When you meet someone for the first time, take in a book's cover, or glance at a storefront, your mind rapidly constructs an initial impression. These instant perceptions stick around for a while, even when they're unfounded. 



But in a turn of events, new research suggests sleeping could aid in perceiving beyond the "book's cover" and help us make better decisions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-strong-first-impression">A strong first impression </h2>



A team at Duke University recently rolled out an intriguing study. The researchers addressed the age-old question - does it pay off to make a strong first impression or does the last word have a stronger impact?



To investigate, the team devised an experiment based on an imaginary garage sale. Participants were asked to sift through virtual boxes filled with unwanted goods and select items for the sale. 



The participants' earnings depended on the boxes they chose, hence they were motivated to figure out the worth of each box.



The secret was, however, that all of the boxes had the same total value. What differed was the arrangement of valuable and worthless items. Some boxes had valuable items right on top, others in the middle, at the bottom, or intermixed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-primary-bias-and-poor-decisions">Primary bias and poor decisions</h2>



After opening the boxes, the participants were asked to gauge the value of each and select their preferred ones. Some had to make instant decisions, while others "<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/colors-of-sunset-and-sunrise-reset-our-circadian-rhythms/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">slept on it</a>" and decided after a day. 



An interesting pattern emerged – the instant decision-makers tended to remember boxes not by their entire content but by the initial items they encountered. This discovery points towards a psychological trend known as "primacy bias."



Study lead author Allie Sinclair is a PhD candidate under Dr. Alison Adcock, a Duke professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.



"We found that people are strongly biased by first impressions," noted Sinclair. The participants repeatedly chose boxes with valuable items on top. 



Unveiling "treasures" before low-priced items made a box more appealing than if it was the other way round. They not only favored boxes that started strong, but also overvalued them.



Sinclair, now a postdoctoral fellow at the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Pennsylvania</a>, explained that primacy bias could lead to irrational comparisons and inaccurate estimates of value.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-rational-choices-after-sleep">More rational choices after sleep</h2>



But there's a twist in the tale. Participants who had a day to think rendered more rational choices. They treated boxes with valuable items at any position equally. 



"They made more rational choices, equally favoring boxes with clusters of valuable items at the beginning, middle, or end," said Sinclair.



This finding suggests that delaying a decision might help us avoid the pitfalls of primacy bias. "When it's over, our brain knits it all together in memory to help us make better choices - and that neat trick happens overnight,” said Dr. Adcock.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sleeping-for-everyday-decision-making">Sleeping for everyday decision-making</h2>



The insights from this study offer profound implications for how we approach decision-making in everyday life. Whether we're buying a car, choosing a meal, or hiring a new team member, the tendency to rely on first impressions can lead to skewed assessments of value.



By recognizing the power of primacy bias, we can actively counter its effects by allowing ourselves time to reflect on all available information. Such a practice could enable us to make more informed, balanced decisions. 



Encouraging a brief pause or even a strategic overnight delay before arriving at significant decisions might be the key to sidestepping biases and making choices that align closer with the true merits of the situation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-science-of-memory-consolidation">Science of memory consolidation</h2>



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-increases-feelings-of-hope-happiness-and-gratitude/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">role of sleep</a> in this study highlights the fascinating process of memory consolidation. During sleep, our brains engage in an intricate activity of reorganizing and reinforcing stored information, a vital function for learning and decision-making. 



This neurological process enhances our capacities for rational thought, allowing us to access a more comprehensive understanding of complex information. 



As the study illustrates, this can mitigate the allure of initial impressions. Understanding the relationship between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleeping-less-than-seven-hours-high-blood-pressure-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a> and cognitive function opens promising avenues for improving educational methodologies, therapeutic practices, and even business strategies. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sleeping-on-a-decision">Sleeping on a decision</h2>



"Judging from first impressions may actually be a good thing for choices in the moment," said Dr. Adcock. However, for decisions with longer-term implications, it's worth "<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/micro-naps-in-the-brain-some-regions-sleep-while-others-stay-awake/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleeping</a> on it."



Sinclair believes there's wisdom in the idea of delaying decisions, especially in matters of consequence, like hiring or dating.



This research, backed by a <a href="https://duke.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Duke University</a> Health Scholars Award to Alison Adcock, is an exciting first look at how our brain's summary of experiences impacts our future choices.



The study is published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxge0001638" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Psychology</a>. 



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'Sleeping on it' is the best way to make a rational decision

When you meet someone for the first time, take in a book's cover, or glance at a storefront, your mind rapidly constructs an initial impression. These instant perceptions stick around for a while, even when they're unfounded. But in a turn of events, new research suggests sleeping could aid in perceiving beyond the "book's cover" and help us make better decisions. A strong first impression A team at Duke University recently rolled out an intriguing study. The researchers addressed the age-old question - does it pay off...

Microbes which have developed resistance to common antibiotics such as tetracycline or aminoglycoside are a major source of risk for people worldwide. Scientists have long known that antimicrobial resistance in humans is largely based on their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-gut-microbiome-is-shaped-by-what-we-eat/">gut microbiome</a>, where various microbes carry genetically encoded strategies to survive exposure to antibiotics.&nbsp;



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.ars.usda.gov/">Agricultural Research Service</a> (ARS) has now found that healthy adults who eat a diverse diet containing at least 8-10 grams of soluble fiber each day have fewer antibiotic-resistant microbes in their guts.



“The results lead directly to the idea that modifying the diet has the potential to be a new weapon in the fight against antimicrobial resistance,” said study senior author Danielle Lemay, a molecular biologist at the <a href="https://www.ars.usda.gov/pacific-west-area/davis-ca/whnrc/">ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center</a> in Davis, California. “And we’re not talking about eating some exotic diet either, but a diverse diet, adequate in fiber, that some Americans already eat.”



By analyzing a cohort of 290 healthy adult participants, Dr. Lemay and her colleagues discovered that regularly eating a diet with higher levels of soluble fiber (found in grains like barley and oats, legumes such as beans, lentils, and peas, as well as in nuts and seeds) and lower levels of animal protein was significantly correlated with lower levels of antimicrobial resistance genes (AMR) among participants’ gut microbes.



“Surprisingly, the most important predictor of low levels of ARG, even more than fiber, was the diversity of the diet. This suggests that we may want to eat from diverse sources of foods that tend to be higher in soluble fiber for maximum benefit,” explained Dr. Lemay.



On the other hand, people who had the highest level of antimicrobial resistance in their gut microbiomes were found to have a significantly less diverse gut microbiomes compared to those with low and medium levels of ARG. “Our diets provide food for gut microbes. This all suggests that what we eat might be a solution to reduce antimicrobial resistance by modifying the gut microbiome,”&nbsp;said Dr. Lemay.



“But this is still just a beginning because what we did was an observational study rather than a study in which we provided a particular diet for subjects to eat, which would allow more head-to-head comparisons. In the end, dietary interventions may be useful in lessening the burden of antimicrobial resistance and might ultimately motivate dietary guidelines that will consider how nutrition could reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant infections,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00101-22">mBio</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

Fiber-rich diets reduce antimicrobial resistance in the gut

Microbes which have developed resistance to common antibiotics such as...

If we knew the carbon footprint of our favorite restaurant meal, would we choose a different dinner? This is what Ann-Katrin Betz and colleagues at <a href="https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/startseite/">Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg</a> set out to investigate in a recent study. The researchers gave would-be diners menus that specified each meal’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-carbon-sinks-may-be-appearing-in-the-arctic/">carbon</a> footprint, or menus that gave high-, medium-, and low-emission options, and then asked them to choose their dinner.



Previous research has shown that people’s food choices substantially affect their personal carbon footprint. However, most studies examining factors that influence environmentally relevant food choices have focused on grocery purchases.



In the current study, Betz and colleagues used an online survey of 256 volunteers to explore how restaurant menu design might influence diners’ awareness of the climate-related impacts of their dinner choices. They created nine hypothetical menus in order to test two different design approaches: dishes described along with each one’s carbon label indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with its production, and dishes given with options that were high-, medium- or low-emission alternatives.&nbsp;



One example of a modifiable dish was a couscous salad that could be ordered with beef (high emission), shawarma (poultry; medium emission), or falafel (low emission). On six of the menus, the main dishes were presented with different default options – the side dish was associated either with the highest, or with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;



The researchers asked each volunteer to choose exactly one meal that they would order from each of the nine different menus. This appears to be the first published study to simultaneously explore the effects of default options and carbon labels on food choice.



After statistical analysis, the findings showed that participants selected more climate-friendly dishes when carbon emission labels were present, as well as when defaults consisted of low- rather than high-emission options. These findings are in line with results from earlier studies that explored the two approaches separately.



The results of the study, published today in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/climate/article?id=10.1371/journal.pclm.0000028">PLOS Climate</a>, suggest that the design of restaurant menus has a considerable effect on the carbon footprint of dining out. Restaurant owners could use carbon labels for each dish, and could also use the most climate-friendly component as the default option in modifiable dishes with variable components, as both these options could reduce the carbon footprint of their business.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The researchers emphasize that more research is needed to inform such strategies, including investigations into interactions between the two approaches, the impact of personal habits – such as vegetarianism – on menu choices, and menu choices in real-world settings.



“If we want more climate-friendly restaurant visits, highlighting dish components on a menu can really be an important parameter because it communicates what is normal and recommended," said the study authors. "It may also be one of the easiest things restaurant owners can do.”



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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

Restaurant menus could guide more climate-friendly diets

If we knew the carbon footprint of our favorite restaurant...

Many women struggle to conceive and give birth to a baby, a situation that is known to cause distress and anxiety. But does it work the other way around, perhaps? Does <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/proboscis-monkeys-are-stressed-out-by-tourist-boats/">stress</a> cause infertility? Research over the past 20 years has attempted to determine whether levels of stress are associated with pregnancy rates, but the findings have been contradictory.&nbsp;



Now, in a study published today by <a href="https://www.endocrine.org/">The Endocrine Society</a>, scientists have tested whether female rats that are exposed to a distressing scream sound have reduced fertility or diminished ovarian reserve.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Ovarian reserve refers to the number and quality of ova (egg cells) that remain in a female mammal’s ovaries, and is thus a measure of potential reproductive success in future. Female mammals are born with a finite number of ova in their ovaries, and they cannot generate more during their lifetime. Diminished ovarian reserve is the loss of normal reproductive potential in the ovaries due to a lower count or quality of the remaining eggs.



The researchers exposed a small sample of female rats to a scream sound for a period of 3 weeks and then analyzed the effect of this stressor on the levels of sex hormones, the number and quality of remaining ova, and the ability to become pregnant and give birth to young after mating.&nbsp;



“We examined the effect of stress on ovarian reserve using a scream sound model in rats,” said Dr. Wenyan Xi. “We found that female rats exposed to the scream sound had diminished ovarian reserve and decreased fertility.”



The researchers found that rats exposed to the stressful sound had decreased levels of estrogen and anti-Müllerian hormone. Estrogen hormones are important in growth and reproductive development, and anti-Müllerian hormone, produced by the ovaries, helps form the reproductive organs. These female rats also had ova in their ovaries that were less numerous and of a lower quality, resulting in smaller litters of offspring.&nbsp;



“Based on these findings, we suggest stress may be associated with diminished ovarian reserve,” said Dr. Xi. “It is important to determine an association between chronic stress and ovarian reserve because doing so may expand our appreciation of the limitations of current clinical interventions and provide valuable insight into the cause of diminished ovarian reserve.” The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/endo">Endocrinology</a>.



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

Stress may be linked to female fertility issues

Many women struggle to conceive and give birth to a...

Depression is a common mental health problem, affecting over a million Australians each year, and sometimes even leading to suicide. A research team led by the <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/">University of Technology Sydney</a> (UTS) has now found that switching from a poor diet to a healthy Mediterranean one can significantly reduce depression in young men aged 18-25. This study contributes to the emerging field of Nutritional Psychiatry, which explores the impact of specific <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-have-nutritional-wisdom-we-eat-what-our-body-needs/">nutrients</a>, foods, and dietary patterns on mental health.



The scientists enrolled 72 young participants with moderate to severe depression for a 12-week randomized control trial to assess how switching to a Mediterranean diet affects their symptoms of depression. Prior to the study, about 30 percent of the participants failed to adequately respond to standard treatments for depression, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or anti-depressant medication.



“We were surprised by how willing the young men were to take on a new diet,” said study lead author Jessica Bayes, a doctoral student in Nutritional Psychiatry at UTS. “Those assigned to the Mediterranean diet were able to significantly change their original diets, under the guidance of a nutritionist, over a short time frame.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The new diets included colorful vegetables, legumes, and wholegrains, olive oil, oily fish, and raw, unsalted nuts. “The primary focus was on increasing diet quality with fresh wholefoods while reducing the intake of ‘fast’ foods, sugar and processed red meat,” said Bayes.



“There are lots of reasons why scientifically we think food affects mood. For example, around 90 percent of serotonin, a chemical that helps us feel happy, is made in our gut by our gut microbes. There is emerging evidence that these microbes can communicate to the brain via the vagus nerve, in what is called the gut-brain axis,” she explained. “To have beneficial microbes, we need to feed them fibre, which is found in legumes, fruits and vegetables.”



Most of the participants reported significant mood improvements after the trial, and many of them were keen to continue the diet after the study ended, suggesting how effective, tolerable, and worthwhile have found these dietary changes.



“Medical doctors and psychologists should consider referring depressed young men to a nutritionist or dietitian as an important component of treating clinical depression,” Bayes concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqac106">American Journal of Clinical Nutrition</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

Healthier diets can reduce depression in young men

Depression is a common mental health problem, affecting over a...

Healthy eating habits can lower the risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/obesity-is-the-epidemic-crisis-of-our-time/">obesity</a>, cardiovascular disease and cancer. But, as many parents know, getting children to eat their greens can be a challenge. New research has found that toddlers eat more vegetables if they are rewarded for trying them.



Britt van Belkom of the Institute for Food, Health &amp; Safety by Design at Maastricht University Campus Venlo said it is important to start eating vegetables from a young age. “We know from previous research that young children typically have to try a new vegetable eight to ten times before they like it."



“And so we looked at whether repeatedly asking children to try some vegetables would make them more willing to eat their greens.&nbsp; We were also interested in whether providing a fun reward would make a difference.”



To test this theory, 598 children between the ages of one and four took part in “The Vegetable Box” program in day care centers across the Netherlands. The children were randomly assigned to one of three groups: exposure/reward, exposure/no reward or control (no exposure/no reward).



Children in the first two groups were given the chance to try different vegetables daily, for three months. Children in the reward group received fun, non-food rewards, such as a sticker or toy crown, when they tried something new.



The knowledge of vegetables, and children's willingness to try them, was also measured. This was done by asking the kids to name the 14 different vegetables they were shown, including tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, onions, broccoli, peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, chicory, pumpkin, and asparagus.



Consumption was measured by giving them the chance to taste bite-size pieces of six vegetables (tomato, cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, radish and cauliflower) and counting how many they were willing to taste.



At the pre-test, children in the control group could identify around eight vegetables, and 10 vegetables in the post-test. All of the children in the two exposure groups could identify around nine vegetables pre-test, which increased to 11 post-test.



In both groups, children were willing to try around five to six vegetables on average, and this number increased to 7 in the reward group. The results show that regularly offering vegetables to toddlers can increase their ability to recognize them, while rewarding them increases their willingness to try them.&nbsp;



“The type of reward is, however, very important – it should be fun but not food," said van Belkom.



This research was presented at this year’s <a href="https://easo.org/congress/">European Congress on Obesity</a> (ECO) in Maastricht, the Netherlands.



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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

Children are willing to try vegetables when they're rewarded

Healthy eating habits can lower the risk of obesity, cardiovascular...

A social media break could significantly improve overall well-being and reduce symptoms of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/physical-exercise-reduces-chronic-anxiety-better-than-drugs/">anxiety</a> and depression, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a>.



The researchers examined the mental health effects of stepping away from social media for one week. For some participants, the break freed up about nine hours that they would have normally spent on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.



"Social media (SM) has revolutionized how we communicate with each other, allowing users to interact with friends and family and meet others based on shared interests by creating virtual public profiles," wrote the study authors. "In the United Kingdom, the number of adults using SM has increased from 45 percent in 2011 to 71 percent in 2021."



The researchers noted that previous studies have found negative relationships between social media use and various mental health indices. For example, a study of US adults showed that participants who used social media the most frequently had much greater odds of suffering from depression.



To investigate the benefits of a social media break, the researchers focused on people between the ages of 18 and 72 who used social media every day. The individuals were randomly assigned to either stop using social media platforms altogether for seven days or to continue their social media engagement as usual.&nbsp;



At the beginning of the study, the participants had reported spending an average of eight hours per week on social media. Those who took a break showed significant improvements in well-being, depression, and anxiety.



“Scrolling social media is so ubiquitous that many of us do it almost without thinking from the moment we wake up to when we close our eyes at night," said lead researcher Dr. Jeff Lambert.



"We know that social media usage is huge and that there are increasing concerns about its mental health effects, so with this study, we wanted to see whether simply asking people to take a week’s break could yield mental health benefits."



“Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact."



“Of course, social media is a part of life and for many people, it’s an indispensable part of who they are and how they interact with others. But if you are spending hours each week scrolling and you feel it is negatively impacting you, it could be worth cutting down on your usage to see if it helps.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://home.liebertpub.com/publications/cyberpsychology-behavior-and-social-networking/10/overview">Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking</a>.



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

Social media break can significantly improve mental health

A social media break could significantly improve overall well-being and...

Many studies have found that restricting calorie intake extends the lifespan of animals ranging from worms and flies to mice and primates, by improving glucose regulation, lowering blood pressure, and reducing weight and inflammation. A new longitudinal study that followed hundreds of mice over their entire lifespans has found that, besides consuming less calories, eating only during their most active time of day substantially extended the lifespan of mice on reduced-calorie <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diet-is-the-most-powerful-weapon-against-aging/">diets</a>.&nbsp;



To unravel the effects of calorie intake, fasting, and circadian rhythms on longevity, researchers from the <a href="https://www.hhmi.org/">Howard Hughes Medical Institute</a> (HHMI) undertook an extensive four-year experiment. Hundreds of mice were provided food through automatic feeders, which allowed the scientists to control when and how much each mouse ate for its entire lifespan. While some of the mice were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, others had their calorie intake restricted by 30 to 40 percent. Moreover, those on calorie-restricted diets ate on different schedules.&nbsp;



The experts found that the mice fed the low-calorie diet at night, over either a two-hour or 12-hour period, lived the longest. Combining a reduced-calorie diet with a nighttime eating-schedule added, on average, an additional nine months to the animals’ typical two-year lifespan. While a reduced-calorie diet alone extended the animals’ lives by 10 percent, feeding mice this diet only at nighttime, when they were most active, extended their lifespan by 35 percent.



As animals age, genes linked to inflammation tend to become more active, while genes that help regulate the metabolism become less active. The study results suggest that calorie restriction, particularly when timed to the mice’s active period at night, helped offset these genetic changes as mice aged.



According to Rafael de Cabo, a Gerontology researcher at the <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/">National Institute of Aging</a> in Baltimore, this study “is a very elegant demonstration that even if you are restricting your calories but you are not [eating at the right times], you do not get the full benefits of caloric restriction.”&nbsp;



Scientists hope that better understanding how calorie restriction affects the body’s internal clocks as we age will help find new ways of extending the lifespan of humans too. This could happen through either calorie-restricted diets, or drugs that mimic those diets’ effects.



The study is published in the journal<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0297"> Science</a>.



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

What you eat, and when, may extend your lifespan

Many studies have found that restricting calorie intake extends the...

New research conducted by <a href="https://www.beyondplastics.org/">Beyond Plastics</a> and the <a href="https://www.lastbeachcleanup.org/">Last Beach Cleanup</a> has found that Americans are recycling far less <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-production-must-be-phased-out-to-stop-pollution/">plastic</a> than before, with rates falling below six percent in 2021. As plastic use has rebounded - after dipping during the first year of the coronavirus pandemic - recycling this highly polluting material is crucial for mitigating climate change and helping a variety of ecosystems survive and thrive.



Plastics are generally made from fossil fuels and can take hundreds of years to decompose. Millions of tons of plastic end up each year in the oceans, endangering a wide variety of wildlife. Moreover, instead of fully degrading, plastic usually breaks down into smaller particles called microplastics, which are now spread all over our planet, including within human and animal bodies. <a href="https://graphics.reuters.com/ENVIRONMENT-PLASTIC/0100B4TF2MQ/index.html">Studies</a> have shown that, during the course of a lifetime, individuals unknowingly consume up to 44 pounds of microplastics.



Since plastic production is emitting over 232 million tons of greenhouse gases each year, and is set to unleash more emissions than coal-fired power plants by 2030, recycling is absolutely necessary in order to protect our planet. However, only nine percent of plastic is recycled globally, while 50 percent ends up in landfills, 19 percent is incinerated, and a staggering 22 percent is mismanaged, ending up in uncontrolled dump sites or as litter.&nbsp;



According to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA), United States’ plastic recycling rate peaked at 9.5 percent in 2014, although that number also counted exported material that was largely dumped or burned as recycled. While in the last report published by EPA in 2020 (based on data from 2018), the plastic recycling rate dropped to 8.7 percent, in 2021 it plunged to a worrisome value between five and six percent.



“The plastics industry must stop lying to the public about plastics recycling. It does not work, it never will work, and no amount of false advertising will change that,” said Judith Enck, the head of Beyond Plastics and former regional EPA administrator during the Obama administration. “Instead, we need consumer brand companies and governments to adopt policies that reduce the production, usage, and disposal of plastics.”



Thus, according to Enck and her colleagues, EPA’s <a href="https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy">national recycling strategy</a> that aims to achieve a 50 percent recycling rate by 2030 is untenable and fails to take into account current levels of plastic production. While the high recycling rates for other materials such as metal, cardboard, or post-consumer paper show that recycling could be an effective way to reclaim valuable resources, plastic (still) seems to pose insurmountable problems. “The problem lies not with the concept or process of recycling but with the material itself — it is plastic recycling that has always failed,” the authors of the report concluded.



The full report is available for download <a href="https://bit.ly/US-plastics-recycling-rate">here</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

U.S. plastic recycling dropped under six percent in 2021

New research conducted by Beyond Plastics and the Last Beach...

A new experimental study led by the <a href="https://quadram.ac.uk/">Quadram Institute</a> and the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> (UEA) has found that transplanting fecal microbiota from young into old mice can reverse hallmarks of aging in the gut, brain, and eyes. In a reverse experiment, microbes transplanted from older mice caused inflammation in the brain of younger recipients and depleted a key protein that is required for normal vision. These findings suggest that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-cravings-linked-to-microbial-activity-in-the-gut/">gut microbiota</a> plays a crucial role in regulating the process of aging, and open the possibility of gut microbe-based therapies to combat decline in old age.



“This ground-breaking study provides tantalizing evidence for the direct involvement of gut microbes in aging and the functional decline of brain function and vision and offers a potential solution in the form of gut microbe replacement therapy,” said study senior author Simon Carding, the head of the <a href="https://quadram.ac.uk/research_areas/gut-microbes-health/">Gut Microbes and Health Research Program</a> at the Quadram Institute, and a professor of Biology at UEA. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Scientists have long known that the population of microbes that we carry in our gut is strongly linked to health. Many diseases are associated with changes in the types and behaviors of gut microbes. Some of these changes in the composition of gut microbiota happen as we age, negatively impacting our metabolism and immune systems, and leading to age-related diseases, such as inflammatory bowel syndrome, or cardiovascular, autoimmune, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disorders.



To better understand these changes, Professor Carding and his team transferred gut microbes from aged mice into young ones, and vice-versa. They found that the microbes from old donors led to loss of integrity of the lining of the gut in young recipients, allowing bacterial products to cross into circulation - a phenomenon that triggers immune responses and inflammatory reactions in the brain and eyes. Moreover, brain cells that are known to be associated with age-related chronic inflammation were also over-activated in young mice that received aged microbiome transplants, while proteins linked to retinal degeneration were elevated.



However, in old mice receiving transplants from young, healthy ones, the age-related detrimental changes in the gut, brain, and eyes were reversed. In future studies, the researchers aim to clarify how long these positive effects last, and to identify the beneficial components of the young donor microbiota and the ways in which they can affect organs distant from the gut.



“We were excited to find that by changing the gut microbiota of elderly individuals, we could rescue indicators of age-associated decline commonly seen in degenerative conditions of the eye and brain,” said study lead author Dr. Aimee Parker, a researcher at the Quadram Institute.



“Our results provide more evidence of the important links between microbes in the gut and healthy aging of tissues and organs around the body. We hope that our findings will contribute ultimately to understanding how we can manipulate our diet and our gut bacteria to maximize good health in later life,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40168-022-01243-w">Microbiome</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

Can fecal transplants reverse signs of aging?

A new experimental study led by the Quadram Institute and...

Over a third of adults in the United States and United Kingdom don’t get enough <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/getting-more-sleep-can-boost-weight-loss/">sleep</a> on a regular basis, due to reasons related to modern life such as stress, the blurring of work-life boundaries, or the excessive use of electronic devices. Previous studies have shown that sleep disorders can cause a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, or obesity. Now, a research team led by the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> has also found that lack of good quality sleep undermines people’s attempts to keep weight off after dieting, and that approximately two hours of vigorous exercise per week could help maintain better sleep.



“It was surprising to see how losing weight in adults with obesity improved sleep duration and quality in such a short time, and how exercising while attempting to keep the weight off preserved improvements in sleep quality,” said study lead author Adrian Bogh, a Master student in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. “Also, it was intriguing that adults who aren’t sleeping enough or getting poor quality sleep after weight loss appear less successful at maintaining weight loss than those with sufficient sleep.”



In order to investigate the relation between sleep patterns and weight, the scientists enrolled 195 adults 18 to 65 years old with obesity who followed a low-calorie diet for two months, and lost an average of 12 percent of their body weight. Afterwards, the patients were followed for one year to assess how various factors – including a weight-loss drug, a placebo, and four sessions of exercise per week - influenced weight loss maintenance. Sleep duration was measured using data from accelerometers worn by the participants, while sleep quality was assessed through a qualitative self-rated questionnaire.



The scientists found that, after the two months low-calorie diet, both sleep duration and quality improved in all participants. However, after one year, participants in the exercise group managed to maintain the sleep improvements achieved from a low-calorie diet, while non-exercise groups relapsed. Moreover, individuals who slept less than six hours per night or had lower quality sleep at the start of the study gained more weight during the follow-up year than those who slept longer or better.



“The fact that sleep health was so strongly related to weight loss maintenance is important since many of us don’t get the recommended amount of sleep needed for optimal health and functioning,” said study co-author Signe Torekov, an expert in obesity and weight loss maintenance at the University of Copenhagen.&nbsp;



“Future research examining possible ways of improving sleep in adults with obesity will be an important next step to limit weight regain. Weight loss maintained with exercise seems promising in improving sleep,” she concluded.



The study will be presented at this year’s <a href="https://zoomforward22.org/">European Congress on Obesity</a> (ECO) in Maastricht, Netherlands (4-7 May, 2022).&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

Poor sleep may hamper the ability to keep weight off

Over a third of adults in the United States and...

Cognitive impairment as a result of severe <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-diets-reduce-the-risk-of-severe-covid-19/">COVID-19</a> is similar to 20 years of aging and is the equivalent to losing ten IQ points, says new research from the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> and Imperial College London.



The results suggest that cognitive impairment is still detectable more than six months after the acute illness and recovery is gradual at best.



There is growing evidence that COVID-19 can cause lasting cognitive and mental health problems. Recovered patients have reported fatigue, "brain fog," problems recalling words, sleep disturbances, anxiety and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) months after infection. In the UK, a study found that one in seven individuals reported cognitive difficulties 12 weeks after COVID-19.



To understand this link, the data of 46 individuals who received hospital or intensive care (mechanical ventilation) for COVID-19 from March to July 2020 was analyzed. These patients were at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospital's NHS Foundation.



Cognitive tests were used six months after the patient's illness using the Cognitron platform, which measures mental faculties such as memory, attention and reasoning. Scales measuring anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder were also assessed.&nbsp;



COVID-19 survivors were less accurate and had a slower response time than the control population. These symptoms were still detectable six months later. The effects were strongest for those who required ventilation.&nbsp;



By comparing the patients to 66,008 members of the general public, the researchers estimate that the magnitude of cognitive loss is similar on average to that sustained with 20 years aging, between 50 and 70 years of age, and that this is equivalent to losing ten IQ points.



Survivors scored poorly on tasks such as verbal reasoning, supporting the commonly-reported problem of difficulty finding words. They also showed slower processing speeds, which aligns with post COVID-19 decreased brain glucose consumption within the frontoparietal network of the brain, responsible for attention, complex problem-solving and working memory.



“Cognitive impairment is common to a wide range of neurological disorders, including dementia, and even routine aging, but the patterns we saw – the cognitive 'fingerprint' of COVID-19 – was distinct from all of these," explained study senior author Professor David Menon.



It has been well documented that people who have recovered from severe COVID-19 can have symptoms of poor mental health – depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low motivation, fatigue, low mood, and disturbed sleep. However, the research team found that acute illness severity was better at predicting these cognitive deficits.



Over time, the patients’ scores and reaction times began to improve, however, recovery in cognitive faculties was at best gradual and likely to be influenced by a number of factors including illness severity and its neurological or psychological impacts. It is also considered likely that some individuals will never fully recover.



There are several factors that could cause the cognitive deficits, including inadequate oxygen or blood supply to the brain, blockage of large or small blood vessels due to clotting, and microscopic bleeds. Emerging evidence suggests that damage may be caused by the body’s own inflammatory response and immune system.



While this study looked at hospitalized cases, the team say that even those patients not sick enough to be admitted may also have tell-tale signs of mild impairment. This emphasizes the importance of exploring methods that could help patients recover.&nbsp;



This is the first time that such rigorous assessment and comparison has been carried out in relation to the after effects of severe COVID-19.



“Around 40,000 people have been through intensive care with COVID-19 in England alone and many more will have been very sick, but not admitted to hospital. This means there is a large number of people out there still experiencing problems with cognition many months later. We urgently need to look at what can be done to help these people," said study first author Professor Adam Hampshire.



The research was funded by the NIHR BioResource, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust.



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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

Cognitive loss from severe Covid equates to 20 years of aging

Cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar...

A new study has revealed that children who eat vegetarian <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-diets-reduce-the-risk-of-severe-covid-19/">diets</a> have similar measures of growth and nutrition compared to children who eat meat. The study, led by researchers at <a href="https://unityhealth.to/locations/st-michaels-hospital/">St. Michael’s Hospital of Unity Health</a>, also found that children with a vegetarian diet were more likely to be underweight, emphasizing the need for careful planning of childhood nutrition.



The findings come as uptake of plant-based diets is on the rise in Canada. In 2019, updates to <a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/guidelines/">Canada’s Food Guide</a> promoted plant-based proteins, such as beans and tofu, instead of meat.



“Over the last 20 years we have seen growing popularity of plant-based diets and a changing food environment with more access to plant-based alternatives, however we have not seen research into the nutritional outcomes of children following vegetarian diets in Canada,” said Dr. Jonathon Maguire, lead author of the study.



“This study demonstrates that Canadian children following vegetarian diets had similar growth and biochemical measures of nutrition compared to children consuming non-vegetarian diets. Vegetarian diet was associated with higher odds of underweight weight status, underscoring the need for careful dietary planning for children with underweight when considering vegetarian diets.”



The researchers evaluated roughly 9,000 children as young as six months old who participated in the <a href="https://www.targetkids.ca/">TARGet Kids!</a> cohort study. The quality of the vegetarian diet was not considered in the assessment.&nbsp;



The experts found that children who ate a vegetarian diet had similar mean body mass index (BMI), height, iron, vitamin D, and cholesterol levels compared to those who consumed meat. Among vegetarian participants, there were increased odds of being underweight, below the third percentile for BMI, and no association of obesity.&nbsp;



Underweight is an indicator of undernutrition, which can happen when the quality of a child’s diet is not meeting nutritional needs to support growth. For children who eat a vegetarian diet, access to healthcare providers is key to ensuring that growth is monitored and children receive education and guidance to support their growth and nutrition.



International guidelines have differing recommendations when it comes to childhood vegetarian diets. Past studies that have evaluated vegetarian diet, childhood growth and nutritional status have had conflicting findings.



“Plant-based dietary patterns are recognized as a healthy eating pattern due to increased intake of fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grains, and reduced saturated fat; however, few studies have evaluated the impact of vegetarian diets on childhood growth and nutritional status. Vegetarian diets appear to be appropriate for most children,” said Dr. Maguire, who is also a scientist at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital.



The researchers believe that further research is needed to understand the quality of vegetarian diets in childhood, and to understand how childhood growth and nutrition is further impacted by a vegan diet, which excludes meat and animal derived products such as dairy, egg, and honey.



The study was published in the journal <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics">Pediatrics</a> &nbsp;and was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation and SickKids Foundation.



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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

Children with vegetarian diets maintain similar growth and nutrition

A new study has revealed that children who eat vegetarian...

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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

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&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> Staff Writer 



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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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://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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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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.

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video 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 history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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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.

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&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 capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...