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...

Survival isn’t always the sole factor considered when birds decide where to build their nests, a new study says.

Easy access to the nests and maximizing the survival of fledglings after they leave the nests are also contributing factors, according the <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a> study of Bachman’s Sparrow nests.

The researchers monitored a total of 132 Bachman's Sparrow nests in two regions of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/huge-wind-farm-being-built-in-north-carolina-2/">North Carolina</a>, the Coastal Plain and the Sandhills.

In the Coastal Plain, sparrows favored low grass density and greater woody vegetation density, while birds in the Sandhills selected intermediate grass density and greater tree basal area. However, none of these features turned out to be related to nest survival.

Instead, they are likely due to differences in the available plant communities, easy access to nests or survival of fledglings once they leave, the study said. These factors may warrant further investigation, the authors added.

The Bachman’s Sparrow is a vulnerable songbird dependent on regularly burned longleaf pine forests in the southeastern United States.

One of the most  difficult aspects of the study was finding the nests.

"Bachman's Sparrows are notoriously secretive and don't easily give up the location of their well-hidden nests," said the study leader, Jason Winiarski. "Eventually, we stumbled upon a technique of patiently watching adult sparrows at a distance that allowed the birds to behave normally, while being close enough for us to just barely see where they landed with food or nest material.”

<a href="http://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University's</a> John Dunning, an expert on Bachman's Sparrow ecology who was not involved with the research, called it “remarkable” that the authors were able to track down so many of the sparrow nests. 

“As someone who has searched and searched for nests of this species, it is really hard," he said.

The results show the importance of management in longleaf pine ecosystems, Dunning said.

“The study shows how consistent management of vegetation structure through the use of prescribed fire remains the most important management and conservation strategy to support breeding populations of Bachman's Sparrow," 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.americanornithology.org/">American Ornithological Society</a>

Image Credit: J. Carpenter

How sparrows decide where to build their nests

Survival isn’t always the sole factor considered when birds decide...

Analysis of an animal’s mouth shape and function can reveal a lot about their diet. Scientists have known this since Charles Darwin first postulated the theory of evolution using the different beak shapes of finch species on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-galapagos-islands-are-struggling-from-the-growth-of-ecotourism/">Galapagos Islands</a>. 

A new study from <a href="https://www.brown.edu">Brown University</a> has once again confirmed this idea, but this time in ducks and geese instead of finches. Researcher Aaron Olsen, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown, explains, “This is the most comprehensive look to date at the relationship between diet and beak shape.”

Waterfowl in particular have very unique beaks, as they tend to be more curved and have a large diversity of shapes. In his study, Olsen wanted to figure out what accounts for this diversity. He imagined that diet likely played a significant part, but he wanted to achieve a deeper analysis than scientists that simply compare dietary categories with beak caliper measurements.

Olsen measured the three dimensional beak shape of 136 species of waterfowl - including two extinct species, one of which dated back tens of millions of years. Along with these measurements, he gathered detailed data from a vast research literature on the diet of each bird species.

“What this analysis asks is, ‘What are the patterns of correlation between these two datasets?’,” Olsen says. “What's nice about that is you are going in a little bit naively about the relationship between the two.”

Ultimately, the mathematical result showed a strong correlation between beak shape and dietary preferences. The correlation was so strong, that Olsen believes diet likely dominates any other influencer for beak shape that other researchers have demonstrated - such as preening or shedding body heat. However, Olsen does believe these factors also play a role in defining beak shape.

In analyzing this data, Olsen has hypothesized that early ancestors of modern ducks, geese, and other waterfowl were actually more duck-like. He believes that geese-like beaks are a newer phenomena, though they evolved several times in several different locations.

Despite the strong correlation his data shows, Olsen is open to inviting further research that may prove otherwise. “I would love to see someone publish a paper and argue the opposite,” he said. And isn’t that what good science is all about?

--

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.brown.edu">Brown University</a>

Image Credit: Aaron Olsen

Duck, duck, goose study reveals beak shape determined by diet

Analysis of an animal’s mouth shape and function can reveal...

Overheated cities can fight the “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-green-facades-cool-urban-heat-islands/">urban heat island</a>" effect by painting roofs white, installing “cool” reflective pavement, and planting more vegetation, a new study says.

Changing 20 percent of a city's roofs and half of its pavements to 'cool' forms could save up to 12 times what they cost to install and maintain, and reduce air temperatures by about 0.8 degrees, the <a href="http://www.essex.ac.uk/">University of Essex </a>study said. 

"It is clear that we have until now underestimated the dramatic impact that local policies could make in reducing urban warming,” said Richard S.J. Tol, Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex. 

Researchers from the Sussex in the UK, <a href="https://www.unam.mx/">Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México</a> and <a href="https://www.vu.nl/en/">Vrije University Amsterdam</a> say their new research is significant because so much emphasis is placed on tackling global climate change, while local interventions can be as important if not more so. 

The analysis of 1,692 cities, published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>, shows that the total economic costs of climate change for cities this century could be 2.6 times higher when heat island effects are taken into account than when they are not.

The urban heat island occurs when natural surfaces, such as vegetation and water, are replaced by heat-trapping concrete and asphalt, and is exacerbated by heat from cars, air conditioners and other sources. This effect is expected to add a further two degrees to global warming estimates for the most populated cities by 2050.

Higher temperatures damage the economy in numerous  ways. More energy is used for cooling, air is more polluted, water quality decreases, and workers are less productive, the study said.

City-level changes to fight global warming go hand-in-in hna with global efforts, the authors added.

“In fact, the largest benefits for reducing the impacts of climate change are attained when both global and local measures are implemented together,” Tol said. “ And even when global efforts fail, we show that local policies can still have a positive impact, making them at least a useful insurance for bad climate outcomes on the international stage."

--

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.essex.ac.uk/">University of Essex</a>

Cities can fight global warming with reflective roofs, pavement

Overheated cities can fight the “urban heat island" effect by...

Scientists are finding increasing health benefits from having a quick blast of cold water, the <a href="http://dailym.ai/2sf5DwY">Daily Mail</a> reported. Among other perks, the cold water has been found to help boost the immune system.

Last week, 64-year-old comic Ruby Wax revealed she has a cold shower or bath every day to give herself a “youthful complexion” and ward off wrinkles, the Mail reported.

The best results come not from a cold shower or bath but alternating between hot and cold water, the story said.

This technique, known as contrast water therapy, involves showering for about 20 minutes, using hotter water for three to four minutes before suddenly switching to cold for one minute and then back again.

Standing under, or sitting in, hot water for several minutes opens up blood vessels in the skin and muscles, improving the flow of oxygen-rich blood. Switching to cold water for one minute makes the same blood vessels instantly constrict, reducing the flow of blood.

During strenuous exercise oxygen-rich blood cannot reach the muscles to match the rate at which <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/ocean-oxygen-levels-drop/">oxygen</a> is used, the Mail said. In response, muscles release a substance called lactic acid which causes a painful burning sensation and can delay recovery after exercise.

A study published last year by the <a href="https://www.amc.nl/web/Research/ResearchAMC.htm">Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam</a> found taking a ‘hot-to-cold’ shower every day slashed absences from work due to sickness by almost 30 percent.

The researchers studied 3,000 men and women aged 18 to 65 who were told to turn the shower to cold for up to 90 seconds at a time in the morning, according to the study published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

The British Association of Dermatologists says there is no research to confirm that contrast water therapy prevents skin aging.

However, Georgios Tzenichristos, a sports scientist who specialises in skin care at The Hale Clinic, London, says contrast water therapy may help increase blood flow to the tiny capillaries that lie near the surface of the skin and provide it with the nutrients needed to keep it elastic and taut.

“Hot and cold showers improve circulation and skin ageing is mostly a problem of poor circulation,” he told the Mail. “Better circulation improves the function of fibroblasts, the cells which produce collagen — the main structural protein in skin.” 

--

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://dailym.ai/2sf5DwY">Daily Mail </a>

Why a blast of cold water has health benefits

Scientists are finding increasing health benefits from having a quick...

An estimated 29 percent of shallow water corals in the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/record-rainfall-queensland-australia/">Australia</a> died from bleaching in 2016, scientists announced.

That is up from original estimates of  22 percent loss in mid-2016. The most severe mortality was confined to the area north of Port Douglas, where an estimated 70 percent of shallow water corals died.

Further coral loss is expected in 2017 from the second consecutive year of bleaching and the impacts of tropical cyclone Debbie, the <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/">Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority</a> said.

“As has been the case with reefs across the world, the Great Barrier Reef has experienced significant and widespread impacts over the last two years,” said authority chairman Russell Reichelt,  “We’re very concerned about what this means for the Great Barrier Reef itself and what it means for the communities and industries that depend on it.”

The <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/">Marine Park Authority</a>,<a href="https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/contactus/regionalqpws.html"> Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service</a>, <a href="http://www.aims.gov.au/">Australian Institute of Marine Science</a> (AIMS) and the <a href="https://www.coralcoe.org.au/">ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies</a> conducted extensive surveys of the mass bleaching throughout 2016. 

Both aerial and in-water surveys confirmed a “pronounced gradation in impacts” from north to south.

AIMS has been tracking coral cover in the Great Barrier Reef since 1985. While varying from year-to-year, AIMS data shows a declining trend in coral cover.

Cyclones and coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish were responsible for the greatest coral loss before 2016, the Marine Park Authority said.

Combined with coral bleaching — which is predicted to become more frequent and more severe as a result of steadily rising ocean temperature — the long-term trend of coral decline is expected to continue and accelerate. Recovery from bleaching is also likely to be slower than from other impacts, the authority 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.gbrmpa.gov.au/">Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority</a>

Great Barrier Reef coral loss even worse than predicted

An estimated 29 percent of shallow water corals in the...

Hundreds of springs, that lingered despite long dry spells, allowed early humans to migrate north out of Africa, a new study found.

The research by <a href="http://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University-New Brunswick </a>and other institutions shows climate may not have played as much of a primary role in human evolution as previously asserted.

"This has very important implications for human evolution," said Gail M. Ashley, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers. "We're not saying anything about why early humans left Africa. We're only saying it was possible to leave Africa by going from one spring to the next and they could travel during dry periods."

The study, which focused on the key role of "hydro-refugia," or water refuges, in East African early human evolution and dispersal, was published in the online journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>. Hydro-refugia, a new term coined by the scientists, include springs, wetlands, groundwater-fed perennial streams and groundwater-fed rivers.

The importance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/irrigation-groundwater-depletion/">groundwater</a> for the survival of our hominin ancestors during dramatic climate swings could inspire and inform strategies for human resilience to future climate change, according to the study.

The African climate has fluctuated for several million years between wet and dry in 23,000-year cycles, the study said. Most lakes in East Africa, where early humans arose, are saline and alkaline and undrinkable and rivers dry up for large parts of the year. The study focused instead on the viability of groundwater-fed springs.

It examined 808,000 square miles, stretching from northern Tanzania to Ethiopia and focusing on the East African Rift Valley, using hydrogeological modeling of the current landscape.

"I'm absolutely amazed how in some places, it looks like a trickle of water is coming out and yet it will supply hundreds of animals a day," said Ashley.

The study assumed that a person could walk up to 180 kilometers, or about 112 miles, in three days.

"In some places, people could not migrate and they would have stayed at one spring for quite a long time until it got wetter again, and then more springs would open up and they could continue to move," Ashley said.

Researchers have always assumed that climate was the main factor in human migration and human evolution, she added.

"Climate fluctuated, but the geology allowed the development and maintenance of springs - hydro-refugia - on the landscape, allowing humans to disperse and migrate out of Africa," she said. "The bigger question is what motivated humans to move up the East African Rift Valley. We know they did and we have shown how it was possible, but we don't really have a logical reason for them doing that."

--

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://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University-New Brunswick </a>

Photo Credit: Gail M. Ashley, Rutgers University

Groundwater springs allowed early humans to migrate out of Africa

Hundreds of springs, that lingered despite long dry spells, allowed...

Pfostensarg der Tadja, ein jung verstorbenes M‰dchen, das in Abusir el-Meleq bestattet wurde

There is a wealth of resources buried in Egypt that can be used to examine ancient civilizations. Egypt has a very unique culture, and its geographic location means ancient Egyptians interacted with a diverse group of people from Europe, Asia, and Africa. In a groundbreaking study, scientists used advanced DNA-testing on mummies to examine the genetic history of <a href="https://www.earth.com/plants/egyptian-carissa-carissa-edulis/">Egypt.</a>

A team of scientists from the University of Tuebingen and the <a href="http://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a> analyzed Egyptian mummies that dated back to a time between 1400 BCE to 400 CE.

"We wanted to test if the conquest of Alexander the Great and other foreign powers has left a genetic imprint on the ancient Egyptian population," explained Verena Schuenemann, who is one of the lead authors of this study.

It is difficult to accurately analyze the DNA of ancient Egyptian mummies, and studies are rarely conducted. Due to contamination and procedure issues, scientists have doubted this genetic data is dependable, particularly nuclear genome data.

"The hot Egyptian climate, the high humidity levels in many tombs and some of the chemicals used in mummification techniques, contribute to DNA degradation and are thought to make the long-term survival of DNA in Egyptian mummies unlikely,” said Johannes Krause, who is the senior author of the study. 

The team sampled 151 mummies from a dig site located in Abusir el-Meleq of Middle Egypt. They were able to obtain mitochondrial genomes from 90 individuals. They also recovered genome-wide nuclear data from three individuals, which was unprecedented. The scientists used this data to test previous theories which were derived from historical data, and also compared the DNA to modem populations.

"In particular, we were interested in looking at changes and continuities in the genetic makeup of the ancient inhabitants of Abusir el-Meleq," said Alexander Peltzer from the University of Tuebingen. 

The study revealed that modern Egyptians share around 8% more ancestry with Sub-Saharan African populations than with ancient Egyptians on the nuclear level. Ancient Egyptians were found to be most closely related to ancient populations in the Levant, and also to Neolithic populations from the Anatolian Peninsula and Europe.

"The genetics of the Abusir el-Meleq community did not undergo any major shifts during the 1,300 year timespan we studied, suggesting that the population remained genetically relatively unaffected by foreign conquest and rule," said Wolfgang Haak, a co-author of the study.

This increase in Sub-Saharan African gene flow may be due to better mobility, increased trade, and trans-Saharan slave trade that began approximately 1300 years ago.

The study, published in Nature Communications, contradicts the idea that mummies are not a dependable source for examining ancient humans. The meticulous  efforts of this research team will lead to more widespread evaluation of Egyptian mummies, and will ultimately give new insight into the heritage of ancient Egypt.

--

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.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a>

Image Credit: bpk/Aegyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, SMB/Sandra Steiss

Scientists obtain first whole genome data from egyptian mummies

There is a wealth of resources buried in Egypt that...

Coral bleaching is one of the major consequences of climate change, and is affecting some of our most diverse ecosystems – coral reefs – all around the world. Bleaching occurs when water temperatures rise, causing corals to expel algae from their tissue in response to stress from negative environmental pressures. Without this algae, the corals starve.

Researchers have recently discovered that nearshore corals at the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve (HBNP) on O’ahu, Hawaii are at risk of coral bleaching as seawater temperatures around the world continue to rise. Between 2014 and 2015, they found that 47% of reef flat corals at HBNP bleached overall and 9.8% of corals died in these locations.

The findings of the research team, which was led by the late Dr. Paul Jokiel of the <a href="http://www.himb.hawaii.edu/">Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology</a>, found that temperature is the most influential factor in coral bleaching events at HBNP. 

These warmer ocean temperatures that are devastating reefs worldwide are related to significant increase in global carbon emissions over the past several decades. As the researchers explain, regardless of past and current efforts to prevent bleaching from occurring, carbon will continue to be absorbed by the ocean and thus water temperatures will continue to rise.

Jokeil’s Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program (CRAMP) has been collecting data from the HBPN since 1999. Analysis reveals that there was a significant decrease in shallow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hawaii-ban-sunscreens-reefs/">coral</a> cover as far back as 2002.

The geography of the bay in the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is such that it separates the shallow nearshore from the deeper seaward regions, as it stretches from one end of the bay to the other. The barrier it provides, along with its two channels, have significant impacts on how cool water is carried from the open ocean to the shore, as well as how the water exits the bay.

The patterns of this water flow were a major part of the study, as the researchers attempted to understand why bleaching was more significant in certain areas of the bay. They determined that bleaching was most devastating in the areas where water would pool and warm for long periods of time. Areas that had more of a circulation pattern experienced less bleaching.

If living coral tissue continues to decline, the reef will erode and will no longer be able to provide shelter and food to the diverse sea life that calls the reef home. 

Dr. Ku'ulei Rodgers explains, “Global climate change poses a direct threat to the biological sustainability of the protected reefs of Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and a clear economic and cultural threat to the state of Hawaii.”

If global warming continues and causes coral bleaching to increase, we will lose some of our most diverse and spectacular ecosystems.

--

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://peerj.com/">PeerJ</a>

Coral bleaching wreaking havoc at popular Hawaiian destination

Coral bleaching is one of the major consequences of climate...

The Amazon rainforest is responsible for absorbing around 25% of the carbon that is removed from the atmosphere by forests worldwide. There are concerns that deforestation is driving this region to a tipping point - in which abundant rainforests would transform into dry savanna. However, new research is emerging that suggests that the Amazon rainforest has a naturally-occurring border that gives it staying power. 

Satellite data that shows savanna and rainforest side-by-side suggests that these regions have bistability, or alternative stable states. This means that events such as fires and drought could tip a large part of the rainforest into a state of savannah, where it would be locked until balance was restored.

Bert Wuyts, a fourth-year PhD student at the <a href="http://www.bris.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>, set out to see if this theory was accurate. 

"I decided to take a fresh look at the data and a very different picture emerged when I controlled for seasonality and took out all the data points from satellite images that represented locations that had been subjected to human influence. Suddenly the property of bistability disappeared almost completely,” explained Wuyts.

Wuyts made this discovery in the first year of his PhD. He teamed up with <a href="http://www.bris.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> professor Alan Champneys, a theorist in the department of Engineering Mathematics and an expert on land use change from the School of Geographical Sciences. 

The team analyzed the data for two years, and were able to identify key determining factors in the forest-savanna boundary that previous studies have overlooked. According to the reaction-diffusion theory, which is widely used to predict spatial interaction, there should be a distinct boundary between forest and savanna. This means that forest and savanna are equally stable. 

Another determining factor is the proximity of the region to human activities. Logging and fire-induced erosion shift forest-savanna borders toward wetter conditions, which are more favorable for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/palm-oil-plantations-tropical-butterflies/">rainforests</a>. 

The findings of this study establish that deforestation does not have the power to push exposed areas of the Amazon rainforest to a tipping point. These regions should be able to bounce back after human activities are ceased. 

On the other hand, a significant decrease in rainfall may result from having fewer trees in the rainforest. The researchers did not factor in the potential outcome of less rain, and further research is needed to explore this issue. 

--

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.bris.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a>

How the Amazon rainforest could bounce back from deforestation

The Amazon rainforest is responsible for absorbing around 25% of...

Brain cells that destroy and digest worn-out cells and debris go into overdrive in mice that are chronically deprived of sleep, a new study found.

This may help in the short term by clearing harmful and debris and rebuilding worn circuitry but could be harmful in the longer term, Michele Bellesi of <a href="http://www.univpm.it/English/">Marche Polytechnic University</a> told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>. It could also explain why a chronic lack of sleep puts people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders, Bellesi said.

Bellesi’s team compared the brains of mice that had either been allowed to sleep for as long as they wanted or had been kept awake for a further eight hours. Another group of mice were kept awake for five days in a row – mimicking the effects of chronic sleep loss.

The team specifically looked at glial cells, which form the brain’s housekeeping system. Earlier research had found that a gene that regulates the activity of these cells is more active after a period of sleep deprivation, New Scientist reported.

One type of glial cell, called an astrocyte, prunes unnecessary synapses in the brain to remodel its wiring. Astrocytes seemed to be more active in sleep-deprived mice.

This suggests that sleep loss can trigger astrocytes to start breaking down more of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/learning-to-read-rewrite-brain/">brain’s</a> connections and their debris. 

“We show for the first time that portions of synapses are literally eaten by astrocytes,” says Bellesi told New Scientist.

Much of the remodeling was of the largest synapses, which are more mature and used more intensively. 

“They are like old pieces of furniture, and so probably need more attention and cleaning,” said Bellesi.

But the team also found that microglial cells were more active after chronic sleep deprivation. Excessive microglial activity has been linked to a range of brain disorders. 

“We already know that sustained microglial activation has been observed in Alzheimer’s and other forms of neurodegeneration,” Bellesi added,

The finding could explain why lack of sleep seems to make people more vulnerable<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17853-lack-of-sleep-linked-to-alzheimers/"> to such dementias, said Agnes Nadjar of</a> the <a href="http://www.u-bordeaux.com/">University of Bordeaux</a> in France.

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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.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>

How lack of sleep can actually eat at your brain

Brain cells that destroy and digest worn-out cells and debris...

During Greenland's hottest summers on record, 2010 and 2012, the ice in Rink Glacier on the island's west coast slid through the glacier's interior in a gigantic wave. According to a new <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2591/nasa-discovers-a-new-mode-of-ice-loss-in-greenland/">NASA</a> study, it was “like a warmed freezer pop sliding out of its plastic casing.”

The wave persisted for four months, with ice from upstream continuing to move down to replace the missing mass for another four months, the study said.

This was the first research study to precisely track a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/montana-glaciers-quickly-disappearing/">glacier's</a> loss of mass from melting ice using the horizontal motion of a GPS sensor.

The wave could not have been detected by the usual methods of monitoring Greenland's ice loss, such as measuring the thinning of glaciers with airborne radar, NASA said.

"You could literally be standing there and you would not see any indication of the wave," said Eric Larour, a coauthor of the study. "You would not see cracks or other unique surface features."

The long pulse of mass loss, called a solitary wave, is a new discovery that may increase the potential for sustained ice loss in Greenland as the climate continues to warm, with implications for the future rate of sea level rise, the study said.

During the two summers when solitary waves occurred, the surface snowpack and ice of the huge basin in Greenland's interior behind Rink Glacier held more water than ever before. In 2012, more than 95 percent of the surface snow and ice was melting, NASA said.

Meltwater may create temporary lakes and rivers that quickly drain through the ice and flow to the ocean. Once the water had formed pathways to the base of the glacier, the wave of intense loss began.

Researchers did not quantify the exact size and speed of the 2010 wave, but the patterns of motion in the GPS data indicate that it must have been smaller than the 2012 wave but similar in speed.

"We know for sure that the triggering mechanism was the surface melting of snow and ice, but we do not fully understand the complex array of processes that generate solitary waves," said Surendra Adhikari, leader of the study.

Previously known processes combined to make the mass move so quickly, scientists theorize.  The huge volume of water lubricated the base of the glacier, allowing it to move more rapidly, and softened the side margins where the flowing glacier meets rock or stationary ice.

The changes allowed the ice to slide downstream so fast that ice farther inland couldn't keep up.

"Intense melting such as we saw in 2010 and 2012 is without precedent, but it represents the kind of behavior that we might expect in the future in a warming climate," added coauthor Erik Ivins. "We're seeing an evolving system."

--

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://climate.nasa.gov/news/2591/nasa-discovers-a-new-mode-of-ice-loss-in-greenland/">NASA</a>

Scientists discover intense melting wave of glacier in Greenland

During Greenland's hottest summers on record, 2010 and 2012, the...

Soil microbes from historically wetter sites emit significantly more carbon than microbes from historically drier regions, a new study found.

The findings could improve the accuracy of climate modeling and provide scientists a better understanding of distinct regional differences in microbial life, the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a> said.

Soil microbes add between 44 billion and 77 billion tons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-emissions-income-gap/">carbon</a> to the atmosphere each year, more than all fossil fuels combined. This occurs through a process called respiration.

Warming of the earth is expected to increase soil respiration but forecasters have found it difficult to predict the amount of the increase.

The study found that in regions with historically high rainfall, soil microbes would respire twice as much carbon to the atmosphere as microbes from drier regions.

Microbes from the wettest areas were four times as sensitive to shifts in moisture as their counterparts from the driest areas.

"Current models assume that soil microbes at any site around the world exhibit the same responses to environmental change and do so instantaneously," said Christine Hawkes, a Professor of Integrative Biology, "but we demonstrated that historical rainfall shapes the soil respiration response."

It is unclear whether the insight into how soil microbes respond to moisture will drastically change the results of worldwide climate modeling efforts. Incorporating the new discovery into ecosystem models, however, could help improve predictions based on local or regional differences in soil respiration and climate history.

Hawkes and the research team conducted three long-term studies involving field research and lab experiments occurring over six years.

“We tested this three different ways, and we couldn't get the soils to do anything different," Hawkes said. "This suggests that rainfall legacies will constrain future soil function, but we need further study to figure out by how much and for how long."

The research, published in the the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, also highlights previously unknown nuances about the communities of underground microbes. Although microbes are simple and microscopic, they still have distinctive traits. 

Through decomposition and respiration, soil microbes affect the balance between carbon trapped underground and emitted into the atmosphere, and the balance differs from from one regional community to the next, the study found.

--

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.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>

Study: Rainfall affects carbon emissions from soil microbes

Soil microbes from historically wetter sites emit significantly more carbon...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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

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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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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"

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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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