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Scientists have long mapped separate brain areas for sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Yet new research reveals that when we focus sharply on any of those senses, signals converge on the same two structures buried deep in the brain - the midbrain reticular formation and the central thalamus.



This finding highlights a shared neural pathway that sustains <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-stops-paying-attention-to-repeated-distractions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">attention</a> and wakefulness and could inspire therapies for coma, epilepsy, and attention-deficit disorders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-senses-in-a-single-brain-region">Senses in a single brain region</h2>



Research over the past century has shown that visual scenes activate the occipital cortex, melodies light up the temporal lobes, and so forth.



“We were expecting to find activity on shared networks, but when we saw all the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-sense-of-smell-and-different-odors-can-influence-how-we-see-colors/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">senses</a> light up the same central brain regions while a test subject was focusing, it was really astonishing,” said Aya Khalaf, a postdoctoral associate in neurology at <a href="https://medicine.yale.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yale School of Medicine</a> and lead author of the study.



Those two regions - the reticular formation, a mesh of neurons in the upper brainstem, and the intralaminar and mediodorsal nuclei of the thalamus - form part of the so-called subcortical arousal system, a set of circuits long suspected to regulate alertness and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/consciousness-may-stem-from-unseen-dimensions-beyond-our-reality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consciousness</a>.



Previous work had linked these hubs to vigilance by studying patients emerging from coma or experiencing absence seizures. But most of those experiments examined responses to a single type of stimulus, for example flashing lights or chirping sounds.



Khalaf and colleagues asked the broader question: do different senses share the same arousal circuitry when people deliberately pay attention?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-massive-data-mine">A massive data mine</h2>



To answer that, the team turned to the publicly available <a href="https://www.humanconnectome.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Human Connectome Project</a> and other repositories, assembling functional MRI scans from 1,561 healthy adults.



Across 11 tasks, participants viewed moving shapes, listened to spoken stories, sampled liquid tastants, or felt puffs of air on their fingertips. Each task included abrupt cues that forced subjects to switch attention - for instance, a sudden change in picture orientation or a surprise tone embedded in white noise.



The investigators processed more than 500 hours of scan data through a pipeline that removed head motion and physiological noise, then aligned brain volumes to a common atlas.



In every sensory domain, when a cue demanded rapid attentional re-orientation, blood-oxygen signals spiked in the reticular formation and the central thalamus. The effect was absent or minimal during passive stimulation, underscoring the importance of active engagement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-consciousness-in-the-brain">Consciousness in the brain</h2>



Why would a taste test and a vision task end up at the same neural address? The authors propose that the midbrain reticular formation integrates sudden sensory changes and broadcasts a “wake-up” volley to the thalamus, which relays it to widespread cortical areas.



That burst synchronizes cortical rhythms, priming the brain to process incoming information. The scheme dovetails with classical animal studies showing that electrical stimulation of the reticular formation induces cortical desynchronization and behavioral arousal, while lesions produce stupor.



“It tells us how important this brain region is and what it could mean in efforts to restore consciousness,” Khalaf said.



“This has also given us insights into how things work normally in the brain. It’s really a step forward in our understanding of awareness and consciousness,” said senior author Hal Blumenfeld, a neurologist at Yale.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-awakening-senses-in-the-brain">Awakening senses in the brain</h2>



Because the same deep-brain hubs fire regardless of which sense is active, treatments aimed at modulating those hubs could benefit diverse conditions.



Drugs that enhance thalamic neurotransmission, for instance, might improve focus in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/autism-and-adhd-disorders-directly-linked-amount-of-time-kids-spend-on-screens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">attention deficit hyperactivity disorder</a>. Conversely, overactivity in the arousal circuit has been implicated in insomnia; dampening the circuitry could help induce sleep.



The results also support ongoing trials that deliver low-intensity ultrasound or deep-brain electrodes to the central thalamus in patients with disorders of consciousness. 



If attention triggers the thalamus to “switch on” the cortex, stimulating it directly might help rouse patients who are minimally conscious.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-sensory-rehabilitation"><a></a>Rethinking sensory rehabilitation</h2>



The discovery challenges sensory-specific training programs that ignore subcortical commonalities. 



For example, visual rehabilitation for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stroke-risk-is-elevated-by-air-pollution-and-traffic-noise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stroke</a> survivors may benefit from pairing attentional cues with tactile or auditory tasks to engage the shared arousal pathway.



Likewise, virtual-reality therapies that bombard users with multi-sensory surprises might more effectively sharpen attentional control.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions </h2>



The Yale team plans to refine the timeline of activation using magnetoencephalography, which offers millisecond resolution. They also hope to dissect the frequency bands that link the thalamus to frontal and parietal cortices during attentional jumps. 



Such work could reveal whether gamma-band bursts or alpha-band suppression carry the critical “wake-up” message.



Another frontier involves patients. Investigators will compare responses in healthy volunteers with those in people who have attention deficits or who are emerging from anaesthesia. 



Identifying a lost or delayed thalamic spike could serve as a biomarker for impaired consciousness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-regions-and-the-senses">Brain regions and the senses</h2>



For now, the study establishes the midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus as the universal relay through which sight, sound, taste, and touch gain conscious entry - at least when our minds snap to attention.



By showing that “all the senses light up the same central brain regions,” it confirms that consciousness depends not only on specialized cortical maps but also on a common deep-brain gatekeeper. 



Therapies that target this gatekeeper may eventually help restore awareness where it has dimmed and sharpen it where it wanders.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925002277?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NeuroImage</a>.



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Scientists discover a brain region that connects all the senses

Scientists have long mapped separate brain areas for sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Yet new research reveals that when we focus sharply on any of those senses, signals converge on the same two structures buried deep in the brain - the midbrain reticular formation and the central thalamus. This finding highlights a shared neural pathway that sustains attention and wakefulness and could inspire therapies for coma, epilepsy, and attention-deficit disorders. Senses in a single brain region Research over the past century has shown that visual scenes...

Is it possible that the world could be powered by 100 percent renewable energy? A new study from <a href="https://www.tcd.ie/">Trinity College Dublin</a> has shown that it is theoretically possible, but would require a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-window-to-avoid-dangerous-global-warming-is-narrowing/">global</a> effort. 

Led by Professor James Ward from the University of South Australia, the researchers investigated what changes are needed in our energy sources, as well as in our energy consumption, to achieve 100 percent renewability in a way that supports all of the planet.

"We present an alternative approach to estimating the spatial footprint of energy consumption, as this represents a major fraction of the ecological footprint (EF)," explained the study authors. "Rather than depicting the current lack of sustainability that comes from estimating a footprint based on uptake of carbon emissions, our proposed 'Renewable Energy Equivalent Footprint' (REEF) instead depicts a hypothetical world in which the electricity and fuel demands are met entirely from renewable energy." 

According to the researchers, the analysis shows that current human energy demands could theoretically be met by renewable energy and remain within the biocapacity of one planet. 

"However, with current technology there is no margin to leave any biocapacity for nature, leading to the investigation of two additional scenarios: radical electrification of the energy supply, assuming 75% of final energy demand can be met with electricity, and adopting technology in which electricity is used to convert atmospheric gases into synthetic fuel." 

The research raises important questions about the potential conflict between land demands for renewable fuel production.

"Firstly, the high fuel needs of today's high-income countries would have to be reduced as it would require an unsustainably vast amount of land to be covered with biomass plantations if we were to produce enough fuel to satisfy the same levels," explained study co-author Luca Coscieme.

"Additionally, our research shows that we would need to radically 'electrify' the energy supply of such countries - including Ireland - with the assumption that these changes could supply 75% of society's final energy demands. We would also need to adopt technology in which electricity is used to convert atmospheric gases into synthetic fuels."

"We very much hope that the approach designed in this research will inform our vision of sustainable futures and also guide national planning by contextualising energy needs within the broader consumption patterns we see in other countries with energy and forest product consumption profiles that - if adopted worldwide - could theoretically be met by high-tech renewably derived fuels. Countries such as Argentina, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and Spain are great examples in this regard."

"Even so, the success of this green ideal will be highly dependent on major future technological developments, in the efficiency of electrification and in producing and refining new synthetic fuels. Such a scenario is still likely to require the use of a substantial - albeit hopefully sustainable - fraction of the world's forest areas."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies">Energies</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earth could be powered entirely by renewable energy

Is it possible that the world could be powered by...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.monash.edu/">Monash University</a>, experts have found that when it comes to brightly colored males, looks can be deceiving. The ornithologists report that the vibrant colors of superb fairy-wrens do not necessarily correlate with male quality. 

Among many animal <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/current-food-production-methods-threaten-thousands-of-species/">species</a>, the females prefer males with the most elaborate and dramatic appearance, and this preference drove the evolution of bright coloration. It is expected that brilliant colors are only acquired and maintained by "high quality" males with plenty of resources, sharp skills, or high social status. 

Females pursue high quality males to guarantee their offspring will have good genes and the greatest chance of survival. 

"We examined whether only the best quality males with excellent resources can produce the most vibrant colors and whether only the best quality males can maintain their colors in pristine condition," said study lead author Dr. Alex McQueen. "We also tested this in an experiment, by administering testosterone to some males which caused them to produce breeding colors in winter."

"Surprisingly, we found that all male superb fairy-wrens produced and maintained vibrant colors, regardless of their 'natural quality'. Also the males that had to produce breeding colors in challenging winter conditions displayed vibrant colors that were indistinguishable from other males."

Each year, male superb fairy-wrens transform their color by moulting from a brown plumage to an ultraviolet blue and black breeding plumage. The males flaunt their new feathers to impress females during elaborate sexual displays.

"We predicted that maintaining their colors would be especially important in this species for two reasons: first, males that are preferred by females produce their breeding plumage earlier than all other males, many months before the start of breeding, meaning that those early males display their breeding colours for the longest time each year; and second, ultraviolet blue feathers have been shown to readily fade over time in other birds," said Dr. McQueen.

For the investigation, the researchers measured the colors of specific wild male fairy-wrens several times a year. The experts also recorded how much time males spent preening when they were in their brown non-breeding plumage and colorful breeding plumage.

"We were very surprised to find that male breeding colors do not fade with time," said Dr. McQueen. "Despite keeping their colors in pristine condition, males did not spend more time preening while in breeding plumage."

Instead, the males "retouched" their breeding colors by replacing a few blue feathers at a time throughout the breeding season.

"Our study shows that the vibrant breeding colors of male superb fairy-wrens are unlikely to signal male quality to females," said Alex. "We also found that males are careful to keep their feather colors in excellent condition for sexual displays."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/beheco">Behavioural Ecology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Male fairy-wrens are not always what they seem

In a new study from Monash University, experts have found...

A few million years ago, a massive crocodile measuring more than five meters long dominated the waterways of southeast Queensland. The "swamp king" has been identified by experts at the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> based on their analysis of fossils that were uncovered in the 1980s.

According to study lead author and PhD candidate Jorgo Ristevski, the researchers named the species Paludirex vincenti after Geoff Vincent, who discovered the giant fossilized skull near the town of Chinchilla.

"In Latin, 'Paludirex' means 'swamp king,' and 'vincenti' honors the late Mr. Vincent," said Ristevski. "For several years the fossilized skull was on display in the Queensland Museum, before it was donated to the Chinchilla Museum in 2011."

Ristevski said that the swamp king was "one intimidating croc." With a skull that measured around 65 centimeters, Paludirex vincenti would have had a body length of at least five meters, which is over 16 feet.

"The largest crocodylian today is the Indo-Pacific crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, which grows to about the same size," said Ristevski. "But Paludirex had a broader, more heavy-set skull so it would have resembled an Indo-Pacific crocodile on steroids."

In its time, Paludirex was one of the top predators in Australia, and would have been capable of preying on giant prehistoric marsupials. "The waterways of the Darling Downs would once have been a very dangerous place because of it."

Dr. Steve Salisbury, a senior lecturer in the UQ School of Biological Sciences, noted that various species of prehistoric crocodylians once existed in Australia.

"Crocs have been an important component of Australia's fauna for millions of years. But the two species we have today - Crocodylus porosus and Crocodylus johnstoni - are only recent arrivals, and were not part of the endemic croc fauna that existed here from about 55 million years ago," explained Dr. Salisbury.

"Whether Paludirex vincenti went extinct as a result of competition with species like Crocodylus porosus is hard to say."

"The alternative is that it went extinct as the climate dried, and the river systems it once inhabited contracted - we're currently investigating both scenarios."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Five-meter crocodile was once the "swamp king" of Queensland

A few million years ago, a massive crocodile measuring more...

Since the end of the last glacial period, subsea permafrost has been thawing beneath the Arctic Ocean. A new study led by PhD candidate Sara Sayedi and senior researcher Dr. Ben Abbott at <a href="https://www.byu.edu/">Brigham Young University</a> (BYU) estimates that this subsea permafrost region currently traps 60 billion tons of methane and 560 billion tons of organic carbon in sediment and soil, but the precise amounts of carbon remain highly uncertain.
While it is known that this carbon is already being released from the subsea permafrost, it is not clear whether this is a natural response to deglaciation or if human-caused warming is accelerating the rate of emissions.

"Subsea permafrost is really unique because it is still responding to a dramatic climate transition from more than ten thousand years ago," said Sayedi. "In some ways, it can give us a peek into the possible response of permafrost that is thawing today because of human activity."

The researchers determined that the subsea permafrost region currently releases approximately 140 million tons of CO2 and 5.3 million tons of methane each year. Rather than an abrupt release of these greenhouse gases, the experts predict a gradual increase in emissions from subsea permafrost over the next 300 years.

"These results are important because they indicate a substantial but slow climate feedback," said Sayedi. "Some coverage of this region has suggested that human emissions could trigger catastrophic release of methane hydrates, but our study suggests a gradual increase over many decades."

The BYU team collaborated with permafrost researchers from all over the world organized by the Permafrost Carbon Network (PCN), which is supported by the National Science Foundation.

The experts found that if human-caused climate change continues at the current rate, the release of methane and CO2 from subsea permafrost could increase substantially. For example, under a business-as-usual scenario, warming subsea permafrost will release four times more CO2 and methane compared to a scenario which limits global warming to two degrees Celsius.

Even though the climate feedback is expected to be relatively slow, subsea permafrost is not accounted for in any current climate agreements. Sayedi emphasized that there is still a large amount of uncertainty about subsea permafrost and that additional research is needed.

"Compared to how important subsea permafrost could be for future climate, we know shockingly little about this ecosystem," said Sayedi. "We need more sediment and soil samples, as well as a better monitoring network to detect when greenhouse gas release responds to current warming and just how quickly this giant pool of carbon will wake from its frozen slumber."

"I think there are three important messages from this study," said Dr. Abbott. "First, subsea permafrost is probably not a climate time bomb on a hair trigger. Second, subsea permafrost is a potentially large climate feedback that needs to be considered in climate negotiations. Third, there is still a huge amount that we don't know about this system. We really need additional research, including international collaboration across northern countries and research disciplines."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326">Environmental Research Letters</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Subsea permafrost could unleash catastrophic CO2 emissions

Since the end of the last glacial period, subsea permafrost...

If the clean air benefits of COVID-19 lockdowns in New York City could persist for five years after the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/screen-time-is-a-top-concern-among-parents-during-pandemic/">pandemic</a>, thousands of children and adults would be spared from illness and premature death. 

The research, conducted by experts at the Columbia University <a href="https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/">Mailman School of Public Health</a>,  also estimates that the economic benefits of this hypothetical clean air scenario would total tens of billions of dollars.

"New York City (NYC) experienced a sharp decline in air pollution during the COVID-19 shutdown period - albeit at high social and economic costs," wrote the study authors. 

"It provided a unique opportunity to simulate a scenario in which the city-wide air quality improvement during the shutdown were sustained over the five-year period, 2021 through 2025, allowing us to estimate the potential public health benefits to children and adults and their associated economic benefits."

The goal of the clean air scenario is to inform new policies that can improve air quality - particularly regulations that will reduce harmful emissions from fossil fuel combustion.

During the New York City spring shutdown, the air quality was dramatically improved as a result of an estimated 60-percent decline in automobile traffic combined with declines in air traffic, construction, restaurant operations, and electricity generation.

"We estimated a city-wide 23% improvement in PM2.5 levels during the COVID-19 shutdown months compared to the average level for those months in 2015–2018 (the business as usual period)," explained the researchers. 

"Based on the data for 2020, we extrapolated the ambient levels of PM2.5 for the following five-year period. The estimated cumulative benefits for 2021–2025 included thousands of avoided cases of illness and death, with associated economic benefits from $31.8 billion to $77 billion."

"This 'natural experiment,' tragic though the cause, has provided a hypothetical clean air scenario that can be considered aspirational - one that could be achieved through transportation, climate, and environmental policies that support robust economic recovery with similarly reduced emissions."

The experts used BenMAP, a publicly available computer tool supported by the EPA, to estimate the number of avoided air pollution-related illnesses and deaths. 

"The analysis considered outcomes in children that have not generally been accounted for in clean air benefits assessments, including preterm birth, term low birthweight, infant mortality, child asthma incidence, child asthma hospital admissions and emergency department visits, autism spectrum disorder, as well as adult mortality," wrote the researchers.

Study first author Dr. Frederica Perera is the director of translational research at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health and a professor of Environmental Health sciences at Columbia Mailman School.

"Air quality improvements from the shutdown happened as the result of a tragic situation," said Dr. Perera. "However, our hypothetical clean air scenario could be achieved through air pollution and climate mitigation policies, including those that support low carbon modes of transportation and reduce emissions in other sectors."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environmental-research">Environmental Research</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Clean air in NYC would save billions of dollars in just a few years

If the clean air benefits of COVID-19 lockdowns in New...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> have determined that the threshold for dangerous global warming will likely be crossed between 2027 and 2042. This is a much narrower window than the previous IPCC estimate of between 2020 and 2052. 

Using a new method for projecting Earth's temperature, the researchers have reduced some of the uncertainties surrounding future warming. 

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mysterious-and-deadly-dolphin-disease-has-been-linked-to-climate-change/">climate</a> models that are used to project future temperatures play an important role in understanding the Earth's climate. These models are used to incorporate different factors that interact to affect the climate, such as the atmosphere, ocean, ice, and the sun. While climate models are based on our clearest understanding of Earth and its natural processes, there are still many unknowns.

"Climate skeptics have argued that global warming projections are unreliable because they depend on faulty supercomputer models," said study co-author Professor Bruno Tremblay. "While these criticisms are unwarranted, they underscore the need for independent and different approaches to predicting future warming."

Temperature projections typically have such wide ranges that it is difficult to pinpoint the potential outcomes of different mitigation scenarios. For example, if atmospheric CO2 concentrations are doubled, the models used by the IPCC predict a global average temperature increase between 1.9 and 4.5 degrees Celsius. This estimate represents two extremes, with moderate climate changes on the lower end and catastrophic outcomes on the upper end.

"Our new approach to projecting the Earth's temperature is based on historical climate data, rather than the theoretical relationships that are imperfectly captured by the GCMs. Our approach allows climate sensitivity and its uncertainty to be estimated from direct observations with few assumptions," said study co-author Raphael Hebert.

In their study, the researchers introduced the new Scaling Climate Response Function (SCRF) model to project the Earth's temperature from now through 2100. The model is based on historical data, and reduces prediction uncertainties by about half compared to the approach currently used by the IPCC. 

The researchers found that the threshold for dangerous warming, which exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, will likely be crossed between 2027 and 2042. The experts also predict that average warming will be a little lower, by about 10 to 15 percent, compared to the IPCC estimate. However, the "very likely warming ranges" of the SCRF model were still within the range projected by the IPCC.

"Now that governments have finally decided to act on climate change, we must avoid situations where leaders can claim that even the weakest policies can avert dangerous consequences," said Professor study co-author Shaun Lovejoy. "With our new climate model and its next generation improvements, there's less wiggle room."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/382">Climate Dynamics</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The window to avoid dangerous global warming is narrowing

Scientists at McGill University have determined that the threshold for...

Parents worry that their children are getting too much screen time and not enough physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at <a href="https://www.uofmhealth.org/">Michigan Medicine</a>. Parents' top concerns also include unhealthy eating, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/frequent-social-media-use-causes-depression-not-the-other-way-around/">depression</a>, social media use, and internet safety.

Many children are participating in classes online and are less physically connected to their friends. At the same time, they are deprived of activities like sports. Spending more time at home during quarantine has led to major lifestyle changes for kids. 

"This is an especially challenging time for families, with many children experiencing significant changes in routine that may negatively impact their health and well-being," said Mott pediatrician Dr. Gary Freed.

"Parents' biggest concerns for young people seem to be associated with changes in lifestyle as a result of the pandemic. COVID-19 has turned the world of our children and teens upside down in many ways and this is reflected in how parents rate health issues in 2020."

Dr. Freed said it's not surprising that the top three issues on parents' list of concerns are related to screen use. However, he explained that parents should worry less about the amount of screen time and more about how children are using the technology.

"It's important for children and teens to maintain social and family connections that we know are critical for their emotional well-being, especially during a time when they are feeling stressed or isolated. Technology may be an important vehicle for those connections."

Parents should still establish clear rules and boundaries about how and when electronic devices can be used to ensure that sleep is not disrupted, healthy habits are not replaced, and that the privacy of their children is protected. They should also watch for any signs of cyberbullying and other types of online abuse, which also made the top 10 list of concerns.

"Parents need to have ongoing conversations with their children and teens to guide them on safe internet practices," said Dr. Freed.

Some of the survey respondents reported great concern over negative emotions expressed more frequently by their kids, such as stress, anxiety, or depression. These emotions may be caused or exacerbated by lifestyle changes associated with the pandemic.

"Parents may notice changes, such as increased behavioral issues in younger kids or more moodiness or lethargy from older kids and teenagers," said Dr. Freed. He said that parents should encourage children and teens to talk about their feelings and find healthy outlets to help them cope.

Physical health may also be impacted by changes in routine and social isolation from COVID-19. For example, poor sleep habits increase the potential for unhealthy eating and less physical activity.

Families should try to maintain routines and regular sleep schedules and help teens resist the temptation to go to bed much later than usual and sleeping in later, said Dr. Freed.

The researchers also recommend scheduling "unplugged" times to spend together as a family and getting outside daily, even if it is just for a walk.

More details on the latest C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health can be found <a href="http://www.med.umich.edu/">here</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Screen time is a top concern among parents during pandemic

Parents worry that their children are getting too much screen...

The global food production system must be changed to prevent widespread biodiversity losses, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a>. The researchers determined that current food production methods are destroying the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/beavers-create-habitats-that-support-threatened-amphibians/">habitats</a> of thousands of species. 

"We estimated how agricultural expansion to feed an increasingly wealthy global population is likely to affect about 20,000 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians," said study co-lead author Dr. David Williams. "Our research suggests that without big changes to food systems, millions of square kilometers of natural habitats could be lost by 2050."

Dr. Williams noted that nearly 1,300 species will likely lose at least a quarter of their remaining habitat to food production, and hundreds could lose at least half. 

"Ultimately, we need to change what we eat and how it is produced if we're going to save wildlife on a global scale. We need to alter both our diets and food production methods."

The researchers estimated how food systems would affect biodiversity at a finer spatial scale than previous studies. The findings are particularly relevant to conservation action, highlighting exactly which species and landscapes are likely to be threatened.

The experts used a new model that estimates where agricultural expansion and abandonment are most likely to occur. This data was combined with projections of how much land each country will need for food production.

The team investigated whether each individual animal species could survive in farmland. The study revealed that habitat losses could be especially severe in sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of Central and South America.

Furthermore, many of the species that will be impacted most by land use changes are not currently classified as being threatened with extinction, which means that there are no conservation plans to protect them.

"As international biodiversity targets are set to be updated in 2021, these results highlight the importance of proactive efforts to safeguard biodiversity by reducing demand for agricultural land," said study co-lead author Dr. Michael Clark of the University of Oxford.

"Discussions on slowing and reversing biodiversity often focus on conventional conservation actions, such as establishing new protected areas or species-specific legislation for threatened species. These are absolutely needed, and have been effective at conserving biodiversity."

"However, our research emphasises the importance of also reducing the ultimate stresses to biodiversity - such as agricultural expansion."

"The good news is that if we make ambitious changes to the food system, then we can prevent almost all these habitat losses."

Changes that could reduce future biodiversity losses include a transition to healthy diets, a reduction in food loss and waste, an increase in crop yields, and international land-use planning. 

By modeling the potential outcome of these food production changes, policy makers will be able to identify which efforts are likely to produce the greatest benefits in any given country or region.

For example, raising agricultural yields would be very beneficial for protecting biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa, but would not be advantageous in North America where yields are already high. By contrast, shifting to healthier diets would have major benefits in North America, but not in regions where meat consumption is low and food insecurity is high.

"Importantly, we need to do all of these things. No one approach is sufficient on its own," said Dr. Clark. "But, with global coordination and rapid action, it should be possible to provide healthy diets for the global population in 2050 without major habitat losses."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain">Nature Sustainability</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Current food production methods threaten thousands of species

The global food production system must be changed to prevent...

Tonight, the two largest <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/an-exoplanet-exists-where-rocks-evaporate-and-rain-back-down/">planets</a> in our solar system will align in the sky in a special event that many people are referring to as the "Christmas star." According to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, it has been nearly 400 years since Jupiter and Saturn passed this close to each other in the sky, and nearly 800 years since their alignment occurred at night. 

The Great Conjunction happens to occur on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year in Earth’s Northern Hemisphere, and will be visible all over the world. 

For the last few months, Jupiter and Saturn have been moving closer together in the night sky, even though they are actually hundreds of millions of miles apart. Tonight, the planets will emerge after sunset so close together that they will appear to some as one remarkably bright object.

"This conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to one another," said Professor Patrick Hartigan of Rice University. "You'd have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky."

"On the evening of closest approach on December 21 they will look like a double planet, separated by only 1/5th the diameter of the full Moon. For most telescope viewers, each planet and several of their largest moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening."

The best time to witness the conjunction is right after sunset. Professor Hartigan said that the further north you are located, the less time you will have to catch a glimpse of the conjunction before the planets sink below the horizon, where they will be difficult to view. 

With a telescope, you will be able to distinguish between the two planets and their brightest moons, and even get a glimpse of Saturn's rings. 

"You can imagine the solar system to be a racetrack, with each of the planets as a runner in their own lane and the Earth toward the center of the stadium,” said Henry Throop, an astronomer in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “From our vantage point, we’ll be able to see Jupiter on the inside lane, approaching Saturn all month and finally overtaking it on December 21.”

“Conjunctions like this could happen on any day of the year, depending on where the planets are in their orbits,” said Throop. “The date of the conjunction is determined by the positions of Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth in their paths around the Sun, while the date of the solstice is determined by the tilt of Earth’s axis. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this rare coincidence will give people a great chance to go outside and see the solar system.”

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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

Jupiter and Saturn will meet up in tonight's Great Conjunction

Tonight, the two largest planets in our solar system will...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.swansea.ac.uk/">Swansea University</a> highlights the destructive impacts of human development on tropical rainforests. In recent decades, human disturbance across Indonesian forests has made increasingly large parts of the region more vulnerable to fires. 

The researchers found that on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, less than 10 percent of the remaining forest is still fire-resistant as a result of deforestation. 

"Undisturbed tropical rainforests are naturally resistant to fire due to the humid and cool micro-climate they maintain, effectively acting as a fire barrier," explained study lead author Dr. Tadas Nikonovas.

"Contrary to the widely-held perception that worsening droughts are threatening the remaining rainforests, tropical forests in Indonesia become susceptible to fire only after human disturbance."

According to the researchers, protecting what is left of the undisturbed forest is crucial for preventing catastrophic fire. In this region, deforestation increases the risk of recurring peatland fires that produce toxic haze events across South East Asia and release globally significant greenhouse gas emissions.

Greenpeace reports that the area of tropical forest and peatland that has burned in Indonesia over the past five years is larger than the size of the Netherlands. 

The new research shows that there are still some contiguous areas of undisturbed forests that are not susceptible to burning - even under current drought conditions. These areas, however, make up less than ten percent of the tropical forest cover.

The study reveals that more than 90 percent of Indonesia's forest cover has been severely fragmented or degraded, and is no longer able to maintain a fire-resistant microclimate. Only three percent of the region's peatlands, which store massive amounts of carbon, are now protected by fire-resistant forest cover. 

The researchers emphasize that the preventative role of tropical forests against fire is yet another important reason for the preservation and regeneration of the few remaining contiguous tracts of forests.

"Protecting tropical forest is critical not only for biodiversity and carbon storage but also for preventing future catastrophic fire episodes," said project leader Dr. Allan Spessa. "This is true for Indonesia, as well as for tropical forest in Africa and South America."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/commsenv">Communications Earth and Environment</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

Disturbed Indonesian forests are highly flammable

A new study led by Swansea University highlights the destructive...

Kangaroos have their own way of expressing themselves to humans, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a>. The research contradicts the idea that only domesticated animals like dogs and horses intentionally <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/spiny-lobsters-communicate-up-to-3-kilometers-away/">communicate</a> with people.

"Kangaroos are iconic Australian endemic fauna, adored by many worldwide but also considered as a pest," said study co-author Dr. Alexandra Green. "We hope that this research draws attention to the cognitive abilities of kangaroos and helps foster more positive attitudes towards them."

The study was focused on wild kangaroos in three locations across Australia. The researchers discovered that when kangaroos were trying to access food in a closed box, they gazed at a human.  

The kangaroos consistently used a steady gaze to communicate with a person instead of attempting to open the box themselves. This type of behavior is usually associated with domesticated animals.

During the experiments, 10 out of 11 kangaroos actively looked at the person who had placed the food in the closed box, while 9 out of 11 kangaroos also alternated their gaze between the box and the human, which is a heightened form of communication.

The research builds on earlier studies that investigated whether intentional communication is a result of domestication in animals such as dogs and goats. 

Study lead author Dr Alan McElligott, a professor of Animal Behavior and Welfare at <a href="https://www.cityu.edu.hk/">City University of Hong Kong</a>, previously reported that goats can understand human cues to gather information about their environment. The latest findings indicate that, like goats, kangaroos adapt their social behaviors to interact with humans.

"Through this study, we were able to see that communication between animals can be learned and that the behavior of gazing at humans to access food is not related to domestication," said Dr. McElligott. "Indeed, kangaroos - showed a very similar pattern of behavior we have seen in dogs, horses and even goats when put to the same test.

"Our research shows that the potential for referential intentional communication towards humans by animals has been underestimated, which signals an exciting development in this area. Kangaroos are the first marsupials to be studied in this manner and the positive results should lead to more cognitive research beyond the usual domestic species."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsbl">Biology Letters</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

Kangaroos actively communicate with humans

Kangaroos have their own way of expressing themselves to humans,...

In the near future, climate change is expected to make many grape-growing regions <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/east-asia-may-be-permanently-locked-into-hotter-and-drier-climate/">hotter</a> and drier. Wine grapes are very sensitive to climate, which means it could become difficult to produce high-quality wine from traditional varieties. 

But now, a new study from <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">UC Davis</a> reveals that wine grapes from regions that are most susceptible to climate change have built-in defenses that may save them from rising temperatures. 

The researchers discovered that grape varieties grown in warmer, drier regions have traits that conserve water. This strategy evolved so that the vines have the water they need throughout the growing season.

Study lead author Megan Bartlett is an assistant professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. 

"The relationships between grape varieties and regions have historically been based on wine, without considering traits that affect drought or heat tolerance," said Professor Bartlett. "These findings show these varieties could be more resilient to climate change than expected."

The experts investigated how grapevines regulate their stomata­, tiny pores found on the surface of leaves. The functioning of these pores determines how much carbon dioxide is taken in for photosynthesis and how much water evaporates from the leaves. 

Grapevines must strike a balance between opening their stomata to take in CO2 for growth and ripening and closing the stomata to reduce evaporation and water stress.

Some of the desired fruit characteristics, such as the flavor of the grapes, are enhanced when the vines experience a small degree of water stress. However, too much water loss can prevent the grapes from achieving their desired flavors. 

The researchers examined traits for 34 grape varieties, and established the associations between grape varieties and regions. The study was focused on European regions, where irrigation is widely restricted, to gain a better understanding of the direct effects of changes in local climate.

The experts found that grape varieties grown in regions that experience more hot and dry conditions, such as the Sangiovese and Montepulciano varieties of Italy, kept their stomata closed more than varieties like Sauvignon Blanc from cooler, more humid regions. "This strategy would help these varieties save water," said study co-author Gabriela Sinclair.

Professor Bartlett warned that these traits may have unintended consequences as heatwaves become more extreme. By restricting evaporation too much, the grapevines could allow their leaves to reach damaging temperatures, reducing their ability to photosynthesize and limiting the sugars available for ripening.

"We have more work to do to understand how these traits will affect grapevines as the climate reaches new extremes," said Professor Bartlett. "These findings show that traits will be important to consider when we predict what will happen to different wine regions."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jxb">Journal of Experimental Botany</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

Wine grapes in dry regions have a strategy to conserve water

In the near future, climate change is expected to make...

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

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://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

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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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