The International Space Station (ISS) is not just a place to live in space - it’s an experimental laboratory. With astronauts onboard and Earth positioned below, the ISS offers a unique opportunity: long-duration research in microgravity. 



The space station also provides low Earth orbit views of our planet, along with a human crew who support experiments, swap samples, and troubleshoot in real time.



Since its launch, researchers have used the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/">space station</a> to conduct hundreds of studies. These range from characterizing fluid behavior in zero gravity to tracking changes in the human body. Their work advances science by answering questions that can’t be studied on Earth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-science-without-gravity">Science without gravity</h2>



Without Earth's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/matter-spacetime-gravitational-waves-fabric-of-the-universe/">gravity</a> pulling things down, scientists can run experiments that simply aren’t possible on the ground. For example, hot air doesn't rise. Flames take on a spherical shape. Fluids stop behaving the way they do in a glass of water.



This gives researchers a rare opportunity to examine physical, chemical, and biological processes in new ways. 



By eliminating variables like surface tension or capillary movement, they can get a much clearer picture of how things actually work.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-orbiting-lab-sees-it-all">Orbiting lab sees it all</h2>



The space station orbits Earth in about 90 minutes, traveling at 17,500 miles per hour from about 250 miles above the surface. 



This low vantage point means the ISS is able to make observations of the planet both in daylight and darkness, and from various angles and lighting conditions.



By being outside&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-shrinking-earths-atmosphere-and-thats-bad-for-satellites/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Earth's atmosphere</a>&nbsp;and magnetic field, the ISS carries instruments that could not be used on Earth. 



That makes it possible to study space radiation, neutron stars, and other phenomena - along with how materials and living organisms behave in space.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iss-crew-makes-science-possible">ISS crew makes science possible</h2>



Other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-debris-issue-growing-exponentially-worse-now-threatens-working-satellites/">satellites</a> can carry instruments, but only the ISS has a living, breathing crew to run the science. Human operators are key. They adjust setups, monitor changes, fix problems, and pack samples for return to Earth.



This flexibility is critical for complex research on the ISS. It also means scientists can get a second chance if something doesn’t go as planned. 



Since experiments can stay on the station for months or even years, there's plenty of time to refine ideas and gather more data.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-body-changes-in-space">Body changes in space</h2>



Because the space station has been operating for over two decades, scientists have been able to track long-term changes - including how space affects the human body. One example: vision changes that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astronauts-can-survive-mars-space-journey-but-their-kidneys-will-be-permanently-damaged/">astronauts</a> began noticing after spending months in orbit.



Scientists launched the Fluid Shifts investigation in 2015 to understand what was happening. They suspected that in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microgravity-causes-big-problems-with-human-gene-expression/">microgravity</a>, fluids move from the lower to the upper body, increasing pressure in the head and possibly changing eye shape.



The study asked whether increased fluid pressure was the cause of these vision changes.



It ran through 2020 and tracked multiple astronauts over time. It marked a major step toward understanding the effects of spaceflight on human health.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-research-on-the-space-station">Research on the space station</h2>



Research on the space station takes time. First, scientists have to identify a question and come up with a possible answer. Then, they design an experiment to test it, decide what data to collect, and figure out how.



Getting that experiment into space is its own process. NASA reviews proposals based on scientific value and relevance. 



Once approved, studies are scheduled for future missions - often many months away. Training, hardware development, flight procedures, and data collection plans all need to be worked out.



Once the experiment is on board, astronauts begin collecting data. After that, the real work begins: analyzing results and writing them up. That alone can take a year or more.



Before a study is published, it goes through peer review. One analysis found that peer review alone takes an average of 100 days. Editors may also ask for revisions or more analysis before giving the green light.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-small-crew-big-science">Small crew, big science</h2>



One challenge with human research on the International Space Station is the limited number of subjects. With only about six people on board at any given time, gathering enough data takes longer.



Consider the Lighting Effects study, which tested whether adjusting the station’s lighting could improve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-the-brain-for-the-future-while-protecting-memories-of-the-past/">sleep</a>, mood, and performance by syncing with astronauts’ circadian rhythms.



Because researchers needed data from several astronauts, the study ran from 2016 to 2020. Other long-term human studies have looked at heart muscle loss and nutrition, including how to grow fresh food in space.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-space-station-research-takes-time">Space station research takes time</h2>



Research in physical science can often move more quickly. Scientists can send up batches of materials and collect results faster. But even then, one round of experiments often leads to more questions.



<a href="https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/iss-research/msg/bass/">The Burning and Suppression of Solids </a>(BASS) series ran from 2011 to 2017, studying how different fuels behave in space. That work led to the Saffire series, which began in 2016 and ended in 2024.



These fire safety demonstrations helped answer critical questions about how to prevent and put out fires in space.



Scientific breakthroughs don’t happen overnight, especially not in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shifts-in-earths-orbit-triggered-ancient-megadroughts/">orbit</a>. But the space station gives researchers something priceless: time, access, and the ability to keep going.



The payoff? New insights into how our bodies work, how materials behave, and how we can prepare for longer missions. That’s not just useful for life in space - it helps improve life back on Earth, too.



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What 20 years of space station research means for life on Earth

The International Space Station (ISS) is not just a place to live in space - it’s an experimental laboratory. With astronauts onboard and Earth positioned below, the ISS offers a unique opportunity: long-duration research in microgravity. The space station also provides low Earth orbit views of our planet, along with a human crew who support experiments, swap samples, and troubleshoot in real time. Since its launch, researchers have used the space station to conduct hundreds of studies. These range from characterizing fluid behavior in zero gravity to...

Plants breathe in carbon dioxide through tiny pores in their leaves called stomata and expel oxygen as part of the photosynthesis process. 

Now, researchers have discovered how stomata provide a steady flow of air throughout the plant’s network of air channels, revealing a closer look at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deeper-look-plants-breathe/">how plants breathe</a>. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/sustainable-food">University of Sheffield’s Institute for Sustainable Food</a> led the study, which was published in the journal Nature Communications. 

Stomata were first described in the 19th century, but how these pores carried CO2 throughout entire plant has remained a mystery.

“Until now, the way plants form their intricate patterns of air channels has remained surprisingly mysterious to plant scientists,” said Andrew Fleming, a member of the research team. “This major discovery shows that the movement of air through leaves shapes their internal workings - which has implications for the way we think about evolution in plants.” 

The researchers used X-ray imaging to create a 3D model of a plant leaf’s cellular structure. This showed up close how the formation and placement of the stomata drive airflow to the cells. 

A complex network of air spaces and stomata allow the exchange of airflow and expansion of air spaces. These air channels serve as the lungs of the leaf. 

[caption id="attachment_1874496" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/wheat-leaf.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1874496" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/wheat-leaf.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="134" /></a> Confocal overview of a TaEPF1 OE wheat leaf showing epidermal layer (purple), subtending mesophyll cells (green), a stomate (St), Image Credit: University of Sheffield[/caption]

The researchers also found that how CO2 moves through the stomata determine the shape and size of the air spaces. 

“Scientists have suspected for a long time that the development of stomata and the development of air spaces within a leaf are coordinated,” said Dr. Marjorie Lundgren, an author of the study. “However, we weren’t really sure which drove the other. So this started as a ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg?’ question. While we show that the development of stomata initiates the expansion of air spaces, we took it one step further to show that the stomata actually need to be exchanging gases in order for the air spaces to expand.”

Plants that have fewer stomata require less water, and this could help develop drought-resistant plants in a future where food security is uncertain due to climate change. 

“The fact that humans have already inadvertently influenced the way plants breathe by breeding wheat that uses less water suggests we could target these air channel networks to develop crops that can survive the more extreme droughts we expect to see with climate breakdown,” said Flemming. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Smileus

Understanding how plants breathe could help create drought resistant crops

Plants breathe in carbon dioxide through tiny pores in their...

In 1953, the Urey-Miller experiment replicated the atmospheric conditions that may have been present on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/early-earth-life-planets/">early Earth</a> in an attempt to identify the chemical origin of life. The study confirmed that organic compounds, including amino acids, could have formed spontaneously under the simulated conditions. 

On the other hand, just because these molecules had the potential to form does not mean that they actually did. 

A new study from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> may help to finally unravel this mystery. The researchers have produced evidence that interactions between just two small molecules, hydrogen cyanide and water, could have given rise to most of the important precursors of RNA and proteins.

The 1953 experiment was based on the potential role of lightning in forming the building blocks of life. The team simulated lightning by running electrical sparks through a flask containing water, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen. These simple chemicals, which were present on early Earth, reacted to form hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, and other compounds that reacted further to make amino acids and biomolecules. 

However, many scientists now believe that the hazy atmosphere that lingered over our planet roughly four billion years ago would have made it difficult for high-energy photons, like those found in lightning, to reach the Earth's surface. 

A team of scientists led by Kumar Vanka theorized that heat from the boiling hot ocean waters of the time could have driven the chemical reactions instead of lightning. To investigate, the researchers used an advanced tool that simulates how mixtures of molecules react and form new molecules. 

The study revealed that hydrogen cyanide, which was present in Earth's early oceans, could have created the molecules necessary to produce the amino acid glycine and the precursors of RNA when mixed with water. 

According to the ACS team, these reactions were both thermodynamically and kinetically feasible. In other words, they did not require a lot of energy or metal catalysts. The researchers said that the findings open up the possibility of interesting new potential pathways for the chemical origin of life. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/centralscience">ACS Central Science</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: Shutterstock/HelenField

Origins of life may be traced to two simple molecules in a boiling hot ocean

In 1953, the Urey-Miller experiment replicated the atmospheric conditions that...

A new study from <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/">Baylor College of Medicine</a> has revealed that twins have more corresponding traits than what was previously realized. An international team of experts has found that twins share a molecular level of similarity beyond their identical genes which has an influence on their biological qualities, and may even influence their risk of getting cancer.

“The characteristics of an individual depend not only on genes inherited from the parents but also on epigenetics, which refers to molecular mechanisms that determine which genes will be turned on or off in different cell types,” said senior author Dr. Robert A. Waterland. “If we view one's DNA as the computer hardware, epigenetics is the software that determines what the computer can do.”

Epigenetics is a process by which chemical tags are used to mark which genes will be expressed in different types of cells. A lot of previous research has been focused on methyl chemical tags, in particular, because of their association with the development of cancer.

For the current study, the team examined a group of genes called metastable epialleles. It has been suggested that methyl tags are randomly added to metastable epialleles during early embryonic development and maintained throughout life.

“We expected that the patterns of methyl tags added to metastable epialleles would be equally random in identical twins and fraternal twins,” said Waterland. “Instead, we found that the methylation patterns matched almost perfectly in identical twins, a degree of similarity that could not be explained by the twins sharing the same DNA. We call this phenomenon 'epigenetic supersimilarity.’"

Identical twins form when the embryo splits into two parts and each continues to develop. The authors created and tested a simple model to demonstrate the occurrence of epigenetic supersimilarity.

“If, in this group of genes, the epigenetic markers are established before the embryo splits into two, then the markers will be the same in both twins,” said Waterland. “In essence, both twins inherit an intimate molecular memory of their shared developmental legacy as a single individual. On the other hand, genes at which epigenetic markers are set after the embryo splits can have greater epigenetic differences between the two twins.”

Even though there are a relatively small group of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genes-body-stays-sleep/">genes</a> that are affected by epigenetic supersimilarity, the researchers discovered that many of these genes are associated with cancer. To determine whether these epigenetic markers might influence the risk of cancer, the team collaborated with experts in Melbourne, Australia. 

“By analyzing peripheral blood DNA samples from healthy adults in our study, we have been able to show that methylation at epigenetically supersimilar genes is associated with risk of subsequently developing several types of cancer, including lung, prostate and colorectal cancer,” said study co-author Dr. Roger Milne, head of Cancer Epidemiology at <a href="https://www.cancervic.org.au/">Cancer Council Victoria</a>.

“Our findings should prompt a re-evaluation of previous genetic studies on twins,” said Waterland. "For decades, researchers have studied genetically identical twins to estimate what proportion of disease risk is determined by one's genes. To the extent that epigenetic supersimilarity affects risk of disease, as our results indicate, genetic risk estimates based on twin studies have been inflated.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/">Genome Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Twins have more in common than just identical genes

A new study from Baylor College of Medicine has revealed...

Researchers from <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">Exeter University</a> and the <a href="https://www.brighton.ac.uk/index.aspx">University of Brighton</a> have found that chocolate and red wine are “the secret to beating wrinkles.” The surprising new study found that substances which occur naturally in red wine and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-chocolate-cardiovascular-health/">dark chocolate</a> can revitalize old cells.

“This is a first step in trying to make people live normal lifespans, but with health for their entire life,” said lead researcher Lorna Harries. “Our data suggests that using chemicals to switch back on the major class of genes that are switched off as we age might provide a means to restore function to old cells.”

As we age, our skin tissues accumulate senescent cells. These cells are metabolically active but have lost the ability to replicate and to correctly regulate the output of their genes. Senescent cells also have fewer splicing factors, which help cells to effectively respond to challenges in their environment.

The researchers applied compounds called resveratrol analogues - chemicals based on a substance naturally found in red wine, dark chocolate, red grapes and blueberries - to cells in culture. The chemicals caused splicing factors, and the cells started to look younger and began replicating within hours.

“When I saw some of the cells in the culture dish rejuvenating I couldn’t believe it. These old cells were looking like young cells. It was like magic,” said co-author Dr.Eva Latorre. “I repeated the experiments several times and in each case the cells rejuvenated. I am very excited by the implications and potential for this research.”

The study, which is published in the journal <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/295/6598/587">BMJ Cell Biology</a>, may lead to more effective anti-aging treatments. Professor Richard Faragher says that the discovery of cell rejuvenation shows “the enormous potential of aging research to improve the lives of older people.”

“At a time when our capacity to translate new knowledge about the mechanisms of aging into medicines and lifestyle advice is limited only by a chronic shortage of funds, older people are ill-served by self-indulgent science fiction. They need practical action to restore their health and they need it yesterday,” said Professor Faragher.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Chocolate and red wine can actually help you fight wrinkles

Researchers from Exeter University and the University of Brighton have...

ImageJ=1.52n
unit=u00B5m

Experts identify a protein that may be the key to healthy aging. In a groundbreaking new study, researchers at the <a href="https://www.mdc-berlin.de/">Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine</a> (MDC) have identified a protein that has a major influence on healthy <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/gut-microbiome-promotes-healthier-aging/">aging</a> by supporting muscle strength and lifespan. 

The experts found that animals lacking the protein LIN-53 have severe muscle defects and limited mobility. A deficiency of LIN-53 was also linked to premature death. 

In the Gene Regulation and Cell Fate Decision Lab, a team led by Dr. Baris Tursun investigated the function of LIN-53 in roundworms. The findings may ultimately lead to studies on the human version of the protein.

"Identifying the genetic factors that play a role in linking lifespan and healthspan is key for understanding human health and aging-related diseases such as muscular dystrophy," said Dr. Tursun. 

LIN-53 binds to molecules called histones that are wrapped tightly inside of long DNA strands within the cell nucleus. Histone modifications can turn gene expression levels up or down, ultimately affecting the development, function, and lifespan of an organism. 

Because of its interaction with histones, LIN-53 is considered an "epigenetic factor," which can influence the activation and deactivation of gene expression without changing the underlying DNA sequence.

The researchers set out to determine whether LIN-53 has an influence on the lifespan and healthspan of an organism. The team also wanted to learn if lifespan and healthspan are directly related.

"Usually when we age, we experience aging symptoms accompanied by muscle loss," explained Dr. Tursun. "Is this all coincidence or is it linked, and if so, how it is linked? Our paper is one of the first to show an epigenetic link."

When the researchers knocked out the gene for LIN-53 in Caenorhabditis elegans, this affected the roundworm's ability to move and shortened its lifespan. LIN-53 affected muscle development through the molecular complex NuRD, yet affected lifespan through a separate complex, Sin3. 

According to the experts, the fact that these distinct pathways both involve LIN-53 strongly indicates that the protein is a link between healthspan and lifespan.

"LIN-53 is part of seven different molecular complexes regulating chromatin modification and structure," said study first author Stefanie Müthel. "I was surprised and excited that we were able to clearly define the complexes important for healthspan and lifespan."

"We all want to age in a healthy manner," said Dr. Tursun. "Once we understand the links between aging and all the accompanying detrimental effects, then we can begin to think about how to unlink them."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14749726">Aging Cell</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: Tursun Lab, MDC

Experts identify a protein that may be the key to healthy aging

Experts identify a protein that may be the key to...

It is extremely difficult and expensive for scientists to observe <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coral-equator-bleaching/">coral reefs</a>, especially those in remote locations that are not easy to access. But now, researchers are describing a mysterious phenomenon that could make it possible to monitor the health of coral reefs from space.

Coral reef are often surrounded by very large “halos” made up of bare sand that are hundreds to thousands of square meters. Two recent studies and a feature story led by Professor Elizabeth Madin of the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Manoa</a> are providing new insight into these remarkable natural barriers. 

For decades, scientists have attributed reef halos to fish who hide from predators in patches of coral, yet venture out to eat the grass and algae surrounding the reef. The new research has identified additional factors that are giving rise to the halos.

For example, Madin's team found that marine reserves dramatically shape the vegetation patterns in coral reef ecosystems, contributing to the “halo” effect. According to the researchers, this finding indicates that marine reserves have even greater impacts on coral reef seascapes than previously realized.

In an article published recently in <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>, Madin explained that if the halos were being formed by small fish who were afraid of being attacked, the number of predators would influence where the halos emerge and how big they are. “With fewer predators, you would expect the grazing fish to be less fearful and so venture further from the reef, resulting in wider halos.”

However, satellite imagery showed there was no difference in the size of the halos inside and outside of no-fishing marine reserves. On the other hand, the team noted that the reef halos were significantly more likely to occur in marine reserves.

A separate study revealed that the species interactions driving these halos are more complex than previously assumed. Madin and her colleagues found that, in addition to the plant-eating fishes known to play a role in halo formation, invertebrate-eating fishes that dig in the sand for prey were disrupting the algae around the edges of the sand circles and making them bigger.

Collectively, the studies show that the presence and size of halos could be used to predict reef ecosystem health.

[caption id="attachment_1871686" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/heron-island.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1871686" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/heron-island.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="488" /></a> Heron Island and lagoon, Australia. Image Copyright: DigitalGlobe[/caption]

“We urgently need more cost- and time-efficient ways of monitoring such reefs,” said Madin. “Our work couples freely-available satellite imagery, with traditional field-based experiments and observations, to start to unravel the mystery of what the globally-widespread patterns of 'halos' around coral reefs can tell us about how reef ecosystems may be changing over space and/or time due to fisheries or marine reserves.”

“This will therefore pave the way for the development of a novel, technology-based solution to the challenge of monitoring large areas of coral reef and enable management of healthy reef ecosystems and sustainable fisheries.”

The research is published in the <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a> and in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/">Frontiers</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: CNES/Airbus; DigitalGlobe

Reef halos allow experts to monitor coral health from space

It is extremely difficult and expensive for scientists to observe...

While experts have believed that the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/gut-health-depression/">gut microbiome</a> may be critical in regulating how the immune system fights tumors in cancer patients, the mechanisms underlying this relationship have remained unclear. For the first time, an international team of 40 scientists led by <a href="https://www.sbpdiscovery.org/">Sanford Burnham Prebys</a> (SBP) has demonstrated a causal link between the gut microbiome and the immune system's ability to fight cancer.

The researchers identified a combination of 11 bacterial strains that activated the immune system and slowed the growth of melanoma in mice. The experts also determined that the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular signaling pathway called which maintains protein health, plays an important role in the body's response to cancer treatment known as immune checkpoint therapy. 

“Immunotherapies have extended the lives of many cancer patients. However, the incredible effects we are seeing today are only the tip of the iceberg. By studying mechanisms of treatment response versus resistance, we can eventually expand the number of people who benefit from immunotherapy,” said study co-author Dr. Thomas Gajewski.

“This study provides an important step toward this goal. The investigators have pinpointed the UPR as an important link between the gut microbiota and anti-tumor immunity. Given previous work indicating a causal role for the host microbiota in the efficacy of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy, this additional mechanistic insight should help select patients who will respond to treatment and also help to guide new therapeutic development.”

According to the American Cancer Society, metastatic melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which “release the brakes” of the body's immune system to launch an efficient tumor attack, do not work for everyone. Even when used as part of combination therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors only benefit about half of patients. 

A growing collection of research supports the role of the gut microbiome in effective immunotherapy. Studies have shown that antibiotics and select probiotics reduce the effectiveness of treatment, while certain bacterial strains can improve the effectiveness of the treatment. The current study is providing new insight into these observations.

“Our study establishes a formal link between the microbiome and anti-tumor immunity and points to the role of the UPR in this process, answering a long-sought question for the field,” said senior author Dr. Ze'ev Ronai. “These results also identify a collection of bacterial strains that could turn on anti-tumor immunity and biomarkers that could be used to stratify people with melanoma for treatment with select checkpoint inhibitors.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Direct link found between gut microbiome and ability to fight cancer

While experts have believed that the gut microbiome may be...

Dinosaurs had DNA that provided a “blueprint” for success. Dinosaurs dominated our planet for almost 180 million years, until they were wiped out by the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event roughly 66 million years ago. To put the dinosaurs 180-million-year reign into perspective, humans have only been around for about 200,000 years – which is a little more than 0.1% of the time <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-enjoyed-fragrant-flowers/">dinosaurs</a> inhabited the Earth. 

Safe to say, dinosaurs were built to survive, and scientists believe that this is due to the way their DNA was organized, giving them a “blueprint for evolutionary success.”

A new study has revealed that dinosaurs may have come in such a variety of sizes and shapes because their genetic code had a large number of chromosomes, giving them a diversity that allowed dinosaurs to evolve quickly to changing climates. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.kent.ac.uk/bio/">University of Kent’s School of Biosciences</a> recreated what the genome structure of dinosaurs would’ve looked like under the microscope by tracing how chromosomes changed over evolutionary time, from reptile ancestors to present day species. This involved extrapolating the likely genome structure of a shared common ancestor of birds and turtles that lived about 260 million years ago – 20 million years before the first dinosaurs emerged.

Now, researchers believe that dinosaurs would’ve had 40 pairs of chromosomes, which almost twice as many as us humans, but the same as modern birds. 

“'We think it generates variation,” says Darren Griffin, a professor at the University of Kent and lead author of the study. “Having a lot of chromosomes enables dinosaurs to shuffle their genes around much more than other types of animals. This shuffling means that dinosaurs can evolve more quickly and so help them survive so long as the planet changed.”

This new study further reinforces the scientific understanding that birds and dinosaurs are very closely related. And although the researchers were able to mathematically predict the structure of dinosaur’s genetic code, they are still unable to completely recreate the DNA itself. As Griffin jokes, “we’re not going to have Jurassic Park anytime soon.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Dinosaurs had DNA that provided a “blueprint” for success

Dinosaurs had DNA that provided a “blueprint” for success. Dinosaurs...

We often don’t think about the history of cooking beyond how putting meat to flame opened up a new world of flavors and possibilities for preserving and preparing food through the ages.

However, when our early human ancestors started cooking food it may have permanently altered the course of evolution for the human microbiome. 

Humans are covered in bacteria. Colonies of microorganisms have set up camp in our gastrointestinal tract, billions of bacteria live on our skin, and all these microbes make up the collective microbiome. 

Studies have shown that gut bacteria can affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-health-depression/">depression risk</a> or help with weight gain, and researchers are working to understand the important role that the microbiome plays in human health and wellbeing. 

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California, San Francisco</a>, and <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> found that cooked food alters the microbiome of humans and mice. 

“Our lab and others have studied how different kinds of diet -- such as vegetarian versus meat-based diets -- impact the microbiome,” said Peter Turnbaugh, the senior author of the study. “We were surprised to discover that no one had studied the fundamental question of how cooking itself alters the composition of the microbial ecosystems in our guts.”

For the study, the researchers fed different animals a diet of raw meat, cooked meat, raw sweet potatoes, and cooked sweet potatoes. There was little difference between the microbiomes of the animals given raw or cooked meat, but with the sweet potatoes, it was a different story. 

There were changes in the composition and gene activity of the microbiomes of those fed cooked sweet potatoes. 

To confirm these findings, the researchers fed mice raw and cooked sweet potatoes, white potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, and beets, 

Again, the differences in the microbiome linked to a raw diet versus cooked food were considerable. 

A cooked tuber allows whoever eats it to absorb more calories in the small intestine the researchers said. Raw foods, on the other hand, have antimicrobial compounds that can damage bacteria. 

The researchers analyzed the chemical changes that occurred in cooked plants to see if these were responsible for the changes in the microbiomes. 

A small group of human participants was also fed either a diet of raw or cooked food for three days. The researchers analyzed the participants’ stool samples to see if the diets affected the microbiomes of humans in the same way as the mice. 

“It was exciting to see that the impact of cooking we see in rodents is also relevant to humans, although interestingly, the specifics of how the microbiome was affected differed between the two species,” said Turnbaugh. “We’re very interested in doing larger and longer intervention and observational studies in humans to understand the impact of longer-term dietary changes.”

The study was published in the journal Nature Microbiology. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Alexander Raths

Eating cooked versus raw food affects our gut bacteria

We often don’t think about the history of cooking beyond...

Around 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is comprised of water, and our big, blue, planet is filled with rivers, streams, and oceans that defy everything scientists have come to learn about the formation of Earth. 

Unraveling the mystery of Earth’s water is no easy task as there are so many unknown variables in the formation of the planet.

Most scientists agree that Earth got its water from comets and asteroids carrying an array of compounds, organic matter, and precious metals. As these comets bombarded the Earth, they brought with them the building blocks for our world’s water cycle. 

The question is, when did water first make it to Earth? Was it during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-did-early-earth-stay-warm/">Earth’s early formation</a>, when a ring of gas and space debris circling the sun melded together to form the solar system? Or was it after the collision that later formed Earth’s moon? 

Natalie Starkey, a researcher from <a href="http://www.openuniversity.edu/">Open University</a> in Milton Keynes, has found evidence to suggest that Earth’s water is older than even the sun and dates back far earlier than what was previously theorized. 

Starkey and colleagues are working to solve one of Earth’s oldest mysteries by studying ancient rock samples from the boundary between the Earth’s core and mantle. 

In an article for <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032020-400-why-earths-water-could-be-older-than-earth-itself/#.W9tiACO2VAY.email">New Scientist</a>, Starkey describes the pockets of gas contained within the rocks as “time capsules” that shed light on what the atmosphere was like billions of years ago. 

The researchers used a precision mass spectrometer to separate and measure the oxygen isotopes in the rock samples and moon rock samples in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of when water first came to Earth. 

By comparing moon rock samples and samples from Earth’s mantle, the team was able to confirm that the Earth and Moon are made up of the same components. 

This means that the theory that a collision caused the Earth to break apart and some pieces formed the moon is most likely accurate. 

The researchers also discovered that at least 70 percent of Earth’s water was present before that collision and before the moon formed. This revelation simply created more questions than answers. 

The chaotic maelstrom of the Hadean Eon, when the Earth was a hot glowing mass of molten material, would have made it impossible for water trapped within comets and asteroids to survive the hot temperatures. 

Logic dictates that any isotopes carried within comets should have been broken up into constituent atoms when it reached the solar system because of the extreme radiation of the sun. 

Yet, Starkey says that survive they did, and it’s the only explanation that fits. It’s been theorized that there was a small window of time when the sun was cooling off and before the planets formed that interstellar ice could have slipped into the mix. 

“That brings us to the surprising conclusion that our planet’s water isn’t just older than the moon,” Starkey <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032020-400-why-earths-water-could-be-older-than-earth-itself/#.W9tiACO2VAY.email">writes</a>. “It must have come from interstellar space, which means it is older than the sun itself. It is hard to fathom how it survived entry into the solar system. But once you have eliminated the impossible, it forces you to this conclusion.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earth’s water is older than the Sun

Around 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is comprised of...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being applied to data from acoustic sensors to help protect elephants in the African forest. The technology, which has been developed by the startup company <a href="http://conservationmetrics.com/">Conservation Metrics</a>, uses AI to detect the low-frequency calls of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/captive-elephants-shorter-lives/">elephants</a>.

Across 580 square miles in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo, designated listening posts provide scientists with critical information about the behavior and movement of elephants in the remote forest. 

The <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/elephant/">Elephant Listening Project</a>, which was developed with the help of biologists at <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>, uses 50 acoustic sensors that generate seven terabytes of data every three months. Developments in machine learning have enabled experts to analyze these files in about one-fifth of the time it used to take, and park managers can be alerted to threats faster than ever before. 

Peter Wrege is the director of the Elephant Listening Project (ELP) in association with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

“A key thing this collaboration will do is speed things up, so we can show the people who manage the national park that we can provide information that will make a difference,” said Wrege. “If it takes us a year to figure out what elephants are doing in the forest, it’s already too late.”


The number of elephants in central African forests has taken a nosedive,  from an estimated 100,000 in 2011 to less than 40,000 today. Many of the elephants were slaughtered by ivory poachers before there was any sign that they were in danger. 

Prior to using the new AI tool from Conservation Metrics, it took ELP six to eight weeks to run the sound data from its acoustic sensors through five computers. Conservation Metrics was able to analyze this amount of data in just 22 days.

The sound files are currently stored on memory cards that are collected by workers in the park on foot, transported 500 miles to the city of Brazzaville, and then express mailed to Ithaca. 

Matthew McKown, CEO of Conservation Metrics, said that running the AI tools directly into the forests may eventually become a reality. 

“It’s years away, but if you look at the technology that is being developed for commercial purposes, it seems feasible, whereas a few years ago we would have just said it was a dream.”
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Artificial intelligence helping to protect African elephants

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now being applied to data from...

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Harnessing solar power could produce unlimited renewable energy. Scientists may have just revolutionized the way that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/solar-power-dominated-investments/">solar power</a> is harnessed. By altering the mechanisms that plants use during photosynthesis, the experts have successfully split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Photosynthesis is one of the most important reactions on the planet because it produces nearly all of the world's oxygen. Hydrogen, which is produced when the water absorbed by plants is split, could potentially become an unlimited source of renewable energy.Harnessing solar power could produce unlimited renewable energy

Experts at <a href="https://www.sjc.edu/">St John's College</a> and the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> used semi-artificial photosynthesis to investigate new ways of producing and storing solar energy. With a combination of biological components and manmade technologies, the team used natural sunlight to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen. 


The new method developed by the researchers was found to absorb more solar light than natural photosynthesis.

“Natural photosynthesis is not efficient because it has evolved merely to survive so it makes the bare minimum amount of energy needed - around 1-2 percent of what it could potentially convert and store,” explained study first author Katarzyna Sokó.

The researchers not only improved on the amount of energy produced and stored, but also managed to reactivate a process in the algae that has been dormant for millennia.

“Hydrogenase is an enzyme present in algae that is capable of reducing protons into hydrogen,” said Sokó. “During evolution this process has been deactivated because it wasn't necessary for survival but we successfully managed to bypass the inactivity to achieve the reaction we wanted - splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.”

The research could ultimately transform the systems used for renewable energy production.

“It's exciting that we can selectively choose the processes we want, and achieve the reaction we want which is inaccessible in nature,” said Sokó. “This could be a great platform for developing solar technologies. The approach could be used to couple other reactions together to see what can be done, learn from these reactions and then build synthetic, more robust pieces of solar energy technology.”


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nenergy/">Nature Energy</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: Katarzyna Sokó

Harnessing solar power could produce unlimited renewable energy

Harnessing solar power could produce unlimited renewable energy. Scientists may...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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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

[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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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