A pulsing headache can feel like your brain is fighting for space. New research suggests that this tug-of-war may trace back to Neanderthal skull traits we share with our extinct cousins.



A recent study zeroes in on Chiari malformation type 1, a condition in which the lower <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538167/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cerebellum</a> droops through the foramen magnum, the bony opening at the skull’s base.



Lead author Kimberly Plomp of the <a href="https://upd.edu.ph" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of the Philippines Diliman</a> teamed up with neurosurgeon Yvens Barbosa Fernandes from Brazil’s <a href="https://unicamp.br/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">State University of Campinas</a> to test an idea he floated in 2013.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neanderthal-skull-shape-squeezes-the-brain">Neanderthal skull shape squeezes the brain</h2>



Surgeons diagnose <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/chiari-malformation-fact-sheet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chiari</a> after spotting a compressed cerebellum on MRI scans, but the root cause has stayed murky. Scientists estimate that type 1 affects about one in every 100 Americans.



The new modeling work confirms that people with Chiari share a smaller, flatter <a href="https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1136/inp.m1869" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">occipital bone</a> than unaffected <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-inject-40000-year-old-neanderthal-dna-gli3-gene-into-mice-with-incredible-results/">peers</a>. That subtle tilt reduces the bony cradle that normally cups the cerebellum and keeps it clear of the spinal canal.



“It makes sense, if you have less angulation, you have less space for the modern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-superhighways-through-eurasia-recreated-with-supercomputers/">human</a> brain,” said Barbosa Fernandes at the end of surgery rounds. He first noticed the resemblance while examining museum casts of ancient skulls during a European trip.



Headaches are common, yet <a href="https://www.aans.org/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Chiari-Malformation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chiari</a> pain often flares when coughing, straining, or even laughing. Other symptoms range from neck pain to tingling hands, and some cases stay silent for years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neanderthal-skull-shape-linked-to-brain-condition">Neanderthal skull shape linked to brain condition</h2>



Plomp’s team built digital 3‑D models of 46 Chiari skulls and 57 controls from hospital CT scans, then compared them to eight fossil crania. 



The Chiari group <a href="https://academic.oup.com/emph/advance-article/doi/10.1093/emph/eoaf009/8175225" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">matched</a> Homo neanderthalensis almost point for point, while Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, and early Homo sapiens aligned with today’s rounder <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-fossils-reveal-signs-of-a-population-collapse/">skulls</a>.



“It highlights the idea that these are Neanderthal traits, not just early traits,” said Plomp, her screen filled with color‑coded heat maps of bone angles. She called the overlap “another way that Neanderthal genes might be influencing our health, and in this case, in a negative way.”



Neanderthals carried brains slightly larger than ours, but their cranial base sloped backward like a built‑in ramp. That shape fits an ice‑age life of powerful jaw muscles and big sinus spaces, yet it also left scant room for a bulging <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-theory-explains-why-neanderthals-vanished-and-homo-sapiens-are-alive-today/">human</a> cerebellum.



Most people carry between 1 and 2 percent <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12961" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neanderthal DNA</a>, a legacy of interbreeding roughly 50,000 years ago. Much of that genetic cargo is benign, though some alleles affect immune response, metabolism, and now, it seems, skull geometry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-neanderthal-dna-and-skull-shape">Ancient Neanderthal DNA and skull shape</h2>



The overlap does not prove cause and effect, so the team now plans full‑genome scans of Chiari patients to hunt “introgressed” sequences, bits of archaic DNA that slipped into the modern gene pool. 



Introgression <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36763080/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> have already linked certain Neanderthal variants to nicotine addiction and even severe COVID‑19 cases.



If a skull‑shaping gene set turns up, clinicians could screen high‑risk families before symptoms strike. Early detection matters because decompression surgery, while effective, involves removing bone and sometimes fusing vertebrae.



“I didn’t have the science to prove my hypothesis. This paper is a big step closer toward that proof,” said Barbosa Fernandes after reviewing the metric curves.



Other forms of Chiari, labeled types 2 through 4, follow different rules. Type 2, in contrast, is tightly linked to severe <a href="https://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">spina bifida</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-skull-shape-affects-daily-life">How skull shape affects daily life</h2>



The cerebellum fine‑tunes balance, speech, and motor control, so its squeeze can scramble day‑to‑day skills such as handwriting or climbing stairs. 



MRI technicians now know to look for the tell‑tale “tonsillar descent,” a downward bulge of cerebellar tissue past the foramen magnum.



Many patients report that lying flat eases pressure, hinting that gravity exacerbates the pinch. Others seek help only after years of unexplained migraines, an example of how ancient traits can hide in plain sight.



Anthropologists see the study as proof that evolutionary leftovers do not always vanish quietly. A skull optimized for an Ice Age hunter may pose problems for a modern desk worker whose brain spends hours hunched over screens. 



Pediatric surgeons are also watching. If Neanderthal‑linked genes surface, prenatal scans may one day flag a risky skull angle long before birth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-predicting-brain-conditions">Predicting brain conditions</h2>



Plomp’s group now collaborates with population geneticists to map their CT findings onto hundreds of living genomes. They hope to learn whether carriers of specific Neanderthal skull DNA face higher odds of surgical intervention.



Public health officials could then estimate regional Chiari burdens and tailor neurosurgery training programs. In areas with limited MRI access, a simple cranial X‑ray angle might serve as an early warning.



Evolution offers trade‑offs, and the Neanderthal‑style skull saved heat in bitter winters but became a tight squeeze for our expanded cerebellum. Knowing that trade‑off exists empowers clinicians and patients alike.



“It looks like this is just another way that Neanderthal genes might be influencing our health, and in this case, in a negative way,” said Plomp. The team hopes DNA data will seal the evolutionary link.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/emph/advance-article/doi/10.1093/emph/eoaf009/8175225?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health</a>.



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Neanderthal skull traits cause modern human brain problems

A pulsing headache can feel like your brain is fighting for space. New research suggests that this tug-of-war may trace back to Neanderthal skull traits we share with our extinct cousins. A recent study zeroes in on Chiari malformation type 1, a condition in which the lower cerebellum droops through the foramen magnum, the bony opening at the skull’s base. Lead author Kimberly Plomp of the University of the Philippines Diliman teamed up with neurosurgeon Yvens Barbosa Fernandes from Brazil’s State University of Campinas to test an idea he floated...

After an autonomous car struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona last year, the woman's family is suing the city of Tempe for negligence. Meanwhile, cognitive and computer scientists are debating whether <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/self-driving-car-americans/">self-driven vehicles</a> should be held responsible for their own actions and wrongdoing.

Study co-author Yochanan Bigman is an expert in social and moral psychology at the <a href="https://www.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</a>.

“We're on the verge of a technological and social revolution in which autonomous machines will replace humans in the workplace, on the roads, and in our homes,” said Bigman. “When these robots inevitably do something to harm humans, how will people react? We need to figure this out now, while regulations and laws are still being formed.”

The researchers believe that the perceived competence of some machines, including the ability to act independently of humans, could make people more likely to hold them morally responsible for their own actions. 

Beyond autonomy, the very appearance of a robot has an influence on moral judgement. For example, a human-looking robot will likely be perceived as having a human mind. Realistic robots are also expected to have an awareness of their surroundings, and are thought to have the freedom to act with intent.


These issues have important implications for the people and companies who develop and operate autonomous machines. The study authors argue that there could be cases where robots act as a scapegoat for those who are responsible for programming them.

Autonomous technology continues to advance, and the subject of whether the rights of robots need to be legally protected has already been addressed. The experts pointed out that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Robots and a 2017 European Union report have laid the groundwork for extending certain moral standards to include machines.

“We suggest that now - while machines and our intuitions about them are still in flux - is the best time to systematically explore questions of robot morality,” wrote the study authors. “By understanding how human minds make sense of morality, and how we perceive the mind of machines, we can help society think more clearly about the impending rise of robots and help roboticists understand how their creations are likely to be received.”


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/trends-in-cognitive-sciences">Trends in Cognitive Sciences</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

Should robots and autonomous vehicles take the blame for wrongdoing?

After an autonomous car struck and killed a pedestrian in...

RNA and DNA may have arisen at the same time to form the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/building-blocks-life-space/">building blocks for all life on Earth</a>, according to a new study. 

It’s the first time that researchers have been able to show that RNA and DNA could feasibly have come from the same precursor molecules and that even the earliest forms of life used both RNA and DNA in the same way that life on Earth does today. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.scripps.edu/">Scripps Research Institute</a> and published in the journal Nature Chemistry. 

The results contradict the popular “RNA World” hypothesis which suggests that early life first used the simpler RNA and DNA only entered the picture later. 

Even though most scientists agree with the “RNA World” hypothesis, no studies have shown how one converted to the other as life started evolving and this may be because both arose at the same time on Earth. 

It was generally assumed that RNA was the basis for the first life on Earth because it’s simpler and more versatile compared to DNA. 

“These new findings suggest that it may not be reasonable for chemists to be so heavily guided by the RNA World hypothesis in investigating the origins of life on Earth,” said Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, a co-principal investigator for the study. 

The researchers built on a 2017 study that identified a compound that could have helped RNA and DNA blocks form chains.

The team focused on a compound called thiouridine which could have been an early precursor to the building blocks of life. 

In just a few chemical reactions the researchers were able to convert thiouridine into deoxyadenosine, which is a building block of DNA. 

“There is the beginning of a realization in the field that RNA and DNA could have been mixed together initially but later separated according to the things they do best,” Krishnamurthy says.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

DNA and RNA may have appeared on Earth at the same time

RNA and DNA may have arisen at the same time...

Which natural material is five times stronger than steel and can be stretched two to four times its original length, all while being finer than a human hair? If you answered spider silk – or at least “spider webs” – then you’d be correct. And while the potential applications for this material are tremendous, harvesting it is another matter altogether. <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/peacock-spiders-mating-displays/">Spiders</a> only produce very small amounts of this silk, and when they’re grouped together, they have the bad habit of eating each other. 

Luckily, a new method of bio-manufacturing may have come up with an answer for the silk-harvesting problem. 

“My lab is interested in engineering microbes so that we can not only produce these materials, but make them even better,” says Fuzhong Zhang, Ph.D., the principal investigator of this project. “NASA is one of our funders, and they are interested in bioproduction. They’re currently developing technologies in which they can convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates that could be used as food for the microbes that we’re engineering. That way, astronauts could produce these plant-based materials in space without bringing a large amount of feedstocks.”

Other projects have tried to pair silk proteins in plants, yeast, and even goats – but the end product has not measured up to the real thing. The researchers say one of the issues is that proteins in spider silk are encoded by long, repetitive sequences of DNA, which often breakdown in other hosts. 

Zhang’s research involves implanting the proteins in bacteria, book-ended by protein sequences called split inteins, which are able to join with each other and cut out an exact protein replica. The results of this experiment were full-length proteins that – upon being removed from the bacteria – were purified, spun, and made into an exact match of spider’s silk.

Along with being used in space by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, this non-spider silk could be used in manufacturing bulletproof Kevlar vests and surgical sutures. The researchers are currently refining the process while also beginning to work on other materials, one of which is a protein found in mussels that could be used as an underwater adhesive.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists use bacteria to produce ulta-strong spider silk

Which natural material is five times stronger than steel and...

Researchers are working to reverse <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reverse-effecs-aging-brain/">age-related disease</a>, chronic disease, and age-related decline by focusing on the source of these diseases, and a new group of anti-aging drugs called <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/wonder-drugs-target-apos-zombie-190000268.html?guccounter=1">senolytics</a> could be made available to the public in the next two years.

Senolytics work by targeting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-have-identified-anti-aging-drugs-using-ai-technology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">senescent cells</a>, which are sometimes called “zombie cells.” 

Health cells divide, die, and get cleared away to make room for new cells. However, sometimes old and decaying cells don’t get cleared away and instead start spreading dangerous chemicals to the surrounding cells.

These are senescent cells, and researchers have theorized that the accumulation of senescent cells causes disease and age-related decline.

Senescent cells have been linked to everything from Alzheimer's to diabetes, providing new pathways for treatment and prevention.

Instead of focusing and treating a single disease, senolytics work like antibiotics by treating a whole host of age-related problems triggered by senescent cell build up.

“Ageing itself is the highest risk factor for most of the chronic diseases. And if you get one age-related disease, you’ve got a huge chance of having several,” said Dr. James Kirkland, the Director of the <a href="https://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/robert-arlene-kogod-center-aging">Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging</a> at <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/">Mayo Clinic</a>. “Around 10 years ago we began to explore the notion that ageing may be an upstream cause of all of these conditions and not only be a risk factor but could actually be causal.”

It’s been shown that animals injected with senescent cells begin to age quickly and develop diseases typically only seen in older animals. However, when these same animals are given anti-aging drugs that target senescent cells build up, the aging reverses along with the negative health impacts.

In some tests with mice, senolytic drugs extended natural lifespan by 36 percent. What’s more, the mice stayed healthy in their old age.

There are already six human trials underway at the Mayo Clinic, and there are six more tests planned in the future.

“The important thing medically is you’ve got a mechanism-based treatment which always works a lot better than a symptomatic treatment,” said Kirkland. “If you’re replacing a neurotransmitter in say Parkinson’s it works for a little while but then the disease advances and you get Parkinson’s disease back.”

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Anti-aging drugs are showing promise in human trials

Researchers are working to reverse age-related disease, chronic disease, and...

According to a new study by researchers at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>, genes play a role in whether an individual's face is widely considered to be attractive. The extent of this genetic influence on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/social-media-beauty-standards/">beauty</a>, however, varies with the person’s gender.

Humans tend to be preoccupied with beauty, associating a person's attractiveness with academic performance, career success, and economic mobility. Despite this overemphasis on beauty, the genetic basis for attractiveness is relatively unknown. 

To investigate, researchers conducted a genome-wide association study using genetic data from more than 4,000 individuals to pinpoint specific regions of the genome that promote facial beauty. 

Volunteers were asked to score yearbook photos based on attractiveness from participants with European ancestry. These scores were then compared to each individual's genetic makeup. 

The researchers identified several genes related to facial attractiveness, but their roles were found to vary by sex. In women, some genetic variations linked to beauty also appeared to be related to genes impacting body mass. In males, the variants associated with attractiveness were linked to genes affecting blood cholesterol levels.

The study provides new insight into the genetic factors that influence facial attractiveness. The research also highlights the complex relationships between beauty and other individual characteristics. 

“Similar to many other human traits, there is not a 'master gene' that determines a person's attractiveness,” said study lead author Qiongshi Lu. “Instead, it is most likely associated with a large number of genetic components with weak effects. Interestingly, sex-specificity is a recurrent pattern observed in almost all the analyses in our study.” 

The researchers acknowledge that their findings are limited to a homogenous group of individuals of the same age and ethnic background. Future research focused on a larger sample size of more diverse people will provide a better understanding of the genetic influence on beauty.


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/">PLOS Genetics</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

Experts identify regions of the genome that promote facial beauty

According to a new study by researchers at the University...

Researchers working on the <a href="https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/open-agriculture-openag/projects/">Open Agriculture Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab</a> have grown basil plants using computer algorithms that determine the perfect growing conditions to maximize the basil’s taste. Called “cyber agriculture,” this method of combining computer technology with botany and chemistry could not only improve crop flavor, but also enhance disease-fighting compounds in herbs and aid growers in adapting their crops to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-hinder-agriculture/">changing climate conditions</a>.

"Our goal is to design open-source technology at the intersection of data acquisition, sensing, and machine learning, and apply it to agricultural research in a way that hasn't been done before," said Caleb Harper, a principal research scientist in MIT's Media Lab and director of the OpenAg group. "We're really interested in building networked tools that can take a plant's experience, its phenotype, the set of stresses it encounters, and its genetics, and digitize that to allow us to understand the plant-environment interaction."

Harper and his colleagues are experimenting with cyber agriculture in climate-controlled shipping containers. They’re not the only ones to be playing around with the idea of cyber agriculture — sometimes called environmental agriculture, vertical farming, or urban farming — however, companies who are partaking in the process rarely share their information and findings. The OpenAg group hopes to knock down this barrier and make information, software, and data pertaining to their cyber agriculture findings widely available for anyone who wishes to access it.

"There is a big problem right now in the agricultural space in terms of lack of publicly available data, lack of standards in data collection, and lack of data sharing," Harper said. "So while machine learning and artificial intelligence and advanced algorithm design have moved so fast, the collection of well-tagged, meaningful agricultural data is way behind. Our tools being open-source, hopefully they will get spread faster and create the ability to do networked science together." They’re starting with publishing their findings April 3rd in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE.</a>

In their study, the team set out to prove the effectiveness of cyber agriculture. In the climate-controlled shipping containers, the team set up hydroponic vessels which they called “food computers.” While growing in these vessels, basil plants were exposed to specific durations of light and ultraviolet light, and once full grown, the plants were evaluated for their taste via gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, chemistry techniques that allowed the researchers to measure the concentration of volatile compounds in the basil plants’ leaves.

The information collected from this experiment was then fed to a machine-learning algorithm program, which generated plans for growing conditions that would maximize flavor, such as a 24-hour daylight exposure plan.

Researchers are now playing with other conditions like humidity, temperature, and colored light, along with adding nutrients or hormones to the growing process. Further, adjusting conditions to enhance compounds within specific plants could be translated into the medical field in the future as well as set up new regimes for crops that are feeling the negative effects of climate change.

"You can see this paper as the opening shot for many different things that can be applied, and it's an exhibition of the power of the tools that we've built so far," said coauthor John de la Parra, the research lead for the OpenAg group. "This was the archetype for what we can now do on a bigger scale."

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By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Melanie Gonick

‘Cyber agriculture’ could produce tastier crops

Researchers working on the Open Agriculture Initiative at the Massachusetts...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">The University of British Columbia</a> are describing the very first organism ever found that can produce chlorophyll yet does not participate in photosynthesis. The organism has been given the name corallicolid because it is found in 70 percent of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/corals-survive-bleaching-resilient/">corals</a> around the world and may ultimately help experts to protect them.

“This is the second most abundant cohabitant of coral on the planet and it hasn't been seen until now,” said study co-author Patrick Keeling. “This organism poses completely new biochemical questions. It looks like a parasite, and it's definitely not photosynthetic. But it still makes chlorophyll.”

Chlorophyll is the green pigment that allows plants to absorb energy from sunlight during photosynthesis.

“Having chlorophyll without photosynthesis is actually very dangerous because chlorophyll is very good at capturing energy, but without photosynthesis to release the energy slowly it is like living with a bomb in your cells,” explained Keeling.

Corallicolids can be found in the gastric cavity of a variety of reef-building corals, as well as black corals, fan corals, mushroom corals, and anemones. They are part of a vast group of parasites, also known as apicomplexans, that have a cellular compartment called a plastid where photosynthesis takes place.

While coral reefs were known to contain several apicomplexans, the most common one was being overlooked. Corallicolids were not only found to have a plastid, but were surprisingly found to contain all four plastid genes used in chlorophyll production.

[caption id="attachment_1870714" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/coral.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1870714" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/coral.jpeg" alt="" width="650" height="433" /></a> Researchers examining corals underwater. Image Credit: Varsha Mathur[/caption]

“It's quite a head scratcher,” said study lead author Waldan Kwong. “We don't know why these organisms are holding on to these photosynthesis genes. There's some novel biology going on here, something we haven't seen before.”

The researchers hope that a better understanding of corallicolids will provide new insights into coral habitats and how to preserve them.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</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

Main Image Credit: Patrick Keeling Lab, UBC

First organism found that can produce chlorophyll without photosynthesis

Scientists at The University of British Columbia are describing the...

You may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but it turns out you can train a cow to use a litter box. 

Henk Hanskamp, a Dutch inventor and businessman, has developed a “cow toilet” that collects cow urine, and it’s an innovative device that could help limit the amount of ammonia that enters the environment from farms. 

A single cow toilet collects around 26 to 35 pints of cow pee from a single cow every day, and according to Hanscamp, his inventions could cut the amount of ammonia emissions produced by cows by half. 

Since cow ammonia emissions account for around 49 percent of all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farms-have-become-a-major-source-of-air-pollution/">ammonia emissions from agriculture</a>, finding ways to tackle ammonia and other cattle-specific emissions is crucial to agriculture sustainability and mitigating atmospheric greenhouse gases. 

Cows and other livestock are not the only sources of ammonia emissions, but high concentrations of ammonia are dangerous to human health and wellbeing. 

Ammonia has been linked to haze and eutrophication which is when water is enriched with nutrients from agricultural and waste runoff and causes dangerous algae blooms. When algae blooms occur, it limits the amount of oxygen for other aquatic species. 

Hanskamp hopes to have the cow toilet market ready by 2020, but as of now, the device is being tested in farms in the Netherlands. 

“We are tackling the problem at the source,” Hanskamp told the <a href="https://www.afp.com/en">Agence France-Presse</a>. “A cow is never going to be completely clean, but you can teach them to go to the toilet.”

The device is a box that is placed behind the cow during feeding. After the cow is done eating, the device stimulates a nerve that causes the cow to urinate. However, some of the cows have become so well trained and used to the litter box that they urinate without having their nerve stimulated.

Besides limiting emissions, Hamskamp also says that the device helps keep cowpens clean and dry. 

In the US last year, the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/">Food and Drug Administration </a>(FDA) approved a drug called <a href="https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/FDAInBrief/ucm625209.htm">Experior </a>which, when fed to beef cattle, reduces the number of ammonia emissions from the animal’s waste. 

The drug has been deemed safe by the FDA, but if Hanskamp’s litter box method proves successful and becomes available to international markets, it might be an easier and less invasive way to get the same desirable results without drug intervention. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

New ‘cow toilets’ could help reduce emissions from livestock

You may not be able to teach an old dog...

An international team of researchers led by the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/">University of Warwick</a> has sequenced and analyzed the genome of the milkweed bug. The study is providing new insight into the diet and colors of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/insects-extinct-century/">insects</a>. 

The Hemiptera are a diverse insect order, with between 50,000 to 80,000 species including the milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus.


“Milkweed bugs are a great species to study,” said lead investigator and species coordinator Kristen Panfilio. “They have served as a research model for ecology, metabolism, development, and genetics since the mid-twentieth century, in part because they are very easy to keep. In fact, the strain we sequenced for the genome project is also used in school classrooms, as the bugs are a beautiful red-orange and black colour throughout their life cycles.”

Milkweed is a toxic food source, and the insect’s bright red-orange color serves as a warning to predators that the bugs would taste bad. This is the same coloration seen in monarch butterflies, which share the same food source. The researchers found that the bugs and butterflies have different enzymes for handling essential amino acids.

“Having worked on wing development for over fifteen years, it is exciting that we now have access to the genome to fully analyze some of these very complex genes,” said study co-author Deniz Erezyilmaz.

[caption id="attachment_1870647" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/adult-milkweed-bug.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870647" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/adult-milkweed-bug.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="479" /></a> Adult milkweed bug, Image Credit: Jena Johnson[/caption]

The researchers also determined that species with highly specialized liquid diets tend to lose certain metabolic enzymes along with the range of their smell and taste receptors. By contrast, the milkweed bug retains a much fuller collection of sensory proteins. 

Furthermore, the genome analysis revealed that milkweed bugs and some of their relatives such as the stink bug have newly acquired genes from bacteria, some of which provide enzymes that help them digest the tough cellulose found in plant tissues. According to the researchers, knowing which genes support an invasive species' diet can help in developing pest management strategies. 

“As genome sequencing projects continue to venture out into the wider array of insect and animal diversity, knowledge of gene properties in larger genomes will be increasingly important,” said study co-author Robert Waterhouse.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/">Genome Biology</a>.
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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Deniz Erezyilmaz

Milkweed bug genome analysis reveals secrets of insect diets

An international team of researchers led by the University of...

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/brain-stimulation-patients-calm-surgery/">surgical procedure</a> used to reshape a nose or an ear involves cutting and suturing, which is often followed by a long recovery time and scarring. But now, researchers have developed a noninvasive “molecular surgery” technique that uses tiny needles, electricity, and 3D-printed molds to quickly reshape living tissue with no pain.

“We envision this new technique as a low-cost office procedure done under local anesthesia,” said Dr. Michael Hill, one of the project's principal investigators. “The whole process would take about five minutes."

The project was initiated when Dr. Brian Wong asked for Dr. Hill’s assistance in creating a noninvasive technique to reshape cartilage. Dr. Wong was already an expert in an alternative method that uses an infrared laser to heat cartilage, which makes it flexible enough to mold and reshape. 

"The problem is, that technique is expensive, and it's hard to heat the cartilage enough so that it's malleable without killing the tissue,” explained Dr. Hill.

Dr. Wong's team discovered they could send an electrical current through cartilage to heat it up. This allowed them to successfully reshape the tissue, but the researchers were concerned to find that the tissue was not actually being warmed up. The experts set out to determine how the new method was working and if it was safe.

[caption id="attachment_1870633" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/molecular-surgery.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1870633" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/molecular-surgery.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="312" /></a> New noninvasive process can alter the curve of a cornea, Image Credit: Rachel Qu, Anna Stokolosa, Charlotte Culip[/caption]

Dr. Hill's team discovered that passing the current through cartilage electrolyzed water in the tissue, converting the water into oxygen and hydrogen ions. The positive charge of the protons cancels out the negative charge on the proteins, making the cartilage more flexible. 

“Once the tissue is floppy, you can mold it to whatever shape you want,” explained Dr. Hill.

The team tested the method on a rabbit with ears that normally stood straight up. By inserting microneedle electrodes into the ear at the bend and pulsing the current through them with a mold in place, the experts managed to soften the cartilage at the bend site without damage. When the current was turned off, the cartilage hardened into its new shape before the mold was removed.


Using traditional methods, a surgeon would have to cut through the skin and cartilage and then fuse the pieces back together. According to Dr. Hill, the molecular surgery technique causes no scarring and no pain.

The research will be presented at the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) Spring 2019 National Meeting &amp; Exposition.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Molecular surgery developed to reshape tissue with no incision

The surgical procedure used to reshape a nose or an...

In their research to determine why so many <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fungal-disease-mass-amphibian-extinction/">amphibian</a> species are dying out, scientists at the <a href="https://www.wlv.ac.uk/">University of Wolverhampton</a> and <a href="https://www.salford.ac.uk/">University of Salford</a> are asking for your help. The researchers are attempting to gather as much data as possible from publicly provided toad samples – in the form of either mouth swabs of living animals or toe-tips from dead toads.

“We are really interested in having as many people from across the UK helping to collect as many genetic samples as possible,” Rémi Martin, a PhD candidate conducting the research, told <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/">The Times</a>. “These samples can be in the form of ‘toe-tips’ from toads killed on roads or buccal swabs from live toads. If people want to get involved, then they should email us and we will send out a sampling pack.”

Their research is being conducted in partnership with <a href="http://amphibian-reptile-conservation.org/">Amphibian and Reptile Conservation</a> (ARC). 

“We will use the data to look at how genetic diversity in toad populations may have changed over time or by area, how this may be affecting some populations in the modern landscape, and how declines might be addressed through conservation,” Dr. John Wilkinson, the supervisor of this research who also works for the ARC, told <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/">The Times</a>. “Samples from all populations are useful but we would be particularly interested in sites with some history – that is, known not to have declined or known to have been through a decline already.”

A recent study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> found that 90 amphibian species have already died out as a result of a single deadly fungal disease. This disease, known as Chytrid fungus disease, is caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochyrium dendrobatidis (Bd). The fungus kills amphibians by damaging their skin, destroying their immune systems, and even causing heart failure. It is believed to be responsible for killing off hundreds of amphibian species, and could potentially be a threat to one-third of the world’s frogs and salamanders.

So if you want to help out our amphibian friends in the face of this fearless fungus, get in touch with the ARC and keep your eyes peeled for toads to sample.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How you can help frogs by cutting off their toes (after they’re dead)

In their research to determine why so many amphibian species...

66 million years ago, a North Dakota floodplain nicknamed the Hell Creek Formation quickly transformed from an inland sea habitat teeming with prehistoric life to a mass killing field laid waste by raining glass, 30-foot waves, and piles of sediment and clay, marking the end of the Cretaceous Period. 

It’s a one-of-a-kind dinosaur graveyard, and paleontologists have so far uncovered piles of fish fossils stacked on top of one another, charred tree trunks and branches, fossils of mammals, insects and even part of a Triceratops, as well as many other marine organisms. 

Excavations of the Hell Creek Formation first started six years ago. Digging was led by Robert DePalma, who hypothesized that the area was home to a mass grave linked to the asteroid impact that triggered an extinction responsible for wiping out around 75 percent of all life on Earth. 

This event is called the K-T Boundary, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaur-extinction-event-darkness/">K-Pg extinction</a>, and after years of digging, the fossils discovered so far line up with DePalma’s suspicions. 

“This is the first mass death assemblage of large organisms anyone has found associated with the K-T boundary,” said DePalma. “At no other K-T boundary section on Earth can you find such a collection consisting of a large number of species representing different ages of organisms and different stages of life, all of which died at the same time, on the same day.”

A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes the site and its link to the asteroid that struck the Yucatan Peninsula 66 million years ago. 

“It's like a museum of the end of the Cretaceous in a layer a meter-and-a-half thick,” said Mark Richards, a co-author of the study and professor emeritus of earth and planetary science at <a href="http://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a>.

Once the asteroid made impact, asteroid dust and rock debris were sent into the atmosphere blanketing the world in a thick cloud. 

From this cloud rained down tiny glass beads called tektites, pelting the land like birdshot at speeds of 100 to 200 miles per hour and possibly even setting fire to trees and plants. 

The force of the impact of the asteroid also caused the inland sea to churn up massive waves until a wall of water 30 feet high crashed into the mouth of a river. 

After this, hundreds of freshwater fish were stranded on a sandbar, and the river temporarily reversed course. Struggling on the sand, the fish were pelted by the glass beads, some so large that they buried the fish deep into the mud through the force of impact. 

Not long after being buried by sediment, glass beads, and rocks from the atmosphere, a second wave destroyed everything in its path.

[caption id="attachment_1870597" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/fossilized-fish.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1870597" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/fossilized-fish.jpeg" alt="" width="650" height="486" /></a> Fossilized fish piled one atop another, Image Credit: Robert DePalma[/caption]

The researchers are sure that two waves caused the mass destruction at the site because one single wave does not explain how the fish became both stranded and then buried.

Two huge waves called seiches crashed ashore and covered everything in at least six feet of deposits and on top of this formed a layer of clay-rich iridium, a second key clue that this site is linked to the K-T Boundary. 

Iridium is a rare metal on Earth but commonly found in asteroids and comets. 

It would make sense that the Hells Creek site was sealed in by iridium because as the impact of the asteroid sent debris skyward, this debris slowly rained back down on Earth, and iridium was the last to fall from the atmosphere. 

“We have an amazing array of discoveries which will prove in the future to be even more valuable,” said Jan Smit, an expert on tektites who helped DePalma study the fossils found at the site. “We have fantastic deposits that need to be studied from all different viewpoints. And I think we can unravel the sequence of incoming ejecta from the Chicxulub impact in great detail, which we would never have been able to do with all the other deposits around the Gulf of Mexico.” 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Main Image Credit: Robert DePalma

What happened after the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs made impact?

66 million years ago, a North Dakota floodplain nicknamed the...

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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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