A crew clearing ground for a championship golf course near Inverness expected to see nothing more dramatic than sand and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sun-stones-and-sacrifice-how-ancient-farmers-faced-climate-chaos/">stones</a>. Instead, they uncovered a complete iron tire that once clamped around a wooden wheel, quietly waiting underground for roughly 2,200 years.



They soon called in Andy Young of <a href="https://avonarch.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Avon Archaeology Highland</a>, who led the rescue excavation and confirmed that the rim belonged to a ceremonial Iron Age chariot.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iron-wheels-in-the-highlands">Iron wheels in the highlands</h2>



The discovery sits within a <a href="https://scarf.scot/regional/higharf/iron-age/7-3-settlement-evidence/7-3-2-palisaded-enclosures/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">palisade circle</a>, a type of prehistoric enclosure marked by concentric ditches and timber fencing. Only one other Iron Age chariot burial has been excavated in <a href="https://headlandarchaeology.com/the-newbridge-chariot-burial-a-winters-tale-of-an-unexpected-and-unique-discovery/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scotland</a>, near Newbridge in 2001.



“They are such a rare thing. We were a bit bemused,” said Young. 



Researchers lifted the 55‑inch‑diameter rim in two curved pieces, its inner lips still showing the slight bevel that once locked against a wooden felloe. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-an-iron-wheel-ceremonial">What makes an iron wheel ceremonial</h2>



The wheel lay beside cremated bone, coarse pottery, and animal fragments, a cluster that signals a high‑status burial rather than a junk heap. 



The tire's iron would have demanded substantial ore, charcoal, and smithing skill, suggesting that the individual interred nearby ranked as a local leader.



In Iron Age Scotland, <a href="https://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/articles/techniques_blacksmith.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">metalwork</a> signaled power because workable ore was patchy and smelting required large fuel loads. 



A single one‑inch‑thick rim could consume an oak tree’s worth of charcoal during forging, according to traditional blacksmithing estimates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-iron-craftsmanship-and-technology">Iron craftsmanship and technology</h2>



To create such rims, smiths first forge‑welded short bars into a hoop, heated it until fiery red, then hammered it onto the wooden wheel, quenching the iron so it shrank tight. 



The faint weld lines and hammer scars on the Inverness tire match that description, hinting at a travelling workshop able to serve elite clients.



The archaeological team also retrieved a slag bloom, waste from smelting, inside the outer trench, implying that secondary metalworking may have occurred on site. 



Such evidence feeds debates on whether Highland communities imported finished objects or ran local forges during 500 BCE–500 CE, the conventional Scottish <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/iron-age-societies-were-more-progressive-than-most-women-central-role/">Iron Age</a> span.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-window-onto-iron-age-society">A window onto Iron Age society</h2>



Two concentric ditches ring the tire's pit, forming a penannular enclosure about 65 feet across. 



Postholes flanking a southeast entrance held six‑inch‑wide timbers, probably gateway uprights that heightened the spectacle of any funeral procession.



Inside, archaeologists mapped three empty pits aligned with the inner ditch. They might once have supported stone stelae or tall posts, turning the space into an open‑air shrine visible from <a href="https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/moray-firth-p2570111" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moray Firth</a> a mile away.



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-tree-rings-help-predict-extreme-solar-storms/">Radiocarbon</a> samples from charred plant remains are now in the lab, but field stratigraphy hints at a single‑stage construction. 



That differs from lowland Yorkshire sites where chariot burials reused older mounds, indicating regional diversity in mortuary customs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-this-discovery-matters">Why this discovery matters</h2>



Though Iron Age cart burials are well-documented in continental Europe, particularly in Gaul and northern Italy, they remain extremely rare in Britain, and even more so in Scotland. 



This new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archaeologists-find-2300-year-old-celtic-swords-adorned-with-gems-and-ancient-symbols/">discovery</a> adds weight to the argument that Highland communities had broader connections to pan-European elite traditions than previously believed.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/iron-tire-wheel_ceremonial_iron-age-scotland_credit-Avon-Archaeology_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/iron-tire-wheel_ceremonial_iron-age-scotland_credit-Avon-Archaeology_1s.webp" alt="Vertical photograph showing the Palisade Enclosure as excavated. Credit: Avon Archaeology Highland" class="wp-image-1976549"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Vertical photograph showing the Palisade Enclosure as excavated. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Avon Archaeology Highland</figcaption></figure>



Archaeologists from the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Edinburgh</a> and the <a href="https://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Museum of Scotland</a> have already expressed interest in further investigating the site. 



They believe this could reshape how scholars understand social stratification and ritual practices in northern Scotland during the first millennium BCE.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-questions-that-remain-unanswered">Questions that remain unanswered</h2>



One puzzle is whether the burial originally included two wheels. Young believes that a modern plow may have destroyed or displaced the second one, a possibility supported by disturbed soil patterns near the site. 



If true, this would suggest a complete cart or chariot was once interred there, in line with known Iron Age funerary rites.



Another mystery is the identity of the person buried. The cremated remains were fragmentary, making it difficult to determine age, sex, or status. 



Still, the presence of a forged iron tire and careful burial design points to someone with significant social influence likely a tribal leader or high-ranking warrior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-protecting-the-past">Protecting the past</h2>



“This has been a remarkable journey from prehistoric times to the present, right here on our doorstep,” said <a href="https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/courses/2025/05/03/cabot-highlands-golf-course-site-nets-prehistoric-findings/83428084007/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stuart McColm</a>, vice‑president of golf development at <a href="https://cabothighlands.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cabot Highlands</a>. 



Developers re‑buried the enclosure beneath the geotextile and reshaped the fairway so stray golf balls will fly well clear.&nbsp;



The golf resort also pledged the associated pottery, flint, and Bronze Age urn to local museums in Inverness and Edinburgh, allowing future researchers to revisit the assemblage with fresh techniques.



“We were pretty amazed,” Young added, reflecting on a career that had never before produced a complete tire from the turf. 



Young’s team plans a full <a href="https://www.stat.cmu.edu/~brian/701/notes/paper-structure.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Data Structure Report</a> and radiocarbon program, hoping to pin down whether the wheel arrived new for the burial or was retired after years of use.&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://her.highland.gov.uk/api/LibraryLink5WebServiceProxy/FetchResourceFromStub/1-3-0-3-7-0_40c99a2d006336c-130370_14c10cc87e29a0a.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Avon Archaeology Highland Data Structure Report</a>.



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Rare ceremonial wheel from the Iron Age accidentally discovered by scientists

A crew clearing ground for a championship golf course near Inverness expected to see nothing more dramatic than sand and stones. Instead, they uncovered a complete iron tire that once clamped around a wooden wheel, quietly waiting underground for roughly 2,200 years. They soon called in Andy Young of Avon Archaeology Highland, who led the rescue excavation and confirmed that the rim belonged to a ceremonial Iron Age chariot. Iron wheels in the highlands The discovery sits within a palisade circle, a type of prehistoric enclosure marked by...

Researchers are reporting that farm manure could be a feasible source of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/renewable-energy-creating-jobs/">renewable energy</a>. The experts are creating the technology to produce natural gas from manure that could be used to heat homes or to power large industries. 

This would not only cut back on harmful greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, but would also eliminate harmful gases that are released by manure as it decomposes.

Study co-author David Simakov is a professor of Chemical Engineering at the <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/">University of Waterloo</a>.

“There are multiple ways we can benefit from this single approach,” said Simakov. “The potential is huge.”

Simakov said that the technology could be adapted for use with several kinds of manure, particularly cow and pig manure. Renewable natural gas could also substitute for diesel fuel, which is a huge source of harmful emissions.

The researchers constructed a computer model based on a real 2,000-head dairy farm in Ontario that collects manure and converts it into biogas in anaerobic digesters. Some of this biogas is already being burned in generators to produce electricity.

The team wants to expand on this concept by converting the biogas into renewable natural gas. They will achieve this by mixing the biogas with hydrogen and then using a catalytic converter to produce methane in a process known as methanation.

The electricity needed to produce hydrogen could be generated by wind or solar power, or taken from the electrical grid at times of low demand. The researchers believe that their method will produce a renewable natural gas that efficiently stores electricity and uses nearly all of the energy potential of manure, while significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

“This is how we can make the transition from fossil-based energy to renewable energy using existing infrastructure, which is a tremendous advantage,” said Simakov.

The study is published in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-114X">International Journal of Energy Research</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Farm manure may soon be used as a source of renewable energy

Researchers are reporting that farm manure could be a feasible...

Goodyear Oxygene concept

Tire titan Goodyear has announced the company’s new eco-friendly concept tire “Oxygene” at the <a href="https://www.gims.swiss/en/">Geneva International Motor Show</a> in Switzerland. 

Oxygene is a tire with moss embedded in the inside of an open tread outer rubber casing. The open tread will allow the tire to absorb water from the road which will water the moss on the inside of the tire. The moss will then be able to convert <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/co2-emissions-energy-costs/">CO2</a> into oxygen using photosynthesis. 

Goodyear claims that in a city the size of Paris with 2.5 million cars, the new moss tires could remove more than 4,0000 tons of carbon dioxide and produce 3,000 tons of oxygen each year. 

Besides being eco-friendly, Goodyear says the rubber tread casing will have better wear and tear than other tire models on the market today, and the open design will provide better traction on slippery roads. 

The Oxygene tire will also be puncture proof. Other features include electronic sensors powered by photosynthesis that communicate with other cars on the road at the speed of light. The cars and tires would also have smart capabilities. 

Goodyear, like many other companies, is working to find innovative ways to stay ahead of the race to mitigate climate change and combat emissions. 

“Smarter, greener infrastructure and transport will be crucial in addressing the most pressing challenges of urban mobility and development,” said Chris Delaney, the president of Goodyear Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

It may be some time before Oxygene becomes commercially available or even goes into production, but Goodyear’s new tire could motivate other companies to create similar solutions to the world’s emissions and transportation problems. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: PRNewsfoto/Goodyear

Goodyear reveals eco-friendly tires that absorb carbon dioxide

Tire titan Goodyear has announced the company’s new eco-friendly concept...

Smart glass could forever change the way we use windows, potentially eliminating the need for curtains or blinds by allowing us to regulate the amount of sunlight allowed to enter.

This new glass technology has been developed by Keith Goossen, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at the <a href="http://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a>, along with colleague Daniel Wolfe.

The new glass created by Goossen can switch between letting light in and blocking it out. The research team’s smart windows would also be an eco-friendly and a cost-effective way to cool and heat buildings. 

Similar efforts have been made with other smart glass, but Goossen’s model is much cheaper to manufacture, and it is more reflective and absorbent of light than other versions out there. In fact, this new type of smart glass is actually one-tenth the price of other smart glass technology. 

The smart glass is made with two sheets of plastic with a small space between. Goosen’s first designs had tiny cube-shaped structures contained within the plastic and these were used to reflect light back to its source. 

The space between the sheets of plastic was then filled with methyl salicylate which is an extract from wintergreen that has optical properties. The methyl salicylate enhanced the reflective capabilities of the plastic sheets. 

Recently, Goossen and Wolfe unveiled a new and improved model at the <a href="http://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/smart-structures/nde?SSO=1">Smart Materials and Nondestructive Evaluation Conference</a> in Denver. The new design used one-dimensional shapes layered perpendicular within the sheets of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-deep-sea-fish/">plastic</a> rather than cubes.

The smart glass can switch back and forth from transparent to blocking out light thousands of times without losing any of its reflective strength. 

There is now a good deal of interest and potential with Goossens new technology, and commercialization of the product may happen soon. Meanwhile, Goossen will work to continue to perfect and study the materials used in the glass. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New smart glass technology is cheaper and more reflective

Smart glass could forever change the way we use windows,...

When a team of researchers set out to better understand liverworts, they discovered that they had hundreds of thousands of images to examine. The experts developed an online tool that would enable citizen scientists and volunteers from a variety of backgrounds to help out with the analysis. 

Matt von Konrat is the collections manager of plants at the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> and the study's lead author.

“Citizen science is an opportunity for an individual, group, or community to participate in and contribute to an active research program,” explained von Konrat. “It's public contribution to science.”

Liverworts first appeared on Earth about 400 million years ago, and they can survive in even the harshest climates from deserts to the Arctic. They are very small and will respond much faster to global warming than bigger plants, making them a valuable resource for studying the effects of climate change.

Liverworts have rounded leaves that are somewhat shaped like a liver. The tiny details of these plants must be studied under a microscope. 

“It's tedious for one individual to go through these photos for hours on end,” said von Konrat. “But if you get a hundred people to do it for five minutes each, it's a lot easier.”

The team created the online platform Zooniverse for the citizen science volunteers to study photos of liverworts and measure their primitive leaflike structures. This helps scientists better determine the differences among liverwort species, which may respond differently to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oil-companies-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

“The Microplants project is two-pronged: to help find differences between these species, and see if measurements can actually be done by lay people,” said co-author Kalman Strauss, a high school student who has volunteered at the Field Museum since 2014.

Ultimately, over 11,000 online users helped with the study both remotely and at a digital kiosk located in the Field Museum. The Zooniverse platform was also used in classrooms ranging from kindergarten to college Biology classes. 

According to von Konrat, the findings of the study are accurate enough for use in research that can inform environmental policy. He said that the project is also notable for its efforts in public engagement with science.

“This project goes beyond the data,” said von Konrat. “It's about breaking down barriers and showing that everyone can contribute to science. One key audience is students and younger generations - exposing them to museum collections and science, help them get excited about science.”

The study is published in an issue of <a href="http://www.bioone.org/loi/apps">Applications in Plant Sciences</a> dedicated to the digitization of botanical natural history collections.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: The Field Museum

New platform allows the public to contribute to science research

When a team of researchers set out to better understand...

A team of Chinese researchers may have now accomplished what scientists have been trying to achieve for many years by using graphene-based nanoscrolls to mimic a dog's incredible sense of smell.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-create-mental-image/">Dogs</a> essentially depend on a heightened sense of smell to interpret the world around them, and are well-known for their ability to track scents. The part of a dog's brain that is dedicated to sensing smells is around 40 times of that found in humans.

A dog's nose is lined with millions of tiny capillaries, which make them extremely sensitive to odors. The capillaries cover a large surface area, allowing dogs to accurately detect scents even at very low concentrations.

Researchers have been trying to create a sensitive gas detector that imitates the level of skill found in the olfactory structure of a dog's nose. Experts previously had some success in using graphene-based nanoscrolls (GNS), which are nanosheets of graphene rolled up in continuous and uniform manner. 

GNS have a large surface area, are stable at high temperatures, and are quite resilient. Experts ran into obstacles, however, because the nanostructures are difficult to manufacture, consume a lot of energy, and are not particularly easy to scale up. 

Raw graphene that was used in past studies produced some unrolled structures, while modified graphene shriveled up and aggregated.

For the current study, the research team set out to change the graphene with a polymer to create nanoscrolls of higher quality. They added sodium-p-styrenesulfonate to create separate yet uniform structures. 

Ultimately, the researchers successfully incorporated the nanoscrolls into a highly selective and sensitive gas sensor. The study authors pointed out that their new modification technique has the potential for large-scale production.

The study is published by the American Chemical Society in the journal <a href="http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscinet/nano">Nano</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Replicating a dog’s incredible sense of smell to detect gases

A team of Chinese researchers may have now accomplished what...

When government agencies implement policies regarding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/african-wildlife-devastated-war/">wildlife</a> management, it's often with the assumption that the policies are the result of thorough scientific research. 

However, a new study reviewing wildlife management has found that claims that policies are backed by science are largely unfounded.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a> conducted a study that looked at the scientific rigor supposedly applied to many hunt management systems in North America. 

The study was published in the journal Science Advances. 

The researchers collected and analyzed all publicly available documents regarding 667 hunt management systems. These policies applied to 27 different species groups across all 50 United States and the Canadian Provinces. 

Four hallmarks that prove scientific rigor were applied to the policies. The hallmarks, a clear objective, the use of evidence, transparency, and external review, were used to show that the management systems were science-based. 

The results showed that there was very little scientific backing for the majority of the management systems analyzed according to the results. 

60 percent of the systems featured less than half of the hallmarks or indicator criteria, and some had almost no scientific backing. 

The researchers found that 9 percent of the systems explained how hunting quotas were set, and less than 10 percent of them had any review process. 

All in all, the study shows how little science plays a role in implementing important wildlife hunting policies in North America. 

“The key to honest discussions about wildlife management and conservation is clarity about where the science begins and ends,” said Kyle Artelle, leader of the research. “Our approach provides a straightforward litmus test for science-based claims.”

Artelle went on to state that hunting policies should not just be guided by science alone as there are other important socioeconomic factors to consider.  

However, if scientific research is claimed to a play a vital role in the decision, the evidence of the research should be obvious. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Most North American wildlife policy not backed by science

When government agencies implement policies regarding wildlife management, it's often...

It’s no secret that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/temperature-sleep-circadian-clocks/">sleep</a> plays an integral role in our health and wellbeing. A good night’s sleep can be the difference between a groggy, stressful day and an energetic, successful day. While sleep can certainly impact your mood, it is also important for the formation and retention of new memories. 

Retaining new memories – known as memory consolidation – is associated with sudden bursts of oscillatory brain activity, called sleep spindles. New research published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a> has found that sleep spindles also play an important role in strengthening new memories when newly learned information is played back to a person as they sleep.

“While it has been shown previously that targeted memory reactivation can boost memory consolidation during sleep, we now show that sleep spindles might represent the key underlying mechanism,” says Bernhard Staresina of the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx">University of Birmingham</a> in the UK. “Thus, direct induction of sleep spindles – for example, via transcranial electrical stimulation – perhaps combined with targeted memory reactivation, may enable us to further improve memory performance while we sleep.”

Sleep spindles are bursts of brain activity that last between a half second and two seconds, and measure in the 10-16 Hertz range on an EEG. They occur during non-rapid eye movement in sleep stages two and three. Past studies have found that the number of spindles a person experiences during the night could predict the individual’s memory the next day. In animals, studies have shown that sleep spindles are linked to the process through which the brain makes new connections. 

Researchers from the United Kingdom postulated that experimental reactivation of memories might be linked to an increase of sleep spindles in the brain of a sleeping person. To test this theory, they ran an experiment in which participants learned to associate particular adjectives with specific objects and scenes. Some participants then took a 90-minute nap following their study session, while other participants remained awake. While the napping participants slept, the researchers cued those associative memories and unfamiliar adjectives. 

The results showed that memory cues led to an increase in sleep spindles. By using the EEG while participants slept, the researchers were able to see that the EEG patterns during spindles related to the types of memories, either objects or scenes, that were being processed. Overall, these findings are evidence of the important information-processing role of sleep spindles in memory consolidation.

“Our data suggest that spindles facilitate processing of relevant memory features during sleep and that this process boosts memory consolidation,” says Staresina.

The implications of this study are far-ranging. We may now be able to further explore the processes that hold people back with learning disabilities, while also improving the processing of important information and memory for the general public.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleep helps the brain retain newly learned information

It’s no secret that sleep plays an integral role in...

The study of animals has helped humans advance science and medicine for centuries, whether its through the development of animal models or observations of other species’ ability to overcome – or avoid entirely – common diseases. As our own medical remedies become more focused on individual genes, it would make sense that some of the next big discoveries in medicine come through analysis of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-evolving-gene-alcoholism/">genomes</a> of other animal species.

To this end, researchers at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> (UU) have recently published a study in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home">Cell Reports</a>, which also appears in <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/">Newsweek</a>. The study reports a number of findings that involve genes we share with a wide variety of animals, and the potential treatments that could remedy multiple conditions. 

The study focused on genes in “noncoding” regions of the mammalian genome, which makes up 98 percent of all DNA. It is still unknown what role these noncoding regions play in health and disease. 

“People used to call the noncoding regions junk DNA, but I see it as a jungle that has not been explored,” says Christopher Gregg, an assistant professor in Neurobiology and Anatomy at UU. “We are exploring the noncoding regions to try to discover new parts of the genome that might control different diseases.”

The researchers explored the “junk” regions of DNA in the genomes of species they believe have unique traits, such as elephant’s with their enormous size, bats with pointy ears, and dolphins and orcas due to their ability to adapt to high pressure environments. These unique traits arose through sections of DNA within the noncoding regions of each species’ genome evolving rapidly.

“We leveraged the extreme traits in different species to uncover noncoding regions in the human genome that likely have important roles in shaping health and disease,” explains Elliott Ferris, a bioinformatician and computer programmer in Gregg’s lab and first author of the study.

Results revealed that humans share similar versions of these genes, although in much smaller numbers. These genes include some that allow elephants to repair mutated DNA – a potential treatment for cancer. The genes that allow dolphins and orcas to adapt to high-pressure environments could help us learn more about blood clotting disorders. The development of albinism might be better understood through studying the DNA in squirrels that is linked to skin coloration. Eye development in the naked mole rat could shed light (no pun intended) on our own eye development and the factors behind glaucoma.

Overall, these findings could lead to improved approaches for treating diseases in humans, and help scientists discover new treatments for human diseases through studying the genomes of other animals. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Animal genomes can help cure human diseases

The study of animals has helped humans advance science and...

The connection between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-risk-death/">air pollution</a> and cardiovascular and respiratory disease is well known. Exposure to pollutants can irritate the nose, eyes, throat, and lungs, worsening asthma symptoms and increasing the chance of disease. 

However, a new study published in the journal Nature Communications has found that air pollution changes the expression of our genes, and that the influence of pollutants is stronger than the genes we inherit from our parents. 

While previously it was thought that your genetic heritage had the most say over your genes, a research team from the <a href="https://oicr.on.ca/">Ontario Institute for Cancer Research </a>has found that in fact, geography and exposure to air pollution plays a major role.

For example, sulfur dioxide can affect 270 genes associated with asthma and cardiovascular disease. 

The researchers collected blood samples, genetic data, and personal information on 1,007 participants from three different areas in Quebec Province, Montréal, Quebec City, and Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean. 

Both Quebec City and Montreal are major cities which showed the researchers how pollution in large urban areas differed from the smalle, less populated Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean. 

The researchers also gathered data on air different air pollutants in the three areas, comparing volume and exposure to pollutants to the genetic makeup and gene expression of the participants. 

No matter the ancestral history, the researchers found pollutants in specific geographic areas had the biggest influence on gene expression. 

“Both genetic variation and gene expression followed something of a geographic cline,” Philip Awadalla, the study’s lead author, told <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5464857/Fossil-fuels-air-pollution-control-expression-genes.html">Daily Mail</a>. “Leading us to initially think that gene expression was driven by your genotype. In fact, that was largely not the case. Most gene expression variation is associated with where you live rather than your genetic ancestry.”

Awadalla said the researchers considered hundreds of variables that may affect gene expression, but the results consistently pointed to air quality and exposure to pollutants as having the strongest impact. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution affects genes more even more than inherited DNA

The connection between air pollution and cardiovascular and respiratory disease...

A new study is describing why people experience seasonal skin changes, such as eczema or dry skin in the winter. The research team discovered patterned changes in the breakdown levels of a protein called filaggrin, which helps to protect the barrier region of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/color-human-skin-complicated/">skin</a>.  

“This study shows clearly that the skin barrier is affected by climatic and seasonal changes. Both children and adults suffer from red cheeks in the winter in northern latitudes and some may even develop more permanent skin conditions such as atopic eczema and rosacea," said senior author Dr. Jacob Thyssen. 

“By the use of high magnification we show that the skin cells suffer from shrinkage and therefore change their surface. The clinical message to individuals are that they should protect their skin with emollients in the winter and sunscreen in the summer.”

The study revealed that the texture of cells known as corneocytes, which are found in the outermost part of the skin, changed across seasons as well.

Nina Goad is the Head of Communications at the <a href="http://www.bad.org.uk/">British Association of Dermatologists</a>.

“We already know that humidity can affect the texture of the skin and impact on skin disorders like eczema, and humidity fluctuates according to season,” said Goad.

“In the winter, rapidly changing temperatures, from heated indoors to cold outdoors environments, can affect the capillaries, and prolonged exposure to wet weather can strip the skin's barrier function.” 

Goad pointed out that this research provides a new explanation for seasonal fluctuations in the skin that occur on a cellular level.

“Given that skin problems are the most common reason for people to visit their doctor, any research that improves our understanding of skin disorders and how best to manage them is always a positive step,” said Goad.

The study is published in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2133">British Journal of Dermatology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why your skin can get so dry during the winter

A new study is describing why people experience seasonal skin...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> are developing laser technology that can produce images of objects that are not in a direct line of view, such as those hidden around corners. 

The immediate goal is to create applications for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/self-driving-cars-sensors/">autonomous cars</a>, but lasers with this level of sensitivity could ultimately be used by rescue teams to search through foliage in aerial vehicles or to find people buried in debris.

Gordon Wetzstein is an assistant professor of Electrical Engineering and senior author of the study. “It sounds like magic but the idea of non-line-of-sight imaging is actually feasible,” he said.

This is not the first team to develop techniques for bouncing lasers around corners. What makes this new research significant is that scientists at Stanford have produced a more effective algorithm for capturing the images of unseen objects.

“A substantial challenge in non-line-of-sight imaging is figuring out an efficient way to recover the 3D structure of the hidden object from the noisy measurements,” said study co-author David Lindell. “I think the big impact of this method is how computationally efficient it is.”

The researchers took a highly sensitive photon detector, which is capable of recording even a single light particle, and placed it next to a laser. They shot beams of light at a wall that subsequently bounced off objects around the corner and traveled back to the wall and also to the detector.

The scanning process currently takes anywhere from two minutes to an hour, depending on the light conditions and the reflectivity of the hidden entities. 

After the reflection of an object is captured, the algorithm used by the team can reconstruct the original paths of light particles to sharpen the image. Enhancement of the image takes less than a second, and the researchers believe that it will eventually be instantaneous.

There are some adjustments that still need to be made before the new imaging technology hits the road. For example, the technique relies on scattered light particles, which are ignored by the LIDAR systems that guide autonomous vehicles.

“We believe the computation algorithm is already ready for LIDAR systems,” said co-lead author Matthew O'Toole. “The key question is if the current hardware of LIDAR systems supports this type of imaging.”

The researchers are also working to get the system better adapted to various conditions of the real world, where the lighting and distance of objects can cause scanning issues. Furthermore, the imaging system must be modified to more effectively detect objects in motion.

“This is a big step forward for our field that will hopefully benefit all of us,” said Wetzstein. “In the future, we want to make it even more practical in the ‘wild.’"

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Stanford Computational Imaging Lab

Laser technology can see around corners and help rescue efforts

Researchers at Stanford University are developing laser technology that can...

Scientists are constantly working to untangle the mysteries of the universe, from the evolution of early Earth to the evolution of hydrocarbons in space. 

Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="http://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Manoa</a> are one step closer to understanding how carbon originated in the universe, and how pyrene and graphite evolve into disk-like structures in space.

The study was published in the journal Nature Astronomy and helps explain how pyrene, part of a family of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is present in some meteorites. PAHs account for approximately 20 percent of all carbon in our galaxy. 

The compound is the result of molecular rings fused together, and these rings are crucial to understanding how certain chemical processes work to create different structures. 

“This is how we believe some of the first carbon-based structures evolved in the universe,” said Musahid Ahmed, a member of the research team. “Starting off from simple gases, you can generate one-dimensional and two-dimensional structures, and pyrene could lead you to 2-D graphene. From there you can get to graphite, and the evolution of more complex chemistry begins.

Ahmed is a scientist at <a href="https://commons.lbl.gov/display/csd/Chemical+Sciences+Division+Home">Berkeley Lab’s Chemical Science Division </a>and worked with a team of fellow researchers to conduct experiments using Berkeley’s Advanced Light Source (ALS).

The researchers examined the chemical reactions that came from a combination of a complex hydrocarbon known as the 4-phenanthrenyl radical. The hydrocarbon has three rings and is made up of 14 carbon atoms and nine hydrogen atoms.

At the ALS lab, the research team injected the gaseous mixture in a microreactor that heated the sample until its temperature was similar to the proximity of a star. 

While the mixture was heated, the ALS was used to focus a beam of vacuum ultraviolet light onto the gasses. 

The chemical process that followed was then monitored and analyzed, and later calculations confirmed that pyrene could be produced during these kinds of reactions.

The key is the rings present in PAHs and the researchers proved that pyrene could form from a three-ringed structure. 

Future studies will be needed in order to assess how pyrene and graphite play a role in the foundation of all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-planet-life/">life</a> on Earth, but with this the researchers have made an important step forward.

--

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.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA/JPL-Caltech</a>

The formation of carbon in space laid the foundation for life

Scientists are constantly working to untangle the mysteries of 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.



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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;



---



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...

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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

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[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"

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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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