A team of scientists has recently uncovered a unique genetic adaptation in horses that may explain their remarkable athleticism. The adaptation, previously seen only in viruses, provides horses with a way to override a premature genetic stop signal. 



The discovery, led by <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johns Hopkins Medicine</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://castiglionelab.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vanderbilt University’s Castiglione Lab</a>, focuses on a key genetic pathway known as NRF2/KEAP1 and a rare evolutionary mechanism that gives <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/all-domestic-horses-have-ancestors-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">horses</a> an athletic advantage.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-secrets-of-horse-genetics">Secrets of horse genetics</h2>



The NRF2/KEAP1 pathway is found in all vertebrates and plays a critical role in protecting cells from oxidative stress. It also helps regulate metabolism and energy production. 



NRF2 is a protein that shields cells from reactive oxygen species - unstable molecules that damage DNA and accumulate during activities like exercise. KEAP1 acts as a sensor that regulates how much NRF2 is available to help cells respond to stress.



“We’ve studied NRF2 and KEAP1 for a long time, because this duo is very relevant to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-retinal-cells-explain-complex-color-perception/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">retinal</a> diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy,” said senior author Elia Duh, a professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Medicine’s <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/wilmer" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wilmer Eye Institute</a>. 



“NRF2 is important for coping with oxidative stress, as well as for mitochondrial metabolism, respiration, and energy production.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extremely-rare-adaptation-in-horses">Extremely rare adaptation in horses</h2>



Using genetic sequencing, the researchers found a peculiar mutation in the KEAP1 gene in horses, donkeys, and zebras. The mutation introduced a premature stop codon - a segment of DNA that acts like a "stop" sign, usually ending protein production too early. 



When such a stop codon appears early in a gene, the resulting protein is often too short to function properly. In humans, these premature stop codons are linked to around 11% of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-technology-could-safely-treat-hundreds-of-genetic-diseases/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">inherited diseases</a>, including conditions like cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.



Surprisingly, horses have evolved a workaround. Instead of halting KEAP1 protein production, their cells recode the stop signal, allowing the gene to continue translating into a full-length, functional protein. This process, known as stop codon read through, is extremely rare in animals and has only been documented in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/viruses-that-love-to-kill-bacteria-could-help-fight-deadly-infections/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">viruses</a> before this study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-better-energy-better-performance">Better energy, better performance</h2>



Further molecular analysis of horse cells showed that this genetic recoding results in a more efficient KEAP1 protein, one that is highly responsive to reactive oxygen species. 



This in turn boosts the activity of NRF2, the protective protein that helps cells generate energy and fend off oxidative damage. The end result: a cellular system optimized for the extreme demands of equine endurance.



The enhanced NRF2/KEAP1 pathway in horses appears to help them meet their intense energy requirements during exercise while also minimizing the cellular damage typically caused by such exertion. 



According to the research team, this could explain how horses have evolved such exceptional speed and stamina.



“Not only does our work confirm this genetic evolutionary adaptation, it brings into focus how important this pathway is for chronic disease, age-related diseases, and exercise physiology,” Duh said. “This might give insight into the particular NRF2/KEAP1 interactions we can take advantage of therapeutically.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-improving-human-health">Improving human health </h2>



The findings on horse genetics do more than offer insight into equine biology - they may open doors to new medical treatments. The same genetic mechanism that allows horses to bypass a premature stop codon could potentially be applied in humans to treat a variety of inherited diseases caused by similar mutations.



By understanding how horses naturally override a genetic stop signal, researchers may be able to design drugs or gene therapies that mimic the process.



“The strategy used by horses to bypass a stop codon could guide ongoing efforts to treat the many inherited diseases resulting from premature stop codons,” Duh explained.



Beyond rare genetic disorders, the study also highlights the broader relevance of the NRF2/KEAP1 pathway in age-related and chronic diseases. 



Because NRF2 plays a central role in cellular stress response and energy metabolism, targeting this pathway might offer new avenues for treating conditions like macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease, or even the effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protein-changes-discovered-protect-humans-mammals-from-aging/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aging</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-horse-genetics-and-human-medicine">Horse genetics and human medicine </h2>



This discovery of stop codon read through in horses is a striking example of how evolution can find ingenious solutions to biological challenges. Until now, such a mechanism was thought to be confined to viruses, which use it to produce multiple proteins from the same genetic sequence. 



The fact that horses have developed a similar ability suggests this strategy may be more broadly applicable - and more medically significant - than previously imagined.



As the researchers continue to explore the full implications of this evolutionary adaptation, their work is helping bridge the gap between animal biology and human medicine, offering new insights into both performance and pathology.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr8589" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science</a>.



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Horse genetics could unlock breakthroughs in human medicine

A team of scientists has recently uncovered a unique genetic adaptation in horses that may explain their remarkable athleticism. The adaptation, previously seen only in viruses, provides horses with a way to override a premature genetic stop signal. The discovery, led by Johns Hopkins Medicine, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University’s Castiglione Lab, focuses on a key genetic pathway known as NRF2/KEAP1 and a rare evolutionary mechanism that gives horses an athletic advantage. Secrets of horse genetics The NRF2/KEAP1 pathway is found in all vertebrates and plays a...

The Hawaiian island of Kauai is known as “the Garden Isle” due to its lush tropical rainforest and the species that inhabit the island. But some of its animals may actually be in peril, a new study reveals.

A recent study published in <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond?code=coop-site">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a> assessed two decades of radar data for two endangered seabirds that call the island home; the Hawaiian Petrel and the Newell’s Shearwater. This new analysis gives reason to be worried about the population sizes of both species.

Due to the nocturnal nature of the birds – along with their penchant for nesting in hard to reach areas – scientists have had to monitor their movements using radar. In order to determine the population trends and overall distribution of the birds in recent years, André Raine of the Kauai Endangered Seabird Recovery Project and his team analyzed past and present radar surveys. They also assessed data showing the numbers of shearwater fledglings that have been rescued after being drawn to artificial lights.

The results are not good. Their data shows that both species have seen significant population declines over the last two decades. Hawaiian Petrels have declined 78% based off radar detections, while Newell’s Shearwaters have fallen by 94%. This decline in shearwater radar detections is corroborated by the decreasing numbers of rescued fledglings over the same time period.

Researchers aren’t shocked by the decline in shearwater population, as it is consistent with previously published work. However, past assessments of radar data for petrels seemed to show their population as stable, maybe even increasing. Raine and his colleagues believe this difference may be due to the fact that for their study, they purposefully standardized their data based on sunset times, which meant that their chosen time periods – and thus bird movement periods – were constant during the survey period.

The scientists believe that these drastic declines may have been influenced by the damage done by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. This natural disaster caused significant ecological changes, such as the opening of new routes for invasion by exotic plants and predators, as well as numerous other infrastructure changes on Kauai.

“Conservation effort needs to be focused on reducing power line collisions, fall-out related to artificial lights, the control of introduced predators, and the overall protection of their breeding habitats,” says Raine. “Many of these efforts are now underway on Kauai, and I am hopeful that these will continue and expand over the next few years.”

The researchers know that protecting these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/endangered-species-location-data-risk/">endangered</a> seabird populations also means protecting the ecosystem as a whole. The loss of just one species could have far-ranging effects in any habitat, especially one as diminutive and isolated as Kauai.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/content/auk-ornithological-advances">American Ornithological Society Publications Office</a>

Image Credit: A. Raine

Drastic decline in endangered seabird populations on Kauai

The Hawaiian island of Kauai is known as “the Garden...

Of the over 6,000 species of fish that live on coral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reefs-hope-adapt-climate-change/">reefs</a>, only 128 are known to feed on corals – that’s only about 2% of the inhabiting species. With coral being so plentiful for these fish, why wouldn’t they use them as a food source? 

Well, corals are a notoriously tough snack – mainly due to its thin, mucus-covered skin that is full of stinging cells known as nematocysts. But researchers have recently discovered the difference that allows the tubelip wrasse (Labropsis australis) to be one of the few species that dine on coral. 

The lips of the tubelip wrasse are fleshy and protrude from their face – kind of like a tube. Their anatomy is remarkably dissimilar from the lips of other wrasse species, which are generally thin and smooth. But even more importantly, the lips of the tubelip wrasse contain many thin membranes that spread outward from the center, like the membranes of a mushroom cap.

The mouth surface of this wrasse contains many folds that are full of high-secreting mucus glands, giving them a slimy coating to their mouths. Researchers believe that this mucus allows for suction that protects from the corals’ stinging cells.

They were able to analyze these anatomical features closely using a scanning electron microscope, which gave them extremely high-quality images. High-speed video of tubelip wrasses feeding also showed that they feed by quickly touching their lips to the coral and sucking the flesh off, effectively eating through suction feeding.

This new evidence suggests that tubelip wrasses survive through feeding mainly on coral mucus. The researchers believe the next step in their work is to discover the “magic of the mucus.

More information on this study can be found in the journal Current Biology.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Photo Credit: Victor Huertas and David Bellwood

Using mucus to survive, these fish dine on stinging corals

Of the over 6,000 species of fish that live on...

Coastal nesting birds around the world may be be driven to extinction by rising sea levels and more frequent flooding from climate change, according to a 20-year study of Eurasian oystercatchers.

"Our study species, the Eurasian oystercatcher, lives in an area where flooding is becoming more common, posing a threat to the survival of the population,” said Liam Bailey of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_National_University"> Australian National University</a>. "Our study found no evidence that Eurasian oystercatchers have increased the elevation of their nests, even among birds that lost a nest during a flood.” 

The presence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitat-fragmentation-predators/">predators</a> or unsuitable vegetation might discourage birds from nesting higher, Bailey said.

A recent study using thousands of bird surveys along the east coast of the United States found consistent declines in coastal marsh birds, the university said.

"Researchers predict that rising sea levels and increased flooding events may drive the saltmarsh sparrow, a coastal species in the U.S. to extinction, possibly even within the next 20 years," Bailey said.

“Like the Eurasian oystercatcher, this species does not appear to be adapting to the changing tidal conditions," he added.

A similar study showed strong declines in coastal bird species along the coast of Northern Europe.

The research team will investigate other possible strategies that birds may use to avoid flooding, such as encouraging birds to lay their nests earlier in the year when floods are less common.

"Our work is part of a growing amount of research that shows the vulnerability of coastal bird species,” he said. “These species may need additional conservation focus in the future."

The research was published in the <a href="http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B</a>.

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By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_National_University">Australian National University</a>

Coastal nesting birds face extinction from rising seas, flooding

Coastal nesting birds around the world may be be driven...

Passing skills down through the generations, once believed to an exclusive human trait, has been discovered in chimpanzees, according to a new study.

Primatologists from the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St Andrews</a> gave chimpanzees the chance to suck through straws to get juice from a large container just outside their enclosure.

A range of different objects were available for the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-chimpanzees-exhibit-empathy/">chimps</a> to use, from sticks to dip in the juice to various tubes that could be used as straws. 

The most complicated tool was one which needed to be unfolded, with a valve which needed to be unscrewed to create a long straw to reach the juice from the deep container, the university said.

Chimpanzees presented only with the complex option failed to use it. However in other groups, where one chimpanzee had been trained to use the complicated tool, other chimpanzees watched and copied them.

The groups that were not provided with a trained member did see some chimpanzees create this complex behavior by themselves by pooling of partial discoveries by different individuals who had already mastered using the simpler straws.

 “Perhaps the most fundamental thing this study shows is that a group of chimpanzees can appear more intelligent than any single individual – together they can create more advanced steps in cultural evolution,” said the study leader, Andrew Whiten of the University of St Andrews.

The results show that some non-human animals are “better equipped to improve the complexity of their cultural behaviors over time than was previously believed,” said the study’s lead author, Gillian Vale, of the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas</a>.

The findings are significant for understanding what may have happened in the course of human evolution as new skills were required to deal with radical ecological changes as forests gave way to savannas, with “cumulative culture” accelerating particularly during ice ages, the scientists said.

The ability of humans to evolve these skills over generations by building on previous knowledge, a process known as “cumulative culture”, was thought to separate humanity from the rest of nature.

The new research suggests that apes may indeed share some of the foundations of human culture, the university said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St Andrews</a>

Chimpanzees can pass down skills to next generation

Passing skills down through the generations, once believed to an...

A new study has identified the genes that likely caused a bird called the Galapagos cormorant to lose its ability to fly.

The genes are associated with bone disorders in humans, the authors said.

The evolution of loss of flight is one the most recurrent limb modifications encountered in nature, and a phenomenon Charles Darwin cited as an argument in favor of natural selection, the study said.

Loss of flight could evolve as a result of positive selection for larger bodies or as a result of relaxed selection due to the absence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitat-fragmentation-predators/">predators</a>, Darwin proposed.

In order to gain a better understanding of the genetics underlying the loss of flight, researchers led by Alejandro Burga of the <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">University of California Los Angeles</a>, analyzed the genomes of the Galapagos cormorant, which has stunted wings and is the only flightless cormorant, Three other species of the bird were also analyzed.

In the Galapagos cormorant but not the other three species, the researchers found enrichment for genes that are associated with human developmental disorders, including those affecting limb development, and duplication of limb bones.

Many of these disorders are linked to abnormal production of cilia, the antennae of cells, the authors said.

The researchers then studied two of the genes, Ift122 and cux1, by editing them into mice and roundworms. In the mice, expression of cux1 disrupted the differentiation of chondrocytes, cells essential to bone growth, while in the roundworms, Ift122 expression impaired cilia function.

The authors propose that the genes resulting in bone and cilia deficits may have been positively selected in the Galapagos cormorant because shorter wings could be an advantage during diving by decreasing the buoyancy of the bird. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

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By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>

Why this Galapagos bird lost its ability to fly

A new study has identified the genes that likely caused...

A type of stony coral common in the Indo-Pacific region is more resistant to ocean acidification than previously thought, according to a new study.

"For stony corals, we're fairly confident that the acidification issue is exaggerated,"  said Paul G. Falkowski, professor at <a href="http://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University-New Brunswick</a>. "They're more resilient than we give them credit for." 

The corals use protein to create rock hard skeletons, Falowski said. 

“They will probably make rock even as the ocean becomes slightly acidic from the burning of fossil fuels,” the professor said.

Researchers used several high-tech imaging methods to show that stony coral use acid-rich proteins to build rock-hard skeletons made of calcium carbonate minerals

“What we're showing is that the decades-old general model for how corals make rock is wrong," Falkowski said. "This very careful study very precisely shows that corals will secrete proteins, and the proteins are what really forms the mineral and the proteins are very acidic, which will surprise a lot of people."

The researchers found that random nanoparticles are deposited in coral microenvironments enriched in organic material. The nanoparticles accumulate and form stony structures made of calcium carbonate - known as aragonite - by growing crystals. Imaging results show that coral acid-rich proteins are the main drivers.

The proteins function at a pH (a measure of acidity and alkalinity) of about 8.5 to 7, and "that environment, to them, is still perfectly fine," Falkowski said.

The ocean normally has a pH of 8.1 or 8.2, and in the coming century or so that may drop to 7.8, but stony corals will still be able to make rock.

However, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-coral-loss-worse/">corals</a> overall face several environmental threats over the long-run: potentially deadly bleaching from global warming and rapid temperature changes; nutrient pollution; the physical destruction of coral reefs; and ocean acidification linked to carbon dioxide emissions, Falkowski said.

Ocean acidification is reducing levels of calcium carbonate minerals in many areas, which will likely hamper the ability of some organisms to create and maintain their shells, he added.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University-New Brunswick</a>

Image: Kevin Wyman/Rutgers University

Why stony coral are more resilient to climate change

A type of stony coral common in the Indo-Pacific region...

Humans, like chimpanzees, console their threatened peers out of empathy, according to a new study.

Consolation is generally defined as an uninvolved bystander initiating friendly contact with a victim of aggression. Previous research has suggested that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/voluntary-sharing-children-happy/">children</a> and chimpanzees show empathy to their peers, but there is little research on consolation in human adults.

The authors analyzed real life television footage of 249 people present in the immediate aftermath of 22 commercial robberies. They investigated whether the social closeness (for example, age similarity or being employees of the same business) and gender of the victim and the bystander affected the likelihood of physical consolation behaviour, such as a touch on the arm or a hug.

Social closeness, rather than physical proximity, was important in determining if a bystander would console a victim, which is consistent with the theory that bystanders console victims when they empathize with them. While females were more likely to console a victim, both male and female victims were equally likely to be consoled. A victim in a more threatening situation was more likely to receive consolation.

“Unique surveillance camera observations from contexts of real-life violent crimes show that human adults provide victims with consolation in ways similar to what is observed among chimpanzees," said study lead author Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard of the <a href="https://www.nscr.nl/en/">Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement.</a>

Comparative research across different species can provide insight into the mental lives of animals, and should have implications for practices in behavioral science and animal research, the authors said. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>

Humans and chimpanzees exhibit similar signs of empathy

Humans, like chimpanzees, console their threatened peers out of empathy,...

For years, evolutionary biologists have believed that animal misfits that find themselves in competition with better-adapted locals will always struggle. Just like if you entered into a tennis tournament with a ping-pong paddle – not many people would expect you to do well.

However, a group of researchers at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> have recently discovered that in some circumstances, misfits actually thrive when surrounded by a large number of their native cousins. 

“One hundred years of evolutionary theory is built around the idea that immigrants from one population dropped into another population of the same species don’t do well,” says Daniel Bolnick, primary investigator of the study published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html">Nature</a>. “Such immigrants are usually rare, and we have found that sometimes their rarity provides a competitive edge.”

The specific species the researchers studied was the three-spined stickleback, a small fish that lives in lakes and streams in Vancouver, British Columbia. Bolnick and his team studied two populations of this species. One group lived in a lake while the other was found in a nearby stream. The two groups differed in their overall size, immune traits, body shape, and defense against predators.

Previously, evolutionary theory would lead one to believe that moving the lake fish into the stream would cause them to have a competitive disadvantage compared to the native stream fish. But when the researchers performed experiments placing varying numbers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebrafish-insight-human-hearing-loss/">fish</a> from one habitat into the other, they discovered that the misfits actually thrived.

The researchers observed the fish in underwater cages, finding that survival had less to do with where the fish was from and more to do with how many fish of their type were in the cage. They found that in both habitats, the fish that were in the minority survived better than the fish that were in the majority.

These surprising results were due to the “immigrants” ability to go undetected by certain threats, as Bolnick explains: “You come in and you eat something nobody else around you eats, so you aren’t competing for food. The local parasites don’t know what to do with you because you have an unfamiliar immune system. So you’re better off than the residents.”

However, previous evolutionary theory was not completely dismissed. The researchers noted that being less adapted to the environment led to some negative effects on the newcomers. But overall, the study showed that there are circumstances where the benefits of being new can outweigh the setbacks of being less-adapted. The study determined that immigrants in these populations actually passed on their genes at a higher rate than the natives.

Bolnick believes this research may have implications in the protection and restoration of endangered species. Efforts to transplant corals from one location to another in order to slow down coral reef decline is often unsuccessful, Bolnick thinks this new addition to evolutionary theory can help with that: “My advice to someone doing any restoration work is that they can't just consider how well matched immigrants are to the local habitat,” he says. “They also need to consider how the immigrants’ rarity affects their survival and reproduction.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>

How fish prove that misfits sometimes thrive on new turf

For years, evolutionary biologists have believed that animal misfits that...

As every human (and animal) knows, love can be a complex thing to understand and explain, but scientists have gotten one step closer. <a href="http://www.emory.edu/">Emory University</a> researchers have located the area of the brain in prairie voles that causes them to bond for life with their mates.

The study, published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, could help efforts to treat human emotional disorders such as as autism, the university said.

"Prairie voles were critical to our team's findings because studying pair bonding in humans has been traditionally difficult," said Elizabeth Amadei, study co-lead author. "As humans, we know the feelings we get when we view images of our romantic partners, but, until now, we haven't known how the brain's reward system works to lead to those feelings and to the voles' pair bonding."

Previous work with prairie voles demonstrated that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lack-sleep-eat-brain/">brain</a> chemicals, such as oxytocin and dopamine, act within the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens to establish a pair bond. The Emory team set out to find the precise neural activity leading to a pair bond. 

The researchers used probes to listen to neural communication between the two brain regions and then analyzed activity from individual female prairie voles as they spent hours socializing with a male - a cohabitation period that normally leads to a pair bond.

The researchers discovered that during pair bond formation, the prefrontal cortex, an area involved in decision-making, helps control the rhythmic oscillations of neurons within the nucleus accumbens, the central hub of the brain's reward system. This suggests a functional connection from the cortex shapes neurons activity in the nucleus accumbens.

"It is remarkable there are neural signatures of a predisposition to begin huddling with the partner,” said study co-author Larry Young. “Similar variation in corticostriatal communication could underlie individual differences in social competencies in psychiatric disorders in humans, and enhancing that communication could improve social function in disorders such as autism." 

The results identify an important reward circuit in the brain that is activated during social interactions to facilitate bond formation in voles.

"Now, we want to know if oxytocin regulates functional connectivity and how circuit activity changes the way the brain processes social information about a partner," said senior author Robert Liu, associate professor in Emory's Department of Biology.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.emory.edu/">Emory University</a>

New study unravels how the brain processes love

As every human (and animal) knows, love can be a...

Spotted owls live under the canopy of full-grown forests and benefit from many features of mature woods. However, the landscapes of western forests are shifting due to climate change and decades of fire suppression. A new study reveals that wildfire can benefit spotted owls by reshaping the land to their advantage.

Fire plays an important role in forest ecosystems. In many cases, forest fire improves wildlife habitats. A new study from <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a> analyzes the foraging patterns of the California Spotted Owl in Yosemite National Park, and reveals that fire is an integral part of their habitat use. 

Stephanie Eyes of the Yosemite National Park Service teamed up with her colleagues in an effort to discover how the California Spotted Owl responded to an environment impacted by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-new-era-wildfires/">wildfire</a>. Between 2010 and 2012, the researchers tracked 13 owls on eight territories of the park using radio transmitters. The team wanted to observe how foraging patterns changed in the aftermath of wildfire.

The study showed that the owls primarily foraged near their roosts and along the edges of patches of burned forest. The owls preferred the fire-induced edge habitats, and chose the largest burned patches available. On the other hand, they dodged the interiors of the most severely burned patches. 

"Maintaining a complex mosaic of forest patches with smaller patches of high severity fire can help sustain California Spotted Owls in the greater landscape," said Eyes. "What's unique about our study is that we investigated fires that burned within the natural range of variation, so it paints a picture of how owls used a burned landscape before the onset of today's large stand-replacing fires." 

The team hopes the study can be used as a reference for future forest management programs that may focus on prescribed burns and fuel reduction efforts. More research will be conducted to determine how habitat fragmentation caused by forest fires impacts the livelihood of spotted owls. 

"This paper provides new radio telemetry data on how owls use home ranges that have had recent wildfires," explained R.J. Gutiérrez, an expert on the habitat use of spotted owls. 

"Eyes and her colleagues provide a new piece of the puzzle about how owls respond, and they show that this response can be complex. More importantly, because their work occurred within a national park, it will serve as a 'natural control' that can be compared with other owl-fire studies occurring on managed forests," concluded Gutiérrez.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a>

Image Credit: S. Eyes

How forest fires create beneficial habitats for spotted owls

Spotted owls live under the canopy of full-grown forests and...

The origin of the mammalian auditory ossicles is an intriguing part of evolutionary history. Ancestral fish adapted three bones - the malleus, incus, and the stapes - which replaced a structure that supported the jaw. Located in the middle ear of mammals, these tiny bones are responsible for transmitting sounds. A study was developed to find out if the jaw malformation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebrafish-social-support/">zebrafish</a> could give scientists information about human hearing loss.

<a href="https://www.usc.edu/">University of Southern California</a> PhD student Camilla Teng, who is the first author of the study, teamed up with fellow scientists to determine if the genetic change that causes jaw malformation in zebrafish may trigger hearing defects in mice and humans. The study, published in Scientific Reports, enlisted the help of clinical experts in radiology, audiology and genetics at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Nearly half of patients who suffer from a condition known as Alagille Syndrome, or AGS, experience hearing loss. Sensorineural loss, which has been often associated with AGS, results from inner ear or auditory nerve dysfunction. The team wanted to determine how much of the hearing loss in AGS patients can also be attributed to conductive hearing loss, which is when sound is obstructed while traveling through the middle ear. 

The researchers focused their study on JAG1 and NOTCH2, two genes that are mutated in most patients suffering from AGS. Researchers applied the mutations to mice, which led to defects in the incus and stapes bones and also led to hearing loss. 

In a separate experiment, they conducted hearing tests on 44 AGS patients to determine if the loss was sensorineural, conductive, or mixed. The scientists found that conductive hearing loss was the most common, and impacted one-third of the patients. This was the outcome they expected, based on their research. 

The results of CT scans of five AGS patients, however, revealed surprising information. The scientists identified a group of diverse structural defects in the middle ear that had unpredictable effects on hearing. For example, only one of the scanned patients had a stapes defect that could be directly tied to conductive hearing loss.

"Our study highlights a mostly overlooked phenotype of Alagille Syndrome," said Teng. "If patients are aware of possible conductive hearing loss earlier in life, then they can more promptly seek medical aids for an improved quality of life."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="https://www.usc.edu/">University of Southern California</a>

Zebrafish give new insight into human hearing loss

The origin of the mammalian auditory ossicles is an intriguing...

Survival isn’t always the sole factor considered when birds decide where to build their nests, a new study says.

Easy access to the nests and maximizing the survival of fledglings after they leave the nests are also contributing factors, according the <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> study of Bachman’s Sparrow nests.

The researchers monitored a total of 132 Bachman's Sparrow nests in two regions of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/huge-wind-farm-being-built-in-north-carolina-2/">North Carolina</a>, the Coastal Plain and the Sandhills.

In the Coastal Plain, sparrows favored low grass density and greater woody vegetation density, while birds in the Sandhills selected intermediate grass density and greater tree basal area. However, none of these features turned out to be related to nest survival.

Instead, they are likely due to differences in the available plant communities, easy access to nests or survival of fledglings once they leave, the study said. These factors may warrant further investigation, the authors added.

The Bachman’s Sparrow is a vulnerable songbird dependent on regularly burned longleaf pine forests in the southeastern United States.

One of the most  difficult aspects of the study was finding the nests.

"Bachman's Sparrows are notoriously secretive and don't easily give up the location of their well-hidden nests," said the study leader, Jason Winiarski. "Eventually, we stumbled upon a technique of patiently watching adult sparrows at a distance that allowed the birds to behave normally, while being close enough for us to just barely see where they landed with food or nest material.”

<a href="http://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University's</a> John Dunning, an expert on Bachman's Sparrow ecology who was not involved with the research, called it “remarkable” that the authors were able to track down so many of the sparrow nests. 

“As someone who has searched and searched for nests of this species, it is really hard," he said.

The results show the importance of management in longleaf pine ecosystems, Dunning said.

“The study shows how consistent management of vegetation structure through the use of prescribed fire remains the most important management and conservation strategy to support breeding populations of Bachman's Sparrow," he said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.americanornithology.org/">American Ornithological Society</a>

Image Credit: J. Carpenter

How sparrows decide where to build their nests

Survival isn’t always the sole factor considered when birds decide...

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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