Gorillas, often thought of as ground dwellers, spend much more time in the trees than previously assumed. This finding from the Max Planck Institute challenges long-standing ideas about the anatomy and evolution of gorillas.



Western and Bwindi mountain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gorillas-are-digging-for-a-surprising-food-in-the-jungle-soil/">gorillas</a>, studied across Gabon and Uganda, were observed over many years. Even the largest males, weighing up to 170 kg, showed substantial tree use. 



Adult females in Loango spent 34% of their time in trees, while Bwindi females clocked 21%. That is a huge jump from the 7% figure for Virunga gorillas.



Study lead author Dr. Martha M. Robbins is a zoologist in the Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution at the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/index/">Max Planck Institute</a> for Evolutionary Anthropology.



“Adult females spent 20% to 30% of their time in the trees, while silverbacks spent 18% to 20% of their time being arboreal, which is much more than 2 to 7% found previously in the Virunga mountain gorillas,” said Dr. Robbins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-different-gorillas-different-tree-habits">Different gorillas, different tree habits</h2>



The Virunga population shaped our early understanding of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-gorillas-get-sick-from-being-too-social/">gorilla</a> habits. These highland gorillas live in fruit-scarce zones and rarely climb. But the new study included data from five groups in Bwindi and one in Loango, totaling nearly 5,200 observation days.



The findings are clear: tree use varies widely between populations. Even juveniles and subadults in Bwindi and Loango spent 32% to 43% of their time in trees - double the rate seen in Virunga’s younger gorillas.



The researchers also found that body size plays a role but does not prevent tree climbing. 



“This demonstrates that the large body size of gorillas is not necessarily a limiting factor to tree climbing and that gorillas can be just as arboreal as some chimpanzee populations,” said co-author Rhianna Drummond-Clarke.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climbing-is-not-just-about-fruit">Climbing is not just about fruit</h2>



The researchers expected fruit to be the main driver behind climbing. While gorillas did climb more while eating fruit, the full story is more complex. In Loango, adult females were more arboreal when eating leaves than fruit. In Bwindi, the reverse was true.



Even silverbacks, the heaviest individuals, climbed trees to eat fruit. At Bwindi, silverbacks were arboreal 82% of the time they ate fruit. But fruit formed just 14% of their diet, meaning most of their tree time involved eating leaves.



At Loango, gorillas often ate fallen fruit from the ground. This shows fruit-eating can be a terrestrial act too. Meanwhile, western gorillas also ate lots of tree leaves, about 30% of their diet, driving folivorous tree use, similar to some monkeys.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-feeding-is-the-main-reason-to-climb">Feeding is the main reason to climb</h2>



What were the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/male-infertility-humans-linked-same-genes-gorilla-small-penises/">gorillas</a> doing in trees? Mostly feeding. Adult female gorillas were far more likely to climb while feeding than when resting or traveling.



Even when eating nonfruit, Loango females climbed more than Bwindi ones. This likely reflects differences in diet and foraging strategy. The energy payoff from fruit seems to outweigh the climbing cost, especially for massive silverbacks.



Also, Loango females were heavier climbers than their Bwindi peers when not eating fruit. This surprising reversal shows that even leaf-seeking gorillas may spend considerable time off the ground.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-ape-evolution">What this means for ape evolution</h2>



These results have big implications. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-endangered-primate-species-identified-in-new-report/">Gorillas</a> have long been labeled as terrestrial because of their bulk and plant-heavy diets. But that view no longer holds. The study shows gorilla arboreality spans all life stages, from infants to adults.



That shift affects how we interpret the fossil record. Gorilla-like bones have been taken to suggest ground-based life. But frequent tree climbing changes the picture. 



“We demonstrate that large body size and a largely folivorous diet in apes are also consistent with frequent arboreality,” noted the study authors.



Studies of limb proportions and bone strength now suggest a range, from more tree-based western gorillas to more ground-based Virunga ones. 



This means our models of ancient human relatives may need adjustment. Gorilla-like features may not imply they lived solely on the ground.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gorillas-are-tree-climbers-not-just-walkers">Gorillas are tree climbers, not just walkers</h2>



Gorillas are not just forest-floor giants. They climb often and for various reasons. From feeding on leaves to exploring the canopy, these behaviors offer key insights into how apes, including humans, evolved.



Future research may look into how such large animals navigate trees. They might distribute their weight across branches or use special movement strategies, similar to orangutans or chimpanzees. 



This research opens new doors in our understanding of ape mobility and evolutionary history.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00590-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a>.



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Gorillas spend much more time in trees than we previously thought

Gorillas, often thought of as ground dwellers, spend much more time in the trees than previously assumed. This finding from the Max Planck Institute challenges long-standing ideas about the anatomy and evolution of gorillas. Western and Bwindi mountain gorillas, studied across Gabon and Uganda, were observed over many years. Even the largest males, weighing up to 170 kg, showed substantial tree use. Adult females in Loango spent 34% of their time in trees, while Bwindi females clocked 21%. That is a huge jump from the 7% figure...

The study of animals has helped humans advance science and medicine for centuries, whether its through the development of animal models or observations of other species’ ability to overcome – or avoid entirely – common diseases. As our own medical remedies become more focused on individual genes, it would make sense that some of the next big discoveries in medicine come through analysis of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-evolving-gene-alcoholism/">genomes</a> of other animal species.

To this end, researchers at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> (UU) have recently published a study in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home">Cell Reports</a>, which also appears in <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/">Newsweek</a>. The study reports a number of findings that involve genes we share with a wide variety of animals, and the potential treatments that could remedy multiple conditions. 

The study focused on genes in “noncoding” regions of the mammalian genome, which makes up 98 percent of all DNA. It is still unknown what role these noncoding regions play in health and disease. 

“People used to call the noncoding regions junk DNA, but I see it as a jungle that has not been explored,” says Christopher Gregg, an assistant professor in Neurobiology and Anatomy at UU. “We are exploring the noncoding regions to try to discover new parts of the genome that might control different diseases.”

The researchers explored the “junk” regions of DNA in the genomes of species they believe have unique traits, such as elephant’s with their enormous size, bats with pointy ears, and dolphins and orcas due to their ability to adapt to high pressure environments. These unique traits arose through sections of DNA within the noncoding regions of each species’ genome evolving rapidly.

“We leveraged the extreme traits in different species to uncover noncoding regions in the human genome that likely have important roles in shaping health and disease,” explains Elliott Ferris, a bioinformatician and computer programmer in Gregg’s lab and first author of the study.

Results revealed that humans share similar versions of these genes, although in much smaller numbers. These genes include some that allow elephants to repair mutated DNA – a potential treatment for cancer. The genes that allow dolphins and orcas to adapt to high-pressure environments could help us learn more about blood clotting disorders. The development of albinism might be better understood through studying the DNA in squirrels that is linked to skin coloration. Eye development in the naked mole rat could shed light (no pun intended) on our own eye development and the factors behind glaucoma.

Overall, these findings could lead to improved approaches for treating diseases in humans, and help scientists discover new treatments for human diseases through studying the genomes of other animals. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Animal genomes can help cure human diseases

The study of animals has helped humans advance science and...

The relationship between a fish and its parasite-eating cleaner fish counterpart is a crucial one. The cleaner fish helps keep other fish parasite-free, and now, a new study has found that fish who are healthy are better at problem-solving. 

A team of researchers led by Sandra Binning from the <a href="http://en.bio.umontreal.ca/">Université de Montréal's Department of Biological Sciences</a> discovered that when a fish is infected by parasites, its cognitive abilities decrease and the fish is unable to solve tests as well as healthy fish. 

The study was conducted at the <a href="https://australianmuseum.net.au/lizard-island-research-station">Lizard Island Research Station in Australia</a>, and the findings were published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The results highlight the importance of cleaner fish and the effect that parasites can have on a fish’s mental capabilities.  

If a fish is infected with parasites, it can seek out species like the blue-streaked “cleaner wrasse” that eats parasites off an infected host. 

Once the parasites have been removed, the fish is healthy and able to function properly again. 

“We collected wild damselfish with or without access to cleaner wrasse and tested their ability to solve a feeding test in the lab,” said Binning. “We then compared their performance to fish that we infected with parasites experimentally.”

Binning said that the fish who were infected with parasites in high numbers were not able to perform as well as the healthy fish. 

Similar effects of parasites have been shown in humans as well.

 “Studies have found that schoolchildren with stomach worms perform worse on standardized tests than their parasite-free peers,” said Binning. “Treating these kids with anti-parasite medication improves their performance.”

The cleaner fish play such a vital role in the health and wellbeing of seafish that Binning compared them to veterinarians.

“Cleaner wrasse act like the vets of the sea,” Binning said. “Clients visit cleaners to get their parasites removed, and this helps boost their ability to think and solve the test.”

Cleaner fish are critical to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/restoring-coral-reefs-benefits/">reef</a> vitality and the health of seafish but unfortunately, they are a popular aquarium pet. The researchers hope their study will show the essential role that cleaner fish play and the need to conserve their numbers in reef habitats. 

“It's important that we understand the impacts of reduced access to cleaners on client fishes,” said Binning. “Cleaners may not be the largest or most abundant fish on the reef, but they affect the well-being of thousands of their clients. This needs to be taken into consideration when setting collection limits and managing marine parks.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How paraste-eating cleaner fish keep sea fish healthy and sharp

The relationship between a fish and its parasite-eating cleaner fish...

Many different animal species use cooperation to boost their chances of long-term survival, as working in a group can provide benefits in both foraging and protection. These benefits can lead to further cooperation adaptations through evolution, particularly in a changing environment. Now, new research published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a> finds that when an environment is prone to changing unexpectedly, for some species, staying at home to help raise relatives can be more beneficial than going solo.

“In the last few years, biologists have noticed that high levels of animal cooperation are often found in very harsh and unpredictable places - from birds on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fire-african-savanna-diversity/">African savannahs</a> to bees in the Alps,” says Patrick Kennedy of the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> and leader of the study. “We wanted to find out whether evolution might work differently in these changeable habitats.”

From this research, scientists believe that helping behavior evolves because the helper is related to the individuals they help. However, this explanation for helping behavior has been challenged. “Often, when biologists have measured outcomes in the wild, either helpers weren’t closely enough related, or they could have had their own offspring quite easily, or they didn’t make much difference to the survival of their siblings,” says Andy Radford, also of the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> and co-author of the study.

Through including the turbulent nature of environments in their analysis, the researchers of this study found that helping behavior evolves much more easily than previously thought. In a highly unpredictable environment, helpers don’t need to be closely related to those they help.

“We realized that help might actually only be of use if the year turns out to be difficult, such as bad weather or not enough food,” explains Seirian Sumner of UCL and co-author of the study. “Helping relatives in bad years can have a huge effect on the number of grandchildren if it means your family does much better than others when times are hard. So, it's worth siblings hedging their bets and staying at home.”

When times are tough, getting an edge on competing species can make a big difference, even if it makes you less competitive in the good times. Overall, these results could have major implications for our understanding of how cooperation evolves in animals.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Patrick Kennedy

Animals lean on family to deal with tough environments

Many different animal species use cooperation to boost their chances...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-dogs-bond/">Pets</a> often become integral parts of our family, especially if they spend the majority of their time within our homes. However, studies have shown that – compared to outdoor pets – pets that primarily stay indoors have higher rates of diseases like diabetes, hypothyroidism, and kidney diseases. One new study published in American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science &amp; Technology proposes that chemical substances in the home may contribute to these diseases.

ACS researchers examined pets’ exposure to parabens – preservative chemicals commonly found in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products. These substances are endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), which research has shown to possibly interfere with hormones and cause harmful effects on developmental, reproductive, and neurological systems.

Prior studies have analyzed the presence of other EDCs, like heavy metals and bisphenol A, in pet food. However, little is known about the presence of parabens in these foods. The researchers of this study examined 58 variations of commercially available dog and cat foods, as well as 60 urine samples from individual animals. From their analysis, they found that methyl paraben and the metabolite called 4-hydroxybenzoic acid were the most abundant chemicals detected in both pet food and urine. 

Results also showed that dry food contained higher levels of parabens and their metabolites than wet food. Furthermore, cat food had higher paraben concentrations than dog food. Following their urine analysis, the researchers were able to calculate that dogs are exposed to other sources of parabens, while cats’ exposure comes mainly from their diet. 

While they don’t definitively say that the discovery of these paraben levels are directly linked to certain diseases, the researchers do note that they believe this is the first time the occurrence of these substances has been reported in pet food and urine in the United States.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Our dogs and cats may be exposed to harmful indoor chemicals

Pets often become integral parts of our family, especially if...

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,...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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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