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Scientists have long mapped separate brain areas for sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Yet new research reveals that when we focus sharply on any of those senses, signals converge on the same two structures buried deep in the brain - the midbrain reticular formation and the central thalamus.



This finding highlights a shared neural pathway that sustains <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-stops-paying-attention-to-repeated-distractions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">attention</a> and wakefulness and could inspire therapies for coma, epilepsy, and attention-deficit disorders.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-senses-in-a-single-brain-region">Senses in a single brain region</h2>



Research over the past century has shown that visual scenes activate the occipital cortex, melodies light up the temporal lobes, and so forth.



“We were expecting to find activity on shared networks, but when we saw all the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-sense-of-smell-and-different-odors-can-influence-how-we-see-colors/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">senses</a> light up the same central brain regions while a test subject was focusing, it was really astonishing,” said Aya Khalaf, a postdoctoral associate in neurology at <a href="https://medicine.yale.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Yale School of Medicine</a> and lead author of the study.



Those two regions - the reticular formation, a mesh of neurons in the upper brainstem, and the intralaminar and mediodorsal nuclei of the thalamus - form part of the so-called subcortical arousal system, a set of circuits long suspected to regulate alertness and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/consciousness-may-stem-from-unseen-dimensions-beyond-our-reality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consciousness</a>.



Previous work had linked these hubs to vigilance by studying patients emerging from coma or experiencing absence seizures. But most of those experiments examined responses to a single type of stimulus, for example flashing lights or chirping sounds.



Khalaf and colleagues asked the broader question: do different senses share the same arousal circuitry when people deliberately pay attention?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-massive-data-mine">A massive data mine</h2>



To answer that, the team turned to the publicly available <a href="https://www.humanconnectome.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Human Connectome Project</a> and other repositories, assembling functional MRI scans from 1,561 healthy adults.



Across 11 tasks, participants viewed moving shapes, listened to spoken stories, sampled liquid tastants, or felt puffs of air on their fingertips. Each task included abrupt cues that forced subjects to switch attention - for instance, a sudden change in picture orientation or a surprise tone embedded in white noise.



The investigators processed more than 500 hours of scan data through a pipeline that removed head motion and physiological noise, then aligned brain volumes to a common atlas.



In every sensory domain, when a cue demanded rapid attentional re-orientation, blood-oxygen signals spiked in the reticular formation and the central thalamus. The effect was absent or minimal during passive stimulation, underscoring the importance of active engagement.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-consciousness-in-the-brain">Consciousness in the brain</h2>



Why would a taste test and a vision task end up at the same neural address? The authors propose that the midbrain reticular formation integrates sudden sensory changes and broadcasts a “wake-up” volley to the thalamus, which relays it to widespread cortical areas.



That burst synchronizes cortical rhythms, priming the brain to process incoming information. The scheme dovetails with classical animal studies showing that electrical stimulation of the reticular formation induces cortical desynchronization and behavioral arousal, while lesions produce stupor.



“It tells us how important this brain region is and what it could mean in efforts to restore consciousness,” Khalaf said.



“This has also given us insights into how things work normally in the brain. It’s really a step forward in our understanding of awareness and consciousness,” said senior author Hal Blumenfeld, a neurologist at Yale.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-awakening-senses-in-the-brain">Awakening senses in the brain</h2>



Because the same deep-brain hubs fire regardless of which sense is active, treatments aimed at modulating those hubs could benefit diverse conditions.



Drugs that enhance thalamic neurotransmission, for instance, might improve focus in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/autism-and-adhd-disorders-directly-linked-amount-of-time-kids-spend-on-screens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">attention deficit hyperactivity disorder</a>. Conversely, overactivity in the arousal circuit has been implicated in insomnia; dampening the circuitry could help induce sleep.



The results also support ongoing trials that deliver low-intensity ultrasound or deep-brain electrodes to the central thalamus in patients with disorders of consciousness. 



If attention triggers the thalamus to “switch on” the cortex, stimulating it directly might help rouse patients who are minimally conscious.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-sensory-rehabilitation"><a></a>Rethinking sensory rehabilitation</h2>



The discovery challenges sensory-specific training programs that ignore subcortical commonalities. 



For example, visual rehabilitation for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stroke-risk-is-elevated-by-air-pollution-and-traffic-noise/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stroke</a> survivors may benefit from pairing attentional cues with tactile or auditory tasks to engage the shared arousal pathway.



Likewise, virtual-reality therapies that bombard users with multi-sensory surprises might more effectively sharpen attentional control.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-directions">Future research directions </h2>



The Yale team plans to refine the timeline of activation using magnetoencephalography, which offers millisecond resolution. They also hope to dissect the frequency bands that link the thalamus to frontal and parietal cortices during attentional jumps. 



Such work could reveal whether gamma-band bursts or alpha-band suppression carry the critical “wake-up” message.



Another frontier involves patients. Investigators will compare responses in healthy volunteers with those in people who have attention deficits or who are emerging from anaesthesia. 



Identifying a lost or delayed thalamic spike could serve as a biomarker for impaired consciousness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-regions-and-the-senses">Brain regions and the senses</h2>



For now, the study establishes the midbrain reticular formation and central thalamus as the universal relay through which sight, sound, taste, and touch gain conscious entry - at least when our minds snap to attention.



By showing that “all the senses light up the same central brain regions,” it confirms that consciousness depends not only on specialized cortical maps but also on a common deep-brain gatekeeper. 



Therapies that target this gatekeeper may eventually help restore awareness where it has dimmed and sharpen it where it wanders.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925002277?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NeuroImage</a>.



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Scientists discover a brain region that connects all the senses

Scientists have long mapped separate brain areas for sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Yet new research reveals that when we focus sharply on any of those senses, signals converge on the same two structures buried deep in the brain - the midbrain reticular formation and the central thalamus. This finding highlights a shared neural pathway that sustains attention and wakefulness and could inspire therapies for coma, epilepsy, and attention-deficit disorders. Senses in a single brain region Research over the past century has shown that visual scenes...

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salamanders-have-an-intriguing-partnership-with-algae/" data-type="news" data-id="1897737">algae</a> living among the filaments of various species of fungi in symbiotic relationships. While the fungi are providing the physical structure, the algae use photosynthesis to supply the necessary nutrients. 



Lichens grow everywhere, from the Arctic tundra to the bark of trees in common backyards, and play a large variety of important ecologic roles, from creating oxygen to serving as food for reindeer and other animals.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">Field Museum</a> in Chicago has characterized these algae’s preferred climates and found that their ability to change climatic preferences happens very slowly, during millions of years. This means that they will likely be severely impacted by the rapid climate change the Earth is currently experiencing, and face – together with the lichens they are a part of – an increased risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-sixth-mass-extinction-is-currently-in-progress/">extinction</a>.



In order to determine how much time it took algae to change under evolutionary pressures in the past, the scientists created family trees showing how different algae are related to each other, and calibrated it by using age estimates from previous work. Moreover, by comparing the DNA-based relationships of different species of modern algae to one another and looking at the environments in which they lived, they identified the climatic preferences of various species of algae.



By performing a series of statistical analyses on the data they collected, the researchers found that it could take hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years, for these algae to adapt to the temperature changes that we will witness over the course of this century.



“I was shocked,” said study lead author Matthew Nelsen, a research scientist at the Field Museum. “I should have known better from the other papers I’ve read, but I was disturbed to see it. It's so close to home, on a group of organisms near and dear to my heart.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to Nelsen, losing lichens could have profound effects on their ecosystems. &nbsp;“Lichens are the dominant vegetation on 7 percent of the Earth’s surface. They play roles in ecosystem hydrology by retaining moisture. They also play roles in carbon and nitrogen cycling, and some of them are used by animals for food or nesting materials.”



The research results are an important step forward in predicting climate change’s effects, and an incentive to take this phenomenon seriously and work toward systemic changes to mitigate its worse effects.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.791546/full">Frontiers in Microbiology</a>.



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

Lichens cannot adapt as fast as Earth's temperature is changing

Lichens are composite organisms consisting of algae living among the...

A new study out of the University of York-led <a href="https://www.globalpharms.org/">Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Project</a> has looked at the presence of pharmaceuticals in 258 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/carbon-dissolved-in-rivers-is-damaging-our-planet/">rivers</a> across the globe. Major river systems such as the Thames in London and the Amazon in Brazil were evaluated to measure the presence of 61 pharmaceuticals, including carbamazepine, metformin and caffeine.



While previous research has monitored pharmaceuticals in rivers, the new study is the first of its kind to measure a wide variety of contaminants on a global scale.&nbsp;



“With 127 collaborators across 86 institutions worldwide, the Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Project is an excellent example of how the global scientific community can come together to tackle large-scale environmental issues," said Dr John Wilkinson, who led the research.



“We’ve known for over two decades now that pharmaceuticals make their way into the aquatic environment where they may affect the biology of living organisms. But one of the largest problems we have faced in tackling this issue is that we have not been very representative when monitoring these contaminants, with almost all of the data focused on a select few areas in North America, Western Europe and China.”



The researchers set out to capture the extent of pharmaceutical pollution across the globe. The experts gathered water samples from a range of sites spanning from a Yanomami Village in Venezuela, where modern medicines are not used, to some of the world’s most populated cities such as Delhi, London, New York, Lagos, Las Vegas, and Guangzhou.



Additionally, the study authors considered factors such as political instability and evaluated areas such as Baghdad and the Palestinian West Bank. To reflect variations in climate, samples were collected from high altitude alpine tundra in Colorado and polar regions in Antarctica, to Tunisian deserts.



As a result of this global effort, key takeaways include:



<ul><li>pharmaceutical pollution is contaminating water on every continent&nbsp;</li><li>strong correlations between the socioeconomic status of a country and higher pollution of pharmaceuticals in its rivers (with lower-middle income nations the most polluted)</li><li>high levels of pharmaceutical pollution associated with regions of high median age as well as high local unemployment and poverty rates</li><li>the most polluted countries have been researched the least (namely sub-saharan Africa, South America and parts of southern Asia)</li><li>the activities most associated with the highest levels of pharmaceutical pollution included rubbish dumping along river banks, inadequate wastewater infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing, and the dumping of the contents of residual septic tanks into rivers.</li></ul>



The researchers hope that continuous monitoring of pharmaceuticals in the environment can inform the development of strategies that work to limit pollution and reduce the associated effects.&nbsp;



The data for specific rivers will be available in the supplemental information on the <a href="https://www.globalpharms.org/">Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Project</a> website.



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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

Pharmaceutical pollution is contaminating water on every continent

A new study out of the University of York-led Global...

Vaccination is an effective public health measure, and is used all over the world to prevent people from succumbing to various different pathogens, yet vaccine efficacy varies across different populations. Since it is important that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-are-making-vaccines-easier-to-swallow/">vaccines</a> are as effective as possible in producing the relevant antibody responses, scientists are interested in investigating any factors that may improve vaccine efficacy.&nbsp;



In a recent study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/brain-behavior-and-immunity">Brain, Behavior and Immunity</a>, researchers from Iowa State University show that even a short stint of moderate physical exercise, taken just after being vaccinated, can improve the development of antibodies and boost immunity.&nbsp;



Antibodies are protein molecules produced by the white blood cells of the body’s immune system. They function in a “search and destroy” capacity to identify and eradicate pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites, that have entered a person’s body. Vaccines help the immune system learn how to identify the presence of foreign invading organisms, and also to defend the body by producing a ready army of antibodies.&nbsp;



The researchers measured the levels of antibodies present in people who had cycled on a stationary bike or gone for a brisk walk, for 90 minutes, immediately after receiving a vaccination. Three different vaccines were used in the study, namely those against the 2009 pandemic influenza (H1N1), against seasonal influenza, and against COVID-19.



The results showed that participants who had exercised immediately after being vaccinated had more antibodies in their blood four weeks later than those who had remained sitting or who had carried on with their daily routines. In addition, exercising did not increase the side effects of vaccination. This result was consistent for all three different vaccines.&nbsp;



“Our preliminary results are the first to demonstrate a specific amount of [exercise] time can enhance the body’s antibody response to the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine and two vaccines for influenza,” said study lead author Professor Marian Kohut.



The researchers said the study’s findings could directly benefit people with a range of fitness levels. Nearly half of the participants in the experiment had a BMI in the overweight or obese category. During 90 minutes of exercise, they focused on maintaining a pace that kept their heart rate around 120–140 beats per minute, rather than focusing on distance traveled.



Interestingly, the researchers also tested whether a 45-minute exercise session would also result in increased numbers of antibodies. They found that the shorter session of physical exercise did not have the same effect. They did not test whether 60 minutes of exercise would boost immunity in the same way, but suggest that this could be an area of further study in the future.&nbsp;



Although the reason that exercise boosts the immune system is not yet clear, Kohut explains that several factors could be involved. Doing physical exercise increases blood and lymph flow, which helps circulate immune cells and bring them into contact with foreign pathogens in the body. This would lead to an immune response that would increase the number of circulating antibodies.&nbsp;



The scientists also conducted similar experiments on mouse models that were vaccinated with influenza A vaccine and then allowed to run on a treadmill. Those that had a 90-minute post-vaccination exercise session also had higher levels of antibodies in their blood. Data from the mouse experiments also suggested a type of protein (interfeon alpha) produced during exercise helps generate virus-specific antibodies and T-cells (a type of white blood cell).



“But a lot more research is needed to answer the why and how. There are so many changes that take place when we exercise – metabolic, biochemical, neuroendocrine, circulatory. So, there’s probably a combination of factors that contribute to the antibody response we found in our study,” said Professor Kohut.



The researchers are continuing to track the antibody response in the participants six months post-immunization and have launched another study that focuses on the effects of exercise on people who receive booster shots.



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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

Exercise after vaccination improves antibody levels

Vaccination is an effective public health measure, and is used...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-meadows-absorb-less-co2-than-previously-thought/">Seagrasses</a> cover shallow coastal regions of temperate and tropical seas worldwide, and form the basis of a crucial ecosystem that is home to many animals, including some endangered species of fish, sea turtles, or seahorses. Moreover, they protect coastal areas from erosion and sequester millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, they also emit greenhouse gases, particularly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reducing-methane-is-the-fastest-way-to-slow-global-warming/">methane</a>, which is even more damaging for the climate than carbon dioxide. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.mpi-bremen.de/en/Home.html">Max Plank Institute for Marine Biology</a> in Germany has recently found that seagrasses emit this gas even decades after they died off.



“In seagrass sediments, methane is formed solely from one class of organic compounds,” said study lead author Sina Schorn, a microbiologist at the Max Plank Institute. “These so-called methylated compounds are produced by the seagrass plant itself. Specialized microorganisms, the methanogenic archaea, then convert these compounds into methane.”



The release of methane into the water column is very fast, since the plant tissue acts as a straw, helping the gas quickly escape from the seabed into the water. Furthermore, because the seagrasses only grow in shallow water, pelagic microorganisms don’t have the opportunity to consume the methane before ending up in the atmosphere.&nbsp;



As part of their study, the researchers also sampled a dead seagrass meadow. To their surprise, the rates of methane production in this meadow were similar to those in intact meadows. “We believe that the reason behind this continuing methane production is that methylated compounds persist in the plant tissue for a very long time,” even up to two decades after the plants die, explained study senior author Jana Milucka, head of the Greenhouse Gases Research Group at the Max Planck Institute.



“Currently, we are seeing a die-off of seagrass meadows worldwide which has a devastating effect on the coastal ecosystems. Our results caution that whereas upon the death of the plant carbon dioxide from the atmosphere will no longer be sequestered and stored in the sediment as 'blue carbon', methane may still continue to be released.” &nbsp;



These results suggest that methane emissions from dead seagrass partially offset the blue carbon effect of living meadows, thus highlighting the ecologic importance of these plants and the urgent need to protect and conserve them.&nbsp;



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



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

Seagrasses continue to release methane after they die

Seagrasses cover shallow coastal regions of temperate and tropical seas...

The theory of sexual selection, first proposed by Charles Darwin, is often used to understand why male birds have brighter colors or more elaborate adornments than females. These attributes would normally make the males more conspicuous to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fear-of-predators-can-damage-prey-as-much-as-predation-itself/">predators</a>, or less agile when moving around, and could be seen as disadvantages in terms of survival. Darwin proposed that males carrying these “disadvantages” were more often selected as mates by females, who thus drove the selection for these features.



In a new study, researchers used a genetic analysis of male yellowthroats to investigate the link between conspicuous coloration and genes for enhanced survival, such as for robust immunity or stress resistance.&nbsp;This type of investigation has only become possible in the past five years, due to advances in DNA analysis technology.



Yellowthroats are small songbirds that have olive backs, wings and tails but bright yellow throats. In addition to having bold yellow patches on their chests, males also have a very noticeable black mask that runs from the sides of the face, across the eyes and up to the forehead. These features stand out, visually, and certainly make male yellowthroats very conspicuous. The aim of the study was to find out whether the size of these adornments signals the presence of male genes that are superior in terms of survival.&nbsp;



The research involved a comparative study of two different populations of yellowthroats. Peter Dunn and Linda Whittingham at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, tracked female preferences for male ornaments in&nbsp;Wisconsin, while Corey&nbsp;Freeman-Gallant at Skidmore College studied preferences in&nbsp;upstate New York.&nbsp;&nbsp;Interestingly, the females in these two populations prefer different male ornaments.&nbsp;



“We found that the particular ornaments that females tended to prefer in each of our locations didn’t match,” said Dunn, distinguished professor of biological sciences, “even though both characteristics are found among males in both areas.”&nbsp;



Females in the Wisconsin population preferentially selected males with a large black facial mask, while females in the New York population chose males with large yellow “bibs.”&nbsp;



To investigate the relationship between these sexually selected ornaments and genes that influence male fitness, the researchers analyzed the genetic basis of the ornaments in birds with larger-sized features. They found that, despite being produced by different pigments in different parts of the body, the size of the ornament preferred by females in each population was linked to numerous genes that influence&nbsp;beneficial survival traits.



This finding indicates that a large, yellow chest patch or a large black mask present in a male actually signals the presence of other genes for enhanced fitness in that male. A female choosing to mate with a male having a large ornament of this type would thus be choosing superior genes for her offspring.&nbsp;



There have been very few studies that examined the female appeal of male ornaments in different populations. Dunn refers to studies of swallows that indicate females in some locations prefer longer tails, while in other locations they preferentially select males with browner bellies.&nbsp;And even fewer studies have investigated the size of ornaments at the level of genes.



“With this study, we not only found genes related to ornaments, but we also showed that similar genes can be linked to different types of ornaments in different populations,” Dunn said. “It brings us much closer to understanding the function of ornaments.”



The findings don’t explain why the females have different preferences geographically, said Dunn, but they have implications for evolution. The availability of more than one ornament as a mating signal allows females to potentially respond to a different choice if their environment changes.



Although theory predicts that flashy or large ornaments in males are present because they are selected for by females, this may not always be true. Ornaments may also be present because they serve some other purpose, for example antlers and horns may be used in conflicts between males. For this reason, it was necessary to prove the link between female selection of features and the presence of genes for enhanced fitness.



“What we consider flashy characteristics may not be limited to mate choice. For example, they may be used in interactions between two males,” explained Dunn.



In this study, the presence of large ornaments was related to the presence of superior genes and therefore an enhanced chance of survival in offspring. Even though females from the two populations selected different ornaments in males, both of these ornaments were linked to the same superior genes. By choosing males with large ornaments, the females were thus also choosing the best possible genetic input for their offspring.&nbsp;



Nicholas Sly, a&nbsp;postdoctoral researcher at UW-Milwaukee,&nbsp;was first author on the research paper.&nbsp;



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



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

Female yellowthroats choose flashy features in superior males

The theory of sexual selection, first proposed by Charles Darwin,...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.ntu.ac.uk/">Nottingham Trent University</a>, experts warn that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-have-provided-support-during-the-pandemic/">dogs</a> are not the only pets that are susceptible to heat exhaustion. The researchers found that small pets such as rabbits, cats, guinea pigs have an increasingly high risk of heatstroke as global temperatures rise. 



In collaboration with experts at the University of Liverpool, the researchers analyzed data on dogs and small animals that were taken to a group of UK vets between 2013 and 2018.



The results of the analysis showed that dogs were the most frequent victims of heatstroke, with 146 cases on record. In about 75 percent of cases, the dogs became overheated during exercise, while seven percent of the dogs had been trapped in a hot car.



According to the study, bulldogs and other flat-faced dogs are particularly vulnerable to heat exhaustion, as these pets were involved in 20 percent of the heatstroke cases.&nbsp;



The greatest number of heat stroke cases among cats were tied to older cats over the age of 15. Guinea pigs, rabbits and a pet ferret had also been treated for heatstroke.



“There is a misconception that heatstroke in pets only relates to dogs in hot cars and we need to do more to raise awareness of risk factors not only for dogs but in the wider pet population," said study co-author Dr. Anne Carter.



“Owners of small animals such as rabbits, ferrets and guinea pigs may need to review their pet’s housing and take steps to keep their pets cool in the warmer months to reduce the risk of heatstroke.”



The most common symptoms shared by the heatstroke victims included abnormal breathing, lethargy, collapsing, and diarrhea.



The researchers noted that cats seek out warm areas to sleep and can become trapped in greenhouses and sheds. The study authors also pointed out that caged pets are at risk of heatstroke due to confinement in hot accommodation, such as when their housing provides limited access to shade or cooler temperatures.



The researchers say their findings highlight the need for better public awareness of heatstroke and the risk to all animals, and warn that cases will continue to rise as global warming continues.&nbsp;



“Heat-related illness can affect all pets and is likely to become more common as global temperatures rise," said study co-author Emily Hall. “Our findings highlight the need for better public awareness of heatstroke and the risk to all animals."



“The fact that brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs and rabbits were overrepresented in our study suggests that owners of these animals should be particularly vigilant during hot weather.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.openveterinaryjournal.com/">Open Veterinary Journal</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

Small pets have a high risk of heatstroke

In a new study from Nottingham Trent University, experts warn...

Artist’s Impression of Exoplanet HD 106906b

A new study led by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> (UCL) has recently identified a ring of planetary <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-pieces-of-debris-threaten-the-space-economy/">debris</a> with moon-size structures orbiting a white dwarf star located 117 light years away from the Earth. The scientists believe that these 65 evenly spaced clouds of planetary debris that are orbiting the white dwarf every 25 hours could be kept in such a precise arrangement by a nearby planet located in the “habitable zone” of the star, where the temperature may be right for water and thus life to exist. This is the first time that a potentially life-supporting planet has been found orbiting a white dwarf.



While very large stars become black holes when they die, smaller ones such as our Sun become white dwarves – stars that have burned through all their hydrogen fuel and lost their outer layer. They are usually the size of a planet and emit a bluish-white light after they are formed. By using data from ground- and space-based telescopes, an international team of researchers measured light from a white dwarf in the Milky Way known as WD1054-226 and, to their surprise, found pronounced dips in light corresponding to the 65 clouds of planetary debris orbiting the star.



“The moon-sized structures we have observed are irregular and dusty (e.g. comet-like) rather than solid, spherical bodies. Their absolute regularity, one passing in front of the star every 23 minutes, is a mystery we cannot currently explain,” said study lead author Jay Farihi, a professor of Astrophysics at UCL.



“An exciting possibility is that these bodies are kept in such an evenly-spaced orbital pattern because of the gravitational influence of a nearby planet. Without this influence, friction and collisions would cause the structures to disperse, losing the precise regularity that is observed. A precedent for this 'shepherding' is the way the gravitational pull of moons around Neptune and Saturn help to create stable ring structures orbiting these planets.”



More evidence is needed to confirm the presence of the planet. However, if this hypothesis turns out to be true, the planet’s position relative to its star would be perfect to theoretically allow liquid water – a crucial pre-requisite of life - to exist on its surface. Moreover, it could suggest that more planets like this probably exist around other white dwarves in our galaxy and beyond. “Usually in astronomy, if we find one, it usually means that it's common,” said Prof Farihi.



A comprehensive description of the white dwarf and the potentially life-supporting planet orbiting it can be found in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/511/2/1647/6524236?login=false">Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomic Society</a>.&nbsp;



Image Credit: ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser



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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

Astronomers have found a planet that could support life

A new study led by University College London (UCL) has...

Recently, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program released several <a href="https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/newsroom/press-releases/seafood-watch-releases-draft-assessments-of-fisheries-that-pose-risk-to-endangered-north-atlantic-right-whale">draft assessments</a> of fisheries that pose a threat to the survival of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/right-whale-populations-reach-new-low/">north Atlantic right whale</a>. The assessments include proposals to “red list” the U.S. American lobster fishery, Jonah crab fishery, and other trap, pot and gillnet fisheries.&nbsp;



The Seafood Watch red list classification is a way to inform consumers and businesses to avoid certain fish that have been caught or farmed in ways that have a high risk of harming wildlife or the environment. Currently, more than 25,000 restaurants and other businesses including Red Lobster and Whole Foods have committed to avoid red-listed seafood.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Following the latest announcement from Seafood Watch, Oceana's senior campaign manager Gib Brogan released a statement:



“When consumers order lobster or crab, they don’t expect it to jeopardize the future of a critically endangered species — it’s beyond time for these fisheries to adapt. Oceana applauds Seafood Watch for flagging concerns about the impact these fisheries are having on North Atlantic right whales and NOAA’s ineffective regulations to protect them."&nbsp;



"Every vertical fishing line and gillnet is a risk to the remaining North Atlantic right whales, which can cause entanglements around their mouths, fins, and tails; make it difficult for them to swim and feed; cause life-threatening infections; and sever their fins and tails," said Brogan.



"To give this species a fighting chance, we must reduce the number of vertical lines and gillnets in the water. Inaction has consequences, as demonstrated by these draft assessments from Seafood Watch. Until fishery managers take their responsibility to save North Atlantic right whales seriously and enact meaningful protections, seafood retailers, consumers, and restaurants might be taking seafood from these fisheries off the menu.”



There are still business practices that could change to lessen the threat by these fisheries to north Atlantic right whales. Oceana recommends a reduction in the number of vertical lines and gillnets and the development of alternative fishing gear. Seasonal closures of fishing during times when whales are present should also be expanded. Finally, an improvement of transparency and tracking of fish would be helpful to the beleaguered whales.&nbsp;



As of now, tangling in fishing gear is a leading cause of death for North Atlantic right whales. Their population peaked at an estimated 21,000 individuals, and then dropped to less than 100 in the 1920s. By 2010, the whale’s population had risen to 483, but that trend has since reversed.&nbsp;&nbsp;



According to a report from Oceana, Seafood Watch assessments and recommendations have proven to be a powerful motivator for fisheries with significant conservation challenges to improve their practices. Seafood Watch is accepting comments on the proposal until February 28.



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Seafood Watch may “red list” fisheries to protect right whales

Recently, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program released several...

Scientists at <a href="https://www.uni-hamburg.de/">Universität Hamburg</a> are providing new details about the extent of coastal erosion throughout the entire <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-are-transforming-arctic-coasts/">Arctic</a>. The team used a combination of computational models to investigate the magnitude and speed of coastal changes across the rapidly warming region.



“We have run through a range of scenarios, depending on how much greenhouse gases humanity will emit in the coming years,” said study’s lead author Dr. David Nielsen.



“According to the study, not only is more and more land mass being lost in absolute terms; with each degree of temperature increase, the annual rate of erosion increases – in meters, but also in millions of tons of carbon released.”



As global warming causes an increasing amount of permafrost to thaw and sea ice to melt, the soil is becoming less stable and more likely to erode. Soil erosion damages infrastructure and threatens coastal communities. Erosion also releases carbon (which was once stored in the soil) into the ocean and the atmosphere, which can boost global warming in a reinforcing feedback loop.&nbsp;



The new study shows that at the current rate of emissions, the rate of Arctic coastal erosion could more than double by the end of the century. This translates to enormous losses of up to three meters of soil per year.



“Our findings also show that a shift toward greater sustainability and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions could slow the acceleration in the second half of the century. However, it won’t be possible to stop the loss of land mass entirely," explained Dr. Nielsen.



In collaboration with experts at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, and the German Meteorological Service, Dr. Nielsen has calculated the future balance for the entire Arctic coast. This is a challenging task, considering that coastal erosion varies greatly from one region to another.&nbsp;



“In the Arctic, erosion is always a combination of thermal and mechanical factors,” explained Dr. Nielsen. “Depending on the location and shape of the respective coast, we expect to see varying wave heights. With increasing temperature, the range of the waves also increases, because the sea ice disappears. In addition, the ice-free period in the summer is lengthened, making coasts even more vulnerable.”



According to the study authors, entire villages in Alaska are already facing the need for relocation as a result of costal erosion. By the end of the century, different emission scenarios lead to substantially different projections in terms of societal impacts, said the researchers. While the exact consequences for humans and wildlife are uncertain, what is made clear in the study is that the pace of Arctic soil erosion is increasing alongside global warming.&nbsp;



"The sensitivity of Arctic coastal erosion to climate change increases with time in our simulations, and is tightly related with the Arctic amplification after its onset," wrote the study authors. "Arctic coastal erosion increases more rapidly in response to increasing global mean surface air temperature in the future scenarios than it does in the historical period."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</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

Coastal erosion is picking up speed across the Arctic

Scientists at Universität Hamburg are providing new details about the...

Mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human-transmitted respiratory viruses. Respiratory illnesses are usually widespread among gorillas, and are the second leading cause of death in wild, human-habituated populations. 



According to a “Correspondence” report recently published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00331-z">Nature</a>, respiratory illness outbreaks among wild mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda have significantly declined since the beginning of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/omicron-is-still-circulating-widely-through-animal-populations/">COVID-19</a> pandemic.



In the five years prior to March 2020, the Volcanoes National Park reported 5.4 respiratory illness outbreaks in gorilla family groups annually. However, from March 2020 to December 2021, the gorilla populations averaged only 1.6 respiratory illness outbreaks. Fortunately, no traces of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected until now in samples collected from gorillas with such illnesses.



This massive decline in respiratory outbreaks during the pandemic is associated with an overall reduction in the number of people coming close to the gorillas, and with the additional health protection measures taken to reduce disease transmission from humans to gorillas, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/masking-and-social-distancing-can-stop-the-spread-of-the-flu/">mask wearing and social distancing</a>.&nbsp;



“Respiratory illness outbreaks are common in wild, human-habituated mountain gorillas, and considering that gorillas are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, this preliminary analysis is such a welcome finding,” said study co-author Kirsten Gilardi, the executive director and chief veterinary officer for <a href="https://www.gorilladoctors.org/">Gorilla Doctors</a>, and the director of the <a href="https://ohi.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/centers/whc">Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center</a> at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “It is a testament to the early and decisive action of park authorities to help protect mountain gorillas and humans.”



Professor Gilardi and her colleagues argue that some of the key factors leading to this reduction in gorilla respiratory illness outbreaks include the temporary suspension of gorilla ecotourism, as well as the mask mandate issued by the <a href="https://rdb.rw/">Rwanda Development Board</a>, and the social distancing rules aiming to keep a minimum of 10 meters between humans and gorillas.



According to Jean Bosco Noheri, a field veterinarian at Gorilla Doctors, “variation in pathogenicity of viruses, gorilla group dynamics, climate conditions and a variety of other factors may also be impacting the decrease in respiratory illness outbreaks we have seen.”



The research findings stress the important of best practice measures that minimize human disease transmission to great apes. Considering the increased contagiousness of the Omicron variant and the return of gorilla ecotourism, Gorilla Doctors and the Rwanda Development Board have recommended these measures to be made permanent.



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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

Gorillas got a break from respiratory illness during the pandemic

Mountain gorillas are highly susceptible to human-transmitted respiratory viruses. Respiratory...

Scavenging is a highly important ecological process, playing a crucial role in the circulation of nutrients, the stabilization of food webs, and the mitigation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fungal-disease-is-decimating-amphibians-in-baja-california/">disease</a> transmission to humans and among various other species. Vultures are some of the most important scavengers worldwide. By eating rotting carcasses that can become hotbeds of disease, and passing them through their highly acidic digestive systems which efficiently wipe out pathogens, vultures play a fundamental ecological role.&nbsp;



Unfortunately, a new longitudinal study led by <a href="https://hawkwatch.org/">HawkWatch International</a> and the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> has found that vulture populations have been declining in recent decades.&nbsp;



The researchers studied scavenger ecology at six abattoirs in Ethiopia with in-person survey and time-lapse photography from 2014 to 2019. They discovered that critically endangered Rüppell's (Gyps rueppelli) and white-backed (G. africanus) vultures declined by 73 percent, while critically endangered hooded vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus) declined by 15 percent during this period.&nbsp;



By the end of the study period in 2019, the carrion consumed by vultures year had dropped by 20,000 kg as a result of the declining populations. At the same time, the number of scavenging feral dogs has been steadily increasing, making researchers worry that this may lead to rabies outbreaks.



“We know that the vultures are declining and we know that the feral dogs are increasing, but we don't know exactly why,” said study lead author Evan Buechley, the International Programs Director at HawkWatch.&nbsp;



“Although we can’t say for sure if the decline represents a population crash or if the vultures are being displaced by dogs and moving away from the abattoirs, either way this is really concerning,” added study co-author Megan Murgatroyd, a conservation biologist at HawkWatch.



According to the researchers, the rise of feral dogs may increase rabies rates in humans, as it happened in the late 1990s in India and Pakistan, when vulture populations crashed and feral dog populations rose to take advantage of the uneaten carrion. Although it is not yet clear whether there will be a similar link between spikes in feral dog populations and rabies in Ethiopia too, this country is already burdened by approximately 3,000 deaths caused by rabies each year, most of them children.



“Unlike a lot of diseases which impact the elderly, rabies disproportionately affects young children, which are the most likely to be bit by rabid dogs,” said Buechley.&nbsp;A solution to avoid this could be to improve fencing around abattoir facilities, which would help restrict access by feral dogs, and hopefully increase foraging by vultures.



“The overarching point is that vultures are super important. If they decline, we expect there to be pretty profound ecological consequences and there may be increases in human disease burden. And so we should appreciate vultures and invest in their conservation,” Buechley concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="https://wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jwmg.22194">Journal of Wildlife Management</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

Fewer vultures, more wild dogs linked to greater disease risks

Scavenging is a highly important ecological process, playing a crucial...

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense around the world. Heatwaves, defined as prolonged periods of excessive heat, cause many devastating ecological, economic and human health impacts. The number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extreme-heat-is-the-new-normal-for-the-ocean/">extreme heat </a>days has increased 60 percent over the past four decades globally. Extreme heat is one of the deadliest and costliest natural hazards, claiming more than 166,000 lives between 1998 and 2017 worldwide.&nbsp; To reduce the impacts of rising temperatures, adaptation measures such as infrastructure improvement, access to water, cooling systems, early warning systems, and increased awareness are relied upon. These mechanisms are costly to implement, and are more widely available in wealthier countries.



Lower income countries often lack access to adaptation measures, and are exposed to heat waves for longer periods of time. This inequality will only continue to rise as climate change persists, as demonstrated by new research.&nbsp;



The authors of the study, which is published by the American Geophysical Union, theorizes that “vulnerability to risk, and degrees of suffering, are determined by levels of economic development, rather than simple exposure to natural hazards."



The researchers analyzed historical income data, climate records and heat adaptations to quantify the level of heat wave exposure that people in different income levels face around the world. Observations were paired with climate models to predict how exposure will change over time.&nbsp;



The experts found that heatwaves have intensified more in low-income areas as opposed to high-income regions. When compared to people with higher incomes, lower income populations currently face a 40 percent higher exposure to heatwaves.



The study revealed that this disproportionate exposure to heatwaves will only increase in the world's lowest-income population by 2100, even if access to adaptation measures such as air conditioning, cool air shelters, and safety regulations are implemented. By the end of this century, people in the lowest-income population will face 23 more days of heat waves than those in the highest income quarters every year.&nbsp;



At the same time, the highest-income regions in the world with resources and capacity to adapt will experience little change. The richest two regions are expected to experience stable heatwave metrics by the end of the century. This is because high-income countries have greater capacity to adapt to climate change.&nbsp;



Many low-income regions are geographically located in already-warm tropics, and their populations are expected to grow, contributing to additional heat wave exposure. At the same time, higher-income countries have historically contributed to the majority of global greenhouse gasses.&nbsp;



The findings reinforce the fact that populations who have contributed the least to climate change often bear the brunt of climate change impacts, said lead study author Mojtaba Sadegh, a climatologist at Boise State University.&nbsp;



 The global inequalities of climate change can be addressed over time through innovative and affordable solutions, such as energy-efficient cooling solutions. “We need to raise awareness of dangers and heat safety, and to improve early warning systems - and access to those early warning systems,” said Sadegh.



The study is published in the AGU journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23284277">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

Poorest people will face the greatest burden of heatwaves

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense around the world....

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

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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



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

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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

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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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