Rare earth elements are everywhere - in your smartphone screen, in the MRI machine at the hospital, in the battery of an electric vehicle, and even in oil and gas refining. They are a key ingredient of modern life.



As global tensions rise, so does the competition for access to these minerals. Recent headlines show the stakes: China has halted rare earth exports to the United States, and a deal was just signed to secure U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.



Despite their name, rare earth elements aren’t actually scarce; what’s rare is finding them in high enough concentrations to mine economically. These deposits are scattered unevenly across the globe and often buried deep underground, shaping who controls their production and the global supply chain.



Scientists at <a href="https://www.tufts.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tufts University</a> are trying to better understand how and why rare earth minerals ended up where they did. Their research reveals how the movement of continents over billions of years helped form - and hide - these valuable deposits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supercontinents-shaped-rare-deposits">Supercontinents shaped rare deposits</h2>



To explain how this mineral drama began, we need to go back in time. Way back. Earth's surface is always on the move. Over millions of years, massive landmasses shift, collide, and break apart, reshaping the planet in the process.



"Most of us are familiar with <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/supercontinents-101-pannotia-gondwana-and-pangea/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pangea</a> - the supercontinent that formed about 300 million years ago and that the current seven continents broke off from to form their present-day arrangement," said Jill VanTongeren, professor and chair of the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences.



"But Pangea is only the most recent supercontinent. Throughout Earth history, there have been at least five major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/australia-north-america-supercontinent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">supercontinent</a> cycles - periods when continents all come together and then spread back out again into different pieces. We think this process happens roughly every 500 million years."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-minerals-begin">Where minerals begin</h2>



As these continents drifted apart, they created rifts - places where the Earth's tectonic plates pulled away from each other. These rifting zones became birthplaces for rare earth element-rich magmas.



"As the rocks are pushed apart, they decompress, causing melting. It's kind of like taking the lid off a soda bottle, and the bubbles rise to the surface," said VanTongeren.



"Those early magmas contain the highest abundance of rare earth and other incompatible elements that then enter the crust, either erupting in volcanic centers or solidifying at depth."



Some of these mineral-rich magmas cooled and stayed near the surface. Others got dragged back down into the mantle or remain buried too deep to mine with today’s technology.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-race-for-control-resources">A race for control resources</h2>



Today, the number of economically viable rare earth deposits is limited. China dominates the market, with nearly 70% of global production coming from its Bayan Obo mine. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crucial-rare-earth-elements-discovered-coal-mines-united-states/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S.</a> has a smaller operation at Mountain Pass in California, and a few other countries have scattered deposits.



In the late 1990s and early 2000s, China flooded the market with rare earth minerals, driving down prices and shutting down other global producers. That move reshaped global dependence.



In response, the U.S. government took steps to re-establish a domestic supply. Recent investments from the 2021 Infrastructure and Jobs Act and the Department of Defense aim to restart full operations at the Mountain Pass mine, though it could take up to a decade.



There’s also hope that Ukraine's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nasa-is-on-a-mission-to-map-americas-mineral-wealth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mineral deposits</a> could help diversify supply. But for now, their potential remains unclear.



"Political boundaries and the desire to obtain access to mineral resources have been the source of economic and military conflicts throughout human history," said VanTongeren. "This is likely to continue as the world shifts toward green energy and a greater dependence on rare earth elements in the future."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hunting-for-mineral-deposits">Hunting for mineral deposits</h2>



VanTongeren’s work tracks these mineral stories from source to surface. Her fieldwork has taken her from a ship near Antarctica to platinum mines in South Africa, Morocco’s mountains, and even a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/huge-lithium-deposit-from-volanic-ash-found-in-pennsylvania/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lithium</a> discovery in Maine.



"It's a fascinating area of study partly because it lies at the intersection of science, economics, and politics," she said. Back on the Tufts campus, this intersection takes a more visual form.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tufts-secret-mineral-vault">Tufts' secret mineral vault</h2>



Tucked into the basement of Lane Hall, the P.T. Barnum Mineral Collection offers a glimpse into the Earth’s treasures. It includes thousands of mineral specimens, some collected by Barnum himself. He was an early supporter of Tufts and a major collector of natural history in the 1800s.



"In the late 1800s, it was considered fashionable for many prominent individuals to accumulate their own natural history collections," noted VanTongeren.



"P.T. Barnum was one of the biggest collectors of the time. His collection of animals, plants, and minerals was among the first gifts to Tufts University and part of an endowment to establish Tufts as one of the major natural history museums in the country."



After a fire destroyed the Barnum Museum in 1975, the mineral collection moved to Lane Hall. Now, it’s about to move again - this time to Bacon Hall, the new home for the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-hunt-for-rare-earth-elements">Global hunt for rare earth elements</h2>



VanTongeren hopes this new home will be more than just a storage site. She wants it to become a space that encourages curiosity and exploration, not just for scientists, but for everyone.



"My pie-in-the-sky vision is to set up a mineral gallery with both a permanent exhibit as well as pop-up exhibitions every semester highlighting minerals important for technology, related to other research at the university, or to global events," said VanTongeren.



"I'd like to help bring back Barnum's vision of bringing the beauty of, and an appreciation for, the natural world to campus."



-----



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-----

Global hunt for rare earth elements is underway

Rare earth elements are everywhere - in your smartphone screen, in the MRI machine at the hospital, in the battery of an electric vehicle, and even in oil and gas refining. They are a key ingredient of modern life. As global tensions rise, so does the competition for access to these minerals. Recent headlines show the stakes: China has halted rare earth exports to the United States, and a deal was just signed to secure U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral resources. Despite their name, rare earth elements...

University of Iowa study finds local food movement rooted in relationships and values

Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular. More Americans than ever before are supporting their local farmers markets, and it's not just because they believe the food is fresher and tastes better.

According to a new University of Iowa study, people are shopping farmers markets and joining food coops at record numbers because they enjoy knowing who grows their food. These so-called "locavores" are also driven to eat locally grown produce and meat because their commitment to do so makes them feel a part of something greater than themselves - a community that shares their passion for a healthy lifestyle and a sustainable environment. Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular

For these enthusiasts, supporting the local food movement is a sort of civic duty, an act to preserve their local economy against the threats of globalization and big-box stores.

"It's not just about the economical exchange; it's a relational and ideological exchange as well," said Ion Vasi, an associate professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology and Tippie College of Business at the UI and corresponding author of the study.

Vasi said the local food market is what sociologists call a "moralized market," that is a market in which people combine economic activities with their social values. Among their findings, the UI researchers discovered local food markets were more likely to develop in areas where residents had a strong commitment to civic participation, health and the environment.

"It's about valuing the relationship with the farmers and people who produce the food and believing that how they produce the food aligns with your personal values," Vasi said.

Vasi shared the results of the study August 22 at the American Sociology Association Annual meeting in Chicago.

For his study, Vasi examined the development of local food markets by looking at the number of farmers markets, food coops, community-supported agriculture providers and local food restaurants in cities across the United States. Researchers also conducted 40 interviews with consumers and producers in different local food markets in Iowa and New York.

From a historical perspective, the recent growth of local food markets is rather surprising.

In 1971, Jane Pyle predicted farmers markets were "doomed by a changing society" in an article penned for The Geographical Review. At the time, there were about 340 farmers markets left in the United States and many were "populated by resellers, not farmers, and were on the verge of collapse," Pyle wrote.

Some 20 years later, the tide was beginning to turn.

According to the United State Department of Agriculture, national direct-to-consumer food sales increased three-fold between 1992 and 2007, growing twice as fast as total agricultural sales. The number of farmers markets listed in the USDA National Farmers Markets increased from 3,706 in 2004 to 8,268 in 2014. Plus, UI researchers found the number of Internet searches for farmers markets has almost tripled during that same 10-year period and the number of newspaper articles that mention farmers markets has almost quadrupled.

So, what's behind this need to know who grows your food and to believe in how it's produced?

It was the onslaught of big-box stores and globalization forces that reignited "buy local" campaigns across the country in the 1990s, said the UI researchers.

According to the study: "A growing number of communities have attempted to gain control of their own economies by encouraging civic engagement that supports investing in locally owned businesses instead of outside companies."

Sara Rynes, a professor of Management &amp; Organizations in the UI's Tippie College of Business, and co-author of the study, said the researchers also found that local food markets, whether farmers markets, food coops or otherwise, were more likely to be located in cities and counties with higher education levels, higher income levels and more institutions of higher education.

"Sociologists and political scientists have argued that higher income allows people to make consumption decisions based on values in addition to matters of price or value," Rynes said. "Education is likely to facilitate knowledge about such things as links between the way products are produced and their environmental and health impacts. And universities sometimes get involved in helping local farmers and individuals who are struggling to make a living, particularly through extension efforts."

---

<a href="http://www.uiowa.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">University of Iowa</a>

Farmers Markets And Food Coops Are Becoming More Popular

University of Iowa study finds local food movement rooted in...

Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices. Pushing back against fossil fuel interests, President Barack Obama is pressing to give ordinary Americans more clean energy choices and more power to choose what kind of power they use.
The president, in a speech at a clean energy conference in Las Vegas on Monday night, planned to announce new executive actions and other efforts aimed at making it easier for homeowners and businesses to invest in green energy improvements that in the past may have been impractical or unaffordable. Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices
The moves are designed to build on the clean power plant rules that the president announced earlier in the month to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants by a third. They all feed into Obama's goal of cutting overall U.S. emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent over the next decade to combat climate change and encourage other countries to do likewise.
Monday's actions are focused on giving families and businesses more say in what types and how much power they rely on. That could mean rooftop solar panels, once largely the province of committed environmentalists, or other renewable energy innovations. A senior administration official, previewing the president's speech on condition of anonymity since the actions had not been publicly announced, said the steps could dramatically expand opportunities for Americans to have greater flexibility in the types of power they use.
Obama's speech, at an annual energy conference hosted by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, was aimed at countering fossil fuel and utility interests that have been working at the state level and elsewhere to undercut clean energy policies with arguments that the matter should be left to the free market.
The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that denies manmade climate change, was among groups co-sponsoring a simultaneous "affordable energy summit" in Las Vegas as a counterpoint to Reid's gathering, maintaining that Obama's policies promote wind and solar power at the expense of conventional energy and "will inevitably cause skyrocketing electricity prices while providing little if any net environmental benefits," according to the summit's website.
Among the steps being announced by Obama:
-New guidance from the Federal Housing Administration that could dramatically expand the use of so-called PACE loans that allow homeowners to install energy improvements and pay back the costs over time. So far, use of Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing has been constrained by regulatory obstacles.
-Making $1 billion in additional loan guarantees available from the Department of Energy to encourage innovation in technologies that give Americans more flexibility in choosing renewable energy options.
Obama also was announcing the approval of a transmission line that will support a 485-megawatt solar plant planned for Riverside County in California. The Blythe Mesa plant is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power more than 145,000 homes.
While in Nevada, Obama also planned to attend an evening fundraiser benefiting the Nevada State Democratic Party.
---
Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/nbenac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/nbenac</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices

Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices. Pushing back...

Kids Released From <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/brutal-fire-season-continues-in-california/">California</a> Juvie System Given Nature Jobs. Harry Grammer, the CEO of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works with young adults, wanted to give kids recently out of the juvenile justice system real jobs and marketable skills.
Three years ago, a chance meeting gave Grammer what he wanted.
Explore.org, a philanthropic media branch of the Annenberg Foundation, has a network of more than 50 high-definition web cameras streaming live images of wildlife around the clock. The organization offered to fund a program that would hire his alums, regardless of their previous offenses, as camera operators earning hourly wage between $10 and $15 with benefits.Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs
Since then, New Earth has employed more than 30 camera operators, given them technical training and taught them film editing, production and multimedia skills. More than a million people watch the feeds online every month to get a glimpse of the most remote regions of the world, but few know that behind those cameras are young Los Angeles offenders, some of whom have never even been down the road to Disneyland.
But now they virtually step into the beehives in Bavaria, Germany, stand in the rough waters of Alaska where brown bears fish for salmon or watch pandas clumsily wrestling each other in China.
Brandon Monroe was stabbed 15 times when he was 15 years old. He said the attack and robbery in a dark Los Angeles-area alley turned him from a good person to "pure cold." Yet after years of crime and serious time in juvenile hall, at age 19 he's come in from the cold to spread warmth - in the form of penguins and brown bears, walruses and chipmunks.
From his desk in Culver City, Calif., and with simple shifts of a joystick, Monroe guides people to watch exotic animals around the world, remotely controlling cameras that capture the wonders of wildlife.
"Nature has no judgment," Grammer said. "I always tell my kids, when you go into nature, you don't see gang graffiti on the walls, you don't hear police sirens, you don't see people being violent with each other, you don't hear loud noises of hate, aggression, and racism."
Grammer's organization works with young men and women from 15 detention centers in Southern California during and after incarceration. Grammer, who once served time on residential burglary charges, founded the organization in 2004 to keep juvenile offenders off the streets and out of trouble.
For teens with a history of incarceration, finding employment - especially jobs that lead to successful careers - proves to be an unsurmountable challenge. Many fall into unemployment, poverty, and crime.
There's also a program called "Dog Bless You" with shots from domestic animal shelters, whose great Danes Monroe says he favors over all the exotic competition.
Many New Earth camera operators saw animals treated with cruelty in their neighborhoods, where pit-bull brawls and razor-bladed cockfights were considered entertainment.
Monroe said he never gave his own future, much less the welfare of animals, any thought before joining New Earth. He always had a roof over his head as a child, but said he never got the kind of support he needed. His mother was in-and-out-of-prison, leaving his father to raise five children after his own incarceration. Two of his younger siblings and all of his uncles are still in jail.
Committing petty crimes easily turned into a habit and Monroe became a frequent visitor to juvenile jail.
Eager for another chance but unsure of where to begin during his seventh and final jail visit, Monroe decided that if he didn't get better, he would "go all out."
The animals led him on a different path. He said he has grown more affectionate, more nurturing.
"It makes me see things I've never seen before," Monroe said.
"The animals give me a perspective on how to take care of people," he said. "I kind of compare animals to babies. Just watching the little baby is amazing."
-
Follow Linda S. Zhang on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs

Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs. Harry...

<div id="titlewrap"></div>
Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices. Pushing back against fossil fuel interests, President Barack Obama is pressing to give ordinary Americans more clean energy choices and more power to choose what kind of power they use.
The president, in a speech at a clean energy conference in Las Vegas on Monday night, planned to announce new executive actions and other efforts aimed at making it easier for homeowners and businesses to invest in green energy improvements that in the past may have been impractical or unaffordable.
The moves are designed to build on the clean power plant rules that the president announced earlier in the month to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants by a third. They all feed into Obama's goal of cutting overall U.S. emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent over the next decade to combat climate change and encourage other countries to do likewise.
Monday's actions are focused on giving families and businesses more say in what types and how much power they rely on. That could mean rooftop solar panels, once largely the province of committed environmentalists, or other renewable energy innovations. A senior administration official, previewing the president's speech on condition of anonymity since the actions had not been publicly announced, said the steps could dramatically expand opportunities for Americans to have greater flexibility in the types of power they use.
Obama's speech, at an annual energy conference hosted by Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, was aimed at countering fossil fuel and utility interests that have been working at the state level and elsewhere to undercut clean energy policies with arguments that the matter should be left to the free market.
The Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that denies manmade climate change, was among groups co-sponsoring a simultaneous "affordable energy summit" in Las Vegas as a counterpoint to Reid's gathering, maintaining that Obama's policies promote wind and solar power at the expense of conventional energy and "will inevitably cause skyrocketing electricity prices while providing little if any net environmental benefits," according to the summit's website.
Among the steps being announced by Obama:
-New guidance from the Federal Housing Administration that could dramatically expand the use of so-called PACE loans that allow homeowners to install energy improvements and pay back the costs over time. So far, use of Property-Assessed Clean <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/earth-could-be-powered-entirely-by-renewable-energy/">Energy</a> financing has been constrained by regulatory obstacles.
-Making $1 billion in additional loan guarantees available from the Department of Energy to encourage innovation in technologies that give Americans more flexibility in choosing renewable energy options.
Obama also was announcing the approval of a transmission line that will support a 485-megawatt solar plant planned for Riverside County in California. The Blythe Mesa plant is expected to produce enough renewable energy to power more than 145,000 homes. Obama Continues Push For More Clean Energy Choices
While in Nevada, Obama also planned to attend an evening fundraiser benefiting the Nevada State Democratic Party.
---
Follow Nancy Benac on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/nbenac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://twitter.com/nbenac</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Kids Released From California Juvie System Given Nature Jobs. Harry Grammer, the CEO of a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that works with young adults, wanted to give kids recently out of the juvenile justice system real jobs and marketable skills.
Three years ago, a chance meeting gave Grammer what he wanted.
Explore.org, a philanthropic media branch of the Annenberg Foundation, has a network of more than 50 high-definition web cameras streaming live images of wildlife around the clock. The organization offered to fund a program that would hire his alums, regardless of their previous offenses, as camera operators earning hourly wage between $10 and $15 with benefits. Kids Released From <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=california&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=71fb5893ad784344a18f5f321ec476fe&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bxleAZDQHFYlDFBvI61XnJMjTprP4Br1arWcJwW%212aPYQnnd9wOiZnsmxvQqwYmsuO&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">California</a> Juvie System Given Nature Jobs
Since then, New Earth has employed more than 30 camera operators, given them technical training and taught them film editing, production and multimedia skills. More than a million people watch the feeds online every month to get a glimpse of the most remote regions of the world, but few know that behind those cameras are young <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-quality-los-angeles-asthma/">Los Angeles</a> offenders, some of whom have never even been down the road to Disneyland.
But now they virtually step into the beehives in Bavaria, Germany, stand in the rough waters of Alaska where brown bears fish for salmon or watch pandas clumsily wrestling each other in China.
Brandon Monroe was stabbed 15 times when he was 15 years old. He said the attack and robbery in a dark Los Angeles-area alley turned him from a good person to "pure cold." Yet after years of crime and serious time in juvenile hall, at age 19 he's come in from the cold to spread warmth - in the form of penguins and brown bears, walruses and chipmunks.
From his desk in Culver City, Calif., and with simple shifts of a joystick, Monroe guides people to watch exotic animals around the world, remotely controlling cameras that capture the wonders of wildlife.
"Nature has no judgment," Grammer said. "I always tell my kids, when you go into nature, you don't see gang graffiti on the walls, you don't hear police sirens, you don't see people being violent with each other, you don't hear loud noises of hate, aggression, and racism."
Grammer's organization works with young men and women from 15 detention centers in Southern California during and after incarceration. Grammer, who once served time on residential burglary charges, founded the organization in 2004 to keep juvenile offenders off the streets and out of trouble.
For teens with a history of incarceration, finding employment - especially jobs that lead to successful careers - proves to be an unsurmountable challenge. Many fall into unemployment, poverty, and crime.
There's also a program called "Dog Bless You" with shots from domestic animal shelters, whose great Danes Monroe says he favors over all the exotic competition.
Many New Earth camera operators saw animals treated with cruelty in their neighborhoods, where pit-bull brawls and razor-bladed cockfights were considered entertainment.
Monroe said he never gave his own future, much less the welfare of animals, any thought before joining New Earth. He always had a roof over his head as a child, but said he never got the kind of support he needed. His mother was in-and-out-of-prison, leaving his father to raise five children after his own incarceration. Two of his younger siblings and all of his uncles are still in jail.
Committing petty crimes easily turned into a habit and Monroe became a frequent visitor to juvenile jail.
Eager for another chance but unsure of where to begin during his seventh and final jail visit, Monroe decided that if he didn't get better, he would "go all out."
The animals led him on a different path. He said he has grown more affectionate, more nurturing.
"It makes me see things I've never seen before," Monroe said.
"The animals give me a perspective on how to take care of people," he said. "I kind of compare animals to babies. Just watching the little baby is amazing."
-
Follow Linda S. Zhang on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">http://www.twitter.com/lindaszhang</a>
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air Pollution Reduction. In Damascus and Aleppo, the Syrian civil war has precipitated a 40 to 50 percent drop in NO2.

There are no silver linings in war. But there are byproducts, some of them positive. New research suggests one of those byproducts is cleaner air.

In the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/reducing-emissions-middle-east/">Middle East</a>, a region rife with conflict, researchers found upticks in violence were correlated with huge air pollution reduction. In Syria, where civil war has driven thousands from their homes, nitrogen oxide levels have dropped dramatically.War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air Pollution Reduction

<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=nitrogen&amp;cvid=d45f91c1a8b7475da0d1e0ce240d1fa5&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Nitrogen</a> oxides, like nitrogen dioxide, are are released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned. They're commonly measured by scientists as a way to track both economic activity and the effectiveness of air quality regulations.

The new research suggests nitrogen oxides can reveal the presence of war, civil unrest and humanitarian crises.

As the new measurements show, economic activity has dwindled in Syria and Iraq as a result of the ongoing civil war and rise of the Islamic State. Similarly, economic sanctions in Iran have slowed the national economy -- and nitrogen dioxide emissions -- in recent years.

In Damascus and Aleppo, the Syrian civil war has precipitated a 40 to 50 percent drop in NO2.

"Analyzing the satellite measurements showed us that economic sanctions have had large effects in Iran since 2010," researcher Jos Lelieveld <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.mpic.de/en/news/press-information/news/middle-east-atmospheric-signs-of-the-crises.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a press release</a>.

The new data -- collected by NASA's satellite Aura and analyzed by scientists at the<a class="tpstyle" title="Max Planck" href="http://www.upi.com/topic/Max_Planck/">Max Planck</a> Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany -- stands in contrast to trends witnessed between 2005 and 2010, when economic growth in the region led to high levels of pollution.

"It is tragic that the negative trends we observe in nitrogen oxide emissions accompany humanitarian catastrophes," Lelieveld said.

But the data -- <a class="tpstyle" href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/7/e1500498" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published in the journal Science Advances</a> -- is also educational, and may help scientists better predict how geopolitical events and economic trends will affect air quality and global emissions.

Previous emissions models have failed to account for mitigating effects of war and crisis.

"A combination of air quality control and political factors, including economical crisis and armed conflict, has drastically altered the emission landscape of nitrogen oxides in the Middle East," researchers wrote in their new paper on the subject.

Meanwhile, emissions are up in Lebanon, where refugees from Syria have flooded in by the thousands.

And just because NO2 and other oxides are down in certain parts of the region, researchers say that doesn't mean war is good for the environment. Experts say modern warfare leaves behind plenty of contaminants on the land and in the water.

---

Credit: UPI

War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air Pollution Reduction

War In The Middle East Has Resulted In Huge Air...

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve. Illegal logging has almost tripled in the monarch butterfly's wintering grounds In central <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=mexico&amp;cvid=b0661822121c41318f36a4bdfd21b518&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">Mexico</a>, reversing several years of steady improvements, investigators announced Tuesday.
Almost all of the loss occurred in just one rural hamlet in the state of Michoacan. Loggers cut down 47 acres (19 hectares) of trees in <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/gulf-of-california/">San Felipe</a> de los Alzati since last year's gathering of butterflies, while little was lost in 31 other communities. A total of 52 acres (21 hectares) of forest were lost overall.Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve
That's the highest figure since 2011, well above the 20 acres (8 hectares) lost a year earlier, according to the announcement by the World Wildlife fund and the Institute of Biology of Mexico's National Autonomous University.
The forest canopy is a sort of blanket against cold for the masses of orange-and-black butterflies that form huge clumps on tree branches during their winter stay in Mexico.
Loss of that habitat is just one of the threats to the butterflies' amazing migration across Canada and the United States to Mexico. The migration is an inherited trait: No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they find the route back to the same patch of pine forest each year. Some scientists suggest the butterflies may release chemicals marking the migratory path and fear that if their numbers fall too low, the chemical traces will not be strong enough for others to follow.
This year butterflies that reached the wintering grounds covered 2.79 acres (1.13 hectares), a 69 percent rebound from last February's 1.65 acres (0.67 hectare), which was the lowest since record-keeping began in 1993.
At their peak in 1996, the monarchs covered more than 44.5 acres (18 hectares) in the mountains west of Mexico City. But the overall tendency since then has been a steep, progressive decline. Each time the Monarchs rebound, they do so at lower levels. The species is found in many countries and is not in danger of extinction, but experts fear the migration could be disrupted if very few butterflies make the 3,400-mile (5,470-kilometer) trip.
Largely Indian farm communities in the mountain reserve have received government development funds in return for preserving the 139,000-acre (56,259 hectare) reserve in the mountains west of Mexico City that UNESCO has declared a World Heritage site. Some of the communities earn income from tourist operations or reforestation nurseries to grow and plant saplings.
The fact that most of last year's loss also occurred own in San Felipe indicates a growing problem there, said Omar Vidal, head of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico.
"The government has to step up enforcement and start talking more seriously with this community, to find out the causes" behind the logging, Vidal said. Some communities have complained that outside loggers - sometimes armed - invade local forests without the consent of the community. Other logging, however, has been the work of locals who few other job opportunities.
After illegal logging felled hundreds of acres of trees in the reserve between 2003 and 2006 authorities, cracked down on illegal sawmills and stepped up incentives to encourage communities to preserve the woods.
"The main problem in Mexico is the lack of protection," said writer and activist Homero Aridjis, who noted that some officials at the reserve were replaced and that President Enrique Pena Nieto recently appointed his cousin, Alejandro del Mazo, to head the agency that oversees Mexico's nature reserves.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve. Illegal logging has almost...

Navajo Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine Spill. One of the largest communities of Navajo farmers along the San Juan River has voted to keep irrigation canals closed for at least a year following a spill of toxic sludge at a <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=colorado&amp;filters=ufn%3a%22colorado%22+sid%3a%22a070c5c2-b22d-41d8-b869-f20e583c4f80%22&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=MB&amp;cvid=25f2a9ab3dd744e38d2113cfeafd8060&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bx1eOfzSbRMnoS42%21wXB11fyTrj8uxsa0Vfs22M6ABNmEk*tuYC82HdWHvyBfPeLfb&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">Colorado</a> Gold King mine.
The unanimous vote by more than 100 farmers in Shiprock, New Mexico, was heart-wrenching and guarantees the loss of many crops, Shiprock Chapter President Duane "Chili" Yazzie said Monday.
But he said farmers don't want to risk contaminating the soil for future generations.<a href="http://www.earth.com/video/navajo-nation-arra/">Navajo</a> Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine Spill
"Our position is better safe than sorry," Yazzie said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Navajo Nation EPA have said the water is safe for irrigation, based on surface water testing. Other communities off the reservation have cleared the water for drinking, recreation and irrigation.
The Navajo Nation has been hesitant to lift restrictions on using the river water, mostly over concerns about contaminants being stirred up and washed down the river. The Navajo Nation EPA expects to have test results from soil samples later this week.
Tribal President Russell Begaye has asked several farming and ranching communities impacted by the Aug. 5 spill from the Gold King mine near Silverton, Colorado, to weigh in by passing resolutions with an official position.
Shiprock is the only community that has submitted a resolution so far, tribal spokesman Mihio Manus said.
Begaye, who grew up in a small farmhouse in Shiprock, said he realizes the impact that keeping the water shut off will have on farmers.
"I am furious that the U.S. EPA has placed the Navajo Nation into this position," Begaye said in a news release. "Our farms will not last much longer without water, and our resources are depleting."
Manus said he wasn't sure how water hauling for livestock and agriculture would be funded.
The U.S. EPA said it stopped delivering water and hay to tribal communities last week. Begaye said the tribe is working with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to provide water to Navajos.
Neither the EPA nor the Bureau of Indian Affairs immediately responded Monday to questions from The Associated Press regarding water supplies for the tribe.
A water treatment plant on the Utah portion of the reservation that drew water from the San Juan River also will remain offline until Begaye gives the OK for it to begin operating again, said Deenise Becenti with the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority.
Water is being hauled in to top off a tank so residents can continue to have running water in their homes, she said.
In Shiprock, a constant line of vehicles waits to fill huge containers with water. Yazzie said he spent the weekend watering about 500 of his own plants but estimates that other families have thousands that have been wilting.
"We're going to struggle to save what we can and what we lose, we'll expect somebody to provide compensation," Yazzie said.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Navajo Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine Spill

Navajo Farmers Reject Use Of Water After Gold King Mine...

One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to pay developing countries to stop cutting down trees.

A Washington-based think tank is urging action on climate change.

Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected. In a <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.cgdev.org/publication/future-forests-emissions-tropical-deforestation-carbon-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new study</a>, researchers at the Center for Global Development predict 714 million acres of tropical forests -- enough to cover all of <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=india&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=PF&amp;cvid=eac2cf31f5694b17bfaf91d85441a453&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bxMzBAM9262uJEJbj8Sr98m1tvW8G3yK7TSPqE*wNwc3t4pK8qi7jNPDNTYwPVMAu7&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">India</a> -- will be felled by 2015.

Such losses would be devastating for flora and fauna in some of the planet's most biodiverse regions, but it would also further accelerate climate change. Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected

If leaders don't take steps to protect the tropical forests of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/phytoplankton-bloom-off-northwest-africa/">Africa</a>, Asia and South America, scientists at CGD warn that deforestation will release another 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Making matters worse, a significant portion of Earth's most effective carbon sink will be gone.

The predictions are based on the analysis of environmental economists at CGD, armed with data and satellite imagery collected from more than 100 countries. Using the imagery, scientists measured rates of deforestation and extrapolated future trends.

The report's authors say it's not too late to act. Earth's political and economic leaders can protect the planet's tropical forests by placing a price on carbon -- either through taxes or emissions reduction payments.

One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to pay developing countries to stop cutting down trees.

"Conserving tropical forests is a bargain," report author Jonah Busch, CGD research fellow and environmental economist, <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.cgdev.org/article/new-research-shows-forests-will-disappear-faster-we-thought-now-time-put-price-carbon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a press release</a>. "Reducing emissions from tropical deforestation costs about a fifth as much as reducing emissions in the European Union."

"The Paris climate agreement needs to provide funding and other resources to stop tropical deforestation," research associate Jens Engelmann added. "A climate agreement without robust action on forests will simply not be enough."

---

Credit: UPI

Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected

One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to...

Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve. Illegal logging has almost tripled in the monarch butterfly's wintering grounds In central Mexico, reversing several years of steady improvements, investigators announced Tuesday.
Almost all of the loss occurred in just one rural hamlet in the state of Michoacan. Loggers cut down 47 acres (19 hectares) of trees in San Felipe de los Alzati since last year's gathering of butterflies, while little was lost in 31 other communities. A total of 52 acres (21 hectares) of forest were lost overall.
That's the highest figure since 2011, well above the 20 acres (8 hectares) lost a year earlier, according to the announcement by the World Wildlife fund and the Institute of Biology of Mexico's National Autonomous University. Deforestation Triples In Mexico Butterfly Preserve
The forest canopy is a sort of blanket against cold for the masses of orange-and-black butterflies that form huge clumps on tree branches during their winter stay in <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=mexico&amp;FORM=EDGENA&amp;PC=HCTS&amp;refig=00f657aea3884621f95d6688d7980d80">Mexico</a>.
Loss of that habitat is just one of the threats to the butterflies' amazing migration across Canada and the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/united-states-global-waste/">United States</a> to Mexico. The migration is an inherited trait: No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they find the route back to the same patch of pine forest each year. Some scientists suggest the butterflies may release chemicals marking the migratory path and fear that if their numbers fall too low, the chemical traces will not be strong enough for others to follow.
This year butterflies that reached the wintering grounds covered 2.79 acres (1.13 hectares), a 69 percent rebound from last February's 1.65 acres (0.67 hectare), which was the lowest since record-keeping began in 1993.
At their peak in 1996, the monarchs covered more than 44.5 acres (18 hectares) in the mountains west of Mexico City. But the overall tendency since then has been a steep, progressive decline. Each time the Monarchs rebound, they do so at lower levels. The species is found in many countries and is not in danger of extinction, but experts fear the migration could be disrupted if very few butterflies make the 3,400-mile (5,470-kilometer) trip.
Largely Indian farm communities in the mountain reserve have received government development funds in return for preserving the 139,000-acre (56,259 hectare) reserve in the mountains west of Mexico City that UNESCO has declared a World Heritage site. Some of the communities earn income from tourist operations or reforestation nurseries to grow and plant saplings.
The fact that most of last year's loss also occurred own in San Felipe indicates a growing problem there, said Omar Vidal, head of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico.
"The government has to step up enforcement and start talking more seriously with this community, to find out the causes" behind the logging, Vidal said. Some communities have complained that outside loggers - sometimes armed - invade local forests without the consent of the community. Other logging, however, has been the work of locals who few other job opportunities.
After illegal logging felled hundreds of acres of trees in the reserve between 2003 and 2006 authorities, cracked down on illegal sawmills and stepped up incentives to encourage communities to preserve the woods.
"The main problem in Mexico is the lack of protection," said writer and activist Homero Aridjis, who noted that some officials at the reserve were replaced and that President Enrique Pena Nieto recently appointed his cousin, Alejandro del Mazo, to head the agency that oversees Mexico's nature reserves.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

New Jersey Reaches Settlement With Exxon Over Pollution. After originally seeking $8.9 billion, New Jersey's $225 million settlement with ExxonMobil over dozens of polluted sites is a reasonable compromise considering the substantial legal risks the state faced, a judge ruled Tuesday in approving a deal that Gov. Chris Christie's administration called historic and opponents called a sell-out.
The settlement ending an 11-year legal battle that spanned both <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/democracy-better-health-nations/">Democratic</a> and Republican governors is "fair, reasonable, in the public interest, and consistent with the goals of the Spill Compensation and Control Act," Superior Court Judge Michael Hogan wrote. He noted that the settlement is on top of Exxon's responsibility to clean up the sites, which include two oil refineries in Bayonne and Linden and retail gas stations across New Jersey.
<a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=new+jersey&amp;filters=ufn%3a%22new+jersey%22+sid%3a%2205277898-b62b-4878-8632-09d29756a2ff%22&amp;form=EDGEAR&amp;qs=MB&amp;cvid=44108b06410f40b6b32f56aa92193ce4&amp;cc=US&amp;setlang=en-US&amp;elv=AY3%21uAY7tbNNZGZ2yiGNjfP8PQRg5BXbDJExOD1TP9bxsHYa0gX0SEMzwC8NjO7*awpboaRczTu5g3CfaNyu*5Jz*vEDfvJZFiqwxzEcTHqI&amp;plvar=0&amp;PC=HCTS">New Jersey</a> sued ExxonMobil in 2004 for pollution dating back decades. The idea was to hold the company responsible not only for cleaning up polluted areas but to compensate the public for the alleged harm to groundwater, surface water and other ecological resources.
"This is an important settlement for the citizens of New Jersey and for our environment, one which came about because this administration aggressively pushed the case to trial," Acting Attorney General John Hoffman said.
Christie, a Republican running for his party's presidential nomination, has hailed the deal as the nation's second-largest of its kind against a corporate polluter, but the deal has been slammed by environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers who say the settlement is just a fraction of the billions of dollars New Jersey should have recovered.
"Today's decision by the court sadly rubber-stamps the Christie administration's sell-out settlement," said Doug O'Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. "This settlement still stinks."
The deal covered properties such as the gas stations that were not part of the lawsuit. It calls for the oil company to pay for environmental remediation at the sites for an as-yet-unknown cost.
Hogan opens his 81-page ruling with a quote from a previous, unrelated case: "Nearly any consent decree can be viewed simultaneously as `a crackdown or a sellout.'"
Hogan presided during 66 days of trial from January 2014 to September 2014 that included dueling damage estimates from experts hired by the state and Exxon. He said he was just beginning to work on a ruling when he received notice that the state and Exxon had reached a settlement in February 2015.
His decision to approve came after a 60-day public comment period, in which the vast majority of more than 16,000 public comments opposed the settlement, Hogan wrote.
He goes into detail in the ruling breaking down negotiations between Exxon and the state - New Jersey had asked for about $550 million under Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in 2008, Exxon started with an offer of $0 - and cites the more than $257 million in remediation work that an Exxon project manager said the company had done at the sites from 1991 through December 2014.
Democratic State Sen. Raymond Lesniak dismissed that work, which opponents point out was part of separate court orders from 1991.
"It's not significant," said Lesniak, a likely 2017 gubernatorial candidate who represents the area around the Bayonne and Bayway sites. "They've been polluting that site for over a century."
Lesniak and environmental groups said they plan to appeal, although the environmental groups will first need an appeals court to grant them permission to intervene in the case.
Under law, about $50 million of the settlement will go toward site remediation. Another roughly $50 million will go toward the state's private legal costs. The rest is slated to go into the state's general fund.
Todd Spitler, a spokesman for Exxon, said the settlement brings the case to a "fair and reasonable conclusion."
"Both parties will now have the benefit of the certainty and finality that comes from this settlement," he said.
© 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

New Jersey Reaches Settlement With Exxon Over Pollution

New Jersey Reaches Settlement With Exxon Over Pollution. After originally...

Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected. One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to pay developing countries to stop cutting down trees.

A Washington-based think tank is urging action on <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=climate+change&amp;cvid=e638463cc6dc4ea8b66bfdc503967f0e&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">climate</a> change.

In a <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.cgdev.org/publication/future-forests-emissions-tropical-deforestation-carbon-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">new study</a>, researchers at the Center for Global Development predict 714 million acres of tropical forests -- enough to cover all of India -- will be felled by 2015.

Such losses would be devastating for flora and fauna in some of the planet's most biodiverse regions, but it would also further accelerate climate change. Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected.

If leaders don't take steps to protect the tropical forests of <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/destructive-seasonal-floodwaters-in-west-africa/">Africa</a>, Asia and South America, scientists at CGD warn that deforestation will release another 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Making matters worse, a significant portion of Earth's most effective carbon sink will be gone.

The predictions are based on the analysis of environmental economists at CGD, armed with data and satellite imagery collected from more than 100 countries. Using the imagery, scientists measured rates of deforestation and extrapolated future trends.

The report's authors say it's not too late to act. Earth's political and economic leaders can protect the planet's tropical forests by placing a price on carbon -- either through taxes or emissions reduction payments.

One possible solution, researchers say, is for wealthier nations to pay developing countries to stop cutting down trees.

"Conserving tropical forests is a bargain," report author Jonah Busch, CGD research fellow and environmental economist, <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.cgdev.org/article/new-research-shows-forests-will-disappear-faster-we-thought-now-time-put-price-carbon" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a press release</a>. "Reducing emissions from tropical deforestation costs about a fifth as much as reducing emissions in the European Union."

"The Paris climate agreement needs to provide funding and other resources to stop tropical deforestation," research associate Jens Engelmann added. "A climate agreement without robust action on forests will simply not be enough."

---

Credit: UPI

Study: Tropical Forests Disappearing Faster Than Expected. One possible solution,...

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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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
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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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

[sendtonews key="iuA5mpp3jv-1641775-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" 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 Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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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

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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



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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

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

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