For decades, researchers have questioned whether boys and girls are born with the same natural ability in math. In 2005, cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke took a firm stand, stating that there are no differences in overall intrinsic aptitude for science and mathematics among women and men.



Now, the evidence is even stronger. In a new study, researchers from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard University</a> and several institutions across France examined math performance in more than 2.5 million French schoolchildren. 



The team found that at the very beginning of first grade, boys and girls start off nearly equal in math. But just four months into formal math instruction, a small gap appears - and it keeps growing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nationwide-study-tracks-the-math-gap">Nationwide study tracks the math gap</h2>



The research draws on a French government testing program that was launched in 2018. This nationwide effort tracked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reminiscing-can-boost-language-development-in-preschoolers/">language</a> and math skills of young students from first through sixth grade. 



Over five years and across four student cohorts, the program gave researchers an unmatched view of early math development.



At school entry, French girls scored slightly better than boys in language. Math scores, though, were essentially the same. 



"The headline conclusion is that the gender gap emerges when systematic instruction in mathematics begins," Spelke explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-for-gender-differences">Looking for gender differences </h2>



Spelke had already spent decades studying how young children understand numbers and shapes. Back in 2005, she wrote a major review for American Psychologist. The piece challenged the notion that boys are biologically wired for better math performance than girls.



"My argument was, 'OK, if there really were biological differences, maybe we would see them in the infancy period,'" said Spelke. 



She and her team always tracked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-children-learn-gender-stereotypes-from-storybooks/">gender</a> in their studies, but they never found infant boys outperforming girls in math, or vice versa. Still, Spelke admitted that something could be happening later in development.



"The fact that there are no differences in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/conscious-awareness-when-does-our-sense-of-purpose-emerge/">infants</a> could be because the abilities that show gender effects actually emerge during preschool," she proposed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-math-instruction-for-boys-and-girls">Math instruction for boys and girls</h2>



In recent years, Spelke has turned her attention to how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-a-better-way-for-kids-to-learn-math/">children learn counting</a> and numbers in real classrooms. 



Spelke partnered with Nobel Prize-winning MIT economist Esther Duflo to advise the Delhi office of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). The team is helping four Indian states create and test math lessons for children in preschool through first grade.



In France, she works alongside her longtime collaborator, neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene. Together, they serve on the French Ministry of Education's Scientific Council, which helped develop the EvalAide testing program. 



The idea was simple: measure where every child stands in math and language and use that data to guide better teaching.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gender-gap-emerges-in-math">Gender gap emerges in math</h2>



For this study, the team analyzed data from four full cohorts of first-graders entering school between 2018 and 2021. 



What they found was consistent: no math gap at the time of school entry, a small but significant gap favoring boys after four months, and a steadily widening gap by second, fourth, and even sixth grade.



"It was even bigger in fourth grade," Spelke said. "And in sixth grade it was bigger still."



Interestingly, the gender gap in language shrank slightly after the first few months of school and stayed relatively stable in later years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ruling-out-old-explanations">Ruling out old explanations</h2>



So why does the math gap grow with time in school? The researchers ruled out several familiar theories.



"If there was really a pervasive social bias, and the parents were susceptible to it, we would expect boys to be more oriented toward spatial and numerical tasks when they first got to school," said Spelke.



But that didn’t happen. At school entry, there was no math gap. This points away from both biological and early social bias explanations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-experiment-during-the-pandemic">An experiment during the pandemic </h2>



The EvalAide dataset offered other insights. French first-graders can be nearly a year apart in age, depending on when their birthday falls. 



The team wondered if the older students were skewing results. They weren’t. The widening gender gap aligned more closely with time spent in school than with age.



Then came an unusual variable: COVID-19. The 2019 cohort missed the final 2.5 months of first grade due to lockdowns. That gap year created a natural experiment.



"With less time in school, the amount of the gender gap grew by less than it did in the other years where there wasn't a long school closure," said Spelke.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-confirming-the-math-gender-gap">Confirming the math gender gap</h2>



The cohort also began school just after a national education crisis. In early 2019, French students had scored <a href="https://www.polytechnique-insights.com/en/braincamps/society/how-to-improve-the-relationship-between-education-and-employment/maths-an-essential-subject-whose-level-is-falling-in-a-majority-of-countries/#:~:text=In%202003%2C%2015%25%20of%20French,European%20average%20of%20527%20points.">lowest</a> among 23 European countries in math, according to international rankings. 



In response, the French Education Ministry - guided by its Scientific Council - called for more math teaching in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-pandemic-setbacks-reduced-kindergarten-readiness/">kindergarten</a>.



Sure enough, a tiny math gender gap appeared in fall 2019 among new first-graders. That gap hadn’t shown up in 2018 but was still present in 2020 and 2021.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-problems-in-early-math-instruction">Problems in early math instruction </h2>



The study doesn't pinpoint a single cause, but its message is clear: differences in math achievement between boys and girls seem to grow as a result of what happens in early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/schools-are-in-a-battle-with-cell-phones-to-keep-students-engaged/">school</a> instruction.



"We still don't know what that is exactly," Spelke said. "But now we have a chance to find out by randomized evaluations of changes to the curriculum."



The findings put pressure on education systems to ask hard questions about how math is taught in the early years - and what needs to change to make it fair for everyone.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09126-4">Nature</a>.



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Early math instruction may unintentionally favor boys

For decades, researchers have questioned whether boys and girls are born with the same natural ability in math. In 2005, cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke took a firm stand, stating that there are no differences in overall intrinsic aptitude for science and mathematics among women and men. Now, the evidence is even stronger. In a new study, researchers from Harvard University and several institutions across France examined math performance in more than 2.5 million French schoolchildren. The team found that at the very beginning of first grade, boys...

Environmental measures can support agriculture <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-biodiversity-affect-species-interactions/">biodiversity</a> and wild bee populations. However, new research has revealed that the effectiveness of such strategies depends on various factors.&nbsp;



The research team found that when assessing the effectiveness of measures such as organic or conventional farming, biodiversity benefits should be evaluated differently. The results show that it could be misleading to make across the board comparisons of different conservation efforts.



For the investigation, ten agricultural landscapes were studied. The landscapes contained three winter wheat fields, one organic field, one conventional field with flower strips, and one conventional field without flower strips. The abundance of wild bees was recorded for two years at each site.



After comparing the data, the experts concluded that conventional fields with strips of flowers might attract many more bees than organic fields. However, this does not capture the full story.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"When we looked more closely, this did not give us a complete picture because it did not take into account that flower strips only cover about five percent of conventional fields which has significantly fewer bees overall than the organic farmland," explained Professor Teja Tscharntke, Department of Agroecology at Göttingen University.&nbsp;



"In short, organic farming, which typically has more wild plants than conventional fields, is actually more successful than conventional fields with flower strips in promoting bees," added Dr. Péter Batáry of the Centre for Organic Research.



Fields of grain in organic farming yield only half the harvest of conventional farming. When the loss in wheat yield is taken into account, a ten-hectare area of organic farmland should be compared to five hectares of conventional farmland plus five hectares of flower strips. This would lead to 3.5 times more bees but the same yield. Therefore, organic farming would not be the best way to support wild bees.



This research demonstrates the importance of using different benchmarks and criteria when evaluating agri-environmental measures.



"It is only when we take into account the area along with the yield together with the type of farming that we can achieve a balanced understanding of the ecological and economic effectiveness of environmental measures," said the study authors.



The research was conducted by agroecologists from the University of Göttingen, Germany and the Centre for Ecological Research in Vácrátót, Hungary.



---



By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Environmental measures for saving bees cannot be compared

Environmental measures can support agriculture biodiversity and wild bee populations....

With many links between climate change and cardiovascular health, experts say a new specialty of "climate cardiology" is needed to protect patients and the future planet. Greenhouse gas <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/we-must-do-more-than-slash-emissions-to-keep-our-climate-safe/">emissions</a> are the highest they have ever been as a result of human activities. This has prompted a rise in global temperatures and associated climate impacts, such as an increased severity of cardiovascular risk factors.&nbsp;



Major sources of greenhouse gas emissions include fossil fuel burning, agriculture, deforestation and meat production. Globally, the healthcare sector is responsible for nearly 4.5 percent of emissions, as well as nearly 3 percent of fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5). In the US, alone, the healthcare sector emits nearly 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.



Climate change leads to more frequent extreme weather events, air pollution, ecosystem collapse, and declines in global food production. All of these factors have direct effects on cardiovascular health, as well as indirect effects through other social determinants of health and the capacity of health systems to manage climate hazards, explained the authors.



<ul><li>In 2019 high temperatures were responsible for 93,000 cardiovascular deaths worldwide</li><li>Extreme weather events are linked to trauma, stress, and depression - all risk factors for coronary heart disease</li><li>Desertification, increased atmospheric CO2, and ocean warming and acidification affect nutritious food supplies:diets low in fresh produce, whole grains, and seafood are responsible for over 3 million cardiovascular deaths annually worldwide</li><li>Climate change may prompt the forced migrations of hundreds of millions of people, often to places ill prepared to provide cardiovascular health services</li><li>Air pollution from fossil fuel burning, industrial emissions, and landscape fires are responsible for nearly 1 in 5 (3.54 million) cardiovascular deaths globally</li></ul>



However, there are opportunities to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the global toll of cardiovascular disease. The authors suggest this can be done by transitioning to plant-based diets and restructuring food subsidies. Red meat, which contains high levels of saturated fat, is a major risk factor for heart disease, and is responsible for 738,000 cardiovascular deaths in 2019.



A shift to active transport is another opportunity, as walking and cycling promote physical activity while also cutting greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce stress, an expansion of green spaces in residential areas would also help absorb atmospheric CO2.&nbsp;



Transitioning our economy away from coal, oil, and gas towards solar and wind power, geothermal energy, and hydroelectricity would save more than 20 million deaths over the next 30 years.



“The window is closing to prevent the worst effects of climate change. The healthcare sector must take urgent action to prevent the climate crisis from undermining cardiovascular health,” warned the study authors.



The carbon footprint of healthcare systems can be reduced by promoting telemedicine, local ambulatory and self care and by cutting down on overprescribing, and unnecessary interventions. The authors emphasize that investing in disaster planning and early warning systems could help health systems prepare for waves of illness associated with climate change impacts. Medical education could also incorporate environmental health and sustainable practices in healthcare.&nbsp;



The research is published in the open access journal <a href="https://gh.bmj.com/">BMJ Global Health</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Links between climate and heart disease must be addressed

With many links between climate change and cardiovascular health, experts...

In a new commentary, experts are emphasizing the critical need for physicians to better understand the health benefits of plant-based foods. Since not all doctors are trained in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-have-nutritional-wisdom-we-eat-what-our-body-needs/">nutrition</a>, the report authors feel there is an urgent need for physicians to become aware of the benefits of plant-based diets for six specific health conditions: weight loss, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and COVID-19.



The commentary is co-authored by Dr. Saray Stancic, who is the director of medical education for the <a href="https://www.pcrm.org/">Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine</a>.&nbsp;



“The field of medicine, despite its prominent influence in society, has invested little to promote healthy lifestyle choices,” said Dr. Stancic. “The consequence of this is reflected in our ever-rising chronic disease statistics, most notably obesity and diabetes rates.”



The experts say that part of the problem is that medical schools offer "an anemic number of hours of nutrition education over 4 years,” and this does not improve in postgraduate training. A recent survey of more than 600 cardiologists revealed that 90 percent felt they had not received the necessary training in nutrition.



The commentary acknowledges that not all physicians must be experts in nutrition, but says that they should at least have rudimentary knowledge of the benefits of a plant-based diet for these six conditions.



When it comes to weight loss and maintenance, a recent study of 70,000 people showed that individuals who consume a vegan diet weigh about nine pounds less, and have a reduced risk of death. Other studies show that vegetarians have lower cholesterol and a lower rate of heart disease compared to omnivores.



Furthermore, active people with diets rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains have an estimated lower risk of breast cancer by 50 to 70 percent, while diets high in dairy products increase the chances of developing prostate cancer.&nbsp;



A study from Harvard demonstrated that individuals who consume a plant-based diet could reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by 34 percent. A separate Harvard study revealed that a primarily plant-based diet is associated with a 41 percent lower risk of severe COVID-19.



The experts also point to a study which found that a plant-based Mediterranean-DASH diet can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 60 percent.



“It is time for all physicians across the globe to speak to the importance of diet and lifestyle in health,” conclude the report authors. They say this can be accomplished through counseling patients, ensuring that hospitals provide healthy menus, lecturing in the community, writing articles, and by providing commentary to the media.



The research is published in the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ajl">American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine</a>, and will be presented by Dr. Stancic at the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine taking place in Washington, D.C.



---



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

Physicians need to know the benefits of plant-based diets

In a new commentary, experts are emphasizing the critical need...

Planet,Moon,And,Shadows,In,The,Water.,Elements,Furnished,By

While it is known that the circadian clocks possessed by animals are set by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunlight-helps-green-sea-turtles-with-tumors-recover/">sunlight</a> and darkness, little is known about the role of moonlight in the timing of daily behavior. A growing collection of research confirms that there is a connection between animal behavior and lunar cycles.&nbsp;Now, a study from the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna</a> provides new insight into how moonlight affects animal reproduction.



"Many species synchronize their physiology and behavior to specific hours. It is commonly assumed that sunlight acts as the main entrainment signal for ∼24-h clocks. However, the moon provides similarly regular time information," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"We have explored the marine bristle worm Platynereis dumerilii to investigate the role of moonlight in the timing of daily behavior. We uncover that moonlight, besides its role in monthly timing, also schedules the exact hour of nocturnal swarming onset to the nights’ darkest times."



According to the researchers, the study provides an explanation for the phenomenon that daily clocks from flies to humans can exhibit plastic run-times.



The marine bristle worm Platynereis dumerilii releases its eggs and sperm freely into the ocean. The males and females rise from seagrass to the water's surface, and the timing of this activity is critical for the survival of the species.



Scientists were already aware that bristle worms release eggs and sperm on just a few days of the month. The new study reveals that the worms also synchronize reproductive activities during very specific hours of each night.&nbsp;



“We show that moonlight determines when, precisely, during the night the worms start their reproductive behavior, which is always during the darkest portion of the night,” explained study first author Martin Zurl.&nbsp;



Rather than acting as the direct stimulus for swarming, moonlight changes the circadian clock period length, said the researchers. The time of moonlight changes every day by about 50 minutes, and it is the plasticity of the circadian clock that allows the worms to adjust to these changes.&nbsp;



In collaboration with the lab of Charlotte Helfrich-Förster at the University of Würzburg, the experts demonstrated that the specific decoding of moonlight extends the daily clocks of other species besides bristle worms.&nbsp;



“Our work reveals that there is an ecological meaning behind the observation that the circadian clock of an individual can run with different speeds,"&nbsp; explained study co-author Kristin Tessmar-Raible.&nbsp;



Humans also exhibit circadian plasticity, noted the researchers. For example, patients with bipolar disorder often shift their behavioral and physiological cycles in correlation with their mood switches.



Ultimately, the study authors hope that their work will help to understand the origin and consequences of biological timer plasticity, as well as its interplay with natural timing cues.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



---



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

How moonlight affects the circadian clocks of animals

While it is known that the circadian clocks possessed by...

Domestic cats are responsible for deaths of up to 270 million wild animals every year, and that is just in Britain, according to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204621003017?via%3Dihub">Landscape and Urban Planning</a>. The experts report that cats living next to natural areas have larger home ranges, and prey on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/releasing-goldfish-is-a-threat-to-native-wildlife/">wildlife</a> in nearby natural habitats.



For the investigation, the researchers tracked the amount of prey captured by&nbsp;79 domestic cats living across Berkshire and Hampshire. They compared the predation rates of cats in urban and suburban areas. The study revealed that cats living near natural areas killed more than twice as many animals.



The experts say that the domestic cat is "a predator of global significance." They suggest that restricting cat access is needed in areas where sensitive wildlife is found.



The researchers estimate that domestic cats living on the boundary of natural areas are responsible for about 34 deaths each year. Suburban cats, on the other hand, kill an average of 15 animals during the same time frame.



The experts discovered that urban and suburban cats killed similar numbers of birds, but those on the boundary of green spaces killed more mammals. In urban areas, blackbirds were the most common targets, while domestic cats in natural areas killed more robins.&nbsp;



The cats also killed rabbits, voles, bats, hedgehogs, and squirrels. According to study lead author Dr. Tara Pirie, domestic cats are causing more harm than just killing wildlife.&nbsp;



"Just the presence of a predator can cause wildlife to change their behavior either reducing feeding through heightened vigilance or staying away from a nest leaving it exposed, for example," said Dr. Pirie.



‘This can reduce the survival of both adults and offspring. Cats can also carry diseases such as [parasite] Toxoplasma gondii which can be transmitted to wildlife, again reducing their survival rate."



Dr. Rebecca Thomas from Royal Holloway explained that cats are a non-native species that can reach incredibly high densities. The team estimates that there are about 9.5 million pet cats in Britain alone.



---



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

Domestic cats kill hundreds of millions of animals each year

Domestic cats are responsible for deaths of up to 270...

Group,Of,Friends,Wearing,Protection,Mask,At,The,Restaurant,-

In almost two and a half years after the beginning of the Covid-19 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-world-is-still-unprepared-for-the-next-pandemic/">pandemic</a>, scientists have not yet managed to fully explain how features of the coronavirus turn some gatherings into superspreading events, while others do not lead to such a widespread transmission of the virus.&nbsp;



In a new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0089347">Physics of Fluids</a>, scientists from Canada and the United States have created a model connecting current biological knowledge about Covid-19 superspreading events with how such events have occurred in the real world to shed more light on this strange phenomenon. The analysis revealed that 80 percent of infections occurring at superspreading events arose from only four percent of those who carried the virus in those locations, called index cases.



By using real-world occupancy data from over 100,000 restaurants across 10 major US cities, the researchers examined several features ranging from viral loads to the occupancy and ventilation of social contact settings. They found that the main feature driving the high variability in superspreading events was the number of viral particles found in index cases, followed by the overall occupancy of the settings.



“While there are uncertainties and unknowns, it appears it is rather hard to prevent a superspreading event if the person carrying high viral load happens to be in a crowded place,” said study lead author Swetaprovo Chaudhuri, an expert in turbulent reacting flows and propulsion at the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto</a>.



Professor Chaudhuri and his colleagues also discovered that the variability between infection events was significantly higher than expected – a situation called overdispersion, which, in this case, indicates a strong heterogeneity in individual infectivity.&nbsp;



“It is now well known that Covid-19 is airborne, and that is probably the dominant pathway of transmission. This paper connects indoor airborne transmission to the evolution of the infection distribution on a population scale and shows the physics of airborne transmission is consistent with the mathematics of overdispersion,” explained Professor Chaudhuri.&nbsp;



“To mitigate such superspreading events, vaccination, ventilation, filtration, mask wearing, reduced occupancy – all are required. However, putting them in place is not enough; knowing what size, type, and parameters can mitigate risk to certain acceptable levels is important,” he concluded.



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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

What do we know about Covid-19 superspreading events?

In almost two and a half years after the beginning...

Cities are noisy, busy places that burst with activity. And wherever that activity is associated with the use of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electricity-may-be-the-cheapest-energy-source-by-2050/">electricity</a>, the flow of current through electrical cables and wires induces magnetic fields. So the patterns of induced magnetism in a city reflect the characteristics of the power network, as well as the usage of electricity by the city’s industries, businesses and residents.&nbsp;



In a recent study of the magnetic fields of two United States cities, researchers from the U.S. and Germany investigated the kinds of information that can be extracted from magnetic field sensors in various parts of a city. They collected magnetic field data continuously during a four-week period, using synchronized measurements with a network of sensitive magnetometers which were placed at locations such as elevators in high-rise apartment blocks, subways, bridges and sidewalks.&nbsp;



“A city is viewed as a physical system akin to a distant astronomical object that can be studied using a variety of multispectral techniques,” said Vincent Dumont, from <a href="https://www.lbl.gov/">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory</a>. “In short, our project was inspired by our desire to apply what we learned practicing fundamental physics research to the study of cities.”



The researchers compared the magnetic footprint of two very different U.S. cities, Berkeley, California, and the Brooklyn borough of New York City. They propose that examining a city's magnetic footprint can be used to monitor the health of that city, specifically in terms of optimizing its efficient use of energy and as a possible early warning system for trouble with pollution. Magnetic field activity from various sources in the city can provide insight into what is going on during a 24-hour period.



In the results of the study, published today in the <a href="https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0088264">Journal of Applied Physics</a>, the researchers found that Berkeley reaches an almost zero level of magnetic field activity during the night, while Brooklyn’s magnetic activity continues throughout the day and night.&nbsp;



“Again, not too surprisingly, we discovered that ‘New York never sleeps,’ or more seriously, that there are indeed a number of magnetic signatures specific to each city,” said Dumont.&nbsp;



“This work builds on our earlier experiments conducted around the city of Berkeley, in the San Francisco Bay Area,” he explained. “We identified the dominant sources of magnetic signals – which, not too surprisingly, turned out to be the trains of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, and learned to glean weaker signals from this dominant background.”



In recent years, the approach of studying cities by their magnetic ‘noise,’ as measured by magnetic field sensors, has become more popular and has been pursued in particular by the Center for Urban Science and Progress in New York. The researchers hope their network magnetometry and smart data analysis combination can become a valuable tool for future multidisciplinary studies in urban science.&nbsp;



“We hope this line of research will be picked up and further developed both by the members of our team as well as others, hopefully within cities around the world,” said Dumont.



Techniques using data from magnetic field sensors are particularly useful for fundamental physics research, such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory experiment for the detection of gravitational waves or the Global Network of Optical Magnetometers for Exotic Physical Searches collaboration for dark matter searches.



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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

A city’s unique magnetic signature can reveal its state of health

Cities are noisy, busy places that burst with activity. And...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/megalodons-grew-larger-in-cold-water/">Megalodons</a> (Otodus megalodon) were megatooth sharks that swam the world’s oceans between 23 and 3.6 million years ago. They reached enormous proportions, some measuring as much as 20 meters, and their giant teeth are found regularly in fossil deposits. In comparison, the largest great white sharks today reach a total length of only six meters. There has been much discussion of the reasons for this gigantism, as well as for the eventual extinction of the giant shark species. Competition for food has been proposed as a possible contributory factor.



In a study published today in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>, scientists have used a rather novel way in which to assess the diet of extinct megalodons. Diet is usually determined using the ratios of stable isotopes of nitrogen, or carbon, in the tooth collagen or dentine of an animal. These ratios are affected by the relative amounts of meat and plant matter in the animal’s diet. However, in the case of fossilized animals, the organic proteins have decomposed and mineralized, and may not be suitable for analysis any more.&nbsp;



In the current study the researchers analyzed the ratios of stable zinc isotopes (64Zn / 66Zn) in the enamel of fossil and modern shark teeth from around the world, in order to determine the trophic level at which the animal fed. Previous research has shown that carnivores have a lower ratio of the two zinc isotopes, herbivores have the highest, and omnivores are somewhere in the middle. Zinc stable isotope analysis of tooth enamel tissue, the highly mineralized part of teeth, is comparable to nitrogen isotope analysis of tooth collagen, but is a less established method.



“On the timescales we investigate, collagen is not preserved, and traditional nitrogen isotope analysis is therefore not possible,” explains lead author Jeremy McCormack, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/index/">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a>.&nbsp;



“Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, that diet-related zinc isotope signatures are preserved in the highly mineralized enameloid crown of fossil shark teeth,” added Professor Thomas Tütken of the Johannes Gutenberg University’s Institute of Geosciences.



Using this new method, the researchers compared the tooth zinc isotope signature of multiple extinct Early Miocene (20.4 to 16.0 million years ago) and Early Pliocene (5.3 to 3.6 million years ago) species with those of modern sharks.&nbsp;



“We noticed a coherence of zinc isotope signals in fossil and modern analogue taxa, which boosts our confidence in the method and suggests that there may be minimal differences in zinc isotope values at the base of marine food webs, a confounding factor for nitrogen isotope studies,” explained Sora Kim, a professor at the University of California Merced.



The researchers also analyzed the zinc isotope ratios in megalodon teeth from the Early Pliocene and those in the teeth of earlier megatooth sharks,&nbsp;Otodus chubutensis, from the Early Miocene. They compared the results with those from modern great white sharks in order to understand the position of these various species in their respective food webs.



“Our results show, that both megalodon and its ancestor were indeed apex predators, feeding high up their respective food chains,” said Professor Michael Griffiths of William Paterson University. “But what was truly remarkable is that zinc isotope values from Early Pliocene shark teeth from North Carolina, suggest largely overlapping trophic levels of early great white sharks with the much larger megalodon.”



“These results likely imply at least some overlap in prey hunted by both shark species,” noted Professor Kenshu Shimada at DePaul University, Chicago. “While additional research is needed, our results appear to support the possibility for dietary competition of megalodon with Early Pliocene great white sharks.”



New isotope methods such as zinc can potentially provide a unique window into the past, as illustrated by this current study. “Our research illustrates the feasibility of using zinc isotopes to investigate the diet and trophic ecology of extinct animals over millions of years, a method that can also be applied to other groups of fossil animals including our own ancestors,” concluded McCormack.



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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

Great white sharks may have sped up Megalodon extinction

Megalodons (Otodus megalodon) were megatooth sharks that swam the world’s...

Normally, ocean fjord waters are stratified into distinct layers, one stacked on top of the next. During storms, these layers can be mixed, which can cause the floor of a fjord to become oxygenated. Storms can also cause a release in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/impacts-of-methane-emissions-are-greatly-underestimated/">methane</a> from fjords.&nbsp;



Now, research from the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en">University of Gothenburg</a> estimates that the amount of methane emissions from fjords is more than the total emissions from all of the deep ocean waters globally combined. This is interesting because fjords cover only 0.13 percent of earth’s oceans compared to the 84 percent covered by deep oceans.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“It’s been known for some time that many fjords have anoxic environments closest to the bottom and that methane forms in the bottom sediment. Usually, only a small portion of this gas ever reaches the atmosphere because it gets broken down as it ascends through the more oxygen-rich waters closer to the surface. But in our research, we recorded large emissions of methane when the water in the fjord was mixed during storm events, for example,” said Stefano Bonaglia, a researcher in the Department of Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg.



Monitoring methane is increasingly important as global climate change continues to impact us all. Scientists estimate that methane accounts for 30 percent of the greenhouse effect. Although oceans naturally release some methane, human activity has increased eutrophication and created anoxic environments on ocean floors. All of this is especially true in fjords and drives their high methane releases.&nbsp;



“This is because in fjords, carbon-rich sediment is deposited from marine plants and animals as well as from materials entering the fjords from the surrounding land via streams that flow into them," explained Bonaglia.&nbsp;



"As fjords are relatively protected from ocean currents, the water tends to remain stratified in layers at different temperatures and with different concentrations of salt and oxygen. The layers closest to the fjord floor are anoxic regions where methane gas forms as the material in the sediment decomposes,”&nbsp;



Although the current research was carried out in Sweden, the same effects have been seen in fjords in Canada. The researchers hope that by understanding this effect, greenhouse gases will be budgeted and accounted for more accurately in the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23782242">Limnology and Oceanography Letters</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Large amounts of methane are released from fjords

Normally, ocean fjord waters are stratified into distinct layers, one...

The "most powerful meteor storm in generations" could light up North America’s skies on Tuesday morning. Americans can look up to watch the meteor storm between 00:45 and 01:17 am ET. According to Forbes, there could be an outburst of between 1,400 to 100,000 meteors.



The storm will be the result of a dying comet, SW3. Its fragments are predicted to cross through the Earth’s orbital path, and become visible in the skies above the United States and Canada.&nbsp;



The SW3 comet is responsible for the fragments of dust that cause the Tau Herculids meteor shower. In 1995, the SW3 split into large fragments, and has fragmented even further since.&nbsp;



The Earth could have a direct interaction with the debris from the comet for the very first time. NASA remains uncertain on whether the debris will reach the Earth this year, as they have cautioned the event will be "all or nothing."



Meteor showers happen when the Earth passes through comet or asteroid debris. Meteor showers can recur annually, and as a result, can be predicted.&nbsp;



Meteor storms, however, are less predictable. They happen when the Earth passes through a narrow and dense clump of space dust, turning into thousands of fast-moving stars. These fast moving stars provide an amazing show for star-gazers.&nbsp;



The Tau Herculids meteor shower is a pattern associated with the Hercules constellation, the fifth largest constellation in the sky. 



In 1930, SW3 was spotted by German observers Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann.&nbsp;In 1995, it unexpectedly became 400 times brighter, visible from the naked eye. This is because the comet’s core split into four, releasing gas and debris.&nbsp;



By 2006, the comet had shattered into 68 pieces, and has now likely broken down even further. Computer modeling suggests that fragments have spread out of its orbit like tentacles. These fragments could become visible once the Earth plows into them. And this is set to happen on May 31st for the first time since 1995. 



The result could be a dramatic meteor storm, depending on the concentration of debris Earth passes through. If visible, the meteor shower could last for up to two hours.&nbsp;



Bill Cooke, who leads NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center, explained that if the debris from SW3 was traveling more than 220 mph (354 km/h) when it separated from the comet, we might see a meteor shower.&nbsp;



'If the debris had slower ejection speeds, then nothing will make it to Earth and there will be no meteors from this comet," said Cooke. "It's a perfect opportunity for space enthusiasts to get out and experience one of nature's most vivid light shows."



The best view will be from the southwest of the USA and Mexico, and could also be seen from the southeastern provinces of Canada.



For more information, here are some details that outline the differences between an asteroid, meteorite and other space rocks:&nbsp;



<ul><li>&nbsp;An asteroid is a large chunk of rock left over from collisions or the early solar system.</li><li>A comet is a rock covered in ice, methane and other compounds with an orbit much further out of the solar system.</li><li>A meteor is a flash of light in the atmosphere when debris burns up. The debris itself is known as a meteoroid. Most are vapourised in the atmosphere.</li><li>If the meteoroid makes it to Earth, it is called a meteorite.</li><li>Meteors, meteoroids and meteorites originate from asteroids and comets.</li><li>For example, if Earth passes through the tail of a comet, the debris burns up in the atmosphere, forming a meteor shower.</li></ul>



Here is a predicted schedule for the remaining meteor showers of 2022:&nbsp;



<ul><li>Delta Aquarids: July 30 – 25 per hour – Steady stream over days</li><li>Alpha Capricornids: July 30 – 5 per hour – Yellow slow fireballs</li><li>Perseids: August 12-13 – 100 per hour – Bright, fast meteors with trains</li><li>Draconids: October 8-9 – 10 per hour – From comet Giacobini-Zimmer</li><li>Orionids: October 21-22 – 25 per hour – Fast with fine trains</li><li>Taurids: October 10-11 (Southern), November 12-13 (Northern) – 5 per hour – Very slow</li><li>Leonids: November 17-18 – 10 per hour – Fast and bright</li><li>Geminids: December 14-15 – 150 per hour – Bright and plentiful, few trains</li></ul>



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Powerful meteor storm may light up North America's skies

The "most powerful meteor storm in generations" could light up...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2111312119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> has provided a globally consistent dataset which identifies opportunities for land-based carbon removal to address the current climate crisis, while building an actionable framework to facilitate climate-smart restoration land management strategies.&nbsp;



“From <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diverse-forests-are-more-resilient-and-productive/">forests</a> to soils, terrestrial ecosystems store enormous amounts of carbon globally, and are capable of storing even more,” said study lead author Wayne Walker, Carbon Program Director at <a href="https://www.woodwellclimate.org/">Woodwell Climate Research Center</a>. “But realizing the untapped potential of land to aid in addressing the climate crisis means understanding how much storage space is available, where in the world that space is located, and what actions can be taken in those places to take advantage of the opportunity they offer as rapidly as possible. This study provides the data and conceptual framework for doing that.”



The team used a series of new geospatial maps which improve our understanding of the global gap between the current and the potential carbon storage on land. Dr. Walker and his colleagues quantified the unrealized potential carbon storage of both above- and below-ground woody biomass and soil organic carbon.&nbsp;



Through this method they identified 287 petagrams of untapped carbon storage, with 78 percent of it located in woody biomass, and the remaining 22 percent in soils - across temperate, tropical, and boreal climate regions. There is thus a massive potential for expanding land-based carbon capture through the restoration, maintenance, and improved management of forests.



“Forest stewardship represents the greatest opportunity for realizing carbon removal and storage in the near term, and the urgency of the climate crisis demands that we prioritize these efforts,” said study co-author Peter Ellis, Global Director of Natural Climate Solutions Science at <a href="https://www.nature.org/en-us/">The Nature Conservancy</a>. “Our research shows that after safeguarding lands required for food production and human habitation, improved management of forests and other woody systems - particularly degraded forests across the global tropics - offers tremendous climate mitigation potential.”&nbsp;



As scientists work with stakeholders to prioritize and design forest restoration efforts, it is imperative for them to consider the spatially explicit predicted climate conditions, costs, and implications for local human wellbeing these activities have, and to construct globally consistent frameworks to efficiently address current gaps and inform landscape-level planning.



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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&nbsp;

Forests will be our allies in the fight against climate change

A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the...

In the summer of 2020, eastern Asia suffered the devastating effects of an anomalous Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) that brought unprecedented rainfall and catastrophic floods. In China alone, hundreds of people died, 28,000 homes were destroyed and billions of dollars of damage was done. Although people hope this scenario will not be repeated anytime soon, Chinese scientists fear that it will become an all-too-familiar occurrence in future.



The WPSH is a key anticyclonic atmospheric circulation system that hovers over the middle and lower troposphere of the northwestern Pacific. It occupies about 20–25 percent of the Northern Hemisphere’s surface and plays a major role in the global circulation of the atmosphere and oceans. It is also closely related to Asian climate and weather, and dominates summer climate extremes in the densely populated countries of East China.



In an article published today in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, scientists from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the <a href="https://english.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), find that the frequency of strong WPSH events, such as the one seen in the summer of 2020, is likely to increase as carbon emissions in the atmosphere increase. This conclusion was based on the use of 32 different climate models for predicting outcomes under current scenarios of global warming.



Each year, the intensity of the WPSH is influenced by the variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in tropical regions such as the central Pacific and Indian Oceans. For this reason, anomalous SST can affect both local and remote rainfall and atmospheric convection, which in turn modulate atmospheric circulation over the northwestern Pacific.



Under conditions of global warming, rainfall and atmospheric convection can be more sensitive to SST variability. This is because the amount of water vapor that can be carried by the air increases exponentially with increases in temperature. 



In a warmer climate, the average moisture content of the atmosphere will increase and the response of tropical humidity and associated gross moist instability to SST anomalies will also be larger.



“These changes, combining with the non-uniform change in background SST, can lead to enhanced responses of atmospheric convection to the central Pacific SST, and then increased variability of atmospheric circulation, including the WPSH,”&nbsp;said study lead author Dr. Yang Kai.



“The increase in WPSH variability translates into an increase in frequency of strong WPSH events, which suggests that greenhouse warming is likely to increase the risk of East China flooding associated with strong WPSH events, as seen in the 2020 episode,”&nbsp;said study co-author Professor Huang Gang.



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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

Flood risk in East China is rising alongside temperatures

In the summer of 2020, eastern Asia suffered the devastating...

Fresh,Radish,Harvest,On,Soil,In,Garden.

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Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving fall garden, and this guide lays out the best vegetables and herbs to plant now for a fruitful autumn harvest. 



Fast-growing leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, kale, and arugula perform especially well in the waning summer heat, with harvests beginning as soon as 30 days. 



These cool-season crops relish the transition into fall, offering repeated yields with cut-and-come-again methods.



Root vegetables like radishes, carrots, and beets also excel during this period. Radishes deliver satisfaction in under a month, while carrots and beets mature in about two months. Employing succession planting ensures a continuous stream of produce deep into the cooler months. 



For a boost of fresh flavor, herbs like cilantro, basil, dill, and chervil are excellent picks. These heat-loving varieties flourish in July’s warmth and are harvest-ready in about 30 days, especially when sown continuously.



Gardeners in zones 6 through 9 can benefit from planting bush beans and snap peas, which don’t require trellising and are ideal for compact plots. 



Maturing in 50–60 days, they’re a smart choice for quick, protein-rich harvests. For those in hotter regions, heat-tolerant crops such as okra and southern peas provide reliable yields and thrive in scorching conditions.



This guide emphasizes more than crop selection—it highlights the importance of timing, soil preparation, and ongoing sowing techniques. 



With thoughtful planning and attention to regional climate needs, even late-summer gardeners can enjoy fresh salads, hearty stews, and the satisfaction of a robust, homegrown harvest well into fall.



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving...

Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

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https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



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-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

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.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" 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.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

[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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" 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.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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" 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 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



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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



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

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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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