Tiny bits of organic matter bobbing at the ocean’s surface appear to help clouds freeze in some of the most pristine air on Earth.



New research shows that complex sugar molecules shed by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-microbes-can-tell-us-about-global-changes-in-the-ocean/">marine microbes</a> can trigger ice formation in cloud droplets across the vast Southern Ocean. This happens right in the temperature range that governs how long bright, cooling clouds survive and how much sunlight they bounce back to space.



The work draws on years of field campaigns, lab tests, and computer modeling led by scientists at the <a href="https://www.tropos.de/en/">Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research</a> (TROPOS) and its partners.



It helps explain why climate models have struggled to match observed cloud brightness over remote southern seas. In these regions, dust is scarce and human-made pollution is low.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clouds-need-help-to-freeze">Clouds need help to freeze</h2>



Clouds do not freeze on their own; they need ice-nucleating particles (INPs). These microscopic seeds coax liquid droplets into ice. The kind of particle that dominates changes with temperature.



In the cleaner air around Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, INP levels are tiny. Even small shifts can strongly affect cloud reflectivity, precipitation, and lifetime.



Getting the mix right in climate models is essential for predicting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-is-accelerating-beyond-control-as-co2-levels-rise/">global warming</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-sugar-spike-reveals-a-clue">A sugar spike reveals a clue</h2>



Scientists have long suspected marine biology as a source of INPs, but the actual substances remained mysterious. A turning point came during the 2017 Polarstern expedition PS106.



“During the Polarstern expedition PS106 in 2017, we observed increased glucose concentrations in Arctic samples and concluded this glucose could be an indicator of ice nuclei in seawater,” said senior author Sebastian Zeppenfeld from TROPOS.



“The monosaccharide glucose is a degradation product of polysaccharides. It was therefore obvious to us that polysaccharides could be the missing piece of the puzzle.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ocean-sugars-and-freezing-clouds">Ocean sugars and freezing clouds</h2>



To test the idea, researchers collected material from the ocean’s surface microlayer. This living film teems with bacteria, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/algae-revived-after-7000-years-beneath-the-baltic-sea/">algae</a>, diatoms, fungi, protists, viruses, and more. Researchers had largely overlooked marine fungi as possible ice starters.



Study co-author Susan Hartmann from TROPOS examined ice nucleation in the laboratory using the INDA (Ice Nucleation Droplet Array) droplet freezing test.



“We investigated the ice nucleation of marine polysaccharides derived from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marine-fungi-can-be-trained-to-degrade-plastic-faster/">marine fungi</a> and protist, as well as commercially available standard polysaccharides,” she said.



Those droplet-freezing experiments produced the first temperature‑resolved data showing how many ice nuclei these marine polysaccharides generate. 



The results fill a key gap: between roughly -15°C (5°F) and -20°C (-4°F), the ocean sugars could account for nearly all biologically driven ice formation in cloud droplets.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cloud-models-get-missing-ice-link">Cloud models get missing ice link</h2>



Earlier work had shown that proteins tend to initiate freezing in relatively “warm” clouds (above about 28°F), while mineral dust dominates in very cold clouds (below -4°F).



But the Southern Hemisphere offers limited dust sources. Many mixed-phase clouds linger in the middle range - exactly where the new study shows marine polysaccharides are most potent.



Study lead author Roland Schrödner from TROPOS analyzed the data using the TM5 global atmospheric chemistry transport model.



“In our simulations, we were able to show that at -15 to -16 degrees Celsius (5 to 3°F), the polysaccharides over the gigantic areas of the oceans in the clean Southern Hemisphere are probably the most important ice nuclei," said Schrödner.



"They contribute more to ice formation than mineral <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dust-storms-are-a-surprising-source-of-deadly-air-pollution/">dust</a> emitted from the deserts, which is the main type of ice nuclei in climate models. This is a new and important finding for climate models.” 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-years-of-data-point-to-sugars">Years of data point to sugars</h2>



The study knits together aerosol microphysics, atmospheric chemistry, and global modeling groups at TROPOS.



Polysaccharide concentrations had been sampled during multiple expeditions: the Spanish Antarctic PI‑ICE mission, the German Arctic PASCAL/PS106 cruises, the tropical Atlantic MarParCloud campaign, and long‑term measurements on Spitsbergen.



Only by combining those datasets with lab freezing tests and model simulations could the team quantify the climatic punch of marine sugars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-next-steps-for-cloud-ice-research">Next steps for cloud ice research</h2>



If nations succeed in cutting man‑made emissions, natural aerosol particles will matter even more for cloud behavior. Clean‑air regions respond sharply to even small aerosol changes, making the Southern Hemisphere a prime natural laboratory.



Beginning July 2025, the HALO‑South aircraft mission - led by TROPOS - will probe clouds, aerosols, and radiation over the Southern Ocean near New Zealand. 



A coordinated ground campaign, goSouth‑2, will deploy advanced remote‑sensing gear near Invercargill from September 2025 to March 2027. The goal is to watch clouds evolve in this pristine environment.



Life at the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-draining-nutrients-from-the-oceans-surface/">ocean’s surface</a> shapes cloud brightness, revealing deep links between biology and the atmosphere.



The new evidence that marine polysaccharides help seed ice over huge swaths of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-storage-mystery-emerges-in-the-southern-ocean/">Southern Ocean</a> is a vivid reminder: what grows in the water below can change the sky above - and, through clouds, influence Earth’s climate itself.



The study was presented at the <a href="https://www.egu25.eu/">EGU General Assembly 2025</a> in Vienna, Austria. An abstract of the article can be found <a href="https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-15357.html">here</a>.



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How tiny sugars in the Southern Ocean help clouds freeze

Tiny bits of organic matter bobbing at the ocean’s surface appear to help clouds freeze in some of the most pristine air on Earth. New research shows that complex sugar molecules shed by marine microbes can trigger ice formation in cloud droplets across the vast Southern Ocean. This happens right in the temperature range that governs how long bright, cooling clouds survive and how much sunlight they bounce back to space. The work draws on years of field campaigns, lab tests, and computer modeling led by scientists...

Drosophila, commonly known as the fruit fly, is one of the most researched and understood organisms in the world of science. They are of particular interest because of their impact on the fields of genetics. 

Science has discovered a lot about of the fruit fly and its genetic makeup over the years, and a recent study from the journal Nature Communications has found interesting patterns in a fruit fly’s decision to mate or sleep. 

Obviously, one has to take precedence over the other, but how the fruit flies decide which is more important in the moment varies based on gender. 

The study found that sleep deprived males were less inclined to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sexual-intimidation-tactics-primate/">mate</a>. For females, however, their sleeping habits had no effect on their determination to mate. Researchers say this may be because of the females need to reproduce at any cost, with a rate of anywhere between 30 and 50 eggs a day. But sleepy males were not aroused compared to sleep deprived females. 

The research was compiled by a group effort between scientists at <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/">Howard Hughes Medical Institute</a>, the <a href="http://www.seu.edu.cn/english/">Southeast University in China</a>, and the <a href="http://www.sandiego.edu/">University of San Diego</a>, with the corresponding author Michael Nitabach, a professor of cellular and molecular physiology and genetics at <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a>.

The study explains the lack of sex drive in sleep deprived males as an “adaptive behavior,” because falling asleep during sex could result in failure to pass on genes. 

The research team also found “a neuronal connection that regulates the interplay between courtship and sleep,” says Nitabach. These findings could be used to look at humans and their biological drives for sleep and sex, if and when the two are pitted against each other. 

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleep vs. sex? How the fruit fly decides

Drosophila, commonly known as the fruit fly, is one of...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/winter-paints-andes-mountains-snow-ice/">Andes Mountains</a> in Peru are home to richly diverse flora and fauna. Now, ecologists from the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> have discovered three new frog species in the Pui Pui Protected Forest in central Peru. This brings the total number of new frogs discovered by the team to five. 

The Pui Pui Protected Forest has been a designated conservation site since 1985, but there have been very few studies done in the area. It covers 150,000 acres with streams, lakes, and rivers, and there are both Andean grasslands and cloud forests in the region. This new discovery shows how vital studying and protecting these habitats are. 

“These discoveries demonstrate the need for further scientific exploration of such Andean habitats,” said researcher Rudolf von May from the University of Michigan Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

The frogs discovered all measure only an inch or less and belong to the most diverse genus of frogs in the tropical Andes, Pristimantis. They are part of a group of terrestrial or land-breeding frogs. Unlike other amphibians, who start as tadpoles, pristimantis lay embryos that hatch into froglets right away. 

The three new discoveries were given the name of the park, Pui Pui, and the findings were published in the journal Zootaxa online, with the primary author listed as Edgar Lehr of<a href="https://www.iwu.edu/"> Illinois Wesleyan University</a>. Ecologists from the University of Michigan, the Czech Republic, Peru and Illinois worked on the discoveries. 

The new species are called the Pui Pui Rubber Frog, The Hill Dweller Rubber Frog, and Humboldt’s Rubber Frog, named after the explorer Alexander von Humboldt.

More information on the study’s findings and the names of the other discoveries will be published in papers by the research teams later on. These exciting discoveries prove the importance of conserving and studying these vast habitats as our understanding of them is still limited.

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New species of frog discovered in Peruvian Andes

The Andes Mountains in Peru are home to richly diverse...

Male mice have the tendency to be naturally territorial. Whether they are out in nature or in the confines of a lab, they are likely to exhibit aggression and attack other male mice, even if there is plenty of room, food, and females available.

A team of researchers from <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford University School of Medicine</a> set out to determine whether this aggression was due to environmental factors or whether the mice were genetically predisposed to this behavior. In their study – published in the journal Neuron – they reveal that they have identified a cluster of nerve cells in the brains of male mice that trigger territorial rage when activated. When these same clusters were activated in female mice, they showed no effect.

"…Selectively activating just this tiny cluster – about 5,000 nerve cells in a brain with 80 million nerve cells – escalates the level and extent of male mice's aggressiveness dramatically," says Nirao Shah, a Stanford professor and the study's senior author. The cells were identified as PR+VMHvl nerve cells, which are part of the ventromedial hypothalamus in the brain and also contain receptors for sex hormones.

The researchers found that stimulating these cells in male lab mice that spent 7-10 days alone in a cage would result in significant displays of aggression, even under conditions where this behavior should rarely occur. The mouse would attack female mice and members of other species – behaviors that mice rarely display. They would even attack a mirror placed in the cage or an inflated surgical glove.

Circulating testosterone is generally a requirement for mice to display territorial aggression, but even neutered mice would attack other mice in their case when PR+VMHvl nerve cells were stimulated. In a prior study, Shah and his team had discovered that killing PR+VMHvl cells significantly reduced territorial aggression in male mice. Based on these findings, it appears that this cluster of cells is essential to territorial aggression in male mice.

Despite all this, the study still found that this genetically hard-wired aggression was influenced by complex social etiquette. For example, if a male mouse were alone, he wouldn’t exhibit displays of aggression no matter how much the cluster of nerve cells was stimulated. However, any sign of an unfamiliar object in the cage would cause aggressive behavior. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mice-capable-empathy/">mice</a> would also attack when placed in the territory of another aggressive, lone male.

When the researchers house male mice together before stimulation, this aggressive behavior was drastically reduced. Even when PR+VMHvl activity was induced, a socially housed male would not attack another aggressive, solitary male in its own territory. So it appeared that social housing of these mice significantly impacted their aggressiveness.

Shah believes this influence is directly related to the mice’s ability to detect pheromones released by other mice, which signal their social and reproductive status. When mice were rendered unable to detect another mouse’s pheromones, even a socially housed male would attack when it’s PR+VMHvl cells were activated.

These complex results show that the nature vs. nurture argument may not be as black and white as we previously thought.

“Nature versus nurture is a false dichotomy,” said Shah. “We’ve showed, on the one hand, that genetically programmed circuitry massively influences mammalian behavior. And we’ve seen that, under certain circumstances, nurture wins: Your social conditions can override your natural impulse to fight.”

Similar to mice, our human brains also have a ventromedial hypothalamus. Although the functions of this region haven’t been fully understood in our species, there’s enough research out there for Shah to think there is at least a little bit of similarity between mice and humans in that area. The findings of further studies may be of benefit to understanding the impacts of solitary confinement of aggressive male prisoners or adults with various psychiatric conditions.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nature vs. nature at odds in aggression of male mice

Male mice have the tendency to be naturally territorial. Whether...

One of the many pleasures in life is when you experience an Aha! moment, where you suddenly remember a long-lost piece of information, or figure out the answer to a difficult question. And researchers at <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> may have just discovered the biology behind this moment – suggesting that it could be linked to consciousness when information collected by the brain reaches a critical threshold.

The study also postulates that the piercing of the consciousness that occurs in this Aha! moment shares the same underlying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-brains-sync-conversations/">brain</a> mechanisms that are involved in making very simple decisions. It’s possible that this research may put us on the path to better understanding the biological foundations of consciousness.

“The vast majority of thoughts circling in our brains happen below the radar of conscious awareness, meaning that even though our brain is processing them, we are not aware,” explains Dr. Michael Shadlen, a principal investigator at <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia</a> and the paper's senior author. “How some of that information bubbles to the level of consciousness, however, remains an unsolved mystery. But now, we’ve found a way to observe that moment in real time, and then apply those findings to our understanding of consciousness itself.”

Dr. Shadlen has spent his career attempting to understand how the signals sent through the brain’s billions of cells result in the decisions we make. Even complex emotions and thoughts such as love, grief, and mortality can be essentially boiled down to a series of decisions made by the brain engaging with the outside world.

For their study, the researchers had five participants watch dots on a computer screen that moved like grains of sand blowing in the wind. The subjects were asked what direction the dots were blowing in, and a clock at the center of the screen kept the time. After the dots were finished moving, the participants decided on what direction the dots had been traveling and then asked to decide what time the clock had been at when they became aware of the answer.

The research team incorporated this data with a vast history of previous research on brain mechanisms in decision-making and combined this with a complex mathematical trick in order to validate that the participants’ subjective belief that their decision was made at this time was an accurate reflection of the brain’s decision-making process.

“Essentially, the act of becoming consciously aware of a decision conforms to the same process that the brain goes through to complete a decision, even a simple one – such as whether to turn left or right,” says Dr. Shadlen.

Although this study is just the beginning, it has piqued scientists’ curiosity about the possibility of our most complex thoughts and feelings being definable under biological standards.

“Some people think that the nitty gritty of neuroscience is far from the highfalutin stuff that a philosopher would consider,” says Dr. Shadlen. “But rest assured, explaining these concepts – whether it’s ethics, consciousness anything else – in terms of neuroscience isn’t explaining them away. Instead, I would argue that it is helping to bring the biological study of the brain closer to the philosophical study of the mind.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists explain why your brain’s Aha! moments occur

One of the many pleasures in life is when you...

Researchers from <a href="http://www.rice.edu/">Rice University</a> have developed filters that can remove toxic heavy metals from water. Carbon nanotubes immobilized in a tuft of quartz fiber absorbed 99 percent of cadmium, cobalt, copper, mercury, nickel, and lead from water samples.

The filter is so effective that only one gram of the material could treat 83,000 liters of contaminated water to meet World Health Organization standards, according to calculations made by the researchers. This amount of water could meet the daily needs of 11,000 people.


Lead author Perry Alagappan was still a high school student when he teamed up with Rice University chemist Andrew Barron for the project. Alagappan learned about the contamination of groundwater by electronic waste in India and set out to find a solution. 

Barron points out that the raw materials for the filters are inexpensive. The filters can be washed with a mild chemical like vinegar and reused, which simplifies the process of recycling them even in remote locations.

The powerful filters consist of carbon nanotubes grown in place on quartz fibers that are then chemically epoxidized. The quartz provides the framework and the carbon nanotube covering makes the filter tough, but the researchers determined the epoxidation appears to be most responsible for adsorbing the metal.

Scaled-up versions of the "supported-epoxidized carbon nanotube" (SENT) filters were able to treat 5 liters of water in less than one minute. The filters were restored in 90 seconds, and retained almost 100 percent of their capacity to purify <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hydraulic-fracturing-wastewater-radioactive/">water</a> for up to 70 liters per 100 grams of SENT. The metals absorbed in the materials can either be extracted for reuse or turned into a solid for safe disposal.

"This would make the biggest social impact on village-scale units that could treat water in remote, developing regions," Barron said. "However, there is also the potential to scale up metal extraction, in particular from mine wastewater."

An analysis of these lab results will be published in this month in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New super filters can remove heavy metals from water

Researchers from Rice University have developed filters that can remove...

While looking at saliva and specifically the protein MUC7, scientists found evidence that early humans interbred with Neanderthals and early nonhumans. 

The fact that interbreeding happened in early humans is nothing new. But this recent study proves that it was a frequent occurrence, the norm instead of the exception, according to Omer Gokcumen, lead author and assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Buffalo.

The study covered more than 2,5000 modern human genomes and the results found differences in a group from Sub Saharan Africa that were more closely linked to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-population-larger/">Neanderthal</a> and Denisovan (another group of ancient subspecies of humans).

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.cas.buffalo.edu/">University of Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences</a> were studying the function of the MUC7 protein in saliva when they came across this discovery.

The study was published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution on July 21st and was pioneered by Stefan Ruhl, a professor of Oral Biology from the University of Buffalo’s School of Dental Medicine and Omer Gokcumen. 

Gokcumen said of his findings and the difference in genomes, “When we looked at the history of the gene that codes for the protein (MUC7), we see the signature of archaic admixture in modern day Sub-Saharan African populations.”

“The most plausible explanation for this extreme variation is archaic introgression -- the introduction of genetic material from a 'ghost' species of ancient hominins,” he added.

The reason MUC7 is so important to the scientific community is that it very well could be responsible for preventing bacteria and disease and fighting off unwanted pathogens. While research teams at the University of Buffalo were looking at the evolution and functions of the protein, they discovered much more. 

Their research further confirms the knowledge that interbreeding between ancient humans and nonhumans was a regular occurrence. 

--

By Kay Vandette,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Early humans had relations with non-human “ghost” species

While looking at saliva and specifically the protein MUC7, scientists...

A report published today in the online journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/">Nature</a> reveals that scientists have identified brain cells that control aging. Stem cells have been located in the hypothalamus that control how fast the aging process occurs in mice. This revelation could be used to prevent age-related diseases and reverse many aspects of aging in humans. 

The hypothalamus is known to regulate key processes such as growth, development, and reproduction. In 2013, researchers from <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a> made a breakthrough discovery that the hypothalamus also regulates aging throughout the body. The scientists have now managed to narrowly define a tiny population of adult neural stem cells which are responsible for age regulation.

Dr. Dongsheng Cai is a professor of Molecular Pharmacology at Einstein and senior author of the study. 

"Our research shows that the number of hypothalamic neural stem cells naturally declines over the life of the animal, and this decline accelerates aging," said Dr. Cai. "But we also found that the effects of this loss are not irreversible. By replenishing these stem cells or the molecules they produce, it's possible to slow and even reverse various aspects of aging throughout the body."

The researchers conducted an evaluation to observe the hypothalamic stem cells in healthy mice as they began to age. The cells started to decline when the animals reached approximately 10 months old, which is a few months before signs of aging typically appear in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mice-capable-empathy/">mice</a>.

"By old age-about two years of age in mice- most of those cells were gone," said Dr. Cai.

The scientists then set out to determine whether the loss of stem cells was actually causing the mice to age or if the loss of cells was more simply associated with the process of aging. They disrupted hypothalamic stem cells in some middle-aged mice to make this distinction.

"This disruption greatly accelerated aging compared with control mice, and those animals with disrupted stem cells died earlier than normal," explained Dr. Cai.

For the next phase of the study, the research team injected normal mice and mice whose brain cells they had previously disrupted with hypothalamic stem cells to see if this would counteract aging. The treatment slowed or reversed signs of aging in both groups of mice. 

The researchers discovered that molecules released from the hypothalamic stem cells called microRNAs (miRNAs) were responsible for the anti-aging effects. These molecules, which play a key role in gene expression, were contained in tiny particles called exosomes and released by the hypothalamic stem cells into the cerebrospinal fluid of the mice.

The team removed MiRNA-containing exosomes and injected them into the cerebrospinal fluid of the same two test groups of mice. The researchers used tissue analysis and behavioral assessments that tested coordination, muscle endurance, and cognitive ability to see how the exosomes affected various aspects of aging. Both groups exhibited significantly slowed aging.

The researchers are now taking a closer look at microRNA populations in an effort to better understand their anti-aging properties so the effects may be used to curb complications of aging in humans. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists identify brain cells that control aging

A report published today in the online journal Nature reveals...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/">Binghamton University</a> and <a href="https://www.suny.edu/">State University of New York</a> have developed a UV skin protection coating that is made out of DNA. The effectiveness of the formula actually improves as it is exposed to sunlight.

Guy German is an assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering at Binghamton University.

"Ultraviolet (UV) light can actually damage DNA, and that's not good for the skin," said German. "We thought, let's flip it. What happens instead if we actually used DNA as a sacrificial layer? So instead of damaging DNA within the skin, we damage a layer on top of the skin."

German teamed up with other experts to formulate thin and optically transparent crystallized DNA films. They exposed the film to UV light and discovered that the more the DNA film was illuminated, the better the film got at absorbing the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-solar-cells-absorb-sunlight/">light</a>. 

"If you translate that, it means to me that if you use this as a topical cream or sunscreen, the longer that you stay out on the beach, the better it gets at being a sunscreen," said German.

The DNA coatings are also extra moisturizing due to the fact that skin covered with the DNA films can more effectively store and hold water. When applied to skin, they slow water evaporation and prolong hydration.

Next, German will test the DNA coating to see if it may be used as an improved method of covering wounds. The material would allow the wound to be visible while it is healing, protected from the sun, and may promote faster healing.

"Not only do we think this might have applications for sunscreen and moisturizers directly, but if it's optically transparent and prevents tissue damage from the sun and it's good at keeping the skin hydrated, we think this might be potentially exploitable as a wound covering for extreme environments," said German.

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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

New DNA sunscreen works better the more you wear it

Researchers at Binghamton University and State University of New York...

We can’t help but be fascinated by an animal’s ability to change color. The chameleon, squid, and octopus can all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/panda-bears-fur-communication-camouflage/">camouflage</a> into their surroundings, communicate, and even maintain their temperature via changes in their skin color.

Science has long tried to replicate this ability. While there have been successful attempts, color changing material was only visible to our eye via a lot of effort and mechanical work. Previously a 100-500 percent strain to create visible color changing was needed.

But now, a new study from the <a href="http://www.tsinghua.edu.cn/publish/newthu/index.html">Tsinghua University in Beijing</a> is changing the game for color changing material. 

The study, published in the journal 2D Materials, used graphene to create a flexible electronic skin that was much more resistant to strain to create the shifting color effect.

"To obtain good performance with a simple process and reduced cost, we designed a modulus-gradient structure to use graphene as both the highly sensitive strain-sensing element and the insensitive stretchable electrode of the ECD layer,” said Dr. Tingting Yang of Tsinghua University, lead author of the study, 

The strain the research team needed to produce a visible change was between zero and ten percent, which marked a huge difference from 100-500 percent.

The reduced effort and cheaper cost of production mean that this material could have an impact in prosthetics, wearable technology, and robotics.

The exciting implications in these fields were confirmed Dr. Yang who also mentioned that this study’s findings have almost no match in the scientific world. 

“The capability we found for interactive color changes with such a small strain range has been rarely reported before,” said Dr. Yang.

The fact that science has found a way to mirror some animal’s ability to camouflage and change color is no small feat. And this study just found an easier, cost effective, way to create more vivid and visible color changes. This breakthrough opens up more possibilities in wearable devices, robots, and prosthetics.

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists create a wearable color-changing electronic skin

We can’t help but be fascinated by an animal’s ability...

A report published today in <a href="https://academic.oup.com/humupd">Human Reproduction Update</a> reveals a significant decline in sperm count and sperm concentration among men of Western countries. The sweeping study reveals a 59.3 percent decline in total sperm count of men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and a 52.4 percent decline in sperm concentration.

Researchers from the <a href="http://new.huji.ac.il/en">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a> and the <a href="http://icahn.mssm.edu/">Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai</a> conducted the investigation. The comprehensive survey takes into account the results of 7500 previous studies, and includes a meta-analysis of 185 studies conducted between 1973 and 2011. 

According to the research, the overall drop in sperm count has progressed rapidly and is not showing signs of slowing down anytime soon. Declines in sperm count have been reported since 1992, but limitations in past studies left the results questionable. The current evaluation, however, is comprised of scrupulous meta-regression methods and has a much more extensive reach than previous studies.

"Given the importance of sperm counts for male fertility and human health, this study is an urgent wake-up call for researchers and health authorities around the world to investigate the causes of the sharp ongoing drop in sperm count, with the goal of prevention," said lead author Dr. Hagai Levine.

The risk of subfertility or infertility in Western men is increasing as sperm counts decline. However, evidence from recent studies which links reduced sperm count to increased morbidity and mortality suggests the findings of this research may have even more serious health implications for men.

Some of the environmental and lifestyle influences associated with a decrease in sperm count include chemical or pesticide exposure, stress, smoking, and obesity. The experts believe sperm count may reflect the impact of the environment on male health. 

Dr. Shanna H. Swan is a professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York.

"Decreasing sperm count has been of great concern since it was first reported twenty-five years ago,” explained Dr. Swan. “This definitive study shows, for the first time, that this decline is strong and continuing. The fact that the decline is seen in Western countries strongly suggests that chemicals in commerce are playing a causal role in this trend.” 
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why is the sperm count of Western men significantly declining?

A report published today in Human Reproduction Update reveals a...

Zebrafish may be as small as your thumb but they are widely studied in the scientific world because of their restorative and healing abilities. Yes, a member of the minnow family is helping scientists unlock the keys to potentially healing cancer, muscular dystrophy, and now, with new research, even spinal cord injuries.

The study was published in the journal, Nature Communications, and conducted by scientists at the <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/centre-neuroregeneration">University of Edinburgh's Centre for Neuroregeneration</a>. The researchers were able to isolate important molecules in zebrafish that jump-start regeneration in damaged nerve fibers.

After an injury in zebrafish, cells known as fibroblasts would go to the affected area and begin to produce a molecule, collagen 12, that prompts regrowth and actually restores the damaged nerve fibers.

This could potentially open up new studies to find treatments for spinal cord injuries in humans. Spinal cord injuries, as of now, are permanent. But thanks to the zebrafish, scientists may be able to unlock ways to restore and repair nerve damage due to spinal cord injury. And like the zebrafish reconnect those nerve fibers.

Amazingly, scientists have found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebrafish-insight-human-hearing-loss/">zebrafish</a> are able to heal fully from a spinal cord injury in just four weeks or less. And now, with this study, the research team at Edinburgh have pinpointed the molecules responsible for this incredible speedy healing.

Dr. Thomas Becker from the Centre for Neuroregeneration said about the next phases of the study, "We next plan to check whether triggering these signals in other animals can help them to repair nerve connections damaged by spinal cord injuries."

The zebrafish may be a tiny tropical fish but its ability to restore damaged nerve fibers and biological makeup has been of interest to scientists for quite some time now. Potentially holding within its 2-4-centimeter striped body new ways to understand and treat spinal cord injuries and much more.

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By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Zebrafish may hold the cure for spinal cord injuries

Zebrafish may be as small as your thumb but they...

Dr. Tatia Lee and Dr. Robin Shao of <a href="http://www.hku.hk/">The University of Hong Kong</a> conducted an evaluation during which they trained individuals how to lie. The study revealed that people with high levels of psychopathic traits learn how to lie more effectively than individuals with low levels of psychopathic traits.

“High psychopathy is characterized by untruthfulness and manipulativeness but the evidence so far was not clear on whether high-psychopathic individuals in the general population tend to lie more or better than others,” explained Dr. Shao. “Our findings provide evidence that people with high psychopathic traits might just be better at learning how to lie."

The study focused on 23 students who displayed few psychopathic characteristics and 29 students who had many psychopathic traits. The participants were shown a sequence of images containing familiar and unfamiliar faces. They were given cues to respond either honestly or dishonestly when asked if they recognized a person featured in each photograph.

The response times of the students were noted  while their brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging methodology (fMRI). The students were then given a training session before repeating the task.

The individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits performed better on the tasks with notably shorter response times after the training exercises. Individuals with low psychopathic traits, however, showed no significant changes after training. 

“The stark contrast between individuals with high and low levels of psychopathic traits in lying performance following two training sessions is remarkable, given that there were no significant differences in lying performance between the two groups prior to training,” said Dr. Lee.

According to the researchers, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-brains-sync-conversations/">brains</a> of the two groups have contradicting ways of processing lies which may explain the results of the experiment.

"During lying, the 'true' information needs to be suppressed and reversed. Thus, lying requires a series of processes in the brain including attention, working memory, inhibitory control and conflict resolution which we found to be reduced in individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits,” explained Dr. Lee. 

“By contrast, in individuals with low levels of psychopathic traits this lie-related brain activity increased. The additional 'effort' it took their brains to process untruthful responses may be one of the reasons why they didn't improve their lying speed."

The researchers say that further research is needed to examine individuals with high levels of psychopathic traits outside of the student population. The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/tp/">Translational Psychiatry</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="http://www.nature.com/tp/">Translational Psychiatry</a>

People with psychopathic tendencies are better at lying

Dr. Tatia Lee and Dr. Robin Shao of The University...

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

[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

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" 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.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



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

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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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