Can farms produce enough food to feed us while still leaving space for wildlife? A new proposal says they can.



By setting aside one-fifth of farmland for nature, and tweaking everyday practices on the rest, we can help wildlife recover without sacrificing the food on our tables.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-farming-with-wildlife-in-mind">Farming with wildlife in mind</h2>



The plan comes from ecologists at the <a href="https://www.ceh.ac.uk/">UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology</a> and the University of Alcalá in Spain. Study co-author Professor James Bullock elaborated on the importance of the research.



“Reversing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/un-report-calls-for-global-change-to-stop-biodiversity-loss/">biodiversity loss</a> and degradation of ecosystems is essential both for nature as well as long-term global food security. But there is no single silver bullet for nature recovery and so far it has been unclear how to integrate rewilding into agricultural landscapes," said Professor Bullock. 



“Our proposed approach moves beyond land sparing versus land sharing. We believe rewilding can be interwoven into agricultural landscapes and could be key to maintaining <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/increasing-plant-based-food-production-would-have-extremely-positive-impact/">food production</a> in a way that is sustainable in the long term for people and the planet.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dedicating-land-to-nature-recovery">Dedicating land to nature recovery</h2>



According to the study, fostering rewilding approaches alongside farming could create agroecological landscapes that accommodate biodiversity while remaining resilient and functionally connected. Certain incentives would encourage farmers to adopt this approach.



“While setting aside land for nature recovery could potentially be made a legal requirement for farmers and landowners, there is more likely to be acceptance and success of rewilding if there are incentives in the form of payments for ecosystem services and tax deductions,” noted Professor José María Rey Benayas, lead author on the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-farming-needs-wildlife">Why farming needs wildlife</h2>



Modern farming has greatly increased food production since the 1940s. But this has often come at the expense of nature. 



Clearing land, using heavy fertilizers and pesticides, and removing natural features like hedgerows have pushed many plant and animal species to the edge.



This loss doesn’t just affect wildlife - it disrupts vital services that farms depend on, such as healthy soil, natural pest control, and water retention. As these services decline, the long-term productivity and resilience of farming systems are put at risk.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cost-of-declining-wildlife">The cost of declining wildlife</h2>



Across Europe and beyond, once-common species are disappearing from farmland. For example, the U.K. has lost over 40 million birds since 1970, and wild bee populations have declined in more than half of European countries, according to multiple long-term surveys.



These animals aren’t just part of the scenery - they’re key to food production. Birds eat crop pests. Bees and other insects pollinate the flowers that develop into fruits and vegetables. Their loss means greater reliance on artificial fertilisers, pesticides, and expensive manual labour.



Bringing wildlife back isn’t just a conservation goal - it’s a practical step toward more affordable and reliable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mixed-cover-crops-may-be-the-future-of-sustainable-farming/">farming</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-steps-to-farming-alongside-wildlife">Steps to farming alongside wildlife </h2>



The researchers suggest a four-part plan that links nature conservation with everyday farming. 



First, they recommend reserving at least 20% of farmland for nature. This space would include large patches of woodland, wetlands, and species-rich grassland to form strong core habitats. 



Second, these patches should be connected by green corridors - such as hedgerows, ponds, and strips of scrubland - that allow wildlife to move, feed, and reproduce.



Third, they propose protecting small hotspots within working fields. This would involve setting aside about 10% of cropped land for flower strips, beetle banks, and bird perches, bringing the total to the 30% global restoration goal. 



Finally, they call for small changes in daily farming practices, like reducing chemical use, planting flowers for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollinators-face-extinction-risk-due-to-climate-change/">pollinators</a>, and letting livestock graze more freely to help spread seeds and support healthy soil.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rewilding-has-benefits-for-farmers">Rewilding has benefits for farmers</h2>



Many European regions cannot host bears or bison. However, smaller species such as lynx, wildcat, or European hare can still boost ecosystem health. Choosing the right mix depends on local conditions.



Helping wildlife can pay off in more ways than one. When farms support natural habitats, they often see practical benefits in return. 



Better soil retains more water and nutrients, which supports stronger <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farmers-can-help-make-crops-more-resilient/">crops</a>. Pollinators and natural predators of pests can help increase yields in nearby fields. 



Farmers may also spend less on fertilizers and pesticides, lowering overall input costs. In some places, governments might provide payments or tax breaks to reward efforts that support biodiversity and ecosystem services.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-room-for-wildlife">Making room for wildlife</h2>



Reaching the 20% target may be challenging for small farms, but collective action can make it achievable. At the same time, each region will need to adapt the plan to fit its local conditions. 



Areas with heavily degraded farmland have the most to gain, while places with traditional, low-impact farming may require fewer changes. 



The researchers emphasize that this is just a starting point - but the message is clear: making room for wildlife alongside farming can help secure both indigenous species and food for the future.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.2860">Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment</a>.



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Farming for wildlife: How traditional practices can protect nature

Can farms produce enough food to feed us while still leaving space for wildlife? A new proposal says they can. By setting aside one-fifth of farmland for nature, and tweaking everyday practices on the rest, we can help wildlife recover without sacrificing the food on our tables. Farming with wildlife in mind The plan comes from ecologists at the UK Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology and the University of Alcalá in Spain. Study co-author Professor James Bullock elaborated on the importance of the research. “Reversing biodiversity loss...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a> has found that dogs and humans who have the strongest relationships have similar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-select-their-dogs-according-to-their-own-personality/">personalities</a>, matching on features such as levels of warmth, enjoyment of spending time outdoors, and selflessness with their possessions. However, according to the experts, owners who are overly attached to their pups may give rise to dysfunctional human-animal relationships.



The scientists reviewed 29 published articles on dog-owner relationships to clarify what personality traits lead to positive interspecies connections.&nbsp;



The analysis revealed that canine personality traits associated with functional and fulfilling dog-owner relationships included energy, affection, openness, intelligence, agreeableness, and responsiveness to training. By contrast, antisocial, territorial, and destructive dogs were linked to problematic relationships with their owners.



“Openness and agreeableness of the dog could represent traits which enable them to facilitate these social interactions especially well.&nbsp;Particularly in cases where the owners do not possess these traits, they might benefit greatly from their presence in their dogs,” the authors explained.



Moreover, the researchers discovered that functional dog-owner relationships tend to be “complementary” – with both humans and animals being similarly friendly, but opposite in dominance/submissiveness traits. However, the combination of a dominant dog and a submissive owner was found to be challenging in practical ownership.



Finally, the investigation provided evidence that highly attached owners characterized by a “humanistic orientation towards the dog” could often give rise to mental issues in their pet, such as increased separation anxiety.&nbsp;



“That highly attached owners often owned dogs with separation related problems might be because the owners themselves are very worried about the imminent spatial separation, which in turn creates a negative feeling in the dogs,” the authors wrote.



“While many studies have reported that cuteness and general appearance are among the most important purchase motives of owners, this review suggests that future owners should focus more on personality and attachment aspects in the acquisition process instead. Compatibility between owners and their dogs may help unfold advantages of dog ownership, and prevent canine behavioral problems and their adverse consequences,” they concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105857">Applied Animal Behavior Science</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Dogs and their humans often share similar personalities

A new study led by the Max Planck Institute for...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">University of California, Los Angeles</a> (UCLA) has found that global atmospheric <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-asteroid-ice-age/">dust</a> (microscopic airborne particles from desert dust storms) has a small, yet significant cooling effect on our planet, which has hidden the full amount of warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. According to the experts, the amount of desert dust has grown by 55 percent since the mid-19th century, thus increasing its cooling effect.



While some of the effects of atmospheric dust contribute to global warming, others counteract it - for instance, by scattering sunlight back into space and dissipating high clouds that warm the planet. Overall, the researchers estimate that dust has a cooling effect.



“We show desert dust has increased, and most likely slightly counteracted greenhouse warming, which is missing from current climate models,” said study lead author Jasper Kok, an atmospheric physicist at UCLA. “The increased dust hasn’t caused a whole lot of cooling - the climate models are still close - but our findings imply that greenhouses gases alone could cause even more climate warming than models currently predict.”



Besides its atmospheric interactions with sunlight and cloud cover, when dust falls back on the Earth’s surface, it can darken snow and ice, making them absorb more heat. In addition, dust also cools the planet by depositing nutrients such as phosphorous or iron into the oceans, which support the growth of phytoplankton that absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, thereby causing a net cooling effect.



“We want climate projections to be as accurate as possible, and this dust increase could have masked up to eight percent of the greenhouse warming,” Kok explained. “By adding the increase in desert dust, which accounts for over half of the atmosphere’s mass of particulate matter, we can increase the accuracy of climate model predictions. This is of tremendous importance because better predictions can inform better decisions of how to mitigate or adapt to climate change.”



Although atmospheric desert dust levels have increased since the pre-industrial period, this trend has not been steady, and, since there are so many natural and human-caused variables which can cause dust levels to increase or decline, scientists cannot accurately project how the amount of dust will change during the following decades. Moreover, while the increase in atmospheric dust has somewhat masked the full potential of greenhouse gases to warm the climate, the findings do not show that existing climate models are wrong.



“The climate models are very useful in predicting future climate change, and this finding could further improve their usefulness,” Kok concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-022-00379-5">Nature Reviews Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Atmospheric dust has been masking greenhouse warming

A new study led by the University of California, Los...

Scientists have been naming newly discovered creatures after fantasy concepts for decades, including the dracula parrot, dementor wasp and the goblin shark. However, no fantasy author has enjoyed as much scientific success as J. R. R. Tolkien, with over 70 real-life species discoveries being named after the author's legendarium spanning books such as “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” Now, another newly discovered <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/u-s-biodiversity-crisis-more-than-a-third-of-species-are-threatened/">species</a> has been named after Tolkien’s work - the Hyloscirtus tolkieni.



Hyloscirtus tolkieni was discovered through a study on stream frogs that live in the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park in southeastern Ecuador. Stream frogs can be found in the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela. These habitats provide the creatures with the pure rivers, streams, riparian vegetation, and tadpole development spots in the rocky breaks of the Andes river flows needed for survival. The discovery of H. tolkieni was a product of expeditions in unstudied forest areas of Ecuador that have been running since 2020.&nbsp;



“For weeks, we explored different areas of the Río Negro-Sopladora National Park, walking from paramo grasslands at 3,100 meters elevation to forests at 1,000 meters," said study co-author Juan Carlos Sánchez Nivicela. “We found a single individual of this new species of frog, which we found impressive due to its coloration and large size."



This impressive coloration includes the frog’s grayish-green back, yellow spots, black specks, and pink and black iris. The frog has a black-spotted golden yellow pattern on its throat, flank and belly, as well as black bars, spots and stripes on its fingers and toes. Due to its majestic colors and fantasy-like surroundings, researchers named the frog Hyloscirtus Tolkieni after their favorite fantasy author, J. R. R. Tolkien. 



“The new species of frog has amazing colors, and it would seem that it lives in a universe of fantasies, like those created by Tolkien," explained study co-author Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia. “The truth is that the tropical Andes are magical ecosystems where some of the most wonderful species of flora, funga, and fauna in the world are present."



Despite the exciting new discovery, only one individual frog was identified from a single locality, so more information will be needed to assess extinction risks and conservation status. The authors agreed that further study and monitoring is urgent to learn more about the species’ ecology, population size and dynamics.&nbsp;



The researchers also noted that unexplored sites should be analyzed for additional populations, emphasizing the necessity to assess their long-term conservation status and whether it is being threatened by human actions.&nbsp;



“Unfortunately, few areas are well protected from the negative impacts caused by humans," said Cisneros-Heredia. "Deforestation, unsustainable agricultural expansion, mining, invasive species, and climate changes are seriously affecting Andean biodiversity."



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1141.90290">ZooKeys</a>.



Image Credit: Juan Carlos Sánchez-Nivicela / Archive Museo de Zoología, Universidad San Francisco de Quito



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By <a href="mailto:calumvaughan05@gmail.com">Calum Vaughan</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Majestic frog named after fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien

Scientists have been naming newly discovered creatures after fantasy concepts...

One of the most perplexing aspects of the COVID-19 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nature-increased-well-being-during-the-pandemic/">pandemic</a> was why some people got really ill and ended up needing hospitalization while others only got a mild case of the sniffles. In fact, while more than 6.5 million people died of this disease, some people didn’t even get infected, despite being exposed to the virus on a daily basis.&nbsp;



A lot of research has been devoted to finding reasons for this apparent unpredictability in severity, and many factors have been considered, including age, diet, vitamin deficiency, co-morbidities, living conditions, previous exposure to respiratory viruses, and balance of macrophages in the immune system.



A fascinating new study has now investigated the levels of certain environmental pollutants in the blood of a population of 154 residents of the city of Barcelona. These blood samples were taken back in 2016 for purposes other than studying COVID-19 susceptibility, and were part of the Barcelona Health Survey. Other data were collected from each participant at the time, such as information on chronic disorders (e.g., chronic bronchitis, anemia), mental health, life styles, uses of health services and preventive practices.&nbsp;



The blood samples were analyzed for levels of various organic pollutants (including persistent organic pollutants – POPs) and inorganic minerals, and participants were invited back between late 2020 and mid-2021, to be interviewed again. The researchers were interested in identifying any links between the presence in the blood of 112 different compounds, including 20 rare earth elements, and the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 infection and disease severity experienced by the participants.&nbsp;



The findings, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.115419">Environmental Research</a>, reveal that people with higher blood levels of certain pollutants had a higher risk of becoming infected and of developing the disease. The risk of developing COVID-19 was associated with levels DDD and DDE (derivatives of the pesticide DDT), as well as lead, thallium, ruthenium, tantalum, benzofluoranthene and manganese. High levels of thallium, ruthenium, lead and gold, were associated with a higher risk of infection, while high levels of iron and selenium were protective.



“What our study shows is that individual levels of certain environmental pollutants increase the risk of infection and the risk of developing the disease,” explained Miquel Porta, a physician at IMIM-Hospital de Mar and one of the main authors of the study. Other factors that influence the risk of developing COVID-19 are co-morbidities (i.e., whether the person already suffers from other diseases), smoking, age, education level, density of people in the home, or exposure to the virus on public transport or at work.



Interestingly, of the 112 different chemical substances tested, an average of 32 was detected in each individual participant. Reassuringly, concentrations of several historically prevalent POPs, as well as the minerals arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and zinc, were not associated with COVID-19 symptom severity, nor with SARS-CoV-2 infection.&nbsp;The researchers decided to analyze the impact of the substances when combined in groups of five, since there is scientific evidence that mixtures of pollutants may be more toxic than the individual components on their own.



“An important finding of the study is that it identifies mixtures of up to five substances, from different chemical groups, each of which increases the risk of infection and disease,” said Gemma Moncunill, researcher at <a href="https://www.isglobal.org/en">ISGlobal</a> and last author of the article.



The authors consider these results to be of&nbsp;“considerable scientific and social relevance,” as they provide the first prospective and population-based evidence of a possible link between individual blood levels of certain pollutants and SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity.



The experts state that their results open numerous research avenues to study the pathways and mechanisms whereby these various substances act on the immune system. These pollutants enter our bodies through multiple routes, from exposure to electronic devices to the feed used in intensive animal farming. Therefore, say the authors, if the associations&nbsp;are confirmed to be causal, policies to control the risks are available.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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COVID risk linked to specific environmental pollutants

One of the most perplexing aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic...

Ghosting is the act of ending a relationship by cutting off all communication and simply “disappearing” without explanation. This behavior is associated particularly with the relationships we foster using social media, and can pertain to the end of a romantic relationship or to a friendship. Messages sent, or calls made, are simply not answered and this leaves the sender confused, insecure and hurt.&nbsp;



A new study by researchers from the <a href="https://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a>, Athens, and the University of Mississippi, has found that nearly two-thirds of participants interviewed have ghosted and been ghosted as part of a relationship breakup. The researchers were particularly interested in whether people with a stronger need for closure are more affected by being ghosted, and whether they are more or less likely to use ghosting as a means to get out of their own personal relationships.&nbsp;



“Ghosting is becoming a common strategy, and it creates an ambiguous situation where one party doesn’t really know what’s going on,” said Leckfor, a doctoral student in the UGA Department of Psychology. “We were interested in what individual differences or personal characteristics might influence a person’s intentions to use ghosting. We also wanted to know if people with a high need for closure were less likely to use ghosting, or if they would hurt more after being ghosted.”



Studies have shown that social rejection of any kind activates the same pain pathways in the brain as physical pain, meaning there’s a biological link between rejection and pain. This implies that rejection without an understanding of what went wrong, can leave people feeling very hurt and insecure about themselves and what actually happened. Humans have evolved to stay connected to others and this makes ghosting all the more cruel on the recipient.&nbsp;



In the current study, participants were asked to reflect on a past relationship, either a time they were ghosted or a time they were directly rejected. They then answered questions about their psychological needs satisfaction – feelings of belonging, self-esteem, control and meaningful existence – after their relationship ended. Ghosted participants had some of the lowest needs satisfaction, meaning they were hit hardest by the rejection, and those who wanted closure reported even lower needs satisfaction.



“For recipients, desire for closure has this magnifying effect. When someone with a high need for closure recalled a time where they were ghosted or directly rejected, it hurt more than if they had a low need for closure,” Leckfor said. “But they also felt more positive after recalling times when they were acknowledged by their partner.”



In contrast, when someone considered initiating a breakup, the connection between closure and ghosting was less clear-cut.



“We actually found that people who had a higher need for closure were slightly more likely to intend to use ghosting to end a relationship,” Leckfor said. “Even though things may be ambiguous on the recipient side, the person who is ghosting sees it as a distinct end to the relationship. Those results weren’t definitive in our study, but they pose an interesting avenue for future research.”



So why do people ghost others as a way of ending a relationship? Disappearing off the face of the social media world may well present a way to avoid awkward confrontations and taking responsibility for the hurt caused. It also spares the ghoster from the hard work of empathizing with the rejected individual and dealing with their own uncomfortable emotions. And, in our fast-paced and busy world, cutting off all contact is often simply more convenient.&nbsp;



Technology may also contribute to the tendency to ghost as the many dating apps give us the idea that there are lots more “fish in the sea” and each individual is disposable. Just keep scrolling through the photos. Furthermore, if people believe that there is one true love for them out there, a soulmate as such, then they will be more keen to move on from a relationship that is proving to be different from their expectations.&nbsp;



Despite these potential explanations for why ghosting appears to be gaining in popularity as a neat and no-hassle way of moving on to other options, it remains that leaving a relationship in this way causes a type of ostracism that threatens a person’s basic psychological needs for belonging, self-esteem, meaningful existence and control.&nbsp;



The researchers report, in their publication in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/02654075221149955">Journal of Social and Personal Relationships</a>, that their results indicate participants with a higher need for closure are sometimes more likely to use ghosting to end their relationships because they feel this brings an abrupt end and a distinct close. However, these same participants reported lower needs satisfaction when ghosted by their partners than when directly rejected. The researchers report that “… the need for closure is less influential when deciding how to end a relationship, but it appears to play an important role in amplifying both positive and negative experiences within a relationship.”



“The individuals who were ghosted by a friend reported feeling just as bad about the relationship as those who wrote about a time when they were ghosted by a romantic partner,” Leckfor said. “In psychology in general, a lot of literature regarding adult relationships focuses on romantic relationships. This [research] shows that friendships are really important to study as well.”



It also relates back to the role of technology in our relationships. There have been several studies on how people initiate, maintain and end relationships without technology, but as more human connectivity moves to social media, dating apps, texting or Zoom, those relationships can change. And individual traits, such as a need for closure, will factor into how we use those technologies.



“Now, almost everybody uses these technologies to communicate and maintain these different types of relationships,” Leckfor said. “Knowing when these technologies can be helpful to build social connections or maintain your personal well-being, versus knowing when they might be harmful, is the end goal of what I hope my work in this area conveys to the public.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Ghosting is harder on people with a high need for closure

Ghosting is the act of ending a relationship by cutting...

An international team of researchers has recently unearthed fossil bones in New Zealand from two newly described <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-discover-a-new-species-of-giant-penguins/">penguin</a> species (Kumimanu fordycei and Petradyptes stonehousei). According to the experts, the former is the largest penguin that ever lived, weighing over 150 kilograms (more than three times the size of the largest living penguins).



The fossils were discovered between 2016 and 2017 in 57-million-year-old beach boulders in North Otago, on New Zealand’s South Island. Analyses revealed the fossils as being between 59.5 and 55.5 million years old, thus dating about five to ten million years after the mass extinction that wiped out all the non-avian dinosaurs.



By using lasers to create digital models of these penguins’ bones and comparing them to other fossil species, modern penguins, and birds such as auks, the researchers estimated that K. fordycei was most likely an enormous bird, weighing up to 154 kilograms (in comparison, emperor penguins – the largest living species of penguins – weigh between 22 and 45 kilograms). The other species discovered, named by the scientists Petradyptes stonehousei, weighted about 50 kilograms.



“Fossils provide us with evidence of the history of life, and sometimes that evidence is truly surprising,” said study co-author Daniel Field, an expert in Earth Sciences at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>. “Many early fossil penguins attained enormous sizes, easily dwarfing the largest penguins alive today. Our new species, Kumimanu fordycei, is the largest fossil penguin ever discovered - at approximately 350 pounds, it would have weighed more than [basketball player] Shaquille O’Neal at the peak of his dominance!”



According to the scientists, these penguins grew to such titanic proportions because it made them more efficient in the water. “Size conveys many advantages. A bigger penguin could capture larger prey, and more importantly it would have been better at conserving body temperature in cold waters. It is possible breaking the 100 lb size barrier allowed the earliest penguins to spread from New Zealand to other parts of the world,” explained study lead author Daniel Ksepka, an Ornithology curator at the <a href="https://brucemuseum.org/">Bruce Museum</a>.



“When we start thinking of these finds not as isolated bones but as parts of a whole living animal then a picture begins to form,” added co-author Daniel Thomas, a senior lecturer in Zoology and Ecology at <a href="https://www.massey.ac.nz/">Massey University of New Zealand</a>. “Large, warm-blooded marine animals living today can dive to great depths. This raises questions about whether Kumimanu fordycei had an ecology that penguins today don’t have, by being able to reach deeper waters and find food that isn’t accessible to living penguins.”



“Kumimanu fordycei would have been an utterly astonishing sight on the beaches of New Zealand 57 million years ago, and the combination of its sheer size and the incomplete nature of its fossil remains makes it one of the most intriguing fossil birds ever found. Hopefully future fossil discoveries will shed more light on the biology of this amazing early penguin,” Field concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2022.88">Journal of Paleontology</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Largest penguin that ever lived weighed 350 pounds

An international team of researchers has recently unearthed fossil bones...

Commercial-scale deep seabed mining in international waters is set to begin for the first time in June 2023. However, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> and the <a href="https://www.greenpeace.to/greenpeace/">Greenpeace Research Laboratories</a>, the potential impacts of deep-sea mining on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-like-societies-cetaceans/">cetaceans</a> (mammals such as whales, dolphins, or porpoises) is still unknown. The experts are calling for urgent research to assess the risks that such operations pose to ocean ecosystems.



“Like many animals, cetaceans are already facing multiple stressors including climate change,” said Kirsten Thompson, an expert in Ecology at Exeter. “Very little research has examined the impact that deep-sea minerals extraction would have on cetaceans. Cetaceans are highly sensitive to sound, so noise from mining is a particular concern.”



According to the scientists, the sounds expected to be produced by these large-scale mining operations – including those from remotely operated vehicles on the seafloor – are likely to overlap with the acoustic frequencies at which cetaceans communicate.&nbsp;



“We searched for data on how much noise such mining would cause, but no published assessment is available. We know noise pollution in the ocean is already a problem for cetaceans and introducing another industry that is expected to operate 24/7 would inevitably add to existing anthropogenic noise were deep seabed mining to go ahead,” Thompson explained. “Despite this lack of information, it appears industrial-scale mining could soon begin in one of the planet’s few remaining undisturbed environments.”



The region in which the mining operations (led by the island of Nauru in order to exploit polymetallic nodules) will begin later this year – the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the Pacific Ocean – is currently home to approximately 25 species of cetaceans, including dolphins and sperm whales.



&nbsp;“Seamounts are now known as important offshore habitats for some cetacean populations that forage or regroup around them but we still lack basic knowledge of these fragile ecosystems,” said Solène Derville, a marine scientist at the <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>. “In this context, it is very hard to assess the magnitude of the impacts of seamount seabed mining on the animals that live and feed around these structures.”



Further research is needed to assess how these large-scale operations will impact the local cetacean populations, and devise methods of protecting them these already endangered species.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1095930">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Deep-sea mining poses unknown threats to whales

Commercial-scale deep seabed mining in international waters is set to...

Many studies have shown that exposure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/citizen-scientists-gain-a-stronger-connection-with-nature/">nature</a> has beneficial effects on mental health and well-being. Now, a team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has explored what kind of nature experiences were associated with a greater sense of well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic. Their findings suggest that spending time in nature close to home was linked to a greater sense of well-being compared to longer, more intense nature excursions, or with nature experienced “second-hand” through media.



“I think the thing that really calls to me from this work is the importance of just being able to have a bit of nature that’s close by and that you can access even for a short time,” said study lead author Tina Phillips, an expert in Citizen Science at Cornell.



The scientists surveyed over 3,200 U.S. residents in October 2020, when many Covid-related lockdowns were still in place. Participants were asked to rate their levels of loneliness, recurrent negative thoughts, mental well-being, and how the pandemic affected them emotionally. Their answers were analyzed together with the frequency with which the respondents participated in three types of nature engagement: nearby nature (including activities close to home, such as gardening, birdwatching, taking short walks, or watching natural landscapes through a window); nature excursions (more intense experiences that required planning and travel, including fishing or hunting trips, backpacking, or kayaking); and nature media (indirect exposure to nature through watching documentaries and clips from wildlife cameras, or reading).



“I think the biggest surprise was that nature excursions were not correlated with better well-being. Loneliness was worse for people who did more of those activities, the emotional impact of the pandemic was worse, and reported mental health was worse. The other thing which surprised me was that, across the board, age was the number one predictor of positive well-being outcomes from exposure to nature,” Phillips said.



Moreover, the findings also highlighted the ongoing social justice issues around access to nature. “The pandemic laid bare a host of societal issues and inequities,”&nbsp;explained study co-author Nancy Wells, a professor of Human Ecology at Cornell. “It is often those with the greatest need who have the least access to nearby nature. Everyone should be able to access the natural environment within a short distance from home.&nbsp;We can make this a reality by protecting natural lands, creating parks, and implementing policies and programs to ensure access for all.”



Finally, the scientists found that reaping the emotional and mental benefits from nature does not have to take a lot of time, with participants reporting increased well-being from spending as little as ten minutes outdoors.



“We hope that we all can carry the lessons from the pandemic – and from this study – into the future, making time in nature a regular part of our routine,” Wells concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10433">People &amp; Nature</a>. —-



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</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.

Nature increased well-being during the pandemic

Many studies have shown that exposure to nature has beneficial...

The most common type of hearing loss is sensorineural loss, which is caused by damage to cochlear hair cells. This condition is progressive because in humans and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/solitary-mammals-live-shorter-lives-than-social-species/">mammals</a>, the cochlear hair cells cannot regenerate once they are lost or damaged.



People who are frequently exposed to loud noises, such as musicians and construction workers, have the greatest risk of sensorineural hearing loss, but it can affect anyone over time. 



In a new study from the <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/del-monte-neuroscience.aspx">University of Rochester Medical Center</a>, researchers are working to identify the mechanisms which may promote cochlear hair cell regeneration.



“We know from our previous work that expression of an active growth gene, called ERBB2, was able to activate the growth of new hair cells (in mammals), but we didn’t fully understand why,” said Dr. Patricia White. That particular <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/study-points-to-possible-new-therapy-for-hearing-loss">study</a>, led by Dr. Jingyuan Zhang, revealed that activating the growth gene ERBB2 pathway triggered a cascading series of cellular events through which cochlear support cells began to multiply and activate the creation of new sensory hair cells.&nbsp;



“This new study tells us how that activation is happening - a significant advance toward the ultimate goal of generating new cochlear hair cells in mammals,” said Dr. White.



The team used single-cell RNA sequencing in mice to analyze cells with an overactive growth gene (ERBB2 signaling). The results showed that ERBB2 promoted cell development by triggering the expression of multiple proteins and promoted "mitosis" - the process by which one cell divides into two cells. 



“When we checked this process in adult mice, we were able to show that ERBB2 expression drove the protein expression of SPP1 that is necessary to activate CD44 and grow new hair cells,” said study first author Dr. Dorota Piekna-Przybylska. “This discovery has made it clear that regeneration is not only restricted to the early stages of development. We believe we can use these findings to drive regeneration in adults.”



“We plan to further investigation of this phenomenon from a mechanistic perspective to determine whether it can improve auditory function after damage in mammals. That is the ultimate goal,” said Dr. White.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2022.1096872">Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience</a>.



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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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Can hearing loss be reversed in humans?

The most common type of hearing loss is sensorineural loss,...

Darwin saw life in a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-species-diversity-makes-forests-more-productive/">forest</a> as a constant struggle between trees that needed to compete for access to sunlight, space, water and nutrients. The winners in the competition were the fittest individuals, and they would grow tall at the expense of others. But recently there has been a change in understanding and people have begun to see forests a cooperative systems. They talk of trees sharing chemical information, sending resources to their offspring and signaling when they’re injured or diseased – all by means of a network of fungal threads that appear to connect them underground.&nbsp;



The concept of trees “talking” to one another via fungal threads that spread out from the roots is so intriguing, it’s been promoted in popular media – even being raised in the Apple TV show Ted Lasso – and been featured in recent literature, both fictional and non-fictional. The network of fine fungal threads that branches out between tree roots in forests has even been dubbed the “wood-wide web,” but the science behind these ideas is unproven, cautions <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/index.html">University of Alberta</a> expert&nbsp;<a href="https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/karst">Justine Karst</a>.



In collaboration with Melanie Jones of the University of British Columbia and Jason Hoeksema of the University of Mississippi, Karst has published a peer-reviewed article in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-01986-1">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>&nbsp;that reviews the current scientific literature about the topic. The researchers challenge three popular claims about the capabilities of underground fungal threads, known as common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) that connect the roots of multiple plants.&nbsp;



“It’s great that CMN research has sparked interest in forest fungi, but it’s important for the public to understand that many popular ideas are ahead of the science,” said Karst, associate professor in the U of A’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/agriculture-life-environment-sciences/index.html">Faculty of Agricultural, Life &amp; Environmental Sciences</a>.



Fungi are living organisms such as molds, yeast and mushrooms, some of which form threads as they grow underground. They cannot make their own food through photosynthesis, and have a special symbiotic relationship with trees and other green plants whereby they acquire food products in exchange for providing nutrients and water to the plants. So, while the existence of CMNs has been scientifically proven, some of the claims about the benefits they offer to trees and their seedlings have yet to be substantiated.



The researchers reviewed published evidence from existing field studies in order to evaluate the popular claims. They found that one of the claims, that CMNs are widespread in forests, isn’t supported by enough scientific evidence. Not enough is known about CMN structure and its function in the field, as there are “too few forests mapped.”



The second claim, that resources such as nutrients are transferred through CMNs from adult trees to seedlings, and that they boost the survival and growth rates of the seedlings, was also found to be questionable. A review of 26 studies, including&nbsp;<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00572-020-00940-4">one in which Karst is a co-author</a>, established that while resources can be transferred underground by trees, CMNs don’t necessarily bring about that flow. In addition,&nbsp; seedlings typically don’t benefit from CMN access. Overall, the review revealed roughly equal evidence that connecting to a CMN would improve or hamper seedling growth or survival, with neutral effects most commonly reported.



The third claim, that adult trees preferentially send chemical “warning signals” of insect damage to young trees through CMNs, is not backed up by a single peer-reviewed, published field study, noted Professor Karst and her co-authors.



The researchers say unsubstantiated information can shape and distort the public narrative about CMNs, and that could, in turn, affect how forests are managed.&nbsp;It is important, therefore, to back up these claims with solid empirical evidence before action is planned.



“Distorting science on CMNs in forests is a problem because sound science is critical for making decisions on how forests are managed. It’s premature to base forest practices and policies on CMNs per se, without further evidence. And failing to identify misinformation can erode public trust in science,” concluded the researchers.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Can trees “talk” through fungal networks?

Darwin saw life in a forest as a constant struggle...

Over the last few centuries, societal changes have resulted in an increased buildup of carbon <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-emissions-from-fertilizers-could-be-cut-by-80-percent/">emissions</a> in Earth’s ozone layer, which ultimately drives global warming. It is widely known that this cycle will increase the likelihood of extreme weather events. What many people do not know, however, is that climate change is making it increasingly difficult for scientists to accurately forecast extreme weather in the short term.&nbsp;



To navigate this issue, a team of leading meteorologists led by the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn/">Institute of Atmospheric Physics</a> is exploring new weather prediction techniques. Their latest study suggests that the improvement of meridional potential vorticity gradient (PVy) modeling could be the key to progress. The researchers discovered that during extreme cold events across East Asia and North America in the last two months of 2022, the PVy was abnormally weak.&nbsp;



Through the analysis of the atmospheric circulation that occurred during the final months of 2022, the team found that large and stationary blocking weather patterns prevented other weather systems from following their path. This ultimately prolonged the extreme cold weather conditions in both North America and East Asia. The phenomenon was directly correlated with the unusually weak PVy readings.



“In <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00376-022-2331-8">our previous study</a>, we found that frequent cold waves were more likely to occur in mid-latitude Asia in the upcoming 2022-2023 winter season under the background of a warm Arctic and a cold tropical Pacific," explained study lead author Yao Yao. “ In our current study, we wanted to know what actually caused these cold surges and if the cold events in North America and East Asia were related."



This prediction proved accurate; throughout the first half of the 2022-2023 winter season, extreme cold events have been more frequent in Asia’s middle latitude areas. Furthermore, a weak connection was identified between East Asia’s cold weather in late November 2022 and the “bomb cyclone” and tornadic outbreaks across North America in mid-late December 2022.&nbsp;



Whilst these findings have led to progress in understanding recent extreme cold weather events, low PVy levels have overall been identified to create less favorable conditions for weather pattern predictability. It is understood that existing models simply cannot accurately predict the movement of blocking weather patterns when the PVy levels are so low.&nbsp;



“Low Arctic sea ice and La Niña favor the reduction of mid-latitude potential vorticity gradients (PVy), but there are many other factors affecting this gradient," explained Yao Yao.&nbsp;



“The next step is to identify these factors and try to establish a relatively sound statistical model, which is important for short-term weather and climate prediction. Once these factors are determined through future study, blocking weather pattern predictability will increase."



The findings of the study may help improve future extreme weather forecasting, which could reduce the likelihood of casualties and economical loss associated with unexpected cold snaps.&nbsp;



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00376-023-2384-3">Advances in Atmospheric Sciences</a>.&nbsp;



—-



By <a href="mailto:calumvaughan05@gmail.com">Calum Vaughan</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Extreme weather is becoming more difficult to predict

Over the last few centuries, societal changes have resulted in...

Planet,Earth,Globe,View,From,Space,Showing,Realistic,Earth,Surface

The asthenosphere is a layer in the upper mantle of the Earth’s structure. It lies just beneath the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-polar-ice-is-warping-earths-crust/">crust</a> and brittle outermost layer of the mantle, and is viscous rather than solid. The large plates of rock that form earth’s crust float on the asthenosphere, meaning that this layer plays a fundamental role in enabling the movements of these tectonic plates. The origin of the asthenosphere, and why it is soft enough to allow plate movement, are not understood.



Scientists previously thought that patches of molten rock they identified within the asthenosphere might be a factor. When Junlin Hua, at the time a graduate student at Brown University, was investigating seismic images of the mantle beneath Turkey, he became fascinated with the consequences of these molten rock patches under the mantle, and decided to investigate whether they contributed to the viscosity of the layer. He compiled similar images from other seismic stations around the world and produced a global map of the asthenosphere.&nbsp;



What he and his colleagues discovered was a brand new viscous layer in the lower asthenosphere, lying around 100 miles below the Earth’s surface. This hidden layer, named PVG-150 (positive velocity gradient at 150 kilometers) was present in many locations. What Hua and others had taken to be anomalous patches was in fact commonplace around the world, appearing on seismic readings wherever the asthenosphere was hottest.&nbsp;



The next surprise came when Hua, who is now at the Jackson School’s University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, and colleagues, compared this melt map with seismic measurements of tectonic movement. They found no correlation between these two variables, indicating that plate movement is not directly related to the areas where the molten layer of rock is present. These findings are published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01116-9">Nature Geoscience</a>.&nbsp;



“When we think about something melting, we intuitively think that the melt must play a big role in the material’s viscosity,” said Hua, who led the research. “But what we found is that even where the melt fraction is quite high, its effect on mantle flow is very minor.”



According to the researchers, it may not be the molten-ness of molten rock that is the key factor, but instead it may be the convection processes of heat and rock in the mantle that influence the shifting of the tectonic plates. Showing that the melt layer has no influence on plate tectonics means one less tricky variable for computer models of the Earth, said study co-author Thorsten Becker, a professor at the Jackson School.



“We can’t rule out that locally melt doesn’t matter,” said Becker, who designs geodynamic models of the Earth at the Jackson School’s University of Texas Institute for Geophysics. “But I think it drives us to see these observations of melt as a marker of what’s going on in the Earth, and not necessarily an active contribution to anything.”



While the details of the asthenosphere’s function may remain a mystery, this research will enable scientists to refine their models of plate tectonics in future, to reflect the latest findings. Knowing more about tectonic plates may help us to understand and predict earthquakes that result from plate movements, thereby reducing the destructive toll of these natural disasters.&nbsp;



Study co-author Karen Fischer, a seismologist and professor at Brown University, said this work is important because understanding the properties of the asthenosphere and the origins of why it's weak is fundamental to understanding plate tectonics



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Unexpected molten rock layer discovered under Earth’s crust

The asthenosphere is a layer in the upper mantle of...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" 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> 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



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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



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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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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



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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 



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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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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> 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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[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

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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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