Genetic,Brain,Disorders,,Conceptual,3d,Illustration.,Mutations,In,The,Dna

When folks picture Neanderthals, the image often involves heavy brows, furry pelts, and stone tools. Yet pieces of their DNA are still part of the modern human genome. Recent research suggests that some of these genetic variants inherited from Neanderthals could be linked to autism spectrum disorder.



About 50,000-60,000 years ago, small groups of modern humans trekked out of Africa into Eurasia. They met Neanderthals, exchanged tools, and also exchanged genes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-analysis-reveals-most-recent-modern-human-to-interbreed-with-neanderthals/">through interbreeding</a>. 



It has been estimated that Eurasian-derived populations have approximately <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq3010" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2% Neanderthal DNA</a>, which was acquired during introgression events occurring shortly after anatomically modern humans migrated out of Africa.



Later, some descendants journeyed back to Africa, sprinkling a much thinner dusting of Neanderthal genes across the continent. 



That genetic shuffling means nearly everyone on Earth carries at least a trace of <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/the-neanderthal-in-us.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neanderthal ancestry</a>, though the amount varies.



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



Genetic leftovers can be helpful. Certain <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-06587-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neanderthal alleles</a> boost immune responses or aid survival at high altitudes. 



Many others never meshed well with our biology and were slowly weeded out by natural selection. Brain-related genes are especially unforgiving; even minor glitches can prove disruptive. 



With the recent sequencing of multiple <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867424001168" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">archaic human genomes</a>, there has been growing interest concerning the influence of archaic human-derived alleles on modern health.



Yet some Neanderthal variants slipped past that filter. They linger in regions tied to perception, memory, and social understanding, sparking curiosity about their subtle effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-autism-clues-in-neanderthal-dna">Autism clues in Neanderthal DNA</h2>



The study linking autism to Neanderthal DNA was led by researchers from <a href="https://www.clemson.edu/">Clemson University</a> and <a href="https://www.luc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Loyola University</a>.



The authors compared whole-genome data from autistic people, their unaffected siblings, and unrelated controls across diverse ethnic backgrounds. 



They saw that both rare and common Neanderthal-derived variants appeared more often in autistic participants. 



The pattern wasn’t about carrying more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-inject-40000-year-old-neanderthal-dna-gli3-gene-into-mice-with-incredible-results/">Neanderthal DNA</a> overall; it hinged on possessing particular snippets.



One striking theme involved genes that guide how distant brain regions talk to each other. 



Visual-processing circuits appeared to run hotter, while the so-called default mode network, linked to daydreaming and social reflection, ran cooler. 



Those connectivity signatures match traits many autistic individuals report - keen pattern recognition alongside social fatigue.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seeing-the-world-in-sharp-focus">Seeing the world in sharp focus</h2>



Functional MRI scans from the same project confirmed this pattern. People who carried a higher load of the identified <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/inner-ears-of-neanderthals-reveals-catastrophic-population-event-during-their-evolution/">Neanderthal variants</a> - whether autistic or not - showed stronger signaling in visual areas. 



Meanwhile, pathways that normally hum during casual conversation or idle thought stayed quieter. 



The result hints that these ancient genes might sculpt a cognitive profile tuned for intense observation and precise motor planning.



Archaeologists note a similar nuance in Neanderthal craftsmanship and stone tool making skills. 



Their <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levallois_technique" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Levallois technique</a> required stepwise planning, spatial reasoning, and sustained focus - skills that resonate with strengths many autistic thinkers display today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-evolutionary-twist">An evolutionary twist</h2>



Why would such variants stick around? One idea points to the small, tight-knit bands <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-and-neanderthals-species-face-structure-evolved-differently/">Neanderthals</a> likely formed. In that setting, visual scouting for game, shelter, or stone resources could outweigh complex social juggling. 



When Homo sapiens groups interbred with them, those advantageous perceptual talents may have proved useful enough to persist.



The study does not argue that Neanderthal DNA “causes” autism. Instead, it suggests that a handful of inherited tweaks can raise the odds of certain traits emerging along a spectrum. 



Those traits might have offered benefits in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-theory-explains-why-neanderthals-vanished-and-homo-sapiens-are-alive-today/">ancestral environments</a> - and still do in fields that prize logic, detail, and pattern spotting.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neanderthal-contributions-to-autism">Neanderthal contributions to autism</h2>



Researchers stress that genetics is only part of the autism puzzle. Environment, early development, and countless other genes interact in ways science is still charting. 



Even so, identifying concrete Neanderthal contributions helps explain why autism exists worldwide, independent of culture or upbringing. 



It also reframes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/placenta-hormones-may-have-driven-human-brain-evolution/">neurodiversity</a> as a legacy of humanity’s mixed heritage rather than a modern anomaly.



Many families notice clusters of analytical talent - mathematicians, engineers, visual artists - scattered among autistic and non-autistic relatives alike. The new findings offer a biological thread connecting those shared gifts.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-happens-next">What happens next?</h2>



“We hope this research will lead to further investigation into the ongoing influences of ancient hybridization between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthals-and-humans-had-multiple-waves-of-contact/">Homo sapiens and Neanderthals</a> in brain development, human intelligence, and overall human health, as well as spur work into additional clinical resources for this complex population,” the research team wrote.



Future projects will likely probe other neurodevelopmental conditions, explore how Neanderthal variants interact with modern lifestyles, and refine personalized supports. 



As we continue to discover, the story of human evolution didn't stop with one lineage replacing another. It wove their strengths together, leaving fingerprints that guide our thoughts, perceptions, and innovations in modern humans to this day.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-024-02593-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Molecular Psychiatry</a>.



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Scientists link autism to Neanderthal DNA found in modern humans

When folks picture Neanderthals, the image often involves heavy brows, furry pelts, and stone tools. Yet pieces of their DNA are still part of the modern human genome. Recent research suggests that some of these genetic variants inherited from Neanderthals could be linked to autism spectrum disorder. About 50,000-60,000 years ago, small groups of modern humans trekked out of Africa into Eurasia. They met Neanderthals, exchanged tools, and also exchanged genes through interbreeding. It has been estimated that Eurasian-derived populations have approximately 2% Neanderthal DNA, which was...

From West Nile virus to Malaria, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosquito-populations-control/#.XJvY7ihKhPY">mosquito-borne diseases</a> continue to plague many countries around the world and cause millions of deaths each year. 

To prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases, scientists must first understand how mosquitoes seek out and choose their hosts. 

In a new study published in the journal<a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)30215-5"> Current Biology</a>, researchers from the <a href="https://www.fiu.edu/">Florida International University of Miami</a> discovered which olfactory receptors help female mosquitoes pick up the scent of human sweat, or more specifically, the acidic volatiles present in human sweat. 

Mosquitoes can sense a wide range of cues to help find a suitable host including carbon dioxide emissions, body odor, body heat, moisture, and visual cues. 

The researchers expanded on previous studies that found that by disrupting a mosquito’s olfactory receptor, the mosquito had a harder time telling the difference between humans and animals. 

The researchers focused on an olfactory coreceptor called Ir8a, which is found in the antenna of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to disrupt the receptor’s abilities.  

The gene-edited mosquitoes carrying a mutant version of Ir8a weren’t drawn to the lactic acid found in sweat and were not able to pick other acidic volatiles in human odors. 

Modifying the receptor did not change a mosquito’s sensitivity to CO2, but it did reduce the mosquito’s ability to seek out human hosts. 

“Removing the function of Ir8a removes approximately 50 percent of host-seeking activity,” said Matthew DeGennaro, a senior author of the study.  “Odors that mask the IR8a pathway could be found that could enhance the efficacy of current repellents like DEET or picaridin. In this way, our discovery may help make people disappear as potential hosts for mosquitoes.”

The study could help pave the way for the development of innovative mosquito repellents that tackle the underlying mechanisms driving host-seeking behavior. 

“The transmission of diseases like dengue, yellow fever, Zika, and malaria can be blocked if we stop these mosquitoes from biting us,” said DeGennaro. “In order to find new solutions to prevent mosquito bites, we need to focus on understanding the molecular basis of mosquito behavior.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Alex Wild

Modifying a mosquitoes sense of smell can help prevent spread of disease

From West Nile virus to Malaria, mosquito-borne diseases continue to...

While there are many apps and games out there that claim to make you smarter, scientifically speaking all these apps do is make you good at that specific game.

Getting these skills to transfer to real world problem solving is whole other matter, and it's such a frustrating problem for cognitive researchers that it's even got a catchy name, “the curse of specificity.”

In other words, even though you may be remarkably skilled at a brain-training memory game, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be any better at not forgetting what to buy at the store. 

But now, researchers from <a href="https://www.brown.edu/">Brown University</a> may have found a way to transfer learning from an activity to the real world.

Their findings were published in the journal Current Biology.

“This challenge of transferring improvements on specific, simple cognitive tasks to complex, everyday tasks has been called the ‘curse of specificity,’” said Takeo Watanabe, an author of the study. 

For cognitive researchers like Watanabe, this curse presents a problem when trying to apply hopeful results from studies to patients to help <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/running-faster-learning-ability/#.XJv89ShKhPY">improve cognition</a>. 

For the new study, the researchers focused on visual perception learning where the neurons in the visual part of the brain are occupied with processing an object's features so the object can be later identified. 

The researchers had 12 participants who were graduate or undergraduate students take part in a categorization experiment. 

“Categorization is the process the brain uses to determine if, for example, an image is a snake or a stick, and it generally occurs in a higher brain region,” said Yuka Sasaki, a co-author of the study. “Doing categorization before the visual perceptual learning tasks was a simple idea, but the effect of transfer on that level is huge.”

The participants were first taught to categorize blurry striped circles called Gabor patches into two groups depending on the angle of the stripes in the circle. 

For the next five days, participants practiced identifying and categorizing the Gabor patches.

Next, the researchers tested the participant's categorization abilities and how well they could recognize patches with angles they had practiced on and patches with angles in the same category. 

Not surprisingly, the participants improved the most on recognizing the patches they had practice with, but the researchers also found that there was some transfer of learning as the participants improved in identifying Gabor patches of the same category. 

“Usually learning is very specific, but categorization -- which happens often in our daily lives -- can make transfer possible,” said Sasaki. “We think that this finding could be especially useful for clinical purposes. You won't have to train patients on every possible combination of stimuli.”

Next, the researchers would like to continue exploring how categorization helps learning transfer using magnetic resonance imaging to record brain activity as participants take part in visual perception learning training.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How categorization could be key to applying brain training to real life

While there are many apps and games out there that...

A research team led by Salim Al-Babili, an associate professor of plant science at the <a href="https://kaust.edu.sa/en">King Abdullah University of Science and Technology</a>, has found that by using plant hormones, they can hinder the growth of pesky weeds that threaten food security in Africa. 

Their findings will be published in <a href="https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/25722611">Plants, People, Planet</a>.

Striga hermonthica, also known as purple witchweed, is a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/invasive-plants-change-environment/">mega-invasive plant</a> that is estimated to ruin up to 40% of the food crops in sub-Saharan Africa, thus putting 300 million people in danger. 

Striga is a parasitic plant that attaches itself to the root of other host plants. However, the scientists realized that if Striga has no host to attach to, it will die out.

Al-Babili and his colleagues therefore exploited a hormone in Striga called strigolactones, which is responsible for Striga’s germination. 

When treating a bare crop with strigolactones, the Striga plants were tricked into believing a host plant is near by. But when the Striga germinates and finds there is no host to attach its seeds to, the plant dies.

With this method, Al-Babili and team were able to reduce the number of Striga plants by more than half.

Al-Babili has been rewarded with a $5 million grant from the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation to further his work reducing Striga population spread. 

The team notes that this method of treating the Striga problem doesn’t require additional water — it simply works when the rain falls — and can be applied to crop fields throughout crop rotation.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Plant hormones can be used in the fight against crop invaders

A research team led by Salim Al-Babili, an associate professor...

The hawksbill sea turtle is known for its beautiful shell, which has been admired by animal-lovers and exploited by poachers for decades. 

“The beauty of tortoiseshell has been the hawksbill’s curse,” says Dr. Emily Miller, an assistant research scientist at the <a href="https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/">Monterey Bay Aquarium</a> and first author of a new study published in <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>. Her research involved analyzing 150 years of tortoiseshell trade records and using realistic harvest models to explore the trade of endangered hawksbill sea turtles.

Hawksbills are critically endangered, and are mainly being <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/conservationists-brand-tortoise-shells/">killed for their shells</a>, which are used to make translucent, semi-precious material called tortoiseshell. This material has been carved into items such as sunglasses, bracelets, guitar picks, and combs. 

Prior estimates of the global tortoiseshell trade relied on data that only went as far back as 1950, but scientists know that these turtles have been hunted for centuries. The team at the Monterey Bay Aquarium collected archival import records from dozens of countries going back to 1844 for this study. These new records showed that over half a million kilograms of tortoiseshell were traded before 1950. From this data, the authors estimated that this correlated to over 880,000 turtles killed.

The study found that roughly nine million turtles were harvested for shells over 150 years across a range that includes tropical Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean waters. These findings are more than six times previous estimates. 

Miller used archival records to identify the top tortoiseshell exporters, finding a significant connection with modern IUU fishing patterns. Trade from Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Fiji, and Thailand combined to account for more than half of the historical exports.

“The fact that the tortoiseshell trade patterns and the IUU fishing patterns overlap so strongly suggests that social and economic factors are driving them,” Miller explains. “These drivers are issues of governance and longstanding trade relationships that form complex and opaque trade networks.”

By establishing the link between contemporary IUU fishing and long-standing tortoiseshell trade routes, this new research may be able to inform improved monitoring of other illegal trafficking of narcotics, guns, and humans. While the study has shed light on the illicit tortoiseshell trade, it has also shown how connected these activities are, and potentially given us a better idea of how to stop them.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Kyle Van Houtan/NOAA

History of tortoiseshell trade sheds light on other illegal trafficking

The hawksbill sea turtle is known for its beautiful shell,...

Researchers have compared the number of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistant-organisms-dust/">antibiotic resistance</a> genes found in the water treatment plants of seven European countries. The study revealed that the number of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater corresponds with the number of such bacteria collected in samples from patients in that region. This number was also found to coincide with the overall antibiotic consumption in any given area.

On a positive note, the investigators determined that modern, well-functioning wastewater plants are effective in removing bacteria resistant to antibiotics from the water during the treatment process.

On the other hand, the study produced evidence that shows it is possible for a treatment plant to function as an incubator of antibiotic resistance under certain conditions. Out of 12 treatment plants studied, the number of antibiotic resistance genes increased during the purification process in one facility.

“In this study, 11 of the 12 wastewater treatment plants under investigation mitigated the resistance problem, which seems to indicate that modern plants work well in this regard,” said Marko Virta, a microbiologist at the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en">University of Helsinki</a>.

“At the same time, an older plant or otherwise deficient purification process may end up increasing antibiotic resistance in the environment. We need more research findings from countries with high antibiotic consumption and less developed wastewater treatment practices.”

The researchers found that antibiotic use varies greatly by country in Europe. Southern Europeans use much more antibiotics compared to people in the north, which was reflected in the finding that residents of southern Europe tend to carry a much higher number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic use was also found to be higher in Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and Ireland, while antibiotics are prescribed and used less in Finland, Norway, and Germany. According to the study, the number of resistance genes found in wastewater bound for purification accurately represented the levels of usage in these countries. 

The treatment plants were successful in eliminating resistance from most of the samples. The share of antibiotic resistance genes found in the wastewater only increased during purification at one Portuguese treatment plant, which turned the plant into an incubator of antibiotic resistance.

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Levels of antibiotic resistance in a region can be measured in wastewater

Researchers have compared the number of antibiotic resistance genes found...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">UC San Francisco</a> set out to investigate how your brain knows when you have had enough water and allows you to stop feeling thirsty. While the team had found in a previous study that there are sensors in the mouth and throat that assist in this process, the experts felt there were still unanswered questions.

“This fast signal from the mouth and throat appears to track how much you drink and match that to what your body needs,” said study lead author Christopher Zimmerman. “But we also knew that this fast signal couldn't explain everything.”

In particular, the researchers wanted to understand how the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/physical-exercise-strengthen-brain/">brain</a> knows the exact amount of hydration a certain drink will provide. For example, salty sea water does not quench thirst, but would activate many of the same receptors in the mouth and throat as drinking water.

The team implanted optical fibers near the hypothalamus of mice to watch the activity of thirst neurons while the animals drank salty water. As expected, the neurons ceased activity as soon as the thirsty animals took a drink. However, the neurons quickly switched back on, suggesting that some other sensor tested the water and sent out an alert to the brain that it was too salty.

The researchers speculated that these signals were coming from the gut. To investigate, liquid was distributed directly into the stomachs of thirsty mice while the experts observed the activity of the thirst neurons. The experiment revealed that delivering fresh water to the gut deactivated the cells the same way as taking a drink, but the thirst neurons remained active after salt water was delivered.

The findings suggest that the sensors in the mouth and throat signal the brain to temporarily quench thirst to reward animals for taking a drink, but the decision of whether the thirst is quenched is then reviewed by neurons based on a second round of signals from sensors in the gut.

“Interestingly, salt water didn't drive drinking in well-hydrated mice, just in mice who were already thirsty,” said Zimmerman. “This suggests that signals from the gut are needed to quench thirst, but that you actually need to become dehydrated to trigger thirst in the first place.”

Dr. Zachary Knight is a neuroscientist and an associate professor of Physiology at UCSF. 

“This is the first time we've been able to watch in real time as single neurons integrate signals from different parts of the body to control a behavior like drinking,” said Dr. Knight. “This opens the door to studying how all these signals interact, such as how stress or body temperature influences thirst and appetite.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sensors in the gut help the brain determine if we are hydrated

Researchers at UC San Francisco set out to investigate how...

Sue, one of the largest and most well-preserved <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/real-t-rex-feathers-massive-eyes/#.XJpc8ihKhPY">Tyrannosaurus rex</a> skeletons in the world, has been knocked down a peg when it comes to world’s biggest T. rex. 

Paleontologists from the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/">University of Alberta</a> have reported that a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, first discovered in 1991 in Saskatchewan, Canada, is the largest ever found.

Measuring a massive 42 feet (13 meters) in length and likely weighing more than 19,000 pounds when it was alive (8,800 kilograms), the skeleton, nicknamed Scotty, is not only a couple hundred kilograms heavier than Sue, but its size and weight make it larger than all other carnivorous dinosaurs. 

“This is the rex of rexes," said Scott Persons, the lead author of the research. “There is considerable size variability among Tyrannosaurus. Some individuals were lankier than others, and some were more robust. Scotty exemplifies the robust. Take careful measurements of its legs, hips, and even shoulder, and Scotty comes out a bit heftier than other T. rex specimens.”

Scotty roamed prehistoric Canada 66 million years ago, and when its skeleton was first discovered, the bones were encased in hard sandstone and paleontologists have only now fully assembled the one-of-a-kind specimen. 

“It wasn’t until now we’ve been able to take a step back and look at the specimen as a whole,” Persons told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2197485-huge-t-rex-fossil-suggests-many-dinosaurs-were-bigger-than-we-thought/">New Scientist</a>. “And doing so there’s an oh gosh moment, because the specimen really is enormous.”

Part of the reason Scotty, so named after a celebratory bottle of scotch that was used to toast the find, is so massive is because the dinosaur was as old as T-Rex’s can get. 

“Scotty is the oldest T. rex known,” said Persons explains. “By which I mean, it would have had the most candles on its last birthday cake. You can get an idea of how old a dinosaur is by cutting into its bones and studying its growth patterns. Scotty is all old growth.”

The T. Rex grew fast and didn’t have a particularly long lifespan. Scotty is estimated to have died at around 30 years old. This means that Scotty had a lot of time to add muscle and mass after reaching full maturity. 

“By Tyrannosaurus standards, it had an unusually long life. And it was a violent one,” Persons said. “Riddled across the skeleton are pathologies--spots where scarred bone records large injuries.”

Scotty will soon be on display at the<a href="https://www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/"> Royal Saskatchewan Museum</a> in May of this year. 

“I think there will always be bigger discoveries to be made,” said Persons. “But as of right now, this particular Tyrannosaurus is the largest terrestrial predator known to science.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Amanda Kelly

Scientists confirm the world’s largest T. Rex ever discovered

Sue, one of the largest and most well-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex...

Paleontologists unearth a treasure trove of Cambrian fossils in China. A treasure trove of fossils dating back as far as 518 million years discovered in Southern China is rivaling that of other rich fossil sites and further analysis of the fossils could help provide insight into what life was like during the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-diversify-earth/#.XJkyJChKhPY">Cambrian Explosion</a>. 

The Cambrian Explosion marks the sudden emergence of diverse life forms in the fossil record, and fossils from the Cambrian Explosion make up some of our earliest understandings of life during the Paleozoic Era.

[caption id="attachment_1870250" align="aligncenter" width="631"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fossils-1.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1870250" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fossils-1.jpg" alt="" width="631" height="421" /></a> Fossilized jellyfish, Image Credit: Fu et al., Science, 2019[/caption]

Thanks to rich fossil sites like the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Emu Bay Shale in Australia, researchers have been able to identify and study the early origins of our complex marine ecosystems as we know them today. 

However, the discovery of thousands of fossils from Qingjiang site in China are quickly proving even more valuable, some of which belong to never before described species. 

The Qingjiang biota, as it’s called in a study published in the journal Science, is older than the Burgess Shale and is helping researchers fill in the gaps in the Cambrian fossil record.

[caption id="attachment_1870251" align="aligncenter" width="629"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fossils-2.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1870251" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/fossils-2.jpg" alt="" width="629" height="352" /></a> Fossilized comb jelly and mud dragon, Image Credit: Fu et al., Science, 2019[/caption]

The fossil site is believed to be left over from a 500-million-year-old mudslide, and researchers have excavated 4,351 separate fossils of early jellyfish, sponges, anemones, algae, and arthropods. 

Qingjiang is also unique from other Cambrian fossil troves in that the researchers have found evidence of both hard and soft-bodied organisms. 

Of the thousands of fossils, the researchers were able to identify 101 species, and 53 of those species are unknown. Paleontologists unearth a treasure trove of Cambrian fossils in China 

“The treasure trove of the Qinjiang biota provides an exciting opportunity to explore how paleoenvironmental conditions influenced ecological structuring and evolutionary drivers during the Cambrian Explosion,” said Dr. Allison Daley, a paleontologist not involved in the study who penned an accompanying perspective on the research. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Jon Husson, Shanan Peters, <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>

Paleontologists unearth a treasure trove of Cambrian fossils in China

Paleontologists unearth a treasure trove of Cambrian fossils in China....

Every year, humpback whales make long migrations from their preferred cold feeding grounds to warmer tropical waters to breed and give birth. 

Even though many large species of whales migrate, migratory patterns are so varied from species to species and even from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humpback-whales-sing/#.XJkCgyhKhPY">males to females</a>, that tracking the ancient origins of these migrations can prove challenging. 

It’s been suggested that whales started traveling long-distances around five million years ago, but the specifics of ancient whale migration have remained unclear. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://stri.si.edu/">Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> and the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/">University of California</a>, Berkeley decided to tackle ancient whale migration, not by looking at ancient whale fossils as one would expect, but also by focusing on the fossils of ancient whale barnacles. 

“Instead of looking for clues to migration patterns from the whale's bones, we used hitch-hiking whale barnacles instead,” said Larry Taylor, the leader of the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Whale barnacles are crustaceans that attach themselves to whales by sucking in the whale’s skin. 

This relationship doesn’t seem to serve any advantage for the whale, but for the barnacle, life attached to a whale provides easy access to nutrient-rich waters as the whale slowly meanders through the ocean.

[caption id="attachment_1870239" align="aligncenter" width="640"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/barnacle-fossil.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1870239" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/barnacle-fossil.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></a> Fossil whale barnacle, Image Credit: Larry Taylor[/caption]

“Whale barnacles are usually species-specific --one species of barnacle on one type of whale,” said Aaron O'Dea, a co-author of the study. “This gives the barnacle several advantages-- a safe surface to live on, a free ride to some of the richest waters in the world and a chance to meet up with others when the whales get together to mate.”

For this study, the researchers examined barnacle fossils and modern whale barnacles to analyze isotope signatures.

Because barnacles are crustaceans, their shells take in oxygen isotopes from the water throughout a barnacle’s lifespan. These isotopes allow the researchers to age the barnacles and estimate where the barnacle has traveled in its life. 

“The signals we found in the fossil barnacles showed us quite clearly that ancient humpback and grey whales were undertaking journeys very similar to those that these whales make today,” said Taylor. “It seems like the summer-breeding, and winter-feeding migrations have been an integral part of the way of life of these whales for hundreds of thousands of years.”

The study helps provide a more detailed picture of ancient whale migrations, and the researchers plan to continue tracking whale migrations using whale barnacle fossils.

“Hunting for fossil whale barnacles is easier than whales, and they provide a wealth of information waiting to be uncovered,” said Seth Finnegan, a co-author of the study. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Aleria Jensen, NOAA/NMFS/AKFSC

Barnacle fossils reveal secrets of ancient whale migrations

Every year, humpback whales make long migrations from their preferred...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society for Neuroscience</a> has revealed that damage to parts of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/golden-snub-nosed-monkeys-nurse/">monkeys</a> heightens their defensive response to threats. The study findings suggest that subregions of the brain’s prefrontal cortex play an important role in different anxiety disorders.

Previous studies have already linked the OFC and its larger brain network to anxiety disorders in humans. For example, researchers found a correlation between arachnophobia and generalized anxiety disorder and reduced activity in the lateral and medial OFC.

A research team from the <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml">National Institute of Mental Health</a> and the <a href="https://icahn.mssm.edu/">Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai</a> investigated the role of these OFC subregions in male rhesus macaques. The animals had been trained to retrieve a fruit snack reward in the presence of one of two fake predators, including a grayish-green snake or a black, hairy spider. The monkeys also retrieved the rewards in the presence of neutral objects. 

After lesions were selectively produced in the lateral or medial OFC of eight monkeys, these animals took longer to reach for the fruit snack in the presence of the predator stimuli compared to animals with no brain alterations. The researchers also found that this effect could be attributed to heightened defensive behaviors.

According to the experts, the heightened defensive responses to the snake and spider that followed damage to either subregion of the OFC persisted among the monkeys over time and were not reduced. In addition, monkeys with medial OFC lesions showed a greater tendency to express defensive behaviors even in the absence of a threat. 

The study results indicate that dysfunction in distinct subregions of the OFC may be responsible for specific symptoms of various anxiety disorders.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Damage to the prefrontal cortex of the brain may cause anxiety disorders

A new study from the Society for Neuroscience has revealed...

An international team of researchers has uncovered the effects of high-latitude dusts on low-level cloud glaciation — the process of converting water droplets to ice. 

Published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ngeo/">Nature Geoscience</a>, this new information helps scientists understand how land surface factors contribute to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pollution-smoke-cloud-formation/">cloud formation</a>, as well as how clouds affect climate and perhaps even regulate climate on a global scale.

The ice crystals and water droplets within clouds maintain both the radiation balance of Earth’s atmosphere and Earth’s energy equilibrium. With the help of solids and minerals suspended in water droplets — called nucleation sites — water molecules begin to form ice crystals within clouds when cooled to 0-degrees Celsius. Dust particles act as ice nucleating particles (INPs) and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), which both help the ice and water droplet formation within the clouds.

Prior studies have often focused on dust that comes from arid and semi-arid regions in low-mid altitudes and its effect on cloud nucleation. But new information shows that dust can also originate from ice- and vegetation-free areas in high altitudes. Do these dust particles — say, those from regions of glacial outwash plains, or regions of sand and gravel deposits that were carried by glacial melt-off— have the same effect on cloud nucleation in comparison to dust from low-mid altitudes?

"We found that dusts derived from glacial outwash plains can serve as very efficient nuclei for ice nucleation, as compared with desert mineral dusts,” said corresponding author Yutaka Tobo, Ph.D. an assistant professor at the<a href="https://www.nipr.ac.jp/english/"> National Institute of Polar Research</a>. “This is because of the presence of small amounts of organic matter having very high ice nucleating ability.” 

“Our field experiments and model simulations further suggest that such glacially sourced dusts may contribute significantly to ice nucleation in Arctic low-level clouds, especially during summertime,” Dr. Tobo said.

Additional recent studies have shown that dust emissions can also occur in Greenland, North America, and Iceland, Dr. Tobo added. However, the team is not yet sure about the ice nucleating ability of dust from these high-latitude areas.

"In addition,” he added, “it is expected that the recent rapid and widespread retreat of glaciers may lead to more active dust emissions from high-latitudes in the future. Therefore, further comprehensive studies will be necessary to understand the possible impact of high-latitude dusts on current and future aerosol-cloud-precipitation interactions in the Arctic, which is more sensitive to climate change than any other region of the world.”

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Yutaka Tobo, Ph.D., the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan

Dust in high latitudes impacts glaciation in Arctic clouds

An international team of researchers has uncovered the effects of...

The trip from wild wolf to domestic dog was most likely a long one, full of complications.  It’s impossible to know all the details of that transition but there’s some science that sheds a light on how man’s best friend came to be.  A self-domestication process is a popular hypothesis but the details of the process is still a bit fuzzy.

The general idea is that humans and dogs were both hunters roughly 25,000 years ago, occupying the same landscape, perhaps even competing for the same food.  The wolves that eventually became dogs noticed that scraps were a source of food and started hanging around hunting camps, getting what tidbits they could. Over time, natural selection favored the wolves with closer relationships to humans, those capable of getting more scraps.  Early dogs were hunting companions as well as guards and even beasts of burden. The self domestication hypothesis is only a small part of the story, though, and there are many details of the mechanics of dog domestication left to be filled in. 

One famous experiment sheds some light on how dogs might have become domesticated.  Recent archaeological evidence shows that foxes may have been at least partially <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/foxes-domesticated-bronze-age/#.XJVeBBplChA">domesticated during the Bronze Age</a> but more recently, a Russian scientist undertook fox domestication experimentally.

Dmitry Belyaev began his scientific work on genetics secretly.  At the time, the Soviet Union was opposed to genetic research and imprisoned hundreds of scientist, <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/domesticated-foxes-genetically-fascinating-terrible-pets">PBS</a> reports.  With the death of Joseph Stalin, restrictions were relaxed and Belyaev was able to more openly pursue his research. Dmitry Belyaev became the director of a new Institute of Cytology and Genetics, which continues his work today decades after his death.  His research focused on the domestication of dogs. As a parallel, he decided to experiment with foxes, a fairly close relative. Belyaev and his research team visited fur farms in the Soviet Union buying up all of the tamest foxes. As a control group, the team also purchased the least tame or most aggressive foxes as well.  The experiment was designed to highlight the genetic component of animal domestication or ‘tameness’.

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/domestication-foxes/#.XJZo_hplChB">we previously reported,</a> foxes from the initial group were selectively bred to each other based entirely on ‘tameness’ or ‘friendliness’.       

Strangely, foxes selected for docility and friendliness alone also tended to have dog-like features such as floppy ears as adults and shorter, wider snouts suggesting that perhaps some traits are linked.  One of the most stunning aspects of the study was how quickly foxes were domesticated from wild stock. After 50 generations, the majority of foxes were deemed ‘elite’ foxes, that is, animals that seek out human companionship, wagging their tails when approached by humans.  Clearly the brains of these foxes changed to be more amiable to humans than wild foxes. 

‘Friendly’ foxes have higher levels of serotonin than their wild counterparts; serotonin has been linked to inhibition of aggressive behaviors. Corticosteroid levels are also lower in domesticated foxes than their wild counterparts.  Cortisol is a type of corticosteroid generally lower in all domestic animals. Corticosteroids are hormones with a large number of functions, importantly for domestication, one of those functions is related to stress. When you’re stressed, cortisol is released and is used partially in the creation of emotionally charged memories, why some especially stressful memories seem clear or different than other memories.  Cortisol is regulated by a complex interaction between parts of the brain known as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis). The HPA axis is an important neuroendocrine system that regulates digestion, the immune system, and of course stress. 

A <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christoph_Jung8/publication/321489441_Is_dog_domestication_due_to_epigenetic_modulation_in_brain/links/5a8c6ffdaca27292c0f81dd4/Is-dog-domestication-due-to-epigenetic-modulation-in-brain.pdf?origin=publication_detail">2017 paper</a> on the domestication of dogs published in the journal <a href="https://www.dogbehavior.it/index.php?journal=dogbehavior&amp;page=article&amp;op=view&amp;path%5B%5D=55">Dog Behavior</a> suggests that the HPA axis was important in the genetic changes undergone from wild wolf to modern dog.  How the changes to such a complex system in the brain could change genetically so quickly seems a mystery when viewed from the perspective of traditional genetics and natural selection.  It’s likely that changes in the HPA axis happen so quickly as we’ve seen in the domestic foxes due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/epigenetic-passed-future-generations/#.XJaj3BplChA">epigenetics</a>.

Epigenetics controls the expression of genetic traits.  Put another way, epigenetics turn ‘on’ or ‘off’ certain genes depending on complex internal systems and environmental factors.  For instance, schizophrenia is a disorder that can be inherited genetically but it takes specific environmental or other poorly understood conditions for someone with those genes to show symptoms of the disorder.  Some types of changes in the expression of genes can be inherited, although the study of this is a relatively new avenue of research. 

In DNA, form is often function.  The packaging and shape of genes are important to how they’re expressed.  The bundling of DNA on histones is the mechanism behind the turning ‘on’ or ‘off’ genes.  This can be inherited at least in nematode worms, new research shows. This means that the expression or suppression of certain genes could potentially quickly show inheritable changes in wolves or foxes.  Of course, such changes would depend on basic genetics, even if not expressed already being in place. 

Dogs and humans have similar brains due to their basic mammalian heritage and the shared similarities in social structure.  Empathy is part of this shared heritage. Yawning is contagious among humans because of our mental structure and an ability to empathize.  Yawning is also contagious among wolves. Not only this, but dogs are also empathetic towards humans (as humans are often also empathetic towards their dogs).  All of this together shows that the evolution from wolf to dog could occur very rapidly due to packaged suits of connected genes as well as dormant traits that could be turned ‘on’ or other less desirable traits that are turned ‘off’.

Our continued understanding of the complex ways in which genes are selected for, suppressed or expressed, sheds more light on the creation of humanity’s closest friend – the dog; the first domesticated animal and one of the most widespread.  It seems that when dogs were wolves sniffing around hunting camps, they may have already had their destinies written in their DNA. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

How epigenetics may have played a crucial role in dog domestication

The trip from wild wolf to domestic dog was most...

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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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