Plants turn air into leaves, roots, and fruit, yet every molecule of the carbon they store has to squeeze through microscopic pores first. These pores, called stomata, dot the surface of nearly every leaf and set the pace for both growth and water loss.



The latest study from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford University</a> shows that each new stoma is the product of a lively conversation among neighboring cells and a hard look in the mirror. 



Dominique Bergmann and her team traced those talks in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/35048692" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arabidopsis</a> (Arabidopsis thaliana), the small mustard plant whose genome was first decoded in 2000.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-plants-form-and-adjust-pores">How plants form and adjust pores</h2>



Stomata behave like adjustable valves, opening when light and water are plentiful and closing when drought or darkness loom. Their numbers are not fixed; plants can make more or fewer during development, tweaking their gas exchange to match the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-future-climate-conditions-will-transform-plant-growth/">environment</a>.



For that plasticity to work, precursor cells must decide whether to divide again or settle down as part of the pavement around a stoma. 



The new research focuses on these larger daughters, called stomatal lineage ground cells, which had been thought to be passive passengers in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-use-sugar-in-ways-we-never-imagined/">leaf</a> development.



The Stanford team captured day‑long movies of living leaves and tracked every fate choice. They discovered that the future of each cell depends on its own size and on the crowd of neighbors encircling it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plants-use-nearby-cells-to-control-pores">Plants use nearby cells to control pores</h2>



Signals drift through the leaf in the form of tiny peptides such as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20010603/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">epidermal patterning factor 1</a> (EPF1) and its sibling EPF2, which tell nearby cells to slow down or stop forming new stomata. 



Because these messages travel only a short distance, the number of stomatal precursors touching a cell sets the strength of the “slow down” order.



Cells bordered by two or more precursors received a louder signal and dismantled an internal protein called <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982218302392" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SPEECHLESS</a> before it could trigger another split. Those with just one signaling neighbor heard only a whisper and often went on to divide again.



The researchers measured how fast SPEECHLESS disappeared and found that the rate jumped with every extra neighbor. By evening, many well‑connected cells had emptied their nuclei of the division‑promoting factor and settled into a quiet <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-learn-what-makes-plants-roots-grow-faster-and-stronger-autophagy/">life</a> as pavement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-cell-size">The role of cell size </h2>



Size turned out to be the second half of the script. When two sister cells emerged from a split, one was noticeably larger and carried a larger nucleus.



Bigger nuclei diluted the amount of SPEECHLESS even before degradation kicked in, pushing the concentration below the threshold needed to spark another round of division. Smaller sisters packed the protein more tightly and were free to keep the lineage going.



To confirm the link, the team boosted SPEECHLESS levels across the board. Large cells that normally would have retired instead re‑entered the cell cycle, proving that concentration, not mere presence, calls the shots.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plants-use-internal-guides-to-shape-pores">Plants use internal guides to shape pores</h2>



“Compasses have dual roles,” said Bergmann. The study builds on earlier work showing that internal “compasses” guide each split so that one daughter remains small and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-could-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/">stem</a>‑like while the other grows large.&nbsp;



Bergmann explained that the same molecular north arrow orients the division plane and then reorganizes the contents of the newborn cells to cement their different futures. 



Computational models confirmed that size, neighbor count, and SPEECHLESS levels together predict a cell’s fate better than any factor alone.



Warm nights add another twist: higher temperatures activate a photoreceptor called PIF4 that limits SPEECHLESS production, cutting back the formation of new stomata. 



The Stanford data suggest that heat might tilt the balance further by shrinking protein levels just enough to keep big cells out of the cell cycle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-improving-crops-and-farming">Improving crops and farming</h2>



Why should anyone without a microscope care how many times a leaf cell divides? Because every stoma trades water for carbon, the final stomatal count shapes a crop’s thirst and yield.



Breeders are already lowering <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37923396/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stomatal density</a> in wheat, barley, and rice to save water without hurting photosynthesis. Knowing that cell size and neighbor signals tune those numbers could make such tweaks more precise and less likely to backfire.



The work also hints at strategies for future‑proofing plants against heat waves. If larger precursor cells naturally avoid dividing under high temperature, selecting varieties with slightly bigger epidermal cells could be a subtle way to reduce water loss.



There is an evolutionary angle as well. Fossil leaves show that ancient plants reduced their stomatal density when atmospheric CO₂ climbed, mirroring the choices Bergmann’s cells make on a microscopic scale.



Understanding the cell‑level logic may help scientists read the rock record more accurately and model how modern forests will respond to rising greenhouse gases. It could even inform designs for synthetic leaves or bio‑inspired materials that need self‑regulating pores.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-research-on-plants-and-their-pores">Research on plants and their pores</h2>



The Bergmann lab now wants to trace the still‑mysterious signals that link cell size to peptide output. They suspect a size‑sensing pathway unrelated to SPEECHLESS that may give big cells an extra nudge toward differentiation.



If that circuit can be mapped, it might be possible to rewire it, allowing crops to adjust their stomata on demand without penalties in growth. Such control would be a powerful tool in regions where water scarcity and heat routinely threaten harvests.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57730-9" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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How plants decide where to put their breathing pores

Plants turn air into leaves, roots, and fruit, yet every molecule of the carbon they store has to squeeze through microscopic pores first. These pores, called stomata, dot the surface of nearly every leaf and set the pace for both growth and water loss. The latest study from Stanford University shows that each new stoma is the product of a lively conversation among neighboring cells and a hard look in the mirror. Dominique Bergmann and her team traced those talks in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the small mustard...

It’s strange that cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate, is central to a great mystery. For centuries, humans have grown and eaten cacao but somehow, we never understood one of the central processes that gave us such delicious food - its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bird-pollination-can-be-advantageous-for-plants/">pollination</a>.



Cacao flowers are tiny and the insects that gather on the tree are also miniscule and diverse, so it may be excusable that no one’s looked close enough at the right time to find a pollinator for cacao. Now, new research published in the journal <a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/26888319">Ecological Solutions and Evidence</a> examines the pollination of cacao.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



In northern Peruvian dry agroforests - that is, cacao plantations grown in the shade of other trees - glue was applied to the flowers of the plant to see what insect visited. A variety of insects were caught, with 38% being aphids, 13% were ants and 10% were thrips. In wet agroforests of southern Peru, thrips made up 65% of the insects caught, midges were 14%, and parasitic wasps were 10% of visitors.&nbsp;



There was also a difference in the behavior of insects in these different habitats. In dry agroforests, more insects were found in the shade. In the wetter agroforests, however, insects preferred to be in the sun - at least during the rainy season when the research was carried out.&nbsp;



Interestingly, the cacao set fruit at a rate of just 2%, hand pollination was only able to raise this number to 7%. This baffled the scientists who could only hypothesize. Perhaps there are no good pollinators for cacao in Peru. The scientists also noted that only an average of 30 pollen grains were found on cacao flowers, much less than expected for successful pollination.&nbsp;



There is still much to investigate in the pollination of cacao. "Among other things, it would be important to identify the main pollinators," said Justine Vansynghel, lead researcher and PhD student.



This information could help improve the yields of cacao in native regions like Peru, which lags behind the pollination rates of plantations in Asia and Africa, probably because these plants are high yielding clones. More research may finally discover the pollinator but for now, cacao remains a delicious mystery.&nbsp;



---



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

Cacao tree pollination remains a mystery

It’s strange that cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate, is...

One of the biggest challenges biologists face today is understanding and managing the complex ways in which pathogens proliferate and travel. In recent decades, a wide number of pathogens are seriously affecting – and often devastating – plant pollinators. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotics-used-on-food-crops-may-be-starving-bees/">Bees</a>, for instance, have faced massive waves of deadly infections from parasites such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/crithidia-bombi">Crithidia bombi</a>. Since insect pollinators are responsible for crucial ecosystem services estimated at well over $200 billion worldwide per year, their pathogen-induced decline has raised serious concerns, leading some scientists and policy-makers to call the situation a veritable “insect apocalypse.”



A research team from the <a href="https://www.umass.edu/">University of Massachusetts Amherst</a> has recently been awarded a $2.4 million grant from the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a> (NSF) in order to study the complex interplay among pathogens, pollinators, and the types of food that pollinators consume. This project will be conducted across a variety of scales – from the molecular to the community-wide – and is likely to have immediate applications for ecosystem protection and agricultural practices worldwide. &nbsp;



Biologists do not yet have a clear understanding of what role plants play in the interaction between pathogens and pollinators, or what function the quantity and quality of food available to pollinators may play in the insects’ ability to cope with disease. 



While flowers provide essential nutrients for pollinators, they can also be sites of disease transmission. At the same time though, some varieties of nectar and pollen could help pollinators fight disease.



“Our ultimate goal with this grant is to figure out what sort of plant composition, available as food sources for the pollinators, reduces infection,” explained project leader Lynn Adler, a professor of Biology at UMass Amherst.



Professor Adler’s previous research has found that sunflower pollen seems to be particularly efficient in helping the pollinators that consume it resist a wide-range of diseases. However, it is not yet clear why this is the case. 



For the new project, Professor Adler has assembled an interdisciplinary team of scientists, including mathematical modelers, biochemists, molecular biologists, and ecologists, to answer this and related questions, by studying the molecular, cellular, organismal, species, and community-level interactions of plants, pollinators, and pathogens. 



Moreover, Professor Adler and her team will use part of the funding to train a new generation of biologists and ecologists, who could play important roles in future investigations of the mysteries of life on Earth.



---



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

Can pollen protect pollinators from pathogens?

One of the biggest challenges biologists face today is understanding...

Trees all over the world have commercial value as suppliers of food, wood, and other marketable products. However, they are also enormously important in terms of supplying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-single-gene-could-control-biodiversity-in-an-ecosystem/">ecosystem</a> services that benefit humans and other living organisms. Their “hidden” value lies in providing such essential functions as sequestering and storing greenhouse gases, filtering pollutants from the air, adding aesthetic beauty and recreational potential to landscapes and providing habitats for countless other species.



Newly published research asks how the non-market value of trees in the U.S. (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) compares to their commercial value, and whether the tree species that provide the greatest benefits are under significant threat due to climate changes. The authors of the article in the open-access journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/">PLOS Sustainability and Transformation</a>, include&nbsp;Jeannine Cavender-Bares and Stephen Polasky from the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, U.S., and their colleagues.



Previously, the service value of the trees growing in forests and plantations in the U.S. was not known. However, the concept that trees provide ecosystem services to people allows researchers to quantify the value of these services in monetary terms. The researchers decided to synthesize existing sources of data to assess the annual net monetary value of five key ecosystem services that are provided by 400 species of trees across the U.S.&nbsp;



They considered only the value of climate regulation through carbon storage, the value (in terms of human health benefits) of filtering particulate matter from the air, and the value of producing wood products, food crops and Christmas trees. Spatially explicit information, by species, was available for these five ecosystem services.



The researchers quantified the net value of these five tree-related ecosystem services by calculating the value of benefits provided and subtracting the direct costs incurred to produce these services. In addition, they mapped the regions where trees are most threatened by pests and pathogens, climate change and the threat of more frequent fires. In this way they were able to identify locations across the U.S. where the services provided by important tree lineages are likely to be most threatened in future.&nbsp;



The researchers found that, between 2010 and 2012, the value of these five ecosystem services generated by trees totaled $114 billion annually. Carbon storage in tree biomass made up 51 percent of the net annual value, while preventing human health damages via air quality regulation contributed another 37 percent of the annual value. The remaining 12 percent of the net annual value came from provisioning services.&nbsp;



Trees in the pine and oak families were the most valuable, generating $25.4 billion and $22.3 billion in annual net benefits, respectively. Trees in these two lineages are widely distributed across the U.S. and occupy a diversity of ecological niches. Pines were most valuable because of their wood that fetches a high price and is used in the manufacture of many different products. Oaks, on the other hand, were most valuable in terms of providing climate and air quality regulation services.&nbsp;



Interestingly, trees in the U.S. provided more value in terms of their climate and air quality regulating services than they did in terms of commercial products. However, the majority of the tree species face threats from climate change, and populations will find themselves outside the range of tolerable environmental conditions in future, as the climate alters. In addition, the species most valuable for carbon storage will be most threatened by increasing fire frequency and the most valuable tree species overall will be most threatened by pathogens and pests.&nbsp;



“The fact that tree lineages have evolved to inhabit different ecological niches across the continent is important for sustaining the ecosystem services that we depend on for our life support systems," said Cavender-Bares. "These benefits from trees, however, are increasingly at risk."&nbsp;



"Our research team found that climate change threatens nearly 90 percent of tree species, while pests and pathogens put 40 percent of the combined weight of all U.S. trees at risk. We also found that the species and lineages of greatest ecosystem service value are the most at risk from pests and pathogens, climate change, and increasing fire exposure.”



The study had several limitations that likely contributed to an undervaluation of ecosystem services since the researchers did not have access to data for many ecosystem services such as erosion control, flood regulation, and shade-related energy savings. Future studies may provide more accurate estimates of the monetary value of these benefits.



“This study shows that the ‘hidden’ value of trees – the non-market value from carbon storage and air pollution filtration – far exceeds their commercial value," said the researchers. "Sustaining the value of trees requires intentional management of forests and trees in the face of myriad and simultaneous global change threats. Our study provides information and an approach that can contribute to precision forestry practices and ecosystem management.”



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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

"Hidden” value of trees far exceeds their commercial value

Trees all over the world have commercial value as suppliers...

A new study conducted by a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.pcrm.org/">Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine</a> has found that a low-fat vegan diet, without calorie restrictions, significantly improves joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis – an autoimmune condition which typically causes joint pain, swelling, and eventually permanent joint damage. Moreover, study participants following such a diet have also experienced weight loss and improved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-can-work-as-well-as-medication-to-lower-cholesterol/">cholesterol</a> levels.



“A plant-based diet could be the prescription to alleviate joint pain for millions of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis,” said study lead author Neal Barnard, the president of the Physicians Committee. “And all of the side effects, including weight loss and lower cholesterol, are only beneficial.”



At the outset of the study, Dr. Barnard and his team asked participants to use a visual analog scale (VAS) to rate the severity of their joint pain in the two weeks preceding the study, from “no pain” to “pain as bad as it could possibly be.” Based on tender joints, swollen joints, and C-reactive protein values, the scientists also calculated participants’ Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28), which indicates the level of inflammation in the body.



The study involved 44 participants with rheumatoid arthritis who were assigned to one of two groups for a period of 16 weeks. One of the groups followed a vegan diet for a month, with the elimination of additional foods for three weeks, then the gradual reintroduction of these foods over a period of nine weeks. The other group had no diet restrictions, but were asked to take a daily placebo capsule. Afterwards, the groups switched diets for another 16 weeks.&nbsp;



During the vegan phase, participants’ DAS28 decreased two points of average, compared to a 0.3 decrease in the placebo group, indicating diet-induced reductions in joint pain. The average number of swollen joints has also decreased from 7.0 to 3.3 in the vegan phase, while the VAS ratings have improved significantly.



Besides offering strong evidence that a vegan diet can significantly ease joint pain and reduce inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, this study also found that, in the vegan diet group, participants’ body weight decreased by about 14 pounds on average, and cholesterol levels improved.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/15598276221081819">American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine</a>.&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

Vegan diet reduces arthritis pain and inflammation

A new study conducted by a team of researchers from...

Birds are important visitors to coffee plantations because they prey on insects, like the coffee berry borer, that would otherwise harm the coffee beans or plants. In addition, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weeds-are-much-more-valuable-to-pollinators-than/">pollinating insects</a> are crucial for the fertilization of the coffee flowers, so they are also welcome visitors to coffee farms. But a new study, conducted by scientists from Latin America and the U.S., indicates that these two natural forces have more of an impact when they work together.&nbsp;



“Until now, researchers have typically calculated the benefits of nature separately, and then simply added them up,” said lead author Alejandra Martínez-Salinas of the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica. “But nature is an interacting system, full of important synergies and trade-offs. We show the ecological and economic importance of these interactions, in one of the first experiments at realistic scales in actual farms.” &nbsp;



Researchers manipulated visits by insects and birds to the coffee plants on 30 different coffee farms in the U.S. and Latin America. They excluded birds by covering the plants with large nets, and excluded pollinating insects using small lace bags that were placed over the flowers.&nbsp;



The experts set up four experimental scenarios: allowing bird activity alone (pest control), bee activity alone (pollination), no bird or bee activity at all, and finally, leaving trees in a natural condition, where bees and birds were free to pollinate and eat insects at will.



The results, published today in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, show that the combined positive effects of birds and bees on fruit set, fruit weight, and fruit uniformity – all important factors in determining quality and price – were greater than the sum of their individual contributions.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Overall, the study indicated that without birds and bees (and other pollinating insects), the average yield declined nearly 25 percent. This represents a reduction in income of roughly $1,066 per hectare, which would be highly significant for the $26 billion coffee industry. All those involved, including consumers, farmers, and corporations that prepare and package coffee, depend on nature’s unpaid labor for this popular product.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“These results suggest that past assessments of individual ecological services - including major global efforts like IPBES [Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services] - may actually underestimate the benefits biodiversity provides to agriculture and human wellbeing,” said Taylor Ricketts of the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a>. “These positive interactions mean ecosystem services are more valuable together than separately.”&nbsp;



The researchers were very surprised to find that many of the birds providing pest control in the coffee plantations in Costa Rica were migrants that had flown thousands of miles from Canada and the U.S. In fact, some spent their summers in Vermont, exactly where the UVM scientists taking part in this study hailed from.



The team is also studying how changing farm landscapes impact the ability of birds and bees to deliver benefits to coffee production. They are supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act.&nbsp;



“One important reason we measure these contributions is to help protect and conserve the many species that we depend on, and sometimes take for granted,” said Natalia Aristizábal, a PhD candidate at UVM’s Gund Institute for Environment and Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. “Birds, bees, and millions of other species support our lives and livelihoods, but face threats like habitat destruction and climate change.”&nbsp;



In addition to Martínez-Salinas (Nicaragua), Ricketts (USA), Aristizábal (Colombia), the international research team from CATIE included&nbsp;Adina Chain-Guadarrama (México), Sergio Vilchez Mendoza (Nicaragua), and Rolando Cerda (Bolivia).&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

The birds and the bees boost coffee production

Birds are important visitors to coffee plantations because they prey...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> has exposed the widespread harm that is caused by palm <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/orangutans-are-starving-from-fruit-shortages/">fruit</a> harvesting in Peru. The experts found that changing the way fruit is gathered from the palm tree Mauritia flexuosa could have enormous environmental and economic benefits.



The Mauritia flexuosa palm tree is dioecious, (with both female and male trees), and the females bear the fruit. The palm tree’s fruit, aguaje, is an important part of the Peruvian economy. With a large extent of the female trees being cut down, many forests contain mostly male trees and do not produce much fruit.



In collaboration with experts at the Peruvian Amazon Research Institute, the researchers investigated where and why the palm trees were felled. Detailed maps produced by the team reveal the extent of the environmental and economic damage caused by cutting the palm trees down.



“Cutting down female palm trees to harvest the fruit has halved the total production of fruit of this palm that is available to local communities," said study lead author Gabriel Hidalgo.&nbsp;



“This is a clear example of the impact of humans on natural resource levels, in an ecosystem that, on first look, appears undamaged."



“However, changing the way the fruit is harvested can increase both the number of fruit-bearing palms trees, and the value of these Amazonian peatland ecosystems to people.”



Mauritia flexuosa is the most common species of tree in the lowland tropical peatlands in northeastern Peru. These peatland ecosystems store more carbon than any other part of the vast Amazon region.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed data from 93 sites across palm swamp forests. They found that there are a few places where people climb the palm trees to collect fruit - rather than cutting the trees down. As a result, these areas have a higher number of fruit-bearing female trees.



The researchers estimate that by switching to tree climbing, the overall harvest could increase by 51 percent and generate $62 million a year for the local economy.



"This study shows that financially, over the long term, the potential value of the palm fruit ‘aguaje’ for this region of Peru is similar in value to activities such as logging and oil extraction. Sustainable palm fruit harvesting could therefore provide a real economic alternative for local people," said study co-author Dennis del Castillo.



Professor Tim Baker noted that reducing deforestation of tropical forests is a global priority to mitigate climate change. "Achieving success depends on increasing the value of standing forest to people who live in these landscapes. This study demonstrates a pathway to do this in one of the most carbon-rich landscapes on the planet.”



The study, which was funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</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

Palm trees in Peru could help save the environment

A new study from the University of Leeds has exposed...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amazon-rainforest-is-creeping-closer-to-a-tipping-point/">Amazon</a> rainforest is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. As the world's largest tropical rainforest, it also plays an important part in regulating the planet's oxygen and carbon cycles. Yet, the harsh reality is that this vital ecosystem may not be able to survive the pressures of deforestation and human-induced climate change.&nbsp;



Many scientists believe that the Amazon may soon reach a tipping point - a critical threshold beyond which it can no longer sustain rainforest. Some experts predict that the Amazon rainforest is being irreversibly transformed into dry savannah. Until now, however, the inception of this transition has not been supported by observations.



In a new study from the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn/">Institute of Atmospheric Physics</a> (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, experts have revealed how deforestation is triggering an irreversible transition in the Amazon hydrological system. According to the researchers, the consequences could trigger a tipping point to a treeless Amazon.



"Here we show that reduction in evapotranspiration from 20 years of deforestation dried the atmosphere persistently and caused moisture decoupling, i.e. an opposite sign of moisture change between the lower and middle troposphere. Increased deforestation exacerbated the lower troposphere drying and caused it to penetrate deeper into the middle troposphere in the dry and transition seasons over monsoon forests and savannas," explained the researchers.



"Deforestation induced warming-enhanced buoyant updrafts, elevated hot and dry air and thereby reduced downward mixing of water supplies from the tropical Atlantic that normally moisten the Amazon forests."



Study co-author Dr. Gensuo Jia said that the severe atmospheric desiccation cannot be compensated by enhanced water supplies from the Atlantic Ocean, demonstrating an emerging transition in Amazon hydrological cycle.



Despite the grim findings, the study has also produced some hopeful results. The experts determined that the drying over the northern part of Amazon rainforest has just recently occurred, which indicates that there may be an opportunity for preventing ecosystem collapse with forest conservation.&nbsp;



"Large scale forest conservation and ecological restoration are still promising and offer opportunities for reversing the drying trend and preventing ecosystem collapse," said Dr. Jia.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-research">Environmental Research</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

Deforestation linked to irreversible transition in the Amazon

The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse places...

A compound found in wild blueberries may speed up the process of wound healing, according to new research. The results of the study suggest that blueberry <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/could-a-botanical-extract-extend-the-lifespan-of-humans/">extract</a> could dramatically improve wound healing, and may ultimately reduce the massive cost of $50 billion that is spent on wound care each year.&nbsp;



Diabetic ulcers and other non-healing wounds often develop among the elderly. These wounds persist due to a reduced development of nutrient-rich blood vessels, which is known as vascularization. A lack of vascularity is associated with diabetes, vascular disease and other conditions. The trouble is, vascularity&nbsp;is critical for the efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients to support tissue and wound healing.



In a previous study that was focused on human umbilical cord cells, researchers at the <a href="https://umaine.edu/">University of Maine</a> found that a phenolic extract from wild blueberries improved vascularization and cell migration - critical steps in the healing process.



For the current study, a team of experts led by Dr. Dorothy Klimis-Zacas analyzed the effects of phenolic extract on wounds. Found naturally in some foods, phenols are compounds that serve as antioxidants, which can prevent and even reverse some types of cell damage.



Using a mouse model, the experts treated a group of animals with a topical gel that contained a wild blueberry phenolic extract. These mice were compared with animals that were treated with a base gel lacking the phenolic extract, and with a control group that received no treatment.



The experiment revealed that the treated mice exhibited improved migration of endothelial cells to the wound site, as well as a 12 percent increase in wound closure.



“Wild blueberries have the potential to enhance cell migration, new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) and vascularization and to speed up wound closure," said study first author Tolu Esther Adekeye. "This is especially important in conditions that require enhanced wound closure in patients with chronic wounds such as diabetic wounds, burns and pressure ulcers."



The study will be presented this week in Philadelphia at the American Physiological Society’s (APS) annual meeting at <a href="https://www.experimentalbiology.org/">Experimental Biology 2022</a>.



---



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

Blueberries could be key to treating non-healing wounds

A compound found in wild blueberries may speed up the...

Metasequoia,Tree-lined,Road,In,Shiga,Prefecture

Conditions are changing for street trees and other vegetation in urban areas. Increased coverage by impermeable surfaces reduces the infiltration of rainwater into the soil, while urban demands on water resources increase. In addition, global warming may bring raised <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soaring-temperatures-in-antarctica-have-scientists-in-shock/">temperatures</a> and decreased annual precipitation, both of which can prove inhospitable for the growth of urban vegetation.



Street trees and other urban vegetation make many important contributions to urban life, and are a welcome sight in cities. They help to mitigate heat islands, can help reduce air and ground temperatures through shading and evapotranspiration, and contribute to the mental and psychological wellbeing of inhabitants. Yet tree cover is decreasing in many cities due to environmental factors and stressors such as pollution.



Researchers from Flinders University and the University of South Australia have been involved in assessing the benefits of different water sensitive urban designs (WSUD) that could be employed to improve conditions for street trees and other vegetation. In particular, a study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.783905">Frontiers in Climate</a>, shows how the use of a stormwater harvesting device, the TREENET Inlet, has helped relieve water stress for trees in an area of Adelaide, Australia, over the past five years.



“Increased land surface sealing due to urbanization and building homes and infrastructure has decreased rainfall infiltration to the soil, decreased vegetation cover and increased demand on mains water resources,” said lead researcher Xanthia Gleeson.



“As a result, city water management projects using stormwater harvesting and infiltration are increasingly combined with urban greening to support adaptation and resilience to the changing climate."



Urban areas often have to get rid of stormwater discharge which may be destructive to ecosystems and present risks to communities living downstream. The TREENET Inlet system intercepts stormwater runoff from roads and soaks it into the soil through a porous well around street trees. The system includes curbside inlets that are designed to deliver passive irrigation to street trees to decrease water stress during summer, to improve tree health, and to enhance urban cooling.&nbsp;



The current study aimed to test whether the TREENET Inlets increase water availability for street trees, and improve tree leaf gas exchange and growth during the dry season. The study was conducted in a part of suburban Adelaide where the local government authority had installed curbside inlets in a 17.5 ha stormwater sub-catchment area. These inlets were linked to “leaky wells” in the root zones of white cedar (Melia azedarach) trees, with each leaky well able to contain around 130 liters of water. In previous research, TREENET Inlets had been found to intercept between 1.8 and 4.5 kiloliters of stormwater in a year.



White cedar trees of around 60 years of age were present in the study area, and saplings of the same species had been planted there in 2015 by the local authority. Trees just outside the catchment area did not have inlets and leaky wells in their root zones. The researchers investigated mature tree water use, sapling leaf gas exchange rates and sapling growth in trees with and without stormwater inlets.



The results of the research showed that stormwater harvesting and infiltration by TREENET Inlets provides significant benefit to white cedar trees growing in a suburban street. Mature trees transpired 17 percent more water, on average, for more than a year, and 21 percent more during dry seasons. The stormwater inlets provide 20 percent more water for cedar tree transpiration in summer.



Trees that transpire more water help mitigate heat islands and keep both the atmosphere and ground cooler in the region of the trees. The authors calculate that a mature white cedar tree can transpire 200 liters of water per day which, considering water’s latent heat of vaporization, transfers ~500 MJ of heat energy per day. This is equivalent to running a 12 KW evaporative air conditioner for 12 h per day.



The saplings with stormwater inlets grew 65 percent more in height and 60 percent more in diameter at breast height over a three-year period than saplings without stormwater harvesting. This supports the researchers’ finding that saplings with access to stormwater showed 106 percent greater stomatal conductance and up to 169 percent higher photosynthesis rate in dry seasons.



“It’s clear this passive irrigation directly into street tree root zones greatly benefits mature trees,” said study lead author Professor Huade Guan from the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training.



“It makes sense because increased stormwater discharge presents risks to marine and other ecosystems, and infiltration in-situ is a low-cost and sustainable alternative."



“Quick urban drainage exacerbates the heat island effects which is raising the stakes on the health and lifestyle risks of extreme climate events under climate change. We need to do more to mitigate the problems as we face more extreme climate events, with summer maximum temperatures likely to reach 50oC by 2050."



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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

Stormwater drainage system helps keep street trees hydrated

Conditions are changing for street trees and other vegetation in...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-022-00911-8">Nature Geoscience</a> has found that tropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-tree-species-remain-undiscovered/">tree</a> growth is driven by climate variability during the dry seasons. By analyzing tropical and subtropical tree-ring data – a reliable indicator of tree growth – a team of researchers led the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> in the US and the <a href="https://www.wur.nl/en/wageningen-university.htm">Wageningen University &amp; Research</a> (WUR) in the Netherlands has discovered that, when the dry-season season is warmer and drier than normal, the growth of tropical trees is highly reduced, suggesting that climate change may increase the sensitivity of tropical trees to climatic fluctuations.



“These (tropical) tree rings contain a wealth of information on the growth history of trees,” said study lead author Pieter Zuidema, a professor of Forest Ecology and Forest Management at WUR. “In this study, we exploit that potential. For the first time, we get a pantropical picture of how tropical tree growth reacts to climate fluctuations.”



By analyzing over 14,000 tree-ring data series from 350 locations across 30 tropical and sub-tropical countries, Professor Zuidema and his colleagues were surprised to find that, during the dry season, climate appeared to have a much stronger effect on tree growth than during the wet season.



“We know that photosynthesis and wood production of tropical trees generally peak during the wet season,” said study co-author Valerie Trouet, a dendroclimatologist at the University of Arizona.&nbsp;



“So, why do year-to-year fluctuations in trunk growth depend on the dry season? That surprised and puzzled us. Our explanation is that water is available for a longer period of time during years with wetter or cooler dry seasons. Put simply, the growing season is longer. This then leads to more trunk growth.”



These findings could help explain the large fluctuations in carbon uptake by tropical vegetation worldwide, showing that, during hotter or drier years, tropical vegetation grows less and thus takes up less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Finally, the study suggests that slower growth may increase the risk of tree death, which would then become sources of carbon dioxide rather than carbon sinks.



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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

Climate variability drives tropical tree growth during dry season

A new study published in the journal Nature Geoscience has...

Formononetin is a compound found in a number of crop plants and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/herbs-and-spices-linked-to-lower-blood-pressure/">herbs</a>.&nbsp; It is a type of isoflavone, related to the hormone estrogen. Along with other other phytoestrogens, it predominantly occurs in plants of the bean family, including green, lima and soy beans. It has been shown to have anti-cancer properties and to help with the formation of new blood vessels.



New research has now also indicated that formononetin may be useful in the treatment of food allergies. Nearly 10 percent of the world’s population suffers from allergy to certain foods or to compounds within those foods, and this can sometimes be fatal. The new research combined advanced computational methods with experimental studies to understand how this plant compound might be used to treat food allergies.



“Our findings show that formononetin is a particularly good therapeutic candidate for treating food allergies,” said Ibrahim Musa, a doctoral candidate in pathology, microbiology and immunology at New York Medical College. “Our research also revealed new mechanisms and targets that can be utilized to design future drugs for treating food allergies and other allergic disorders or to prevent severe anaphylaxis seen in allergic diseases.”



Musa will present the findings of the new research at the annual meeting of the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.asbmb.org/">American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology</a>, to be held April 2–5 in Philadelphia.



Allergic reactions to food occur when a person’s body mistakenly identifies a chemical component in the food as an invading pathogen and then tries to protect the body from this apparent invasion. The presence of the allergen causes the immune system to produce immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies that react to the food in an attempt to neutralize the “threat.” This is what can cause allergy symptoms such as hives, asthma, itching, diarrhea, trouble breathing or even anaphylactic shock.



Previous research has shown that formononetin can decrease the production of IgE, and this makes it a potential candidate in the treatment or prevention of food allergies. In the current study, the researchers turned to an approach known as systems pharmacology, which involves using data from publicly available databases to identify gene and protein targets regulated in food allergy and mast cell diseases. Mast cells also play an important role in IgE-mediated allergic diseases.



Using this approach, they identified possible gene and protein targets involved in allergic reactions to foods. They validated these using cultured cell lines that are commonly used in allergy studies and found that formononetin did influence the expression of gene and protein targets that had been identified using systems pharmacology.



“Our study demonstrates that systems pharmacology can be used to predict drug/ compound–target interaction,” said Musa. “What’s more, the mechanism of action identified for formononetin is also important for other allergic diseases such as allergic asthma and hay fever. This suggests that formononetin, or other therapeutic candidates that decrease IgE production, could be useful for treating these diseases.”



The researchers have developed a mouse model that is allergic to peanuts and they plan to study the effects and side effects of formononetin use in these mice, in the next stage of their research.&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

Plant compound offers new hope for people with food allergies

Formononetin is a compound found in a number of crop...

Paradise,View,Of,Moorea,Islands,,Cook's,Bay,,French,Polynesia

The islands of the South Pacific are well-known for their biodiversity. However, their sharp peaks, hot and humid weather, and remote locations have limited scientists’ ability to properly document the multitude of life-forms inhabiting them. Now, a study led by the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a> has provided the first detailed description of the amazing array of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fungi-everywhere/">fungi</a> populating the Polynesian island of Mo’orea.



“Fungi are really important parts of ecosystems,” said study first author Todd Osmundson, a professor of Biology at the <a href="http://archive">University of Wisconsin-La Crosse</a>. “They act as primary decomposers, and in some cases as pathogens that break down decaying organic matter and recycle the nutrients into forms that other organisms can use. They're also really important as symbionts. They live with other organisms and benefit that organism in exchange for other things. For instance, some fungi will attach to the roots of plants and exchange nutrients with them.”



As part of the <a href="https://ocean.si.edu/ecosystems/coral-reefs/welcome-moorea-biocode-project">Mo’orea Biocode Project</a> – which ran from 2007 to 2010 and was the first all-taxa-survey of a tropical island that included DNA details of all marine and terrestrial organisms larger than bacteria – the scientists spent months trekking the island in search of new species of fungi. They gathered a total of 553 specimens and sequenced the DNA of 433 of them. Since only a few of the sequenced specimens have exact genetic matches with other known species, the Mo’orea collections are likely to contain an impressive number of new species.



“It's like a treasure trove,” said study senior author Matteo Garbelotto, an adjunct professor of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. “It’s truly uncharted territory in evolutionary biology and biodiversity of the fungal kingdom, and this is one the first attempts to generate baseline information on fungal diversity,&nbsp;not just for Mo'orea, but for the entire and vast Insular Oceania region.”



By comparing the DNA of these fungi to those of other species around the world, the scientists found that the majority of the species – or, rather, their ancestors – may have been carried by easterly winds from Australia or other South Pacific islands.&nbsp;



However, a few of them though may have been brought to Mo’orea by humans travelling from East Asia, South America, or Europe. “In many ways, Mo’orea is not a pristine island, and that actually makes it more interesting to me,” explained Professor Garbelotto.&nbsp;



“The island has completely pristine areas and also has areas that have been inhabited and deeply changed by humans, starting with the arrival of Polynesians 3,000 years ago and continuing until relatively recently with the arrival of the French, the English and the Americans. Compared to places that are completely pristine, Mo’orea is more interesting to me because it's more representative of what the world actually is,” he concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jbi.14354">Journal of Biogeography</a>.&nbsp;



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

"Treasure trove" of fungi discovered on a South Pacific island

The islands of the South Pacific are well-known for their...

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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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