Scientists have discovered a rare group of proteins that appear to give microbes in cold environments a strange advantage. These proteins, called cryorhodopsins, respond to light in surprising ways.



Now, researchers think the proteins could be turned into powerful tools for neuroscience and biotechnology.



The icy peaks of the Himalayas, the deep chill of Finnish groundwater, and the ancient glaciers of Greenland all have something in common - they host microscopic life that has adapted to extreme cold.



In doing so, these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frozen-worm-comes-back-to-life-after-46000-years/">organisms</a> may have evolved tools that could change how we study and influence the human brain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unlikely-proteins-found-in-the-cold">Unlikely proteins found in the cold</h2>



It started with a bit of online browsing. While combing through protein databases, a scientist noticed something strange: microbial rhodopsins - proteins usually found in warm, aquatic environments - were popping up in places like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/safety-on-frozen-lakes-declining-due-to-climate-change/">frozen lakes</a> and glaciers.



Even more oddly, the cold-weather rhodopsins were nearly identical, despite being found in microbes living thousands of kilometers apart. That kind of similarity usually means they serve a crucial function. The team gave them a name to match their habitat: cryorhodopsins.



“In my work, I search for unusual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-early-life-may-be-a-model-of-alien-life/">rhodopsins</a> and try to understand what they do,” said structural biologist Kirill Kovalev of <a href="https://www.embl.org/">EMBL Hamburg</a>. “Such molecules could have undiscovered functions that we could benefit from.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-searching-for-light-sensitive-proteins">Searching for light-sensitive proteins</h2>



Rhodopsins are light-sensitive proteins. Some of them have already been engineered to act like switches inside cells. 



When exposed to light, they trigger changes in electrical activity. This technique, called optogenetics, is widely used in neuroscience. 



But researchers are still hunting for new types of rhodopsins that could expand the method’s possibilities - especially rhodopsins with different colors, since different wavelengths of light can penetrate biological tissues in different ways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cold-proteins-change-the-game">Cold proteins change the game</h2>



The cryorhodopsins stood out. Some weren’t the usual orange or pink - they were blue. “I can actually tell what’s going on with cryorhodopsin simply by looking at its color,” said Kovalev.



Using advanced structural biology tools, the team discovered that the same rare structural quirk that first caught their attention also explains why these cryorhodopsins are blue. 



The blue rhodopsins are especially valuable because they can be activated with red light, which travels deeper into tissues and can be used non-invasively.



“Now that we understand what makes them blue, we can design synthetic blue rhodopsins tailored to different applications,” Kovalev said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-switches-for-the-brain">Light switches for the brain</h2>



To test whether cryorhodopsins could be useful in optogenetics, the team expressed them in cultured brain cells. The results were exciting. When exposed to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-mammals-have-fur-that-displays-a-striking-glow-under-uv-light/">UV light</a>, the proteins triggered electrical currents. 



Then, depending on the follow-up light exposure - green or red - the cells either became more excitable or less.



“New optogenetic tools to efficiently switch the cell’s electric activity both ‘on’ and ‘off’ would be incredibly useful in research, biotechnology and medicine,” said Tobias Moser of the University Medical Center Göttingen.



“For example, in my group, we develop new optical cochlear implants for patients that can optogenetically restore <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drugs-may-be-available-to-prevent-hearing-loss/">hearing</a> in patients. Developing the utility of such a multi-purpose rhodopsin for future applications is an important task for the next studies.”



According to Kovalev, the cryorhodopsins aren’t ready to be used as tools yet, but they’re an excellent prototype. "They have all the key features that, based on our findings, could be engineered to become more effective for optogenetics."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sensing-more-than-just-light">Sensing more than just light</h2>



The surprises didn’t stop there. Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt tested cryorhodopsins and found something unusual. These proteins are the slowest of all known rhodopsins when responding to light - and they’re sensitive to UV.



That slowness might be a feature, not a bug. It could let microbes “see” UV light, which would be a first. UV radiation is especially intense in high-altitude or polar environments. Being able to sense radiation might help microbes protect themselves.



However, the question remained: can microbes actually sense UV light? The search for an answer led the team to a genetic mystery. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discovery-of-tiny-unknown-proteins">Discovery of tiny, unknown proteins</h2>



The cryorhodopsin gene always came packaged with another gene encoding a small, unknown protein. The team suspected it might be a messenger - a partner protein that helps transmit the UV light signal inside the cell.



Using the AI tool AlphaFold, the researchers predicted that five copies of the tiny protein form a ring that hugs the cryorhodopsin from the inside. 



When the rhodopsin detects UV light, the small protein might break off and carry the signal further into the cell.



"It was fascinating to uncover a new mechanism via which the light-sensitive signal from cryorhodopsins could be passed on to other parts of the cell. It is always a thrill to learn what the functions are for uncharacterized proteins," noted the researchers.



"In fact, we find these proteins also in organisms that do not contain cryorhodopsin, perhaps hinting at a much wider range of jobs for these proteins.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-proteins-didn-t-evolve-due-to-cold">Proteins didn't evolve due to cold</h2>



While the full picture isn’t clear yet, the researchers have a strong hunch. Kovalev said the team suspects that cryorhodopsins evolved their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-shape-shifting-proteins-open-doors-in-medicine-and-farming/">unique features</a> not because of the cold, but rather to let microbes sense UV light, which can be harmful to them.



“In cold environments, such as the top of a mountain, bacteria face intense UV radiation. Cryorhodopsins might help them sense it, so they could protect themselves. This hypothesis aligns well with our findings," noted Kovalev.



“Discovering extraordinary molecules like these wouldn’t be possible without scientific expeditions to often remote locations, to study the adaptations of the organisms living there. We can learn so much from that!”



Cryorhodopsins aren’t ready to be used in the lab or the clinic just yet, but they are a solid starting point. Ultimately, they might offer a way to sense UV light inside of living cells. 



The proteins could also serve as new light-controlled tools for brain research, precision medicine, or even advanced prosthetics.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adv1015">Science Advances</a>.



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Can we control brain cells with light? New clues from frozen proteins

Scientists have discovered a rare group of proteins that appear to give microbes in cold environments a strange advantage. These proteins, called cryorhodopsins, respond to light in surprising ways. Now, researchers think the proteins could be turned into powerful tools for neuroscience and biotechnology. The icy peaks of the Himalayas, the deep chill of Finnish groundwater, and the ancient glaciers of Greenland all have something in common - they host microscopic life that has adapted to extreme cold. In doing so, these organisms may have evolved tools...

If you often feel isolated, the cause may go deeper than you think. Genetic researchers have found that loneliness genes may be behind those solitary feelings, at least some of the time.

But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to sadness. Putting yourself into fulfilling social situations can head off feelings of isolation before they set in.

To see whether loneliness genes exist and how nature and nurture affect feelings of friendlessness, researchers from the <a href="https://www.uwo.ca/">University of Western Ontario</a> looked at the lives of adult twins.

They found that the twins had very similar experiences up until they reached school age – and often, ended up in different classrooms. In pairs of twins more prone to loneliness, whether or not they made friends and developed a social life had an impact on how lonely they felt.

“If one makes friends in their class and is happy with the level of interaction they are having with other people, they are less likely to feel lonely,” lead author Dr. Julie Aitken Schermer told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html">Daily Mail</a>. “The [identical] co-twin has the same genetic likelihood of loneliness and is in an environment that is not as fulfilling in terms of relationships, they are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness.”

That may seem obvious.

But loneliness genes played a role, too. Identical twins were more likely to feel similar levels of loneliness regardless of their environment than fraternal twins. And those with a tendency toward neuroticism – one of the “big five” personality traits that DNA can influence – were more prone to feeling isolated.

“If you're neurotic you're more likely to worry about your situation, your lot in life, and ruminate and that may exasperate your feelings of loneliness,” Aitken Schermer said.

Researchers found a couple of ways to help relieve neuroticism and loneliness: practicing mindfulness, and cutting down screen time. 

While some people may need more face time to counteract their loneliness genes than others, even introverts should make an effort to connect, Aitken Schermer said.

“We have to realize that we are social beings and having feelings of isolation is not a character fault and go interact with people,” she said. “It's not a weakness on your part, you're showing insight into yourself. If you're hungry, go eat.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Loneliness genes could lead to more feelings of isolation

If you often feel isolated, the cause may go deeper...

For those of us located in North and South America – as well as a large portion of Europe and Africa – on the night of January 20-21, we will be able to observe a full moon in total lunar eclipse. At this time, the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/china-landing-moon/">Moon</a> will have a red glow that has come to be known as the Blood Moon. 

Because the moon will be at the closest point to Earth in its orbit, it will also be a Super Moon. And to add to the exciting name, January’s moon is known as a Wolf Moon, thus earning this event the haunting title of a Super Blood Wolf Moon.

The full moon will be in Earth’s shadow from 3:34 GMT to 6:51 GMT, beginning with the shadow moving in from the left. According to <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a>, the total eclipse will last about an hour. For people located in Europe and Africa, it will be observable just before sunrise, while for anyone in North and South America, the eclipse can be seen at the beginning or in the middle of the night. 

While you may know that a lunar eclipse is caused by Earth’s shadow blocking the light from the sun reflecting off the Moon, you may still be wondering why it causes the Moon to turn red. This red color is a result of the same phenomenon that causes sunsets to appear red, pink, or orange as well. 

“A little bit of sunlight is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the Moon, bending around the edges of the Earth,” explains Walter Freeman, an assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University's physics department. “This small amount of red light still illuminates the Moon enough for us to see it. Instead of being bright and white, the Moon will be very dim and red, 10,000 or so times dimmer than usual.”

Total lunar eclipses happen about one to three times per year on average, but there will be a three-year gap between this upcoming total eclipse and the next one in 2022. So if you want to say you saw the Super Blood Wolf Moon way back in 2019, make sure to stay awake this Sunday night.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Super Blood Wolf Moon is arriving tonight

For those of us located in North and South America...

In a new breakthrough, scientists have confirmed a key “missing link” in the human family tree that helps explain the evolution of upright apes into <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ancient-pottery-climate-change/">early humans</a>. 

The findings put an end to a decade-long debate and confirm that early humans were in fact still swinging from trees less than 2 million years ago.

Scientists identified the new “family tree member” Australopithecus sediba using fossils that were actually found 10 years ago at a site in Malapa, South Africa, known as the “Cradle of Humankind.” But until now, it had not been clear whether or not the fossils belonged to an already known species.

But now, researchers have confirmed that Australopithecus sediba were a separate species that lived 1.95 to 1.78 million years ago. This places the species in the human family tree between upright apes who lived 3 million years ago and Homo habilis who lived 1.5 to 2.1 million years ago.

"The anatomies we are seeing in Australopithecus sediba are forcing us to reassess the pathway by which we became human," said Jeremy DeSilva, associate professor of anthropology at <a href="https://home.dartmouth.edu/">Dartmouth College</a> and co-author of the study.

"Our findings challenge a traditional, linear view of evolution. It was once thought that a fossil species a million years younger than Lucy would surely look more human-like,” De Silva explained.

“For some anatomies of Australopithecus sediba, like the knee, that is true. But, for others, like the foot, it is not. Instead, what we're witnessing here are parallel lineages, illustrating how different hominin experiments were unfolding early in our complex evolutionary history.” 

Some researchers had argued that the fossils were actually more than one species due to varying sizes and shapes of vertebrae. 

But according to co-author Scott Williams of <a href="http://nyu.edu">New York University</a>, “the differences in these vertebrae can simply be attributed to their developmental age differences: the juvenile individual's vertebrae have not yet completed growth, whereas the adult's vertebra growth is complete.”

The research was published in the journal <a href="http://paleoanthro.org/journal/">PaleoAnthropology</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Rory Arnold</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Editor

Image Credit: Brett Eloff. Courtesy Professor Lee Berger and <a href="https://www.wits.ac.za/">Wits University </a>

Scientists identify missing link between apes and early humans

In a new breakthrough, scientists have confirmed a key “missing...

In a report released earlier this week, the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) announced that the anti-vaccine movement has now made the list of the biggest threats to human health. The growing anti-vaccine trend has joined the ranks of the top ten health issues that will demand the most attention in 2019, including <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/london-air-pollution-deadly-asthma-attack/">air pollution</a> and climate change, Ebola, drug resistance, and HIV.


In a statement, the WHO said:

“Vaccine hesitancy - the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines-  threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease - it currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.”

A recent study from <a href="https://home.dartmouth.edu/">Dartmouth College</a> revealed that past issues with vaccinations can cause a phenomenon known as hysteresis, which happens when a negative event from the past increases the resistance of the public in the present. The study results help to explain why some people do not take advantage of vaccines even though they have been proven safe and effective.

“Given all the benefits of vaccination, it’s been a struggle to understand why vaccination rates can remain stubbornly low,” said study lead author Professor Feng Fu. “History matters, and we now know that hysteresis is part of the answer.”

Noncompliance with vaccinations can lead the loss of “herd immunity,” contributing to the spread of infectious diseases. For example, childhood diseases like measles, mumps, and pertussis have returned in regions of Europe and North America as a result of insufficient vaccination coverage.

“Once people question the safety or effectiveness of a vaccine, it can be very difficult to get them to move beyond those negative associations,” said Professor Fu. “Hysteresis is a powerful force that is difficult to break at a societal level.”

According to the WHO, there has been a 30-percent increase of measles cases worldwide. Between September 2017 and August 2018, there were more than 41,000 known cases, including 40 deaths across Europe. In the United States, 349 cases of measles were documented by the CDC in 26 states.

“There is arguably no single preventive health intervention more cost-effective than immunization,” the WHO stated on its website. “Time and again, the international community has endorsed the value of vaccines and immunization to prevent and control a large number of infectious diseases and, increasingly, several chronic diseases that are caused by infectious agents.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Anti-vaccine movement named a top threat to human health

In a report released earlier this week, the World Health...

It’s hard to imagine the Saturn without its <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/saturn-is-losing-its-rings/">wide and vividly colored rings</a>, but a new study has found that Saturn’s rings didn’t start to form until much later in the planet’s lifetime. 

Saturn’s rings are made up of billions of icy particles that have been pulled into Saturn’s orbit. It was long assumed that the two formed together, making Saturn’s rings as old the planet itself. 

However, a new study using data from the final phases of the Cassini spacecraft mission has found that rings are much younger. 

The Cassini mission was launched in 1997 to study <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html">Saturn and its moons</a>. In 2017, the mission ended in a triumphant finale as the spacecraft dove into Saturn’s atmosphere and ceased contact with Earth. 

It wasn’t until Cassini’s final mission stages that the spacecraft could collect data on the rings. The spacecraft had always orbited outside of Saturn’s rings, and so it was impossible to tell the difference between the planet’s mass and its rings. 

That all changed when the spacecraft took six trips crossing between the planet and its rings and researchers were able to measure the gravitational field of the planet and the rings during these crossings. 

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.uniroma1.it/en/pagina-strutturale/home">Sapienza University of Rome </a>analyzed data collected during Cassini’s final stages to measure the gravitational field of the rings and their mass to determine the age of the rings. 

The researchers found that Saturn’s gravitational field is different from what was theoretically predicted and that the rings are only ten to 100 million years old. 

The planet is around 4.5 billion years old, and so Saturn’s iconic rings formed much later on. 

The results of the study were published in the journal Science. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Saturn didn’t always have its rings

It’s hard to imagine the Saturn without its wide and...

Researchers from <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a>, part of <a href="https://www.montefiore.org/">Montefiore</a>, have discovered that the brain’s cerebellum partially controls the brain’s reward circuitry. The cerebellum has been previously thought to mainly control movement, however, this new discovery, published January 17th in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, connects the cerebellum to reward processing and social behavior, which could offer new ways of treating <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-addiction-memories/">addiction</a>.

MRI brain scans of individuals recovering from addiction revealed action in the cerebella when participants were shown images of objects associated with their addiction, like a syringe. The cerebella glowed more on the scan in patients who had a higher risk of relapse. 

"The notion that the cerebellum did much beyond controlling movement was met with a lot of skepticism — and no one had any real clues as to how the cerebellum might affect dopamine release," study leader <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/faculty/8472/Kamran-Khodakhah/">Kamran Khodakhah, Ph.D.</a>, professor and chair of the <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/departments/neuroscience/">Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience</a> and the Florence and Irving Rubenstein Chair in Neuroscience. 

Dr. Khodakhah hypothesized that the cerebellum, located just above the brainstem, directly connected with and activated the ventral tegmental area (VTA), an area of the brain associated with addiction. He and his team conducted studies that showed stimulating cerebellar neurons activates the VTA, therefore encouraging “addictive” behaviors in mice.

To do this, Dr. Khodakhah used optogenetics, the process of inserting genes that produce light-sensitive proteins into specific neurons. The team is then able to activate or deactivate neurons via light exposure. They first used this method to insert the genes into some cerebellar neurons connected to the VTA via axon fibers. When the genes in the cerebellar axons were activated, a third of the VTA’s neurons fired more, thus proving that cerebellar neurons form synapses, or connections, with VTA neurons. 

The team then tested the cerebellum reward processing factor in mice via the same process of stimulating the cerebellar neurons connected to the VTA within an open-chamber study. Mice repeatedly returned to the same area in the chamber where these neurons were stimulated after the neurons were not being stimulated, showing that they remembered processing a reward for doing so during stimulation. Dr. Khodakhah says that this proves the cerebellum does play a role in addictive behaviors.

Furthermore, an interactive mice study also showed that socialization requires a working cerebellum-VTA pathway. A disconnect in this pathway could be a determinant of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Dr. Khodakhah now wants to know whether the cerebellum-VTA pathway can be manipulated with drugs or optogenetics as a way of treating addiction. He also hopes to discover connections between the VTA and other parts of the brain that could play into other addictive behaviors and mental disorders.

"Cerebellar abnormalities are also linked to a number of other mental disorders such as schizophrenia," Dr. Khodakhah said, "so we want to find out whether this pathway also plays a role in those disorders."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The brain’s cerebellum is linked to addictive behavior

Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore,...

Engineers at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> are using bird feathers as a model to develop new adhesives and aerospace materials. The scientists are investigating how a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/2-billion-birds-migrate-gulf-coast/">bird</a> can capture air for lift with the underside of a feather, while using the top  to block air out for descent.

Research co-authored by Tarah Sullivan, who has a Ph.D. in Materials Science, is the first in nearly 20 years to take a detailed look at the general structure of bird feathers. Using 3D-printed structures, the experts imitated the vanes, barbs, and barbules of a feather to better understand these properties.

Sullivan is part of a team led by Marc Meyers, a professor in the Departments of Nanoengineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego.

“Professor Eduard Arzt, our co-author from Saarland University in Germany, is an amateur pilot and became fascinated by the 'bird wing' problem. Together, we started doing allometric analyses on them and result is fascinating,” said  Professor Meyers. “This shows that the synergy of scientists from different backgrounds can produce wonderful new understanding.”

The study revealed that the small structures that connect feather barbs, which are known as barbules, are spaced within 8 to 16 micrometers of one another in all birds species. This means that the spacing must play an important role in flight.

“The first time I saw feather barbules under the microscope I was in awe of their design: intricate, beautiful and functional,” said Sullivan. “As we studied feathers across many species it was amazing to find that despite the enormous differences in size of birds, barbules spacing was constant."

Sullivan has built prototypes, which she will describe in a follow up paper, to show how various materials designed to mimic a bird feather could be used for aerospace applications as well as adhesives. 

“We believe that these structures could serve as inspiration for an interlocking one-directional adhesive or a material with directionally tailored permeability.”

The study 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

Image Credit: University of California San Diego

Bird feathers may be the new Velcro, inspiring new adhesives

Engineers at the University of California San Diego are using...

Cotton seeds have started successfully sprouting on the Moon as part of China’s groundbreaking Chang’e-4 space mission. 

As <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/china-landing-moon/">we reported</a>, China made history earlier this month after their space program successfully landed a rover on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/china-landing-moon/">far side of the Moon</a>. The rover landed in the South-Pole Aitken Basin, one of the largest impact craters on the Moon. 

The Chang’e-4 mission is comprised of both a small, mobile rover, the Yutu-2, and the Chang’e-4 lander, which is larger and specially designed to hold important scientific biosphere experiments. 

In another historic first, the Chang’e-4 mission sent back pictures of cotton seeds successfully sprouting in a contained environment on the lander. 

It’s the first-time plants have been grown on the Moon, and the cotton sprouts are doing well so far. Other seeds and even fruit fly eggs were also sent to the moon with the Chang’e mission, but only the cotton seeds have sprouted so far.

[caption id="attachment_1865319" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/moon-cotton-seeds.png"><img class="wp-image-1865319" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/moon-cotton-seeds.png" alt="" width="700" height="446" /></a> Image Credit: AFP[/caption]

The China National Space Administration says that the other seeds and fruit flies will likely sprout over the next 100 days.

China has announced plans for building a lunar base by 2036 and that it wants to 3D print buildings to construct on the surface of the Moon. The ability to successfully germinate and grow plants in the harsh lunar environment is a large step forward in helping China realize those goals. 

“After experimenting under the moon's high vacuum, large temperature difference, strong radiation and harsh conditions, mankind has grown the first plant sprout, realising man's first moon-based biological growth experiment,” wrote scientists from <a href="http://english.cqu.edu.cn/">Chongqing University</a>. 

The seeds and fruit flies are being housed in small, tin cylinders made of aluminum alloy that measure seven inches tall and six inches in diameter. 

Each tin has water, nutrients, air, and cameras that will record and transmit the growth process back to Earth. 

Plants have been grown on the International Space Station, but this marks the first successful seed germination and plant cultivation on the moon. 

The tins are insulated and have a mini cooling system to help guard against the extreme temperature changes on the Moon which can shift between 261 degrees and -279 degrees Fahrenheit. Solar panels will give the plants the energy they need to grow. 

China already has plans to launch another Moon mission, the Chang’e-5 mission at the end of the year and Change’6 is slated to be the first exploration of the Moon’s South Pole. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

China has begun growing cotton seeds on the surface of the Moon

Cotton seeds have started successfully sprouting on the Moon as...

An international team of scientists has found that a distant relative of modern humans had dental growth that was very similar to our dental development today. The hominin fossil examined for the study, known as the Xujiayao juvenile, belonged to a six-year-old child who lived between 104,000 and 248,000 years ago.

Study co-author Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg is a professor of Anthropology at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a>. She said that the researchers were surprised to find that in most ways, this child's dental development was very similar to what you would find in a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/firearms-cause-death-kids/">child</a> today.

“The Xujiayao juvenile is the oldest fossil found in east Asia that has dental development comparable to modern humans,” said Professor Guatelli-Steinberg. “It may suggest that these archaic humans had a slow life history like modern humans, with a prolonged period of childhood dependency.”

According to Professor Guatelli-Steinberg, teeth provide some of the best data about the growth and development of our ancient ancestors. This is due to the growth lines in teeth, which hold a record of dental development.

Compared to primates, modern humans take a long time to develop. Experts theorize that human growth is prolonged because children rely on caregivers for a longer period of time.

[caption id="attachment_1865307" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancient-child-developed-teeth-like-modern-humans-.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1865307" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ancient-child-developed-teeth-like-modern-humans-.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="424" /></a> Image Credit: Song Xing, Chinese Academy of Sciences[/caption]

The team used synchrotron X-ray imaging to examine the internal structure of the teeth, including the growth lines. The findings were unexpected because so many other features of this hominin are not modern, such as the shape and thickness of the skull.

“We don't know exactly where this enigmatic East Asian hominin fits in human evolution,” said study lead author Song Xing from the <a href="http://english.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a>. “It has some affinities to archaic human relatives like the Denisovans and Neanderthals with, as we found, some more modern features. It is a strange mosaic.”

The first molar of the Xujiayao juvenile had erupted a few months before death and the root was about three-quarters complete, which is on the same schedule as modern humans. The incremental growth lines that appear on the surface of the tooth, known as the the perikymata, were also like those of modern humans.

“We found that the way these perikymata were distributed on the Xujiayao juvenile teeth was close to what we see in modern humans, and not to Neanderthals,” said Professor Guatelli-Steinberg.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</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

Ancient child developed teeth like modern humans

An international team of scientists has found that a distant...

An international research team has identified 124 genetic variants that are linked to risky behavior. The altered <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/compassion-animals-dna/">DNA</a> sequences found in the study may ultimately be used to reveal the biological mechanisms that regulate risk taking. 

The experts emphasized that non-genetic factors are still a better predictor of risk tolerance, and that no gene variation is responsible for a certain behavior on its own. 

Study co-author Dr. Abraham Palmer is a professor of Psychiatry at the <a href="https://medschool.ucsd.edu/Pages/default.aspx">University of California San Diego School of Medicine</a>.


“Being willing to take risks is essential to success in the modern world,” said Dr. Palmer. “But we also know that taking too many risks, or not giving enough weight to the consequences of risky decisions, confers vulnerability to smoking, alcoholism and other forms of drug addiction.”

Researchers in Dr. Palmer’s lab are investigating the role that genetics play in different risky decision-making styles. A better understanding of the molecular processes that drive human behavior could inform experts on how to prevent and treat drug abuse as well as some mental illnesses.

“Risk-taking is thought to play a role in many psychiatric disorders,” said study co-author Dr. Murray Stein. “For example, patients with anxiety disorders may perceive increased risk in certain situations and therefore avoid them unnecessarily. Understanding the genetic basis for risk tolerance is critical to understanding these disorders and developing better treatments.”

Based on self-reports by participants in the study, the researchers found that genetic variants associated with overall risk tolerance were also usually associated with more impulsive behavior, such as speeding, drinking, or risky sex.

While the effects of each of the 124 genetic variants are all very small by themselves, the effect of combined variants was found to be much more significant. These variants are spread out across 99 separate regions of the genome.

“Our results point to the role of specific brain regions - notably the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia and midbrain - that have previously been identified in neuroscientific studies on decision-making,” said senior author Dr. Jonathan Beauchamp. “They conform with the expectation that variation in risk tolerance is influenced by thousands, if not millions, of genetic variants.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ng/">Nature 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

Risky behavior may actually be in your DNA

An international research team has identified 124 genetic variants that...

We use <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-unlock-satellite-data/">artificial intelligence (AI)</a> in our day to day to lives perhaps more than we even realize, from Alexa to Siri to the wide array of “smart” technology we have in our homes, cars, phones, and businesses.

The amount of computation and training required for artificial intelligence systems is steadily increasing and modeling AI after the human brain is a significant challenge because of the human brain’s complex and vast neural network.

The <a href="https://www.darpa.mil/">Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)</a>, the Pentagon’s research and development department, has a plan to streamline this process and has recently put out a call for submissions to create a conscious AI robot modeled after insect brains.

The goal of the new project is to find a way to build small, easy to train, energy efficient AI robots. Insects are a great starting place because of even though they have limited processing and problem-solving abilities, they still have high levels of functionality within their environments.

“This AIE opportunity invites proposers to submit innovative basic research concepts aimed at understanding highly-integrated sensory and nervous systems in miniature insects and developing prototype computational models that could be mapped onto suitable hardware in order to emulate their impressive function,” <a href="https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=bb2722b7974765cc9f4e93fea8efbacf">DARPA</a> said in a statement.

If DARPA could create an efficient AI insect model, it would be easy to then incorporate the AI into a conscious robot that thinks and acts like an insect.

Not only would an AI robot bug be more efficient and require less computational training, but it could also help unravel the mysteries of how the brain processes information and stores memory.

“Nature has forced on these small insects drastic miniaturization and energy efficiency, some having only a few hundred neurons in a compact form-factor, while maintaining basic functionality,” the DARPA announcement reads. “This research could lead to capability of inference, prediction, generalization and abstraction of problems in systematic or entirely new ways in order to find solutions to compelling problems.”

A $1 million prize will be issued to the winning proposal if they can successfully prove that they can create an insect AI model.

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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

DARPA looking to build conscious robots modeled after insect brains

We use artificial intelligence (AI) in our day to day...

The nature versus nurture debate remains one of the longest-running discussions among the scientific community. 

It can be a complicated task to determine whether it is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-influences-school-performance/">genetics or environment</a> that is more influential on development, disease, and behavior. But now, a new study conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> and the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> in Australia used a massive insurance database to help shed insight on the age-old question. 

Studying twins, both fraternal and identical, is one the best ways to study the influence of genetics versus environmental factors because twins have similar DNA. Identical twins have matching DNA. 

However, twin nature versus nurture studies usually tackle one disease at a time or have a small sample size as finding twins that meet the right study parameters can be difficult. 

This recent study is the largest twin study of its kind, and the researchers analyzed data from an insurance database of nearly 45 million people in the United States.

The researchers were able to examine the genetic and environmental effects on 560 different diseases and health conditions for 56,396 pairs of twins and 724,513 siblings. The study was published in the journal Nature Genetics. 

“The nurture-versus-nature question is very much at the heart of our study,” Chirag Patel, the senior author of the study, told the <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/01/researchers-able-to-determine-the-effects-of-genes-and-environment-in-560-common-conditions/">Harvard Gazette</a>. “We foresee the value of this type of large-scale analysis will be in shining light on the relative contribution of genes versus shared environment in a multitude of diseases.” 

One of the largest challenges that come with understanding genetic influence compared to environmental influence on diseases is that it is not so neatly black and white. Diseases are rarely purely environmental or genetic, and instead, a complex combination of certain environmental factors and genetics create a perfect storm of sorts. 

By using such a large dataset, the researchers were able to overcome many of the challenges that arise when studying the interplay between genetics and environmental factors. 

Each pair of twins had been part of the insurance database for three years or more, and the researchers had data on pairs of twins starting with newborns to age 24. 

The researchers used a statistical approach to estimate how many pairs of twins were fraternal and how many were identical. The data included a wide range of genetic and environmental factors including pollution, climate conditions, socioeconomic status and clinical diagnoses, red and white blood cell counts, and cholesterol levels. 

After analyzing the data and accounting for all these different variables, the researchers were able to identify which diseases were more strongly influenced by genetics among the twins and which were due to certain environmental changes. 

225 out of 560 of the diseases studied, roughly 40 percent, were linked to genetics, and 138 were influenced heavily by environmental factors because the twins shared households and social settings. 

Eye disorders had little to do with genetics and 27 out of 42 eye diseases were linked to strong environmental influences. Cognitive disorders and reproductive problems had the strongest genetic influences. 

145 of the diseases studied related to socioeconomic status, and the morbid obesity was heavily linked to status, but the researchers found that climate, status, and air quality did not have as strong an impact on disease as a shared household environment. 

The researchers hope that their study will help future studies narrow down the genetic and environmental influence on diseases. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

40 percent of diseases are influenced by genetics, new study finds

The nature versus nurture debate remains one of the longest-running...

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

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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"

[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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