An electric current can clear vineyard weeds as effectively as herbicides and mowing, scientists have shown. It offers growers a chemical‑free option that performs well in real‑world conditions while posing only a minor seasonal fire risk.



The discovery comes from research led by  Catherine Borger and Miranda Slaven from <a href="https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-primary-industries-and-regional-development">Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development</a>. 



Working with the <a href="https://zasso.com/">Zasso XPower</a> system, the team compared electric weeding with glyphosate spraying and mowing during two consecutive spring seasons.



The findings give fresh momentum to electric <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/boosting-crop-colors-with-gene-editing-can-improve-weed-control/">weed control</a> at a time when herbicide resistance and consumer concern over chemical residues are on the rise.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-high-voltage-weeding">Testing high-voltage weeding</h2>



The trials took place in 2022 and 2023 at four commercial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wine-production-in-a-warming-world-the-winners-and-losers/">vineyards</a> near Yallingup, a cool‑climate wine region south of Perth. 



Each site carried dense spring growth. It was dominated by annual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fairy-circles-kill-all-newly-planted-grasses-deepening-their-mystery/">grasses</a> such as rigid ryegrass and long‑flowered veldtgrass, as well as sprawling legumes and hardy kikuyu.



Researchers mounted a 36 kW power unit on a tractor and fitted retractable electrode arrays to reach beneath vine canopies.



Traveling at a cautious 0.7 to 0.9 mph, they applied either the full 48-horsepower or a reduced 32-horsepower setting to each vine row.



Parallel plots received a standard tank mix of glyphosate plus amitrole or were mown at a height of 2 inches.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-effective-alternative-to-herbicides">Effective alternative to herbicides</h2>



The researchers harvested the biomass five weeks later, and the numbers were clear.



Electric weeding at either power level removed 84 to 87 percent of weed mass. This matched the 88 percent weed removal rate that glyphosate achieved. Mowing lagged behind at 65 percent.



“We show electric weed control in viticulture has comparable efficiency to that achieved by herbicides,” Borger said.



Just as important for growers, repeated NDVI scans confirmed that neither voltage setting injured the grapevines themselves; canopy greenness and shoot growth were identical across all treatments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-fit-for-organics">Good fit for organics</h2>



Electric pulses kill by puncturing plant tissues and burning roots, and they bring several advantages that chemicals cannot match.



“These advantages include no chemical residues in the environment or food, no rain‑fast period after application, no restrictions on use in windy conditions, no chemical resistance and no impacts on neighboring vegetation or waterways," noted Borger.



The benefits carry particular weight in Australian viticulture. More than six percent of production is now certified organic, and herbicide‑resistant ryegrass threatens many conventional blocks.



“Electric weed control will be of particular importance for organic growers,” Borger added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limits-of-electric-weeding">Limits of electric weeding</h2>



The technology is not without drawbacks. The disadvantages include slow application speed and high fuel usage.



Fire was the other concern. To quantify the danger, the researchers applied electricity to plots covered with dry barley straw and oat hay. 



Sparks ignited debris only when plant residues were bone‑dry and the tractor moved slowly. Doubling ground speed cut sparks by 90 percent. Real vineyard passes in damp spring conditions produced no ignition at all.



“In every field experiment we conducted during spring, there were zero fires, and this is the most common time of year for weed management in Western Australia,” Borger said.



“Electric weed control is suitable for use in winter/spring weed management within the Mediterranean climate but not for control of summer or autumn weeds.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-integrating-electric-weeding">Integrating electric weeding</h2>



Taken together, the findings suggest a practical pathway for growers. Electric treatment can substitute for one or two spring herbicide applications, reducing chemical load and slowing resistance. Conventional spraying or mowing can still tidy escapes later in the season.



Adoption may accelerate as autonomous tractors become common in vineyards. Slow operating speeds are far less costly when machines can run unattended.



Further work will test performance at higher speeds, different soil moistures, and against perennial weeds with deeper reserves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sustainable-weed-control">Sustainable weed control</h2>



By proving that electric weeders can match chemicals under commercial conditions, Borger’s team has electrified the weed‑control debate. They have also supplied rare quantitative data on fire risk, giving growers concrete guidance on when and how to use the tools safely.



If follow‑up trials confirm similar benefits in orchards and row‑crop systems, voltage could become a central pillar of integrated weed management. 



Electric weed control would help farmers meet market demands for cleaner produce while protecting the efficacy of precious herbicides.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/weed-science/article/electric-weed-controlhow-does-it-compare-to-conventional-weed-control-methods/488C45B191B97E84E34257E80EB9CFC6">Weed Science</a>.



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Killing weeds without chemicals - the future may be electric

An electric current can clear vineyard weeds as effectively as herbicides and mowing, scientists have shown. It offers growers a chemical‑free option that performs well in real‑world conditions while posing only a minor seasonal fire risk. The discovery comes from research led by  Catherine Borger and Miranda Slaven from Western Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Working with the Zasso XPower system, the team compared electric weeding with glyphosate spraying and mowing during two consecutive spring seasons. The findings give fresh momentum to electric weed control at a...

Abrupt changes in the climate system during the last <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-sea-level-rose-by-18-meters-after-the-last-ice-age/">ice age</a> behaved like dominoes, with one event initiating a succession of events, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>.

Considering that the extent of sea ice in the Arctic played an important part in the dramatic climate shifts, it is concerning that this part of the climate system may trigger abrupt and widespread climate change again in the future.

To predict how climate change will unfold, it is critical to understand the events of the past. For decades, scientists have tried to identify the causes and effects of major changes that took place during the last ice age.

At that time, temperatures in Greenland repeatedly rose by 5 to 16 degrees Celsius in a matter of decades in what is referred to as Dansgaard-Oeschger events.

"Many studies have tried to answer this long-standing question: Which part of the climate system changed first when these approximately 30 abrupt climate changes, called Dansgaard-Oeschger events, began?" 

"Was it, for example, the ocean currents in the North Atlantic, the wind and rainfall patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, or the spread of sea ice in the Arctic that triggered climate change?" said study lead author Emilie Capron from the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>.

The new analysis reveals a surprising set of dynamics within the Dansgaard-Oeschger events. While the same physical processes behaved like a toppling set of dominoes, the order of the changes were not the same from one event to the other.

The study was focused on data from two Greenland ice cores. The researchers found that changes in different parts of the climate system, including ocean currents, sea ice extent, and wind patterns, were so closely intertwined that they likely triggered and reinforced each other. This would have caused the abrupt, reoccurring climate changes.

The results of the analysis were compared to climate model simulations of the last ice age developed by study co-author Guido Vettoretti. The model showed the same type of entangled behavior of sea ice, ocean currents, and wind and precipitation patterns.

The findings raise new concerns about ongoing rapid warming in the Arctic. The extent of sea ice cover in the North Atlantic was one of the climate dominoes that had the potential to disrupt the entire system during the ice age. Since the 1980s, the modern extent of sea ice has been in a state of decline.

"In any case, the results emphasize the importance of trying to limit climate change by, for example, cutting anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, both to reduce the predictable, gradual climate change and to reduce the risk of future abrupt climate change," said study co-author Professor Sune Olander Rasmussen. 

"If you do not want the dominoes to topple over, you are better off not to push the table they stand on too much."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Abrupt climate changes have a domino effect

Abrupt changes in the climate system during the last ice...

Toxic gases and particle <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reducing-air-pollution-could-give-global-warming-a-boost/">pollution</a> associated with industrial and vehicle emissions are known to worsen viral respiratory infections. In a new study from the <a href="https://www.bidmc.org/">Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center</a>, researchers have confirmed a link between ambient air pollution and worse COVID-19 outcomes. 

More than 90 percent of the global population lives in areas where air pollution exceeds levels that are deemed as being safe by the World Health Organization.

The experts reviewed current research on the potential relationships among pollution, respiratory viruses, and health disparities. In a commentary published by the American Thoracic Society, the researchers discuss various ways that the pandemic has highlighted an urgent need to address the global issue of air pollution.

"A multitude of studies show that exposure to higher long-term ambient air pollution is associated with both increased risk of infection and death from COVID-19," said study co-author Dr. Stephen Andrew Mein. 

"Historically, air pollution has been linked with worse health outcomes, including higher mortality, due to other respiratory viruses like influenza. Now, new research on COVID-19 adds further evidence of the adverse effects of ambient air pollution and the urgent need to ad-dress the public health crisis of pollution."

In one particular study that was reviewed by Dr. Mein and colleagues, researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that each small increase in exposure to long-term fine particle pollution (PM2.5) was associated with an eight percent increase in mortality during the pandemic. 

The results of another study suggest that air pollution has contributed 15 percent to COVID-19 mortality worldwide.

"The studies we reviewed evaluated whether long-term, ambient air pollution exposure that occurred years prior to the pandemic was associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes," said Dr. Mein.

The exact mechanisms of the link between long-term pollution and poor COVID-19 outcomes are not fully understood. One explanation could be that exposure to air pollution impairs the immune system over time, leading to increased susceptibility to viruses as well as more severe viral infections. 

The study authors noted that improved air quality during the pandemic may have reduced illness and mortality from non-communicable diseases, but further investigation is needed.

"Research evaluating associations between the dramatic reduction in ambient air pollution during global lock-downs and health care utilization for respiratory conditions would further confirm the impact of ambient air pollution on non-communicable diseases and the need to reduce air pollution to improve overall health," said study senior author Dr. Mary Rice.

"While the primary association between air pollution and COVID-19 outcomes has been generally consistent, there is still much research to be done." 

"In particular, there is a need for studies that adjust for individual-level risk factors, since cur-rent studies have been restricted to county or municipal-level exposure and outcome data. Research is also needed to evaluate whether air pollution contributes to the stark differences in COVID-19 outcomes among communities of color."

Inequalities in residential and occupational air pollution exposure may be one of the causes of the stark disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic along racial and ethnic lines. This is because ethnically diverse communities are more likely to live and work in areas closer to industrial pollution.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the widespread health consequences of ambient air pollution, including acute effects on respiratory immune defenses and chronic effects that lead to higher risk of chronic cardiopulmonary disease and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)," said Dr. Mein. 

"These chronic health effects likely explain the higher COVID-19 mortality among those exposed to more air pollution. The pandemic has also provided a glimpse into the health benefits of cleaner air." 

"COVID-19 is a wakeup call for the need to adopt stricter air quality standards and end our tolerance for pollution in disadvantaged neighborhoods. As part of our post-COVID-19 recovery, we must clean up the air to improve respiratory health and equality worldwide."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.atsjournals.org/journal/annalsats">Annals of the American Thoracic Society</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution has worsened COVID-19 outcomes

Toxic gases and particle pollution associated with industrial and vehicle...

Work stress and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-ranking-male-baboons-age-faster/">social</a> strain put women at significantly greater risk of developing coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, according to a new study from <a href="https://drexel.edu/">Drexel University</a>. 

The research suggests that the stress of work demands, when compounded by social pressure, is associated with a 21 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease among women.

Specific high-stress life events were independently linked to greater heart disease risk, including the death of a spouse, divorce, social strain, and verbal or physical abuse.

The research was focused on data from 80,825 postmenopausal women who were included in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, which tracked participants from 1991 to 2015. The goal of the study was to find better methods of preventing cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis in women. 

For the current study, the Drexel team evaluated the effects of stress from job strain, difficult life events, social strain, and the associations among these forms of stress as contributors to coronary heart disease.

During the study period, nearly five percent of the women developed coronary heart disease. The combination of work stress and social strain was found to induce the greatest risk.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted ongoing stresses for women in balancing paid work and social stressors. We know from other studies that work strain may play a role in developing CHD, but now we can better pinpoint the combined impact of stress at work and at home on these poor health outcomes," said study senior author Professor Yvonne Michael. 

"My hope is that these findings are a call for better methods of monitoring stress in the workplace and remind us of the dual-burden working women face as a result of their unpaid work as caregivers at home."

The study authors noted that future studies should look at the effects of shift work on coronary heart disease and explore the effects of job demands according to gender.

"Our findings are a critical reminder to women, and those who care about them, that the threat of stress to human health should not go ignored," said study lead author Dr. Conglong Wang. "This is particularly pertinent during the stressors caused by a pandemic."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/jaha">Journal of the American Heart Association</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Work stress and social strain raise risk of heart disease in women

Work stress and social strain put women at significantly greater...

Scientists have obtained data from beneath the Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier," for the very first time. The experts found that the glacier is exposed to a larger supply of warm <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/meltwater-is-accelerating-the-movement-of-greenland-ice/">water</a> than what was expected, which raises new concerns about its stability. 

The study was made possible with the help of the unmanned submersible vehicle Ran, which made its way underneath the Thwaites glacier front. The submarine was used to measure the strength, temperature, salinity, and oxygen content of the ocean currents under the glacier.

"This was Ran's first venture to polar regions and her exploration of the waters under the ice shelf was much more successful than we had dared to hope," said Professor Karen Heywood of the University of East Anglia. "We plan to build on these exciting findings with further missions under the ice next year."

According to study lead author Professor Anna Wåhlin of the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en">University of Gothenburg</a>, the biggest uncertainty in forecasts of global sea level rise is the future evolution of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Currently, the ice sheet in West Antarctica contributes about ten percent of the overall rate of sea level rise. At the same time, this ice sheet holds the most potential for increasing the rate of sea level rise because of the rapid changes taking place in the Thwaites Glacier.

Due to its location and shape, Thwaites is particularly sensitive to warm and salty ocean currents. The glacier is challenging to study because it is usually blocked by thick sea ice and many icebergs. 

The researchers used the data from RAN to map the ocean currents underneath the floating part of the glacier. They discovered that there is a deep connection to the east through which water flows from Pine Island Bay - a connection that was previously thought to be blocked by an underwater ridge.

The experts also measured heat transport in one of the three channels that push warm water toward Thwaites from the north. 

"The channels for warm water to access and attack Thwaites weren't known to us before the research. Using sonars on the ship, nested with very high-resolution ocean mapping from Ran, we were able to find that there are distinct paths that water takes in and out of the ice shelf cavity, influenced by the geometry of the ocean floor," explained Dr. Alastair of the University of Southern Florida.

The team found variations in salinity, temperature, and oxygen content under the glacier which indicate that this is an area where different water masses meet and mix with each other.

The observations show warm water approaching from all sides on pinning points - critical locations where the ice is connected to the seabed and give stability to the ice shelf. 

"This work highlights that how and where warm water impacts Thwaites Glacier is influenced by the shape of the seafloor and the ice-shelf base as well as the properties of the water itself. The successful integration of new seafloor survey data and observations of water properties from the Ran missions shows the benefits of the multidisciplinary ethos within the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration," said Dr. Rob Larter of the British Antarctic Survey.

"The good news is that we are now, for the first time, collecting data that is necessary to model the dynamics of Thwaite's glacier. This data will help us better calculate ice melting in the future. With the help of new technology, we can improve the models and reduce the great uncertainty that now prevails around global sea level variations." said Professor Wåhlin.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

"Doomsday Glacier" exposed to more warm water than expected

Scientists have obtained data from beneath the Thwaites Glacier, also...

In a comprehensive 12-month review of published literature on climate change, researchers have determined that mitigation efforts are crucially needed for the security of the global food supply. 

The study, which is published in one of the highest-ranking public health journals, calls for urgent action to secure nutrition and health around the world.

The experts warn that climate change will have a substantial impact on global food production and human health without collaborative efforts by consumers, food industries, public policy makers, and government bodies.

Study lead author Colin Binns, a distinguished professor in the Curtin School of Population Health at <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/">Curtin University</a>, explained that climate change has had a detrimental impact on health and food production for the past 50 years. He said that far more needs to be done to overcome its adverse effects.

"The combination of climate change and the quality of nutrition is the major public health challenge of this decade and, indeed, this century. Despite positive advances in world nutrition rates, we are still facing the ongoing threat of climate change to our global food supply, with Sub-Saharan Africa and part of Asia most at risk," said Professor Binns.

"For the time being, it will be possible to produce enough food to maintain adequate intakes, using improved farming practices and technology and more equity in distribution, but we estimate that by 2050 world food production will need to increase by 50 percent to overcome present shortages and meet the needs of the growing population."

"Our review recommends that by following necessary dietary guidelines and choosing foods that have low environmental impacts, such as fish, whole grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, berries, and olive oil, would improve health, help reduce greenhouse gases and meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which in turn would improve food production levels in the future."

Professor Binns noted that while climate change will have a significant effect on food supply, political commitment and substantial investment could go some way to reduce the effects and help provide the foods needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

"Some changes will need to be made to food production, nutrient content will need monitoring, and more equitable distribution will be required to meet the proposed dietary guidelines," explained Professor Binns.

"It will also be important to increase breastfeeding rates to improve infant and adult health, while helping to reduce greenhouse gases and benefit the environment."

"Ongoing research will be vital to assessing the long-term impacts of climate change on food supply and health in order to adequately prepare for the future."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/journal/publhealth">Annual Review of Public Health</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Urgent climate action needed to secure global food supply

In a comprehensive 12-month review of published literature on climate...

Dogs get jealous at the mere thought of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-plants-face-more-competition-for-pollinators-as-temperatures-rise/">competition</a> for their owner's affection, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/">Association for Psychological Science</a>. 

Using a very realistic artificial dog, the researchers demonstrated that pet dogs exhibited jealous behaviors when they imagined their owner was interacting with a rival. 

In surveys, more than 80 percent of dog owners report that when when they give attention to other dogs, their pets display jealousy through vocalizations, pulling on their leash, or other agitated behaviors.

"Research has supported what many dog owners firmly believe - dogs exhibit jealous behavior when their human companion interacts with a potential rival," said study lead author Amalia Bastos of the University of Auckland. 

"We wanted to study this behavior more fully to determine if dogs could, like humans, mentally represent a situation that evoked jealousy."

Among humans, jealousy is closely linked with self-awareness. This is one reason that animal cognition scientists, who study the mental capacities of non-human animals, are interested in studying emotions such as jealousy. 

Dogs appear to display jealous behaviors similar to how a human child responds when their mother gives affection to another child. 

For the investigation, the researchers observed 18 dogs under conditions in which they could imagine a social interaction between their human companion and either a realistic fake dog or a fleece cylinder. The fake dog served as a potential rival for attention, while the fleece cylinder served as a control.

The experiment was designed so that the dogs could observe the artificial dog positioned next to their owner before a barrier was put in place to obscure their view. 

When the dogs thought their owners may be petting the artificial dogs, they forcefully pulled on their leash in an attempt to reach the other side of the barrier. The dogs had much less of a response when they observed their owners with a fleece cylinder.

"These results support claims that dogs display jealous behavior. They also provide the first evidence that dogs can mentally represent jealousy-inducing social interactions," said Bastos. 

"Previous studies confounded jealous behavior with play, interest, or aggression, because they never tested the dogs' reactions to the owner and the social rival being present in the same room but not interacting."

"There is still plenty of work to do to establish the extent of the similarities between the minds of humans and other animals, especially in terms of understanding the nature of nonhuman animals' emotional experiences."

According to Bastos, it is too early to say whether dogs experience jealousy as humans do, but it is now clear that they react to jealousy-inducing situations, even when those situations occur out of sight. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/pss">Psychological Science</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dogs appear to get jealous over their owner's affection

Dogs get jealous at the mere thought of competition for...

The genus Homo emerged in Africa about 2.5 million years ago, but these early humans had brains that were only about half the size of brains today. For the first time, experts have determined when and where the modern human brain evolved.

"Our analyses suggest that modern human brain structures emerged only 1.5 to 1.7 million years ago in African Homo populations," said study co-lead author Christoph Zollikofer of the <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a>. 

The researchers used computed tomography to examine the skulls of Homo fossils that originated in Africa and Asia one to two million years ago. The team compared the fossils to skulls of great apes and humans to reveal modern brain structures.

Beyond its size, the human brain is also different from that of great apes in the location and organization of individual brain regions. 

"The features typical to humans are primarily those regions in the frontal lobe that are responsible for planning and executing complex patterns of thought and action, and ultimately also for language," said study first author Marcia Ponce de León. 

These brain regions are significantly larger in the humans, which pushes back the adjacent brain regions.

The first Homo populations to emerge outside of Africa - in the country of Georgia - had brains that were just as primitive as their African relatives. But even though the brains of these early humans were not particularly large, they were still capable of making tools, adapting to the new environmental conditions of Eurasia, tracking down food, and caring for group members.

During the same time period, African cultures and stones tools became more complex. The researchers believe that biological and cultural evolution are probably interdependent. 

"It is likely that the earliest forms of human language also developed during this period," said Ponce de León. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Modern human brain traced to Africa 1.7 million years ago

The genus Homo emerged in Africa about 2.5 million years...

Each year, thousands of juvenile loggerhead turtles set out on a journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Baja California, where they feed on red crabs. Little is known about this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-of-peregrine-falcons-suggests-birds-have-a-migration-gene/">migration</a>, which involves thousands of miles and as much as two decades or longer. 

An international team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> has discovered new details about the epic migrations of loggerhead turtles. They have found evidence that intermittent passages of warm water allow sea turtles to cross inhospitably cold ocean barriers. 

The findings could help inform conservation measures to protect sea turtles and other migratory marine animals. 

"For decades, our ability to connect the migratory dots for this endangered species has remained elusive," said study lead author Dana Briscoe.

"This work builds on the backbone of exceptional research about these 'lost years,' and for the first time ever we are excited to provide evidence of a 'thermal corridor' to explain a longstanding mystery of one of the ocean's greatest migrants."

Six of the seven sea turtle species are listed by the IUCN as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered.

The researchers set out to understand why some loggerhead turtles travel to the western coast of North America while others remain in the central Pacific Ocean. In addition, they wanted to know how sea turtles can cross a frigid zone called the Eastern Pacific Barrier when they are extremely sensitive to temperature.

To investigate, the experts created the largest dataset on satellite-tagged loggerhead sea turtles ever compiled. They used sophisticated remote sensing techniques and collected one of the first detailed records of sea turtle aging and stable isotope testing. The research was built upon decades of research by the team.

The researchers identified a "thermal corridor" from unusually warm sea surface temperatures that allowed the turtles to cross the Eastern Pacific Barrier to coastal foraging grounds.

The experts report that the corridor was present during the late spring and summer, and was preceded by early ocean warming in the months before it opened. Warming conditions may provide key environmental cues to sea turtles that the thermal corridor is opening. 

As global warming continues, locations that were once impassable, like the Eastern Pacific Barrier, will open up to various species. This will increasingly shift the distribution and migratory patterns of creatures ranging from sea birds to white sharks, which will present new challenges. For example, loggerhead turtles could become more frequent victims of bycatch. 

"Understanding how and why species like the North Pacific loggerhead move among habitats is crucial to helping them navigate threats," said study senior author Professor Larry Crowder. "Emerging technologies and analyses can help illuminate these journeys."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Loggerhead turtles migrate using a secret thermal corridor

Each year, thousands of juvenile loggerhead turtles set out on...

Rhesus macaques living on Cayo Santiago Island in Puerto Rico were drawn closer together by a natural disaster, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>. 

After Hurricane Maria, a devastating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/storms-in-alaska-will-become-much-more-frequent-and-severe/">storm</a> that killed than 3,000 people, the macaques became more tolerant of each other and sought new social connections. 

The researchers studied social connections among the macaques before and after Hurricane Maria. 

"The macaques built new relationships rather than strengthening existing ones and tended to adopt a 'path of least resistance' to forming new connections," said study first author Camille Testard, who is a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. 

"These findings are consistent with a strategy to gain tolerance and support from the greatest number of individuals and benefit from broader social integration rather than focusing on reinforcing relationships to key partners." 

"This increased tolerance toward others, including strangers, has also been observed in humans following catastrophic events that impact whole populations widely."

Rhesus macaques are sociable animals, but they are constantly competing for dominance and can be very aggressive to other members of their group.

The researchers were already studying macaques in the field when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. In the aftermath of the storm, the experts noticed that the animals suddenly seemed more tolerant of each other, and even of past competitors.

A social network analysis confirmed that the shift had taken place. The macaques had forged new social connections after the storm, resulting in a more tolerant society as a whole.

"We expected the monkeys would use their closest allies to cope with the ecological devastation of the hurricane and so would invest in their existing relationships," said study co-senior author Lauren Brent. "Instead, the macaques expanded their social networks and the number of individuals that they tolerated sharing limited resources, like a shady space to sit."

According to the researchers, their findings in Puerto Rico help to answer an outstanding question about what benefits social relationships provide. In future work, they plan to investigate the long-term effects of making new social connections, or failing to do so, in this extreme context. 

"Social relationships have a surprisingly large impact on human health and being in a poor social environment is a high risk factor for humans - remarkably, as high as other health risk factors such as smoking," said study co-author James Higham of New York University. 

"How variation in the social environment gets under the skin and impacts our biology remains unclear. Our work on the impacts of changes in sociality following a natural disaster adds yet another element to this complex dynamic."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</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

Rhesus macaques were drawn closer together after Hurricane Maria

Rhesus macaques living on Cayo Santiago Island in Puerto Rico...

In a new study from the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a>, scientists warn that much of the Antarctic ice shelf is at risk of collapsing as the climate continues to warm. The experts report that if the global average <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/temperatures-are-rising-unexpectedly-fast-on-the-tibetan-plateau/">temperature</a> reaches 4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, more than one-third of the ice sheet could lose its stability. 

The investigation into the vulnerability of the floating ice surrounding Antarctica is the most detailed of its kind. The team used high-resolution regional climate modeling to predict the impact of increased melting and water runoff on ice shelf stability.

According to the study, four degrees of warming would destabilize around half a million square kilometers of ice across Antarctic ice shelves, which is 34 percent of the total area. The area that is threatened includes 67 percent of the ice shelf area on the Antarctic Peninsula.

The researchers identified four Antarctic ice shelves that would be particularly threatened in a warmer climate, including Larsen C - the largest remaining ice shelf on the peninsula.

"Ice shelves are important buffers preventing glaciers on land from flowing freely into the ocean and contributing to sea level rise. When they collapse, it's like a giant cork being removed from a bottle, allowing unimaginable amounts of water from glaciers to pour into the sea," said Dr. Ella Gilbert.

"We know that when melted ice accumulates on the surface of ice shelves, it can make them fracture and collapse spectacularly. Previous research has given us the bigger picture in terms of predicting Antarctic ice shelf decline, but our new study uses the latest modeling techniques to fill in the finer detail and provide more precise projections."

"The findings highlight the importance of limiting global temperature increases as set out in the Paris Agreement if we are to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, including sea level rise."

Ice shelf vulnerability was analyzed under four conditions: 1.5°C, 2°C and 4°C global warming scenarios, all of which are possible during this century.

Ice shelves are formed where glaciers flow off the land and meet the sea. The floating platforms of ice are attached to areas of the coastline. 

In the summer, ice at the surface of the shelf melts into small air gaps in the snow layer below, where it refreezes. However, during years with a lot of melting and little snowfall, the water pools on the surface or flows into cracks in the ice. The meltwater enlarges these cracks until the ice shelf fractures and collapses into the sea. 

In 2002, the Larsen B ice shelf fractured following several years of warm summer temperatures. Larsen B's collapse accelerated the flow of glaciers behind it, and billions of tons of ice were lost into the ocean. 

"If temperatures continue to rise at current rates, we may lose more Antarctic ice shelves in the coming decades," said Dr. Gilbert. "Limiting warming will not just be good for Antarctica - preserving ice shelves means less global sea level rise, and that's good for us all."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research 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

More than a third of the Antarctic ice shelf could collapse this century

In a new study from the University of Reading, scientists...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>, experts have discovered that bacteria in the gut of a horse communicate with cells to promote energy efficiency. The gut bacteria send chemical signals to the cells to regulate energy metabolism, ultimately improving the horse's athletic performance. 

"We are one of the first to demonstrate that certain types of equine gut bacteria produce chemical signals that communicate with the mitochondria in the horse's cells that regulate and generate energy," said study lead author Eric Barrey of the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment in France. 

"We believe that metabolites - small molecules created by breaking down bigger molecules for food or growth - produced by these bacteria have the effect of delaying low blood sugar and inflammation in the cells, which in turn extends the horse's athletic performance."

&nbsp;

Recent studies have shown that mitochondria, which generate large amounts of energy within cells, are interdependent with gut bacteria. Researchers have also linked many diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, such as Parkinson's and Crohn's, to changes in the gut microbiome.

Study first author Dr. Nuria Mach is an expert at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment in France.

"Studying horses is a good way to assess the link between gut bacteria and mitochondria, because the level of exercise, and thereby mitochondrial function, performed by a horse during an endurance race is similar to that of a human marathon runner," explained Dr. Mach.

"For this study we gained permission for veterinary doctors to take blood samples from 20 healthy horses of similar age and performance level, at the start and end of the International Endurance Competition of Fontainebleau, an 8-hour horse race in France." 

"These samples provided information about the chemical signals and expression of specific genes, which is the process by which DNA is converted into instructions for making proteins or other molecules. To understand the composition of the horse's gut bacteria metabolites, we obtained fecal samples at the start of the race."

The researchers found that certain bacteria in the gut were linked to gene expression through mitochondria, and the genes that were "turned on" were associated with metabolism.

"Interestingly, mitochondria have a bacterial origin - it is thought they formed a symbiotic relationship with other components to form the first cell," said Barrey. "This may explain why mitochondria have this line of communication with gut bacteria."

"Improving our understanding of the intercommunication between the horse and the gut microbiome could help enhance their individual performance, as well as the method by which they are trained and dietary composition intake," said Dr. Mach. 

"Manipulating the gut microbiota with probiotic supplements as well as prebiotics, to feed the good bacteria, could be a way for increasing the health and balance of the microbiome and horses, to better sustain endurance exercise."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences">Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences</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

Horse's gut bacteria "talk" to cells to regulate energy

In a new study published by Frontiers, experts have discovered...

According to a new study, the Tibetan Plateau has been warming more rapidly than the global average, and this rate will continue to exceed what has been projected by climate models.

The Tibetan Plateau contains the largest volumes of ice outside of the polar regions, and feeds dozens of major Asian rivers.

"Serving as 'the water tower of Asia,' the Tibetan Plateau supplies water resources to more than 1.4 billion people. It is warming more rapidly than the global average over the past decades, affecting regional hydrological cycle and ecosystem services," wrote the researchers.

Rapid warming across the Plateau has also caused substantial glacier retreat, as well as landslides, debris flows, and glacial lake outbursts.

Study lead author Professor Tianjun Zhou is a senior scientist at the <a href="http://english.iap.cas.cn/">Institute of Atmospheric Physics </a>(IAP) and CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences in the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"A clear understanding of the past warming of the Tibetan Plateau, particularly the underlying human influence, can help better anticipating and interpreting future changes," said Professor Zhou.

To investigate what has driven higher temperatures across the Plateau in recent decades, Professor Zhou and his team used an archive of comprehensive climate models known as CMIP5, in which historical simulations are driven by individual external forcings. 

The experts found that the accelerated warming of the Tibetan Plateau from 1961 to 2005 can be attributed to human activities, particularly greenhouse gas emissions, which contributed approximately 1.37 degrees Celsius.

Considering that anthropogenic warming on the Tibetan Plateau is currently underestimated by global climate models, the team went further to correct future projections. The analysis confirmed that the Tibetan Plateau will continue to warm faster than previously expected.

"For example, under a medium carbon emission scenario (RCP4.5), the Tibetan Plateau is expected to warm by 2.25°C and 2.99°C in the mid-term (2041-2060) and end of 21st century (2081-2100), which are 0.24°C and 0.32°C warmer than the uncorrected projections, respectively," said study co-author Wenxia Zhang. "This implies a greater loss of glacier mass and further increased geohazard risks in the Asian water tower."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326">Environmental Research 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

Temperatures are rising unexpectedly fast on the Tibetan Plateau

According to a new study, the Tibetan Plateau has been...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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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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