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...

According to a recent survey conducted by the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02990-w">Nature</a>, two thirds of the climate scientists on the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> (IPCC) said that they expect the world to warm by at least 3°C, compared to pre-industrial temperatures, by the end of this century. The estimate is well beyond the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>’s goal to limit global warming to 1.5–2 °C.



Most of the scientists who responded to the survey expressed fear that the world is running out of time to avoid the catastrophic effects of anthropogenic climate change, and showed marked skepticism that governments will manage to slow the pace of global warming - despite the political promises they made at the Paris agreement in 2015.



Eighty-eight percent of the respondents claimed that the world is experiencing an enormous climate crisis and said that they expected to witness catastrophic impact of climate change during their own lifetimes.&nbsp;



Half of the participants said that global warming is causing them to reconsider major life decisions, such as where to live and whether to have children or not, and over 60 percent reported that they experience <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-people-are-increasingly-anxious-over-climate-change/">climate-induced anxiety</a>, grief, and other psychological distress.&nbsp;



“The pessimism expressed by some IPCC panelists underscores the vast gulf between hopes and expectations for the climate summit that began this week in Glasgow. In advance of the meeting, the United States, the European Union, China and others have announced new plans to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, although scientific analyses suggest those plans still fall well short of the Paris goals."&nbsp;



"Over the next two weeks, countries will formalize and perhaps even strengthen those commitments. But making them a reality will require as-yet-unprecedented political mobilization at the national level once leaders return home,” the survey authors warned.



Fortunately, a pessimistic outlook does not seem to completely extinguish hope that the situation could improve. Two-thirds of the scientists involved in the survey claimed that they are persistently engaging in advocacy related to climate change, by promoting science through speeches, publications, and videos, contacting lawmakers or government officials to advocate specific climate policies, signing letters or petitions calling for action, or participating in demonstrations.



As Charles Koven, a climate scientist at <a href="https://www.lbl.gov/">Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory</a> in California, put it, “I believe that the majority of people really do care about the future, and that it is possible for governments to coordinate and avoid the worst climate outcomes.”



---



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

Is there still time to avoid catastrophic climate outcomes?

According to a recent survey conducted by the journal Nature,...

In many animal species, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blue-orchard-bees-respond-to-fires-by-producing-more-females/">females</a> apparently choose male mates based on the presence of adornments, such as large antlers or bright colors, or the use of ritualized displays that in some way indicate a male’s fitness. This is known as sexual selection and is thought to be responsible for the presence of extravagant and unusual male characteristics.&nbsp;



But when the pool of possible mates is limited, females who are too choosy run the risk of ending up with no partner and no possibility of reproducing. The risks associated with female choosiness were the subject of a recent study by Wolfgang Forstmeier of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, and colleagues, who used populations of captive zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) to test their hypotheses.



Zebra finches are socially monogamous songbirds that have regionally distinct songs. Females prefer to select mates that have the same song dialect.&nbsp;



The researchers capitalized on this situation and set up 10 aviaries, each containing 12 male and 12 female finches from the two different dialect lineages. In each captive breeding colony, one-third of the females (4 birds) could choose from two-thirds (8 birds) of the males that shared the same dialect. This was considered to be a situation of relaxed competition as there was an excess of males from which the 4 females could select a suitable mate.&nbsp;



However, in each aviary the remaining two-thirds of females (8 birds) had only one-third of the males (4 birds) that shared their song dialect. This was thus a situation of high competition as these females had a shortage of preferred males from which to select a mate. They could either choose a male with a different song dialect or choose not to breed at all.



The researchers hypothesized that females that experienced high competition for mates would have less reproductive success (measured in terms of offspring that reached independence). They also theorized that these females would lay fewer eggs and start egg-laying later – because they would be busy competing for mates.



The results showed that 31 percent of females in the high-competition treatment chose to pair with a male of a different song dialect, while 26 percent refused to settle for this and remained unpaired throughout the experiment. The researchers termed these unpaired females “wallflowers.”



The surprise came, however, when it turned out that the “wallflowers” produced, on average, the same number of eggs and successful fledglings as the breeding pairs. It seems that there was no shortage of mating opportunities between unpaired females and paired males.&nbsp;



The unpaired females then chose either to build a nest and rear the young on their own, or they sneaked their fertilized eggs into the nests of pair-bonded individuals and left the chick rearing to them, like a cuckoo does.



Some previous studies have suggested that there will be a cost to a female that is too fussy when selecting a male, and that this cost (not reproducing) would act against the evolution of sexual selection as a process. However, the current study found that females who refused to pair with a male of the wrong song dialect would suffer no cost at all in terms of offspring produced.&nbsp;



In addition, unpaired females chose to mate with, and to deposit their eggs in the nests of males that had the same song dialect. With this reproductive strategy, these unpaired females were achieving the desired result even though they were not able to form pair-bonds with the preferred males.



The study is the first to quantify the fitness costs to females of being too picky. And indeed, the results indicate that, at least in zebra finches, these costs are non-existent, as long as the females are able to employ alternative reproductive strategies. This behavioral flexibility can facilitate the evolution of female choice and male sexual selection in monogamous species, the authors say.



“Our study asks how females cope with the situation that their mate preferences are difficult to satisfy," said Forstmeier. "The answer is: more successfully than we had expected.”



The study is published today in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLoS Biology</a>.



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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

Female finches can afford to be picky when selecting a mate

In many animal species, females apparently choose male mates based...

Recent neuroscientific research has found that social isolation can impact brain function in significant, and sometimes permanent ways. In a series of presentations given at <a href="https://www.sfn.org/meetings/neuroscience-2021">Neuroscience 2021</a>, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest conference on the brain sciences, several scientists argued that social isolation rewires the brain in complex ways, potentially leading to anxiety, depression, addiction, and other behavioral changes.



Humans are highly social creatures, who depend on social contact for their well-being. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, loneliness caused by social isolation increased significantly, leading to multiple neurological and behavioral changes. By using animal models, neuroscientists are beginning to identify the neurological bases of solitude.



According to scientists, social isolation is associated with changes to various areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, and the amygdala, as well as the dopamine and oxytocin systems, which are crucial for structuring patterns of social interaction. Such changes can lead to long-term deficits in social recognition, anxiety, depression, addiction to alcohol and various drugs, and weight gain.&nbsp;



“This research shows that social isolation impacts many brain regions and affects many different behaviors, resulting in increased risk for disease,” said Alexa H. Veenema, an associate professor of Neurobiology at <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a>. “The pandemic has had a tremendous effect on our mental health. This research will provide us with insights about which specific neural circuits mediate the behavioral effects induced by social isolation.&nbsp;We can then find ways to restore these neural circuits, counteracting the consequences of social isolation.”



According to Enrique U. Pérez-Cardona, a neuroscientist at the <a href="https://www.uprc.edu/">University of Puerto Rico at Carolina one of the best ways to mitigate the negative effects social isolation has on the brain is through regular exercise. In an experimental study, young rats which were isolated for ten days gained weight, became more anxious, and had a blunted dopamine response in their nucleus accumbens. However, rats that exercised five days a week for five weeks on a treadmill showed a significant reduction of anxiety and weight loss.</a>



Further research is needed to understand whether such findings can easily be translated to humans. Considering the widespread experience of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic though, there is an urgent need to better understand and prevent the long-term effects of social isolation.&nbsp;&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

Social isolation damages our brains

Recent neuroscientific research has found that social isolation can impact...

The Global Carbon Project has recently published its latest update. The most recent report finds that, although carbon emissions dropped by 5.4 percent in 2020 amid COVID lockdowns, an increase of 4.9 percent is predicted this year.&nbsp;



This rate of activity will nearly return emissions to pre-COVID levels, equating to the release of 36.4 billion tons of carbon in 2021. Emissions from coal and gas use are set to grow more in 2021 than they fell in 2020, but emissions from oil use remain below the 2019 levels.



In the United States and European Union, both major emitters of CO2, emissions were decreasing prior to the start of the COVID pandemic. This trend is set to continue for 2021.&nbsp;



India’s pre-COVID trend of increasing emissions is also set to continue. However, in China the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked further growth in CO2&nbsp;emissions, pushed by the power and industry sectors.



The research team – including scientists from the University of Exeter, the University of East Anglia (UEA), CICERO and Stanford University – say a further rise in emissions in 2022 cannot be ruled out if road transport and aviation return to pre-pandemic levels and coal use is stable.



The report contains the following analysis of major emitters (the figures below exclude international transport, particularly aviation):



<ul><li>China: Emissions are projected to rise 4 percent compared to 2020, reaching 5.5 percent above 2019 – a total of 11.1 billion tons CO2, 31 percent of global emissions.</li><li>USA: Emissions are projected to rise 7.6 percent compared to 2020, reaching 3.7 percent below 2019 – a total of 5.1 billion tons CO2, 14 percent of global emissions.</li><li>EU27: Emissions are projected to rise 7.6 percent compared to 2020, reaching 4.2 percent below 2019 – a total of 2.8 billion tons CO2, 7 percent of global emissions.</li><li>India: Emissions are projected to rise 12.6 percent compared to 2020, reaching 4.4 percent above 2019 – a total of 2.7 billion tons CO2, 7 percent of global emissions.</li></ul>



For the rest of the world taken as a whole, fossil CO2&nbsp;emissions remain below 2019 levels.



"The rapid rebound in emissions as economies recover from the pandemic reinforces the need for immediate global action on climate change," said&nbsp;<a href="https://emps.exeter.ac.uk/mathematics/staff/pf229">Professor Pierre Friedlingstein</a> of Exeter's&nbsp;<a href="https://gsiexeter.co.uk/">Global Systems Institute</a>, who led the study.



"The rebound in global fossil CO2&nbsp;emissions in 2021 reflects a return towards the pre-COVID fossil-based economy.&nbsp;Investments in the green economy in post-COVID recovery plans of some countries have been insufficient so far, on their own, to avoid a substantial return close to pre-Covid emissions."



"It will take some time to see the full effect of the COVID-related disruptions on global CO2&nbsp;emissions," said Professor Corinne Le Quéré. "A lot of progress has been made in decarbonising global energy since the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, plus renewables is the only energy source that continued to grow during the pandemic."



"New investments and strong climate policy now need to support the green economy much more systematically and push fossil fuels out of the equation.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The publication coincides with the meeting of the world’s leaders at COP26 in Glasgow, where they will address the climate crisis and try to commit to plans for a way forward.&nbsp;



Based on the findings in the report, atmospheric CO2&nbsp;concentration is projected to increase by 2.0 parts per million (ppm) in 2021 to reach 415 ppm averaged over the year, which represents a lower growth compared to recent years due to La Niña conditions in 2021.



If the world is to have a 50 percent chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, 1.7°C and 2°C, the researchers estimate the remaining "carbon budget" that can still be pumped out has now shrunk to 420 billion tons, 770 billion tons and 1,270 billion tons respectively. This is equivalent to a timeframe of 11, 20 and 32 years at the 2021 emission levels.



"Reaching net zero CO2&nbsp;emissions by 2050 entails cutting global CO2&nbsp;emissions by about 1.4 billion tons each year on average," said Professor Friedlingstein. “Emissions fell by 1.9 billion tons in 2020 – so, to achieve net zero by 2050, we must cut emissions every year by an amount comparable to that seen during COVID.”



"This highlights the scale of the action that is now required, and hence the importance of the COP26 discussions," said Friedlingstein.



The 16th&nbsp;annual Global Carbon Budget is published as a preprint in the journal Earth System Science Data, where it is currently open for review. The data presented on carbon dioxide emissions and how they are partitioned between land, atmosphere and ocean, are updated every year to keep track of CO2 levels globally.&nbsp;



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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

Global carbon emissions rebound close to pre-COVID levels

The Global Carbon Project has recently published its latest update....

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-cheap-antidepressant-may-reduce-severe-covid-19-disease/">COVID-19</a> pandemic changed our lives and lifestyles in many ways. Established routines were disrupted by school closures, remote working, enforced isolation, stay-at-home requirements, travel restrictions and social distancing. Some of us benefited from extra time at home during lockdowns, while others had to devote more of their time to child care and housework.



In a new study from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> and Queen Mary University of London, a team of economists analyzed daily lifestyle changes during pandemic lockdowns in the UK.



The experts collected data from detailed, retrospective time-use diaries kept by 766 UK citizens from across the social spectrum during three points in time: the last month of normality (February 2020), the first lockdown (May 2020), and the last lockdown in March, 2021. &nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers considered four categories of activity and calculated the quantity of time spent by each individual occupied in each of the activity areas: employment (excluding commutes); “housework” (from shopping to childcare); leisure (e.g. hobbies or home entertainment); subsistence (meals, sleeping, personal care). They also assessed the quality of time use by focusing on factors that affect an individual’s experience of an activity, such as with whom the activity was shared and the time when the activity took place.



The results showed that, during lockdowns, individuals spent less time on employment-related activities and more time on housework. These effects were most pronounced for individuals with young children. In addition, compared with pre-pandemic times, fewer individuals were employed and this particularly affected women with young children, who were significantly less likely to be employed.&nbsp;



For families with young children, parents who were employed spent an average of 43 minutes a day less on their paid job in the first lockdown, and 32 minutes less in the third, when compared with pre-pandemic times. For those without young children, there was an average decrease of 28 minutes and 22 minutes a day on paid work, respectively.



The study also exposed a gender bias in terms of changes to routine. Women with young children spent around an hour less on paid work a day than men and women without young children. During the first lockdown, the average time women spent on housework increased by 28 minutes a day, while for men the average time spent on subsistence activities (e.g. sleeping and eating) increased by 30 minutes.&nbsp;



During this year’s lockdown, women spent an extra hour doing housework, and mothers of young children did 67 minutes more housework a day than fathers did. In addition, only women saw an increase in cooking and cleaning activities (time spent on caring duties was spread across genders).



The study also showed that parents often forfeited leisure time. Living with young children at home was associated with a decrease in leisure activities of almost an hour a day in both lockdowns. Those without young children actually experienced more leisure time – around an extra hour a day – but most of this was spent alone.&nbsp;



When the researchers assessed the quality of time spent during lockdown – the self-reported “enjoyment” of given activities – they found that this extra time spent alone was less pleasurable to people and contributed to negative feelings concerning the effects of lockdowns.&nbsp;



An additional factor that reduced the pleasure of time spent was the increase in work-related demands that occurred outside usual working hours. The third lockdown saw around 20 percent of individuals spend more time working unusual hours compared to the pre-pandemic period, which reduced the reported enjoyment of their day overall. This was particularly pronounced in people who earned £5k a month or more. These high earners also spent less time on subsistence activities during the lockdowns.



Overall, during the third lockdown, the enjoyment of activities was about five percent lower than before the pandemic. The third lockdown certainly felt a bit more miserable than the first, according to the research.



“It is no surprise that having to do more work outside of typical working hours meant that people were substantially unhappier during the third lockdown," said study co-author Dr. Eileen Tipoe.



“And it was concerning to find that women, and especially those with young children, were disproportionately affected by lockdown – for example being less likely to be employed and the fact that only women spent more time cooking and cleaning.”



“The lockdowns resulted in drastic changes to patterns of time use, disrupting routines and blurring the distinction between work and family life,” said co-author Dr. Ines Lee. “We have hopefully seen the end of lockdowns, but our study holds lessons for hybrid working, as splitting time between home and office becomes more common.”



“Employers should promote better work-life balance in the post-pandemic world. This could include limits on emails outside working hours, home-working schedules that suit parents, and options for younger workers left isolated by reduced in-person networking." &nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.



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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

Lockdowns disrupted work-leisure balance, especially for moms

The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives and lifestyles in many...

A recent study led by the <a href="https://www.mpi-bremen.de/en/Home.html">Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology</a> has discovered new species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-pick-up-new-gut-bacteria-as-they-travel/">bacteria</a> that live inside the roots of seagrasses. These bacteria are in a symbiotic relationship with the seagrasses, converting pure nitrogen (N2) into substances that the plants can use in order to thrive.&nbsp;



Seagrasses are widespread in coastal regions of both temperate and tropical seas, covering up to 600,000 square kilometers (approximately the area of France). They are home to numerous organisms, including endangered species such as seahorses, turtles, or manatees, and act as a nursery ground for a large variety of fish species. Furthermore, they protect coastlines form erosion caused by storms, and capture millions of tons of carbon dioxide each year.



For most of the year, the habitat of seagrasses is poor in nutrients. Although nitrogen is present in the seas in its elemental form, it needs to be transformed in order for the plants to be able to use it as a nutrient. Through state-of-the-art microscopy techniques and genomic and transcriptomic analyses, an international team of researchers has identified and provided detailed descriptions of the symbiotic bacteria that help these plants transform pure nitrogen into nutrients.



“It was assumed that the so-called fixed-nitrogen for the seagrasses comes from bacteria that live&nbsp;around&nbsp;their roots in the seafloor,” explained study lead author Wiebke Mohr, a researcher at the Max Plank Institute. “We now show that the relationship is much closer: the bacteria live&nbsp;inside&nbsp;the roots of the seagrass. This is the first time that such an intimate symbiosis has been shown in seagrasses. It was previously only known from land plants, especially agriculturally important species such as legumes, wheat, and sugar cane.”



Dr. Mohr and her colleagues named these newly discovered bacteria Celerinatantimonas neptuna, after their host, the neptune grass (Posidonia). Relatives of these bacteria have previously been found in association with seaweeds. &nbsp;“When the seagrasses moved from land to sea about 100 million years ago, they probably adopted the bacteria from the seaweeds,” Mohr speculated. “They virtually copied the system that was highly successful on land and then, in order to survive in the nutrient-poor seawater, acquired a marine symbiont.”&nbsp;



“Our next step is to study these new bacteria in more detail. We want to isolate them in the laboratory to further investigate how the symbiosis works and how it developed,” Mohr concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-04063-4">Nature</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

Symbiotic bacteria provide nutrients to seagrasses

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

Blue whales are commonly known to be the world’s largest mammal, belonging to the family of baleen whales. These whales eat an enormous amount of food and contribute to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/upper-ocean-layer-contains-24-trillion-pieces-of-microplastics/">ocean</a> health by doing so, and a new study suggests that the massive creatures are eating even more than what has been documented.



A team of researchers at the <a href="https://www.si.edu/">Smithsonian</a> National Museum of Natural History has concluded that baleen whales eat around three times the amount of food that was previously estimated. This means that the number of nutrients they excrete, and thus contribute to ocean ecosystems, is far greater than initially expected.



The findings are providing key insights into the importance of conserving whale populations to maintain ocean health.&nbsp;



“Our results say that if we restore whale populations to pre-whaling levels seen at the beginning of the 20th century, we’ll restore a huge amount of lost function to ocean ecosystems,” explained study lead author Nicholas Pyenson.



Pyenson’s research team tracked 321 whales from seven different species across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern oceans, collecting data based on their food intake between 2010 and 2019.&nbsp;



Drone photography was used to measure the length of each individual to accurately estimate its body mass and thus the amount of water it filtered with each mouthful. In addition, echo-sounding technology was used to measure the density of prey species within the local waters.



Previous estimates suggested that whale populations within the California Current Ecosystem required around two million metric tons of food annually, but the new data suggests that this is actually the amount that is required for each individual species population of whales.



In addition to studying prey consumption, the researchers also calculated the amount of nutritious iron that would recirculate in the ecosystem through whale feces because of the new estimates. Using prior research, they discovered that large whales in the Southern Ocean recycle around 1,200 metric tons of iron annually, providing around 10 million times more iron found in Antarctic Seawater.



The findings led researchers to model what the marine ecosystem would look like a century ago, prior to mass whale slaughtering. The model predicted that Southern Ocean whales consumed around 430 million metric tons of krill annually in the early 20th century, a number that represents double the amount of krill found in the Southern Ocean today. Consequently, 20th-century whales would have produced 12,000 metric tons of iron annually, which is ten times the current amount.&nbsp;



Overall, the study concluded that restoring whale populations could have a highly beneficial impact on lost marine productivity, boosting the amount of carbon dioxide that is taken up by phytoplankton and thus helping to mitigate global warming.



“Our results suggest the contribution of whales to global productivity and carbon removal was probably on par with the forest ecosystems of entire continents, in terms of scale,” explained Pyenson. “That system is still there, and helping whales recover could restore lost ecosystem functioning and provide a natural climate solution.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.



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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

Large whales make a major contribution to ocean health

Blue whales are commonly known to be the world’s largest...

The dramatic weather events that we experience today are caused by relatively small increases in global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coastal-ecosystems-are-disrupted-by-small-temperature-changes/">temperatures</a>. In the distant past, during the so-called “hothouse periods,” the Earth was 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than today.&nbsp;



A new study led by <a href="https://www.seas.harvard.edu/">Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences</a> (SEAS) has found that during such epochs of extreme heat, the Earth may have experienced cycles of dryness followed by massive rainstorms, causing tremendous amounts of rain in a short period of time.



“If you were to look at a large patch of the deep tropics today, it’s always raining somewhere,” said study lead author Jacob Seeley, a postdoctoral fellow in Environmental Science and Engineering at SEAS.&nbsp;



“But we found that in extremely warm climates, there could be multiple days with no rain anywhere over a huge part of the ocean. Then, suddenly, a massive rainstorm would erupt over almost the entire domain, dumping a tremendous amount of rain. Then it would be quiet for a couple of days and repeat.”



By using an atmospheric model, Dr. Seeley and his supervisor, Robin Wordsworth, a professor of Environmental Science and Engineering at SEAS, simulated what would happen if the Earth’s sea surface temperature would increase to 130 degrees Fahrenheit.&nbsp;



They discovered that when the air near the surface becomes extremely hot, a barrier preventing convective clouds from rising into the atmosphere and forming rain clouds is created and all evaporation gets stuck in the near-surface atmosphere.&nbsp;



At the same time, clouds form in the upper atmosphere and the rain produced by those clouds evaporates before reaching the surface. However, after several days, the evaporative cooling from the rainstorms in the upper atmosphere erodes the barrier, triggering huge deluges.



“It’s like charging a massive battery,” explained Dr. Seeley. “You have a ton of cooling high in the atmosphere and a ton of evaporation and heating near the surface, separated by this barrier. If something can break through that barrier and allow the surface heat and humidity to break into the cool upper atmosphere, it’s going to cause an enormous rainstorm.”



“This study has revealed rich new physics in a climate that is only a little bit different from present-day Earth from a planetary perspective. It raises big new questions about the climate evolution of Earth and other planets that we’re going to be working through for many years to come,” concluded Professor Wordsworth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03919-z">Nature</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

When it rained on ancient Earth, it poured

The dramatic weather events that we experience today are caused...

Ecosystems that are structured around the relationship between animals and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-third-of-plants-are-completely-reliant-on-animal-pollinators/">plants</a> they consume are becoming unbalanced as large herbivores vanish. A new study has found that there are not enough large wild herbivores left on our planet in order for these ecosystems to function smoothly.



“Large herbivores provide key ecosystem processes, but have experienced massive historical losses and are under intense pressure, leaving current ecosystems with dramatically simplified faunas relative to the long-term evolutionary norm,” wrote the study authors.



Although June 2021 witnessed the start of the <a href="https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/">United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration</a>, with 115 countries committing to restore up to a billion hectares of nature worldwide, one of the biggest challenges will be to discover what levels of herbivore restoration will be necessary for a balanced functioning of ecosystems.



In order to answer this question, a research team led by <a href="https://international.au.dk/">Aarhus University</a> and the <a href="https://www.sussex.ac.uk/">University of Sussex</a> calculated a baseline for large animals based on the ratio between producers and consumers (that is, plants and herbivores) in natural reserves in Africa. A close match between large herbivores and the amount of plants they can eat currently exists only in Africa, according to the researchers.



"African ecosystems have species-rich mammal fauna and a large biomass of big herbivores that are significantly linked to plant productivity," explained study lead author Camilla Fløjgaard, an ecologist at Aarhus University. "But we can't find this pattern on other continents, and in general the large herbivore biomass is much lower than we would expect considering the level of productivity.”



By analyzing data from natural areas, as well as several protected regions, reserves, and rewilding projects in Europe, the scientists discovered that the biomass for large herbivores in natural areas was less than one-tenth of the biomass found in fenced rewilding areas with restored herbivore fauna.



"It’s thought-provoking that, even in many protected areas, the number of large herbivores is only a fraction of what the areas can actually sustain," said Fløjgaard.



In order to restore the stability and biodiversity of numerous ecosystems worldwide, efforts to increase populations of wild herbivores are urgently needed.



"Bringing back big animals is crucial to restoring self-sustaining ecosystems and conserving biodiversity, but it is not going to be easy," said study co-author Rasmus Ejrnæs, a senior researcher from Aarhus University. "Large animals are troublesome, because they damage crops, disrupt traffic and generally just get in the way. It will require political commitment and careful physical planning, including fenced reserves."



The study is published in the <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.14047">Journal of Applied Ecology</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

Large herbivores must be restored to balance ecosystems

Ecosystems that are structured around the relationship between animals and...

Rivers and freshwater lakes are the channels whereby macronutrients, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-reduce-the-oceans-ability-to-absorb-carbon/">carbon</a> and nitrogen, make their way from biomass on land to biomass in the sea. Each year, carbon and nitrogen usually enter freshwater systems after being leached out of the fallen leaves of forest trees. Once dissolved in lake water, both of these macronutrients influence ecosystem structure.



But now, a study led by scientists from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> highlights the disruptive influence of outbreaks of leaf-eating caterpillars.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Outbreaks of invasive gypsy moths,&nbsp;Lymantria dispar dispar, and forest tent caterpillar moths,&nbsp;Malacasoma disstria,&nbsp;occur at least every five years in temperate forests. The insects eat their way through so many leaves that the resulting decrease in leaf-fall changes the nutrient cycles between the land and the nearby lakes.



In addition, the caterpillars produce huge quantities of nitrogen-rich droppings (known as frass) that wash into the waterways and act as fertilizer; this changes the water chemistry.



Microbial growth is often limited by the availability of nitrogen, and so adding frass to rivers and lakes may also favor the growth of bacteria and algae in these systems. Increased microbial growth also leads to an increased production of carbon dioxide, as the microbes respire and undergo metabolic reactions.



“These insects are basically little machines that convert carbon-rich leaves into nitrogen-rich poo. The poo drops into lakes instead of the leaves, and this significantly changes the water chemistry – we think it will increase the extent to which lakes are sources of greenhouse gases,” said study senior author Professor Andrew Tanentzap in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences.



The study is believed to be the most extensive research ever conducted on how insect outbreaks impact freshwater carbon and nitrogen cycles. The researchers used 32 years of government data on insect outbreaks in 12 river catchments across Ontario, Canada.&nbsp;



The experts related this data to surveys of lake water chemistry and used satellite images of the forests to track changes in monthly leaf area cover. The results of the study show that, in years in which there are caterpillar outbreaks, the leaf area of forests was reduced by an average of 22 percent, due to the foraging activity of the caterpillars.&nbsp;



Correlated with these insect outbreaks, the nearby lakes contained 112 percent more dissolved nitrogen and 27 percent less dissolved carbon compared to non-outbreak years.&nbsp;



The effects were greatest when lake catchments contained higher proportions of deciduous, broadleaved trees, such as oaks and maples, which are favored by the caterpillars over the leaves of coniferous trees like pines.



In years when there are no outbreaks of leaf-eating insects, carbon and nitrogen usually enter lakes from decaying leaf and needle litter, and this peaks in autumn. In fact, a previous 26-year study of 266 lakes across the northern hemisphere showed that carbon accumulates naturally in these lake waters in a process called "browning." The trend is attributed to a variety of factors including climate change, and recovery from historical acid rain and logging activities.



However, when a caterpillar outbreak occurs, the leaf-fall is reduced to such an extent that carbon accumulation all but ceases for that year, which significantly improves the quality of the lake water.



“Outbreaks of leaf-eating insects can reduce the carbon dissolved in lake water by almost a third when the trees around the lake are mainly deciduous. It’s just amazing that these insects can have such a pronounced effect on water quality,” said study first author Sam Woodman.



The researchers are concerned that as climate change favors the northwards range expansion of insect populations, the risk of outbreaks of leaf-eating caterpillars will increase. This may lead to greater production of CO2 from nitrogen-enriched lakes.&nbsp;



The caterpillar phenomenon is even more worrying since there is an abundance of freshwater lakes further north. Furthermore, climate change is also expected to favor broadleaved deciduous trees around the lakes, which will amplify the effects of the insects.



Outbreaks of defoliator insects are clearly a double-edged sword. In outbreak years the large quantities of frass will favor the growth of greenhouse gas-producing bacteria in lakes at the expense of algae that remove CO2&nbsp;from the atmosphere. On the other hand, the reduction of dissolved carbon in the lakes during outbreak years when there is less leaf-fall has a positive effect on water quality.



“From a water quality perspective they (outbreaks) are a good thing, but from a climate perspective they’re pretty bad – yet they’ve been completely overlooked in climate models," concluded Woodman.



The study is published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.



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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

Caterpillar outbreaks drive CO2 emissions

Rivers and freshwater lakes are the channels whereby macronutrients, including...

Researchers from the <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/">University of Waterloo</a> discovered <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-reduce-the-oceans-ability-to-absorb-carbon/">carbon</a> residue encased in a 2.5 billion-year-old ruby while analyzing some of the world’s oldest coloured gemstones.



The research team, led by Chris Yakymchuk, a professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, embarked on a journey to investigate the geological conditions that aided the formation of rubies.&nbsp;



During their investigation in Greenland, which has the world's oldest known ruby deposits, the researchers unearthed a ruby sample that contained the carbon-based mineral graphite. This carbon is known to be a relic of early life.



“The graphite inside this ruby is really unique. It’s the first time we’ve seen evidence of ancient life in ruby-bearing rocks,” said Professor Yakymchuk. “The presence of graphite also gives us more clues to determine how rubies formed at this location, something that is impossible to do directly based on a ruby’s colour and chemical composition."



The researchers were able to examine the isotopic composition of carbon atoms, a property that measures the comparative amounts of different carbon atoms, due to the presence of graphite.&nbsp;



The isotopic composition revealed that more than 98 percent of carbon atoms have a mass of 12 atomic mass units, although a few atoms with a mass heavier atomic mass of 13 or 14 was detected.



“Living matter preferentially consists of the lighter carbon atoms because they take less energy to incorporate into cells,” said Professor Yakymchuk. “Based on the increased amount of carbon-12 in this graphite, we concluded that the carbon atoms were once ancient life, most likely dead microorganisms such as cyanobacteria.”



The graphite found in the rocks dated back more than 2.5 billion years when oxygen was scarce in the atmosphere and life was limited to bacteria and algal films.



Professor Yakymchuk's team determined that this graphite not only connects the gemstone to early life but was also likely essential for the existence of this ruby. The graphite altered the chemistry of the surrounding rocks, allowing ruby formations.&nbsp;



The research models showed that the formation of rubies in this area would not have been achievable without it.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/ore-geology-reviews">Ore Geology Reviews</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="http://mailto:ashikha92@gmail.com">Ashikha Raoof</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Graphite in 2.5 billion-year-old ruby linked to early life

Researchers from the University of Waterloo discovered carbon residue encased...

Scientists estimate that five to ten <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/volcanoes-stabilize-temperatures-at-earths-surface/">volcanoes</a> worldwide are capable of producing super-eruptions that would catastrophically affect the global climate. One of these volcanoes lies beneath the waters of Lake Toba in Sumatra and has already caused two super-eruptions in the last one million years.&nbsp;



By analyzing the levels of uranium and lead in zircon from the Toba volcano, an international team of geologists led by the <a href="https://www.unige.ch/en/">University of Geneva</a> (UNIGE) and <a href="https://english.pku.edu.cn/">Peking University</a> estimated a super-eruption could take place in about 600,000 years.



The Toba volcano caused two of the largest eruptions on Earth: the first 840,000 and the second 75,000 years ago, both measuring about 2,800 km3&nbsp;- enough to cover the whole of Switzerland with 7cm of ash. The researchers estimated these dates by measuring the amount of uranium and lead in zircon – a mineral found in the products of explosive volcanic eruptions: the youngest zircons provided information about the date of the eruption and the older ones about the history of magma accumulation preceding the super-eruption.



The scientists found that the time of magma accumulation between the two super-eruptions was halved due to the progressive increase of the temperature of the continental crust in which Toba’s magma reservoir was assembled.&nbsp;



“This is a ‘vicious circle’ of eruptions: the more the magma heats the crust, the slower the magma cools and the faster the rate of magma accumulation becomes,” explained study lead author Ping-Ping Liu, a professor of Earth and Space Sciences at Peking University. Thus, super-eruptions could become more frequent over time.



&nbsp;“Today, we estimate that about 320 km3 of magma could be ready to erupt within the reservoir of Toba volcano," added study co-author Luca Caricchi, a professor of Earth Sciences at UNIGE. &nbsp;“The next super-eruption of the size of the last two would therefore take place in about 600,000 years.”



The innovative methods used in this study could be applied to any other volcano on the globe and serve to identify those close to a super-eruption. Moreover, the study shows that no extreme events occur before a super-eruption.&nbsp;



“This suggests that signs of an impending super-eruption such as a significant increase in earthquakes or rapid ground uplift, might not be as obvious as pictured in disaster movies by the film industry. At Toba volcano, everything is happening silently underground, and the analysis of the zircons now gives us an idea of what is to come," concluded Caricchi.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/45/e2101695118">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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

Volcanic super-eruptions can build up silently

Scientists estimate that five to ten volcanoes worldwide are capable...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

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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

[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



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

[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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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