'Zombie' fungi that hijack insects are not just a modern forest horror story. A pair of tiny fossils locked in Burmese amber shows that these parasites stalked ants and flies nearly 100 million years ago in what is now Myanmar.



The newly described fungi, Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae and Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae, sprouted from their long‑dead hosts, just like today’s entomopathogenic relatives. This gruesome strategy has clearly been in play since ancient times. 



Study co‑author <a href="https://www.biotaxa.org/pe/article/view/palaeoentomology.5.3.1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Edmund Jarzembowski</a> of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (<a href="http://english.nigpas.cas.cn/">NIGPAS</a>) and London’s <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Natural History Museum</a> helped craft the formal description.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-outbreak-of-parasitic-fungi">Ancient outbreak of parasitic fungi</h2>



Amber from the Hukawng Valley captures an ant pupa with a slender fungal stalk, and a fly pierced by a second projectile‑like stroma. 



The position of each growth mirrors the way that modern zombie fungi erupt from soft joints after the host’s last breath.



Palaeontologists reconstructed the scene and noted that the ant appears to have been dragged away from the nest before the infection reached its spore‑spraying stage. Social insects often quarantine sick kin, a behaviour already in place during the <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-cretaceous-period.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cretaceous</a>.



“It’s fascinating to see some of the strangeness of the natural world that we see today was also present at the height of the age of the dinosaurs,” said Jarzembowski, reflecting on the familiar menace that infected the ancient insects.



The research team counted flask‑shaped perithecia, the microscopic chambers where sexual spores mature, on the fossilized stalks. 



Their arrangement ties the ancient genus to living Ophiocordyceps, even though the lineage split more than 130 million years ago.



Very few fossil pathogens display intact reproductive parts. This makes every new specimen a potential window into deep‑time disease ecology. 



The rarity arises because fungi are soft and because an insect corpse rarely fossilizes side by side with its killer, scientists noted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-a-fungus-a-zombie">What makes a fungus a zombie</h2>



Members of <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1005037" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ophiocordyceps</a> start with a pin‑sized spore that germinates. It drills through the exoskeleton of a living insect, and sets up shop in the haemolymph. 



Chemical signals then steer the victim to a perch that maximizes wind exposure for the dispersal of spores released after death.



A genome survey of ant‑infecting species uncovered dozens of genes that code for enterotoxin‑like proteins. This suggests that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deadly-fungus-aspergillus-that-can-eat-you-from-the-inside-out-is-quietly-spreading-around-the-world/">fungus</a> rewires muscles and nerves using the same tricks that bacteria use to upset mammalian guts.



Transcript <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/accumulating-glitches/how_fungus_makes_ant_zombies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> show that as the infection peaks, genes tied to serotonin and dopamine pathways in the ant surge or plunge, matching the precise timing of the so‑called death grip.



Today more than 1,500 insect‑killing <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/understanding-fungi-characteristics-and-function/">fungi</a> are catalogued, yet only a handful make headlines. Specialists target beetles that bore into crops or mosquitoes that spread malaria, demonstrating the ecological punch of these microbes, even outside tropical forests.



Their life cycle is a masterclass in recycling nutrients: the mycelium consumes host tissues from within, then the emergent stalk spreads fresh <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biodegradable-living-plastic-contains-bacterial-spores-that-break-it-down/">spores</a> that restore carbon and nitrogen to soil food webs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-amber-as-nature-s-time-capsule">Amber as nature's time capsule</h2>



Tree resin entombs soft bodies in minutes and hardens into amber that resists water, oxygen, and microbial decay. 



That airtight seal lets researchers inspect insect cuticles along with fungal filaments that are thinner than a human hair.



Kachin amber is celebrated for its clarity, but the deposit also raises ethical concerns because mining revenues can fund armed conflict. International guidelines now press museums to verify provenance before accepting new pieces.



Gem cutters often discard cloudy chunks, yet those fragments may shelter the best biological inclusions. Researchers therefore sift mine tailings for overlooked specimens, rather than fueling fresh extraction.



Because resin flows layer over layer, a single piece can trap snapshots separated by hours. That layering helps date biological events with unusual precision when volcanic ash beds bracket the deposit.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fungi-give-clues-to-insect-evolution">Fungi give clues to insect evolution</h2>



Comparative anatomy and molecular clocks place Paleoophiocordyceps on a branch that diverged from the modern zombie‑ant fungus during the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392592127_Cretaceous_entomopathogenic_fungi_illuminate_the_early_evolution_of_insect-fungal_associations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Early Cretaceous</a>. this was at the time that flowering plants began reshaping terrestrial food webs.



The study’s host‑switch analysis flagged a likely jump from beetles to flies and ants, mirroring the radiation of pollinators and social insects. Such leaps underline how a parasite’s fate is tied to the fortunes of its preferred prey.



Beetles already thrived in decaying wood, an environment humid enough for fungal spores, while the rise of canopy flowers led <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swarm-intelligence-ants-can-anticipate-obstacles-and-plan-ahead/">ants</a> to exploit new niches. The fungus followed its insect food, so to speak, adapting its toolkit for each cuticular landscape.



Host regulation may have checked insect booms long before birds or bats evolved sophisticated appetites for six‑legged prey. 



That invisible policing force could explain relatively stable herbivore damage in Cretaceous leaf fossils, despite soaring insect diversity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-tale-familiar-to-modern-forests">A tale familiar to modern forests</h2>



Field surveys in Thailand show that fungus-infected ant graveyards form in patches where humidity hovers near 95 percent, suggesting the parasite needs microclimates as well as hosts.



Timing is equally precise. Infected carpenter ants bite down at solar noon more often than chance predicts, hinting that fungal circadian genes sync with the host’s biological clock.



When <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004835" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cadavers</a> pile up, each fungal stalk releases millions of spores, yet infections remain patchy. Colony grooming, corpse removal, and antimicrobial secretions keep outbreaks from wiping out entire nests.



Lab trials with generalist insect fungi show a trade‑off between killing speed and spore burden, meaning parasites that act too quickly may sacrifice dispersal success.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-it-matters-today">Why it matters today</h2>



Entomologists already deploy fungal <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/what-are-biopesticides" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bio‑pesticides</a> against insects such as locusts and crop‑boring moths. 



This method of control targets the insects without drenching fields in chemicals. Lessons from ancient lineages could sharpen that strategy by revealing how host jumps evolve.



Climate models predict that warmer nights and shifting rainfall will widen the habitat for many fungal pathogens. 



Tracking their evolutionary playbook helps forecast which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-populations-dramatically-declining-around-the-world-rising-temperatures/">insect</a> groups, helpful or harmful, might feel the heat next.



The fossils nevertheless remind us that even tiny microbes leave fingerprints on evolution, shaping who thrives and who fails. 



The study is published in <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1098/rspb.2025.0407" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences</a>.



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'Zombie' fungus that lived almost 100 million years ago found preserved in amber

'Zombie' fungi that hijack insects are not just a modern forest horror story. A pair of tiny fossils locked in Burmese amber shows that these parasites stalked ants and flies nearly 100 million years ago in what is now Myanmar. The newly described fungi, Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae and Paleoophiocordyceps ironomyiae, sprouted from their long‑dead hosts, just like today’s entomopathogenic relatives. This gruesome strategy has clearly been in play since ancient times. Study co‑author Professor Edmund Jarzembowski of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGPAS) and London’s Natural History Museum...

A new study from an international team of researchers is the first global assessment of how current trends in farming practices may be affecting pollinators and the crops that depend on them. The research suggests that a lack of crop diversity is sabotaging <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pollinators-existed-long-before-flowers/">pollinators</a> and subsequently impacting agricultural productivity.

An international team of researchers has identified countries, particularly in regions of Asia and South America, where an increasing dependence on pollination and a lack of crop diversity could ultimately threaten food security and economic stability. 

Based on data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization recorded between 1961 and 2016, the researchers found that the total area of crops which requires pollination expanded by 137 percent. In the same time frame, crop diversity increased by only 20.5 percent. 

According to the researchers, this imbalance is an issue because agriculture dominated by just one or two types of crops only provides nutrition for pollinators during a limited time when the crops are blooming. When there is a variety of crops that bloom at different times, however, pollinators have a more stable source of food and habitat.

"This work should sound an alarm for policymakers who need to think about how they are going to protect and foster pollinator populations that can support the growing need for the services they provide to crops that require pollination," said study co-author Professor David Inouye from the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>.

During the study period, the large-scale farming of soybean, canola, and palm oil crops made the largest contribution to the agricultural expansion and also to the increase in pollinator dependence. The researchers explained that the spread of these crops is concerning because they represent a rapid expansion of industrial farming, which is known for pesticide use and other practices that threaten both pollinators and the environment.

"Farmers are growing more crops that require pollination, such as fruits, nuts and oil seeds, because there's an increasing demand for them and they have a higher market value," said Professor Inouye. "This study points out that these current trends are not great for pollinators, and countries that diversify their agricultural crops are going to benefit more than those that expand with only a limited subset of crops."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780124202184/climate-change-biology">Climate Change Biology</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: Martin Husemann

Farming trends threatening pollinators and the crops that depend on them

A new study from an international team of researchers is...

The moth caterpillar (Theroa zethus) has evolved an anti-predator defense when feeding on sticky and toxic plants.

Researchers from the <a href="https://uca.edu/">University of Central Arkansas</a> discovered that the caterpillar secretes an acid from special glands which prevents plants like the poinsettia from secreting latex stored in special canals in their leaves.

This latex poisons herbivores that feed on the plant like the caterpillar. 

In a new study, published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0218994">PLOS ONE</a>, the researchers detail how the caterpillar can <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wheat-plants-chemical-defenses/">disarm the plant</a>. 

The caterpillar bathes the leaf stem in an acidic secretion made up of formic and butyric acids which deform the plant’s cell walls. 

The caterpillar first scrapes at the stem with its mandibles and compresses the leaf stem while it works. 

[caption id="attachment_1875031" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/caterpillar.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1875031" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/caterpillar.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" /></a> Theroa zethus spraying acid. Image Credit: Dussourd et al, 2019[/caption]

The researchers filmed these different behaviors and defenses and then simulated them in a lab setting to see if just the acid or the scraping prevented latex flow. 

Using sandpaper and binder clips, the researchers were able to replicate these behaviors and successfully prevent latex flow in the plant, which means that it’s not just the acid that helps disarm the plant. 

Out of six other moth species included in the study, only Theora zethus doused the plant leaf stem in acid. 

“To understand if a plant is vulnerable to insect feeding, one needs to consider not just the defenses of the plant, but also the capabilities of the insect,” said David Dussourd, the lead author of the study. “The combination of behavioral manipulation and acid secretion allows the caterpillar to disarm the plant often without contacting any latex exudate.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Dussourd et al, 2019

Caterpillars use an anti-predator defense when feeding on sticky plants

The moth caterpillar (Theroa zethus) has evolved an anti-predator defense...

These massive, old trees were found to have thousands of genetic mutations. A study from the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> has revealed that hundred-year-old Sitka spruce trees growing on Vancouver Island contain a remarkably high amount of genetic variation. In a single tree, the team found up to 100,000 genetic differences between the base and the tip of the crown. 

The research team sequenced the DNA collected in bark and needle samples from 20 trees in Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park. Each genetic difference that was identified represents a somatic mutation, which is a modification that occurs over the natural course of growth rather than during conception.

"This is the first evidence of the tremendous genetic variation that can accumulate in some of our tallest trees," said study lead author Professor Sally Aitken. "Scientists have known for decades about somatic mutations, but very little about how frequently they occur and whether they contribute significantly to genetic variation. Now, thanks to advances in genomic sequencing, we know some of the answers."

The investigation was focused on the Sitka spruce because it is among the tallest trees growing in the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pacific-northwest-forests-wildfire-birds/">Pacific Northwest</a>.

"Because these trees live so long and grow so tall, they're capable of accumulating tremendous genetic variation over time," explained study co-author Vincent Hanlon. "On average, the trees we sampled for the study were 220 to 500 years old and 76 meters tall. There's a redwood tree in California that's 116 meters tall, but these Sitka spruce were pretty big."

According to the researchers, further studies are needed to understand how the different somatic mutations will affect the evolution of the species.

"Most of the mutations are probably harmless, and some will likely be bad," said Professor Aitken. "But other mutations may result in genetic diversity and if they're passed onto offspring they'll contribute to evolution and adaptation over time."

"We often see tree populations that adapt well to local climates and develop effective responses to changing stresses such as pests and bugs. Our study provides insights on one genetic mechanism that might help make this possible."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20563744">Evolution Letters</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: TJ Watt

These massive, old trees were found to have thousands of genetic mutations

These massive, old trees were found to have thousands of...

<div id="titlewrap"></div>
Ancient megafauna helped drive plant dispersal prior to domestication. As humans shifted from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to permanent settlements, plants and livestock were domesticated. This shift saw a rise in agriculture and innovation, but a new study has found that without the help of grazing animals, plant domestication may not have been possible. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute</a> and <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> found that large grazing animals during the Pleistocene drove evolutionary changes in key grains like quinoa and buckwheat and these changes paved the way for domestication. 

The researchers focused on herds of ancient large herbivores to study how migrational patterns and habitats influenced the evolution of small-seeded grain crops. 

Herd animals feeding on plants and dispersing them near rivers would have created dense patches that early hunter-gatherers could have easily <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-start-baking-bread/">harvested</a>, later cultivating their own crops from the same plants. 

This could explain why certain plants were so popular. Because the plants were abundant due to animal dispersal, they were easy for humans to domesticate. 

7,000 to 5,000 years ago, our ancestors first started cultivating plants for seeds or grain and wheat and rice were among the earliest domesticated plants. 

While researchers have extensively studied the domestication of large-seeded cereals, less is known about the evolution and domestication of small-seeded grain crops like millets or buckwheat. 

The researchers developed a model to help explain the dispersal of small-seeded grains by humans showing that animal dispersal would have created abundant patches of the plants and as humans foraged through these areas, the plants evolved to better fit human dispersal and farming. 

Many researchers debate why early humans preferred small-seeded grains and domesticated these plants first, and this study, published in the journal Nature Plants, helps shed light on the mystery.

 “Currently, we’re studying the ecology of fields where modern herd animals graze as proxies to what the ecology would have looked like during the last Ice Age, when large herds of bison, mammoths, and wooly horses dictated what kinds of plants could grow across the American Midwest and Europe,” said Robert Spengler, the first author of the study. “We hope these observations will provide even greater insight into the process of domestication all over the world.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Robert Spengler

Ancient megafauna helped drive plant dispersal prior to domestication

Ancient megafauna helped drive plant dispersal prior to domestication. As...

Thanks to a machine learning crash course in the lab, a robot can now recognize and harvest lettuce.

A team of engineers at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> have developed “Vegebot,” a robot that was trained to spot and harvest iceberg lettuce in their lab. They’ve since taken Vegebot on a test run in a variety of local fields, with the help of fruit and vegetable coop <a href="https://www.gs-growers.com/">G’s Growers</a>.

While Vegebot is not as fast or efficient as human workers, it was successfully able to recognize the lettuce and retrieve it.

It’s big news for farmers who grow crops like lettuce that have not been successfully automated in the past.

"Every field is different, every lettuce is different," co-author Dr. Simon Birrell said in a press release. "But if we can make a robotic harvester work with iceberg lettuce, we could also make it work with many other crops."

Unlike crops like grapes, wheat and potatoes, iceberg and other types of lettuce have not been good candidates for automated harvesting in the past. Iceberg lettuce, for example, grows close to the ground and is easily damaged, making it difficult to use an automated process without damaging the crop.

"At the moment, harvesting is the only part of the lettuce life cycle that is done manually, and it's very physically demanding," co-author Julia Cai said.

The Vegebot has a computerized vision system that lets it analyze plants, identify them as lettuce, and determine whether they’re ready to be harvested. It also has a complex cutting system that allows it to harvest each head of lettuce without crushing it, and so it is “supermarket ready.” 

Machine learning was used to teach Vegebot how to recognize different types of lettuce in the lab. Then, the engineers took it out in the field and taught it to recognize lettuce in a number of different settings.

"For a human, the entire process takes a couple of seconds, but it's a really challenging problem for a robot," co-author Dr. Josie Hughes said.

The experimental prototype shows machine learning can be used to develop robotic harvesters for other crops, like asparagus, peppers and sweet cherries. That could help farmers deal with rising costs and labor shortages – though it may also put migrant workers out of a job.

It could also help reduce food waste. Machine learning can be used to teach Vegebot and its successors to only recognize and harvest ripe fruit, and it could make multiple passes over several weeks in the same field, unlike human labor teams.

"We're also collecting lots of data about lettuce, which could be used to improve efficiency, such as which fields have the highest yields," Hughes said. "We've still got to speed our Vegebot up to the point where it could compete with a human, but we think robots have lots of potential in agri-tech."

The study has been published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/rob.21888">Journal of Field Robotics</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

'Vegebot' can harvest lettuce thanks to machine learning

Thanks to a machine learning crash course in the lab,...

A new study has analyzed the influence that diet may have had on the ability of ancient <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mayan-artifacts-cave-chichen-itza/">Mayans</a> to withstand periods of severe climatic stress. The results suggest that a higher demand for maize among elite Mayans may have made the population more vulnerable to drought, and contributed to the collapse of the society. 

"Population expansion and anthropogenic environment degradation from agricultural intensification, coupled with socially conditioned food preferences, resulted in a less flexible and less resilient system," said study co-author Claire Ebert. "Understanding the factors promoting resilience in the past can help mitigate the potential for similar sudden and dramatic shifts in our increasingly interconnected modern world."

The study was focused on the remains of 50 human burials from the ancient Maya community of Cahal Pech, Belize. At the Human Paleoecology and Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State University</a>, Ebert measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of the bone collagen to examine the characteristics of individual diets.

Among the burials dating to the Preclassic and Early Classic periods, both elites and commoners had a diverse diet including maize, plants, and animals. The diversity of this diet likely protected the Mayans from the harsh impacts of a multi-century drought between 300-100 B.C.

"The resilience of complex social systems at Cahal Pech from the Preclassic through Early Classic was dependent in part upon a broad subsistence strategy that helped to absorb shocks to maize-based food production in the context of drought," said Ebert.

Among the remains of the elites from the Terminal Classic period, however, the team identified a pattern of highly restricted stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes that corresponded to a "hyper-specialized maize-based diet." The researchers concluded that demands on the local population for increased maize production, and a preference for this drought-intolerant crop, likely played a big role in the collapse of the Cahal Pech society when another drought struck at the end of the Terminal Classic Period.

"The study speaks to the importance of diet in the resilience and decline of ancient societies and contributes to our understanding of vulnerability to climate change among modern traditional farming communities as well as industrialized nations," said Ebert.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/ca/current">Current Anthropology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A preference for corn contributed to the collapse of ancient Mayan society

A new study has analyzed the influence that diet may...

It’s a point of contention and a hotly debated topic as to whether or not <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-generate-electricity/">plants</a> feel pain or have a brain capable of consciousness like other living vertebrates. 

Researchers in the new field of plant neurobiology argue that plants can indeed think. 

But in a new opinion article published in the journal Trends in Plant Science, a team of experts in plant physiology attempt to put the topic of plant consciousness to rest once and for all, arguing that because plants lack neurons and a brain, they are incapable of consciousness. 

Instead, plants grow using electrical signals to distribute molecules across the plant’s membranes and send long-distance messages in case of danger like an insect bite. 

Plant neurobiologists use these signals to prove the plant’s ability to think, showing that the distribution of signals is similar to the electrical signaling in the nervous system of animals. 

In the new article, Lincoln Taiz from the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/">University of California</a> cites research from Todd Feinberg and Jon Mallatt who studied the evolution of consciousness to show why dumbing down consciousness to fit the basic chemical signaling of plants is a problem. 

“The biggest danger of anthropomorphizing plants in research is that it undermines the objectivity of the researcher,” said Taiz. “What we’ve seen is that plants and animals evolved very different life strategies. The brain is a very expensive organ, and there’s absolutely no advantage to the plant to have a highly developed nervous system.”

The Feinberg-Mallat model of consciousness determines what must be in place in the brain for a species to have awareness. 

It was Feinberg and Mallat who traced back the <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ancient-origins-consciousness">origins of consciousness</a> to the Cambrian explosion 520 to 560 million years ago, much earlier than previously thought. 

“Feinberg and Mallatt concluded that only vertebrates, arthropods, and cephalopods possess the threshold brain structure for consciousness. And if there are animals that don’t have consciousness, then you can be pretty confident that plants, which don’t even have neurons--let alone brains-- don’t have it either,” said Taiz.

Taiz and his colleagues say that the chemical signaling in plants are genetically encoded responses that have been fine-tuned through natural selection. 

The researchers argue that sensory adaptation doesn’t involve learning and shouldn’t be linked to consciousness. 

But Taiz and his co-authors emphasize that these responses are genetically encoded and have been fine-tuned through generations of natural selection.

“I feel a special responsibility to take a public position because I’m a co-author of a plant physiology textbook,” said Taiz. “I know a lot of people in the plant neurobiology community would like to see their field in the textbooks, but so far, there are just too many unanswered questions.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Can plants think, feel, and possess consciousness?

It’s a point of contention and a hotly debated topic...

A new study published by the <a href="https://taylorandfrancis.com/">Taylor &amp; Francis group</a> has demonstrated the effectiveness of cannabis as an alternative to both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications, including opioids. The investigation revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-use-increased/">marijuana</a> may also be a valuable substitute for sleeping aids.

The research was focused on 1,000 Americans using marijuana in Colorado, where it has been legalized. The researchers found that 80 percent of individuals taking cannabis for pain reported it as being very or extremely helpful. As a result, 82 percent of the participants were able to stop or reduce their use of OTC pain medications, and 88 percent were able to stop taking opioid painkillers.

Among individuals who used marijuana to help them sleep, more than 83 percent were able to reduce or stop taking OTC and prescription sleep aids.

"Approximately 20% of American adults suffer from chronic pain, and one in three adults do not get enough sleep," said Dr. Gwen Wurm, who is an assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

While OTC medications and painkillers help, they can have serious side effects. For example, opioids depress the respiratory system and overdoses are often fatal.

"People develop tolerance to opioids, which means that they require higher doses to achieve the same effect," said Dr. Julia Arnsten of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "This means that chronic pain patients often increase their dose of opioid medications over time, which in turn increases their risk of overdose."

The experts emphasized that more research is needed to understand the health benefits and potential side effects of cannabis.

"The challenge is that health providers are far behind in knowing which cannabis products work and which do not," said Dr. Wurm. "Until there is more research into which cannabis products work for which symptoms, patients will do their own 'trial and error' experiments, getting advice from friends, social media and dispensary employees."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ujpd20/current">Journal of Psychoactive Drugs</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cannabis may be an effective alternative to pain and sleep medications

A new study published by the Taylor &amp; Francis group...

Plants have a chemical language that depends on environment, genetics. A team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.ice.mpg.de/ext/index.php?id=home0">Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology</a> in Jena, Germany investigated the ecological function of the naturally abundant volatile organic compound called linalool via Nicotiana attenuata tobacco plants. Their research revealed that the gene responsible for linalool synthesis and release can vary in plants within the same species, and carries different implications for the way insects react with them.

For example, the detrimental tobacco hawkmoth (Manduca sexta) females prefer to lay their eggs on plants with more naturally-occurring linalool. However, the more linalool a plant releases, the more eggs and larvae were preyed on by other bugs.

Linalool is a chemical defense mechanism that mediates different ecological interactions with <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/insects-food-future/">insects</a>. Prior research shows that linalool in tobacco plants attracts predatory Geocoris bugs that feed on the tobacco plants’ biggest enemy — freshly-hatched tobacco hawkmoth larvae. However, the linalool’s floral scent component also attracts adult hawkmoths and influences female moths to lay their eggs on a plant. 

The researchers saw a correlation between the rate of tobacco hawkmoth eggs predated by Geocoris bugs and the amount of linalool produced by the respective tobacco plants. And they did not observe a correlation between five similar organic compounds emitted by tobacco plants and the egg predation rate, proving that linalool, functions as the plants' chemical defense, attracting predatory bugs that attack the larvae. 

"Tobacco plants vary a lot in their linalool emission,” said first author Jun He. “If linalool mainly has a defensive effect, that is attracting predators and repelling hawkmoths, we would expect there to be less variation. Obviously, linalool emission is not always advantageous for the plant. Therefore we wanted to explore systematically, which ecological interactions result from differences in linalool production.”

By crossing native plants from Arizona that were high in linalool production with plants from Utah that contained less linalool (a process called “forward genetics”), the scientists were able to identify the enzyme responsible for regulating linalool synthesis in the tobacco plants.Plants have a chemical language that depends on environment, genetics

The team found that linalool occurs in two different forms, called enantiomers. The two enantiomers, (R)-(?)-linalool and (S)-(+)-linalool, are almost identical, but their three-dimensional structures are mirror images of each other. Hawkmoths sense that the two enantiomers are different compounds, thus resulting in different effects on the hawkmoth’s behavior.

Knowing this, the scientists tested the effects of both plants on the hawkmoths and found that egg-laying was only partially influenced by a manipulated production of the two linalool enantiomers. It was actually the genetic background, that being, whether a Utah or an Arizona plant had been modified to produce higher levels of linalool, had a larger impact on the moths’ preference.

"It was surprising to us that experimental context mattered even more than the two different enantiomers,” said the study’s designer Richard Fandino. 

“Our study showed that moths pay attention to many different features of plants when choosing where to feed or oviposit,” study author Meredith Schuman. “Then, they integrate this information in order to choose among the available plants. Thus, differences in other plant properties as well as the availability of alternative plants and their characteristics, are likely to determine the importance of any individual cue: in this case, linalool.”

This discovery, published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, could help scientists better understand context-appropriate plant defense against herbivores, which could aid problems in standardized industrial agriculture, like the evolution of resistance to common pesticides.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Danny Kessler / Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Plants have a chemical language that depends on environment, genetics

Plants have a chemical language that depends on environment, genetics....

The Ozark chinquapin chestnut tree was thought to be extinct, wiped out in the mid-1900s by the chestnut blight. 

Steve Bost, a Missouri State Parks naturalist on a mission, says otherwise, according to<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/"> National Geographic</a>. 

Bost is currently involved in a top-secret project to resurrect the legendary tree species which once dominated the Ozarks. Even though the tree was on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tennessee-coneflower-success-story/#">brink of extinction</a>, Bost discovered a few (45) hearty stragglers in the early 2000s in Missouri and Arkansas. 

Since then, Bost has been working with several private and state agencies to recover the species, and by all accounts, his efforts are paying off. 

National Geographic reported that Bost has 117 young Ozark chinquapins growing on a test plot. The location of the test plot, along with 15 other similar plots all under Bost’s care, is a closely guarded secret. 

It’s important to ensure that nothing interferes with population recovery during these fragile early stages and until the fate of the species is certain, the locations will remain hidden. 

Bost’s methods may be considered old fashioned. He collects pollen from one tree, dries it, and drives as far 20 hours to hand pollinate another healthy chinquapin. This keeps the Ozark genetic ancestry pure and non-hybridized, which Bost says could have unintended consequences. 

Researchers are currently developing DNA hybrids of the American chestnut tree by breeding it with the Chinese chestnut to create a blight-resistant tree species.

If Bost succeeds in his mission, the Ozark chestnut could once again play an important role in the ecosystem, its chestnuts offering a treasured source of food for bears, deer, and coyotes. 

The key is creating new generations of trees that are resistant to blight and genetically heartier than the generations before. 

To do this, researchers collect leaves from the new chinquapins and tests for blight resistance. By injecting a single leaf with blight, the researchers can tell within five days if the tree has a fighting chance. 

Bost could be the first person to successfully resurrect a near extinct tree species. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Ozark Chinquapin Foundation

A mission to bring an Ozark chestnut tree back from the brink

The Ozark chinquapin chestnut tree was thought to be extinct,...

In May, the <a href="https://www.un.org/en/">United Nations</a> (UN) released a devastating <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/nature-decline-unprecedented-report/">report</a> detailing the unprecedented loss of biodiversity that our planet is currently facing. Now, UN experts are warning of the effects mass <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/decreases-biodiversity-habitat-loss/">biodiversity loss</a> can also have on human rights.

The UN biodiversity report, published by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, found that over one million species are currently at risk of extinction. Researchers found that human activities threaten species more than at any other time in the planet’s history. 

The results are incredibly grim. The authors note that we will continue on this downwards spiral unless we implement transformative change.

Plants and animals are not the only victims of the current state of the planet. UN experts caution that biodiversity loss threatens human rights for current and future generations.

“The loss of global biodiversity is having and will continue to have devastating effects on a wide range of human rights for decades to come. This report is a stark reminder that we can simply not enjoy our basic human rights to life, health, food and safe water without a healthy environment,” David Boyd, a UN expert on human rights and the environment, said in a <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=24738&amp;LangID=E">news release</a>.

Biodiversity provides humans with food, medicine and livelihoods. Plant and animal species also ensure our ecosystems function properly which, in turn, helps to clean our air, water and soil. Ecosystems such as coral reefs can protect humans from the effects of extreme weather, which is believed to increase as a result of climate change.

A 2015 <a href="https://www.who.int/globalchange/publications/phe-pr.pdf?ua=1">report</a> by the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> and the Convention on Biological Diversity found that biodiversity loss is impacting human health worldwide. 

A decline in natural resources throughout the world could exacerbate tensions between people and countries, resulting in armed conflict.

The loss of pollinators alone threatens $577 billion in annual global crops. Additionally, an estimated 100-300 million people are at an increased risk of floods and hurricanes as a result of the decline in coastal ecosystems, the UN biodiversity <a href="https://www.ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment">report</a> found.

Communities throughout the world rely on healthy and functional ecosystems for survival. As United Nations experts state, poor communities including indigenous peoples, farmers and fishermen are particularly vulnerable to the effects of biodiversity loss. 

The UN biodiversity report helped wake up the collective conscience of humanity. While many people may not yet see the effects of biodiversity loss on their personal livelihoods, that could change in the coming years. The key to gaining buy-in for transformative change may just be the threat it poses to us personally.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Maciej Olszewski

UN experts warn that biodiversity loss can be a human rights issue

In May, the United Nations (UN) released a devastating report...

Scientists engineer low-nicotine tobacco to help combat nicotine addiction. A 2017 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that more than 7 million people die every year as a result of the negative health effects of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/smoking-ages-20-years/">smoking</a>. In a new study, experts at the <a href="https://www.tu-dortmund.de/en/">Technical University of Dortmund</a> in Germany are working to engineer nicotine-free tobacco to help people overcome their addiction to nicotine and reduce this number of fatalities.

"Nicotine‐free (or nicotine reduced) cigarettes may contribute to reduce the number of smokers and nicotine consumption, thus reducing the risk of death from tobacco use," wrote study authors Felix Stehle and Julia Schachtsiek. Scientists engineer low-nicotine tobacco to help combat nicotine addiction.

"Most genes involved in the nicotine biosynthesis in tobacco are known and well characterized. This opens the possibility to employ genetic engineering approaches to alter the alkaloid content of the plant, and in particular to reduce the nicotine content."

The team used the CRISPR gene-editing technique to deactivate six enzymes involved in the production of nicotine. The result is a tobacco plant which contains the lowest level of nicotine to date. 

The researchers modified a tobacco strain that normally contains 16 milligrams of nicotine per gram to contain just 0.04 milligrams of nicotine per gram, which is a reduction of 99.7 per cent. Prior to this study, the lowest level of nicotine in any tobacco was 0.4 milligrams per gram. 

According to a WHO report, clinical trials involving low-nicotine cigarettes showed that smokers did not increase the amount they smoked to compensate for the reduced nicotine intake. The WHO experts also proposed that lowering the nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels may be an effective strategy to eliminate smoking worldwide. 

The study will be published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14677652">Plant Biotechnology Journal</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists engineer low-nicotine tobacco to help combat nicotine addiction

Scientists engineer low-nicotine tobacco to help combat nicotine addiction. A...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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;



---



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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