In the tropical forests of Central and South America, life hums, buzzes, and croaks. Among this symphony of animal calls, one predator has evolved to treat sound as a roadmap to food: the fringe-lipped bat. 



This <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-bats-navigate-rush-hour-without-crashing-into-each-other/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bat</a> doesn’t sniff or stalk its prey like many others do. Instead, it listens. It listens to the mating calls of frogs and toads - many of which are meant to attract mates, not signal danger. But for this bat, those calls become a dinner bell.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-experience-shapes-survival-skills">Experience shapes survival skills</h2>



A recent study by scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (<a href="https://stri.si.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">STRI</a>) reveals something even more remarkable: these bats are not born with the knowledge of which frog calls signal a safe meal and which could be deadly. 



They learn that over time. The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, sheds new light on how experience shapes survival skills in one of nature’s most acoustically-attuned hunters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bats-use-frog-calls-to-hunt">Bats use frog calls to hunt</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-secrets-are-hidden-in-the-babbling-of-bats/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Predators</a> often rely on stealth and sharp senses to catch prey. Fringe-lipped bats have taken this a step further. They are known to eavesdrop on the mating calls of over a dozen frog and toad species that share their habitat, ranging from Panama to Brazil.



These calls, intended for potential mates, also end up attracting danger from above. The bats respond within seconds of hearing a call, swooping down to snatch the unsuspecting amphibian.



But the strategy is not without risks. Not all frogs make good meals. Some are too large to carry. Others produce toxins that can harm or even kill the bats. Just like humans screening unknown calls for spam, these bats must make a quick judgment. But unlike our phones, nature doesn’t come with caller ID.



Fringe-lipped bats seem to have developed one of their own. They ignore calls from frogs known to be unpalatable. 



However, scientists had long wondered how this system developed. Is it an instinct, or is it a learned behavior? This study finally offers an answer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bats-must-learn-safe-frog-calls">Bats must learn safe frog calls</h2>



“It’s truly remarkable that these bats hunt using the calls of an entirely different group of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-surf-the-winds-of-storms-during-migration/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animals</a> in the first place, and we have wondered for a long time how these bats acquire this unusual skill,” said Logan James, STRI postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study.



Previous experiments had already shown that these bats are intelligent and adaptable. But until now, no one had tested whether learning played a role in refining their hunting tactics. 



The researchers wanted to find out if young bats start out with these auditory judgments or if they develop them through trial and error.



To do this, the team studied how adult and juvenile fringe-lipped bats responded to a variety of frog and toad calls. They tested 15 different species, including both edible and toxic options. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-bats-identify-frog-size-through-calls">Young bats identify frog size through calls</h2>



The results told a fascinating story. Adult bats performed as expected. They responded more strongly to calls from palatable frogs and ignored those from toxic or too-large species.



This confirmed what earlier studies had found. But the juvenile bats behaved differently. They didn’t seem to distinguish between safe and dangerous calls. On average, young bats reacted equally to all of them, regardless of the frog’s size or toxicity.



Still, the juveniles weren’t entirely clueless. The researchers noticed that even the younger bats could identify large frogs by the pitch and tone of their calls. They avoided them just as the adults did. But when it came to toxicity, they had no filter. 



This showed that while some aspects of prey recognition might be instinctive, others - particularly those involving danger - require time and learning.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-young-bats-need-time-and-experience">Young bats need time and experience</h2>



“We have studied this fascinating species for years, and in many aspects, we understand its behavior very well,” said Rachel Page, staff scientist at STRI, and one of the study’s senior authors. 



“But this was the first time we had ever tested juvenile bats. It was so interesting to see that, like human children, young bats needed time and experience to hone their discrimination skills.”



The comparison to human development is compelling. Just as young children don’t start life knowing what foods to avoid, young bats must also test, fail, and adapt. Their early mistakes could be deadly, but these experiences are crucial for shaping more refined behavior as they mature.



This learning curve likely mirrors processes in many other species, not just fringe-lipped bats. It opens new questions about how young animals learn to navigate the complexities of their environments—and survive.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-larger-pattern-in-nature">A larger pattern in nature</h2>



This study marks the first time researchers have directly compared eavesdropping behavior between adult and juvenile predators like bats and frog-eating species. But it might not be unique to this species.



Many predators rely on sound to hunt. If experience plays such a vital role for fringe-lipped bats, it could be just as important for others that must decipher a confusing, noisy world.



“This study highlights the power of development and learning to shape eavesdropping behavior, an insight that may extend far beyond bats to other predators also navigating complex sensory environments,” said Ximena Bernal, research associate at STRI, professor at <a href="https://www.purdue.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Purdue University</a> and one of the study’s senior authors. 



“We hope it will inspire other scientists to examine how early experience modulates predator-foraging decisions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-listening-to-learn-surviving-through-sound">Listening to learn, surviving through sound</h2>



This research provides more than just insight into the life of one bat species. It emphasizes the importance of development in shaping behavior. The fringe-lipped bat begins life without the skill to discern between friend and foe.



Through experience and repetition, it learns. Over time, its reactions become precise. Each call becomes a clue, and each choice a matter of survival.



In a world where sound carries both promise and peril, the fringe-lipped bat shows how nature equips even its smallest hunters, like frogs and bats, with the tools to listen, learn, and live.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2025.0450" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences</a>.



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Frog mating calls teach bats which prey to avoid

In the tropical forests of Central and South America, life hums, buzzes, and croaks. Among this symphony of animal calls, one predator has evolved to treat sound as a roadmap to food: the fringe-lipped bat. This bat doesn’t sniff or stalk its prey like many others do. Instead, it listens. It listens to the mating calls of frogs and toads - many of which are meant to attract mates, not signal danger. But for this bat, those calls become a dinner bell. Experience shapes survival skills A...

According to a report in the <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/">Denver Post</a>, red-wing blackbirds have been randomly swooping down and attacking walkers and joggers near Sloan's Lake. Experts say the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scavenging-birds-rise-climate-change/">birds</a> are on high alert because it is nesting season, and that some are more aggressive than others.

Those who have witnessed the attacks say the birds are emerging from the treetops and dive-bombing people's heads as they pass underneath tree branches that contain nests. 

On the NextDoor app, one woman posted that she was running with her roommate on the north side of the lake when they were attacked. A user who commented on the post compared the recent events to a real-life version of Angry Birds. Another comment suggested that wearing a mask backward may help to defend against the blackbirds because they usually attack the back of the head. 

No one has been seriously injured, but some residents have been very shaken up by the sneak attacks. A reporter from the Denver Post went to the scene to investigate and witnessed a red-winged blackbird abruptly diving at people's heads while it squawked loudly.

Mary Heiman, who frequently walks her dog around the lake, told the Denver Post that she first thought the bird was just getting very close to her head. She reported that the bird "slams you in the back of the head" with its body before it "flies around frantically and then goes back in the bush." Heiman said the experience is funny, yet "startling when it happens.”

Red-wing blackbirds are named after the distinctive red shoulder patches found on the adult males. These birds are known for aggressively defending their territory, and will even strike at larger birds. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Feng Yu

Red-wing blackbirds are sneak attacking Denver residents

According to a report in the Denver Post, red-wing blackbirds...

Scientists at the <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> Marine Mammal Institute have used a statistical model to predict the feeding behavior of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sonar-signals-disrupt-blue-whales/">blue whales</a> in the California Current Ecosystem. The research will provide new insight that could help protect the endangered blue whales.

The model used by the team combines long-term satellite tracking of the population's movements with environmental data such as ocean temperatures. This gives experts a larger ecosystem view to help them understand how threats such as climate change and ship strikes may affect the whales over time. 

"Most management decisions up to now have been based on locations where the whales tend to be found," said study lead author Daniel Palacios. "But it's not just where the whales are, but also the activity - are they actually eating there or simply moving through - that matters. This model can tell us which areas are the most important for actual foraging."

Blue whales grow up to 90 feet in length and weigh up to 300,000 pounds, yet they feed primarily on tiny shrimp-like krill that are less than two inches long. It is estimated that 1,600 of the world's 10,000 blue whales, known as the North Pacific population, spend the summer and fall off the western coast of the United States. 

The California Current Ecosystem stretches from Baja California up to the Canadian border. Along this stretch, steady winds in the spring and summer seasons promote a rich and productive marine community. The study was focused on the relationship between the whales' feeding behavior and the ocean conditions during the feeding season in this particular region. 

The researchers found that blue whales were more likely to forage in areas that are known for hosting large whale aggregations.

"The same environmental parameters - water temperature, depth, abundance of phytoplankton - that drive hotspots of whale aggregation also drive where foraging behavior is more likely to occur," said Palacios. "While this was not necessarily surprising, it was good to be able to demonstrate that we can predict whale behavioral states, as this helps inform management in terms of not just what areas are used more often by the whales, but also what they do once they get there."

The study also revealed that whales were less likely to exhibit foraging behavior in waters that were further away from the coastline. A few locations along the coast where krill are the most abundant were found to be hotspots. 

A couple of these prime foraging locations are located in areas of intense commercial shipping traffic near Los Angeles and San Francisco, which is significant because blue whale mortality due to ship strikes is a growing concern.

"If there are some areas along the coast that are more biologically important for the whales, based on intensified foraging activity, that's important for management agencies to know, compared to areas where the whales are just passing through," said Palacios.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://movementecologyjournal.biomedcentral.com/">Movement Ecology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Craig Hayslip, Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University

New model will help experts protect endangered blue whales

Scientists at the Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute have...

Researchers have successfully identified the earliest example of the ability to swallow in a 165-million-year-old fossil, dubbed Microdocodon gracilis, which was a tiny, shrew-like mammal. Microdocodon gracilis was one of the first <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mammal-brain-fertility-caregivers/">mammals</a> to develop modern hyoid bones, which link the back of the mouth (pharynx) to the esophagus and larynx, and help mammals, including humans, swallow food.

These findings are published in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

"Mammals have become so diverse today through the evolution of diverse ways to chew their food, weather it is insects, worms, meat, or plants. But no matter how differently mammals can chew, they all have to swallow in the same way," said senior author Zhe-Xi Luo, PhD, a professor of organismal biology and anatomy at the <a href="https://www.uchicago.edu/">University of Chicago</a>. "Essentially, the specialized way for mammals to chew and then swallow is all made possible by the agile hyoid bones at the back of the throat.”

Scientists have wondered how and when the unique “U”-shaped hyoid structure found in modern mammals developed. Other vertebrates have hyoid bones, but their hyoids are less intricate and more rod-like, lacking mobile joints between segments. These creatures can only swallow food whole or in large chunks.

So when Microdocodon gracilis was discovered in China in 2014, scientists were thrilled to see the hyoid bones in exquisite condition.

[caption id="attachment_1875371" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/fossil.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1875371" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/fossil.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="467" /></a> Fossil of Microdocodon gracilis, Image Credit: Zhe-Xi Luo[/caption]

"It is a pristine, beautiful fossil,” Luo said. “I was amazed by the exquisite preservation of this tiny fossil at the first sight. We got a sense that it was unusual, but we were puzzled about what was unusual about it. After taking detailed photographs and examining the fossil under a microscope, it dawned on us that this Jurassic animal has tiny hyoid bones much like those of modern mammals."

"Now we are able for the first time to address how the crucial function for swallowing evolved among early mammals from the fossil record," Luo continued. "The tiny hyoids of Microdocodon are a big milestone for interpreting the evolution of mammalian feeding function."

Furthermore, by studying Microdocodon, Luo and his colleagues were able to track mammal evolution based on the status of the creature’s ear bones. Modern mammal jaws and middle ears are developed from or around the first pharyngeal arch, which are structures in a vertebrate embryo that develop into other recognizable bones and tissues. The hyoids are developed separately from the second and third pharyngeal arches.

Microdocodon, however, showed a primitive middle ear that was still attached to the jaw like that of other early mammals such as cynodonts, which is unlike the ear of modern mammals. However, its hyoids are like those of modern mammals.

"Hyoids and ear bones are all derivatives of the primordial vertebrate mouth and gill skeleton, with which our earliest fishlike ancestors fed and respired," said postdoctoral scholar Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, PhD, from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>. "The jointed, mobile hyoid of Microdocodon coexists with an archaic middle ear — still attached to the lower jaw. Therefore, the building of the modern mammal entailed serial repurposing of a truly ancient system."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: April I. Neander

Jurassic fossil reveals how early mammals developed the ability to swallow

Researchers have successfully identified the earliest example of the ability...

A single specimen of the Namdapha flying squirrel was found in Northeast India in 1981. Another species, the Laotian giant flying squirrel, was also described by a single specimen in 2013. Both of these species belong to the genus Biswamoyopterus, which is regarded as the most mysterious family of flying squirrels.

In 2018, a flying squirrel thought to belong to the rare group was unexpectedly found in the collections of the <a href="http://english.kiz.cas.cn/">Kunming Institute of Zoology</a> (KIZ) by paleoecology expert Quan Li. The specimen had been collected from Mount Gaoligong in Southwest China.

The individual was initially classified as a Namdapha flying squirrel, a species that is critically endangered due to hunting and habitat loss. A member of the species has not been recorded since its original description in 1981 and the squirrel has been listed as one of the top 25 "most wanted" species by the Global Wildlife Conservation.

The specimen from KIZ, however, was found to have teeth, a skull, and coloration that were different from any known members of the genus Biswamoyopterus.

An international research team led by Li conducted a new field survey to investigate. The experts successfully obtained another specimen and recorded observations of two other flying squirrels. 

As a result of the research, a third member has been added to the elusive genus. The previously unknown species is called Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis, and is also referred to as the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel. 

"The morphological features of B. gaoligongensis are closer to the critically endangered and missing Namdapha flying squirrel, but is still readily identifiable as a distinct species," explained Li.

"The new species was discovered in the 'blank area' spanning 1,250 km between the isolated habitats of the two known species, which suggests that the genus is much more widespread than previously thought. There is still hope for new Biswamoyopterus populations to be discovered in between or right next to the already known localities."

The researchers noted that the low-altitude forests where the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel resides are close to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/human-sounds-predators-hide/">human settlements</a>, making them vulnerable to threats such as agricultural reclamation and poaching. 

"Therefore, there is an urgent need to study the ecology, distribution, and conservation status of this rare and very beautiful genus," said Li.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://zookeys.pensoft.net/">ZooKeys</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.kfbg.org/eng/">Kadoorie Farm &amp; Botanic Garden</a>

Meet the newest species from an extremely rare flying squirrel family

A single specimen of the Namdapha flying squirrel was found...

The small logo on LaCoste polo shirts has often raised some questions. Is that an alligator? A crocodile? What’s the difference between the two anyway and can you even tell on such a small logo? 

The small crocodile logo on LaCoste shirts has long been a subtle symbol of quality, even luxury. In Peter Brinkley’s famous novel, Jaws, the polo shirt logo plays a small but important role as a symbol of wealth and elitism that the hero sheriff of the story can’t quite measure up to. Seeing the crocodile logo, few if any actually consider the animal itself. That may soon change as LaCoste recently replaced their iconic crocodile logo with other endangered animal species to draw attention to their plight.

Limited edition polo shirts feature ten different threatened animals, according to <a href="https://www.lacoste.com/us/saveourspecies.html">LaCoste</a>. 3,502 polos were created worldwide, sold in stores in the US, Europe and Asia as well as online. Unfortunately for anyone interested in buying one of these rare shirts, they’re already all gone. The sales of the polo shirts was part of an effort to make sure the flesh and blood animals aren’t also soon all gone. 

The profits from the limited edition polo shirts went to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (<a href="https://www.iucn.org">IUCN</a>), specifically towards their Save our Species (SOS) program. IUCN is an extremely large and old organization, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2018. IUCN is unique in that it is a combination of government agencies as well as civil societies with 1,300 member organizations. Member organizations are represented at a council that votes on resolutions for the whole organization. The council is headquartered in Switzerland. Although the IUCN <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2018/may/22/12-conservation-success-stories-in-pictures">claims several successful</a> conservation stories, the animals celebrated on the LaCoste polo shirts are far from successful at this point.  

Of the ten animal’s replacing the LaCoste crocodile logo, the Monk Seal, with an estimated population of 1400, has the most individual members remaining. The Cebu Damselfly (similar to a dragonfly) with an <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/59770/12016276">estimated population</a> of 20 to 50 mature individuals all in a small part of the Philippines is the rarest creature to grace a polo shirt and the only insect. The Addax, a white antelope with corkscrew antlers from the deserts of Chad and Niger, is almost as rare with an <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/512/50180603">estimated population</a> of 30 to 90 adult individuals. 

The animals on the limited polo shirts range across the gambit of taxonomy though seem to focus on mammals. There’s the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/six-north-atlantic-right-whales-dead/">North Atlantic Right Whale</a>, the Iberian Lynx, the Yemeni mouse-tailed bat, the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat and as I already noted the Addax. There’s also the Moheli Scops Owl, the Mountain Chicken (confusingly actually a frog), the Opal Goodeid a two inch long fish native to Mexico and of course the Cebu Damselfly. By necessity, this small selection of animal logo ambassadors will stand for many other animals and even plants that are increasingly threatened with extinction by human activity. 

[caption id="attachment_1875331" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Moheli-scops-owl.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1875331" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Moheli-scops-owl.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="495" /></a> Moheli scops owl, Image Credit: Agami Photo Agency[/caption]

The Moheli Scops Owl, for instance, is one of six critically endangered owl species worldwide, according to <a href="https://rainforests.mongabay.com/endangered/charts/birds-owls.html">Mongabay</a>. In fact, 17% of all owl species are estimated to be threatened with extinction and 11% are thought to be near threatened. Four owls have gone extinct in the recent past. The Moheli Scops Owl seems to be unlucky enough to have always been rare, the tiny owl is endemic to Moheli Island, part of the Comoros at first thought to only live on a single mountain top. The owl was first described by science only in 1998, according to the <a href="https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/Moheli_Scops_Owl">Peregrine Fund</a>. The Cebu Damselfly as the only insect on the polo shirts is a stand in for an even larger and more important group.

Insects are low food webs and so many things eat them, which makes them especially crucial for the healthy function of ecosystems. A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718313636">study</a> published in April’s Biological Conservation estimates that over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction. The paper predicted that as those 40% of insect species could be extinct within a handful of decades. If this prediction comes to pass, it will certainly trigger a cascade effect, killing of many other more ‘charismatic’ species as well. The Mountain Chicken clearly depends on insects for survival.

As the only amphibian on the LaCoste polo shirt, the Mountain Chicken, is a single representative for an entire clade, similar to the Cebu Damselfly. Sadly, the frog was named after the food it is reported to taste like – chicken, according to <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160128-mountain-chicken-frog-endangered-animals/">National Geographic</a>. The frog lives now on only two islands in the Caribbean where it’s considered a delicacy. 

Besides being eaten, Chytrid fungus, a fungal disease that attacks amphibians has led to the decline of the Mountain Chicken, reducing population by 80%. Although, recent reintroduction programs hope to reverse the situation. The Mountain Chicken is not alone; there are more frogs than any other species of amphibians. Of the approximately 6,750 species of frogs and toads, <a href="https://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/">EDGE</a> estimates that approximately 879 are threatened with extinction. Others on the roster of polo shirt animals are unique in their own way.

Hawaiian Monk Seals are the only seal found in the Hawaiian Islands, according to <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/podcast/hawaiian-monk-seal-rehab-and-recovery">NOAA</a>. The Opal Goodeid is the only fish in the group, representing the earth’s first vertebrate animals and sadly the fish’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/881/13088347">IUCN</a> conservation status hasn’t been updated since 1996. The lack of new data highlights how often organisms like fish get less research and conservation money than beloved mammals and birds. As a bat, the Yemeni mouse-tailed bat is of course, part of a historically misunderstood if not understudied group of animals. 

The Iberian Lynx is one of the more charismatic of the group, as cats are a standard icon of endangered or imperiled animals (think of how images of tigers and snow leopards are used). The lynx <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12520/50655794">population</a> is also disturbingly low, with an estimated 156 mature individuals. Fortunately for the beautiful cat, the population although not home free, is rising, which of course is the whole point.   

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer                                       

Main Image Credit:  rarrarorro / Shutterstock

LaCoste swaps out the iconic crocodile logo for other endangered animals

The small logo on LaCoste polo shirts has often raised...

A newly described species and genus of dinosaur have been identified from a skull that was discovered in Texas. 

The dinosaur was duck-billed, but its unusual facial features differ from other duck-billed hadrosaurids. 

First discovered in the 1980s by Tom Lehman from <a href="https://www.ttu.edu/">Texas Tech University</a>, it was not initially clear what Lehman had unearthed. 

Lehman, along with a team from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>, were researching rock layers at Rattlesnake Mountain when they came across clumps of bones and sediment stuck together which were impossible to identify or even study. 

A renewed interest in the bones led to the realization that Lehman had uncovered a skull with an arched nasal feature but it wasn’t until later that the specimen would be thoroughly analyzed and described.

[caption id="attachment_1875305" align="aligncenter" width="565"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/duck-billed-dino.png"><img class="size-full wp-image-1875305" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/duck-billed-dino.png" alt="" width="565" height="340" /></a> Aquilarhinus Palimentus, Image Credit: ICRA Art[/caption]

Named Aquilarhinus palimentus for its crested nose and broad lower jaw in the shape of two trowels laid side by side, the species is an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-triceratops-relative-two-feet/">early relative </a>to the hadrosaurid Gryposaurus. 

“This new animal is one of the more primitive hadrosaurids known and can therefore help us to understand how and why the ornamentation on their heads evolved, as well as where the group initially evolved and migrated from,” said Dr. Albert Prieto-Márquez, the lead author of a new study detailing the species. “Its existence adds another piece of evidence to the growing hypothesis, still up in the air, that the group began in the southeastern area of the US.”

Aquilarhinus palimentus had facial features that would have allowed it to shovel through loose sediment to root up aquatic plants in tidal marshes 80 million years ago. 

The specimen is believed to belong to an entirely new genus and species because it does not fit with the most common group of duck-billed dinosaurs. 

Duck-billed dinosaurs were abundant at the end of the Mesozoic era, and for the most part, all hadrosaurids had similar bills and snouts, that was until Aquilarhinus came along.  

Aquilarhinus palimentus could shed insight into the evolution of duck-billed dinosaur and help prove that different species of dinosaurs with crest-like facial features evolved from a single common ancestor. 

The newly described species was discussed in a recent study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Main Image Credit: ICRA Art

Duck-billed dinosaur roamed Texas 80 million years ago

A newly described species and genus of dinosaur have been...

The world’s largest invertebrate fishery which harvests Humboldt squid completely collapsed in 2015 with no signs of recovery, and now researchers finally know why. 

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">University of Stanford</a> discovered that shifting weather patterns and changes in the ocean played a major role in the collapse of the fishery.

Squid declines could cause problems for fishery-dependent economies and marine ecosystems, and the researchers say that other major fisheries could experience similar collapses. 

“What is happening with the jumbo squid is indicative of larger changes impacting marine organisms and ecosystems across the northeast Pacific,” said Timothy Frawley, the lead author of the study. “In many respects these squid, with their unique and adaptive survival strategies, function as sentinels of environmental change.” William Gilly, professor of biology, was senior author of the study.

For the study, the researchers reviewed and analyzed fishery records, oceanographic data, and biological measurements of over 1,000 squid. 

By filtering through years of data, the researchers were able to identify key habitat and climate changes that impacted fishery productivity, squid size, and squid lifespan. 

Over the past decade, current and circulation patterns in the Gulf of California shifted, causing ocean temperatures to increase across the region. Warm, nutrient-poor waters are inhospitable for both Humboldt squid and their prey. 

To adapt to their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/squid-flourish-changing-climate/">changing habitat</a>, the squid have gotten smaller, shortened their lifespans, and they also reproduce earlier.

“You can think of it as a sort of oceanographic drought,” said Frawley. “Until the cool-water conditions we associate with elevated primary and secondary production return, jumbo squid in the Gulf of California are likely to remain small.”

It’s possible that overfishing has also led to the collapse of the fishery but even now with all fishing ceased, the squid are still smaller than normal. 

“These results show that our traditional understanding of the dynamics underlying fisheries, their management and sustainability are all at risk when environmental change is rapid and persistent,” said Larry Crowder, a co-author of the study.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

What caused the sudden jumbo squid declines in Mexico?

The world’s largest invertebrate fishery which harvests Humboldt squid completely...

In the animal kingdom, there are many examples of parasitic plants and animals that can turn their hosts into zombie-like creatures. Sometimes the host is used as a vessel for the<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parasitic-wasp-spiders-loners/"> parasites’ offspring</a> or to spread fungal spores to other victims. 

The fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato is one such specialized invasive organism. 

Once infected, carpenter ants will isolate themselves and climb a tall blade of grass, leaf or twig, and latch onto the vegetation with its mandibles until it dies. The fungus then consumes its host and releases its spores to infect other ants below. 

In a new study, researchers from <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Pennsylvania State University</a> have discovered how the fungus can take control of its carpenter ant host. As the ant loses all control over its muscles, it was thought that the fungus attacked the nervous system and brain. 

However, the fungus bypasses the nervous system and goes right for the powerful jaw muscles that control the mandible, forcing the ant to clamp down and stay put. 

The researchers were able to study the fungus in a lab setting and discover how exactly the ant host is infected. 

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato can only infect a host that is roaming free outside of the nest and is only able to survive in humid conditions. The researchers recreated a humid and warm environment in a lab and collected spores to infect other carpenter ants. 

Once an ant was infected and clamped down on a piece of foliage, the researchers froze the dying ant, removed and preserved the jaw muscles, and analyzed the mandible muscles using an electron microscope. 

The researchers saw that the fungus penetrated the muscles but didn’t attack the nervous system. 

Instead, the fungus breaks open the membrane that covers the muscle fibers, which forces the muscles to contract and damages the muscle fiber filaments that slide back and forth. 

The study helps shed light on how an invasive fungus infects carpenter ants, but there are still many unknowns in this complex and toxic relationship. 

“The next steps we want to take include isolating those vesicles and determining whether they are coming from the fungus or the host,” said Colleen Mangold, the lead author of the study. 

The study findings were published in the <a href="https://jeb.biologists.org/content/222/14/jeb200683">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Invasive fungus skips the brain and goes right for the jaw of its ant host

In the animal kingdom, there are many examples of parasitic...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/indonesias-orangutans-decline/">Orangutans</a> can be widely considered one of the most recognizable faces of animal conservation efforts around the world, as these intelligent great apes are one of the most captivating endangered species. 

Efforts to preserve the species have faced numerous challenges in recent years due to habitat loss and poaching, and a new study published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a> gives a closer look at just how these conservation efforts are going.

Led by Donna Simon of the <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/">World Wide Fund for Nature</a> and colleagues, a recent series of surveys of the population of endangered Bornean orangutans in Sabah – the Malaysian state in the north-east of Borneo – have found mixed results. While the species’ populations within the well-managed forests are stable, they have declined in areas near major oil palm plantations. 

In Sabah, the lowland forest is the most crucial habitat for orangutans. But in the last half-century, extensive logging and land clearance for agriculture have results in habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to a significant decline in the species’ population. Despite these declines, the full story of the effects this activity is having on the orangutans is still not well known.

This new study is the largest and most complete population survey of orangutans in Borneo, which is home to this endemic species. The study’s authors conducted aerial transects covering almost 5,500 kilometers in Sabah, and calculated a population just under 10,000 orangutans. This number (officially 9,558) included a previously unknown population of about 1,770 orangutans in numerous widely dispersed sub-populations.

The survey showed that the largest populations existed within forests that are either sustainably managed or unlogged in the central uplands of Sabah. However, the populations in the fragmented forest areas surrounded by oil palm plantations have declined by as much as 30%. 

“A recent survey on orangutan populations in Sabah, North-east Borneo showed a mixed picture from different regions,” explains Simon. “However, overall the research shows that they have maintained the same numbers over the last 15 years and can remain so as long as proper conservation management measure continues to be put in place.”

The results of this study are expected to be used by the government of Sabah to help form environmental policies designed to sustain these orangutan populations.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: WWF-Malaysia, Lee Shan Kee

Endangered Bornean orangutan numbers drop near oil palm plantations

Orangutans can be widely considered one of the most recognizable...

Historic wildlife bust highlights how the black market threatens ecosystems. When we think of the impact of industry on the environment, we tend to think of legal industry. The impact of pollution from mining, deforestation from logging or farming, and overfishing may all come to mind. Unfortunately, illegal industry that is beyond the realm of normal governmental regulation has an impact on wildlife populations and the environment as well. 

According to the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/travel-and-trade/illegal-wildlife-trade.html">US Fish &amp; Wildlife Service</a>, the trade of illegal wildlife is thought to be a multi-billion dollar business. Many animals have been used to highlight the dangers of this illegal trade and promote tougher laws and regulations. Rhinoceros, elephants, even the lesser known but more interesting pangolin are widely known to be harmed by the illegal trade in animal parts. 

Less often considered but no less detrimental to wild ecosystems is the illegal trade in exotic pets. As we’ve reported, exotic pets can be <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cassowary-kills-owner-exotic-pets/">dangerous</a> and harmful to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exotic-pet-trade-tiger-gecko/">animal populations</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exotic-pets-threaten-ecosystems/">local ecosystems</a>. In Latin America, <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/wildlife-trafficking-149079896/">Smithsonian</a> reports that biologists have found as much as 30% of parrot nests raided for the pet trade. I’ve been disappointed while volunteering in parrot conservation work in the Bahamas to find nest cavities cleared of parrot chicks overnight. Historic wildlife bust highlights how the black market threatens ecosystems

Wildlife smuggling as a whole, beyond just the illegal pet trade, is a large and global affair in cases involving hundreds of countries and transnational borders. The illegal wildlife trade can also be fairly localized. Parrots, monkeys and other wild animals have been traditionally kept as pets in Latin America. Many North Americans remember fondly pet lizards, raccoons or turtles from their youth. <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/wildlife-trafficking-149079896/">Smithsonian</a> reports that 30% of Brazilians and 25% of Costa Ricans recently surveyed said they’ve kept wild animals as pets. Wild pets kept in their home country are not technically ‘exotic’ but they certainly damage wild populations. These pets can also fuel the illegal export of other animals out of the country, where they become truly exotic pets.     

There are obviously terrible examples from the exotic pet trade like pet monkeys, but historically even the decline of Texas' horned lizards was contributed to by the pet trade. The trade in horned lizards has declined and there's hope that their populations will <a href="https://www.news-journal.com/efforts-continue-to-save-support-secure-texas-horny-toads/article_324be126-c45d-11e8-97f0-77cedde7991a.html">rebound</a> but not so with many other exotic pets. The popularity of exotic pets can be partially blamed on e-commerce and social media. Videos of adorable slow loris' abound online, despite that the animals cruelly have teeth pulled to make them 'safe' for human contact. 

Beyond the cruelty, removing the slow loris and other animals from the wild makes it harder for the wild population to exist at all. In places like Madagascar, radiated tortoises have been smuggled out of the country for the pet trade, decimating the wild population. 

Not only can the removal of an animal from the wild hurt the ecosystem, it can be damaging later when an irresponsible pet owner dumps an unwanted animal in an environment it isn’t native to. The introduction of burmese pythons to the Florida Everglades is a perfect example of a non-native animal taking root with detrimental consequences. Beautiful but dangerous lion fish have also taken a toll on the ecology of the Caribbean and surrounding areas, including marine ecosystems off Florida. Without the trade in exotic pets, both the legal and illegal, it seems unlikely that these invasive non-native species would have made it into the US in viable numbers. 

Related to the smuggling of wild animals is the increased traffic in plants both live plants taken illegally for sale as house plants and the poaching of endangered trees for high end and illicit furniture.

Of course, government agents the world over have been fighting the illegal trade in live wildlife as well as parts from endangered species. It's not just the trade itself that damages the environment and wildlife, it is also the money from it that contributes to other types of organized crime. <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wildlife-heroin-trafficking-ring-africa-bust-southern-district-new-york-fish-and-wildlife/">CBS</a> reported earlier this year on a case where an organization was caught smuggling wildlife as well as heroine. A <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34395.pdf">congressional report</a> says that wildlife smuggling is sometimes even connected to foreign military groups, insurrectionists and crime syndicates. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/10/740330108/worldwide-smuggling-crackdown-rescues-endangered-wildlife">NPR</a> reported earlier this month on one of the largest wildlife smuggling busts to date. The bust was coordinated by the World Customs Organization and Interpol, seizing apes parrots, big cats and elephant tusks among other living wildlife and remains. Nearly 2000 species of wildlife and plants were seized in the bust. 

The operation was dubbed "Operation Thunderball" and worked out of Singapore, ultimately arresting 600 suspects. This crackdown is the third in large scale crackdowns and the first to involve more than 100 countries. Other related projects under <a href="https://www.interpol.int/en/Crimes/Environmental-crime/Wildlife-crime">Interpol</a> have been successful and are increasingly large scale. Operations under Project Wisdom, for instance, have led to the arrest of 1,100 people with conviction rates of over 80% and seizure of 50,000 carved ivory items. Project Wisdom is focused solely on elephants and rhinoceros. Other operations focus on different regions or different specific wildlife species, like Asia or tigers.

Much of the trade in animal parts as well as exotic pets is premised on ignorance, superstition, or a simple lack of caring on the part of the end consumer. I’ve seen bushmeat markets in west Africa where Nile monitors are sold alive in cramped mesh sacks, sometimes next to grilled monkey. From the comfort of a couch at home, sugar gliders, koalas, monkeys and slow lorises seem like adorable pets, and it’s easy to not consider how a parrot comes to be at a pet shop. 

For those desperate for cures to a host of ailments in China, things like tiger bones or rhinoceros horn might seem to be miracle drugs to those who don’t know better. For as long as human history, we’ve exploited wildlife in all these ways but for most of that time it was fairly localized. With global networks of consumers, we can detachedly destroy wildlife on the other side of the globe by our consumption. It’s up to us as global consumers to also shoulder the responsibility of global citizens. Supporting agencies that bust illegal trafficking and not participating in trafficking is a good start.                

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/RossHelen

Historic wildlife bust highlights how the black market threatens ecosystems

Historic wildlife bust highlights how the black market threatens ecosystems....

Many species, including predators like pumas and bobcats, view humans as an apex predator and lay low when they sense we’re around. 

This creates a chain reaction of fear that sends ripples through the food web, according to a new study published in the journal Ecology Letters that sheds light on how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/selfies-animals-danger/">humans impact wildlife</a>. 

There’s a well known saying that “while the cat’s away, the mice will play,” but researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">University of California, Santa Cruz</a> discovered that this saying was true in the Santa Cruz Mountains. 

When humans are around, pumas, opossums and other medium-sized carnivorous predators hide away, keeping their movement and activity to a minimum.

Without bobcats and pumas to worry about, smaller prey animals like deer mice and woodrats took advantage of the opportunity created by humans and bravely forage outside of their typical range. 

“Humans are sufficiently scary to pumas and smaller predators that they suppressed their behavior and changed the way they used their habitats when they thought we were around,” said Justin Suraci, a lead author of the study. “The most surprising part was seeing how those changes benefit rodents.”

For the study, the researchers placed 25 speakers in a grid pattern across two remote research sites and played recordings of human voices or tree frogs through the speakers while monitoring the areas. 

When pumas nearby heard the human voices, they slowed their movements and stayed away from the direction of the sound. However, when the pumas heard the tree frogs, it didn’t impact their behavior. 

Bobcats were more active at night when they heard the human voices, skunks decreased their activity by 40 percent, and opossums foraged 66 percent less when they heard the human recordings. 

“Bobcats pretty much gave up on daytime activity, shifting almost entirely to the night, when they presumably feel safer,” said Suraci. “These predators aren’t necessarily leaving the area, they’re just less active, presumably because they’re hiding more.”

[caption id="attachment_1875296" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/deer-mouse.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1875296" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/deer-mouse.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="371" /></a> Deer mouse, Image Credit: Aria Crabb[/caption]

Smaller animals had the opposite reaction. While the pumas kept a low profile, deer mice foraged further and foraging among mice and woodrats increased by 17 percent. 

“Just the fear of humans can affect how wildlife use the landscape and how they interact with each other,” said Suraci. “It turns out, the mere perceived presence of humans triggers a disruption of natural predator-prey interactions--and rodents really benefit. They’re not too averse to people, so they’re taking advantage of the opportunity.”

Even though mice and rats benefit from the changes in activity, overtime long-term behavior changes could reduce food intake and hunting activity among top predators in the area.  

“Humans are incredibly lethal,” said. “We are major predators, and thus a source of fear, for a lot of these species. What’s novel about this study is that we can see what that fear looks like in the environment at a relatively large scale.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Main Image Credit: Shutterstock/Baranov E

Human sounds cause predators to hide, while prey bravely venture out

Many species, including predators like pumas and bobcats, view humans...

‘Intensive’ beekeeping does not increase the spread of disease, study finds. Beekeepers that hold large clusters of bees in close proximity to each other are not increasing the risk of diseases spreading, according to a new study. 

Intensive agriculture is a practice where animals or plants are densely crowded together.  With livestock and crops, there are concerns that this creates the perfect conditions for the spread of harmful diseases. 

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> and the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a> examined how intensive agriculture impacts honeybees. ‘Intensive’ beekeeping does not increase the spread of disease, study finds

“We carried out this study because beekeepers were worried about this - especially given the many threats currently causing the decline of bees,” said Lewis Bartlett, a member of the research team. 

For the study, the researchers modeled the spread of several well-known <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/first-vaccine-bee-colonies/">honeybee diseases</a>. 

Diseases like American and European foulbrood and bee parasitic mite syndrome can devastate bee colonies. 

[caption id="attachment_1875293" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/beekeeping.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1875293" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/beekeeping.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="434" /></a> Intensive beekeeping, Image Credit: Ben Rouse[/caption]

The models showed that while intensive agriculture can increase the risk of disease, it’s not a problem for honeybees, at least not for the known diseases included in the study. 

“To our surprise, our results show it’s very unlikely that crowding of honeybees meaningfully aids the spread of diseases that significantly harm honeybees,” said Bartlett. “Honeybees live in close proximity to each other naturally, and our models show that adding more bees does little to raise disease risk.”

The biggest concern a beekeeper should have in terms of bee density is ensuring that there is enough food to support large colonies of bees in their apiary.

“The key is not whether they encounter a disease - it’s whether they are fit and healthy enough to fight it off.”

While known diseases are not likely to spread faster with intensive beekeeping, the researchers say that intensive agriculture and its increased use of harmful pesticides is a problem. 

There is also the chance that new bee diseases could spread faster among bees kept close together.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Ben Rouse

‘Intensive’ beekeeping does not increase the spread of disease, study finds

‘Intensive’ beekeeping does not increase the spread of disease, study...

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;



---



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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

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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 



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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

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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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