Tropical greenery once blanketed the supercontinent of Pangea, recycling carbon and regulating climate. Then, 252 million years ago, those forests collapsed - and with them, Earth’s primary brake on rising CO2.



A new study led by researchers at the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a> and <a href="https://en.cug.edu.cn/">China University of Geosciences </a>shows that the disappearance of lush low-latitude vegetation after the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-was-the-cause-of-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction</a>. 



This collapse triggered a climate feedback so powerful that “super-greenhouse” conditions persisted for roughly five million years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-forest-loss-fueled-heat">Forest loss fueled heat</h2>



Scientists have long linked the “Great Dying” - in which more than 90 percent of marine species and around 70 percent of land vertebrates vanished - to colossal eruptions in Siberia.



Those outbursts released enough carbon dioxide to roast the planet. However, geologic evidence indicates that temperatures remained punishingly high long after the lava stopped flowing.



The missing piece, say the authors, is what happened to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-forests-are-struggling-to-keep-pace-with-climate-change/">tropical forests</a> once temperatures and acid rain soared.



“Critically, this is the only high-temperature event in Earth’s history in which the tropical forest biosphere collapses, which drove our initial hypothesis,” explained Zhen Xu from the University of Leeds, who led the project.



“Now, after years of fieldwork, analysis, and simulations, we finally have the data which supports it.”



Using detailed fossil plant records from dozens of Chinese rock sections - among the most complete archives of the Permian–Triassic transition - Xu and colleagues reconstructed how photosynthetic productivity waxed and waned.



Their analysis dovetailed with climate-carbon cycle models, revealing that once the forests disappeared, natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reducing-air-pollution-could-greatly-boost-carbon-sequestration-by-plants/">carbon sequestration</a> plunged. Without vegetation to absorb CO2, volcanic emissions lingered, intensifying heat and delaying Earth’s recovery.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-reveal-sudden-earth-shift">Fossils reveal sudden Earth shift</h2>



China’s rugged outcrops hold a near-continuous record of sediment laid down across the extinction interval. Three generations of Chinese geologists have cataloged that history. 



Since 2016, Xu’s team has added thousands of new plant fossils and geochemical samples from across Earth. They trekked to sites reachable only by boat or horseback.



The resulting dataset captures a sharp, continent-wide shift from luxuriant, fern-rich swamp forests to sparse, shrubby landscapes within a geologic eye-blink.



Those observations fed into computer models developed at Leeds. By tweaking the fraction of global photosynthesis lost, Professor Benjamin Mills and Xu tested whether reduced carbon uptake alone could account for the five-million-year thermal plateau. The numbers lined up.



“There is a warning here about the importance of Earth’s present-day tropical forests,” Mills said.



“If rapid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-may-trigger-rapid-release-of-soil-carbon/">warming</a> causes them to collapse in a similar manner, then we should not expect our climate to cool to pre-industrial levels even if we stop emitting CO2," he said. "Indeed, warming could continue to accelerate in this case even if we reach zero human emissions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-climate-tipping-point"><a></a>A climate tipping point</h2>



Because plants build their tissues out of atmospheric carbon, verdant ecosystems act as vast reservoirs, locking CO2 away in wood and soils. Destroy that biomass - through heat, drought, fire, or acid rain - and the storage vanishes.



The researchers argue the Permian event marks a clear instance of a climate–biosphere <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-tipping-points-how-close-are-we-to-irreversible-change/">tipping point</a>. Falling forest cover triggered carbon feedbacks that locked the planet into a hotter state until vegetation slowly returned.



That idea dovetails with modern concerns. Today’s Amazon and Congo basins absorb billions of tons of CO2 annually, yet warming, deforestation, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-co2-emissions-from-forest-fires-have-surged-by-60-percent/">wildfires</a> are eroding their capacity. The ancient past shows how abruptly the system can flip.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-old-rocks-new-warnings">Old rocks, new warnings</h2>



The study also illustrates how paleontology is evolving. Analyzing ancient crises now demands chemical tracers, numerical simulations, and high-resolution global mapping - tools far removed from the dusty image of fossil hunting.



“Paleontology needs to embrace new techniques - from numerical modeling to interdisciplinary collaboration - to decode the past and safeguard the future,” said co-author Hongfu Yin, a professor at the China University of Geosciences, who began collecting these Permian fossils decades ago.



“Let’s make sure our work transcends academia: it is a responsibility to all life on Earth, today and beyond. Earth’s story is still being written, and we all have a role in shaping its next chapter,” added co-author Jianxin Yu, a professor at the same university.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fossils-show-earth-s-tipping-point">Fossils show Earth’s tipping point</h2>



While humans are unlikely to unleash Siberian-scale lava floods, we are replicating the CO2 spike in real time. The Great Dying shows how ecosystem failure can prolong climatic damage far beyond the initial trigger.



In the Permian, recovery took millions of years; for modern civilization, even centuries of persistent warming would strain food supplies, economies, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-action-and-biodiversity-striking-the-right-balance/">biodiversity</a>.



“The causes of such extreme warming during this event have been long discussed, as the level of warming is far beyond any other event,” Xu notes.



Her team’s evidence suggests that the planet’s thermostat can jam, and forests are a key component of the mechanism. Preserve them, and they buffer shocks. Lose them, and the heat may keep climbing long after emissions fall.



The ancient fossils of China thus deliver a double message: Earth has crossed tipping points before, and those thresholds hinge on living landscapes. Protecting today’s tropical forests might be the surest way to avoid replaying a five-million-year fever.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-60396-y">Nature Communications</a>.



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Forest fossils from Earth’s largest mass extinction carry a climate warning

Tropical greenery once blanketed the supercontinent of Pangea, recycling carbon and regulating climate. Then, 252 million years ago, those forests collapsed - and with them, Earth’s primary brake on rising CO2. A new study led by researchers at the University of Leeds and China University of Geosciences shows that the disappearance of lush low-latitude vegetation after the Permian–Triassic Mass Extinction. This collapse triggered a climate feedback so powerful that “super-greenhouse” conditions persisted for roughly five million years. Forest loss fueled heat Scientists have long linked the “Great...

A new project funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation (NSF)</a> could soon help track air pollution and let farmers know when is the best time for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bee-friendly-pesticides/">applying pesticides</a>.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.sc.edu/">University of South Carolina</a> and the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois </a>will soon launch a two-month experiment that will measure air movement at night over specific landscapes. 

“Airflow near mountains, hills and valleys often has complicated patterns, even though the atmosphere appears quiet,” said Chungu Lu, a program director in NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences, which funds SAVANT to <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=296438&amp;WT.mc_id=USNSF_51&amp;WT.mc_ev=click">the NSF.</a> “Understanding these flow patterns is important for predicting air quality, enhancing crop yields and mitigating the impacts of hazardous materials releases, for example.”

The experiment is called Stable Atmospheric Variability and Transport (SAVANT) and the goal, according to the researchers, is to better understand airflow in stable boundary layers. 

Stable boundary layers are a type of atmospheric boundary that forms near the surface overnight, but they are difficult to observe and so are not well understood. 

“In recent years, we've learned about stable boundary layers in flat terrain,” said April Hiscox, a SAVANT principal investigator. “There's also been a lot of work done in mountainous regions, but if you look at the United States and much of the world, there's a lot of space that is neither mountainous nor flat.”

In order to better understand airflow in stable boundary layers, the researchers selected four gullies or areas with slight dips in the landscape in Illinois to monitor for the duration of the experiment. 

For two months, SAVANT will use light detection and ranging systems to track air movement and dispersal. The researchers will release smoke over a gully and SAVANT will record how the smoke moves and track its patterns. 

The researchers will also measure climate conditions including wind speed and turbulence to see what conditions influence the formation of stable boundary layers. 

At the end of the two months, the researchers should have a much better understanding of stable boundary layers which could improve meteorological predictions about airflow. The more accurate predictions could in turn help agricultural operations. 

“The project can assist environmental management and agricultural operations, for example, by knowing when and where to set up anti-frost fans and pesticide applications, as well as in weather forecasting,” said Junming Wang, a fellow SAVANT project leader.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Air quality predictions can improve agricultural output

A new project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)...

AI robots can learn prejudices from each other, scientists warn. A team of experts from <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/">Cardiff University</a> and the <a href="http://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT) has found that artificially intelligent robots can learn how to become prejudiced and biased without the help of humans. 

There are some types of computer algorithms which have already demonstrated displays of prejudice, such as racism and sexism, based on what they have learned from human-generated data.

However, the new study shows the potential for computers to adapt certain biases in groups amongst themselves. According to the experts, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/robots-interpret-identify-objects/">autonomous machines</a> could easily identify, copy, and learn prejudice behaviors from each other.

“It is feasible that autonomous machines with the ability to identify with discrimination and copy others could in future be susceptible to prejudicial phenomena that we see in the human population,” said study co-author Professor Roger Whitaker.

"Many of the AI developments that we are seeing involve autonomy and self-control, meaning that the behavior of devices is also influenced by others around them. Vehicles and the Internet of Things are two recent examples. Our study gives a theoretical insight where simulated agents periodically call upon others for some kind of resource.”

The study was focused on a game of give and take, in which individual robots decide whether to make a donation to someone inside of their own group or in a different group. The decision is based on different strategies, as well as feelings of prejudice toward outsiders.

The study revealed that robots would donate to each other within small groups. In addition, each individual machine learned new strategies by copying others either within their own group or within the entire population.

“By running these simulations thousands and thousands of times over, we begin to get an understanding of how prejudice evolves and the conditions that promote or impede it,” said Professor Whitaker.

“Our simulations show that prejudice is a powerful force of nature and through evolution, it can easily become incentivised in virtual populations, to the detriment of wider connectivity with others. Protection from prejudicial groups can inadvertently lead to individuals forming further prejudicial groups, resulting in a fractured population. Such widespread prejudice is hard to reverse.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

AI robots can learn prejudices from each other, scientists warn

AI robots can learn prejudices from each other, scientists warn....

Experts have developed a map of Antarctica that has more detail than any other terrain map of its kind. The map will revolutionize how this remote continent is explored. 

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/enormous-iceberg-antarctica-spinning/">Antarctica</a> is the least habitable and accessible of all the continents, yet studying fluctuating levels of ice and water are becoming critical as the planet warms. 

“Now, we'll be able to see changes in melting and deposition of ice better than ever before,” said project researcher Paul Morin. “That will help us understand the impact of climate change and sea level rise. We'll be able to see it right before our eyes.”

[caption id="attachment_1646685" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/New-highest-resolution-map-of-Antarctica-is-the-most-detailed-yet.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1646685" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/New-highest-resolution-map-of-Antarctica-is-the-most-detailed-yet-1024x838.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="573" /></a> Image Credit: Ohio State University, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency[/caption]

With the help of one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, the <a href="https://www.pgc.umn.edu/data/rema/">Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica </a>(REMA) was created by overlapping hundreds of thousands of stereoscopic Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). The map was also constructed with millions of high-resolution images that were collected by a group of satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above Earth.

Previous maps of Antarctica were produced at a resolution of over 3,000 feet, but the new map captures a much more detailed resolution of around 26 feet. 

Ian Howat is the project’s principal investigator and a professor of Earth Sciences at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a>.

“Up until now, we've had a better map of Mars than we've had of Antarctica," said project researcher Ian Howat. “Now it is the best-mapped continent on Earth.”

According to the experts, the elevation of the continent's icy and rocky features are now documented within just a few feet. 

“At this resolution, you can see almost everything,” said Howat. “We will see changes in snow cover, changes in the motion of ice, we will be able to monitor river discharge, flooding and volcanoes. We will be able to see the thinning of glaciers.”

The map was published online by the <a href="https://www.pgc.umn.edu/">Polar Geospatial Center</a> at the University of Minnesota.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Ohio State University, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

New highest-resolution map of Antarctica is the most detailed yet

Experts have developed a map of Antarctica that has more...

Warm weather in the Yukon has led to the melting of many ice patches, and while this may seem like a bad thing due to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/social-media-polarization-climate-change/">climate change,</a> there has been a tiny silver lining. The melting of these ice patches has led to the discovery of numerous ancient tools in these areas, with the most important discovery occurring recently.

A perfectly preserved spear dart (or atlatl) dating back roughly 1,000 years ago was found completely intact – so much so that the feather and sap used as glue are still visible. 

“I’d never seen anything like that before, it was amazing,” says Jennifer Herkes, heritage manager for the Carcross/Tagish First Nation in Yukon. “The feathers, the sinew, the sap they would have used as, like, a glue to attach the stone point to the wood shaft – all of it is completely intact.”

Herkes found the spear dart on the Yukon ice patches near Carcross. Initially, she didn’t believe she had found anything too special, as she figured it was just a small part of a dart. 

“I thought, 'Oh yeah, that's neat,'” she told <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/">CBC</a>. But then she saw it was more than just a piece – it was the whole spear. “My heart rate started increasing, and I got goose bumps all over.”

The spear dart is about five feet long, and would have been launched using a throwing tool to increase its velocity. The area it was found in used to be a popular hunting ground, where woodland caribou would gather on ice patches in the summer to escape the heat and bugs.

Tools are now regularly being found in these areas as the ice patches melt. The Carcross/Tagish First Nation Citizens organization is attempting to have these areas designated as world heritage sites, given their importance and the history they may have to offer. If the ice patches continue to melt, it’s likely that even more exciting discoveries could be made.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Carcross Tagish First Nation/Facebook

1,000 year-old spear dart found completely intact in the Yukon

Warm weather in the Yukon has led to the melting...

Transfusing the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/depression-diagnosed-blood-test/">blood</a> of younger individuals into older adults may seem like a bizarre, dystopian idea on the surface, but many companies have recently been testing these blood transfusions as a way to treat age-related diseases – and it’s less scary than you may think.

Linda Partridge, a leading geneticist at <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> reports that blood transfusions are being seriously considered as one of the most promising developments in modern medicine. In her publication of an analysis of data in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, Partridge states that research shows young blood may allow humans to avoid diseases such as heart disease, dementia, and even cancer.

In her study, Partridge transfused blood from young mice into older mice, and found that the older mice did not develop age-related diseases, and were able to maintain sharp cognitive function. She also transfused older mouse blood into young mice, which resulted in the opposite effect.

There are currently numerous studies and trials that are testing similar effects, one of which is from a start-up called Ambrosia, which rolled out a study involving 70 participants – each of whom were at least 35 and had paid $8,000 to be part of the experiment. Participants were given plasma from volunteers aged 16 to 25, and results showed improvements in biomarkers of numerous major diseases, including a 10 percent reduction in blood cholesterol.

Scientists also found a 20 percent reduction in carcinoembryonic antigens, which are proteins found in high levels in people with various forms of cancer. Amyloid protein levels dropped as well, which is promising, given that these proteins form toxic clumps in the brains of dementia patients. One particular 55-year-old patient with early onset Alzheimer’s actually began to show improvements in his condition after just one transfusion.

Despite these intriguing results, the benefits of blood transfusion are far from confirmed. Partridge states that blood must be more closely studied in animals in order to identify the molecules that have an effect on our own physical health. 

“Identification of these is a high priority for research,” her study says. “The practical accessibility of both the human microbiome and blood system makes therapeutic manipulation a particularly attractive approach, but research in animals is needed to establish the long-term consequences and possible side effects.”

So, before you go around looking for a younger person to voluntary give up blood for transfusion, you should maybe wait a few years for research to catch up to these bold claims.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Transfusions of young blood may help reduce disease in old age

Transfusing the blood of younger individuals into older adults may...

Our internal clock is integral to the way our body functions, and when the clock is out of sync or “misaligned” with the outside world, it can create a wide range of problems and increase susceptibility to disease. 

Jet lag is perhaps the most famous example of what can happen when the body’s natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/proteins-circadian-clock-ticks/">circadian rhythms</a> are disrupted through travel across different time zones. Jet lag can cause fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, and make adjusting to new timezones difficult. 

But now, researchers from <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> have successfully developed one of the most precise tests to measure an individual's internal clock compared to external time. 

The researcher's methods and results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

It’s a simple blood test called TimeSignature that only requires two blood draws but can accurately identify a person's internal clock within an hour and a half. 

For example, it could tell researchers that a person’s internal clock says it’s 6 am whereas it’s actually 8 am in that particular timezone. 

“This is a much more precise and sophisticated measurement than identifying whether you are a morning lark or a night owl,” said Rosemary Braun, assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the study.  “We can assess a person's biological clock to within 1.5 hours.”

Previous tests that measured internal clocks were time-consuming and took a great deal of effort. Individuals had to have blood drawn every hour and the results were not nearly as accurate as TimeSignature. 

The test measures 40 different gene expression markers and blood can be drawn at any time of the day regardless of the individual’s sleep patterns. Gene data and an algorithm developed by Braun were used in the development of the test. 

The researchers also created a machine-learning method that was able to train a computer to predict the time of day based on the patterns within the 40 gene expression markers. 

Because so much of our body’s natural functions and processes are driven by our internal clock and circadian rhythms, the new test could help provide better treatments for people with misaligned internal clocks. 

It will also make studying the effects of an out of sync internal clock on heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases much easier.

“Timing is everything," said Ravi Allada, a co-author of the work. “We know if you have disruption of your internal clock, it can predispose you to a range of diseases. Before we didn't have a clinically feasible way of assessing the clock in healthy people and people with disease. Now we can see if a disrupted clock correlates with various diseases and, more importantly, if it can predict who is going to get sick.”

Crucially, the test will also be able dictate the optimal times for patients to take certain medications to ensure they are the most effective.

“This is really an integral part of personalized medicine,” said Phyllis Zee, another co-author of the study. “So many drugs have optimal times for dosing. Knowing what time it is in your body is critical to getting the most effective benefits. The best time for you to take the blood pressure drug or the chemotherapy or radiation may be different from somebody else.”
--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New test tells you what time it is in your internal clock

Our internal clock is integral to the way our body...

While <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/robots-influence-children-education/">robots</a> have been developed with the capability to distinguish between objects, these machines do not really understand the structure or shapes of items so they cannot do much with them. However, researchers from the <a href="http://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT) have now developed a system that allows robots to inspect random objects and use them to accomplish tasks that they have never even observed. 

“Many approaches to manipulation can't identify specific parts of an object across the many orientations that object may encounter,” said study co-author Lucas Manuelli. “For example, existing algorithms would be unable to grasp a mug by its handle, especially if the mug could be in multiple orientations, like upright, or on its side.”

Working in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), the experts created the “Dense Object Nets” (DON) system to allow robots to gain a visual understanding of objects by focusing on a collection of points that serve as “visual roadmaps.” 

The DON method not only allows the robots to manipulate items, but also to select a specific object out of a random group of similar objects. This is a valuable skill for the kinds of machines that companies like Amazon and Walmart use in their warehouses.

“In factories robots often need complex part feeders to work reliably,” said Manuelli. “But a system like this that can understand objects' orientations could just take a picture and be able to grasp and adjust the object accordingly.”

The researchers also envision potential applications in homes for cleaning tasks such as putting away clean dishes. Incredibly, none of the data used by the robots is actually labeled by humans. Instead, the system is “self-supervised,” and does not require any human explanations.

The team, which also includes study lead author Pete Florence and Professor Russ Tedrake, will present the research next month at the <a href="http://www.robot-learning.org/">Conference on Robot Learning</a> in Zürich, Switzerland.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Tom Buehler

Robots can now visually interpret objects and identify them later

While robots have been developed with the capability to distinguish...

Do bravery cells in the hippocampus control human behavior?

For some of us, even thinking about standing at the edge of a cliff can make our stomachs churn and our palms sweat. For others, leaping a gorge on a motorcycle or crossing on a tightrope sounds like a grand time.

What gives?

An international team of neuroscientists have been studying these differences in risk-taking behavior between people – sometimes even between family members. They’ve identified “bravery cells” in the hippocampus that may play a role in why some people are thrill-seekers while others struggle with anxiety to the point of disorder.

The neurons, dubbed OLM cells, can produce a brain rhythm when stimulated that mimic the brain waves of animals that feel relatively safe – for example, a prey animal that knows a predator is nearby, but is safety hidden and knows exactly where the predator is.

“It is fascinating how different regions of the same brain structure control distinct behaviors and how they interact with each other,” co-author Dr. Sanja Mikulovic of <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University</a> said in a press release. “Identifying specic circuits that underlie either cognitive or emotional processes is crucial for the general understanding of brain function and for more specific drug development to treat disorders.”

In a study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05907-w">Nature Communications</a>, Mikulovic teamed up with Drs. Ernesto Restrepo, Klas Kullander, Richardson Leao and others in Uppsala and at the <a href="http://www.ufrn.br/en">Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte</a> in Brazil to examine how these bravery cells can be manipulated. 

The scientists discovered that medications could be used to trigger the OLM cells in different ways. The finding could mean a breakthrough for treatment of anxiety disorders and even depression. 

Today, when patients have such severe anxiety or depression that it interferes with daily life, doctors rely on medications that affect the whole brain. Medications that treat anxiety and depression can also have side effects, leading apathy or triggering mania. By targeting the bravery cells, doctors may someday be able to treat anxiety in the hippocampus alone, without affecting other areas of the brain. This could prevent some of the side effects of current psychological medications.

The team also discovered that OLM cells are very sensitive to nicotine while conducting their study.

“This finding may explain why people binge-smoke when they are anxious,” said Leao, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.

Study: risk-takers can thank the bravery cells in their brains

Do bravery cells in the hippocampus control human behavior? For...

Daily fasting seems to lead to better health – at least for male mice. A new study has found that increasing the time between meals seemed to make mice healthier and longer-lived than fellow rodents who ate more regularly.

Mice seemed to benefit from the increased daily fasting regardless of what they ate or how many calories they consumed, the team of scientists said.

"This study showed that mice who ate one meal per day, and thus had the longest fasting period, seemed to have a longer lifespan and better outcomes for common age-related liver disease and metabolic disorders," Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of the <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/">National Institute on Aging</a>, said in a press release. "These intriguing results in an animal model show that the interplay of total caloric intake and the length of feeding and fasting periods deserves a closer look."

The researchers – who also haled from the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/">National Institutes of Health</a>, the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>, and the <a href="https://www.pbrc.edu/">Pennington Biomedical Research Center</a> – studied nearly 300 mice, split into two groups at random. 

One group was fed a natural diet high in protein and fiber, and low in fat and purified sugars. The other group was fed a less healthful diet. 

Each group was further split into three sub-groups. One group had constant access to food; the second also has regular access but were fed a third less calories than the first group; and the third got the same amount of calories as the first group, but in a single meal per day.

They then monitored the mice’s health over the course of their lifetimes, and after their natural deaths. They found that the meal-fed mice and the calorie restricted mice – who had to eat quickly or lose out to their fellows, in effect fasting each day as well – lived longer and showed delayed age-related organ damage.

While scientists have studied restricting calories and how that affects health for some time, studying the effects of daily fasting times is relatively new, the researchers said. The study’s results show that it may be an area worth researching further.

"Increasing daily fasting times, without a reduction of calories and regardless of the type of diet consumed, resulted in overall improvements in health and survival in male mice," said lead author Dr. Rafael de Cabo of the NIA. "Perhaps this extended daily fasting period enables repair and maintenance mechanisms that would be absent in a continuous exposure to food."

The scientists plan to extend the study to other strains of mice, other lab animals and both sexes. The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/home">Cell Metabolism</a>.

Longer daily fasting between meals makes mice healthier

Daily fasting seems to lead to better health – at...

Scientists from <a href="https://www.keele.ac.uk/">Keele University</a> are describing how experts can detect a sinkhole before it is visible. In an article written for <a href="http://theconversation.com/au">The Conversation</a>, Peter Styles and Jamie Pringle explain that measuring microgravity can provide evidence of a cavity that has formed beneath the Earth’s surface prior to a collapse.

Most sinkholes occur in areas where the bedrock is formed from soft minerals and carbonate rocks like limestone or dolostone. Sinkholes often happen naturally, but are also linked to human activities such as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coal-mining-aquatic-life/">mining</a>. 

“The geology of the rocks beneath you is a clue to the possibility of sinkholes. Limestone is prone to dissolution by groundwater which can, over time, create enormous networks of underground caves known as karst. These can collapse downwards due to gravity, leading to great surface depressions and subsidence damage and even the complete loss of houses,” wrote the study authors. 

The surface collapses can be gradual or happen overnight, according to the experts. They say that in regions where all of the surface rocks are limestone,  such as areas of China and Florida, there is little warning before sinkholes develop. 

The scientists have both examined sinkholes across the world, including in Australia, the Middle East, and in the Bahamas. Styles and Pringle have also investigated mining cavities in South Wales and Yorkshire.

“Over the years, we have become experts in measuring the Earth’s gravity at ultra-high precision to a few parts in a billion. This is known as microgravity,” wrote the researchers. “We can use this to detect a cavity, or even a partially-filled area with less density than the surrounding rocks, long before any collapse reaches the surface.”

“An additional innovation we have developed is to carry out what are known as 4-D, time-varying, repeated microgravity surveys at intervals of months to years. This enables us to detect changes in gravity, which suggest that the cavities are propagating towards the surface and potentially becoming unstable.”

The original report by the scientists can be accessed <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-detect-a-sinkhole-before-it-swallows-you-up-101543">here</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists are using microgravity to help predict sinkholes

Scientists from Keele University are describing how experts can detect...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Technological University</a> have found, for the first time, that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-coal-rules-poorer-air-quality/">coal-fired power plants</a> require 13 times more land to be made carbon neutral compared to the manufacturing of solar panels. To offset the harmful emissions from coal-fired plants using bio-sequestration, 89 percent of the United States would have to be covered with forests.

For example, a one-gigawatt coal-fired plant would require a new forest larger than the state of Maryland for all of its carbon emissions to be neutralized, according to the study.

The team investigated the amount of land required to offset greenhouse gases created by traditional coal-fired plants, as well as how much land would be needed for applying carbon sequestration and bio-sequestration to coal-fired plants. These approaches were then compared to the requirements for offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions that result from the production of solar panels.

Study co-author Joshua Pearce is a professor of Material Sciences and Electrical Engineering at Michigan Tech.


“We know that climate change is a reality, but we don't want to live like cavemen,” said Professor Pearce. “We need a method to make carbon neutral electricity. It just makes no sense whatsoever to use coal when you have solar available, especially with this data.”

Over 100 different data sources were used to compare the energy, greenhouse gas emissions and land transformation that would be needed to carbon neutralize each type of energy. Overall,  solar cells were found to require 13 times less land to become carbon neutral.

“If your goal is to make electricity without introducing any carbon into the atmosphere, you should absolutely not do a coal plant,” said Professor Pearce. “Not only is it not realistic to capture all the carbon dioxide they release, but burning coal also puts sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide and particulates in the air. They cause air pollution, which is already estimated to cause 52,000 premature deaths per year.”

According to Professor Pearce, resources should be dedicated to improving the efficiency of solar panels and solar farms instead of carbon capture at fossil fuel-powered plants to achieve zero-emission energy. 

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</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

Offsetting coal plant emissions is unrealistic, study finds

Researchers at Michigan Technological University have found, for the first...

A revolutionary project that may be the first feasible solution for ocean plastic is set to be launched on September 8th in the Pacific Ocean. As we <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pac-man-system-plastic-pollution/">reported</a> earlier this summer, <a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com/">The Ocean Cleanup</a> is targeting the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which holds an estimated 80,000 tons of plastic. 

The experts behind The Ocean Cleanup say that a full-scale deployment of their system can remove 50 percent of the garbage patch in five years. 

The team adds: “After fleets of systems are deployed into every ocean gyre, combined with source reduction, The Ocean Cleanup projects to be able to remove 90% of ocean plastic by 2040.”

The project, which has been developed over the last five years, features a 600-meter floating tube with a three-meter-deep screen attached. The floating device is capable of collecting about five tons of plastic per month.

The system was designed to keep wildlife safe from harm while preventing the passage of plastic. 

The team describes some of the precautions taken to ensure the safety of marine life: “Firstly, the systems move through the ocean at extremely low speeds - slow enough for creatures to swim away. Secondly, because the screen is impenetrable, the current will flow underneath the screen, guiding with it organisms that can't actively move, while the plastic (which floats) remains inside the system.”

The experts also point out that the screen is much different from a net, and wildlife cannot become entangled. 

Once the system is towed over 1,000 nautical miles to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch from its launch point in Alameda, California, it will rely on the wind, water, and currents to move it along as it combs the ocean for garbage. 

“Our systems fully rely on the natural ocean currents and do not require an external energy source to catch and concentrate the plastic. All electronics used, such as lights and AIS, will be powered by solar energy.”

The performance of the beta cleanup system, System 001, will be monitored to make any necessary improvements as the team aims to increase its fleet to a total of 60 units over the next year and a half. 

Find out how individuals and businesses can support The Ocean Cleanup at: <a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com/support/">https://www.theoceancleanup.com/support/</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: <a href="https://www.theoceancleanup.com/">The Ocean Cleanup</a>

The Ocean Cleanup launches this weekend to reduce garbage patch

A revolutionary project that may be the first feasible solution...

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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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