When we think of Antarctica, we picture vast white deserts, towering glaciers, and resilient creatures like penguins surviving in the cold. But beyond the majestic icebergs and snow-covered expanses lies a much more complex picture. 



Climate change is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-are-intense-heat-waves-affecting-life-in-antarctica/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">warming</a> the region faster than most other parts of the planet. Sea ice is retreating. Weather patterns are shifting. And species like the Adelie penguin are under severe threat.



At first glance, penguins seem like helpless bystanders in this planetary crisis. But what if they were doing more than surviving? What if their biology and behavior - specifically their droppings - had the power to affect clouds, air chemistry, and even climate? 



New research suggests exactly that. Penguin guano, often seen as just a smelly by-product of seabird life, may play a much larger role in Antarctica’s climate than anyone expected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-penguin-poop-helps-clouds-form">Penguin poop helps clouds form</h2>



The study, led by Matthew Boyer, Mikko Sipilä, and colleagues from <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en/admissions-and-education/apply-bachelors-and-masters-programmes?mtm_campaign=Brand-All_target_countries-Helsingin_yliopisto&amp;mtm_kwd=university%20of%20helsinki&amp;mtm_source=google&amp;mtm_medium=cpc&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=1381187276&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjw3MXBBhAzEiwA0vLXQT600ZXuQaYCZ0OrUzMBj1GpUFJwXxvC-WScvFbmHIvEZv6E2nLGihoCF48QAvD_BwE" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Helsinki</a>, investigates how ammonia from penguin guano contributes to atmospheric processes in Antarctica.



The team measured ammonia concentrations at a coastal site near Marambio Base during the austral summer of 2023. They found that penguin colonies - particularly one containing around 60,000 Adelie penguins - acted as massive sources of gaseous ammonia.



Ammonia in the atmosphere is a key ingredient in forming aerosols. These particles are essential for creating cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), which allow water vapor to condense and form clouds. 



More clouds can reflect sunlight and reduce surface temperatures, making this process highly relevant for sea ice retention and climate regulation in the polar environment. But ammonia has long been underrepresented in climate models, especially in remote areas like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emergency-meeting-reveals-the-alarming-extent-of-antarcticas-ice-loss/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctica</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-long-lasting-ammonia-emissions">Long-lasting ammonia emissions</h2>



The study recorded ammonia levels between January 10 and March 20, 2023. When the wind blew from the penguin colony, ammonia concentrations surged to as high as 13.5 parts per billion - more than 1,000 times the background levels. 



Even after the penguins migrated at the end of February, the ornithogenic soil - enriched with guano - kept emitting ammonia for weeks.



This long-lasting emission surprised the researchers. Their data confirmed that these penguin hotspots around the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ozone-hole-may-fully-recover-by-2066/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic</a> coast could release ammonia levels comparable to those found in agricultural fields during summer. 



The emissions are not evenly spread but come in strong bursts, especially when the wind shifts direction toward nearby colonies. This means penguin guano can create regional plumes of cloud-forming particles even after the birds have left.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ammonia-triggers-cloud-forming-particles">Ammonia triggers cloud-forming particles</h2>



To assess the impact on particle formation, the researchers recorded detailed chemical data. 



On days when winds came from penguin colonies, the team observed sharp increases in both the number and size of aerosol particles. These particles eventually grew to the size needed for cloud condensation - above 30 nanometers - within a matter of hours.



On February 1, 2023, a major event occurred. A strong new particle formation (NPF) event was followed by fog at the measurement site. The researchers found that the fog formed from the same air mass rich in ammonia and sulfuric acid. 



Analysis of the cloud droplet composition revealed ammonium sulfate - a direct signature of the penguin-driven chemical processes.



The persistence of particle formation before and after the fog confirmed that this wasn’t a one-off incident. The authors believe that their work emphasizes the importance, and benefits, of protecting seabirds and their habitats from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ice-sheet-patterns-point-to-rapid-melting-risks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effects</a> of climate change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-other-gases-also-boost-particle-growth">Other gases also boost particle growth</h2>



Ammonia wasn’t acting alone. Dimethylamine (DMA), another nitrogen-rich gas, was also detected in the cluster formation process. 



Although present at lower levels, DMA greatly enhances the rate at which sulfuric acid forms aerosols. Laboratory studies have shown that even tiny amounts of DMA can accelerate particle formation by factors of up to 10,000.



Interestingly, the researchers noted that sulfuric acid and ammonia dominated the cluster composition. DMA appeared only in trace quantities - just enough to stabilize clusters during early formation stages. This suggests a multicomponent mechanism, with both ammonia and DMA contributing in different ways.



Iodine oxoacids like HIO₂ and HIO₃ also played supporting roles. These compounds, sourced from ocean life and sea-ice chemistry, have been known to influence particle formation during spring and autumn. But in this summer study, ammonia and sulfur dominated the process.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cloud-formation-and-regional-impacts">Cloud formation and regional impacts</h2>



New particle formation events like these are not just chemical curiosities. They affect the formation of CCN and cloud droplets.



Clouds, in turn, control how much sunlight reaches the surface and how much heat escapes into space. In the polar climate system, these clouds can mean the difference between melting ice and stable conditions.



The study’s measurements showed that penguin-driven ammonia emissions initiated a cascade of chemical events. These culminated in visible cloud formations, including fog. T



he resulting particles could last for days and travel inland or over the ocean, influencing weather patterns far beyond the colony’s location.



Cloud brightness, lifetime, and height all depend on the number of available CCN. In areas like Antarctica, where background particle levels are low, even small increases can make a noticeable difference. 



By emitting ammonia at such high levels, penguins effectively modulate local cloud properties.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fewer-penguins-mean-fewer-clouds">Fewer penguins mean fewer clouds</h2>



There’s a dark twist to this story. If penguin populations decline due to shrinking sea ice or food scarcity, their contribution to ammonia emissions will also drop. That means fewer particles, fewer clouds, and possibly faster warming.



The researchers warn that declining penguin populations could create a feedback loop. Less ice leads to fewer penguins. Fewer penguins mean less ammonia and cloud cover. That leads to even more ice loss. 



This idea is supported by earlier modeling work in the Arctic, where seabird emissions were shown to affect regional temperatures. The Antarctic case now adds real-world measurements to support similar conclusions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-penguins-quietly-shape-the-climate">Penguins quietly shape the climate</h2>



These findings reveal a remarkable complexity in the Antarctic climate system. Tiny molecules from penguin droppings can influence clouds and temperature. It’s a reminder that the Earth’s systems are interconnected in ways we’re only beginning to understand.



In places like Antarctica, where human emissions are minimal, biological processes take center stage. Penguins are not just part of the scenery. They shape the air we breathe and the clouds we see.



If we want to protect the poles - and slow global warming - we may need to start with something as simple as protecting the penguins.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02312-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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Penguin poop helps form clouds that could slow Antarctic warming

When we think of Antarctica, we picture vast white deserts, towering glaciers, and resilient creatures like penguins surviving in the cold. But beyond the majestic icebergs and snow-covered expanses lies a much more complex picture. Climate change is warming the region faster than most other parts of the planet. Sea ice is retreating. Weather patterns are shifting. And species like the Adelie penguin are under severe threat. At first glance, penguins seem like helpless bystanders in this planetary crisis. But what if they were doing more than...

The hidden victims of wildlife trafficking. Wildlife trafficking is a global issue that threatens the future of many iconic species such as elephants, tigers and rhinos. But the practice has also been especially detrimental to a little known species: the pangolin. In fact, pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world with an estimated one million individuals taken from the wild in the last decade alone. That amounts to one pangolin stolen from the wild every five minutes.

Pangolins are truly fascinating animals. The pangolin, or scaly anteater, is the world’s only scaly mammal. They have a large body, long tail, tiny head and eat insects. Pangolins have all the makings of a charismatic species, yet rarely does the discussion of wildlife trafficking focus on their plight.

In total, there are eight species of pangolin, all of which are in danger. Two pangolin species are listed as critically endangered, two listed as endangered and four listed as vulnerable. All eight species of pangolin are currently protected by Appendix I of the<a href="https://www.cites.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.cites.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1530201459882000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFLJNIQIka6qS_CwcXW8nghXUlYgw"> Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora</a> (CITES), an international agreement regulating the trade of wildlife. In this classification, species are only allowed to be traded under exceptional circumstances and are considered to be threatened with extinction. Despite this, the pangolin market seems to have grown in recent years. 

Pangolins are largely trafficked for their scales and meat. Pangolin meat is considered a sign of high status in countries such as China. The scales are often used in traditional Chinese medicine, tonics or leathered goods. Although the scales are believed to help cure medical ailments, they are made of keratin, similar to human fingernails and rhino horn.

Despite the fact that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pangolins-smuggled-ivory-trade/">pangolins</a> live in a large habitat across Asia and Africa, the populations are dwindling in the wild. The pangolins are easy to hunt; they will curl into a ball if they feel threatened which makes it easier for traffickers to scoop them up.

A study by the wildlife trade monitoring group<a href="http://www.traffic.org/"> TRAFFFIC</a> found that 69% of trafficked pangolins in Malaysia were captured opportunistically. Pangolins are often found by local villagers and farmers who decide to sell the animals for a quick profit. Pangolins sell for a high price in the wildlife market and enforcement is minimal despite the fact that the species is protected by international and multiple national laws.

A 2016 study published in Global Ecology and Conservation examined pangolin parts sold at a market in Mong La, Myanmar. The researchers visited the market on four separate occasions and found a total of 42 bags of scales, 32 whole skins, 16 fetuses or pangolin parts and 27 whole pangolins for sale. A separate study conducted by TRAFFIC found pangolins sold openly at 154 stalls at markets in China. Despite the fact that the pangolin trade is illegal in both Myanmar and China, researchers in both studies were able to find pangolin products widely available.

Efforts across the world have ramped up to save this overlooked species. The <a href="https://www.iucn.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a>, the global authority on nature conservation, re-established a pangolin specialist group to generate an action plan in 2012. The action plan includes exploring conservation breeding, implementing public education programs and launching a digital media and awareness campaign.

This imperiled species needs the public’s attention and it needs it fast. Without international, wide-scale efforts to conserve the pangolin it stands little chance against a thriving wildlife market.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

The hidden victims of wildlife trafficking

The hidden victims of wildlife trafficking. Wildlife trafficking is a...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-way-to-estimate-how-fast-magma-is-building-under-yellowstone/">Yellowstone National Park</a> is a massive area of land spanning almost 3,500 square miles across the U.S. states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. The park is home to crowd-pleasing animals such as bison, bears, and wolves – the latter of which were reintroduced to the park in the mid-1990s. After this reintroduction, some scientists believed that the wolves reestablished a “landscape of fear,” which resulted in elk – the wolf’s main prey – avoiding risky places where wolves hunted. This belief added to the burgeoning idea that predators affect prey populations and ecosystems through not only killing and eating prey, but by scaring them as well.

But new research shows that Yellowstone’s landscape of fear is not nearly as scary as scientists first thought. <a href="https://www.usu.edu/">Utah State University</a> ecologists Michel Kohl and Dan MacNulty report their findings in <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15577015/">Ecological Monographs</a>.

“Contrary to popular belief, the wolf is not a round-the-clock threat to elk; it mostly hunts at dawn and dusk, and this allows elk to safely access risky places during nightly lulls in wolf activity,” says Kohl, the lead author of the paper. “Despite their Hollywood portrayal as nighttime prowlers, wolves tend to hunker down at night because their vision is not optimized for nocturnal hunting.”

The study involved assessing data from 27 GPS radio-collared elk that had been collected from 2001 to 2004, after the wolves’ reintroduction. However, the data was never fully analyzed until now. The collars recorded the location of individual elk every 4 to 6 hours. Researchers first equipped wolves with GPS collars in 2004, when little was known about their 24-hour schedule.

“In the days before GPS, when we tracked wolves by sight and with VHF radio-telemetry, we knew they hunted mainly in the morning and evening, but we didn’t know much about what they did at night,” says MacNulty, an associate professor in USU’s Department of Wildland Resources and the USU Ecology Center. “GPS data showed that wolves were about as inactive in the middle of the night as they were in the middle of the day.”

Kohl used the GPS data to analyze the 24-hour wolf schedule, comparing how the elks’ presence in risky places – sites where wolves killed elk – varied between periods of high and low wolf activity. “Elk avoided the riskiest places when wolves were most active, but they had no problem using these same places when wolves were least active,” explains Kohl. “An elk’s perception of a place as dangerous or safe, its landscape of fear, was highly dynamic with ‘peaks’ and ‘valleys’ that alternated across the 24-hr cycle in response to the ups and downs of wolf activity.”

These findings regarding the elks’ usage of risky places during wolf downtimes carries implications for understanding how wolves and elk impact their ecosystem. “Our results can explain why many other studies found no clear-cut effect of wolf predation risk on elk stress levels, body condition, pregnancy, or herbivory,” says MacNulty. “If our results reflect typical elk behavior, then actual killing rather than fear probably drives most, if not all, of the effect of wolves on elk and any cascading effect on the plants that elk eat such as aspen and willow.”

The study’s conclusion is in contrast to both past and current beliefs about the ecological importance of fear in Yellowstone, as well as other ecosystems.

“Although our study is the first to show how a prey animal uses predator downtime to flatten its landscape of fear, I suspect other examples will emerge as more researchers examine the intersection between prey habitat use and predator activity rhythms,” says Kohl.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Predators in Yellowstone “landscape of fear” may not be so scary

Yellowstone National Park is a massive area of land spanning...

Scientists at the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/">University of Edinburgh</a> have used a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/public-opinion-gene-editing/">gene-editing</a> technique to create pigs that are resistant to one of the world's most costly animal diseases. In the United States and Europe alone, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) leads to a loss of $2.5 billion every year.

“Gene editing gives us a powerful tool to help reduce losses in the farming industry while improving the health and welfare of the animals themselves,” said study co-author Professor Alan Archibald.

PRRS can cause fatal breathing problems in young pigs and can cause pregnant females to lose their litters. 

The virus attaches on the surface of cells to a receptor called CD163. Using a gene-editing tool, the investigators managed to remove the section of CD163 that the virus attaches to, leaving the rest of the gene intact.

The research team collaborated with Genus PLC to produce pigs with the specific DNA change. While previous studies have found that this modification could make cells resistant to the virus in the lab, this is the first study to expose the pigs themselves to PRRS.

None of the modified pigs became sick after exposure to the virus, and blood tests showed no trace of infection. In addition, the DNA alteration did not appear to cause any changes to the health or well-being of the pigs.

“These results are exciting but it will still likely be several years before we're eating bacon sandwiches from PRRS-resistant pigs,” said study co-author Dr. Christine Tait-Burkard.

“First and foremost we need broader public discussion on the acceptability of gene-edited meat entering our food chain, to help inform political leaders on how these techniques should be regulated.”

“We also need to carry out longer term studies to confirm that these genetic changes do not have any unforeseen adverse effects on the animals.”

“If these studies are successful and the public are accepting of this technology, we would then be looking to work with pig breeding companies to integrate these gene edits into commercial breeding stocks.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://jvi.asm.org/">Journal of Virology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists make pigs resistant to costly virus with gene-editing

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have used a gene-editing...

Koko the gorilla, famous for her sign language skills, died at age 46 in her sleep, according to the <a href="https://www.koko.org/">Gorilla Foundation</a>. 

From her love for her pet cats to her ability to sign over 1,000 words and understand 2,000 words in the English language, Koko captivated the hearts of many. 

“Her impact has been profound and what she has taught us about the emotional capacity of gorillas and their cognitive abilities will continue to shape the world,” the <a href="https://www.koko.org/gorilla-foundation-sad-announce-passing-our-beloved-koko">Gorilla Foundation </a>said in a release detailing the events of her death. 

Koko was born in 1971 at the San Francisco Zoo on July 4th, a date that inspired her name Hanabi-Ko which is Japanese for Fireworks Child. 

Francine “Penny” Patterson started working with Koko while she was a graduate student in 1972. Patterson, an animal psychologist began teaching Koko sign language and soon the western lowland gorilla was a national sensation. 

Koko’s abilities were unmatched and she proved that primate’s had far superior cognitive capabilities than was thought possible. 

In 2012, Koko amazed yet again when she played the recorder, which according to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/06/21/622160278/koko-the-gorilla-dies-redrew-the-lines-of-animal-human-communication">NPR</a>, was something that researchers thought was impossible because it was assumed primates couldn’t control their breathing. 

In 1974, Patterson along with Ronald Cohn, a fellow researcher who worked closely with Koko established The Gorilla Foundation, and Koko has since been an ambassador for gorillas, raising awareness about the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mountain-gorillas-comeback/">critically endangered group of species</a>. 

Koko was featured in <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic</a> twice and a mirror selfie that Koko took herself was featured on the cover. 

One of the things Koko was most well known for, besides her sign language and kind nature, was her affinity and love for kittens. Koko was given a cat for her birthday which she named All Ball. 

“The cat was a Manx and looked like a ball,” <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/koko-gorilla-sign-language-death-988302?spJobID=1050861497">Cohn told Newsweek</a>. “Koko likes to rhyme words in sign language.”

Koko cared for the kitten, nurturing her and playing with the cat whenever she could. When All Ball died, Koko was reportedly distraught but was soon given more cats to care for through the years. 

Those critical of Patterson’s work have suggested that Koko did not actually understand the words she was singing, but instead was just copying the behavior of her caretakers.

Whether or not Koko was an excellent mimic or truly had a grasp for language, her interaction with humans and other species shows a profound ability for communication. 

Koko has left a lasting impression and she will be greatly missed by those who have followed the gorilla’s journey and milestones. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 
Image Credit: Photographer: Ron Cohn, Courtesy of <a href="https://www.koko.org/">The Gorilla Foundation</a>

Koko, beloved sign language gorilla, dies at 46

Koko the gorilla, famous for her sign language skills, died...

Nothing has quite captured our fascination for the age of the dinosaurs like the T-Rex. 

When you think about Tyrannosaurus Rex, you probably conjure an image of a fierce, huge predator with rows of razor-sharp teeth. 

But a new study has found that even though popular culture tends to depict dinosaurs with long lizard-like tongues that can lash out, this wouldn’t have been possible for the T-Rex. 

New fossil evidence shows that T-Rex tongues were rooted to the bottoms of their mouths, similar to alligators. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> and <a href="http://english.cas.cn/">the Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> and published in the journal PLOS ONE. 

By examining the hyoid bones, the bones that support the tongue, of extinct dinosaurs and comparing them to modern birds and alligators, the researchers found that T-Rex tongues and hyoid bones would not have allowed for much movement. 

It’s well known that birds are the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-skull-dinosaurs-birds/">closest living relative of the dinosaur, </a>and so bird bones can shed insight about the evolution from dinosaurs to a diverse group of feathered and winged species capable of flight.

“Tongues are often overlooked. But, they offer key insights into the lifestyles of extinct animals," said Zhiheng Li, the study’s lead author. 

The researchers took high-resolution images of the hyoid muscles and bones from three alligators and 13 different species of bird and compared these to fossils of pterosaurs and Tyrannosaurus Rex. 

Even though dinosaurs in movies and TV are often made to look like giant reptiles with the slithering tongue to match, the study shows that current T-Rex and dinosaurs reconstructions are inaccurate. 

“They've been reconstructed the wrong way for a long time,” said  Julia Clarke, a co-author of the study. “In most extinct dinosaurs their tongue bones are very short. And in crocodilians with similarly short hyoid bones, the tongue is totally fixed to the floor of the mouth.”

The study also links tongue mobility and diversity to the evolution of flight in birds because pterosaurs and modern birds today have such a wide range of hyoid bone shapes. 

As birds evolved, they had to adjust to losing hands and arms in place of wings, and tongues could have evolved as a way to compensate for this loss in agility. 

“If you can't use a hand to manipulate prey, the tongue may become much more important to manipulate food,” said Li. “That is one of the hypotheses that we put forward.”

Tongues and hyoid bones can tell reveal a lot about a species beyond just correcting a long-standing assumption of what dinosaurs looked like and how they moved. The research could aid in future studies that aim to better understand the evolution of birds. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

T-rex tongues were anchored to the bottom of their mouths

Nothing has quite captured our fascination for the age of...

For the first time, researchers have found that horses can perceive human emotion through facial expressions and voice tones. This recognition was demonstrated by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/horses-remember-human-expressions/">horses</a> regardless of whether an individual was familiar to them.

Horses have a long history as working animals and also as companions, forming close bonds with humans like dogs and other pets. It has been well documented that dogs can pick up on human emotions through facial expressions and voices, but until now it was not clear if horses perceived human feelings the same way.

A team of researchers used the expectancy violation method to find out. This particular method has been used to study cognitive development among infants.

Horses were shown a picture of a happy facial expression or an angry facial expression on a screen, followed by a pre-recorded human voice coming from a speaker behind the screen that was either praising or scolding.

Horses were presented with some facial expressions and voice tones that matched, which is referred to as the congruent condition, and others that did not, known as the incongruent condition.

The study revealed that horses responded to the voices up to two times faster when presented with the incongruent condition compared to the congruent condition. This was found to be the case regardless of familiarity with the individual.

In addition, the horses looked at the speaker 1.4 times longer in the incongruent condition than in the congruent condition when the person was familiar. 

The results of the analysis indicate that horses integrate human facial expressions and voice tones to perceive human emotions. Because of this, when horses heard a human voice whose emotional value did not correspond with the human facial expression, they responded to the unanticipated violations of their expectations.

Ayaka Takimoto is an associate professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at <a href="https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/">Hokkaido University</a>.

“Our study could contribute to the understanding of how humans and companion animals send and receive emotional signals to deepen our relationships, which could help establish a better relationship that emphasizes the well-being of animals,” said Professor Takimoto.

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Ayaka Takimoto

Horses can sense human emotions through facial expression, voice

For the first time, researchers have found that horses can...

Roughly 570 million years ago, life on Earth began a drastic transformation and for the first time, we can now see evidence of a diverse group of species in the fossil record. This period of history is called the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oldest-animal-fossil-footprint-on-record-discovered-in-china/">Cambrian Explosion</a> because of how quickly different species evolved. 

Researchers are still discovering new fossils that shed further insight into this time on Earth, and a new study examining the fossil of a nude sea creature provides answers to an old mystery about where the species belongs.

[caption id="attachment_1215635" align="aligncenter" width="709"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Cambrian-fossil-full.jpg"><img class="size-large wp-image-1215635" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Cambrian-fossil-full-709x1024.jpg" alt="" width="709" height="1024" /></a> Image Credit: Derek Siveter/Tom Harvey/Peiyun Cong[/caption]

Discovered by a team of scientists from the <a href="https://le.ac.uk/">University of Leicester</a>, <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">the University of Oxford </a>and <a href="http://www.ynu.edu.cn/English/home.htm">Yunnan University,</a> China, the fossil is from a group of animals called chancelloriids. 

Because of their long tube shape, chancelloriids are often compared to sponges. However, scientists have been unwilling to classify them as such because chancelloriid spines are different from today's modern sponges. 

Chancelloriids first appeared during the Cambrian Explosion but went extinct soon after. 

The new chancelloriid fossil species, called Allonia nuda, allowed researchers to better understand the animals and give them a place on the phylogenetic tree of life. 

Allonia nuda was found in the Chengjiang deposits of Yunnan, Province China, an area rich with fossils from the Cambrian Period. 

The species could have measured 50 centimeters or more but had very few tiny spines, and its nude coloring led the researchers to think that more fossils may be “hiding in plain sight.” 

Although the Allonia nuda spine is different from sponges, the pattern of body growth is similar to some modern sponges which supports the original proposal that the species belongs in the sponge family. 

“Fossil chancelloriids were first described around 100 years ago, but have resisted attempts to place them in the tree of life,” said Tom Harvey, an author of the study. “We argue that their pattern of body growth supports a link to sponges, reinvigorating an old hypothesis. We're not suggesting that it's "case closed" for chancelloriids, but we hope our results will inspire new research into the nature of the earliest animals.”

The results, published in the Royal Society journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, show how important classifying early fossils is to understanding early animal evolution. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Derek Siveter/Tom Harvey/Peiyun Cong

New Cambrian Explosion fossil may be an early relative of sponges

Roughly 570 million years ago, life on Earth began a...

When a male <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/peacock-plumage-display/">peacock</a> shakes his extravagant tail feathers, he makes sure that it is known. A new study has revealed that the broadband sounds produced by male peacocks when they are showing off to attract mates actually shake the feathers of female peacocks.

While the exact mechanism behind this mating strategy is not yet known, scientists have demonstrated that the crest of feathers on the female's head clearly responds.

After taking the the first-ever biochemical measurements of the crest of female peacocks, the researchers found that these feathers are connected to smaller feathers which behave like sensors to trigger the response.

“When peacock wing-shaking courtship behavior was simulated in the laboratory, the resulting airflow excited measurable vibrations of crest feathers,” wrote the researchers.

“These results demonstrate that peafowl crests have mechanical properties that allow them to respond to airborne stimuli at the frequencies typical of this species' social displays.”

In previous studies, scientists discovered that male peacocks shake their feathers at a specific resonant frequency that is not only energy efficient but also hypnotizes the females. The eye spots appear to be motionless while the large feathers vibrate at high speeds, which has a mesmerizing effect on potential mates.

For the current study, a team led by Roslyn Dakin at the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> captured the “train-rattling” rituals of the males using high-speed video. 

When they played back the sounds, they found that peacocks rattle their tail feathers at an average of 25.6 Hertz, which produces a pulsating mechanical sound. The researchers also noted that males with longer train feathers required more muscular effort because they had to shake faster.

“Charles Darwin observed that peacocks vibrate their feathers during courtship, but it took this multidisciplinary team of scientists to characterize the dynamics of this behavior,” said study co-author Suzanne Kane.

The experts believe that the “mechanosensory stimuli could complement acoustic and visual perception of social displays in peafowl and other bird species,” and propose further research to test this theory.

While this study has not yet been peer-reviewed, a <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/06/08/197525">preprint</a> is available.

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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

Male peacock courtship display causes female feathers to vibrate

When a male peacock shakes his extravagant tail feathers, he...

Researchers are reporting that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secret-language-dogs-gestures/">dogs</a> may have been man's best friend in America more than 10,000 years ago. Remains that were uncovered in Illinois in the 1960s are now believed to be over a thousand years older than previously realized.

Two skeletons found at the Koster site in Illinois have been analyzed along with a third skeleton from the Stillwell site, which represents the oldest known evidence of dog domestication on the continent. The results of the study indicate that dogs were domesticated in America around 10,500 years ago.

According to the researchers, the three sets of remains were found to be complete and well-preserved, suggesting that they had been buried with care. The ancient skeletons collectively represent “the oldest intentional, individually-buried dogs known in the worldwide archaeological record.”

While the ancient fossils mark a pivotal point in America, they also introduce questions that prompt further research. The experts explained that there is a 6,000-year gap between how far back the remains can be traced and when domesticated dogs were thought to have first been introduced to North America. 

“The 6,000 year discrepancy between the timing of initial human migration into the Americas and the earliest evidence for domesticated dogs suggests either earlier dogs are going unseen or unidentified or dogs arrived later with a subsequent human migration,” said the researchers.

They explained that the first domestication of dogs probably occurred in Eurasia by 16,000 years ago, “with the initial peopling of the Americas likely happening around the same time.”

“The arrival of dogs into the Americas has important cultural and ecological implications,” wrote the study authors.

“Dogs were the first invasive species (along with humans) and domesticate in the Americas, potentially impacting populations of small mammals through predation, other species of Canis through hybridization, and other carnivores through transmission of diseases or competition.”

The study is set to be published soon in a peer-reviewed journal.

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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

Dogs were domesticated in America over 10,000 years ago

Researchers are reporting that dogs may have been man's best...

While incubating their eggs, birds are unable to move when faced with attacks and must learn how to cope. A new study published by the <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/">American Ornithological Society</a> has revealed the impact of blood-feeding black flies on water-diving birds known as Common Loons.

The 25-year investigation was focused on over 2,000 nests of Common Loons in northern Wisconsin. The study has demonstrated that the pests are not only detrimental to pair success, but also to the overall populations of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-feeders-helping-birds/">birds</a>.

The team monitored the nests and tracked individuals to analyze each bird’s behavior, nesting success, and interaction with black flies.

The researchers found that, when the black fly concentration around an individual bird was particularly high, loon incubation time decreased while the birds increasingly abandoned their nests. The experts also discovered that nest abandonment could be predicted by three main factors: lake size, female age, and wind. 

According to researchers, the nest was more likely to be abandoned when the lake was smaller, the females were older, and the distance that the wind had to travel across the water to reach the nest was greater. 

When the black fly outbreaks were severe enough for a nest to be abandoned, a second nesting attempt was made following the peak of the outbreak. Unless the nest was destroyed, the second nest was likely to be in the original location. If there was no nest to rebuild, however, the birds chose a new nesting site.

“Black flies, which we think of as a nuisance and no more, actually impact population reproductive success,” said study lead author Walter Piper. 

“This was a matter of studying an animal for 25 years and almost ignoring one aspect of their biology - until you finally look straight at that aspect of biology and realize it's crucially important!” 

“Loons get slammed by black flies, but they make a very good response by reusing the nest sites where the flies hounded them, instead of abandoning those sites altogether - as they do when raccoons get their eggs. This makes sense, because the raccoons are their main enemies (that is, egg predation is a more severe problem then black flies), and a safe nesting site from raccoons is a vital resource.”

Jeb Barzen ia an ecologist with Private Lands Conservation who was not involved in the research. Barzen explained that this is one of the first studies to examine the negative influence of black flies on a population of birds rather than on individuals alone. 

“By studying a marked population of loons for almost a quarter century, it is possible to determine the stochastic influence of black fly outbreaks on the population as well as understand the nuances of how these mechanisms might work,” said Barzen.

“Black flies severely reduce reproductive effort of loons periodically but not every year, a finding that is important to understanding the population dynamics of this iconic species. The more subtle examination of individual response to black flies provides insight into differences in how males and females, as well as individuals in different habitats and individuals of different ages, respond to black fly infestations.”

“Collectively these results inform ecologists and managers alike in issues relevant to the conservation of loon populations and other long-lived, territorial bird species.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/content/auk-ornithological-advances">Auk: Ornithological Advances</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Linda Grenzer

Birds deal with common pests in their homes, too

While incubating their eggs, birds are unable to move when...

Livestock is the single largest user of land resources in the world, as the land used for the production of feed represents almost 80 percent of our planet’s total agricultural land – according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. Beyond just land usage, production of these crops is a major contributor to global pollution, and is often tied to significant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/palm-oil-deforestation-emissions/">deforestation</a> and biodiversity loss.

Unfortunately, as the world’s population grows – estimated to exceed 9 billion by 2050 – demand for livestock will only increase. But a possible solution to this large-scale problem may come in a small-scale form. A recent study in <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/esthag">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a> postulates that bacteria could be used to efficiently produce large amounts of microbial proteins, which may actually be able to replace some of the crops currently grown to feed livestock. 

Microbial proteins were first produced on an industrial scale using methane in the 1970s. But with advances in technology and a growing demand, researchers Benjamin L. Bodirsky, Ilje Pikaar, and colleagues decided to analyze the long-term effects that incorporating microbial proteins may have on land use, greenhouse gas emissions, and reactive nitrogen pollution. 

They performed this analysis using an advanced computer model to generate projected land-use and agricultural-production patterns. The researchers tested 48 different scenarios, which suggest that by 2050, microbial proteins produced using hydrogen and other gas feedstocks could replace 175 to 307 million tons of crop-based animal feed annually, or as much as 10 to 19 percent of conventional crop-based livestock feed protein demand.

In their study, the researchers state that this move to microbial proteins is capable of having a significant global impact. In replacing just 13 percent of the protein in feed with microbial proteins, their results project that worldwide cropland usage could be reduced by 6 percent, global nitrogen losses from croplands by 8 percent, and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent. Overall, it appears that pushing for microbial proteins in livestock feed would be a wise move if we want to slow down our destruction of this planet.

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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

New solutions to feed livestock and reduce land use, pollution

Livestock is the single largest user of land resources in...

Same sparrow songs have been passed down for hundreds of years. Researchers at <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a> have found a species of birds that has a tradition of passing songs down from one generation to the next. According to the experts, the time-honored songs of swamp sparrows are as long-lasting as some human traditions.

The team found that the species’ songs have been passed along for hundreds of years, and some songs date back even further. 

Study first author Robert Lachlan is a professor of Psychology at <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London</a>. “According to the models, some of the songs could go back as far as the Vikings,” said Lachlan.

Swamp sparrows can be found in the marshes and wetlands across eastern and central North America. The songs, which are comprised of two to five repetitive notes, are used by the sparrows to attract mates.

Decades back, scientists reported that swamp sparrows living in different places sing slightly different songs with varied numbers of patterns or notes. Young birds learn the local songs in the first weeks of life by imitating their elders.

Similar cultural traditions have been observed in a variety of other animals as well, but it has been commonly believed that human traditions are more likely to endure over time. The researchers set out to test this theory, and recorded the songs of 615 male swamp sparrows across New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

By measuring and analyzing each song with computer software, the scientists identified 160 types of songs across the bird populations. Each male was found to perform only a few specific <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbird-learn-new-songs/">songs</a>.

The researchers developed a mathematical model that simulates how each new song type spreads within groups over time in order to establish how young sparrows decide which songs to learn as well as which birds to imitate.

The study revealed that young birds replicate the most popular songs that can be heard the most often, a phenomenon Lachlan referred to as a “conformist bias.” 

In addition, the sparrows are very dedicated to imitating the songs accurately, and were found to match the notes and patterns of the songs 98 percent of the time.

The findings of the research demonstrate that the songs of swamp sparrows are not short-lived trends, but are faithfully handed down for generations. The researchers estimate that some song types have persisted among this species for at least 500 years.


Study co-author Stephen Nowicki is a professor of Biology at Duke.

“The longstanding stable traditions so characteristic of human behavior have often been ascribed to the high cognitive abilities of humans and our ancestors,” said Professor Nowicki. “But what we're showing is that a relatively simple set of rules that these songbirds are capable of following can achieve equally lasting traditions.”

“We're not saying that birds have anything akin to human culture,” said Lachlan. “It shows that just those two ingredients - a preference for popular songs, and the ability to copy them - can get you quite a long way to having stable complex culture.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Robert Lachlan

Same sparrow songs have been passed down for hundreds of years

Same sparrow songs have been passed down for hundreds of...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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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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