replace those to compensate for a void in the ecosystem.

The model tracked seven essential animal-derived nutrients, including protein, iron, zinc, calcium and three omega-3 fatty acids, and simulated how changing fish stocks might affect nutrient levels across the population. 

The computer simulations revealed risks in the system regarding fish biodiversity. For example, when small sedentary fish species compensated for declines in large migratory species, fatty acids increased as zinc and iron supplies decreased. The region already suffers from high anemia rates.

"As you lose biodiversity, you have these tradeoffs that play out in terms of the aggregate quantity of nutrients," said Heilpern. "As you lose species, the system also becomes more and more risky to further shocks."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Changes in fish biodiversity lead to lower nutritional quality

In a new study from Cornell University, experts are describing...

A new study from <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a> reveals that young tyrannosaurs practiced their biting and strengthened their jaws before their adult <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-ancient-whales-had-both-teeth-and-baleen/">teeth</a> came in. The researchers determined that a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex exerted a powerful bite force that was about one-sixth the force of an adult. 

Professor Jack Tseng teamed up with Professor Joseph Peterson of the University of Wisconsin to examine fossilized dinosaur bones that had teeth marks from a young tyrannosaur. 

The experts decided to replicate the bite marks and measure the force behind the bites. They developed a metal replica of a scimitar-shaped tooth of a 13-year-old T. rex, mounted it on a mechanical testing frame, and tried to crack a cow legbone with it.

"What we did, an actualistic study, is to say, 'Let's actually stab the thing with a tooth and see what it does,'" said Professor Peterson. "What we are finding is that our estimates are slightly different than other models, but they are within a close enough range - we are on the same page."

After 17 successful attempts to match the depth and shape of the bite marks on the fossils, the scientists determined that young tyrannosaurs exerted up to 5,641 newtons of force, somewhere between that of a hyena and a crocodile. By comparison, an adult T. rex applied about 35,000 newtons of force, while humans exert about 300 newtons.

Bite force measurements can help paleontologists understand the ecosystem in extinct animals lived, as well as which predators ate which prey.

"If you are up to almost 6,000 newtons of bite force, that places them in a slightly different weight class," said Professor Tseng. "By really refining our estimates of juvenile bite force, we can more succinctly place them in a part of the food web and think about how they may have played the role of a different kind of predator from their larger, adult parents."

The study reveals that juvenile T. rexes were developing their biting techniques and strengthening their jaw muscles to prepare for using their adult teeth.

"This actually gives us a little bit of a metric to help us gauge how quickly the bite force is changing from juvenile to adulthood, and something to compare with how the body is changing during that same period of time," said Professor Peterson. 

"Are they already crushing bone? No, but they are puncturing it. It allows us to get a better idea of how they are feeding, what they are eating. It is just adding more to that full picture of how animals like tyrannosaurs lived and grew and the roles that they played in that ecosystem."

Professor Tseng emphasized that there is no one number describing the bite force of any animal - it depends on how the creature bites and adjusts the prey in its mouth for the best leverage.

"They probably were not just chomping down. If you look at modern predators, even reptilian predators, sometimes there is adjustment. Maybe they are finding the most mechanically advantageous place, or the strongest tooth to make their bite," said Professor Tseng. 

"Presumably, there is some tuning involved before they make that bite, so they can literally take the best bite forward to make that kill or to damage whatever they are trying to get into."

The measurements provide a starting point for charting the increase in young tyrannosaurs' bite force as they mature.

"Just as you can do a growth curve for such an organism, you can also do a strength curve for their bite force - what was their bite force at 12 or 13 years old, what was it at 30, 35 or 40 years old. And what does that potentially mean about the role that those animals played in that ecosystem at the time?" said Professor Peterson. 

"What's cool about finding bite marks in bone from a juvenile tyrannosaur is that it is tells us that at 13 years old, they weren't capable of crushing bone yet, but they were already trying, they were puncturing bone, pretty deep. They are probably building up their strength as they get older."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Young tyrannosaurs practiced biting as they waited for adult teeth

A new study from UC Berkeley reveals that young tyrannosaurs...

In a new study from <a href="https://vt.edu/">Virginia Tech</a>, researchers have discovered a method that ducks use to balance water pressure in their feathers while diving. The investigation is part of a decade of research in fluid mechanics by Professor Jonathan Boreyko.

"I got this idea when I was at Duke University," said Professor Boreyko. "I had a really bad parking spot, but my walk took me right through the scenic Duke Gardens. I passed by ponds with lots of ducks, and I noticed that when a duck comes out of the water, they'd shake their feathers and water would fly off."

"I realized that what they were doing was a de-wetting transition, releasing water that was partially inside of their feathers. That was the germ of the idea. In my research, purely by coincidence, I was studying the same kind of thing. I realized that these transitions work only if the water isn't allowed to get all the way to the bottom of the porous feather structure."

Professor Boreyko was intrigued with this delicate balance, and was curious about the mechanisms that allow ducks to hold water in their feathers without sinking. In collaboration with PhD student Farzad Ahmadi, Professor Boreyko attempted to force a single drop of water through a natural duck feather.

"It didn't work," said Ahmadi. "Then we had the idea to build a pressure chamber to force a pool of water through several layers of feathers."

First, the researchers needed to ensure the water could only penetrate directly through the feathers, as opposed to simply leaking around their outer edges. They sealed each layer of feathers, leaving an area exposed in the same place on each surface.

Ultimately, the experts found that as the number of feather layers increases, the pressure required to push water through all the layers must also increase. This establishes a maximum pressure up to which feathers hold the water entering them, but do not allow the water to reach a duck's skin.

"Our hypothesis was to use multiple layers of feathers so that the water only comes in part way, but there are air pockets under that," explained Professor Boreyko. "As long as those air pockets are present, it prevents something called irreversible wetting. As long as the wetting is only partial, they can shake it out when they surface."

Ahmadi discovered that various species of ducks tend to have the exact number of feather layers needed to avoid irreversible wetting during their dives. At least one layer of feathers remains dry after a dive, and this allows the duck to shake out the water when it emerges.

Professor Boreyko believes there is potential for applying layered synthetic feathers to the exterior of a boat to make the boat travel more easily through the water.

"If we think of a ship moving over the water as an engineered bird, right now it's swimming naked," said Professor Boreyko. "We wonder if clothing the ship in feathers could impart the same enhancements that waterfowl benefit from."

The study is published in the journal ACS <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/aamick">Applied Materials &amp; Interfaces</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

How ducks balance water pressure while diving

In a new study from Virginia Tech, researchers have discovered...

Many plants and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-rarely-try-to-avoid-inbreeding/">animals</a> that are in need of conservation are still undiscovered or lumped in with similar species. In a study published by <a href="https://plos.org/">PLOS</a>, experts have developed a "return-on-investment" approach to best direct efforts to identify unknown species before they are lost. 

Humans have negatively impacted global biodiversity through many direct and indirect stressors including pollution, overexploitation, and habitat destruction. 

The results of the new study suggest that, due to the unknown number of undocumented species, the human impact on biodiversity may be even greater than what is realized.

In order to protect and preserve plants or animals, the organisms must first be identified and described by specialized scientists called taxonomists. However, with so many groups at risk, it is not simple to determine where taxonomists should focus their limited time and resources.

Led by Dr. Jane Melville of Museums Victoria, the researchers devised a method to determine which groups need taxonomic documentation to support conservation efforts. Their technique compares the human effort and cost of identifying and classifying a species with the likelihood of finding a previously unknown species that is at risk. 

The team applied the return-on-investment method to a highly diverse group of Australian lizards and snakes. Out of the 870 reptile species they analyzed, about one third were poorly classified, and 24 needed protection.

Across the world, there is a significant backlog of species awaiting description, and this is largely due to the lack of resources to undertake taxonomic projects. 

The current study provides a framework, which can be applied to almost any group, for taxonomists and wildlife managers to prioritize the organisms that are most in need of immediate taxonomic documentation. 

The researchers hope their approach will help to save more at-risk species before they silently go extinct.

"We can't put effort into conservation of a species if we don't know it exists," said Dr. Melville. "Taxonomy allows us to identify these species and put a name to them so we can act before they are lost. Describing these as new species will allow conservation assessments to be undertaken to ensure they can be protected."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS 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

Study aims to protect species before they secretly vanish

Many plants and animals that are in need of conservation...

Researchers have discovered that duetting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-abandon-their-offspring-early-but-its-for-their-own-good/">songbirds</a> have a surprising strategy to stay in sync while they are performing. The study revealed that each singer mutes the brain of the other by inhibiting the song-making regions as they exchange phrases.

The researchers analyzed the brain activity of male and female plain-tailed wrens in Ecuador. The experts report that the auditory feedback exchanged between wrens during their opera-like duets momentarily inhibits motor circuits used for singing in the listening partner, which helps link the pair's brains and coordinate turn-taking for a seemingly telepathic performance. 

Study co-author Eric Fortune is a neurobiologist in the Department of Biological Sciences at <a href="https://www.njit.edu/">New Jersey Institute of Technology</a>.

"You could say that timing is everything," said Fortune. "What these wrens have shown us is that for any good collaboration, partners need to become 'one' through sensory linkages. The take-home message is that when we are cooperating well, we become a single entity with our partners."

"Think of these birds like jazz singers," said study co-author Professor Melissa Coleman of Scripps College. "Duetting wrens have a rough song structure planned before they sing, but as the song evolves, they must rapidly coordinate by receiving constant input from their counterpart."

"What we expected to find was a highly active set of specialized neurons that coordinate this turn-taking, but instead what we found is that hearing each other actually causes inhibition of those neurons - that's the key regulating the incredible timing between the two."

To study the duets of the plain-tailed wren, the research team traveled to remote bamboo forests on the slopes of Ecuador's Antisana Volcano. 

The experts made neurophysiological recordings of four pairs of native wrens as they sang solo and duet songs, analyzing sensorimotor activity in a premotor area of the birds' brains where specialized neurons for learning and making music are active.

The recordings revealed that during duet turn-taking, the birds' neurons fired rapidly when they produced their own syllables. However, as one wren began to hear their partner's syllables sung in the duet, the neurons quieted down significantly. 

"You can think of inhibition as acting like a trampoline," explained Fortune. "When the birds hear their partner, the neurons are inhibited, but just like rebounding off a trampoline, the release from that inhibition causes them to swiftly respond when it's their time to sing."

Next, the team played recordings of wrens duetting while they were in a sleep-like state. The birds had been anesthetized with a drug that affects a major inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). 

The drug transformed the activity in the brain, shifting from inhibition to bursts of activity when the wrens heard their own music. 

"These mechanisms are shared or similar to what happens in our brains because we are doing the same kind of things," said Fortune. "There are similar brain circuits in humans that are involved in learning and coordinating vocalizations."

According to the researchers, their findings offer a fresh look into how the brains of humans and other cooperative animals use sensory cues to act in concert with each other, from flowing musical and dance performances, or even the disjointed feeling of inhibition commonly experienced today during video conferencing.

"These days, inhibition is occurring at all the wrong times when we have poor internet connections during our Zoom, WebEx, and Facetime conferences. The delays affect the sensory information that we rely on for coordinating the timing of our conversations," said Professor Coleman. 

"I think this study is important for understanding how we interact with the world whenever we are trying to produce a single behavior as two performers. We are wired for cooperation, the same way as these jazz singing wrens."

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

Wrens "mute" the brain of their partner to stay in sync

Researchers have discovered that duetting songbirds have a surprising strategy...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>, experts have developed an antidote to protects <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wild-bees-struggle-to-recover-after-extreme-weather-events/">bees</a> from deadly insecticides, which cause beekeepers to lose around a third of their hives every year on average.

The pollen-sized technology has been demonstrated to effectively protect bees from all insecticides, and has inspired a new company, Beemmunity.

"This is a low-cost, scalable solution which we hope will be a first step to address the insecticide toxicity issue and contribute to the protection of managed pollinators," said study senior author Minglin Ma.

Bees and other pollinators are a critical component of the global food supply, supporting the production of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide.

According to the researchers, studies show that wax and pollen in 98 percent of hives in the U.S. are contaminated with an average of six pesticides, which also lower a bee's immunity to devastating varroa mites and pathogens. 

The research was focused on organophosphate-based insecticides, which account for about a third of the insecticides on the market. Study co-author Professor Scott McArt noted that five insecticides currently pose substantial risks to bees, two of which are organophosphates.

The team developed a uniform pollen-sized microparticle filled with enzymes that detoxify organophosphate insecticides before they are absorbed and harmful to the bees. The particle has a protective casing that allows the enzymes to move past the bee's stomach, where they would normally be broken down.

The microparticles can be mixed with pollen patties or sugar water. Once they the midgut, the enzymes can act to break down and detoxify the organophosphates.

In the lab, bees that were fed the microparticles with a high dose of the enzyme had a 100 percent survival rate after exposure to the insecticide malathion. Meanwhile, unprotected control bees died in a matter of days.

Beemmunity takes the concept one step further. Instead of filling the microparticles with enzymes that break down an insecticide, the particles have a shell made with insect proteins and are filled with a special absorptive oil, creating a kind of micro-sponge. 

Since many insecticides, including widely-used neonicotinoids, are designed to target insect proteins, the microparticle shell draws in the insecticide where it is contained within the casing. Eventually, the sequestered toxins are simply excreted in bee feces. 

"We have a solution whereby beekeepers can feed their bees our microparticle products in pollen patties or in a sugar syrup, and it allows them to detoxify the hive of any pesticides that they might find," said study co-author James Webb, who is also the CEO of Beemmunity.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natfood/">Nature Food</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tiny technology protects bees from insecticides

In a new study from Cornell University, experts have developed...

A surprising new study has revealed that parasitic infections can extend the life expectancy of worker ants, possibly by slowing down the aging process. The experts report that ants of the species Temnothorax nylanderi infected with a tapeworm live much longer than other worker ants in the same colony. 

"The lifespan of the infected ants is significantly prolonged. According to our observations, such workers have a survival rate similar to that of queens," said Professor Susanne Foitzik of <a href="https://www.uni-mainz.de/eng/">Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz</a> (JGU), who led the research.

According to the researchers, possible explanations for the extended lifespan observed in worker ants may be linked to changes in their physiology caused by the parasites, or to the enhanced care they receive in the nest. 

Some ant queens can survive for several decades, spending almost all of their life tucked away safely in the nest where they are cared for by the workers. By contrast, worker ants live for only for weeks or months, progressing to risky jobs outside of the colony as they grow older, such as foraging for food. 

Queens of the species T. nylanderi can live for up to 20 years, but it is rare for their female workers to reach the age of two. Ant queens live longer thanks to the high levels of social care they receive, a safe environment, and the activation of physiological repair mechanisms. These same factors may actually contribute to the extremely high survival rates of T. nylanderi worker ants with a certain tapeworm infection. 

The ants described in the study form small colonies on the forest floor inside of acorns or wooden branches. The insects serve as an intermediate host for the tapeworm Anomotaenia brevis. A single ant can be infected by up to 70 parasitic larvae, which survive in the body fluid. 

The research team investigated the long-term consequences of the parasitic infection by collecting ant colonies from forests around Mainz and observing them in the laboratory. 

"We tracked the survival rate of the workers and queens in both infected and uninfected ant colonies over three years, until more than 95 percent of the uninfected workers had died," explained Professor Foitzik. 

At that point, over half of the infected workers were still alive. Their survival rate was practically identical to that of long-lived queens. 

"It is quite extraordinary that a parasite can trigger such a positive change in its host. This lifespan extension is very unusual."

The infected workers turn a light yellow color that makes them easy to distinguish from their brown nest-mates. The ants with parasites are also less active, and receive care from other workers in the nest. 

"The infected insects get more attention and are fed, cleaned, and looked after better. They even benefit from slightly more care than the nest's queen," explained Professor Foitzik. 

Remarkably, the infected ants were found to have metabolic rates and lipid levels similar to those of younger ants, suggesting that they remain in a permanent juvenile stage as a result of the parasitic infection. According to the experts, this is likely because the tapeworm larvae alter the expression of ant genes that affect aging, and also due to parasites' release of proteins containing antioxidants.

The researchers found no evidence that the insects actively beg for enhanced care. However, chemical signals on the cuticle of infected ants were found to elicit more attention from their nest-mates. 

"The infected insects live a life of luxury, but the fact that they receive more social care cannot alone account for their prolonged lifespan," concluded Foitzik. 

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

Parasites help worker ants live longer lives

A surprising new study has revealed that parasitic infections can...

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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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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