Most galaxies we see today are quiet, well-structured, and orderly. But not all play by those rules. Some are wild, chaotic, and packed with stars that are forming at a furious pace. 



These rare, chaotic galaxies give astronomers a glimpse of what the universe looked like billions of years ago - and perhaps a hint of what's in store for our own Milky Way.



Astronomers from the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Arizona</a> have taken a detailed look at these unusual chaotic galaxies, also known as luminous and ultra-luminous infrared galaxies, or LIRGs and ULIRGs. 



These are incredibly bright in the infrared spectrum and are often caught in the middle of a galactic collision.



This study, part of a larger project called the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS), includes data from space telescopes such as Spitzer, Hubble, Chandra, and GALEX - and now, for the first time, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as well.



The results of the study were presented during a press briefing at the <a href="https://aas.org/meetings/aas246" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society</a> on June 11. 



According to Sean Linden, a research associate at the University of Arizona <a href="https://astro.arizona.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Steward Observatory</a>, the findings will be published in an upcoming edition of the Astrophysical Journal. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosmic-collisions-cause-chaotic-galaxies">Cosmic collisions cause chaotic galaxies</h2>



LIRGs and ULIRGs are not common in the universe close to Earth. Only 202 have been found within 1.3 billion light-years of us. What makes them special is that they are actively merging. 



Two galaxies smash together, forming bizarre structures - double galactic centers, long tails of stars and, most notably, star-forming clumps that are far larger than anything in our galaxy.



"These galaxies are very clumpy, very different from the beautiful spiral galaxies that we see now, such as the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-galaxy-shows-us-what-the-early-milky-way-looked-like/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milky Way</a>," said Linden. "And we know from cosmological simulations that these clumps were the building blocks of galaxies in the early universe."



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/milky-way_andromeda_merger_illustration_UArizona_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/milky-way_andromeda_merger_illustration_UArizona_1s.webp" alt="This artist's illustration shows a stage in the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, as it will unfold over the next several billion years. In this image, representing Earth's night sky in 3.75 billion years, Andromeda (left) fills the field of view and begins to distort the Milky Way with tidal pull. Credit: NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas; and A. Mellinger" class="wp-image-1974007"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This artist's illustration shows a stage in the predicted merger between our Milky Way galaxy and the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, as it will unfold over the next several billion years. In this image, representing Earth's night sky in 3.75 billion years, Andromeda (left) fills the field of view and begins to distort the Milky Way with tidal pull. Click image to enlarge. Credit: NASA; ESA; Z. Levay and R. van der Marel, STScI; T. Hallas; and A. Mellinger</figcaption></figure>



In our galaxy, the largest clumps of new stars weigh about 1,000 solar masses. In LIRGs and ULIRGs, a single clump can hold a million times the mass of our Sun. And there are hundreds of thousands of these clumps in each galaxy.



"You can imagine a million Suns forming in one small, compact region, and within one of those galaxies, there are hundreds of thousands of such clumps," Linden explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chaotic-galaxies-act-as-star-factories">Chaotic galaxies act as star factories </h2>



Galactic mergers are messy. But in that chaos, galaxies give birth to stars at a much higher rate than usual. When two <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/galaxy-collision-2-million-mph-stephans-quintet-captured-unprecedented-detail/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">galaxies collide</a>, gas clouds compress, temperatures soar, and <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> kicks into overdrive.



"These clumpy structures build up over time until they become incredibly massive, and if we want to understand them and how they actually contribute to galaxies evolving throughout cosmic time, we need to study them in detail," Linden said.



This is exactly what the new JWST data makes possible. Earlier telescopes, like Hubble, had already spotted some of these clumps. But thick clouds of dust made it impossible to see what was going on inside them. 



JWST's infrared vision has now peeled back those layers, giving researchers their best look yet at the internal workings of these star factories.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-chaotic-galaxies-crashed-and-clumped">When chaotic galaxies crashed and clumped</h2>



The universe used to be a more violent place. Billions of years ago, galaxies were packed closer together and collided more frequently. That meant more clumps, more chaos, and more extreme star formation.



"The universe used to be much more violent and extreme in the past, and it's now settling down," Linden said. "That's why these rare examples of extreme galaxies no longer exist in the local universe, because, by and large, most galaxies have settled down as well."



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/galaxies_interacting_IRAS-09111-1007_UArizona_1m.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/galaxies_interacting_IRAS-09111-1007_UArizona_1s.webp" alt="Two interacting luminous infrared galaxies, designated as IRAS 09111-1007, from the survey. The galaxies already passed through each other once and are coming back on a second approach. Credit: Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey" class="wp-image-1974005"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Two interacting luminous infrared galaxies, designated as IRAS 09111-1007, from the survey. The galaxies already passed through each other once and are coming back on a second approach. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey</figcaption></figure>



Even so, these rare chaotic galaxies offer astronomers a chance to study a phenomenon that has mostly disappeared from the modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/universe-is-expanding-faster-than-science-can-explain-hubble-tension-physics-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">universe</a>. They serve as a kind of time machine - letting us peek into how galaxies like ours might have looked long ago.



"In a sense, you look at the local universe, and it gives you information about what would have happened 10 billion years ago," said Linden.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-the-milky-way-meets-andromeda">When the Milky Way meets Andromeda</h2>



These observations might not just be a look into the past. They could also foreshadow the future. 



The Milky Way is on a slow-motion collision course with the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/andromeda-galaxy-shows-signs-of-violent-past-collisions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Andromeda</a> galaxy. That merger will happen several billion years from now but, when it does, our quiet and orderly galaxy could roar back to life.



"As Andromeda gets closer and the pressure in the interstellar medium goes up, all of a sudden, the clumps that you will find that the Milky Way is forming will be more and more massive," Linden noted.



The survey also confirmed long-held predictions from computer simulations. Disk-shaped galaxies like the Milky Way form stars in small, scattered clumps. But when galaxies merge, they create larger clumps and more intense star-forming regions.



"We're now finding these massive clumps in the local universe," Linden said. "We are beginning to complete the picture by comparing, for the first time, observations of massive clumps from both the nearby and the distant universe."



These rare chaotic galaxies, once hidden behind thick veils of dust, are now offering scientists a clearer view of how cosmic structures behave under extreme conditions. 



Furthermore, with the help of JWST, researchers are uncovering how collisions and chaos shaped the universe we see today - and how they might shape what comes next.



Information from a University of Arizona <a href="https://news.arizona.edu/news/belly-beast-massive-clumps-reveal-star-factories-bygone-era-cosmos">press release</a>.



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Chaotic galaxies are star factories from another time

Most galaxies we see today are quiet, well-structured, and orderly. But not all play by those rules. Some are wild, chaotic, and packed with stars that are forming at a furious pace. These rare, chaotic galaxies give astronomers a glimpse of what the universe looked like billions of years ago - and perhaps a hint of what's in store for our own Milky Way. Astronomers from the University of Arizona have taken a detailed look at these unusual chaotic galaxies, also known as luminous and ultra-luminous infrared...

A new study from the <a href="https://nutrition.org/">American Society for Nutrition</a> has found that children and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/social-media-television-depression/">teens</a> consume excessive amounts of added sugars and solid fats, and more than 25 percent of their diet is made up of empty calories. 

The researchers identified the most common sources of empty calories for young people, including soft drinks, fruit drinks, cookies, pizza, and ice cream.

"Our findings suggest a need for continued research into what children and adolescents are eating," said Dr. Edwina Wambogo, the study's primary investigator. "Examining the whole landscape of available foods and beverages for children and adolescents can help inform new ways to promote healthier eating."

The research was focused on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which analyzed diet trends for children between the ages of 2 and 18 from 2007 through 2016.

"Over the time period studied, we observed a downward trend in the percent of calories coming from empty calories without any associated decrease in total calorie intake," said Dr. Wambogo. "This trend was mostly driven by declines in added sugars intake, including those from soft drinks and fruit drinks."

Despite the positive results, the researchers also found that more than 25 percent of the caloric intake for all ages of children came from empty calories, and the percentage of empty calories increased with age. 

The most popular sources of empty calories remained consistent across the study period. However, as children got older, the main sources of empty calories shifted from beverages such as fruit drinks to foods such as pizza and cookies. Overall, older children and teens consumed more calories from soft drinks rather than fruits drinks or flavored milk.

The researchers have proposed several strategies that may help children and teens consume healthier foods, such as increased marketing to promote healthier foods, limited marketing for unhealthy foods, changing the food environment to make healthy foods more accessible, and product changes like reducing added sugars in beverages.

The researchers plan to further examine how the top sources of calories consumed by young people vary according to family income. They also want to investigate how added sugars in beverages may impact the total amount of calories consumed by children and teens.

Dr. Wambogo presented the research as part of Nutrition 2020 Live Online, a virtual conference hosted by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Experts identify the top sources of empty calories for children and teens

A new study from the American Society for Nutrition has...

The analysis of a tiny shrub has revealed that plants across the Arctic region of Svalbard grow synchronously. The research suggests that the polar willow, Salix polaris, can play an important role as Plants grow synchronously across the Svalvard archipelago an indicator species for the health of the entire Svalbard archipelago. 

Mathilde Le Moullec, a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a> (NTNU), has been studying wildlife in Svalbard for years to gain a better understanding of how this unique community is interconnected.

Over four summers, Le Moullec looked for reindeer in Svalbard to evaluate their population numbers. She also hunted for bones and other reindeer remains that could be analyzed and carbon dated.

The data collected by Le Moullec revealed historical changes in the population size and distribution of reindeer in Svalbard. She documented how the reindeer rebounded after enduring centuries of overhunting.

In order to view the Arctic region from a greater perspective, Le Moullec decided to study the plants that reindeer eat.

"Salix is an important part of their main diet, especially because there is almost no lichen on Svalbard," said Le Moullec. She pointed to previous research on Svalbard reindeer, which found that lichen makes up only two percent of their diets.

Le Moullec explained that by studying what controls the growth of the polar willow across Svalbard, you can also see how climate is affecting primary production in different places, including the growth of plants at the bottom of the food chain. 

Furthermore, the polar willow contains an important geological record in its growth rings. "You can go to one place, one time, dig up a willow, and come back with 40 years or more of data."

In 2015, Le Moullec and PhD candidate Morgen Bender struck out to some of Svalbard's most remote regions to count reindeer. The team also dug up dozens of polar willows for analysis. 

In the lab, the researchers counted the microscopic growth rings on the shrubs. Some of the willows were more than 40 years old, but the oldest was 70, which meant its growth rings were particularly small. 

"The entire root is the thickness of the tip of a fork, it is just a few millimeters across," said Le Moullec. "Each growth ring is just a few micrometers, so we cut cross sections that are a cell thickness of two micrometres."

The researchers examined multiple cross sections from each plant. The tedious work in the lab took almost two years, according to Le Moullec.

Next, the team analyzed weather data to determine which of five weather-related factors were best reflected in tree ring growth. Out of the various weather factors, July temperature had the most influence on all of the willows examined from eight separate sites. 

July temperatures were also found to have an effect on the rest of the vegetation in Svalbard, causing the plants to grow simultaneously. This timing is also significant for grazing animals like reindeer.

Synchronous growing patterns have been found before in boreal and temperate forests, where summer temperatures coordinate large areas of tree growth. However, this is the first time this kind of research has been done in the Arctic, explained Le Moullec, and in a tree where the largest structure - the root - is half the size of a pinky finger.

René van der Wal is a professor at the University of Aberdeen who has been studying plants in Svalbard since 1998.

"We knew that warm summers allowed high arctic plants to grow well, but always believed that this was what happened above ground," said Professor van der Wal. "For Mathilde to show that good years above ground also means good growth below ground, and for this to reflect the productivity of all higher plants together is a major step forward."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/16000706">Oikos</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;

Plants grow synchronously across the Svalvard archipelago

The analysis of a tiny shrub has revealed that plants...

A disease-carrying <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-mosquito-borne-viruses/">mosquito</a> that made its way from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia to Illinois has now become widespread across the state. Researchers at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a> wanted to know how the Asian tiger mosquito established itself in such a different climate. 

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, migrated from Japan to Texas in 1985 and quickly spread to Illinois. The mosquito is known to transmit diseases including Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), West Nile virus, and dengue fever.

Study lead author Chris Stone is a medical entomologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey.

"The global trade in used tires facilitates the spread of the mosquito," said Stone. "The eggs get stuck to the walls of the tires and can survive even in dry conditions. Tires are also great at retaining rainwater, which is perfect for the larvae to develop in."

The team tracked the movements of Asian tiger mosquitoes to get a better idea of how they are thriving in Illinois, where winter seasons are cold compared to their native habitats. 

"We looked at historical records to see where the mosquito has been observed in the state. We then compared that information to the winter temperatures in different counties," said study co-lead author Professor Rebecca Smith. 

"Winters are fairly warm in cities like Chicago because of all the roads and concrete. There are a lot of places like sewers and subways where these mosquitoes can live in the winter."

The spread of the Asian tiger mosquito in Illinois has also been driven by multiple introductions from neighboring counties.

"We used the historical observations to look at whether the mosquitoes were present in one county during a particular five-year period, and whether they were then present in a neighboring county in the previous five-year period," explained Professor Smith.

The researchers analyzed genetic data, with an emphasis on mitochondrial DNA.

"We found that there is a surprising diversity of Aedes albopictus in Illinois," said Stone. "Some were from the Texas population, but a few had previously been found only in Japan. This observation supports the idea that we see multiple introductions of these mosquitoes from different places."

According to the researchers, the data was compiled from a variety of sources.

"We had some collections of mosquitoes from our partners in public health, and we set out some mosquito traps in counties that had not been looked at previously. Unfortunately, we did not have samples that went back as far as the historical observations," said Stone.

The study authors noted that Asian tiger mosquitoes are good at outcompeting other mosquitoes, which can be beneficial, depending on the context. 

"There have been studies from Florida and Texas where Aedes albopictus has displaced Aedes aegypti, a closely related mosquito known as the yellow fever mosquito that can transmit dengue and yellow fever," said Stone. 

"The implications of the establishment of the Asian tiger mosquito in Illinois on other mosquito species is a topic that needs further study."

Professor Smith explained that the ability of the Asian tiger mosquito to establish itself in Illinois could be problematic from a public health perspective. "Although it is not as bad as the yellow fever mosquito, it has the potential to introduce diseases."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jme">Journal of Medical Entomology</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;

  

&nbsp;

Asian tiger mosquito has established itself in Illinois

A disease-carrying mosquito that made its way from the tropical...

New research from the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">University of Sheffield</a> suggests that we now have the capability to discover new Earth-like <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dead-stars-will-help-astronomers-find-signs-of-life-on-exoplanets/">planets</a> in the early stages of their development. According to the study, the chances of finding rocky, habitable planets are much greater than what was previously realized. 

The researchers analyzed "young" stars in the Milky Way. By some measures, a young star is up to 100 million years old, while their elders can date back billions of years.

The team set out to investigate whether groups of stars in this region have the same characteristics and behavior as stars that have been observed in other star-forming regions.

The researchers also wanted to know if young stars in the Milky Way could predict the location of young Earth-like planets.

The study revealed that there are more stars like the Sun than what was anticipated, which greatly increases the likelihood of finding Earth-like planets in their earliest stages of development.

As the planets are still being formed by collisions of rocks and smaller planets, they are called magma ocean planets. The impacts cause them to heat up so much that their surfaces become molten rock.

Study lead author Dr. Richard Parker is an astrophysicist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield.

"These magma ocean planets are easier to detect near stars like the Sun, which are twice as heavy as the average mass star," said Dr. Parker. "These planets emit so much heat that we will be able to observe the glow from them using the next generation of infrared telescopes."

"The locations where we would find these planets are so-called 'young moving groups' which are groups of young stars that are less than 100 million years old - which is young for a star."

"However, they typically only contain a few tens of stars each and previously it was difficult to determine whether we had found all of the stars in each group because they blend into the background of the Milky Way galaxy."

"Observations from the Gaia telescope have helped us to find many more stars in these groups, which enabled us to carry out this study."

The findings will help to inform future research on how rocky, Earth-like planets form. The team also plans to use computer simulations to understand the origin of the young groups of stars observed in the study.

"Being involved in this project was one of the highlights of our university experience and it was a great opportunity to work on an area of astronomy outside the typical course structure," said study co-author and undergraduate student Molly Haigh.

"It was rewarding to see a physical application of the computer coding we learned in our degree by sampling the initial mass distribution of stars and how this can relate to the future of exoplanet detection."

The study is published in <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X">The Astrophysical Journal</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

The discovery of young Earth-like planets is a real possibility

New research from the University of Sheffield suggests that we...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a> have identified a link between poor <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fruit-flies-reveal-why-we-sleep-more-in-cold-weather/">sleep</a> quality and cardiovascular disease. The experts are describing how fragmented nightly sleep can lead to chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by the buildup of fatty materials in the arteries.

"We've discovered that fragmented sleep is associated with a unique pathway - chronic circulating inflammation throughout the bloodstream -- which, in turn, is linked to higher amounts of plaques in coronary arteries," said study senior author Professor Matthew Walker.

Fatty plaque buildup can harden over time, narrowing the arteries and potentially causing a fatal heart attack or stroke.

The new study indicates that poor sleep quality should be added as a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America. 

Known risk factors for cardiovascular disease include poor diet, lack of exercise, obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking.

Study lead author Raphael Vallat is a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Human Sleep Science at UC Berkeley.

"To the best of our knowledge, these data are the first to associate sleep fragmentation, inflammation and atherosclerosis in humans," said Vallat.

The research was focused on data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, which involved more than 1,600 middle-aged and older adults. 

The Berkeley team used statistical modeling to analyze the data, controlling for known risk factors in order to isolate the effect of sleep quality on heart health. 

Next, the researchers tracked the health outcomes of the study participants by looking at blood tests, calcium scores related to plaque buildup, and several different measures of sleep. The individuals had worn sleep trackers for a week and engaged in an overnight sleep study that measured electrical brainwave signals.

The results of the analysis revealed a clear connection between disrupted sleep patterns and higher levels of inflammatory factors in circulating blood. 

In particular, the experts found that poor sleep quality was linked to higher concentrations of white blood cells known as monocytes and neutrophils, which are key indicators of atherosclerotic plaques.

"In revealing this link with chronic inflammation, the findings suggest a missing middleman that is brokering the bad deal between fragmented sleep and the hardening of blood vessels," said Professor Walker.

"Indeed, these associational results in humans mirror recent data in which experimentally manipulated sleep disruption in mice led to higher levels of circulating inflammation that caused atherosclerotic lesions in the rodents," said Vallat.

According to the researchers, the findings linking poor sleep to atherosclerosis through chronic inflammation have major public health implications. For example, atherosclerosis often begins in early adulthood. 

"Unfortunately, this process goes largely unnoticed until the plaque buildup, in middle or old age, suddenly blocks arterial blood flow to the heart, lungs, brain and/or other organs, hence its moniker, 'silent killer,'" said Vallat.

The experts recommend monitoring sleep quality with the use of clinical grade tracking device.

"The insidious nature of the disease requires that we pay attention to our sleep hygiene, even starting in early to midlife," said study co-lead author Vyoma Shah.

"If you track your sleep patterns using objective measures, the same way you track your weight, blood pressure or cholesterol, you can make modifications to your sleep habits, which could make a tangible difference to later life health outcomes."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLOS 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;

Poor sleep quality linked to heart disease

Researchers at UC Berkeley have identified a link between poor...

The distribution of American lobsters and sea scallops may shift substantially as water <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/arctic-temperatures-rise-when-plants-stop-breathing/">temperatures</a> rise, according to a new study. The experts used a variety of models to estimate how species on the Northeast U.S. continental shelf will respond to warming waters. 

The results of the study indicate that lobsters will move further offshore and sea scallops will shift to the north in the coming decades. 

The research suggests that changes will also take place within managed fisheries. Some species are expected to increase, while others will decline or show no significant effects. 

Study co-author Vincent Saba is a fishery biologist in the Ecosystems Dynamics and Assessment Branch of the <a href="https://nefsc.noaa.gov/">NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center</a>.

"Changes in stock distribution affect where fish and shellfish can be caught and who has access to them over time," said Saba. 

"American lobster and sea scallop are two of the most economically valuable single-species fisheries in the entire United States. They are also important to the economic and cultural well-being of coastal communities in the Northeast. Any changes to their distribution and abundance will have major impacts."

For the investigation, the researchers used multiple species distribution models and a high-resolution global climate model. 

The team projected the possible impact of climate change on suitable habitat for lobsters and sea scallops in the Northeast U.S. continental shelf. This large marine ecosystem includes the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, the Mid-Atlantic Bight, and Southern New England.

To improve the accuracy of the models, the team incorporated independent trawl survey data from nearshore and offshore fisheries. The surveys collected data from 1984 to 2016 over a wide geographic area.

Historical temperature and salinity changes were also integrated into the model, as well as future projections of salinity and temperature for the next 80 years under a high emissions scenario.

While American lobsters are larger and more mobile than sea scallops, both species are affected by fluctuations in ocean salinity and temperature. 

The projected warming over the next eight decades revealed that deeper regions in the Gulf of Maine will become increasingly suitable for lobsters. The western Long Island Sound and the area south of Rhode Island showed increased suitability in the spring, yet decreased suitability in the fall. In recent decades, warmer water in these regions has already caused notable declines in the presence of American lobsters. 

Projections of sea scallop distribution showed a clear shift northward, with declining habitat suitability in the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Southern New England. 

"This study suggests that ocean warming due to climate change will act as a likely stressor to the ecosystem's southern lobster and sea scallop fisheries and continues to drive further contraction of sea scallop and lobster habitats into the northern areas," said Saba. 

"Our study only looked at ocean temperature and salinity, but other factors such as ocean acidification and changes in predation can also impact these species."

"Ensemble modelling approaches like the one developed in this study can contribute to lobster and scallop assessments by improving the effectiveness of survey efforts and the precision of stock assessment models." 

"It also provides a critical step toward establishing long-term adaptive management plans for these two valuable species."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14724642">Diversity and Distributions</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

American lobsters and sea scallops may shift as temperatures rise 

The distribution of American lobsters and sea scallops may shift...

According to a new study from <a href="https://www.niu.edu/">Northern Illinois University</a>, about 31 million people live in coastal regions that are extremely vulnerable to the worsening impacts of climate change. As tropical storms intensify and sea levels rise, many coastal areas have defensive resources located just offshore that are often underestimated.  

The researchers found that among the 31 million people living in high-risk communities, 8.5 million directly benefit from the severe weather-protection of mangroves and coral reefs. These natural buffers could help mitigate an enormous amount of future damage from tropical storms and rising sea levels. 

Coral reefs and mangrove forests help shield the coast by absorbing some of the energy in powerful waves. Mangroves also help to stabilize the coastline by trapping sediments that serve as a barrier to erosion and storm damage.

Beyond protection, mangroves and coral reefs are critically important ecosystems that provide specialized habitats for a large number of species. 

The findings of the new study highlight the urgent need for worldwide conservation and restoration of mangrove forests and coral reef systems. The researchers said that action is particularly needed in the most vulnerable coastal regions that lack the resources for more expensive adaptation measures, such as levees or sea walls.

"Simply put, it's much cheaper to conserve a mangrove than to build a sea wall," said study lead author Holly Jones. 

"Coral reefs and mangroves serve as cost-efficient buffers against the adverse impacts of climate change, and they already play important roles in protecting human lives and livelihoods, while providing a multitude of biodiversity benefits."

Previous studies have shown that a 100-meter-wide stretch of mangroves can reduce wave heights by as much as two-thirds. Meanwhile, coral reefs buffer wave energy by up to 97 percent, depending on the conditions. 

The researchers wanted to identify highly vulnerable coastal regions that would benefit most from "ecosystem-based adaptation," or the sustainable management of existing ecosystems, to address climate impacts.

The analysis showed that 30.9 million people live in regions that are highly vulnerable to tropical storms and future sea-level rise.

"Our estimate is very conservative," said Jones. "This population lives in regions in the top 10th percentile for vulnerability. If we apply our model to coastal regions that scored in the top half for vulnerability, the population soars to over 700 million people."

According to the study, the vulnerable regions that could benefit the most from ecosystem-based adaptation are coastal areas in Central America, the Caribbean, Eastern Africa, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific region. In these regions, the team found that only 11 percent of reefs and 38 percent of mangroves are currently protected. 

Study co-author Will Turner is the senior vice president of global strategies at Conservation International.

"Protection of mangroves and coral reefs is critical," said Turner. "They have the potential to save lives, store carbon and support fisheries; the co-benefits they provide are great. At Conservation International, we're working with local communities, carbon finance, governments and the insurance industry to ensure that generations will benefit from the protection and restoration of these ecosystems."

The researchers noted that many of the world's coastal zones are already experiencing the brutal consequences of extreme weather. Hurricanes Dorian, Maria, Harvey and Irma killed thousands of people and caused hundreds of billions of dollars in damages. By the end of this century, hurricane damages are expected to double. 

The study authors pointed out that mangroves and coral reefs also create opportunities for recreation and tourism. Furthermore, in the most vulnerable coastal regions alone, mangroves store at least 896 million metric tons of carbon.

"Ensuring the resiliency of mangroves is a win-win-win for people, nature and the climate," said study co-author Dave Hole.

"Mangroves store more carbon than any other forest ecosystem on Earth, drawing CO2 down from the atmosphere and storing it for decades, and so helping slow global warming."

"As interest in ecosystem-based adaptation continues to grow, it's vital that its multiple co-benefits are part of the conversation."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS One</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;

Mangroves and coral reefs provide critical protection from storms 

According to a new study from Northern Illinois University, about...

Palaeontologists at <a href="https://english.spbu.ru/">St. Petersburg University</a> have taken a glimpse inside the mind of a 160-million-year-old dinosaur. The study reveals new details about the brain structure of the ankylosaur Bissektipelta archibaldi.

The researchers used a 3D model that was previously assembled in Russia to analyze the dinosaur's cranial vault. They discovered that Bissektipelta had an exceptional sense of smell and heard low-frequency sounds. The dinosaurs also had the unique ability to cool down their brains when necessary. 

Ankylosaurs were herbivorous dinosaurs that appeared in the middle of the Jurassic Age and persisted until the end of the dinosaur era 65 million years ago. They were covered with thick armor like modern day armadillos.

The palaeontologists analyzed three fragments of Bissektipelta fossil skulls from a well-preserved collection of bones recovered in Uzbekistan.

During a series of expeditions around 20 years ago, hundreds of thousands of bones were collected at the Uzbekistan site, including dozens of skull fragments. Advances in technology have created new opportunities for scientists to re-analyze the fossils with greater accuracy. 

'Thanks to the development of computed tomography (CT) over the past 15-20 years, palaeontologists are able to learn more and more about the dinosaur brain and its structure,' said study lead author Ivan Kuzmin. 

"We decided to re-describe Bissektipelta archibaldi, and we managed to clarify its place on the phylogenetic tree of ankylosaurs. A 3D reconstruction of the endocast of its brain cavity was made using CT."

"It is important to understand that the digital 'cast' of the braincase is not the brain itself. It is necessary to study it carefully to understand how big the actual brain was, where its parts were, how the vessels and nerves were housed."

The scientists worked with the skulls for three years to reconstruct the brain of Bissektipelta archibaldi. They found that the majority of the brain was made up of large olfactory bulbs. This gave Bissektipelta an extremely developed sense of smell, which would have helped in detecting food, mates, and predators.

Ankylosaurs had heavy armor and did not move very gracefully, so the ability to detect approaching predators was crucial for survival. According to the experts, the olfaction of ankylosaurs can even be compared with the olfaction of Tyrannosaurus rex.

"Another interesting skill of the ankylosaur that we learned about is the ability to cool its brains in the literal sense," said Kuzmin. 

"The network of veins and arteries in its braincase turned out to be very complicated: they did not go in a single direction, but constantly communicated with each other, like a system of railway tracks. The blood could have flown in different directions and been redistributed, while maintaining the optimal brain temperature of the animal."

"For example, if the top of an ankylosaur's head became warm, the vessels diverted quickly the warm blood and created a screening effect - as if a dinosaur put a sun hat on." 

"Moreover, the endocranial vasculature of ankylosaurs turned out to be somewhat more like the vessels of present-day lizards than that of the closer extant relatives of dinosaurs - crocodiles or birds."

The analysis of Bissektipelta's inner ear produced evidence that the ankylosaur had a hearing range of about 300 to 3,000 hertz, which is the same low frequency range of modern-day crocodiles. 

The larger the animal, the lower the frequencies of sound they could hear. The palaeontologists propose that as ankylosaurs evolved to have bigger bodies, they gained the advantage of detecting sounds at even lower frequencies.

"Present-day animal species are characterized by a certain brain-body size relationship,' explained Kuzmin. "If you look at dinosaurs, then ankylosaurs and their closest relatives (stegosaurs) were almost outsiders. The mass of their brain turned out to be at least half less than what we would expect, based on a comparison with present-day animals. It was about 26.5 grams for a three-meter Bissektipelta. Its brain size can be compared with two walnuts."

"Nevertheless, ankylosaurs existed on the planet for 100 million years. They were quite successful in terms of evolution. However, judging by the size of their olfactory bulbs, they sniffed a little faster than they thought."

The team plans to analyze the fossil skulls of additional ankylosaur species to test the theories they have about the brain structure and function of Bissektipelta.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://biocomm.spbu.ru/">Biological Communications</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists explore the brain of a 160-million-year-old dinosaur

Palaeontologists at St. Petersburg University have taken a glimpse inside...

A study from the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a> is shedding new light on a group of invasive <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/glass-frogs-rely-on-a-previously-unknown-form-of-camouflage/">frogs</a> in southern Australia. The researchers are warning that the spotted-thighed frog has destructive feeding habits that pose a serious threat to native species.

The invasive frog, Litoria cyclorhyncha, has now become well-established in Streaky Bay, South Australia, with a population of at least 1,000 individuals. The frog hitchhiked its way into the region from Western Australia. 

Ecology experts Professor Gunnar Keppel and Christine Taylor said that the potential for the spotted-thighed frog to spread to other parts of Australia is very concerning because of its destructive eating patterns.

"This frog is an indiscriminate eating machine that will devour just about anything it can fit into its mouth," said Taylor. "We're talking about a relatively large, predatory tree frog that, as a species, is alien to South Australia, and it could have devastating impacts on invaded habitats."

"As it eats away at local species, it's impacting the natural ecosystem, which can displace or destroy local food webs, outcompete native birds, reptiles and mammals for resources, and potentially change natural biodiversity."

The researchers analyzed the stomach contents of 76 spotted-thighed frogs across three different habitats. Each frog had about six creatures in its stomach, including beetles, spiders, insects, native geckos, young frogs, and mice. Overall, the team estimated that the invasive frogs prey on 200 different species.

Professor Keppel said that it is important for people to understand how detrimental invasive species can be for ecosystems. 

He warned that if the spread of spotted-thighed frogs is not kept under control, they could soon dominate many ecosystems in southeast Australia at the expense of the local species.

"The spotted-thighed frog is obviously very mobile. Already it's managed to travel more than 2,000 kilometers and set up a colony in Streaky Bay. But its considerable tolerance of salinity and potential ability to withstand high temperatures could lead to further geographic spread, and if not controlled, it could extend further eastward into the Murray-Darling Basin," said Professor Keppel.

"It's vital that we continue to protect Australia's biodiversity. Preventing further dispersal of the spotted-thighed frog is a high conservation priority."

"The state government should consider managing the invasive population of spotted-thighed frogs at Streaky Bay. This should include education programs to inform people about what to do if they find a frog, as well as the feasibility of exterminating the population in South Australia."

"Importantly, if you do see one of these critters in your travels - leave it be. We don't want it hitchhiking any further."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/zo">Australian Journal of Zoology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

Invasive frogs in Australia have a dangerous appetite

A study from the University of South Australia is shedding...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.escardio.org/">European Society of Cardiology</a> has revealed that patients with high blood pressure have an increased risk of dying from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-may-be-a-seasonal-illness-that-thrives-in-low-humidity/">COVID-19</a>. The researchers also found that this risk is further elevated among patients who are not controlling their high blood pressure with medication. 

"Soon after we started to treat COVID-19 patients in early February in Wuhan, we noticed that nearly half of the patients who died had high blood pressure, which was a much higher percentage compared to those with only mild COVID-19 symptoms," said Professor Ling Tao of Xijing Hospital.

"At the same time, some researchers were raising concerns that RAAS inhibitors might be facilitating the entry of the coronavirus into cells and making people more susceptible to the disease."

"We were quite surprised that these results did not support our initial hypothesis; in fact, the results were in the opposite direction, with a trend in favour of ACE inhibitors and ARBs. We think this is exactly why practice based on clinical evidence is more vital than ever."

The study was focused on data from 2,866 patients who were treated for COVID-19 at Huo Shen Shan hospital in Wuhan, China. Overall, 850 of the patients had a medical history of high blood pressure, or hypertension.

The investigation showed that 34 out of 850 hypertensive COVID-19 patients died compared to 22 out of 2,027 patients without high blood pressure. 

After adjusting for factors that could have affected the outcome, such as additional medical conditions, the researchers estimated that hypertensive patients are 2.12 times more likely to develop a deadly COVID-19 infection. 

The team also estimated that patients with hypertension who were not taking the proper medication are 2.17 times more likely to die from coronavirus.

"It is important that patients with high blood pressure realize that they are at increased risk of dying from COVID-19. They should take good care of themselves during this pandemic and they need more attention if they are infected with the coronavirus," said Professor Fei Li of Xijing Hospital.

"In addition, there were 140 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 who had discontinued their anti-hypertensive treatment due to various reasons. We found that this was associated with a greater risk of dying from the coronavirus."

"In contrast to our initial hypothesis, we found that RAAS inhibitors, such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, were not linked to an increased risk of dying from COVID-19 and, in fact, may be protective. Therefore, we suggest that patients should not discontinue or change their usual antihypertensive treatment unless instructed by a physician."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj">European Heart Journal</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

&nbsp;

High blood pressure doubles risk of death from COVID-19

A new study from the European Society of Cardiology has...

Scientists led by <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> have developed a new method for tracking a disease that causes major damage to plants. Preventing the spread of the disease-causing bacteria Agrobacterium could save commercial nurseries billions of dollars every year.

Agrobacterium causes crown-gall disease in more than 140 plant species worldwide, including fruit trees, roses, grape vines, and nursery plants.

The destructive bacteria enters the plant through wounds in the roots or stems and interferes with plant tissue growth, producing swollen galls. Plants with multiple galls often lose the ability to transport nutrients and become stunted and unproductive. 

The current study was focused on self-replicating DNA molecules called plasmids. Agrobacterium contains plasmids that have the ability to transfer a segment of their DNA into susceptible plant cells. 

Agrobacterium can also transfer the entire plasmid horizontally, which then transforms a benign strain into a new pathogen. This genetic activity makes it difficult to control the disease and track an outbreak.

In collaboration with researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the Oregon State team set out to investigate the evolution of plasmids and develop a way they can be traced.

The team analyzed two classes of plasmids, tumor inducing and root inducing, both of which cause crown-gall disease.

Genetic analysis of 140 strains of Agrobacterium revealed that the plasmids all descended from just nine lineages.

"Armed with this extensive genetic sequencing information about how to classify plasmids and Agrobacterium, we could infer both how bacteria move among nurseries and how the plasmids move among bacteria," said study lead author Alexandra Weisberg.

By sequencing the entire genomes of Agrobacterium strains, the researchers managed to link nurseries that had bacteria with the same genetic characteristics. 

The study pinpointed at least seven cases where the global distribution of plants contributed to the widespread transmission of a single Agrobacterium lineage. 

In one such case, a nursery that produces plants for wholesalers may have served as the sole source of many outbreaks. 

The ability to separately analyze the bacteria from the plasmid helped to identify many cases in which plasmid transmission perpetuated the spread of the disease. 

For example, one strain-plasmid combination that was collected in 1964 was recognized in strains collected 30 to 40 years later in different parts of the world.

The methods developed for the study can potentially be applied to track diseases in humans and animals, including foodborne disease outbreaks. 

"Understanding the genetic basis for how pathogens emerge and diversify in agricultural ecosystems is foundational for determining their spread and assessing risks," said study co-author Professor Jeff Chang.

"These are critical to informing policies for improving plant health and preparing against disease outbreaks to increase global food security."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

&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

&nbsp;

New technique tracks the spread of major plant disease

Scientists led by Oregon State University have developed a new...

Greenhouse gas emissions will determine the fate of mangrove trees, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a>. The experts determined that mangrove trees will struggle to survive sea-level rise beyond the year 2050 if harmful greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced. 

Mangroves can be found in warm tropical waters along the coastline of Africa and on the Atlantic coast from Florida all the way down to Argentina. 

Mangrove forests are valuable ecosystems that store large amounts of carbon, support many species of fish and wildlife, and provide coastal protection. 

The dense root systems of mangrove forests help to stabilize the coastline by trapping sediments that serve as a buffer from erosion and storm damage. Coastal areas where mangroves have been cleared suffer more intense impacts from typhoons and hurricanes.

In the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary alone, mangrove trees protect more than 1,800 miles of shoreline.

An international research team led by Macquarie University investigated the extent to which mangroves will be able to endure sea-level rise. The study was focused on sediment data from the last 10,000 years.

The researchers identified a tipping point of six millimeters per year. When sea-level rise exceeds this rate, mangroves have a very slim chance of survival.  

"Under high-emissions scenarios, rates of sea-level rise on many tropical coastlines will exceed 7 millimeters per year, the rate at which we concluded there's a 3.5 percent probability mangroves can sustain growth," said study co-author Erica Ashe.

"The loss of these mangrove ecosystems could result in increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and fewer vital buffers against storm surges in the long run."

The study showed that mangroves are more likely to withstand sea-level rise at a rate of less than 5 millimeters per year, which could be achieved with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The researchers examined how mangroves in 78 locations responded to various rates of sea-level rise in the past.

The sediment record showed that 4,000 years ago, climate conditions stabilized and the rate of sea-level rise declined. As a result, expanding mangrove forests were able to store more carbon and further stabilize the climate. 

Mangroves naturally move inland as water levels rise, but coastal developments along many coastlines will inhibit this movement. 

The findings confirm the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate sea-level rise. In addition, coastal adaptation measures must be identified to allow mangroves to expand.

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

Mangrove trees could vanish by 2050 without reduced emissions

Greenhouse gas emissions will determine the fate of mangrove trees,...

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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features 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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[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

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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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

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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