A new study reveals that bees and other pollinators are not just attracted to colorful petals or the sweet scent of nectar. The hidden bullseyes in the flower pattern play a significant role in attracting bees.



Hibiscus flowers, for instance, possess an invisible pre-pattern during the early stages of petal formation. This blueprint dictates the size of their bullseyes, a feature that directly impacts their attractiveness to pollinators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bees-and-flower-patterns">Bees and flower patterns</h2>



Researchers at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a>'s Sainsbury Laboratory have unearthed some compelling findings. It turns out, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-bee-day-2024-bee-engaged-with-youth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bees</a> are quite choosy. 



Bees have a clear preference for larger bullseyes and buzz faster towards artificial flower discs with larger bullseyes. This preference may enhance the efficiency of both bees and blossoms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-patterns-the-making-of-bullseyes">Hidden patterns: The making of bullseyes</h2>



The researchers ventured into the mysterious world of petal designs. Using a small hibiscus plant as a model, they compared closely related plants with identical flower sizes but differently sized bullseyes.



Dr. Edwige Moyroud, a leading researcher at the Sainsbury Laboratory, has been studying the mechanisms underlying pattern formation in petals. She noted that a pre-pattern sets up on the petal surface early in the flower’s formation, long before any visible color shows up on the petal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolution-of-bullseye-patterns">Evolution of bullseye patterns</h2>



Study lead author Dr. Lucie Riglet further investigated how these bullseye patterns form and evolve. She discovered that the pre-pattern begins as a small, crescent-shaped region, even before the bullseye is visible on tiny petals that are less than 0.2mm in size.



"At the earliest stage we could dissect, the petals have around 700 cells and are still greenish in color, with no visible purple pigment and no difference in cell shape or size," noted Dr. Riglet.



"When the petal further develops to 4,000 cells, it still does not have any visible pigment, but we identified a specific region where the cells were larger than their surrounding neighbors.&nbsp;This is the pre-pattern.”&nbsp;



The cells that Dr Riglet studied are essential as they mark the position of the bullseye boundary, the line on the petal where the color changes from purple to white. And what happens without a boundary? No bullseye.



Dr. Argyris Zardilis developed a computational model that delivered additional insights. These models showed that hibiscus can change bullseye dimensions very early during the pre-patterning phase by adjusting cell expansion or division later in development.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-flower-patterns-from-a-bee-s-perspective">Flower patterns from a bee's perspective</h2>



Dr. Riglet explored the impact of the bullseye patterns on pollinators, using artificial flower discs that mimic the dimensions of the three different bullseyes.



“The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honey-bees-face-a-multitude-of-complex-stressors-in-the-field/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bees</a> not only preferred the medium and larger bullseyes over the small bullseye, they were also 25% quicker visiting these larger flower discs," said Dr. Riglet.



"Foraging requires a lot of energy and so if a bee can visit 4 flowers rather than 3 flowers in the same time, then this is probably beneficial for the bee, and also the plants."



These pre-pattern strategies in flowers could have deep evolutionary roots, possibly influencing the diversity of flower patterns across different species. 



The research team, led by Dr. Edwige Moyroud, continues to dig into the signals that generate these early patterns and explore similar pre-patterning mechanisms in other plant organs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-agriculture">Implications for agriculture</h2>



The newfound understanding of bullseye patterns' impact on pollinator behavior holds significant implications for both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honey-bee-colonies-are-collapsing-as-climate-change-progresses/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conservation and agriculture</a>.



Enhancing our knowledge of these floral designs can aid in developing strategies to bolster pollinator visits, which is vital for the success of crops reliant on pollination. 



By aligning agricultural practices with these insights, farmers could potentially boost yields by modifying or selecting plant varieties with optimal bullseye patterns that are more attractive to pollinators, thereby improving pollination efficiency and crop production.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-into-bullseye-patterns">Future research into bullseye patterns </h2>



The scope of research into bullseye patterns is set to expand, opening new avenues for discovery. Future studies may explore the genetic underpinnings that determine the formation and variability of these patterns in different floral species.



Unraveling the genetic and environmental factors that modulate bullseye dimensions can lead to unprecedented insights into plant-pollinator coevolution. 



Furthermore, exploring the application of computational models across diverse plant species could unveil universal principles of pattern formation, informing not only botanical science but also biomimetic design in technology and art.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bees-bullseyes-and-biodiversity">Bees, bullseyes, and biodiversity</h2>



This research not only advances our understanding of plant biology but also reinforces the intricate bonds between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/early-spring-flowers-can-save-bees-and-boost-pollination/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plants and their environments</a>. 



The precision of natural designs plays a crucial role in species survival and evolution. The H. trionum, for example, with larger bullseye sizes, possibly attracts more pollinators, enhancing its reproductive success.



So, the next time you admire a flower, remember there's more to it than meets the eye. Beneath the surface beauty, there's a world of complex, precise patterns - nature's very own masterpiece.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adp5574" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Bees prefer flowers with large bullseyes

A new study reveals that bees and other pollinators are not just attracted to colorful petals or the sweet scent of nectar. The hidden bullseyes in the flower pattern play a significant role in attracting bees. Hibiscus flowers, for instance, possess an invisible pre-pattern during the early stages of petal formation. This blueprint dictates the size of their bullseyes, a feature that directly impacts their attractiveness to pollinators. Bees and flower patterns Researchers at the University of Cambridge's Sainsbury Laboratory have unearthed some compelling findings. It turns...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solar-storms-whale-dolphin-strandings/">Dolphins</a> sure do get a lot of credit for their intelligence, as some <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/35013555/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/dolphins-second-smartest-animals/#.WNQfe2X9P7E">studies</a> have even named them the second-smartest animal on the planet. But it turns out that dolphins may have found some competition in sea otters. According to a new study, sea otters have been using tools for far longer than other marine animals, including dolphins.

The study was performed by scientists from the <a href="https://www.si.edu/researchcenters/conservation-biology-institute">Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute</a> in Washington and was published in the journal <a href="http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Biology Letters</a>. The team of researchers carefully studied over 100 wild sea otters living off the California coast.

According to the report, sea otters have been using stone tools for thousands, if not millions, of years. They have been spotted floating on their backs using rocks and sharp stones to help break open shellfish to eat.

While dolphins have also been known to use tools such as sponges to protect their noses while looking for food on the seafloor, they likely have only discovered this method within the past 200 years.

"It's older in sea otters," Dr. Katherine Ralls from the <a href="https://www.si.edu/researchcenters/conservation-biology-institute">Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute</a> told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39339424">BBC News</a>. "They're very smart; they'll use rocks as anvils and as hammers."

While dolphins typically learn how to use tools from their parents, sea otters seem to develop the skill naturally.

"Orphaned otter pups raised in captivity exhibit rudimentary pounding behaviour without training or previous experience, and wild pups develop tool-use behaviour before weaning regardless of their mother's diet type,” said the report.

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Biology Letters</a>, <a href="https://www.si.edu/researchcenters/conservation-biology-institute">Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute</a>, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39339424">BBC News</a>

Sea otters compete with dolphins over which animal is smartest

Dolphins sure do get a lot of credit for their...

Get ready for a bunch of big, hard-to-spell words. And the possibility that some of T.rex’s dinosaur relatives were a measly bunch of plant eaters. 

Paleontologists (there’s your first word challenge) from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> in England are proposing the possibility that the dinosaur classification system needs to be shaken up.

According to an article in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html">Nature</a>, the researchers believe the system is a bit more complex than what we’ve assumed since 1888. That was the year that paleontologists defined the two main branches of the dino tree: one consisting of bird-hipped herbivores (plant eaters) called Ornithischia, and the other group of both <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossilized-poop-important-clues/">herbivores</a> and carnivores (meat eaters) with lizard-like hips, called Saurischia.

Too simple.

The <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> researchers studied fossil skeletons and tens of thousands of dinosaur anatomical models to hypothesize that the tree should be reshaped They propose that Theropoda, a classification of dinosaurs that includes the formidable Tyrannosaurus rex, actually branches from the Ornithischia limb despite T. rex very definitely being a meat eater. And that the Saurischia limb should also include the carnivorous Herrerasauridae, among the oldest of dinosaurs, on a separate branch. This is a finding that runs counter to prevailing thought.

“It must be tested and reviewed by others," said study lead author Matthew Baron of the group’s hypothesis and the arguments that are sure to follow. "I personally can’t wait for the debate that this will cause in the field and I look forward to a lively and hopefully civil exchange of ideas and evidence in the coming years.”

Still not content to leave well enough alone, the cantankerous researchers also proposed the possibility that dinosaurs showed up on the planet about ten million years earlier than previously thought, due to the study of a fossil from East Africa.

--

Written by David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html"> Nature</a>

Have scientists been up the wrong dinosaur tree since 1888?

Get ready for a bunch of big, hard-to-spell words. And...

Not only is the existence of the rusty patched bumblebee threatened, but for a while so was the directive to add it to the endangered species list.

Among his last acts in office, President Barack Obama had directed that the rusty patched bumblebee be added, but the temporary freeze that the Trump administration had ordered on all federal regulations had intervened. However, on Tuesday the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/">U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a> announced that the administration had relented and the bumblebee had been added to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-species-act-endangered/">endangered</a> species list. This makes it the first bee from the continental U.S. to be gain inclusion, although Obama had designated seven Hawaiian bee species as endangered earlier in his term.

“The Trump administration reversed course and listed the rusty patched bumblebee as an endangered species just in the nick of time,” said Rebecca Riley, senior attorney with the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/">Natural Resources Defense Council</a> (NRDC). “Federal protections may be the only thing standing between the bumblebee and extinction.”

The NRDC had filed a lawsuit in federal court in February to carry out the Obama order.

The news should be good for food growers. This particular species used to be abundant in 28 states, but it has suffered an 87 percent population decline over the last 20 years and the species can now only be sporadically found in pockets within thirteen states. Like other bee species, the rusty patched bumblebee (named for the marking on its back) pollinates critical fruit, seed and nut crops.

With the designation, the federal government will protect the endangered bumblebee and its grounds as part of the federally enacted Endangered Species Act.

--

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Source:<a href="https://www.fws.gov/"> U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service</a>

Bumblebee declared endangered after all

Not only is the existence of the rusty patched bumblebee...

Whenever we see population estimates – whether for our own population or any other species – it’s often hard to tell how these estimates were made. It may be even more difficult to know whether or not these estimates are even accurate. How do you count something that’s constantly moving, like a school of fish? How could you possibly figure out how many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-lasers-phytoplankton-blooms/">phytoplankton</a> inhabit an ocean? For many populations it’s impossible to get exact numbers, so scientists rely on a multitude of strategies to provide estimates. In many cases, scientists use a three-year “moving average,” which helps account for year-to-year irregularities in the results of wildlife surveys. However, this approach has never been evaluated… until now.

A new study published in <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond?code=coop-site">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a> compares the results of wildlife surveys to true population size using thirty years of surveys of crane populations (the bird, not the heavy machinery). Specifically, Brian Gerber of <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a> and William Kendall of the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a> looked back on more than three decades of surveys for the Rocky Mountain population of Sandhill Cranes.

The researchers assessed whether the annual population changes determined by the moving averages were realistic. To do this, they used information on crane demographics and compared the moving averages to data gathered by a more sophisticated statistical approach called a hierarchical Bayesian time series model.

The Bayesian model allows for a more structured way to input new information as it becomes available. Gerber explains: “By taking a Bayesian approach, we can include additional information about both the observation process and the true population to obtain more realistic estimates and procedures.”

According to Gerber, this method also accounts for measures of uncertainty about the population estimates, which the more common survey approaches don’t usually provide. This allows researchers to understand the level of confidence they should have in their estimates.

Gerber and Kendall found that this more complex method performed better over a wider range of scenarios, although they found the moving average estimates to be reasonable. From their analysis, they were able to determine that over the last twenty years, the management practices have largely met their annual population objectives for the Rocky Mountain Sandhill Crane population. Gerber believes that their modeling approach “makes implementing any changes relevant to the survey easier.”

The researchers are confident that the work put into collecting this population data over long periods of time can result in pay off beyond the Rocky Mountain’s crane population. Their more complex model may be applicable to other species in other ecosystems as well.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2017-03/aosp-hra031517.php">American Ornithological Society Publications Office</a>

The accuracy of wildlife surveys has been put to the test

Whenever we see population estimates – whether for our own...

Chimpanzees seem to have a lot of things figured out. As we’ve reported, chimps possess an impressive ability to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-drinking-sticks/">use tools </a>and may even have a new vaccine for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vaccine-protect-chimps-ebola-virus/">protection</a> against Ebola. Now, according a new study from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>, it turns out that chimps in the wild can live extra long lives.

The study was performed over the course of 20 years at a chimpanzee community in Uganda’s <a href="http://www.ugandawildlife.org/explore-our-parks/parks-by-name-a-z/kibale-national-park">Kibale National Park</a>. The research found that under the right conditions, wild chimps average a life expectancy of about 33 years, which is almost double that of other chimp communities. This also puts them on par with the average life expectancy of human hunter-gatherers. 

The study observed a group 306 chimpanzees and the results were published in the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00472484">Journal of Human Evolution</a>.

"Our findings show how ecological factors, including variation in food supplies and predation levels, drive variation in life expectancy among wild chimpanzee populations," said Brian Wood of <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>, lead author of the study. "They also inform the study of the evolution of human life history, helping us to imagine the conditions that could have changed mortality rates among our early hominin populations.”

The <a href="http://ngogochimpanzeeproject.org/">Ngogo Chimpanzee Project</a> at <a href="http://www.ugandawildlife.org/explore-our-parks/parks-by-name-a-z/kibale-national-park">Kibale National Park</a> boasts the largest demographic dataset in existence for any community of wild chimpanzees. In addition, chimps living in Kibale have the longest known life expectancy for any wild chimpanzees. This is in large part due to favorable ecological conditions, which include a large supply of nutritious foods and low risk of predators.

"It has long been proposed that there are extreme differences in the life expectancies of human hunter-gatherers and chimpanzees," said David Watts, co-author of the study. "Our study finds that while maximum lifespan differs a great deal, the differences in average lifespan are not as dramatic as typically thought, especially when chimpanzees are not subjected to major negative impacts caused by humans. In fact, the Ngogo community's pattern of survivorship more closely resembles that of human hunter-gatherers than those documented for other chimpanzee communities." 

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>

Wild chimpanzees live extra long lives

Chimpanzees seem to have a lot of things figured out....

The plight of honey bees today is well known and comprehensively studied. We’ve all been taught since grade school about how important bees are to our world, and more recently we’ve been hearing about the growing concern over declining bee populations worldwide. 

While there are a multitude of factors for this decline, new research is now coming out in the Entomological Society of America’s <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jee">Journal of Economic Entomology</a> that points to an almond-crop fungicide as one of the culprits of honey bee death.

The almond industry in California alone produces about 80 percent of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/almond-board-research-program/">almonds</a> consumed worldwide, according to the <a href="http://www.almonds.com/">Almond Board of California</a> – yes, there is an almond board. Growers in these orchards rely on honey bees for pollination of their crops.

According to researchers, the almond fungicide iprodione may lead to a significant reduction in the 1o-day survival rate of forager honey bees (Apis mellifera). The study’s co-author Juliana Rangel, an assistant professor of apiculture in the Department of Entomology at <a href="https://www.tamu.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University</a>, explains: "Given that these fungicides may be applied when honey bees are present in almond orchards, our findings suggest that bees may face significant danger from chemical applications even when responsibly applied.”

In order to simulate the mechanics of fungicide crop dusting in the lab, Rangel and her team used a wind tunnel experiment to test the effects of iprodione on honey bee health. They exposed groups of bees to various dosage levels and combinations of fungicides by spraying them and putting them in the wind tunnel at speeds that matched those of aerial crop dusting. Each group was then monitored over a 10-day period. 

The researchers found that there was a significant increase in the mortality rate of honey bees exposed to the fungicides. In two of the three trials, bees exposed to the recommended concentration of iprodione died at two to three times the rate of control bees. When combined with other fungicides – boscalid, pyraclostrobine, and azoxytrobin – the effect increased. 

It is not entirely understood why these fungicides lead to a shortened life span for the bees. The study’s lead author Adrian Fisher II, a doctoral student in Rangel’s lab at Texas A&amp;M, believes that this is an important step in what will be a much greater process: "Our results may help to encourage discussions on altering spraying regimes or perhaps finding different ways to apply chemicals in such a manner that takes the biology and behavior of pollinators into account."

It may only take a grade-school knowledge to understand how important bees are for our crops, but it takes work by researchers such as Rangel and Fisher to help keep these bee populations healthy. Hopefully, this type of work will lead to better practices in crop maintenance and a longer lifespan for honey bees everywhere.

--

By Connor Ertz, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.entsoc.org/">Entomological Society of America</a>

Almond-crop fungicide could cause death for honey bees

The plight of honey bees today is well known and...

The mosquito’s olfactory system is its most prized possession. Female mosquitoes, in particular, possess a well-developed sense of odor that helps lead them to nourishment by following the scent of carbon dioxide exhaled by animals, and then to stagnant water for laying her egg.

Humans are the preferred first item on the menu. And now researchers think that the female uses an entirely different set of odor receptors – idiotropic receptors (IR) – to zero in on this favorite food source. This second set is in addition to the main odorant receptors (OR) of which scientists were already relatively familiar.

For the last 15 years, a team of <a href="https://www.vanderbilt.edu/">Vanderbilt University</a> biologists have been studying a malaria-causing species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/malaria-india-mosquitoes-cattle/">mosquitoes</a> to discover more effective lures and repellants. While studying the OR of the mosquito species, they were surprised to learn that the receptors weren’t picking up on the strong human odors the mosquitoes know so well. From this realization, they discovered the second set, which seems to be solely responsible for sniffing out humans.

This isn’t totally unfamiliar ground. Researchers already know that the fruit fly also has a second set of odor sensors, but it’s the first time the IRs were found in the mosquito. Student Stephen Derryberry and research assistant Professor Jason Pitts isolated three of the newly discovered sensors and found that they responded to two chemical compounds found in human sweat.

There’s still much to know. For example, the biologists are considering whether these IRs can also be used to detect infrared radiation and humidity levels.

“Despite all the research we have done, we still haven't fully figured out how mosquitoes identify and, even more importantly, develop a preference for humans,” said biology professor Laurence Zwiebel, who leads the Vanderbilt researchers.

The team’s findings were published in Scientific Reports.

 --

By Earth.com Staff Writer David Searls

Source:<a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/"> Scientific Reports</a>

Mosquitoes target us using a second set of odor receptors

The mosquito’s olfactory system is its most prized possession. Female...

The very idea of a talking gorilla charmed the world in the 1970s, when Koko, the young Western lowland gorilla was introduced on the cover and in the pages of National Geographic. Koko was, and is the (child?) of psychologist Francine “Penny” Patterson and her friend and Koko photographer/videographer of four decades, Ron Cohn. The story of this odd, but dedicated little family is told in the BBC documentary,<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07gxpd7"> Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks</a>. The film was produced for a <a href="http://www.pbs.org/program/koko-gorilla-who-talks/">PBS</a> release in 2016 and is currently available on Netflix. 

Patterson first met Koko at the San Francisco Zoo soon after the female <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archivist-reveals-gorillas-story/">gorilla’s</a> birth, in 1971. She was a doctoral candidate in Psychology at Stanford University who wanted to discover the viability of human-gorilla communications through American Sign Language. Soon after she started working with Koko, the young gorilla had to be separated from her mother for the treatment of a life-threatening disease and the troop rejected her when she was returned. As a result, Patterson took control of Koko and eventually adopted her.

As the film shows through vintage footage, usually shot by Cohn, Koko’s ability to grasp sign language was remarkable. She learned at about the rate of one sign a month for her first year-and-a-half with Patterson, or about 80 signs by the time she was two. Today, at the age of 44, it’s said that Koko knows some 1,000 sign language gestures and recognizes 2,000 spoken English words. Patterson also insists that Koko can combine gestures to express simple thoughts. For instance, when Koko’s pet kitten was run over by a car, the gorilla was said to have strung together the message, “comfortable hole goodbye.” (It’s not explained how Koko knew that burial was a traditional endgame, though perhaps her human family buried the kitten in her presence.) 

The gorilla’s level of communications ability was questioned by other researchers, however. Leading the charge was Dr. Herb Terrace, a Columbia University behavioral psychologist who’d undertaken a long-term project of his own to teach sign language to Nim, a chimpanzee. His conclusion, based on a 1979 paper, was that Project Nim – and, by extension, all efforts to communicate with primates via sign language – was a failure. He insisted that Nim, Koko, and others on the same experimental wavelength, were merely responding by prompts for praise or treats. 

Terrace’s paper convinced most of the scientific community, and by the 1980s, there was little enthusiasm to pursue sign-language communications involving primates. Instead, researchers focused on watching the animals communicate with one another.

It’s curious to note that there are few if any scenes in the film of handlers other than Patterson “speaking” with Koko. Could others fluent in American Sign Language have carried on the same level of conversation that Patterson claimed? One frequent visitor, an animal language expert named Eugene Linden, is quoted on camera explaining how Koko had greeted him for the first time with a complex message, but we don’t learn whether Linden witnessed and understood the communication himself or relied on an interpretation of Koko’s doting “mother.”

Though it’s not a part of this film, Patterson sent out a press release upon the 2014 death of the actor Robin Williams. She said that Koko had overheard phone call exchanges concerning Williams’ death and showed curiosity. Patterson said that when she explained the tragedy, Koko became “very somber, with her head bowed and her lip quivering.” Williams had spent one afternoon playing with Koko a decade previously, and the two had never reconnected. 

Koko has had relationships of sorts with two male gorillas, but none has led to mating activity and Patterson says that her – and Koko’s – one regret is that the gorilla never had a baby. Today, the gorilla spends her time with Patterson and Cohn and a retinue of caregivers in a sanctuary near Patterson’s California home.

“There’s something special about gorillas being gorillas,” says one of her caregivers at one point in the film. “But there’s also something special about Koko.” 

Koko is worth seeing. It does subtly point toward what the animal might have missed in not spending more of her early years with her own kind, though it never seriously challenges the viewpoint of Patterson and Cohn.  

[caption id="attachment_131604" align="aligncenter" width="800"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/mezzanine_513.jpg.resize.800x450.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-131604" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/mezzanine_513.jpg.resize.800x450.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="450" /></a> Credit: PBS[/caption]

--

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/program/koko-gorilla-who-talks/">PBS</a>. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07gxpd7">BBC</a>

Earth.com Film Review: Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks

The very idea of a talking gorilla charmed the world...

Insects’ mating rituals and appearance are a moment in time that can be difficult to witness even today. So imagine capturing such a moment from over a hundred million years in the past. That’s what makes the discovery of scientists from the <a href="http://english.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Science’s</a> Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology so remarkable.What the researchers found, trapped in amber in Burma, was three fossilized male damselflies from the pre-Cretaceous Period, some 100 million years in the past. 

Damselflies are in the same insect family as dragonflies, but smaller and narrower. What made this discovery particularly rare was that the tibia, or the fourth segment of leg, of the fossil males was expanded, pod-like, in a way that would have been a pre-mating ritual to fend off the male competition and to attract the attention of mating females. The tibia of the fossil discovery, known as Y. huangi, also had a wing-like shape and an eye-shaped spot on the middle of the hind leg, which the researchers felt was primarily designed to attract the attention of females. Think of the peacock’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/peacock-plumage-display/">plumage</a>, for a modern-day version of this evolutionary trait and sign of male dominance.

This appearance is replicated, to some degree, by modern species, but in a less obvious display than Y. huangi, according to the scientists. They felt that the fossil tibia inflatable size, shape and appearance to be an extreme adaptation for courtship behavior.

The researchers reported their findings in a recent issue of Scientific Reports. 

--

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Source: <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>

Fossilized damselflies from dinosaur era display mating rituals

Insects’ mating rituals and appearance are a moment in time...

Tardigrades may be about half a millimeter in length, but don’t let their size fool you. These tiny survivors can withstand temperatures ranging from -457 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit – that’s not a typo. 

They can survive radiation at doses hundreds of times higher than amounts that would kill humans. They’re found all over the world in even the most extreme environs.

A new study is shedding light on how the diminutive creatures – also called water bears – do it.

One of the extremes tardigrades can survive is being dried out for long periods – up to five years. Though they’re not the only species that can survive desiccation, they don’t seem to work the same way brine shrimp or yeast do. Those creatures rely on the sugar trehalose to protect their cells when they’re dehydrated.

“How tardigrades survive desiccation has remained a mystery for more than 250 years. Trehalose, a disaccharide essential for several organisms to survive drying, is detected at low levels or not at all in some tardigrade species, indicating that tardigrades possess potentially novel mechanisms for surviving desiccation,” a team of scientists led by Dr. Thomas Boothby of the <a href="http://www.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina</a> wrote in the study.

So the scientists set out to figure out what mechanism the tiny survivors use instead.

They did that by studying tardigrades in unstressed, dehydrated and frozen states, including taking a peek at their genes. What they discovered is that one set of genes is expressed at a high level when the little creatures become dehydrated. These “intrinsically disordered proteins,” or TDPs, essentially turn water bears into glass, they reported.

 The scientists found similar genetic expressions in yeast, but due to a different protein, which may indicate convergent evolution, the scientists said.

The discovery goes beyond just figuring out how tiny survivors like tardigrades work their biological magic. 

“More broadly, our study highlights the diversity and functional role of disordered proteins in mediating stress tolerance,” the scientists wrote. “We anticipate that this work will serve as a foundation for pursuing long-term goals of the desiccation tolerance field, including the engineering of drought-resistant crops and the stabilization of sensitive pharmaceuticals and cells in a dry state.”

The study was published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/molecular-cell/fulltext/S1097-2765(17)30133-8">Molecular Cell</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tiny survivors: how tardigrades withstand extreme conditions

Tardigrades may be about half a millimeter in length, but...

It’s long been known that the purpose of the fancy plumage of the peacock is to catch the eye of potential mates. The longer and wider and fancier the trail of colorful feathers, the more favorable notice it will get by mate-seeking peahens. 

But now new research, conducted by evolutionary biologists at <a href="https://www.tamu.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University</a>, indicates that the plumage also attracts the attention of other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chimps-learnbeta-females/">males</a> – most likely for competitive reasons. Just sizing up the competition, so to speak.

The lynchpin of the study was the tiny headgear cameras that had to be attached to each peacock and peahen to track their eye movements as they interacted with others of their kind. What the researchers found is that the peacocks spent about one-third of their time checking out the base of the plumage of the peacock – the same area the peahens focused on. The width of this lower section of the plumage serves as an indication of the length of the feather trail.

The headgear had two cameras, so researchers could track both the movement of the eyes and the views seen by the birds.

What might have been the most surprising element of the research was in what the peacocks weren’t spending much time or attention on at all.

“They allocated less than 5 percent of their time during our sample periods gazing at females,” said the study, which was published in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology.

--

Written by David Searls, Earth.com staff writer

Source:<a href="http://jeb.biologists.org/"> Journal of Experimental Biology</a>

Peacock plumage display catches the eye of other males too

It’s long been known that the purpose of the fancy...

Are we looking at a future with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wild-african-elephants-sleep-less-mammal/">elephants</a> the size of horses? How about pocket-size dogs? It probably won’t get that bad, but global warming could realistically result in some mammals being reduced rather remarkably in size. That’s the result of a study of fossils found at the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming led by Abigail D’Ambrosia, a researcher at the <a href="http://www.unh.edu/">University of New Hampshire</a>. Her team’s results were documented in the latest issue of Science Advances.

The shrinkage of mammals over time – millions of years – was dramatic. One of D’Ambrosia’s team’s findings, based on the teeth size of fossils, was that an early, very small horse, experienced a 17 percent size reduction.

“These guys were probably about the size of maybe a dog, then they dwarfed,” said D'Ambrosia. “They may have gone down to the size of a cat.”

Another example found by the team was the earliest known primate. It lost about four percent of its body size during that warming trend, interrupting a period of steady growth.

An earlier study of fossils at the same site drew the same conclusions regarding mammal shrinkage during an earlier period of heat-up, some 56 million years ago.

Animal shrinkage can actually be seen today. There’s a scientific principle known as Bergmann’s rule that states that larger animals are generally found in colder regions and smaller animals in hotter environments. Think of such Ice Age behemoths as the woolly mammoth. In warmer climes, smaller animals can burrow to cool off. Also, smaller warm-blooded animals are more adaptable to heat because they tend to have more skin or fur per pound, so the body heat can more easily be vented.

--

Written by David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Source:<a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/"> Science Advances</a>

Do mammals shrink when the planet warms?

Are we looking at a future with elephants the size...

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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



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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



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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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...