Astronomers anticipate a significant leap in our understanding of the solar system later this year, thanks to a powerful new observatory in Chile.



Millions of previously unseen asteroids, comets, and minor planets will soon come into view, offering the most detailed look yet at our cosmic neighborhood.



At the heart of this breakthrough is the <a href="https://rubinobservatory.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vera C. Rubin Observatory</a>, currently nearing completion on Cerro Pachón in northern Chile. Once fully operational, the facility will dramatically expand our knowledge of the solar system’s so-called “small bodies.”



These include everything from near-Earth asteroids to distant objects in the Kuiper Belt - remnants from the birth of the planets over 4.5 billion years ago.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-surveying-the-sky-in-detail">Surveying the sky in detail</h2>



The Rubin Observatory houses the Simonyi Survey Telescope, an 8.4-meter instrument with an innovative three-mirror design.



The LSST Camera, part of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, is the largest digital camera ever built for astronomy. It boasts 3.2 gigapixels and a 9.6 square-degree field of view - about 45 times the size of the full moon.



Over ten years, this system will scan the entire visible sky repeatedly, capturing a dynamic time-lapse of celestial activity and generating about 20 terabytes of data every night.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-will-we-find-in-the-solar-system">What will we find in the solar system?</h2>



To predict what Rubin will reveal, astronomers developed Sorcha, a unique open-source simulator. Sorcha digests the observatory’s planned sky-viewing schedule and applies the best models of how small bodies are distributed throughout the solar system.



“Accurate simulation software like Sorcha is critical,” said Meg Schwamb, a researcher at <a href="https://www.qub.ac.uk/">Qu</a><a href="https://www.qub.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">e</a><a href="https://www.qub.ac.uk/">en’s University Belfast</a> who led the development of the software.



“It tells us what Rubin will discover and lets us know how to interpret it. Our knowledge of what objects fill Earth’s solar system is about to expand exponentially and rapidly.”



Sorcha is the first tool of its kind to model the Rubin Observatory’s entire detection process, from imaging to object classification. It allows researchers to estimate how many and what kinds of objects the observatory will find once scanning begins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-fossil-record-in-space">A fossil record in space</h2>



The solar system is not just home to the eight planets and their moons. It also contains tens of millions of small bodies that formed alongside them.



These icy and rocky relics act like fossils, preserving clues about how planets came together, how they migrated, and even how Earth acquired <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stunning-discovery-earths-building-blocks-contained-water/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">water</a> and organic material.



“Rubin’s unparalleled combination of breadth and depth makes it a uniquely effective discovery machine,” said Jake Kurlander, a doctoral student at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a>.



“It took 225 years of astronomical observations to detect the first 1.5 million asteroids. Rubin will double that number in less than a year.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-unprecedented-solar-system-census">Unprecedented solar system census</h2>



Simulations using Sorcha show that Rubin will transform our inventory of solar system objects. Researchers expect it to find 127,000 near-Earth objects - more than triple the current tally of about 38,000.



Importantly, this includes over 70% of all potentially hazardous <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/two-large-asteroids-will-pass-near-earth-this-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">asteroids</a> larger than 140 meters, a major boost to Earth’s planetary defense efforts.



The telescope is also projected to discover over five million main-belt asteroids, nearly quadrupling today’s known population. Scientists will track about one-third of these with precise color and rotation data, helping them piece together their histories and compositions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-look-at-ancient-worlds">A new look at ancient worlds</h2>



Another exciting target: the Jupiter Trojans. These ancient objects share Jupiter’s orbit in stable zones called Lagrange points. Rubin could uncover 109,000 of them - more than seven times the current count - offering a rare glimpse into some of the most pristine material from the early solar system.



Farther out, Rubin is expected to detect 37,000 trans-Neptunian objects in the Kuiper Belt, ten times the number known today. These discoveries could reveal details about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/auroras-captured-on-neptune-for-the-first-time-thanks-to-the-webb-telescope/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neptune</a>’s early movements and the shaping of the solar system’s outer edge.



The observatory will also chart between 1,500 and 2,000 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-space-objects-called-centaurs-29p-continue-to-perplex-nasa/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centaurs</a>, unusual bodies with unstable orbits between the giant planets. Many Centaurs eventually become short-period comets. Rubin will provide the first in-depth look at this transitional stage.



Mario Juric is an astronomer at the University of Washington and a key contributor to Rubin’s Solar System Processing Pipelines.



“With this data, we’ll be able to update the textbooks of solar system formation and vastly improve our ability to spot - and potentially deflect - the asteroids that could threaten Earth,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-view-of-the-solar-system">A new view of the solar system </h2>



Rubin will do more than count small bodies. It will observe each one repeatedly using different filters, revealing their surface colors. Most past surveys used just one filter, which limited what astronomers could learn.



“With the LSST catalog of solar system objects, our work shows that it will be like going from black-and-white television to brilliant color,” said Joe Murtagh, a doctoral student at Queen’s University.



Siegfried Eggl, an aerospace engineer at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</a>, highlighted Sorcha’s importance in handling this data flood.



“Only by debiasing LSST’s complex observing pattern can we turn raw detections into a true reflection of the solar system’s history - where the planets formed, and how they migrated over billions of years," he said. "Sorcha is a game changer in that respect.”



Rubin Observatory will release its first public images of the solar system during the “First Look” event on June 23. The observatory expects to begin full science operations later in the year.



With Sorcha and the LSST Camera ready, astronomers around the world are preparing for a revolution in how we understand our solar system.



Image Credit: RubinObs/ NSF/ DOE/ NOIRLab/ SLAC/AURA/ Hernan Stockebrand



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New observatory will reveal millions of objects hidden in our solar system

Astronomers anticipate a significant leap in our understanding of the solar system later this year, thanks to a powerful new observatory in Chile. Millions of previously unseen asteroids, comets, and minor planets will soon come into view, offering the most detailed look yet at our cosmic neighborhood. At the heart of this breakthrough is the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently nearing completion on Cerro Pachón in northern Chile. Once fully operational, the facility will dramatically expand our knowledge of the solar system’s so-called “small bodies.” These include...

Scientists have long known that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-may-sometimes-protect-our-bodies/">stress</a> can significantly affect humans, impacting their health and well-being by causing high blood pressure and increasing the risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular morbidity. Thus, better understanding our reactions toward stress and finding out if there are any factors that can play key stress-buffering roles is crucial for improving cardiovascular health. Now, a team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/">Maynooth University</a> and the <a href="https://www.ul.ie/">University of Limerick</a> in Ireland has found that gratitude has a major stress-buffering effect on both reactions to and recovery from acute psychological stress.&nbsp;



Although previous research suggested that gratitude and affect-balance play important stress-buffering roles, the impact of these variables on cardiovascular recovery from acute psychological stress has been less understood. To clarify whether affect balance moderates the relationship between gratitude and cardiovascular reactions to stress, the experts enrolled 68 undergraduate students (24 male and 44 female) aged 18 to 57, and used an experimental design with laboratory tasks in which stress was induced to participants and then cardiovascular reactivity and recovery in response to increased stress levels were measured.



The analyses revealed that experiencing gratitude predicted lower systolic blood pressure responses during the testing period, meaning that feelings of gratitude have unique stress-buffering effects on both reactions to and recovery from acute psychological stress. Moreover, the researchers discovered that affect balance generally amplifies the positive effects of gratitude.



These findings could have major clinical implications by showing that several low-cost gratitude interventions can contribute positively to our health and well-being, and help us smoothly recover from cardiovascular issues acute stress can induce. For instance, as previous research has shown, cardiac patients who make use of gratitude journals have better cardiovascular outcomes than those who do not. Combined with the recent findings, this shows that gratitude may constitute a useful point of intervention for the improvement of our health.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.11.013">International Journal of Psychophysiology</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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Feelings of gratitude reduce the negative effects of stress

Scientists have long known that stress can significantly affect humans,...

A new study published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-26121-1">Nature Scientific Reports</a> has categorized the behavior of cat interactions into playful, aggressive, and intermediate in order to help owners distinguish between play and genuine fighting. The experts suggested that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-can-learn-the-names-of-their-companions/">cats</a> may engage in a mixture of playful and aggressive behaviors that could easily escalate into full-blown fighting if not properly managed by the owner.



The scientists evaluated 105 video clips sourced from YouTube and directly from cat owners showing a variety of interactions between 210 cats. Based on initial observations of the animals, the researchers assembled six behavioral categories, including wrestling, chasing, and vocalizations. These categories were used to analyze the behaviors of the remaining cats (which were grouped based on the duration and frequency of the six behaviors).



In a next step, four of the authors reviewed the same videos and divided the interactions between the cats in three categories: playful, or friendly interactions; agonistic, or aggressive interactions; and intermediate interactions, referring to a mixture of both playful and aggressive behaviors. Over half of the cats (56.2 percent or 118 cats) were described as engaging in playful interactions, while 60 cats (28.6 percent) were categorized as agonistic, and 32 (15.2 percent) were placed in the intermediate category.&nbsp;



When comparing the six cat behavioral categories with the three newly defined interaction groupings, the scientists found that wrestling behavior between cats was most closely linked to the playful group, while chasing and vocalizations were associated with the agonistic group. Although the intermediate group seemed to have characteristics of both other groups, most of the interactions verged towards playful rather than agonistic modes. Moreover, the intermediate group exhibited prolonged exchanges of behaviors such as laying on their back with their belly upwards, stalking, pouncing, and approaching and grooming each other.



According to the experts, this combination of playful and aggressive behaviors may reflect a short-term disagreement between the cats rather than a complete breakdown of their relationship. Identifying potential tensions between cats may help owners manage their relationship in order to avoid escalation of conflict and the need of separation, the authors 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



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Can you tell if your cat is playing or fighting?

A new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports...

An unusual new species of pterosaur with over 400 teeth has been identified by a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/puzzling-fossil-has-the-body-of-a-bird-skull-of-a-dinosaur/">fossil</a> found in Germany. Professor David Martill from the University of Portsmouth’s<a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/about-us/structure-and-governance/organisational-structure/our-academic-structure/faculty-of-science-and-health/school-of-the-environment-geography-and-geosciences"> School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences</a> is the lead author of the research.



Professor Matill worked with an international team of paleontologists who accidentally made the discovery while excavating a large block of limestone containing crocodile bones.



“The nearly complete skeleton was found in a very finely layered limestone that preserves fossils beautifully," explained Professor Martill. “This was a rather serendipitous find of a well-preserved skeleton with near perfect articulation” suggesting that the carcass was buried in sediment almost as soon as it had died."



Since the first pterosaur was described in the 18th century, hundreds more have been discovered, making the quarries in Bavaria one of the richest pterosaur localities in the world.



The new species has unique teeth which suggest an extraordinary feeding mechanism similar to that of ducks and flamingos. While wading through water, it would use its spoon-shaped beak to funnel the water and then its teeth to squeeze out excess liquid, leaving prey like tiny shrimps, trapped in its mouth. The pterosaur had a long, upward curved jaw with teeth right to the back of its smile.



“And what’s even more remarkable is some of the teeth have a hook on the end, which we’ve never seen before in a pterosaur ever. These small hooks would have been used to catch the tiny shrimp the pterosaur likely fed on – making sure they went down its throat and weren’t squeezed between the teeth," explained Professor Martill.



The specimen has been named Balaenognathus maeuseri, which roughly translates to "whale mouth" because of its filter-feeding style. The name also honors co-author Matthias Mäuser, who sadly passed away during the writing of the paper.



"Matthias was a friendly and warm-hearted colleague of a kind that can be scarcely found. In order to preserve his memory, we named the pterosaur in his honor," said Professor Martill.



The paper is published in<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12542-022-00644-4"> Paläontologische Zeitschrift</a> (PalZ). The specimen is currently on display in the Bamberg Natural History Museum.



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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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Fascinating pterosaur had hundreds of tiny hooked teeth

An unusual new species of pterosaur with over 400 teeth...

Concern for the status of the Amazon rainforest usually centers on understanding the extent of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-covid-19-pandemic-did-not-reduce-deforestation/">deforestation</a> and its devastating consequences. But this may only be part of the story. The authors of a new review article, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abp8622">Science</a>, say that about 2.5 million square kilometers of the Amazon (that is almost 40 percent of remaining rainforest), is degraded by the impacts of human activities.&nbsp;



The review used data from previously published scientific studies and satellite imagery to identify the changes in the Amazon region between 2001 and 2018. Thirty-five researchers were involved, from institutions&nbsp;such as Brazil’s University of Campinas (Unicamp), the Amazon Environmental Research&nbsp;Institute (IPAM), National Institute for Space Research (INPE), and UK’s Lancaster&nbsp;University. The work is the result of the AIMES (Analysis, Integration and Modelling of the Earth&nbsp;System) project, linked to the <a href="https://futureearth.org/">Future Earth</a> international initiative, which brings together&nbsp;scientists and researchers who study sustainability.



The authors define the concept of degradation as transient or&nbsp;long-term changes in forest conditions, caused by humans. Degradation is different from&nbsp;deforestation, where the forest is removed altogether and a new land use, such as agriculture,&nbsp;is established in its place. Although highly degraded forests can lose almost all of the trees and animal species,&nbsp;the land use itself does not change.



In addition, the activities that lead to the degradation of forests can also generate carbon emissions; these are equivalent to or even greater than the emissions arising from deforestation itself. The authors identify four key disturbances driving forest degradation: forest fires, edge effects (changes that occur in forests adjacent to deforested areas), selective logging (such as illegal logging) and extreme drought. They also consider the effects of other, less well-studied factors such as habitat fragmentation. Different forest areas can be affected by one or more of these disturbances.



“Despite uncertainty about the total effect of these disturbances, it is clear that their cumulative effect can be as important as deforestation, for carbon emissions and biodiversity loss,” said study co-author Jos Barlow, a professor of conservation science at Lancaster University.



The Amazon rainforest is a vital, yet vulnerable, major ecosystem on Earth. It provides crucial global ecosystem services that help maintain the planet’s carbon and water cycles, and is home to a staggering one-third of all known species. Modern agricultural and industrial practices, along with changes brought about by global warming, are degrading Amazonian environments at a very rapid pace.&nbsp;



The scientists assess that the degradation of the Amazon also has significant socioeconomic impacts, which should be further investigated in the future.



“Degradation benefits the few, but places important burdens on many,” said Dr. Rachel Carmenta, a co-author based at the University of East Anglia. “Few people profit from the degradation processes, yet many lose out across all dimensions of human well-being – including health, nutrition and the place attachments held for the forest landscapes where they live. Furthermore, many of these burdens are hidden at present; recognizing them will help enable better governance with social justice at the center.”



According to the researchers, these degradation factors will continue to produce carbon emissions that will affect the atmosphere, irrespective of whether deforestation is halted in the Amazon.&nbsp;



“Even in an optimistic scenario, when there is no more deforestation, the effects of climate change will see degradation of the forest continue, leading to further carbon emissions,” said Dr. David Lapola, leader of the study and researcher at the Centre for Meteorological and Climatic Research Applied to Agriculture at Unicamp. However, “… preventing the advance of deforestation remains vital, and could also allow more attention to be directed to other drivers of forest degradation.”



The authors propose creating a monitoring system for forest degradation, as well as prevention and curbing of illegal logging and controlling the use of fire. One suggestion is the concept of “smart forests” which, like the idea of “smart cities,” would use different types of technologies and sensors to collect useful data in order to improve the quality of the environment.



Dr. Lapola and colleagues emphasize that policies to halt deforestation will not necessarily address the factors that cause degradation to remaining forest. These policies must therefore be complemented by other approaches to curb the disturbances that degrade the remaining forest ecosystems.&nbsp;



“Public and private actions and policies to curb deforestation will not necessarily address degradation as well,” said Dr. Lapola. “It is necessary to invest in innovative strategies.”



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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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Humans are destroying what's left of the Amazon

Concern for the status of the Amazon rainforest usually centers...

When it comes to the negative impact of climate change on animal life, images of mass die-offs from floods, wildfires, and droughts abound. However, according to a recent study led by the <a href="https://umanitoba.ca/">University of Manitoba</a> in Canada, the effects of climate change need not be drastic or fatal to have significant consequences. For instance, the experts found that global warming is altering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ground-squirrels-found-to-be-full-of-personality/">ground squirrels</a>’ sperm and feet in unexpected ways – subtle changes which may, in the long run, affect the health and resiliency of wildlife and their ecosystems.



In 2021, the scientists discovered that some male Richardson’s ground squirrels – a species widespread through the Canadian prairies – emerged from hibernation during a particularly warm winter with non-motile sperm. While this non-lethal effect of climate change fortunately did not result in fewer offspring that year, other negative consequences of males “shooting blanks” may emerge more dramatically in other situations or species.



This year, the same research team has investigated what non-lethal effects climate change is having on African ground squirrels in the grasslands of South Africa. The analysis revealed that, as maximum temperatures have risen by more than 2°C, the relative size of the feet of these squirrels has increased, while their bodies have become smaller, suggesting that these animals are responding to global warming by a strange type of “shape-shifting.”



“These proportionally bigger feet may help the ground squirrel cool off by allowing them to shed more heat even faster than those squirrel with smaller feet. Likewise, smaller bodies are predicted to help animals shed heat at a faster rate than larger-bodied animals,” said study lead author Miyako Warrington, an animal ecologist at Manitoba. “This result suggests that ground squirrel bodies may be changing in response to the greater heat stress that these animals are experiencing in recent years.”



According to the scientists, such effects may have farther reaching consequences than mere changes in external aesthetics. “If the body is changing, what else is changing?” Warrington mused. “We’d also like to look at internal changes, things like the&nbsp;effects of stress&nbsp;and hormones, as well as the effect on behaviors. Cape ground squirrels are very social species, and changes to their bodies and behaviors can affect how they operate as a social species, which then may affect their survival and reproduction.”



Moreover, since these squirrels are known to be valuable ecosystem engineers, changing the vegetation around their burrows and increasing grassland biodiversity, modifications in their bodily appearance and behavior could have unwanted consequences to temperate grasslands, which are already some of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet.



“Our study, and the studies of many others, are showing us that nature, in some cases, can respond quickly to rapid environmental changes. Humans need to be mindful of all effects of&nbsp;climate change, even ‘small’ ones so we can respond with deliberate, swift action as needed,” Warrington concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyac107">Journal of Mammalogy</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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Climate change affects ground squirrels in unexpected ways

When it comes to the negative impact of climate change...

In 2019, scientists from eight countries conducted the most comprehensive expedition to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/environmental-dna-reveals-the-diversity-of-mount-everest/">Mt. Everest</a> to date in the Khumbu Region of Nepal. The research was part of a project called the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition.&nbsp;



In a paper published in <a href="http://www.catsg.org/index.php?id=175">Cat News</a>, the scientists reveal that they have found the first evidence of Pallas’s cat on Mount Everest in the Sagarmatha National Park.&nbsp;



The cat is named in honor of Peter Simon Pallas, the scientist who first described the species in 1776. The Pallas cat has a wide but fragmented distribution across the grasslands of Asia, with Mongolia and Russia making up the majority of its range.&nbsp;



Dr. Tracie Seimon of the <a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a> co-led the Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition biology field team from April 7 to May 2, 2019. The scientists collected environmental samples from Sagarmatha National Park on Mount Everest’s Southern Flank.&nbsp;&nbsp;



A genetic analysis of the samples confirmed that at least two Pallas cats inhabit Mount Everest. The experts found pika and mountain weasel DNA in the samples, which are important sources of food for these cats.&nbsp;



“It is phenomenal to discover proof of this rare and remarkable species at the top of the world,” said Dr. Seimon. “The nearly four-week journey was extremely rewarding not just for our team but for the larger scientific community. The discovery of Pallas’s cat on Everest illuminates the rich biodiversity of this remote high-alpine ecosystem and extends the known range of this species to eastern Nepal.”



The findings also add a new species to the list of known mammals in Sagarmatha National Park, a protected World Heritage site that has become an increasingly popular tourist destination.



“This is a unique discovery not only in terms of science but also conservation as this population of Pallas’s cat is legally protected under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora),” said study co-author Dr. Anton Seimon. “We hope that the confirmation of this new charismatic species will raise awareness of and education about the diversity of species at this iconic World Heritage Site.”



The experts say it is notable that Pallas’s cat went undetected in Sagarmatha National Park until 2019. Further research is needed to investigate the population, range, density, and diet of Pallas cats in this region.&nbsp;



“The groundbreaking 2019 Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition continues to be extremely valuable to better understand the most iconic environment on our planet,” said Nicole Alexiev of the National Geographic Society. “These results are a perfect illustration of why this work is important and a cornerstone of our partnership with Rolex to study and explore Earth’s critical life support systems.”&nbsp;



To learn more about the Perpetual Planet Expedition from National Geographic and Rolex, visit <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/topic/perpetual-planet">here</a>.&nbsp;



Image Credit: Julie Larsen/Maher/WCS



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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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Pallas cats discovered on the world’s highest mountain

In 2019, scientists from eight countries conducted the most comprehensive...

Recently, there has been an increasing number of reports of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toxic-algae-blooms-dogs/">toxic algae</a> – also known as blue-green algae or cyanobacteria – in many lakes around the world, mainly due to global warming and rises in nutrient inputs. By examining DNA from sediments of a lake in Germany, a team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/">GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences</a> has discovered that humans have not only had an influence on the development of blue-green algae since modern times, but already since the Bronze Age (approximately 2,000 years BCE).&nbsp;



Blue-green algae are among the oldest organisms capable of photosynthesis and are considered some of the main ancestors of today’s land plants, which have inherited from cyanobacteria the ability to produce oxygen and sequester carbon dioxide. These algae have proliferated in many bodies of water in recent decades, mainly due to anthropogenic factors such as increased nutrient output and climate change. Since some of them are toxic, mass blooms in bathing waters can be dangerous, causing allergies if they come into contact with our skin, infections in case of small wounds, or even liver cancer if they get into drinking water. Moreover, since – unlike other types of algae – they can absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere and use it as a nutrient, they can frequently outcompete and displace other aquatic organisms.



To better understand the evolution of these algae over the past millennia, the scientists collected sediments from the Lake Tiefer See in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Germany and inferred the number, composition, and diversity of blue-green algae species by analyzing DNA from various organisms found in the sediments.



The analysis revealed that cyanobacteria were already present in the oldest samples examined – dating 11,000 years ago, shortly after the lake was formed – although the number and diversity of species were very low and, thus, they probably did not play a major role in the lake’s early ecosystems. However, with the appearance of the first Bronze Age burial finds near the lake around 2,000 BCE, the number and species communities of these algae increased significantly. “This suggests that even early cultures had an impact on the nutrient balance of the lake through agricultural activities,” said study lead author Ebuka Nwosu, an expert in Geomicrobiology at GFZ.



Afterwards, with each subsequent settlement phase – and mainly during warmer climatic conditions – blue-green algae continued to proliferate in Lake Tiefer See. Moreover, since industrial agriculture started with greatly increased nutrient inputs, this development accelerated even more and will most likely be further favored by the increasingly warmer future climatic conditions.



“Our study provides evidence that humans began to locally impact lake ecology much earlier than previously assumed. Consequently, managing aquatic systems today requires awareness of the legacy of human influence dating back potentially several millennia,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-023-04430-z">Nature Communications Biology</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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Humans have caused toxic algae blooms since the Bronze Age

Recently, there has been an increasing number of reports of...

Mothers-to-be know that, in order to give their child the best start in life, they need to follow some basic guidelines while pregnant. Eating a healthy diet is important, along with avoiding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/more-than-2300-genes-can-predict-alcohol-use/">alcohol</a>, caffeine and fish that may be contaminated with mercury. They should also keep hydrated and get enough sleep.&nbsp;



Now, a new study, led by scientists from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado, Boulder</a> has added another word of caution; expectant mothers should also avoid exposure to air pollution during the later stages of pregnancy. Previous research has shown that exposure to high levels of ambient air pollution during pregnancy is associated with impaired neurodevelopment in pre-schoolers and school-aged children. This latest research, however, investigates whether this link also applies to brain development during a child’s earliest years.&nbsp;



In the study, data were collected from 161 healthy Latino mother-infant pairs from the Southern California Mother’s Milk Study. Participants provided detailed histories of where they had lived during the pregnancy, and the researchers then used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality System, which records data from ambient monitoring stations around the country, to calculate the mothers’ likely exposure to pollutants from roadside traffic, industry, wildfire smoke and other sources.&nbsp;



The scientists considered exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter smaller than 2.5 and 10 microns in diameter (PM2.5&nbsp;and PM10, respectively). They also divided the gestation period into early, mid and late, which aligned with the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy. At the age to two, the toddlers’ neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, which measured cognitive, motor and language skills.



The results of the analysis, published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12940-022-00951-y">Environmental Health</a>, showed that two-year-olds who had been exposed prenatally to higher levels of inhalable particulate matter (both PM2.5&nbsp;and PM10) scored significantly lower on cognitive tests. This was after taking into consideration differences in socioeconomic status, number of times the baby was breastfed per day, whether the infant was early, late or on time, the mother’s weight, the baby’s birthweight and other factors that could influence the results.&nbsp;



For those infants exposed to PM10 levels at the 75th percentile compared to the 25th percentile, the scores were about 3 points lower on the cognitive tests. Put another way, 16 percent of participants had a composite cognitive score that indicated some degree of impairment. If all participants had been exposed to as much pollution as the 75th percentile, the prevalence of cognitive impairment at age two would be 22 percent.



Furthermore, exposure to higher PM10 levels during mid- and late-pregnancy was also correlated with lower scores on language and motor tests in the children, when they were two years of age.



“Our findings suggest that pollution exposure, particularly during mid- to late-pregnancy, may negatively impact neurodevelopment in early life,” said senior author Professor Tanya Alderete.



The study is among the first to assess the link between prenatal pollution exposure and brain development in infancy, and it adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that exposure to dirty air during critical windows of development can have potentially lasting impacts on children's health. This study found that prenatal exposure to air pollution was particularly detrimental to brain development if it occurred in the latter half of the pregnancy.



“The brain develops differently at different stages of pregnancy and when you have a disruption at a critical window, that can affect the trajectory of that development,” said first author Zach Morgan. He explained that during mid- to late-pregnancy, key circuits within the brain form to support sensory, communication and motor systems.



While it is not yet understood just how pollution impacts the developing brain, some previous research has suggested that inhaled pollutants may come into direct contact with the fetus, causing systemic inflammation and oxidative stress that can interfere with neurodevelopment. Other studies have found associations between prenatal exposure to pollutants and reductions in white matter, cortex thickness and blood flow in the brain as well as lower IQ scores.



The World Health Organization estimates that more than 90 percent of the world’s population is exposed to particulate matter levels that exceed its recommended levels for healthy air, and this raises concern about the health of children all over the world, and their future functional impairment.&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to Professor Alderete, the burden of exposure is often higher among racial and ethnic minorities and low-income populations. (One EPA study found that racial minorities are exposed to as much as 1.5 times more airborne pollutants than their white counterparts). Additionally, other research by Professor Alderete has shown that Latinos in Southern California tend to live in adverse environmental conditions, including those that have been linked with poor neurodevelopmental outcomes.



“Our findings highlight the importance of addressing the impact of pollution on disadvantaged communities and point to additional steps all families can take to protect their health."



Although Professor Alderete stresses that prenatal exposure to high levels of pollution does not automatically mean the child will have lasting cognitive deficits, she does recommend that pregnant women avoid contact with airborne pollutants whenever possible, particularly in the second and third trimesters. For example, they should not exercise outdoors on high-pollution days, and should invest in an air filtration system for inside the home. Opening the windows and steering clear of secondhand smoke are also actions that will help lower the unborn child’s exposure to air pollutants.&nbsp;



“This is just one of the many things parents-to-be should be aware of to give their child the best start possible," said Professor Alderete.



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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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Prenatal pollution exposure linked to cognitive impairment

Mothers-to-be know that, in order to give their child the...

In recent years, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetic-analyses-help-shark-conservation-efforts/">shark</a> and ray populations have been increasingly threatened due to overfishing and other human activities. Over the past half a century, oceanic populations have decreased by a staggering 71 percent and one third of all sharks and rays are currently threatened with extinction. However, according to a new study led by <a href="https://www.sfu.ca/">Simon Fraser University</a> (SFU), better fisheries management and conservation can be highly effective in reversing these worrisome trends.



By analyzing trends in fishing pressure, fisheries management, and population status for all wide-ranging coastal shark and ray species living in the western Atlantic Ocean, the experts found that populations in the northwest Atlantic recovered significantly following the implementation of a U.S. fishery management plan in 1993. This recovery – achieved by comprehensive regulation, monitoring, and enforcement – has halted the decline of three species and six out of eleven species are clearly rebuilding at the moment.



For these species, a strong system of regulations had been put in place, including catch reporting requirements, aggregate- and species-specific quotas, and catch prohibitions for several species. These regulations are enforced by the U.S. Coast Guard and law enforcement agencies, and the government continues to closely monitor and assess fisheries, while adding new regulations when needed.



“Our findings provide hope, but are a microcosm of the wider problem faced by sharks and rays,” said study lead author Nathan Pacoureau, a postdoctoral research fellow in Ecology and Conservation at SFU. “Many shark and ray species range widely and successful conservation in one country can be undone by less regulated fishing areas outside those borders.”



However, the researchers emphasized that several populations of the same species had collapsed in the southwest Atlantic Ocean due to unrestrained fishing. Currently, the number of wide-ranging coastal species threatened with extinction is nearly four times lower in the northwest than in the southwest Atlantic.&nbsp;



“These sensitive species have very slow life histories and are often collateral damage of sustainable target fisheries for more productive species,”&nbsp;said study senior author Nicholas Dulvy, an expert in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at SFU.



These findings highlight the urgent need for well-enforced governance and science-based limits on fishing in order to prevent population declines and reduce extinction risks for a variety of shark and ray species.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216891120">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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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Shark populations are rebounding in the northwest Atlantic

In recent years, shark and ray populations have been increasingly...

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en.html">University of Auckland</a> in New Zealand has recently found that long-term treatment of middle-aged (one year old) healthy mice with a drug currently used to combat cancer - called Alpelisib – can increase their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-you-eat-and-when-may-extend-your-lifespan/">lifespan</a> by an average of ten percent to around three years.



The experts performed a controlled experiment in which a group of mice were fed a control diet, while another group were given the same diet with the addition of Alpelisib. The results revealed that not only did the mice treated with the drug lived longer, but also showed some signs of being healthier in old age, such as better coordination and strength.&nbsp;



According to the scientists, this drug acts by targeting an enzyme called PI 3-kinase. “We have been working on developing drugs to target PI 3-kinase for more than 20 years as evidence indicated they would be useful to treat cancers as many cancers have an excess activation of this pathway,” said study co-author Peter Shepherd, a professor of Molecular Medicine and Pathology at Auckland. “Therefore, it’s great to see that these drugs might have uses in other areas and reveal novel mechanisms contributing to age-related diseases.”



“Aging is not only about lifespan but also about quality of life,” added senior author Chris Hedges, a research fellow in Metabolism and Intercellular Signaling at the same university. “Therefore, we were pleased to see this drug treatment not only increased longevity of the mice but they also showed many signs of healthier ageing. We are working now to understand how this happens.”&nbsp;



However, the researchers are currently cautious about starting to apply this treatment to humans, since the mice that were fed the drug also exhibited some negative markers of aging, such as lower bone mass.&nbsp;



“We are not suggesting that anyone should go out and take this drug long-term to extend lifespan, as there are some side effects,” said study senior author Troy Merry, an expert in Metabolic Diseases and Exercise Metabolism at Auckland.&nbsp;



“However, this work identifies mechanisms crucial to aging that will be of use in our long-term efforts to increase lifespan and health-span. It also suggests a number of possible ways in which shorter term treatments with this drug could be used to treat certain metabolic health conditions and we are following this up now.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-022-00349-y">Nature Aging</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



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.

Cancer drug could extend lifespan

A team of researchers led by the University of Auckland...

Scientists have long pondered what drives crocodile evolution, and whether the climate or changes in sea levels are major factors in this evolutionary process. Now, a team of researchers from <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> in Canada has found that, while changing temperatures and rainfall patterns had relatively little impact on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crocodiles-have-not-changed-much-in-200-million-years/">crocodiles</a>’ gene flow during the past three million years, sea level changes during the Ice Age had a more significant impact.



“The American crocodile tolerates huge variations in temperature and rainfall. But about 20,000 years ago – when much of the world’s water was frozen, forming the vast ice sheets of the last glacial maximum – sea levels dropped by more than 100 meters. This created a geographical barrier that separated the gene flow of crocodiles in Panama,” explained study lead author José Avila-Cervantes, a research associate specializing in Genomics, Evolution, and Ecology at McGill.



According to the scientists, although crocodiles are very good swimmers, they are unable to travel long distances on land. By comparing the climate tolerance of living populations of American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) to the paleoclimate estimates for this region over the past three million years, the experts discovered that, since Caribbean and Pacific crocodile populations were isolated from each other during the Ice Age, they undergone different genetic mutations.



“This is one of the first times Ice Age effects have been found in a tropical species. It’s exciting to discover effects of the last Ice Age glaciation still resonate in the genomes of Pacific and Caribbean American crocodiles today,” said study senior author Hans Larsson, a professor of Biology at McGill.



“Discovering that these animals would have easily tolerated the climate swings of the Ice Age speaks to their resilience over geological time. Only humans in recent decades of hunting and land development seem to really affect crocodiles.”



These findings provide new insights into how environmental factors affect genetic evolution and thus where conservation efforts of specific crocodile populations in Panama should be focused.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/evolut/qpac006">Evolution</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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Crocodile evolution was influenced by environmental factors

Scientists have long pondered what drives crocodile evolution, and whether...

Current models of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-sea-level-rise-impact-building-foundations/">sea level rise</a> suggest the most widespread impacts will occur after sea level has risen by several meters. A new study using updated models has instead found that the biggest increases of inundation will occur after the first two meters of sea level rise, covering more than twice as much land as older models predicted.



This means that many coastal areas are lower than previously thought, leaving communities with less time to prepare for sea level rise than expected.&nbsp;



The study used data from a NASA satellite that was launched in 2018 to improve sea level rise models. Previous studies relied on radar-based data, which are less precise and overestimate land surface elevation.&nbsp;



Ronald Vernimmen, a researcher at the Dutch research firm Data for Sustainability, started using the more accurate measurements when he realized that existing estimates were not suitable for quantifying flood risk.



Based on the new measurements, the study revealed that coastal areas lie much lower than older data suggested. According to the research, two meters of sea-level rise would cover up to 2.4 times the land area as observed by radar-based elevation models.



For example, a two-meter increase in sea level could put most of Bangkok and its 10 million residents below sea level, while older data suggested that Bangkok would still be largely above sea level.&nbsp;



In total, after two meters of sea level rise, the researchers estimate that 240 million more people will live below sea level. After three and four meters of sea level rise, that number increases by 140 million and by another 116 million, respectively.



There are adaptation measures that can be implemented to avoid devastating impacts. Cities below future sea level could use levees, dikes and pumping stations to protect areas from rising seas. Amsterdam and New Orleans are modern examples of this. However, these measures can be expensive and take decades to implement.&nbsp;



To mitigate as much damage as possible, vulnerable communities must act before the sea rises those first few meters, according to Vernimmen.



The research is published by the American Geophysical Union in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2022EF002880">Earth s Future</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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Sea level rise will cause widespread impacts sooner than expected

Current models of sea level rise suggest the most widespread...

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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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



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

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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



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

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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



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

Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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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

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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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[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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