The mythical chupacabra, with its gray, scaly skin, protruding spines, and fangs, has intrigued and frightened communities across the Americas for decades. Known for allegedly preying on small livestock, this monster has spawned numerous legends and origin stories.&nbsp;



However, according to John Tomeček, a wildlife expert from <a href="https://agriliferesearch.tamu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Research</a>, the real explanation for these sightings is rooted in science, not the supernatural.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientific-explanation-for-chupacabra-sightings">Scientific explanation for chupacabra sightings</h2>



Tomeček, an associate professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management at Texas A&amp;M, suggests that many reported sightings of the chupacabra are actually cases of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coyotes-can-make-puppy-dog-eyes-too/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coyotes</a> suffering from advanced stages of mange. 



“Mange is a debilitating disease that can infect a wide range of fur-bearing mammals,” explained Tomeček.&nbsp;



The disease, caused by microscopic mites that burrow into the skin, leads to intense irritation, fur loss, scabbing, and thickening of the skin.



Tomeček notes that as mange progresses, it follows a particular pattern on the animal's body.&nbsp;



“On canids, the last place they lose fur is right between the shoulder blades in an area that we call the ruff,” he said. This pattern can create the appearance of spines or ridges, aligning with descriptions of the chupacabra.&nbsp;



The extreme emaciation and weakened state of mange-infested animals further contribute to their eerie, otherworldly appearance, especially when seen in the dim light of dawn or dusk.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-behavioral-changes-in-sick-wildlife">Behavioral changes in sick wildlife</h2>



The advanced stages of mange not only alter the appearance of animals but also change their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-tool-superanimal-can-accurately-analyze-animal-behavior/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">behavior</a>, making them more desperate and bold in their search for food. This desperation can lead to encounters with humans and livestock that would typically be avoided. 



“When you have a coyote that is in late-stage mange, they are bolder as far as approaching residential areas to find food because they are desperate,” Tomeček explained. “They're taking risks that an otherwise healthy animal wouldn't take.”



The legend of the chupacabra, which translates to “goat sucker” from Spanish, originated in Puerto Rico, where reports of livestock deaths with drained blood first emerged.&nbsp;



Tomeček suggests that these behaviors align with those of a sick predator. Infected animals may target small, confined livestock that are easier to catch than wild prey, which tend to be more agile and alert.&nbsp;



The characteristic puncture wounds often found on these animals also correspond to the predation style of coyotes.&nbsp;



“Coyotes' mouths are not good at getting and maintaining a grip, so they have to re-bite,” Tomeček noted, which can result in puncture wounds that lead to significant blood loss.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-misinterpreting-the-signs-of-predation">Misinterpreting the signs of predation</h2>



Tomeček also addressed the myth that chupacabras completely drain their prey of blood. He explained that this perception might stem from a misunderstanding of how blood settles and coagulates in a dead animal, creating the appearance of an empty circulatory system.



While sick animals may be more likely to venture into human areas, Tomeček stressed that their increased boldness does not necessarily mean aggression.&nbsp;



“I always make the distinction between an animal being bold and an animal being aggressive,” he said. “Being bold just means an animal is taking risks and doing things that they normally wouldn't because they're desperate.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-encounters-with-mange-infected-wildlife">Encounters with mange-infected wildlife</h2>



Given that mange can be transmitted to both humans and domestic animals, Tomeček advises caution when encountering infected <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-wildlife-overlap-is-rapidly-rising-across-the-globe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wildlife</a>. 



He recommends securing pets and contacting local wildlife officials, such as county wildlife biologists with the <a href="https://tpwd.texas.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Texas Parks and Wildlife Department</a>, rather than approaching the animal directly.



Tomeček also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the animal in question is not a domestic pet suffering from mange before considering any action.&nbsp;



“There are no known preventative measures for mange, but if you live in a region where the disease is common, it would be wise to consider a regular bathing regime for your working and companion animals that includes some sort of acaricide treatment,” he advised, urging pet owners to seek appropriate veterinary care when necessary.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-the-myth-of-the-chupacabra">Beyond the myth of the chupacabra </h2>



While the folklore of the chupacabra can capture the imagination, Tomeček emphasizes the need to focus on the scientific reality behind these sightings.&nbsp;



“When dealing with a 'chupacabra,' we are dealing with a real animal - typically a coyote - that's experiencing a serious health problem,” he said. “Treat the situation accordingly so we can help steward our wildlife resources.”



By shedding light on the science behind the chupacabra phenomenon, Tomeček hopes to encourage a better understanding of wildlife health issues like mange and promote responsible management of the animals that share our ecosystems.



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Spooky stories of the blood-sucking chupacabra: Fact or fiction?

The mythical chupacabra, with its gray, scaly skin, protruding spines, and fangs, has intrigued and frightened communities across the Americas for decades. Known for allegedly preying on small livestock, this monster has spawned numerous legends and origin stories.&nbsp; However, according to John Tomeček, a wildlife expert from Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Research, the real explanation for these sightings is rooted in science, not the supernatural. Scientific explanation for chupacabra sightings Tomeček, an associate professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management at Texas A&amp;M, suggests that...

This past Wednesday, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-clean-power-plan/">Trump administration</a> declined to list 25 species as endangered, including the Pacific walrus, which is of particular concern to environmental groups. But the Trump administration believes that listing these species for extra protection “is not warranted at this time.”

The Pacific walrus has been considered as a candidate for the endangered species list due to the significant loss of its Arctic sea ice habitat. In addition to the Pacific walrus, other species that were denied protection include Barbour’s map turtle, Bicknell’s thrush, the Big Blue Springs cave crayfish, the Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle, Kirtland’s snake, and the Black Hills populations of the black-backed woodpecker.

“This is a truly dark day for America’s imperiled wildlife,” says Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the <a href="http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/">Center for Biological Diversity</a>. “You couldn’t ask for a clearer sign that the Trump administration puts corporate profits ahead of protecting endangered species.”

On the other side of the fence, U.S. Rep. Don Young, from Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation, applauded the decision about the Pacific walrus. “I welcome this action by the Fish and Wildlife Service, a decision that recognizes the health and stability of Alaska's walrus population and ignores the extreme political pressures often associated with new Endangered Species Act listings,” Young said in a statement.

However, Greenwald disagrees, saying that these species “are now one step closer to extinction.” He continued, “We’re going to challenge as many of these bogus findings as we can.”

Whatever side you’re on, the science shows that Arctic ice is rapidly diminishing. We’ll likely see how this continues to affect the Pacific walrus – as well as many other species – in the near future. It will be revealed soon enough whether or not this decision was the right one. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Trump administration refuses to list 25 species as endangered

This past Wednesday, the Trump administration declined to list 25...

Parrots are some of the most intelligent birds and are known for their ability to imitate human voices. But have you ever wondered how they get their colorful feathers?

The budgie, a member of the parrot family, is a parakeet and an extremely sought after pet. It’s friendly chirping and ability to quickly learn phrases and mimic sounds from its surroundings are some of the reasons why the budgie is so popular. 

Budgies, like their larger parrot counterparts, also have extremely colorful plumage and can come in a range of colors including kiwi green, blue, and white. 

New research has shed light on what gives the budgie and other parrots their vibrant, colorful feathers. 

A study published in the journal Cell explains how researchers found a mutated gene that was responsible for the budgie’s bright pigments. 

One interesting fact about budgies is that the only color budgie you’ll find in the wild is green, while the blue and white hues are the result of specific breeding and mutations. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-parrots-explain-dinosaurs-fly/">Parrots</a> and parakeets like the budgie have been studied by scientists for years, and their colors are a great source of interest. 

“Budgerigars are a great system for studying parrot colors because artificial selection over the last 150 years has resulted in a large number of simple Mendelian genetic traits that affect color,” said Thomas Cooke, a graduate student at<a href="https://www.stanford.edu/"> Stanford University</a> and the study’s first author. 

For the study, the researchers conducted several experiments, first mapping the genes to isolate the area of the budgie that is responsible for the blue color mutation. 

There were several genes in this area, so the researchers had to narrow it down. 

DNA sequencing of 234 budgies and 15 museum specimens from Australia showed that one mutated gene called MuPKs resulted in the blue pigment. 

MuPKs was found in both yellow and blue budgies, but a specific amino acid that correlated with the gene was discovered in the blue budgies. 

"We identified an uncharacterized gene in budgerigars that is highly expressed in growing feathers and is capable of synthesizing the budgie's yellow pigments,” said Cooke. 

MuPKs is a gene found in all birds, but the reason chickens don’t have kiwi green and vibrant yellow feathers is that they, unlike members of the parrot family, don't carry certain enzymes that react the mutation in their feathers. 

The researchers are excited about what their findings mean for understanding coloring and pigmentation in parrots all over the world, as well as learning more about gene mutation and enzymes in different members of the parrot family. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists reveal how parrots get their colorful feathers

Parrots are some of the most intelligent birds and are...

According to new research, increased livestock grazing in protected forests is shrinking the habitats of wild giant pandas and driving them away.

A new <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a> study published in the journal Biological Conservation reports that one-third of all giant panda habitats in the <a href="http://www.discoversichuan.com/wanglang-national-nature-reserve/">Wanglang National Nature Preserve</a> have been damaged from free-range livestock grazing.

As grazing has increased, it has resulted in severe habitat degradation in the preserve, pushing the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/panda-habitats-shrinking-splintered/">pandas</a> out.

"Local communities leave their livestock to free range in the forests and only come to feed them salt twice a month. So the livestock feed on the bamboos year-round, especially in winter," said Binbin Li, assistant professor at <a href="https://dukekunshan.edu.cn/en/research/environmental-research-center">Duke Kunshan University’s Environmental Research Centre</a>, and leader of the study.

Increased grazing has been driven by a multitude of factors, including a logging ban, the increased demand for meat, and drops in tourism, prompting farmers to raise livestock in the protected forests. 

“It is not just an ecological problem, but also a gamble between the communities, the nature reserves, local governments and other stakeholders,” said Li. 

The Wanglang National Nature Preserve is one of 67 nature reserves in China and has the largest population of wild giant pandas. Even though China has implemented conservation policies to stop deforestation, grazing is becoming an increasing problem. 

For the study, the researchers collected data from the park’s monitoring systems. GPS collars on livestock helped track where the grazing occurred and where in the park the panda habitats were most affected. 

The results of the study show that grazing drives out giant pandas and damages bamboo regeneration. 

“If grazing is left uncontrolled, we are going to lose huge amounts of suitable panda habitats, to which we have devoted so much effort to protect in the past decades,” said Li.

--

By: <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Binbin Li

Increased livestock grazing is shrinking panda habitats

According to new research, increased livestock grazing in protected forests...

Climate change is extending blooming seasons – and that could be bad news for important pollinators like bees.

Researchers at <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> studying the effects of earlier and longer-lasting blooming seasons found that, far from helping bees, they may actually be causing harm.

"We asked whether variation in snowmelt timing and summer precipitation directly affected bumble bee colonies and their survival, or if the snowmelt and precipitation effects on flowers were more important,” said Dr. Rebecca Irwin, who co-led the study. “It turns out that the effects on flowers played a more critical role in affecting bee populations."

The researchers were specifically looking at the effects of climate change on three species of bumble bees that live at higher altitudes, Irwin said.

She and her colleagues studied in depth a collection of data gathered at the <a href="http://www.rmbl.org/">Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory</a> in Colorado over a period spanning more than 40 years. After analyzing the data, they used modeling to examine the effects of climate change on the blooming seasons and the bees that rely on flowers in the region.

The data showed that, when snowmelt comes early, blooming seasons start earlier and last longer, which sounds like a good thing for pollinators at first. But plants don’t actually produce more flowers, Irwin and her colleagues found. Instead, they stretch the usual number of blooms over a longer period of time, meaning that on a day-to-day basis there are actually fewer flowers for bees in search of food.

"Longer flowering seasons mean an increasing number of resource-poor days for bees, which means that bee abundance suffers," Irwin said. "We found that bee abundance increased when there was more summer precipitation and shorter flowering seasons."

The researchers plan to continue collecting and analyzing data on the three bee species, as well as expand to look at other species of pollinators. 

Their research has been published in the journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.12854/abstract">Ecology Letters</a>. It was funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Longer flower blooming seasons may be bad for bees

Climate change is extending blooming seasons – and that could...

While we’ve known that chimpanzees can learn to use tools, it had been previously assumed that they needed to watch others first to acquire the skill. But now, researchers have learned that chimpanzees can spontaneously learn on how to use tools their own. 

Researchers from the United Kingdom and Germany observed wild chimpanzees who used sticks to scoop up food from the water and tested to see if this could be replicated in captive chimpanzees who were not shown the behavior first. 

Chimpanzees from Twycross Zoo in the UK were given containers with water and food, without being shown how other chimps successfully used the same scooping motion to get the floating food using sticks as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzee-mothers-teach-their-children-how-to-use-tools/">tools</a>. 

The results of the study show that chimpanzees possess “latent solutions,” or inherent behavioral traits, that allow them to learn and adapt without being shown by other chimpanzees. 

“The commonly held belief is that chimpanzee behavior is cultural, much like how human culture has been passed between groups. But if that was the case, the same behaviors should never re-occur in naïve subjects. Nobody, for example, could accurately reinvent extinct languages on the spot,” said Elisa Bandini, the lead author of the study. 

Dr. Claudio Tennie, the study’s co-author, noted that the assumption that chimps need demonstrations might have just been a misunderstanding of how the chimpanzees were interacting. 

“Given these results, the long-held assumption that apes must observe one another in order to show these behaviors may have been due to an illusion of cultural transmission, created by the apes arriving at the same behavior independently,” said Tennie. 

The study sheds new light on learning skills of chimpanzees and may even provide insight into how early humans might have initially learned to use tools.

The new research was published in the journal PeerJ.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Chimpanzees can learn how to use tools without demonstration

While we’ve known that chimpanzees can learn to use tools,...

Have you ever wondered why some people are pet people, while others don’t understand the appeal of owning animals? The answer could be in our genes. 

John Bradshaw, an expert on anthrozoology (the study of human-animal interactions) and a visiting fellow at the<a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/"> University of Bristol</a>, as well as a member of the <a href="http://www.asab.org/">Council of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour</a>, has devoted much of his work to helping pet owners better understand animal behavior. 

In an article written for <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-behind-why-some-people-love-animals-and-others-couldnt-care-less-84138">The Conversation</a>, Bradshaw explains some fundamentals about domestic animals and why certain people are predisposed to pet ownership. 

According to the <a href="http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html??referrer=https://www.google.com/">Humane Society of the United States</a>, 65 percent of households own a pet, and Bradshaw notes that around 50 percent of households in Britain have a pet. These statistics suggest that pet ownership is a relatively Western phenomenon. 

“Indeed, it is often assumed that pets are a Western affectation, a weird relic of the working animals kept by communities of the past,” writes Bradshaw. 

There have been many claims that owning a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/easiest-pets-care/">pet</a> is good for your health, with studies showing that dogs and cats can lower blood pressure and improve quality of life. 

However, there isn’t much hard proof to corroborate these claims, and so the answer to why some like having a pet around and some don’t must date back further in history. 

According to Bradshaw, pet ownership is likely genetic, ranging back as far as when animals were first domesticated hundreds of thousands of years ago. Hunter-gatherers who found that domesticating animals was beneficial to survival laid the foundation for a symbiotic relationship between dogs and humans. 

“Kept isolated in these ways, the new semi-domesticated animals would have been able to evolve away from their ancestors’ wild ways, and become the pliable beasts we know today,” says Bradshaw. 

Those people who “couldn’t care less” about owning a pet may have inherited genes from groups who were not dependent on animals or didn’t need to form any bonds or relationships with animals to thrive. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Your love for animals may actually be genetic

Have you ever wondered why some people are pet people,...

Studies have shown that owning a dog helps keep people active, reduces stress and depression, and even improves overall cardiovascular health. New research reveals that the love dog owners have for their pets is also reciprocated, which is perhaps the greatest benefit of all.

When Dr.Gregory Berns lost his <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breathing-trouble-pugs-french-bulldogs-tough-predict/">dog</a> of many years, he wanted to know if his pet had loved him. Dr. Berns developed a study to demonstrate whether or not dogs feel emotions like people do. He documented the findings in his book What It's Like To Be a Dog.

As a neuroscientist at <a href="http://www.emory.edu/">Emory University</a>, Dr. Berns became curious if MRI testing could reveal more about what dogs are thinking and feeling. He wanted to see if the emotional processing center of a dog's brain is similar to that of humans.

Dr. Berns built an MRI simulator in his basement and trained his Terrier to become comfortable with it over the course of three months. Once he had established what training was needed to prepare dogs for an MRI without having to put them to sleep, he looked for dog owners who would lend their pets to the study. Since 2012, around 90 dogs have been trained and scanned.

To assess whether dogs love humans as much as they love food, Dr. Berns’ research team developed an experiment during which they gave the dogs food for some of the time and praise the rest of the time. The experts observed the reward centers of their brains and found that the majority of dogs responded equally to food and praise.

“Now, about 20 percent had stronger responses to praise than to food. From that, we conclude that the vast majority of dogs love us at least as much as food,” Dr. Berns told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>.

The team also found space in the dogs’ brains that is dedicated to processing faces. This indicates that dogs are not adapting this capability throughout life but that they are processing faces from the time they are born, which was not previously realized.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Science proves that your dog really does love you

Studies have shown that owning a dog helps keep people...

Although methane does not linger in the atmosphere as long as carbon dioxide, methane emissions have a more devastating impact on the climate in the short-term. A new study sponsored by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> reveals that global livestock methane emissions have been significantly underestimated due to use of outdated guidelines.

Scientists from the <a href="http://www.globalchange.umd.edu/">Joint Global Change Research Institute</a> found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cowspiracy-film-review/">methane (CH4) emissions</a> for 2011 are 11 percent higher than previously evaluated. These calculations were based on guidelines provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2006. 

Dr. Julie Wolf of the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a> and the <a href="https://www.ars.usda.gov/">Agricultural Research Service</a> is the senior author of the study. 

"In many regions of the world, livestock numbers are changing, and breeding has resulted in larger animals with higher intakes of food,” said Dr. Wolf. “This, along with changes in livestock management, can lead to higher methane emissions.” 

According to Dr. Wolf, “Methane is an important moderator of the Earth's atmospheric temperature. It has about four times the atmospheric warming potential of carbon dioxide.”

The current study found 8.4 percent more CH4 from enteric fermentation in dairy cows and 36.7 percent more manure management CH4 than was found using IPCC-based calculations.

“Direct measurements of methane emissions are not available for all sources of methane,” explained Dr. Wolf. “Thus, emissions are reported as estimates based on different methods and assumptions. In this study, we created new per-animal emissions factors - that is measures of the average amount of CH4 discharged by animals into the atmosphere - and new estimates of global livestock methane emissions."

Based on the updated emissions factors created in this study, the researchers produced significantly larger livestock CH4 emission estimates compared to calculations made using IPCC emission factors for most regions. However, emission estimates varied considerably by region.

"Among global regions, there was notable variability in trends in estimated emissions over recent decades,” said co-author Dr. Ghassem Asrar. “For example, we found that total livestock methane emissions have increased the most in rapidly developing regions of Asia, Latin America and Africa. In contrast, emissions increased less in the US and Canada, and decreased slightly in Western Europe.”

According to Dr. Asrar, the largest increases in annual emissions were found “over the northern tropics, followed by the southern tropics." The study is published in the open access journal <a href="https://cbmjournal.springeropen.com/">Carbon Balance and Management</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Agriculture causes even higher methane emissions than reported

Although methane does not linger in the atmosphere as long...

As fans waited for the release of Finding Dory, biologists pleaded to keep the Blue Tang (Dory) <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/biologists-are-urging-finding-dory-fans-not-to-buy-blue-tang-fish-2016-6">out of pet stores,</a> homes, and captivity. This trend builds on the “Nemo effect,” when the release of the 2003 hit film caused an uptick in clownfish conservation efforts. 

As it turns out, these weren’t isolated incidents. Hollywood has time and time again proven it can influence the public’s attitudes toward <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-turtles-comeback-conservation/">conservation</a>. 

Researchers from the<a href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/"> University of Exeter</a> recently compiled a list of films that either promoted conservation or propagated misinformation that could have adversely harmed certain species. 

The objective was to demonstrate that conservationists and filmmakers should collaborate to use the “Hollywood effect” to best boost conservation, awareness, and activism. 

The researchers also point out that the “Hollywood effect” can also have a downside. For instance, the Thai island made famous by the movie The Beach featured an overwhelming whiplash of mass tourism following the film’s release. And even “the Nemo effect” had a dark side: increased clownfish captivity rates.

“Movies could be used by conservationists to highlight issues of concern, much as product placement is currently used for advertising,” said Dr. Matthew Silk, from the <a href="http://www.exeter.ac.uk/esi/">Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter's</a> Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

The movies cited by the Exeter team range from Happy Feet, which had an important message about the dangers of overfishing, to Jaws, which exaggerated the threat posed by sharks. 

The researchers note that locations and animals can become extremely popular and raise the public’s interest, but further studies will need to be done to show what the implications of that piqued interest are. 

Hollywood has many opportunities to portray the threats involved with certain habitats and species accurately, and this research could pave the way to encouraging filmmakers and conservationists to work hand in hand to promote conservation awareness.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hollywood has the power to boost conservation efforts

As fans waited for the release of Finding Dory, biologists...

A new giant rat species has been discovered in the Solomon Islands hanging out in trees and cracking open coconuts with its teeth.

The new species, named Uromys vika, was discovered by Tyrone Lavery, a mammalogist and post-doctoral researcher at <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">The Field Museum in Chicago</a>.

The vika rat, as it was called by the locals on Vangunu Island in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hundreds-affected-massive-earthquake-solomon-islands/">Solomons</a>, hadn’t been officially discovered by scientists until very recently.

The Solomon Islands are a popular destination for researchers and biologists due to the unique biodiversity, and species that live on the Islands can’t be found anywhere else. 

"It's the first rat discovered in 80 years from Solomons, and it's not like people haven't been trying -- it was just so hard to find." said Lavery, who is the lead author of the discovery published in the Journal of Mammalogy.

Lavery was starting to lose hope that he would find the elusive vika rat, and deforestation on the Solomon Islands certainly did not help the search. 

But finally, Lavery spotted the huge rat crawling out of a fallen tree. After further examinations and comparisons with known species of rats, the team confirmed it was a wholly different species. 

“There are only eight known species of native rat from the Solomon Islands, and looking at the features on its skull, I could rule out a bunch of species right away,” said Lavery. 

The rat was named Uromys vika in honor of its local’s name and was immediately listed as critically endangered due to logging operations causing severe habitat degradation. 

“It's getting to the stage for this rat that, if we hadn't discovered it now, it might never have gotten discovered. The area where it was found is one of the only places left with forest that hasn't been logged,” said Lavery.

The vika rat is an animal of important cultural significance to the Solomon Islands, and Lavery’s official discovery can help preserve that as well as help protect the vika’s natural habitat and improve conservation practices. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Velizar Simeonovski, The Field Museum

New giant rat species found hanging out on the Solomon Islands

A new giant rat species has been discovered in the...

For many of us, the beautiful sounds of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genes-determine-music-songbirds/">birds singing</a> in the spring and summer help us to relax and decompress from our lives outside of nature. Waking up to natural bird song can be one of the many wonders of our human life and the natural world intermingling. Now with all those happy thoughts in mind, this is where we find out that the populations of many North American songbirds are declining – and we don’t know why. 

In a recent study from <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond?code=coop-site">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a>, ten years of data from banding stations around northern California and southern Oregon point towards new reasons as to why the region’s songbird populations are falling. 

Using data collected at ten of the Klamath Bird Observatory’s bird banding sites from between 2002 and 2013, researcher Sarah Rockwell and her colleagues estimated the abundance and reproductive productivity of 12 different songbird species. All species analyzed are of either regional conservation concern or are known to be indicators of coniferous or riparian habitat quality.

Out of the twelve total species, three of the indicators of coniferous habitat (the Purple Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Dark-eyed Junco) were found to be in decline across the region. However, two species (the Yellow-breasted Chat and Black-headed Grosbeak) were found to be increasing.

One of the major findings of the study was that the local productivity of songbird species was actually not a major factor behind these population declines. Breeding productivity was found to be in decline in three species, but the abundance of adult birds was correlated with the previous year’s productivity for only the Yellow Warbler.

“Before we can understand the impact of threats to bird populations, we first need to understand what’s happening where," says John Alexander, Executive Director of the Klamath Bird Observatory and a coauthor of the study. “This study presents trends from regional-scale monitoring and just begins to scratch the surface of understanding population dynamics, variation in demographic rates, and drivers of population change across our landscape, which is vital information for developing effective conservation plans.”

Alexander believes the study reveals the need to balance activities such as timber harvest and a mixed-severity fire regime, as well as continue to properly manage endangered species. Research such as this is important in providing the information that conservation efforts need in order to be effective. 

“This work is so important,” says Alexander. “We need robust baseline data if we are going to be aware of any kind of population change, let alone be able to do something about it!”

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Photo Credit: J. Livaudais

Songbirds declining in numbers, and we don’t know why

For many of us, the beautiful sounds of birds singing...

Many studies have been done analyzing the effect of noise – specifically human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/noise-pollution-protected-areas/">noise pollution</a> – on the physiology and behavior of animals in the wild. This noise pollution comes from things such as transportation, construction, and just general proximity to areas with human activity.

Recently, a study has revealed that this same noise pollution can have negative effects on the schooling behavior of fish. Schooling is a collective behavior for some fish species that is integral to helping them avoid predators and exchange information between individuals. 

For the study, 450 individual seabass were tested in shoals of four individuals each at the aquarium in the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>. Recorded sounds of pile-driving, which is used in the construction of marine infrastructure like piers and windfarms, were played to small schools of seabass.

Researchers noticed that the fish became less coordinated and cohesive when these sounds were played. These changes in their behavior suggest that exposure to human noise pollution may make them more susceptible to predators, and affects individual fish on a group level.

“This is one of the few studies to explore how pollution from human activity impacts schooling behavior in fish,” says Christos Ioannou from the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>. “By using state-of-the-art computer tracking software, we were able to measure and analyze the movement of individual fish and the shoal as a whole in great detail.”

With these results found in the lab, the next step in this research is to determine if the fish experience similar effects under natural conditions. If the findings end up translating to fish in nature, it may be time to rethink how we conduct particularly noisy human activities around marine life.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Human noise pollution endangering the lives of fish

Many studies have been done analyzing the effect of noise...

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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



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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

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[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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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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