The Moon faces a constant spray of charged particles from the Sun, yet it keeps a whisper thin envelope of atoms swirling above its dusty plains. 



Two rival explanations, blasts from micrometeorites and the steady pickoff from the solar wind, have battled for decades.



New experiments with Apollo 16 samples now show that sunlight’s particle stream is far less efficient at stripping atoms than assumed, reshaping the story of how the Moon maintains its scant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rare-meteorites-provide-a-window-into-the-early-solar-system/">atmosphere</a>. The finding forces scientists to rethink long-held estimates of erosion rates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-look-at-moon-dust">A new look at Moon dust</h2>



Professor Friedrich Aumayr of the Institute of Applied Physics at <a href="https://www.tuwien.at/en/phy/iap" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TU Wien</a> led the new study, which drilled into the physics of ion bombardment. His team combined lunar dust tests with detailed computer models to expose hidden quirks in the rock’s texture.



Earlier models treated the surface of the Moon as a smooth glassy slab, so every incoming particle knocked something loose. 



Real lunar soil is a messy mix of sharp grains and tiny gaps, making it hard for ions to travel. Instead of blasting atoms into space, they bounce around and quickly lose energy.



That nuance matters because the team measured sputter yields up to ten times lower than the textbook value, a shift great enough to topple decades of balance sheets. It means a smaller share of the exosphere comes from ion <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-earth-got-its-water-meteorite-reveals-surprising-new-clues/">impacts</a> than models predicted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-solar-wind-doesn-t-remove-much-dust">Solar wind doesn’t remove much dust</h2>



In space science slang, sputtering is the ping pong ejection of atoms when fast ions strike a surface. The effect shapes everything from comet tails to Europa’s glow, yet its efficiency depends on the microscopic landscape it meets and has proven devilishly hard to pin down.



“Using a specially developed quartz crystal microbalance, we were able to measure the mass loss of lunar material due to ion bombardment with extremely high accuracy,” said Johannes Brötzner, lead author of the study. 



Researchers bombarded Apollo grains with helium ions at roughly 135 miles per second, mirroring average <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meteorite-from-the-moon-tells-a-detailed-story-about-lunar-volcanoes/">solar</a> wind speeds.&nbsp;



The experiment fed into 3D models that traced every collision inside the dust’s labyrinth. Most ions got trapped, so only about 0.01 atoms escaped per helium ion - a much lower sputter yield.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moon-s-atmosphere-comes-from-dust">Moon’s atmosphere comes from dust</h2>



The lower yield dovetails with a 2024 isotopic study that analyzed potassium and rubidium in Apollo samples and declared micrometeorite impacts the main gas supplier. 



Independent agreement between laboratories using such different tools is rare in planetary science and strengthens the verdict.



Together, the papers imply that tiny dust bullets vaporize far more material than the solar wind can sputter during quiet solar periods. Impact vaporization also lofts atoms with lower energies, matching density patterns recorded by NASA’s <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/ladee/in-depth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LADEE</a> orbiter during its 2013-2014 mapping campaign.&nbsp;



Shelf life estimates now show that the exosphere would bleed away in just a few lunar days if micrometeorites paused, confirming how transient each atom really is. 



The result gives mission planners an environmental baseline for predicting dust behavior around future landers and rovers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-future-missions">Lessons for future missions</h2>



The timing is handy for NASA’s Artemis campaign, which aims to send astronauts to the lunar south pole later this decade. 



Accurate erosion rates help engineers judge how solar arrays, optical sensors, and habitat seals will fare during prolonged stays under relentless particle weather.



A better grasp of sputtering also guides remote sensing, because instruments that sniff sodium or helium must subtract the solar wind component before inferring recent impacts. Without that correction, mission scientists could mistake a quiet patch of sky for a lull in incoming dust.



The same physics applies beyond the Moon. When ESA and JAXA’s BepiColombo probe begins full science operations at Mercury in 2027, its instruments will need to separate signals from both sputtering and impacts. 



The new sputter yield curve will help scientists translate those signals into details about Mercury’s surface chemistry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-moon-s-dynamic-atmosphere">The Moon's dynamic atmosphere</h2>



By trimming the solar wind contribution, the study revises timelines for how quickly space weather alters the Moon’s atmosphere, darkens surface dust, and erases tracks or tool marks.



Equipment left by Apollo crews may thus last longer unaltered, offering historians and tourists clearer snapshots of early human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/most-meteorites-can-be-traced-to-three-asteroid-families/">exploration</a> on future visits.



Solar storms can boost ion levels 100-fold, making sputtering briefly dominant again. Tracking those surges will be a task for upcoming CubeSats that hitch rides on Artemis rockets, offering real time context for surface experiments.



Aumayr is already eyeing similar tests with dust from volcanic mare regions to see whether glassy beads behave differently. His group is also adapting the setup for icy terrain, which could refine erosion estimates for moons like Europa and Enceladus.



“Our study provides the first realistic, experimentally validated sputtering yields for actual lunar rock,” said Aumayr. Planetary scientists outside the project are taking note, saying the work turns a page in space weather textbooks.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-025-02546-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Communications Earth &amp; Environment</a>.



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Apollo samples reveal what really created the Moon’s atmosphere

The Moon faces a constant spray of charged particles from the Sun, yet it keeps a whisper thin envelope of atoms swirling above its dusty plains. Two rival explanations, blasts from micrometeorites and the steady pickoff from the solar wind, have battled for decades. New experiments with Apollo 16 samples now show that sunlight’s particle stream is far less efficient at stripping atoms than assumed, reshaping the story of how the Moon maintains its scant atmosphere. The finding forces scientists to rethink long-held estimates of erosion rates....

A team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT) has recently developed a portable desalination unit, which weighs less than 10 kilograms and can remove salts and particles in order to generate clean water. This new technology is packaged into a user-friendly device that runs with the push of one button, and can generate drinking water at a rate of 0.3 liters per hour, requiring only 20 watts of power per liter. 



Unlike other portable desalination units which require water to pass through several filters, this groundbreaking device utilizes electrical power to remove unwanted salts and other particles.



“This is really the culmination of a 10-year journey that I and my group have been on. We worked for years on the physics behind individual desalination processes, but pushing all those advances into a box, building a system, and demonstrating it in the ocean, that was a really meaningful and rewarding experience for me,” said study senior author Jongyoon Han, a professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT.



While commercially available portable desalination units usually require high-pressure pumps to push water through filters, this newly developed device relies on a technique called&nbsp;<a href="https://news.mit.edu/2010/desalination-0323">ion concentration polarization</a>&nbsp;(ICP) that was pioneered by Professor Han’s team over 10 years ago. Instead of filtering the water, the ICP process applies an electric field to membranes placed below and above a channel of water, repelling positively or negatively charged particles, such as salt molecules, viruses, or bacteria, as they flow by. These particles are then funneled into another stream of water which is eventually discharged.&nbsp;



Although the ICP process does not remove all the salts floating in the middle of the channel, incorporating a second process called electrodialysis can finally remove all the remaining salt ions. By using machine learning to find the ideal combination of ICP and electrodialysis modules, the scientists found that a two-stage ICP process with water flowing through six modules in the first stage and three additional ones in the second stage, followed by a single electrodialysis process is optimal for cleaning the water at a level that exceeds World Health Organization’s <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/254637/9789241549950-eng.pdf">quality guidelines</a>.&nbsp;



This amazing device – which the researchers already field-tested at Boston’s Carson Beach – could be deployed in remote and resource-limited areas, such as small islands or seafaring cargo ships in order to clean seawater of salts, impurities, or pathogens. Moreover, it could also help refugees fleeing natural disasters or soldiers carrying long-term military operations have constant access to clean water.



A detailed description of the device is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c08466?ref=pdf">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>.



---



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

New device makes desalination possible with the push of a button

A team of researchers led by the Massachusetts Institute of...

Tropical and subtropical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dog-feces-can-harm-the-environment-and-disrupt-ecosystems/">ecosystems</a> boast a greater diversity of plant and animal species, a phenomenon that has been well studied by biologists over many decades. By contrast, temperate ecosystems and those at higher latitudes exhibit lower biodiversity. However, differences in species richness between the world’s three major habitat types - marine, terrestrial and freshwater - have not received anywhere near as much scientific interest.&nbsp;



A new study led by ecologists from the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> has now attempted to quantify biodiversity in ocean, freshwater and terrestrial habitats on a global scale. The scientists also explore possible reasons to explain differences in the patterns of biodiversity in these three habitat types.&nbsp;



The study was led by&nbsp;<a href="https://ischool.arizona.edu/people/cristian-roman-palacios">Cristian Román-Palacios</a>, an assistant professor in the University of Arizona&nbsp;<a href="https://ischool.arizona.edu/">School of Information</a>&nbsp;in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and&nbsp;<a href="https://eeb.arizona.edu/person/john-wiens">John J. Wiens</a>, a professor in the University of Arizona&nbsp;<a href="https://eeb.arizona.edu/">Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology</a>&nbsp;in the College of Science.&nbsp;



“As far as we know, our paper is the first to provide a global analysis of biodiversity by habitat and provide possible explanations as to what might drive the observed patterns,” said Professor Wiens.



The researchers considered more than 99 percent of known animal species in their analysis, along with all of the known plant species. They estimate that 77 percent of known animal species inhabit terrestrial habitats, 12 percent live in ocean habitats and 11 percent are found in freshwater. Among plants, only two percent of species are found in the ocean and a mere five percent live in freshwater.



Despite the fact that the vast majority of animals and plants inhabit terrestrial ecosystems, land only covers about 28 percent of the Earth’s surface. Oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth and have fewer species in general. This leaves only a minute fraction of the surface area for freshwater habitats. Interestingly, the study revealed that the two percent of Earth’s surface covered by freshwater habitats actually supports the highest species richness per unit area relative to the other two habitat types.



The authors also assessed phylogenetic diversity in the three different habitats. This provides a measure of how closely or distantly related the species are to each other in evolutionary terms. When they considered phylogenetic diversity per unit area of each habitat type, they again found freshwater diversity to be the highest; it was at least twice as high as&nbsp;the phylogenetic diversity found in land and ocean habitats, for both animals and plants.&nbsp;This finding highlights the fact that freshwater habitats are pockets of exceptional diversity that need to be conserved in future.&nbsp;



“The large-scale patterns of freshwater community composition resemble the process of creating mosaic art – where many groups in freshwater are like ‘pieces’ sourced from either land or marine ecosystems,” said Professor Wiens. “Therefore, creating additional protections to freshwater habitats could help to efficiently conserve, at once, very divergent groups of animals and plants.”



By contrast, animal and plant species in terrestrial habitats tend to represent only a few phyla, or taxonomic groups of organisms. This implies that by protecting freshwater habitats, more species and more evolutionary history would be preserved than if the same area of terrestrial or marine habitat were to be protected.&nbsp;



“Insights into phylogenetic diversity afford us a great opportunity to preserve significant pieces of evolutionary history,” said Wiens, adding that the distribution of phyla among habitats helps explain these patterns of phylogenetic diversity.



The researchers found that the relative biodiversity of habitats is related to variation in diversification rates among habitats. This is a measure of how many species originate and accumulate in a habitat type in a given time. Habitats where species diversify more rapidly have greater biodiversity. Diversification rates can be influenced by several different factors, including the extent to which populations are isolated. In marine habitats there are fewer barriers separating populations and therefore the rate of speciation may be slower.&nbsp;



“Species may proliferate more rapidly on land than they do in the ocean or in freshwater because there are many more barriers to dispersal on land compared to the ocean, where organisms can move more freely,” said Professor Wiens.&nbsp;“These barriers seem to help drive the origin of new species in all habitats in both plants and animals.”



Based on ancestral reconstructions of the three habitat types, the researchers found that most marine species are descended from marine ancestors and most terrestrial species from freshwater ancestors. Yet, most current animal biodiversity in freshwater habitats is derived from terrestrial ancestors.&nbsp;



“We were able to show that generally speaking, the oceans were colonized first, then species moved into freshwater habitats and lastly, onto land,” said Wiens. “And that holds true for plants and animals. Therefore, the greater biodiversity on land cannot be explained by an earlier colonization of terrestrial habitats.”



In the past, scientists have traditionally explained global biodiversity patterns in terms of greater solar energy input leading to increased biological productivity, particularly in terms of plants. The increased availability of plant food was then considered to drive animal species diversification. But in the current study, the growth of plants was found to have a much smaller effect on diversity patterns than previously thought.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Overall productivity is similar between the ocean and land, which tells us that at the global scale, productivity is not the most important determinant of biodiversity,” explained Professor Wiens. He added that the area covered by each habitat type does not appear to be a decisive factor, either, since the oceans have the greatest area but also have very limited species numbers.



“We conclude that the rate of species proliferation might be the most important aspect in driving species richness across the planet.”



Overall, the results of this study reveal the origins of fundamental but neglected biodiversity patterns in land, ocean and freshwater habitats, and highlight the importance of conserving freshwater habitats in future.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14610248">Ecology Letters</a>.&nbsp;



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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

Freshwater habitats help to protect biodiversity

Tropical and subtropical ecosystems boast a greater diversity of plant...

In a recent letter to the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abq0082">Science</a>, an international team of scientists has argued that, in order to end the pollution of the air, soils, rivers, and oceans with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-is-a-planetary-emergency/">plastic</a> debris and microplastics, production of new plastics needs to be urgently regulated, capped, and, in the long-term, phased out. While measures to address the consumption and demand side of the problem (such as additional taxes) are essential to curb plastic pollution, a comprehensive approach that includes the supply side is necessary to fully tackle this imminent global threat.



“Even if we recycled better and tried to manage the waste as much as we can, we would still release more than 17 million tons of plastic per year into nature,” said the initiator of the letter Melanie Bergmann, a biologist at the <a href="https://www.awi.de/">Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research</a> (AWI). “If production just keeps growing and growing, we will be faced with a truly Sisyphean task.”



A previous study published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aba9475">Science</a> in 2020 has found that plastic pollution could only be cut by 79 percent over the next two decades if all solutions available today are implemented, including replacing plastics with more sustainable alternatives, and improved recycling and waste management.



“The exponentially growing production is really the root cause of the problem, and the amounts of plastics we have produced thus far have already exceeded planetary boundaries,” explained letter co-author Bethanie Carney Almroth, an expert in Ecotoxicology at the <a href="https://www.gu.se/en">University of Gothenburg</a>. “If we don’t tackle that, all other measures will fail to achieve the goal of substantially reducing the release of plastic into the environment.”



According to the scientists, phasing out the production of new plastics from fresh feedstocks should be part of a larger, systemic solution to end plastic pollution. Gradually cutting the production of new plastics will have many environmental, societal, and economic benefits.



“We gain a lot of benefits from plastics but reducing production will increase the value of plastics, boost other measures to curb plastic pollution, help tackle climate change and promote our transition to a circular and sustainable economy,” concluded Martin Wagner, an ecotoxicologist at the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</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

Plastic production must be phased out to stop pollution

In a recent letter to the journal Science, an international...

Human activities such as commercial fishing often result in the accidental death of non-targeted wildlife, threatening a large number of already endangered species. Many fisheries are not selective and damage marine habitats, while also frequently capturing protected species, like dolphins, seals, sharks, or rays.&nbsp;



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> and the <a href="https://www.uaeu.ac.ae/en/">United Arab Emirates University</a> (UAEU) has now developed a method to assess sustainable levels of human-caused wildlife mortality. When applying this method to a trawl fishery from Australia, the experts have found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/all-hands-on-deck-to-save-south-africas-humpback-dolphin/">dolphin</a> bycatch is unsustainable.



“Bycatch and discarding of marine wildlife in commercial fisheries are major challenges for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management the world over,” said study senior author Simon Allen, a professor of Biology at the University of Bristol.



“Bycatch Reduction Devices were placed in Western Australian trawl nets in 2006, but no quantitative assessment of the impact was carried out. We set out to model different levels of dolphin capture, including those reported in skippers’ logbooks and those by independent observers. Unfortunately, our results show clearly that even the lowest reported annual dolphin capture rates are not sustainable.”



According to study lead author Dr. Oliver Manlik, an assistant professor of Molecular Ecology at UAEU, the novel approach developed together with the University of Bristol is extremely proficient in assessing human-caused mortality to wildlife, and can be applied to fisheries bycatch, hunting, lethal control measures, or even wind turbine collisions.&nbsp;



“And when we incorporate stochastic factors, random events, we show that previous methods of assessing wildlife mortality were not conservative enough,” he said. “This raises concerns for the dolphin population and highlights a problem with other assessments that do not account for random events, like heatwaves, because these environmental fluctuations are becoming more frequent and intense with climate change.”



With only voluntary and low levels of fisheries monitoring and no quantitative conservation objectives, both UK and EU are currently failing to address the significant problems that bycatch entails. Greater transparency and more rigorous methods are needed to improve the scientific basis for decision-making regarding the impact of fisheries on non-targeted species such as dolphins, seals, whales, or seabirds.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.13897">Conservation Biology</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Dolphin bycatch from fishing activities is unsustainable

Human activities such as commercial fishing often result in the...

Although they are in fact millions of miles apart, Venus and Jupiter will appear to touch each other in the night sky at the end of April 2022, in a phenomenon called a “<a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-planetary-conjunction">planetary conjunction</a>.” The two planets will appear closest together around 3 p.m. ET on April 30, with Venus 0.2 degrees south of Jupiter. From the Earth’s vantage point, the distance between the two planets will seem to be less than the diameter of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/near-earth-asteroid-may-actually-be-a-miniature-moon/">moon</a>.



“Venus and Jupiter are typically the two brightest planets in the sky, so they can put on quite a show when they are in close conjunction. It is a beautiful sight and easy for everyone to see,” said Patrick Hartigan, a professor of Physics and Astronomy at <a href="https://www.rice.edu/">Rice University</a> in Houston.



According to Professor Hartigan, the Venus-Jupiter conjunction happens roughly once a year, but this year the two planets will appear much closer than they usually do. The last time Venus and Jupiter were closer than this year’s conjunction was August 2016, although they were more difficult to spot then, since they were also closer to the Sun.&nbsp;



Stargazers will have great viewing opportunities in the early morning hours of April 30 and May 1, when they could spot the conjunction easily, without needing to use a telescope. Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere should look along the southeastern horizon just before dawn, while it is still dark enough to see some stars.&nbsp;



In the Southern Hemisphere, although the conjunction will be visible under the same conditions, the two planets will appear above the eastern horizon. Moreover, unlike in the Northern Hemisphere, Venus will appear above Jupiter on April 30 and below Jupiter on May 1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



In the nights leading up to the conjunction, the moon will gradually become less visible as it transitions to a new moon on April 30, making the conjunction between the two planets more visible. However, the sky will need to be clear to allow stargazers optimal viewing conditions.



While watching this conjunction, stargazers will also have a chance to see another spectacular celestial event, when Mars and Saturn will roughly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aprils-night-sky-is-set-for-a-spectacular-planetary-alignment/">align</a> north of Venus and Jupiter.&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

Venus and Jupiter will soon enter into a spectacular conjunction

Although they are in fact millions of miles apart, Venus...

Hedgehog,,(scientific,Name:,Erinaceus,Europaeus),Wild,,Native,,European,Hedgehog,With

For the first time, a highly transmissible strain of the antibiotic-resistant superbug MRSA, which is currently plaguing hospitals in Northern Europe, has been isolated from hedgehogs in Helsinki.&nbsp;



Superbugs such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are antibiotic-resistant <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-force-the-plants-they-infect-to-feed-them/">bacteria</a> for which there are little or no available treatments.&nbsp;



Recently, European hedgehogs, a common wild species living in urban areas, were found to be natural carriers of MRSA.&nbsp;Surveys in Denmark and Sweden suggest that up to 60 percent of hedgehogs carry a type of MRSA called mecC-MRSA, which causes 1 in 200 of all MRSA infections in humans.



The findings suggest a spillover of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria and genes to urban wildlife. This trend should be monitored to limit the emergence of antimicrobial resistance traits in the future. Worldwide spread of these antibiotic-resistant genes is a growing concern because they often target “last resort” classes of antibiotics.



Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria are common in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Highly resistant strains with extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) can cause urinary tract infections in people. ESBL-E are common in wild European hedgehogs, but little is known about Finnish hedgehogs specifically.&nbsp;



To find out, the researchers tested samples from 115 dead hedgehogs in Finland between 2020 and 2021. Swabs and samples were obtained from each hedgehog to be tested for ESBL-E. Whole genome sequencing was used to examine the genomic features of the bacteria including resistant genes.



The research team found that 10 percent of hedgehogs had at least one MRSA-producing bacterial strain and at least one ESBL-producing strain.



Only three hedgehogs carried the type of MRSA called mecC-MRSA, commonly found in Sweden and Denmark, and has emerged in human patients in Northern Europe over the last few years. This suggests there is genetic diversity between MRSA strains over hedgehog populations and countries.



Furthermore, two E. coli strains identified in hedgehogs were human-associated types, suggesting that they could have transferred from humans to hedgehogs.



Venla Johansson from the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en">University of Helsinki</a>, who noted that it’s not just hedgehogs that carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria.&nbsp;



“All wildlife and livestock carry many different types of bacteria, so there are many candidates for its dispersal in urban environments including humans themselves," explained Johansson.



"Moreover, anthropogenic sources, such as waste, agriculture runoff and domestic wastewater have been linked to antimicrobial resistance transmission to wild animals.”



This observational study only sampled hedgehogs from one city in Finland, which means that the findings might not be representative of the whole country.



“In the future, the carriage of MRSA should be monitored from hedgehogs in different environments and in wider geographical context to determine whether hedgehogs could act as an AMR sentinel revealing AMR levels in the environment," said Johansson.



The researchers of a previous <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04265-w">study</a> published in Nature emphasize that the findings are not a reason to fear hedgehogs, as humans rarely get infections with mecC-MRSA, even though it has been present in hedgehogs for more than 200 years.



The study was presented at this year’s <a href="https://www.eccmid.org/">European Congress of Clinical Microbiology &amp; Infectious Diseases</a> (ECCMID) in Lisbon, Portugal.



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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

Humans spread antimicrobial resistant bacteria to urban wildlife

For the first time, a highly transmissible strain of the...

On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the US <a href="https://www.energy.gov/">Department of Energy</a> finalized a new efficiency rule aiming to phase out older, high-energy incandescent light bulbs. According to this rule, light bulbs must emit a minimum of 45 lumens per watt. Older light bulbs which don’t meet these standards will need to be phased out of production within 75 days, while full enforcement of the rule will go into effect in July 2023 – the same date when retailers must stop selling older-type bulbs.&nbsp;



This move is a culmination of a decades-long effort to phase out inefficient light bulbs. While <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swings-in-wind-and-solar-power-may-cause-energy-droughts/">energy</a> efficiency standards were included in a bill passed under the George W. Bush administration and implemented during Barack Obama’s presidency, the Trump administration rolled the regulations back in 2019.



The Department of Energy estimates that implementing this new rule could save US consumers almost $3 billion and cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years. Moreover, while traditional, incandescent light bulbs last only about 1,000 hours, energy efficient LED bulbs typically last 30,000 to 50,000 hours or even longer.



“By raising energy efficiency standards for light bulbs, we're putting $3 billion back in the pockets of American consumers every year and substantially reducing domestic carbon emissions,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. “The lighting industry is already embracing more energy efficient products, and this measure will accelerate progress to deliver the best products to American consumers and build a better and brighter future.”



Environmental groups have also applauded the implementation of this new rule. “We are long overdue to phase out inefficient old-fashioned light bulbs as this progress was illegally delayed by the Trump administration for more than two years,” said Joe Vukovich, an energy efficiency advocate for the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>. “LED bulbs, which will replace the old incandescents, use one-sixth the amount of energy to deliver the same amount of light and last at least 10 times longer.”



---



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

Biden moves to phase out energy inefficient light bulbs

On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, the US Department of Energy...

Homo floresiansis was a diminutive early human standing only three feet and six inches tall that lived on the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/excess-sugar-is-toxic-to-rock-iguanas-on-remote-islands/">island</a> of Flores in Indonesia between 700,000 and 60,000 years ago. Due to its stature and physical resemblance to the creatures described by famous writer J.R.R. Tolkien in his novels, it was nicknamed “the Hobbit.”&nbsp;



The discovery of this early hominid’s fossils in 2003 in the Liang Bua cave in Flores has shattered long-held beliefs that the Neanderthals were our nearest ancestors. “I would have been less surprised if someone had uncovered an alien,” said paleoanthropologist Peter Brown, a professor at the <a href="https://www.une.edu.au/">University of New England</a>, Australia.



Although scientists concluded that this species went extinct 12,000 years ago, Gregory Forth, an anthropologist retired from the <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/index.html">University of Alberta</a> in Canada has recently argued that no one really knows if this fascinating hominid actually went extinct or is in fact still roaming today’s Indonesia.



In his new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Between-Ape-Human-Anthropologist-Hominoid/dp/163936143X">Between Ape and Human: An Anthropologist on the Trail of a Hidden Hominid</a>, Professor Forth claims that over 30 eye-witness reports of an “ape-man” on the island of Flores may be sightings of this ancient ancestor, somehow still surviving in the modern world. “I conclude that the best way to explain what they told me is that a non-sapiens hominid has survived on Flores to the present or very recent times.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



The last recorded sighting dates from 2017, when a 40-year-old woman on Flores claimed that she saw an “ape-man” crossing a field. Although the creature stopped and looked at her, it didn’t seem threatening. “The woman had a daughter, around seven or eight years old,” said Professor Forth. “The daughter spotted this strange creature sitting just beyond the garden by a pile of rocks. She was screaming, and a dog was barking at it. The man got there first, and the mother and girl were crying. All three of them saw it. But they didn't stick around, they ran all the way home.”



Since the separate accounts “all agreed on the particulars” and all the witnesses appeared extremely frightened when recounting the story, Professor Forth considers them as reliable sources. Previous accounts of such sightings also seem to confirm the existence of such strange creatures roaming Flores.



However, other scientists remain skeptical that another species of “Homo” still exists today. “The habitat is right, the eyewitness evidence is good, and there are known candidates from the fossil record that sound pretty similar to the creatures sometimes being described,” said Dr. Darren Naish, a paleozoologist and former lecturer at the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a>. “But we still require solid biological samples to demonstrate the reality of this animal.”



Other experts are even more critical of Professor Forth’s account. “Realistically, the idea that there's a large primate that is unobserved on this island and surviving in a population that can sustain itself is pretty close to zero,” said John Hawks, a paleoanthropologist at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>.



Further field trips and investigations are needed in order to assess Professor Forth’s claims and solve this mystery. &nbsp;&nbsp;&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

A hobbit-like human ancestor may still be roaming in Indonesia

Homo floresiansis was a diminutive early human standing only three...

Researchers have analyzed the longevity of 18 breeds of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/shelter-dogs-have-high-levels-of-stress/">dogs</a> in the UK, along with a selection of cross-breeds, using the VetCompass database. Their findings show that Jack Russell and Yorkshire terriers have the highest life expectancies of the UK breeds considered, while flat-faced breeds such as French bulldogs and pugs have some of the lowest.



The VetCompass database contains clinical records collected from veterinary practices and referral centers in the UK, and is used by scientists and veterinarians seeking evidence of how to improve the health and welfare of animals.&nbsp;



Kendy Tzu-yun Teng, Dan O’Neill and colleagues analyzed 30,563 records of dog deaths submitted by veterinary practices across the UK between 2016 and 2020. They categorized the dogs into 18 breeds, recognized by the Kennel Club, and also considered data from a group of cross-bred dogs. Using this information, the researchers created life tables which calculate life expectancy throughout the life cycle of dogs from each breed.&nbsp;



The results of the analysis, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, show that Jack Russell terriers had the highest life expectancy (12.72 years), followed by Yorkshire terriers (12.54 years), border collies (12.10 years), and springer spaniels (11.92 years).&nbsp;



By contrast, the short-snouted breeds had the lowest life expectancies, with French bulldogs expected to live an average of only 4.53 years. This is approximately three years less than other flat-faced breeds such as English bulldogs (7.39 years) and pugs (7.65 years). The study authors noted that the many health issues known to affect these breeds could be implicated in their short life expectancies.&nbsp;



Additional analyses showed that, across all dog breeds, female dogs had a higher life expectancy (11.4 years) than males (11.1 years). Dogs that had been neutered also had a higher life expectancy (11.98 years for females and 11.49 years for males) than those that were not neutered (10.50 years for females and 10.58 years for males). The researchers point out that these results may reflect the potential benefits of neutering or could possibly indicate that the owners of neutered dogs are also more responsible individuals who give better care to their pets.&nbsp;



The experts conclude that the life tables they have developed as a result of their research now enable dog life expectancies to be tracked at different ages, as is possible for humans. This will improve longevity predictions for different breeds in the UK and could also have other practical benefits, such as helping dog shelters to provide accurate estimates of a dog’s remaining life expectancy during rehoming.



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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

Jack Russell terriers live the longest lives of UK dogs

Researchers have analyzed the longevity of 18 breeds of dogs...

Sleep plays a fundamental role in enabling cognitive functioning and maintaining good mental health. Moreover, it helps keep the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-has-an-alert-system-to-shut-down-unwanted-memories/">brain</a> healthy by removing toxins. As we age, we often see alterations in our sleep patterns, such as increased difficulty of falling and staying asleep, together with decreased quantity and quality. Such disturbances often contribute to cognitive decline and psychiatric disorders in the elderly.



A new study led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> in the UK and <a href="https://www.fudan.edu.cn/en/">Fudan University</a> in China has found that seven hours is an ideal amount of sleep for people in their middle age or older, with too little or too much sleep associated with poorer cognitive performance and mental health.



The researchers analyzed data from almost 500,000 adults aged 38-73 from the <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">UK Biobank</a>, who were asked questions about their sleeping patterns and mental health and wellbeing, and also took part in a series of cognitive tests. In addition, brain imaging and genetic data were available for nearly 40,000 of the participants.



The data analysis reveled that both insufficient and excessive sleep were associated with impaired cognitive functioning, including poorer visual attention, processing speed, and memory and problem-solving skills. Seven hours of sleep per night appeared to be an optimal amount for smooth cognitive performance and good mental health. People who reported sleeping for shorter or longer durations experienced more symptoms of depression and anxiety and worse overall wellbeing.



“While we can’t say conclusively that too little or too much sleep causes cognitive problems, our analysis looking at individuals over a longer period of time appears to support this idea,” said study co-author Jianfeng Feng, an expert in Computational Biology and Data Science at Fudan University. “But the reasons why older people have poorer sleep appear to be complex, influenced by a combination of our genetic makeup and the structure of our brains.”



According to Dr. Feng and his colleagues, one possible reason for the association between insufficient sleep and cognitive decline may be due to the disruption of slow-wave, or “deep” sleep, which is known to lead to deficiencies in memory consolidation and the build-up of amyloid, an important protein which protects against dementia. Moreover, sleep disturbances are associated with increased inflammation and can hamper the brain’s ability to get rid of toxins.



“Getting a good night’s sleep is important at all stages of life, but particularly as we age. Finding ways to improve sleep for older people could be crucial to helping them maintain good mental health and wellbeing and avoiding cognitive decline, particularly for patients with psychiatric disorders and dementia,” concluded study co-author Barbara Sahakian, a psychiatrist at Cambridge.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43587-022-00210-2">Nature Aging</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;

Seven hours is the ideal amount of sleep from middle age on

Sleep plays a fundamental role in enabling cognitive functioning and...

Experiments on humans have long demonstrated that minimizing energy expenditure is an important objective while <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brisk-walking-could-reduce-biological-aging-by-more-than-a-decade/">walking</a> along and that people adjust aspects of their walking style constantly to keep energy costs at a minimum. When it comes to running, however, this relationship has not been tested. In the laboratory, human runners have been shown to choose preferred running speeds that correspond to a minimization of energy expenditure, but it is not known whether runners in natural settings do the same.&nbsp;



The proliferation of digital movement tracking devices has given researchers an opportunity to find out whether runners have preferred speeds in free free-living environments or whether they vary their speed depending on the distances they run, as hypothesized previously. By combining data from runners monitored in a lab with data from over 37,000 runs recorded on wearable fitness trackers, scientists have now been able to answer this question.



The research group, made up of scientists from Queens University in Ontario and Stanford University in California, has been studying the mechanics of running in labs for 15 years but had not investigated running “in the wild” before now.&nbsp;



“We were able to fuse the two datasets to gain new insights and combine the more messy wearable data with the gold standard lab experiments to learn about how people run, out in the world,” said study co-author Jennifer Hicks, deputy director of Stanford’s Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance.



The free-living data collected by wearable digital devices included recordings of distance and elevation, derived from GPS data at 3-s intervals. A total of 4,645 runners self-reported details of their sex, age, height, and weight, and their running data were recorded over a 14-month period between August 2016 and October 2017. This added up to a total of 37,201 runs, or more than 28,022 hours (3.20 years) worth of running data.&nbsp;&nbsp;



To find out whether runners in a free-living environment choose different speeds for different distance tasks, the researchers selected runners in the database who ran at least one run at each of three distances: 3.22, 6.44, and 9.66 ± 0.80 km (2, 4, and 6 ± 0.5 mi). They tested for differences in each runner’s average speed over these three distances and found there were no significant differences. This indicated that runners choose a preferred running speed and stick to it, irrespective of the distance they plan to cover.



The scientists then compared these preferred running speeds to experimentally determined speeds that are optimal in terms of minimizing the energy cost. The results of the analysis showed a remarkable consistency across the combined datasets – one derived from laboratory experiments and the other derived from runners with wearable tracking devices.&nbsp;



“We intuitively assume that people run faster for shorter distances and then would slow their pace for longer distances,” said study first author Jessica Selinger. “But this wasn’t the case. Most of the runners analyzed stuck with the same speed, whether they were going for a short run or a long haul over ten kilometers.”



Intuitively, one might assume that people run faster over shorter distances and slow their pace for longer distances. This is what is found in competitive races where minimizing time is the explicit goal. But the current study shows that the average person out for some running exercise has a preferred speed that is largely independent of running distance and is also consistent with the objective of minimizing energy expenditure.&nbsp;



The irony of these findings, published today in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>, is that while we may be motivated to go for a run in order to burn up calories, it seems we are choosing a running speed that actually minimizes the calories we use. This makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, and is consistent with the locomotion preferences recorded for other, nonhuman animals living in natural environments. If we wish to increase the calories we use up while running, we will need to increase our speed by using strategies, such as running with faster companions or listening to music with a fast beat as our feet pound the sidewalks.



Selinger and Hicks hope that having large pools of fitness data from wearable movement tracking devices will help researchers to gain insights about populations.&nbsp;



“You can look at connections with the built environment and access to recreation resources and start to layer all of that data to really understand how to improve physical activity and health more broadly,” said Hicks.



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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

Human running speed is optimized for efficient energy use

Experiments on humans have long demonstrated that minimizing energy expenditure...

Belugas are massive and charismatic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-modem-ocean-is-a-tough-place-for-whales-to-survive/">whales</a> that reach about 15 feet in length and can weigh as much as 3,500 pounds. Belugas were also a target for whaling, a legacy that they are still living down.&nbsp;



Cook Inlet belugas have dwindled since the 1990s to the point that there are only 300 individuals remaining. These few whales are tracked through challenging environmental conditions in the subarctic. Photos from both boats and overhead drones can be used to identify individual whales.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Now, <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/alaska">NOAA Fisheries</a> and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (<a href="https://www.boem.gov/">BOEM</a>) are announcing a partnership with DrivenData, HeroX, Wild Me and NASA. Together, the collaboration is creating a competition to help NOAA fisheries managers identify individual beluga whales from photos. The <a href="https://belugas.drivendata.org/">Where’s Whale-do?</a> competition is offering a $35,000 prize to the winner.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



"Our goal is to be able to analyze our overhead photographs of Cook Inlet beluga whales quickly and accurately to produce annual estimates of abundance and calf production in a timely manner,” said Paul Wade, a beluga whale researcher at NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center. “This will allow us to monitor the population and try to understand what may be hindering the recovery of this endangered whale population."



"We are pleased to support this important research,” said Dr. Christina Bonsell, an ecologist in BOEM's Alaska Regional Office. “BOEM's Environmental Studies Program looks for innovative solutions to resource management challenges. Leveraging crowdsourcing can help ensure effective management and protection of this critically endangered marine mammal population."&nbsp;



Traditionally, matching photos of whales looking for dorsal ridge patterns, colors, unique scars and other features is time consuming and sometimes challenging for monitors. It’s hoped that the contest winner will find an elegant solution utilizing AI technology to automate and speed up the process.&nbsp;



“These kinds of open AI challenges channel the efforts of skilled experts and enhance the tools available to our nation's public agencies,” said Greg Lipstein, Principal at DrivenData. “This solution will have the immediate potential to be used for whale image matching, a critical step in the effective and timely conservation of these endangered belugas.”



The challenge is open to anyone working individually or as a team over 18 years of age. The person or people can also come from any country that is not under sanction by the US government.&nbsp;



The goals of the project are lofty and besides the prize money offer a chance for a talented person or team to make a real difference in conservation and perhaps create new tools to be used again in other conservation projects.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Keeping endangered animals safe is top-of-mind for me, and I am excited to have the talented community of HeroX solvers engaged in this important challenge,” said Kal K. Sahota, CEO, HeroX.&nbsp;



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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

Competition to track belugas may ultimately help save them

Belugas are massive and charismatic whales that reach about 15...

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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

Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&nbsp;



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



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

How the immune system responds to injury

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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"

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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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