Digger wasps exhibit remarkable memory skills when managing their nests. These wasps create separate burrows for each egg, storing food inside and returning after a few days to provide more. 



They can remember the locations of up to nine nests simultaneously, despite the chaotic surroundings filled with hundreds of other females' nests. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unexpected-find-inside-the-eye-of-a-tiny-wasp-megaphragma-viggianii/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wasps</a> rarely make mistakes, ensuring that each offspring receives adequate nourishment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-digger-wasps-manage-multiple-nests">Digger wasps manage multiple nests</h2>



Mother <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parasitic-wasp-had-a-flytrap-for-snatching-its-victims/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wasps</a> feed their young in age order, adjusting the sequence if one larva dies. 



They can also delay feeding larvae that received more food during the first visit. This intricate scheduling prevents starvation and ensures all larvae get sufficient food. 



“Our findings suggest that the miniature brain of an insect is capable of remarkably sophisticated scheduling decisions,” said Professor Jeremy Field, from the&nbsp;<a href="https://ecologyconservation.exeter.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centre for Ecology and Conservation</a>&nbsp;on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.



“We tend to think that something so small couldn’t do something so complex. In fact, they can remember where and when they have fed their young, and what they fed them, in a way that would be taxing even to human brains.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-episodic-memory-in-wasps">Episodic memory in wasps</h2>



Humans use episodic memory to recall past actions and adjust future plans. Professor Field suggests that wasps may use a similar mechanism to remember where and when they last fed each larva. 



Although the exact process remains unknown, the study indicates that these wasps can track multiple nests, the food given, and the timing of each feeding.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-caterpillar-hunting-and-feeding-strategy">Caterpillar hunting and feeding strategy</h2>



Digger <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-wasp-species-named-after-famous-thieves/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">wasps</a> hunt caterpillars on heather plants, paralyzing them before placing them in burrows with eggs. The larva consumes the caterpillar as its first meal. 



Mothers then seal the burrow entrance and leave to either start a new burrow or continue feeding existing offspring. They return after two to seven days to check on the larvae. 



If a larva is dead, the mother lays a new egg and reorders the feeding schedule.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-navigating-hundreds-of-nests">Navigating hundreds of nests</h2>



Despite nesting in nearly featureless sand with hundreds of other nests, mother wasps maintain exceptional spatial awareness. 



They use visual landmarks like stones to locate their nests with impressive accuracy. The study recorded just 1.5% of 1,293 food deliveries going to the wrong nest, emphasizing the precision of their navigation skills.



The researchers also tested the wasps by swapping caterpillars as mothers prepared burrows.



Wasps given larger caterpillars waited longer before providing more food, indicating a flexible feeding strategy based on larval needs. This adaptability helps manage resources effectively and supports the survival of the young.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wasp-memory-nests-and-scheduling">Wasp memory, nests, and scheduling</h2>



Professor Field noted that memory is energetically expensive, requiring neural machinery to store and process information.



While many lab-based studies explore memory in controlled settings, this study demonstrates the ecological relevance of memory in the wild, showing why natural selection may have favored these capabilities.



The researchers used various experiments to explore wasp memory and scheduling. One experiment involved replacing food items in nests, testing whether wasps adjusted feeding schedules based on food size. 



Mothers given larger prey items delayed further feeding, initiating new nests sooner. This behavior allowed them to increase reproductive output without compromising larval survival.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-wasps-adjust-after-losing-a-nest">How wasps adjust after losing a nest</h2>



Mothers could remember up to nine active nests and adjust feeding schedules without revisiting nests. 



However, when larvae died, mothers replaced them with new eggs, moving these nests to the back of the feeding order. This strategy minimized energy loss and prevented resource wastage.



Fieldwork at Witley Common, UK, revealed that digger wasps evolved cognitive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/an-8-year-olds-backyard-discovery-of-ants-wasps-changed-science/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strategies</a> to counter parasitism and food scarcity. 



Parasitic flies pose a significant threat, laying eggs on wasp larvae. To minimize exposure, mother wasps avoid revisiting nests unless parasitism risk is low. This reduces the chances of parasites accessing vulnerable offspring. 



Additionally, food scarcity prompted wasps to develop efficient nest management. By remembering up to nine nests, mothers allocate food based on larval age without resampling, conserving time and resources. 



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



Researchers suggest that these memory and scheduling abilities may have laid the foundation for social behaviors seen in more advanced insect lineages. 



Managing multiple offspring, tracking nest locations, and adjusting feeding schedules align with the caregiving patterns observed in social insects like ants and bees. 



The study highlights how ecological pressures can drive the evolution of complex cognitive traits even in insects with tiny brains.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00509-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a>.



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Wasp moms manage multiple nests with remarkable memory

Digger wasps exhibit remarkable memory skills when managing their nests. These wasps create separate burrows for each egg, storing food inside and returning after a few days to provide more. They can remember the locations of up to nine nests simultaneously, despite the chaotic surroundings filled with hundreds of other females' nests. The wasps rarely make mistakes, ensuring that each offspring receives adequate nourishment. Digger wasps manage multiple nests Mother wasps feed their young in age order, adjusting the sequence if one larva dies. They can also...

Native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/red-squirrels-britain-infected-leprosy/">red squirrel</a> populations in Scotland are increasing after serious decline thanks to the pine marten. 

Red squirrels, a species found in Great Britain, Ireland, and other parts of Europe, have been dropping in numbers due to invasive gray squirrels, which are common in North America. 

The increase in invasive gray squirrels means more competition for food, and unfortunately, prompted serious population declines for native red squirrels.

However, a new study conducted by an international team of researchers found that red squirrels are recovering because pine martens have been reducing gray squirrel populations. 

The pine marten had also been facing population declines, but researchers from the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/">University of Massachusetts Amherst</a>, the <a href="https://www.abdn.ac.uk/">University of Aberdeen</a>, Scotland, and the <a href="https://www.wit.ie/">Waterford Institute of Technology</a>, Ireland found that the martens were making a comeback.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 

“Our study has confirmed that exposure to pine martens has a strong negative effect on grey squirrel populations, whereas the opposite effect was observed in red squirrel populations who actually benefited from exposure to martens,” said Emma Sheehy, a co-author of the study. 

The researchers discovered that even though pine martens had decreased in numbers, there has been a resurgence, with pine martens showing up back in their natural habitats and suppressing gray squirrel populations. 

The study took place between 2014 and 2017 and was based on previous theories that pine martens were useful at suppressing gray squirrels in Ireland. 

The researchers used DNA forensics and an analysis that combined the spatial techniques measuring pine marten population numbers and the squirrels nearby. 

Feeders with sticky tabs were placed in areas with squirrels and pine martens. A DNA analysis of the hair samples stuck to the tabs indicated to the researchers what animals were prominent in those areas. 

What is interesting is that the pine marten is a natural enemy of both the red and gray squirrels, but the study modeled the relationship between pine martens and the two squirrel species. 

The results showed that the pine marten was actually benefiting the red squirrel and that conserving both natural predators and prey can help control invasive species. 

“Our evidence that, in addition to their intrinsic value, pine martens provide an ecosystem service by suppressing invasive grey squirrel populations is good news for both red squirrel conservation efforts and the timber growing industry, due to the detrimental impact of the invasive grey squirrel on both,” said Sheehy.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.abdn.ac.uk/">University of Aberdeen</a>

Pine martens are helping to control invasive gray squirrels

Native red squirrel populations in Scotland are increasing after serious...

The Trump Administration quietly announced that it would be lifting the ban on imported elephant parts or trophies that were shot for sport in Africa.

The ban, implemented by the Obama administration, has been a subject of much controversy. Conservationists and animal activists who are against the hunting of big game for sport are for the ban, while the lobbying arm of the NRA has filed a lawsuit against it. 

Trump himself initially spoke out against the ban earlier in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-reverses-ban-elephants/">November 2017</a> when he called big game elephant hunting a <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/932397369655808001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fthetwo-way%2F2018%2F03%2F06%2F591209422%2Ftrump-administration-quietly-decides-again-to-allow-elephant-trophy-imports">“horror show”</a> and said he wanted no part in trophies being brought back to the US. 

This stance came as a surprise, especially since Trump’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric are notorious big game hunters, and several pictures of the two posing with their kills have made their way around the internet. 

Trump seems to have changed his tune though, as the <a href="https://www.fws.gov/">Fish and Wildlife Service</a> along with <a href="https://www.doi.gov/">Department of the Interior</a> Secretary Ryan Zinke released a <a href="https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/memo-withdrawal-of-certain-findings-ESA-listed-species-sport-hunted-trophies.pdf">memo</a> on March first saying that they would review permits for importing elephant trophies on a “case by case basis.” 

Zinke is a fan of hunting and has always been in support of big game hunting, even of threatened animals such as elephants, because he claims it promotes wildlife conservation. 

It has been suggested that big game and trophy hunting hinders poaching and helps conservation because the large sums of money hunters are willing to pay for permits are allocated to protection and conservation efforts. 

This argument has been highly contested, though, with many saying that the money doesn’t actually end up where it should. 

“A lot of the money has been siphoned away by corruption," Rachel Bale, a wildlife reporter for National Geographic, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/11/24/566326438/uproar-over-elephant-trophies-overshadows-changes-to-lion-imports">NPR's Morning Edition</a>. “So there are serious concerns with hunting management in Zimbabwe.”

Although the memo does not fully lift the ban, the fact remains that elephants are declining in numbers every year due to habitat degradation and poaching. Allowing big game hunting for sport further threatens the animals striving to bounce back.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Trump admin once again allows elephant hunting trophies in U.S.

The Trump Administration quietly announced that it would be lifting...

Even though <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-dogs-bond/">dogs</a> are well known for having an incredible sense of smell, it still remains unclear whether dogs actually know what they are smelling. Scientists at the <a href="http://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a> have now found evidence that dogs create a mental image to represent a scent that they are tracking.

The team focused its investigation on 48 dogs, 25 of which had professional training with police and rescue teams and 23 of which were family pets with no special training. Before testing, two toys were selected for each dog that the individual was familiar with and enjoyed retrieving. 

The dogs were given the task of following a scent trail created with one of the two toys. At the end of the trail, the dogs either found the toy they were expecting or they were surprised by finding the other toy. During four rounds of tests, the responses of the dogs were filmed.

“From my experience in other studies, I had assumed that the surprise would be measurable, in that the dogs would behave differently in the surprise condition than they would in the normal condition,” explained study lead author Dr. Juliane Brauer. 

“In fact, quite a few dogs showed interesting behavior, especially in the first round of the surprise condition, which we called 'hesitation' - although they had obviously noticed the toy, they continued to search via smell, probably for the toy that had been used to lay the scent trail.”

Even though the “surprise effect" faded after the first round of trials, Dr. Brauer said the results of the first round of testing still provide strong evidence that dogs have a mental image of their target object while tracking a scent. This means that they have a conclusive expectation of what they are searching for.

"The comparison between working dogs and family dogs was also interesting," said Dr. Brauer. While the police and rescue dogs retrieved the objects faster than the family dogs in the first round, the the two groups retrieved the toys equally quickly by the fourth round of testing. 

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/com/">Journal of Comparative Psychology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dogs create mental images for the scents they are tracking

Even though dogs are well known for having an incredible...

Some animals regularly change the makeup of their venom. New research from <a href="http://new.huji.ac.il/en">The Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a> has revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poisonous-snake-venom-weapon/">venomous</a> creatures are even more fascinating than previously realized. The experts found that some aquatic creatures have the ability to change the formula and strength of their venom according to the shifting needs and dangers of their environment.

The study was focused on Nematostella, which are sea anemones that belong to the same family as jellyfish and corals. The sea anemones were monitored throughout their entire lives by the research team - from the time they were still in the vulnerable larvae stage until they grew into mature creatures.

The researchers identified the cells of the Nematostella that produce venom and tracked them over the years. The team also documented the significant interactions of the sea anemones when they were young prey and also when they were predators themselves.

The researchers discovered that, while the sea anemones were in the larvae stage, they produced venom that was so potent it caused predators to immediately spit them out. 

When the creatures had grown into predators, they produced a different toxin that was better suited for catching small fish and shrimp. As the sea anemones moved around into new aquatic environments, they further adapted their venom.

“Until now, venom research focused mainly on toxins produced by adult animals,” explained study lead author Dr. Yehu Moran. “However, by studying sea anemones from birth to death, we discovered that animals have a much wider toxin arsenal than previously thought. Their venom evolves to best meet threats from predators and to cope with changing aquatic environments.”

Compounds from animal venom have been used to treat a variety of health issues including diabetes, blood clots, and chronic pain. The findings of this new study indicate that there may be many more types of venom that have gone undetected. Up until now, for example, researchers have only studied venom from adult sea anemones.

The study is published in <a href="https://elifesciences.org/magazine">eLife Science Magazine</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: Yaara Columbus-Shenkar, Hebrew University

Some animals regularly change the makeup of their venom

Some animals regularly change the makeup of their venom. New...

Black jacobin hummingbirds make unique high-frequency sounds that they may not even hear themselves, according to a new study. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ohsu.edu/">Oregon Health and Science University</a> made the discovery by accident when they were studying different species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavier-hummingbirds-outmaneuver/">hummingbirds</a> in the Eastern Brazil mountains. 

The researchers heard high-pitched noises that were similar to an insect call but realized the sounds were coming from black jacobins. 

“These vocalizations are fast and high pitched, and in fact, they do not sound at all like your typical bird sound,” said Claudio Mello, a co-author of the study. “They sound more like an insect, such as a cricket, or like a tree frog.”

The sounds are so high-pitched that the researchers are unsure if the birds themselves are even capable of hearing them. 

In order to measure and record the frequencies of the noises, the researchers used detectors that are normally used to pick up bat sounds. 

The recordings showed that the hummingbird noises were extremely complex and some of the sounds were in the ultrasonic range, which are not able to be heard by humans. The vocal syrinx needed to produce such noises is very different from other birds, according to the researchers. 

“They would need to vibrate very quickly and likely have a special composition, which may be different from other birds,” said Mello. 

The research team theorized that it’s likely that the sounds are used as a special kind of communication among jacobins, as they are known to live among other species of hummingbirds. 

“It seems more reasonable to assume they do hear the sounds they make, but we have not yet examined whether this is true,” said Mello. 

Next, the researchers hope to study whether or not jacobin hummingbirds respond to their own calls or if their inner ear is structured differently from other birds. This would help determine if the bird calls serve a specific purpose and if they can actually be heard by jacobins. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Ana Lucia Mello

Hummingbirds that sound like crickets

Black jacobin hummingbirds make unique high-frequency sounds that they may...

Scientists have believed for decades now that the total number of Adélie Penguins has been on a steady decline. But now, experts at the <a href="http://www.whoi.edu/">Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution</a> are reporting the discovery of a “supercolony" of more than 1.5 million Adélie Penguins located in a remote part of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-monster-discovered-antarctica/">Antarctica</a> known as the Danger Islands.

“Until recently, the Danger Islands weren't known to be an important penguin habitat," said co-author Heather Lynch. She explained that these supercolonies have gone undetected due to their remote location and also because of the dangerous conditions of the surrounding ocean, which is filled with thick sea ice even in the warm season.

In 2014, scientists noted guano stains in NASA satellite images of the islands, indicating the presence of a large number of penguins. An expedition was arranged for researchers to investigate the mysterious population of penguins firsthand.

When the team arrived at the Danger Islands in December of 2015, they witnessed hundreds of thousands of birds nesting and immediately began documenting them. The researchers also used a modified commercial quadcopter drone to capture images of the entire region.

Study co-author Hanumant Singh, a professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at <a href="http://www.northeastern.edu/">Northeastern University</a>, developed the drone's imaging and navigation system.

“The drone lets you fly in a grid over the island, taking pictures once per second. You can then stitch them together into a huge collage that shows the entire landmass in 2D and 3D,” explained Professor Singh.

According to Professor Singh, neural network software can then be used to break the images down pixel by pixel so the researchers are able to independently investigate the number of penguins and the locations of penguin nests.

“Not only do the Danger Islands hold the largest population of Adélie penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula, they also appear to have not suffered the population declines found along the western side of Antarctic Peninsula that are associated with recent climate change," said co-author Mike Polito.

Seabird ecologist Stephanie Jenouvrier explained that an accurate count of the birds in this supercolony will provide a valuable guide for future climate change.

“The population of Adélies on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula is different from what we see on the west side, for example. We want to understand why. Is it linked to the extended sea ice condition over there? Food availability? That's something we don't know.”

The study is published in the in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">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: Michael Polito, © <a href="http://www.lsu.edu/">Louisiana State University</a>

Supercolony of 1.5 million Adélie penguins found in Antarctica

Scientists have believed for decades now that the total number...

One of the tiniest fossils ever found from the Mesozoic Era is giving scientists new insight into how prehistoric birds evolved. The skeleton, which is almost entirely intact, is that of a baby bird dating back around 127 million years ago.

The chick is from a group of prehistoric birds called Enantiornithes. The specimen measures less than five centimeters and  would have only weighed about three ounces when it was alive.

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-fossils/">fossil</a> is very significant because it gives scientists a rare opportunity to analyze the ancient avian creature at a critical stage in life when its skeleton was still forming. 

By looking at the animal's bone tissue formation, or ossification, the researchers can learn a lot about the chick’s young life. The experts can determine, for example, whether the bird could fly or if it stayed with its parents after hatching.

Study lead author Fabien Knoll is a researcher from the <a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/">University of Manchester</a>'s Interdisciplinary Centre for Ancient Life (ICAL) and the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.

“The evolutionary diversification of birds has resulted in a wide range of hatchling developmental strategies and important differences in their growth rates,” said Professor Knoll. “By analyzing bone development we can look at a whole host of evolutionary traits.”

The team used synchrotron radiation to analyze the fossil at a “submicron” level, which allowed the experts to observe the microstructures of the bones in great detail.


“New technologies are offering palaeontologists unprecedented capacities to investigate provocative fossils,” said Knoll. “Here we made the most of state-of-the-art facilities worldwide including three different synchrotrons in France, the UK and the United States.”

The researchers concluded that the chick would not have yet been able to fly, considering that its sternum was still largely made of cartilage instead of solid bone. The patterns of ossification also indicate that this particular group of prehistoric birds may have been more diverse than previously realized.


“This new discovery, together with others from around the world, allows us to peek into the world of ancient birds that lived during the age of dinosaurs,” explained study co-author Luis Chiappe. “It is amazing to realise how many of the features we see among living birds had already been developed more than 100 million years ago.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Raúl Martín

127 million year-old fossil gives clues about prehistoric birds

One of the tiniest fossils ever found from the Mesozoic...

When animals attack, they’re usually not the ones you’d expect, a new study shows. Farm animals – including cows, horses and pigs – lead the pack in bites, kicks and other fatal attacks. They’re followed by insects like hornets, wasps and bees, and dog attacks are in third place.

The researchers, led by Dr. Jared A. Forrester of <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>, analyzed U.S. fatalities from 2008 to 2015 that were caused by animals. 

“There were 1610 animal-related fatalities, with the majority from non-venomous animals (2.8 deaths per 10 million persons),” researchers wrote in the study, which has been published in the journal <a href="http://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(17)30313-7/fulltext">Wilderness &amp; Environmental Medicine</a>. “The largest proportion of animal-related fatalities was due to ‘other mammals,’ largely composed of horses and cattle.”

Cats and raccoons are also included in the “other mammals” umbrella.

The researchers also found that many of the deaths were preventable, and death rates due to animal causes didn’t decrease over the seven-year period.

They used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s WONDER database to collect demographic information about animal-related fatalities and the victims involved.

The findings show that it’s not necessarily bears and wolves most humans need to fear, but domestic animals.

"Importantly, most deaths are not actually due to wild animals like mountain lions, wolves, bears, sharks, etc., but are a result of deadly encounters with farm animals, anaphylaxis from bees, wasps, or hornet stings, and dog attacks,” Forrester said. 

Dog attacks were most likely to be fatal among children 4 and under, the researchers found.

The study also underlined how important it is for anyone with an allergy to bee, wasp or hornet venom carry and know how to use an epinephrine delivery device like an EpiPen. This is especially true in the U.S. Southwest, where “Africanized” honey bees live. The bees are known to swarm aggressively when provoked, and their attacks can be fatal.

Preventing more animal attacks could save the U.S. billions of dollars in emergency room visits and other medical costs each year.

The study was a follow-up to a previous project Forrester and his colleagues undertook to catalogue fatal attacks and other animal-related deaths from 1999 to 2007.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Horses and cows and pigs, oh my: Livestock lead in fatal attacks

When animals attack, they’re usually not the ones you’d expect,...

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest species of whales in the world. Populations of the endangered whales have faced a major blow after it was reported that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/dec/11/north-atlantic-right-whales-brink-of-extinction-officials-say">17 of the whales died</a> during 2017, some without any known cause. 

To date, there are only 458 North Atlantic right whales left and the species is now on the brink of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biodiversity-loss-extinction-effect/">extinction</a>. 

To make matters worse, scientists have reported no sightings of right whale calves this year. Not only are there no calves this season, but there are also fewer than 100 breeding females left.

“Ninety-four. That's not good. You don't have to be Einstein to figure out that's a bad situation,” Barb Zoodsma of the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/02/28/589439219/researchers-havent-found-a-single-endangered-right-whale-calf-yet-this-season">National Public Radio</a> (NPR).

Zoodsma also told NPR that this is the first time since she first worked with right whales that there were no new calves. 

The low population numbers coupled with the few breeding females just brings the whales closer and closer to extinction. 

Commercial fishing is a major culprit behind the dwindling populations of the North Atlantic right whales. The whales can get easily tangled in fishing gear, and collisions with fishing boats can cause fatal injuries or separate mothers from their young. 

“The rope can cut through their bodies and keep them from being able to feed,” said Clay George, a wildlife biologist with the <a href="https://gadnr.org/">Georgia Department of Natural Resources </a>told NPR.  “It creates drag, and they basically just waste away.” 

The whales are also moving unpredictably due to the changing climate, according to one<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/science/north-atlantic-whales-endangered.html"> New York Times piece</a>. The reason so many are getting hit by boats is because the whales are not supposed to be in the areas where the collisions are happening. 

The fate of the North Atlantic right whale seems dire, and wildlife managers will have to act and act quickly to conserve the precious few numbers that remain. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

North Atlantic right whales inch closer to extinction

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest...

Speciation reversal occurs when two distinct lineages hybridize and ultimately become one. A new study that was focused on Common Ravens has provided some of the strongest evidence to date of this phenomenon.

Kevin Omland is a professor of Biological Sciences at <a href="https://www.umbc.edu/">University of Maryland, Baltimore County</a> (UMBC) and a co-author of the study.

“The bottom line is speciation reversal is a natural evolutionary process, and it's probably happened in hundreds or almost certainly thousands of lineages all over the planet,” said Professor Omland. 

“One of our biggest goals is to just have people aware of this process, so when they see interesting patterns in their data, they won't say, ‘That must be a mistake,’ or, ‘That's too complicated to be correct.’"

For the investigation, the researchers used genomic data from hundreds of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ravens-crows-corvid-intelligence/">ravens</a> across the continent of North America.

“Integrating all of the results across so many individuals, and from such diverse datasets, has been one of the most challenging aspects of this study,” explained study first author Anna Kearns. “Next-generation genomic techniques are revealing more and more examples of species with hybrid genomes.”

Professor Omland first began this research in 1999, when Common Ravens were considered to be a single species. The following year, he identified two Common Raven lineages - one concentrated in the southwestern United States called “California” and another lineage found everywhere else called “Holarctic.”

Further research conducted in 2012 revealed that, even though the California and Holarctic ravens split up around two million years ago, they mixed back together at some point within the last tens of thousands of years.

“The extensive genetic data reveals one of the best supported examples of speciation reversal of deeply diverged lineages to date,” said co-author Arild Johnsen. “The biggest thing is the degree to which we've caught them in the act."

Professor Omland explained that humans also have a history of speciation reversal, which is seen in the genetic material we inherited from early humans such as the Neanderthals and Denisovans.

“Because speciation reversal is a big part of our own history, getting a better understanding of how that happens should give us a better sense of who we are and where we came from. These are existential questions, but they are also medically relevant as well.”

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: Bjørn Aksel Bjerke/<a href="http://www.uio.no/english/">University of Oslo</a>

Two types of common ravens hybridize into one species

Speciation reversal occurs when two distinct lineages hybridize and ultimately...

Researchers at <a href="http://carleton.ca/">Carleton University</a> have been studying caterpillars that make shrieking sounds when they are attacked. During their investigation, the experts found that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-turn-caterpillars-cannibals/">caterpillars</a> force out air to produce the noises in a process similar to how tea kettles whistle.

The study was focused on the Nessus sphinx hawk moth caterpillar, which lets out a high-pitched cry that sounds like static when approached by a predator. The research team captured female moths and hatched their eggs in a lab.

When the caterpillars were grown, the researchers mimicked an attack by pinching the creatures with forceps and recorded the noises produced by the moths in response.

The caterpillars kept their mouths open the whole time as they emitted the crying sounds, which the researchers discovered were coming from inside of their bodies. 

Study co-author Jayne Yack explained that analyzing the insides of the caterpillars was not an easy task.

“Maybe one day it will be possible to observe what's happening inside a live insect, which is quite small, when something fast is happening,” Professor Yack told <a href="https://www.livescience.com/">Live Science</a>. “Right now, we don't have the equipment to do that kind of thing.”

When the scientists dissected the caterpillars’ throats, they did not find any structures capable of producing the sounds. 

Study co-author Craig Merrett decided to analyze the noises recorded by the team. He ultimately found that the sounds are produced when the caterpillar forces air through a constricted area between its two foregut chambers, creating a turbulent air stream.

According to Professor Yack, it remains a mystery how the caterpillars get air in the upper portions of their guts.

The study is published in the <a href="http://jeb.biologists.org/">Journal of Experimental Biology</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

Caterpillars sound like tea kettles when they’re attacked

Researchers at Carleton University have been studying caterpillars that make...

The European Union is calling for a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides after it was confirmed that the chemicals are severely harmful to bees. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honeybee-hives-weakened-pesticides/">As we've reported</a>, previous studies have shown that neonicotinoids, the most common pesticides in the world, cause more bee deaths and can disrupt a bee’s natural foraging and pollinating abilities. 

Concerns over the pesticides led the EU to ban the use of neonicotinoids on oil seed rape and other important crops. But now that the negative impact to wild bees and honey bees has been confirmed, the EU is pushing for a total ban on all crops excluding those grown in a greenhouse.

The <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/">European Food and Safety Agency</a> (EFSA), following up on a report released in 2013, conducted a complete assessment of the risks three major neonicotinoid pesticides posed to bees, the results of which were released on February 28th. 

Philip Donkersley, a senior research associate at <a href="http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/">Lancaster University</a>, reviewed the report and found that bees have a high risk of exposure because they feed on nectar from plants that have been treated with the pesticides. 

“This exposure affects solitary bee reproduction, colony viability and learning ability in bumblebees,” Donkersley told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5445033/Call-pesticides-ban-risks-bees-confirmed.html">Daily Mail. </a>

The EFSA’s Pesticides Unit examined all scientific evidence on the harmful risks neonicotinoids posed to bees that had been published since 2013, when the last assessment was made. But this time, the assessment included wild bees such as bumblebees and solitary honey bees. 

After analyzing all the data, the EFSA team in charge of the review reported that neonicotinoid pesticides are harmful to all the types of the bees included in their research. 

“There is variability in the conclusions, due to factors such as the bee species, the intended use of the pesticide and the route of exposure,” said Jose Tarazona, the head of <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/180228">EFSA’s Pesticides Unit</a>. “Some low risks have been identified, but overall the risk to the three types of bees we have assessed is confirmed.” 

The UK government is in support of the ban and will ensure that all restrictions on the harmful neonicotinoids are kept in place even after Brexit, when the UK officially leaves the European Union. 

Researchers hope the EFSA’s assessment will motivate other countries in the EU to follow in the UK’s footsteps, and the complete outdoor ban on the three neonicotinoids will soon be a reality. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

European union pushes for ban on bee-killing pesticides

The European Union is calling for a ban on neonicotinoid...

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;



---



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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" 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> 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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