Tiny bits of organic matter bobbing at the ocean’s surface appear to help clouds freeze in some of the most pristine air on Earth.



New research shows that complex sugar molecules shed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-microbes-can-tell-us-about-global-changes-in-the-ocean/">marine microbes</a> can trigger ice formation in cloud droplets across the vast Southern Ocean. This happens right in the temperature range that governs how long bright, cooling clouds survive and how much sunlight they bounce back to space.



The work draws on years of field campaigns, lab tests, and computer modeling led by scientists at the <a href="https://www.tropos.de/en/">Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research</a> (TROPOS) and its partners.



It helps explain why climate models have struggled to match observed cloud brightness over remote southern seas. In these regions, dust is scarce and human-made pollution is low.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clouds-need-help-to-freeze">Clouds need help to freeze</h2>



Clouds do not freeze on their own; they need ice-nucleating particles (INPs). These microscopic seeds coax liquid droplets into ice. The kind of particle that dominates changes with temperature.



In the cleaner air around Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, INP levels are tiny. Even small shifts can strongly affect cloud reflectivity, precipitation, and lifetime.



Getting the mix right in climate models is essential for predicting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/">global warming</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-sugar-spike-reveals-a-clue">A sugar spike reveals a clue</h2>



Scientists have long suspected marine biology as a source of INPs, but the actual substances remained mysterious. A turning point came during the 2017 Polarstern expedition PS106.



“During the Polarstern expedition PS106 in 2017, we observed increased glucose concentrations in Arctic samples and concluded this glucose could be an indicator of ice nuclei in seawater,” said senior author Sebastian Zeppenfeld from TROPOS.



“The monosaccharide glucose is a degradation product of polysaccharides. It was therefore obvious to us that polysaccharides could be the missing piece of the puzzle.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-sugars-and-freezing-clouds">Ocean sugars and freezing clouds</h2>



To test the idea, researchers collected material from the ocean’s surface microlayer. This living film teems with bacteria, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/algae-revived-after-7000-years-beneath-the-baltic-sea/">algae</a>, diatoms, fungi, protists, viruses, and more. Researchers had largely overlooked marine fungi as possible ice starters.



Study co-author Susan Hartmann from TROPOS examined ice nucleation in the laboratory using the INDA (Ice Nucleation Droplet Array) droplet freezing test.



“We investigated the ice nucleation of marine polysaccharides derived from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-fungi-can-be-trained-to-degrade-plastic-faster/">marine fungi</a> and protist, as well as commercially available standard polysaccharides,” she said.



Those droplet-freezing experiments produced the first temperature‑resolved data showing how many ice nuclei these marine polysaccharides generate. 



The results fill a key gap: between roughly -15°C (5°F) and -20°C (-4°F), the ocean sugars could account for nearly all biologically driven ice formation in cloud droplets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cloud-models-get-missing-ice-link">Cloud models get missing ice link</h2>



Earlier work had shown that proteins tend to initiate freezing in relatively “warm” clouds (above about 28°F), while mineral dust dominates in very cold clouds (below -4°F).



But the Southern Hemisphere offers limited dust sources. Many mixed-phase clouds linger in the middle range - exactly where the new study shows marine polysaccharides are most potent.



Study lead author Roland Schrödner from TROPOS analyzed the data using the TM5 global atmospheric chemistry transport model.



“In our simulations, we were able to show that at -15 to -16 degrees Celsius (5 to 3°F), the polysaccharides over the gigantic areas of the oceans in the clean Southern Hemisphere are probably the most important ice nuclei," said Schrödner.



"They contribute more to ice formation than mineral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-storms-are-a-surprising-source-of-deadly-air-pollution/">dust</a> emitted from the deserts, which is the main type of ice nuclei in climate models. This is a new and important finding for climate models.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-years-of-data-point-to-sugars">Years of data point to sugars</h2>



The study knits together aerosol microphysics, atmospheric chemistry, and global modeling groups at TROPOS.



Polysaccharide concentrations had been sampled during multiple expeditions: the Spanish Antarctic PI‑ICE mission, the German Arctic PASCAL/PS106 cruises, the tropical Atlantic MarParCloud campaign, and long‑term measurements on Spitsbergen.



Only by combining those datasets with lab freezing tests and model simulations could the team quantify the climatic punch of marine sugars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-for-cloud-ice-research">Next steps for cloud ice research</h2>



If nations succeed in cutting man‑made emissions, natural aerosol particles will matter even more for cloud behavior. Clean‑air regions respond sharply to even small aerosol changes, making the Southern Hemisphere a prime natural laboratory.



Beginning July 2025, the HALO‑South aircraft mission - led by TROPOS - will probe clouds, aerosols, and radiation over the Southern Ocean near New Zealand. 



A coordinated ground campaign, goSouth‑2, will deploy advanced remote‑sensing gear near Invercargill from September 2025 to March 2027. The goal is to watch clouds evolve in this pristine environment.



Life at the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-draining-nutrients-from-the-oceans-surface/">ocean’s surface</a> shapes cloud brightness, revealing deep links between biology and the atmosphere.



The new evidence that marine polysaccharides help seed ice over huge swaths of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/">Southern Ocean</a> is a vivid reminder: what grows in the water below can change the sky above - and, through clouds, influence Earth’s climate itself.



The study was presented at the <a href="https://www.egu25.eu/">EGU General Assembly 2025</a> in Vienna, Austria. An abstract of the article can be found <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-15357.html">here</a>.



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How tiny sugars in the Southern Ocean help clouds freeze

Tiny bits of organic matter bobbing at the ocean’s surface appear to help clouds freeze in some of the most pristine air on Earth. New research shows that complex sugar molecules shed by marine microbes can trigger ice formation in cloud droplets across the vast Southern Ocean. This happens right in the temperature range that governs how long bright, cooling clouds survive and how much sunlight they bounce back to space. The work draws on years of field campaigns, lab tests, and computer modeling led by scientists...

Researchers at <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> have identified several factors that historically contributed to the strong mutual connection that exists between humans and dogs. Based on the analysis of more than 140 past societies, the study revealed that when women were involved in the care of a dog, it was more likely to be treated as part of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/family-wastes-food/">family</a>. 

"We found that dogs' relationships with women might have had a greater impact on the dog-human bond than relationships with men," said study first author Jaime Chambers. 

"Humans were more likely to regard dogs as a type of person if the dogs had a special relationship with women. They were more likely to be included in family life, treated as subjects of affection and generally, people had greater regard for them."

Despite the fact that dogs are the most widespread domesticated animal, very few anthropological studies have focused on the origins of the relationship between humans and canines. 

The WSU researchers searched an extensive collection of ethnographic documents in the Human Relations Area Files database, and found thousands of records that mentioned dogs. Overall, the team analyzed data from more than 844 ethnographers writing on 144 traditional societies worldwide. 

According to Chambers, looking at these cultures can provide insight into how the dog-human connection developed.

"Our modern society is like a blip in the timeline of human history. The truth is that human-dog relationships have not looked like they do in Western industrialized societies for most of human history, and looking at traditional societies can offer a wider vision."

The researchers found documented evidence of the mutually beneficial relationship of dogs and humans. In many instances, canines were treated like people - they were given names, allowed to sleep in the same beds as their owners, and were mourned when they died.

A pattern emerged from the data which showed that dogs were more likely to be regarded as family when they had a special relationship with women. In addition, the experts noted that dogs seemed to less useful to humans in warmer climate conditions. 

"Relative to humans, dogs are really not particularly energy efficient," said study co-author Professor Robert Quinlan. "Their body temperature is higher than humans, and just a bit of exercise can make them overheat on a hot day. We saw this trend that they had less utility to humans in warmer environments."

This was a fairly consistent trend, according to Professor Quinlan, but there were some exceptions to this with a few dog-loving cultures in the tropics.

The dog-human connection also seemed to be strengthened by hunting. In cultures that hunted with dogs, the animals were more valued by their human partners. Furthermore, the research suggests that hunting cultures relied more on dogs than those that were more dependant on farming. 

Thy experts said their findings support the theory that dogs and humans "chose each other," as opposed to the idea that humans sought out wolf pups to raise.

"Dogs are everywhere humans are," said Chambers. "If we think that dogs are successful as a species if there are lots of them, then they have been able to thrive. They have hitched themselves to us and followed us all over the world. It's been a very successful relationship."

The study is published in the <a href="https://ethnobiology.org/publications/journal-of-ethnobiology/current">Journal of Ethnobiology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Women had a stronger influence on the dog-human connection

Researchers at Washington State University have identified several factors that...

A new study from <a href="https://aru.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a> (ARU) has investigated the mating behavior of female field crickets under different acoustic conditions. The researchers found that when crickets are exposed to traffic noise, they are no longer picky about who they choose for a mate. 

Understanding how crickets are affected by traffic and other types of noise could help safeguard the future success of the species.

To gain the attention of a potential mate that is nearby, male crickets perform a courtship song by rubbing their wings together. Because the song is energetically costly, it can provide the females with important information about the male's fitness and other qualities. 

To investigate, the researchers paired female crickets with silenced male crickets under three different conditions: ambient noise, artificial white noise, and recordings of traffic noise captured at a ground level.

When the males attempted to perform their songs, an artificial courtship song was played instead that was either high or low quality. In some experiments, no song was played at all. 

When exposed to ambient noise, the females mounted the males much sooner and more frequently when a high-quality courtship song was played back. 

However, a high-quality courtship song provided no benefit with exposure to white noise and traffic noise. The researchers found that under these conditions, mate selection and mounting frequency were not influenced by the quality - or even by the presence of a song.

The findings suggest that man-made noise interferes with the perception of the females as they make important mating decisions, which could affect the overall fitness of a population.

"In the short-term, we found that males paired with high-quality songs in noisy environments are receiving no benefit over those paired with a low-quality song, or no song at all. As a result, males that produce high-quality songs may attempt to expend more energy into their calls to gain an advantage, potentially affecting that individual's survival," said study lead author Dr Adam Bent.

"At the same time, female crickets may choose to mate with a lower-quality male as they are unable to detect differences in mate quality due to the man-made noise, and this may lead to a reduction or complete loss of offspring viability."

"Traffic noise and the crickets' courtship song do not share similar acoustic frequencies, so rather than masking the courtship song, we think the traffic noise serves as a distraction for the female cricket."

"Humans are continually changing the characteristics of environments, including through the production of anthropogenic noise," said study co-author Dr Sophie Mowles.

"As mate choice is a powerful driving force for evolution through sexual selection, disruptions may cause a decline in population viability. And because anthropogenic noise is a very recent evolutionarily selection pressure, it is difficult to predict how species may adapt."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/beheco">Behavioral Ecology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mating crickets lower their standards when exposed to traffic noise

A new study from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has investigated...

The analysis of two decades of satellite images has revealed that Antarctic ice is not as melting as consistently as previously thought. 

The researchers found annual fluctuations in the rate of melting ice in Antarctica, which means that scientists may need to adjust climate models used to predict sea level rise. 

Study lead author Lei Wang is an assistant professor of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a>.

"The ice sheet is not changing with a constant rate - it's more complicated than a linear change," said Professor Wang. "The change is more dynamic: The velocity of the melt changes depending on the time."

The investigation was focused on data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), a two-satellite mission that measures changes in the world's oceans and ice sheets.

Models that predict sea-level rise are typically based on the assumption that ice is melting in Antarctica and Greenland at a consistent rate. But the new study suggests that these projections are not completely reliable, considering that the rate of ice melt fluctuates from year to year. 

For example, the amount of ice in Antarctica may increase during a year with extreme snowfall, yet decrease the next year as a result of atmospheric changes. 

Professor Wang explained that overall, the volume of ice in Antarctica is decreasing. However, if this decline was charted on a line graph, it would have spikes and valleys depending on environmental conditions.

To analyze those changes, the researchers evaluated data on the gravitational field between the satellites over Antarctica and ice on the continent. This gravitational field is influenced by changes to the ice's mass.

The experts found that from 2016 to 2018, the ice sheet in West Antarctica actually expanded after extreme snowfall. At the same time, the ice sheet in East Antarctica shrank.

"I'm not saying Antarctica's ice melt is not an acute problem - it is still very acute," said Professor Wang. "All of Antarctica is losing mass, very rapidly. It's just a time scale problem and a rate problem, and our models that predict sea-level change should reflect that."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</a>. 

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The rate of melting ice in Antarctica is not consistent

The analysis of two decades of satellite images has revealed...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State</a> have discovered a trait that provides some cereal crops with roots that can push through dry, compacted soils. By harnessing this trait, experts could grow crops with stronger roots, higher yields, and more resistance to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-reaction-norms-will-become-more-common-in-plants/">climate</a> change. 

"This discovery bodes well for American and global agriculture because the trait helps corn, wheat and barley grow deeper roots, which is important for drought tolerance, nitrogen efficiency and carbon sequestration," said study co-author Professor Jonathan Lynch. "Breeding for this trait should be helpful in developing new crops for climate mitigation."

For deeper root penetration in compacted soils, the plants use multiseriate cortical sclerenchyma (MCS). Cereal crops with the MCS genotype have a greater concentration of lignin that creates tough, rigid roots.

The extra lignin gives the MCS roots greater tensile strength and greater root tip bending to penetrate hard soil layers.

The experts found that corn genotypes with MCS had root systems with 22 percent greater depth and 39 percent greater shoot biomass in compacted soils compared to lines without MCS.

According to study lead author Hannah Schneider, soil compaction reduces porosity, limits water infiltration, reduces aeration and restricts root growth by presenting a physical impediment.

"Compacted soil layers constrain crop productivity by restricting root growth and exploration in deeper soil layers, which in turn limits access to nutrients and water," said Schneider. "Plants with roots that are able to penetrate hard soil and forage deeper have an advantage in capturing water and nutrients - ultimately performing better in drought or low soil fertility."

To visualize the anatomy of the plant roots, the researchers used laser ablation tomography (LAT). This technology was created by Professor Lynch's team in 2011.

Genetic variation for MCS was found in each of the cereal crops examined by the researchers. They noted that heritability was relatively high, which suggests that this trait can be selected in breeding programs. Overall, MCS was present in 30 to 50 percent of modern corn, wheat, and barley.

Schneider pointed out that the implications of corn crops growing deeper roots to range farther for water and nutrients - and as a consequence producing larger yields - would be immense in regions where the populace is food-insecure. 

"We observe MCS in corn, wheat, barley and many other cereal crops, and our work suggests that many of the benefits of MCS may be analogous across different species," said Schneider. "MCS could be an important trait for stress tolerance and increased yields in cereal crops."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cereal crops have a secret trait that gives them deeper roots

Scientists at Penn State have discovered a trait that provides...

A global analysis of how human disturbances impact animal movement has revealed widespread impacts that threaten the survival of many species. The experts report that human activities force <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-needed-sleep-before-they-even-had-brains/">animals</a> to move an average of 70 percent further to survive. 

"Movement is critical to animal survival, but it can be disrupted by human disturbances," said study lead author Dr. Tim Doherty, a wildlife ecologist at the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a>. "Animals adopt behavioral mechanisms to adjust to human activity, such as by fleeing or avoiding humans, traveling further to find food or mates; or finding new shelter to avoid humans or predators."

It is well documented that long-term disturbances, such as logging and urbanization, have major impacts on wildlife. But the new study shows that periodic events like hunting, recreation, and military activity can trigger even bigger changes in animal behavior.

The researchers analyzed 208 separate studies on 167 animal species over four decades to investigate how human disturbances influence animal movement. In more than one-third of cases, animals were forced into changes that saw movement increase by more than 50 percent.

The species examined in the analysis range from the tiny sleepy orange butterfly to the massive great white shark. 

The study revealed that changes in animal movement in response to human disturbances are common. Episodic disturbances like hunting were found to have the strongest effect, and ncreases in animal movement averaged 70 percent.

In some cases, human activity forced a reduction in animal movement, and these decreases averaged 37 percent.

According to the study, animals moved less when they encountered increased access to food in human locations, the reduced ability to move from a modified habitat, or restrictions to their movement by physical barriers.

"As well as the direct impact on animal species, there are knock-on effects," said Dr. Doherty. "Animal movement is linked to important ecological processes such as pollination, seed dispersal and soil turnover, so disrupted animal movement can have negative impacts throughout ecosystems."

"In marine environments and landscapes relatively untouched by human impact, it is important that habitat modification is avoided. This could involve strengthening and supporting existing protected areas and securing more areas of wilderness for legal protection."

"It is vital we understand the scale of impact that humans have on other animal species. The consequences of changed animal movement can be profound and lead to reduced animal fitness, lower chances of survival, reduced reproductive rates, genetic isolation and even local extinction."

The study is published in journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol">Nature Ecology and Evolution</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Human disturbances are globally restructuring animal movement

A global analysis of how human disturbances impact animal movement...

In national parks throughout Japan, park rangers are faced with the daunting and time-consuming task of tracking deer populations. Deer are not native to these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carnivores-that-eat-human-foods-are-altering-their-ecosystems/">ecosystems</a>, and can have damaging effects if they are not monitored and controlled. 

In a new study, experts at the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo</a> have developed a new technique for tracking deer movements using unmanned listening devices.

"Determining deer position enables the elimination of repetitive calls from the same deer, thus providing a promising tool to track deer movement," explained the researchers. "The validation results revealed that the proposed technique can provide reasonable accuracy for the experimental and natural environment."

The technology could soon take the place of current methods of monitoring deer populations, which range from counting droppings to using images from trail cameras.

"The problem with using recording devices to estimate the size of deer populations in the past was that it was difficult to avoid counting the same deer multiple times - by setting up a grid of listening stations, we are able to triangulate the position of each deer with precision and track its movements," explained study co-author Tadanobu Okumura.

The researchers built a prototype listening station which is powered by solar panels and automatically synchronizes its internal clock with a GPS satellite. The recordings can be used to determine the precise location of deer based on a triangulation technique.

"When we tested our prototype in an experimental setting in the playground of the University of Tokyo, we were able to pinpoint the location of a sound within five meters. In a second trial under more realistic conditions in the marshland at Oze National Park, it was possible to locate a sound to within about fifteen meters," said study co-author Kazuo Oki. During a two-hour trial, the system picked up 72 distinct deer calls. 

"The identification of deer calls in Oze National Park over a period of two hours emphasizes the great potential of the proposed technique to detect repetitive deer calls, and track deer movement," wrote the study authors. 

"Hence, the technique is the first step toward designing an automated system for estimating the population of deer or other vocal animals using sound recordings."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors">Sensors</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tracking deer using only sound

In national parks throughout Japan, park rangers are faced with...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> may have just revealed the origin of flowering plants, a puzzle that even Charles Darwin once attempted to solve. Darwin described the sudden appearance of flowering plants in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossil-sheds-new-light-on-the-evolution-of-starfish/">fossil</a> record from relatively recent geological times as an "abominable mystery." 

Scientists became even more perplexed after genomic testing showed that flowering plants emerged long before what has been indicated by the fossil record. 

The Bristol team has found evidence that flowering plants originated in the Jurassic or earlier, which is millions of years before their oldest undisputed fossil evidence. According to the researchers, the lack of older fossils may be explained simply by a low probability of fossilization and the rarity of early flowering plants.

"A diverse group of flowering plants had been living for a very long time shadowed by ferns and gymnosperms, which were dominating ancient ecosystems. This reminds me of how modern mammals lived for a long time laying low in the age of dinosaurs, before becoming a dominant component of modern faunas," explained study lead author Dr. Daniele Silvestro.

Flowering plants are now the most abundant and diverse group of plants worldwide, but the earliest flowering plants were small and rare. The new research suggests that flowering plants existed for as many as 100 million years before they became dominant.

"While we do not expect our study to put an end to the debate about angiosperm origin, it does provide a strong motivation for what some consider a hunt for the snark - a Jurassic flowering plant," said study co-author Professor Philip Donoghue. "Rather than a mythical artefact of genome-based analyses, Jurassic angiosperms are an expectation of our interpretation of the fossil record."

For their investigation, the researchers used complex modeling to analyze a large global database of fossil occurrences. The database was compiled by Dr. Yaowu Xing and his team at the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden based on more than 700 publications. 

A total of more than 15,000 fossil records included members of many plant groups such as palms, orchids, sunflowers, and peas.

"Scientific debate has long been polarized between palaeontologists who estimate the antiquity of angiosperms based on the age of the oldest fossils, versus molecular biologists who use this information to calibrate molecular evolution to geologic time," explained study co-author Dr Christine Bacon. "Our study shows that these views are too simplistic; the fossil record has to be interpreted."

"A literal reading of the fossil record cannot be used to estimate realistically the time of origin of a group. Instead, we had to develop new mathematical models and use computer simulations to solve this problem in a robust way."

Even 140 years after Darwin's conundrum about the origin of flowering plants, the debate has widely persisted.

"Understanding when flowering plants went from being an insignificant group into becoming the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems shows us that nature is dynamic," said study co-author Professor Alexandre Antonelli.

"The devastating human impact on climate and biodiversity could mean that the successful species in the future will be very different to the ones we are accustomed to now."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natecolevol">Nature Ecology and Evolution</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists investigate the mysterious origin of flowering plants

A new study from the University of Bristol may have...

American lobsters are more susceptible to changing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-heatwaves-will-intensify-due-to-thinning-ocean-layer/">ocean</a> conditions than what was previously realized, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.bigelow.org/">Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences</a>. By gaining a better understanding of the biological responses of lobsters to climate change, researchers can help to protect them in the future. 

The waters are becoming hotter and more acidic across the range of American lobsters, which extends from Canada to the mid-Atlantic waters of the United States.

The new research contradicts previous studies which suggested that ocean acidification did not have a significant impact on the growth and metabolism of lobsters. 

"Our study indicated that acidification is affecting these lobsters on a molecular scale," said study lead author Maura Niemisto. "Because of environmental changes, they have genes firing at an even higher rate."

All living organisms regulate a wide range of biological processes through their genes, and changes in their environment can influence this capacity. 

Many organisms have a heat shock gene that triggers cells to produce a protein that helps the organism adapt to changing environmental conditions like heat stress. 

The researchers set out to examine the post larval stage of lobsters because they live in the upper water column where ocean acidification and temperature are changing quickly. Using lab experiments, the team exposed postlarval lobsters to the temperature and acidity levels projected for the end of the century. 

The study revealed that under these extreme conditions, the cells of the lobsters adjusted gene regulation to support shell structure and immune functions. This response was stronger from increased acidity compared to hotter temperatures.

The researchers also found that American lobsters exposed to both elevated warmth and acidity exhibited a more drastic response.

"Stressors on an organism have the ability to compound into something that makes it really hard to grow through all the developmental stages to get to a full-grown lobster," said Niemisto.

The implications of these biological responses remain unclear for lobsters in the Gulf of Maine, where the water is acidifying and warming faster compared to the rest of the world's oceans.

Even if lobsters have the genetic capacity to adapt to their changing environment, it may come at a cost. The genetic processes take a significant amount of energy, which comes from a limited budget.

"So, if they're spending a lot of energy on building proteins to respond to stressors, something else has to give," said Niemisto.

The study authors want to know where that extra energy is coming from and where it would normally be invested. For example, if lobsters have to invest more energy to maintain their shells, they may not be able to properly support their immune systems.

According to the researchers, the next step is to better understand these genetic responses in relation to larger-scale changes. Their findings could be combined with further research on the biology of American lobsters to predict the likely responses of specific populations.

"This study has cracked open the door to our understanding of the basic biology of lobster larvae and their response to the changing environment," said study co-author Fields. "However, there is still a lot to learn. As the use of these genetic tools grows, so will our understanding of the larval lobster biology and the impact of climate change on this iconic fishery."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20457758">Ecology and Evolution</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

American lobsters face an uncertain fate

American lobsters are more susceptible to changing ocean conditions than...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.usf.edu/">University of South Florida</a>, Professor Deby Cassill reports that loggerhead sea turtles lay their eggs in more than one place to increase the likelihood that some of their young will survive. 

The investigation revealed that some females lay as many as six clutches up to six miles apart during the same breeding season.

"Nesting females don't lay all their eggs in one basket. Their reproductive strategy is like investing in a mutual fund. Females divide their resources among many stocks rather than investing everything in a single stock," said Professor Cassill.

"Because females diversify reproduction in unpredictable patterns over time and space, nearly two-thirds of loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings made it into the Gulf of Mexico."

Over the course of a lifetime, one female loggerhead will lay around 4,200 eggs at 40 different sites. This strategy helps to improve the chances of reproductive success despite various threats such as storms.

"Predation and storms are the primary sources of offspring mortality for eggs and hatchlings on the beach. Once hatchlings enter the oceanic environment, the risk of predation is again high."

Professor Cassill analyzed 17 years of data from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida on loggerhead females nesting on Keewaydin Island off the southwestern Gulf coast of Florida. Individuals in this nesting population had been tagged and monitored for years. 

The analysis showed that most sea turtle hatchlings reach the Gulf of Mexico, but this rate of success may drop in the future as a result of human disturbances and climate change. For example, strong storms or sea level rise could flood or wash away the clutches.

"It's important to follow individuals over time to really get a glimpse of how they mate, find food and ensure that some of their young survive to maturity. Without knowledge of the sea turtle's survival and reproductive biology, we cannot develop and implement effective conservation policies," said Cassill.

The research is part of a series of upcoming studies conducted by Cassill to support her "maternal risk management model," which looks at how natural selection pressures, such as predators or a lack of resources, influence how mothers invest in offspring quantity and quality.

Cassill proposed the idea that turtles and fish invest in large numbers of offspring when the threat of predators is high. Mammals, like whales and elephants, provide extensive care to one offspring at a time when there is a seasonal drought or food shortage. 

"Without knowledge of the sea turtle’s survival and reproductive biology, we cannot develop and implement effective conservation policies," wrote Cassill.

Without the implementation of well-informed conservation policies, sea turtles are likely to join the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs as a note in the annals of extinct marine reptiles.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep">Scientific Reports</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

Sea turtles spread their eggs out for reproductive success

In a new study from the University of South Florida,...

In the first study of its kind, researchers at <a href="https://www1.lehigh.edu/">Lehigh University</a> have used a direct measure of skyglow to investigate the relationship between light <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-contributed-to-1-67-million-deaths-in-india-last-year/">pollution</a> and preterm births. The experts report that exposure to skyglow increases the likelihood of preterm labor by as much as 13 percent.

"We find evidence of reduced birth weight, shortened gestational length, and increases in preterm births," wrote the study authors. "Specifically, increased nighttime brightness, characterized by being able to see only one‐fourth to one‐third of the stars that are visible in the natural unpolluted night sky, is associated with an increase of 1.48 percentage points in the likelihood of a preterm birth."

According to study co-author Muzhe Yang, a professor of Economics in Lehigh's College of Business, one possible biological mechanism underlying the findings, based on the existing literature, is light-pollution-induced circadian rhythm disruption. Professor Yang explained circadian rhythm disruption can cause sleep disorders that subsequently lead to adverse birth outcomes.

"While greater use of artificial light at night (ALAN) is often associated with greater economic prosperity, our study highlights an often neglected health benefit of 'darkness,'" said Professor Yang. "We must realize that the biological clock (i.e., the circadian rhythm) of a human body, like all lives on the earth, needs the 'darkness' as part of the light-dark cycle, in order to effectively regulate physiological functions, such as sleep."

The researchers noted that the societal benefits of ALAN, such as increased economic activity, may be offset by the negative impacts of light pollution to human health. 

"Our study adds to the literature on the impact of early‐life exposure to pollution, which so far has focused primarily on air pollution," wrote the experts. "Our study has important policy implications regarding the necessity of minimizing skyglow that is, for example, contributed by streetlights."

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23258012">Southern Economic Journal</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

Light pollution has been linked to preterm births

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Lehigh...

Toxic algae blooms raise the risk of fatal heart disease in sea otters. A neurotoxin produced by algae blooms is causing fatal heart disease in sea otters, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">UC Davis</a>. Southern sea otters are inadvertently ingesting domoic acid by eating contaminated crabs and clams.

"Sea otters are an amazing indicator of what's happening in the coastal environment, not just to other marine animals, but to us, too, especially on the issue of domoic acid," said study senior author Christine K. Johnson is the director of the <a href="https://ohi.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/about/teams/epicenter">EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics</a> in the One Health Institute.

Domoic acid is produced by harmful algal blooms and accumulates in the marine food web. In 2015, a massive warm water "blob" created a widespread bloom along the West Coast. Levels of domoic acid became so toxic that the Dungeness crab fishing season was forced to close.

The past five years are the hottest on record for the world's oceans, which means that toxic algae blooms and domoic acid exposure will continue to rise.

To investigate the relationship between long-term exposure to domoic acid and fatal heart disease in southern sea otters, the experts analyzed data from 186 free-ranging individuals in California from 2001 to 2017. Of those otters, heart disease was listed as a cause of death for 34 of the 48 otters that died during that time.

The scientists found that otters who consume a high proportion of crabs and clams have a 2.5 times greater risk of fatal heart disease. Even southern sea otters who do not consume large amounts of crabs and clams have nearly double the risk of dying from heart disease as a result of exposure to domoic acid.

The researchers also that discovered domoic acid is particularly harmful to prime-age adult sea otters, whose survival is vital for population growth.

"That's worrisome for the long-term population recovery of southern sea otters, which are a threatened species," said study lead author Megan Moriarty. "This study emphasizes that domoic acid is a threat that isn't going away. It's a food web toxin and is pretty pervasive."

Study co-author Melissa Miller, a veterinarian and pathologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, recently led a separate study analyzing the causes of death of sea otters.

"Improving our understanding of the effects of domoic acid on the health and population recovery of southern sea otters is extremely important" said Miller. "Given their unique biology and specialized diet, sea otters are extremely vulnerable to toxic algal blooms, which are likely to worsen with climate change. So the results of this work have far-reaching implications."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/harmful-algae">Harmful Algae</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Toxic algae blooms raise the risk of fatal heart disease in sea otters

Toxic algae blooms raise the risk of fatal heart disease...

The gut and the brain are connected in many ways, and a growing collection of research suggests that gut-brain interactions are critically important to our health. In a new study from the <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a>, researchers developed an "organ-on-a-chip" system to investigate how microbes living in the gut affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-severe-covid-19-infections-start-in-the-brain-not-the-lungs/">brain</a> health.

Gut-brain interactions can make us irritable when we are hungry, or cause physical pain in the stomach when we are nervous. Recently, experts have determined that gut bacteria may even influence neurological diseases.

In the lab of study senior author Professor Linda Griffith, researchers have worked for several years developing microphysiological systems - small devices that can be used to grow engineered tissue models of different organs, connected by microfluidic channels. In some cases, these models can offer more accurate information on human disease than animal models can, noted Professor Griffith.

The researchers used this system to model the influence of gut microbes on healthy brain tissue compared to tissue samples obtained from patients with Parkinson's disease. 

The study revealed that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are produced by microbes in the gut and are transported to the brain, can have very different effects on healthy and diseased brain cells.

"While short-chain fatty acids are largely beneficial to human health, we observed that under certain conditions they can further exacerbate certain brain pathologies, such as protein misfolding and neuronal death, related to Parkinson's disease," said study lead author Martin Trapecar.

Previously, Caltech Professor Sarkis Mazmanian discovered a connection between SCFAs and Parkinson's disease in mice. He showed that SCFAs, which are produced by bacteria as they consume undigested fiber in the gut, sped up the progression of the disease. On the other hand, mice raised in a germ-free environment were slower to develop the disease.

The MIT team set out to expand on these findings using their microphysiological modeling system. For the Parkinson's model, the experts used cells that carry a mutation that causes the accumulation of a protein called alpha synuclein, which damages neurons and causes inflammation in brain cells. They also used brain cells that have this mutation corrected and are otherwise identical to the diseased cells.

First, the researchers studied these two sets of brain cells in microphysiological systems that were not connected to any other tissues. Under this condition, the Parkinson's cells showed more inflammation than the healthy, corrected cells. The Parkinson's cells were also less able to metabolize lipids and cholesterol.

Next, the investigators connected the brain cells to tissue models of the colon and liver, using channels that allow immune cells and nutrients - including SCFAs - to flow between them. The team discovered that for healthy brain cells, being exposed to SCFAs is beneficial, and helps them to mature. However, diseased brain cells did not benefit from exposure to SCFAs. Instead, the cells experienced higher levels of protein misfolding and cell death.

The same effects persisted even when immune cells were removed from the system, indicating that the effects are mediated by changes to lipid metabolism.

"It seems that short-chain fatty acids can be linked to neurodegenerative diseases by affecting lipid metabolism rather than directly affecting a certain immune cell population," said Trapecar. "Now the goal for us is to try to understand this."

The researchers plan to model other types of neurological diseases that may be influenced by gut-brain interactions. According to Professor Griffith, the findings offer support for the idea that human tissue models could yield information that animal models cannot. 

"We should be really pushing development of these, because it is important to start bringing more human features into our models," said Professor Griffith. "We have been able to start getting insights into the human condition that are hard to get from mice."

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

Gut-brain interactions have an influence on diseases

The gut and the brain are connected in many ways,...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

[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

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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"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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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