When we think about the threats of climate change, antibiotic resistance isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. 



We imagine rising seas, stronger storms, or scorching heatwaves. But there’s a quieter, more hidden danger unfolding beneath our feet - one that could reshape public health as we know it.



A new international study reveals that climate change is not just warming our planet; it’s accelerating the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soils. 



Scientists at <a href="https://www.durham.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Durham University</a>, in collaboration with experts across the globe, have linked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/critical-food-crops-are-threatened-by-rising-temperatures-globally/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rising temperatures</a> to an alarming increase in antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factors in soil microbial communities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-link-to-antibiotic-resistance">Climate link to antibiotic resistance</h2>



The research shows that as global temperatures climb, they trigger a surge in the genetic material that makes bacteria harder to treat. 



These antibiotic resistance genes allow <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-rivers-are-highly-saturated-with-human-antibiotics-helping-bacteria-develop-resistance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bacteria</a> to survive common treatments, raising the chances of infections that traditional antibiotics can no longer cure.



The team combined field data, metagenomic analysis, and lab experiments to build a detailed picture. 



The findings reveal that warmer conditions not only help resistant bacteria survive but also encourage the evolution of even tougher strains - bacteria that often start in natural environments before finding their way into humans.



Professor David W. Graham is a water engineer at Durham University specializing in antibiotic resistance. “The study exemplifies how closely connected human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistance-could-cause-a-health-crisis-globally/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health</a> is with environmental change,” said Graham.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-than-just-an-environmental-crisis">More than just an environmental crisis</h2>



Climate change is typically framed as an environmental issue, but the study makes it clear that it’s also playing a growing role in fueling antibiotic resistance in soils worldwide. 



The research adds to a growing body of evidence that global warming impacts human health in complex and sometimes hidden ways.



The experts emphasize the importance of a "One Health" approach, acknowledging that human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected.



“Most people do not realize that most of the pathogens that cause infectious disease humans actually originate from the environment,” said Professor Graham.



“Therefore, increasing resistance in soils will almost certainly translate into increased levels of untreatable <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/viruses-that-love-to-kill-bacteria-could-help-fight-deadly-infections/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">infections</a> in human and veterinary practice. This is why One Health solutions are important."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-colder-regions-aren-t-a-safe-haven">Colder regions aren't a safe haven</h2>



Interestingly, the experts found that colder regions, which historically saw bacteria die off due to freezing temperatures, are now becoming more hospitable to dangerous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/is-it-possible-to-smell-pathogens-and-fight-them-before-an-infection/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pathogens</a>.



As temperatures rise, these bacteria survive longer. They may evolve more rapidly, creating entirely new pathogens that our antibiotics can’t touch.



“The relationship between climate and antibiotic resistance was predicted in the 2023 United Nations report: Bracing for Superbugs: Strengthening environmental action in the One Health response to antimicrobial resistance, and the new work here provides concrete evidence for that prediction,” noted Professor Graham.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-future-could-look-like">What the future could look like</h2>



Even modest increases in temperature appear to spark major changes. The study’s lab experiments on Escherichia coli showed that warmer conditions led to increased expression of key antibiotic resistance genes. 



These genes include those involved in efflux pumps and stress response proteins - both vital tools that bacteria use to defend themselves.



Machine learning models used in the study paint an unsettling picture. Under high-emission scenarios, global soil levels of ARGs could rise by up to 23 percent by the end of this century.



Bacterial groups such as Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes - known carriers of resistance and virulence genes - are especially likely to thrive as the planet warms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-antibiotic-resistance-in-our-soils">Antibiotic resistance in our soils</h2>



Climate-driven changes in microbial communities could undermine ongoing efforts to curb antibiotic resistance. The researchers warn that if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soil-plays-an-overlooked-role-in-antibiotic-resistance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">soils</a> continue to nurture resistant bacteria, it may become even easier for these traits to pass into human pathogens.



This risk isn’t theoretical. Past pandemics, like COVID-19, have shown how easily pathogens can leap from the environment to humans. The same pathways could allow antibiotic-resistant bacteria to do the same, posing a new and urgent threat to public health.



The silent transformation happening in our soils reminds us that the impacts of climate change extend well beyond what we can see. They’re also reshaping the invisible world around us, with consequences that could touch every part of our lives.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02740-5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



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Climate change is fueling antibiotic resistance in our soils

When we think about the threats of climate change, antibiotic resistance isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. We imagine rising seas, stronger storms, or scorching heatwaves. But there’s a quieter, more hidden danger unfolding beneath our feet - one that could reshape public health as we know it. A new international study reveals that climate change is not just warming our planet; it’s accelerating the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in soils. Scientists at Durham University, in collaboration with experts across the globe, have linked...

People who drink two or three cups of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-with-milk-has-powerful-anti-inflammatory-properties/">coffee</a> a day have lower blood pressure than those who drink just one cup or none at all, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.unibo.it/en">University of Bologna</a>. The researchers analyzed coffee consumption and peripheral and central blood pressure parameters in a sample of the Italian population.&nbsp;



Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in Italy and around the world. Almost 10 million tons of coffee was consumed globally in 2020 and 2021. 



While coffee may be considered unhealthy by some, recent studies have found various health benefits.&nbsp; Coffee can support a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and certain neurodegenerative and liver diseases. These benefits, however, do not appear to be directly related to the effects of caffeine.



"Caffeine is only one of the several coffee components and certainly not the only one with an active role. Positive effects on human health have indeed been recorded even among those who consume decaffeinated coffee," noted Professor Claudio Borghi, who led the study.&nbsp;



"We know that caffeine can increase blood pressure, but other bioactive components in coffee seem to counterbalance this effect with a positive end result on blood pressure levels."



The researchers used a sample of 720 men and 783 women to compare blood pressure levels and coffee consumption habits, among other clinical data.



"The results are very clear: peripheral blood pressure was significantly lower in individuals consuming one to three cups of coffee a day than in non-coffee drinkers," explained Professor Cicero. "And for the first time, we were also able to confirm these effects with regard to the central aortic pressure, the one close to the heart, where we observe an almost identical phenomenon with entirely similar values for habitual coffee drinkers compared to non-coffee drinkers."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15020312">Nutrients</a>.



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



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Dedicated coffee drinkers have lower blood pressure

People who drink two or three cups of coffee a...

Children can gain a stronger connection with the environment through story writing, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>. The research was focused on the issue of plastic litter in Latin American countries along the Pacific Ocean.&nbsp;



The experts set out to explore how a story-writing activity may influence the perceptions of children about plastic litter, as well as how their behavior may be affected.&nbsp;



“A key element of our project was to examine the children’s responses to questionnaires they completed before and after writing these stories," said study co-author Dr. Kayleigh Wyles. "We found that their knowledge on the topic increased and they became more proactive, as they reported doing more pro-environmental acts afterwards.”



The children were asked to use their imaginations about litter items that are commonly found on the beach, such as straws and plastic bags. They were then instructed to imagine how these items ended up on the beach in the first place.&nbsp;



The writing project showed that children were more likely to think about ways of preventing litter from entering the environment, rather than just cleaning it up. According to the researchers, the most popular solutions proposed in the stories were recycling and adequate disposal of litter.&nbsp;



Overall, nearly 90 children between the ages of 10 and 18 participated in the study from countries along the Pacific coast, including Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru.



“Stories offer a new and different way to explore what people believe and how they perceive and make sense of their environment, including in this study, marine plastic litter," said study lead author Estelle Praet. "The results were truly inspiring and showed the children’s awareness of plastic's impact on marine life and the environment.”



In more than half of the stories, the children showed awareness of the dangers of plastic pollution in the marine environment, including the risk of animal entanglement. Many stories described consequences of animals ingesting plastic, such as injuries or death.&nbsp;



“In a previous activity, the schoolchildren had visited the beaches and made drawings of their beaches before and after the visit - many of these drawings also contained litter items, including some of them showed interactions between litter and marine life, underscoring that they notice the environmental problem caused by litter," said study co-author Diamela de Veer.



“By viewing these plastic items as artefacts, each with its own story, we can bring this back to the human behaviors that related to the objects' use and their disposal," said Professor John Schofield. "This project has helped show how we can get that message across to children and hopefully then make a difference.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/marine-pollution-bulletin">Marine Pollution Bulletin</a>.



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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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Children connect with the environment through story writing

Children can gain a stronger connection with the environment through...

Millions of people use the summer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meltwater-influences-carbon-storage-in-the-arctic/">meltwater</a> from glaciers to irrigate crops, provide for livestock and people, and to generate hydroelectricity. However, as the atmosphere and oceans warm, this glacial water may turn out to be a danger rather than a blessing. When glaciers retreat, meltwater collects in front of them and forms a lake, which can suddenly burst and overflow if the volume becomes too large.&nbsp;



When a glacial lake bursts, it may give rise to a fast-flowing Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) that can spread over a large distance - more than 120 km from the original site in some cases - and threaten human lives, property, infrastructure and agricultural land that lies in its path. GLOFs can be highly destructive and lead to significant loss of life. The number of glacial lakes has grown rapidly since 1990 as a result of climate change and, at the same time, the number of people living in these catchments has also increased significantly.&nbsp;&nbsp;



An international team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> has now produced the first global assessment of areas at greatest risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods and quantified the number of people who could be impacted by such floods. Their findings are published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36033-x">Nature Communications</a>.



The research team looked at 1,089 glacial lake basins worldwide and the number of people living within 50 kilometers of each one, as well as the level of development in those areas and other societal indicators as markers of vulnerability to GLOFs. They then used this information to quantify and rank the potential for damage from GLOFs at a global scale and assess communities’ ability to respond effectively to a flood.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The results show that 15 million people currently live within 50 km of a glacial lake and that High Mountain Asia (which encompasses the Tibetan Plateau, from Kyrgyzstan to China), has the highest risk of damage from GLOFs, with 9.3 million people living within the area of potential impact. India and Pakistan have around 5 million exposed people - about one third of the global total combined.



“This work highlights that it’s not the areas with the largest number or most rapidly growing lakes that are most dangerous. Instead, it is the number of people, their proximity to a glacial lake and importantly, their ability to cope with a flood, that determines the potential danger from a GLOF event," said study lead author Caroline Taylor.



The research&nbsp;also highlights Peru as one of the four countries, along with India, Pakistan and China, that are home to more than half of the number of people worldwide exposed to potential danger from glacial lake flooding. The experts point to the relative lack of research on the danger from glacial lakes in the Andes and say that further research is urgently needed to better understand the potential GLOF danger on a local level in this area due to the large number of people living in proximity to glacial lakes here, and their reduced capacity to cope with the impact of a GLOF.



“Understanding which areas face the greatest danger from glacial flooding will allow for more targeted and effective risk management actions which, in turn, will help minimize loss of life and damage to infrastructure downstream as a result of this significant natural hazard," said study co-author Dr. Rachel Carr.



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



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Glacial floods threaten millions of people worldwide

Millions of people use the summer meltwater from glaciers to...

Agriculture can lead to major disturbances to ecological systems, and the recovery of formally used agricultural land can often take a long period of time. However, according to a new study published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14063">Journal of Ecology</a>, without any active <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/intense-nature-restoration-needed-to-address-the-climate-crisis/">restoration</a> efforts, this recovery can take an exceedingly long time and will frequently be incomplete. These findings shed new light on the recovery process at different scales in former agricultural sites, and identify specific restoration interventions which could assist in the recovery of plant diversity.



The scientists measured the recovery of plant diversity and species composition at 17 temperate grasslands in Minnesota that were previously ploughed and used for agricultural practices. Some of these fields were abandoned between 1927 and 2015 so that natural succession and recovery of the vegetation followed. However, by comparing these abandoned places with sites that were never ploughed, the experts found that the former had significant difficulties in returning to their pre-agricultural state.



“What we wanted to know was how fast and how completely disturbed grasslands can regain their biodiversity if they are left to recover. Understanding that recovery process can give us insights into how we can assist and speed it up using restoration,” said study lead author Emma Ladouceur, an ecologist and conservation biologist at the <a href="https://www.idiv.de/en/index.html">German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research</a> (iDiv).



The analysis revealed that, even after 80 years, the abandoned fields had not managed to recover fully on their own, and although the types of plant species initially present at the sites recovered over time, this process remained incomplete. At the beginning of the recovery process, the fields were colonized by species unique to old sites (such as weeds and other disturbance-tolerant species), followed by many species characteristic of the never-disturbed sites. Yet, across the whole study, there were 63 native species that were unique to the never-ploughed sites, while the recovering old fields had a larger number of introduced grasses and weeds.



These findings suggest that active restoration efforts are needed to help these ecosystems better recover. “By looking closely at the recovery of species composition at different scales, we can get a better idea of what species could be targeted in restoration treatments, and how we could help these systems recover best,” explained study co-author Stan Harpole, an expert in Biodiversity at iDiv.



“Specific restoration measures could include the seeding or planting of species that we know are not part of the composition of recovering fields, combined with the management of exotic species to reduce competition with native species,” concluded Ladoucer.



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



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Plant diversity may never fully recover from agriculture

Agriculture can lead to major disturbances to ecological systems, and...

Artificial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/does-the-human-brain-outperform-artificial-intelligence/">intelligence</a> (AI) is all around us, helping us live our daily lives. It involves numerous technologies and algorithms that are used to train systems to emulate human intelligence by perceiving, learning, reasoning, planning and solving problems. As the systems learn, they become more able to perform intellectual tasks by themselves, and appear to assume the human quality of intelligence.



For example, our choices of streaming music, films, and news are soon learned by the internet algorithms, which then suggestions what we might like to view or listen to next. Our social media streams are also filtered according to AI learning principles that have been used to get to know us better. Sound complicated? Well, researchers from the <a href="https://uiowa.edu/">University of Iowa</a> recently set out to demystify the way in which AI works, by testing how simple pigeons learn, and comparing this to the way in which AI learning takes place.&nbsp;



The researchers identified two types of learning: declarative and associative. Declarative learning is based on exercising reason according to a set of rules or strategies – a so-called higher order of learning that is typical in humans. In contrast, associative learning centers on recognizing and making connections between objects or patterns, such as in “sky-blue” and “water-wet.” It is considered a lower-order way of thinking. Numerous animal species use associative learning, but only a few – dolphins, chimpanzees and humans among them – are capable of declarative learning.



In order to tease out the way in which pigeons learn, the researchers set a “diabolically difficult” task for them. They gave the pigeons complex categorization tests that higher-level thinking, such as using logic or reasoning, would not aid in solving. Instead, the pigeons, had to use trial and error to memorize enough of the scenarios in the test in order to find the correct solution.&nbsp;



Each test pigeon was shown a stimulus and had to decide, by pecking a button on the right or on the left, to which category that stimulus belonged. They had to consider variables such as line width, line angle, concentric rings, and sectioned rings, in matching stimuli and solutions. A correct answer yielded a tasty pellet; an incorrect response yielded nothing. What made the test so demanding was its arbitrariness: no rules or logic would help the pigeons decipher the&nbsp;solutions.



“These stimuli are special. They don’t look like one another, and they’re never repeated,” says study co-author <a href="https://psychology.uiowa.edu/people/edward-wasserman">Ed Wasserman</a>. “You have to memorize the individual stimuli or regions from where the stimuli occur in order to do the&nbsp;task,” said Wasserman, who has&nbsp;<a href="https://comparative-cognition.lab.uiowa.edu/">studied pigeon intelligence for five decades</a>.



Each of the four test pigeons began by correctly answering about half the time. But over hundreds of tests, the birds eventually upped their score to an average of 68 percent&nbsp;correct. They had clearly learned how to respond to the tasks using an associative learning process.



The researchers equate the pigeons’ repetitive, trial-and-error approach to the learning that takes place by machines. Computers employ the same basic methodology, the researchers contend, and are “taught” how to identify the patterns and objects easily recognized by humans. Granted, computers, because of their enormous memory and storage power, far surpass anything the pigeon brain can&nbsp;conjure. However, the basic process of making associations is the same between the test-taking pigeons and the latest AI&nbsp;advances.



“You hear all the time about the wonders of AI, all the amazing things that it can do,” says&nbsp;Wasserman. “It can beat the pants off people playing chess, or at any video game, for that matter. It can beat us at all kinds of things. How does it do it? Is it smart? No, it’s using the same system or an equivalent system to what the pigeon is using&nbsp;here.”



“The pigeons are like AI masters,” Wasserman says. “They’re using a biological algorithm, the one that nature has given them, whereas the computer is using an artificial algorithm that humans gave&nbsp;them.”



The common denominator is that AI and pigeons both employ associative learning, and it is that base-level thinking that allowed the pigeons to ultimately score successfully. If people were to take the same test, Wasserman says, they’d score poorly and would probably give&nbsp;up because they are more used to using declarative learning in order to solve problems.



“The goal was to see to what extent a simple associative mechanism was capable of solving a task that would trouble us because people rely so heavily on rules or strategies,” Wasserman adds. “In this case, those rules would get in the way of learning. The pigeon never goes through that process. It doesn’t have that high-level thinking process. But it doesn’t get in the way of their learning. In fact, in some ways it facilitates&nbsp;it.”



Wasserman sees a paradox in how associative learning is&nbsp;viewed. “People are wowed by AI doing amazing things, using a learning algorithm much like the pigeon,” he says, “yet when people talk about associative learning in humans and animals, it is discounted as rigid and&nbsp;unsophisticated.”



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



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Pigeons solve problems like intelligent machines

Artificial intelligence (AI) is all around us, helping us live...

Sunflower heads consist of hundreds of tiny florets. Due to the way sunflowers grow, the youngest florets are in the center of the flower face and the most mature one at the edges, forming a spiral pattern from the center to the edge.&nbsp;



Now, a team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a> has found that an internal circadian clock controls these distinctive concentric rings of flowering in sunflowers in order to maximize visits from pollinators.



An individual sunflower floret blooms over a couple of days. While on the first day it opens the male part of the flower that presents pollen, on the second day the female stigma unfolds to receive pollen. These florets coordinate to open in concentric rings starting from the edge and moving inwards on successive days, with a ring of female flowers always located outside the pollen-bearing male flowers.&nbsp;



Pollinators such as bees usually land on the ray petals around a sunflower head and walk toward the center, picking up pollen while walking over the female florets, then carrying it to a different flower head.



The internal circadian clock of plants or animals run on cycles of about 24 hours, allowing different genes to be activated at different times of the day. While natural day/night cycles keep this clock synchronized to actual day time, changes in the length of day light or darkness can reset the clock.



To understand the role internal circadian clock plays in turning the spiral pattern of florets into concentric rings of flowering, the scientists took time-lapse videos of sunflowers grown in different light/dark or temperature conditions.&nbsp;



The videos revealed that the plants’ circadian clocks control the opening of florets and that, when the clock was disrupted by exposing growing plants to continuous light, florets did not open in concentric rings, but only according to age, starting at the edge and moving toward the center in a continuous gradient. When plants that had matured with a disrupted clock were moved outside, they attracted significantly fewer pollinators than normal sunflowers.



“We think that being able to coordinate in this way makes them a better target for bees,” said study senior author Stacey Harmer, a professor of Plant Biology at UC Davis. “It’s a strategy to attract as many insects as possible.”



As the climate continues to change, it will become increasingly important to make pollination as efficient as possible in crops that require it. Better understanding how circadian clocks and environmental pressures affect flowering can help breeders develop cultivars that flower at the optimal times of day to attract more pollinators.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.80984">eLife</a>.



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



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Sunflowers use an internal clock to bloom at optimal times

Sunflower heads consist of hundreds of tiny florets. Due to...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/model-predicts-the-fate-of-plastic-debris-in-the-ocean/">Plastic debris</a> pollution is a global problem that impacts even the uninhabited areas of the Arctic. However, while considerable amounts of plastic debris have been observed floating in the remote Arctic Ocean, it is still unclear where it all comes from.&nbsp;



In a project led by the <a href="https://www.awi.de/en/">Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research</a> (AWI), citizen scientists went on sailing cruises to the Arctic to survey and collect plastic debris that had washed up on the shores of Svalbard. The team found that one third of the debris which still had labels or imprints allowing an analysis of their origin came from Europe, and particularly from Germany. These findings show that even prosperous industrialized countries such as Germany contribute substantially to the pollution of remote ecosystems.



“From previous studies and computer models, we know that plastic pollution comes from local and remote sources alike,” said study lead author Anna Natalie Meyer, a researcher at AWI. “Locally, plastic debris finds its way to the ocean from ships and from Arctic communities with poor waste management systems. As for remote sources, plastic debris and microplastic are transported to the Arctic Ocean from the Atlantic, North Sea, and North Pacific by various rivers and ocean currents.”&nbsp;



For instance, the scientists found debris originating from countries as distant as Brazil, the U.S., and China, as well as from Europe. Among the European countries contributing the most to Arctic plastic pollution was Germany, with debris originating from there accounting for eight percent of the total amount.&nbsp;



“Considering that Germany is the ‘European champ’ in terms of both plastic production and debris exports, this comparatively high percentage isn’t so surprising,” said study co-author Melanie Bergmann, a marine ecologist at AWI.



“Our results highlight that even prosperous industrialized countries, which can afford better waste management, make significant contributions to the pollution of remote ecosystems like the Arctic. Accordingly, in order to tackle the problem effectively, not only does local waste management – especially on ships and in fisheries – need to be improved. It’s equally important that global plastic production be massively reduced, especially in the industrialized countries of Europe, North America, and Asia, since roughly 11 percent of the global plastic production finds its way into our water ways."



"This underscores once again the urgent need for an ambitious and legally binding UN Plastics Treaty, which is currently being negotiated and due to enter into force in 2024."



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1092939">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.&nbsp;



—-



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



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Where does plastic debris in the Arctic come from?

Plastic debris pollution is a global problem that impacts even...

Since the beginning of this century, the world has experienced a massive global land rush, with thousands of transnational land investments being made by a variety of foreign entities. This has led to a significant surge of large-scale land acquisitions. Collectively, these acquisitions have resulted in an area larger than South Africa that is now officially put under contract for agriculture, mining, and logging.



Now, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a> (UD) has found that, when used specifically for agriculture, these transnational agricultural large-scale acquisitions (TALSLAs) lead to massive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-third-of-global-forest-loss-has-been-caused-by-wildfires/">forest loss</a>, posing a major threat to biodiversity in the Global South.



TALSLAs have surged since the beginning of the century due to the global food crises from 2008 and 2010, which led to sudden spikes in food prices and export bans. “Because of those events, many countries that rely on food imports realized that they were potentially vulnerable to these kinds of global or remote disruptions,” said study lead author Kyle Frankel Davis, an assistant professor of Geography and Spatial Sciences at UD. “To address these vulnerabilities, investments specifically targeted at agriculture rose partly as a result of that.”&nbsp;



Moreover, a rising interest in renewable fuels – such as those related to biofuel crops like corn, oil palm, or sugar cane – gave many countries an incentive to invest in places where agricultural land was cheap.



In their study, the experts assembled the first global dataset of TALSLAs in 40 countries and investigated the historical environmental effects of these acquisitions, as well as their potential impact on biodiversity. “We looked at four different regions most targeted by land investments: Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. We found that, for Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, these types of investments tend to be associated with accelerated forest loss,” Davis reported.



The analysis revealed that, while in Asia there was a substantial spike in the rates of forest loss after contracts were signed – suggesting that such investments directly lead to increased deforestation – in Africa, forest loss tends to happen before the contract year occurs. “That suggests that even though they are associated with increased forest loss, the investments in this region may be taking advantage of places where there has already been clearing so the observed forest loss isn’t directly caused by the investment,” Davis explained.



Finally, the researchers examined the potential impact of these developments on two measures of biodiversity - species richness, or the number of individuals per species, and species abundance, or the number of species from a particular location - and discovered that, while 91 percent of the investments would be expected to lead to a decline in species richness, the impact on species abundance is likely to depend upon what type of investment the land was going to be used for.



“We estimated that abundance could potentially increase because you have maybe an area that is not a very productive natural system but it gets converted into a tree plantation or an oil palm plantation,” said Davis. “That type of agriculture can support large numbers of certain types of species but not necessarily a large number of species.”&nbsp;



However, considering that 39 percent of these TALSLAs occur at least partially in biodiversity hotspots, it is crucial for these factors to be considered when foreign land investments are made. “Depending on the context, depending on the region, and depending on the intended use of the investment, you can have really serious implications for forests and for biodiversity in the places where these investments are occurring. These types of things need to be kept in mind when policies are being developed to govern these types of investments and to do so responsibly,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acb2de">Environmental Research Letters</a>.



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



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Global land rush threatens biodiversity

Since the beginning of this century, the world has experienced...

While investigating how well commercial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bumblebees-increasingly-stressed-over-the-past-century/">bumblebees</a> (Bombus impatiens) pollinate early spring crops, a team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has made a surprising and worrisome discovery: a series of dead wild bumblebee queens in the hives (an average of ten dead queens in each nest box). According to the experts, the brightly-colored hives play a significant role in attracting the queens, which are afterwards killed by worker bees from those hives.



Bumblebee queens frequently engage in a behavior called “usurpation,” in which a queen who has yet to establish her own nest takes over by force another queen’s nest. However, as commercial hives have many more workers than natural nests, these usurping wild queens are often killed by workers upon entry. Fortunately, the scientists found that an existing technology called an “excluder,” which narrows the nest box doorway, is fully effective at keeping the resident queen in and the usurpers out.



The researchers placed commercial bumblebee colonies in early spring on apple orchards in eight sites around the Fingers Lakes area of New York. The colonies were set up side by side, half of them with excluders on their doorways, and half without. After marking each hive’s original queens, the experts checked the nests every few days during a period of two weeks. The investigation revealed that nests without excluders included more dead usurpers, one of them containing a staggering 19 dead queens.



These findings add yet another item on the list of human practices which contribute to the decline of wild bee populations. Although wild eastern bumblebee populations are fortunately not a species of conservation concern, the scientists did find dead queens of other species too - such as the rapidly declining Bombus perplexus (known as the “confusing bumblebee”) - inside commercial hives.



“If you are a commercial grower, and you want to manage bumblebees, especially if you are bringing them in early in the season, you may actually be reducing your overall pollination services by investing in these commercial bumblebee colonies, unless you are taking some risk-mitigation strategies like putting in a queen excluder,”&nbsp;concluded senior author Heather Grab, an expert in Integrative Plant Sciences at Cornell.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14353">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.&nbsp;



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



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Bumblebee queens lured to their death by colorful hives

While investigating how well commercial bumblebees (Bombus impatiens) pollinate early...

The number of native fish present in a marine <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mountain-ecosystems-are-in-urgent-need-of-protection/">ecosystem</a> is increasingly affected by multiple factors, including invasive species and overfishing. In a new study led by <a href="http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/index_e.html">Okayama University</a>, researchers have used eDNA to survey the population of the bitterling fish in the Ashida river basin in Japan.



The bitterling fish, Rhodeus atremius suigensis, was once abundant but is now threatened with extinction in this region. According to the researchers, this is concerning because the bitterling fish is recognized as an indicator species for the conservation of fish diversity in freshwater ecosystems.&nbsp;



"Rhodeus atremius suigensis is an extremely endangered bitterling fish, designated as one of the Nationally Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora by the Ministry of Environment of Japan," wrote the study authors.



"To prevent its extinction, effective ecological survey methods are necessary in order to guide habitat management. Recently, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has proven useful for detection and censusing of endangered aquatic species that are difficult to locate and capture."



Environmental DNA (eDNA) holds information about which species were recently present in an area. The experts developed a system using eDNA to investigate the distribution and population density of bitterling fish in the Ashida river basin.



“We first confirmed the utility of this analysis in aquarium experiments, before performing field surveys.” said Professor Kazuyoshi Nakata from Okayama University, who led the study. “We set fish traps at 48 points in an agricultural channel in the Ashida river basin and examined the relationship between fish presence and eDNA concentration.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The study revealed that eDNA concentrations were greater in areas where bitterling fish had been captured, and lower downstream. “Our results serve as a reference to how far and how much downstream eDNA can be detected, which will be useful to guide future conservation surveys,” said Professor Nakata.



The eDNA analysis technique used for this study could be used in larger areas to track other species. Ultimately, the finding of this research could help in the conservation of endangered species.&nbsp;



"These results not only demonstrate the reliability of this method, but also suggest its feasibility for conservation measures," wrote the study authors.



The research is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11355-022-00531-9">Landscape and Ecological Engineering</a>.



Image Credit: Kazuyoshi Nakata



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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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Environmental DNA can help track endangered species

The number of native fish present in a marine ecosystem...

Scientists have long wondered how microbes growing in the deepest parts of the oceans can survive with no sunlight. Now, a team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.monash.edu/">Monash University</a> in Australia has shown that a distinct process called “chemosynthesis” (growth using inorganic compounds) fuels these microbes. More specifically, two common gases – hydrogen and carbon monoxide – serve as fuel for the trillions of microbes living in the depths of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/how-the-ocean-and-climate-influence-each-other/">oceans</a> from the tropics to the poles.



Until recently, most scientists believed that ocean microbial life is also driven by photosynthesis (growth by using light energy). "But what about those regions so deep that light can’t penetrate or so nutrient-poor that algae can’t thrive? We showed in this study that instead chemosynthesis is dominant in these regions,” said study senior author Chris Greening, an expert in Microbiology at Monash. 



“Hydrogen and carbon monoxide in fact “fed” microbes in all regions we’ve looked at: from urban bays to around tropical islands to hundreds of meters below the surface. Some can even be found beneath Antarctica’s ice shelves.”



The researchers combined chemical measurements during ocean voyages with lab-based characterization of microbial cultures, as well as metagenomic sequencing (a method providing the genetic blueprints of all the microbes present in a specific region in the ocean).&nbsp;



“We found the genes that enable hydrogen consumption across eight distantly related types of microbes, known as phyla, and this survival strategy becomes more common the deeper they live,” reported lead author Racheal Lappan, a research fellow in Microbiology at Monash.



The study was inspired by previous work on soil bacteria which revealed that most of these terrestrial microorganisms can thrive by consuming hydrogen and carbon monoxide from the atmosphere.&nbsp;



“The surface layers of the world’s oceans generally contain high levels of dissolved hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases due to various geological and biological processes. So it made sense that oceanic bacteria used the same gases as their terrestrial cousins,” Lappan explained.



The findings provide novel insights into how life on Earth evolved. “The first life probably emerged in deep-sea vents using hydrogen, not sunlight, as the energy source. It’s incredible that, 3.7 billion years later, so many microbes in the oceans are still using this high-energy gas and we’ve completely overlooked this until now,” Greening concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01322-0">Nature Microbiology</a>.



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



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How can deep ocean microbes survive without sunlight?

Scientists have long wondered how microbes growing in the deepest...

This year’s second full moon – known as the “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-snow-moon-will-peak-all-over-the-world-on-wednesday/">Snow Moon</a>” – will light up the sky during the next two days. Due to the fact that the moon will be at its farthest point from the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-earths-thermostat-control-the-climate/">Earth</a> in its orbit (over 250,000 miles away), it will appear 14 percent smaller than a supermoon (when a full moon appears larger and brighter because it is closest to the Earth’s orbit), and is thus called by astronomers a “micromoon.” However, most observers will not be able to notice this difference with the naked eye, so this moon too will offer a spectacular view, provided that the skies are clear.&nbsp;



Although the Snow Moon has reached peak illumination at approximately 1:29 p.m. ET on Sunday, it has appeared full from early Saturday morning and will continue to do so until early Tuesday morning.



“Seeing the moon yourself shouldn’t be too difficult, as long as clouds aren’t in the way.&nbsp;It will be easily the brightest object in the night sky and fully visible to the unaided eye; however, a pair of binoculars or a small telescope will enable you to see some of the smaller features on its surface,” said Gregory Brown, a Public Astronomy Officer at the <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory">Royal Observatory Greenwich</a>.



According to the <a href="https://www.almanac.com/content/full-moon-february">Old Farmer’s Almanac</a>, the name of this full moon emerged due to the fact that February is associated with more snowfall in North America. Across Native American tribes, this moon’s name varies, including “the sleet moon” (the Comanches), “cannapopa wi,” which means “when trees crack because of cold” (the Lakota), or “atchiulartadsh,” meaning “out of food” and signifying the usual lack of food resources characterizing the lands inhabited by the Kalapuya tribe in February. Other tribes named the moon in connection to animals, such as the Bald Eagle Moon (the Cree), the Black Bear Moon (the Tlingit), the Racoon Moon (the Dakota), the Groundhog Moon (the Alonquin), or the Goose Moon (the Haida).



Europeans have often referred to this moon as “the Candles moon,” and connected it to the Candlemas feast (the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ) on February 2. In the Hebrew tradition, the moon occurs in the middle of the month of Shevat and on the holiday Tu BiShvat (“the New Year of the Trees”), which is celebrated by planting trees in order to raise ecological awareness.&nbsp;



“So long as there’s not too much cloud, the full moon will be an unmistakable white orb in the sky. This is a good opportunity to use a small telescope or a pair of binoculars to see the moon’s detailed surface, or even try taking a few interesting moon photos,” experts from the Royal Observatory Greenwich concluded.



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



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.

Full Snow Moon will be bright in the sky tonight

This year’s second full moon – known as the “Snow...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features 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

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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