Most people have heard that black holes slowly lose mass through cosmic decay, radiating tiny amounts of energy. This idea has circulated for decades and suggests that nothing is truly permanent.



Experts now propose that other extremely dense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magnetar-flares-create-gold-platinum-uranium-in-seconds/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">objects</a> might follow a related path. Their findings reveal a shorter timeline for everything, though not short on any human timescale.



Heino Falcke, a black hole researcher at <a href="https://www.ru.nl/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Radboud University</a>, stands at the forefront of this investigation. He collaborated with quantum physicist Michael Wondrak and mathematician Walter van Suijlekom to figure out how quickly these processes might happen.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-view-on-cosmic-decay">New view on cosmic decay</h2>



Scientists have long known about ideas related to black hole evaporation through a process first outlined by <a href="https://projecteuclid.org/journals/communications-in-mathematical-physics/volume-43/issue-3/Particle-creation-by-black-holes/cmp/1103899181.full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stephen Hawking</a>. The classic picture involves a black hole shedding mass over an incredibly long interval, eventually leaving no trace. 



Recent <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.14734" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> suggests that dense objects like neutron stars and white dwarfs might follow similar decay patterns, though at a snail’s pace.



Researchers wondered how these timelines compare to old predictions. They took the mathematics behind black hole evaporation and applied it to other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-space-cosmic-rays-from-supernova-sparked-rapid-earth-evolution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">celestial bodies</a>. The ultimate result? Those bodies still vanish, just more rapidly than many figured before.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-faster-fade-for-dense-objects">Faster fade for dense objects</h2>



“So the ultimate end of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/monster-in-the-shadows-giant-black-hole-emerges-from-cosmic-dust/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe</a> comes much sooner than expected, but fortunately it still takes a very long time,” said Heino Falcke. 



That statement might sound contradictory at first, but it sums up the team’s surprising takeaway. Ultimately, for everyday life, these timescales are beyond huge.



There is even a calculation for the disappearance of the Moon. The process would drag on for around 10^90 years. The details rest on <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/physics/research/gravitational-physics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gravitational physics</a> equations and the idea that curving spacetime might gradually convert mass into particles that eventually slip away.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-neutron-stars-and-white-dwarfs-reveal">What neutron stars and white dwarfs reveal</h2>



Neutron stars have densities so immense that a teaspoon of their material on Earth would outweigh a mountain. Given their density, cosmic decay could affect these stellar remnants, causing them to evaporate too.



The group uncovered that neutron stars might take about the same time to fade as <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/universe/black-holes/types/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stellar black holes</a> in the same mass range.



These results highlight a fresh perspective on gravitational physics. They show that events at a star’s surface could mirror those at the fringes of a black hole’s boundary, with subtle differences in how each body might reabsorb part of its own radiation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-denser-objects-lose-mass-faster">Why denser objects lose mass faster</h2>



Dense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blazar-cosmic-objects-defy-classification-can-rapidly-change-its-identity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">objects</a> lose mass through minute particle streams. More density means an object’s gravitational pull is stronger, which changes how energy flows away. 



Draining that stored energy requires creative math, plus insights from quantum mechanics and general relativity.



A white dwarf, much less dense than a neutron star, might hold out for around 1078 years. That timeline sounds wildly big, yet it is significantly shorter than earlier guesses in the range of 101100 years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosmic-decay-physics-and-math">Cosmic decay: Physics and math</h2>



“By asking these kinds of questions and looking at extreme cases, we want to better understand the theory, and perhaps one day, we unravel the mystery of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-hole-radiation-may-actually-be-a-catalyst-for-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hawking radiation</a>,” said Walter van Suijlekom, professor of mathematics at Radboud University.



That blend of math, astrophysics, and quantum ideas drives this line of work.



Probing new models can spur lively debates. Some wonder if there are hidden factors that might stretch these rates. 



Others note that experimental tests in labs are tricky at best because these processes are far too slow to detect directly.



Any attempt to grasp cosmic timescales boggles the mind. Changes in star systems usually unfold in billions of years. 



These calculations push things far beyond that, highlighting a universe that still has an expiration, even if it is unimaginably distant.



Better knowledge of exotic decay can guide how we interpret ancient remnants. If these estimates hold, the universe’s inventory of black holes, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-two-neutron-stars-collide-kilonova-explosion-very-bad-things-happen/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neutron stars</a>, and other dense bodies eventually runs out far earlier than some old predictions claimed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revising-cosmic-timelines">Revising cosmic timelines</h2>



Revising cosmic timelines does not upend everyday astronomy, since these events are so far off. Yet it refines how scientists tally the lifetime of matter. 



Anyone who assumes that a star corpse lasts forever might have to rethink that stance now.



It also raises a question about the deep structure of spacetime. If space itself nudges these bodies toward decay, the nature of gravity might be more flexible than once supposed. 



Each object’s density appears to determine how quickly it joins the dust bin of cosmic history.



The study is published in the <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.14734" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics</a>.



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Cosmic decay: The universe will end sooner than we thought

Most people have heard that black holes slowly lose mass through cosmic decay, radiating tiny amounts of energy. This idea has circulated for decades and suggests that nothing is truly permanent. Experts now propose that other extremely dense objects might follow a related path. Their findings reveal a shorter timeline for everything, though not short on any human timescale. Heino Falcke, a black hole researcher at Radboud University, stands at the forefront of this investigation. He collaborated with quantum physicist Michael Wondrak and mathematician Walter van Suijlekom...

Mother,Tyrannosaurus,Rex,With,Egg,Of,Baby,Tyrannosaur,Into,Mouth

While tyrannosaurs were some of the largest predators of all time, a new study from the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/">University of Edinburgh</a> reveals that their babies were surprisingly small. Scientists have discovered that baby tyrannosaurs were no bigger than a medium-sized <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gifted-dogs-can-learn-words-after-hearing-them-four-times/">dog</a> when they took their first steps.

The study was focused on the fossils of tyrannosaur embryos. The remains are providing brand new insight into the early development of tyrannosaurs, which weighed as much as eight tons and grew up to 40 feet in length.

The team created 3D scans of two tiny one-inch dinosaur bones unearthed in Canada, including a jaw bone and a claw. 

The scans revealed that the delicate remains belonged to baby tyrannosaurs - cousins of Tyrannosaurus rex. The researchers discovered that the jaw bone contained distinctive tyrannosaur features, such as a pronounced chin.

Based on the size of the fossils, the baby tyrannosaurs were around three feet long when they hatched. Study lead author Dr. Greg Funston said the bones can teach us much about their size and appearance.

While tyrannosaur eggs have never been found, the new research indicates that they would have been around 17 inches long. This finding could aid efforts to recognize such eggs in the future and gain greater insights into the nesting habits of tyrannosaurs, explained the researchers.

The earliest developmental stages of tyrannosaurs remain a mystery to scientists. This is because the vast majority of tyrannosaur fossils that have been uncovered belonged to adults or older juveniles.

"These bones are the first window into the early lives of tyrannosaurs and they teach us about the size and appearance of baby tyrannosaurs," said Dr. Funston. "We now know that they would have been the largest hatchlings to ever emerge from eggs, and they would have looked remarkably like their parents - both good signs for finding more material in the future."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://cdnsciencepub.com/journal/cjes">Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Baby tyrannosaurs were surprisingly small

While tyrannosaurs were some of the largest predators of all...

In a breakthrough study from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>, biologists are a giant step closer to making an inexpensive, renewable source of energy from a native North American <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/plants-cannot-keep-up-with-rising-co2-levels/">plant</a> called switchgrass. 

The researchers conducted an advanced genome analysis of switchgrass, which revealed genes that could ultimately be key to the widespread production of biofuels. 

By linking various switchgrass genes to specific climates, the experts have essentially developed a guide for breeding switchgrass that will perform optimally under current and future climate conditions across the United States. 

According to the researchers, optimizing switchgrass to grow efficiently in many different environments is key to ensuring its success as a biofuel feedstock.

Professor Tom Juenger has been on a mission to optimize switchgrass in his lab at UT Austin for more than a decade. When Professor Juenger analyzed samples provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's switchgrass stocks, he noticed a lack of diversity. 

Study co-author David Lowry was a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Juenger's lab when the research was initiated, and is now an assistant professor of Plant Biology at Michigan State University.

"Originally, a lot of these collections came from us driving around in a pickup truck with a shovel and digging up plants off the side of the road or in parks where we had permits," said Lowry.

Switchgrass is a warm-season perennial with deep roots that grows all over the country. It is an important component of tallgrass prairie habitats, growing up to 12 feet in some regions, and is also considered to be one of the most valuable plants for controlling soil erosion.

Furthermore, switchgrass has recently gained a lot of attention as a potential source of biofuel, which is critically needed to address the climate crisis. 

In collaboration with experts at the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology and the DOE Joint Genome Institute, the UT Austin team created 10 identical gardens in eight states. They grew clones of more than 1,000 switchgrass samples collected from across North America. 

The researchers assembled a reference genome sequence to compare the diversity among the samples. They documented which varieties thrived and where, matching sections of their DNA with traits that evolved over millennia in response to specific climates.

"We ended up finding three very distinct populations of switchgrass from three regions of the United States, all of which had their own sets of adaptations to climate," said study first author Alice MacQueen. "It means there are potentially multiple evolutionary paths available to match switchgrass plants to particular climates."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Switchgrass could be a major weapon in the fight against climate change

In a breakthrough study from the University of Texas at...

Researchers have found evidence that women's menstrual cycles are synchronized with lunar cycles, including the intensity of moonlight and the moon's gravitational pull. The experts theorize that this synchronization was strongest in ancient times and has been widely lost due to modern lifestyles and exposure to artificial light at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crown-of-thorns-starfish-stay-up-all-night-to-overindulge/">night</a>.

Study lead author Charlotte Förster holds the Chair of Neurobiology and Genetics at the <a href="https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/university/">University of Würzburg</a> (JMU). "We know many animal species in which the reproductive behavior is synchronized with the lunar cycle to increase reproductive success," said Förster. 

Both menstrual and lunar cycles have a length of around 29.5 days, which indicates that there is a correlation. The idea is also supported by the results of previous research. For example, multiple older studies show that women who have menstrual cycles that are synced up with the moon have the greatest chances of becoming pregnant. 

In addition, two longitudinal studies found a significant connection between lunar cycles and birth rate, with an increase in births during the full moon and a decline in births during the new moon. Further evidence suggests that births are more likely to take place at night when there is a full moon, and in the daytime when there is a new moon. 

To investigate, Förster and her team analyzed the timing of the menstrual cycles of 22 women who had kept menstrual diaries for up to 32 years. "To our knowledge, this approach to analyzing this type of long-term data has not been used before." 

Förster explained that the moon exhibits three distinct cycles that periodically change the intensity of moonlight and its gravitational pull here on Earth. 

The researchers determined that all three lunar cycles influence the onset of menstruation in women. They found that moonlight seems to have the strongest effect, while gravitational forces of the moon also contribute.

Not all women follow the cycle of moonlight, and those that do only sync up for certain periods of time. Women under 35 years of age have menstrual cycles that follow the light and dark phases of the moon for an average of 25 percent of the time.

The connection between menstrual and lunar cycles decreases as women age, and also decreases with exposure to artificial light sources at night. For example, women who go to bed late and leave lights on longer do not show signs of synchronization with the moon.

The fact that humans follow the rhythm of gravity could explain why other cycles, such as when we fall asleep or how long we sleep, are temporarily influenced by a full moon or new moon. 

According to the researchers, the observations suggest that humans respond not only to rapid changes in gravity, like when we are thrown off balance, but also to slow, recurring gravitational changes. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lunar cycles have a secret influence on human reproduction

Researchers have found evidence that women's menstrual cycles are synchronized...

In a new report from <a href="https://futureearth.org/">Future Earth</a>, 57 leading scientists from all over the world have compiled a list of the top 10 most important insights on the climate from 2020. The goal of the research is to help inform collective action on the ongoing climate crisis.

"This series is a critical part of our mission to get the latest science to decision makers in an accessible format to help accelerate transitions to sustainability," explained Wendy Broadgate, Future Earth Global Hub Director. "Worsening wildfires, intensifying storms, and even the ongoing pandemic are all signals that our relationship with nature is deteriorating, with deadly consequences."

Some of the topics addressed by the experts include higher than expected emissions from permafrost thaw and the untapped potential of green COVID-19 recovery packages. The top 10 climate insights outlined in the report are listed below. 
<ol>
 	<li> Improved understanding of Earth's sensitivity to carbon dioxide strengthen support for ambitious emission cuts to meet Paris Agreement: The climate's sensitivity to carbon dioxide - how much the temperature rises with a certain increase of emissions - is now better understood. This new knowledge indicates that moderate emission reductions are less likely to meet the Paris climate targets than previously anticipated.</li>
 	<li> Emissions from thawing permafrost likely to be worse than expected: Emissions of greenhouse gases from permafrost will be larger than earlier projections because of abrupt thaw processes, which are not yet included in global climate models.</li>
 	<li> Tropical forests may have reached peak uptake of carbon: Land ecosystems currently draw down 30% of human CO2 emissions due to a CO2 fertilization effect on plants. Deforestation of the world's tropical forests are causing these to level off as a carbon sink.</li>
 	<li> Climate change will severely exacerbate the water crisis: New empirical studies show that climate change is already causing extreme precipitation events (floods and droughts), and these extreme settings in turn lead to water crises. The impact of these water crises is highly unequal, which is caused by and exacerbates gender, income, and sociopolitical inequality.</li>
 	<li> Climate change can profoundly affect our mental health: Cascading and compounding risks are contributing to anxiety and distress. The promotion and conservation of blue and green space within urban planning policies as well as the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity in natural environments have health co-benefits and provide resilience.</li>
 	<li> Governments are not seizing the opportunity for a green recovery from COVID-19: Governments all over the world are mobilizing more than US$12 trillion for COVID-19 pandemic recovery. As a comparison, annual investments needed for a Paris-compatible emissions pathway are estimated to be US$1.4 trillion.</li>
 	<li> COVID-19 and climate change demonstrates the need for a new social contract: The pandemic has spotlighted inadequacies of both governments and international institutions to cope with transboundary risks.</li>
 	<li> Economic stimulus focused primarily on growth would jeopardize the Paris Agreement: A COVID-19 recovery strategy based on growth first and sustainability second is likely to fail the Paris Agreement.</li>
 	<li> Electrification in cities pivotal for just sustainability transitions: Urban electrification can be understood as a sustainable way to reduce poverty by providing over a billion people with modern types of energy, but also as a way to substitute clean energy for existing services that drive climate change and harmful local pollution.</li>
 	<li> Going to court to defend human rights can be an essential climate action: Through climate litigation, legal understandings of who or what is a rights- holder are expanding to include future, unborn generations, and elements of nature, as well as who can represent them in court.</li>
</ol>
"Given the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing carbon from the atmosphere to keep our planet from overheating, it is critical to inform the decision-making process for immediate action by the newest insights from climate science," said Peter Schlosser, co-chair of the <a href="https://the-earth-league.org/">Earth League</a>.

The report confirms that the environmental impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly more intense, yet it also points to opportunities that have emerged from new breakthroughs in climate science. 

"All parts of our world are affected by the climate crisis, and each continent, country, city and village depends on how well we manage Earth's natural carbon sinks - that's what the overwhelming scientific evidence shows," said Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. 

"Because we all share the same small planet, and there are planetary boundaries, we cannot rely on nature to support us if we do not support nature. Just look at the stressed tropical forests that so conveniently have been taking up huge amounts of CO2, but this might now come to a peak and decline." 

"From all these scientific insights, one political insight should arise: if we want to have a chance of stabilizing our climate, for the sake of our own safety, the last chance to reduce greenhouse gases is now."

The 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2020 will be presented today to Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-sustainability">Global Sustainability</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Experts have outlined the top ten climate insights of 2020

In a new report from Future Earth, 57 leading scientists...

Mineral dust is driving increasingly large algal blooms on the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/greenland-glaciers-face-a-triple-threat-from-global-warming/">Greenland</a> Ice Sheet. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> have found that the blooms have created a "Dark Zone" on the western margin of the ice sheet where sunlight is not properly reflected, which causes the ice to melt faster.

Across the Greenland Ice Sheet, surface melting and water runoff has increased by about 40 percent in the last 25 years. The new research indicates that algae living on the melting ice surfaces are contributing to this phenomenon, and that phosphate mineral dust is helping the algal blooms thrive. 

According to study co-author Professor Jim McQuaid, mineral dust can be transported thousands of miles by wind, but the dust examined by the researchers was from local sources. 

"As dryland areas in northerly latitudes become even drier under climate change, we can expect to see more dust transported and deposited on the Greenland Ice Sheet, further fuelling algal blooms," said Professor McQuaid.

"As an atmospheric scientist, it's exciting to see how wind-blown mineral dust is linked to algal bloom development and impacts ice sheet melting."

The algae blooms darken the ice as they spread out. This decreases the ice sheet's albedo, or its ability to reflect sunlight.

The Leeds team analyzed samples from the southwestern margin of the Greenland ice sheet over two years. By examining the surface dust, the experts determined that phosphorus is used as a key nutrient to help the algae grow. 

The researchers identified the phosphorus-containing mineral hydroxylapatite as the source of fuel for the algal blooms in the Dark Zone. The hydroxylapatite was blown onto the ice from neighboring rock outcrops.

"The photosynthesis rate of the ice algae improved significantly when we provided them with a source of phosphorus," said study lead author Dr. Jenine McCutcheon. "Our mineralogy results revealed that the phosphorus used by ice algae may be coming from the hydroxylapatite we identified in the mineral dust."

"It's important to understand the controls on algal growth because of their role in ice sheet darkening. Although algal blooms can cover up to 78% of the bare ice surfaces in the Dark Zone, their abundance and size can vary greatly over time."

"From one season to the next, algal blooms may change and vary in intensity, making them difficult to model year-to-year."

Previous studies have shown that for the last two decades, the melt season in the Dark Zone has started progressively earlier and lasted longer, reducing the ice sheet's ability to reflect solar radiation.

"The glacier ice algae bio-mine the phosphorus from the minerals fueling the blooms that cover larger and larger areas each year, leading to more melting and faster rising sea levels," said Professor Liane G. Benning, who is the principal investigator of the Natural Environment Research Council project Black and Bloom. 

"As current ice sheet and climate models do not include this phenomena, this research will advance these models and give us a greater understanding of the annual lifecycle of algal blooms."

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

How mineral dust is melting the Greenland ice sheet

Mineral dust is driving increasingly large algal blooms on the...

Bones found in Argentina may belong to the world's largest dinosaur. Experts in Argentina are reconstructing the fossilized bones of what may have been the largest <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/when-the-dinosaurs-vanished-forests-expanded-and-thrived/">dinosaur</a> that ever lived on Earth. 

The remains of a 98 million-year-old titanosaur were uncovered in Argentina's northwest Patagonia in 2012. The giant bones, including 24 vertebrae of the tail and elements of the pelvic and pectoral girdle, had been preserved in thick, sedimentary deposits known as the Candeleros Formation.

It was not immediately clear what type of animal had been found. In a new study published in the journal Cretaceous Research, paleontologists report that the remains belonged to a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur called a titanosaur.

The experts believe the creature is "one of the largest sauropods ever found" and could exceed the size of a Patagotitan, a species which lived about 100 million years ago and measured up to 122 feet in length.

"It is a huge dinosaur, but we expect to find much more of the skeleton in future field trips, so we'll have the possibility to address with confidence how really big it was," said study lead author Alejandro Otero of the Museo de La Plata.

Titanosaur fossils have been found on almost every continent, but the largest "multi-ton" individuals, including those that exceeded 40 tons, have been primarily unearthed in Patagonia.

The experts still need the dinosaur's humerus or femur bones to accurately estimate how much the creature weighed. At the same time, the researchers believe the enormous dinosaur had a body mass as large or larger than that of a Patagotitan or Argentinosaurus.

"While anatomical analysis does not currently allow us to regard it as a new species, the morphological disparity and the lack of equivalent elements with respect to coeval taxa also prevent us from assigning this new material to already known genera," wrote the study authors. 

"This set of extremely large taxa from Patagonia has contributed to a better understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of titanosaurs, revealing the existence of a previously unknown lineage and shedding new light on body mass evolution."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/cretaceous-research">Cretaceous Research</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bones found in Argentina may belong to the world's largest dinosaur

Bones found in Argentina may belong to the world's largest...

People who take naps have a lower risk of developing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exposure-to-fine-particle-pollution-linked-to-higher-risk-of-dementia/">dementia</a>, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">The BMJ</a>. The researchers linked afternoon naps of at least five minutes to improved cognitive ability, such as mental agility and speed of thought.

The neurodegenerative changes associated with older age increase the risk of dementia, which affects around 50 million people worldwide. Sleep patterns also change with age, with afternoon naps becoming more frequent.

The study was focused on the sleep patterns of more than 2,200 adults over the age of 60, who were given a standardized screening test for cognitive decline and dementia.

Overall, 1,534 of the participants reported taking a regular afternoon nap of between five minutes and two hours, and the remaining 680 individuals did not take naps. In both groups, the average length of night time sleep was around 6.5 hours.

The analysis revealed that the cognitive performance scores were significantly higher among the nappers compared to those who did not nap. Afternoon naps were associated with higher scores in locational awareness, working memory, and verbal fluency.

Since this is an observational study, the researchers did not establish the underlying cause of the link between afternoon naps and lower levels of cognitive decline. However, the researchers said there are some possible explanations for the observations found.

For example, one theory is that inflammation serves as a mediator between mid-day naps and poor health outcomes. Inflammatory chemicals have an important role in sleep disorders. Sleep regulates the body's immune response and napping is thought to be an evolved response to inflammation, explained the study authors. 

"In addition to reducing sleepiness, mid-day naps offer a variety of benefits," wrote the researchers. These include "memory consolidation, preparation for subsequent learning, executive functioning enhancement, and a boost to emotional stability - but these effects were not observed in all cases."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://gpsych.bmj.com/">General Psychiatry</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Afternoon naps may prevent cognitive decline and dementia

People who take naps have a lower risk of developing...

A new study from <a href="https://www.elte.hu/en/">Eötvös Loránd University</a> (ELTE) shows that some <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-first-american-settlers-arrived-with-their-dogs/">dogs</a> can learn a new word after hearing it only four times. The preliminary findings indicate that most dogs do not learn words, such as the names of objects, without extensive training. However, there are some dogs that have an exceptional gift for learning language.

Researchers with the Family Dog Project from the ELTE Department of Ethology have been analyzing talented dogs that seem to learn words in the absence of any formal training. According to the study, the dogs learn language simply by socializing with their owners in a human family. 

The research was focused on two gifted dogs, a Border Collie named Whisky from Norway and a Yorkshire terrier named Vicky Nina from Brazil. The experts tested their ability to learn a new word after hearing it only a few times.

"We wanted to know under which conditions the gifted dogs may learn novel words. To test this, we exposed Whisky and Vicky Nina to the new words in two different conditions - during an exclusion-based task and in a social playful context with their owners. Importantly, in both conditions the dogs heard the name of the new toy only 4 times," explained study first author Claudia Fugazza.

In the first task, the dogs showed that they were able to select the correct toy when their owner said an unfamiliar name. They did this by excluding all the other toys that had already been assigned a name, and by then selecting the one toy that had not. However, when they were asked to recognize the toy by its name, the dogs were unsuccessful.

It turned out the dogs were successfully learning words while they were socializing with their owners, who pronounced the name of toys as they played with them together. 

Both Whisky and Vicky Nina were able to select the toys based on the names pronounced by their owners, even though the names were only spoken four times. 

"Such rapid learning seems to be similar to the way human children acquire their vocabulary around 2-3 years of age," said study co-author Adam Miklósi.

The team tested 20 other dogs using the same condition, but none of them showed evidence of learning the names of the toys. This confirms that the capacity for dogs to learn words rapidly is very rare without formal training.

Even the gifted dogs could not commit the words to memory after such a few exposures, and the words faded pretty fast. Whisky and Vicky Nina could remember the words a few minutes after they learned them, but had typically forgotten them by an hour later without any further exposure. 

To investigate further, the ELTE team recently launched the <a href="http://geniusdogchallenge.com/">Genius Dog Challenge</a>, and the project has since gone viral in social media.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Gifted dogs can learn words after hearing them four times

A new study from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) shows that...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.aip.org/">American Institute of Physics</a> (AIP) describes how air purifiers can actually worsen airborne <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/plant-compounds-in-muscadine-grapes-block-coronavirus-replication/">virus</a> transmission. The researchers found that air purifiers in elevators and other confined spaces facilitate the dispersal of saliva droplets, potentially increasing the spread of viruses. 

Air purifiers are often used in small spaces that are not well-ventilated. These systems use ultraviolet radiation to kill viruses, but they also increase the movement of air as they purify it. This accelerated air circulation has not been considered in previous studies.

Recently, the AIP team demonstrated that saliva droplets can travel 18 feet in five seconds when an unmasked person coughs. The researchers used the same model to examine the effects of face masks and weather conditions.

For the current investigation, the experts simulated conditions in a 3D space equivalent to an elevator with the capacity to hold five people. The team examined the effect of a mild cough in the space, which contained air inlets, air outlets, and an air purifier.

"We quantified the effect of air circulation on airborne virus transmission and showed that installing an air purifier inside an elevator alters the air circulation significantly but does not eliminate airborne transmission," said study co-author Dimitris Drikakis.

The researchers analyzed the role of the air purifier, considering the air intake and exhaust associated with the system. They found that airborne virus transmission is still significant even with an air purifier in place. 

"Our results show that installing an air purifier may increase the droplet spread," said Drikakis. "The air intake integrated inside the purifier equipment induces flow circulation that can add to the transport of contaminated saliva droplets in the cabin."

Since the effect would increase with the number of infected persons in a confined space, the number of people allowed in an elevator should be restricted to minimize the spread of viruses. The study also suggests that air purifier and ventilation systems are in urgent need of improvement.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://aip.scitation.org/journal/phf">Physics of Fluids</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air purifiers help spread airborne viruses in confined spaces

A new study from the American Institute of Physics (AIP)...

Rising temperatures are an even bigger threat to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-in-meltwater-sediments-speed-up-ice-loss-in-greenland/">Greenland</a> ice sheet than what was previously realized. Scientists at <a href="https://uci.edu/">UC Irvine</a> and the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> have quantified how warming coastal waters are impacting individual glaciers across the island. 

As part of the Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) mission, the researchers have surveyed 226 glaciers for the past five years. The study revealed that 74 glaciers situated in deep valleys accounted for nearly half of Greenland's total ice loss between 1992 and 2017. 

The fjord-bound glaciers were found to be the most impacted by undercutting, which is when warm seawater at the bottom of the canyons melts the ice from below.

By contrast, the team found that 51 glaciers positioned in shallower fjords experienced less undercutting and contributed only about 15 percent of the total ice loss.

"I was surprised by how lopsided it was. The biggest and deepest glaciers are undercut much faster than the smaller glaciers in shallow fjords," said study lead author Michael Wood. "In other words, the biggest glaciers are the most sensitive to the warming waters and those are the ones really driving Greenland's ice loss."

The experts pointed out that warm seawater is able to accumulate more in deep fjords compared to shallow ones. 

Meanwhile, rising air temperatures heat the surfaces of glaciers, creating pools of meltwater that ultimately flow into the ocean. Glacier meltwater is lighter than seawater and floats up to the bottom of the glaciers, dragging with it a plume of warm water that causes undercutting. 

The researchers explained that while fjord depth is a fairly fixed variable, other factors such as ocean temperature and meltwater accumulation are greatly impacted by climate change. All three factors combine to cause accelerated deterioration of Greenland's ice sheet, they said.

The findings suggest that climate models which fail to account for undercutting may substantially underestimate glacial ice loss. In addition, the results may explain why many of Greenland's glaciers never recovered after an abrupt period of ocean warming between 1998 and 2007, despite a pause in ocean warming between 2008 and 2017.

"We have known for well over a decade that the warmer ocean plays a major role in the evolution of Greenland glaciers," said OMG Deputy Principal Investigator Eric Rignot. "But for the first time, we have been able to quantify the undercutting effect and demonstrate its dominant impact on the glacier retreat over the past 20 years."

“When the ocean speaks, the Greenland Ice Sheet listens,” said study co-author Josh Willis. “This gang of 74 glaciers in deep fjords is really feeling the influence of the ocean; it’s discoveries like these that will eventually help us predict how fast the ice will shrink. And that’s a critical tool for both this generation and the next.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Greenland glaciers face a triple threat from global warming

Rising temperatures are an even bigger threat to the Greenland...

In a new report published by <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">The BMJ</a>, experts have found evidence that listening to music significantly reduces <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fear-and-anxiety-share-a-common-network-in-the-brain/">anxiety</a> and pain after major heart surgery. The findings are based on a meta-analysis of relevant studies. 

Heart surgery patients are often anxious before their procedure, and may experience severe pain afterwards, despite being given sedatives and strong pain relief, explained the researchers. They noted that since music has no risks or side effects like those associated with drugs, clinicians should recommend it to patients scheduled for major heart surgery.

Previous research has indicated that listening to music around the time of any surgery may help to relieve anxiety and pain. In the current study, the researchers set out to investigate whether music can help patients undergoing major heart surgery by reducing their apprehension, length of hospital stay, and their need for drugs.

The experts reviewed the results of 20 relevant clinical trials, which involved 1,169 patients. They also pooled data from 16 studies involving 987 patients.

The music, which was was most often provided to patients through headphones, was usually described as relaxing and free of strong rhythms and percussion.

The music sessions were either repeated several times on the same day or over several days. In some trials, the music was provided only after surgery, while it was provided before, during, and after the procedure in other trials.

Across the various studies, patients in the comparison groups received scheduled rest sessions, headphones with no music, breathing exercises, or standard care. 

An analysis of the data revealed that listening to music significantly reduced anxiety and pain after major heart surgery.

However, patients who were only provided music before surgery did not experience reductions in pain. The researchers also found that several days of listening to music reduced anxiety for up to 8 days after surgery.

The study authors emphasize that several limiting factors need to be taken into consideration when interpreting the findings. For example, some of the trials involved only small numbers of patients. Furthermore, the timing, duration, and type of music varied widely across the studies. 

According to the experts, further research is needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn. Regardless, they say that listening to music is a "promising" option for major heart surgery patients.

"Since music intervention has neither risks nor known side effects, but may have a positive effect on patients' health outcomes, healthcare professionals should consider providing perioperative music for patients undergoing cardiac surgery."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://openheart.bmj.com/">Open Heart</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Music reduces pain and anxiety in heart surgery patients

In a new report published by The BMJ, experts have...

The first people to settle in the Americas arrived with their own dogs, according to a new study led by archaeologist Dr. Angela Perri of <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/">Durham University</a>.

For the investigation, an international team of experts analyzed archaeological and genetic records of ancient people and dogs. The analysis showed that the first people to cross into the Americas before 15,000 years ago, who were of northeast Asian descent, were accompanied by their dogs.

The researchers said their findings suggest that dog domestication likely took place in Siberia sometime prior to 23,000 years ago. People eventually traveled west into the rest of Eurasia and east into the Americas, and they took their dogs with them.

"When and where have long been questions in dog domestication research, but here we also explored the how and why, which have often been overlooked," said Dr. Perri.

"Dog domestication occurring in Siberia answers many of the questions we've always had about the origins of the human-dog relationship."

"By putting together the puzzle pieces of archaeology, genetics and time we see a much clearer picture where dogs are being domesticated in Siberia, then disperse from there into the Americas and around the world."

Study co-author Laurent Frantz is a geneticist at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.

"The only thing we knew for sure is that dog domestication did not take place in the Americas," said Frantz. "From the genetic signatures of ancient dogs, we now know that they must have been present somewhere in Siberia before people migrated to the Americas."

During the Last Glacial Maximum about 23,000 to 19,000 years ago, the land between Canada and Russia, and most of Siberia, was extremely cold and dry. The harsh climate likely placed humans and wolves in close proximity given their attraction to the same prey. Increasing interactions between humans and wolves may have led to the domestication of dogs. 

"We have long known that the first Americans must have possessed well-honed hunting skills, the geological know-how to find stone and other necessary materials and been ready for new challenges," said study co-author and archaeologist David Meltzer of Southern Methodist University.

"The dogs that accompanied them as they entered this completely new world may have been as much a part of their cultural repertoire as the stone tools they carried."

Future studies will reveal more about how the relationship between people and dogs led to their worldwide distribution.

"Researchers have previously suggested that dogs were domesticated across Eurasia from Europe to China, and many places in between," said study co-author Professor Greger Larson of Oxford University. 

"The combined evidence from ancient humans and dogs is helping to refine our understanding of the deep history of dogs, and now points toward Siberia and Northeast Asia as a likely region where dog domestication was initiated."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The first American settlers arrived with their dogs

The first people to settle in the Americas arrived with...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&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.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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.

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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.

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&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.

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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