The Ediacaran Period, spanning from about 635 to 541 million years ago, marked a transformative era in the history of life on Earth. It was during this pivotal time that complex, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-capture-a-turning-point-in-the-evolution-of-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">multicellular organisms</a> emerged, setting the stage for the explosion of life that would follow.



According to a captivating study led by <a href="https://www.sas.rochester.edu/ees/people/faculty/tarduno_john/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John Tarduno</a>, the William Kenan, Jr. Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the <a href="http://www.rochester.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Rochester</a>, Earth's magnetic field was in a highly unusual state when the macroscopic animals of the Ediacaran Period diversified and thrived. 



The research raises the question of whether these fluctuations in Earth's ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/earths-magnetic-field-origin-structure-and-impact-on-humanity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">magnetic field</a> led to shifts in oxygen levels that may have been crucial to the proliferation of life forms millions of years ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ediacaran-fauna-were-earth-s-first-complex-lifeforms">Ediacaran fauna were Earth's first complex lifeforms</h2>



One of the most remarkable life forms during the Ediacaran Period was the Ediacaran fauna. As Tarduno explains, "They were notable for their resemblance to early animals -- some even reached more than a meter (three feet) in size and were mobile, indicating they probably needed more oxygen compared to earlier life forms."



The close timing between the appearance of the Ediacaran fauna and the ultra-low geomagnetic field motivated the researchers to revisit environmental factors, particularly atmospheric and ocean oxygenation, as potential drivers for the emergence of these complex life forms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-earth-s-protective-magnetic-field">Earth's protective magnetic field</h2>



About 1,800 miles below us, liquid iron churns in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-outer-core-is-its-largest-carbon-reservoir/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's outer core</a>, creating the planet's protective magnetic field. This invisible shield is essential for life on Earth, as it protects the planet from harmful radiation from the sun.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Deflecting solar wind and cosmic rays</h3>



The magnetic field's primary role is to deflect the high-energy charged particles that make up solar wind. Without this protection, these particles would strip away the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aerosol-formation-earths-lower-atmosphere-soas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's atmosphere</a>, exposing life on the surface to the full force of the sun's radiation. 



The magnetosphere also shields the planet from cosmic rays, which are high-energy particles originating from outside our solar system that can cause genetic mutations and damage to living organisms.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Preserving Earth's atmosphere and water</h3>



By deflecting harmful solar radiation and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breakthrough-surges-of-cosmic-radiation-from-space-directly-linked-to-earthquakes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cosmic rays</a>, Earth's magnetic field helps to preserve the planet's atmosphere and water. 



The atmosphere, in turn, shields life on Earth from the sun's ultraviolet radiation and helps to maintain a stable climate. 



The magnetic field also prevents the atmosphere from being stripped away by solar wind, which would lead to a gradual loss of water vapor and other essential gases.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Protecting Earth's ozone layer</h3>



The magnetic field also plays a crucial role in protecting Earth's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-ozone-hole-exposes-wildlife-to-harmful-uv-radiation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ozone layer</a>, which filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. 



Without the magnetic field, the ozone layer would be depleted by the constant bombardment of charged particles, exposing life on Earth to dangerous levels of UV radiation that can cause skin cancer and other health problems.



Earth's magnetic field is a vital component of the complex system that sustains life on our planet. However, Earth's magnetic field wasn't always as strong as it is today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-link-between-magnetic-field-strength-and-animal-life">Link between magnetic field strength and animal life</h2>



Researchers have proposed that an unusually low magnetic field might have contributed to the rise of animal life. However, examining this link has been challenging due to limited data about the strength of the magnetic field during the Ediacaran Period.



Tarduno and his team employed innovative strategies and techniques to study the strength of the magnetic field by examining magnetism locked in ancient feldspar and pyroxene crystals from the rock anorthosite. By dating the rocks, researchers can construct a timeline of the development of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-magnetic-field-much-older-than-previously-believed/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth's magnetic field</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-tech-tools-reveal-earth-s-weakest-magnetic-moment">High-tech tools reveal Earth's weakest magnetic moment</h2>



Using cutting-edge tools, including a CO2 laser and the lab's superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer, the team analyzed the crystals and the magnetism locked within with precision. 



Their data indicates that Earth's magnetic field at times during the Ediacaran Period was the weakest field known to date -- up to 30 times weaker than the magnetic field today -- and that the ultra-low field strength lasted for at least 26 million years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ediacaran-oxygen-boom-may-have-triggered-life-expansion">Ediacaran oxygen boom may have triggered life expansion</h2>



A weak magnetic field makes it easier for charged particles from the sun to strip away lightweight atoms such as hydrogen from the atmosphere, causing them to escape into space. 



If hydrogen loss is significant, more oxygen may remain in the atmosphere instead of reacting with hydrogen to form water vapor. These reactions can lead to a buildup of oxygen over time.



Tarduno and his team's research suggests that during the Ediacaran Period, the ultraweak magnetic field caused a loss of hydrogen over at least tens of millions of years. This loss may have led to increased oxygenation of the atmosphere and surface ocean, enabling more advanced life forms to emerge.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cambrian-explosion-saw-earth-s-magnetic-field-recover">Cambrian explosion saw Earth's magnetic field recover</h2>



Tarduno and his research team previously discovered that the geomagnetic field recovered in strength during the subsequent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-did-the-first-animals-appear-on-earth-we-are-now-one-step-closer-to-knowing-the-answer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cambrian Period</a>, when most animal groups begin to appear in the fossil record. The reestablishment of the protective magnetic field allowed life to thrive.



As Tarduno notes, "If the extraordinarily weak field had remained after the Ediacaran, Earth might look very different from the water-rich planet it is today: water loss might have gradually dried Earth."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ediacaran-magnetic-fields-and-life-beyond-earth">Ediacaran magnetic fields and life beyond Earth</h2>



The work suggests that understanding planetary interiors is crucial in contemplating the potential of life beyond Earth. 



"It's fascinating to think that processes in Earth's core could be linked ultimately to evolution," Tarduno says. "As we think about the possibility of life elsewhere, we also need to consider how the interiors of planets form and develop."



In summary, the study by John Tarduno and his team uncovers a fascinating link between Earth's magnetic field and the rise of complex life during the enigmatic Ediacaran Period. 



Their research deepens our understanding of the intricate interplay between our planet's core processes and the evolution of life while raising intriguing questions about the potential for life on other planets. 



As we continue to explore the mysteries of our own planet's history and search for signs of life beyond Earth, studies like this remind us of the complex and interconnected nature of the universe, urging us to consider the crucial role that planetary interiors play in the development and sustenance of life.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01360-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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Animals exist today because Earth had an issue 500 million years ago

The Ediacaran Period, spanning from about 635 to 541 million years ago, marked a transformative era in the history of life on Earth. It was during this pivotal time that complex, multicellular organisms emerged, setting the stage for the explosion of life that would follow. According to a captivating study led by John Tarduno, the William Kenan, Jr. Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rochester, Earth's magnetic field was in a highly unusual state when the macroscopic animals of the...

A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.991714">Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</a> has identified and discussed previously unknown high-altitude contests between two of America’s most impressive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-will-happen-if-modern-large-mammals-become-extinct/">mammals</a> – mountain goats and bighorn sheep – over access to minerals that were unavailable before because of to the presence of glaciers (which are now vanishing due to climate change). Moreover, the study also discusses other how several animal species contest access to other coveted resources, such as desert water and shade, in the brutal environments of Africa, Asia, and North America.&nbsp;



“While humans continue to be justifiably concerned about the climate-induced havoc we’re wreaking planet-wide, much has remained unknown about species aggression among our mammalian brethren,” said study lead author Joel Berger, a senior scientist at the <a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a> (WCS) and Chair of Wildlife Conservation at <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a> (CSU).&nbsp;



The scientists gathered fragmentary information dating backwards four decades, on species as diverse as marmots and baboons, oryx and elephants, and rhinoceros which, along with white horses, displaced native pronghorn, mule deer, or elk from desert waters.



The investigation revealed that mountain goats emerged victorious over bighorn sheep in over 98 percent of the contests at three sites along 900-miles gradient of above-treeline mountainous habitats from Colorado, U.S. to Alberta, Canada. While these goats are native to regions from northwestern U.S., they are exotic in Colorado or Wyoming, making scientists worry that they may displace or outcompete native bighorns.



Although the role of climate change on interactions to access resources remains largely unknown, it is clear that human activities have both increased and decreased access by wildlife to scarce resources such as minerals and water through road building and the construction of artificial water sources.



“It’s been exciting to gather data in wind, snow, and cold on goats and sheep in both Glacier and at Mt. Evans, Colorado, which reaches to more than 14,000 feet, [where] our observations both at close range and from distances of more than a mile provided unique opportunities for detecting and understanding ecological interactions,”&nbsp;said study co-author Forest Hayes, a doctoral student at CSU.&nbsp;



While climate may play a significant role in depleting valuable resources that wildlife need, humans may be a more immediate threat, as water use by people increasingly endangers local biodiversity. “If we can’t offer species other than ourselves a chance, we’re just cooking our fates along similarly destructive paths,” concluded Dr. Berger.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mammals fight over scarce resources in brutal environments

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology...

A new project will identify unique species and assess their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-whale-species-is-already-threatened-with-extinction/">extinction</a> risk. This work aims to help benchmark biodiversity change in the Arctic Ocean and guide conservation efforts.



Arctic ecosystems are among the most impacted by global warming. The Arctic Ocean is an indicator of climate change consequences, yet it remains one of the most poorly understood environments.&nbsp;



An international team of scientists developed an EcoOmics dataset that reveals a year in the biological life of the central Arctic Ocean with emphasis on microbiomes, communities of micro-organisms living together in a habitat. This dataset aims to support the shortage of antibiotics and antiviral medication, and reveal novel biology that could influence our understanding of the evolution of life on Earth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The team includes researchers from the German Helmholtz Association, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Joint Genome Institute (JGI, USA) and Earlham Institute (UK), as well as several other institutions.



Data samples will be used from the largest polar expedition in history, the study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) program. Hundreds of scientists coordinated marine, atmospheric, and sea-ice research to improve our understanding of the Arctic Ocean’s role in climate processes. This will help understand how sea ice and other organisms will sustain Arctic marine ecosystem services under climate change.



Marine microbes play pivotal roles in climate feedback and in sustaining food webs. They are central for conservation and ecosystem services. Microbes also serve as biological indicators due to their fast response to environmental change.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This is the first and largest effort to sequence the central Arctic Ocean through space and time,” said Professor Thomas Mock of the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a>. “MOSAiC gives us an important glimpse into the future of Arctic ecosystems beyond 2050, when the Arctic Ocean is predicted to be ice-free during summer. This integrative scientific approach is unprecedented for polar oceans, but it is needed to improve our projections of interacting species’ responses to climate change in the Arctic.”



The initial results provide the first evidence in the Arctic Ocean of habitat filtering - the process by which habitat characteristics select for species adapted to them. The team has also found that the central Arctic Ocean is a biological “treasure trove” which has evolved in order to thrive in the harsh environment.



“EcoOmics will contribute to conservation efforts and extend fundamental questions in biology including the evolution of life on planet Earth, which remains incomplete unless polar organisms are considered.” said Professor Mock.



“Those organisms are likely a treasure trove for discovering novel biology because of their unique adaptation. How our understanding of global biodiversity will be influenced by novel polar biology remains to be seen, but our preliminary insights hold great promise.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Arctic Ocean found to be a biological "treasure trove"

A new project will identify unique species and assess their...

New research highlights the potential for sexual transmission of monkeypox in humans. The 2022 monkeypox outbreak has been linked to sexual contact in patients through direct contact with bodily fluids and skin lesions. Understanding the biology of monkeypox <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smartphone-app-can-detect-covid-19-infection-in-your-voice/">infection</a> of the testes has substantial public health implications.



Investigators at the <a href="https://mrdc.health.mil/">U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases</a> (USAMRIID) analyzed tissue samples from crab-eating macaques, which serve as a primate model for studying the disease and the efficacy of vaccines and treatments against monkeypox.



“We examined tissue samples obtained during both the acute phase of the disease, when infection is at its peak, and the convalescent phase, when infection is gradually subsiding,” explained study senior author Dr. Xiankun (Kevin) Zeng. “We detected monkeypox virus in interstitial cells and seminiferous tubules of the testes, as well as the epididymal lumina, which are the sites of sperm production and maturation.”



The team also found evidence of persistent monkeypox infection in two macaques that survived the virus. While the virus cleared from most organs, it could be detected for up to 37 days post-exposure in the testes.



The USAMRIID team had previously demonstrated that other viruses, including Ebola, can persist in the organs of primates where the immune system is suppressed. Similar to humans, these immune privileged sites include the eyes, brain, and testes.



“Our data provide evidence that monkeypox virus may be shed into semen during both acute and convalescent stages of the disease in crab-eating macaques,” said Dr. Zeng. “It seems plausible, therefore, that human transmission in convalescent male patients might occur via semen.”&nbsp;



Further studies are needed to understand the origins and implications of viral DNA shed in semen, as well as to confirm whether semen from monkeypox patients contains infectious virus.&nbsp;



The researchers noted that the macaque model may not fully reflect monkeypox in humans. This is because the animals demonstrate a more severe disease than in humans.&nbsp; The incubation period in animals is also shorter.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/">Nature Microbiology</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Monkeypox may be sexually transmitted in humans

New research highlights the potential for sexual transmission of monkeypox...

Mortality rates increased in most countries due to the global Coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020. This led to changes in life expectancy that were more severe in some countries than in others. Previous global epidemics have seen life expectancies recover fairly rapidly afterwards, but this has not been the case in all countries as the current pandemic has progressed. New research published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01450-3">Nature Human Behavior</a>.has found that, in some countries, deficits in life expectancy continue to persist more than two years after the start of the pandemic.



Scientists from Oxford’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.demographicscience.ox.ac.uk/">Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.demogr.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research</a> used data from 29 countries, including those in Europe, as well as Chile and the U.S., to assess whether life expectancy had ‘bounced back’ to pre-pandemic levels. They found that life expectancy in 2021 remained lower than would be predicted across all 29 countries, had pre-pandemic trends continued. They say that COVID-19 has caused a protracted shock to life expectancy levels, leading to global mortality changes that are unprecedented in the last 70 years.



This finding about the magnitude and distribution of mortality due to COVID-19 confounds claims that the disease has had no more impact than a flu-like illness. Life expectancy losses during recurring flu epidemics over the second-half of the 20th&nbsp;century have been much smaller and less widespread than those seen in the current pandemic.



The researchers identified a clear geographical divide between Western and Eastern European countries that appeared in 2021. Those in Western Europe experienced life expectancy bounce backs from the sharp losses in 2020. Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and France saw complete bounce backs, and returned to pre-pandemic (2019) life expectancy levels. England and Wales, on the other hand, saw partial bounce backs from 2020 levels in 2021. Life expectancy in Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, still remained at the same depressed level as seen in 2020.&nbsp;



But Eastern Europe and the U.S. witnessed worsening or compounded losses in life expectancy over the same period. The scale of life expectancy losses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Europe were akin to those last seen at the break-up of the Soviet Union, according to the research.&nbsp;



The authors state that this East-West difference in life expectancy during COVID-19 generally reflects bigger losses in countries that had lower pre-pandemic life expectancy levels to start with. Bulgaria was the worst-hit of the countries studied, with a decline in life expectancy of nearly 43 months, over two years of the pandemic. Furthermore, the study’s results show that “Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia suffered substantially higher life expectancy deficits in 2021 compared to 2020, indicating a worsening mortality burden over the course of the pandemic.”



There was also an apparent vaccination effect that followed the same East-West divide in Europe. Countries with higher proportions of fully vaccinated people experienced smaller life expectancy deficits. Older people, especially those over 80 who had seen the bulk of deaths in 2020, benefitted from vaccine protection and suffered less excess mortality in 2021.



“A notable shift between 2020 and 2021 was that the age patterns of excess mortality shifted in 2021 towards younger age groups, as vaccines began to protect the old," said study co-author <a href="https://www.demographicscience.ox.ac.uk/ridhi-kashyap">Dr. Ridhi Kashyap</a>. But there were ‘outliers’ that had surprisingly high life expectancy deficits, in spite of high vaccination rates.&nbsp;



“Finer-grained details of the age prioritization of vaccine roll-out and the types of vaccines used may account for some of these differences, as well as correlations between vaccine uptake and compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions or the overall health care system capacity," explained study co-author Dr. Jonas Schöley.&nbsp;



“Countries, such as Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium and France, managed a recovery to pre-pandemic levels of life expectancy because they managed to protect both the old and the young.”



The research team expresses concern about the possible wider international impact of the pandemic. “In 2020, losses in life expectancy suffered in Brazil and Mexico exceeded those experienced in the U.S., so it is likely these countries may have continued suffering mortality impacts in 2021 – even potentially exceeding the 43 months we estimated for Bulgaria," said study co-author&nbsp;<a href="https://www.demographicscience.ox.ac.uk/jose-manuel-aburto">Dr. José Manuel Aburto</a>.



‘It is plausible that countries with ineffective public health responses will see a protracted health crisis induced by the pandemic with medium-term stalls in life expectancy improvements, while other regions manage a smoother recovery to return to pre-pandemic trends," wrote the researchers.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

COVID-19's impact on life expectancy is worse than anticipated

Mortality rates increased in most countries due to the global...

By examining data on the past four decades of hurricane activity and the conditions that shaped them, a team of researchers from Department of Energy’s <a href="https://www.pnnl.gov/">Pacific Northwest National Laboratory</a> (PNNL) has found that the U.S. Atlantic Coast is becoming a breeding ground for rapidly intensifying massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricanes-stronger-climate-change/">hurricanes</a>, due to climate change and other environmental conditions that beget increasingly severe storms.



“Our findings have profound implications for coastal residents, decision- and policy-makers,” said study lead author Khartik Balaguru, a climate scientist at PNNL. “And this isn’t specific only to the Atlantic. It’s happening in several prominent coastal regions across the world.”



According to Dr. Balaguru and his colleagues, climate change is the key factor influencing the severity of hurricanes. As temperatures rise, the Earth’s surface warms, with land becoming significantly warmer than the sea. As greenhouse gases continue to build, the temperature difference between warmer land and cooler sea increases substantially.&nbsp;



“Unlike the ocean with unlimited water supply, there’s much less water in soil. That means the land can’t evaporate as much water, so it can’t get rid of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases as quickly as the ocean,” explained study co-author Roby Leung, an atmospheric scientist at PNNL.



The higher-pressure air over the cooler sea blows inward, toward lower-pressure land areas, while the Earth’s rotation guides these winds in a cyclonic, twisting direction, thus strengthening what scientists call “vorticity” – a spinning motion of air that sucks up warm, moist air and convert its energy into damaging winds. As moist air rises inside the hurricane’s core and cools towards the top, water vapor condenses and emits heat which, in its turn, warms nearby air, causing it to ascend further, invigorating the storm.&nbsp;



Although vertical wind shear can throw a wrench into this “heat engine”&nbsp;– as hurricanes are often described – by injecting dry air into the storm’s core, this negating force has unfortunately weakened on the Atlantic Coast over the past decades.&nbsp;



“The nearshore environment has absolutely become more favorable for hurricanes near the Atlantic Coast, and that’s very consistent with the rising hurricane intensification we’ve observed in the region,” said Dr. Balaguru.



By using models depicting the consequences of climate change on these factors, the scientists found that wind shear will continue to weaken on the Atlantic Coast, while the atmospheric humidity and nearshore vorticity will increase, bringing even greater chances of wetter, faster-developing hurricanes by the end of the century. Although this research has only focused on the northern hemisphere, one could expect similar phenomena in the southern hemisphere too, Dr. Balaguru concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hurricanes will continue to become more intense

By examining data on the past four decades of hurricane...

At the beginning of 2021, a team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) has identified a new species of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/killer-whales-have-close-friendships/">whales</a> in the Gulf of Mexico, which they called Rice’s whale or the Gulf of Mexico whale. This majestic animal can grow up 42 feet in length and weighs 60,000 pounds (roughly the weight of a firetruck). Unfortunately, these whales are at risk of extinction, the entire species currently consisting of just about 50 individuals.



On Thursday, October 13, 2022, more than 100 marine scientists signed an open letter to the Biden administration, pleading for more protective measures for what they called “one of the most endangered marine mammal species” on Earth.



“Some of us have been trying to raise the profile of this whale for many years now,” said Peter Corkeron, a senior scientist and whale researcher at the <a href="https://www.neaq.org/">New England Aquarium</a>. Despite such efforts, many people remain completely unaware of the dangers Rice’s whales currently face. “It is really just the forgotten whale at the moment.”



In their letter, the scientists argued that, as the Biden administration considers additional offshore oil and gas drilling over the next few years, it should pay close attention to the hazards such projects may pose to Rice’s whale. “Continued oil and gas development in the Gulf represents a clear, existential threat to the whale’s survival and recovery,”&nbsp;the scientists warned.



Exposures to seismic air gun blasts accompanying oil and gas exploitation, as well as to oil spills, can severely impact the whales’ health and disrupt “activities vital to feeding and reproduction over large ocean areas.” Moreover, collisions with vessels can also pose significant dangers to these whales since, at night, they usually rest in the upper reaches of the ocean.



“A number of shipping routes traverse the whale’s habitat along the northern Gulf, and the collision risk is likely to increase with new offshore oil and gas development. With abundance so low, the loss of even a single whale threatens the survival of the species,” the researchers warned.



Although these whales were already declared as endangered in 2019 – meaning the government is now forced to monitor their status, designate their “critical habitats,” and develop a clear recovery plan – additional measures are urgently needed to safeguard this threatened marine mammal.



“Do we want the oceans to be places where whales can live and thrive, or not? If we don’t care enough to save them, that speaks volumes about who we all are,” Corckeron concluded.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New whale species is already threatened with extinction

At the beginning of 2021, a team of scientists from...

Recently, Alaska officials cancelled several <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-create-sustainable-batteries-from-crab-shells/">crab</a> harvests in an unprecedented conservation effort which sent shock waves through the region’s crabbing industry. After canceling the fall Bristol Bay red king crab harvest, the authorities have now announced - for the first time on record - that they will be holding off the winter harvest of snow crab too.



This major decision comes after massive crab populations declines over the past few years. For instance, data from a recent eastern Bering Sea survey conducted by the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) has shown a 92 percent decline in overall snow crab abundance between 2018 and 2021. Although some small crab entered the population in 2022, lowering this number to 83 percent, the situation continues to be dire, calling for urgent action such as that taken by the Alaska officials.&nbsp;



According to experts, snow crab populations dropped substantially after a 2019 Bering Sea warming, and their numbers continue to decrease due to environmental stressors such as warmer waters and increased threats from predators. “Management of Bering Sea snow crab must now focus on conservation and rebuilding given the condition of the stock,” the <a href="https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/">Alaska Department of Fish and Game</a> (ADF&amp;G) wrote in a recent <a href="https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/applications/dcfnewsrelease/1441272349.pdf">statement</a>.&nbsp;



“Efforts to advance our science and understanding of crab population dynamics are underway. With crab industry input, ADF&amp;G will continue to evaluate options for rebuilding, including potential for sustainably fishing during periods of low abundance.”



Since Bering Sea crab harvests grossed $280 million by 2016, and a fleet of about 60 vessels from Alaska, Washington, and Oregon typically pursue the crab during the winter season, the cancelling of this year’s hunt can significantly affect a large number of people who depend on these activities for their subsistence.



“It’s going to be life-changing, if not career-ending, for people. A lot of these guys with families and kids, there’s no option other than getting out. That’s where the hammer is going to fall –&nbsp;on the crew,” warned Dean Gribble Sr., a crab boat captain who has fished for snow crab since the late 1970s.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Alaska cancels snow crab season due to massive decline

Recently, Alaska officials cancelled several crab harvests in an unprecedented...

Snailfish are found in all of the world’s oceans, at depths varying from shallow intertidal to the deepest oceanic trenches. Of the approximately 400 identified species, 20 are known from the eastern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warming-pool-of-water-in-the-pacific-linked-to-human-activities/">Pacific</a>, off the west coast of South America. Although the shallow-living species are relatively well studied, those that inhabit the deepest oceanic habitat, known as the hadal zone, are not well known.



In 2018, an international team of scientists studied the fauna of the Atacama Trench, an expansive underwater subduction zone that runs along the west coast of South America and is as deep as the parallel-running Andes Mountains are high. The deepest regions of this trench, lying between 6,000 and 8,000 meters below sea level, fall in the hadal zone, where conditions are characterized by immense pressures, freezing cold temperatures and pitch darkness. It is no surprise that the fauna inhabiting this trench have not been studied very much.



The team of researchers, including Newcastle University scientists, used specially engineered underwater cameras and lights that were lowered to these depths on custom-made, free-falling landers. Bait, in the form of mackerel, was attached to the landers to attract organisms to the area, and traps enabled the collection of some of these. The two landers were lowered to the depths on 18 different occasions and recorded the presence of numerous small, deep-sea creatures that inhabit this inhospitable zone, including three different types of snailfish.



Previous investigations of deep-sea trenches in many locations have confirmed the importance of snailfish in the hadal zone. They are suction-feeding predators that prey on the many small amphipods (crustaceans) also inhabiting the depths. However, the true diversity and distribution of snailfish species, particularly in the deepest regions of the ocean, remain uncertain due to the scarcity of samples. From the camera footage the researchers identified one type of snailfish that was unfamiliar to them and appeared different from what they expected.&nbsp;



The small blue fish, seen between about 6,000 to 7,600 m in depth, didn’t look like other hadal snailfish. Instead of being pale in color with diminutive eyes, it was blue and had large eyes – unexpected for a creature that lives in total darkness. With these features, it resembled other species of snailfish that are found living in much shallower waters.&nbsp;



The team managed to trap one of these unfamiliar individuals and brought it to the surface. Although it died due to the extreme change in pressure, the researchers were able to use microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) and DNA analysis to compare the new species with other members of the snailfish family. In their description, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12526-022-01294-0">Marine Biodiversity</a>, they name the new species Paraliparis selti, with the specific name meaning ‘blue’ in the Kunza language of the indigenous peoples of the Atacama Desert.



To the team's surprise, the new species appears to be a separate colonizer of the Atacama Trench and marks a new lineage of deep sea snailfish. It is not directly related to the other species known from the area. Species in the genus Paraliparis are particularly abundant in the Southern Ocean of the Antarctic and are rarely found living at depths greater than 2,000 m. This is the first time that a species from this genus has been found inhabiting the hadal zone.&nbsp;



Study lead author, Dr Thom Linley, a visiting researcher at <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> said: “I find this family of fishes absolutely fascinating. They are not at all what we expect from a deep-sea fish and I love to show people that the world’s deepest fishes are actually pretty cute.”



“For me to get a camera down to where these animals live, it’s made of inches thick stainless steel and sapphire glass. It then films these delicate and beautiful animals perfectly adapted to this extreme environment. With engineering-built force we can only clumsily visit these animals for a short time.”



“We have been wondering for some time just what makes this type of fish so good at living deep. Maybe it was a series of lucky accidents, a chance fluke, that happened in one lineage. Finding this new species tells us that it’s bigger than that. Lightning struck twice and there is something special about this Family.”



“Paraliparis selti provides a fantastic opportunity to explore what allows fish to live so deep. If we only had a single lineage to study, we could never be sure which traits were just part of that lineage and which are the deep-sea secret sauce.”



The researchers conclude that the new species may have evolved from the cold-adapted species of the Southern Ocean, and its discovery and genetic data will help unravel how this group of remarkable fish have evolved, adapted, and diversified into the greater depths of the deep sea. This little blue fish opens new questions about the relationship between cold temperature and high-pressure adaptation and gives a new understanding of how and when life took to the deep.



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Blue snailfish discovered in the darkest ocean depths

Snailfish are found in all of the world’s oceans, at...

A Cambridge team has developed a new way to highlight the demise of nature – and people are listening. Driven by the observation that human activities are silencing nature, Dr. Matthew Agarwala is using sound to convey the enormity of biodiversity loss. The goal is to draw attention to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/non-native-species-can-have-unexpected-benefits/">species</a> recovery.



“Over the past century we have seen nearly a million species pushed to the brink of extinction – nature is going quiet,” said Agarwala, an economist at the University of Cambridge’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy.&nbsp;



The collaboration with composer Dr. Ewan Campbell is capturing the attention of new audiences. A piece of classical music, Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides Overture,' is linked to the loss of an iconic species: the North Atlantic humpback whale.



Inspired by his 1829 trip to a sea cave - Fingal’s Cave - Mendelssohn’s original music captures the vitality of the sea just before the introduction of mechanized industrial fishing.



The 30,000 notes in the original music score is the approximate number of humpback whales in 1829, when the piece was written. Extensive commercial whaling led to a dramatic decline in the whale population.&nbsp;



By 1920, two-thirds of all humpback whales were gone. The resulting piece, ‘Hebrides Redacted,' is a dramatically simple way for audiences to grasp the enormity of biodiversity loss over time.



Researchers have long been sounding the alarm on biodiversity loss, but the message isn’t landing. The project relies on the visceral and emotional response to music that grabs attention in ways that scientific papers do not.



A short film about the music and its impact on audiences has been<a href="https://climatechangefestival.zero.cam.ac.uk/events/world-premier-hebrides-redacted"> released online</a> as part of the Cambridge Zero Climate Change Festival. The audience response was overwhelmingly positive – and the piece received a standing ovation.



“It really was an uninitiated audience at the Wilderness Festival - people were there for a good time, not to be told that the world is falling apart through the medium of music from the 19th century. But somehow it worked,” said Dr. Campbell, Director of Music at Churchill College and Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.



The duo drew attention to policies needed to help humpback whale populations recover. The last part of the piece looks into the future, predicting an optimistic eight percent rise in whale population every decade. “We can see when the oceans are better managed, whale populations can start to rebound,” said Dr. Agarwala.



Marine protected areas could protect food chains, re-route maritime freight to reduce the number of whales struck by ships, and minimize ocean pollution to allow the humpback whale population to fully recover. And so their music does the same.



“But even in the face of devastating destruction, nature is resilient and always beautiful, and so even when two-thirds of the music is absent there’s still a delicate beauty, though a pale imitation of its once dramatic glory,” said Dr. Campbell. In this way, the piece shows how human activities have silenced nature.



Agarwala and Campbell are excited by the power of arts and sciences working together. The duo hopes that future projects will encourage policy-makers to take action.



The <a href="https://climatechangefestival.zero.cam.ac.uk/">Cambridge Zero Climate Change Festival 2022</a> includes a focus on ensuring the conversation around climate change is accessible to the general public. It runs from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th October.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Classical tune illustrates the loss of humpback whales

A Cambridge team has developed a new way to highlight...

According to a recent study led by the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>, “plant blindness” – or people’s lack of interest in and knowledge of the diversity of plants surrounding them – is caused by a lack of exposure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nurturing-benefits-of-nature-are-crucial-for-human-well-being/">nature</a>. The researchers say this condition could be “cured” by close contact with flora through activities such as wild food foraging. 



The experts argue that a lack of awareness and appreciation for native flora is not innate, but stems from diminished time spent in the proximity of plants, leading to the common misperception that plants are “less alive” – and consequently less important – than humans. Thus, the key to breaking the cycle of plant awareness disparity lies in introducing people to biodiverse places and changing their perceptions of the utility of various plants.



By examining 326 scientific articles published between 1998 and 2020, the scientists found that people had more interest, paid more attention, and were more likely to remember information about animals rather than plants. However, there was no concrete evidence that this was an innate characteristic of humans. By contrast, its main cause seemed to be the diminished experience of nature in urbanized societies.&nbsp;



Although children in particular tended to see plants as inferior to animals and were not able to identify many species, this phenomenon was also reported in adults, such as primary teachers who had not graduated in a scientific subject. However, older people appeared to have better plant knowledge, suggesting they were more likely to have nature-related hobbies.



Several of the examined studies argued that modernization and urbanization had a negative impact on plant knowledge, with the increased reliance on urban services reducing the utility of plant foraging. Moreover, school attendance and work diminished the time available to spend in nature, as well as the time spent with family, where oral transmission of plant knowledge from older adults to children used to be more widespread before.



“People living in highly industrialized countries have a plant attention deficit due to a decline in relevant experience with plants, as opposed to a cognitive impediment to the visual perception of plants. People living in rural communities in low and middle-income countries were more likely to have high plant knowledge due to a dependence on natural resources. Interestingly, economic development does not necessarily lead to this knowledge being lost if communities still have access to the biodiverse environments,” explained study lead author Bethan Stagg, an expert in Biology Education at Exeter.



“The key is to demonstrate some direct benefits of plants to people, as opposed to the indirect benefits through their pharmaceutical and industrial applications, or their value to remote, traditional societies. The level of botanical knowledge in younger generations is shown to be directly related to their perceived usefulness of this knowledge. Wild plant foraging shows considerable promise in this respect, both as a way of introducing people to multiple species and connecting them with some ‘modern-day’ health, cultural, and recreational uses,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10323">Plants People Planet</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

"Plant blindness" is caused by urbanization

According to a recent study led by the University of...

Bombus,Terrestrial,On,The,Flower,The,Buff,Tailed,Bumblebee,Or

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London</a> (QMUL) has found that bumblebees do not seem able to keep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insomnia-may-lead-to-memory-loss-in-adults/">memories</a> for how sweet a particular flower was, but instead only remember if it was sweeter than other flowers.



The researchers first trained bumblebees on two flowers, making them learn that one flower was sweeter than the other. Later on, they also learned that a third flower was sweeter than a fourth one. Then, the insects were given the choice between two of the flowers they had not seen together before, such as the first and the third, or the second and the third.



During the experiments, the bumblebees’ preferences indicated that they could only retain very basic ranking memories for the flowers for an extended period of time. While they could remember that a flower had been better or worse during the training phase, they did not seem capable of remembering for more than a few minutes how sweet or rewarding the flowers were on their own, or even how much sweeter they were compared to other flowers.



While humans and other animals, such as starlings, are able to keep memories for both absolute information (e.g. how sweet something is) and comparisons (if something is sweeter than something else), bumblebees seem unable to memorize absolute information.



“Our results reveal an intriguing divergent mechanism for how bumblebees retain and use information about options, compared to humans and birds,” said study co-lead author Yonghe Zhou, a doctoral student in Biological and Behavioral Sciences at QMUL.&nbsp;



&nbsp;“It may be that the different strategies used by bumblebees and humans may have evolved because of their different diets,” added study senior author Fei Peng, a psychologist at <a href="http://portal.smu.edu.cn/en/">Southern Medical University</a> in China. “Maybe because bumblebees evolved to mostly only eat flower nectar, they never needed to remember the details and could survive and thrive simply using simple comparisons.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Despite what may seem to be a poor memory strategy, bumblebees do very well in finding the most profitable flowers. It’s fascinating to consider how different animals, in their own ecological niche, can be similarly successful using such different strategies,” Yonghe concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/78525">eLife</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How does the memory of bumblebees work?

A new study led by the Queen Mary University of...

Currently, many large-bodied mammals are endangered. By examining past evidence about large mammal extinctions, a team of researchers led by the <a href="http://www.unm.edu/">University of New Mexico</a> (UNM) has analyzed the potentially profound impacts of losing animals such as elephants, rhinoceros, or lions – known in the scientific community as “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/megafauna-in-new-guinea-outlived-their-australian-relatives/">megafauna</a>” – on the ecosystems in which they are embedded.



“Humans are having drastic effects on large mammals, both directly, such as hunting, and indirectly through land use and climate change,” said Sam Scheiner, a program director in the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=DEB">National Science Foundation’s Division of Environmental Biology</a>. “This study shows that these effects can have profound impacts on ecosystems.”



According to study lead author Felisa Smith, a biologist at UNM, the current conservation status of large-bodied mammals is “dire.” Their massive decline “has serious consequences because they have unique ecological roles.”



“But this sort of biodiversity loss has happened before,” Smith explained. “Humans entering the Americas at the terminal Pleistocene around 13,000 years ago caused a widespread extinction of the large-bodied mammals present then through some of the same activities that endanger mammals today.”



The scientists used the fossil records documenting this earlier extinction event to examine what happened to the surviving animals, by focusing on a mammal community in the Edwards Plateau of Texas. They characterized their diets by measuring stable isotopes in fossil bones, and estimated their body sizes by measuring their teeth and long bones, thus managing to reconstruct the ancient food web of the Pleistocene to better understand how it changed after extinction.



“We [found] significant reorganization of the community, particularly among carnivores, a loss of ecological complexity, and many vacant niches. The loss of complexity likely meant a reduction in ecosystem resilience,” the author reported.



Such ecosystem consequences are likely to emerge now too, with the decline of elephant, giraffe, rhinoceros, and other large-bodied mammal populations. Since these animals play a critical role in influencing ecological interactions and biochemical cycles, their loss would severely de-structure the ecosystems in which they currently live.



“It is critically important to understand how the decline or potential extinction of Earth’s last remaining large-bodied mammals might change ecosystems. We can’t afford to lose these large-bodied mammals,” Smith concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2115015119">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> (PNAS).



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What will happen if modern large mammals become extinct?

Currently, many large-bodied mammals are endangered. By examining past evidence...

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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

[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

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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



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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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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



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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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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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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.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...