Thought Mars was just a barren, rusty desert? Well, it may be time to rewrite the science textbooks. NASA's Perseverance rover has thrown us a curveball, a potentially discovering remnants of microbial life in a rock on Mars that may revolutionize our understanding of life beyond Earth.



Enter the 'Cheyava Falls' -- an oddly intriguing rock discovered on Mars, bearing tantalizing hints pointing towards the possibility of ancient microbial life.



“We have designed the route for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-perseverance-rover-now-uses-ai-search-minerals-life-on-mars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Perseverance</a> to ensure that it goes to areas with the potential for interesting scientific samples,” explained Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at <a href="https://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA Headquarters</a> in Washington.



“This trip through the Neretva Vallis riverbed paid off as we found something we’ve never seen before, which will give our scientists so much to study.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-life-on-mars-in-cheyava-falls-rock">Life on Mars in Cheyava Falls rock?</h2>



Located on the northern edge of the Neretva Vallis, an ancient Martian river valley, the Cheyava Falls rock is unique. Its characteristics have tickled the curiosity of scientists and have led to the detection of organic compounds within it.



The rover's scientific instruments, including <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/jpl/the-detective-aboard-nasas-perseverance-rover/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SHERLOC</a> (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman &amp; Luminescence for Organics &amp; Chemicals), have detected organic compounds within the rock.



These compounds, considered the building blocks of life, raise the <a href="https://youtu.be/I7v_xuCDwnM?list=PLTiv_XWHnOZqCrMU2ppcLjRn1zlDkNx3q" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tantalizing possibility that Mars may have once harbored life</a>.



“This is the kind of key observation that SHERLOC was built for -- to seek organic matter as it is an essential component of a search for past life,” enthused SHERLOC’s principal investigator Kevin Hand of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (<a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JPL</a>) in Southern California, which manages the mission.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extraordinary-rock-in-jezero-crater">Extraordinary rock in Jezero Crater</h2>



Cheyava Falls is no ordinary rock, as described by Ken Farley, the Perseverance project scientist from Caltech, "the most puzzling, complex, and potentially important rock yet <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lake-sediments-found-in-jezero-crater-hint-at-past-life-on-mars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">investigated by Perseverance</a>."



This unusual rock sports several intriguing features including colorful spots that hint at chemical reactions, evidence of past water flow, and the presence of organic material.



These elements, in combination, suggest that Cheyava Falls may be a link to Mars' ancient past and its mysteries.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mars-rock_Cheyava-Falls_Jezero-Crater_leopard-spots_ancient-life_Perseverance-rover_NASA_1s.jpg" alt="&quot;Leopard spots&quot; hint at microbial life on Mars in reddish rock named &quot;Cheyava Falls&quot; in Jezero Crater on Mars. Credit: NASA" class="wp-image-1939965"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">"Leopard spots" hint at microbial life on Mars in reddish rock named "Cheyava Falls" in Jezero Crater on Mars. Credit: NASA</figcaption></figure>



“On the one hand, we have our first compelling detection of organic material, distinctive colorful spots indicative of chemical reactions that microbial life could use as an energy source, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/perseverance-rover-samples-bunsen-peak-rock-jezero-crater-martian-lake/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">clear evidence that water</a> -- necessary for life -- once passed through the rock," Farley expounded.



"On the other hand, we have been unable to determine exactly how the rock formed and to what extent nearby rocks may have heated Cheyava Falls and contributed to these features.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-building-blocks-of-life-in-mars-cheyava-falls-rock">Building blocks of life in Mars' Cheyava Falls rock</h2>



The rock features large white veins of calcium sulfate running along its length. Between these veins are reddish bands, indicating the presence of hematite, a mineral that contributes to Mars' characteristic rusty color.



Upon closer inspection, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-curiosity-rover-makes-surprising-find-under-martian-rock-sulfur-crystals/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Perseverance discovered</a> numerous irregularly shaped, millimeter-sized off-white splotches surrounded by black material, resembling leopard spots. 



Using the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/heres-how-ai-is-changing-nasas-mars-rover-science" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PIXL</a> (Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry) instrument, Perseverance found that these black halos contain iron and phosphate.



What adds another layer of complexity to the mystery is the presence of iron, phosphate, and possibly hematite -- minerals often linked to biological processes.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mars-rock_Cheyava-Falls_Jezero-Crater_leopard-spots_ancient-life_annotated_Perseverance-rover_NASA_1s.jpg" alt="&quot;Leopard spots&quot; hint at microbial life on Mars in reddish rock named &quot;Cheyava Falls&quot; in Jezero Crater on Mars. Credit: NASA" class="wp-image-1939963"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">"Leopard spots" hint at microbial life on Mars in reddish rock named "Cheyava Falls" in Jezero Crater on Mars. Credit: NASA</figcaption></figure>



David Flannery, an astrobiologist from the <a href="https://www.qut.edu.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queensland University of Technology</a>, chimes in, "On Earth, these types of features in rocks are often associated with the fossilized record of microbes living in the subsurface."



This discovery has sparked a flurry of questions and hypotheses.



Was Cheyava Falls the result of mud with organic compounds hardening into rock, with subsequent fluid flows depositing the calcium sulfate veins?



Or could the olivine crystals in the veins actually be magma remnants, suggesting a wholly different formation process?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-returning-rocks-a-giant-leap-in-space-exploration">Returning Rocks: A Giant Leap in Space Exploration</h2>



To crack this Martian mystery, the scientific community needs more than just remote data.



“We have zapped that rock with lasers and X-rays and imaged it literally day and night from just about every angle imaginable,” Farley concluded.



“Scientifically, Perseverance has nothing more to give. To fully understand what really happened in that Martian river valley at Jezero Crater <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mars-may-have-once-been-a-cradle-for-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">billions of years ago</a>, we’d want to bring the Cheyava Falls sample back to Earth, so it can be studied with the powerful instruments available in laboratories.”



The return of Martian samples marks a significant milestone in planetary science. With these samples on Earth, researchers can use advanced technologies to examine the rock's composition, structure, and potential biological signatures more closely.



This could finally answer questions about the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/searching-for-life-on-mars-quest-continues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">presence of ancient life on Mars</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-uncharted-territory-where-do-we-go-from-here">Uncharted territory: Where do we go from here?</h2>



As the Perseverance mission ventures further into the Martian landscape, we wait with bated breath for the next reveal. Its methodical, inch-by-inch exploration adds to our knowledge about Mars' past and its potential to support life.



The Cheyava Falls discovery has brought with it an exhilarating mixture of challenges that scientists are chomping at the bit to solve.



Whether or not life ever existed on Mars, the contributions of the Perseverance and future missions will continue to enrich our understanding of Mars and the wider cosmos.



As we delve deeper into the Martian mysteries and set our sights on other celestial bodies, we can expect to uncover more secrets about our solar system's history and the potential for life beyond Earth.



So, the next time you're stargazing, remember: The universe is full of mysteries, and we've only just started the journey. Imagine what we’ll find next!



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NASA: Perseverance rover finds best evidence yet for life on Mars

Thought Mars was just a barren, rusty desert? Well, it may be time to rewrite the science textbooks. NASA's Perseverance rover has thrown us a curveball, a potentially discovering remnants of microbial life in a rock on Mars that may revolutionize our understanding of life beyond Earth. Enter the 'Cheyava Falls' -- an oddly intriguing rock discovered on Mars, bearing tantalizing hints pointing towards the possibility of ancient microbial life. “We have designed the route for Perseverance to ensure that it goes to areas with the potential...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> (UBC) has found that the re-entry of abandoned stages of rockets left in orbit from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/space-tourism-may-damage-the-climate/">space</a> launches have a six to ten percent chance of severely injuring or even killing a human being over the next decade. According to the experts, governments need to take collective action and mandate that rocket stages are guided back to Earth safely after their use. While this would increase the costs of launches, it could potentially save lives.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Is it permissible to regard the loss of human life as just a cost of doing business, or is it something that we should seek to protect when we can? And that’s the crucial point here: we can protect against this risk,” said study lead author Michael Byers, an expert in Political Science at UBC.



When objects such as satellites are launched into space, they use rockets, parts of which are of frequently left unattended in orbit. If these leftovers have a low enough orbit, they can re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere in an uncontrolled way, with potentially lethal pieces hurtling toward the ground.



By using over 30 years of data from a public satellite catalogue, the scientists calculated the potential risk to human life over the next decade of uncontrolled rocket body re-entries, and found that current practices have a six to ten percent chance of one or more casualties, if each re-entry spreads, on average, dangerous debris over a ten meters squared area. 



Although major space-faring nations are located in the north, this risk will be borne disproportionately by the global south, with rocket bodies being about three times more likely to land in Jakarta, Lagos, or Dhaka than New York, Moscow, or Beijing, due to the distribution of orbits used when launching satellites.



“Risks have been evaluated on a per-launch basis so far, giving people the sense that the risk is so small that it can safely be ignored,” said study co-author Aaron Boley, an associate professor of Physics and Astronomy at UBC. “But the cumulative risk is not that small. There have been no reported casualties yet, and no mass casualty event, but do we wait for that moment and then react, particularly when it involves human life, or do we try and get in front of it?”



While technology and mission designs which can largely remove these risks already exist – such as having engines that reignite, as well as extra fuel to guide the rocket parts safely to remote ocean areas - they are quite expensive. Currently, there are no multilateral agreements mandating companies to make such changes.



“Those national governments whose populations are being put at risk should demand that major spacefaring states act, together, to mandate controlled rocket re-entries, create meaningful consequences for non-compliance, and thus eliminate the risks for everyone,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01718-8">Nature Astronomy</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Space rocket debris could soon turn deadly

A new study led by the University of British Columbia...

The rise in anti-science attitudes has been amplified by modern day <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/americans-stressed-out-politics/">politics</a>, a potent force in the growing rejection of science. Three researchers who study attitudes and persuasion explain the rise in anti-science beliefs today and what can be done about it.



“The classic work on persuasion still applies to what we’re seeing today as many people reject the science of vaccines, climate change and other subjects,” said study lead author Aviva Philipp-Muller. “But there are evidence-based strategies that can work for increasing public acceptance of science.”



Anti-science beliefs are built on four foundations: the idea that scientific sources lack credibility; identifying with groups that have anti-science attitudes; a scientific message that contradicts a person’s current beliefs; and a mismatch between how a message is presented and a person’s style of thinking.



“What all four of these bases have in common is they reveal what happens when scientific information conflicts with what people already think or their style of thought,” said study co-author Richard Petty, professor of Psychology at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a>.



The researchers note that there has been a significant increase in anti-science attitudes in the past decades. Most recently, the sudden growth of anti-vaccination groups in the United States and other countries.&nbsp;



The rise of social media and a greater variety of news sources are some of the biggest influencing factors on anti-science beliefs. The experts also point to the growing importance of political ideology in the modern world.



“Politics were always around, and people had political views, but politics didn’t permeate everything. Science and scientific beliefs were separate from politics at one time, but not anymore,” said Professor Petty.



Today, politics is at the core of an individual's identity, and ideology affects how someone responds to scientific evidence that has been politicized, such as climate change. It can be easier for some to reject science rather than overturn their political beliefs. As a result, politics can trigger or amplify basic mental processes across all four bases of anti-science attitudes, Philipp-Muller said.



For example, take source credibility. Research shows that people see others with similar political views as more expert and knowledgeable. Because liberals and conservatives find different news sources credible, they expose themselves to different sources of scientific information – and misinformation.



“Social media platforms like Facebook provide customized news feeds that means conservatives and liberals can get highly varied information,” said Philipp-Muller.



To address key principles driving anti-science beliefs, research on persuasion and attitudes can help. Converting messages that understand opposing viewpoints should be considered. For example, messages on preventing the spread of COVID-19 can acknowledge that wearing masks can be uncomfortable, but this is a small discomfort that goes a long way to prevent the spread of disease.



Another key is to find common ground with people who reject science – even if what you have in common has nothing to do with science.



“People get their defenses up if they think they are being attacked or that you’re so different from them that you can’t be credible,” said Professor Petty.



The experts hope more scientists learn about the psychology of how to communicate about their work to different audiences, including those who might be skeptical.



“There’s an opportunity to counteract the anti-science attitudes and sentiment that is out there," said Philipp-Muller. "We have to use evidence-based strategies to increase public acceptance of science.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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

What is causing a rise in anti-science beliefs?

The rise in anti-science attitudes has been amplified by modern...

Astronomers from <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">MIT</a> report today that they have discovered a mysterious signal with a pattern akin to a heartbeat, emanating from a far-off galaxy that is billions of light-years from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-likely-contributed-to-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">Earth</a>. Exactly what the source may be of this regular pulse of radio waves remains a mystery, as it is the first time that such a signal has been recorded.&nbsp;



They have identified the signal as a fast radio burst (FRB), which is typically an intensely strong burst of radio waves of unknown astrophysical origin that lasts only a few milliseconds at most. This new signal, labelled FRB 20191221A, is unusual, because it persists for up to three seconds, which is about 1,000 times longer than the average FRB. Within this time, there are shorter bursts of radio waves that repeat every 0.2 seconds in a clear periodic pattern, similar to that of a beating heart.&nbsp;



Since the first FRB was discovered in 2007, hundreds of similar radio flashes have been detected across the universe, most recently by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, or CHIME, an interferometric radio telescope that is located at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in British Columbia, Canada. CHIME is designed to pick up radio waves emitted by hydrogen in the very earliest stages of the universe, but the telescope is also sensitive to fast radio bursts. Since it began observing the sky in 2018, CHIME has detected hundreds of FRBs emanating from different parts of the sky.



The vast majority of FRBs observed to date are ultrabright bursts of radio waves that last for a few milliseconds only. Recently, however, researchers discovered the&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2020/astronomers-rhythm-radio-waves-0617">first periodic FRB</a>&nbsp;that appeared to emit a regular pattern of radio waves. This signal consisted of a four-day window of random bursts that then repeated every 16 days. This 16-day cycle indicated a periodic pattern of activity, although the signal of the actual radio bursts was random rather than periodic.&nbsp;



On Dec. 21, 2019, CHIME picked up the signal of a potential FRB, which immediately drew the attention of&nbsp;Daniele Michilli, a postdoc in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, who was scanning the incoming data.



“It was unusual,” he recalls. “Not only was it very long, lasting about three seconds, but there were periodic peaks that were remarkably precise, emitting every fraction of a second – boom, boom, boom – like a heartbeat. This is the first time the signal itself is periodic.”



Exactly what that source might be remains a mystery, though astronomers suspect the signal could emanate from either a radio pulsar or a magnetar, both of which are types of neutron stars – extremely dense, rapidly spinning collapsed cores of giant stars.&nbsp;



“There are not many things in the universe that emit strictly periodic signals,” says Michilli. “Examples that we know of in our own galaxy are radio pulsars and magnetars, which rotate and produce a beamed emission similar to a lighthouse. And we think this new signal could be a magnetar or pulsar on steroids.”



When they analyzed the pattern of FRB 20191221A’s radio bursts, Michilli and his colleagues found similarities with emissions from radio pulsars and magnetars in our own galaxy. The main difference, however, was that FRB 20191221A appears to be more than a million times brighter. Michilli says the luminous flashes may originate from a distant radio pulsar or magnetar that is normally less bright as it rotates and for some unknown reason ejected a train of brilliant bursts, in a rare three-second window that CHIME was luckily positioned to catch.



“CHIME has now detected many FRBs with different properties,” Michilli says. “We’ve seen some that live inside clouds that are very turbulent, while others look like they’re in clean environments. From the properties of this new signal, we can say that around this source, there’s a cloud of plasma that must be extremely turbulent.”



The team hopes to detect more periodic signals from this source, which could then be used as a type of astrophysical clock. For instance, the frequency of the bursts, and how they change as the source moves away from Earth, could be used to measure the rate at which the universe is expanding.



“This detection raises the question of what could cause this extreme signal that we’ve never seen before, and how can we use this signal to study the universe,” Michilli says. “Future telescopes promise to discover thousands of FRBs a month, and at that point we may find many more of these periodic signals.”



The discovery is reported today in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>, and is authored by members of the CHIME/FRB Collaboration, including MIT co-authors Calvin Leung, Juan Mena-Parra, Kaitlyn Shin, and Kiyoshi Masui at MIT, along with Michilli, who led the discovery first as a researcher at McGill University, and then as a postdoc at MIT.



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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

Mysterious radio “heartbeat” signal detected from distant galaxy

Astronomers from MIT report today that they have discovered a...

We all know rats can be taught to navigate mazes and do other tasks for food rewards, but can they teach each other to find <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-make-unhealthy-food-choices-based-on-their-emotions/">food</a>? A new study suggests that rats can, in fact, learn navigation through observation.&nbsp;



The research, published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience">Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience</a>, looked at how animals form mental maps using lab rats as a research model. Specifically, the scientists wanted to see if rats could learn about a physical space by watching another rat explore it rather than exploring it themselves. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Learning by observation is the most common form of learning from school to daily life,” said Dr. Thomas Doublet of the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a>. “We wanted to understand whether or not a spatial representation could be acquired remotely. This is important to understand how spatial representations can be generated and stabilized.”



To explore this question, rats were put into a two part cage, with an observer rat inside an internal clear cage, watching a rat explore the outer cage. The observer rat learned the location of food by watching the demonstrator rat in the outer cage.



Rats that had the benefit of watching a friend find the food were tested against naive rats who didn’t watch another find the food. Naive rats were found to be 12 percent successful compared to the 100 percent successful observer rats. This shows that rats can create mental navigation maps with only indirect experience to guide them Doublet explained,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Our study shows that the cognitive representation of a space formed by observation is stable and can be used by the animals to navigate more efficiently through the observed space,” said Dr. Doublet, “This study is a means to better understand how our brain represents the behavior of conspecifics, but also how our internal GPS works.”



The researchers say that the findings represent a step toward understanding how mental navigation works in animals but there’s still more research to be done before it’s fully understood. For one, it is still not known whether rats use the same neurons to create mental maps from observation as from their own experience.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How does mental navigation work in animals?

We all know rats can be taught to navigate mazes...

A new study published in the journal <a href="about:blank">Nature</a> has found that modern ocean <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emerging-issues-that-may-impact-marine-biodiversity-are-poorly-understood/">biodiversity</a> - which is currently at its highest level ever – was achieved through long-term stability of “biodiversity hotspots,” or regions where an exceptionally high number of different species co-exist.&nbsp;



The experts reached this conclusion by employing a pioneering computational model which reconstructs the diversity of marine animals from their origin about 550 million years ago to the present, based on plate tectonics and environmental factors, such as ocean temperatures and food supply. Since the history of diversity in the model is numerically simulated rather than reconstructed from fossil data, this method is free from the gaps and sampling biases characterizing the fossil record.



“The question is how did we get to where we are,” said study lead author Pedro Cermeño, a postdoctoral fellow in Marine Biology at the <a href="http://www.icm.csic.es/en">Institute of Marine Sciences</a> in Barcelona, Spain. “Gaps in the fossil record require the use of a new computational approach to reconstruct the history of life. Our model is able to recreate the geographic distribution of modern ocean diversity, especially the hotspots, and reveals the mechanisms that have created them.”



This new model can also shed more light on one of the most controversial questions in Evolutionary Ecology: whether or not there is a limit to the biodiversity that our planet can support. While some scientists argue that as diversity increases and biological competition intensifies, the process of diversification slows down to a halt, so that the emergence of new species depends upon the extinction of older ones, others claim that the Earth’s ecosystems are so heterogeneous that there will always be room for more species. 



The new model helps reconciling the two views, suggesting that while most of the oceans exhibit diversity levels far below their maximum potential, regions hosting biodiversity hotspots may be close to their limit.



Although ocean biodiversity is currently at its highest level, this may not last long, since human interference in the natural functioning of Earth’s systems has prompted what scientists call “the sixth great mass extinction.” According to the United Nations, over the last century as many species have already disappeared as those that would be extinguished in 10,000 years assuming a normal, non-extinction evolutionary scenario.



“Our study emphasizes that, if current trends continue, projected diversity loss can take millions of years to recover, arguably beyond our own existence as a species,” concluded co-author Michael Benton, a paleontologist at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Environmental stability helped ocean biodiversity flourish

A new study published in the journal Nature has found...

Purple sea <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-urchins-feet-see/">urchins</a> are currently munching their way through California’s kelp forests at an unprecedented speed and scale that has amazed scientists. However, since kelp forests have long been home to purple and red urchins, it is clear that the three species can get along. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara</a> (UCSB) has set out to investigate what prompts urchins to munch their way out of a home. They discovered that the availability of kelp scraps, or detritus, might be the deciding factor.&nbsp;



“Why is it that in some places urchins cause the demise of a kelp forest, and in other places urchins and kelp can coexist?” asked study senior author Adrian Stier, an associate professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at UCSB. “Our analysis shows what’s going on under the hood. It offers a lot more resolution in explaining when and where you might expect urchins to devour kelp.”



By combining laboratory experiments with two decades of field data, Professor Stier and his team discovered that the availability of kelp detritus alters the foraging behavior of urchins from passive feeding, when detritus is abundant, to active grazing of living kelp, when detritus is scarce. The analyses revealed that when urchin demand was greater than detrital supply, there was a stunning 50-fold decrease in the standing stock of kelp biomass.&nbsp;



Thus, the less kelp available to supply enough detritus, the more are urchins likely to venture out and forage on living kelp. This phenomenon creates a feedback loop that can push an ecosystem over a tipping point, causing a sudden shift in the composition of kelp-urchin communities.



These findings can inform how to effectively approach kelp forest management. “The study suggests that the places most likely to benefit from restoration are those with a hardy supply of detrital kelp coming from elsewhere,” Professor Stier explained. “The best place to restore kelp isn’t in the middle of an urchin barren, where there’s no kelp around. It’s actually in places that are closer to other kelp forests. So maybe we ought to try extending the leading edge of a given kelp forest nearby,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ecy.3673">Ecology</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Why are urchins sometimes feeding on living kelp?

Purple sea urchins are currently munching their way through California’s...

A recent study led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> has found that habitat shifts in populations of Amazonian <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-predators-have-outsmarted-monarch-butterflies/">butterflies</a> accurately predict changes in their brain structures, particularly in areas that process visual information. These findings provide strong evidence that habitat shifts are adaptive and that local adaptation to distinct light environments can occur at very small ecological scales.



“It was known that niche partitioning in complex habitats, like tropical rainforests, might pose perceptual challenges for the animals living in them,” said study lead author Benito Wainwright, a biologist at the University of Bristol. “Work on fish in freshwater ecosystems had previously shown that dramatic changes in light availability with depth can result in impressive visual adaptations, but little was known whether evolution could select for such adaptations in a terrestrial environment like a tropical forest.”



The scientists studied 160 samples across 16 species of Amazonian butterflies belonging to the Neotropical tribe called Ithomiini. The sample size makes this the largest neuroanatomical comparison undertaken for any type of insect. Habitat shifts were indicated by changes in mimicry patterns.&nbsp;



The results highlight the importance of visual ecology in adaptively shaping entire communities of closely related species in complex terrestrial ecosystems.&nbsp; In future research, the scientists aim to investigate sensory evolution across the entire community of butterflies to rigorously assess whether convergence in habit always predicts convergence in brain structure. &nbsp;



“In other words, we want to know whether when faced with the same perceptual challenges, species evolve sensory adaptations via similar mechanisms,” Dr. Wainwright explained. “We also wish to quantify the light environment within these forests to investigate to what degree small changes in forest structure affect the sensory environment.”&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;



Since Ithomiine butterflies play a crucial role in a large variety of tropical ecosystems, understanding their evolutionary responses can help make more accurate predictions on how sudden changes in the sensory environment may affect the composition of entire rainforests.



“Our work shows that the way species have evolved to process the world around them plays an important role in the way entire animal communities are structured. Natural selection can lead to adaptive change in brain structure over relatively short periods of evolutionary time,” Dr. Wainwright concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evo.14547">Ecology</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Habitat shifts change the brain structure of butterflies

A recent study led by the University of Bristol has...

In a new study published in the journal<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.847892/full?&amp;utm_source=Email_to_authors_&amp;utm_medium=Email&amp;utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&amp;utm_campaign=Email_publication&amp;field=&amp;journalName=Frontiers_in_Sustainable_Food_Systems&amp;id=847892"> Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems</a>, researchers have determined that in the face of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/unchecked-emissions-could-double-heat-related-child-mortality/">heat</a> stress due to climate change, soil quality - specifically its ability to hold water - will be a crucial factor in determining corn, soybean, cotton, and wheat success.&nbsp;



According to researchers, we are amid a food crisis. Climate change was responsible for the undernourishment of 750 million people in 2019. Moreover, they expect crop production to decrease by 25 percent within the next 25 years due to rising temperatures, and all while experts predict we need to double the current rate of food production by 2050 to feed a booming global population.



“At the same time that farmers are facing more extreme weather events caused by climate change they are dealing with the growing problem of soil degradation," said study first author Professor Debjani Sihi of <a href="https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory University</a>.



Moreover, we should consider that poor soil quality leads to the release of more carbon. “Keeping soil healthy is a key component needed to adapt to the climate crisis," said Sihi.



In the mainland United States, the researchers aimed to assess how climate and soil properties affect corn, soybean, cotton, and wheat yields over time. They gathered 34 years of data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and evaluated the impact of crop yields on several climate and soil variables.



The results of the study suggest that the most important climatic factor affecting crop production is rising temperatures, while water holding capacity was the most crucial soil property.



Furthermore, the authors found that reduced soil moisture doesn’t just affect short-term crop production. but also encourages further decline in crop production via degradation. 



“The take-home message is that farmers in regions facing added heat stress for their crops may want to proactively focus on the water-holding capacity of their soil," said Professor Sihi.&nbsp;



So how does this apply to the real world? Professor Sihi explains that clay soils and soil containing rich organic material hold water better than sandy soil. Therefore, farmers who have sand plots should consider modifications that improve water-holding capacity. For example, the use of mulch can reduce evaporation.&nbsp;



The researchers believe their findings will encourage decision-makers to adapt long-term sustainable crop management practices.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Soil quality can help crops survive rising temperatures

In a new study published in the journal Frontiers in...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reducing-air-pollution-boosts-brain-development-in-children/">Children</a> are making unhealthy food choices based on their emotions, and this is particularly the case on weekends, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/">Elsevier</a>. The research is the latest in a growing collection of studies that have linked negative emotions to excessive calorie intake and poor diet quality.



"Children are more likely to consume unhealthy foods on weekends when meals and snacks are less structured and supervised than on school days," said study lead author Christine Hotaru Naya of the University of Southern California. "We also focused on snack choices where children often make their own decisions."



The analysis was focused on nearly 200 children in third through sixth grades. The children used a mobile app to respond to questions seven times per day. They were asked if they were feeling sad, stressed, or mad.&nbsp;



The participants were also asked to report whether they had made any unhealthy eating choices from among fried foods, sweets, and sugary beverages over the previous two hours. Out of all of the food types examined, sweet food consumption was reported the most often - followed by chips, fries, and sugary beverages.



The experts identified three negative mood patterns among the children - stable low; early increasing and late decreasing; and early decreasing and late increasing.&nbsp;



"We found fried food consumption to be higher on days with more variable emotional patterns than days with consistent low negative mood," said Naya. "These results align with other studies that have found the negative mood to positively predict children's fatty food intake." Sweet food and soda consumption did not follow the same patterns in this study.



According to study co-author Daniel Chu, the research has several strengths, including that the results can be widely applied and tested in the family home. The results indicate that mornings and evenings are vulnerable periods when the change in negative emotions could influence food choices.



"More studies are needed for us to understand the relationship between a child's emotions and their food choices, but this is a good start on that path to recognizing how to approach food choices with a person's mood and emotions in mind," said Naya.&nbsp;



"We could improve our current interventions to be individually tailored to the environmental, social, emotional, and cognitive contexts in which unhealthy eating occurs."



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jneb.org/">Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior</a>.



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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

Children make unhealthy food choices based on their emotions

Children are making unhealthy food choices based on their emotions,...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/webb-will-completely-change-how-we-view-the-universe/">James Webb</a> Space Telescope has already provided us with the oldest view of our known universe, and the spacecraft was just recently launched in December. The telescope also captured this stunning image of the Carina Nebula, which is a huge cloud of gas and stars that are exploding into existence.&nbsp;



The photo reveals hundreds of new stars and numerous galaxies in the background of the nebula, as well as areas of star birth that were previously invisible. It is difficult to capture this stage of early star formation because it only lasts about 50,000 to 100,000 years for each star.&nbsp;



"What looks much like craggy mountains on a moonlit evening is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula," reports ESA.



"Called the Cosmic Cliffs, the region is actually the edge of a gigantic, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, roughly 7,600 light-years away. The cavernous area has been carved from the nebula by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from extremely massive, hot, young stars located in the center of the bubble, above the area shown in this image. The high-energy radiation from these stars is sculpting the nebula’s wall by slowly eroding it away."



The image was captured in infrared light by the Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) on the James Webb Space Telescope. ESA described several prominent features that can be found in the photo.



<ul><li>The “steam” that appears to rise from the celestial “mountains” is actually hot, ionized gas and hot dust streaming away from the nebula due to intense, ultraviolet radiation.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Dramatic pillars rise above the glowing wall of gas, resisting the blistering ultraviolet radiation from the young stars.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Bubbles and cavities are being blown by the intense radiation and stellar winds of newborn stars.</li></ul>



<ul><li>Protostellar jets and outflows, which appear in gold, shoot from dust-enshrouded, nascent stars.</li></ul>



<ul><li>A “blow-out” erupts at the top-centre of the ridge, spewing gas and dust into the interstellar medium.</li></ul>



<ul><li>An unusual “arch” appears, looking like a bent-over cylinder.</li></ul>



Located approximately 7,600 light-years from Earth, the Carina Nebula is visible from the Southern Hemisphere and can be found in the constellation Carina. The region is home to the unstable supergiant star known as Eta Carinae, which is famous for its unusual and bright outbursts.



---



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

The Carina Nebula like we've never seen it before

The James Webb Space Telescope has already provided us with...

A new population of blue whales known as "Chagos" pygmy blue whales was discovered in the Indian Ocean last year. They were found incidentally while monitoring nuclear bomb tests.&nbsp;



Researchers from UNSW Sydney analyzed 18 years of recordings and found that Chango whale song frequency has increased over the years. The experts hope that this indicates the species is rebounding after near <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-likely-contributed-to-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">extinction</a> due to hunting.&nbsp;



“We discovered different seasonal patterns of the whales on the west and east side of the island. We found that first of all, the amount of whale songs is increasing over the study period at both sites," said study lead author Lyra Huang.



"Secondly, they are mainly on the south-eastern side from September to November, and they then migrate to the north-western side and stay until February.”



“Our analysis shows that these movements are related to environmental factors such as sea surface temperature and food availability.”



The researchers also discovered that Chagos migrate from the south-eastern side to the north-western side of Diego Garcia Island in the Indian Ocean. Corresponding author,&nbsp; <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/staff/tracey-rogers">Professor Tracey Rogers</a>, explains their migration,



“<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-88062-5">Our earlier research</a> picked up these same whale songs up as far as Sri Lanka and across as far as the Western Australian coastline. This means these whales migrate across the Indian Ocean, which is really unusual for blue whales as they generally move north and south to and from Antarctica, but these guys are going east to west, and back again.”&nbsp;



“We see high concentrations of chlorohpyll-a [an indicator of krill] on the south-eastern side of the island which corresponds with times when there are more whale songs recorded there, but no correlation at the north-western side.”&nbsp;



“This tells us that the whales are most likely feeding on that south-eastern side and then migrating past the western side of the island.”



Currently, Chago whale populations are doing well, and the researchers are interested in how climate change will affect them.&nbsp;



“Oceanic conditions in the Indian Ocean are predicted to change under future climate scenarios," said Rogers. “So, it’d be really interesting to see how this newly discovered population is going to fare into the future – is that going to be better for them or will it be not as good? But at the moment, things seem to be going really well for them.”



This study has been published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.843875/full">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Shifting ocean conditions influence Chago whale migrations

A new population of blue whales known as "Chagos" pygmy...

Planet,Earth,Globe,View,From,Space,Showing,Realistic,Earth,Surface

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto</a> has found that the amount and location of land on a planet’s surface can have a significant impact on its habitability. By applying three-dimensional climate models to simulated Earth-like planets, the experts have identified substantial differences in surface temperature, sea-ice, and water vapor across these planets’ surfaces for different types of land configurations.



Many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-discovery-of-young-earth-like-planets-is-a-real-possibility/">planets</a> are tidally locked to their stars so that one side of the planet is always facing away – just like the “dark side of the Moon” always faces away from the Earth. This phenomenon creates permanent day- and nightsides on such planets, with all the energy received from the star directed towards the planets’ daysides. However, in order for a planet to support life, the climate must be at least to a certain extent regulated across its surface. Thus, the planet’s atmosphere and oceans need to redistribute part of the energy received from the star to the planet’s nightside.



The scientists have applied a three-dimensional climate model (<a href="https://github.com/alphaparrot/ExoPlaSim">ExoPlaSim</a>) to simulated Earth-like planets with two different dayside configurations: a circular continent in the middle of the dayside surrounded by ocean, and a circular ocean in the middle of the dayside surrounded by land everywhere else. In both cases, the size of the circle was varied in order to assess how the planet’s climate depends on the amount of land for each of the two configurations.



The results suggest that the amount of land, as well as its configuration have major effects on the surface conditions of the planet. For instance, for models with similar dayside land fractions but opposed configurations, the average surface temperature can change by up to 20 degrees Celsius. Thus, the amount of water vapor in a planet’s atmosphere – which is crucial for the planet’s habitability – strongly depends on the area of ice-free ocean on its surface. Moreover, planets with large patches of land have hotter and drier daysides with clouds and precipitation mostly confined to small central areas.&nbsp;



“Finding out whether life&nbsp;exists elsewhere in the universe&nbsp;is a key challenge of astronomy and science as a whole,” said study lead author Evelyn Macdonald, a graduate student in Planetary Physics at the University of Toronto.&nbsp;



“Our work demonstrates that the distribution of land on an Earth-like planet has a big impact on its climate, and should help astronomers looking at planets with instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope to better interpret what they're seeing,” she concluded.



The study was presented on Monday, July 11 at the <a href="https://nam2022.org/">National Astronomy Meeting</a> (NAM22) in Warwick.&nbsp;



---



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

The habitability of a planet is affected by the location of its land

A new study led by the University of Toronto has...

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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

[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

[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



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



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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



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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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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...