A new executive order aimed at deregulating the U.S. seafood industry is raising red flags among scientists and policy experts. While the order claims to boost competitiveness and cut red tape, critics warn it could do more harm than good - weakening the very systems that protect seafood sustainability.



Scientists from <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">UC Santa Barbara</a> and the University of Washington outlined their concerns in a recent paper. They argue that the executive order misses the mark, prioritizing short-term gains over long-term stability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-the-seafood-deregulation-order">Inside the seafood deregulation order</h2>



Signed in April 2025, the order - titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” - claims that U.S. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-seafood-industry-has-been-hit-hard-by-the-covid-19-pandemic/">seafood markets</a> are held back by overregulation and unfair trade practices. It calls for reducing regulatory burdens, eliminating unsafe imports, and strengthening the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seafood-spoilage-hidden-dangers-in-the-cold-chain/">seafood supply chain</a>.



However, the researchers say the plan is moving too fast and with too little support. They describe it as a policy that risks unraveling decades of scientific progress.



“(It’s) a significant escalation in undoing federal regulatory frameworks, weakening scientific authority and deemphasizing aquaculture development,” said Halley Froehlich of UC Santa Barbara and Jessica Gephart of the University of Washington.



“Instead of reform, it’s dismantling regulations in a very short amount of time,” added Froehlich, the paper’s lead author.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-noaa-s-role-under-threat">NOAA’s role under threat</h2>



The scientists point to cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a major concern. NOAA oversees roughly 500 commercial fishery stocks in the U.S. It plays a key role in managing, monitoring, and protecting marine resources.



Under the new directive, NOAA faces budget cuts, staff reductions, and tighter controls on communication. That’s a serious blow to its ability to coordinate sustainable fishing, especially across regions where fish migrate between countries.



“It’s quite problematic because NOAA is so central to how we manage our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bleaching-effect-coral-loss-threatens-fisheries-and-livelihoods/">fisheries</a>,” Froehlich said. “Data collection, monitoring, oversight, you name it, NOAA is part of that, and a really important part.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-plan-ignores-the-ocean-s-limits">The plan ignores the ocean’s limits</h2>



The executive order is supposed to help boost domestic seafood production. But the researchers argue that the ocean has limits - and we’re already close to reaching them.



“We are not going to get more out of the ocean,” Froehlich said. “We’re already near ‘peak fish,’ meaning maintenance and recovery of our stocks.”



Wild fisheries - both in the U.S. and globally - are already producing at or near their maximum sustainable levels. That leaves <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aquaculture-now-produces-more-food-than-wild-fishing/">aquaculture</a> as the only real path for growth. 



However, the new order gives little attention to farmed seafood and offers even less support to the agencies that regulate it. The scientists call it a mismatch between promises and practical outcomes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cutting-data-cutting-capacity">Cutting data, cutting capacity</h2>



One of the most troubling issues is the potential loss of data. The researchers warn that NOAA’s online databases, climate research, and monitoring tools may be defunded or decommissioned.



Without this data, managing fisheries becomes guesswork. It also makes it harder to prepare for climate-driven shifts in marine ecosystems.



“Without the data, expertise and capacity to study and understand these systems we run the risk of fishery collapses becoming more common and long-lasting,” the authors wrote.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trade-conflicts-and-mismatched-markets">Trade conflicts and mismatched markets</h2>



The executive order also makes assumptions about seafood markets that don’t align with reality. 



Much of the seafood farmed in the U.S. isn’t what consumers demand most. And a large portion of seafood caught in U.S. waters is processed overseas before being sold back into the domestic market.



If tariffs are imposed on imported or foreign-processed seafood, prices for high-demand products like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shrimp-crisis-alarming-virus-threatens-global-seafood-supplies/">shrimp</a> could rise sharply. Right now, only about 10% of shrimp eaten in the U.S. comes from domestic sources.



“In disrupting the market dynamics we do have, especially with trade wars with our trading partners, it’s likely that we’re going to have the opposite effect of creating opportunity long-term,” Froehlich said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-alternative-to-seafood-deregulation">An alternative to seafood deregulation </h2>



The paper was submitted as evidence in a recent hearing by the House Natural Resources Committee’s Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee. The scientists hope their findings will influence how Congress approaches <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seafood-will-help-feed-earths-future-population-of-10-billion/">seafood policy</a> moving forward.



“When it comes to any shifts in production, these high levels of uncertainty are not a beneficial thing to happen for the sector,” Froehlich said.



While deregulation may sound appealing to some, the authors argue that a stable, well-regulated system - backed by science and data - is what actually keeps seafood both sustainable and competitive. In their view, cutting corners now could cost the industry far more in the future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X25002106">Marine Policy</a>.



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Why seafood deregulation may hurt more than help

A new executive order aimed at deregulating the U.S. seafood industry is raising red flags among scientists and policy experts. While the order claims to boost competitiveness and cut red tape, critics warn it could do more harm than good - weakening the very systems that protect seafood sustainability. Scientists from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Washington outlined their concerns in a recent paper. They argue that the executive order misses the mark, prioritizing short-term gains over long-term stability. Inside the seafood deregulation order Signed...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/">University of Tsukuba</a> in Japan have discovered a bizarre creature on the floor of the Pacific Ocean that has no centralized nervous system, kidneys, or anus. The new species of worm may provide scientists with new insight on the evolution of internal organs.

While the pale orange worm, Xenoturbella japonica, is missing plenty of other features, it does have a mouth. This suggests that the digestive organ is a sac instead of a tube, according to the researchers.

To explore the biological characteristics and the origin of the new worm species, the team used microCT scans. The experts also extracted DNA and performed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tasmanian-tiger-extinction/">gene sequencing</a>.

“Molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed that X. japonica is distinct from previously described species of Xenoturbella.” explained study co-author Hideyuki Miyazawa.

The scientists say that the new species may be related to the group Bilateria, which are bilaterally symmetrical and complex animals.

“Species within this genus have previously been divided into ‘shallow’ and ‘deep’ subgroups, and our results place X. japonica in the ‘shallow’ subgroup,” said lead author Hiroaki Nakano. 

Nakano explained that X. japonica surprisingly shares features with both subgroups.

“Thus, features of this species may be ancestral for this genus, and this new species may be particularly important for unravelling the ancestry of Xenoturbella and the early history of the Bilateria,” she said.

Of the two worms examined by the researchers, one was a female which was approximately 5 centimeters long and the other was a young specimen which was only about one centimeter. 

Despite the fact that the worms live as deep as thousands of meters below the surface of the sea, further evaluation of the species will be feasible because the region of the western Pacific where X. japonica was found is easy to access from a nearby marine station.

According to Nakano, “this new species may be particularly important for unraveling the ancestry of Xenoturbella and the early history of the Bilateria."

The study was published in <a href="https://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/">BMC Evolutionary Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: University of Tsukuba

Weird new worm sheds light on the progression of complex animals

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba in Japan have discovered...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-touch-eases-pain/">Social isolation</a> adversely impacts health and life expectancy in many species. In fact, recent research has found that prolonged alone time can be as bad for you as some of the worst lifestyle habits.

"Isolation is the latest epidemic among humans, and research has suggested it is as bad for us as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” said Dr. Lauren Brent, lead author of a new study on the subject.

Brent and her team set out to determine why some animals are simply prone to isolation, and whether or not there can be any benefits to the solitary behavior.

The study focused on rhesus macaques, who remain especially isolated away from groups, seemingly by choice, for a large part of their lives.

The reason macaques were chosen for the research is because their patterns could provide insight into human behavior as well.

The researchers examined 429 adult rhesus macaques at the Cayo Santiago field station in Puerto Rico.

The researchers measured social integration and monitored how much time the macaques groomed each other, as grooming is a primarily social behavior in macaques. 

The researchers found that isolation in macaques was influenced by several factors and traits including age, sex, social status, and how long certain macaques had belonged to a group. 

The study concluded that because social isolation is not a learned behavior from the mother, it’s an adaptive behavior and may, therefore, come with added benefits such as reduced risks of disease and conflict. 

The results shed light on why some individuals may be prone to isolation rather than others and show that perhaps even with the known adverse effects, social isolation could have a positive impact as well. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Photo Credit: Lauren Brent

Some monkeys are loners by nature, and maybe that’s OK

Social isolation adversely impacts health and life expectancy in many...

Researchers from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> have discovered that ground squirrels and Syrian hamsters do not feel cold like some other rodents which do not hibernate, such as rats and mice. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-bears-focus-protein/">hibernating</a> animals have adapted neurons which have a weakened ability to detect freezing temperatures. The scientists believe that this evolution allows the rodents to hibernate because their body temperatures can drop without causing them stress.

"If these animals were to feel cold, they would not be able to hibernate because their sensory system would tell the rest of the body that they need to warm up first," explained senior author Elena Gracheva. "They would not be able to survive as a species."

The researchers found that the two hibernating species evolved their cold-suppressing abilities independently. Experimentation showed that it took a lot more to activate cold-sensing receptors in ground squirrels and Syrian hamsters compared to other animals that do not hibernate.

When the researchers observed the response of squirrels, hamsters, and mice to two temperature-controlled plates, the mice preferred the warm plate at all times. However, the squirrels and hamsters showed no preference unless the cold plate approached 5 degrees Celsius. 

The experts linked this behavior to an ion channel in the neurons of these rodents, called TRPM8. In ground squirrels and hamsters, TRPM8 is less sensitive to cold than it is in mice.

The resistance to feeling cold occurs not only during hibernation but also while squirrels and hamsters are active. For example, 13-lined ground squirrels can survive temperatures of 2 degrees Celsius for up to 9 months.

While species like birds can migrate when the weather gets too cold, smaller mammals cannot travel long distances. Because they do not have the means to change their environment, they must adapt their bodies. 

"This adaptation is the perfect example of how environment can shape properties of the sensory system," said Gracheva.


The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home">Cell 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: Gracheva Lab

Squirrels evolved an ability to withstand colder temperatures

Researchers from Yale University have discovered that ground squirrels and...

Scientists now have evidence that a river turtle made an incredible journey out of the ancient continent Gondwana 95 million years ago. The turtle adapted to marine environments and left the African region in the first known dispersal event of a turtle from Gondwana. Its remains were found in the city Algora of Castile-La Mancha, Spain, and also in Portugal.

The turtle, which scientists often refer to as “traveler,” was named Algorachelus peregrinus. It began its long journey in Africa during the Upper Cretaceous before arriving in Spain and Portugal.

"It is not just any turtle, but, as the name suggests, it gives us the necessary clues to describe how a successful migration occurred about 95 million years ago; this journey would have drastic consequences," explained Adán Pérez -García, a researcher at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_University_of_Distance_Education">National University of Distance Education</a>.

Millions of years ago, the supercontinent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/continental-rifting-carbon/">Pangea</a> was broken down into two large continental masses including Gondwana, which is currently Africa and South America, and Laurasia, which included Greenland, Europe, and North America.

"This geographic isolation allowed the development of lineages of independent animals in both continental masses," said Pérez-García.

The “traveler” turtle, which is now extinct, adapted from purely freshwater environments to coastal marine environments. This is how they made their way to Europe much earlier than previously realized.

The turtles settled in the new continent, becoming very abundant and diverse until the end of the Mesozoic, about 65 million years ago. Evidence of this is found in ancient fossils recovered in Guadalajara.

The discovery of the fossilized remains of a turtle shell in Portugal has provided even more insight into this migration out of Africa.

According to the scientists, what makes the journey of the “traveler” turtle a success is that it did not end in Spain. Algorachelus and other closely-related turtles continued their migration to the United States.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjsp20">Journal of Systematic Palaeontology</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: José Antonio Peñas / SINC

First African turtle that migrated to Europe made a wild journey

Scientists now have evidence that a river turtle made an...

three great tits on a branch

Camouflage can be an essential survival trait for animals who need to hide from predators. But it turns out that standing out can also have its advantages in the natural world.

Some birds and bugs even evolve bright colors as a way to keep predators away, as the bright colors signal poison or bitter taste. 

But how exactly did these creatures evolve vibrant colors as a way to highlight themselves as a poor choice of meal? 

A new study has found that social transmission, or learning by observing, may have offered the perfect opportunity for birds to evolve bright colors. 

The study, conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>, <a href="https://www.jyu.fi/en">University of Jyväskylä </a>and the <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a>, used the great tit, similar to the chickadee, as a model predator to show how many species learn by modeling or following another’s behavior. 

“Our study demonstrates that the social behavior of predators needs to be considered to understand the evolution of their prey," said Dr. Rose Thorogood, the lead author of the study. “Without social transmission taking place in predator species such as great tits, it becomes extremely difficult for conspicuously colored prey to outlast and outcompete alternative prey, even if they are distasteful or toxic.”

For the study, the researchers captured wild great tits in Finland and trained them to forage for almonds wrapped in white paper packages. 

After the birds learned to associate the white paper packages with prey, the packages were marked with a cross or square. 

The cross meant the almond was perfectly safe to eat, mimicking a camouflaged or inconspicuous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-echolocation-hunt-prey/">prey</a> in the wild. A package with a square on the wrapping meant that the almond inside was bitter and inedible, a model for prey with bright coloring. 

The researchers then filmed one of the birds encountering the bitter almond and rejecting the meal in disgust. This recording was then played on a TV for a group of tits before their chance to forage for the paper packages. 

The birds who had watched the great tit reject the square package were far more likely to choose the packages with a cross instead, learning from the recording. 

After their experiments with the great tits, the researchers created a mathematical model based on the data to show how social transmission in predators creates an evolutionary opportunity for prey. 

“By modeling the social spread of information from our experimental data, we worked out that predator avoidance of more vividly conspicuous species would become enough for them to survive, spread, and evolve,” said Thorogood. 

The study shows how important it is to look at all factors when considering the evolution of a species, including the patterns and social behavior of its natural predators. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Per Tillmann

Birds evolved bright colors to keep predators away

Camouflage can be an essential survival trait for animals who...

A team of scientists have found 3.5 million-year-old fossils of an ancient bear, and its teeth showed it loved sweets.

The fossils include the skull, teeth and partial skeletal remains of two individual bears from the species Protarctos abstrusus, previously known only from a fossilized tooth discovered in Idaho. Scientists from the <a href="https://nhm.org/">Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County</a> and the <a href="https://nature.ca/en/home">Canadian Museum of Nature</a> studied the new fossils, and made an interesting discovery: cavities in the teeth.

The ancient bear was a close relative to the ancestor of modern bears, the researchers also discovered.

"This is evidence of the most northerly record for primitive bears, and provides an idea of what the ancestor of modern bears may have looked like," said Dr. Xiaoming Wang of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the study’s lead author

P. abstrusus was slightly smaller than today’s black bears, with a flatter head and different dental profile, the researchers said.

However, one characteristic is similar to many modern bears. The ancient bear ate a high-calorie, sugary diet – possibly to prepare for winter hibernation.

“This is the first and earliest documented occurrence of high-calorie diet in basal bears, likely related to fat storage in preparation for the harsh Arctic winters,” Wang said.

The bones were discovered at a fossil site called the Beaver Pond, part of a rich prehistoric site on Ellesmere Island in Canada’s Nunavut province. Peat deposits at the site have helped scientists reconstruct life 3.5 million years ago, with fossils including fish, beaver, three-toed horse ancestors, deerlets and small carnivores. 

Plant fossils have revealed the region as a boreal-type wetland forest that would have seen about six months of snowy winter each year. Fossil berries might have been the same sugary plants that gave the bears their cavities, the researchers said.

“The Ellesmere bear is important because it suggests that the capacity to exploit the harshest, most northern forests on the planet is not an innovation of modern grizzlies and black bears, but may have characterized the ursine lineage from its beginning,” Wang said.

The researchers looked at fossils of other ancient bear species to identify the Canadian skeletal remains and place them in an evolutionary context.

The researchers have published their findings in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17657-8">Scientific Reports</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Art by Mauricio Antón based on this paper; with input on plants from Alice Telka

Ancient bear had a sweet tooth, researchers say

A team of scientists have found 3.5 million-year-old fossils of...

Songbirds can create some complex melodies – but somehow, when they manage to make their duets sound great. A new study has found that songbirds dance to signal their songs to one another.

A group of scientists, led by Dr. Paweł Ręk of <a href="https://international.amu.edu.pl/">Adam Mickiewicz University</a> in Poland, used robotic birds to study how pairs of Australian magpie-larks coordinate their songs.

The researchers used taxidermic skins on the robots to make them look as realistic as possible. Then they used the robotic birds to produce song with and without wing movements.

When the fake magpie-larks moved while they sang, both male and female magpie-larks responded. The scientists used the number of songs and flying toward the robots to measure the response. 

"Multimodality of signals can be beneficial for the signaller as well as for the receiver because there are many ways through which one signal component can improve the efficacy of the other,” Ręk said. 

Each test was conducted with 12 pairs of birds, with two tests per day, and then four days before the next set of tests.

The researchers found that both male and female magpie-larks start singing more often and sing more duets when the fake songbirds dance.

"The problem appears when signal components are not aligned in time because the mismatch creates illusions and conflicts from the perspective of the receiver,”  Ręk said. 

However, the researchers found that, when the song and movements were coordinated in the fake birds, the real magpie-larks did not see the interlopers as threats.

“Multimodal coordination within individuals has been studied for many years but it concerned signals with mechanistically constrained components,”  Ręk said. “This study shows that it is also important in cooperatively signalling species, in which coordination is not an effect of a physical constraint but motivation and experience of partners."

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/beheco">Behavioral Ecology</a>. Funding was provided by the <a href="https://ncn.gov.pl/?language=en">National Science Centre Poland</a> and the <a href="http://biology.anu.edu.au/">Research School of Biology at the Australian National University</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Songbirds dance to coordinate their music

Songbirds can create some complex melodies – but somehow, when...

Baby-talk is a common (and cringe-worthy) tendency that people use when talking to pets, children, and even their partners. 

According to a new study, it turns out that we aren’t the only species to employ a specialized way of talking to a prospective mate or our partner, as mice also use different calls and sounds when talking to a member of the opposite sex. 

The sounds have been compared to bird songs, as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/skin-patch-dissolves-fat/">mice</a> emit vocalizations at higher frequencies when they sense a mate is near. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the<a href="https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/konrad-lorenz-institute-of-ethology/"> Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology </a>and published in the journal PLOS One. 

The study was based on the vocalizations of first generation house mice which means their parents came from the wild. 

The researchers were able to get a more authentic feel for how mice would communicate with each other in their natural habitats rather than if the mouse subjects had come from generations of lab-raised mice. 

Mice often emit vocalizations that are too high to be audible to humans, but these calls are an essential part of mouse interactions. Mice use different vocalizations when they recognize a familiar face, if they wish to intimidate a rival mouse, and also to attract a mate. 

Previous research has even found that male mice sing a kind of love song to potential mates and each song is different based on the mouse making the sounds. 

For this recent study, the researchers were curious to see how vocalizations differed when the mice were interacting with mice of the same and opposite sex. 

20 males and 20 females were observed interacting for ten minute periods, and their vocalizations were recorded.

The study shows that mice, like birds, specifically employ different vocalizations at higher frequencies when communicating with a potential mate and could help future research examining animal interactions. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mice use higher pitches when communicating with the opposite sex

Baby-talk is a common (and cringe-worthy) tendency that people use...

As we begin to wrap up the year, it goes without saying that 2017 included one of the worst <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-harvey-global-warming/">hurricane seasons</a> of all time. Hurricane Harvey caused massive flooding in Houston Texas, and the Florida Keys and Caribbean were devastated by Hurricane Irma. Hurricane Maria also caused flooding, power outages, and downed buildings in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. 

In all areas affected by the 2017 hurricane season, displaced animals are in desperate need of care and attention. 

The idea of leaving a pet behind during a hurricane may seem unthinkable. Many photos and video clips shared during all three hurricanes included people evacuating with kennels or <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/26/us/gallery/hurricane-harvey/index.html">holding their pets close</a>. 

But sadly, sometimes the realities of evacuation leave little time or consideration for pets and livestock, meaning that many animals were left behind. 

Now, with floodwaters receded and relief efforts underway, many organizations are coming together specifically to help those animals that were abandoned during Hurricane Maria. 

<a href="https://www.alltherooms.com/w/2017/11/caught-storm-helping-animals-hurricane-damaged-caribbean/">All the Rooms</a> is a company passionately committed to spreading the word about the many organizations helping displaced animals in the Caribbean. 

Rather than working with just one organization, <a href="https://www.alltherooms.com/">All the Rooms</a> has created a comprehensive rundown of all the relief efforts working to help animals affected by the hurricanes. 

For example, <a href="http://humanebroward.com/">humane societies</a> have been working hard to transport displaced pets and rehome them in the United States. A few organizations like<a href="https://www.peta.org/"> PETA</a> and the <a href="http://www.ifaw.org/">International Fund for Animal Welfare</a> provide food and veterinary care to animals in hard-hit areas in the Dominican REpublic. . 

Getting aid to disaster areas takes time, effort, and often relies on donations. Thankfully, <a href="https://www.alltherooms.com/w/2017/11/caught-storm-helping-animals-hurricane-damaged-caribbean/">All the Rooms</a> has simplified and expedited the process for those looking to help get much-needed aid to animals affected by the 2017 hurricane season. 

Check out the All The Room’s <a href="https://www.alltherooms.com/w/2017/11/caught-storm-helping-animals-hurricane-damaged-caribbean/">comprehensive list</a> if you want to learn more.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Helping animals displaced by Hurricanes Maria and Irma

As we begin to wrap up the year, it goes...

We felt the truck rocking and looked at each other, concerned. We were in South Dakota, parked near the edge of a bison heard wandering across and around a road. One of the furry animals had passed us in the truck and now was behind the cab, rocking the whole truck a little. Bison are large, strong and dangerous. I looked in the mirror to get a view of the animal and laughed. The bison was licking the truck. It had snowed not long ago, the roads were salted and the Bison was licking salt from the bed of the truck we were sitting in. It’s rare to see bison, much less hundreds of bison wandering the prairie as they must in the past. Moving to South Dakota opened a world of grass, a place of Bison and we were thrilled to be there.

We drove back through Custer’s wildlife loop to see the bison when they were calving, my partner smiled to see them, calling them little cheese puffs. They did look like cheese puffs, with orange-ish fur puffed out over their bodies. The babies ran and jumped like any young animal, thrilled to be alive and young.

We hiked in Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument and Badlands National Parks, all great places to see Bison. We walked through enormous prairie dog towns and spotted burrowing owls. We howled back at coyote packs and listened for their yippy reply. We hiked in snow and sun; we slept in a tent.

The Bison’s survival has depended on a complete change of policy and practice for both the American government as well as its citizens. Bison were once plinked away by the millions for hides or simply to decimate Native peoples. While killing bison, many commercial hunters poisoned the carcasses after they were skinned, indiscriminately killing eagles, foxes, coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, bears and more. Bison were a hated symbol of the wild, of enemy cultures of everything not brought under the rule of government.

Things changed when it was almost too late for the Bison. Bison were bred by ranchers in the west and the American Zoological Society at New York’s Bronx Zoo. Now zoo animals, Bison were reintroduced to places like Yellowstone and Wind Cave. Bison were stamped into nickels, the flipside of a stereotypical ‘Indian’ head.

Bison are now the official national mammal of the US. What was once the symbol of the ‘other’ has become one of our own cherished national symbols. The problem is the bison was never our symbol for the taking. The National Bison Legacy Act, which designated the Bison as our national mammal had Native American support. So, in a way the symbol of the Bison was given, not taken. I would argue it was given in the same way a treaty may be signed by the defeated: with no other option viable.

Before the Bison could be thought of as a symbol of the United States by officials, it had to be stripped of the original mythological trappings. For centuries, before white settlers set foot on American shore, bison were fraught with symbolic power. Bison were literally life to many Native American tribes. Beyond being a source of food, shelter and materials, Bison nourished Native American spirit. Tatanka is the Lakota word for Bison or Bison bull. A literal translation of Tatanka is more like, ‘He who owns us’. Tankafund.org elaborates, saying that for traditional Lakota, you cannot say what you own because the Bison owns you.

The deep cultural and ecological connection between Bison and many Native Americans is what lead to near annihilation of the Bison. If the US could smash the Bison, they could smash the plains Indians. Eventually of course a sort of peace was reached between the federal government and native peoples. Native American groups were pushed into small reservations and fed with rations from the government. Bison for a while were forgotten.

Over time things changed, the actually history of hatred and destruction was forgotten. Things were romanticized. Native Americans became a romantic, noble race who fought valiantly for freedom. Native Americans became a symbol of a west that never was to a people who have never had any love for them. Bison too became something different. With the destruction of most of what could be called wilderness imminent across North America, we became nostalgic. Bison had been tamed, herded up and redistributed into fenced parks. Why not make them a national symbol?

The problem is that by making the Bison the national symbol of the US, we declared a unity between the federal government and the enemies of the government. The US and state governments within it are still rather ambivalent about wolves, which play their own important role in Bison ecology. The same is true of bears, mountain lions, coyotes, prairie dogs and many, many more. The government still leases out prime bison habitat for cattle ranching.

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/animals/american-bison-bison-bison/">Bison</a> as official symbol, like many American promises is one that still must be kept. Equality was an American byword for a long time before women could vote, before African Americans and Native Americans could vote. I hope as a symbol the bison with a shake of shaggy head can lead us to a place where the Bison can be what it’s really always been: a wild animal.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/bison.png"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-988061 size-full" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/bison.png" alt="" width="536" height="355" /></a>

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By <a href="zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bison: An American survival story

We felt the truck rocking and looked at each other,...

There were only an estimated 200 Sumatran rhinoceroses living in the wild by 2011, making this species one of the most endangered on the planet. After sequencing the first-ever genome of a Sumatran rhinoceros, an international team of researchers has found that the threat of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-island-nations-climate-change/">extinction</a> to this species began nearly one million years ago.

The new analysis suggests that Sumatran rhinoceroses have been endangered since around the middle of the Pleistocene. The researchers explain that this insight is useful in placing the current status of the species’ population into a broader ecological and evolutionary context.

"Our genome sequence data revealed that the Pleistocene was a roller-coaster ride for Sumatran rhinoceros populations," said study co-author Herman Mays, Jr., of <a href="http://www.marshall.edu/">Marshall University</a>.

By the end of the Pleistocene, many large mammals had suffered from the invasion of continental mammals into Southeast Asia, and from rising sea levels that swallowed much of mainland Asia. The Sumatran rhinoceros population peaked at the onset of the mammal invasion, approximately 900,000 years back.

"Their population bottomed out and never showed signs of recovery," said Mays.

As their habitats were fragmented from rising sea levels, the Sumatran rhinoceros populations continued to shrink. Today, habitat loss and hunting are still putting pressure on the remainder of this species.

The researchers estimate that the Sumatran rhinoceros population peaked at an estimated effective population size of around 57,800 individuals about 950,000 years ago. According to the genome analysis, the effective population size was reduced to only about 700 Sumatran rhinos by 9,000 years ago. 

The findings of the study indicate a major shift in the ancient climate, which reduced the genetic diversity of Sumatran rhinos and left them more susceptible to additional strain.

"The Sumatran rhinoceros species is hanging on by a thread," said study co-author Terri Roth. "We need to do more to save it."

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</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: Tom Uhlman

The Sumatran rhinoceros began its decline one million years ago

There were only an estimated 200 Sumatran rhinoceroses living in...

A newly unearthed skeleton is bringing unexpected information to light about marine reptiles known as plesiosaurs. Scientists have been examining what is thought to be the oldest known plesiosaur fossil, and have determined that these ancient reptiles may have emerged 50 million years earlier than previously realized. 

Experts believe that the earliest plesiosaurs had advanced limbs that took to the water like wings in the air. Over 200 million years ago, the reptiles foraged in the open seas using “underwater flight" similar to that of sea turtles.

The remains provide the very first evidence that plesiosaurs existed in the Triassic period, dating back around 201 million years. The fossil was discovered by paleontologists from the <a href="https://www.uni-bonn.de/the-university">University of Bonn</a> in a clay pit outside of Bonenburg, Germany.

Study co-author Professor Martin Sander told <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html">MailOnline</a>, “The beds from which the skeleton came from was dated by fossil shells and by a chemical signal as latest Triassic. I could not believe that there was a plesiosaur from the Triassic, given that these animals had been studied by paleontologist for nearly 300 years, and never was there one older than Jurassic.”


The new species was named Rhaeticosaurus mertensi by the research team. Plesiosaurs had smaller bodies with four pointed flippers and tiny heads on long necks. The new specimen was 7 feet 7 inches long, and growth marks in its bones suggested it was warm-blooded and young.

Professor Sander explained to MailOnline how the unique species of plesiosaurs may have dodged <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-species-persist/">extinction</a> at the end of the Triassic period.

“Plesiosaurs evolved warm-bloodedness, enabling them to live in the open ocean, removed from the bad environmental conditions that made life difficult in shallow, coastal waters at the end of the Triassic,” he said.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

New species of Plesiosaurs survived mass extinction event

A newly unearthed skeleton is bringing unexpected information to light...

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



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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

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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