For many years, scientists believed that plants sensed heat using proteins active mostly at night. But recent findings reveal something far more complex. 



A new study led by Professor Meng Chen from the <a href="https://www.ucr.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California, Riverside</a>, shows that during the day, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-roots-could-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/">plants</a> rely on sugar and a combination of thermal signals to detect warmth and adjust their growth.



The research reshapes long-standing views. The results uncover how plants integrate sunlight, sugar, and internal signals to regulate daytime thermomorphogenesis, the growth response triggered by warmth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plants-sense-heat-differently-by-day">Plants sense heat differently by day</h2>



“Our textbooks say that proteins like phytochrome B and early flowering 3 (ELF3) are the main thermosensors in plants,” Chen said. “But those models are based on nighttime data." 



"We wanted to know what’s happening during the day, when light and temperature are both high because these are the conditions most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-pressure-has-a-hidden-impact-on-plant-diversity/">plants</a> actually experience.”



Previous models focused on phytochrome B (phyB) and ELF3, both of which are responsive at night. But in strong sunlight, phyB becomes constantly activated, shutting down its heat-sensing role. 



The research team tested Arabidopsis plants under a range of temperatures and red-light intensities, including conditions mimicking midday sun.



The paper shows two clear heat responses. One operates between 12 and 21 °C and depends on phyB. The other, active between 21 and 27 °C, does not rely on phyB. This second, sugar-driven response remains active even under intense light.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sugar-helps-plants-detect-daytime-heat">Sugar helps plants detect daytime heat</h2>



The study reveals that sugar is more than just a fuel. It is a heat signal during daylight. “That’s when we realized sugar wasn’t just fueling growth,” Chen said. “It was acting like a signal, telling the plant that it’s warm.”



Under high temperatures, chloroplasts break down stored starch into sucrose. This sugar then stabilizes PIF4, a protein that drives growth. 



Without sugar, PIF4 degrades. With sugar, PIF4 sticks around, so long as another protein, ELF3, also lifts its repressive control.



The&nbsp;study&nbsp;confirms that adding sucrose to mutant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-finally-learn-what-makes-plants-roots-grow-faster-and-stronger-autophagy/">plants</a> restores growth, even in darkness. This shows sugar acts independently from light and provides a thermal cue during the day.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-growth-needs-both-sugar-and-heat">Plant growth needs both sugar and heat</h2>



“PIF4 needs two things,” Chen explained. “Sugar to stick around, and freedom from repression. Temperature helps provide both.”



This dual system operates like an "AND" gate in electronics. Both sucrose and the release from ELF3 inhibition are required for full thermoresponsive growth. Sucrose promotes PIF4 stability, while high temperature relieves ELF3's suppression.



When either cue is missing, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/international-day-for-biological-diversity-2025-bonding-with-nature/">plants</a> fail to elongate properly. But when both are present, like sugar and warmth, PIF4 can trigger auxin-related genes that stretch the plant upwards.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protein-blocks-growth-until-it-s-warm">Protein blocks growth until it’s warm</h2>



Interestingly, ELF3 inhibits PIF4 in two ways. It blocks its production and its activity. High temperatures disable ELF3, freeing PIF4 to act. This insight flips older beliefs that ELF3 only worked at night.



The&nbsp;microscopy images and data on page 8&nbsp;reveal that even without ELF3, plants can respond to sugar and still grow taller. But only with both sugar and heat do PIF4 targets like IAA19 and YUC9 become active.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-engineering-stronger-crops">Engineering stronger crops</h2>



“This changes how we think about thermosensing in plants,” Chen said. “It’s not just about proteins flipping on or off. It’s about energy, light, sugar, as well.”



Understanding these systems has practical value. As global temperatures rise, crops need to grow reliably. Knowing that starch breakdown and sugar signaling help regulate growth can help scientists design better, more heat-resilient plants.



Researchers also&nbsp;illustrate how the three thermosensors, phyB, ELF3, and chloroplast-sucrose, work together. This multisensor setup allows plants to fine-tune growth, even under extreme conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plants-use-sugar-smartly-to-grow">Plants use sugar smartly to grow </h2>



Plants live silent lives, but their internal machinery buzzes with complex decisions. In the heat of the day, they don't just react, they calculate. 



By using sugars to sense their environment, they respond with a quiet precision that helps them grow exactly when conditions are right. This study doesn't just add to our knowledge. It rewrites it.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60498-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Plants use sugar in ways we never imagined

For many years, scientists believed that plants sensed heat using proteins active mostly at night. But recent findings reveal something far more complex. A new study led by Professor Meng Chen from the University of California, Riverside, shows that during the day, plants rely on sugar and a combination of thermal signals to detect warmth and adjust their growth. The research reshapes long-standing views. The results uncover how plants integrate sunlight, sugar, and internal signals to regulate daytime thermomorphogenesis, the growth response triggered by warmth. Plants sense...

The Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death among women by 25 percent, according to a new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2022-321930">Heart</a>.



Cardiovascular disease accounts for more than a third of all deaths among women. Despite this overwhelming statistic, most clinical trials include very few women or haven’t reported the results by sex. As a result, current guidelines on how best to lower cardiovascular disease risk don’t differentiate by sex.



To inform sex specific guidance, the researchers gathered studies which had examined the impact of the Mediterranean diet on women’s cardiovascular health.



The Mediterranean diet is rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and extra virgin olive oil. It is moderate in fish and low in red meats, dairy and processed foods.



The researchers analyzed 16 studies between 2003 and 2021 carried out in the US and Europe, involving more than 700,000 women whose cardiovascular health was monitored for an average of 12.5 years.



The results showed that sticking closely to a Mediterranean diet was associated with a 24 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 23 percent lower risk of death from any cause in women.



The risk of coronary heart disease was 25 percent lower among women who followed the diet the most consistently compared with those who did so the least. The researchers believe these health benefits can be attributed to the diet’s antioxidant and gut microbiome effects on inflammation and cardiovascular risk factors.



Various components of the diet include polyphenols, nitrates, omega-3 fatty acids, increased fiber intake and reduced glycaemic load - which may all contribute to better cardiovascular health.



The sex specific effect of the Mediterranean diet remains unclear, reinforcing the need for more sex specific research in cardiology.



“Female specific cardiovascular risk factors, including premature menopause, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes, or female predominant risk factors, such as systemic lupus, can all independently increase [cardiovascular disease] risk,” said the researchers.



“It is possible that preventative measures, such as a Mediterranean diet, that targets inflammation and [cardiovascular disease] risk factors, impose differing effects in women compared with men."



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Women can live longer on the Mediterranean diet 

The Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease...

The small island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean has a large number of endemic plants and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-did-warning-coloration-evolve-in-animals/">animals</a> that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. This unique ecosystem is highly interconnected, as many fruit-bearing plants depend on animals to disperse their seeds.&nbsp;



Mauritius faces a serious risk of mass extinction in the coming decades, and researchers at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> have investigated the potential consequences of changes in the composition of the island's frugivore communities.



"Many plants, especially on tropical islands like Mauritius, rely on animals to help spread their seeds. If the animals that can help spread the seeds become extinct, the plants get into trouble because the animals which humans have brought to the island destroy the seeds instead. This increases the risk of the plants that are still on the island dying out," explained study first author Julia Heinen.



In a negative feedback loop, the loss of plants on the island could perpetuate the loss of more frugivorous animals. According to the researchers, the introduction of new animals to the island will not necessarily help.&nbsp;



"After the dodo and other Mauritian animals have become extinct, other animals have come to the island. They have either come with the people or they have found their way to the island themselves. But they cannot replace the function of extinct animals in the ecosystem," said Heinen.



"Now there are rats, pigs, monkeys and some other types of birds. And they actually eat the same fruits, but they handle them in a different way, and it doesn't have a positive effect on the plants."



"If we remove one species from the island, for example the dodo, we destroy the connection to others. It's like a house of cards. Then the plants that were eaten by the dodo and other animals in Mauritius will also be at risk of extinction."



Heinen explained that rats are a big problem when they arrive on an island. "They hide on the ships with the humans, so when the humans came to the island, the rats were there. The rats eat and destroy seeds, but they are also fond of birds' eggs.'



Ever since humans arrived on the island with rats and pigs 400 years ago, the sensitive ecosystem of Mauritius has been impacted. Some other animals, however, have helped to keep the ecosystem functioning.&nbsp;



"The Mauritian fruit bat is a very unique and endangered animal that plays a vital role in the ecosystem because it is one of the few remaining animals that can disperse the plants over the island. But the authorities are actively killing the bats because they are noisy and eat the mangoes in people's backyards," said Heinen. "People are very frustrated, but the authorities ignore the science. And Mauritius is the last place on Earth the bat lives."



“We don’t know yet how to stop extinctions on islands worldwide, but this study makes it clear that on Mauritius we can prevent the loss of the native plants if we stop culling the flying foxes, start conservation projects focused on the Mauritian Bulbul and continue to protect the Telfair’s skink.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36669-9">Nature Communications</a>.



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



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Native island plants may not survive animal extinctions 

The small island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean has...

Spring is arriving earlier as a result of global warming, and this phenomenon threatens to disrupt plant and pollinator interactions. In a new study led by the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>, researchers have discovered that some plants are not just flowering earlier, but are also producing bigger flowers to attract pollinators.



The experts found that between 2003 and 2012, the common morning glory in the southeastern United States increased the size of its flowers. This change was most pronounced at northern latitudes. Previously, scientists have reported finding more dramatic evolutionary responses to climate change in the northern part of a plant's range.



According to the researchers, increased flower size suggests a greater investment by the plants in pollinator attraction. The morning glories had also invested more energy in nectar and pollen to attract more of the bees, syrphid flies, and wasps that pollinate them.&nbsp;



"There is a major gap in our understanding of how traits that are crucial for plant-pollinator interactions may be evolving over time as a response to a changing climate," said study lead author Sasha Bishop.



"We show that - in addition to well-documented shifts to earlier flowering - floral architecture and rewards can also play significant roles in the evolutionary response to contemporary environmental change."&nbsp;



In collaboration with Shu-Mei Chang of the University of Georgia, the experts used a "resurrection approach" for the study. They germinated morning glory seeds that were collected from the edges of agricultural fields in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina in 2003 and 2012.&nbsp;



Over these years, the region had experienced rising temperatures, an increase in the number of extreme rainfall events, and more extreme drought.



The researchers planted the seeds from both years in a greenhouse at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens.&nbsp;



The results showed that morning glory corollas became wider over the course of nine years, jumping from 4.5 centimeters in diameter in 2003 to 4.8 centimeters in 2012. In addition, the study revealed that the morning glories from 2012 started flowering four days earlier.



"This is the first article to use the resurrection approach to examine the potential that traits responsible for plant-pollinator interactions may be evolving over time, concomitant to decreases in pollinator abundance and dramatic environmental changes due to changing climate and land-use regimes," said Bishop.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://phys.org/news/2023-03-bigger-greater-rewards-climate-disruptions.html">Evolution Letters</a>.



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



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Morning glories make bigger flowers to entice pollinators

Spring is arriving earlier as a result of global warming,...

Each year, millions of tourists travel to Tokyo and other cities in Japan to experience the country’s world-famous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cherry-blossom-emblems-could-unite-people-to-save-forests/">cherry blossom</a> season (known as the “sakura season”). The cherry trees usually start to blossom at the end of March or the beginning of April, but in recent years this event is starting earlier due to unusually warm weather fueled by climate change.&nbsp;



This year, by beginning 10 days early, cherry blossom season matched a record seen only twice before - in 2020 and 2021 - since data first began being collected in 1953.



Since late 2019, Japan’s borders were closed and large gatherings were mostly forbidden due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For these reasons, the highly anticipated viewing parties of this spectacular event (known as “hanami”), usually bringing together huge crowds of people in Japan’s public parks, did not take place. However, as the borders reopened in last October and Covid-19 restrictions have gradually been lifted, both locals and visitors have eagerly expected this year’s season.



According to the <a href="https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html">Japan Meteorological Agency</a>, over five blossoms of the famous Somei-Yoshino cherry trees – a strain which accounts for over 90 percent of the cherry trees planted in Japan - were recently seen at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, after temperatures have been gradually rising since the beginning of March. The blossoms all over the city are expected to be in full-bloom within the next week.



“Today, on March 14, we hereby declare the sakura blossoming in Tokyo,” said an official from the agency in an announcement that came six days earlier than last year. “We’ve seen many warm days in March. Climate change may also have played a part.”



If global temperatures continue to rise, extremely early cherry blossom flowering dates could occur more regularly, according to a study published in 2022 in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ac6bb4">Environmental Research Letters</a>. “By the end of the century and under medium emissions, the early shift is estimated to further increase by almost a week. Extremely early flowering dates, as in 2021, would be rare without human influence, but are now estimated to be 15 times more likely, and are expected to occur at least once a century. Such events are projected to occur every few years by 2100 when they would no longer be considered extreme,” the authors concluded.



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



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Cherry blossom season has arrived 10 days early in Japan

Each year, millions of tourists travel to Tokyo and other...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> has found that consuming a traditional Mediterranean-type diet – consisting of significant quantities of seafood, fruits, and nuts – could help reduce the risk of dementia by nearly a quarter. As previous studies have usually been limited to small sample sizes and low numbers of dementia cases, this research is one of the largest investigations of the relationship between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-can-lead-to-longer-life/">Mediterranean diet</a> and dementia.



The scientists analyzed data from 60,298 individuals from the <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">UK Biobank</a> who had completed a dietary assessment, and scored the participants based on how closely their diet matched key features of the Mediterranean one. Afterwards, the participants were followed for almost a decade - during which 882 of them developed dementia - while the researchers also assessed each of their genetic risk of dementia by estimating what is known as their “polygenic risk” (a measure of the variety of genes known to increase the risk of developing dementia). The results revealed that individuals who ate regularly a Mediterranean-like diet had up to 23 percent lower risk of dementia than the other participants.



“Dementia impacts the lives of millions of individuals throughout the world, and there are currently limited options for treating this condition,” said lead author Oliver Shannon, a lecturer in Human Nutrition and Aging at Newcastle.



&nbsp;“Finding ways to reduce our risk of developing dementia is, therefore, a major priority for researchers and clinicians. Our study suggests that eating a more Mediterranean-like diet could be one strategy to help individuals lower their risk of dementia.”



The experts also found that there was no significant interaction between the polygenic risk for dementia and the Mediterranean diet adherence, suggesting that even those with high genetic risk who follow a better diet could lower the likelihood of developing this debilitating condition.



Since the analysis was limited to individuals who self-reported their ethnic background as white, British, or Irish, further studies are needed to determine the potential benefits of such as diet in the case of other ethnicities.&nbsp;



&nbsp;“The findings from this large population-based study underscore the long-term brain health benefits of consuming a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats,” said co-lead author Janice Ranson, a senior research fellow in Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Exeter.



“The protective effect of this diet against dementia was evident regardless of a person’s genetic risk, and so this is likely to be a beneficial lifestyle choice for people looking to make healthy dietary choices and reduce their risk of dementia. Future dementia prevention efforts could go beyond generic healthy diet advice and focus on supporting people to increase consumption of specific foods and nutrients that are essential for brain health.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-02772-3">BMC Medicine</a>.



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



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Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of dementia

A new study led by Newcastle University has found that...

Although scientists have documented <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/australian-plant-species-vanish/">plant species</a> for centuries to better understand and protect the amazing diversity of flora around the world, many of these species have never been photographed in their natural habitat. By surveying 33 major online databases of plant photographs, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">University of New South Wales</a> (UNSW Sydney) and the <a href="https://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science/australian-institute-of-botanical-science">Australian Institute of Botanical Science</a> has found that, out of 21,077 species of native Australian vascular plants, nearly 20 percent lack verifiable photographs.&nbsp;



Such a lack of detailed photographic records can have serious consequences, with many undocumented plant species at risk of becoming extinct.



“It was surprising to see how many plant species had just line drawings, illustrations, paintings, or even no media at all,”&nbsp;said study lead author Thomas Mesaglio, a PhD student in Botany at UNSW. “Having a comprehensive photographic set helps us to be confident in our identifications. Particularly when it is practically challenging to collect and preserve the entire plant, photos complement the physical voucher by showing the soil type, the habitat it’s growing in, and other species growing alongside it.”



The experts found that the most well-photographed plant groups tend to be trees or shrubs with noticeable or even spectacular features, such as colorful flowers. For instance, while Banksia is one of the two Australian plant genera with over 40 species to have a complete photographic record, the family with the most significant plant deficit is Poaceae (commonly known as grasses), with 343 unphotographed species.



“We noticed a charisma deficit, so the species that tend to be harder to see are the ones missing out. They may have innocuous or pale-looking flowers or be smaller and harder to spot grasses, sedges, and herbs,” Mesaglio explained. Moreover, geography significantly affects the photographic record too, with plants located in difficult to access environments being less photographed.



The scientists urge citizen scientists to help constructing comprehensive photographic records for professional scientists to use in identification guides, by engaging with platforms such as <a href="https://www.inaturalist.org/">iNaturalist</a>, &nbsp;a network of citizen scientists and biologists aiming to map and share observations of biodiversity across the world.&nbsp;



“People can engage with, sympathize with, and get much more excited about plants with photographs, which is vital when our natural environments are more at risk than ever,” Mesaglio argued. “Because digital photography is so accessible now, anyone can also help make a meaningful contribution to science using the camera in their pocket.”



In addition, Mesaglio and his colleagues recommend the development of a standardized system for scientific plant photography, and publish all new species descriptions as Open Access in searchable databases with Creative Commons licensing to maximize their usage.



“We also suspect more photos exist, but they’re hidden away on social media or behind scientific paywalls that aren’t accessible, discoverable, or searchable. Of the species with photographs, many have a single photo. We not only want to capture those unrepresented species but also continue building the photographic record for all species. Doing so will help us identify, monitor, and conserve our native species for generations to come,” Mesaglio concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.18813">New Phytologist</a>.



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



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Thousands of plant species remain unphotographed

Although scientists have documented plant species for centuries to better...

As the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth, giant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-birds-prefer-native-trees/">trees</a> play an important ecological role in the natural world. Giant trees inspire a sense of awe, as they hold the story to our shared history. Some human societies are known to position giant trees in significant socio-cultural roles with unique identities and names selected by local people.&nbsp;



Giant trees have a spiritual connection with local people by encouraging social cohesion. Attachments with giant trees can also encourage spiritual well-being, but just exactly how this occurs remains unknown.&nbsp;



Geography and climate are known to influence the age, size, and other properties of trees. Previous studies have suggested that trees with extraordinary properties tend to be given unique names and are recognized as sacred. The size and distribution of trees and spiritual ecosystem services may be influenced by macroecological processes (e.g., geography and climate).&nbsp;



In a new study conducted by the <a href="https://www.nies.go.jp/index-e.html">National Institute for Environmental Studies</a>, researchers used structural equation modeling (SEM) on 38,994 giant tree records from 237 species across Japan. The goal was to determine whether climate and geographical variables may drive both probabilities for giant trees to be an object of faith and receive a unique name from local people.&nbsp;



The study revealed that trunk circumference and tree age were the top two variables that influenced the probability of a tree becoming a spiritual object and receiving a unique name. Tree trunk circumference and age were also strongly correlated with climatic factors.&nbsp;



The probability of a tree being an object of faith and receiving a unique name increased with lower annual precipitation. The worship of giant trees in Japan is partly related to the “prayer for rain." Rice cultivation was the foundation of traditional Japanese society. The abundance or failure of rice crops was directly linked to life and death. Drought was the strongest factor in a devastating decline in rice yields. The study's results are strongly consistent with previous empirical findings.



This research is the first to demonstrate the relationship between spiritual ecosystem services and underlying macroecological processes, which have previously been difficult to quantify. The findings provide a starting point for further clarification of the spiritual connection between people and biodiversity, as well as the driving processes behind this connection.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-022-01337-1">Nature Plants</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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What drives a spiritual connection with giant trees?

As the largest and oldest living organisms on Earth, giant...

A recent study has revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetic-differences-in-fish-are-important-for-conservation/">conservation</a> efforts in Antarctica are insufficient to protect local wildlife. The research, led by Jasmine Rachael Lee at the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a>, predicts population declines for 65 percent of all Antarctic wildlife by the end of the century.



"We find that implementing ten key threat management strategies in parallel, at an estimated present-day equivalent annual cost of US$23 million, could benefit up to 84 percent of Antarctic taxa," wrote the study authors.



"Climate change is identified as the most pervasive threat to Antarctic biodiversity and influencing global policy to effectively limit climate change is the most beneficial conservation strategy."



"However, minimizing impacts of human activities and improved planning and management of new infrastructure projects are cost-effective and will help to minimize regional threats. Simultaneous global and regional efforts are critical to secure Antarctic biodiversity for future generations."



The researchers set out to investigate which plant and animal species are most vulnerable and to identify the best actions.



The team analyzed existing data to evaluate threats and conservation strategies for Antarctica's wildlife. The scientists also asked 29 experts to define potential management strategies that are cost effective.&nbsp;



According to the results, the most serious threat to Antarctic biodiversity is climate change. If global warming exceeds the target of two degrees Celsius, 65 percent of Antarctic wildlife populations will be in s state of decline by the year 2100.



The experts said that as Antarctica faces increasing pressure from climate change and human activities, a combination of regional and global conservation efforts is needed to preserve Antarctic biodiversity and ecosystem services for future generations.



“What this work shows is that climate change is the greatest threat to Antarctic species and what we need is global mitigation efforts to save them," said study lead author Jasmine Lee. "This will not only help to secure their future, but also our own.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3001921">PLoS Biology</a>.



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Conservation efforts are not enough to save Antarctic wildlife

A recent study has revealed that conservation efforts in Antarctica...

Since rice is one of the most important crops in the world, constituting the primary food source for more than half of the Earth’s population, protecting rice plantations from disease such as bacterial blight (BB) – an infection caused by the bacterium&nbsp;Xanthomonas oryzae that leads to losses of hundreds of millions of dollars each year – is essential in modern agriculture.&nbsp;



Although one of the best strategies to control BB and other crop diseases is to grow genetically resistant cultivars, since pathogens often evolve rapidly, scientists have to constantly explore new genes that could offer resistance and apply them to breeding. To be able to do this, they must regularly sample multiple rice plants at different times of the year and measure their responses to bacterial infection, which is a manually intensive and time-consuming labor.



Now, a research team led by <a href="https://www.zju.edu.cn/english/">Zhejiang University</a> (ZJU) has developed an innovative method combining unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, popularly known as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drones-can-assist-efforts-to-save-bees-and-other-pollinators/">drones</a>) and machine learning algorithms to assess BB outbreaks in the field and screen for potentially resistant genes. After setting up two experimental sites in the Zhejiang Province in China containing 60 types of rice cultivars with different resistances to BB, the experts used drones equipped with regular and multispectral cameras to image the crop sites at different stages of development. Afterwards, they combined these images with accumulated temperature (AT) data and used them to train a deep learning computer model to evaluate the severity of BB.&nbsp;



By testing whether a model trained with data gathered at one site could be supplied with a small amount of training data from another site to improve its predictions for the latter, the experts found that a transfer of only 20 percent of new data was a useful and cost-effective updating strategy leading to reliable predictions of BB severity across different sites.



In a next step, the scientists employed this method to effectively measure BB severity using drones to perform quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping. “QTL mark the location in the genome where a gene controls specific quantitative traits, such as susceptibility to a disease. Mapping QTL to crop responses under pathogen stress can help breeders identify the functions or traits of crops that a given set of QTLs controls,” explained study senior author Xuping Feng, an expert in Biosystems Engineering at ZJU. Through this innovative approach, Feng and his colleagues managed to detect both previously identified QTLs related to BB resistance and three new ones.



Implementing these findings in real plantations all over the globe could help minimize crop losses due to disease and secure sufficient food sources. “Compared with manual measurements of disease severity, UAV remote sensing techniques enable us to gather large-scale phenotypic information rapidly, which provides technical support for accelerating breeding research,” Dr. Feng concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.34133/plantphenomics.0019">Plant Phenomics</a>.



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



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Drones can assess the severity of crop diseases

Since rice is one of the most important crops in...

Coffee crops are an important source of income for millions of people around the world, but with the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-disruption-threatens-humanitys-survival/">climate</a> changes anticipated, coffee plantations may be in danger of dying or failing to thrive. Coffee plants are sensitive to climate variability and change, and have fairly narrow ranges of tolerance to temperature and precipitation. It is already considered that climate change will reduce the currently suitable areas for coffee cultivation by as much as 50 percent, which would have serious economic consequences.&nbsp;



However, a recent study has highlighted another way in which climate change is set to affect coffee cultivation. Annual yields are susceptible to certain climate hazards, such as heat waves, droughts, frosts and floods, all of which are likely to become more frequent in future. In addition, when these hazards occur simultaneously over coffee-producing regions, they can cause large-scale crop failures that threaten the global coffee trade.&nbsp;



In order to better understand how large-scale climate modes such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) may lead to simultaneous coffee crop failures in multiple countries, the researchers conducted a systematic analysis of literature on climate hazards and compound events in coffee producing regions between 1980 and 2020. They identified 12 climate hazards that threaten coffee crops in the top 12 coffee-producing countries, for example, when temperatures are too cold during the flowering season, or too warm during the growing time.



They found that the annual number of hazards globally has increased since 1980. In fact, most of the regions considered (excluding Uganda and India) have experienced a greater number of hazards in the past decade alone. Since 2010, there have been five years during which at least 20 hazards occurred across all regions, compared to just once in the years before this. This implies that large-scale coffee supply is at risk, globally, from compounding climate hazards.



The researchers state: “In 2016, for example, every region experienced at least one hazard, with most of the top growing-regions (northern and southern Brazil, Colombia and Indonesia) experiencing multiple hazards simultaneously.”



The analysis, published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000134">PLOS Climate</a>, also reveals that the type of climate hazards have changed over the past 40 years from those associated with overly cool conditions to those occurring in overly warm or dry circumstances. The scientists say more research is needed, however, to understand what kind of adaptations might mitigate global coffee crop failures under these new conditions.



“Our results suggest that El Niño is the primary mode in explaining compound climate event variability, both globally and regionally. Region-level hazards are therefore indicative of systemic risk to coffee production, rather than local risk. As with other crops, a systemic risk to the global coffee trade is posed by synchronized crop failures. With climate change projections showing a continued rise in temperatures in the tropics is likely, we posit that coffee production can expect ongoing systemic shocks in response to spatially compounding climate hazards," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



“Since 1980, global coffee production has become increasingly at risk of synchronized crop failures, which can be driven by climate hazards that affect multiple key coffee-producing areas simultaneously.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Global coffee trade is increasingly threatened by climate change

Coffee crops are an important source of income for millions...

Germination represents the first big step in a plant’s development. It involves a transition from the embryo state, inside the seed, to a fragile, small seedling that is exposed to the environment. A dormant embryo inside a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-needed-for-seed-dispersal-are-the-first-victims-of-deforestation/">seed</a> is protected from environmental conditions by a sturdy coat, whereas the seedling is far more vulnerable. The timing of this change is critical if the tender new seedling is to survive, but how exactly is this controlled?



Newly formed seeds are unable to germinate but, after a while (a few days or months), they acquire the ability to begin this transition to seedling, as long as the environmental conditions are favorable. However, even after they have ‘awakened,’ seeds can still choose not to germinate. For example, a non-dormant seed that is suddenly subjected to excessively high temperatures (&gt;28°C) can block its own germination to prevent the potentially fatal consequences; this allows for very fine control of the timing of germination.



This mechanism of repression by temperature (thermo-inhibition) enables a seed population to delay germination, even if there is only a small increase in temperature (1 to 2°C) that threatens the seedlings’ chances of survival. However, it is not known how a seed detects this change in environmental temperature or how it prevents germination.



In order to understand the detection mechanism that allows seeds to trigger thermo-inhibition, a group of researchers, led by Luis Lopez-Molina, professor at the Department of Plant Sciences of the Faculty of Science of the <a href="https://www.unige.ch/en/">University of Geneva</a> (UNIGE), has investigated the phenomenon in Arabidopsis thaliana. This is a species of plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family (cabbage, kale, broccoli) and used as a model in many research projects. They have published their findings in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36903-4">Nature Communications</a>.



The researchers first considered the mechanisms whereby young seedlings manage to respond to temperature changes, to help them pinpoint how seeds may accomplish this feat. Indeed, in seedlings a slight increase in temperature results in more rapid stem growth. This adaptation is similar to the one observed when a plant finds itself growing in the shadow of another: it lengthens to escape the shadow in order to expose itself to the sunlight which is more favorable for photosynthesis.&nbsp;



In seedlings, these variations are detected by a protein called phytochrome B that is sensitive to both light and temperature. This protein normally acts as a brake on plant growth in seedlings. An increase of 1 to 2°C tends to inactivate phytochrome B, making it less effective at preventing growth.&nbsp;



However, the role of phytochrome B in thermo-inhibition of seed germination was not known.&nbsp;The experts began by dissecting some Arabidopsis thaliana seeds to separate the two tissues inside the seed: the embryo (which will grow into the young plant) and the endosperm (which provides nutrition for the seed during dormancy and germination). They found that separated embryos were unable to prevent themselves from growing when temperatures were too high, whereas intact embryos showed thermo-inhibition. This indicated to the researchers that some factor within the endosperm was controlling the seeds’ ability to delay germination when it was too warm.&nbsp;



“We found that thermo-inhibition in&nbsp;Arabidopsis&nbsp;is not autonomously controlled by the embryo but implemented by the endosperm, revealing a new essential function for this tissue,” explains Urszula Piskurewicz, researcher at the Department of Plant Sciences of the UNIGE Faculty of Science, and first author of the study. ‘”In other words, in the absence of endosperm, the embryo within the seed would not perceive that the temperatures are too high and would begin its germination, which would be fatal.”



Further investigation of genetic factors, as well as experimentation with mutant plants, indicated that phytochrome B in the endosperm of a seed is indeed involved with this ability to delay germination. High temperatures were found to lower phytochrome B signaling in the endosperm, leading to changes in the production and release of abscisic acid into the embryo. This had the result of preventing growth of the embryo and germination of the seed.&nbsp;



Thermal inhibition of germination is a new example of the ways in which climatic variations can influence certain cyclic phenomena in plant life, such as growth and flowering. It is important to understand the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon, particularly as Earth’s climate warms and the germination of crop seeds may be affected.



“This trait is expected to have an impact on species distribution and plant agriculture and this impact will be greater as temperatures increase worldwide,” reports Luis Lopez-Molina, the study’s last author. A better understanding of how light and temperature trigger or delay seed germination could indeed help optimize the growth of plants exposed to a wide range of climatic conditions.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer



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Seed germination is controlled by an internal thermometer

Germination represents the first big step in a plant’s development....

A recent study led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has found that growing commercial crops at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/floating-solar-farms/">solar farms</a> not only increases food production, but also improves solar panel performance and longevity. These findings highlight the importance of developing and employing new technologies at a critical time for agricultural production, as global food demands are expected to rise by 50 percent by mid-century to feed up to 10 billion people, while the development of renewable energy sources is urgently needed to mitigate the impact of climate change.&nbsp;



“We now have, for the first time, a physics-based tool to estimate the costs and benefits of co-locating solar panels and commercial agriculture from the perspective of increased power conversion efficiency and solar-panel longevity,” said lead author Henry Williams, a doctoral student in Sustainable Solar Development at Cornell.



“There is potential for agrivoltaic systems – where agriculture and solar panels coexist – to provide increased passive cooling through taller panel heights, more reflective ground cover and higher evapotranspiration rates compared to traditional solar farms,” added senior author Max Zhang, an expert in Energy and the Environment at the same university. “We can generate renewable electricity and conserve farmland through agrivoltaic systems.”



In New York, for instance, nearly 40 percent of utility-scale solar capacity has been developed on agricultural lands, and 84 percent of land considered suitable for utility-scale solar development is agricultural.&nbsp;



According to the scientists, solar panels mounted over vegetation have lower surface temperatures than those built over bare ground. For instance, solar panels mounted four meters above a soybean crop showed temperature reductions by nearly 10 degrees Celsius compared to those mounted a half-meter above bare soil. This cooling effect – which is more significant than that induced by greater panel height – not only adds to solar panel efficiency, but also leads to improved solar panel lifespan and, thus, major long-term economic potential.



“As you decrease the solar panel operating temperature, you can increase efficiency and improve the longevity of your solar modules. We’re showing dual benefits. On one hand, you have food production for farmers, and on the other hand, we’ve shown improved longevity and improved conversion efficiency for solar developers,” Williams concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120478">Applied Energy</a>.



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



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Growing crops at solar farms increases panel efficiency

A recent study led by Cornell University has found 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.



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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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



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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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