Consciousness is usually treated as a human problem, tied to brains and behavior. Yet for centuries some thinkers have quietly asked whether experience might reach far beyond our skulls, right down to the building blocks of matter. 



That radical possibility - panpsychism - holds that every bit of the universe possesses a flicker of experience, however faint.



Interest in the idea has surged again as researchers wrestle with the “hard problem of consciousness,” the stubborn mystery of how physical stuff gives rise to subjective feeling. 



If neurons alone cannot <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/conscious-awareness-when-does-our-sense-of-purpose-emerge/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fully explain awareness</a>, might awareness already be lurking everywhere, waiting to be arranged into minds like ours?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-panpsychism-through-the-ages">Panpsychism through the ages</h2>



The question is older than science itself. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales_of_Miletus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Thales of Miletus</a>, puzzling over magnets in the 6th century B.C., claimed they must carry a soul because they move iron. 



A generation later, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaxagoras" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anaxagoras</a> said that “everything contains a portion of mind,” foreshadowing today’s talk of micro-experiences combining into richer ones. 



Greek Stoics spoke of the universe as a living creature animated by “logos,” the rational breath binding all things. This principle was thought to permeate all matter, giving rise to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-urgent-plea-sustainable-climate-solutions-save-earth-humanity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interconnectedness</a> of all things.



<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plotinus" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Plotinus</a> kept the thread alive in late antiquity, arguing that the cosmos emanates from a single living “One.” 



His influence resurfaced in the Renaissance when <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bruno/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Giordano Bruno</a> pictured an infinite universe teeming with worlds, each ensouled. 



Such views clashed with the mechanistic models that soon powered modern science, but they never disappeared.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-magnets-to-monads">From magnets to monads</h2>



During the Enlightenment, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">René Descartes</a> sliced mind from matter, pushing consciousness into an immaterial corner. 



Even so, <a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/leibniz/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz</a> answered with “monads,” indivisible units that mirror the entire universe through their own tiny perception. 



By the late 19th century, William James, Gustav Fechner, and Alfred North Whitehead were again arguing that feeling might be woven into nature’s fabric instead of perched on top of it.



Their intuition found fresh urgency once Charles Darwin showed that life, and by extension minds, evolve. If consciousness blooms gradually, perhaps it never strictly begins; perhaps it intensifies as matter organizes itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-science-meets-philosophy-today">Science meets philosophy today</h2>



Modern neuroscience attacks the mystery head-on. <a href="https://www.psychiatry.wisc.edu/staff/tononi-giulio/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Giulio Tononi</a> at the University of Wisconsin put forward <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn.2016.44" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Integrated Information Theory</a> (IIT) in 2004, claiming that a system’s consciousness equals the amount of integrated information it generates, a value symbolized by “Φ.” 



High Φ signals a richer, more unified experience; low Φ signals a dim one. 



Crucially, IIT treats consciousness as “intrinsic and independent of external observers,” meaning it could arise in any structure - animal brains, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-imaging-method-will-unravel-mysteries-of-neural-processes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">artificial networks</a>, or, in principle, a block of silicon - if the informational web is tight enough.



Researchers are now testing IIT’s predictions with brain-stimulation experiments and computer models. 



Some early results suggest that loss of consciousness, as in deep anesthesia, coincides with a sharp drop in measurable integration. The data are tentative, but they push the theory beyond armchair speculation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inside-information-integration">Inside information integration</h2>



IIT also tries to map the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meditation-reveals-common-altered-states-of-consciousness/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quality of experience</a>: different shapes of integrated information should correspond to different qualia, the raw feelings of color, taste, or pain. 



That ambition draws praise for its clarity and criticism for its boldness. Skeptics note the difficulty of calculating Φ in real systems and ask whether the math truly captures subjective life. 



Yet the framework has already inspired machine-consciousness tests, raising practical as well as philosophical stakes.



If IIT holds up, panpsychism gains a scientific foothold, because the theory does not limit consciousness to biology. Wherever the right informational architecture appears, experience could spark.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quantum-puzzles-and-panpsychism">Quantum puzzles and panpsychism</h2>



A more controversial route links mind to quantum mechanics. 



Physicist Roger Penrose and anesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff propose the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1571064513001188" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Orchestrated Objective Reduction</a> (Orch-OR) theory, which places quantum computations inside neuronal microtubules. 



When enough microtubules entangle, they say, an “objective reduction” occurs, collapsing superposed states and producing a moment of awareness shaped by “quantum gravity.”



Many biophysicists argue that brains are too warm and noisy for prolonged quantum coherence and that microtubules are unlikely qubit hosts. 



Supporters counter with new work on room-temperature <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-to-life-on-earth-photosynthesis-begins-on-the-quantum-level-with-a-single-photon/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">quantum effects in photosynthesis</a>, suggesting nature might pull off similar tricks elsewhere. 



So far, definitive evidence for Orch-OR is missing, but the debate keeps the link between physics and consciousness on the table.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



Panpsychism alarms some thinkers who worry that ascribing feeling to atoms cheapens the concept of consciousness. 



The main technical hurdle is the “combination problem”: even if electrons feel a whisper, how do countless whispers merge into the loud voice of human thought? No consensus mechanism exists.



Still, the position refuses to die because it offers a clean way around dualism. If experience is not tacked onto matter but rides with it from the start, the gap between mind and world may shrink. 



Philosophers compare the shift to realizing that heat is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/no-electron-dancing-allowed-new-molecular-design-rules/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">molecular motion</a> rather than an extra substance called caloric. Whether the analogy holds is an open question, yet it shows why the stakes are high.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-next-for-panpsychism">What's next for panpsychism?</h2>



Future progress will rely on sharper experiments and clearer concepts. Neuroscientists are refining Φ-based metrics, while physicists hunt quantum signatures in biology. 



Philosophers, for their part, are re-examining ancient ideas with modern logic, asking whether panpsychism is a genuine explanation or a verbal sleight of hand.



Wherever the search leads, it forces us to face an unsettling possibility: consciousness might be less a rare jewel than a basic note in the cosmic score. 



If so, the challenge is not to grant minds to stones but to understand how nature composes simple tones into the symphony we call waking life.



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What if everything, from animals to plants to atoms, has consciousness? This theory is gaining momentum

Consciousness is usually treated as a human problem, tied to brains and behavior. Yet for centuries some thinkers have quietly asked whether experience might reach far beyond our skulls, right down to the building blocks of matter. That radical possibility - panpsychism - holds that every bit of the universe possesses a flicker of experience, however faint. Interest in the idea has surged again as researchers wrestle with the “hard problem of consciousness,” the stubborn mystery of how physical stuff gives rise to subjective feeling. If neurons...

For over a decade, scientists have captured mysterious radio signals traveling through space, unsure of their origin. Some experts think aliens might be emitting these fast radio bursts (FRBs) to contact Earth, while others believe black holes produce them.



Fast radio bursts (FRBs) were first detected in 2007. They are considered to be one of the biggest astronomical mysteries. We do not know their exact origins, only that they emanate from far outside of our galaxy.



Now, thanks to new research, we may finally have some information about what produces fast radio bursts. Findings from a recent study suggests they are caused by "starquakes" on spinning <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/echo-of-gravitational-waves-heard-for-the-first-time-finally-confirming-their-existence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neutron stars</a>, which possess the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-starquake-is-born">A starquake is born</h2>



The two-person research team from the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Tokyo</a>, led by Professor Tomonori Totani, analyzed the time and energy of about 7,000 FRBs previously reported in the literature. They identified similarities between fast radio bursts (FRBs) and earthquakes.



The goal of the research was to compare three phenomena –- earthquakes, solar flares, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fast-radio-bursts-are-even-more-mysterious-than-we-thought/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FRB</a>s. The experts performed a correlation function analysis of repeating FRBs in the 2D space of time and energy on these bursts, which covers the three known most active sources of FRBs.



They also applied the same approach in assessing the time-energy correlation of solar flares and earthquakes (using Japanese data).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-researchers-learned-nbsp">What the researchers learned&nbsp;</h2>



The properties of the bursts observed were quantitatively similar to those of earthquakes, but different from those of solar flares in several aspects.



"By examining the correlation functions in time-energy space, we found remarkable similarities between the statistical properties of FRBs and earthquakes, especially the laws on aftershock occurrence," said the researchers.



They also found that the correlation functions for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earths-largest-ever-solar-storm-discovered-through-tree-rings/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">solar flares</a> differ significantly from those of FRBs and earthquakes.



According to Professor Totani, "this strongly suggests the existence of a solid crust on the surface of neutron stars, and that starquakes suddenly occurring on these crusts releases huge amounts of energy which we see as FRBs."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-starquakes-need-further-study">Starquakes need further study</h2>



The team plans to further analyze the new data obtained on FRBs. The goal is to establish that the observed similarities are universal.



“By studying starquakes on distant ultra-dense stars, which are completely different environments from Earth, we may gain new insights into earthquakes,” said Totani.



“The interior of a neutron star is the densest place in the universe, comparable to that of the interior of an atomic nucleus. Starquakes in neutron stars have opened up the possibility of gaining new insights into very high-density matter and the fundamental laws of nuclear physics."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-fast-radio-bursts">Understanding fast radio bursts&nbsp;</h2>



Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are super intense, millisecond-long bursts of radiowaves. They were discovered by Duncan Lorimer and his student David Narkevic in 2007 during their analysis of the archival pulsar survey data.



FRBs appear like flickering stars but are not stars. They are primarily extragalactic, but the<a href="https://chime-experiment.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> CHIME radio telescope</a> detected the first Milky Way FRB in April 2020. Since then, several FRNs have been recorded by astronomers.



Thanks to the findings of this study, we are a step closer to understanding the physical origin of FRBs. The discovery could improve our knowledge of earthquakes, the behavior of high-density matter, and other important aspects of nuclear physics.



The study is published in the journal<a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/526/2/2795/7295484?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</a>.



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Mysterious alien radio signals may be caused by "starquakes"

For over a decade, scientists have captured mysterious radio signals...

An incredibly discovery from a 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid sample has brought great excitement and valuable insights to the scientific community. The sample, which was <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/osiris-rex-safely-delivers-rock-samples-from-asteroid-bennu-back-to-earth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brought to Earth</a> by NASA from the asteroid Bennu, displays evidence of a high-carbon content and water. These findings suggest that the building blocks of life on Earth might be traced back to such celestial bodies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-asteroid-bennu-sample-revelations">Asteroid Bennu sample revelations</h2>



NASA announced these exciting findings on Wednesday from its <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Johnson Space Center</a> in Houston. Here, for the first time since its arrival in September, the scientific leadership presented the asteroid material to the world.



Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, remarked on the significance of this discovery, stating, “The OSIRIS-REx sample is the biggest carbon-rich asteroid sample ever delivered to Earth and will help scientists investigate the origins of life on our own planet for generations to come.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-delving-into-the-osiris-rex-mission">Delving into the OSIRIS-REx mission</h2>



The samples were collected as part of NASA’s <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OSIRIS-REx</a> (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security – Regolith Explorer) mission. This <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/osiris-rex-is-bringing-an-asteroid-sample-back-to-earth-this-month-worrying-many-people/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mission</a>, according to Nelson, not only helps us understand potential threats from asteroids but also allows us a glimpse into the beyond. 



The true nature of the carbon compounds discovered still needs extensive analysis, but the preliminary findings are promising for future studies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-decades-of-insights-to-come">Decades of insights to come</h2>



These samples from Bennu are not just about the present; they carry within them secrets that will be explored for decades. They will shed light on the formation of our solar system, how life's precursors might have landed on Earth, and the necessary precautions to avert potential asteroid collisions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unpacking-the-asteroid-bennu-sample">Unpacking the asteroid Bennu sample</h2>



NASA’s initial aim with the OSIRIS-REx sample collection was to obtain 60 grams of the asteroid material. However, when the sample return hardware was being disassembled, the team found an abundance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mysterious-black-dust-found-on-bennu-asteroid-samples/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bonus asteroid material</a> covering the collector head, canister lid, and base. This surplus of material temporarily slowed down the meticulous process of gathering the main sample.



Vanessa Wyche, the director at NASA Johnson, emphasized their preparedness, noting that their labs had anticipated various outcomes from Bennu. A combination of scientists and engineers had been working together for years, designing special tools to maintain the asteroid material's integrity and purity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-first-glimpses-and-analyses">First glimpses and analyses</h2>



Within the initial fortnight, the team embarked on "quick-look" <a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/asteroid-bennu_return-capsule_exam_3medium.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">examinations of the collected material</a>. They employed tools such as a scanning electron microscope, infrared measurements, and X-ray diffraction. Additionally, X-ray computed tomography provided a 3D computer model of one of the particles, revealing the prevalent carbon and water content.



Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator from the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Arizona</a>, Tucson, shared his enthusiasm, “As we peer into the ancient secrets preserved within the dust and rocks of asteroid Bennu, we are unlocking a time capsule that offers us profound insights into the origins of our solar system.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-road-ahead">The road ahead</h2>



Over the next couple of years, the mission's science team will focus on further characterizing the samples. At least 70% of the sample will be preserved at Johnson for research by a global scientific community, ensuring that even future generations can benefit from this discovery.



As part of the OSIRIS-REx's wider science program, a global cohort of over 200 scientists will explore the regolith's properties. This includes researchers from various U.S. institutions, international partners like JAXA, CSA, and numerous other global scientists. 



Later this autumn, parts of the samples will also be on display at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Space Center Houston, and the University of Arizona.



NASA’s recent findings from the Bennu asteroid sample have opened new avenues in our understanding of life and the universe. These discoveries not only emphasize the importance of space exploration but also promise a deeper comprehension of our very existence and origins.



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NASA finds the building blocks of life in sample returned from asteroid Bennu

An incredibly discovery from a 4.5-billion-year-old asteroid sample has brought...

Scientists have confirmed that over 40% of the ice shelves in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-ice-levels-in-antarctica-have-reached-an-unprecedented-low/">Antarctica</a> have seen a reduction in volume over the past 25 years. This equates to a net loss of 7.5 trillion tons of meltwater entering the oceans between 1997 and 2021.



Ice shelves play a pivotal role in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-happens-to-antarctic-seals-when-sea-ice-vanishes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Antarctic ecosystem</a>. Floating on the seas, they act as buffers, controlling the rate at which ice drains into the oceans. As they diminish, the rate of ice loss from the glaciers accelerates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-disturbing-patterns-of-ice-loss">Disturbing patterns of ice loss</h2>



The ice shelves on the western side of Antarctica were found to be the most affected. Nearly all of these shelves had experienced significant ice loss.&nbsp;



By contrast, many of the eastern ice shelves either remained consistent or experienced an increase in volume. The total ice exported to the ocean during this period was around 67 trillion tons - offset by 59 trillion tons of ice added to the shelves.



“There is a mixed picture of ice-shelf deterioration, and this is to do with the ocean temperature and ocean currents around Antarctica," said Dr. Benjamin Davison, a research fellow at the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Leeds</a> who led the study.



“The western half is exposed to warm water, which can rapidly erode the ice shelves from below, whereas much of East Antarctica is currently protected from nearby warm water by a band of cold water at the coast.”&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-influence-on-antarctica-s-ice-shelves">Human influence on Antarctica's ice shelves</h2>



Dr. Davison believes that human-induced global warming is a significant contributor to the dwindling ice. Without human influence, signs of regrowth would have been observed in the western region.



"We expected most ice shelves to go through cycles of rapid, but short-lived shrinking, then to regrow slowly. Instead, we see that almost half of them are shrinking with no sign of recovery," said Dr. Davison.



The Getz Ice Shelf reported a loss of 1.9 trillion tons of ice over 25 years, with a mere 5% resulting from calving. The Pine Island Ice Shelf wasn’t far behind, losing 1.3 trillion tons. By comparison, the Amery Ice Shelf, situated in colder waters, gained 1.2 trillion tons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-satellite-surveillance">Satellite surveillance</h2>



The study was focused on the analysis of over 100,000 radar images from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Operations/CryoSat-2_operations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CryoSat-2</a> and <a href="https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/missions/sentinel-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sentinel-1</a> satellites.



<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="DNy7iog6g0-3069374-12187" type="single"]</div>



Launched in 2010, CryoSat-2 was dedicated to observing polar ice sheets and glaciers. The precision of these satellite sensors has enabled year-by-year tracking of Antarctic changes.



Dr. Mark Drinkwater of the European Space Agency emphasized the role of the European Copernicus Programme’s Sentinel-1 satellite mission in revolutionizing our ability to take stock of floating ice shelves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ice-shelves-and-implications-for-antarctica">Ice shelves and implications for Antarctica</h2>



The melted freshwater entering the oceans could disrupt global ocean circulation. The Southern Ocean, in particular, plays a role in the global ocean conveyor belt, which circulates nutrients, heat, and carbon. An influx of freshwater could weaken this system.&nbsp;



“The study has generated important findings. We tend to think of ice shelves as going through cyclical advances and retreats. Instead, we are seeing a steady attrition due to melting and calving," said study co-author Professor Anna Hogg.



“Many of the ice shelves have deteriorated a lot: 48 lost more than 30% of their initial mass over just 25 years. This is further evidence that Antarctica is changing because the climate is warming."&nbsp;



“The study provides a baseline measure from which we can see further changes that may emerge as the climate gets warmer.”



Video Credit: European Space Agency 



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Antarctica’s ice shelves are dwindling at a startling pace

Scientists have confirmed that over 40% of the ice shelves...

Tropical crops including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-coffee-trade-is-increasingly-threatened-by-climate-change/">coffee</a>, cocoa, watermelon, and mango, face a potential crisis due to the dwindling number of insect pollinators, according to a new study.&nbsp;



The research, led by experts from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> and the Natural History Museum, investigated the complex relationship between climate change, alterations in land use, and the consequential effects on pollinator diversity.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alarming-threat-nbsp">Alarming threat&nbsp;</h2>



Drawing upon data from 1,507 crop growing sites worldwide and an extensive cataloguing of 3,080 insect pollinator species, the study has revealed an alarming threat to global crop pollination.



According to the analysis, the collective pressures of climate change and farming activities have resulted in significant declines in both the quantity and variety of insect pollinators.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coffee-is-losing-pollinators">Coffee is losing pollinators</h2>



With nearly three-quarters of all crops being somewhat reliant on animal-driven pollination, the research team devised a model to identify which of these crops face the gravest threats up to the year 2050.&nbsp;



“Our research indicates that the tropics are likely most at risk when it comes to crop production from pollinator losses, primarily due to the interaction of climate change and land use," said study lead author Dr. Joe Millard.



"While localized risks are highest in regions like sub-Saharan Africa, northern South America, and south-east Asia, the implications of this extend globally via the trade in pollination dependent crops.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tropical-regions">Tropical regions</h2>



The study identifies tropical regions as particularly vulnerable due to the combined effects of climate change and land use changes.&nbsp;



Consequently, pivotal crops like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-coffee-trade-is-increasingly-threatened-by-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coffee</a>, cocoa, mango, and watermelon, all heavily reliant on insect pollination, face the most significant peril. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-increasing-threat">Increasing threat</h2>



The potential decline of these crops could drastically affect local economies and the global trade sector, posing an increased threat of income instability for countless small-scale farmers.



“As insects decline, due to being unable to cope with the interacting effects of climate change and land use, so too will the crops that rely on them as pollinators," said Dr. Millard.



"In some cases, these crops could be pollinated by hand but this would require more labor and more cost.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-coffee-and-its-pollinators">Implications for coffee and its pollinators</h2>



Highlighting the critical role of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pollinator-populations-have-experienced-dramatic-changes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pollinator abundance</a> and diversity in ensuring effective pollination, the study authors advocate for proactive measures to mitigate climate change in order to secure future crop yields. 



“Climate change poses grave threats not only to the natural environment and biodiversity, but also to human well-being, as the loss of pollinators can threaten the livelihoods of people across the globe who depend on crops that depend on animal pollination," said study senior author Dr. Tim Newbold.



“Our findings underscore the urgent need to take global action to mitigate climate change, alongside efforts to slow down land use changes and protect natural habitats to avoid harming insect pollinators."



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh0756">Science Advances</a>.



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Coffee production threatened by loss of pollinators

Tropical crops including coffee, cocoa, watermelon, and mango, face a...

A new study shows that gray whales in the eastern North Pacific, which once flourished before commercial whaling nearly drove them to extinction, have faced significant population drops due to the changing conditions in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/additional-heat-is-being-transferred-to-the-arctic-ocean-as-the-climate-warms/">Arctic Ocean</a>.&nbsp;



According to the study, there have been three major mortality events since the 1980s, one of which started in 2019 and is still ongoing. These events reduced the gray whale population by an astonishing 25% within a short span.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extreme-population-swings-nbsp">Extreme population swings&nbsp;</h2>



Joshua Stewart, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor at Oregon State University’s <a href="https://mmi.oregonstate.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Marine Mammal Institute</a>, expressed concern over these findings.&nbsp;



“These are extreme population swings that we did not expect to see in a large, long-lived species like gray whales,” Stewart said.&nbsp;



“When the availability of their prey in the Arctic is low, and the whales cannot reach their feeding areas because of sea ice, the gray whale population experiences rapid and major shocks.”



“Even highly mobile, long-lived species such as gray whales are sensitive to climate change impacts. When there are sudden declines in the quality of prey, the population of gray whales is significantly affected.”&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recovering-populations-nbsp">Recovering populations&nbsp;</h2>



Surprisingly, these die-offs weren't permanent. After the die-offs in the 1980s and 1990s, the gray whale population quickly rebounded as the Arctic conditions improved. However, this recovery brought with it its own set of challenges.&nbsp;



As the population has approached levels close to what their Arctic feeding areas can support, they have likely become more sensitive to environmental conditions due to competition for limited resources, explained Stewart.



“It turns out we didn’t really know what a healthy baleen whale population looks like when it isn’t heavily depleted by human impacts,” he said.&nbsp;



“Our assumption has generally been that these recovering populations would hit their environmental carrying capacities and remain more or less steady there. But what we’re seeing is much more of a bumpy ride in response to highly variable and rapidly changing ocean conditions.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gray-whales-and-population-dynamics">Gray whales and population dynamics&nbsp;</h2>



The eastern North Pacific gray whale population, currently estimated at around 14,500 individuals, embarks on a massive migration each year. Traveling over 12,000 miles, they move from the warm waters of Baja California, Mexico, during the winter to the chilly, nutrient-rich waters of the Arctic in the summer.



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/about/southwest-fisheries-science-center" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Southwest Fisheries Science Center</a> in California has been closely monitoring this population since the 1960s. This extensive data provides a profound insight into the species' population dynamics.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-value-of-long-term-data-nbsp">Value of long-term data&nbsp;</h2>



Dave Weller, the director of the center's Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, highlighted the significance of these long-term studies.&nbsp;



“This research demonstrates the value of long-term data in understanding not only the species under study but also the environment it depends on,” said Weller.&nbsp;



“When we began collecting data on gray whales in 1967, little did we realize the important role they would play in understanding the effects of climate change on an iconic sentinel species in the Pacific. This research would not have been possible without our reliable long-term record.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mortality-events">Mortality events</h2>



Based on long-term data, Stewart, discovered a correlation between the two “Unusual Mortality Events” declared by NOAA in 1999 and 2019 and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/additional-heat-is-being-transferred-to-the-arctic-ocean-as-the-climate-warms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sea ice levels in the Arctic</a>.&nbsp;



In addition, these events were closely tied to the biomass of crustaceans on the seafloor, which gray whales mainly feed on.&nbsp;



Interestingly, Stewart identified another die-off event in the 1980s, not associated with increased strandings, possibly due to lesser reporting of stranded whales back then.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-decreased-sea-ice">Decreased sea ice</h2>



Lesser summer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-sea-ice-will-soon-vanish-during-the-summer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sea ice</a> in the gray whales' Arctic feeding zones initially benefits the whale population by providing more foraging opportunities. However, in the grander scheme of things, decreased sea ice, a direct result of rapid climate change, might be detrimental.&nbsp;



Benthic amphipods, the primary prey of gray whales, rely on algae that grow beneath the sea ice. Fewer ice means less algae sinking to the seafloor, leading to warmer waters that favor smaller crustaceans and faster currents. These conditions reduce the habitat for the gray whales' preferred prey.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-study-implications-for-gray-whales">Study implications&nbsp;for gray whales</h2>



“We are in uncharted territory now. The two previous events, despite being significant and dramatic, only lasted a couple of years,” said Stewart.&nbsp;



“The most recent mortality event has slowed and there are signs things are turning around, but the population has continued to decline. One reason it may be dragging on is the climate change component, which is contributing to a long-term trend of lower-quality prey.”



While gray whales have survived environmental changes over hundreds of thousands of years, the ongoing conditions have raised concerns.



“I wouldn’t say there is a risk of losing gray whales due to climate change,” he said. “But we need to think critically about what these changes might mean in the future. An Arctic Ocean that has warmed significantly may not be able to support 25,000 gray whales like it has in the recent past.”



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adi1847">Science</a>.



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Gray whales reveal alarming effects of Arctic warming 

A new study shows that gray whales in the eastern...

Beer,Glass,On,Dark,Background

The long list of issues associated with climate change is about to get longer. Researchers have linked an impending beer shortage to rising temperatures. Scientists predict a sharp decline in the production of hops over the next few decades. 



More specifically, we could see up to a 19 percent drop in the harvested hops in Europe by 2050. Coupled with this decline is the possibility of having less of the most important active substances (alpha acids) in the harvested hops.



The special flavor of any given beer can be primarily attributed to hops. The alpha acids in hops give beers that distinctive bitter taste and quality that make it so popular.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bad-news-for-hop-production">Bad news for hop production</h2>



The scientists collected and analyzed data on hop production from 1971 to 1994 and 1995 to 2018. The data covers some of the biggest European hop-growing regions, including Slovenia, Czechia, and Germany.



According to the results, there has been a decline in the average annual hop yield between 1995 and now. The extent of the decrease differed across the regions, ranging from 9.5% in Tettnang to 19.4% in Celje.



The researchers also identified a considerable drop in the alpha acid content in all of the study regions. They observed a reduction of 34.8% in Celje, 15.6% in Hallertau, 15% in Tettnang, 11.5% in Spalt, and 10.5% in Zatec.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-change-is-the-culprit">Climate change is the culprit</h2>



The team attributed this to a shift in the start of the hop growing season, which has increased by 13 days from 1970 to 2018. This, in turn, shifted the critical ripening period of hops towards the warmer part of the season. The gradual change in the lifecycle of hops over the years is directly attributed to climate change.



Martin Monzy is a researcher at the <a href="https://www.czechglobe.cz/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Change Research Institute</a> of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the study's lead author. He stated, "The increasingly frequent droughts and heat waves are negatively affecting yields and alpha content in all hop-growing regions of the EU."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-grim-outlook-for-hop-production">Grim outlook for hop production</h2>



Expanding the scope of their research, the scientists simulated future crops and climate conditions to predict hop harvests. The findings do not look any better.



The experts predict a decline in hop yields by up to 35% between now and 2050. This is expected to cut across European hop production powerhouses, including Spain, Portugal, and Slovenia. The prediction of the alpha content follows a similar pattern.



"Moderate decreases in yield and alpha content were predicted for Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland, while the strongest declines in hop productivity were predicted for Portugal, Slovenia, and Croatia," wrote the researchers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-poor-taste-and-higher-cost-for-beer-lovers">Poor taste and higher cost for beer lovers</h2>



Many popular beer styles rely on hops from the affected regions, including Bitters, California Blonde Ale, Red Ale, Pilsner, Lager, American Amber Ale, and Pale Ale.



Low alpha content in hops means more will be required to maintain taste. This, in turn, translates to higher costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-all-doom-and-gloom">Not all doom and gloom</h2>



U.S. beer producers have been working on resilient hop varieties for some time.  Similar efforts are underway in Europe, particularly at the <a href="https://www.hopfenforschung.de/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hop Research Center</a> in Hull, Germany.



Asian brewers are not sitting still. Speaking to the Financial Times last month, Atsushi Katsuki, president and CEO of <a href="https://www.asahigroup-holdings.com/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Asahi Groups Holdings</a>, predicted a drop in the quality of hop and barley crops due to global warming. Asahi Group Holdings are the makers of Asahi, Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell, Fuller's, and Peroni beers.



In a similar development, Fortune has reported a significant investment in drought-resistant barley strains from Africa by Carlsberg and Anheuser-Busch InBev. The former is the biggest beer maker in Denmark, and the former is the maker of Bud Light and Budweiser.



These collective efforts underscore the need to address the broader impact of climate change on beer production. Fortunately, the brewing world is responding by working hard to ensure our glasses stay full.



This study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41474-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Trouble brewing for beer: Decline in hop production causes beer shortages and bad taste

The long list of issues associated with climate change is...

Does size matter when it comes to aging in dogs? While it is known that smaller breeds tend to live longer than larger ones, researchers at <a href="https://www.elte.hu/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eötvös Loránd University</a> have investigated how size differences may impact the age of dogs in terms of cognitive abilities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-variations-in-life-expectancy-nbsp">Variations in life expectancy&nbsp;</h2>



The life expectancy of dogs varies significantly among <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mischievous-dogs-experts-reveal-the-top-ten-naughtiest-breeds/">breeds</a>. Giant breeds generally live up to seven years, while small breeds live up to fourteen years.&nbsp;



Additionally, mixed breeds typically outlive purebreds, partly because they are less likely to suffer from inherited genetic diseases.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-aging-onset-nbsp">Aging onset&nbsp;</h2>



Based on data from over 15,000 dogs, the researchers discovered that aging in behavioral and cognitive aspects typically begins at around ten and a half years. However, there is variation in the onset and rate of aging based on the dog's size.&nbsp;



Dogs weighing over 30 kilograms (approximately 66 lbs) might start showing signs of aging two to three years earlier than their lighter counterparts. But their decline rate is slower.&nbsp;



“Larger dogs experience a physical breakdown at an earlier age, and the accumulating illnesses, and degradation in sensory functions leads to ‘old age behaviors’ long before their mental decline would begin,” explained Borbála Turcsán, first author of the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cognitive-health">Cognitive health</h2>



Interestingly, dogs weighing under seven kilograms (14 lbs) showcased a four-fold higher prevalence of cognitive decline in their golden years compared to the bigger breeds.&nbsp;



This aligns with the concept that while larger breeds might have a shorter overall lifespan, they generally undergo a more restrained cognitive decline.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breed-impact">Breed impact</h2>



The researchers also found that long-nosed (dolichocephalic) breeds like greyhounds and purebreds had a higher susceptibility to cognitive decline in their later years compared to meso- and brachycephalic breeds and mixed breeds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-perception-of-aging">Perception of aging</h2>



An intriguing observation was that dog owners start perceiving their pets as "old" from the age of six, regardless of their size or breed.&nbsp;



"Owners consider their dogs 'old’ four to five years earlier than would be expected from behavioral data. This may be due to graying and barely noticeable changes," explained Enikő Kubinyi, head of the Senior Family Dog Project.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-study-implications-nbsp">Study implications&nbsp;</h2>



The study shows that a dog's body size not only determines its life expectancy but also its healthspan. Nevertheless, it's essential to note that these effects are not uniform across all size ranges.&nbsp;



It is predominantly the extreme size categories - the very small (toy) and the very large (giant) - that exhibit noticeably different aging trajectories.&nbsp;



Turcsán advises potential dog owners aiming for longevity and health balance to consider breeds in the 10-30 kg weight range, as they tend to have a more extended healthspan in proportion to their predicted lifespan compared to both their smaller and larger counterparts.



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Body size influences cognitive aging in dogs

Does size matter when it comes to aging in dogs?...

Recent breakthroughs in neuroscience and AI (Artificial Intelligence) have spurred innovative ventures into better understanding the intricacies of intelligence. Spearheading these efforts is a groundbreaking new platform called the Digital Twin Brain.



Developed by a team led by Tianzi Jiang at the <a href="http://english.ia.cas.cn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Institute of Automation</a> of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this platform has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of both biological and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-environmental-cost-of-ai-what-are-we-willing-to-give-up-for-computing-power/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">artificial intelligence</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-digital-twin-brain">Understanding the Digital Twin Brain</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-concept">The concept</h3>



Drawing parallels between biological and artificial networks, the Digital Twin Brain aims to create a digital replica of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/does-the-human-brain-outperform-artificial-intelligence/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">human brain</a>. This "twin" could absorb insights from biological intelligence, thereby offering a platform to bridge the two forms of intelligence.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ultimate-goals-of-digital-twin-brain">Ultimate goals of Digital Twin Brain</h3>



The overarching objectives of the Digital Twin Brain are twofold:



<ol type="1" start="1">
<li>Propel the evolution of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). </li>



<li>Enhance the precision in mental healthcare.</li>
</ol>



These ambitions underscore the need for collaboration across multiple scientific disciplines on a global scale.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-potential-applications">Potential applications</h3>



The Digital Twin Brain offers a sandbox for simulating various states of the human brain. Researchers can understand regular brain functions, pinpoint malfunctions linked to disorders, and devise techniques to alter undesirable brain states.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-core-pillars-of-the-digital-twin-brain">Core pillars of the Digital Twin Brain</h2>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-atlases">Brain atlases</h3>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/digital-twin-brain_core-elements_credit-Hui-Xiong_1medium.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brain atlases</a> are akin to structural blueprints, ensuring that the digital replica mimics the intricacy of the biological brain. They encompass:



<ul>
<li>Atlases at varying scales. </li>



<li>Atlases spanning different modalities. </li>



<li>Atlases from varied species.</li>
</ul>



These atlases are imperative for a comprehensive understanding of brain regions, their interconnections, and the overarching organizational principles of the brain. 



However, they also present challenges. Ensuring "biological plausibility" means that neural models are bound by the confines of these atlases, creating technical complexities.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-multi-level-neural-models">Multi-level neural models</h3>



Derived from biological data, these models simulate brain functions. Their effectiveness relies heavily on a dynamic brain atlas, which, when enhanced, leads to more accurate function simulations.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-practical-applications">Practical applications</h3>



The "twin", made up of the neural models, undergoes validation across diverse practical applications, such as disease biomarker identification and drug testing. The insights from these applications cyclically refine the brain atlas, ensuring an evolving and dynamic platform.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-brainnetome-atlas">The Brainnetome Atlas</h2>



An essential asset in the development of the Digital Twin Brain is the Brainnetome Atlas. Introduced by the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2016, this atlas provides a macroscale overview of 246 brain sub-regions. It aims to offer an exhaustive and intricate mapping of the structure and connectivity of the human brain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-for-a-comprehensive-platform">Need for a comprehensive platform</h2>



The current brain simulation platforms, despite their potential, lack a robust anatomical foundation. It's crucial to craft an open-source, versatile platform. This platform should be adaptable, user-friendly, and potent enough to endorse multiscale and multimodal modeling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-open-challenges-of-digital-twin-brain">Open challenges of Digital Twin Brain</h2>



Several challenges loom over the Digital Twin Brain:



<ul>
<li>Incorporating fragmented biological knowledge into the digital twin seamlessly. </li>



<li>Designing superior models for precise simulations. </li>



<li>Integrating the Digital Twin Brain into real-world applications.</li>



<li></li>
</ul>



In summary, the Digital Twin Brain emerges as a nexus of neuroscience and AI. Integrating detailed brain atlases, evolving neural models, and varied applications, this platform stands on the cusp of reshaping our comprehension of both biological and artificial intelligence. 



With the unified efforts of the global scientific community, it promises groundbreaking insights into the human psyche, advanced intelligent technologies, and novel treatments for brain-related conditions.



The full study was published in <a href="https://spj.sciencemag.org/journals/icomputing/?adobe_mc=MCMID%3D66160571152378498672135368084722781746%7CMCORGID%3D242B6472541199F70A4C98A6%2540AdobeOrg%7CTS%3D1697113960" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Intelligent Computing</a>, a Science Partner Journal.



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Owning a digital twin of your brain is one step closer to becoming a reality

Recent breakthroughs in neuroscience and AI (Artificial Intelligence) have spurred...

Every year, an alarmingly large quantity of e-waste goes unnoticed. Items such as discarded cables, electronic toys, LED-embellished novelty garments, power tools, vaping devices, and a myriad of smaller consumer products are often discarded by consumers as e-waste.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-e-waste-accumulation-nbsp">E-waste accumulation&nbsp;</h2>



These items collectively contribute to a colossal nine billion kilograms of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/this-years-electronic-waste-outweighs-the-great-wall-of-china/">electronic waste</a> annually in the US. This figure represents a staggering one-sixth of the total global e-waste production.&nbsp;



To put this in perspective, should this “hidden” e-waste be amassed, it would be equivalent to the weight of almost half a million 40-tons trucks - a continuous line stretching from Rome all the way to Nairobi.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-increasing-use-of-lithium">Increasing use of lithium</h2>



As the world marks the 6th annual <a href="https://weee-forum.org/iewd-about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">International E-Waste Day</a> on October 14th, this overlooked category of e-waste takes center stage. A concerning trend is the increasing use of lithium in devices such as vapes. While lithium plays a vital role in making batteries rechargeable, it also poses a substantial fire hazard upon disposal.&nbsp;



The European Commission has even flagged lithium as a ‘strategic raw material,’ crucial for Europe’s transition to green energy, yet its supply remains in jeopardy, with vast amounts being discarded with household trash.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-electronic-toys-nbsp">Electronic toys&nbsp;</h2>



This groundbreaking study, spearheaded by the <a href="http://www.weee-forum.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum</a> and conducted by the<a href="https://www.unitar.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)</a>, sheds light on the enormity of the situation. Of particular note is the category of electronic toys, such as racing sets, drones, and biking computers.&nbsp;



These toys alone account for a whopping 3.2 billion kg or 35 percent of the ‘invisible’ e-waste, equating to an astonishing 7.3 billion individual items discarded every single year. This means that, on average, every individual on Earth disposes of one electronic toy annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vaping-devices">Vaping devices</h2>



Highlighting another segment, the researchers argue that the vaping devices discarded yearly form an e-waste mountain with a weight equivalent to triple that of New York’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge or even six times the weight of Paris’ Eiffel Tower.&nbsp;



Additionally, the staggering 950 million kg of discarded cables, rich in precious and recyclable copper, could encircle our planet 107 times.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-invisible-waste">Invisible waste</h2>



Pascal Leroy, Director-General of the WEEE Forum, emphasized the deceptive nature of ‘invisible’ e-waste. “Invisible e-waste goes unnoticed due to its nature or appearance, leading consumers to overlook its recyclable potential."&nbsp;



"People tend to recognize household electrical products as those they plug in and use regularly. But many people are confused about the waste category into which ancillary, peripheral, specialist, hobby, and leisure products fit and how to have them recycled,” explained Leroy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-awareness-of-e-waste">Public awareness of e-waste</h2>



Magdalena Charytanowicz of the WEEE Forum highlights the urgency to increase public awareness, drawing parallels to the global mobilization against plastic pollution.&nbsp;



Despite Europe’s leading efforts, where 55 percent of e-waste is officially collected and processed thanks to two decades of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation, the global average lags, with collection rates barely scraping past 17 percent.



Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for the Environment, underscores the need for a holistic approach, integrating modern circular economy principles into legislation. He believes that harmonizing standards and defining clear e-waste management protocols are essential steps forward.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-escalating-e-waste-crisis">Escalating e-waste crisis</h2>



Looking at the broader picture, the United Nations warns of an escalating e-waste crisis. By 2023, it is estimated that every global citizen will produce about eight kg of e-waste.&nbsp;



Out of this, a mere 17.4 percent will be appropriately collected and processed, leaving the lion’s share to rot in landfills, be burned, or stockpiled in households.



Organizations like the WEEE Forum remain committed to the responsible management of e-waste, championing the importance of collective global action in addressing this ever-growing challenge. The onus is also on consumers to recognize the value and potential hazards in items that, at first glance, might not seem like typical e-waste.



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Hidden e-waste: Millions of tons discarded in the US each year

Every year, an alarmingly large quantity of e-waste goes unnoticed....

Researchers have unearthed what appears to be the earliest evidence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-provides-insights-into-the-lives-of-neanderthals/">Neanderthals</a> hunting cave lions, dating back to 48,000 years ago in Germany.&nbsp;



The findings, published by Springer Nature in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-42764-0">Scientific Reports</a>, offer new clues about the relationship between ancient humans and these once-majestic creatures.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-primary-evidence-nbsp">Primary evidence&nbsp;</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/neanderthals_cave-lions-skeleton_2medium.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Puncture wounds</a> on a cave lion's ribcage hint at the possibility that Neanderthals might have killed it with a wooden spear.&nbsp;



This revelation could place Neanderthals as the earliest hunters of these big cats, a discovery which was previously unknown.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cave-lion-pelts-nbsp">Cave lion pelts&nbsp;</h2>



The study also presents what could be the earliest evidence of Neanderthals using a cave lion pelt.&nbsp;



This particular interaction has been a subject of speculation for a long time, especially given the prominence of cave lions in ancient human cultures.&nbsp;



For instance, Homo sapiens prominently featured cave lions in their cave paintings, but direct interactions with Neanderthals remained elusive until now.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-focus-of-the-study">Focus of the study</h2>



The (almost complete) cave lion skeleton from Siegsdorf, Germany was originally excavated in 1985. Gabriele Russo and colleagues took on the task of analyzing the skeleton.&nbsp;



Through their analysis, the experts concluded that the remains likely belonged to an old, medium-sized lion.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intriguing-discovery-nbsp">Intriguing discovery&nbsp;</h2>



Although previous assessments suggested that the animal might have been butchered post-mortem, a closer examination unveiled something more intriguing.



A partial puncture wound, specifically located on the inside of the lion’s third rib, presented the researchers with a unique clue. The wound seemed to be consistent with the impact mark of a wooden-tipped spear.&nbsp;



The angle of the puncture suggests that the spear might have entered from the left side of the lion's abdomen, hitting vital organs before lodging into the third rib on the right side.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-skilled-hunters-nbsp">Skilled hunters&nbsp;</h2>



Moreover, the nature of this wound bore similarities to those found on deer vertebrae, which were confirmed to be caused by Neanderthal spears.&nbsp;



Drawing parallels, the authors propose that the Siegsdorf specimen stands as a testament to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-tools-hunt-distance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neanderthals' hunting expertise</a>, specifically targeting cave lions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-analysis-of-cave-lion-specimens">Further analysis of cave lion specimens</h2>



The researchers also analyzed phalange and sesamoid bones from three cave lion specimens, excavated in 2019 from Einhornhöhle, Germany.&nbsp;



These specimens, dating back to approximately 55 – 45,000 years ago, bore cutmarks that are typically found when an animal is skinned.&nbsp;



The way these marks were positioned indicated a deliberate effort to ensure the lion's claws remained intact within the fur. This could very well be the earliest instance of Neanderthals using lion pelts, possibly for cultural or ritualistic purposes.



These findings not only shed light on Neanderthal hunting strategies but also their cultural practices. The research presents a new understanding of the interactions between Neanderthals and cave lions during the Pleistocene epoch.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-about-cave-lions">More about cave lions</h2>



As mentioned previously, cave lions, whose scientific name is Panthera spelaea, once prowled the vast landscapes of Europe and northern Asia during the Pleistocene era. Although they bear the name "cave lion," this moniker arises not from their living habits but from the fact that we often find their remains in caves.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-physical-appearance">Physical appearance</h3>



These majestic creatures closely resembled the modern-day lion, but with some distinct differences. For starters, cave lions were slightly larger, with males weighing up to 830 pounds (about 375 kilograms) or more. Unlike the African lions, they didn't possess a mane, making both males and females appear quite similar.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-diet">Diet</h3>



Their diet primarily consisted of large herbivores like bison, horses, and deer. Evidence from various cave paintings suggests that they might have hunted in groups, a behavior seen in today's lions. These ancient artworks, especially those found in the Chauvet Cave in France, depict the cave lion with remarkable detail and respect, indicating the significance they held in the eyes of ancient human communities.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-extinction">Extinction</h3>



The circumstances surround their extinction, which occurred approximately 14,000 years ago, remains a mystery. While climate change and the resulting habitat alterations surely played a role, overhunting by humans could also have been a contributing factor.



Today, the legacy of the cave lion lives on through paleontological studies, ancient artworks, and the imaginations of those intrigued by the prehistoric world. As we continue to unearth more about these fascinating creatures, they serve as a powerful reminder of nature's ever-evolving tapestry.



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Neanderthals hunting cave lions: Earliest evidence uncovered

Researchers have unearthed what appears to be the earliest evidence...

While the old adage “you are what you eat” may be true, a new study suggests that what we eat also has something to do with who we are, genetically speaking. A team of scientists led by the <a href="https://som.cuanschutz.edu/">University of Colorado School of Medicine</a> has recently pinpointed approximately 500 genes which seem to influence what we eat and have a direct impact on an individual’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/foods-preference-decisions/">food preferences</a>. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sensory-genetic-profiles-nbsp">Sensory genetic profiles&nbsp;</h2>



The researchers believe that understanding these genes could pave the way for personalized nutrition plans tailored to enhance health or stave off diseases.



“Some genes we identified are related to sensory pathways - including those for taste, smell, and texture - and may also increase the reward response in the brain,” said lead author Joanne Cole, an assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics department at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.&nbsp;



“Because some of these genes may have clear paths toward influencing whether someone likes a food or not, they could potentially be used to create sensory genetic profiles for fine-tuning a person’s dietary recommendations based on foods they like to eat.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-the-genes-tied-to-eating">Studying the genes tied to eating</h2>



For this investigation, the research team analyzed data from the <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">UK Biobank</a>, which consists of details from 500,000 participants. Through a phenome-wide association study, they aimed to pinpoint genes that had a stronger connection with dietary habits rather than other health or lifestyle aspects.&nbsp;



“The foods we choose to eat are largely influenced by environmental factors such as our culture, socioeconomic status, and food accessibility,” Cole explained.&nbsp;



“Because genetics plays a much smaller role in influencing dietary intake than all the environmental factors, we need to study hundreds of thousands of individuals to detect genetic influences amid the environmental factors. The data necessary to do this hasn’t been available until recently.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-the-research-was-conducted">How the research was conducted</h2>



To separate the direct impacts of genetic variations on diet from indirect ones, such as distinguishing a genetic predisposition to diabetes from the subsequent reduced sugar intake due to the condition, the team employed computational techniques.



The rich genetic, health, and socioeconomic data from the UK Biobank enabled the researchers to scrutinize individual genetic markers for links with a plethora of traits.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-researchers-learned">What the researchers learned</h2>



The experts found about 300 genes associated with specific food consumption, and nearly 200 genes connected to broader dietary patterns, like general fish or fruit intake.&nbsp;



“The study showed that dietary patterns tend to have more indirect genetic effects, meaning they were correlated with a lot of other factors,” Cole said.&nbsp;



“This shows how important it is to not study dietary patterns in a vacuum, because the eating pattern’s impact on human health may be completely mediated or confounded by other factors.”



Looking ahead, Cole envisions exploring the possibility of genetically tailored diets to enhance weight loss, the central question being: Can nutrition experts use genetic data to tailor the taste aspects of a weight loss regimen to ensure better compliance?



These findings were presented at the <a href="https://nutrition.org/n23/">Annual Conference of the American Society for Nutrition </a>in Boston and will soon undergo peer review for publication.



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Hundreds of genes identified that directly influence what we eat

While the old adage “you are what you eat” may...

Epiphytes are plants that can be found in tree canopies like mosses, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/masters-of-deception-orchids-use-trickery-to-get-what-they-need/">orchids</a>, and bromeliads. A recent study highlights the profound importance of epiphytes to global biodiversity, as well as the growing threats they face due to human and natural disturbances.



Known as nonparasitic plants that thrive on other plants, epiphytes serve vital functions in forests. They provide habitats in trees for a variety of life, ranging from microorganisms like bacteria to reptiles and birds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inherent-characteristics-nbsp">Inherent characteristics&nbsp;</h2>



Epiphytes showcase a remarkable diversity, with over 28,000 identified species. Mosses stand out as the most common type.



The inherent characteristics of epiphytes, which once facilitated their survival in forest canopies, now leave them increasingly susceptible to disturbances.



Rapid environmental changes are placing heightened pressure on these unique plants, noted Nalini Nadkarni, a biologist at the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Utah</a> who is known for her work on treetop ecosystems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vulnerability-of-epiphytes">Vulnerability of epiphytes</h2>



In her latest study, Nadkarni emphasizes the heightened vulnerability of epiphytes to disturbances like climate change and deforestation.&nbsp;



Alarmingly, she reveals that while many of these disturbances are labeled "natural," human activities are intensifying their frequency and severity worldwide.



"This synthesis revealed the exceptional vulnerability to the increasing levels of disturbances - such as climate change and deforestation - on the abundance, diversity and connectivity of canopy-dwelling plants around the globe,” said Nadkarni.&nbsp;



“Although we categorize the disturbances with greatest negative effects on canopy plants as ‘natural,’ as hurricanes and wildfire, human activities are increasing the severity and frequency of those in the USA and around the world.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ecological-disturbances-nbsp">Ecological disturbances&nbsp;</h2>



For her study, Nadkarni reviewed 255 previously published papers on ecological disturbances affecting epiphytes across 58 countries.&nbsp;



The analysis revealed that forest fragmentation was the most frequently cited disturbance to epiphytes, followed by climate change, harvesting, and extreme events.



“Across all impacts, disturbance agents were significantly more likely to lead to negative, rather than positive, effects in both tropical and temperate locales,” wrote Nadkarni.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keystone-roles">Keystone roles</h2>



"Communities of plants that live in rainforest canopies - ferns, orchids and bromeliads - play ‘keystone roles’ in maintaining biodiversity, fostering critical interactions for pollination and seed dispersal and maintaining healthy nutrient cycles, even though their biomass is small relative to whole forests,” explained Nadkarni.&nbsp;



“Many of them have been cultivated by people for centuries because of their beauty and the ways they connect us to aesthetically and spiritually to nature.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intercepting-nutrients">Intercepting nutrients</h2>



In a 2009 TED talk, Nadkarni passionately spoke about these plants, explaining how they absorb nutrients from mist and fog through their leaves.&nbsp;



“They don’t have roots that go into trunks or to the forest floor, but rather it is their leaves that are adapted to intercept the dissolved nutrients that come to them in the form of mist and fog,” Nadkarni said.



“Underneath these live epiphytes, as they die and decompose, they actually construct an arboreal soil…They have a tremendous capacity for holding onto nutrients and water."



“If you pull back on those mats of epiphytes, what you’ll find underneath them are connections, networks of what we call canopy roots. These are not epiphyte roots. These are roots that emerged from the trunks and branches of the host trees themselves."&nbsp;



"And so those epiphytes are actually paying the landlord a bit of rent in exchange for being supported high above the forest floor.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-the-future-of-epiphytes">Implications for the future of Epiphytes</h2>



To protect these vital plants, Nadkarni recommends actions like retaining old, large trees during forestry activities, harvesting epiphytes from only limited areas, and safeguarding vast forest sections.&nbsp;



Nadkarni concluded that it is imperative to share these insights with policymakers and land managers. Collaborative efforts are needed to shield epiphytes from harm.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.19245" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New Phytologist</a>.



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Epiphytes are increasingly threatened by forest disturbances

Epiphytes are plants that can be found in tree canopies...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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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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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



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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



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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



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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

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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



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"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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