Aging brings changes that affect how we hear and process speech, especially in noisy places. But researchers now show that older adults with long-term musical training fare better than their non-musician peers.



This study, led by Claude Alain and Yi Du, highlights how years of musical experience can shape brain function in later life. Their work introduces the “Hold-back upregulation” hypothesis and explores its neural basis using <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lemurs-reveal-surprising-new-clues-about-healthy-aging/">brain</a> imaging.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-older-adults-struggle-with-noisy-speech">Older adults struggle with noisy speech</h2>



As we age, our cognitive and sensory abilities decline. This often leads to the brain compensating by increasing activity and communication between brain regions. But such compensation may require more mental effort and reduces processing efficiency.



This pattern, called the Posterior-Anterior Shift in Aging, shows increased frontal brain activity in older adults. Yet, the extent of this shift varies. Researchers believe <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-shows-psilocybin-from-magic-mushrooms-delays-aging-and-significantly-extends-lifespan/">lifestyle</a> factors like music training may influence it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-musical-training-builds-brain-strength">Musical training builds brain strength</h2>



Cognitive reserve is built through lifelong <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/healthy-aging-how-some-people-live-past-100-years/">learning</a>. It helps the brain stay resilient against age-related decline. This includes things like multilingualism, advanced education, and especially, musical practice.



Music training requires intense coordination of sound, movement, and memory. These demands help strengthen the brain’s sensory and motor systems. The auditory dorsal stream links sound to action and plays a key role here.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-musical-training-helps-adults-hear-better">Musical training helps adults hear better</h2>



To explore the effects of musical training, the study compared three groups: 25 older musicians (OMs), 25 older non-musicians (ONMs), and 24 young non-musicians (YNMs). Each participant completed a speech-in-noise (SIN) task while undergoing fMRI scans. 



They listened to syllables such as /ba/, /da/, /pa/, and /ta/ masked by varying levels of background noise. Older musicians outperformed older non-musicians at higher signal-to-noise ratios (0 and +8 dB), though both older groups performed worse than the younger participants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-two-paths-of-brain-aging">Two paths of brain aging</h2>



The researchers proposed two possible ways musical training might influence the aging brain. The first is called&nbsp;Bolster Compensation. This idea suggests that musical training strengthens the brain by adding extra neural resources. 



As people age and cognitive abilities decline, these extra resources could help boost brain activity during tasks, compensating for age-related losses.



The second idea is called&nbsp;Hold-Back Upregulation. This theory suggests that instead of pushing the brain to work harder, musical training helps it work more efficiently. It prevents the brain from becoming overactive in response to aging. 



As a result, the brain activity patterns of older musicians remain more similar to those of younger people. This efficient use of brain networks could explain why older musicians perform better on complex listening tasks.



The results supported the second theory. Older musicians showed more efficient brain patterns. Their connectivity strength closely resembled young non-musicians, especially in right hemisphere regions involved in speech <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-are-experimenting-with-new-approach-to-fight-and-stop-human-aging-necrosis/">processing</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-the-brain-s-inner-workings">Mapping the brain's inner workings</h2>



Using advanced analyses like task-induced functional connectivity (TiFC) and inter-subject spatial correlation (ISPC), the researchers revealed more than just stronger brain links.



Older musicians’ brains did not just work better. They were organized more like young brains. Their neural activity followed similar spatial patterns and had fewer shifts in peak connectivity locations.



In one region (left precentral gyrus), non-musicians showed clear spatial drift in activity peaks, while musicians did not. This suggests that musical training preserves both structure and function.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-musical-training-during-tasks">Musical training during tasks</h2>



The study also measured resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and found that both older musicians and non-musicians exhibited stronger RSFC compared to younger participants. 



However, this increased connectivity at rest did not correlate with their performance on speech-in-noise (SIN) tasks.



These findings suggest that it is the brain’s reorganization during active tasks - not just its resting state - that plays a key role in shaping behavior. In other words, how the brain adapts while engaged in a challenge may be more important than its baseline connectivity.



There were no differences in BOLD activation (a measure of brain region activity strength) across groups. This supports the idea that spatial organization and connection strength matter more than raw activity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-music-builds-a-youthful-brain">Music builds a youthful brain</h2>



This work reveals how lifelong musical training may protect older adults from neural inefficiency. Instead of overactivating brain regions, trained musicians preserve a more youthful balance. This is especially true in the dorsal auditory stream.



“Just like a well-tuned instrument doesn’t need to be played louder to be heard, the brains of older musicians stay finely tuned thanks to years of training,” said Dr. Yi Du.



“A positive lifestyle helps older adults cope better with cognitive aging, and it is never too late to take up, and stick with, a rewarding hobby such as learning an instrument,” added Dr. Lei Zhang.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-research-is-needed">Further research is needed</h2>



While the evidence supports the “Hold-back upregulation” idea, the researchers caution that causality isn’t proven. They recommend future work to examine other sources of reserve such as physical fitness or multilingualism. 



Other brain tasks like memory and attention should also be studied. Still, this study adds strong support to the argument for keeping enriching hobbies throughout life. 



For older adults hoping to sharpen their minds, picking up a musical instrument might be a smart place to start.



The researchers are from the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Toronto</a>, <a href="https://www.baycrest.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Baycrest Academy</a>, and the <a href="https://english.cas.cn" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chinese Academy of Sciences</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003247" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS Biology</a>.



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How musical training helps the brain as we age

Aging brings changes that affect how we hear and process speech, especially in noisy places. But researchers now show that older adults with long-term musical training fare better than their non-musician peers. This study, led by Claude Alain and Yi Du, highlights how years of musical experience can shape brain function in later life. Their work introduces the “Hold-back upregulation” hypothesis and explores its neural basis using brain imaging. Older adults struggle with noisy speech As we age, our cognitive and sensory abilities decline. This often leads...

The mid-latitude climates of Central Asia are turning into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-that-deserts-breathe/">desert</a> climates, according&nbsp; to research conducted by Qi “Steve” Hu and Zihang Han of the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/">University of Nebraska–Lincoln</a>. The researchers say the desert climate has expanded 60 miles northward since the 1980s.



Central Asia includes five former Soviet republics - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Sometimes it includes Afghanistan, western China, and parts of other neighboring nations.&nbsp;



Due to its semi-arid conditions and potential impacts, Hu and Han wanted to determine if the region had any climate shifts. They found that the average annual temperature in Central Asia has increased by roughly nine degrees Fahrenheit when comparing the decades from 1960-1980 to decades from 1990-2020.



“The region is dry, so small deviations from the average or anticipated amount of growing-season rainfall can be devastating to the agricultural production and social stability of the region,” said Professor Hu. "It’s a place very vulnerable to climate change.”



The team discovered that while the lower altitude regions were getting less precipitation, the higher altitudes were getting more precipitation. This increase, however, was in the form of rain - not snow. Rain is problematic when compared to meltwater because rain is less sustainable and increases the likelihood of flooding.&nbsp;



“That’s coming at the cost of your future water,” said Professor Hu. “If this continues, after maybe 20 or 30 more years, those glaciers and that snowpack could be gone."



"Then you have just the summer precipitation, which is not going to be enough to keep up the water level in your lakes and your soil to sustain agricultural production in the growing season. So you’re possibly going to be in a one-way drought that you don’t come back from.”



Although the conditions are not identical, these findings are also relevant to patterns emerging in portions of the United States.



"This has some potential implications for the situation we’re facing in the west-central United States, especially around the Rockies,” Hu said. “That could undermine the availability of water resources in the next 50 years.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2022GL098895">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Desert climate is rapidly spreading across Central Asia

The mid-latitude climates of Central Asia are turning into desert...

Urban <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agriculture-could-play-a-key-role-in-limiting-global-warming/">agriculture</a> is booming. For many of us who live in urban areas, a backyard garden can provide a mini oasis from city life. However, the hidden danger of lead can be found in city soils.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In a recent study from the <a href="https://aces.illinois.edu/news/lead-lurking-your-soil-new-chicago-project-maps-distribution">University of Illinois</a>, researchers have detected elevated lead levels in soils across Chicago, an urban agriculture hotspot.



It is not well understood how vegetables and crops take up lead in real-world settings, but the new research is shedding some light on the topic. The experts found that tomatoes, even when grown in lead-contaminated soil, are safe to eat.



“There was so little lead accumulation in the fruits, we estimate the average adult male would have to eat almost 400 pounds of tomatoes per week to reach toxic levels,” said study co-author Andrew Margenot.



While this is good news for urban agriculture, there are potential caveats for home gardeners. Specifically - exposure during tillage and planting.&nbsp;



“If you magically have no exposure to contaminated soils to get to the fruit stage, or if you mulch the heck out of the soil and wear a suit and respirator, you're golden. But, of course, we all know it doesn’t happen that way," said Margenot.



When we work in contaminated soil, plant into it, or track it into our homes, we end up inhaling it. Lead can also end up in the fine dust on the skin of tomatoes, leafy greens, and especially root vegetables that we ingest. Depending on the soil concentration, a little bit of lead exposure can have big health impacts.



The researchers planted Roma tomatoes in Chicago backyards with soil lead levels between 77 and 1,206 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the natural background lead level of 21 ppm and surpassing the Illinois EPA threshold of 400 ppm for inhalation risk.&nbsp;



The researchers measured lead concentration in fruit with no soil treatment. They compared this level of contamination to fruit grown in soil that was treated with phosphorus-based treatments, which are developed to reduce lead uptake by humans.



The EPA recommends phosphate fertilizers such as triple super phosphate (TSP) to mitigate soil lead for human ingestion, but some wanted an organic matter amendment, as well.



“We chose to test TSP as well as composted and air-dried biosolids, which are human feces processed by Chicago wastewater treatment plants. They're Class A biosolids, which means they’re tested for pathogens and heavy metals,” explained Margenot. “I know there’s an ick factor, but they’re likely safer than steer manure you can buy at a hardware store.”



The results showed that none of the amendments lowered lead in the tomatoes. Lead uptake by tomato plants was already so low, even in highly contaminated soil, that the amendments had no detectable effect.&nbsp;



Across the two years of the study, lead levels remained very low. However, variation between study years was of interest to the research team.



“In the second year, we saw an order of magnitude increase in lead in the fruit at two of the three sites. It was totally unexpected, and we couldn’t explain it. But the soil lead levels didn’t change across years and the fruit lead levels were still extremely low,” said Margenot.&nbsp;



“So to me, it’s two things. First, there’s still so much basic research to be done on plant uptake of lead – we didn’t even know to expect a seasonality effect. Second, and importantly, there’s a very poor correlation between total soil lead and lead uptake.”



So - what can you do as a backyard tomato grower? Don’t panic!&nbsp;



“If you minimize dust with a heavy mulch, you can safely grow tomatoes, so not all hope is lost. In Illinois, the EPA sets the inhalation risk at 400 ppm, but we found you can be up to three times above that in the soil and safely grow tomatoes,” said Margenot.



Overall, it is advised to till the soil with care, cover the surface, and wash the fruit to minimize lead exposure.&nbsp;



Despite the minimal change in applying phosphorus treatments, the researchers see opportunity in minimizing lead uptake.&nbsp;



“If we want to sustainably reduce lead ingestion and inhalation risk across the city, we should be looking at phosphorus and at local sources such as biosolids more closely,” said Margenot. “Biosolids are locally produced in Chicago and there are programs to get them into the hands of users. So if we’re talking about low-cost ways to deal with lead, this would be one good resource in the city.”



The researchers also recommend agricultural practices that require minimal soil disturbance, such as agroforestry and perennial fruit production.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/science-of-the-total-environment">Science of The Total Environment</a>.



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

Tomatoes appear to be unaffected by lead-contaminated soil

Urban agriculture is booming. For many of us who live...

Trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus brunneus) are predatory insects with exceptional jaws. They open their jaws by 180o and lock them there until they need to snap them shut. A snap, when it happens, takes mere microseconds and involves considerable force. In fact, this ant’s jaws are among the fastest moving appendages in the animal kingdom. 



The ants use these jaws to stun or kill <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rattlesnakes-diversify-their-venom-for-evolving-prey/">prey</a> mostly, but can also release the snap close to the ground surface. This action ends up propelling the ant into the air, either as a sort of “leap” to aid locomotion, or to get the ant out of a sticky situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;



When not used for killing prey or leaping to safety, the ant’s jaws can be used extremely delicately to greet other ants or to manipulate small pieces of food. Impressed by the way in which trap-jaw ants use their jaws for both delicate maneuvers and savage blows, a team led by Sheila Patek at Duke University set out to investigate just how these jaws work. The fascinating results of the study are published in the <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb">Journal of Experimental Biology</a>.



The species is native to the southern parts of the U.S., Central America and the West Indies. Patek and her colleagues collected specimens from a colony they found in the scrubland near Lake Placid, Florida. They dissected some of the ants and took detailed measurements and micro-CT scans of the heads and jaws. The experts used these measurements to model the ant’s movements and understand what enables them to release their jaws with such force and speed.



Study co-author Chi-Yun Kuo gently secured ants in front of a high-speed camera and filmed their jaw movements at 300,000 frames per second to capture the lightning-fast maneuver as the insects crashed their mandibles together.&nbsp;



After release, each mandible swung in a perfect arc through the first 65o before it decelerated and came to rest. “When we played back the videos in slow-motion, their strikes were spectacularly precise,” said Patek.&nbsp;



The researchers found that the ants used two separate spring mechanisms to accomplish their powerful jaw snaps. Firstly, muscles stretch the jaws apart so that there is a 180o angle between them. In doing this, they deform the sides of the ant’s head somewhat, making it slightly shorter (3.2 percent) and narrower (6 percent) in the middle. As the exoskeleton deforms inwards, it stores elastic potential energy that can be used when the jaws are released.&nbsp;



Secondly, enormous muscles attach to each jaw by means of springy elastic tendons. Thus torque is developed by having stored elastic energy in two different sites on each mandible. When the jaws are released, the head capsule pops back into normal shape and this pushes part of the mandible forwards, away from the body. At the same time, the elastic tendons pulls the internal edge of each jaw towards the body. This causes the jaws to swing out in a perfect arc, and to achieve a maximum speed of around 120 mph (195 km/h). The movement is equivalent to spinning at an eye-watering 470,000 rpm. The researchers term this system a “dual spring force couple,” because two springs deliver energy at two different locations at the same time, on each mandible.



Calculating the amount of energy released as the insects unleashed their smashing mandibles, the team discovered that the energy stored as the head exoskeleton deformed was sufficient to drive the mandibles through 33o of perfect rotation. The energy stored in the springy tendon attaching the mandible to the enormous adductor muscle inside the head (comprising 14 percent of the ant’s body mass) powered the remaining 32o of the arc.



The researchers puzzled over how this spring system could work without generating excessive friction, which would slow the jaw movements and result in wear-and-tear on the joints. Using dynamic modeling, they found that dual spring force couples reduce the need for joint constraints and that the ants had a far less rigid joint structure than they expected. This system reduces friction, which is essential if the ant is to snap its jaws shut repeatedly.&nbsp;



Trap-jaw ants thus make use of a mechanism that allows them to coordinate the opposing forces driving the perfect mandible rotation. Since no strain is placed on the fragile joint about which the mandible pivots, there is no damage to the ant itself, regardless of how often it snaps its jaws closed.&nbsp;



Patek suspects that other spring-loaded creatures also use the strategy, and she, Sarah Bergbreiter (Carnegie Mellon University, USA) and Suzanne Cox (Duke University) suggest that the revolutionary design could be embraced by engineers.&nbsp;



“The principles can be incorporated into microrobotics to improve multifunctionality, precision and longevity of ultrafast systems,” they say.&nbsp;



More details of the study can be found at: <a href="https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.244077">https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-lookup/doi/10.1242/jeb.244077</a>



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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

How do trap-jaw ants keep from blowing their heads off?

Trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus brunneus) are predatory insects with exceptional jaws....

A new report from the <a href="https://mote.org/">Mote Marine Laboratory</a> has revealed that over 70 percent of species in the global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-worlds-fastest-shark-spotted-near-barcelona/">shark</a> fin trade are threatened with extinction. 



An international team of scientists analyzed 9,820 fin trimmings from markets in Hong Kong, one of the largest shark fin trade hubs in the world. Overall, 86 different shark species were found, as well as rays and chimeras. More than two-thirds of the species identified in the analysis are at risk of extinction.&nbsp;



“Overfishing is most likely the immediate cause of the declining trends we are seeing in shark and ray populations around the world. The fact that we are finding so many species threatened with extinction in the global shark fin trade is a warning sign telling us that international trade might be a main driver of unsustainable fishing,” said study lead author Diego Cardeñosa.



In 2021, The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species revealed that about one third of all shark species are threatened. Sadly, the current study indicates that species in the fin trade are much more likely to be endangered.



For nearly a decade, Dr. Demian Chapman has led a project to track and monitor the global shark fin trade. The researchers have conducted DNA testing on about 10,000 small scraps taken from processed imported fins, sold in markets in Hong Kong and South China.&nbsp;



The experts aimed to better understand what species are in the trade and how common they are. By tracking this over time, the information can be shared with decision-makers to consider how well various management measures are working.



The most common species found to end up in the fin trade are open-ocean, or pelagic sharks, such as blue and silky sharks. In addition, the greatest number of species in the fin trade live in coastal areas, including blacktip, dusky, spinner, and sandbar sharks. Without sufficient management, many coastal species could vanish.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“A few nations are protecting or sustainably fishing sharks and their relatives, but the majority are not for a variety of reasons,” said Chapman. “Quite a few of the coastal sharks we found in the trade - such as smalltail, broadfin, whitecheek and various hound shark, river shark and small hammerhead species - are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered and yet there are no regulations protecting them anywhere in their range."&nbsp;



"Unless the relevant governments respond with management soon, we are likely to experience a wave of extinctions among coastal sharks and rays.”



In nations that do not regulate shark fishing, three coastal species are already thought to be extinct. To encourage better management, species should be listed under the <a href="https://cites.org/eng">Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)</a> — an international agreement seeking to protect species from overexploitation driven by international trade.&nbsp;



The 19th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP19) to CITES will take place in November. This study will provide key evidence, bringing the plight of coastal sharks to the attention of governments. The findings will also show that only a small percentage of the overall trade in shark fins is currently regulated under the Convention.



“The upcoming CITES CoP19 Governments have tabled proposals that would bring the vast majority of sharks traded for their fins under the Convention’s sustainability controls, action that has been informed by this study’s findings. We’re encouraged to see CITES Governments match their level of ambition to the level of threat seen for sharks and rays globally, with CITES listings a strong driver for better domestic management of shark fisheries,” said Luke Warwick, director of shark and ray conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society.



There are many actions that can be taken to better manage coastal shark fishing and avert the threat of extinction. These strategies include changing fishing gear, creating protected areas and limiting catch.&nbsp;



“Since our Founding Director, Dr. Eugenie Clark - the Shark Lady - began her work documenting shark populations in southwest Florida and around the world over 65 years ago, the core of Mote has been to push the frontiers of science in support of evidence-based, sustainable use of our shared ocean resources,” said Mote President &amp; CEO Dr. Michael P. Crosby.&nbsp;



The research team plans to continue their work in monitoring shark species found in the trade. The international team will continue to collaborate through innovative science, community-engagement and resource management to prevent the extinction of these species.



“Our results highlight high levels of international trade and clear management gaps for coastal species. Many are in the highest extinction risk categories," said Cardeñosa. "The next category is extinction. We can’t allow this to happen."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1755263x">Conservation Letters</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

Sharks in the fin trade have a high risk of extinction

A new report from the Mote Marine Laboratory has revealed...

Although massive heatwaves currently ravage the United States, Europe, and Africa, killing thousands of people, the worst is still to come. With many countries continuing to pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and thus contributing to global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warming-threatens-the-oceans-most-diverse-regions/">warming</a>, this summer’s blistering temperatures may seem mild in a few decades.&nbsp;



During extreme heatwaves, access to air conditioning (AC) may be life-saving. However, only about eight percent of the 2.8 billion people living in the hottest (and often poorest) countries have air conditioning in their homes. By modeling the future demand for AC as periods of extreme heat increase in frequency and intensity, a team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> has found a massive gap between current AC capacity and what will be needed in 2050 to save lives.&nbsp;



According to the experts, if emission rates continue to climb, at least 70 percent of the population in several countries will need AC by 2050, with that percentage even higher in equatorial countries such as India or Indonesia. But even if the world meets the emission targets set out in the Paris Agreement – which is far from being on track to – an average of 40 to 50 percent of the population in the world’s hottest countries will still require air conditioning.



“Regardless of the emission trajectories, there needs to be a massive scale-up of air conditioning or other space cooling options for billions of people so that they’re not subject to these extreme temperatures throughout the rest of their lives,”&nbsp;said study lead author Peter Sherman, a postdoctoral researcher in Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard.



The scientists focused on days when the combination of heat and humidity could be extremely harmful even for young, healthy individuals, in two different future scenarios – one with a significant increase of emissions and one when emissions are scaled back but not eliminated completely. In the first scenario, they estimated that 99 percent of the population of countries such as India or Indonesia will require AC. Even in Germany, for instance – a country previously known for its temperate climate – as much as 92 percent of the population may require air conditioning for such extreme heat events. In the U.S., this percentage will climb to 96.



However, more AC needs more power, thus straining electrical grids across the world, and pushing energy systems to their breaking point. “If you increase AC demand, that has a major impact on the electricity grid as well,” said Dr. Sherman. “It puts strain on the grid because everyone is going to use AC at the same time, affecting the peak electricity demand.”



“When planning for future power systems, it’s clear that you can’t simply scale up of present-day demand, especially for countries such as India and Indonesia,” added study senior author Michael McElroy, a professor of Environmental Science at Harvard. “Technologies such as solar power could be particularly useful for handling these challenges, as the corresponding supply curve should correlate well with these summertime peak demand periods.” Other strategies to moderate electricity use may include dehumidifiers, which use considerably less energy than AC.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378778822003693?via%3Dihub">Energy and Buildings</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Air conditioning could be life-saving in a hotter world

Although massive heatwaves currently ravage the United States, Europe, and...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a> (UBC) that investigated 31 mountain regions across the globe, competition with other species, not climate, drives the distribution of bird biodiversity in tropical mountains, one of our planet’s main <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-land-conservation-stop-the-biodiversity-crisis/">biodiversity</a> hotspots. The findings suggest that species interactions have played a much larger role in shaping tropical mountain biodiversity than previously thought, while providing novel insights into how tropical mountain species are responding to climate change.



Tropical mountains are some of the most biodiverse regions on our planet, frequently with entirely different sets of species which live only within narrow elevational ranges. This pattern is significantly different from that characterizing species from temperate mountains, which tend to have significantly broader elevation ranges.&nbsp;



Many scientists argue that this pattern is most likely due to adaptation to the low-temperature seasonality of tropical climates. Although temperatures in the tropical mountains range from hot in the lowlands to cold in the highlands, they remain relatively stable at any elevation throughout the entire year, thus creating various climatic niches along mountain slopes. Physiological adaptations to these myriad niches are generally thought to result in the accumulation of high number of species in these mountains.



However, by performing a comparative analysis of forest bird species’ elevational ranges across 31 tropical mountain areas all over the world – using 4.4 million fine-scale locality records from <a href="https://ebird.org/home">eBird</a>, a global online scientific database of bird abundance and distribution – the UBC scientists have argued that, rather than climate effects, interspecific competition is the main factor limiting tropical mountain species’ elevational ranges.



The analysis revealed that species richness is a much better predictor of smaller elevational ranges than temperature seasonality, suggesting that the narrow elevational ranges of tropical mountain birds are in fact driven more by interspecies competition than climatic factors.



“We find strong support that competition, not climate, is the leading driver of narrow elevational ranges. These results highlight the importance of species interactions in shaping species’ ranges in tropical mountains, Earth’s hottest biodiversity hotspots,” the study authors conclude.



Further research is needed to find out whether these patterns could be generalized to other, non-aviary taxa, in order to disentangle the complex interplay between climate and other factors in the distribution and abundance of various animal species on tropical mountains.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abl7242">Science</a>.



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

Competition limits the ranges of tropical mountain birds

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

The emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has increased worldwide in the past few decades. This is concerning because it limits the efficacy of these antibiotics to treat human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rhinos-show-that-diseases-can-disrupt-conservation-efforts/">diseases</a>. Although the pharmaceutical industry has developed numerous new types of antibiotics since resistance was first detected after the Second World War, the situation today is that there are no antibiotic medications for which resistance has not been recorded.&nbsp;



According to the World Health Organization, we should all be doing our best to prevent the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and a new study published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jac">Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy</a> suggests one way in which we can contribute to this.&nbsp;



The study, led by researchers from Bristol University, assessed the presence of drug-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria in the excrement of pet dogs in both rural and urban settings.&nbsp; E. coli are commonly associated with infections in humans and have also been shown previously to be shared between pet dogs and humans through everyday interactions.



For the investigation,&nbsp;the researchers collected and analyzed the feces of hundreds of dogs for the presence of E. coli that were resistant to antibiotics commonly used to treat human infections. Dog owners completed questionnaires about demographic factors and dog behavior and feeding regimes. All the dogs and owners were resident in a specified 50 x 50km study area in south-western England.&nbsp;



The researchers found a link between dogs that were fed raw meat and the presence of antibiotic resistant E. coli in their excrement. This link was stronger in the population of rural dogs than in those living in an urban setting. In urban dogs, however, there was an additional link between swimming in rivers and carrying resistant E. coli. The analysis also showed that rural dogs excreted resistant E. coli with specific genetic sequences that are also commonly found in the E. coli in cattle but not in humans in the region. Conversely, urban dogs carried resistant E. coli with genetic sequences commonly found in E. coli in humans, but not in cattle. &nbsp;



The research supports a recent study by the same team, published in the journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8802057/">One Health</a>, which looked at the presence of resistant E. coli in 16-week-old puppies. Both studies, which used data from different dogs, demonstrate that dogs may excrete resistant bacteria regardless of their age or the length of time they are fed a raw meat diet.



“Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are everywhere, but some antibiotics are considered critically important for use in humans," said Professor <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/matthew-b-avison">Matthew Aviso</a>n. "We have shown that dogs fed raw meat are more likely to carry bacteria resistant to these important medicines. This doesn’t mean that the animal, or the owner, will become sick.”



“E. coli&nbsp;is a widespread bacterium that is found in the intestines of all humans and animals, however it is a common cause of many diseases, including urinary tract infection, and can cause serious illness, including sepsis, if it spreads to other parts of the body."



“We should do everything we can to reduce the circulation of critically important antibiotic-resistant&nbsp;E. coli&nbsp;and other bacteria. Our research adds to the increasing evidence that not feeding raw meat to dogs may help in that objective."



“We know humans and animals share bacteria with one another, so what we find in your pet may well also be in you. Pet owners should be encouraged to practice good hygiene and not feeding raw food to your dog can be part of this,” added Professor &nbsp;<a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/persons/kristen-k-reyher">Kristen Reyher</a>. “We can all do our part to decrease antibiotic resistance and its terrible effects on both human and animal health.”



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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

Dogs fed raw meat may spread antibiotic resistant bacteria

The emergence of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has...

The Colorado River is a critically important resource that supplies <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-make-water-resources-less-predictable/">water</a> to more than 40 million people, including those in major cities like Los Angeles and Las Vegas. But now, an ongoing megadrought in the Western United States is causing water shortages across the entire river basin.



In a recent study led by Kevin Wheeler of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute, experts report that the ongoing megadrought - along with impacts from climate change and systematic overuse - have created a deep management crisis. The researchers argue that drastic measures and difficult decisions are needed to avoid severe outcomes and to prevent a further decline in water levels.&nbsp;



While the public is well aware that water cuts are inevitable and that policy changes are necessary, the negotiations between the basin states will be anything but simple.



“Our results show that although current policies are inadequate to stabilize the Colorado river if the Millennium Drought continues, various consumptive use strategies can stabilize the system. However, these measures must be applied swiftly,” wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



Although the proposed reductions in consumptive use being considered by Upper and Lower Basin states may seem like a political impossibility at present, they will become inevitable if hydrologic conditions persist, said Wheeler.



The Colorado River is fed by Lake Mead, where water levels have reached their lowest point since the reservoir was first filled in 1937. The Colorado River is also fed by Lake Powell.&nbsp;



Both the Lake Powell and Lake Mead reservoirs are currently approaching record lows of 25 percent capacity. According to NASA, the entire Colorado river system stands at just 35 percent of its total capacity.



A recent study by experts at UCLA and Columbia University found that a 22-year megadrought has made the Western United States the driest it has been since at least the year 800. The researchers confirmed that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as megadroughts. Overall, 95 percent of the Western US faces some form of abnormally dry or drought conditions.



For the current study led by Wheeler, the experts modeled 100 potential scenarios and management strategies for the Colorado River basin. They determined that in order to stabilize the river’s resources, drastic political measures will be needed.&nbsp;



"By the end of 2022, combined storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs in the United States, will have declined from 95% full in 2000 to approximately 25% full," wrote the study authors. "If this 'Millennium Drought' persists, then stabilizing reservoir levels to avoid severe outcomes will require reducing water use to match diminished runoff."&nbsp;



"With a process underway to renegotiate interstate and international agreements on consumptive uses of the river, we describe a promising new management approach based on combined storage of both reservoirs, rather than just Lake Mead as currently used, to trigger consumptive use reductions to the Lower Basin and Mexico."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/">Science</a>.



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

Drastic measures needed to stabilize the Colorado River

The Colorado River is a critically important resource that supplies...

When humans suffer heart attacks and don’t receive treatment quickly enough, heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) are damaged by the lack of oxygen and begin to die off. Afterwards, scar tissue forms, and - since we cannot produce more cardiomyocytes - the heart can no longer pump as well as before. A new study led by <a href="https://www.mdc-berlin.de/">Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association</a> (MDC) has found that things are very different in animals such as the zebrafish, which can regenerate organs, including their hearts.



In their laboratory, the scientists simulated myocardial infarction injuries in the hearts of zebrafish and, by using single-cell analyses and cell lineage trees, tracked the regeneration of the cardiomyocytes. At the beginning, these injuries caused an inflammatory response - just like in humans – followed by scarring from connective tissue cells known as fibroblasts.



“Surprisingly, the immediate response to the injury is very similar. But while the process in humans stops at that point, it carries on in the fish. They form new cardiomyocytes, which are capable of contracting,” said study senior author Jan Phillip Junker, an expert in Developmental Biology at MDC. “We wanted to identify the signals that come from other cells and help drive the regeneration.”



The analysis revealed three new types of fibroblasts that activated several genes that are responsible for forming proteins, such as connective tissue factors like collagen 12. The scientists identified two sources of temporarily activated fibroblasts: the outer layer of the heart (the epicardium) and the inner layer (the endocardium). However, the cells that produce collagen 12 were found only in the epicardium.



In future studies, the researchers aim to explore in more depth the genes that the temporarily activated fibroblasts read especially often, in order to shed more light on how they promote the regeneration of heart tissue and help form new blood vessels that supply the heart with oxygen. Better understanding these processes could help scientists create medicine to stimulate heart regeneration in humans too.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01129-5">Nature Genetics</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Zebrafish regenerate their heart tissue after injury

When humans suffer heart attacks and don’t receive treatment quickly...

Infections by parasites and pathogens can affect not only a host’s physical and physiological wellness, but also its <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/for-some-walking-boosts-cognitive-function/">cognitive</a> functioning. There are numerous examples, across many different animal taxa, which illustrate changes to cognitive performance during times of infection or illness. We have to think no further than the “brain fog” experienced by some COVID-19 sufferers, especially those with long-haul symptoms.&nbsp;



As climate change alters the distribution of pathogens and wild animals, it is likely that animals will come into contact with a range of new pathogens and will experience infections from these sources. If these infections lead to cognitive impairment then this may influence the animals’ ability to adapt and succeed in the changing world. In particular, if pathogens affect an animal’s ability to learn, remember, or make decisions, this may compromise the fitness of populations in the wild at a time when they need to call on all these skills to adapt to new conditions.&nbsp;



A review of the effects of infection on cognitive function, published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/home">Trends in Ecology &amp; Evolution</a> finds that, although scientists are well aware that disease impairs cognitive function in many different species, the mechanisms and consequences for fitness are not well understood. One of the obstacles is that different cognitive abilities are tested in infected animals, using different forms of tests, different types of infections and different host species.&nbsp;



This review, written by four US researchers, aims to bring together ideas from the fields of cognitive ecology and disease ecology in order to examine evidence for infection-linked cognitive impairment. In addition, the authors considered why certain pathogens bring about change in cognition and what the ecological and evolutionary implications of this may be, particularly as populations of wild animals face changes to their habitats.



The study authors, including Dana Hawley and Kendra Sewall from Virginia Tech and Anne Leonard from the University of Nevada, said that cognitive impairment could contribute to population declines, particularly for species that rely heavily on learning and memory for foraging or other important functions. “Impaired cognitive performance could compromise the ability of some animals to exploit urbanized and other rapidly changing habitats, where problem solving may be particularly important.”



The experts found a lot of evidence in the scientific literature for infection-linked cognitive impairment, albeit that this evidence was very variable, across host and pathogen taxa, and across cognitive abilities. For example, bumblebees infected with the trypanosome Critidia bombin showed impaired performance on learning tasks, and American crows naturally infected with the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni showed a reduced ability to solve problems. This effect was also recorded for female blue tits infected with the blood protozoan Plasmodium.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers determined that pathogens could impair cognitive performance either directly or indirectly, and either in the short term or over longer periods. Direct effects involved neurological damage caused by pathogens that infect the central nervous system. For example, West Nile virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, Ebola virus and coronaviruses may manifest as meningitis, encephalitis and myelitis, all of which can have long-term cognitive impacts.&nbsp;



Indirect impairment of cognitive function in diseased animals can arise from such consequences as malnutrition (when a sick animal cannot forage effectively or loses motivation to forage), missing out on social contacts and missing out on learning opportunities through being absent and ill. In addition, infections can change the gut microbiome of a host, which can lead to impaired digestion or absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, immune responses, such as inflammation, can also impede a foraging animal’s success.&nbsp;



The timing of infection in an animal’s life may also have significant consequences. For example, young canaries that are infected with&nbsp;Plasmodium&nbsp;when they are learning songs might have a reduced song repertoire and complexity as adults.&nbsp;



The authors state that cognitive abilities are crucial for animals to be able to collect, retain and act on information relating to their survival. Therefore, impairment of cognitive performance due to disease could have widespread ecological consequences for populations of wild animals. As climate changes lead to habitat alterations, wild animals will need all their cognitive skills to adapt and survive, and this against a backdrop of increased pathogen proliferation in warmer conditions.



“In a century characterized by global changes that accelerate pathogen emergence, while simultaneously favoring cognitive flexibility, there is an urgent need to better understand the interactions between animal cognition and infection, and their potential consequences for wild populations," said the researchers.



The experts call for increased attention to be paid to this topic, saying: “One challenge in all studies of cognitive ecology is the scarcity of comparable data across taxa. Understanding how infection affects specific cognitive abilities will require research across a wider breadth of hosts and pathogens, targeting analogous aspects of cognition (e.g., spatial learning; problem solving; general versus specialized cognitive abilities), and standardizing experimental paradigms to the extent possible.”



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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

Animals with infections are less able to adapt and survive

Infections by parasites and pathogens can affect not only a...

Climate change is causing a mass <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-likely-contributed-to-earths-largest-mass-extinction/">extinction</a> that has not been seen in recorded history. For birds, this biodiversity loss has implications beyond species extinction risks. 



New research published by <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a> has found that the loss of numerous bird species will decrease morphological diversity among the remaining birds at a rate greater than species loss alone. 



The study reveals which birds could be lost, and the regions most susceptible to homogenization. Emma Hughes, a bird researcher at the University of Sheffield, has spent her career examining broad morphological traits in birds. 



“I began to wonder what will happen with global change. So, not only how traits are currently distributed globally, but what might happen to morphological and phylogenetic diversity under the global extinction crisis,” said Hughes.



“As species go extinct you expect the traits that they represent to also be lost. But what we found was that with morphological diversity, the traits were lost at a much, much, much greater rate than just species loss could predict. This is really important because that can lead to a major loss of ecological strategies and functions.”



Diversity loss is most likely to affect birds with extreme features. The size and shape of birds are widely variable, ranging from the giant, flightless ostrich to the tiny hummingbird. The study suggests these types of birds have the greatest risk of extinction.&nbsp;



“We do find strong evidence to support the hypothesis that the largest and smallest species are likely to be most at risk of extinction," said Hughes.



With climate change, certain regions are also more likely to be left with homogenized populations.&nbsp;



“The Himalayan mountains and foothills are at particular risk, and it's likely that the loss of trait diversity will be considerable,” said Hughes. “The dry and moist forests of south Vietnam and Cambodia are also vulnerable.”



The researchers are hopeful that their work will help people understand how biodiversity loss will change the world.&nbsp;



“The global extinction crisis doesn't just mean that we're losing species. It means that we are losing unique traits and evolutionary history, including species that could confer unique benefits to humanity that are currently unknown.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</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

Birds could rapidly lose the traits that make them unique

Climate change is causing a mass extinction that has not...

For decades, astronomers have been hoping to understand how the universe evolved after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. To do so, they would have to observe the universe’s origin. Now, an international, multidisciplinary research team led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> may do just that.&nbsp;



The researchers developed a method that will allow them to observe and study some of the first <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-are-some-sea-stars-more-susceptible-to-disease/">stars</a> that existed roughly 378,000 years after the Big Bang.



“At the time when the first stars formed, the Universe was mostly empty and composed mostly of hydrogen and helium,” said study lead author Dr. Eloy de Lera Acedo from Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory.



"Because of gravity, the elements eventually came together and the conditions were right for nuclear fusion, which is what formed the first stars. But they were surrounded by clouds of so-called neutral hydrogen, which absorb light really well, so it’s hard to detect or observe the light behind the clouds directly.”



The new methodology includes the REACH (Radio Experiment for the Analysis of Cosmic Hydrogen). This technique allows astronomers to observe early stars via their relationships with hydrogen clouds. The newly developed approach produces higher quality observations and is more reliable.



“Our method jointly analyzes data from multiple antennas and across a wider frequency band than equivalent current instruments. This approach will give us the necessary information for our Bayesian data analysis,” said Dr. de Lera Acedo.



“In essence, we forgot about traditional design strategies and instead focused on designing a telescope suited to the way we plan to analyse the data – something like an inverse design.”



REACH is anticipated to produce its first observations later this year. The research may ultimately confirm the findings of an earlier study that claims to have witnessed the earliest light.



“We are extremely excited to see how well the system will perform, and have full confidence we’ll make that elusive detection.” said Professor de Villiers, co-lead of the project at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.



“If we can confirm that the signal found in that earlier experiment really was from the first stars, the implications would be huge," said Dr. de Lera Acedo.



&nbsp;The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natastron/">Nature Astronomy</a>.



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

Scientists may soon observe the earliest light in our universe

For decades, astronomers have been hoping to understand how the...

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

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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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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 city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 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

[sendtonews key="f8fukm28Vz-2491833-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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



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.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

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

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