Astronomers caught a star system at the moment when solid grains began to form planets. This snapshot reveals how planets first start to form, just as Earth once did.



The infant star HOPS-315 sits about 1,300 light-years, roughly 7.6 quadrillion miles, away in the constellation Orion. Around it whirls a disc of gas and dust where heat is high enough to bake rock yet cool enough for those rocks to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-giant-planets-form/">re-form</a>.



<a href="https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/melissa-mcclure#tab-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Melissa McClure</a> of Leiden University led the international team that pieced together these first moments of planetary assembly. Their finding gives researchers a live laboratory that mirrors the opening chapter of the Solar System’s own story.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-planets-form-from-early-solids">How planets form from early solids</h2>



In primitive meteorites, tiny calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions tell us that the Solar System’s clock started ticking <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1226919" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">4.567 billion</a> years ago. Those inclusions condensed from a searing vapor and seeded every terrestrial planet we know.



Because the clock starts with condensation, catching that step beyond the Sun has been an astronomer’s white whale. 



The new observation marks the first time any telescope has seen <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2022/cp/d2cp02188a" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gas-phase silicon monoxide</a> (SiO) alongside freshly crystallizing silicates in the same patch of a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/protoplanetary-disk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">protoplanetary disc</a>.



McClure’s team spotted the minerals within an orbit comparable to our asteroid belt. That match matters, for it pins early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-planets-form-its-much-more-complicated-than-we-thought/">chemistry</a> to a region that later fed Earth with water and metals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crystals-forming-around-hops-315">Crystals forming around HOPS-315</h2>



The James Webb Space Telescope (<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JWST</a>) collects infrared light that pierces the dust cocoon shrouding HOPS-315, revealing the distinct fingerprint of hot SiO molecules. Those molecules glow at about 2,200°F, a temperature that vaporizes most common rocks.



<a href="https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ALMA</a>, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, then measured the same region at millimeter wavelengths and mapped where the glow comes from. 



By combining the two views, scientists confirmed that both gas and solid forms of silicon occupy a ring no farther than 2 astronomical units from the star.



Handling these observations is tricky because HOPS-315 also drives a jet rich in SiO. The team disentangled the jet’s signal from the disc’s by checking velocities, the jet gas races outward, whereas disc material <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/july-2025-skywatching-bright-planets-and-a-summer-constellation/">orbits</a> sedately.



A final check involved comparing the brightness of different SiO lines. The ratio matched laboratory predictions for vapor that is actively condensing, adding yet another layer of confidence to the result.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planets-forming-from-gas-and-crystals">Planets forming from gas and crystals</h2>



Crystalline silicates appear where cooling vapor meets a sharp fall in temperature. The presence of both phases at one location means condensation is happening right now, not long ago nor far away in another part of the disc.



“This process has never been seen before in a protoplanetary disc, or anywhere outside our Solar System,” said <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/astro/people/core-faculty/ebergin.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Edwin Bergin</a> of the <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/astro" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a>, a co-author on the study. 



He adds that the minerals are the same kind locked inside 4.5-billion-year-old meteorites on Earth’s shelves.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://cdn.eso.org/images/wallpaper5/eso2512a.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/solar-system-forming_HOPS-315_ESO_1s.webp" alt="This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. In orange we see the distribution of carbon monoxide, blowing away from the star in a butterfly-shaped wind. In blue we see a narrow jet of silicon monoxide, also beaming away from the star. These gaseous winds and jets are common around baby stars like HOPS-315. Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al." class="wp-image-1978595"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. In orange we see the distribution of carbon monoxide, blowing away from the star in a butterfly-shaped wind. In blue we see a narrow jet of silicon monoxide, also beaming away from the star. These gaseous winds and jets are common around baby stars like HOPS-315. Click image to enlarge. Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al.</figcaption></figure>



“We’re really seeing these minerals at the same location in this extrasolar system as where we see them in asteroids in the Solar System,” said co-author, Logan Francis from the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (<a href="https://affoa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AFFOA</a>). 



He notes that the condensation zone sits at almost the same orbital radius as our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asteroids-found-in-the-main-belt-are-the-smallest-ever-detected/">asteroid belt</a>. 



The mineral grains measure less than a micrometer across, yet they mark the first step toward kilometer-scale planetesimals. Electrostatic forces will make them clump for thousands of years until <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronomers-announce-evidence-suggesting-that-our-solar-system-has-nine-planets-again/">gravity</a> takes over.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hops-315-mirrors-earth-s-origins">HOPS-315 mirrors Earth’s origins</h2>



Laboratory studies show that minerals rich in silicon and oxygen condense first, followed quickly by iron-nickel alloys and then more volatile compounds. 



Seeing hot SiO vapor around HOPS-315 hints that a similar chemical parade is marching there.



By estimating the star’s luminosity and the disc’s temperature gradient, McClure’s group concludes that crystalline silicates could mass about a tenth of the Moon. That is plenty to seed multiple rocky planets if subsequent growth is efficient, as models suggest.



Isotopic <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.02631" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> on chondrules indicates that the earliest building blocks in our own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jupiters-past-how-the-young-gas-giant-shaped-our-solar-system/">Solar System</a> formed within the first million years, a timescale now testable in real time with HOPS-315.



Matching astronomical data to isotope chronometers promises a much sharper picture of planet formation than meteoritic studies alone.



The discovery may also shed light on why Earth contains less carbon than nebular models predict. If early minerals trap oxygen and silicon immediately, carbon may remain gaseous longer and get pushed outward before it can join newborn worlds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-in-watching-planets-form">What’s next in watching planets form</h2>



Over the next year, ALMA will return to HOPS-315 to look for water ice farther out in the disc. 



If water lines up beyond the silicate ring, astronomers can test whether rocky seeds migrate inward before they acquire ice mantles, a step that may explain why Earth ended up with oceans.



JWST will track how the SiO signature evolves. A steady decline would show vapor freezing out, whereas a surge could hint at heating bursts from magnetic flares or spiral shocks.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/0j-MH6_QlBA?si=3P8FgBE0O2TTWsnM
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Witnessing the dawn of a new solar system. Credit: ESO</figcaption></figure>



Beyond the specifics of HOPS-315, the result boosts confidence that rocky planets are common. If condensation begins so early, many stars may launch planet formation well before their gas discs disperse, leaving time for worlds to migrate, collide, and settle into stable orbits.



Astronomer Elizabeth Humphreys at ESO, who was not involved in the study, said she was “really impressed” that the team could pinpoint the first solids. 



She argues that the synergy of Webb and ALMA is revealing a Universe “in which the steps toward life-bearing planets start earlier than we dared hope.”



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09163-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Astronomers capture the birth of a new solar system for the first time ever

Astronomers caught a star system at the moment when solid grains began to form planets. This snapshot reveals how planets first start to form, just as Earth once did. The infant star HOPS-315 sits about 1,300 light-years, roughly 7.6 quadrillion miles, away in the constellation Orion. Around it whirls a disc of gas and dust where heat is high enough to bake rock yet cool enough for those rocks to re-form. Melissa McClure of Leiden University led the international team that pieced together these first moments of...

Melting glaciers in Alaska contributes to earthquakes, according to a new study. The researchers determined that <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/greenland-ice-is-more-sensitive-to-climate-change-than-expected/">ice</a> loss in the 19th century laid the groundwork for a devastating earthquake in Lituya Bay in 1958.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake triggered a rockslide and created a tsunami that ran 1,700 feet up a mountainside before plummeting back out into the sea.

According to scientists at the <a href="https://www.uaf.edu/">University of Alaska Fairbanks</a>, ice loss near Glacier Bay National Park has influenced the timing and location of nearby earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.0 or greater during the past century.

While it was already known that melting glaciers cause earthquakes in otherwise tectonically stable regions, such as Canada's interior and Scandinavia, this pattern has been harder to detect in Alaska.

Some of the world's largest glaciers can be found in Alaska. These glaciers can be up to thousands of feet thick and cover hundreds of square miles. 

The weight of the ice causes the land beneath it to sink, and the ground springs back like a sponge when the ice melts. The disappearance of glaciers has caused Southeast Alaska's land to rise at about 1.5 inches per year.

"There are two components to the uplift," said study lead author Chris Rollins. "There's what's called the 'elastic effect,' which is when the earth instantly springs back up after an ice mass is removed. Then there's the prolonged effect from the mantle flowing back upwards under the vacated space."

The research links the expanding movement of the mantle with large earthquakes across Southeast Alaska, where glaciers have been melting for over 200 years. 

Based on models of Earth movement and ice loss since 1770, the researchers identified a clear correlation between earthquakes and Earth rebound. 

Maps of ice loss and seismic records dating back to 1920 showed that most large earthquakes coincided with the stress from long-term Earth rebound.

In the case of the 1958 earthquake, the postglacial rebound molded the crust around the fault in a way that increased stress near the epicenter.

"The movement of plates is the main driver of seismicity, uplift and deformation in the area," said Rollins. "But postglacial rebound adds to it, sort of like the de-icing on the cake. It makes it more likely for faults that are in the red zone to hit their stress limit and slip in an earthquake."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699356">JGR Solid Earth</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Melting glaciers are fueling earthquakes in Alaska

Melting glaciers in Alaska contributes to earthquakes, according to a...

A new report from the <a href="https://www.agu.org/">American Geophysical Union</a> reveals that Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a massive storm that is about twice as wide as Earth, is being fed by smaller storms.

Over the past few years, a series of anticyclones crashed into the Great Red Spot and caused chunks of red clouds to flake off, which shrunk the larger storm. The new study shows that these disruptions are just superficial, and do not affect the full depth of the Red Spot.

Study lead author Agustín Sánchez-Lavega is a professor of applied physics at the Basque Country University in Bilbao. He explained that as the larger storm absorbs these smaller storms, it "gains energy at the expense of their rotation energy."

"The intense vorticity of the Great Red Spot, together with its larger size and depth compared to the interacting vortices, guarantees its long lifetime," said Professor Sánchez-Lavega.

Prior to 2019, the giant storm only encountered a couple of anticyclones per year. In the last couple years, however, the Red Spot has been hit by as many as two dozen smaller storms in a year. 

The researchers set out to investigate whether the anticyclones had disturbed the spin of the giant storm. The Great Red Spot spins in the atmosphere near the planet's equator, with wind speeds of up to 335 miles per hour along its border.

Anticyclones spin in the opposite direction of cyclones around a center with high atmospheric pressure. The Great Red Spot is an anticyclone that is six to seven times as big as the smaller anticyclones that have been colliding with it. The "smaller" storms on Jupiter are still about 10 times the size of the largest terrestrial hurricanes.

Professor Sánchez-Lavega and his team looked at satellite images of the Great Red Spot for the past three years taken from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Juno spacecraft, as well as photos taken by a network of amateur astronomers with telescopes.

The researchers found that the smaller anticyclones pass through the high-speed peripheral ring of the Great Red Spot before circling around the red oval. 

According to Professor Sánchez-Lavega, the invading storms create some chaos in an already dynamic situation, temporarily changing the Red Spot's 90-day oscillation in longitude, and "tearing the red clouds from the main oval and forming streamers."

Experts are not sure how the Red Spot initially formed or what has been causing it to shrink for at least 150 years, but the current study suggests that smaller storms are helping to maintain it. 

"The ingestion of anticyclones is not necessarily destructive; it can increase the GRS rotation speed, and perhaps over a longer period, maintain it in a steady state," said Professor Sánchez-Lavega.

The study is published in the <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21699100">Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Smaller storms feed Jupiter's Great Red Spot

A new report from the American Geophysical Union reveals that...

High speed air dryers can spread <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-dryers-spread-germs/">germs</a> from poorly washed hands to clothing and then onto other surfaces outside of the restroom, according to a study from the <a href="https://www.shea-online.org/">Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America</a>.

"Pathogens can persist for several hours on hands and up to several months on surfaces, and they can be acquired at a high rate through contact with environmental surfaces," wrote the researchers.

"Residual hand moisture is associated with increased microorganism transfer from hands to surfaces. Thus, the process of hand drying is essential in minimizing the risk of pathogen spread."

"Previously, we examined the risk of environmental bacterial contamination in hospital toilets associated with different hand-drying methods. We observed less droplet and/or microbe dispersion, and consequently lower level of toilet surfaces contamination, following hand drying with paper towels compared to a jet air dryer." 

"These observations showed the impact of the hand-drying method on the risk of contamination of the washroom and toilet environment. However, whether these differences could also affect the spread of pathogens beyond the toilets remains unknown, especially as in hospitals, these are used by staff, visitors, and patients."

To investigate, the researchers conducted an experiment designed to test the role of different hand drying methods in spreading germs outside of the restroom.

Study participants sanitized their hands with 70 percent alcohol disinfectant, dipped them in a harmless viral solution, and then dried them using either an air dryer or paper towels. 

During the experiment, the volunteers wore an apron to test contamination of clothing. The participants then took a predetermined path through the hospital while touching commonly used surfaces, such as elevator buttons. 

The researchers collected samples from surfaces that the volunteers touched, as well as from their aprons.

"Based on the user and surface contamination observed following hand drying using high speed air dryers, we question the choice of air dryers in healthcare settings," said study co-author Dr. Ines Moura of the University of Leeds. "Microbes remaining after hand drying can transfer to surfaces via contaminated hands and clothing."

The levels of contamination on surfaces that individuals touched with their hands were ten times higher after hands were dried with an air dryer rather than paper towels. In addition, there was greater microbial transfer to the apron when volunteers used the air dryer. 

"The study was performed in a healthcare setting and has important lessons for health institutions that still have high speed air dryers in restrooms, but the results are also relevant for public restrooms with high foot traffic," said Dr. Moura.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology">Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air dryers spread germs to surfaces beyond the restroom

High speed air dryers can spread germs from poorly washed...

The largest asteroid to approach our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-hawaii-has-the-best-rainbows-on-the-planet/">planet</a> in 2021 will arrive this weekend. Based on optical measurements, 2001 FO32 is estimated to be roughly 3,000 feet wide and twice the size of the Eiffel Tower in diameter.

According to a report from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, the asteroid does not pose a threat to Earth, and will present a valuable scientific opportunity for astronomers to observe an object that formed at the dawn of our solar system.

Experts hope to gain a better understanding of the size of 2001 FO32, as well as some clues about its composition by studying light reflecting off its surface.

"When sunlight hits an asteroid's surface, minerals in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others," said NASA. "By studying the spectrum of light reflecting off the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical 'fingerprints' of the minerals on the surface of the asteroid."

On March 21, 2001 FO32 will make its closest approach at a distance of about 1.25 million miles, which is 5.25 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. 

Paul Chodas is the director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), which is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 

“We know the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the Sun very accurately, since it was discovered 20 years ago and has been tracked ever since,” said Chodas. “There is no chance the asteroid will get any closer to Earth than 1.25 million miles.”

Regardless, the distance from 2001 FO32 to Earth will still be close in astronomical terms, which is why it has been designated as a potentially hazardous asteroid. 

This time around, 2001 FO32 will zip by at about 77,000 miles per hour, which is unusually fast compared to most asteroids that approach Earth. After its brief appearance, 2001 FO32 will not approach our planet again until 2052, when it will pass by at about seven lunar distances, or 1.75 million miles.

NASA said that amateur astronomers will be able to gather information of their own about 2001 FO32. 

“The asteroid will be brightest while it moves through southern skies,” said Chodas. “Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere and at low northern latitudes should be able to see this asteroid using moderate size telescopes with apertures of at least 8 inches in the nights leading up to closest approach, but they will probably need star charts to find it.”

NASA scientists noted that the asteroid poses no threat of a collision with our planet now or for centuries to come.

More information about CNEOS, asteroids, and near-Earth objects can be found <a href="https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov">here</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The closest asteroid of 2021 will zip past Earth this weekend

The largest asteroid to approach our planet in 2021 will...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us">Wiley</a>, experts have found that artificial light at night interferes with the courtship and mating of bioluminescent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tourists-who-are-flocking-to-see-fireflies-may-be-causing-them-harm/">fireflies</a>.

"Over the past century, widespread adoption of increasingly inexpensive and intense lighting technologies has significantly brightened urban and suburban environments, road networks, biodiversity hotspots, and even protected areas," wrote the researchers

"Artificial light at night (ALAN) significantly impacts the fitness of diverse nocturnal, crepuscular, and diurnal taxa - primarily by disrupting their orientation in space and time and by making it difficult for them to visually recognize predators, prey, or conspecifics."

According to the experts, bioluminescent insects that communicate through glowing lures, warning signals, or courtship displays may have their signals obscured by artificial illumination.

"Previous research has demonstrated that broad spectrum white light inhibits the production of courtship advertisements by male firefly beetles, yet the impact of varying wavelengths of artificial light on both members of the courtship dialogue is largely unknown," wrote the study authors. 

"We exposed courting pairs of Photinus obscurellus fireflies to five colors of downwelling illumination, at two intensities, and recorded changes in male flash rate and flash intensity, female responsiveness, and the flash pattern composition of both sexes."

The investigation revealed that all of the artificial light treatments significantly suppressed courtship activity, but bright amber light had the greatest impact. This indicates that artificial lights with colors similar to firefly bioluminescence may be the most disruptive to firefly courtship.

"It's definitely concerning, because many ecologically-minded people are pushing the use of amber lights to safely light up streets and parks. But we're finding that no color of light is safe for fireflies, they need the dark," said study co-author Avalon C.S. Owens.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17524598">Insect Conservation and Diversity</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Artificial light interferes with firefly mating

In a new study published by Wiley, experts have found...

In the first study of its kind, an international team of scientists led by the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading </a> has investigated insect pollinator stability over multiple years and sites worldwide. The experts found that crop pollination services are more stable in fields and farms with a greater variety of insect pollinators. 

The investigation showed that diverse communities of insect pollinators, and areas with stable populations of dominant species, can reduce year-to-year fluctuations in crop pollination.

The results suggest that supporting pollinator diversity could provide long-term benefits to food production.

"Most previous research into pollinator stability has focused on space, not time. However, year-to-year variations in pollination services cause boom and bust cycles in crop harvests, which can have a damaging impact on agriculture and livelihoods globally," explained study lead author Dr. Deepa Senapathi.

"Stable and consistent pollination services are therefore important in underpinning businesses and livelihoods, as well as providing a reliable supply of food for retailers and consumers."

"This study has revealed that the secret to consistent crop harvests could be to encourage pollinator diversity on or near farmland. If we want pollinators to help us, first we need to help them, through land management decisions that preserve and increase the number of insect pollinator species."

Insect pollinators support reproduction in at least 78 percent of wild plants, while contributing to the pollination of 75 percent of major crops. At the same time, wild insect pollinator populations are declining in areas of northwest Europe and North America, where crop production is widespread. 

It is becoming increasingly important to understand how plant pollinator populations change over time, as well as the associated impacts with their fluctuations.

For the current study, the researchers collected wild pollinator data from hundreds of field sites in 12 different countries across six continents over multiple years. The team studied populations of pollinating insects - including bees, hoverflies, butterflies, and beetles - in the vicinity of 21 different crop species.

The research confirmed that high pollinator diversity increases crop production. In intensive farming systems where there may be a reduced diversity of pollinators, the experts found that protecting the dominant species was also effective in providing long-term stability in pollination.

Further research is needed to determine which types of land management techniques are most effective for boosting insect diversity.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Diverse insect pollinator communities boost crop production

In the first study of its kind, an international team...

The regrowth of deforested areas in the Amazon is greatly limited by <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/greenland-ice-is-more-sensitive-to-climate-change-than-expected/">climate</a> and human disturbances, according to a new study from the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>. Secondary forests regrow naturally on land that was previously cleared for agriculture and is now abandoned. 

The secondary forests, which help absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, develop at different rates. The researchers have identified a link between slower tree-growth and land previously scorched by fire. 

The findings suggest that there is a need for a better protection of these forests if they are to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

"Our results show the strong effects of key climate and human factors on regrowth, stressing the need to safeguard and expand secondary forest areas if they are to have any significant role in the fight against climate change," said study lead author 

Viola Heinrich.

Tropical secondary forests can absorb carbon up to 11 times faster than old-growth forests At the same time, however, many factors can influence the spatial patterns of regrowth.

The investigation was focused on a combination of satellite-derived images that can be used to detect changes in forest cover over time. This allowed the experts to identify secondary forest areas and their ages. 

The team also analyzed satellite data that can monitor important factors that influence regrowth, including aboveground carbon levels, environmental conditions, and human activities.

The study revealed that the impact of human disturbances in the past, such as fire and repeated deforestations, reduced the regrowth rate by 20 to 55 percent across different areas of the Amazon.

"Across the tropics several areas could be used to regrow forests to remove CO2 from the atmosphere," said study co-author Dr. Luiz Aragão.

"Brazil is likely to be the tropical country with the largest potential for this kind of nature-based solution, which can generate income to landowners, re-establish ecosystems services, and place the country again as a global leader in the fight against climate change."

The researchers will now focus on applying their methods to estimate the regrowth of secondary forest across the tropics.

"The findings in our study highlight the carbon benefits of forest regrowth and the negative impact of human action if these forests are not protected," concluded study co-author Dr. Jo House.

"In the run up to the 26th Conference of the Parties, this is a time when countries should be raising their climate ambitions for protecting and restoring forest ecosystems, not lowering them as Brazil seems to have done."

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

Secondary forests in the Amazon are limited by human activities

The regrowth of deforested areas in the Amazon is greatly...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a>, researchers have demonstrated that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parasites-influence-mate-selection-and-evolution-of-barn-swallows/">parasite</a> Leishmania infantum can alter the scent of its host. The experts report that dogs infected with the parasite smell more attractive to female sand flies than males.

In Brazil, the parasite Leishmania infantum is transmitted by the bite of infected female Lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies. There are up to 300,000 new cases of leishmaniasis every year. 

Leishmania parasites are transmitted from infected dogs to people by sand flies when they bite. Visceral leishmaniasis affects the internal organs and can be fatal. In Brazil alone, approximately 4,500 people die each year from the visceral form of the disease.

"In this study we showed that infected dog odor is much more attractive than uninfected dog odor to the female sand flies. Only the females can transmit the pathogen and male sand flies, which do not transmit the parasite, are not affected by the changed odor," said study lead author Professor Gordon Hamilton. 

"This clear-cut difference in attraction of female and male sand flies suggests that the females are preferentially attracted by parasite infected hosts and this could lead to enhanced infection and transmission opportunities for the parasite."

The Lancaster team had previously determined that dogs infected with Leishmania parasites smelled different than uninfected dogs.

"Domestic dogs are the reservoir of infection, therefore understanding how the infection affects the attractiveness of dogs to the insect vector is important in understanding the epidemiology of the disease and offers opportunities for new control and diagnostic methodologies," explained Professor Hamilton.

The researchers collected odors from infected and uninfected dogs in a Brazilian city. The study revealed that female sand flies were more attracted to the odor of infected dogs compared to uninfected dogs. 

According to the study authors, the findings provide strong evidence that parasites manipulate the odor of their hosts, potentially enhancing infection and transmission opportunities for the pathogen.

"This demonstration of the parasite's manipulation of its host's odor, to potentially improve its transmission opportunity, will help us to understand the epidemiology of the disease, improve existing control strategies as well as develop new methodologies for control and diagnosis," wrote the researchers.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/">PLOS Pathogens</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Parasites make dogs smell enticing to infectious sand flies

In a new study from Lancaster University, researchers have demonstrated...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&amp;ai=DChcSEwjDlYrDrLrvAhUXb4YKHVzfCtEYABAAGgJ2dQ&amp;agsac=jmmSWxBvXXU&amp;cit=CkUKCQjw9MuCBhDLARI0AESdglgunhBUDP9rjl09M5HJ02TvErUujUuEc5YX1umMHgLw_-HObcgngjudP5WJP_ZYwxoCYU7w_wcB&amp;ei=TotTYJq1BO6UwbkP9ce4gAc&amp;ohost=www.google.com&amp;cid=CAESQeD2QPPUM5PyrR361OHjIqP_lYIJ6KyJYm2CT_Bd2A2UnlGF1uYb2sKnmJ-cS_K0oPi6gwlb-woge3vf15dOzWww&amp;sig=AOD64_36M2vuDoh23sFOYIyNLASvC8fMgA&amp;q&amp;sqi=2&amp;adurl&amp;ved=2ahUKEwialIDDrLrvAhVuSjABHfUjDnAQ0Qx6BAgDEAE&amp;ms=CoACLWc_QSpjxUjAPTHvVluPAKxkq3-Vl2EqV809Kwk-QbAmVdJgQ_pkVELeaCXe8uqTAmCVFsh8Vi_zzSTTrheDrdiurouJZmvgNHfUEPzhhlAAFPu6hNKfLCUZafdYvUj_1A3roWIzCaEJ3ETwpvuGH5HpEym0bcFKWyVVewtlkx98CWgdITEn4dvnUbFRuT6gOFOx5fWhYMRRltmeKgsGlHh1FHoA1aqTRdyzcHgqAmg8nW9zubPoBTQCFFxfIUoVUAVAuwMiPrjEgEbSt7QXY2azInHxZnbzZNDpU_9HWh60kRMB07Oi8kps-PwFEhIRg6Mr0pIUVUGTBhThZoXHGgqAAtkQHUa5CNVI3kIhD9wn79jBQymF2qJSyueu990T3f2YB40Vi9zotyj_j_c8mrEuxicFOStN8v_MlQQDW4_46DVfZDHZ6Q1rP2-XHwr1BIO56plDAgplLP0K9-nR_OBOLnSbWHaHjfyKgWav9EzH1mJVUUErJdYg_EDXRr5rNI1dIty8KYz4JEWDgHo1Iuk1AwUo3-pD4qkO2QFduaWa-GSAzrVfp8rbIaOVuVIyEgzcv12phol7wYjPSXbgicjTmibhS0PLT16Es2M-bpKhpzcMeGNF3AvSKgdhU3VAoMOvG9frFpDlsfvrslnOURlKvvMH6VPv8F-KRDl0Wjxl3_sSEO0CH1jwNwtD_Zso96YZgWQ">Weizmann Institute of Science</a> have revealed that Australian bushfire smoke traveled around the world. The experts report that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/mapping-the-recovery-of-vegetation-after-fires/">fires</a> injected vast amounts of smoke into the stratosphere, which led to high levels of atmospheric aerosols over the Southern Hemisphere in 2020. 

According to the study, the impact of the atmospheric aerosols was comparable to what would be produced by a volcanic eruption, and caused marked cooling over cloud-free ocean regions. 

From 2019 to 2020, the Australian bushfires released millions of tons of smoke particles into the atmosphere. Most of those particles settled to the ground in a matter of days. However, the researchers found that particles from fires in one corner of the country managed to blanket the entire Southern hemisphere for months. The persistent effects of these particles is similar to what is observed following explosive volcanic eruptions, which blast aerosols high into the upper atmosphere.

In early 2020, scientists observed record-breaking levels of aerosols over the Southern Hemisphere. The aerosol concentration even  exceeded what was measured after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the second-largest eruption of the 20th century. 

Using data from two satellite missions, study co-authors Eitan Hirsch and Ilan Koren traced the aerosols to particularly intense bushfires in southeast Australia.

The experts report that the enormous levels of wildfire smoke in the stratosphere were made possible by the intensity of the fires combined with their location within the mid-latitude cyclone belt. Here, energetic convection lifted the bushfire smoke into the stratosphere.

Once the particles were in the stratosphere, a strong current moved them eastward over the ocean to South America and back over the Indian Ocean toward Australia, explained the researchers. The particles ultimately settled around the entire hemisphere. 

"People in Chile were breathing particles from the Australian fires," said Hirsch. "By sailing on an endless air current, these particles remained airborne for much longer than lower atmosphere smoke particles."

Koren noted that for people on the ground, the air may have just seemed a bit hazier or the sunsets a bit redder. "But such a high aerosol optical depth - much, much higher than normal - means sunlight was getting blocked, just as it does after volcanic eruptions." 

"So the ultimate effect of that smoke on the atmosphere was cooling, though we still do not know how much influence that cooling and dimming may have had on the marine environment or weather patterns."

"There are always fires burning in California, in Australia and in the tropics. We might not be able to stop all of the burning, but we do need an understanding that the precise locations of those fires may grant them very different effects on our atmosphere."

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

Australian bushfire smoke made its way around the globe

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have revealed that...

A new study from <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/">Durham University</a> reveals evidence that two infant bonobos may have been adopted by adult <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blue-orchard-bees-respond-to-fires-by-producing-more-females/">females</a> belonging to different social groups. This is the first time that bonobos, or any type of wild apes, have been known to adopt infants who were born outside of their social group.

According to the researchers, their findings give us greater insight into the parental instincts of one of humans' closest relatives and could help to explain the emotional reason behind why people readily adopt children who they have had no previous connection with.

Study lead author Dr. Nahoko Tokuyama of Kyoto University has spent more than ten years studying bonobos in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She said that bonobos never cease to amaze.

"Although cases of adoption were observed in non-human primates, the adoptive mother and adoptees almost exclusively belonged to the same social group," said Dr. Tokuyama.

"This may be because adoption is very costly behavior and because non-human primates form stable groups and have a good ability to recognize other group members.

"It's well known that groups of bonobos sometimes encounter and associate with each other, and that those belonging to different groups can interact tolerantly."

"However, I had never imagined that bonobos could adopt infants from outside of their groups, so these cases were quite surprising."

The experts observed four groups of wild bonobos between April 2019 and March 2020 in the Luo Scientific Reserve. The researchers identified two infants that appeared to have been adopted by female bonobos from separate social groups.

The adults, 18-year-old Marie and 52-57-year-old Chio, were seen providing maternal care to 2.6-year-old Flora and three-year-old Ruby. The adults were observed carrying, grooming, nursing,  and nesting with the young bonobos for periods longer than 12 months.

There was no aggression between members of Marie and Chio's social groups toward the young children. Furthermore, mitochondrial DNA samples revealed that the caregivers were not maternally related to the infants.

The researchers said this caring nature is evidence of bonobos' strong attraction to infants and high tolerance of individuals, including immature youngsters, from outside of their normal group.

"Usually in wild animals adoptive mothers are related to orphaned infants or sometimes young females will adopt orphans to improve their own care-giving behaviours, which increases the future survival chances of their own offspring," explained study co-author Marie-Laure Poiret.

"This means that adoption in non-human animals can usually be explained by the adoptive mother's own self-interest or pre-existing social relationships."

"The cross-group adoption we have seen in the cases of both Chio and Ruby, and Marie and Flora, is as surprising as it is wonderful and perhaps helps us explain adoption among humans, which cannot be explained purely by the benefits received by adoptive mothers."

"Instead it is fair to say from the examples we have seen in bonobos that adoption in humans can be explained by a selfless concern for others and an emotional desire to offer care to someone who we have no previous connection with."

The researchers suggest that the potential adoptions may have been driven by bonobos' altruism, strong attraction to infants, and high tolerance towards individuals outside of their own social group.

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

Wild bonobos adopt infants outside of their social group

A new study from Durham University reveals evidence that two...

Prior to the development of sophisticated tracking devices, the movements of animals in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crystals-from-earths-magma-ocean-found-in-greenland-rocks/">ocean</a> were largely unknown. According to a new study from <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>, tracking technology has revealed some unexpected circling behavior among marine mammals. 

The experts report that all types of marine mammals, ranging from green sharks to penguins, apparently swim in circles. At this point, the researchers do not have an explanation for this mysterious behavior.

"We've found that a wide variety of marine megafauna showed similar circling behavior, in which animals circled consecutively at a relatively constant speed more than twice," said study lead author Tomoko Narazaki of the University of Tokyo.

The experts first discovered the circling movements in homing green turtles during a displacement experiment. The tracking study was designed to test the navigational skills of the animals, and nesting green turtles had been transferred from one location to another.

"To be honest, I doubted my eyes when I first saw the data because the turtle circles so constantly, just like a machine!" said Narazaki. "When I got back in my lab, I reported this interesting discovery to my colleagues who use the same 3D data loggers to study a wide range of marine megafauna taxa."

The study authors were stunned when they realized that various species of marine animals showed more or less the same circling behavior. The discovery is surprising, considering that swimming in a straight line is the most efficient way to travel. This indicates there must be some strategy involved in circling. 

The researchers observed some circling events at foraging areas, which suggests that the movements are somehow helpful in finding food. The team tracked a total of 272 circling events among four tiger sharks tagged off Hawaii. On the other hand, fur seals were found to use circling behaviors during the day, yet they feed mostly at night. 

There were also other circling events that appeared to be unrelated to foraging. For example, a male tiger shark circled around a female that he was approaching for courtship. Meanwhile, the evidence from the sea turtle study suggests that circling plays a role in navigation.

"What surprised me most was that homing turtles undertake circling behavior at seemingly navigationally important locations, such as just before the final approach to their goal," said Narazaki.

According to the researchers, it is possible the circling helps the animals to detect the magnetic field to navigate, just as submarines circle during geomagnetic observations. It is also quite possible that the circling serves more than one purpose.

The researchers noted that studies of such fine-scale movements, including circling, in more marine species might reveal important behaviors that have otherwise been overlooked. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mysterious circling behavior discovered among marine mammals

Prior to the development of sophisticated tracking devices, the movements...

Bottlenose dolphins adjust their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/irregular-sleep-linked-to-depression-and-mood-issues/">behavior</a> to cope with coastal development, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>. The researchers found that dolphins adapted to the construction of a bridge by establishing feeding locations outside of the construction zone, and by shifting their activities to a time of day when construction was minimal.

Overall, 47 percent of coastal marine mammal species and 51 percent of their core habitats are exposed to human disturbances. Coastal development and other human activities can cause cumulative harm to wildlife through consequences such as pollution, vessel strikes, entanglement, and debris ingestion.&nbsp;

Two of the most harmful activities to marine life are dredging and pile driving. The removal of sediment and debris from bodies of water, or dredging, is lethal to fish eggs and larvae. Pile driving causes severe noise pollution, which disrupts animals that depend on sound to navigate, forage, dodge predators, and communicate.

Due to unprecedented levels of construction, coastal zones are becoming the noisiest and most endangered ecosystems on the planet, according to the study. Bottlenose dolphins are particularly vulnerable to the cumulative effects of human activities because they are strongly tied to their coastal habitats.

Dr. Ann Weaver set out to investigate how bottlenose dolphins were impacted by a bridge replacement project in John's Pass, St Petersburg in west central Florida. The bridge replacement project occurred in two phases over a five-year period.

The construction involved dredging and pile driving and caused both light and noise pollution. The study revealed two ways in which dolphins appeared to adapt to these human activities.&nbsp;

First, the dolphins stopped using John's Pass as a feeding ground, and shifted to areas outside of the construction zone. This led to a decrease in social interactions between dolphins in that region. The behavioral changes persisted five years after construction was finalized, and never recovered.

Furthermore, during the first phase of construction, the dolphins shifted certain activities to a time in the day when construction was minimal. By the second phase of construction, the dolphins appeared to have learned to cope with human disturbance, and their behavior returned back to normal.&nbsp;

"Adaptation may also have been related in part to the way construction was managed," said Dr. Weaver. "This two-phase exposure to construction may have allowed the dolphins to become familiar with construction in the first phase and perhaps enabled them to adapt a 'new normal' during the second phase."

"These results provide a two-sided key to managing future coastal construction projects by mandating the following conservation policies. First, study the wildlife before construction begins to learn their habits. Second, apply that knowledge: Plan coastal construction activities accordingly to give them a chance to adapt and help the dolphins maintain their historic habits as much as possible."

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

Dolphins change their behavior to adapt to coastal development

Bottlenose dolphins adjust their behavior to cope with coastal development,...

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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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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

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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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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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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