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>.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

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 study on how climate change impacts vegetation may soon pave the way for using gene editing technology to modify plants to be more resilient in warmer, drier, environments.

Plants depend on carbon dioxide and water to thrive but the tiny holes in their leaves, called stomata, that open to draw in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen also let out water. It’s essentially the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/measure-global-plant-water-use/">ventilation system of the plant. 
</a>

As <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-droughts-hotter/">climate change</a> is increasing drought and making environments around the world drier, this loss of water is critical.

Plants can choose to keep their stomata closed, but then they can’t take in carbon dioxide. It’s a lose-lose situation for plants, which is why researchers from the <a href="http://web.stanford.edu/group/bergmann/cgi-bin/bergmannlab/">Bergmann Lab at Stanford University</a> wanted to figure out what underlying factors drive the development of stomata. 

The results of the study, published in the journal Developmental Cell, could help create new methods for using gene editing to make plants more durable in the coming years and resist the impacts of climate change.

“It would be really nice to be able to better predict how vegetation, such as boreal forests, will react to global changes in climate,” said Anne Vatén, the lead author of the study. “Changes in stomatal development are a type of mechanism plants probably use to adapt when the environment changes, but we have a lot more to learn about it.”

The researchers grew hundreds of Arabidopsis thaliana plants in a lab setting and analyzed the plants during stomata development. Vatén also examined the entire genome of the of the plant.

By looking at the plant’s genome Vatén was able to confirm that the genes associated with a  plant hormone called cytokinin were important to stomata development.

Next, the researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology and changed the levels of cytokinin in the lab plants to see how it influenced stomata numbers.

The team found that cytokinin activates a particular gene called SPEECHLESS that lays the groundwork for some cells to become stomata.

When the researchers changed the hormone levels in the plants, it only had a subtle impact on how much stomata were created.

In some cases, stomata development changed by only ten percent, but the researchers found that this was consistent with changes that a plant naturally makes to its stomata development when there is a change to their environment.

“That was a really satisfying discovery,” said Dominique Bergmann, the senior author of the study. “It was great to be able to say that the changes we see in stomatal numbers when plants lose the ability to use the cytokinin-SPEECHLESS system is in the realm of how much plants normally change to cope with an environmental change.”

The researchers propose that CRISPR technology could be key for helping plants withstand climate change, and now thanks to this study, science has gained a better understanding of stomata development in plants.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Hormone could help create climate change-resistant plants

A new study on how climate change impacts vegetation may...

Humans are living longer than ever these days thanks to improved quality of life, better access to health care, and advancements in medicine and technology. 

It’s estimated that there are as many as half a million centenarians, people 100 years of age or older, around the world. 

Humans have some of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-evolved-live-longer/">longest life spans</a>, especially compared to other primate species. Although humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor millions of years ago, the evolution of homo-sapiens ensured that our species could live well over 100 years, whereas primates live only half as long. 

A new study, conducted by researchers from the<a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/evolutionary-biology"> Institute of Evolutionary Biology</a>, examined the genetic mutations that make the long lifespan of humans possible. 

The results, published in the journal Molecular Biology &amp; Evolution, show that humans evolved a unique set of genetic mutations that help with blood coagulation, wound healing and cardiovascular functions. 

The researchers developed a new method that allowed them to identify 25 genes that may help explain why humans live so much longer than other primates. 

Genomes from seventeen primate species were analyzed for the study, according to the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6134943/Experts-identify-25-genetic-mutations-help-explain-humans-evolved-live-long.html">Daily Mail</a> which reported on the findings. 

The reason the researchers focused on primates is that there is a such a major gap in life spans between humans and the common ancestor that primates evolved from. 

After comparing the genomes, the researchers identified 25 unique mutations in humans that help with health and longevity including those that aid in wound repair. 

According to the study’s leader, the results provide strong evidence that the secret to human longevity and aging is all thanks to our genetic evolution. 

“The results are meaningful, because a flexible and adaptable control of coagulation mechanisms are required in species that live longer,” Gerard Muntané, the study's leading author, told the Daily Mail. 

The research could aid in anti-aging research and could help with the development of new treatments for age-related diseases according to researchers. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans are able to to live so long thanks to genetic mutations

Humans are living longer than ever these days thanks to...

Scientists have known for years that both <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/worlds-fifth-largest-wind-farm-england/">wind</a> and solar farms can have local effects on heat, humidity, and other factors that may be either beneficial or detrimental to a given region. For this reason, it’s important that researchers carefully study the effects this infrastructure would have on an area before it’s implemented. New research has now found that a massive wind and solar installation in the Sahara Desert and the nearby Sahel would result in increased local temperatures, precipitation, and vegetation. These effects could actually benefit this arid region.

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, and is one of the first to model the climate effects of wind and solar installations while also determining how vegetation would respond to changes in heat and precipitation. 

“Previous modeling studies have shown that large-scale wind and solar farms can produce significant climate change at continental scales,” says Yan Li, a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/">University of Illinois</a> and lead author of the study. “But the lack of vegetation feedbacks could make the modeled climate impacts very different from their actual behavior.”

In the study, simulated wind and solar farms would stretch over 9 million square kilometers, and generate roughly 3 terawatts and 79 terawatts of electrical power on average, respectively. “In 2017, the global energy demand was only 18 terawatts, so this is obviously much more energy than is currently needed worldwide,” says Li.

Their models showed that the wind farms resulted in regional warming of near-surface air temperature, with more significant changes in minimum temperatures than maximum temperatures. “The greater nighttime warming takes place because wind turbines can enhance the vertical mixing and bring down warmer air from above,” the authors explain.

In the Sahara, precipitation was show to increase as much as 0.25 millimeters per day on average in areas that had wind farms. In the Sahel, average rainfall increased 1.12 millimeters per day. 

“This increase in precipitation, in turn, leads to an increase in vegetation cover, creating a positive feedback loop,” says Li.

The results also showed a similar positive effect on temperature and precipitation in areas with solar farms. “We found that the large-scale installation of solar and wind farms can bring more rainfall and promote vegetation growth in these regions,” says Eugenia Kalnay, a study co-author from the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>. 

“The rainfall increase is a consequence of complex land-atmosphere interactions that occur because solar panels and wind turbines create rougher and darker land surfaces. The increase in rainfall and vegetation, combined with clean electricity as a result of solar and wind energy, could help agriculture, economic development and social well-being in the Sahara, Sahel, Middle East and other nearby regions.”

The authors of the study chose to study the Sahara and Sahel due to these regions being sparsely inhabited and highly sensitive to changes in landscape. Furthermore, the Sahara Desert is the largest in the world, and its proximity to Europe and the Middle East is intriguing, due to the growing energy demands of these regions. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wind, solar farms in the Sahara would increase rain, vegetation

Scientists have known for years that both wind and solar...

With the risks of climate change not getting any smaller – mainly due to continued unsustainable greenhouse gas emissions – the need for full-scale transition to a carbon-free electricity grid is more dire than ever. Just recently, the state of California committed to creating a 100 percent carbon-free grid, setting aggressive policies for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. 

This is an aspirational goal, but is it possible? A study from <a href="http://www.mit.edu/">MIT</a> researchers now gives guidelines for reliable and cost-effective ways to potentially build a zero-carbon electricity system. 

In recent years, the cost of wind and solar power, as well as energy storage batteries, has dropped dramatically. This has led many people to suggest that these sources alone should be used to power a carbon-free grid. But this recent study – published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/home">Joule</a> – has found that the more cost-effective and lower-risk strategy would be to pair these sources with steady carbon-free resources that can be expected to meet demand for long periods of time. These other resources include nuclear, geothermal, bioenergy, and natural gas with carbon capture.

“In this paper, we’re looking for robust strategies to get us to a zero-carbon electricity supply, which is the linchpin in overall efforts to mitigate climate change risk across the economy,” says Jesse Jenkins, PhD, of MIT. In order to achieve that, “we need not only to get to zero emissions in the electricity sector, but we also have to do so at a low enough cost that electricity is an attractive substitute for oil, natural gas, and coal in the transportation, heat, and industrial sectors, where decarbonization is typically even more challenging than in electricity.”

In their study, the team evaluated 1,000 different scenarios involving varying assumptions about the availability and cost of low-carbon technologies, geographical differences in the availability of renewable resources, and different policies on their use. They compared two different approaches: a “restrictive” approach that included only the use of solar and wind generation along with battery storage, and an “inclusive” approach that combined these technologies with the use of continual carbon-free sources like nuclear power, bioenergy, and natural gas with carbon capture. For every single case the team assessed, it was determined that the inclusive approach was more affordable, lowering costs from 10 percent to as much as 62 percent. 

“The results of this research challenge what has become conventional wisdom on both sides of the climate change debate,” says Richard Lester, a professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT. “Contrary to fears that effective climate mitigation efforts will be cripplingly expensive, our work shows that even deep decarbonization of the electric power sector is achievable at relatively modest additional cost. But contrary to beliefs that carbon-free electricity can be generated easily and cheaply with wind, solar energy, and storage batteries alone, our analysis makes clear that the societal cost of achieving deep decarbonization that way will likely be far more expensive than is necessary.”

While the dream of a 100 percent carbon-free electrical grid is still a futuristic one, the researchers believe it is important to begin assessing its viability today. Ultimately, any decisions made now regarding power plant construction, research investments, or overall climate policies will have effects that could still be felt decades from now.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A mix of energy sources offer a cost-effective clean power system

With the risks of climate change not getting any smaller...

In the first study of its kind, researchers at <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> have simulated the effects of a near-death experience using the powerful hallucinogenic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is believed to closely mimic feelings of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/low-carb-diets-premature-death/">dying</a>.

“Near-death experiences (NDEs) are complex subjective experiences, which have been previously associated with the psychedelic experience and more specifically with the experience induced by the potent serotonergic, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT),” wrote the study authors.

“Potential similarities between both subjective states have been noted previously, including the subjective feeling of transcending one’s body and entering an alternative realm, perceiving and communicating with sentient ‘entities’ and themes related to death and dying.”

To investigate these similarities, the team administered DMT to 13 healthy volunteers. The effects of the DMT were rated on the Near-Death Experience scale, which was created to measure the depth and intensity of an individual's NDE.

“When these DMT data were compared with those from a matched sample of ‘actual’ NDEs, a comparable profile was evident, with few discernable differences between the experiences of the actual NDE cases and those induced by DMT,” wrote the researchers.

“Taken together, these results reveal a striking similarity between the phenomenology of NDEs and experiences induced by the classic serotonergic psychedelic, DMT.”

Study lead author Dr. Christopher Timmermann explained that the research is part of a larger project by the psychedelic research group at Imperial that is focused on finding new compounds to treat mental illness.

Dr. Timmerman told <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/">Newsweek</a> that this type of trial may provide “a fuller picture of the limits of consciousness and how these experiences correspond to brain activity.”

It is still unclear why DMT generates the same sensations and feelings as a near- death experience.

“There have been hypotheses stating that because we are able to synthesize DMT naturally in our bodies, then in extreme situations (as in near-death experiences) there will be a massive release of DMT in the brain that may cause NDEs,” explained Dr. Timmerman.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology">Frontiers in Psychology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hallucinogenic drug replicates feeling of a near-death experience

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Imperial...

A team of ecologists from the <a href="http://www.glos.ac.uk/">University of Gloucestershire</a> searched <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/russian-trolls-twitter-vaccines/">Twitter</a> using both text and hashtags for any observations on popular ecological phenomena across the UK, such as the emergence of flying ants and starling murmurations. The data gathered from the tweets was compared to three related studies, and was found to be accurate and reliable. 

The researchers determined that the “Twitter-mined” data was able to replicate many of the temporal findings of the published research, such as the dates and times of ant mating flights or house spider sightings. In addition, the analysis of photos uploaded in tweets reproduced the gender ratios of house spiders.

“The retrospective analysis of social media has been used widely to detect earthquakes or political sentiment, but not so much in ecological research,” said study lead author Professor Adam Hart. “Our study shows that passive citizen science, where we gain information and access to photos indirectly through Twitter or other social media channels such as Facebook and Flickr, can indeed generate robust and interesting data.”

Tweets automatically generate a date and time stamp, and people usually post on the same day of a sighting.

“It is perhaps the immediacy of Twitter, the ‘urgency’ of the phenomena and the desire to connect with other users that have produced so many usable tweets,” said Professor Hart. “The emergence of winged ants is also popular in the media and hashtags like #flyingantday often trend on Twitter.”


It is more challenging to pinpoint the location of a sighting through Twitter because it is rarely published in posts. Twitter has recently launched the option of having latitude and longitude automatically added to tweets via “share precise location,” which could grant researchers better access to location data. 

“Twitter can provide a valuable tool for phenological studies of charismatic events and species,” said Professor Hart. “Dog owners noting ticks on their animals, or the timing of frog spawning or foxes mating are just some of the questions that could be explored.”

The researchers encourage members of the public to participate in ecological studies, and recommend for users to promote specific hashtags that will make it much easier to search through Twitter archives.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/2041210X">Methods in Ecology and Evolution</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sometimes Twitter can provide reliable data for studying animals

A team of ecologists from the University of Gloucestershire searched...

California is known for its beaches, beauty, and (unfortunately) <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earthquakes-remove-co2-atmosphere/">earthquakes</a>. And while these natural disasters have devastated the state for centuries, scientists are still looking to learn more about them. The newest gadget they will be using in this endeavor isn’t a seismograph or computer model, rather, it comes in the form of an 8,800-foot long bridge. 

The bridge is currently under construction over the Port of Long Beach, and will include about 75 seismic sensors that can measure the forces acting on the bridge when one of many nearby faults causes an earthquake. This bridge will be replacing the Gerald Desmond Bridge, and is due to open next year. 

“New bridges don’t come along very often, so it’s exciting,” says Dr. John Parrish, head of the <a href="http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs">California Geological Survey</a>, where the Strong Motion Instrumentation Program will be among those analyzing the data the sensors capture. This data will then be added to California’s database of earthquake knowledge.

While interesting, these added sensors are not new to the state. California’s bridges and other infrastructure have been equipped with quake sensors called accelerometers since the 1970s. The eastern span replacement of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge that opened in 2013 has over 200. However, this will be the first time that the sensors have been incorporated into the design of a California bridge from its inception. Furthermore, this will be the first cable-stayed bridge in the state.

Cable-stayed bridges differ from suspension bridges as their main span deck is completely supported by cables connected to the twin 515-foot towers. It is an especially strong design that has been tested to withstand heavy earthquakes and even terrorist bombings. 

“You just can’t knock one of these things down by knocking out one or two cables,” says Parrish. The joints and bearings are designed to break under stress, and can be easily replaced to get the bridge reopened quickly if an earthquake knocks it out. 

With this area being a crucial route for cargo trucks, commuters, cargo ships, the bridge should be an important improvement in infrastructure, as well as a data-gathering tool for seismologists and engineers.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Photo Credit: Associated Press

New California bridge built with sensors to study earthquakes

California is known for its beaches, beauty, and (unfortunately) earthquakes....

Step aside electric cars, hybrids, Teslas and gas-saving self-driving vehicles, the future of green automotives may soon lie in plastic.

Researchers from <a href="http://www.swansea.ac.uk/">Swansea University</a> have successfully converted plastic waste into hydrogen, paving the way for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles powered by plastic. 

As the world struggles to cope with a major plastic pollution crisis, millions of tons of plastic are entering the ocean each year and little sign of improvement.

Many researchers, conservation groups, and concerned citizens are scrambling to find ways to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pac-man-system-plastic-pollution/">clean up and recycle the plastic waste</a> created each day, and this new research may provide a new innovative solution. 

Plastic waste, even the plastic that can’t be recycled because it’s contaminated by food waste, can theoretically be used to make hydrogen using the new system created by the Swansea researchers. 

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, less common than electric cars and hybrids, use hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity that powers the car. 

It’s an incredibly clean and quiet way to power a car, and using plastic for fuel could be even a better alternative than trying to recycle the world’s plastic. 

“There's a lot of plastic used every year – billions of tonnes – and only a fraction of it is being recycled. We are trying to find a use for what is not being recycled,” said Moritz Kuehnel of Swansea University's chemistry department. “The beauty of this process is that it's not very picky. It can degrade all sorts of waste.”

The plastic is converted to hydrogen using an alkaline solution that is exposed to sunlight. 

The researchers say that plastic powered cars are quite a ways off, but many automotive manufacturers are already investing hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technology. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Could plastic waste one day fuel your car?

Step aside electric cars, hybrids, Teslas and gas-saving self-driving vehicles,...

Earlier this year it was reported that there were more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tigers-captive-us-nature/">tigers in captivity than in the wild</a>. The news was just one in a long line of studies that emphasizes how the world’s big cats are highly endangered.

However, the birth of two lion cubs at the <a href="http://lodge.ukutula.co.za/ukutula/ucc/">Ukutulu Game Reserve and Conservation Centre</a> in South Africa via artificial insemination offers hope to saving species like tigers, of which there are less than 4,000 in the wild, and snow leopards, of which there are less than 7,000 left in the world. 

According to the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6126743/Birth-worlds-test-tube-lion-cubs.html">Daily Mail,</a> experts from the <a href="https://www.up.ac.za/">University of Pretoria</a> pioneered in vitro fertilization research for big cats and their efforts led to the birth of two “test-tube” cubs, a male and female. 

The sperm of a male lion was placed inside a lioness in the Ukutulu Game Reserve and three months later the cubs were born. Both cubs are healthy and thriving in the reserve. 

“When they are big enough they will be introduced to the other lions but that will be some time yet but meanwhile they are happy and healthy and playful and leading us a merry dance,” Willi Jacobs, the owner of the Game Reserve told the Daily Mail. “This research although done on lions will benefit all the highly or critically endangered species in the world and will benefit so many types of big cat close to the danger of extinction.” 

Big cat species like tigers and snow leopards are among the many species whose populations are steadily decreasing due habitat loss and degradation and human activities. 

Many are endangered which is why this new breakthrough has so much promise. Artificial insemination could help bring some big cat species back from the brink and ensure their continued survival. 

“This was a world first for lions and now we start a journey and the idea is to improve our knowledge and understanding of the big cats and move the research quickly forward,” Isabel Callealta, the lead researcher on the project, told the Daily Mail. “The research will hopefully mean we can start working towards carrying out similar procedures on some of the much rarer big cats like the snow leopard and the tiger in the future.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.up.ac.za/">University of Pretoria</a>

Birth of first test-tube lion cubs could help save big cats

Earlier this year it was reported that there were more...

<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/eye-movement-desensitization-and-reprocessing-therapy">Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy</a> (EMDR), is a common and yet controversial form of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coping-skills-alleviate-anxiety/">psychotherapy</a> for patients who have experienced trauma. 

It was developed by <a href="http://www.emdr.com/history-of-emdr/">Francine Shapiro</a> in 1987 when the psychologist was taking a walk in the woods. Shapiro realized that EMDR could help lessen the negative feelings and emotions associated with past memories and disturbing thoughts. 

The central concepts behind EDMR involve using both rapid side to side eye movement and talk therapy to help process traumatic events and decrease the emotions and fear surrounding said event. 

Even though there exists evidence that EDMR is effective, there is still uncertainty as to whether the eye movement itself actually helps or if the talk therapy alone could achieve the same result. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ru.nl/english/">Radboud University</a> in the Netherlands and <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge University </a>conducted two experiments that put EDMR to the test with the aim of investigating the underlying neurobiological mechanisms that make the therapy so effective. 

The results, published in the journal JNeurosci, show that EDMR suppressed activity in the amygdala, the region of the brain responsible for fear learning. 

When activity in the amygdala lessoned, it allowed participants to reduce the associations between certain stimulus (remembering a traumatic experience, for example) and a fear response. 

This is called extinction learning and it’s a critical part of decreasing the fear response. 

“This study contributes to the understanding of a widely used treatment for traumatic symptoms by providing a parsimonious account for how working memory tasks and goal-directed eye movements can enhance extinction-based psychotherapy, namely through neural circuits similar to those that support cognitive control of emotion,” the authors conclude in the study’s abstract. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How eye movement therapy helps soften traumatic memories

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), is a common...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.mtu.edu/">Michigan Technological University</a> have found that changing the type of silicon used in solar cells can reduce production costs by more than 10 percent.

Joshua Pearce is a professor of Material Sciences and Electrical Engineering and a co-author of the study. He explained that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/harnessing-solar-power/">solar energy</a> is the fastest growing energy source and that costs are already comparable to conventional forms of electricity. An additional ten-percent drop could drive this progression even more. 

“Improving cost per unit power at the cell level can have massive effects downstream,” said Professor Pearce.

Silicon is the standard material used in solar photovoltaic (PV) cells to capture light, and comes in two main forms. Perfect silicon crystals cost more and produce higher efficiencies, while multicrystalline silicon costs less but produces lower efficiencies.

Prior research demonstrated that nano-texturing silicon with dry etching makes black silicon (black-Si) that is more efficient at capturing light than standard etching treatments. 

“Those needles grab the light and don't let it get away. It's like looking into the eyes of Darth Vader,” said Professor Pearce.

In addition, scientists at <a href="http://www.aalto.fi/en/">Aalto University</a> discovered in a previous study that when black-Si is treated with an appropriate atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating, the surface defects that could hurt electrical performance are mitigated. 

It has been commonly assumed that the cost of black-Si cells from dry etching and ALD are too expensive for practical use.  Professor Pearce said that, in this industry, “margins are extremely tight” and there is a push for the lowest costs possible. 

The results of the current study, however, came as a surprise. While the production of individual black-Si passive emitter rear cells (PERC) were found to be between 15.8 and 25.1 percent more expensive compared to the production of conventional cells, the efficiency gains combined with the use of the less-expensive multicrystalline silicon actually outweighed those extra costs. Overall, the cost per unit power dropped by 10.8 percent.

“For the people that think coal technology is going to be able to compete with solar, they should know solar costs are still coming down,” said Professor Pearce. “Most coal companies are already, or near, bankrupt now. There's no way coal's going to be able to compete with solar in the future.”

“This study points to where the future is going to go in PV manufacturing and what countries might want to do to give themselves a competitive advantage.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies">Energies</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: Sarah Bird, Michigan Tech

Solar energy use is on the rise as costs continue to drop

Researchers at Michigan Technological University have found that changing the...

Today marks the launch of a novel study on the benefits of LSD microdosing, where participants will set up a placebo-controlled trial on their own and report back. 

It’s the first ever placebo-controlled trial of psychedelic microdosing, according to a new report from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/sep/01/first-ever-trials-on-the-effects-of-microdosing-lsd-set-to-begin">The Guardian</a>. 

The researchers hope that the results will give more scientific backing to the claims that microdosing can improve mood and focus without the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lsd-permanently-impact-personality/">mind-altering hallucinogenic effects</a> of a full dose.

Microdosing has been practiced since LSD was first synthesized in 1936, but lately it’s become popular in the California digital tech world, according to The Guardian.

Many employees in Silicon Valley report taking a small amount of LSD one or more times a week and this is said to improve focus, creativity and boost mood. 

It’s even been said that microdosing can treat depression, although there have been no formal studies to verify these claims. 

Microdosing and taking hallucinogens in general is also illegal, and so conducting a study on whether or not psychedelics in small doses is beneficial would be difficult, to say the least.  

Enter the <a href="http://beckleyfoundation.org/">Beckley Foundation</a> which is a UK based organization dedicated to studying psychoactive substances. 

The Beckley Foundation set up <a href="https://selfblinding-microdose.org/index.html">the placebo study </a>so that anyone who has had experience with <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/human-brain-lsd-microdosing/">LSD</a> and psychedelics, particularly those who already microdose, can participate in the online trial. 

It will be a self-blinded study where participants will be asked to prepare a set of LSD microdosing tablets and an identical set of placebo tablets, and put the tablets in unmarked envelopes so that the participant will not know which they are taking. 

The study participants will also take part in games and tests online to test cognitive ability and the envelopes will be marked with QR codes so that only the research team will know which tablet is being taken. 

Because people who microdose are likely to have engaged in LSD and psychedelic drug activity before, the controlled placebo study will answer an important question. Is microdosing actually beneficial or are participants simply experiencing mood altering benefits based on their expectations of taking the drug? 

“The people who microdose right now are not an average random set of people from the street,” Balázs Szigeti, the study leader told The Guardian. “They are very likely to have used psychedelics before and have preconceptions about them. “You are doing something novel and exciting and that you believe in – and you know you are doing it. It is absolutely no surprise that you are getting a positive effect.”

What is especially interesting about the study is the self-blinded aspect. All of the work is being reporting back to the Beckley scientists online and there is a possibility that participants could misuse the self-blind system know which capsule they are taking. 

However, the researchers have hope that there is enough interest in the study that participants will stick to the guidelines and that the study will garner a larger sample size than ordinary clinical trials. 

The results are set to be published next year. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

First ever study launched to explore benefits of microdosing LSD

Today marks the launch of a novel study on the...

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



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



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="QGPzYnXEtN-1712599-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Carl...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

News coming your way