A sparkling galactic neighbour

Today's Image of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the galaxy ESO 300-16, which is located 28.7 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Eridanus



According to ESA, the galaxy is a ghostly assemblage of stars which resembles a sparkling cloud.&nbsp;



"A rogue’s gallery of distant galaxies and foreground stars complete this astronomical portrait, which was captured by the Advanced Camera for Surveys," said ESA.



"This observation is one of a series which aims to get to know our galactic neighbors; around three quarters of the known galaxies suspected to lie within 10 megaparsecs of Earth have been observed by Hubble in enough detail to resolve their brightest stars and establish the distances to these galaxies."



"A team of astronomers proposed using small gaps in Hubble’s observing schedule to acquaint ourselves with the remaining quarter of the nearby galaxies."



ESO 300-16 is a relatively small and remote dwarf galaxy. It is sometimes known as a "compact blue dwarf galaxy" because of its size and the intense blue colors indicating active star formation.&nbsp;



These galaxies are typically small, but they have high star-forming rates for their size. This kind of galaxy can provide insights into the process of star formation as well as galaxy evolution in general.



Dwarf galaxies are of particular interest to astronomers because they can help to provide understanding about the formation and evolution of galaxies in the early universe. They're also thought to play a role in the assembly of larger galaxies over cosmic time.



By studying galaxies like ESO 300-16, astronomers can hope to better understand how galaxies grow, evolve, and interact over time.&nbsp;



Image Credit: ESA



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A ghostly assemblage of stars make up the galaxy ESO 300-16

Today's Image of the Day from the European Space Agency...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features an astronaut view of the Tunupa Volcano, a dormant volcano in southwestern Bolivia. The volcano is located on a peninsula between two of Bolivia’s largest salt flats - Salar de Uyuni and Salar de Coipasa.



"Tunupa Volcano is located at the center of the Southern Altiplano, or the Andean Plateau, and rises as high as 5.3 kilometers (3.3 miles) in elevation," says NASA. "The volcano is a composite cone - a large, complex volcano that is often covered by lava flows, pyroclastic and mudflow deposits, and domes. Last active about 1.4 million years ago, Tunupa is now considered dormant."



"The flanks of the volcano’s cone are incised by valleys that were eroded by ancient glaciers and stream flows. Domes and lava flows appear on the eastern side of Tunupa, and the volcano is adjacent to other eroded volcanic fields and craters, including Jayu Khota and Titivilla."



According to NASA. the salt flats are typically a bright white color when viewed from orbit - but during Bolivia’s rainy season, rivers can carry sediment rich in microbes and dark-colored volcanic minerals onto the flats.&nbsp;



The image was captured on February 5, 2022 by a member of the Expedition 66 crew.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory



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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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Tunupa Volcano in southwestern Bolivia

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features...

Today's Image of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2023/09/Earth_from_Space_Southern_Patagonian_Ice_Field">European Space Agency</a> features the Southern Patagonian Ice Field in the Southern Andes. It is one of the world's largest continuous masses of ice outside the polar regions.&nbsp;



The Southern Patagonian Ice Field spreads across the border between Argentina and Chile and is an essential fresh water reservoir. Covering an area of about 12,363 square kilometers, it is home to numerous glaciers, including the well-known Perito Moreno and Upsala Glaciers in Argentina.



The ice field is situated within the Andes mountain range and is part of two national parks: the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina and the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.&nbsp;



"Ice fields form as a result of accumulations of snow that turn into ice through years of compression and freezing. Shaped by the underlying topography, glaciers often form at the edges of an ice field," explained ESA.



"In this image, the ice mass feeds several smaller and bigger glaciers, including the Argentinian Perito Moreno Glacier in the top right corner. Located on a narrow channel, Perito Moreno feeds Lake Argentino and forms an ice dam that separates the main body of the lake, visible on top in turquoise, from its southern arm, which appears grey."



The Southern Patagonian Ice Field is crucial for the study of climate change as it reacts sensitively to temperature variations. Over recent years, it has experienced significant retreat and thinning due to global warming, leading to concerns over rising sea levels and loss of freshwater resources.&nbsp;



"Glaciers are the largest reservoirs of freshwater on our planet. The rate at which they may be melting or growing is one of the best indicators of climate change," said ESA. "The demise of glaciers is one of the main causes of sea-level rise. Many glaciers in Patagonia have retreated over the last 50 years."&nbsp;



Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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The Southern Patagonian Ice Field in the Andes Mountains

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA Earth Observatory </a>&nbsp;features a dust storm that moved across parts of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in mid-September.



"This image, acquired by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument on the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite, shows thick plumes of dust blowing hundreds of kilometers across the arid region on September 22, 2023," said NASA.



"The dust appears to emanate from the ephemeral Hamun wetlands, which partially surround the Iranian city of Zabol. When dry, this area becomes a hotspot for dust storms due to a persistent weather feature known as the Levar wind (or “120-day wind”), which blows out of the northwest from late-May to late-September."



Across the Sistan-Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran, three people were killed in accidents related to poor visibility and more than 1,300 others sought medical assistance for respiratory, heart, and eye ailments.



According to NASA, more than two decades of low water levels in the Hamun wetlands have led to a significant increase in dust storms. This has been especially the case during the 120-day winds, strong summer winds that occur from late May to late September.



"Water levels are influenced by rainfall and the flow of the Helmand river, which runs from the Hindu Kush mountains across Afghanistan before terminating at the wetlands. More frequent drought since 1999, along with increasing upstream demands on water resources for agriculture and other uses, have amplified the drying," said NASA.



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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Brutal dust storm sweeps across Southern Asia

Today's Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory &nbsp;features...

Today's Image of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> features dust flowing through the Tokar Gap, where the easternmost extent of the African Sahel meets the Red Sea.



"Mountain chains border both sides of the Red Sea, the long narrow inlet of the Indian Ocean that separates Saudi Arabia to the east from Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea to the west. One major exception is the Tokar Gap, a 100-kilometer (60-mile) break in the Red Sea Hills that serves as a conduit for both winds and dust," says NASA.



"In the summer, strong surface winds frequently stream through the gap from the southwest, often funneling narrow plumes of dust from the Tokar Delta over the Red Sea."



The photo was captured on June 24, 2023 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The image shows a plume of dust from Sudan pushing through the Tokar Gap.



"In the winter, the winds reverse and winds typically gather over the Red Sea and move through the gap toward the southwest," says NASA.



"A 2019 analysis of weather conditions that fuel summer dust storms indicated that stronger winds moving through the Tokar Gap - and warmer air and soil temperatures - have increased the amount of airborne dust found in this area since 2002."



Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/ Wanmei Liang



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Dust from Africa streams through the Tokar Gap

A young child’s body and <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-of-the-brain">brain</a> are literally designed to be playful, and this is crucial for neural development, says Dr. Jacqueline Harding, a renowned early childhood expert at Middlesex University and the director of <a href="https://www.tomorrowschild.co.uk/">Tomorrow’s Child</a>.



In her new book, "The Brain that Loves to Play," Dr. Harding emphasizes the indispensable role of play in fostering the holistic development of young children.



“Children are naturally wired to play and any sustained deviation from this masterful design comes at a price."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-play-and-learning">Play and learning</h2>



Dr. Harding challenges the long-standing dichotomy between play and learning, highlighting play's pivotal function in the educational spectrum of early childhood.&nbsp;



“At this very moment, his brain also starts to 'jump' and light up with joy as connections between neurons make impressive progress. Does this experience count as learning? Absolutely yes."



The book signifies joyous moments of play as monumental instances of cognitive progression. Dr. Harding advocates for the essential and inseparable integration of play into the learning processes of children ranging from birth to five years old.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neuroscientific-foundations">Neuroscientific foundations</h2>



Dr. Harding provides insightful observations on how a child's brain inherently yearns and optimally flourishes through play.&nbsp;



She notes that engaging in playful activities and sensory experiences significantly facilitates the creation of new neural pathways, establishing a robust foundation for future learning and growth.&nbsp;



These neural pathways, carved through play before reaching six years of age, significantly influence the child's future learning capacities and opportunities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-traditional-perspectives-on-play">Traditional perspectives on play</h2>



The book invites readers to reassess and discard the outdated belief that dismisses play as a trivial recreational activity.&nbsp;



Instead, Dr. Harding supports a holistic perspective, asserting play as a fundamental element of a child's developmental architecture.



"There is no doubt, according to all the latest research, that the brain loves to play - and it is time that as adults we got on board with this notion too.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pandemic-induced-challenges">Pandemic-induced challenges</h2>



Dr. Harding’s book explores the acute challenges precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly its detrimental effects on children's mental health.&nbsp;



In navigating through these unprecedented challenges, she emphasizes the urgency of prioritizing play and early intervention strategies to effectively support the children who have weathered through the storm of the pandemic.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supporting-children-through-play">Supporting children through play</h2>



By simplifying complex terminologies and offering illustrative case studies, Dr. Harding empowers adults with practical knowledge and tools to seamlessly incorporate play into their daily interactions with children, fostering an environment conducive to both play and learning.



“As we emerge from a pandemic which has significantly impacted all our lives, there can be no better place to begin than considering how we can rewrite the narrative through support in the early years,” she says.



Dr. Harding also emphasizes that the book is not an exhaustive compilation of scientific findings but rather a practical guide for adults seeking to better understand the value of play in young children’s development.&nbsp;



“It is my belief that a greater awareness of how we can support children is vital for all who care for young children,” she says.



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Lighting up the brain: The power of play in child development

A young child’s body and brain are literally designed to...

Scientists have recently discovered the massive fossil of a trapdoor spider in Australia, providing significant insights into the ancient arachnids’ history and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sustainable-practices-could-greatly-reduce-species-extinction-risk/">extinction</a> patterns in the region.



The fossil was unearthed at a site in the Central Tablelands in New South Wales. It represents the second-largest spider fossil ever found.&nbsp;



The astonishingly large spider, which has been named Megamonodontium mccluskyi, was more than five times the size of its modern relatives.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dismal-fossil-record">Dismal fossil record</h2>



The researchers explained that it has been challenging to piece together the intricate history of Australian spiders.&nbsp;



"Mygalomorph spiders have been present on the Australian landmass since before the break-up of Gondwana. Today, mygalomorphs are represented on the continent by a diverse fauna of 12 families," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"Despite this extensive evolutionary history, only one fossil mygalomorph spider has been found in Australia: Edwa maryae from the Triassic of Queensland."



"Presumably, this dismal fossil record is the result of a combination of the fragility of the animals and the tendency of females to stay within burrows, both of which prevent many spiders from entering the fossil record."&nbsp;



"The lack of fossils from Australia has made it difficult to decipher the evolutionary history of the group."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evolutionary-implications-nbsp">Evolutionary implications&nbsp;</h2>



Matthew McCurry, a palaeontologist at UNSW, noted that only four spider fossils have previously been discovered in Australia.



“This discovery is so significant, it reveals new information about the extinction of spiders and fills a gap in our understanding," said McCurry. “The closest living relative of this fossil now lives in wet forests in Singapore through to Papua New Guinea."



“This suggests that the group once occupied similar environments in mainland Australia but have gone extinct as Australia became more arid.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-megamonodontium-mccluskyi">Megamonodontium mccluskyi</h2>



Notably, Megamonodontium mccluskyi shares a resemblance with the present-day brush-footed trapdoor spiders found in western New South Wales. It marks an essential milestone for researchers studying the ancient biodiversity and ecological shifts in Australia. The newfound fossil is believed to be between 11 to 16 million years old.



The fossilized spider draws its name from Dr. Simon McClusky, the scientist credited with its discovery. This monumental finding is the result of the collaborative efforts of scientists from ANU, UC, and UNSW.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brush-footed-trapdoor-spiders">Brush-footed trapdoor spiders</h2>



"Brush-footed trapdoor spiders (Araneae: Barychelidae) are a diverse clade of mygalomorph spiders that have evolved several features, including tufts of setae that allow them to climb smooth surfaces," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"Furthermore, their spinnerets are fairly short, which distinguishes them readily from the larger sympatric tarantulas (Theraphosidae). Australia is currently home to 10 genera of brush-footed trapdoor spiders, a center of biodiversity, if not also their origin."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-significance">Global significance</h2>



Robert Raven, a Queensland Museum arachnologist and the supervising author of the research, offered further context on the discovery’s global significance.&nbsp;



"Not only is it the largest fossilized spider to be found in Australia but it is the first fossil of the family Barychelidae that has been found worldwide," said Raven.&nbsp;



"There are around 300 species of brush-footed trapdoor spiders alive today, but they don't seem to become fossils very often. This could be because they spend so much time inside burrows and so aren't in the right environment to be fossilized."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discovery-site">Discovery site</h2>



The spider fossil is now part of the Australian Museum’s palaeontology collection and is accessible online for research purposes, further facilitating the study of ancient arachnids. 



Interestingly, the discovery site, known as McGraths Flat near Gulgong, has also been identified as the location where a new fossilized jumping spider was recently found.



The research is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/advance-article/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad100/7274985">Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society</a>.



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Prehistoric trapdoor spider was five times bigger than its modern relatives

Scientists have recently discovered the massive fossil of a trapdoor...

The long-held belief that jellyfish are simple creatures with limited cognitive abilities has been dramatically overturned.&nbsp;



A new study from the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a> reveals that Caribbean box jellyfish are far more advanced than previously thought, displaying complex learning abilities despite their rudimentary nervous systems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-not-so-simple-nbsp">Not so simple&nbsp;</h2>



While jellyfish have inhabited our planet for over 500 million years, their reputation has mostly been that of uncomplicated beings.&nbsp;



This notion has been largely based on their primitive nervous systems, particularly when compared to organisms with advanced centralized <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nutrition-for-neurons-the-role-of-breast-milk-in-shaping-our-brains/">brains</a>. The research, however, challenges this perspective.



"It was once presumed that jellyfish can only manage the simplest forms of learning, including habituation – i.e., the ability to get used to a certain stimulation, such as a constant sound or constant touch," said study co-author Professor Anders Garm.



"Now, we see that jellyfish have a much more refined ability to learn, and that they can actually learn from their mistakes. And in doing so, modify their behavior."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-focus-of-the-study-nbsp">Focus of the study&nbsp;</h2>



The focus of this research was the Caribbean box jellyfish, Tripedalia cystophora. Despite having only about a thousand nerve cells, these jellyfish displayed sophisticated learning mechanisms that allowed them to adapt their behavior based on experiences. Remarkably, they achieve this advanced learning at a rate similar to that of fruit flies and mice.



The team's experiments highlighted how these jellyfish use visual contrasts to gauge their distance from mangrove roots, enabling them to avoid potential harm.&nbsp;



What's even more fascinating is their ability to adjust their behavior based on changes in contrast conditions due to various environmental factors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-associative-learning-nbsp">Associative learning&nbsp;</h2>



"Our experiments show that contrast, i.e., how dark the root is in relation to the water, is used by the jellyfish to assess distances to roots, which allows them to swim away at just the right moment. Even more interesting is that the relationship between distance and contrast changes on a daily basis due to rainwater, algae and wave action," said Professor Garm.



"We can see that as each new day of hunting begins, box jellyfish learn from the current contrasts by combining visual impressions and sensations during evasive maneuvers that fail."



"So, despite having a mere one thousand nerve cells – our brains have roughly 100 billion – they can connect temporal convergences of various impressions and learn a connection – or what we call associative learning. And they actually learn about as quickly as advanced animals like fruit flies and mice."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-study-implications-nbsp">Study implications&nbsp;</h2>



This research is redefining our understanding of the capabilities of simple nervous systems. It presents the intriguing idea that advanced learning might have been a fundamental evolutionary advantage from the very inception of nervous systems.



"For fundamental neuroscience, this is pretty big news. It provides a new perspective on what can be done with a simple nervous system. This suggests that advanced learning may have been one of the most important evolutionary benefits of the nervous system from the very beginning," said Garm.



Further studies are now focusing on identifying the specific nerve cells responsible for this learning in jellyfish.&nbsp;



This knowledge could ultimately lead to a broader understanding about memory processes across different species and might even contribute to our comprehension of complex conditions like dementia.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-supermodel-system-nbsp">A supermodel system&nbsp;</h2>



The research team has also shown where the learning is happening in these box jellyfish. This has given them the unique opportunity to study the precise changes that occur in a nerve cell when it is involved in advanced learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



"We hope that this can become a supermodel system for looking at cellular processes in the advanced learning of all sorts of animals," said Professor Garm.



"We are now in the process of trying to pinpoint exactly which cells are involved in learning and memory formation. Upon doing so, we will be able to go in and look at what structural and physiological changes occur in the cells as learning takes place."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-learning-how-memory-works-nbsp">Learning how memory works&nbsp;</h2>



Professor Garm said that the team will eventually look for the same mechanisms in other animals, to see if this is how memory works in general.&nbsp;



"Understanding something as enigmatic and immensely complex as the brain is in itself an absolutely amazing thing. But there are unimaginably many useful possibilities."&nbsp;



"One major problem in the future will undoubtedly be various forms of dementia. I don’t claim that we are finding the cure for dementia, but if we can gain a better understanding of what memory is, which is a central problem in dementia, we may be able to lay a building block to better understand the disease and perhaps counteract it."



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.056" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a>.



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Jellyfish can learn from past experiences - even without a central brain

The long-held belief that jellyfish are simple creatures with limited...

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Urban Waters Voices &#8212; Stephen Paul DeVillo

Urban Waters: Stephen Paul DeVillo