<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tomato-fruit-warns-the-rest-of-the-plant-when-attacked/">Fruits</a> from the Mandarin family are popular throughout the world. In Japan, the shiikuwasha and the tachibana are two culturally important varieties, yet the history of these and other mandarin fruits has been a long-standing mystery. 

Now, researchers at the <a href="https://www.oist.jp/">Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University</a> (OIST) have analyzed 69 genomes of the east Asian mandarins. The experts compared the east Asian varieties to those in mainland Asia, revealing an interesting history. 

Wild mandarin diversity originated in southern China, and most domestic varieties have their origins there as well. The scientists discovered that wild mandarins found in the mountains of the area were not one but actually two subspecies. 

Dr. Guohong Albert Wu, who collaborated on the research from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, explained how different the two are.

"We found that one of these mandarin subspecies can produce offspring that are genetically identical to the mother," said Dr. Wu.

"Like many other plants, wild citrus typically reproduces when the pollen of the father combines with the egg of the mother, mixing the genes from both parents in the seed." 

"But we found a subspecies of wild mandarins from Mangshan, in southern China, where the seed contains an identical copy of the mother's DNA without any input from a father. So, the seed grows to be a clone of the mother tree."

In Okinawa, the scientists looked more closely at an odd citrus that is similar to shiikuwasha, with small acidic fruits that are undesirable to local farmers. Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that this citrus is a new species they called the Ryuku Citrus, or Citrus ryukyuensis. Unlike the citrus in China, this one reproduces only sexually. 

Interestingly, the experts determined that all of the shiikuwasha citrus varieties are hybrids, with one parent being from mainland China and one parent being from the Ryukyu citrus. It seems that one parent was brought from mainland China to the Ryuku Islands long ago, where it mated with a local citrus, producing a hybrid. 

Even more interestingly, all of the Japanese citrus varieties that the scientists looked at turned out to be hybrids. 

The researchers point out that this information could be valuable. If we can understand the history of hybridization, what new varieties of citrus could also be created through hybridization?  

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

History of Okinawan mandarin revealed

Fruits from the Mandarin family are popular throughout the world. In Japan, the shiikuwasha and the tachibana are two culturally important varieties, yet the history of these and other mandarin fruits has been a long-standing mystery.  Now, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have analyzed 69 genomes of the east Asian mandarins. The experts compared the east Asian varieties to those in mainland Asia, revealing an interesting history.  Wild mandarin diversity originated in southern China, and most domestic varieties have their...

Researchers have discovered that the tall goldenrod plant can protect itself by smelling an impending invasion. The experts found that the plants can actually detect a single compound that is emitted by male flies and initiate their defense.

Anjel Helms is a postdoctoral researcher at <a href="http://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a>. She explained that certain species of flies feed only on tall goldenrod, or Solidago altissima, in Pennsylvania. The male flies release chemicals to attract the females, and the females ultimately deposit fertilized eggs into the stem of the goldenrod plant. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on plant tissue inside the stem and cause specialized plant tissues to form known as galls, which form around the larvae like a protective shield.

"The flies strongly reduce the plant's fitness by decreasing the number of seeds it produces, as well as the sizes of those seeds," said co-author John Tooker. "That's because when the plant's tissues are damaged by the insect, it diverts its energy away from seed production and instead toward production of the gall."

Previous research by the team had revealed that goldenrod plants produced greater amounts of a defense chemical known as jasmonic acid when exposed to chemicals from the male <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-fruit-flies-aggressive/">flies</a>. For the current study, the scientists set out to identify which specific chemical compounds are detected by the goldenrod plants. They also wanted to determine how sensitive the plants are to the compounds.

The researchers first identified the chemical compounds present in the male fly emission. Next, they exposed goldenrod plants to individual compounds and analyzed their responses. The scientists discovered that the plants responded most strongly to a compound called E,S-conophthorin. 

"E,S-conophthorin is the most abundant compound emitted by the flies," said Helms. "The compound appears to provide a strong and reliable cue for the plants to detect." 

The team also examined the level of sensitivity the plants had to E,S-conophthorin. Using different concentrations of the compound, they measured the defense responses of the goldenrod plants. The researchers found that the plants were sensitive to even small concentrations of the chemical. Tooker explained that “it likely means that the plant has a dedicated mechanism to perceive this compound.” 

“The results provide evidence that goldenrod can detect a single compound from the fly, supporting the idea that there is a tight co-evolutionary relationship between these two species,”said Tooker. “In other words, over time, as the fly has adapted to take advantage of the plant, the plant has adapted to protect itself from the fly." 

The study, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>, is the first to demonstrate a plant "smelling" its attacker and to document a specific compound the plants are detecting. 

"How plants perceive volatile chemicals is poorly understood, so having a somewhat unique or distinct molecule to explore that mechanism is promising, and a direction we will explore in the future,” said Tooker.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Meet the plant that can smell its attacker approaching

Researchers have discovered that the tall goldenrod plant can protect...

Scientists from <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> have created a cyborg bacteria that is capable of generating artificial photosynthesis. The bacteria uses tiny crystalline nanoparticles as solar panels to photosynthesize sunlight and generate useful chemicals.

These cybernetic bacteria also produced zero waste and could be used to generate compounds for fuels, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. 

Dr. Kelsey Sakimoto and her research team from <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> and <a href="http://berkeley.edu/">Berkeley</a> used the bacterium known as Moorella thermoacetica, which consumes carbon dioxide to create acetic acid. The bacterium is not photosynthetic, but by feeding the bacteria both cadmium and cysteine, the bacterium transformed into a photosynthesizing machine. 

Cysteine is an amino acid and cadmium is a chemical element, and once both were introduced to the bacteria, it created cadmium sulfide nanoparticles. Cadmium sulfide is known for its semi-conductive properties, so the bacteria used the nanoparticles as solar panels as the bacteria self-replicated, converted carbon dioxide, harvested sunlight, and generated acetic acid. 

“The bacteria/inorganic-semiconductor hybrid artificial photosynthesis system we’ve created is self-replicating through the bio-precipitation of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles, which serve as the light harvester to sustain cellular metabolism,” said corresponding author Peidong Yang, a chemist from Berkeley. 

This breakthrough in artificial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/use-photosynthesis-create-hydrogen-fuel/">photosynthesis</a> could have huge implications in generating renewable energy and finding alternative fuel sources. 

Sakimoto and her team aren’t the only ones exploring ways to harness photosynthesis, as creating efficient alternatives to the naturally occurring process could help produce sustainable, clean, and eco-friendly chemicals used in fuels and plastics. It could also help eliminate our dependency on petroleum. 

This new development of cyborg bacteria could also be the first of the artificial photosynthesis attempts to be used outside of the lab with commercial applications. 

“Our algal biofuels are much more attractive, as the whole CO2-to-chemical apparatus is self-contained and only requires a big vat out in the sun,” said Sakimoto.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cyborg bacteria can now generate artificial photosynthesis

Scientists from Harvard University have created a cyborg bacteria that...

Lignin is plant waste residue that becomes a waste product of paper and ethanol production, and is usually burned or dumped in landfills. But now, scientists have found a way to remodel lignin into carbon fiber strong enough to be used to build airplane and automobile parts.

"Lignin is a complex aromatic molecule that is mainly burned to make steam in a biorefinery plant, a relatively inefficient process that doesn't create a lot of value," said lead researcher Birgitte Ahring. "Finding better ways to use leftover lignin is really the driver here. We want to use biorefinery waste to create value. We want to use a low-value product to create a high-value product, which will make biorefineries sustainable."

Carbon fiber made with lignin would have huge advantages over fibers currently being produced, as it would be more sustainable and less expensive. The carbon fiber used in modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/self-driving-cars-ethical-decisions/">cars</a> and aircraft are most often made from polyacrylonitrile (PAN), which is an expensive non-renewable vinyl polymer. 

Jinxue Jiang, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher at <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> who participated in the study.

"PAN can contribute about half of the total cost of making carbon fiber,"said Jiang. "Our idea is to reduce the cost for making carbon fiber by using renewable materials, like biorefinery lignin." 

Jiang explained that previous studies have failed to make carbon fibers from 100 percent lignin because the fibers produced were too weak for the automotive industry. "We wanted to combine the high strength of PAN with the low cost of the lignin to produce an automobile-grade carbon fiber,” said Jiang.

The research team mixed lignin with PAN in amounts ranging from 0 to 50 percent. They used a process called melt spinning to fuse lignin and PAN together into a single fiber.

The researchers used various techniques to test the structural and mechanical characteristics of the fibers. 

The study revealed that carbon fiber made of 20-30 percent lignin maintained its industrial strength. The researchers said that the lignin carbon fibers could be used in automobile production to make internal parts, castings, and tire frames.

Next, the team will test their carbon fibers at an automobile manufacturing plant to evaluate their strength in real-world scenarios. The researchers will present their work today at the 254th National Meeting &amp; Exposition of the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists transform plant waste into building material

Lignin is plant waste residue that becomes a waste product...

Researchers have tracked the origin of citrus fruits and examined their distribution throughout history. The earliest lemon remains were found in Rome and date back to the turn of the first century. The study reveals that citrons and lemons were status symbols in ancient Rome, rare commodities acquired by only the rich and powerful.

Dr. Dafna Langgut is a researcher at <a href="http://archaeology.tau.ac.il/?page_id=4538">Tel Aviv University’s Laboratory for Archaeobotany and Ancient Environments</a> who led the study.

“The first remains of the earliest lemon, found in the Roman Forum, date to right around the time of Jesus Christ, the end of the first century BC and early first century AD,” said Dr. Langgut. “It appears that the citron was considered a valuable commodity due to its healing qualities, symbolic use, pleasant odor and rarity. Only the rich could have afforded it.”

Langgut explained that the spread of lemons and citrons was “helped more by its high social status, its significance in religion and its unique features, rather than its culinary qualities.”

Prior to the first century, Romans only had a large, tasteless citron with a thick rind that originated in Jerusalem between 4th and 5th century B.C. While citrus trees may thrive in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/crete-greece-mediterranean-sea/">Mediterranean</a> today, they are actually not native to the region.

“Today, citrus orchards are a major component of the Mediterranean landscape and one of the most important cultivated fruits in the region,' said Langgut. “But citrus is not native to the Mediterranean Basin and originated in Southeast Asia.”

Dr. Langgut said that other citrus fruits did not spread until over a millennium later, most likely due to economic reasons. Muslim traders introduced sour oranges, limes, and pomelos to the West by route of Sicily and the Iberian Peninsula around the 10th century.

“It is clear that Muslim traders played a crucial role in the dispersal of cultivated citrus in Northern Africa and Southern Europe,” Dr Langgut said. “It's also evident because the common names of many of the citrus types were derived from Arabic, following an earlier diversification in Southeast Asia. Muslims controlled extensive territory and commerce routes from India to the Mediterranean.”

Sweet oranges arrived in Europe around the 15th century, and mandarins appeared as recently as the 19th century. According to Dr. Langgut, “By the time mandarins appeared in the 19th century, citrus fruits were considered commonplace. They were cash crops rather than luxury items.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lemons were a symbol of wealth in Rome, originally came from Asia

Researchers have tracked the origin of citrus fruits and examined...

The avocado is having a moment. The beloved fruit is incredibly trendy and widely consumed worldwide (see: hipster avocado toast). In fact, Americans eat 1.9 billion pounds of avocados each year, but usually only the fleshy inside of the avocado is used. This means tons of skins, seeds, and seed husks are thrown away and wasted. But now, new research has found many beneficial properties of avocado seed husks that could cut down on food waste and provide new treatments for serious diseases. 

Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Ph.D from the <a href="http://www.utrgv.edu/">University of Texas Rio Grande Valley</a>, and his colleagues conducted a study using the dried seed husks from 300 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/avocado-supply-struggling/">avocados</a>. The team ground them into a powder to create a wax and an oil that were found to contain a treasure trove of medicinal chemical compounds. There were 116 chemicals compounds discovered in the oil and 16 in the wax, that the researchers believe came from the seed husks.

"It could very well be that avocado seed husks, which most people consider as the waste of wastes, are actually the gem of gems because the medicinal compounds within them could eventually be used to treat cancer, heart disease, and other conditions," said Bandyopadhyay. 

The researchers identified compounds like behenyl alcohol in the oil, which is used in anti-viral medications. They also found heptacosane, which can help hinder tumor cells, and dodecanoic acid, which can decrease the risk of atherosclerosis. 

There is also the possibility of avocado seed husks being used to enhance cosmetics, perfumes, and plastics. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The previously-unknown secret powers of avocado seed husks

The avocado is having a moment. The beloved fruit is...

A group of long-term climate campaigners in New Zealand has launched a global initiative to plant trees in response to what they consider to be the ignorance of President Donald Trump on climate science. The organizers have named their campaign Trump Forest, which has received 120,000 pledges since March of this year.

The project allows people to plant trees locally or support forest restoration projects in Madagascar, Haiti, Ethiopia, and Nepal. 450 people around the world have signed up, planting 15,000 trees in the first month alone.

The founders claim they would need to offset the equivalent of 650 megatons of Co2 by 2025 to counteract Trump’s actions regarding climate change. To do this, they estimate a need for more than 100 billion new trees, which is enough to cover an area the size of Kentucky.

According to President Trump, he left the Paris Climate Agreement because it would cost jobs and hurt the U.S. economy while benefiting other countries. The president is also challenging climate regulations put in place by his predecessor, Barack Obama. 

The organizers of Trump Forest say there is a global sense of frustration with the president's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-decision-paris-climate-agreement/">climate change policies</a>.

Adrien Taylor, a co-founder of Trump Forest, told the BBC, “We've met some of the people on the front lines of climate change in Bangladesh, Mongolia and in other countries, and we found it extremely upsetting that Mr Trump's ignorance is so profound so we started to do something about it. Only a small percentage of the world voted him in, but we all have to deal with the consequences of his climate ignorance."

The goal to plant over 100 billion new trees over the next 8 years may be a huge undertaking, but the founders of Trump Forest say it can be done.

Co-founder Dr. Daniel Price told the BBC, "We want to plant a global forest that will offset all of the emissions that the Trump administration puts in the atmosphere. It sounds a bit ridiculous but it is completely feasible.” 

The organizers of the campaign said they have received "a bit of hate mail" from Trump supporters. There are also mixed emotions about the name of the project, as it sounds like a tribute to the president. 

Dr. Price told the BBC, "All we're trying to do is pick up the slack he has created and do the work for him so if he wants to take ownership of this forest just like Trump vodka and Trump Tower, we would welcome that; the phone line is open. So, Mr President, if you are reading this..."

Mr. Taylor added that, "We kind of want him to love the forest, this is his forest after all. We would love it if he tweeted about it.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Global forest project aims to offset Trump emissions

A group of long-term climate campaigners in New Zealand has...

The Cretaceous period, the one with all the dinosaurs, was a long geological era that started 145 million years ago and lasted 77 million years. During this time, life thrived with huge winged animals, dinosaurs, diverse plant life, along with the beginnings of flowering plants, peak sea levels, and a very different grouping of the continents than what we see today. It is also a period that ended, famously, with the mass extinction event that destroyed the dinosaurs. But recently, a team of researchers from <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> working in Myanmar discovered 100 million year-old flowers from the Cretaceous period in perfectly preserved in fossilized amber. This discovery is said to be the largest collection from this era to be studied in one analysis. 

The flowers are a new species of petal-less flowers and are so perfectly preserved in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insect-fossils-indian-amber/">ancient amber</a> samples that they look like they could have been picked yesterday. 

“The amber preserved the floral parts so well that they look like they were just picked from the garden,” said George Poinar Jr, a professor at Oregon State University’s College of Science.

The seven flowers in all measure around 4 millimeters wide and are predicted to have fallen from the branches of an araucaria tree and into a resin, which hardened and fossilized to preserved the flowers. 

The species have been named Tropidogyne pentaptera from the greek for five (penta) and wing (pteron). They are close to another species discovered from the Cretaceous period in similar fashion, Tropodogyne Pikei, but these seven flowers are a wholly different discovery.

“The new species has spreading, veiny sepals, a necar disc, and a ribbed inferior ovary like T. pikei, But it’s different in that its bicarpellate, with two elongated and slender styles, and the ribs of its inferior ovary don’t have darkly pigmented terminal glands like T. Pikei,” said Poinar. 

The discovery of the flowers is an exciting one, especially with the proposed image of a dinosaur like T-Rex bumping into the araucaria tree and causing the flowers to land in their amber tomb for hundreds of millions of years. It also helps to better paint the picture of what the Earth was like during the Mesozoic Era. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>

New species of flower discovered in 100 million year-old amber

The Cretaceous period, the one with all the dinosaurs, was...

New research has revealed that tropical trees continue to accumulate high rates of carbon into old age. In fact, these trees build up the majority of their carbon storage toward the end of their lives.

Trees play a critical role in helping offset the progression of climate change by taking carbon out of the air and storing it. While older trees are generally thought to have had a long life of carbon accumulation, a lack of data from individual trees makes it impossible to accurately calculate the amount of carbon stockpiled by a single tree in its lifetime.

Tree ring data enables researchers to estimate the growth of a tree by measuring the distance between rings found on the tree trunk. Each of these rings was formed when the growth of a tree was stalled out by changes in the climate. Seasonal changes in the tropics, for example, can temporarily halt the growth of trees.

Michael Köhl of the <a href="https://www.uni-hamburg.de/en.html">Universität Hamburg, Germany</a>, led a team of experts in examining the carbon accumulation of tropical trees over the course of their lifetimes. In order to do this, the team investigated 61 trees that grew naturally in the Suriname Rainforest. The trees ranged from 84 to 255 years old and belonged to three different species. 

The team analyzed the growth patterns of the trees and then calculated the size of each tree above the ground based on its rings. This data was used to measure how much carbon each tree had accumulated over the course of its life.

The researchers determined that the growth and carbon accumulation rates of these tropical trees had significantly more variation throughout their lifetimes compared to trees in managed forests. The tropical forest trees were also found to maintain high <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/converts-carbon-dioxide-no-byproducts/">carbon</a> accumulation rates toward the end of their lives, collecting 39-50 percent of their total carbon stock in the last quarter of their lives.  

The experts confirmed the theory that older trees generally store more carbon than younger trees. They suggest that a forest’s ability to store carbon is improved with the longevity of its trees. These findings, published in the open-access journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, may help to promote the conservation of old-growth tropical forests.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tropical trees are a valuable weapon against climate change

New research has revealed that tropical trees continue to accumulate...

According to new research, the length of time it takes for an area to recover from drought depends on factors such as future climate conditions and geographic location. The authors of the study point out that, as droughts become more frequent, ecosystems may not have time to fully recover before being hit with another dry spell.

There are different ways to define drought. From a meteorological perspective, it is defined as a period of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/severe-drought-plagues-north-dakota/">less than average precipitation</a>. In agricultural terms, drought occurs when a lack of rainfall weakens crops. From a hydrological point of view, it is when water sources such as lakes and reservoirs begin to dry up.

A research team led by William Anderegg of the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> set out to determine what it takes to recover from all three of these types of drought in different regions of the world. 

“There was a broad presumption that ecosystems and plants recovered almost immediately when the weather got wetter," said Anderegg. "We didn't know what the patterns were globally, including which plants seemed to recover faster or slower and which variables influenced that recovery time."

The team used a tool called the Standardized Precipitation-Evaporation Index to evaluate drought conditions. It combines measurements of temperature, soil moisture, recent rainfall, and the demand of plants for water. 

To evaluate recovery times, the team analyzed global satellite data to measure the rates at which plants convert sunlight into biomass, or gross primary productivity. According to the researchers, drought recovery means an ecosystem fully returns to the level of productivity that it experienced before the drought.

It can take a long time for plants to recuperate  from drought conditions, and sometimes they never recover. Disease and fire caused by drought can leave permanent damage to vegetation. 

The study, published tomorrow in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a>, revealed that climate conditions after a drought have the most influence on recovery time. Wet conditions will accelerate recovery, while dry conditions will slow down progress.

Location affected recovery time as well. Most regions can overcome the impact of the dry spell in less than six months, and some areas need up to a year. The scientists discovered that high-latitude Arctic regions and the tropics of South America and Southeast Asia need as much as two years to recover. 

"That's worrisome because those regions store the largest chunks of carbon in ecosystems across the globe," said Anderegg.

Climate models predict that droughts will become more frequent and last longer. This increases the chance that ecosystems may be hit with new droughts before they have recovered from the previous one. 

"That could have a double whammy effect," explained Anderegg. "A second drought could be harder on an ecosystem and have the potential to push it off a cliff." 

-

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Recovering from drought takes time, some damage permanent

According to new research, the length of time it takes...

When the first flowers appeared on Earth over 140 million years ago, they were all from a single ancestor. In an attempt to uncover more information about the origin and diversification of the flower, a team of scientists were able to assemble an image of what this ancestral flower looked like. 

A meticulous study of 792 species helped the researchers develop an evolutionary tree that connected all living flower species. Their research produced the largest data set of floral traits ever collected, and the experts managed to reconstruct the ancestral flower. 

The primitive flower looked like a water lily with wide petals and protruding pollen spikes.  Hervé Sauquet is an evolutionary biologist from Paris-Sud University and lead author of the study. He explained that it is difficult to draw a comparison between ancient flowers and today's <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/grow-fluorescent-flowers/">flowers</a>.

"All flowering plants have evolved and changed since that ancestor, that's how evolution works," said Sauquet. "So there is no single species or group of species that would have existed some long time ago and still exists today unchanged."

The experts determined that the ancient flower was bisexual and radially symmetrical  with both stamens and carpels, or male and female parts. They had multiple whorls of petal-like organs in sets of threes.

"These results call into question much of what has been thought and taught previously about floral evolution," said study co-author Juerg Schoenenberger. "It has long been assumed that the ancestral flower had all organs arranged in a spiral."

Fossil flowers from the time of the ancestral flower do not exist, which made it difficult for the researchers to estimate the exact features. Another amount of uncertainty lies in the fact that flowering plants, or angiosperms, can be traced back to a common ancestor 310 million years ago. 

"But we don't know yet what that ancestor looked like, nor what happened in between these two ancestors, a period of time some of us like to refer to as a dark tunnel,” said Sauquet.

Flowers, which are the reproductive structures of angiosperms, were not traced back that far.

“The origin of the angiosperm flower remains among the most difficult and most important unresolved topics in evolutionary biology,” said the authors.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</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: Hervé Sauquet and Jürg Schönenberger

The first flower on Earth may have looked like this

When the first flowers appeared on Earth over 140 million...

Scientists are working on a new treatment that drastically impacts melanoma tumors and slows their growth. This compound is naturally occurring in vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, but don’t run to the supermarket just yet. While the study shows the compound can help with treatment, eating a bunch of kale and broccoli may not be “potent” enough to be an effective treatment.

The study was conducted by scientists at the <a href="http://med.psu.edu/">Penn State College of Medicine</a> in collaboration with researchers from all over the world. The research team built a compound that was found to destroy the tumors in melanoma. Melanoma is one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer and has become more and more prevalent in people today. 

The reason there's a connection to broccoli with this study is that the compound was based on naturally occurring isothiocyanates that are found in the cruciferous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/labeling-make-vegetables-appealing/">vegetables</a> like broccoli. Isothiocyanates have been found to be particularly effective in fighting cancer. 

Previously, isothiocyanates have been shown to inhibit those harmful carcinogens and have positive effects on lung and esophageal cancer research. And now, this study adds to the research of Isothiocyanates and their connection to decreasing tumor growth. 

While doctors will always tell you to eat your leafy greens, Dr. Arun Sharma who was part of the team for the study, added, “Those are OK recommendations for prevention, but the compounds in the vegetables alone may not be potent enough to be used in a therapeutic environment.” 

By creating a compound with the same properties and with such a high success rate, the implications for real world cancer research and developing better cures for late stage melanoma are enormous. 

---

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Could broccoli be a secret cure for melanoma?

Scientists are working on a new treatment that drastically impacts...

Japanese scientists have created the world's first blue chrysanthemums. After 13 years of research, the team had a breakthrough when they combined the DNA of three plants.

The chrysanthemums are the first to be verified as true blue by The Royal Horticulture Society. Many other flowers that appear to be blue are actually various shades of violet or purple.

The scientists managed to transfer the DNA of a butterfly pea and a Canterbury Bell to a chrysanthemum using a microscopic bug. Blue genes were extracted from the plants and placed in the bug, which carried the DNA to the chrysanthemum. Seeds taken from the plant a year later produced a chrysanthemum with blue petals.

“Chrysanthemums are the second best-selling cut flowers after roses in the world,” said lead author Naonobu Noda. “Our blue chrysanthemums have a novel and natural blue color, which has been confirmed as true blue.”

Early attempts to create blue chrysanthemums using the Canterbury bell produced violet-colored flowers. The secret was adding the second plant, the bright butterfly pea. 

“This is a flower with three parents in effect, coming from the chrysanthemum, butterfly pea and Canterbury bell, which was very difficult and time-consuming to create,” said Noda. “This technique could be applied to other plants not possessing blue flower cultivars, for example roses and dahlias.”

Guy Barter is the chief horticulturalist at the Royal Horticultural Society.

“This is a really interesting scientific breakthrough, especially given that previous attempts to create true blue flowers have not been terribly successful,” said Barter. “True blue flowers are actually pretty rare and we know there is an enthusiastic market for them, as there is for black flowers.”

Surveys suggest blue flowers are strongly preferred by gardeners. While the chrysanthemums will not likely pass the blue color through their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-domesticated-plant-seeds/">seeds</a>, clippings will allow them to be multiplied.

“In the EU currently, genetically modified plants require special permission to be grown, so at the moment we are not going to see blue chrysanthemums in garden centres,” added Barter. “Nonetheless this could provide new options for perfectionist gardeners looking for flowers which are blue rather than violet or lavender.”

The experiment is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Scientific Advances</a> by the <a href="http://www.naro.affrc.go.jp/english/">National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Japan</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Photo Credit: Naonobu Noda/NARO

The world’s first blue chrysanthemums created in Japan

Japanese scientists have created the world's first blue chrysanthemums. After...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/video">NASA Goddard</a> reveals the surprising influence that humans have on Earth's freshwater resources.

In the first study to assess seasonal variability in water bodies worldwide, researchers have discovered that water levels in human-managed reservoirs fluctuate about four times more compared to natural lakes and ponds. 

"We tend to think of the water cycle as a purely natural system: Rain and snowmelt run into rivers, which run to the ocean where evaporation starts the whole cycle again," said study lead author Sarah Cooley of Brown University. "But humans are actually intervening substantially in that cycle. Our work demonstrates that humans are responsible for a majority of the seasonal surface water storage variability on Earth."

The study was focused on data from NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2). The primary goal of the ICESat-2 mission is to track changes in the thickness and elevation of ice sheets around the world. The measurements are obtained using a laser altimeter, and elevation is calculated to an accuracy of 25 millimeters. 

The satellite measured seasonal water levels in more than 227,000 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs worldwide from October 2018 to July 2020. The water bodies ranged in size from the American Great Lakes to ponds with areas less than one tenth of a square mile. 

The study revealed that while natural lakes and ponds varied seasonally by an average of .22 meters, human-managed reservoirs varied by .86 meters. This means that, when compared to natural lakes, reservoirs account for 57 percent of the total variation. 

Human influence on freshwater resources was found to beP even stronger in arid regions like the Middle East, American West, India and Southern Africa, where seasonal variability attributed to human activity exceeds 90 percent.

"Of all the volume changes in freshwater bodies around the planet - all the floods, droughts and snowmelt that push lake levels up and down - humans have commandeered almost 60% of that variability," said study co-author Professor Laurence Smith. 

"That's a tremendous influence on the water cycle. In terms of human impact on the planet, this is right up there with impacts on land cover and atmospheric chemistry."

Video Credit: NASA Goddard

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Human impact on Earth's freshwater resources revealed

Today's Video of the Day from NASA Goddard reveals the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features a Copernicus Sentinel-2 view of the Vatnajökull ice cap in southeast Iceland.

Vatnajökull is the biggest glacier in Europe, covering an area of more than 3,200 square miles. 

The ice cap has about 30 outlet glaciers, many of which are shrinking as a result of rising temperatures. One of these glaciers, Vatnajökull, is positioned over some of the most active volcanoes in Iceland such as Bárðarbunga and Grímsvötn.

On the southern side of Vatnajökull, the Jökulsárlón glacial lake has grown to become Iceland's deepest lake. Because it connects with the ocean, the lake contains both seawater and freshwater.

Video Credit: ESA  

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Vatnajökull ice cap in southeast Iceland

Today's Video of the Day from the European Space Agency...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. This region is one of the most famous places on the planet for viewing wildlife.

The Galápagos Islands are home to many native plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, including giant tortoises and sea lions. 

When Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835, his wildlife observations inspired the theory of evolution by natural selection. In 1959, the Ecuadorian government made the entire archipelago a national park to protect its unique diversity. 

The archipelago is made up of 13 major islands and several smaller islands and islets across 60,000 square kilometers of ocean. According to ESA, repeated volcanic eruptions and ongoing seismic activity have helped form the rugged mountain landscape of the islands. 

The largest of the Galapagos Islands, Isabela, was formed when multiple large volcanoes merged into one single land mass. 

Video Credit: European Space Agency 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how satellites are helping scientists monitor recreational sites for potentially harmful algae blooms.

Kate Fickas of Utah State University uses satellite images to make sure the water is safe for people and pets.

“I grew up swimming in the Willamette River in Oregon, and diving in lakes over the summer,” said Fickas. “So it means a lot to me that I’m able to not only help develop algorithms for monitoring cyanobacteria blooms, which is interesting in itself, but to be able to take that next step and keep the public safe, and allow them to safely recreate and enjoy the water the way that I do.”

Blooms occur when the populations of algae, phytoplankton, and cyanobacteria explode in numbers as a result of warm temperatures and excessive nutrients.

Fickas noted that many water bodies in Utah meet those conditions, especially with warming temperatures due to climate change, as well as nutrient runoff from agricultural fields and other sources.

Satellites such as Landsat 8 can detect when a lake changes color due to outbreaks of algae. 

Video Credit: NASA Goddard 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Satellites help keep people safe from algae blooms

Today's Video of the Day from NASA Goddard describes how...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features a satellite view of the Amazon River in the rainforest of South America.

The Amazon River flows more than 4,000 miles from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean on the northeast coast of Brazil, passing through six countries along the way.

The Amazon is considered the widest river in the world, as well as the largest drainage system, with more than 1,100 tributaries.

These rivers provide a range of habitats for various types of wildlife, including swamps, marshes. and streams.

According to WWF, it is estimated that approximately one-sixth of all the freshwater that drains into the world's oceans goes through the Amazon delta, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Video Credit: ESA

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Amazon River in South America

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Valentine Island off the coast of western Australia.

The tiny island is located in the King Sound, a large gulf and inlet of the Indian Ocean.

According to the ESA, the King Sound has one of the highest tides in Australia, reaching a maximum tidal round of around 11 to 12 meters. 

The port town of Derby can be found on the eastern shore of the King Sound near the mouth of the Fitzoy River. This area of Australia's Kimberley Region is known for having a coast lined with mangroves that support an abundance of wildlife including birds and fish. 

Video Credit: ESA

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Valentine Island in western Australia

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.qut.edu.au/">Queensland University of Technology</a> describes how pumice helped solve the mystery of what killed millions of shearwater birds in 2013. 

The team found evidence that migrating seabirds are eating materials that are not even food, including pumice stones, because they are starving.

Study lead author Dr. Lauren Roman is a researcher at Australia's national science agency CSIRO. She said there was much discussion in the scientific community about the causes of mass mortality of seabirds which are often found with plastic and other non-food items in their stomach.

"We found that in the instance of the shearwater bird deaths in 2013, these birds were starving, and in their starved state had reduced prey discrimination," said Dr. Roman.

"Our study investigates the chicken-and-egg dilemma - do animals starve from eating non-food or do animals eat non-food because they are starving?""

Seabirds are indicator species that can be used to monitor the health of marine ecosystems. Mass mortalities are often indicative of changing food webs and ecological conditions.

The study was focused on short-tailed shearwaters, which migrate from Australia to the North Pacific in April and return late in the year. Among 172 deceased seabirds that were recovered from the New South Wales and Queensland, 96.7 percent had ingested pumice or plastic.

The researchers used satellite systems to track the 2013 shearwater migration and compared the data to locations of a large pumice raft produced by a large volcanic eruption north of New Zealand in 2012.

"We proposed that a short time period between non-food ingestion and death would indicate that birds were already starving at the time of non-food ingestion, and a starving state would be reflected by poor body condition and reduced muscle mass," explained study co-author Professor Scott Bryan, who has been studying pumice rafts for over 20 years.

"Death after a longer period would indicate that birds starved following ingestion of non-food."

Professor Bryan said detailed information about the route of the pumice raft was an integral part to determining the answer of where the birds had consumed the pumice.

"We combined the tracking information data of the short-tailed shearwaters, using location tags on migrating birds, and the geological signature of the ingested pumice."

"By October 2013 when the shearwaters were returning to Australia on their annual migration from the North Pacific, the floating pumice was now located along their flight path as they approached Australia."

Once the experts had established when the birds ate the pumice, and their physical condition at the time, they were able to conclude that the birds were already starving when they ate the pumice. Furthermore, the study revealed that the seabirds had ingested the pumice about 12 to 41 hours before death.

"With a projected increase in challenging times for wildlife because of threats such as climate change, marine pollution and over exploitation of resources, this study has implications for mass mortalities and exacerbation of existing threats to marine species," said Dr. Roman.

Video Credit: Queensland University of Technology 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pumice solved the mysterious deaths of seabirds

Today's Video of the Day from Queensland University of Technology...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">UC San Diego</a> describes how pelicans seem to effortlessly glide along the crests of ocean waves close to shore.

The experts found that pelicans use wind updrafts generated by the waves to conserve energy as they fly. This technique is known as wave-slope soaring.

"There's a community of biologists and ornithologists that studies the metabolic cost of flight in birds that can use this and see how their research connects to our estimates from theory," said study lead author Ian Stokes.

"Likewise, our model generates a basic prediction for the winds generated by passing swell, which is important to physicists that study how the ocean and atmosphere interact in order to improve weather forecasting."

"This is an interesting project because it shows how the waves are actually moving the air around, making wind," said Professor Professor Drew Lucas. 

"If you're a savvy bird, you can optimize how you move to track waves and to take advantage of these updrafts. Since seabirds travel long distances to find food, the benefits may be significant."

Video Credit: UC San Diego 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pelicans use wind from ocean waves to save energy

Today's Video of the Day from UC San Diego describes...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Arctic region of Lapland, which is known for its vast wilderness, ski resorts, and natural wonders such as the Northern Lights.

Lapland is Finland’s northernmost region, and borders Sweden, Norway, Russia, and the Baltic Sea. It is also bound by the Norwegian Sea on the west, the Barents Sea on the north, and the White Sea to the east.

In the winter months, Lapland has temperatures of below zero and the Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, can he viewed in the night sky. 

The capital of Lapland, Rovaniemi, is considered the official hometown of Santa Claus. Here, the Arctic Circle runs through Santa Claus Village, which is located eight kilometers north of the city center. 

Finland is one of the places in the Arctic Circle where you can experience the Midnight Sun, or 24 hours of sunshine in the summer, and the Polar Night, when the sun does not appear in the winter.

Video Credit: ESA

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The northern European region of Lapland

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> describes a strategy used by rice plants that grow their roots in a spiraling pattern for a greater chance of becoming established.

The researchers set up a camera on rice seeds sprouting in clear gel to examine how the roots burrow into the soil. A new picture was captured every 15 minutes for several days after germination.

The team discovered that rice roots use a trick to gain a foothold in the soil by making corkscrew-like motions with the tips of their roots. 

Sprouting seeds face the challenge of anchoring the plant and moving downwards to suck up the water and nutrients the plant needs to grow.

According to the researchers, the spiral growth of root tips is a strategy that rice plants use to grow in hard, compacted soil.

Video Credit: Duke University 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rice roots use a spiraling strategy to become established

Today's Video of the Day from Duke University describes a...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features the northern lights over Canada captured by astronauts on September 28, 2017. The video is a time-lapse of nearly 1,000 still frames shot over a span of 15 minutes.

At the time the photographs were taken, the International Space Station was passing from the northwestern region of the United States toward the southeast.

“The time-lapse imagery that we’ve been able to get of auroras is just fascinating to watch,” said Will Stefanov, ISS program scientist for Earth observations at Johnson Space Center. “And just strikingly beautiful to be able to see that process, how the aurora shifts and moves like a live thing. And knowing that for that particular stretch of time, you are pretty much seeing what the crew saw in orbit.”

Just about a week prior to the time-lapse footage, astronaut Randy “Komrade” Bresnik had captured a spectacular photograph of the aurora borealis as the space station passed over Ontario, Canada. 

Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Astronauts share stunning views of the northern lights

Today's Video of the Day from the NASA Earth Observatory...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how land subsidence alters the shape of ocean basins and contributes to sea level rise. 

During the last ice age about 20,000 years ago, the northeastern region of the United States, Canada, and other regions were weighed down by ice sheets. When the ice melted and its weight was lifted, the land surface slowly rebounded. 

The resulting land movement, as well as subsidence related to human activities, play a significant role in sea level rise. For example, the Mississippi River Delta is essentially drowning as sinking ground is combined with higher sea levels, according to NASA.

Video Credit: NASA Goddard 

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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

How land subsidence contributes to sea level rise

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.energy.gov/">U.S. Department of Energy</a> describes how climate change is transforming the world's forests. 

The researchers analyzed satellite data and found that the global average tree size has declined over the last century. 

Earth's trees are also becoming increasingly younger, which is due to a higher rate of tree mortality that is linked to global warming and other factors.

"Unfortunately, mortality drivers like rising temperature and disturbances such as wildfire and insect outbreaks are on the rise and are expected to continue increasing in frequency and severity over the next century," explained study lead author Dr. Nate McDowell.

"So, reductions in average forest age and height are already happening and they're likely to continue to happen."

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Video Credit: DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

&nbsp;

Forests are becoming younger and smaller

Today's Video of the Day from the U.S. Department of...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) provides a glimpse of the famous coastal resort town of Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

Located on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in between the desert and the Red Sea, this region was a vacation destination for ancient Romans and Greeks all the way back to the 4th century B.C.

Divers are attracted to Sharm El Sheikh to explore the diverse marine life found in the Red Sea, including hundreds of coral reefs. Ras Muhammad National Park one of the most popular diving destinations in the region, with its clear warm water and breathtaking desert landscape.

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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

Video Credit: European Space Agency

The Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_University_of_Technology">Queensland University of Technology</a> describes how climate change may impact the jaguar, the dominant predator of Central and South America.

According to the research, jaguars in the Peruvian Amazon will be able to handle climate change in the short-term, but could become severely threatened as extreme weather events increasingly interfere with food resources.

“Estimates of jaguar numbers are difficult to achieve because the big cats are cryptic by nature, are not always uniquely identifiable, and their habitat can be hostile to humans,” explained study co-author Professor Kerrie Mengersen.

The investigation was focused on data from a 2016 expedition to the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, which covers 20,800 square kilometers in the Loreto region of the Peruvian Amazon. 

Professor Kevin Burrage explained that the predicted outcomes for the jaguars were concerning in the long-term. 

“Our results imply that jaguars can cope with extreme drought and flood, but there is a very high probability that the population will crash if the conditions are repeated over short time periods. These scenarios are becoming more likely due to climate change,” said Professor Burrage.

“The declines may be further exacerbated by hunting of both jaguars and their prey, as well as loss of habitat through deforestation.”

Video Credit: QUT Media

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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

Jaguars will soon be severely threatened

Today's Video of the Day from the Queensland University of...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> describes what stargazers can see in the sky this month. 

In early March, two reddish objects will line up with Mars: the stars Aldebaran, which forms the angry eye of Taurus the bull, and Betelgeuse, the shoulder of Orion. 

This Friday morning, look for the bright star Antares about 8 degrees below the waning gibbous Moon. In addition, Mercury and Jupiter and Mercury will appear at their closest to each other as morning twilight begins.

On Tuesday, March 9, the waning crescent Moon and the planets Saturn, Jupiter, and Mercury will appear near the horizon as morning twilight begins.

The first day of Daylight Savings Time falls on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Also beginning on this day, a "Wet Moon" or a "Cheshire Moon" will be visible for a few nights. This is when the thin, waxing crescent Moon appears to look like a smile in the evening sky.

On Friday night, March 19, the waxing crescent Moon will form a triangle with Mars and the bright star Aldebaran. This event will be followed by the astronomical end of winter on Saturday, March 20 at 5:37 a.m. EDT.

Also, be sure to look for Venus on March 26 and the full Moon on March 28.

Video Credit: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

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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

NASA skywatching tips for March 2021

Today's Video of the Day from the NASA Jet Propulsion...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Vancouver, a busy seaport on the west coast of British Columbia.

Vancouver is one of Canada's most densely populated and ethnically diverse cities, and is also known for being eco-friendly. 

Officials have developed a plan to make Vancouver "the greenest city in the world." The project involves improving air quality, constructing greener buildings, reducing CO2 emissions, and reducing traffic by promoting cycling, walking, and public transportation use.

Vancouver is already one of the most sustainable cities on the planet, with 95 percent of its electricity coming from renewable energy sources. 

Video Credit: ESA 

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Vancouver, British Columbia

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.aalto.fi/en">Aalto University</a> describes how screen time improves the lives of saki monkeys in captivity. 

In collaboration with Korkeasaari Zoo, the researchers built an on-demand video device for white-faced saki monkeys to activate whenever they want. 

"We were very much interested in how we can give animals control over their environment and especially how they can control technology," said study lead author Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas.

"Typically, when we use technology with animals, we use it on them, so we play them sounds or video, rather than giving them the option of controlling the technology themselves."

The device played five different kinds of scenes: marine life such as jellyfish, wiggly worms, zoo animals like zebras, makis and dear, abstract art, or lush forests.

"We got interesting results. First of all, we learned that the monkeys do pay attention to the screen; they watch it and touch it. We also suspect they recognize objects on the screen. One of the videos we had featured meal worms - an everyday meal for them. They actually tried to lick the screen and even went around the tunnel to see if the worms were behind it," said study co-author Vilma Kankaanpää.

The saki monkeys scratched themselves significantly less often when they were offered on-demand videos. For monkeys in captivity, scratching can be a sign of stress.

Video Credit: Aalto University 

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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

Saki monkeys benefit from screen time

Today's Video of the Day from Aalto University describes how...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the world’s largest river delta, the Ganges Delta, which covers an area of around 100,000 square kilometers.

The delta is primarily formed by the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, both of which are visible in the image. The snow-covered Himalayas mountains can also be seen in the top of the photograph.

The Ganges river flows for over 2,400 kilometers from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. The river carries fertile soil and nutrients and deposits them across its vast delta floodplain. 

Video Credit: European Space Agency 

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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

The world's largest river delta

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://eros.usgs.gov/image-gallery/image-of-the-week">USGS</a> shows how one of the worst natural disasters in history reshaped the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. 

In December of 2004, an earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra was so intense that it lifted the seafloor several meters and sent tsunami waves in every direction. The 9.1-magnitude Indian Ocean Earthquake ranks as the third must powerful on record. 

Waves that reached the coast of Sumatra were as high as 30 meters. Landsat images show where the vegetation was completely stripped away along the coast, as well as the recovery in the years that followed. 

Video Credit: USGS

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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

Indian Ocean tsunami reshaped the coast of Sumatra

Today's Video of the Day from the USGS shows how...