The thin line of gold behind every tap, swipe, and click on our electronic devices rarely enters daily conversation, yet the metal keeps digital life running, then eventually turn into landfills full of toxic e-waste. 



From the contacts in a phone jack to the chips inside a smartwatch, gold moves electrons smoothly and shrugs off corrosion. 



Mining more, however, blasts mountains, drains rivers, and spews carbon. With the global appetite for electronics still climbing, attention has turned to the growing junkyard of cast‑off gadgets.



E‑waste is now the quickest‑rising waste stream on the planet - roughly 63 million short tons in 2024 according to <a href="https://www.unep.org/ietc/what-we-do/e-waste-management" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">United Nations estimates</a> - and only a small share gets recycled in certified facilities. 



Most of our old electronics end up in landfills or backyard workshops, which then leak metals into the groundwater, creating toxic brews. A cleaner strategy is to reclaim precious metals safely before our devices make their way into the garbage heaps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cheese-e-waste-and-gold">Cheese, e-waste, and gold</h2>



A research team is now working to change that script. Professor Raffaele Mezzenga at <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ETH Zurich</a> and senior scientist Mohammad Peydayesh assembled colleagues in search of a simpler tool than acid vats or cyanide baths. Their unlikely inspiration bubbles up in cheese factories.



Cheese makers separate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cottage-cheese-is-making-a-comeback-due-to-its-nutritional-benefits/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">curds from whey</a>, leaving behind nearly nine pounds of watery by‑product for every pound of cheddar. Whey is rich in proteins that twist into hair‑thin amyloid fibrils when warmed in acid. 



The Zurich group realized those fibrils could be coaxed into a feather‑light sponge that prefers gold over the other metals lurking in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electronic-waste-is-growing-five-times-faster-than-recycling/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shredded phones and laptops</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-adding-a-cheesy-twist-to-golden-e-waste">Adding a cheesy twist to golden e-waste</h2>



The researchers stirred the fibrils into a gel, then dried it into an aerogel - think Styrofoam’s airiness on a nanoscale. Microscopic pores criss‑cross the material, offering miles of surface area inside a crumb‑sized cube. 



When a slice of this sponge meets a beaker filled with dissolved circuit boards, gold ions rush toward the proteins and cling tightly.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_schematic_credit-ETH-Zurich_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_schematic_credit-ETH-Zurich_1s.webp" alt="Schematic route followed to generate neat value via pure gold, extracted from food waste (whey) and e-waste as starting source materials. Credit: Advanced Materials" class="wp-image-1968796"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Schematic route followed to generate neat value via pure gold, extracted from food waste (whey) and e-waste as starting source materials. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Advanced Materials</figcaption></figure>



Early trials showed the aerogel collecting a far higher share of gold than plastic resins that recyclers often use. Better yet, the process skips noxious solvents. 



Water, moderate heat, and the natural chemistry of protein do the heavy lifting, which slashes both hazard and cost.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aerogel-and-a-protein-sponge">Aerogel and a protein sponge</h2>



For a head‑to‑head laboratory test, the team stripped metal parts from twenty <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-day-of-zero-waste-a-global-commitment-to-a-sustainable-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">discarded computer motherboards</a>, dissolved them in acid, and dropped in a fingernail‑sized piece of aerogel. 



Copper, nickel, and cobalt swirled in the brew, yet gold ions settled on the sponge far more efficiently. After a short soak, the solution cleared, signaling that most of the precious metal had left the liquid.



Numbers tell the story. The sponge drew out gold that was about 90.8 percent pure - close to 22‑karat jewelry - on its first pass. Competing adsorbents usually require extra purification steps to reach similar purity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-e-waste-ions-to-gold-nuggets">From e-waste ions to gold nuggets</h2>



Pulling ions from solution is useful; turning them back into solid metal is crucial. The Zurich group warmed the loaded sponge until the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fools-gold-may-be-a-valuable-source-of-lithium/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gold ions</a> shed their charge and merged into shimmering flakes. 



Heating continued until the flakes fused into a nugget weighing roughly 450 milligrams. Chemical analysis showed the lump was 91 percent gold and 9 percent copper, again hitting the mark for 22 carats.



This step also freed the protein skeleton. Burned away under controlled heat, the whey‑derived matrix leaves no synthetic residue, easing cleanup. Conventional resin beds cannot claim the same neat exit.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_gold-nuggets-recovered_Credit-ETH-Zurich_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/electronic-devices_gold-extraction-process_gold-nuggets-recovered_Credit-ETH-Zurich_1s.webp" alt="The gold nugget obtained from computer motherboards in three parts. The largest of these parts is around five millimeters wide. Credit: ETH Zurich/Alan Kovacevic" class="wp-image-1968794"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The gold nugget obtained from computer motherboards in three parts. The largest of these parts is around five millimeters wide. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ETH Zurich/Alan Kovacevic</figcaption></figure>



Recycling lives or dies on the balance sheet. Here the math looks encouraging. 



Procurement and energy costs for the entire operation are about fifty times lower than the market value of the gold retrieved. Even after accounting for labor and overhead, that margin hints at solid profit for commercial recyclers.



Lower operating costs open doors for smaller regional plants. Instead of shipping obsolete electronics overseas, communities could process them nearby, cutting transportation emissions and keeping revenue local.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-e-waste-has-more-than-just-gold">e-Waste has more than just gold</h2>



Gold steals headlines, yet the technique need not stop there. By tweaking pH or tailoring the protein structure, the same sort of sponge could sort copper, cobalt, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/water-captured-on-video-forming-out-of-thin-air-for-the-first-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">palladium</a> - metals vital for batteries and sensors. 



The team is already experimenting with pea‑protein waste from plant‑based milk production and collagen from fish scales. Success would guard against supply bottlenecks tied to a single dairy stream.



E‑waste is not the only target. Industrial rinse water from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quantum-computer-defeats-a-supercomputer-in-crucial-annealing-optimization-task/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microchip fabrication</a> and gold‑plating shops also carries trace metals worth reclaiming. A modular protein sponge could slip into those lines, trimming costs and curbing runoff.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-the-next-steps">Taking the next steps</h2>



“The fact I love the most is that we’re using a food industry byproduct to obtain gold from electronic waste,” Mezzenga says. In a very real sense, the method transforms two waste products into gold. “You can’t get much more sustainable than that!”



If pilot projects scale as hoped, tomorrow’s recycling centers may sit beside creameries and food processors, quietly turning yesterday’s whey and last decade’s gadgets into tomorrow’s circuit traces. 



The approach will not halt mining overnight, but every recovered ounce delays a blast, a slurry pond, or a diesel haul truck. 



That shift, multiplied across millions of phones and laptops, offers a straightforward path toward lighter footprints and longer‑lived resources - no new mountains required.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202310642" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Advanced Materials</a>.



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Invention turns our electronic waste into 22-carat gold nuggets instead of toxic trash

The thin line of gold behind every tap, swipe, and click on our electronic devices rarely enters daily conversation, yet the metal keeps digital life running, then eventually turn into landfills full of toxic e-waste. From the contacts in a phone jack to the chips inside a smartwatch, gold moves electrons smoothly and shrugs off corrosion. Mining more, however, blasts mountains, drains rivers, and spews carbon. With the global appetite for electronics still climbing, attention has turned to the growing junkyard of cast‑off gadgets. E‑waste is now...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> has revealed that a simple process of converting one greenhouse gas into another would not only help to mitigate <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-heat-northeast/">climate change</a>, but could also be very profitable. 

The researchers investigated the potential for converting methane into carbon dioxide, which is a much less potent driver of global warming. The experts found that swapping methane for carbon dioxide would have a significant net benefit for the climate.

Study lead author Rob Jackson is a professor of Earth System Science in Stanford's School of Earth, Energy &amp; Environmental Sciences. “If perfected, this technology could return the atmosphere to pre-industrial concentrations of methane and other gases,” said Professor Jackson. 

Methane emissions from rice cultivation, cattle, or other sources can be extremely difficult and expensive to eliminate. “An alternative is to offset these emissions via methane removal, so there is no net effect on warming the atmosphere,” said study co-author Chris Field.

Methane is challenging to capture from the air because its concentration is so low. The study authors propose that a crystalline material called zeolite could act essentially as a sponge to soak up methane.

[caption id="attachment_1872896" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/methane.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1872896" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/methane.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" /></a> Converting methane (CH4) to carbon dioxide (CO2) using catalytic materials called zeolites (CUII and FEIV). Image Credit: Jackson, et al. 2019 Nature Sustainability / Artist: Stan CoffmanCredit: Jackson, et al. 2019 Nature Sustainability / artist: Stan Coffman[/caption]

“The porous molecular structure, relatively large surface area and ability to host copper and iron in zeolites make them promising catalysts for capturing methane and other gases,” explained study co-author Ed Solomon.

The process may be achieved using a large system with electric fans forcing air through tumbling chambers or reactors full of powdered or pelletized zeolites and other catalysts. According to the researchers, the trapped methane could then be heated to form and release carbon dioxide.

The study authors believe that, with strategies like these, it may actually be possible to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels. Furthermore, if market prices for carbon offsets rise to $500 or more per ton this century, each ton of methane removed from the atmosphere could be worth more than $12,000.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Could converting methane to CO2 be a profitable climate mitigation strategy?

A new study led by Stanford University has revealed that...

Since the start of the 21st century, the melting of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/himalayan-marmots-extreme-conditions/">Himalayan</a> glaciers has dramatically accelerated, losing about a vertical foot and a half of ice each year since 2000. This is double the amount of ice loss that occurred from 1975 to 2000. 

Melting on this massive scale is an enormous threat to those downstream who rely on glacier melt-off for their water source.

"This is the clearest picture yet of how fast Himalayan glaciers are melting over this time interval, and why," said lead author Joshua Maurer, a Ph.D. candidate at the <a href="https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/">Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory</a> at Columbia University. He added that the glaciers have lost about a quarter of their mass over the last four decades.

Up until this point, observations as to how much mass the glaciers have lost have been fragmented, contradictory, and ultimately, inconclusive. 

However, this new set of data produced by <a href="https://www.earth.columbia.edu/">Columbia’s Earth Institute</a>, and published in <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>, has compiled decades-old information from satellites across India, China, Nepal, and Bhutan. Therefore, researchers are able to conclude that the melting of the Himalayan glaciers is consistent and climate change is the cause.

Maurer and his colleagues transformed satellite images of 650 glaciers into 3D models to depict the changing elevations and compare them to post-2000 optical data. This is where they saw the dramatic increase in melting which kicked off in 2000, where the glaciers lost about a half meter (20 inches) each year. 

More recently, the glaciers have shed upwards of 8 billion tons of water, with most water-loss (up to 16 feet per year) being concentrated at lower elevations.

Although Maurer agrees with other researchers who believe that precipitation shifts and increase in fossil fuel-based soot contribute to the melting, after he and his team looked closely at compiled temperature data, he thinks that the overall temperature increase is really to blame.

Ultimately, the melting of the glaciers will lead to water shortages later down the road, and some communities may even be at risk for massive flooding as meltwater lakes continue to rise. Unless measures are taken to curb the effects of climate change, we can only expect the rapidness of the melting to continue to speed up.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Joshua Maurer

Rising temperatures have accelerated Himalayan glacier melting

Since the start of the 21st century, the melting of...

Many urban areas have begun green initiatives as a way to improve sustainability and mitigate the environmental impacts of rapidly-expanding cities. These green initiatives often include strategies for increasing urban canopy cover through <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tree-cover-urban-heat-island/">planting trees</a>, which seems like a simple enough plan for environmental improvement. 

However, a new study from <a href="https://www.bu.edu/">Boston University</a> has found that urban trees actually die faster than rural trees – although they grow more quickly – resulting in a net loss of street-tree carbon storage over time.

Our understanding of the ecosystem dynamics of urban trees is rather limited, and it is no surprise that what we know about vegetation structure and function in rural forests doesn’t exactly apply to trees growing by city streets. In order to close our knowledge gap in this area, Ian Smith of Boston University and his colleagues estimated size-specific growth, mortality, and planting rates in trees under municipal control. 

Their study involved using a model to forecast short-term changes in street-tree aboveground carbon pools under multiple planting and management scenarios. They then compared their findings to those for rural, forested systems.

The results of this research, published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, showed accelerated rates of carbon cycling in street trees and mean diameter growth rates that were almost four times faster in the city of Boston than in forest stands in rural Massachusetts. While urban trees may be growing faster, high mortality rates (more than double the rural forest trees) result in a net loss of street-tree carbon storage over time.

Based on these results, it’s clear that beyond simply planting trees in cities, we should look to preserve the health of the trees that are already there. The study’s authors believe that strategic combinations of planting and maintenance will enhance the viability of green initiatives as a tool for climate change mitigation. 

“Cities are at the forefront of implementing climate mitigation policies, including urban greening, to combat rising temperatures and atmospheric CO2 concentrations,” explains Smith. “We find that tree planting initiatives alone may not be sufficient to maintain urban canopies in older cities like Boston, MA. Due to the age and size structure of the existing canopy, efforts to aid in the establishment and preservation of tree health are imperative for increasing urban tree cover and maximizing the wide range of ecosystem services provided by the urban canopy.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Urban trees grow more quickly - but also die faster - than rural trees

Many urban areas have begun green initiatives as a way...

Models projecting the impacts of climate change on Greenland’s ice sheet have drastically underestimated the role of cloud cover, a new study has found. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol </a>discovered that cloud cover is just as important, if not more so, in projecting Greenland’s ice sheet melt and corresponding sea level rise. 

Greenland has the second largest ice sheet in the world, and research has shown that the ice sheet is melting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenland-glaciers-melting-faster/#">six times faster than it was during the 1980s. </a>

In 1,000 years, the Greenland ice sheet could lose <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/6/eaav9396">eight to 100 percent of its mass</a>, adding anywhere from 1 to 22 feet of sea level rise. 

Given the important role that the Greenland ice sheet will have on future sea level rise, climate researchers are intently focused on accurately predicting ice melt. But most models and research focus solely on emissions and how different atmospheric greenhouse gas levels will drive melting rates. 

In this new study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the Bristol researchers found that cloud microphysics are an equally important part of the equation. 

“Until the end of the 21st century, clouds can increase or decrease the sea level rise coming from Greenland Ice Sheet by 11 cm,” said Stefan Hofer, the lead author of the study.

Clouds act like a blanket, trapping heat and speeding up warming. 

The models showed that if cloud cover is at its thickest, it will lead to the highest possible melt rates and thinner clouds will lead to less melt over Greenland. 

Cloud cover helps fill important gaps in current climate models and melt scenarios, and clouds could lead to an extra 40,000 gigatons of ice melt by the end of the 21st century. 

“Until now we thought that differences in modelled projections of the future evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet were mainly determined by the amount of our future greenhouse gas emissions,” said Hofer. “However, our study clearly shows that the uncertainties in our predictions of Greenland melt are equally dependent on how we represent clouds in those models.” 

The researchers say that cloud properties should be incorporated in climate modeling and that researchers should ramp up observations of long-term cloud properties in the Arctic to accurately project future Arctic melting rates.

--

By <a href="mailto:mailto@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: University of Bristol

Cloud cover will have a big impact on the future of Greenland’s ice sheet

Models projecting the impacts of climate change on Greenland’s ice...

A new study from <a href="http://global.oup.com/">Oxford University Press</a> has linked exposure to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/harmful-effects-air-pollution-exposure/">air pollution</a>, traffic noise, and living in apartment buildings with a higher risk of developing hypertension and some components of metabolic syndrome. The research also suggests that access to green spaces and natural environments can help mitigate these negative effects. 

Hypertension and metabolic syndrome are often precursors for cardiovascular disease, which is a leading cause of death worldwide. Metabolic syndrome is associated with abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated blood glucose. 

The causes of these conditions are complex and can be related to genetics, lifestyle, diet, or to environmental factors such as air pollution, noise pollution, and residential housing.

The researchers investigated the correlation between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and residential distance to green spaces with the development of hypertension and metabolic syndrome. The study was focused on people living in private houses or multi-story houses in Kaunas City and the second largest city of Lithuania.

The study revealed that above-average air pollution levels coincided with a higher risk of reduced high density lipoprotein, while traffic-related exposure was associated with a greater risk of hypertension, higher triglyceride level, and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The negative impact of traffic air pollutants, however, was only observed among the participants who lived in apartment buildings.

Because there is more traffic near the multi-family buildings, this lifestyle may be associated with the incidence of hypertension as well. 

The greenness and size of the available open public spaces were found to have the opposite effect on health compared to traffic noise and air pollution. 

"Our research results enable us to say that we should regulate as much as possible the living space for one person in multifamily houses, improve the noise insulation of apartments, and promote the development of green spaces in multifamily houses," said study lead author Agn Brazien.

The study is published in the <a href="https://link.springer.com/journal/10389">Journal of Public Health</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Creativa Images / Shutterstock

Air pollution and apartment living increase the risk of hypertension

A new study from Oxford University Press has linked exposure...

When you turn up the heat or switch on your <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-conditioners-capture-carbon/">A/C</a>, you’re basically attempting to combat the current climate – whether it be too hot or too cold. Ironically, the use of energy to keep ourselves at a comfortable temperature will be one of the biggest things influenced by our changing climate. In light of this, a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a> explored the impacts that climate change may have on energy demand.

Past studies have mainly assessed this topic for a single country or continent, but this research was done on a global scale. The study’s authors performed a global analysis using temperature projections from 21 climate models, and population and economy projections for five socioeconomic scenarios. A statistical model was then used to calculate changes in demand for three fuels and four economic sectors under modest and high-warming scenarios around 2050.

When compared against baseline scenarios where energy demand was driven by population and income growth alone, this study found that climate change increases global demand for energy around 2050 by 11-27% with modest warming, and 25-58% with more significant warming. The highest increases were seen in southern Europe, China, and the US, as well as large areas of the tropics. This is due to electricity needed for cooling, and these increases occur in the industry and service sectors of the economy.

“An important way in which society will adapt to rising temperatures from climate change is by increasing cooling during hot seasons and decreasing heating during cold seasons,” explains study coauthor Enrica de Cian from the <a href="https://www.unive.it/pag/13526">Ca’ Foscari University of Venice</a> and the <a href="http://eurogoos.eu/member/euro-mediterranean-centre-on-climate-change-cmcc-cmcc/">Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change</a> (CMCC). “Changes in space conditioning directly impact energy systems, as firms and households demand less natural gas, petroleum, and electricity to meet lower heating needs, and more electricity to satisfy higher cooling needs.”

The authors qualify their findings by pointing out that these are just representative of the initial impacts of global warming, and do not account for the additional adjustments in fuel supplies and prices or subsequent substitution responses by producers and consumers across the world that impacts may exacerbate.

“Whether future warming will cause the demand for energy to increase or decrease is a crucial question," says study co-author Ian Sue Wing, a researcher at <a href="https://www.bu.edu/">Boston University</a>. “If energy use rises and leads to additional emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, increased energy consumption for space conditioning could make it more difficult and costly to mitigate future warming. Quantifying this risk requires understanding how the demand for energy by different types of consumers in different climates will be affected by warming. The results of our study can in the future be used to calculate how energy market dynamics will ultimately determine changes in energy consumption and emissions.”

The study can also be used to help policymakers begin preparing for the energy increases in areas of the world where they are most likely to occur. It is clear that even the moderate levels of climate change we are likely to experience will have an impact on energy use around the world.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Andrey_Popov

Climate change may lead to significant increases in energy use

When you turn up the heat or switch on your...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> are reporting that bees exposed to a neonicotinoid pesticide are only able to fly one-third of the distance covered by unexposed bees. Reduced flight performance affects the foraging ability of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pesticide-bees-harmful/">bees</a>, and may cause colonies to end up with inadequate amounts of food.

Foraging bees are essential pollinators for crops and wildflowers, and weakened flight ability can compromise these crucial pollination services. 

The current study found that small doses of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid - levels that would be encountered in fields - caused bees to fly significantly shorter distances and for less time than bees who were not exposed to the pesticide. The toxic exposure reduced the area in which colonies could forage by up to 80 percent.

Just after the bees encountered imidacloprid, they appeared to enter a hyperactive state during which they flew much faster and likely wore themselves out, according to the researchers.

“Neonicotinoids are similar to nicotine in the way they stimulate neurons, and so a '‘rush’ or hyperactive burst of activity does make sense,” explained study first author Daniel Kenna. “However, our results suggest there may be a cost to this initial rapid flight, potentially through increased energy expenditure or a lack of motivation, in the form of reduced flight endurance.”

“Our findings take on an interesting parallel to the story of the ‘Tortoise and the Hare.’ As the famous fable states, 'slow and steady wins the race'. Little did Aesop know that this motto may be true for bumblebees in agricultural landscapes. Just like the Hare, being speedier does not always mean you reach your goal quicker, and in the case of bumblebees, exposure to neonicotinoids may provide a hyperactive ‘buzz’ but ultimately impair individual endurance.”

Study lead author Dr. Richard Gill is a researcher in the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial.

“Previous studies from our group and others have shown that bee foragers exposed to neonicotinoid pesticides bring back less food to the colony. Our study on flight performance under pesticide exposure provides a potential mechanism to explain these findings,” said Dr. Gill.

“The negative effects of pesticide exposure on flight endurance have the potential to reduce the area that colonies can forage for food. Exposed foraging bees may find themselves unable to reach previously accessible resources, or incapable of returning to the nest following exposure to contaminated flowers.”

“Not only could this reduce the abundance, diversity, and nutritional quality of food available to a colony affecting its development, but it could also limit the pollination service bees provide.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20457758">Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pesticide exposure impairs the flight performance of bees

Researchers at Imperial College London are reporting that bees exposed...

Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species. Seashells are a common souvenir to bring home after a tropical vacation. The shells often have bright hues of colors and curved designs, resembling the beautiful landscapes of the ocean. While seashells may seem like an ethical alternative to souvenirs that exploit animals, some species are facing overexploitation as a result of the shell industry.

Perhaps the most iconic of all seashell souvenirs is the queen conch shell. The spiraled, pink and orange shell is synonymous with a vacation to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/economic-coral-bleaching-caribbean/">Caribbean</a>. Not only is the shell memorizing in appearance, but it also allows travelers to stick their ear into the shell and hear the gentle sounds of crashing waves.

Although the queen conch shell is well-known, the soft-bodied sea snail who lives in the shell is relatively obscure. Unlike the queen conch shell, the queen conch itself is quite unattractive.

Shopping in marketplaces along the beach, it is easy to forget that the shells available for sale have been used as shelter for marine species. Some shells are simply found along the seashore, sans the accompanying living species. Other animals have been removed from their shells while they are still alive and sold for their meat.

Currently, queen conchs are intensively harvested for both their meat and shells. Since the 1980s,<a href="https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/17710"> commercial harvesting has ramped up</a> due to increased demand. Fishers mainly target queen conchs for their meat but the shells are seen as a source of additional income. From 1992 to 1999,<a href="http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/bio/jcigliano/MFEC/traffic_europe_report.pdf"> over 1.6 million</a> queen conch shells were traded internationally.

Overharvesting is currently the primary threat to the species. The queen conch used to be abundant throughout its range, from the Caribbean to Mexico and Florida, but populations have subsequently collapsed in regions.

The queen conch is highly susceptible to overexploitation due to its slow growth rate, occurrence in shallow waters, late maturation and high commercial value. Fishers often catch queen conchs by diving into the waters and catching them by hand. This method allows fishers to capture every individual in an area, according to ocean conservation group<a href="https://oceana.org/marine-life/cephalopods-crustaceans-other-shellfish/queen-conch"> Oceana</a>.

Although the harvest in queen conch is regulated in range countries, poaching remains a threat to the species. Additionally, not all regulations are based on the best science, Oceana<a href="https://oceana.org/marine-life/cephalopods-crustaceans-other-shellfish/queen-conch"> states</a>.

Queen conchs are far from the only species affected by the souvenir trade. The trade is estimated to include as many as<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Romulo_Alves2/publication/226326817_Molluscs_in_the_marine_curio_and_souvenir_trade_in_NE_Brazil_Species_composition_and_implications_for_their_conservation_and_management/links/56e69eef08ae65dd4cc1b25a/Mollusc"> 5,000 species</a> of mollusks.

The chambered nautilus, a prehistoric species known for its circular shell, also faces overexploitation due to the shell industry. The shells of the species are sold internationally for souvenirs, jewelry and home décor.

Despite laws protecting the chambered nautilus from harvest and sale in Indonesia, shell products are easily found. A<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0140593"> study</a> on the illegal shell trade in Indonesia found all 12 of marine mollusk species protected by national law available for trade. Chambered nautilus was the second most common species seized by authorities.

A<a href="http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/157301/26988554/1461354788687/Nautilus.pdf?token=Vrgt3DO%2BuQxAyt7Ly%2FgE38f1r7A%3D"> report</a> from the wildlife monitoring group TRAFFIC found chambered nautilus products for sale at over 30 shops, markets and other locations, mainly situated in areas known for tourism. Chambered nautilus products were even more common in the Philippines which has limited regulations on the trade. Over half of the shops visited by researchers sold chambered nautilus products.

The shell trade is subject to varying national and international laws. Tourists who are simply looking for a souvenir may not think to consider the legality of their product before purchasing it. These tourists may inadvertently be violating national and international laws by buying shell products and importing them into their home country. Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species

Queen conch has been protected by the international treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, since 1992. The chambered nautilus was afforded international protections in 2016. Both species are listed under Appendix II of the treaty, which means that individuals need an export permit proving that the specimen was legally obtained and the export is not detrimental to the survival of the species before they can export the animal or its parts.

Seashells are one of the most commonly seized wildlife products at U.S. ports of entry. Travelers caught with illegal wildlife products could face large delays and fines. According to<a href="https://www.cbp.gov/travel/clearing-cbp/bringing-agricultural-products-united-states"> U.S. Customs and Border Protection</a>, individuals can face up to a $1,000 fine for a first-time offense.

The United States plays a key role in the international shell trade. In ten years, over<a href="https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/17/prop/060216/E-CoP17-Prop-48%20Rev.pdf"> 900,000 chambered nautilus products</a> were traded internationally with the United States.<a href="http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/bio/jcigliano/MFEC/traffic_europe_report.pdf"> Two-thirds of queen conch shells</a> traded internationally in a seven-year period were imported into the United States.

The scale of the shell industry is unknown to many travelers. While people are generally aware of the slaughter of elephants and rhinos for their parts, the plight of mollusk species captured for their shells does not hit the same heartstrings. Mollusks may not be as charismatic as large mammal species but travelers should still take an active role in protecting them from overexploitation by researching relevant laws before traveling and refusing to buy products obtained in an unsustainable manner.

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By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species

Seashell souvenirs can cause overharvesting of species. Seashells are a...

Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change. In November of 2017, researchers at the <a href="https://www.salk.edu/">Salk Institute for Biological Studies</a> in San Diego launched the <a href="https://www.salk.edu/harnessing-plants-initiative/">Harnessing Plants Initiative</a> in an effort to exploit the natural ability of plants to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and combat <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/arctic-warming-cost-trillions/">climate change</a>. 

The Salk team, led by executive director Professor Joanne Chory, was granted $35 million last week through The Audacious Project at the TED 2019 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. 

“Every year plants and other photosynthetic organisms take up an incredible amount of CO2 - like twentyfold more than we ever put up when we burn fossil fuels - but then at the end of the growing season most plants just die, and they decompose, and it goes back up as CO2. That's been a real problem,” Professor Chory told <a href="https://www.wired.com/">WIRED</a> at the TED conference. 

According to the Salk Institute, plants capture 746 gigatons of CO2 and then release 727 gigatons of CO2 back into the atmosphere on a yearly basis. This natural system would work perfectly well if not for an additional annual contribution of 37 gigatons of CO2 from human activities. Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change 

The researchers aim to engineer plants that can take up more CO2 and also store it for much longer in the soil.

“There are a lot of geoengineering efforts to come up with ways of pulling carbon dioxide out of the air,” said chemical biologist Joseph Noel. “Plants do this anyway, so why not try a biological solution as well.”

Plants have roots made of a protective substance called suberin, which is the same material as the cork in a wine bottle and is very effective in capturing carbon. If the world’s crop plants were modified to have larger and deeper roots, the CO2 may remain buried in the dirt for hundreds of years as opposed to being released after fall harvest. 

“We don't want to change photosynthesis, because plants are already so good at it,” said Professor Chory. “But we want them to make bigger roots and deeper roots with more suberin. We think we can get them to make 20 times what they make now pretty easily.”

According to WIRED, the team believes that their method has the potential to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 20 to 46 percent. 

“These plants will be stronger and more sustainable,” said Professor Chory. “The old adage is, feed the soil not the plant.”

Currently, the researchers are experimenting with ways to engineer crop plants with increased suberin and root systems that are bigger and grow deeper into the ground. 

The team is working as quickly as possible. Beyond the swift action needed to mitigate climate change, Professor Chory is suffering from Parkinson's disease. 

“My days are going to be numbered in a way that I can see,” she told WIRED. “So that gives me a sense of urgency.”

Salk President Rusty Gage expressed his gratitude for Professor Chory’s work and leadership. 

“Joanne’s passion and commitment, as well as her decades of research into the biology of plants, has set the foundation for this revolutionary and ambitious approach,” said Professor Gage. “We are immeasurably proud of her and the entire Salk plant biology team for taking such a leadership role in combating climate change.”

For more information on the Harnessing Plants Initiative, check out this <a href="https://youtu.be/JSv5UkuRV-A">video</a>.

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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

Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change

Harnessing the power of plants to fight climate change. In...

The world’s forests play an essential role in the carbon cycle. Because trees act as carbon sinks, storing carbon and emitting oxygen, there have been a number of proposed climate mitigation solutions that involve reforestation and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/planting-trillion-trees-cancel-emissions/">planting more trees to cancel out emissions</a>.  

The more trees there are, the less carbon can be captured from the atmosphere. Some high-latitude boreal forests in remote northern regions have been storing carbon for hundreds of years. 

Some have suggested that increases in temperature driven by climate change could prove boost reforestation efforts, as warming temperatures speed up tree growth. 

However, researchers from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> have found that accelerated tree growth will not lead to increases in carbon storage. Instead, this accelerated growth will result in more carbon in the atmosphere because fast growth leads to less resilient trees that will die sooner. 

In other words, even though increases in temperatures accelerate tree growth, trees that grow quickly will also die young. 

The researchers discussed their findings in a study published in the journal Nature Communications. 

“As the planet warms, it causes plants to grow faster, so the thinking is that planting more trees will lead to more carbon getting removed from the atmosphere,” said Professor Ulf Büntgen, the lead author of the study. “But that’s only half of the story. The other half is one that hasn’t been considered: that these fast-growing trees are holding carbon for shorter periods of time.”

[caption id="attachment_1872677" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/tree.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1872677" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/tree.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="975" /></a> Image Credit: Ulf Buntgen[/caption]

For the study, the researchers collected and analyzed core samples taken from more than 1,100 mountain pine trees, dead and alive, from the Spanish Pyranese and 660 Siberian larch trees from the Russian Altai. 

The researchers used tree ring data from the cores to reconstruct past climate conditions, growth rates, and total lifespan for the trees sampled. 

While harsh and cold conditions during the pre-industrial era resulted in slow tree growth, the trees were also stronger and lived longer. Trees that shot up due to increases temperature in the first 25 years died off sooner, the researchers found. 

The sooner a tree dies, the sooner the carbon stored during the tree’s life is released to the atmosphere. 

“We wanted to test the ‘live fast, die young’ hypothesis, and we’ve found that for trees in cold climates, it appears to be true,” said Büntgen. “We’re challenging some long-held assumptions in this area, which have implications for large-scale carbon cycle dynamics.”

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Ulf Buntgen

Climate change may boost tree growth, but these trees will also die faster

The world’s forests play an essential role in the carbon...

As humans continue to pump more and more <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/co2-levels-highest-ever/">carbon emissions</a> into the atmosphere, plants are working overtime to counteract climate change through <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/altering-photosynthesis-crops-less-water/">photosynthesis</a>.

The question is, how long can this positive relationship between hard-working photosynthesizing plants and atmospheric carbon levels continue? 

Plants and trees take in carbon and emit oxygen as part of the photosynthesis process. Forests and green spaces serve as carbon sinks, where large amounts of carbon can be stored over time, which is why many climate change mitigation strategies involve reforestation proposals. 

Warming temperatures linked to climate change and increases in CO2 emissions are speeding up plant growth, but how plants are responding to carbon emissions on a global level has not been well understood. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.jcu.edu.au/">James Cook University</a>, <a href="https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/OandA">CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere</a> and the <a href="https://www.univ-lorraine.fr/">Université de Lorraine</a> in France conducted a study to measure the terrestrial biosphere’s global response to carbon emissions and climate change. 

The study was published in the journal Trends in Plant Science. 

“We know that terrestrial plants are currently absorbing more CO2 than is released into the atmosphere through the combination of fire, decomposition, plant respiration, and land-use change,” said Lucas Cernusak, the leader of the research. “This is commonly known as the land carbon sink, and we know it’s currently slowing the rate at which atmospheric CO2 is increasing. What we don’t know is how strong that response is, and how long we can count on it.”

The researchers used terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) to model photosynthesis trends over the years. GPP measures global photosynthesis by calculating the total amount of carbon taken in by plants on land over a period of time.  

After analyzing the data, the researchers modeled the relationship between carbon emissions and plant growth dating back to the beginning of the industrial era. The model showed a steady rise in global photosynthesis in tandem with increases in CO2 emissions. 

“We expected the two would correlate, since CO2 stimulates photosynthesis, but given the complexity of plant and environmental interactions we were impressed by how closely they have kept pace,” said Cernusak. “We can say that plants are working hard - the response is at the highest end of the expected range.”

The researchers next studied how increases in CO2 emissions impact photosynthesis at an individual leaf level and the global scale. 

“This is an important step forward in the long and complex task of gauging how terrestrial vegetation will respond to climate change in the longer term,” said Cernusak. 

Despite the consistent increase in photosynthesis due to rising CO2 emissions over the years, it’s not a relationship that can continue. 

As temperatures climb and the impacts of climate change grow more severe, weather extremes like drought, heatwaves, and flooding will put more and more stress on plants and trees and decrease productivity. 

Without land carbon sinks to help buffer climate change, atmospheric greenhouse emissions will rise, and climate extremes will snowball.

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By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plants have been working overtime to mitigate climate change

As humans continue to pump more and more carbon emissions...

Reductions in fine particle pollution have improved public health in the US. A new report from the <a href="http://www.thoracic.org/">American Thoracic Society</a> and the <a href="https://marroninstitute.nyu.edu/">Marron Institute</a> at NYU has revealed that air quality improvements over the last decade have resulted in fewer deaths and serious illnesses across the United States. 

While the study was focused on the two most potent air pollutants, fine particle (PM2.5) and ground-level ozone (O3), the progress can be almost entirely attributed to reductions in PM2.5 pollution.

According to the researchers, fatalities from dangerous levels of PM2.5 were nearly cut in half from 2008 to 2017. On the other hand, health impacts from O3 pollution have “remained stubbornly high.”

In addition to the lack of consistent improvement in the health complications associated with O3, the team found that the rate of eradication for PM2.5 pollution has started to level off. 

According to the study authors, it is likely that the health impacts from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-dementia/">air pollution</a> could increase over time as populations grow. The report also emphasized other challenges that could make it difficult to mitigate the public health issues driven by air pollution. 

“The proposed roll back of several Clean Air Act regulations and the proposed roll back of the greenhouse gas standard for automobiles will make it hard for communities to maintain their air quality, and even harder for cities with poor air quality to clean up,” said study co-author Gary Ewart.

“The large number of adverse health impacts attributable to ozone should motivate cities and states to start now to reduce their local emissions of precursors pollutants,” said study lead author Dr. Kevin Cromar. “Coordinated actions at the regional level, as well as strong actions at the federal level, will also be needed in order to make consistent gains in reducing ozone in many parts of the country.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.atsjournals.org/journal/annalsats">Annals of the American Thoracic Society</a>.

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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

Reductions in fine particle pollution have improved public health in the US

Reductions in fine particle pollution have improved public health in...

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 <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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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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Designing crops that can beat the heat

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



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.

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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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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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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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 <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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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.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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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



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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



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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 how Earth is unique in our solar system for its ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. But now, the water cycle is shifting as the climate warms, and scientists must find ways to predict how these changes will affect water availability.



Overall, 96 percent of Earth's water is saltwater, and nearly all of freshwater is found in ice and groundwater. These sources of water are linked as it passes through solid, liquid and gas phases.



In a warmer climate, the water cycle will be transformed. It will be easier for water to evaporate and form clouds, and storms will become more frequent and intense. Some regions will get too much water, while others will be left without enough water. In addition, soil moisture will be lost - which threatens food security.



Scientists are using satellite data from over the last 40 years to track changes that are happening in the water cycle. This will ultimately help us prepare for extreme events and better manage our water resources, according to ESA.



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



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Tracking changes in Earth's water cycle

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> features images of Saturn from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The photographs capture the start of the mysterious "spoke season" on Saturn - when unexplained features appear on its rings. 



According to NASA, both the cause of the spokes and their seasonal variability have yet to be fully explained by planetary scientists.



"Like Earth, Saturn is tilted on its axis and therefore has four seasons, though because of Saturn's much larger orbit, each season lasts approximately seven Earth years. Equinox occurs when the rings are tilted edge-on to the Sun," explains NASA.



"The spokes disappear when it is near summer or winter solstice on Saturn. (When the Sun appears to reach either its highest or lowest latitude in the northern or southern hemisphere of a planet.) As the autumnal equinox of Saturn's northern hemisphere on May 6, 2025, draws near, the spokes are expected to become increasingly prominent and observable."



Experts believe that the spokes may be a product of the planet's variable magnetic field. When magnetic fields interact with solar wind, an electrically charged environment is created. This phenomenon is visible on Earth as the northern lights.&nbsp;



"Scientists think that the smallest, dust-sized icy ring particles can become charged as well, which temporarily levitates those particles above the rest of the larger icy particles and boulders in the rings," says NASA.



The spokes were first observed in the early 1980s by NASA's Voyager mission. Depending on the angle of the rings, the spokes can appear dark or light.



"Thanks to Hubble's OPAL program, which is building an archive of data on the outer solar system planets, we will have longer dedicated time to study Saturn’s spokes this season than ever before," said NASA senior planetary scientist Amy Simon, head of the Hubble Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) program.



"Despite years of excellent observations by the Cassini mission, the precise beginning and duration of the spoke season is still unpredictable, rather like predicting the first storm during hurricane season."



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.

Mysterious "spoke season" captured on Saturn

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Closeup,Of,Fresh,Green,The,Napier,Bush,Grass,As,Animal

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="http://www.ntu.edu.sg/">NTU Singapore</a> reveals that some plants can remove toxic heavy metals from soil.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed samples of various tropical plant species to test for levels of heavy metals and metalloids. The study showed that there are existing plants with high levels of these contaminants, which means that these species are great candidates for drawing pollutants out of the soil.&nbsp;



Among the plants examined in the study, 12 species had accumulated several types of heavy metals and metalloids. These plants are widely available, including species that are native to Singapore.



“In a small nation like Singapore, land may be repurposed to support new development plans, so it is important that we have a green and sustainable way to remediate land that is contaminated," said Professor Lam Yeng Ming.



"We set out to uncover how to better make use of tropical plants to do phytoremediation and through advanced characterization techniques, we showed how some of these tropical plant species can be an environmentally friendly and literally a 'green' way to remove contaminants in soil."&nbsp;



"Phytoremediation also has benefits of cost effectiveness, simplicity of management, aesthetic advantages, and long-term applicability and sustainability. The strategy prevents erosion and metal leaching by stabilizing or accumulating heavy metals, so that helps reduce the risk of contaminant spread.”



Video Credit: NTU Singapore



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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.

Plants help remove heavy metals from contaminated soil

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes why herbicides are not as effective in killing weeds anymore. In the 20th century, chemical companies developed thousands of herbicides. The most commonly used herbicide was glyphosate, which was introduced in 1974.



Over the past few decades, dozens of species of weeds have evolved resistance to glyphosate. Depending on the site of action, the part of the plant that an herbicide interacts with, weeds may even be resistant to herbicides that have not been developed yet.&nbsp;



With increasing resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides, weeds are - once again - becoming a major concern for farmers.&nbsp;



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.

Weeds are becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) describes a dust storm on Mars that was nearly twice the size of the United States. As the storm covered the southern hemisphere of the planet, some of NASA’s explorers had to delay their normal activities.



NASA’s Insight lander put itself in a "safe mode" for 11 days to conserve battery power because solar power was disrupted by the dust. The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter postponed flights until conditions improved.



"A fleet of NASA orbiters monitor Martian dust storms like this one and serve as lifelines to Earth by relaying data from the rovers and lander on the ground back to the team. This includes the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, and Odyssey," reports JPL.



"Dust storms like this recent one start close to the ground and are spread by wind as they rise – warming the cold Martian atmosphere."



The images in the video were captured by NASA’s Curiosity as the dust rolled in. A fleet of orbiters monitored the dust storm from above, relaying data from Mars’ explorers back to scientists on Earth.



Video &amp; Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS



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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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NASA monitors giant dust storms on Mars

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. This strait provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.



Qeshm is separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait, also known as Khuran.&nbsp;The Hara Forest Protected Area is a network of shallow waterways and forest located between the island and the mainland. This protected region is home to sea turtles, snakes, and more than 150 species of migrating birds.



Qeshm is famous for its wide range of&nbsp;ecotourist&nbsp;attractions, such as the&nbsp;Hara marine forests. According to environmentalists, about 1.5 percent of the world birds and 25 percent of Iran's native <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-hummingbirds-avoid-sexual-harassment-by-looking-like-males/">birds</a> annually migrate to the forests, which are the first national geo park in Iran.



Tourists are also drawn to the island to see an age-old Portuguese&nbsp;fort, historic mosques, the&nbsp;Seyyed Mozaffar&nbsp;and&nbsp;Bibi Maryam&nbsp;shrines, and the "Valley of Stars."



The average temperature on the island is 81 degress and the region is often hot and humid. From June to August, the island is described as being oppressively hot. The ideal time to visit is during the winter season. 



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique.&nbsp;



"Inhambane Bay is a deep inlet into which the small Mutamba River flows," says ESA. "On one side of the bay lies the historical city of Inhambane, capital of the Inhambane Province, while the sister city of Maxixe, the economic capital of Inhambane, sits across from it. The province is the second largest grower of cashews, after Nampula, and it also produces coconut and citrus fruits."



The beaches of Barra and Tofo are popular with tourists. There are also coral reefs along the long coastline of Inhambane, making it an ideal destination for scuba diving and snorkeling.



"Mozambique’s extensive coastline heightens the country’s vulnerability to tropical cyclones that develop in the Indian Ocean as well as storm surge flooding," says ESA.



"More than half of the population lives in low lying coastal areas, putting communities at risk. Inhambane Bay was dangerously close to where Cyclone Idai made landfall in 2019 causing widespread destruction to the country."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Inhambane Bay in southeast Mozambique

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency </a>&nbsp;features the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, one of the largest tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland. The glacier is located on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet.



As human-induced climate change continues to drive up temperatures, global ice loss is accelerating at an alarming rate. ESA reports that, over the past decade alone, 3.5 trillion tons of ice have melted from the Greenland ice sheet. This is enough to cover the UK with meltwater 15 meters deep.



Based on satellite imagery, researchers determined that Kangerlussuaq entered a new phase of rapid retreat and acceleration in 2017. In their study, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2019.00123/full">Frontiers in Earth Science</a>,&nbsp; the experts report that the glacier's ice front is now at its most retreated position since the early 20th century.



"Given Kangerlussuaq’s previous impacts on both the magnitude and pattern of ice sheet wide mass loss, we predict that its new phase of retreat, acceleration and thinning will markedly enhance the south-east region’s contribution to increasing discharge from the ice sheet," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"More broadly, accurate forecasting of the ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise will require a deeper understanding of, and responses to, these non-linear ice dynamic processes."



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



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Kangerlussuaq Glacier 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 the complex relationship between ocean and climate. ESA's Climate Change Initiative will help us understand how oceans influence the climate and how climate change is impacting the oceans.&nbsp;



"Earth’s oceans are huge heat stores, soaking up 93% of the excess heat from human activity over the past 70 years. Ocean currents redistribute heat around the planet, from the Equator to the poles. Where this ocean heat goes influences weather patterns and regional climate," explains ESA.



"As well as absorbing heat, oceans are a natural carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This has led to the acidification of ocean water, threating marine life."



The amount of heat and carbon dioxide soaked up by the ocean depends on specific variables, including phytoplankton, temperatures, waves, salinity, and ice cover. Satellites can be used to measure these variables from space.



"From their unique vantage point, satellites provide key information for understanding the complexities of our planet and monitoring environmental issues," says ESA.



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



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Ocean heat influences regional climate

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes the importance of monitoring the shape of the sea surface, which is constantly changing. These observations have many applications, such as ship routing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">ocean</a> current forecasting, and debris tracking.



"A project supported by the Discovery element of ESA’s Basic Activities recently investigated a new technique to measure sea surface topography very precisely," reports ESA.



"The technique involves looking at satellite navigation (GNSS) signals that have been reflected off of the sea surface at very low angles. At these so-called grazing angles, waves and surface roughness have very little impact on the reflection process; the sea surface acts as a very smooth mirror."



Estel Cardellach is the principal investigator at the Institute for Space Studies of Catalonia, who first submitted the idea for the project.



“In a mirror-like reflection the phase of the signal can be tracked – it is continuous," said Cardellach. "Different surface heights result in different phase measurements. It gives a very precise measurement of the surface altitude at a few centimetres’ precision.”



The researchers developed a GNSS receiver and set up an experiment in the Balaeric Islands to collect signals from the receiver that were reflected off the sea surface. Ultimately, these signals will provide improved measurements of the shape of the sea surface.



Image/ Video 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

Monitoring the dynamic shape of the sea surface

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