Life feels smaller when friends are far away. Now scientists have measured just how literally the brain itself can shrink due to social isolation when people spend a year cut off from the wider world.



Their new work follows 25 volunteers who “wintered over” at Concordia Station, an Antarctic outpost 685 miles from the nearest coast, enduring months of darkness and a chronic lack of rescue options. 



The findings come from Dr. Mathias Basner and Dr. David R. Roalf of the University of Pennsylvania <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/">Perelman School of Medicine</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-antarctica-simulates-space-like-isolation">Antarctica simulates space-like isolation</h2>



Few spots on Earth mimic the deep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/loneliness-harms-health-more-than-alcohol-obesity-or-smoking/">isolation</a> astronauts will face on future Mars missions, yet Concordia comes close. Its altitude feels like 13,000 feet to the body, air temperatures plunge well below -70°F, and the Sun disappears for weeks. 



Those stressors force crews to rely solely on one another, providing a rare, ethically acceptable model for studying chronic social separation.



Earlier Antarctic MRI work hinted that solitude can sap regions linked to memory and navigation, but sample sizes were tiny and scans happened long after crews returned. 



Basner’s team scanned participants before they left Europe, within 16 days of touchdown back home, and again five months later, capturing changes while they were still fresh.



The volunteers served as their own controls, and four “flying phantom” participants were scanned at every site to align machines. A matched group in Germany, who never left home, offered a reality check against normal aging.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isolation-causes-brain-shrinkage">Isolation causes brain shrinkage</h2>



High‑resolution MRI revealed that total <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childhood-experiences-trigger-lasting-changes-in-brain-structure/">gray matter</a> fell in the temporal and parietal lobes as well as in deep structures such as the hippocampus, pallidum, and thalamus. 



Ventricular spaces holding cerebrospinal fluid expanded at the same time, suggesting tissue gave way to fluid. Virtually all of those losses reversed after five months except in the thalamus, a hub for sensory relay.



Parietal lobe volume dropped about 0.4 standard deviations immediately post‑mission, while lateral ventricles swelled by a similar margin.



Control participants showed no such pattern, implying that cold, confinement, and social deprivation, not calendar time, drove the shift.



While discussing Mars travel earlier this year, Basner warned that “something quite bad is happening in the brain” during lengthy expeditions. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-sleep-and-exercise-protect-brain">Good sleep and exercise protect brain</h2>



Sleep logs and wrist‑worn actigraphs painted a clear picture: crew members who slept longer and more efficiently lost less gray matter in the temporal cortex and hippocampus. 



Laboratory <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10281670/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> back the idea, linking deep sleep to the glymphatic system that clears metabolic waste and guards neurons.



Gym visits mattered, too. Time spent lifting weights or cycling correlated with healthier <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sitting-for-hours-daily-shrinks-your-brain-even-if-you-exercise/">brain volumes</a>, echoing decades of research on exercise‑induced neurogenesis. 



Thus, the polar crew’s cramped fitness room served not just morale but measurable neuroprotection.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isolation-harms-the-brain">Isolation harms the brain </h2>



Antarctica may seem far from daily life, yet social isolation is rising worldwide and carries similar neurological fingerprints. 



A Neurology <a href="https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000207602" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> of 8,896 Japanese seniors found that those with the least contact had total brain volumes 0.5 percent lower than their most connected peers and smaller hippocampus and amygdala volumes.



Systematic reviews tie chronic loneliness to thinning of anterior hippocampal tissue, reduced cortical thickness, and weaker white‑matter efficiency. 



These civilian data reinforce the Antarctic results: whether you are on a frozen plateau or an urban block, prolonged disconnection chips away at brain real estate involved in memory, mood, and orientation.



Animal work supports the link. Rodents housed alone show dendritic pruning in hippocampal neurons, mirroring the human MRI findings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-means-for-future-space-travel">What it means for future space travel</h2>



NASA and ESA advisors now rank safeguarding brain health among the top 14 research goals before any multiyear mission beyond low Earth orbit. In microgravity, fluid shifts already enlarge ventricles and raise intracranial pressure, adding social <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-isolation-and-loneliness-trigger-changes-in-blood-proteins/">isolation</a> could amplify risk.



Countermeasures under study include structured exercise, regulated light cycles that protect sleep, and virtual reality visits with family. 



The Concordia data hint that such steps are not optional extras but necessities if crews are to think clearly by the time they reach Mars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isolation-as-a-brain-health-issue">Isolation as a brain health issue</h2>



For public health officials, the Antarctic story demonstrates the need to treat loneliness as a biological threat, not just an emotional one. 



Simple interventions, encouraging community ties, securing access to green spaces, prescribing exercise with social components, might slow neural wear.



Meanwhile, Basner and Roalf plan to track a new Concordia cohort using portable low‑field scanners, hoping to capture changes in real time. Broader samples, including more women and older adults, will test how universal the brain‑shrink response really is.



Policy makers could also draw lessons about elder‑care design. Housing that fosters hallway chats or communal meals might buffer the brain much like gym sessions did for the polar explorers. 



Regions with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aging-populations-have-less-cohesive-social-networks/">aging populations</a> may see cognitive dividends from investments that fight isolation.



Finally, ordinary readers can take a cue from the ice: protect your sleep, keep moving, and stay socially engaged. The brain, it seems, is as hungry for company as it is for oxygen.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-025-00497-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">npj Microgravity</a>.



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Long periods of social isolation can physically shrink the brain

Life feels smaller when friends are far away. Now scientists have measured just how literally the brain itself can shrink due to social isolation when people spend a year cut off from the wider world. Their new work follows 25 volunteers who “wintered over” at Concordia Station, an Antarctic outpost 685 miles from the nearest coast, enduring months of darkness and a chronic lack of rescue options. The findings come from Dr. Mathias Basner and Dr. David R. Roalf of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of...

The natural level of lead in the air is essentially zero, contrary to common assumptions, according to a study of historical and ice core data.

The authors challenge assumptions that widespread environmental pollution began with the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s and 1800s.

The research shows that lead from mining and smelting — which has occurred for thousands of years — was detectable well before the Industrial Revolution, and that only when those activities were essentially halted by the plague did lead pollution decline to natural levels.

When the plague swept over Europe in the 14th century, it halted lead smelting and other commercial activities, the <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> and <a href="https://umaine.edu/">University of Maine</a> study said.

The study matched new high-resolution measurements of ice core lead taken from a glacier in the Swiss-Italian Alps with highly detailed historical records showing that lead mining and smelting plummeted to nearly zero during the plague years of 1349 to 1353. Lead was widely used in the preindustrial word in construction, pipes, currency, and everyday utensils, the authors said.

Only once, during the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-unleashing-viruses/">plague</a> pandemic from 1349 to 1353 did lead levels drop dramatically, the researchers found. 

The new data show that “human activity has polluted European air almost uninterruptedly for the last [about] 2,000 years,” the study’s authors say. “Only a devastating collapse in population and economic activity caused by pandemic disease reduced atmospheric pollution to what can now more accurately be termed background or natural levels.”

The researchers used a cutting-edge laser facility to analyze ultrathin layers of ice. The facility is designed and operated at the University of Maine’s <a href="http://climatechange.umaine.edu/">Climate Change Institute</a>, and can analyze layers thin enough to coincide with sub-annual time periods, even in highly compressed ice.

“This research represents the convergence of two very different disciplines, history and ice core glaciology, that together provide the perspective needed to understand how a toxic substance like lead has varied in the atmosphere and, more importantly, to understand that the true natural level is in fact very close to zero,” said Paul Mayewski, a co-author of the new study and director of the Climate Change Institute.

The researchers focused on lead not only because it is a hazardous pollutant, but also because it serves as a proxy for economic activity, ramping up when the economy is growing and tapering when it declines, said Alexander More, a postdoctoral fellow in Harvard and first author of the study.

“Lead is one of the most dangerous pollutants in the air, and one we’ve mined for a very, very long time,” he said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a>

Study: Humans to blame for lead pollution

The natural level of lead in the air is essentially...

image description

The Arctic Ocean floor is host to many ice-like, solid mixtures of gas and water, known as “hydrates.” These hydrates are stable under cold temperatures and high pressure, so the arctic ice sheet is able to provide ideal conditions for these subglacial hydrate formations – which are generally full of methane.

But scientists have found that in the past, about 2000 meters of ice pressed upon what is now the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-sea-creatures-ocean-floor/">ocean floor</a>. Under this ice, methane gas from deep hydrocarbon reservoirs traveled upwards, but was unable to escape. This methane was stored as gas hydrate in the sediment. Over time, it was fed by gas from below, creating over-pressured conditions.

“As the ice sheet rapidly retreated, the hydrates concentrated in mounds, and eventually started to melt, expand and cause over-pressure,” explains Karin Andreassen, first author of the study and professor <a href="https://cage.uit.no/">at CAGE Centre for Artic Gas Hydrate, Environment, and Climate</a>. “The principle is the same as in a pressure cooker: if you do not control the release of the pressure, it will continue to build up until there is a disaster in your kitchen. These mounds were over-pressured for thousands of years, and then the lid came off. They just collapsed releasing methane into the water column.”

These explosions formed craters – some 12,000 years old – where methane still leaks from today. With methane being a major greenhouse gas, this is a significant concern in our warming climate. Scientists have identified roughly 600 of these “flares” in and around the craters, which are releasing methane into the water column. “But that is nothing compared to the blow-outs of the greenhouse gas that followed the deglaciation,” says Andreassen. “The amounts of methane that were released must have been quite impressive.”

New imaging technology shows that these craters currently cover an area much larger than previously thought. The new technology also allows scientists to study the craters in more detail, some of which are up to 1 kilometer wide. 

This study provided a closer examination of past disruptive ice glaciation events, and also used new imaging technology that will provide a better source of examination. “Our study provides the scientific community with a good past analogue for what may happen to future methane releases in front of contemporary, retreating ice sheets,” concludes Andreassen.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://cage.uit.no/">CAGE – Center for Artic Gas Hydrate, Climate, and Environment</a>
Illustration: Andreia Plaza Faverola/CAGE

Past methane blowouts in Arctic sea floor created massive craters

The Arctic Ocean floor is host to many ice-like, solid...

A new study has identified the genes that likely caused a bird called the Galapagos cormorant to lose its ability to fly.

The genes are associated with bone disorders in humans, the authors said.

The evolution of loss of flight is one the most recurrent limb modifications encountered in nature, and a phenomenon Charles Darwin cited as an argument in favor of natural selection, the study said.

Loss of flight could evolve as a result of positive selection for larger bodies or as a result of relaxed selection due to the absence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitat-fragmentation-predators/">predators</a>, Darwin proposed.

In order to gain a better understanding of the genetics underlying the loss of flight, researchers led by Alejandro Burga of the <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">University of California Los Angeles</a>, analyzed the genomes of the Galapagos cormorant, which has stunted wings and is the only flightless cormorant, Three other species of the bird were also analyzed.

In the Galapagos cormorant but not the other three species, the researchers found enrichment for genes that are associated with human developmental disorders, including those affecting limb development, and duplication of limb bones.

Many of these disorders are linked to abnormal production of cilia, the antennae of cells, the authors said.

The researchers then studied two of the genes, Ift122 and cux1, by editing them into mice and roundworms. In the mice, expression of cux1 disrupted the differentiation of chondrocytes, cells essential to bone growth, while in the roundworms, Ift122 expression impaired cilia function.

The authors propose that the genes resulting in bone and cilia deficits may have been positively selected in the Galapagos cormorant because shorter wings could be an advantage during diving by decreasing the buoyancy of the bird. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>

Why this Galapagos bird lost its ability to fly

A new study has identified the genes that likely caused...

Delaying meals can reset your body clock and affect your blood sugar levels, a new study found.

"A 5-hour delay in meal times causes a 5-hour delay in our internal blood sugar rhythms," said Jonathan Johnston of the <a href="https://www.surrey.ac.uk/">University of Surrey</a>. "We think this is due to changes in clocks in our metabolic tissues, but not the 'master' clock in the brain."

The findings may help people who travel or have <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/insomnia-cure-camping/">circadian rhythm disorders</a> to reset and re-sync their internal clocks.

In the new study, Johnston and colleagues enrolled 10 healthy young men in a 13-day lab experiment. The men ate three meals at 5-hour intervals. All meals had the same calorie and macronutrient content.

Each participant started with a meal time set to 30 minutes after waking, and then, after getting used to eating early, they switched to a meal served 5 hours later for 6 days. After completing each meal schedule, the men underwent 37 hours of a specialized laboratory routine that measured their internal circadian rhythms. The routine included dim lighting, small hourly snacks, limited physical activity, and no sleep.

The change in meal time didn't seem to influence hunger, sleepiness, or markers of the brain's master clock. However, later meal times significantly affected blood sugar levels. After late meals, blood sugar rhythms were delayed more than 5 hours on average.

"We anticipated seeing some delays in rhythms after the late meals, but the size of the change in blood sugar rhythms was surprising," Johnston says. "It was also surprising that other metabolic rhythms, including blood insulin and triglyceride, did not change."

The study also found that the rhythmic expression of a gene known as PER2, which encodes a core body clock component, was delayed in fat tissue by about an hour. The findings show that molecular clocks in people may be regulated by meal times and that those shifts could underpin changes in blood sugar levels.

People who struggle with circadian rhythm disorders, including shift workers and those on long-haul flights, might consider timed meals as part of an overall strategy to help resynchronize their body clocks, the study said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

How delaying meals can help reset your body clock

Delaying meals can reset your body clock and affect your...

For decades, developmental researchers have thought that children growing up in impoverished areas were at the highest risk for drug and alcohol <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-brain-lsd-microdosing/">addiction</a>. Understandably, this led to numerous studies on how to help these kids minimize risks and provide them with the resources needed to avoid the dangers of addiction. But new research from <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a> now shows that children from high-income areas are also at an extremely high risk for drug use.

“Paradoxical though it may seem, these ostensibly privileged youth, many of who start experimenting early and often with drinking and drugs, could well be among the groups at highest risk for alcoholism and addiction in adulthood,” says Suniya Luthar, professor of psychology at <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a>.

In a study of two groups of students from affluent communities in the Northeast U.S., researchers assessed the young adults as high school seniors and then annually across four years of college and from ages 23 to 27. The final results were rather worrisome for the research team.

“We found alarmingly high rates of substance abuse among young adults who we initially studied as teenagers,” says Luthar. “These young adults had substantial elevations, relative to national norms, in frequency of several indicators - drinking to intoxication and of using marijuana, stimulants such as Adderall, cocaine, and club drugs such as ecstasy.”

Rates of addiction to drugs or alcohol were found to be two to three times higher in these groups when compared to national averages. Luthar believes that deeper analysis of the lives of these young adults may provide some clues to the factors the influence the high rates of addiction.

When the groups of young adults were assessed during their senior year of high school, they all attended the best schools in their area, usually with the purpose of moving on to highly selective universities. At these schools, kids face significant pressure to achieve – which ultimately may manifest in a “work hard, play hard” attitude or turning to alcohol and drugs to blow off steam. Affluence in the school community may also be a factor.

“Many kids in these communities have plenty of disposable income with which they can get high-quality fake ID’s, as well as alcohol and both prescription and recreational drugs,” explains Luthar.

The researchers believe there are a few strategies that may be able to mitigate the risks of alcohol and drug addiction in these communities. One would be to show these data sets to kids and their families, so they don’t think that growing up in an affluent community means that they are sheltered from these risks.

Another important point would be for leaders in science, public health, and social policy to pay closer attention to the reality that adolescents in high-achieving schools might be a population that is at a high risk for addiction. Breaking the myths and fictions of “safety” within these high-income communities will only serve to help the kids that call these communities home.

--

Source: <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a>

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

For students, high achievement may mean high risk for addiction

For decades, developmental researchers have thought that children growing up...

Researchers have discovered a new form of uranium, the radioactive element that fuels nuclear power plants.

Scientists have long believed uranium, mined from typically mined from large sandstone deposits deep underground, forms over millions of years via chemical reactions of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/icelands-bardarbunga-volcano-emit-more-gas-than-europes-factories-2/">sulfur</a> and other non-biological compounds.

Conventional wisdom was that uranium within ore deposits is mostly found in the form of uraninite, a crystalline mineral.

But <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a> researchers offer evidence for a new origin story for the uranium trapped underground in sandstone deposits known as “roll fronts”.

The team analyzed samples from the Wyoming roll front using new techniques including synchrotron radiation-based spectroscopy and isotope fingerprinting. They found that up to 89 percent of the uranium from their 650-foot-deep samples wasn't crystalline uraninite at all, but rather, a non-crystalline uranium that was bound to organic matter or inorganic carbonate. 

Most of what they found in that unmined site is estimated to be 3 million years old, and formed by a reduction by microorganisms ­- microbes that respire not on oxygen, but on uranium.

"You know you might have a big story when you discover something that will result in people having to rewrite textbooks," said Thomas Borch, Colorado State professor of Soil and Crop Sciences and one of the study’s authors. "Our results may introduce a paradigm shift in the way we think about ore genesis and mining - from implications for human health, to restoration practices, to how mining companies calculate how much they can earn from a given site."

Most states require spent mines to be restored to pre-mining conditions. 

"In order to get back to pre-mining conditions, we had better understand those pre-mining conditions," Borch said. "The baseline may not be what we thought it was."

It’s less clear whether the microbes making uranium today are the same as those that formed it in the Earth's crust 3 million years ago.

 "But we do know through isotopic fingerprinting that the uranium formed via microbial reduction," Borch said.

The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a>

Image Credit: Amrita Bhattacharyya

Study reveals a new form of uranium

Researchers have discovered a new form of uranium, the radioactive...

In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The plan laid out 17 visionary ideas such as tackling climate change and achieving equality. Goal number 14 is to conserve and sustainably use the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oceans-million-years-recover/">oceans</a> and marine resources. A report published today by the <a href="http://www.nereusprogram.org/">Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program</a> finds that achieving ocean sustainability will also help end poverty and improve the health of millions of global citizens. 

"A healthy ocean can also mean the difference between malnourishment and a steady supply of high quality protein for vulnerable communities," says Andrés Cisneros-Montemayor, Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program Manager. "The oceans are connected to our lives in many ways. Restoring the oceans isn't just an environmentalist's dream but is vital for employment, well being, livelihoods, and health around the world."

The report establishes seven issues that are plaguing the Earth’s oceans and identifies the ways these problems will be tackled globally. The goals include reducing ocean acidification, ending overfishing, and creating marine reserves. The report, which is the first comprehensive outline of Sustainable Development Goal 14, finds that healthy oceans will have far-reaching benefits. 

"If fish stocks recover and are effectively managed, fisheries are more likely to provide sustainable livelihoods and food, and be more resilient to climate change" explains William Cheung, Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program Director of Science. "Sustainable fisheries can help reduce poverty, limit hunger, and contribute to decent work and sustained economic growth by providing employment opportunities and productive fish stocks."

The report acknowledges ways that climate change complicates efforts to renew the planet's oceans. Social issues such as unequal accessibility to resources are also addressed in the publication. Additionally, the document establishes unexpected connections between ocean sustainability and some of the other goals laid out by the UN.


"The results may seem surprising, but a healthy ocean can contribute to achieving gender equality," says Yoshitaka Ota, Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program Director of Policy. "Fisheries activities are quite gendered -- women typically do unrecognized and unrewarded work. Men will go on boats to capture fish that are sent to markets. But women are often collecting the subsistence food."


Ota urges that regardless of the success that will come from healing our world's oceans, we are running out of other options.

"The challenges--both environmental and socioeconomic--that confront our oceans have reached a critical level,” says Ota. “This report demonstrates how ocean sustainability holds the key not only to our future prosperity but also for our survival from a comprehensive science-based perspective."

[caption id="attachment_451001" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/141736.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-451001" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/141736-300x203.png" alt="" width="300" height="203" /></a> Image Credit: Lindsay Lafreniere[/caption]

--

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.nereusprogram.org/">Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program</a>

Image Credit: Lindsay Lafreniere

Renewing the ocean could help end poverty and world hunger

In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda...

Eating plenty of salmon, mackerel, and sardines prevents Alzheimer's disease by boosting blood flow to the brain, according to a new study.

Using brain scans, researchers found that omega-3 fatty acids in oily <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fish-misfits-thrive-new-turf/">fish</a> can actually increase blood flow to the parts of the brain that control memory and learning. These are also the very same regions that are attacked by Alzheimer's.

People who eat a lot of oily fish are also better at acquiring and understanding new information, the study said. But a diet high in fish can also improve one’s overall mental and emotional health.

“This is very important research because it shows a correlation between lower omega-3 fatty acid levels and reduced brain blood flow to regions important for learning, memory, depression and dementia,' said lead author of the study, Daniel Amen, of Amen Clinics in Costa Mesa, California,

Scientists took brain scans from 166 people from a psychiatric referral clinic. The participants were then divided into to two groups depending on their omega-3 consumption.  

Study participants were scanned on 128 regions of their brains while they performed various computer tasks that measured their mental skills.

The researchers also measured participants' omega-3 blood levels and evaluated their mental and emotional health using standard tests. 

The results, published in the <a href="http://www.j-alz.com/">Journal of Alzheimer's Disease</a>, found people with high omega-3 levels have more blood flowing into the brain regions associated with memory and learning,

They are also better at acquiring and understanding knowledge, the researchers found.

The findings further demonstrated overall mental and emotional health is stronger in those with high omega-3 levels.  

“Although we have considerable evidence omega-3 levels are associated with better cardiovascular health, the role of the ‘fish oil’ fatty acids in mental health and brain physiology is just beginning to be explored,” said co-author Professor William Harris, of <a href="http://www.usd.edu/">South Dakota University</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.j-alz.com/">Journal of Alzheimer's Disease</a>

How eating fish can help prevent Alzheimer's

Eating plenty of salmon, mackerel, and sardines prevents Alzheimer's disease...

As humans continue to reshape the planet to our advantage, it is difficult to realize the extent of the damage we are causing in the process. Our actions are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diesel-fuel-pollution-heart-damage/">polluting</a> the land we live on and the air that we breathe. We are displacing the plants and animals we depend upon for survival, and threatening biodiversity as a whole. While the repercussions of human activities could be catastrophic, researchers from around the globe are offering insight to help reduce the impact of human destruction before it is too late to be repaired.  

Forest Isbell of University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Sciences and biologist Andrew Gonzalez of <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> are teaming up with colleagues from around the world to report on human-induced biodiversity loss. The report will be published this week in a special biodiversity  issue of the scientific journal Nature.

The researchers outlined human activities that negatively affect biodiversity, such as habitat destruction and overhunting. They also documented what we still need to learn about the loss of diversity within ecosystems. The authors of the publication express an urgent need for people to take an active interest in conserving biodiversity before it is too late. 

“Human activities are driving the sixth mass extinction in the history of life on Earth, despite the fact that diversity of life enhances many benefits people reap from nature, such as wood from forests, livestock forage from grasslands, and fish from oceans and streams," said Isbell, who served as lead author the paper. "It would be wise to invest much more in conserving biodiversity."

The report also addresses the benefits of nature that many of us take for granted,  and how biodiversity loss can revoke these benefits. For example, a recent study shows that fewer tree species in a forest is a direct cause of less wood production in that region. The team estimated that the value of biodiversity to humans is 10 times greater than the amount of money spent on conservation efforts globally. 

According to Gonzalez, the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN “aim to ensure human well-being in the long term.” Gonzalez points out that biodiversity is a big part of this global campaign. He also explains that, "Attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals will require action to conserve and restore biodiversity from local to global scales.”
--
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.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a>

Image Credit: Susan Barrott, UMinn

Conserving biodiversity could save us from mass extinction

As humans continue to reshape the planet to our advantage,...

Humans, like chimpanzees, console their threatened peers out of empathy, according to a new study.

Consolation is generally defined as an uninvolved bystander initiating friendly contact with a victim of aggression. Previous research has suggested that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/voluntary-sharing-children-happy/">children</a> and chimpanzees show empathy to their peers, but there is little research on consolation in human adults.

The authors analyzed real life television footage of 249 people present in the immediate aftermath of 22 commercial robberies. They investigated whether the social closeness (for example, age similarity or being employees of the same business) and gender of the victim and the bystander affected the likelihood of physical consolation behaviour, such as a touch on the arm or a hug.

Social closeness, rather than physical proximity, was important in determining if a bystander would console a victim, which is consistent with the theory that bystanders console victims when they empathize with them. While females were more likely to console a victim, both male and female victims were equally likely to be consoled. A victim in a more threatening situation was more likely to receive consolation.

“Unique surveillance camera observations from contexts of real-life violent crimes show that human adults provide victims with consolation in ways similar to what is observed among chimpanzees," said study lead author Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard of the <a href="https://www.nscr.nl/en/">Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement.</a>

Comparative research across different species can provide insight into the mental lives of animals, and should have implications for practices in behavioral science and animal research, the authors said. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>

Humans and chimpanzees exhibit similar signs of empathy

Humans, like chimpanzees, console their threatened peers out of empathy,...

For years, evolutionary biologists have believed that animal misfits that find themselves in competition with better-adapted locals will always struggle. Just like if you entered into a tennis tournament with a ping-pong paddle – not many people would expect you to do well.

However, a group of researchers at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> have recently discovered that in some circumstances, misfits actually thrive when surrounded by a large number of their native cousins. 

“One hundred years of evolutionary theory is built around the idea that immigrants from one population dropped into another population of the same species don’t do well,” says Daniel Bolnick, primary investigator of the study published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html">Nature</a>. “Such immigrants are usually rare, and we have found that sometimes their rarity provides a competitive edge.”

The specific species the researchers studied was the three-spined stickleback, a small fish that lives in lakes and streams in Vancouver, British Columbia. Bolnick and his team studied two populations of this species. One group lived in a lake while the other was found in a nearby stream. The two groups differed in their overall size, immune traits, body shape, and defense against predators.

Previously, evolutionary theory would lead one to believe that moving the lake fish into the stream would cause them to have a competitive disadvantage compared to the native stream fish. But when the researchers performed experiments placing varying numbers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebrafish-insight-human-hearing-loss/">fish</a> from one habitat into the other, they discovered that the misfits actually thrived.

The researchers observed the fish in underwater cages, finding that survival had less to do with where the fish was from and more to do with how many fish of their type were in the cage. They found that in both habitats, the fish that were in the minority survived better than the fish that were in the majority.

These surprising results were due to the “immigrants” ability to go undetected by certain threats, as Bolnick explains: “You come in and you eat something nobody else around you eats, so you aren’t competing for food. The local parasites don’t know what to do with you because you have an unfamiliar immune system. So you’re better off than the residents.”

However, previous evolutionary theory was not completely dismissed. The researchers noted that being less adapted to the environment led to some negative effects on the newcomers. But overall, the study showed that there are circumstances where the benefits of being new can outweigh the setbacks of being less-adapted. The study determined that immigrants in these populations actually passed on their genes at a higher rate than the natives.

Bolnick believes this research may have implications in the protection and restoration of endangered species. Efforts to transplant corals from one location to another in order to slow down coral reef decline is often unsuccessful, Bolnick thinks this new addition to evolutionary theory can help with that: “My advice to someone doing any restoration work is that they can't just consider how well matched immigrants are to the local habitat,” he says. “They also need to consider how the immigrants’ rarity affects their survival and reproduction.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>

How fish prove that misfits sometimes thrive on new turf

For years, evolutionary biologists have believed that animal misfits that...

As every human (and animal) knows, love can be a complex thing to understand and explain, but scientists have gotten one step closer. <a href="http://www.emory.edu/">Emory University</a> researchers have located the area of the brain in prairie voles that causes them to bond for life with their mates.

The study, published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, could help efforts to treat human emotional disorders such as as autism, the university said.

"Prairie voles were critical to our team's findings because studying pair bonding in humans has been traditionally difficult," said Elizabeth Amadei, study co-lead author. "As humans, we know the feelings we get when we view images of our romantic partners, but, until now, we haven't known how the brain's reward system works to lead to those feelings and to the voles' pair bonding."

Previous work with prairie voles demonstrated that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lack-sleep-eat-brain/">brain</a> chemicals, such as oxytocin and dopamine, act within the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens to establish a pair bond. The Emory team set out to find the precise neural activity leading to a pair bond. 

The researchers used probes to listen to neural communication between the two brain regions and then analyzed activity from individual female prairie voles as they spent hours socializing with a male - a cohabitation period that normally leads to a pair bond.

The researchers discovered that during pair bond formation, the prefrontal cortex, an area involved in decision-making, helps control the rhythmic oscillations of neurons within the nucleus accumbens, the central hub of the brain's reward system. This suggests a functional connection from the cortex shapes neurons activity in the nucleus accumbens.

"It is remarkable there are neural signatures of a predisposition to begin huddling with the partner,” said study co-author Larry Young. “Similar variation in corticostriatal communication could underlie individual differences in social competencies in psychiatric disorders in humans, and enhancing that communication could improve social function in disorders such as autism." 

The results identify an important reward circuit in the brain that is activated during social interactions to facilitate bond formation in voles.

"Now, we want to know if oxytocin regulates functional connectivity and how circuit activity changes the way the brain processes social information about a partner," said senior author Robert Liu, associate professor in Emory's Department of Biology.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.emory.edu/">Emory University</a>

New study unravels how the brain processes love

As every human (and animal) knows, love can be a...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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