Coral reefs are in trouble. As oceans warm and environments shift, the vibrant ecosystems built by corals are turning pale and dying off. 



While scientists have known for years that coral bleaching is linked to the loss of symbiotic algae, they’ve never been able to watch the process unfold at the cellular level in realtime - until now.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-underwater-microscope-for-studying-coral">Underwater microscope for studying coral</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://scripps.ucsd.edu/">Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego</a> have created a handheld underwater microscope. The device makes it possible to study coral photosynthesis right where it happens - in the ocean, inside living coral tissue - without causing any damage.



The team named the device the Benthic Underwater Microscope imaging PAM - BUMP, for short.



The Jaffe Lab for Underwater Imaging at Scripps Oceanography built the microscope with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation.



The tool combines imaging with a light-based technique known as pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) fluorometry to measure how efficiently tiny algae inside corals are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-fate-of-coral-reefs-lies-in-the-hands-of-their-tiny-inhabitants/">photosynthesizing</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coral-depends-on-glowing-algae">Coral depends on glowing algae</h2>



The algae, called <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/symbiosis-will-help-some-corals-survive-in-a-warming-world/">symbionts</a>, are essential for coral survival. They live within coral tissue and convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen.



The coral, in turn, uses that energy to grow and build reefs. But when stressed by warming seas or pollution, corals eject these algae. Without them, corals appear white and slowly starve - known as the bleaching effect.



The BUMP microscope makes it possible to monitor this relationship in real-time and in natural environments - something that couldn’t be done before.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-huge-technological-leap">A huge technological leap</h2>



“This microscope is a huge technological leap in the field of coral health assessment,” said study lead author Or Ben-Zvi, a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Oceanography. 



“Coral reefs are rapidly declining, losing their photosynthetic symbiotic algae in the process known as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-worlds-largest-coral-bleaching-event-is-now-underway/">coral bleaching</a>."



"We now have a tool that allows us to examine these microalgae within the coral tissue, noninvasively and in their natural environment.”



The microscope is small enough to fit in a carry-on suitcase. It’s light enough for a diver to bring to the seafloor without a ship’s help. 



Controlled with a touchscreen and powered by a battery pack, the microscope uses focused LED lights and high-magnification lenses to capture vivid images and videos. It also creates detailed 3D scans and maps photosynthesis in high resolution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-microscope-reveals-corals-inner-glow">Microscope reveals corals’ inner glow</h2>



At just 10 micrometers wide - one-tenth the width of a human hair - coral symbionts are invisible to the naked eye. But when corals are viewed under the microscope, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-algae-genes-chlorophyll-boost-crop-yields-land-plants/">algae</a> glow red due to chlorophyll, the pigment that powers <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-to-life-on-earth-photosynthesis-begins-on-the-quantum-level-with-a-single-photon/">photosynthesis</a>. 



PAM technology measures this glow to calculate how efficiently the algae are converting light into energy. Other glowing areas, like cyan and green patches, come from fluorescent proteins that the coral produces, often around its mouth and tentacles. 



The images help researchers “see” coral health without touching or harming them. "We get a lot of information about their health without the need to interrupt nature,” said Ben-Zvi. 



“It's similar to a nurse who takes your pulse and tells you how well you're doing. We're checking the coral's pulse without giving them a shot or doing an intrusive procedure on them.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-observing-corals-at-unseen-scales">Observing corals at unseen scales</h2>



Ben-Zvi and her colleagues tested the microscope at coral hotspots around the world - including Hawaii, the Red Sea, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coral-reefs-in-some-parts-of-the-world-actually-benefit-from-warming-el-nino-events/">Palmyra Atoll</a> - in collaboration with the Smith Lab at Scripps Oceanography. 



What they saw surprised them. Corals weren’t passive. They moved constantly, changing shape, reacting to particles, and even behaving in ways that looked like fighting or kissing.



Ben-Zvi observed coral polyps contracting their tentacles, possibly trying to remove or capture something floating by.



“The more time we spend with this microscope, the more we hope to learn about corals and why they do what they do under certain conditions,” she said. 



“We are visualizing photosynthesis, something that was previously unseen at the scales we are examining, and that feels like magic.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-detection-of-coral-stress">Early detection of coral stress</h2>



Corals face serious threats from climate change, and once bleaching begins, it can be hard to stop. But this microscope might help researchers catch problems earlier.



“The microscope facilitates previously unavailable, underwater observations of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-grazing-halos-and-parrotfish-reveal-about-coral-reef-health/">coral health</a>, a breakthrough made possible thanks to the National Science Foundation and its critical investment in technology development,” said Jules Jaffe, a research oceanographer at Scripps and co-author of the study. 



Without continued federal funding, scientific research is at risk. In this case, however, support from <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">NSF</a> enabled the team to build a device that helps solve the physiological mystery of coral bleaching and, ultimately, inform efforts to reverse it.



By detecting signs of stress before the coral reaches the tipping point, the researchers hope to create better strategies for protecting reefs from events like marine heatwaves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-kelp-and-ocean-algae">Studying kelp and ocean algae</h2>



The potential doesn’t stop with corals. Scientists at Scripps Oceanography are already using the BUMP microscope to study other tiny marine life that rely on photosynthesis, including baby kelp off the coast of California.



“Since photosynthesis in the ocean is important for life on earth, a host of other applications are imaginable with this tool, including right here off the coast of San Diego,” said Jaffe.



In short, the BUMP microscope gives scientists something they’ve never had before: a new way to look at life underwater - close up, in motion, and alive. And with this new perspective, scientists are hoping to find better ways to protect some of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2041-210X.70078">Methods in Ecology and Evolution</a>.



About the image: The photo features the coral&nbsp;Stylophora pistillata&nbsp;taken with the new micrsope, BUMP. Each polyp has a mouth and a set of tentacles, and the red dots are individual microalgae residing inside the coral tissue. Credit: Or Ben-Zvi



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Microscope reveals coral health in unprecedented detail

Coral reefs are in trouble. As oceans warm and environments shift, the vibrant ecosystems built by corals are turning pale and dying off. While scientists have known for years that coral bleaching is linked to the loss of symbiotic algae, they’ve never been able to watch the process unfold at the cellular level in realtime - until now. Underwater microscope for studying coral Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have created a handheld underwater microscope. The device makes it possible to study...

Female mammals live longer than males in the wild. A study focused on wild <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hunting-decline-mammals-tropical-forests/">mammals</a> has revealed that females have significantly longer lifespans than males. Among humans, women have a life expectancy that is nearly eight percent higher compared to men. The new research confirms that this statistic holds true for many other mammals as well.

The researchers analyzed the lifespans of 101 different species, including elephants and sheep. Among more than 60 percent of the mammal groups studied, females had a longer life expectancy by an average of 18 percent.

Study co-author Tamás Székely is a professor in the Milner Centre for Evolution at the <a href="http://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a>.

"We've known for a long time that women generally live longer than men, but were surprised to find that the differences in lifespan between the sexes was even more pronounced in wild mammals than in humans," said Professor Székely. "This could be either because females are naturally able to live longer, or that female mortality drops compared with males."

The study revealed that males do not age faster than females, but instead have a higher risk of mortality in adulthood. The researchers propose that lifespan is influenced by a combination of environmental factors and sex-specific variations.

"For example, lionesses live at least 50% longer in the wild than male lions. We previously thought this was mostly due to sexual selection - because males fight with each other to overtake a pride and thus have access to females. However, our data do not support this. Therefore there must be other, more complex factors at play," explained Professor Székely.

"Female lions live together in a pride, where sisters, mothers and daughters hunt together and look after each other, whereas adult male lions often live alone or with their brother and therefore don't have the same support network."

"Another possible explanation for the sex difference is that female survival increases when males provide some or all of the parental care. This is also true in birds. Giving birth and caring for young becomes a significant health cost for females and so this cost is reduced if both parents work together to bring up their offspring."

Next, the researchers will investigate the lifespans of captive zoo animals, who are not exposed to predators and do not have to compete for food or mates. The results will be compared to the data on wild mammals, which will help to clarify how much biological differences between the sexes may impact life expectancy.

"By affecting males and females differently, harsh environmental conditions such as a high prevalence in pathogens, is likely to cause sex-differences in lifespan," said lead author Jean-François Lemaître. "Comparing the sex gap in lifespan and aging across several populations of the same species is definitely full of promises."

The study is published in the <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

Female mammals live longer than males in the wild

Female mammals live longer than males in the wild. A...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/endangered-species-act-recover/">Marine</a> species are moving away from the equator in response to rising ocean temperatures. A study focused on more than 300 aquatic plants and animals has revealed a clear shift toward the poles over the last century.

Compared to pre-industrial times, the oceans have heated up by an average of one degree Celsius. This warming trend has caused widespread changes in the distribution and population size of marine species.

"The main surprise is how pervasive the effects were," explained study senior author Martin Genner of the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>. "We found the same trend across all groups of marine life we looked at, from plankton to marine invertebrates, and from fish to seabirds."

Based on the findings of previous studies, Genner's team predicted that most marine species would be thriving closer to the poles and struggling in the tropical waters near the equator.

By analyzing relevant datasets, the researchers confirmed their theory. The analysis showed that population declines have been the most prevalent at the equatorward side of species ranges. Meanwhile, increases in population abundance have been mainly documented at the poleward side.

The research indicates that marine creatures are not successfully adapting to their rapidly changing environment. The experts warn that latitudinal shifts among aquatic species will become even more severe as ocean temperatures continue to rise.

"This matters because it means that climate change is not only leading to abundance changes, but intrinsically affecting the performance of species locally," said Genner. "We see species such as Emperor penguin becoming less abundant as water becomes too warm at their equatorward edge, and we see some fish such as European seabass thriving at their poleward edge where historically they were uncommon."

"While some marine life may benefit as the ocean warms, the findings point toward a future in which we will also see continued loss of marine life."

According to the study authors, further research is needed to determine how climate change has affected marine species on a global scale.

"We aim to get a better understanding of precisely how marine climate change drives abundance shifts," said Genner. "Is this mainly related to the physiological limits of the species, or instead due to changes in the species with which they interact?"

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

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Marine species are shifting away from the equator

Marine species are moving away from the equator in response...

In a new study published by the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society for Neuroscience</a>, researchers have discovered that the structure of a dog's brain varies across breeds and is linked to specific behaviors. This means that by selectively breeding for certain characteristics, humans have inadvertently shaped the brains of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/puppy-dog-eyes-evolved-humans/">dogs</a>.

For centuries, humans have been breeding dogs for particular looks or capabilities. Dogs serve people as superior companions and work assistants, and various traits are more desirable for some situations than others.  

For example, Dalmatians have long been used as coach dogs due to their comfort around horses. They are often bred for endurance, and can run alongside horse-drawn carriages without tiring. 

Dalmatians are also great hunting dogs, retrievers, and guard dogs. However, when kept as a family pet, excessive energy can make a Dalmatian more neurotic and  high-strung, leading to less desirable behaviors such as chewing on furniture.

Led by Erin Hecht, the research team investigated how the selective pressure associated with breeding may affect the brains of dogs. The experts used magnetic resonance imaging scans to analyze the brain structure of 33 dog breeds. 

[caption id="attachment_1877298" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dog-breeds.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1877298" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dog-breeds.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="367" /></a> Structural differences in three dog breeds, Image Credit: Hecht et al., JNeurosci 2019[/caption]

The study pinpointed a wide variation in brain structure that was not related to the body size or head shape of the dogs. Next, the team examined the areas of the brain that were found to have the most variation across breeds. 

As a result, the study produced a map of six brain networks that were each associated with at least one behavioral characteristic, and the correlating functions ranged from social bonding to movement. 

Significantly, the researchers discovered that the variation in behaviors across breeds was linked to anatomical differences across the six brain networks. 

According to the researchers, the findings offer a unique opportunity to investigate the evolutionary relationship between brain structure and behavior.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Shutterstock/Inna Reznik

Humans have changed the brain structure of dogs

In a new study published by the Society for Neuroscience,...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a> has revealed that the mysterious Araguaian river dolphin of Brazil, once thought to live a solitary life, can actually communicate using hundreds of different sounds. The discovery may ultimately help scientists understand how communication evolved among <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marine-heat-waves-threaten-dolphins/">marine mammals</a>.

“We found that they do interact socially and are making more sounds than previously thought. Their vocal repertoire is very diverse,” said study co-author Laura May Collado.


The dolphins are hard to examine, despite the fact that they live in the clear water of the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers, because they are easily frightened and difficult to approach. 

Gabriel Melo-Santos, a biologist from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, found a fish market in the Brazilian town of Mocajuba where the botos regularly visit to be fed by people. The conditions here provided a unique opportunity to observe how the animals behave and interact.

The team took genetic samples from some of the dolphins and set up underwater cameras and microphones to document their interactions. After just 20 hours of recording, the researchers had collected 237 different types of sounds made by the dolphins. The most common sounds were short, two-part calls from baby dolphins as they approached their mothers.

“It's exciting; marine dolphins like the bottlenose use signature whistles for contact, and here we have a different sound used by river dolphins for the same purpose,” said Collado. 

The acoustics fall somewhere between the low-frequency calls used by baleen whales to communicate over long distances, and the high-frequency ones used by marine dolphins for short distances. According to Collado, the river environment may have shaped those characteristics.

“There are a lot of obstacles like flooded forests and vegetation in their habitat, so this signal could have evolved to avoid echoes from vegetation and improve the communication range of mothers and their calves,” explained Collado.

She said the work could provide new insight into how communication evolved in marine mammals. The river dolphins diverged from other cetaceans much earlier than other dolphins, which means that these calls may have arisen first among them.

“We can't say what the evolutionary story is yet until we get to know what sounds are produced by other river dolphins in the Amazon area, and how that relates to what we found,” said Collado. “We now have all these new questions to explore.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.escardio.org/Journals/ESC-Journal-Family/European-Journal-of-Preventive-Cardiology">European Journal of Preventive Cardiology</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: Rio Cicica

Brazilian river dolphins offer insight into marine mammal communication

A new study from the University of Vermont has revealed...

Researchers from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> and <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">St. Andrews University</a> have identified songbirds that perform highly complex duets with alternating parts for males and females. Young canebrake wrens are taught by their parents to wait their turn and not to interrupt while they learn the songs.

The canebrake wren is a small bird that is found in eastern Nicaragua to northwestern Panama in subtropical and tropical forests. 

Formerly known as the “Plain Wren,” this bird has few distinguishing marks from closely related wrens. The genetic divergence of the canebrake wrens, however, can be heard in their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-visualize-predators/">songs</a>.

The study, which was based in Costa Rica, revealed that adult canebrake wrens give their offspring singing lessons during which the juveniles learn to wait for their turn to sing. The researchers explained that these manners may come in handy later in life when the birds are trying to attract potential mates.

The study authors also pointed out that the perfectly harmonized songs may help to keep trespassers and predators at bay.

For their investigation, the experts captured audio recordings as the adult and juvenile canebrake wrens interacted. 

The researchers discovered that the young birds first copy the syllables sang by a parent of the same gender. Once they have the phrasing down, the juveniles practice the songs with a parent of the opposite sex. 

The experts also noted that the young students were able to reduce the number of times they interrupted by around 20 percent over the course of 25 days.

“We showed that juveniles learn how to coordinate and what to sing by singing with their parents,” said study co-author Esmeralda Quiros-Guerrero. “Whenever their parents also sing they follow the duet code much more strictly, versus when they’re singing on their own.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/">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

These songbirds teach their children how to perform duets

Researchers from the University of Miami and St. Andrews University have...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> and <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/">Cardiff University</a> have found that acknowledging people's spiritual, magical, and cultural beliefs could help to better protect endangered species. The report mentions both positive and negative impacts that mythical creatures have had on conservation efforts in countries including Madagascar, Iceland, Scotland, and Tanzania

"It is difficult to predict how magical creatures can affect conservation goals,” said lead author Dr. George Holmes. “There are examples of myths and superstitions seriously harming the survival of certain species, and examples where they actually help species to survive."

Dr. Holmes explained that conservationists often disregard magical animals and view them as “irrational beliefs.”

"What we need is a more interdisciplinary approach to conservation that helps us to understand the interactions between humans and both living and magical biodiversity,” said Dr. Holmes.

A big part of Madagascar's culture centers around spiritual beliefs of mythical animals. These beliefs are connected with local taboos, which can result in protection for species. For example, taboos have been linked to a historically low prevalence of bushmeat hunting in this region. Taboos have also helped to prevent the extinction of the radiated tortoise, an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/us-mexico-border-wall-threaten-100-endangered-species/">endangered species</a> that the people of Madagascar will not harm out of superstition.


On the other hand, taboos in Madagascar have led to the persecution of animals as well. The aye-aye is believed to be evil, predicting the death or sickness of someone in the village. Some people even think that aye-ayes sneak into houses and murder people in the night. The locals believe that aye-ayes must be killed and displayed on roadside poles in order to prevent bad luck. As a result, this species is endangered.

The study reveals that some magical creatures actually protect living animals that share the same habitats. For example, the construction of a new highway in Iceland was contested because it would cross through the territory of the Icelandic elves, or Huldufólk.

The Loch Ness Monster has helped draw in revenue for the conservation and management of the land in Scotland. 350,000 people visited the site of the mythical creature in 2015 alone.

"We really need to open up a discussion about how fantastic beasts can affect our ability to conserve the natural world, because there are no simple cases,” explained co-author Dr. Thomas Smith.

"Further research into the impact of magical creatures on conservation and local people is required if we are to effectively conserve the world's endangered species,” added Dr. Holmes.

The study is published today in the journal <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryx">Oryx</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Spiritual beliefs about animals can help or hurt conservation

Researchers from the University of Leeds and Cardiff University have...

Dinosaurs had DNA that provided a “blueprint” for success. Dinosaurs dominated our planet for almost 180 million years, until they were wiped out by the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event roughly 66 million years ago. To put the dinosaurs 180-million-year reign into perspective, humans have only been around for about 200,000 years – which is a little more than 0.1% of the time <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-enjoyed-fragrant-flowers/">dinosaurs</a> inhabited the Earth. 

Safe to say, dinosaurs were built to survive, and scientists believe that this is due to the way their DNA was organized, giving them a “blueprint for evolutionary success.”

A new study has revealed that dinosaurs may have come in such a variety of sizes and shapes because their genetic code had a large number of chromosomes, giving them a diversity that allowed dinosaurs to evolve quickly to changing climates. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.kent.ac.uk/bio/">University of Kent’s School of Biosciences</a> recreated what the genome structure of dinosaurs would’ve looked like under the microscope by tracing how chromosomes changed over evolutionary time, from reptile ancestors to present day species. This involved extrapolating the likely genome structure of a shared common ancestor of birds and turtles that lived about 260 million years ago – 20 million years before the first dinosaurs emerged.

Now, researchers believe that dinosaurs would’ve had 40 pairs of chromosomes, which almost twice as many as us humans, but the same as modern birds. 

“'We think it generates variation,” says Darren Griffin, a professor at the University of Kent and lead author of the study. “Having a lot of chromosomes enables dinosaurs to shuffle their genes around much more than other types of animals. This shuffling means that dinosaurs can evolve more quickly and so help them survive so long as the planet changed.”

This new study further reinforces the scientific understanding that birds and dinosaurs are very closely related. And although the researchers were able to mathematically predict the structure of dinosaur’s genetic code, they are still unable to completely recreate the DNA itself. As Griffin jokes, “we’re not going to have Jurassic Park anytime soon.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dinosaurs had DNA that provided a “blueprint” for success

Dinosaurs had DNA that provided a “blueprint” for success. Dinosaurs...

A new study published by <a href="https://www.biomedcentral.com/">Biomed Central</a> has found that traffic noise may be linked to an increased rate of telomere loss, which accelerates the aging process, in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/zebra-finches-sing-sleep/">Zebra finches</a> that have left the nest. 

Telomeres are protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that prevent damage to DNA strands during cell division. The shortening of telomeres indicates accelerated biological aging.

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.orn.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for Ornithology</a> and <a href="https://www.ndsu.edu/">North Dakota State University</a> teamed up to investigate the effect of traffic noise on the telomere length of offspring Zebra finches. 

The study revealed that Zebra finches who had been exposed to traffic noise after leaving the nest had shorter telomeres at 120 days than finches with less or no exposure.


“Our study suggests that urban noise alone, independent from the many other aspects of city life, such as light pollution or chemical pollution, is associated with increased telomere loss and may contribute to aging in Zebra finches,” said study co-author Dr. Adriana Dorado-Correa.  

“Our study is a first step towards identifying the causal mechanisms that may account for differences in life span observed between birds living in urban or rural environments.”

Dr. Sue Anne Zollinger added: “Cellular aging as a result of urban stressors is something that may not have a very visible impact, but our study indicates that although birds may seem to be adapting to life in noisy cities, they may actually be aging faster.” 

“It may be important to consider developmental stages in birds when studying the effects of urbanization, as the mechanisms by which these human-induced habitat changes impact individuals may change throughout their lifetime.”


The study results suggest that birds are more vulnerable to noise between 18 and 120 days after hatching. For Zebra finches, in particular, this is the time in life when they begin learning songs, which could make them more sensitive to noise.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/">Frontiers in Zoology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Traffic noise can speed up the aging process for some birds

A new study published by Biomed Central has found that...

A recent citizen science experiment has found that beer may be the best way to attract and get rid of <a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/common-garden-slug-arion-distinctus/">garden slugs</a>.

Lager beer was 64 more times effective at luring slugs compared to water, and the slugs were not picky about the brand of beer involved. 

However, the slugs showed no interest in other alcoholic drinks like wine or hard cider. 

The findings were the results of a “slug pub” research project coordinated by the UK charity group <a href="https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/">Garden Organic. </a>

166 participants volunteered to be part of the project, and the experiment involved placing four glasses in holes in a garden or area where slugs congregate from April to October. 

The glasses were filled with lager, English bitter, water, and a random beverage of choice. 

Because the glasses were placed below the surface of the soil, they acted as both lures and death traps, and twice a week the participants recorded the number of slugs in each glass. 

After adding up the weekly averages, the records showed that there were about six slugs caught in the lager glass, five in the bitter beer, and less than one in the water glass in any given week. 

The traps also caught more destructive species of slugs compared to less harmful slugs which resulted in less damage to garden crops. 

Slugs have long been the bane of many gardeners existence, but finding an environmentally safe yet effective pesticide alternative to traditional slug pellets has been an ongoing challenge in the battle against slugs. 

Beer may be just the solution, according to the results of this latest experiment. 

“Our volunteer scientists found that slugs showed little interest in water, orange squash, wine or even Cava. Lager or bitter, even the cheapest brands, proved to be most effective,” said Dr. Anton Rosenfeld, the project officer for Garden Organic. “We believe that the combination of volatiles and yeast attracts the slugs and the alcohol content has been shown to have little bearing on effectiveness.” 

If you have a slug problem in your garden, Garden Organic recommends placing containers or even watermelon rinds filled with beer at the edge of your vegetable beds. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lager beer can be a secret weapon in battling garden slugs

A recent citizen science experiment has found that beer may...

For birds, distinguishing colors is crucial when picking mate. The way we as humans perceive colors is very different from other members of the animal kingdom. Given the rich variety of plumage seen in many male members of different bird species, color perception is often important when picking a mate. 

A new study found female <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebra-finches-sing-sleep/">zebra finches</a> are able to distinguish different shades of orange or red and when it comes to the ideal mate, the male’s beak color is either attractive or it isn’t.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a> conducted an experiment to test how well female zebra finches can distinguish colors, and if they can even tell if some colors are different or the same. 

The results, published in the journal Nature, provide insight into categorical perception and shows that color labeling is not a human construct but has deep biological roots. 

Categorical perception describes how zebra finches are able to separate shades of orange and red into two categories, similar to humans. 

Researchers showed 26 female zebra finches sets of small colored discs. The discs were colored in a range of eight shades meant to represent the colors of male zebra finch beaks and some of the discs were two-toned and some solid. 

Every time a bird flipped over a disc with two colors on it, they were rewarded with a treat but the solid colored discs had nothing underneath them. 

The finches quickly learned to gravitate toward the two-toned discs and they had no problem picking out contrasting colors. 

When the two-toned disks had colors that were closer together, the finches had more difficulty in picking those out. The researchers say that the findings point to a threshold or perceptual boundary where female zebra finches see orange and red. 

Female finches prefer males with red beaks, as previous studies have shown but this study delves into the way female zebra finches classify and perceive those colors and hues.

“What we're showing is: he's either red enough or not,” said Stephen Nowicki, the study’s senior author.

The finches in the study may not be seeing color the same way we do, but the study shows that there is definitely a difference between certain hues. 

Categorical perception for the finches may be an adaptive strategy to help make tough mating decisions when there is either too much or too little information to go off of. 

“Categorical perception -- what we show in zebra finches -- is perhaps one strategy the brain has for reducing this ambiguity,” said Eleanor Caves, a co-author of the research. “Categories make it less crucial that you precisely interpret a stimulus; rather, you just need to interpret the category that it's in.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Ryan Huang, TerraCommunications LLC

For birds, distinguishing colors is crucial when picking mate

For birds, distinguishing colors is crucial when picking mate. The...

The light blue of a robin egg isn’t just pretty to look at, as it’s also a unique form of camouflage. Eggshells with colors and speckles are only found with birds that have partially or fully exposed nests. 

It had been thought that eggshell color was a modern evolutionary adaptation, but a new study shows that it’s a trait that links all the way back to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossilized-dinosaur-eggs-found/">dinosaurs</a>.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale</a>, the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/the-university">University of Bonn</a>, and the <a href="https://www.amnh.org/">American Museum of Natural History </a>recently traced the evolution of eggshell color back to a group of dinosaurs directly related to birds. 

The results, published in the journal Nature, shed light on how the blue and red pigments found in many bird eggs today developed out of necessity when dinosaurs first started laying their eggs in open nests. 

“This completely changes our understanding of how egg colors evolved,” said Jasmina Wiemann, the study’s lead author. “For two centuries, ornithologists assumed that egg color appeared in modern birds' eggs multiple times, independently.”

Eggshells today only use two pigments, red and blue, to create the various spots, speckles, and hues we instantly associate with some species of birds.

[caption id="attachment_1861500" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/bird-eggs.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1861500" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/bird-eggs-727x1024.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="986" /></a> Image Credit: Jasmina Wiemann/Yale University[/caption]

The researchers examined 18 fossil dinosaur eggshells to see if there were any traces of these pigments. 

Using laser microspectroscopy, the team was able to test the egg-shells for different pigments non-invasively. 

Red and blue pigments were found in eggshells that belonged to the Eumaniraptoran dinosaurs like the velociraptor. 

Oviraptors, a relative of the velociraptor, were the first known dinosaurs to lay their eggs in open nests and so it makes sense that eggshell pigment would be found in their family tree.

“We infer that egg color co-evolved with open nesting habits in dinosaurs,” said Wiemann. “Once dinosaurs started to build open nests, exposure of the eggs to visually hunting predators and even nesting parasites favored the evolution of camouflaging egg colors, and individually recognizable patterns of spots and speckles.” 
--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Jasmina Wiemann/Yale University

Today’s bird eggs got their color from the dinosaurs

The light blue of a robin egg isn’t just pretty...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being applied to data from acoustic sensors to help protect elephants in the African forest. The technology, which has been developed by the startup company <a href="http://conservationmetrics.com/">Conservation Metrics</a>, uses AI to detect the low-frequency calls of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/captive-elephants-shorter-lives/">elephants</a>.

Across 580 square miles in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo, designated listening posts provide scientists with critical information about the behavior and movement of elephants in the remote forest. 

The <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/elephant/">Elephant Listening Project</a>, which was developed with the help of biologists at <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>, uses 50 acoustic sensors that generate seven terabytes of data every three months. Developments in machine learning have enabled experts to analyze these files in about one-fifth of the time it used to take, and park managers can be alerted to threats faster than ever before. 

Peter Wrege is the director of the Elephant Listening Project (ELP) in association with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

“A key thing this collaboration will do is speed things up, so we can show the people who manage the national park that we can provide information that will make a difference,” said Wrege. “If it takes us a year to figure out what elephants are doing in the forest, it’s already too late.”


The number of elephants in central African forests has taken a nosedive,  from an estimated 100,000 in 2011 to less than 40,000 today. Many of the elephants were slaughtered by ivory poachers before there was any sign that they were in danger. 

Prior to using the new AI tool from Conservation Metrics, it took ELP six to eight weeks to run the sound data from its acoustic sensors through five computers. Conservation Metrics was able to analyze this amount of data in just 22 days.

The sound files are currently stored on memory cards that are collected by workers in the park on foot, transported 500 miles to the city of Brazzaville, and then express mailed to Ithaca. 

Matthew McKown, CEO of Conservation Metrics, said that running the AI tools directly into the forests may eventually become a reality. 

“It’s years away, but if you look at the technology that is being developed for commercial purposes, it seems feasible, whereas a few years ago we would have just said it was a dream.”
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Artificial intelligence helping to protect African elephants

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being applied to data from...

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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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 



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

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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

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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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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