The growing number of rocket launches may pose a threat to Earth’s ozone layer. While the expanding space industry holds great promise, researchers warn that its environmental impacts are being overlooked.



With thousands of satellites now cluttering low Earth orbit, emissions from launches and back-end debris are making alarm bells ring over atmospheric well-being.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-space-boom-comes-with-a-cost">Space boom comes with a cost</h2>



A team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/">University of Canterbury</a> and ETH Zurich investigated how pollution from rocket launches and falling space junk could slow the ozone layer’s recovery. 



The researchers used a chemistry-climate model developed at ETH Zurich and the Physical Meteorological Observatory in Davos (PMOD/WRC) to forecast rocket emission impacts through 2030.



Back in 2019, there were only 97 orbital launches. By 2024, that number had nearly tripled to 258 - and it's expected to rise to over 2,000 per year by the end of the decade. 



This increase is concerning because emissions in the upper atmosphere linger much longer than those released at ground level. 



Without natural washout processes like rain or clouds, these pollutants can circle the globe and remain in the air for years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-ozone-layer-s-fragile-recovery">The ozone layer’s fragile recovery</h2>



The model predicts that, if current growth trends continue, the global ozone layer could thin by nearly 0.3 percent by 2030. Over Antarctica, seasonal losses could reach up to four percent.



These might seem like small numbers, but context matters. The ozone layer is still recovering from the damage caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), banned in 1989 by the Montreal Protocol. 



Global ozone levels are still about two percent below pre-industrial levels and aren’t expected to fully recover until 2066. 



According to the researchers, unregulated rocket emissions could delay this timeline by several years - or even decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-the-ozone-layer-still-matters">Why the ozone layer still matters</h2>



The ozone layer may seem like a distant part of the atmosphere, but it plays a vital role in shielding life on Earth. It absorbs most of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which can cause skin cancer, cataracts, and immune system damage in humans.



 It also affects ecosystems, particularly marine life, by influencing the health of phytoplankton - tiny organisms that form the base of the ocean’s food chain.



Even modest declines in ozone can boost the amount of UV radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface. That is to say, any quantifiable decrease is more than a number - it’s an alarm. 



Ongoing harm could bring about additional UV-related health threats, upset delicate ecosystems, and undermine the gains achieved since CFCs were banned. 



Simply put, every percentage point of recovery counts, and every delay threatens human and environmental well-being.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fuel-type-matters-more-than-you-think">Fuel type matters more than you think</h2>



The problem lies mainly with emissions of chlorine gas and soot. Chlorine breaks apart ozone molecules, and soot particles heat the middle atmosphere, speeding up ozone-damaging reactions. 



Solid rocket motors are the main source of chlorine emissions, while most rocket types release soot.



Only rockets using cryogenic fuels - like liquid oxygen and hydrogen - are nearly ozone-neutral. But these fuels are tricky to handle, and only about 6 percent of current launches use them. 



That means the vast majority of launches still contribute to ozone depletion.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-re-entry-the-hidden-threat">Re-entry: the hidden threat</h2>



The study focused on emissions during rocket ascent, but what about the return journey? Most satellites burn up when they re-enter the atmosphere, releasing nitrogen oxides and metal particles. 



Nitrogen oxides are already known to harm the ozone, while metals could form clouds or act as chemical surfaces that accelerate ozone loss.



Scientists still poorly understand these effects and often leave them out of climate models. But with satellite constellations growing rapidly, more and more debris will re-enter the atmosphere, making this an urgent area for further research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clean-fuels-offer-a-path">Clean fuels offer a path</h2>



“There is a risk that the rapid rise in global rocket launches could slow the recovery of the vital ozone layer,” said Sandro Vattioni. “The problem is being underestimated - yet it could be mitigated by forward-looking, coordinated action.”



The researchers believe there’s still time to act. Better monitoring of emissions, using cleaner fuels, and encouraging the switch to cryogenic systems could help protect the ozone layer. 



Setting international regulations would allow the space industry to grow sustainably.



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Rocket launches threaten Earth's ozone recovery

The growing number of rocket launches may pose a threat to Earth’s ozone layer. While the expanding space industry holds great promise, researchers warn that its environmental impacts are being overlooked. With thousands of satellites now cluttering low Earth orbit, emissions from launches and back-end debris are making alarm bells ring over atmospheric well-being. Space boom comes with a cost A team of scientists from the University of Canterbury and ETH Zurich investigated how pollution from rocket launches and falling space junk could slow the ozone layer’s...

Some corals can handle the impacts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/intense-nature-restoration-needed-to-address-the-climate-crisis/">climate</a> change better than others, and a new study suggests the secret weapon may be a natural sunscreen. Hawaiian blue rice corals contain a deep blue pigment that blocks the effects of harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. 

While UV damage can impact reproduction in many coral species such as brown rice coral, the new research suggests that blue rice coral is not affected by heat stress in the same way. 

"Having witnessed firsthand the devastating effects bleaching had on brown rice coral in 2014 and 2015, it is encouraging to see blue rice coral either recovered quickly after bleaching or was not affected by elevated ocean temperatures at all," said study lead author Mike Henley if the <a href="https://www.si.edu/museums/national-zoo">Smithsonian National Zoological Park</a>. 

"By studying blue rice corals' reproductive successes, we can better understand how other corals weather climate change and ocean warming."

Coral polyps are actually transparent, and they get their color from the symbiotic algae that live inside of their tissue. This algae serves as the main source of food for reef-building corals such as brown rice coral and blue rice coral. 

The tiny organisms, or zooxanthellae, provide the coral with food, and the corals return the favor by providing protection. The corals themselves cannot photosynthesize, but the zooxanthellae feed corals the waste products of their photosynthesis. In addition, the algae produce sunscreen for the coral.

When warmer ocean temperatures cause the corals to become stressed, the symbiotic relationship starts to break down. The algae experience higher metabolism and produce a toxic compound, causing the corals to expel them, along with their protective sunscreen. 

The "bleaching" that takes place when corals lose their algae can affect reproductive success. This is because their DNA is at a greater risk of being damaged by UV radiation. Specifically, mitochondrial changes can affect the long-term motility of sperm cells, or their ability to swim.

Following bleaching events in Hawaii in 2014 and 2015, the team observed that blue rice coral had exceptional reproductive potential with 90 percent motility. Meanwhile, the brown rice coral had only half this amount of motility.

According to the study authors, this finding suggests that even if brown corals survive bleaching and look visually healthy, the damage caused by bleaching and UV exposure could have long-lasting impacts on their ability to successfully reproduce. 

The researchers believe the blue rice coral's ability to reproduce successfully may be its sunscreen pigment, which the coral may retain even if it bleaches. 

By understanding how UV-blocking pigments help to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, the scientists can explain why some coral species are better equipped to survive in a warming environment.

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

Natural sunscreen helps blue rice corals adapt to warming climate

Some corals can handle the impacts of climate change better...

Sound plays a major role in the battle between a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/baby-mantis-shrimp-are-ferocious-predators/">predator</a> and its prey, and moths have found a way to use acoustics to evade bats, according to a new study. 

The experts report that some moths have developed a form of acoustic camouflage in the form of structures on their bodies and wings that can absorb ultrasound. This decreases the strength of a bat's echolocation call that is used to detect nearby prey.

During the 180th Meeting of the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/">Acoustical Society of America</a>, Thomas Neil from the University of Bristol will discuss how moths have developed anti-bat defenses in their wings.

"The wings of a moth will produce strong echoes to a hunting bat owing to their large size," said Neil. "As such, it is important the moth cloaks the wing with sound-absorbing material, so it matches the acoustic camouflage brought about by the fur on the body." 

"The only way to create the much thinner sound absorber allowed on the wings is by developing a resonant absorber, and we discovered moth wings have evolved this approach."

According to the researchers, the scales covering moth wings allow as much as 70 percent of the sound hitting them to be absorbed. What is even more amazing is that the scales are individually tuned to different frequencies. Together, they create broadband absorption by acting as the first known acoustic metamaterial in nature

Neil said that the strategies identified in moths have already been partially explored from a theoretical and technical standpoint. 

One of the advantages of using a metamaterial design is that the absorbers can be much thinner than the wavelength of the sound they absorb. For example, moths have absorbers that are 100 times thinner than the wavelength of a bat's vocalization.

"In theory, we could take inspiration from the moths and build sound absorbing panels made from lots of differently tuned resonating paddles, with the goal of achieving sound absorption that is on par with traditional sound absorber panels but being just a fraction of the width," said Neil. 

"With this approach, we would be getting close to a much more versatile and acceptable sound absorber wallpaper rather than the typically bulky absorber panels we use today."

The research will be presented at the <a href="https://www.emedevents.com/online-cme-courses/live-webinar/180th-meeting-acoustical-society-of-america-asa">180th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Moth wings have structures that help them avoid bats

Sound plays a major role in the battle between a...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.unimelb.edu.au/">University of Melbourne</a>, experts have discovered that young clownfish exposed to artificial light are struggling to survive. The researchers found that juvenile clownfish living closest to shore are dying faster than those located farther offshore.

The scientists also determined that the surviving clownfish living near artificial light developed more slowly than clownfish under natural lighting conditions by 44 percent.

Professor Stephen Swearer said the team exposed 42 clownfish in their host anemones to either artificial light at night (ALAN) or natural light in the lagoon. The clownfish were monitored for over nearly two years.

"The impacts of light pollution found here are probably underestimated and mitigation measures and policy changes are urgently required," said Professor Swearer.

Study lead author Jules Schligler is an expert at the École Pratique des Hautes Études PSL Université Paris (EPHE) and the Centre of Island Research and Environmental Observatory (CRIOBE). He noted that clownfish can live in shallow coastal waters and are highly sedentary living in anemones, which means they can be easily impacted by night lights from streetlights, piers. or ports.

"As with many other reef fish, clownfish feed, reproduce, defend their territories and interact with other fish during the day and reset whilst sleeping at night. However, 36 per cent of the clownfish exposed to light pollution were more likely to die than fish under natural light cycles," said Schligler. "Like humans, fish need a period of inactivity, which is crucial for their well-being."

According to the researchers, even the fish that survived did not entirely escape the effects of artificial light as they grew less than fish from the control group.

"This is the first time that the impacts of ALAN have been tested on a coral reef fish in the wild and over such a long time," said study co-author Daphne Cortese.

"As 12 percent of all coral reef fish live in close association with another sedentary species, such as a coral or anemone, light pollution could already be having severe negative impacts on a fifth of fringing reef fish populations."

The experts hope their research will help raise awareness of the impacts of ALAN on coastal marine ecosystems.

"Many marine protected areas are impacted by light pollution at night, and authorities are not taking this pollution into account," said study co-author Professor Ricardo Beldade of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. "We hope that policy makers take this threat much more seriously for future management strategies."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Royal Society Proceedings B</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Young clownfish are struggling to survive under artificial lights

In a new study from the University of Melbourne, experts...

A new study has demonstrated that drone imagery combined with artificial intelligence is an effective yet inexpensive way to monitor remote seabird colonies.  

Scientists at <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) used machine learning to analyze more than 10,000 drone images of seabirds in the Falkland Islands. 

The experts found that this method can be just as effective as traditional on-the-ground methods, while reducing labor costs and the risk of human error. 

Located off the coast of Argentina, the Falklands are home to the world's largest colonies of black-browed albatrosses and second-largest colonies of southern rockhopper penguins. The islands provide breeding grounds for hundreds of thousands of birds.

A deep-learning algorithm used by the researchers was able to recognize and count albatrosses with 97 percent accuracy and penguins with 87 percent accuracy. Overall, the automated counts were within five percent of human counts 90 percent of the time.

"Using drone surveys and deep learning gives us an alternative that is remarkably accurate, less disruptive and significantly easier. One person, or a small team, can do it, and the equipment you need to do it isn't all that costly or complicated," explained study lead author Madeline C. Hayes, a remote sensing analyst at the Duke University Marine Lab.

Monitoring large colonies of birds that are densely interspersed on remote islands has been a tedious process that can also disrupt the behavior of the birds. 

For the drone survey, the WCS scientists collected more than 10,000 individual photos, which were converted into a large-scale composite image. Hayes analyzed the image using a convolutional neural network (CNN) to estimate the numbers of the two seabird colonies. 

"A CNN is loosely modeled on the human neural network, in that it learns from experience," said study co-author Professor David W. Johnston, director of the Duke Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab. 

"You train the computer to pick up on different visual patterns, like those made by black-browed albatrosses or southern rockhopper penguins in sample images, and over time it learns how to identify the objects forming those patterns in other images such as our composite photo."

According to Professor Johnston, the new approach is widely applicable and greatly increases the ability to monitor the health of seabird colonies worldwide, as well as the health of the ecosystems they inhabit.

"Counting large seabird colonies of mixed species at remote locations has been an ongoing challenge for conservationists," said study co-author Guillermo Harris.  "This technology will contribute to regular population assessments of some species, helping us better understand whether conservation efforts are working."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/condor">Ornithological Applications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drones can help monitor the health of remote seabird colonies

A new study has demonstrated that drone imagery combined with...

Whale,Tail,With,Water,Cascading,Off

Bomb detectors have exposed a hidden population of pygmy blue whales in the Indian Ocean. A team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">UNSW Sydney</a> was analyzing recordings captured by underwater <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-hints-at-a-secret-musical-battle-between-fireflies-and-bats/">microphones</a> when they heard the blue whales singing. 

"We've found a whole new group of pygmy blue whales right in the middle of the Indian Ocean," said study senior author Professor Tracey Rogers. "We don't know how many whales are in this group, but we suspect it's a lot by the enormous number of calls we hear."

The data was obtained by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), which monitors international nuclear bomb testing. 

Since 2002, the CTBTO has used advanced hydrophones to detect soundwaves from potential nuclear bomb tests. The recordings are made available to scientists to use for marine science research.

The UNSW team detected an unusually strong signal in the recordings, which they recognized as a mysterious whale song. The song structure, frequency, and tempo revealed that the songs belonged to a group of pygmy blue whales - but not to any of the individuals previously recorded in the area.

"I think it's pretty cool that the same system that keeps the world safe from nuclear bombs allows us to find new whale populations, which long-term can help us study the health of the marine environment," said Professor Rogers.

Even though pygmy blue whales are the smallest members of the blue whale family, they are still massive, reaching up to 24 meters in length. 

"Blue whales in the Southern Hemisphere are difficult to study because they live offshore and don't jump around - they're not show-ponies like the humpback whales," said Professor Rogers. 

"Without these audio recordings, we'd have no idea there was this huge population of blue whales out in the middle of the equatorial Indian Ocean."

Study lead author Dr. Emmanuelle Leroy is a bioacoustician who studies how animals create and receive sounds. When Dr. Leroy and the team scanned 18 years of CTBTO data, they discovered that the songs were not just a random occurrence.

"Thousands of these songs were being produced every year. They formed a major part of the ocean's acoustic soundscape," said Dr. Leroy. "The songs couldn't have just been coming from a couple of whales - they had to be from an entire population."

Songs produced by blue whales can travel anywhere between 200 and 500 kilometers. They are performed at a very low frequency and have a different structure compared to other whales' songs.

"Humpback whales are like jazz singers," said Professor Rogers. "They change their songs all the time. Blue whales, on the other hand, are more traditional. They sing very structured, simple songs."

"We still don't know whether they're born with their songs or whether they've learnt it. But it's fascinating that within the Indian Ocean you have animals intersecting with one another all the time but whales from different regions still retain their distinctive songs. Their songs are like a fingerprint that allows us to track them as they move over thousands of kilometers."

The researchers named the new population "Chagos" after the archipelago close to where they have been detected. Professor Rogers is currently using the CTBTO data to study how the Chagos population has changed over time. 

"We suspect that the whales singing the Chagos song move at different times across the Indian Ocean. We found them not only in the central Indian Ocean, but as far north as the Sri Lankan coastline and as far east in the Indian Ocean as the Kimberley coast in northern Western Australia," said Professor Rogers. 

"The largest animal in the world is one of the hardest ones to actually study. There are many more of these blue whales out there than we've realized - and we've only been able to find them with the help of this international infrastructure."

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

Hidden group of blue whales discovered with bomb detectors

Bomb detectors have exposed a hidden population of pygmy blue...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>, experts have linked the clearing of a tropical forest in Central America to darker waters off the coast of Belize. The potential impacts of the darkened water on marine life are not yet known. 

Deforestation and other land use changes alter the color, amount, and composition of organic materials that runoff and flow through rivers. Much of this material is not decomposing before it reaches the ocean, with widespread implications for ecosystems.

The researchers set out to investigate the effects of deforestation on the coastal environment by studying material that flowed into rivers from a Central American rainforest. The team tracked the material to the water off the coast of Belize, home to the world's second largest reef.

"Like many countries in the region, Belize is experiencing a rapid rate of deforestation due to increasing need for agricultural and urban land, whilst the economy also relies on the fishing and tourism industries on the coastline," said study lead author Stacey Felgate.

"Despite this, there has been very little research into the impact that changing land-use at such a fast pace is having on the region's coastal ecosystems."

The experts found that more colored material is running off into rivers from land used for farming compared to land that is forested. 

The researchers discovered that, instead of getting broken down. the dark material accumulated as it moved farther along in the river. 

The dark-colored material absorbs light and darkens the seawater along the coast. This means that less sunlight is reaching marine life such as seagrass and corals that need it to grow. 

"The potential for human activities on land to negatively impact the coastal environment is not unique to Belize, and so our findings are relevant more broadly, particularly for coastal developing nations where deforestation is ongoing but there are no integrated conservation plans between what is happening on land and what is happening in the oceans," said Felgate.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21698961">JGR Biogeosciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Deforestation has darkened coastal waters off Belize

In a new study from the University of Southampton, experts...

Researchers at Columbia University's <a href="https://www.earth.columbia.edu/">Earth Institute</a> have found that greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production are greater than what has been previously estimated. The experts are also reporting on major opportunities to reduce these emissions. 

The study authors estimate that emissions related to food production reached the equivalent of 16 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018, wick is an eight percent increase since 1990. 

According to study lead author Francesco Tubiello, the study shows that food production represents a "larger greenhouse-gas mitigation opportunity than previously estimated, and one that cannot be ignored in efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement goals." 

Tubiello said emissions inventories that countries currently report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change poorly characterize food systems, and underestimate their contribution to climate change.

In a companion paper, the researchers emphasize the need for better scientific understanding of the processes through which greenhouse gases are emitted from all phases of food production and consumption. The report says that the food system has a major role to play in mitigating climate change. 

"Science and policy domains have often been siloed in academia. We propose a 'double helix' of interactive research by scientists and policy experts that can deliver significant benefits for both climate change and the food system," said Cynthia Rosenzweig, lead author of the companion piece. 

"The food system and the climate system are deeply intertwined," said coauthor David Sandalow, a fellow at Columbia's Center on Global Energy Policy. "Better data can help lead to better policies for cutting emissions and protecting the food system from a changing climate."

The experts explained that programs and policies to mitigate climate change must consider the impact on the more than 500 million smallholder households around the world. They noted that this issue is particularly acute in the least-developed countries, where relatively larger shares of the population rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, they say.

"To achieve a net-zero future, we need to better understand the interplay between the food system and emissions in developing countries where populations are growing, poverty is diminishing, and incomes are rising," said study co-author Philippe Benoit.

The most effective mitigation strategies should focus on activities both before and after farm production.

"Agriculture in developed countries emits large quantities of greenhouse gases, but their share can be obscured by large emissions from other sectors like electricity, transportation and buildings," said study co-author Professor Matthew Hayek. 

"Looking at the entire food system can not only illuminate opportunities to reduce emissions from agriculture, but also improve efficiency across the whole supply chain with technologies such as refrigeration and storage."

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

Emissions from food production have been underestimated

Researchers at Columbia University's Earth Institute have found that greenhouse...

African great apes will suffer massive range losses over the next 30 years, according to a new report from the <a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a>. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chest-beating-conveys-important-details-about-mountain-gorillas/">Gorillas</a>, chimpanzees and bonobos are being pushed out of their historical range as a result of human population growth, land use changes, and the impacts of climate change.

"There must be global responsibility for stopping the decline of great apes," said study senior author Hjalmar Kuehl. "Global consumption of natural resources extracted from ape range countries is a major driver of great ape decline. All nations benefiting from these resources have a responsibility to ensure a better future for great apes, their habitats and the people living therein by developing more sustainable economies."

The experts analyzed data on African great apes from the IUCN, using a database that contains two decades of information on population status and conservation for several hundred sites.

The researchers projected the combined effects of climate change, land use changes, and human population growth through 2050 based on a best- and worst-case scenario.

Even under the "best-case scenario," the authors predict that great apes will lose 85 percent of their range, half of which will fall outside of national parks and other protected areas. Under the worst-case scenario, the apes will lose 94 percent of their range.

"By integrating future climate and land-use changes as well as human population scenarios, this study provides strong evidence for synergistic interactions among key global drivers constraining African ape distribution," said lead author Joana Carvalho.

"Importantly, massive range loss is widely expected outside protected areas, which reflects the insufficiency of the current network of protected areas in Africa to preserve suitable habitats for great apes and effectively connect great ape populations."

Climate change will make the mountain areas more suitable than the lowlands for African great apes. If they are able to physically move from the lowlands to the mountains, they may be able to survive, and even increase their range - depending on the species. However, the researchers noted that the apes may not be able to relocate in the time remaining between today and 2050.

"As climate change forces the different types of vegetation to essentially shift uphill, it means that all animals - not only great apes - that depend on particular habitat types will be forced to move uphill along with the vegetation, or become locally extinct," said study co-author Fiona Maisels.

"And when the hills are low, many species, great and small, will not be able go higher than the land allows, and huge numbers of animals and plants will simply vanish."

The study authors argue that effective conservation strategies require careful planning for each species that focuses on both existing and proposed protected areas - the creation and management of which can be informed by these habitat suitability models. In addition, efforts to maintain connectivity between suitable habitats will be crucial for the survival of African great apes. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14724642">Diversity and Distributions</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

African great apes will lose most of their range in the next 30 years

African great apes will suffer massive range losses over the...

In a new study from the <a href="https://nutrition.org/">American Society for Nutrition</a>, researchers have taken a look at dietary trends among Americans during the Great Recession. The findings confirm the idea that dietary quality is sacrificed when the economy is bad.

The experts found that overall, adults ate more refined grains and solid fats and children consumed more added sugar during the recession. The impacts on dietary quality were the greatest in food-insecure households, where protein and dark green vegetables were largely replaced by sugary foods.

Study lead author Dr. Jacqueline Vernarelli is an associate professor of Public Health at Sacred Heart University,

"Overall, we found that the Great Recession had a negative impact on dietary behaviors in both adults and children," said Dr. Vernarelli. "This adds to a robust body of evidence that economic downturn impacts household income, employment status and subsequent household food security levels."

According to the researchers, the findings are likely relevant to today's economic environment.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented increases in food insecurity, and a dramatic increased need for emergency food resources and other types of food assistance," said Dr. Vernarelli. "By identifying key intake patterns during the previous recession, we can identify areas that may need intervention now and during the (pandemic) recovery years."

The study was focused on data from a nationally representative sample of over 60,000 U.S. adults and children. The team analyzed dietary habits and household food security before, during, and after the Great Recession. Households that are food insecure have limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.

The findings suggest that nutritional quality deteriorates as families substitute cheaper foods in place of healthier options. 

The researchers explained that while the overall quantity of food may not be lower in many food-insecure households, the quality, desirability and variety of the diet is often reduced.

During the recession, children in households with low food security were found to consume about 200 more calories per day on average. They ate higher levels of solid fat and added sugars compared to the time period before and after the recession.

"Using historical data to understand and anticipate potential nutrient needs and areas of concern may better help public health nutritionists serve communities faced with food insecurity, as well as help inform decisions related to food assistance policy," said Dr. Vernarelli. 

Emma Turchick, a graduate student in Vernarelli's lab, will present the research at <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/meetings/nutrition/2021/about/">NUTRITION 2021 LIVE ONLINE</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dietary quality suffers in a bad economy

In a new study from the American Society for Nutrition,...

Cutting off lights could help save <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/migrating-seabirds-are-starving-and-eating-non-food-items/">migrating</a> birds from crashing into buildings, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a>. Decades of data collected at Chicago's McCormick Place convention center revealed that on nights when half the windows were darkened, there were 11 times fewer bird collisions during spring migration and 6 times fewer collisions during fall migration.

The experts report that every night during the spring and fall migration seasons, thousands of birds are killed when they become disoriented by the light from illuminated windows.

"Our research provides the best evidence yet that migrating birds are attracted to building lights, often causing them to collide with windows and die," said study lead author Benjamin Van Doren, a postdoctoral associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the paper's lead author. "These insights were only possible thanks to over 40 years of work by David Willard at the Field Museum, who led collisions and light monitoring efforts."

The research was initiated in 1978, after Willard heard a remark about birds hitting the McCormick Place, which is the largest convention center in North America.

"I went down early one morning, just out of curiosity, and wandered around and actually found four or five dead birds," said Willard. "I might not have gone back if I hadn't found anything that first day, and now here we are, 40 years later and 40,000 birds later."

Willard and his team, including study co-author Mary Hennen and other Field scientists and volunteers, have visited the site every day before sunrise during migration season. On a single trip, they have found as many as 200 birds. 

Around 20 years ago, Willard noticed that on nights when the lights were out at McCormick Place - during holidays or construction work - there were fewer birds on the ground the next morning. He began documenting which windows were illuminated each night.

"We developed a statistical model based on the number of windows illuminated at McCormick Place, weather conditions, migratory passage, and time of season. This allowed us to isolate the relationship between window lighting and collisions while accounting for these other factors," said Van Doren. "By joining these different sources of data, we were able to understand how lights, weather, and migration each contribute to collision mortality."

While the total number of birds in the sky and the direction of the wind both play a role in mortality on any given night, light was found to be the strongest predictor.

"The sheer strength of the link between lighting and collisions was surprising," said Van Doren. "It speaks to the exciting potential to save birds simply by reducing light pollution."

The researchers calculated that by turning out half the lights during migration seasons, bird mortality at McCormick Place could be reduced by 59 percent.

"Buildings all across North America, all across the world, are killing birds, and those add up," said study co-author Doug Stotz. "What we've learned in the past 20 years about lights being on has caused the city of Chicago to create its Lights Out program, which requires buildings' external lights to be turned off during peak migration. I hope this paper will show why it's important to turn off internal lighting as well, especially in Chicago, which is the country's deadliest city for migrating birds."

"Our study contains a hopeful message: we can save birds simply by turning off lights during a handful of high-risk days each spring and fall," said Van Doren. "By adapting our existing public migration forecasts to identify nights with high collision risk, we will be able to issue targeted lights-out advisories several days in advance."

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

Turning off lights could save thousands of birds each year

Cutting off lights could help save migrating birds from crashing...

In a new report from the <a href="https://nutrition.org/">American Society for Nutrition</a>, experts report that reducing food waste will not be enough to fulfill the world's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nutritional-value-of-crops-varies-by-location/">nutritional</a> needs. 

To solve the problem of feeding the growing human population, attention must be urgently focused on essential vitamins and minerals, according to the researchers.

By 2050, the global population is projected to reach 9.7 billion. According to the study, the world already produces enough protein and energy to feed this many people if food waste were cut in half. 

At the same time, however, global food production will fall short in terms of the micronutrients that we need to stay healthy, including calcium, iron, vitamin E and others.

"Reducing food waste would give us enough protein and food energy to feed the 2050 population today - but not enough of the essential vitamins and minerals we need," said study lead author Dr. Nick Smith. "This suggests that food waste is an important issue to tackle, but won't necessarily resolve all the world's nutritional needs."

The DELTA Model used for the study is a computational model that calculates the amount of food nutrients available to the global population under different assumptions about population size, agricultural productivity, and food waste. One unique feature of the model is that it not only accounts for foods' nutritional content, but also for our body's ability to utilize those nutrients.

"When thinking about food system sustainability, it's important to consider all aspects of sustainability: environmental, economic, social, health and nutritional," said Dr. Smith. "And nutrition doesn't just mean enough energy - it has to be the right foods, the right balance of nutrition."

The experts explained that one reason why cutting waste will only get us so far is that we tend to waste more of certain types of foods than others. 

For example, around 25 percent of vegetable mass is wasted after it leaves the farm gate. When it comes to milk, this number is around seven percent. This produces a greater amount of fiber waste compared to calcium, which means that cutting waste will not have the same impact across all nutrients.

"The DELTA Model was not designed to find the 'right answer' for what the food system should look like," Smith noted. "Rather, it is a tool for understanding the food system, testing ideas and hypotheses and informing debate. Its results are important for the global conversation of what food the world needs to produce."

Dr. Smith will present the research at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAF4tOWLoec">NUTRITION 2021 LIVE ONLINE</a>. The findings are preliminary and will be peer-reviewed in the future.

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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

Cutting food waste could feed the world, but not nutritiously

In a new report from the American Society for Nutrition,...

Without urgent action, extreme rainfall and severe flooding will continue to intensify as temperatures rise. An international research team led by <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> reports that efforts to mitigate global warming will help to limit the increase in extreme rainfall, but some societal adaptations will still be required.

"Climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme rainfall because a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor that can rain out, sometimes over a short period. The movement of water vapor through the atmosphere, in storms, is also modified," explained the study authors.

"Increases in extreme rainfall have been observed in many parts of the world. Extreme rainfall, in turn, can increase the chance of floods occurring and their magnitude in small and in urban catchments, severely impacting local populations and infrastructure."

On the other hand, floods in larger, rural catchments are influenced by many different factors. These floods are less directly linked with extreme rainfall events.

The analysis of 170 scientific studies suggests that increases in daily extreme rainfall rates have been observed on continental scales throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, and that global warming is driving increases in short-duration rainfall extremes in some regions. 

The findings show that the risk of flash flooding in urban areas has been growing in recent decades. This increase is linked to expanding impermeable landscape that causes surface runoff.

"Global warming means the atmosphere can hold more moisture and could also change the way storms behave. More intense rainfall extremes coupled with changes in other factors could increase the frequency and severity of flooding in many regions," said study lead author Dr. Stephen Blenkinsop.

"Even if action is taken to limit the extent of global warming we will need to improve our understanding of how extreme rainfall and flooding will change in the future in order to adapt our cities and other communities to more frequent or more extreme events."

"This is an active area of research and our review highlights that the science is becoming increasingly clear on how climate change influences extreme rainfall and how that combines with other factors to increase the chance of floods in many places," said Adam Smith of the University of East Anglia.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/nu-cci060421.php">ScienceBrief Review</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

Extreme rainfall and severe flooding will continue to intensify

Without urgent action, extreme rainfall and severe flooding will continue...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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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



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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

[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" 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.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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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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