Galaxy clusters pack thousands of galaxies into a volume only a few million light-years wide. They also fill the space between them with a thin plasma hotter than the Sun’s surface.



When a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spiral-galaxy-j23453268-0449256-black-hole-fury-defies-current-knowledge-base/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spiral galaxy</a> plunges through this intracluster medium, the hot plasma acts like a supersonic headwind, pushing on the galaxy’s cooler gas. NGC 4858 is currently enduring some of the strongest ram-pressure stripping ever observed.



“This galaxy, NGC 4858, is traveling very quickly through the Coma Cluster,” said Harrison Souchereau, an astronomer at <a href="https://www.yale.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yale University</a> and lead author of a new study exploring this galaxy.



“It is effectively in a wind tunnel, and its gas is in the process of being stripped away by the wind,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-survey-of-jellyfish-galaxies">A survey of jellyfish galaxies </h2>



NGC 4858 is classified as a "jellyfish galaxy." This type of galaxy has long, trailing streams of gas and young stars extending from one side - making it resemble a jellyfish with flowing tentacles.



Earlier optical pictures showed distinct blue tentacles of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-captures-a-young-stars-jet-colliding-with-space-dust/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">young stars</a> trailing behind NGC 4858. These features confirmed that ram-pressure winds removed the galaxy’s interstellar gas and compressed it into new star-forming knots.



But optical light cannot reveal the cold molecular clouds that provide the raw material for future stars.



To map that component, Souchereau and Yale professor Jeffrey Kenney used <a href="https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ALMA Observatory</a>’s high resolution and sensitivity at radio wavelengths. 



Their observations - part of a broader survey of jellyfish galaxies - resolved structures just a few hundred light-years across. These were small enough to compare directly with computer simulations of ram-pressure stripping.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bunny-ears-and-inner-tails"><a></a>Bunny ears and inner tails</h2>



The ALMA images show that the galaxy’s leading edge, which faces into the wind, appears sharply compressed. On the trailing side, a short, hook-shaped plume of CO-bright gas curves back toward the disk.



Above the disk plane, two arched spiral arms stretch outward and backward, giving the galaxy a cartoonish set of “bunny ears.”



“This is likely due to a combination of the environmental wind pushing on the gas and the rotation of the galaxy,” Souchereau explained.



Models show headwinds drag unevenly on spinning galaxies, bending arms and piling gas onto one side of the disk. Stars can still form where the gas density peaks, even as other parts of the disk go without.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-galactic-fountain-effect"><a></a>The galactic fountain effect</h2>



The study highlights one of its most striking findings: clear evidence for “fallback,” a long-theorized but rarely documented process.



When ram pressure pushes gas out of the disk, the material does not always escape into intergalactic space. If it fails to reach the cluster’s escape velocity, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unraveling-gravity-quantum-nature-entanglement-mechanics/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">gravity</a> eventually reverses its course.



“Most people think of ram pressure stripping as removing the gas from galaxies, which is the main effect and a big deal, since gas is the raw material for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fluffy-molecular-clouds-may-change-our-understanding-of-star-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">star formation</a>,” Kenney said.



“But sometimes gas can get pushed out but not stripped, since it never reaches the escape speed. So it falls back, creating a kind of galactic fountain. When this happens, the gas falling back often concentrates in distorted spiral arms on one side of the inner tail.”



In NGC 4858, the returning gas streams converge inside the bunny-ear arms and along the inner tail, triggering bursts of star formation in regions that would otherwise be quiescent.



The galaxy shows both destruction and renewal, as some forces gut certain regions while others briefly revive with recycled gas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recycling-may-change-a-galaxy-s-fate">Recycling may change a galaxy’s fate</h2>



Astronomers consider ram-pressure stripping one of the fastest ways to convert blue, star-forming spirals into red, gas-poor ellipticals inside clusters.



The new ALMA data indicate that the transformation can be messier and more gradual than simple one-way stripping models predict.



Gas recycling may prolong a galaxy’s star-forming life, albeit in distorted patches rather than orderly spiral arms. The uneven fallback suggests that angular momentum and magnetic fields steer stripped gas - key factors for next-generation simulations to model.



Upcoming optical and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/thousands-of-galaxies-revealed-in-a-single-webb-image/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Webb telescope</a> observations will analyze the chemical makeup of gas flowing into and out of the galaxy. These studies will test whether recycled material can eventually build a fresh, stable disk or simply fuel brief starbursts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testing-galaxy-survival-limits">Testing galaxy survival limits</h2>



Astronomers study NGC 4858 as a compelling case of extreme environmental effects on galaxies because it lies nearby and sits in one of the densest known clusters.



By comparing it to other jellyfish in the Coma sample - some at different angles of motion and stages of stripping - astronomers hope to build a timeline of how ram-pressure interactions unfold.



For now, the galaxy’s whimsical bunny-ear silhouette offers three key lessons. Ram-pressure winds compress and bend spiral arms; gas can cycle out and back in a galactic fountain; and even under relentless external assault, galaxies can briefly reignite pockets of star formation.



Observing these processes in real time provides a critical benchmark for theories of galaxy evolution in the universe’s most crowded neighborhoods.



A preprint of the study can be found on <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.07262" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arXiv</a>.



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Jellyfish galaxy grew ‘bunny ears’ while battling galactic wind

Galaxy clusters pack thousands of galaxies into a volume only a few million light-years wide. They also fill the space between them with a thin plasma hotter than the Sun’s surface. When a spiral galaxy plunges through this intracluster medium, the hot plasma acts like a supersonic headwind, pushing on the galaxy’s cooler gas. NGC 4858 is currently enduring some of the strongest ram-pressure stripping ever observed. “This galaxy, NGC 4858, is traveling very quickly through the Coma Cluster,” said Harrison Souchereau, an astronomer at Yale University...

Carbon dioxide has been changing the chemistry of the ocean for decades. The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidification-shrimp/">acidification</a> that results from carbon absorption may have serious impacts on the health of marine organisms and ecosystems.

While many studies have investigated the potential consequences of ocean acidification, the process itself is very complex and not entirely understood. 

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a>, experts have discovered that some coastal areas have their own natural defenses against ocean acidification. The team found that submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Chesapeake Bay drastically reduces carbon dioxide and acidification during the summer.

After a bay-wide decline of SAV in the 1960s through the early 1980s, efforts to reduce sediment and fertilizer runoff helped to increase SAV cover by 300 percent from 1984 to 2015. 

The recovery of SAV is particularly notable in the Susquehanna Flats, a freshwater region near the mouth of the Susquehanna River at the head of the Chesapeake Bay.

An international team of experts, including Professor Wei-Jun Cai of the University of Delaware, set out to study acidification across the bay. 

The researchers determined that heightened photosynthesis by SAV beds at the head of the bay can remove nutrient pollution and generate very high pH levels. 

In the summer, the combination of extra sunlight and nutrients triggers high rates of photosynthesis across the SAV beds. This raises the water's pH level, making it less acidic.

The higher pH levels increase the concentrations of carbonate ions and the subsequent formation of calcium carbonate minerals. 

Downstream, the calcium carbonate particles dissolve when they reach acidic subsurface waters. The dissolution of the carbonate minerals helps combat acidity and promotes healthier pH levels.

"Just like people take Tums to neutralize the acids that cause heartburn, the idea is that SAV beds send carbonate minerals to the lower Bay to neutralize acids there," said study co-author Jeremy Testa.

In previous work, Professor Cai showed there was a lot of calcium carbonate dissolution in the lower bay but the source of the carbonate was a mystery.

"We know there is a lot of carbonate dissolution in the lower bay, and we know the upper bay is where the carbonate is formed. So in the paper, we hypothesize that it's that formation in the SAV bed that gets transported downstream and dissolves and we reproduce this downstream transport with a numerical model," said Professor Cai. "This carbonate that is transported from upstream actually acted as a way to resist, to buffer the pH of the system."

The findings highlight the importance of coastal nutrient management and reduction, which not only helps to fight against low oxygen stress but also acidification stress through the recovery of submerged vegetation.

Professor Cai said that while the preliminary results are encouraging, the next steps are to determine if the carbonate particles are really transported by the currents and tides to the lower bay and if so, how fast and under what conditions this happens. 

"This is a very interesting thing," said Professor Cai. "People talk about ocean acidification and very rarely talk about what resists it, what can buffer the system against ocean acidification. So that's what we want to find."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Submerged vegetation helps to neutralize ocean acidification 

Carbon dioxide has been changing the chemistry of the ocean...

A protein that is currently being tested as a potential treatment for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-lockdown-led-to-more-sleep-but-not-good-sleep/">COVID-19</a> may be helpful in fighting the virus, but new research shows that it can also suppress lung damage repair.

In response to a viral infection in the lungs, the immune system activates a protein called interferon lambda to launch a defensive attack. Once activated, interferon lambda signals to surrounding lung tissue cells to switch on antiviral defenses.

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/">Francis Crick Institute</a> have found that while interferon lambda is initially effective in helping the body defend itself from the virus, it can interfere with the repair of lung damage if it remains active for an extended time period. 

The researchers used a mouse model to investigate the effects of activating interferon lambda in mice with influenza. The study revealed that elevated levels of the protein caused epithelial cells to multiply less frequently. The outcome was the same for mice that had produced interferon lambda naturally in response to the virus and for mice who were ingested with the protein.

A lab experiment showed that human epithelial cells treated with interferon lambda were also adversely affected. 

Epithelial cells make up the lining of the airspaces in the lungs and have many important functions, such as multiplying to replace damaged cells. The suppression of epithelial cell division by interferon lambda could prolong lung damage and increase the risk of bacterial infections. 

"This is a really potent protein with many different functions," said study co-author Andreas Wack. "At the beginning of a viral infection, it is protective, triggering functions that help to fight the virus. However, if it remains in the tissue for too long, it could become harmful."

"This means, for any antiviral treatment that uses this protein, there is a really careful balance that must be made. Clinicians should consider the timing of the treatment, the earlier this better, and the duration of treatment."

Even though the research was focused on mice infected with influenza, the protein would cause similar effects for other viruses that also cause lung damage, including COVID-19.

The paper has been published in the journal Science alongside <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/06/10/science.abc3545">research</a> from Harvard Medical School, which found that patients with severe COVID-19 infections showed strong expression of interferon lambda in their lungs.

"Understanding how our bodies respond to infection has never been more important. Differences in our immune responses have huge implications for whether a treatment will work and what the side effects might be," said Jack Major, lead author of the Crick study.

"Our results suggest that before pursuing treatment with interferon lambda, doctors should consider at what stage of the disease patients are, as treatment late in infection may increase the risk of prolonged damage."

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

&nbsp;

Protein that fights COVID-19 infection inhibits lung repair

A protein that is currently being tested as a potential...

A new study has revealed that bright pink <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/flamingos-form-strong-bonds-and-lasting-friendships/">flamingos</a> are more aggressive than those with light pink feathers when fighting over food. According to the research, the females are just as combative as the males.

When flamingos are first born, their feathers are gray or white. The flamingos gradually turn pink as they grow, and the color actually comes from their diet.

Flamingos eat algae, larva, and brine shrimp, which are all loaded with red-orange pigments called carotenoids that transform their feathers to various colors ranging from bright red to light pink. 

In lesser flamingos, pink plumage is a sign of good health, and a flush of color often means they are ready to breed. The brighter color also indicates when the flamingos are the most belligerent.

At the WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre, Dr. Paul Rose of the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> studied the behavior of lesser flamingos in different feeding situations. 

"Flamingos live in large groups with complex social structures," said Dr. Rose. "Color plays an important role in this. The color comes from carotenoids in their food, which for lesser flamingos is mostly algae that they filter from the water."

"A healthy flamingo that is an efficient feeder - demonstrated by its colorful feathers - will have more time and energy to be aggressive and dominant when feeding."

Dr. Rose observed flamingos foraging in three different settings: a small indoor feeding bowl, a bigger indoor feeding pool, or in a large pool outside.

The flamingos were found to spend less than half as much time displaying aggression when eating in the outdoor pool compared to when they ate from a bowl indoors. In addition, their foraging time outside doubled. 

"When birds have to crowd together to get their food, they squabble more and therefore spend less time feeding," said Dr. Rose. "It's not always possible to feed these birds outdoors, as lesser flamingos only weigh about 2 kg and are native to Africa, so captive birds in places like the UK would get too cold if they went outside in the winter."

Dr. Rose said the study shows that flamingos should be able to forage over a wide area. 

"Where possible, creating spacious outdoor feeding areas can encourage natural foraging patterns and reduce excess aggression."

"This research shows that zoos don't have to make huge changes to how they keep their animals to make a big, beneficial difference to animal behavior."

Lesser flamingos do not have a set breeding season, but simply breed when they are in good enough condition. Dr. Rose said this is often displayed by a pink flush in the feathers, and the birds become paler again during the tiring days of early parenthood.

"This study is a great example of why I love working with WWT Slimbridge. Based on my observations, I suggested some changes - and the keepers were willing to try them out," said Dr. Rose. "As a result, we get pinker, more relaxed flamingos."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14390310">Ethology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Bright pink flamingos are healthier and more aggressive    

A new study has revealed that bright pink flamingos are...

Many studies suggest that our modern lifestyle, with constant pressure to stay busy and active, is the primary cause of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/poor-sleep-quality-linked-to-heart-disease/">sleep</a> deprivation and poor sleep quality. 

In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.unibas.ch/en.html">University of Basel</a>, researchers investigated the effects of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quality. The experts found that slowing down our busy schedules can lead to more sleep, but it's not necessarily better sleep. 

"In modern societies, human rest-activity rhythms and sleep result from the tensions and dynamics between the conflicting poles of external social time and an individual’s internal biological time," wrote the study authors. 

The discrepancy between the body's circadian rhythm and the timing of work and social activities causes "social jetlag." This jetlag is induced by the different sleep schedules we keep on work days versus free days. 

"Social jetlag and sleep restrictions have repeatedly been associated with negative consequences on health, mental wellbeing, and performance," noted the researchers. 

Led by psychologist Dr. Christine Blume, the team surveyed 435 people in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany over the course of six weeks in March and April 2020 during strict COVID-19 lockdowns. At this time, more than 85 percent of the respondents were working from home.

The survey found that fewer social constraints, including more flexible working hours, led to a reduction in social jetlag. "This suggests that the sleep-wake patterns of those surveyed were guided by internal biological signals rather than social rhythms," said Dr. Blume. 

In addition, 75 percent of the participants reported sleeping almost an extra hour. Despite longer sleep duration and less social jetlag, however, respondents said that their sleep quality deteriorated during the lockdown. 

This is not very surprising, explained Dr. Blume, as this unprecedented situation also was highly burdening in many ways. Some of the most common issues affecting sleep quality were financial and health concerns and stress related to child care.

According to the study authors, potential strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of poor sleep quality include exposure to natural daylight and physical activity.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

COVID-19 lockdown led to more sleep but not good sleep

Many studies suggest that our modern lifestyle, with constant pressure...

Over the last 50 years, the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/monarch-butterflies-winter-locations/">wintering</a> grounds for Bewick's swans has shifted east by hundreds of kilometers, or nearly 13 kilometers per year, in northwestern Europe. According to a research team led by the <a href="https://nioo.knaw.nl/en">Netherlands Institute of Ecology</a>, the transition has potential consequences for the conservation of the swans.

Despite being a protected species, Bewick's swans have been declining in Ireland, Britain, and the Netherlands.

"This decline in northwest Europe was not consistent with our data on breeding success and survival," said study co-author and animal ecologist Rascha Nuijten. "That's why we started this research."

Over the years, scientists have speculated that the Bewick's swans are suffering as a result of one or more factors, such as the disappearance of wetlands, climate-related changes in vegetation, or predation from other animals

For the current study, an international team was formed that included members from the Netherlands, Estonia, and the United Kingdom. One of the first clues the team followed was that the number of wintering swans was actually increasing in Germany. 

Bewick's swans migrate across long distances between their breeding area in the Russian tundra and wintering grounds in northwestern Europe.

"We found that both the time spent in the wintering grounds and the location of those wintering grounds changed significantly over the past fifty years," said Nuijten. "The time has been reduced - what we call 'short-staying' - and the area has shifted east, towards the breeding area: 'short-stopping'."

"We see a similar shift east in the 5°C temperature line across Europe in winter. This would suggest that the changes in the swans' wintering behavior are driven by the warming of the climate."

Instead of hunkering down somewhere in Britain or the Netherlands for the winter season, the Bewick's swan is now wintering hundreds of kilometers to the east. This significantly shortens the migratory journey to their breeding grounds. 

Over the last five decades, the swans have been arriving at wintering grounds later and leaving earlier. Overall, the researchers estimate they have cut their winter stay short by almost nine weeks. 

"We found out that individual swans are not changing the duration of their stay during their lifetime. So the observed shifts were caused by directional differences between generations," explained Nuijten.

As for the distance of their destination, the experts observed that swans can shorten the distance of their migration within their lifetime. "For a species that has the reputation of being traditional, that's an exciting discovery!"

The findings suggest that Bewick's swans are able to adapt to climate change - at least to some extent. According to Nuijten, what the observed changes mean for them in other times of the year is not yet clear. But it does have consequences for the optimal conservation and management of the species.

"Some places have become much less important for the swans and other places much more. So when it comes to nature conservation and management, species dynamics - in relation to climate change for instance - need to be taken into consideration."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652486">Global Change Biology</a>

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.flightoftheswans.org/">WWT Flight of the Swans</a>

&nbsp;

Bewick's swans shorten migrations as climate warms

Over the last 50 years, the wintering grounds for Bewick's...

Ancient crocodiles weighed 1,000 pounds and walked on two legs. Ancient <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/human-footprints-oldest-england/">footprints</a> found in South Korea belong to massive crocodiles that walked on their hind legs, according to a new study published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>. 

The tracks were initially thought to have been made by giant pterosaurs, but researchers were shocked to discover the footprints belonged to a crocodile species that walked on two legs like dinosaurs.

"At one site, the footprints were initially thought to be made by a giant bipedal pterosaur walking on the mudflat, we now understand that these were bipedal crocodile prints," said Dr. Anthony Romilio of the University of Queensland.

"The footprints measure around 24 centimeters, suggesting the track-makers had legs about the same height as human adult legs. These were long animals that we estimate were over three meters in length.

"And while footprints were everywhere on the site, there were no handprints."

In previous work, a team of paleontologists led by Professor Kyung Soo Kim of Chinju National University found multiple sets of large, well-preserved footprints during excavation at the Sacheon Jahye-ri site in South Korea. 

A recent analysis of the tracks, which date back 110 to 120 million years, revealed that they were made by a new species of crocodylomorph.

"Typical crocodiles walk in a squat stance and create trackways that are wide," said Professor Kim. "Oddly, our trackways are very narrow looking - more like a crocodile balancing on a tight-rope."

"When combined with the lack of any tail-drag marks, it became clear that these creatures were moving bipedally."

"They were moving in the same way as many dinosaurs, but the footprints were not made by dinosaurs."

Professor Kim explained that dinosaurs and their bird descendants walk on their toes.

"Fossil crocodile tracks are quite rare in Asia, so finding an abundance of nearly one hundred footprints was extraordinary," said Dr. Romilio.

"As an animal walks, the hind feet have the potential of stepping into the impression made by the hand and 'over-printing' it, but we find no evidence of this at these Korean sites."

"It isn't due to poor preservation either, because these fossils are spectacular, they even have the fine details of the toe-pads and scales on their soles preserved."

The newly described crocodile, known as Batrachopus grandis, weighed nearly 1,000 pounds, had razor-sharp teeth and measured approximately 13.1 feet. According to the experts, the massive crocodile likely fed on anything available, including dinosaurs. 

The findings suggest that tracks found at earlier sites, originally believed to have been made by giant pterosaurs, may instead belong to crocodylomorphs. 

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

&nbsp;

Ancient crocodiles weighed 1,000 pounds and walked on two legs

Ancient crocodiles weighed 1,000 pounds and walked on two legs....

A new study from <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/">Kings College London</a> reports that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/neurological-symptoms-may-be-the-first-sign-of-covid-19-infection/">COVID-19</a> can actually trigger the onset of diabetes in healthy patients and cause unusual complications in patients with pre-existing diabetes.

A team of experts involved in an international research initiative, the CoviDiab Registry project, has now established a Global Registry to document all new cases of COVID-19 patients with diabetes.

The goal of the Registry is to analyze the manifestations of diabetes in patients with COVID-19, and to identify the best strategies for treatment and monitoring, even after the pandemic.

Stephanie Amiel is a professor of Diabetes Research at King's and a co-investigator of the CoviDiab Registry project. 

"The registry focuses on routinely collected clinical data that will help us examine insulin secretory capacity, insulin resistance and autoimmune antibody status to understand how COVID-19 related diabetes develops, its natural history and best management," said Professor Amiel. "Studying COVID-19-related diabetes may uncover novel mechanisms of disease."

As many as 30 percent of patients who have died from COVID-19 had diabetes. The latest research has produced evidence of a bi-directional relationship between the two conditions. While diabetes increases the risk of developing a severe and life-threatening infection, COVID-19 is linked to new-onset cases and unusual metabolic complications of pre-existing diabetes.

Francesco Rubino is a professor of Metabolic Surgery at King's and co-lead investigator of the CoviDiab Registry project.

"Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases and we are now realizing the consequences of the inevitable clash between two pandemics," said Professor Rubino. 

"Given the short period of human contact with this new coronavirus, the exact mechanism by which the virus influences glucose metabolism is still unclear and we don't know whether the acute manifestation of diabetes in these patients represent classic type 1, type 2 or possibly a new form of diabetes."

The findings of previous studies suggest that ACE-2, the protein that is exploited by SARS-Cov-2 to gain initial entry into human cells, may also provide a gateway for the virus to disrupt the production or activity of insulin.

The ACE2 protein is not only present in the lungs, but also in organs and tissues that are involved in glucose metabolism such as the pancreas, small intestine, fat tissue, liver, and kidneys. Experts theorize that by entering these tissues, the virus may cause multiple and complex dysfunctions of glucose metabolism. 

Paul Zimmet is a professor of Diabetes at Monash University and co-lead investigator in the CoviDiab Registry project. 

"We don't yet know the magnitude of the new onset diabetes in COVID-19 and if it will persist or resolve after the infection; and if so, whether or not or COVID-19 increases risk of future diabetes," said Professor Zimmet. "By establishing this Global Registry, we are calling on the international medical community to rapidly share relevant clinical observations that can help answer these questions".

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.nejm.org/">New England Journal of Medicine</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

COVID-19 triggers the onset of diabetes in some patients

A new study from Kings College London reports that COVID-19...

Experts at the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> are one step closer to developing ways to boost the body's natural <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/irregular-sleep-patterns-metabolic-disorders/">metabolic</a> response. The researchers have identified a signaling pathway that triggers fat burning in thermogenic fat cells.

In recent years, scientists have been exploring ways to activate thermogenic fat cells, or beige fat, due to their ability to burn fat. Targeting these cells could help treat obesity and other metabolic disorders, but activating beige fat in humans presents challenges. 

A process called adrenergic signaling uses the hormone catecholamine to instruct beige fat cells to start burning energy. However, adrenergic signaling also regulates other important biological functions, such as blood pressure and heartbeat, so controlling this process in humans has the potential for dangerous side effects. 

In the new study, researchers have discovered a pathway that can regulate beige fat thermogenesis independently of adrenergic signaling. The pathway utilizes a receptor protein called Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Alpha 2 Subunit (CHRNA2).

Study senior author Jun Wu is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute (LSI).

"This pathway opens a whole new direction for approaching metabolic disorders," said Professor Wu. "Of course, this cholinergic pathway also is involved in other important functions, so there is still much work to do to really figure out how this might work in humans. But we are encouraged by these initial findings."

To investigate, the team blocked the CHRNA2 pathway in the beige fat of mice, and then fed them a high-fat diet. Without the CHRNA2 receptor proteins, the mice gained more weight and were less able to activate thermogenesis and burn fat.

According to Professor Wu, the findings are particularly exciting in light of the recent discovery of a new type of beige fat - glycolytic beige fat - that is not regulated by catecholamine. The LSI study indicates that glycolytic beige fat can be activated through the CHRNA2 pathway.

"Many patients with metabolic disorders have catecholamine resistance, meaning their cells do not detect or respond to catecholamine," said Professor Wu. "So even if it could be done safely, activating that adrenergic pathway would not be an effective treatment option for such patients. This new pathway, with this new subtype of beige fat, could be the beginning of a whole new chapter for approaching this challenge."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/developmental-cell/home">Developmental Cell</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Scientists discover a new target to activate fat burning cells

Experts at the University of Michigan are one step closer...

Trinidadian guppies face their <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/deep-ocean-predators-thrived/">predators</a> with the skills of a matador, manipulating the movement of their attackers to execute the perfect escape. An international research team led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> discovered this strategy after observing guppies interacting with pike cichlids.

The guppies approach cichlids and get their attention by conspicuously turning the irises of their eyes black. This causes the fish to lunge at the guppies' heads instead of their bodies. The tiny fish respond by suddenly whipping their heads out of the way so the cichlids miss their target. 

"We noticed that guppies would approach a cichlid at an angle, quickly darkening their eyes to jet-black, and then waiting to see if it would attack," said study lead author Dr. Robert Heathcote.

"Cichlids are ambush predators, lying in wait like a coiled spring before launching themselves at their prey.The guppies actually use their eyes to get the predator's attention, causing them to lunge at a guppy's head rather than its body."

"Whilst it seems completely counterintuitive to make a predator attack your head, this strategy works incredibly well because guppies wait until the predator commits to its attack before pivoting out of the way."

"The speed of the whole interaction is extraordinary - at around three hundredths of a second - so was only observable using a high-speed camera."

Many animals use conspicuous colors for communication, attracting mates, or warding off predators. The divertive strategy used by guppies was unknown prior to this study, but the researchers speculate that it is used by other species as well.

"We don't know for sure, but it seems highly likely that other animals also use a 'matador' strategy like the one we have identified in guppies," said Professor Darren Croft.

"Eyes are one of the most easily recognized structures in the natural world and many species go to great lengths to conceal and camouflage their eyes to avoid unwanted attention from predators.

"Some species, however, have noticeable or prominent eyes and, for the most part, it has remained a mystery as to why this would be. Our latest research gives new insight into why 'conspicuous' and colorful eyes have evolved."

The experts were surprised to find that larger guppies were better at escaping cichlids compared to smaller ones.

"As animals become larger, they generally become less agile. If larger prey don't have weapons or other ways of defending themselves, this can result in them being easier for predators to catch," said Dr. Heathcote.

"By turning their eyes black, larger guppies actually reverse this phenomenon. Bigger guppies with black eyes are better at diverting and escaping predator attacks."

"Since bigger animals produce more or larger offspring, it would be really exciting to find out if the animals that use these kinds of strategies have evolved to become larger."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Guppies use black eyes and quick reflexes to escape predators

Trinidadian guppies face their predators with the skills of a...

In a new study, climate scientists at the <a href="https://www.tyndall.ac.uk/">Tyndall Centre</a> have determined that the shipping sector cannot wait for new energy-efficient ships to come along to address the issue of harmful <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mangrove-trees-will-vanish-by-2050-without-reduced-emissions/">emissions</a>.

Ships must urgently reduce their carbon footprint to support the global targets established by the Paris Agreement. Plans to cut back on shipping emissions have been mainly focused on the development of new, low-carbon ships.

However, the new study shows that CO2 emissions from existing ships will dominate the sector's safe carbon budget, and will likely even exceed this budget before new ships are factored in. 

According to the research, policies designed to reduce shipping pollution must focus on updating and decarbonizing existing ships, rather than relying on more efficient ships to make progress. 

The researchers established multiple ways that existing ships can cut their lifetime emissions, such as traveling at slower speeds, adding new renewable technologies such as Flettner rotors, using grid electricity while in port, and adopting other energy saving measures.

"This research highlights the key role existing ships play in tackling the climate crisis," said study co-author James Mason. "We must push for quick action for these ships, whether through speed reductions or other innovative solutions such as wind propulsion."

The scientists found that if changes are implemented quickly, the shipping sector could still make its fair contribution to the Paris climate agreement. Otherwise, other sectors will have to compensate by cutting even more emissions on a shorter timescale. 

"The shipping industry continues to play a hugely important role in international trade and especially for our island nation, but this research highlights that the International Maritime Organisation's current targets need to be substantially tightened to align with Paris goals," said Professor Alice Larkin of the <a href="https://www.manchester.ac.uk/">University of Manchester</a>.

The study was focused on data from 11,000 ships included in the European Union's new emissions monitoring scheme (EU MRV).

"Shipping is generally a greener way to transport freight than roads or planes, but its impact is still very large," said study co-author Simon Bullock. "This research shows there is hope - shipping's overall emissions could be dramatically reduced, if policy-makers act to cut the emissions from the existing fleet".

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bmcenergy.biomedcentral.com/">BMC Energy</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

&nbsp;

Ships must urgently cut CO2 emissions to meet global climate goals

In a new study, climate scientists at the Tyndall Centre...

After reviewing published studies on the neurological symptoms of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/clean-energy-should-be-prioritized-during-covid-19-recovery/">COVID-19</a> patients, researchers at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> have determined that the disease threatens the entire nervous system. The experts report that the first sign of COVID-19 infection may be neurological symptoms, which can appear before fever or respiratory symptoms. 

The study revealed that about half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have neurological symptoms, including dizziness, headache, mental confusion, difficulty concentrating, lack of smell and taste, seizures, strokes, weakness, and muscle pain.

Study lead author Dr. Igor Koralnik is a professor of Neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"It's important for the general public and physicians to be aware of this, because a SARS-COV-2 infection may present with neurologic symptoms initially, before any fever, cough or respiratory problems occur," said Dr. Koralnik.

In a review published today in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15318249">Annals of Neurology</a>, the researchers describe the different neurological conditions that may arise in COVID-19 patients and how to diagnose these conditions. "This understanding is key to direct appropriate clinical management and treatment," said Dr. Koralnik.

According to the findings, COVID-19 has the potential to impact the entire nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, nerves and muscles.

Dr. Koralnik explained that there are many different ways COVID-19 can cause neurological dysfunction. For example, the virus may directly infect the brain and meninges, or the body's immune response may cause inflammation that can damage the brain and nerves.

In addition, since COVID-19 can affect multiple organs, the brain may suffer from lack of oxygenation or from blood clotting, which increases the risk of stroke.

The study authors have now formed a Neuro-COVID research team that is currently investigating neurological symptoms among all COVID-19 patients that have been hospitalized at Northwestern Medicine. The experts want to determine the frequency and type of neurological complications, as well as their response to treatment.

Dr. Koralnik will follow up with some patients in his new outpatient Neuro-COVID clinic to analyze the long-term health outcomes of neurologic COVID-19 complications. These studies will form the foundation for diagnosing, managing, and treating the neurological manifestations of COVID-19, said Dr. Koralnik.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15318249">Annals of Neurology</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

&nbsp;

Neurological symptoms may be the first sign of COVID-19 infection

After reviewing published studies on the neurological symptoms of COVID-19...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">AAAS</a>, researchers have determined that the benefits of sea otter recovery along the North <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pacific-salmon-water-temperatures/">Pacific</a> coast are far greater than the losses to commercial fisheries. 

The experts report that the annual gains from sea otters outweigh the losses to local crab, urchin, and shellfish fisheries by up to 46 million Canadian dollars.

In an article spotlighting the research, James Estes and Lilian Carswell wrote that the analysis has produced a "method for looking beyond depredation in assessing the costs and benefits of living with predators."

By the early 1900s, sea otters nearly vanished on the Pacific Coast as a result of decades of excessive hunting to support the fur trade. As the number of sea otters dwindled, populations of their preferred prey - such as clams, mussels, and crabs - began to thrive.

Sea otters were reintroduced in the 1970's, and they quickly spread and transformed the eastern North Pacific coast. While Pacific kelp forests have greatly benefited from the rapid expansion of sea otters, commercial fisheries and local fishermen have suffered major catch losses.

Conflicts that arise when key predators are reintroduced present a challenge for those working in natural resource management. Even though such conflicts are common, they have rarely been evaluated, and there is no universally accepted method of cost-benefit analysis.

Experts led by Professor Edward Gregr of the University of British Columbia have now developed a modeling framework to evaluate the economic costs and benefits associated with sea otter recovery off Vancouver Island.

According to the study, the overall monetary value of healthier kelp forests, carbon storage, and tourism supported by otters will greatly exceed the losses to commercial fisheries. 

“Our work offers a glimpse into a future where otter populations have recovered to an estimated 5,000 animals, and have fully reoccupied their historic range,” Professor Gregr told <a href="https://science.ubc.ca/news/recovery-sea-otter-populations-yields-more-benefits-costs">UBC Science</a>. “We found that coastal ecosystems with otters present are almost 40 percent more productive. In the long run, that equates to higher fish catches worth $9 million, carbon storage worth $2 million and tourism opportunities worth $42 million per year.”

The study authors noted that the costs and benefits of sea otter recovery will be distributed unequally among economic sectors and local communities, especially for Indigenous Peoples, who are experiencing the losses more acutely. 

However, the researchers emphasized that quantifying the impacts of such ecological transformations will help mitigate conflicts, promote public acceptance of ecosystem change, and identify alternate opportunities for local communities. 

In their related editorial, Estes and Carswell wrote that the research "should spark a new era of ecological-economic research that can be used by natural resource policymakers and managers to make and defend more rational, equitable, and far-sighted decisions affecting predators."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</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

&nbsp;

Benefits of sea otters in the North Pacific greatly outweigh costs

In a new study published by AAAS, researchers have determined...

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

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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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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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