Sexual behavior and preference - whether in humans or animals - isn’t random. It’s shaped early on, during fetal development, by how the brain responds to hormones like androgens (male sex hormones). 



This early exposure is known to affect adult traits like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/relentless-sex-drive-may-lead-northern-quolls-to-extinction/">sex drive</a> and cognition. But there's been one big obstacle: how do you measure that influence without invasive methods?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rat-fingers-hint-at-sexual-behavior">Rat fingers hint at sexual behavior </h2>



Researchers from <a href="https://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/index_e.html">Okayama University</a> in Japan may have found an answer - by looking at rats’ fingers.



In a recent study published on May 14, 2025, a team led by Professor Hirotaka Sakamoto and Dr. Himeka Hayashi found that a simple finger measurement - the ratio of the second digit to the fourth digit, known as 2D:4D - can predict sexual behavior and preference in rats.



This digit ratio has been studied in humans for years. On average, men tend to have a lower 2D:4D ratio than women, meaning their index fingers are shorter relative to their ring fingers. 



That difference has been linked to prenatal androgen exposure. It’s also been tied to traits like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/practicing-yoga-nidra-improves-sleep-memory-and-cognition/">cognition</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/personality-traits-are-not-strongly-inherited-from-parents/">personality</a>, and sexual orientation. But surprisingly, there hasn’t been much research testing whether this holds true in other animals. That’s what drew the researchers to rats.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shorter-fingers-stronger-sex-drive">Shorter fingers, stronger sex drive</h2>



“We found that the 2D:4D ratio serves as a reliable biological marker for predicting sexual activity in rats,” said Sakamoto. “Rats with shorter second digits were not only more sexually active but also showed a clear preference for female scent.”



Building on their initial measurements, the team then ran mating trials to observe <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/science-behind-predicting-and-changing-human-behavior/">behavior</a>.



The results were clear. Male rats that ejaculated during their first encounter had shorter second digits compared to those that didn’t. 



These males also showed signs of higher sexual drive: they ejaculated more often, did so more quickly, and had stronger erectile function.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-scent-of-sexual-behavior">The scent of sexual behavior </h2>



To go beyond behavior and look at preference, the researchers ran a simple but telling test. They placed male rats in a cage with two kinds of bedding: one scented by females, and the other by males.



All the male rats initially explored the male-scented bedding. But only those with shorter second digits stayed interested in the female-scented bedding. They sniffed, explored, and spent more time with it - indicating a clear sexual preference.



“While most studies have only linked the digit ratio to morphological sex differences, we noticed a surprising lack of research connecting digit ratio to the biological basis of sex itself - especially sexual activity and preference,” notes Hayashi. “This curiosity marked the start of our study.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fingers-mirror-brain-wiring">Fingers mirror brain wiring</h2>



Beyond offering insight into rat behavior, the study points to a deeper question: how early hormone exposure shapes the brain in lasting ways.



Before birth, hormone exposure might wire our brains in ways that the 2D:4D ratio later reflects - potentially shaping complex behaviors like sexual orientation or emotional attachment.



“Our results suggest a profound link between the body and mind, with significant scientific and clinical implications,” said Sakamoto. “Simply examining our fingers could one day help identify aspects of our behavioral tendencies.”



The findings also offer a practical model for exploring biological questions that are difficult - or impossible - to study directly in humans. 



Because 2D:4D is also connected to cognitive traits and mental health conditions, this research could help explain sex-based differences in disorders like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddler-screen-time-linked-to-atypical-sensory-behaviors/">autism</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-gut-bacteria-morganella-morganii-could-cause-depression-not-a-brain-disorder/">depression</a>, or attachment issues.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biology-is-not-the-whole-story">Biology is not the whole story</h2>



While the findings are compelling, they also raise important questions. For one, it’s still unclear how well results from rats translate to humans. 



Rats provide a useful model for controlled experiments, but human sexuality is influenced by many layers - cultural, social, psychological - that go far beyond biology.



The researchers also focused only on male rats. Future studies will need to explore whether similar patterns hold true for females, and how other factors like environment or stress interact with digit ratios to shape behavior.



Another key question is causation. Rats with shorter 2D:4D finger ratios tend to show more sexual activity and stronger preferences, but scientists aren’t yet sure whether the digit ratio drives this behavior - or if both stem from shared prenatal influences.



None of this takes away from the value of the study. But it highlights the importance of treating biological markers like 2D:4D as part of a much larger picture. 



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/expanim/advpub/0/advpub_24-0159/_article">Experimental Animals</a>.



-----



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Does your finger length predict sexual behavior? A rat study says yes

Sexual behavior and preference - whether in humans or animals - isn’t random. It’s shaped early on, during fetal development, by how the brain responds to hormones like androgens (male sex hormones). This early exposure is known to affect adult traits like sex drive and cognition. But there's been one big obstacle: how do you measure that influence without invasive methods? Rat fingers hint at sexual behavior Researchers from Okayama University in Japan may have found an answer - by looking at rats’ fingers. In a recent...

Running faster helps mice learn better, according to a new study that could have potential implications for improving problem-solving in humans.

The study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience and the results show how motor activity that stimulates the cerebellum can aid in quickly learning new tasks.

Researchers from the<a href="http://neuro.fchampalimaud.org/"> Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown</a> in Portugal happened across the surprising findings by accident.

At first, the researchers examined the links between cellular plasticity in the brain and learning ability. 

The cerebellum is a part of the brain that is crucial for skilled movements and the researchers wanted to understand how motor activity impacted circuitry in the cerebellum in mice.

Mice running a treadmill were taught to close their eyes in response to a flash of light. The light was followed by a puff of air so the light served as a warning for the mice.

However, the data the research team accumulated through numerous experiments with the mice showed no direct connections and there was too much variability in the results.

The researchers tried to get the bottom of what would cause such disparity in the data from the experiments and eventually it was discovered that the mice in the experiments didn’t run very well.

When the mice were all tasked with running at the same speeds, the data started to make more sense and showed how running improves learning.

The faster the mice ran, the better they did at learning the new task and vice versa.

“The mice performed less well when we slowed down the treadmill, and this happened at time scales of a few seconds,” said Catarina Albergaria, the first author of the study.

Once this link between motor activity and learning had been established, the researchers next looked at what neural processes in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/older-adults-brain-cells/">brain</a> were responsible.

Specific neurons in the mice were stimulated with a laser light using a technique called optogenetics. The neurons were connected to the cerebellum through a series of mossy fibers

“We substituted motor activity with direct stimuli to the cerebellum and we found that if you are able to increase the activity of the mossy fibers, you enhance learning,” said Albergaria.

What’s exciting about the study are the implications the results have for improved learning in humans, as the researchers say that stimulating the mossy fibers in the brain could help with learning new tasks.

“We tend to think that to manipulate the plasticity of the brain, so that people learn faster and slow learners improve, we have to use drugs,” said Megan Carey, leader of the research. “But here, all we had to do was control how fast mice were running to obtain an improvement. It would be interesting to see if this holds for humans, for cerebellar forms of learning - and even for other types of learning.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Running faster could improve learning ability

Running faster helps mice learn better, according to a new...

Dr. Eryn Newman of <a href="http://www.anu.edu.au/">The Australian National University </a>(ANU) is reporting that the way that scientific research is presented has the most impact on whether or not people believe it. According to the investigation, the presentation of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/evangelicals-climate-change-evolution/">scientific study</a> is more influential on the audience than the new discovery itself.

“When people are assessing the credibility of information, most of the time people are making a judgement based on how something feels,” said Dr. Newman.

“Our results showed that when the sound quality was poor, the participants thought the researcher wasn't as intelligent, they didn't like them as much and found their research less important.”


The study participants were shown video clips of scientists presenting research at conferences. One group of participants heard the video recordings in high-quality audio, while another group heard the same recordings with poor-quality sounds.

When the participants evaluated the researchers and their work, individuals who had heard the poor quality audio consistently rated the experts as being less intelligent and the studies as being less important.


The researchers conducted a second phase of the trial in which video clips of world-renowned scientists were used. Unlike the first phase of the experiment, this time the videos included introductions of the scientists along with their qualifications and institutional affiliations.

“It made no difference,”said Dr. Newman.”As soon as we reduced the audio quality, all of a sudden the scientists and their research lost credibility.”

The findings of this analysis suggest that researchers need to reconsider the delivery of their studies. Dr. Newman pointed out that this is especially important in a time when authentic scientific facts are forced to compete with fake news.

“Another recent study showed false information travels six times faster than real information on Twitter,” she said. “Our results show that it's not just about who you are and what you are saying, it's about how your work is presented.”

Dr. Newman's study is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/home/scx">Science Communication</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What determines whether or not people believe science?

Dr. Eryn Newman of The Australian National University (ANU) is...

Whether or not someone likes a piece of artwork may boil down to their mental state when they view it, a new study has discovered.

This may contribute to why some pieces of artwork have both admirers and critics. 

"One intuitive explanation is that personality and the way in which we visually examine artwork contributes to our preferences for particular art," said Dr. Nicole Thomas of <a href="https://www.jcu.edu.au/">James Cook University</a>, who co-authored a new study into how psychology affects perceptions of art.

Thomas and <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a> doctoral candidate Ali Simpson conducted psychological assessments of volunteers for their study. Then, they showed them images of abstract art. Study participants were asked to rate the art, as well as say how much they’d pay for each piece.

Thomas and Simpson also measured how mental state affected the way people looked at the artwork – where their attention fell first, and which areas of an image they looked at longest.

"We found that people who tended towards neuroticism paid more attention to the left side of a picture, and those with traits related to schizophrenia looked less often at the top of a picture," Thomas said in a press release.

Most western cultures read from left to right, meaning that individuals look at the left side of an image first. Those whose attention lingers there may have trouble disengaging to take in other parts of the image, Thomas said.

The tendency of people with more disorganized thinking to look at the bottom of an image may relate to how they scan what they see, the researchers said.

Those with a more balanced mental state tended to focus on the upper right quadrant of each image, the pair discovered.

"The right hemisphere of the brain plays a significant role in emotional processing,” Thomas said. “Artwork is inherently emotional and the emotional reactions elicited by abstract artwork might lead people to focus their attention within the upper right quadrant to better engage that emotional processing."

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691816302724?via%3Dihub">Acta Psychologica</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey,<a href="http://www.earth.com"> Earth.com</a> staff writer

Think you like art? It may come down to your mental state

Whether or not someone likes a piece of artwork may...

Turns out, the big city doesn’t just toughen up the people who live there. Songbirds like great tits are also bolder and more aggressive when living in urban areas.

Led by Dr. Sam Hardman, researchers from <a href="https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/">Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences</a> set out to see how living near humans might affect the personalities of great tits. 

In March and April 2015, the researchers studied great tits in their urban territories in Leicester and Derby, as well as in rural areas. 

“At this time of year males establish territories for the breeding season and they defend these aggressively against intruding males of the same species,” Hardman said in a press release. “We simulated a territorial intruder by playing back recordings of Great Tit song from a loudspeaker in the centre of the territory, and monitored the resident birds’ responses to defend that territory.”

The researchers measured the response from the native birds, from territorial singing to how quickly they investigated the “intruder.” The playback tests were repeated on other days to see whether the response was consistent. 

“We found that after the playback began urban birds flew towards the speaker 35.34 seconds faster than rural birds and approached 1.63 metres closer, suggesting urban birds are bolder and more aggressive than rural birds,” Hardman said.

The urban great tits were also less likely to repeat the same behavior in the same way than their country cousins. That could indicate that they’re more flexible in their behavior.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-23463-7">Scientific Reports</a>.

Hardman’s research adds to a growing collection of research on how proximity to human activity affects songbirds like great tits. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/metal-pollution-personality-changes/">Another recent study</a> found that populations living near smelters show personality and behavioral changes associated with metal pollution.

Hardman, who is now at the <a href="http://www.orn.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for Ornithology</a>, is continuing to study the songbirds. He is currently examining how stress affects them.

—

By Kyla Cathey,<a href="http://www.earth.com"> Earth.com</a> staff writer

Urban great tits are more aggressive than their country counterparts

Turns out, the big city doesn’t just toughen up the...

Rare earth elements are vital to modern technology. Metals like yttrium, terbium and europium are essential for creating high-tech items like smartphones, tablets, televisions and computers.

A new deposit of the important materials has been discovered off the coast of Japan, buried in deep-sea mud. Dubbed “REY-rich” – for “rare earth and yttrium” – the cache could provide enough materials to supply the world indefinitely, according to a study in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-23948-5">Scientific Reports</a>. 

“This REY-rich mud has great potential as a rare-earth metal resource because of the enormous amount available and its advantageous mineralogical features,” the researchers wrote.

Before the Japanese cache was discovered, the largest source of rare earth elements was in China. Tech producers have been reliant on the Chinese supply line, but new restrictions have caused the prices to rise sharply in recent years, and some manufacturers have faced shortages.

“Because of the ‘extremely high grade’ of the REY-rich mud found within the Japanese Minamitorishima EEZ, research on a development system and economic evaluations are ongoing through collaborations among members of industry, academia, and the government of Japan,” wrote the researchers from the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo</a> and the <a href="http://www.jamstec.go.jp/e/">Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology</a>.

Despite their name, rare earth elements are not actually all that rare. However, in many locations where they’ve been discovered, extraction is difficult and dangerous.

The minerals in the Japanese treasure trove can be extracted from the deep-sea mud using a hydrocyclone separator. The researchers used geographical information system software to analyze the cache of rare earth elements, and believe that it could fulfill the world’s REY needs for the next several decades.

“The enormous resource amount and the effectiveness of the mineral processing are strong indicators that this new REY resource could be exploited in the near future,” the researchers wrote.

Now, Japan is working to develop a strategy for extracting the minerals.

—

By Kyla Cathey,<a href="http://www.earth.com"> Earth.com</a> staff writer

Rare earth elements off Japan coast could supply world for decades

Rare earth elements are vital to modern technology. Metals like...

Drought, floods and heat waves are becoming more common in western North America, and scientists expect the trend to continue. The culprit? A new study points to climate change.

“Our study found that extreme variability is synchronizing processes within and among ecosystems at a level not seen in the last 250 years,” Dr. Ivan Arismendi of <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> said in a press release.

The bulk of research on climate change focuses on averages such as rising global temperatures, Arismendi said. He and his colleagues saw a need for more study into how climate change is affecting conditions on a smaller scale.

So they turned their focus to western North America. Led by the <a href="https://utmsi.utexas.edu/">University of Texas Marine Science Institute</a>, the team of scientists looked at how climate change is affecting the North Pacific High, and how that in turn is affecting ecosystems in western North America.

A subtropical “anti-cycone,” the North Pacific High is a climate pattern centered northeast of Hawaii and west of California. It shifts toward the equator in the winter. It’s connected to dry weather in the summer and fall and rainy months in the winter and spring in California.

But when the North Pacific High is strong in the winter, it disrupts the winter storm track. That leaves California and much of the surrounding western U.S. high and dry, triggering drought. And the North Pacific High has been more variable over recent years, a pattern that appears to be related to climate change.

The researchers documented North Pacific High and its effects over the past century, using everything from records to tree rings. They found that in recent decades, winter weather patterns have been swinging dramatically between extremes more frequently. 

These changing wintertime conditions in western North America are having a profound effect on the plants and animals that live there. Ecosystems have been changing due to the more variable climate patterns, the researchers said.

"We've found that land, rivers, and oceans are all strongly related to a winter climate pattern off the western coast of North America, and that climate pattern has become more variable over the past century," lead author Dr. Bryan Black of the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas-Austin</a> said. "This extreme variability is increasingly imprinted on these freshwater, terrestrial, and marine systems, and this has caused them to become more synchronous with one another with a number of implications for fisheries, drought, snowpack, and tree growth."

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/gcb.14128">Global Change Biology</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey,<a href="http://www.earth.com"> Earth.com</a> staff writer

Climate change behind extreme swings in western North America

Drought, floods and heat waves are becoming more common in...

Scientists at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> are reporting that viruses are more likely to evolve in similar ways among species that are related. This raises the risk that they will jump from one host species to another.

The experts found that “parallel genetic changes” are more likely in closely related species, and the more susceptible one species is to a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bats-carry-dangerous-viruses/">virus</a> is indicative of the chances that it will jump to a related host. For example, humans could become vulnerable to a virus found in our distant relatives, such as chimpanzees.

HIV, bird flu, and Ebola are all examples of infectious diseases that were spread when the viruses jumped from one animal host to another in a process known as cross-species transmission.

For their investigation, the researchers sequenced the genomes of 19 different species of flies to track the evolution of viruses among them. The fruit flies used in the study were all from the Drosophilidae family and shared a common ancestor 40 million years ago.

“Our findings show that when a virus adapts to one host, it might also become better adapted to closely related host species," said study co-author Dr. Ben Longdon.

“This may explain in part why host shifts tend to occur between related species. However, we sometimes see the same mutations occurring in distantly related host species, and this may help explain why viruses may sometimes jump between distantly related host species.”

"At present we know very little about how viruses shift from one host species to another, so research like this is important if we want to understand and ultimately predict emerging viral diseases."

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/">PLOS Pathogen</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: Darren Obbard

Viruses are more likely to jump along closely related species

Scientists at the University of Exeter are reporting that viruses...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> (ESA) have discovered a second magnetic field surrounding the Earth using a trio of satellites, which are collectively known as the Swarm constellation. 

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magnetic-field-solar-radiation/">magnetic field</a> is thought to be created by electrical currents in the planet's core as heat escapes. Ocean circulation leaves a magnetic signature as do liquids within the crust of the Earth itself. This barrier protects the planet from cosmic rays and solar wind.

The Swarm mission, which was launched by ESA in 2013, has been providing scientists with high-resolution details about the evolution and transformation of Earth's magnetic field. The satellites are so precise, in fact, that they have now revealed a second geomagnetic field.

As if the main shield is not mysterious enough, the second magnetic field is much smaller and even more elusive than the first.

“It's a really tiny magnetic field,” Olsen explained to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> reporter Jonathan Amos. “It's about 2 – 2.5 nanotesla at satellite altitude, which is about 20,000 times weaker than Earth's global magnetic field.”

The details tracked by the Swarm satellites deliver measurements that may help scientists understand both the past and future of the Earth's climate.

As ocean tides are influenced by the gravitational pull of the moon, their signals stand out. According to Olsen, the newly-discovered magnetic field provides “a truly global picture of how the ocean flows at all depths.”

“Since oceans absorb heat from the air, tracking how this heat is being distributed and stored, particularly at depth, is important for understanding our changing climate,” he explained.

Olsen presented this groundbreaking research at the <a href="https://www.egu2018.eu/">2018 European Geosciences Union General Assembly</a> (EGU2018) in Vienna.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists find a second magnetic field surrounding Earth

Researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) have discovered a...

The discovery of two subglacial lakes in the Canadian Arctic could aid in the search for extraterrestrial life on ice-covered planets. 

The lakes are located underneath the Devon Ice Cap, one of the largest ice caps in Canada’s Arctic and may be the only isolated, hypersaline subglacial lakes in the world. 

There are more than 400 known freshwater subglacial lakes, but these are first found in Canada and the only ones that consist of saltwater. Their hypersalinity may explain why the lakes remain in a liquid state. 

First discovered by Anja Rutishauser, a Ph.D. student at the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/">University of Alberta</a>, it was initially thought that water underneath the Devon Ice Cap was an impossibility as temperatures are below -10 degrees Celsius. 

“We weren't looking for subglacial lakes,” said Rutishauser. “The ice is frozen to the ground underneath that part of the Devon Ice Cap, so we didn't expect to find liquid water.” 

Rutishauser was studying radar data from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> and the <a href="http://ic2.utexas.edu/">University of Texas Institute for Geophysics </a>in the hopes of better understanding the bedrock conditions beneath the Devon Ice Cap. 

The radar data indicated there was water 550 to 750 meters below the ice. In order to confirm these findings, Rutishauser teamed up with glaciologists Martin Sharp and geophysicist Don Blankenship.

The results pointed to the existence of the lakes which are about 8 and 5 kilometers squared with temperatures below freezing. 

The lakes are completely isolated, not connected to other marine water sources or surface meltwater inputs. The water is five times saltier than regular seawater and according to the study, salt-bearing, geologic outcrops underneath the ice are the source of the lakes’ salinity.  

The results also point to the possibility of other hypersaline lakes or networks beneath the Canadian Arctic. 

What makes the lakes particularly interesting is the potential for discovering microbial life which could aid in finding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-viruses-extraterrestrial-life/">life</a> on other planets. 

Subglacial lakes are excellent models for ice-covered planets and moons in our solar-system, and if microbes are discovered in the Canadian lakes it could mean life is possible beyond Earth. 

“If there is microbial life in these lakes, it has likely been under the ice for at least 120,000 years, so it likely evolved in isolation,” said Rutishauser. “If we can collect a sample of the water, we may determine whether microbial life exists, how it evolved, and how it continues to live in this cold environment with no connection to the atmosphere.”

Further examination of the lakes are necessary and the researchers will partner with <a href="http://www.westonfoundation.org/">The W. Garfield Weston Foundation</a> and conduct a detailed geophysical survey of the Devon Ice Cap later this spring. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Anja Rutishauser

Subglacial lakes could help the search for extraterrestrial life

The discovery of two subglacial lakes in the Canadian Arctic...

The idea of ‘Clean Meat’ is simple.  Instead of raising a cow and taking a life for meat, you grow it in a lab.  Lab grown meat is said to be humane, as strings of muscle (and in the future, fat) tissue cultured without a nervous system have no way to suffer, so it’s even questionable whether the tissue is alive in any real sense.

<a href="http://www.hsi.org/">Humane Society International</a> and <a href="http://www.ccmb.res.in/">Centre for Cellular &amp; Molecular Biology</a> are pushing quick development of lab cultured meat on an industrial level.  Already in 2013, a burger was made from cultured meat and sold for $330,000, reports <a href="https://gizmodo.com/">Gizmodo</a>.  The burger being made of cultured muscle fibers without fat was said to be palatable but not delicious.  Researchers are working on developing lab cultured fat to increase the flavor of clean meat. 

<a href="http://vegnews.com/">Vegnews.com</a> reports that cultured meat is set to hit stores in India by 2025.  According to the <a href="http://www.fao.org/about/en/">Food and Agriculture Organization</a> of the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/">United Nations</a>, 42 percent of households in India report as being vegetarian.  In the context of the FAO survey, vegetarian means that the households didn’t consume any type of meat or eggs, a higher standard than most U.S. vegetarians.

In <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/india-cannon-air-pollution/">India</a>, vegetarianism is often connected to religious or spiritual ideals, including the ideal of treating other animals with compassion.  It would make sense that meat cultured without any taint of animal mistreatment or even death may go over well in India.

It seems that cultured meat may also make more sense for environmentalists.  Still in its early stages, it’s hard to estimate the environmental impact of large scale industrial production of cultured meat.  Initial studies seem to indicate that lab cultured meat will likely have less impact than traditional meat. 

A study quoted on <a href="https://gizmodo.com/">Gizmodo</a> calculated that 1000 kg cultured meat will produce 1900 to 2240 Kg of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.  Another study from <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/">Science Direct</a> calculates one ton of packaged chicken meat (~907 Kg) creates 2931.91 Kg of CO2 equivalent.  The study also shows that the main source of greenhouse gas emissions in chicken production come from production and transportation of chicken food and on farm emissions.  In fact, transportation alone is 13 percent of energy consumption in chicken meat production, a cost that will remain with cultured meat. 

Several businesses are already clambering to develop their own version of cruelty free, lab cultured meat.  It seems likely that when processes of production are patented, cultured meat will be expensive, especially initially.  The first $330,000 cultured burger is a good indication of the startup cost. 

A report in the Journal of Hunger &amp; Environmental Nutrition reports that vegetarians save an average of $750 per year on groceries compared to meat eaters.  This statistic is no surprise to me as a vegetarian myself for years. One must wonder who is set to benefit from the introduction of cultured meat to India, a country with a long history of widespread vegetarianism as well as widespread poverty. 

I am suspicious of a solution that seems to allow you to have your cow and eat your burger too.  The difference between a cultured burger and simply being vegetarian seems to me the difference between riding a cable car up and down the Grand Canyon and hiking it yourself.  The solution to the environmental, health and financial cost of meat is already there: going vegetarian. Letting people get away with less willpower doesn’t seem like a good place to start in an endeavor.  In my opinion, cultured meat is a cheap trick and one that in the long run will cost us in ways it’s hard to fathom now. 

Introducing a guilt free way of consuming meat to India is likely to have health implications.  It may also squelch the growth of more vegetarian options in the U.S. and elsewhere, from more wholly vegetarian restaurants to veggie burgers now found in Burger King.

According to <a href="https://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/">HealthKnowledge UK</a>, dramatic increases in prevalence of type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease has been shown in South East Asians in other parts of the world, such as the UK, as opposed to their home countries.  The point is that people from places like India eat like people from the UK (or the US), they get sicker. More Indians eating meat, cultured or not, seems likely to benefit tech food companies more than Indians themselves.  

When it comes to health and a healthy world, we should ask ourselves: are we willing to pay the cost or are we going to try to use technology to barter for a lower price tag?        

--

By <a href="mailto: zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Clean meat: Can you have your cow and eat your burger, too?

The idea of ‘Clean Meat’ is simple.  Instead of raising...

Some of archaeology's biggest mysteries involve the famous Nazca lines in <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/yaguas-river-northeast-peru/">Peru</a>. Thousands of these ancient shapes, or geoglyphs, are scattered across the desert in the Nazca province in Peru. 

Created by the Nazca people who date back from 200 to 700 BCE, the shapes are the result of meticulously arranged red pebbles. 

The designs are so expansive that some are only fully observable from the air while others were created on the sides of hills so villages below would be able to see them.

This may be why Peruvian archaeologists recently discovered over fifty new Nazca lines thanks to drone technology.

The new lines mostly depict warriors and animals and some are hundreds of years older than previously studied Nazca lines, leading the researchers to believe that they were created by older communities like the Paracas and Topará cultures between 500 B.C to 200 A.D.

Some shapes are so worn and faded they were only confirmed as Nazca lines with 3-d scans captured by drones.

[caption id="attachment_1200618" align="aligncenter" width="996"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Nazca-lines-1.png"><img class="size-large wp-image-1200618" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Nazca-lines-1-1024x552.png" alt="" width="996" height="537" /></a> Image Credit: National Geographic[/caption]

“This means that it is a tradition of over a thousand years that precedes the famous geoglyphs of the Nazca culture, which opens the door to new hypotheses about its function and meaning,” Johny Isla, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture archaeologist and chief restorer and protector of the Nazca lines, told <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic</a>.

The new discoveries may have gone long undetected had it not been for a new program that uses drones and satellites to monitor important archaeological sites in order to prevent looting.

According to <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/new-nasca-nazca-lines-discovery-peru-archaeology/?beta=true">National Geographic</a>, volunteers looking at satellite photos of Peru flagged certain potential problem areas where looting may have occurred.

[caption id="attachment_1200620" align="aligncenter" width="996"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Nazca-lines-2.png"><img class="size-large wp-image-1200620" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Nazca-lines-2-1024x554.png" alt="" width="996" height="539" /></a> Image Credit: National Geographic[/caption]

This was part of an initiative called GlobalXplorer created by Sarah Parcak, an explorer for <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic</a>.

The goal of GlobalXplorer is to train “citizen scientists” to review satellite imagery and notice signs of looting.

When Peruvian archaeologists went to photograph the sites with drones, they found the new designs.

What’s notable about the finds is what they can tell archaeologists about life during the time the lines were created.

According to Isla, the discovery only adds to the body of knowledge surrounding these puzzling shapes and which is all the more reason to protect and manage sites of similar historical significance.

--

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://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/04/new-nasca-nazca-lines-discovery-peru-archaeology/?beta=true">National Geographic</a>

Drones reveal undiscovered Nazca lines in Peruvian desert

Some of archaeology's biggest mysteries involve the famous Nazca lines...

Imagine if combating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-insecurity-climate-change/">climate change</a> also meant recycling harmful carbon emissions into products we use every day?

It’s a solution that could bolster global markets, aid in infrastructure and create new, innovative technologies without doing further harm to the environment.

For ten finalists in the <a href="https://carbon.xprize.org/">NRG COSIA Carbon XPrize</a> competition, it’s a goal worth reaching for.

The Carbon XPrize competition is a 20-million-dollar contest that gives carbon cyclers a chance to test innovative technologies that transport CO2 emissions from power plants into everything from plastics, fuel, to shoes and concrete.

At this point in the competition, the ten teams that were picked as finalists will get to test their ideas at real power plants in the US and Canada.

There is more carbon dioxide in the planet’s atmosphere <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-carbon-dioxide/">than ever before in recorded history</a>, and finding a way to prevent CO2 from reaching the atmosphere would be a big step in reducing the impacts of climate change.

“The point is to try to move the needle on climate and energy,” said Marcius Extavour, the XPrize Senior Director of Energy and Resources told<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5587933/20M-XPrize-selects-finalists-competition-transform-carbon-emissions-useful-products.html"> Daily Mail</a>. “Recycling CO2 emissions alone is not going to solve the climate problem, but it could be a really important part of the mix.”

38 teams of competitors first entered the contest and were judged by how much CO2 their technologies could convert and the overall value of the products in question. 

The ten finalists include Breathe (based in India), Carbon Capture Machine (from Scotland), Canada-based CarbonCure, Carbon Upcycling UCLA (based in Los Angeles), and Canada- based Carbicrete and Carbon Upcycling Technologies.

Of these, five teams over the course of the next two years will work at a coal-fired power plant in Wyoming and the other five will work at a natural gas-powered plant in Alberta, Canada.

While they work at the two sites, the teams will collect data in order to gain a better scope of what their carbon footprint is in comparison to the amount to CO2 they are able to recycle.

Carbon is not traditionally thought of as an ingredient but this competition sheds light on how much carbon is used in everyday things.

The problem is that in making these products, more emissions are created, so these technologies are a way to create a cyclical process where emissions are harvested, used, and emitted and harvested again.

“We take carbon out of the ground, we use it, we dump it,” Extavour told Daily Mail. “But we can wrap this chain around itself. Instead of using more fossil fuels like carbon, coal, oil and gas, we can use CO2 emissions as a base for many materials.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Recycling carbon emissions into concrete, shoes and plastic

Imagine if combating climate change also meant recycling harmful carbon...

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



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



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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