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...

Healthy,Serene,Young,African,American,Girl,Sleeping,Well,In,Comfortable

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.uchicago.edu/">University of Chicago</a> and the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> has found that getting more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childrens-sleep-can-be-disrupted-by-even-dim-light-at-bedtime/">sleep</a> can reduce caloric intake, and thus lead to weight loss, without sustained control over dietary habits or increases in the frequency or intensity of physical exercise.



In a randomized clinical trial with 80 adult participants, a team of researchers led by Dr. Esra Tasali, the director of the University of Chicago’s <a href="https://sleep.uchicago.edu/">Sleep Research Center</a> (SRC), has helped young, overweight adults who habitually slept fewer than 6.5 hours per night to increase their sleep duration by an average of 1.2 hours per night through a personalized sleep hygiene counselling session.&nbsp;



“We saw that after just a single sleep counseling session, participants could change their bedtime habits enough to lead to an increase in sleep duration,” said Dr. Tasali. “We simply coached each individual on good sleep hygiene, and discussed their own personal sleep environments, providing tailored advice on changes they could make to improve their sleep duration. Importantly, to blind participants to sleep intervention, recruitment materials did not mention sleep intervention, allowing us to capture true habitual sleep patterns at baseline.”



Dr. Tasali and her colleagues monitored participants’ caloric intake both before and after the change in their sleeping patterns, and found that the increase in sleep duration helped participants reduce this intake by an average of 270 kilocalories per day – which would translate to roughly 12 kg of weight loss over three years if the effects were maintained over a long term.



“Over the years, we and others have shown that sleep restriction has an effect on appetite regulation that leads to increased food intake, and thus puts you at risk for weight gain over time,” said Dr. Tasali. “More recently, the question that everyone was asking was, ‘Well, if this is what happens with sleep loss, can we extend sleep and reverse some of these adverse outcomes?”



Further research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms explaining these results, and to design larger studies on weight control to determine if extending sleep could be of use in weight-loss programs and help prevent or reverse obesity.



“Many people are working hard to find ways to decrease their caloric intake to lose weight - well, just by sleeping more, you may be able to reduce it substantially,” concluded Dr. Tasali.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8098">JAMA Internal Medicine</a>.



---



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

Getting more sleep can boost weight loss

A new study led by the University of Chicago and...

In a new study from <a href="https://www.ecu.edu.au/">Edith Cowan University</a> (ECU), researchers have found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-can-control-single-muscle-fibers-while-singing/">muscle</a> strength can be improved in as little as three seconds a day by lifting weights.&nbsp;



In collaboration with researchers from Niigata University of Health and Welfare (NUHW) in Japan, the researchers focused their study on 39 healthy students over the course of four weeks.&nbsp;



The participants performed one muscle contraction at maximum effort for three seconds per day, five days a week.&nbsp;The students were assigned one of three exercises (isometric, concentric or eccentric bicep curls) in which the muscle has different duties while being activated. 



Concentric contraction is achieved by lifting the weight in a bicep curl, eccentric contraction is activated by lowering the weight, and holding the weight parallel to the ground produces an isometric contraction.&nbsp;



Before and after the study period, the experts measured the muscles’ maximum voluntary contraction strength. The same measurements were obtained from an additional 13 students who performed no exercise.



Professor Ken Nosaka, who led the research, said the results show that people don't have to spend vast amounts of time exercising to improve their muscle strength.&nbsp;



“The study results suggest that a very small amount of exercise stimulus - even 60 seconds in four weeks - can increase muscle strength,” said Professor Nosaka.&nbsp;



“Many people think you have to spend a lot of time exercising, but it’s not the case. Short, good quality exercise can still be good for your body and every muscle contraction counts.”&nbsp;



The study revealed that all three lifting methods improved muscle strength, with the biggest gains found among students who performed eccentric contractions. Overall, the eccentric group’s&nbsp;



muscle strength improved by 11.5 percent after a collective effort of just 60 seconds. Students in this group saw significant improvements across all three measurements: concentric strength increased by 12.8 percent, isometric by 10.2 percent, and eccentric strength increased by 12.2 percent.&nbsp;



“Although the mechanisms underpinning eccentric contraction’s potent effects are not clear yet, the fact only a three-second maximal eccentric contraction a day improves muscle strength in a relatively short period is important for health and fitness,” said Professor Nosaka.&nbsp;



The concentric lifting group improved slightly in isometric strength but not elsewhere. The isometric group saw an increase in eccentric strength of 7.2 percent, while the volunteers who did not lift weights showed no improvement.&nbsp;



Professor Nosaka said the findings were exciting for promoting physical fitness and health, such as prevention of sarcopenia – a decrease in muscle mass and strength with aging.&nbsp;



“We haven’t investigated other muscles yet, but if we find the three-second rule also applies to other muscles then you might be able to do a whole-body exercise in less than 30 seconds,” said Professor Nosaka. “Also, performing only one maximal contraction per day means you don’t get sore afterwards.”&nbsp;



The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/16000838">Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports</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

Three seconds a day is all it takes to build muscle strength

In a new study from Edith Cowan University (ECU), researchers...

International tourism has been hailed as economically important. Some experts even see ecotourism as an important part of environmental preservation. Unfortunately, there are environmental downsides to international travel as well, beyond the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-rings-reveal-the-carbon-storage-capacity-of-a-forest/">carbon</a> footprint.&nbsp;



A recent study from New Zealand looked at the potential for international travelers to introduce non-native and sometimes invasive species from abroad. This follows up on a 2011 study which showed that for every gram of soil carried on shoe soles, 2.5 plant seeds, 41 roundworms, 0.004 insects and a host of microorganisms were also carried along. These organisms were alive and potential threats to the local ecology.&nbsp;



The experts found that international travelers can introduce new species both abroad and to their home country, effectively doubling their impact.&nbsp;



The new research picks up where this study left off, investigating the role of international travel in the spread of exotic species.&nbsp;



The researchers looked at the period from 2011 to 2017 and examined insects, spiders, mites, snails, plants and roundworms. They compared the interceptions of non-natives species to accommodation data for both international and domestic tourists.&nbsp;



The team found that there was a significant correlation between the number of nights spent in hotels and the number of species intercepted. Interestingly, there was no noticeable difference between international and domestic travelers. This shows that even domestic tourism can spread invasive species around.&nbsp;



"The core take-home message is that anthropogenic movements associated with tourism correlate with detection of exotic organisms in New Zealand," explained the study authors. "The results also reinforce the need for biosecurity authorities to continue to allocate resources to managing the tourism pathway."



The scientists suggest that some resources should continue to be used to intercept invasive species carried in by returning tourists. They also point out that there are other vectors such as sea freight to worry about, and suggest that the different vectors should be compared to allocate resources properly.



According to the researchers, understanding the links between international travelers and the potential biosecurity risks that these visitors may present is a new and important area of research.



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

International travelers can introduce invasive species

International tourism has been hailed as economically important. Some experts...

It is well known that spending time in nature has benefits in terms of mental and physical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-environments-play-an-overlooked-role-in-public-health/">health</a>, and yet we are not all drawn toward the natural world with the same passion. In trying to understand individual differences in the way we experience nature, environmental factors (such as parental attitudes and access to natural areas) have received the most attention. The potential role of genes in this variation between individuals has been overlooked.&nbsp;



For the first time, scientists have now investigated the contribution of genes and heritability to various aspects of our individual appreciation of nature. The research was focused on data from a large-scale study of UK twins and was led by Chia-Chen Chang at the National University of Singapore.&nbsp;



Researchers surveyed 1,153 pairs of twins listed on the TwinsUK registry. Some of the twins were monozygotic (identical), indicating that they would share almost 100 percent of their genes, while others were dizygotic twins (non-identical) who would share about 50 percent of their genes. The average age of the twins in the study was 60 years, and the participants ranged from 19 - 89 years of age.&nbsp;



The twins were asked to rate their familiarity with and desire to be in nature (termed nature orientation), as well as the frequency with which they visit natural spaces such as public parks and private gardens (termed nature opportunity). Both nature orientation and opportunity have been hypothesized to have a heritable component, but this has never been tested. In addition, the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors in explaining individual variation in nature experience remains unexplored.&nbsp;



The results of the study, published today in the open access journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/">PLoS Biology</a>, found that identical twins were more similar to each other than non-identical twins in their orientation towards nature and in their nature experience – how often they visited public open space, and their frequency and duration of visits to gardens.&nbsp;



Heritability ranged from 46 percent for nature orientation to 34 percent for frequency of garden visits, suggesting a moderate influence of genetics over how people experience nature.&nbsp;



However, environmental factors explained more than half of the differences between individuals. For example, people living in urban environments tended to have less frequent nature experiences due, probably, to their more limited access or greater travel times to gardens and public open spaces. This result highlights the importance of availability in shaping nature-seeking behaviors.&nbsp;



Heritability also declined with age, suggesting that genetics may become less influential as people age and experience a unique set of environmental conditions.



Spending time in natural spaces has been found to improve mental well-being, but different people experience and benefit from nature differently. This study provides the first evidence for a genetic component to both our predispositions towards nature and our tendency to visit natural spaces.&nbsp;



Nature-oriented people may actively seek out nature even if it means traveling from their home, but diverse urban planning is needed to provide access to natural spaces and the benefits they offer, the authors say.



“Spending time in nature links to better health and well-being,” adds Chang. “A twin study shows that a person’s desire to be in nature and how often they experience it are influenced by both genes and personal experiences.”



The authors conclude that their study demonstrates genetic contributions to the nature experiences of individuals and opens a new dimension for the study of human-nature interactions in future.&nbsp;



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

How we experience nature is partly hereditary

It is well known that spending time in nature has...

The gut microbiome is defined as the collection of microbes that inhabit our digestive tract. These intestinal communities play a significant role in human health and disease, and are involved in processes such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/age-related-changes-in-metabolism-dont-match-our-expectations/">metabolism</a>, immunity, growth and the digestion of certain carbohydrates. In particular, an imbalance (dysbiosis) in the numbers or variety of microbial species in the gut is believed to be important in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), immune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer.&nbsp;



And now, a recent study led by Dr.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.childrenshospital.org/research/researchers/r/seth-rakoff-nahoum">Seth Rakoff-Nahoum</a> from the Divisions of Infectious Diseases and Gastroenterology at <a href="https://www.childrenshospital.org/">Boston Children’s Hospital</a>, has found that the nature of the sugars in our diet also affects the balance between gut microbe species. Some species thrive in the presence of a certain dietary sugar, while others die off. The research focuses on the response to different sugars by Bacteriodes, the predominant Gram-negative bacteria in the human intestine.



“We need to learn how each species and strain of the gut microbiome, in particular&nbsp;Bacteroides&nbsp;species, survive in our guts if we want to enhance them or diminish them,” said Dr. <a href="https://www.childrenshospital.org/research/researchers/r/seth-rakoff-nahoum">Rakoff-Nahoum</a>. “Gut bacteria compete to use the undigested sugars in our diets as their energy source. Some have half their genome dedicated to better using these sugars.”



The bacteria in the gut also produce thousands of different chemical metabolites as a result of their own activities, and these influence the survival of competing microbes. 



For example, butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid, produced in the gut as a result of carbohydrate digestion by bacteria. Although this substance plays a critical role in the development of the immune system in humans, the microbes are ambivalent about it – some thrive in the presence of butyrate while others die.&nbsp;



When the researchers grew&nbsp;Bacteroides&nbsp;in different sugars from the human diet, they found that butyrate’s antimicrobial effect depended on what sugar each strain was using.



“If you take any two strains and grow each in Sugar X, in the presence of butyrate, Strain A will be killed dead in its tracks while Strain B grows as if butyrate was not even there,” explained Dr. Rakoff-Nahoum. “With Sugar Y, we see the opposite: Strain B is now killed by butyrate, while Strain A is unaffected.”



When trying to understand why the presence of butyrate kills some Bacteroides&nbsp;but not others, the researchers identified a third factor – genetics. Slight variations in genes affecting Coenzyme A metabolism resulted in differing sensitivity to butyrate among&nbsp;Bacteroides&nbsp;strains.



“We initially thought these genes would be very similar among all bacteria, as they perform basic cellular functions,” said Dr. Rakoff-Nahoum. “But the&nbsp;Bacteroides&nbsp; change them, likely to help them deal with the special environment in our gut.”



The findings, published online today in the journal Cell, indicate that the gut microbiome, when exposed to a different type of sugar in the diet, may initially suffer losses in terms of microbe diversity and number. However, over time the microbial communities become adapted to the presence of the sugar. In this way our gut microbiome is shaped by what we eat, on an ongoing basis.&nbsp;



This is particularly relevant in light of the fact that sugar is added to many foods in the Western diet, in order to make them appealing. In addition, since people are more aware of the importance of controlling calorie intake, cane sugar (sucrose) is often replaced by alternatives such as corn syrup and low-calorie sugars. The study’s results suggest that our gut microbes will be affected by the presence of these different sugars.



According to the study authors, this work is just the beginning. “We want to explore how combinations of metabolites and specific glycans in the diet can help us shape the microbiome for conditions in which we think the microbiome is important, such as IBD, allergy, and cancer,” said Dr. Rakoff-Nahoum.



---



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

Our gut microbiome is shaped by what we eat

The gut microbiome is defined as the collection of microbes...

The fight-or-flight response is evolution’s way of preparing organisms to defend themselves or flee in front of threats from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predators-help-prevent-biodiversity-loss/">predators</a>, and is structured by basic emotions such as rage or fear. According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/">California Institute of Technology</a> (Caltech), fear is a highly contagious emotion, being strongly influenced by the social contexts in which it emerges.



The scientists used a haunted-house experience to assess 156 participants’ physiological and subjective experiences and responses to perceived threats in a safe but immersive environment. During the 30-minute visit, participants had to wear physiological-monitoring waistbands while encountering various situations mimicking threats of suffocation, oncoming speeding cars, or exposure to shots from firing squads either alone, or together with other participants.



The researchers found that participants were more scared and had heightened physical responses when the group they belonged to while visiting the haunted house was larger. On average, the more friends the participants had with them while facing the haunted house’s threats, the higher their physical responses.



“There are a lot of factors that influence how human bodies respond to threat,” said study lead author Dr. Sarah Tashjian, a postdoctoral fellow in Affective Neuroscience at Caltech. “We found that friend-related&nbsp;emotional contagion, threat predictability, and subjective&nbsp;feelings of fear&nbsp;were all relevant for the body mounting a response.”&nbsp;



“We interpreted this to reflect fear contagion - if your friends are around, your body picks up on their signals and has a higher level of arousal even in the absence of specific scares or startles. In the lab, it is difficult to study the effects of groups on physiology.”



Dr. Tashjian and her colleagues have also discovered that participants with an initially strong response to the first room of the haunted house that they visited showed heightened responses when visiting the next rooms too. Moreover, the unpredictability of exposure to perceived threats seemed to be a major factor in increasing fear levels.



“We show that&nbsp;friends increase overall arousal, that unexpected scares produce more responses and higher levels of responses in the body than predictable scares, and that more frequent responses from the body manifest as feeling more afraid. And we show all of this using an intensive, immersive, live-action threat environment,” Dr. Tashjian concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/09567976211032231">Psychological Science</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

Fear is a contagious emotion that is amplified in a group

The fight-or-flight response is evolution’s way of preparing organisms to...

Imagine a world in which animals were not farmed for protein and all people consumed only plants. The authors of a new study from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford</a> recognize that this would involve a huge change in attitudes, but say their research indicates that a dietary shift away from meat would effectively halt the increase of atmospheric greenhouse <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/greenhouse-gases-threaten-arctic-ozone-layer/">gases</a> for 30 years while countries phased out the use of fossil fuels.



“We wanted to answer a very simple question: What would be the impact of a global phase-out of animal agriculture on atmospheric greenhouse gases and their global-heating impact?” said study co-author Professor <a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/patrick-brown">Patrick Brown</a>.



For their model, the researchers used publicly available data on livestock production and livestock-linked emissions. They examined four dietary scenarios: an immediate replacement of all animal agriculture with plant-only diets; a more gradual and more realistic 15-year transition to a global plant-only diet; and versions of each where only ruminants were replaced with plant-only products.



The authors assumed that all non-agricultural gas emissions would remain constant and that the land formerly used for livestock production would be converted back to grasslands, prairies, forests and scrublands that would absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).



The experts then used a simple climate model to project how these changes would impact the evolution of atmospheric greenhouse gas levels and warming for the rest of the century.



“The combined effect is both astoundingly large, and – equally important – fast, with much of the benefit realized by 2050,” said Professor Brown. “If animal agriculture were phased out over 15 years and all other greenhouse-gas emissions were to continue unabated, the phase-out would create a 30-year pause in net greenhouse gas emissions and offset almost 70 percent of the heating effect of those emissions through the end of the century.”



The results of the modeling exercise showed that phasing out animal agriculture over the next 15 years would have the same effect as a 68 percent reduction of CO2 emissions through the year 2100. This would provide 52 percent of the net emission reductions necessary to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, which scientists say is the minimum threshold required to avert disastrous climate change.



The changes would stem, the authors say, from the spontaneous decay of the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide, and the recovery of biomass in natural ecosystems on the more than 80 percent of humanity’s land footprint currently devoted to livestock.



“Reducing or eliminating animal agriculture should be at the top of the list of potential climate solutions,” said Professor Brown. “I’m hoping that others, including entrepreneurs, scientists and global policymakers, will recognize that this is our best and most immediate chance to reverse the trajectory of climate change, and seize the opportunity.”



While many other scientists have recognized that emissions from animal agriculture contribute significantly to global warming, what has not been emphasized before is the much more impactful “climate opportunity cost” – the potential to reduce the presence of&nbsp;current greenhouse gases by eliminating livestock.



“As the methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock diminish, atmospheric levels of those potent greenhouse gases will actually drop dramatically within decades,” said Professor Brown. “And the CO2 that was released into the atmosphere when forests and wild prairies were replaced by feed crops and grazing lands can be converted back into biomass as livestock are phased out and the forests and prairies recover.”



It would certainly be challenging to get billions of people to change their attitudes towards eating meat, but the model also shows that even phasing out the use of ruminants alone (cattle, sheep) would achieve a 90 percent reduction in the gas emissions from livestock agriculture.&nbsp;



The scientists acknowledge that 15 years is a short time for people to adopt dietary changes, but they point out that many other revolutionary changes have been accepted in shorter time spans. “We went from having no cell phones to cell phones being ubiquitous in less time than that. Electricity, cars, solar panels – all became common in a relatively short period of time,” said study co-author Professor Michael Eisen.



Professor Brown noted that societal attitudes toward food are far from fixed. “Five hundred years ago, nobody in Italy had ever seen a tomato.&nbsp;Sixty years ago, nobody in China had ever drunk a Coke.&nbsp;Mutton was once the most popular meat in America. People around the world readily adopt new foods, especially if they are delicious, nutritious, convenient and affordable.”



The authors acknowledge that the economic and social impacts of a global transition to a plant-based diet would be acute in many regions and locales. They added that substantial global investment will likely be required to ensure that people who make a living from animal agriculture do not suffer when it is reduced or replaced.&nbsp;



However, they write, “in both cases, these investments must be compared to the economic and humanitarian disruptions of significant global warming.”



Professor Brown is the founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, a company that has developed alternatives to using animals in food production, and Professor Eisen is an advisor to the company.&nbsp;



The scientists have made all of the raw data they used, as well as their calculations and the computer code used to carry out the calculations, publicly available so that others can make up their own minds.



“The great thing about science is that, in the end, it all comes down to whether the conclusions are supported by the evidence,” said Professor Brown. “And in this case, they are.”



The study is published today in the open-access journal&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.plos.org/climate/">PLoS Climate</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

Dietary shift away from meat could prevent climate catastrophe

Imagine a world in which animals were not farmed for...

Super Bowl foods are tradition. Things like nachos, hot wings and other salty, fatty, spicy foods are consumed by the masses and often washed down with cold <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/peruvian-empire-kept-control-with-beer-and-hallucinogens/">beer</a>. This is how Americans often watch the “big game. ” Traditions can change, however, and <a href="https://www.ciwf.org.uk/">Compassion in World Farming</a> now estimates that over 160 million plant-based “chicken wings” will be consumed by Americans this Super Bowl Sunday.



Chicken wings as a food have a strange history. At one time, they were considered a byproduct that was destined to be wasted. In 1964, a bar owner in Buffalo, New York accidentally received a shipment of wings instead of chicken necks. Instead of letting the chicken parts go to waste, she created the modern day “buffalo wings” dripping with hot sauce, and the rest is history.&nbsp;



Buffalo wings have since grown in popularity, becoming a staple of sports bars and homes across America, where billions of the wings have been eaten. Unfortunately, the popularity of wings is not a good thing for chickens.&nbsp;



With increasing focus on profit at all costs, modern agriculture has created a disaster for the well-being of animals and the environment. But now, it seems that Americans are slowly changing their preference for food.&nbsp;



“But one of the fastest-growing food trends is the increasing popularity of healthy and humane plant-based versions of classic American foods, which taste identical to the animal variety. So, we decided to estimate how many football fans will be eating compassionately next Sunday," said Ben Williamson, US Executive Director, Compassion in World Farming.



The motivation for Americans to shift away from meat is partially facilitated by the profusion of plant-based products available at grocery stores and restaurants across the country today.&nbsp;



“Plant-based meat products are now more widely available than ever before, online and in your local supermarket,” said Williamson, “There’s never been a better time to replace your meat made from animals, with meat made from plants - for your health and for the sake of the planet.”



So, if you’re considering not eating meat on Super Bowl Sunday, you won’t be alone. You will also have more options than ever before to replace those traditional foods with something just as delicious.&nbsp;



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

Millions of Americans will eat plant-based wings on Super Bowl Sunday

Super Bowl foods are tradition. Things like nachos, hot wings...

A new commentary published in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/ejcn/">European Journal of Clinical Nutrition</a> suggests that people should adopt a plant-based <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-can-lead-to-longer-life/">diet</a> to help reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 and mortality. The experts refer to several studies which confirm that a "blue zone" (or plant-based) diet can help prevent a dangerous COVID-19 infection.&nbsp;



“It represents the most cost-effective approach and should be largely promoted and incorporated in everyday practice,” wrote Dr. Hana Kahleova and Dr. Neal Barnard of the <a href="https://www.pcrm.org/">Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine</a>. “This is a booster that is needed at this unprecedented time and that may actually work to mitigate COVID-19.”



In Okinawa, the fifth largest island of Japan, the predominant diet is plant-based and rich in sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, and soy products. The island is one of the world's “blue zones,” where the population has a life expectancy that is substantially higher than the global average. The experts noted that Okinawa has a much lower COVID-19 mortality rate than Tokyo, which is similar in size.



"In addition to their high life expectancy and low mortality from cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers, Okinawans have enjoyed a remarkable resistance to Covid-19 mortality," wrote the experts.&nbsp;



"As of June 16, 2021, the Covid-19 mortality in Okinawa, Japan, was 0.08 percent (163 deaths out of 19,782 cases), which is one-sixteenth that of Tokyo (mortality rate 1.3 percent; 2183 deaths out of 167,416 cases."



Dr. Kahleova and Dr Barnard also pointed to the results of a recent study which showed that a healthy, plant-based diet was associated with a 41 percent lower risk of severe COVID-19. A separate study focused on healthcare workers with a high risk of Covid exposure revealed that that those following a plant-based diet had a 73 percent lower risk of developing moderate-to-severe infection.&nbsp;



"The effectiveness of vaccination, as measured by antibody titres, may be significantly reduced by the presence of chronic conditions, particularly central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking," said the commentary authors.&nbsp;



"Covid-19 deaths are considerably more common in the context of advanced age or chronic diseases, such as excess body weight, coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and chronic lung disease."



"In turn, these conditions are strongly linked to diet and lifestyle choices that can be changed. Indeed, those people who have made lifestyle changes have demonstrable protection against the virus."



In addition to Okinawa, a few other areas of the world have been identified as blue zones: Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; and Ikaria, Greece. People in these regions live longer lives, with a greater sense of purpose and well-being, than anywhere else in the world. While the exact foods that are eaten in blue zones vary by culture, the diets are the same in that they are about 95 percent plant-based, including vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes.



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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

"Blue zone" diets reduce the risk of severe COVID-19

A new commentary published in the European Journal of Clinical...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a>, experts have explored how people are coping with climate change, and the affect that this may have on behavior and mental health. The researchers identified two main groups of people: those who take action to preserve the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natural-environments-play-an-overlooked-role-in-public-health/">environment</a> and those who do nothing because they feel that their efforts would not make a significant difference.



The experts say that understanding how people cope with climate change could help policymakers communicate more effectively about the issue.



"Profound environmental changes will affect vast human populations, if not pose an existential threat to humanity, raising the question of how individuals will adapt psychologically to address these changes and how they manage stress and anxiety in the face of chronic threats such as climate change," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



"We propose that ecological coping (efforts to manage adaptational demands of a degrading environment) is an important construct. Our purpose is to use a person-centered approach to identify profiles of ecological coping and to determine how these profiles differ on mental health outcomes and pro-environmental behaviors."



Led by Professor Sabrina Helm, the research team conducted an online survey of 334 parents who had children between the ages of 3 and 10 living in their home.&nbsp;



The individuals were asked about their general climate change beliefs, how stressed they feel about environmental issues, and how they cope with that stress. They were also asked how effective they think consumers can be in helping to combat climate change.&nbsp;



The survey participants reported on their mental health, as well as how often they engaged in certain behaviors, such as eating meat or making efforts to conserve energy and water.&nbsp;



From the survey responses, two prevailing climate change coping profiles emerged, which the experts refer to as adaptive approach coping and maladaptive avoidance coping.&nbsp;



Overall, about 70 percent of the survey respondents fit the adaptive approach coping profile. These individuals expressed higher levels of environmental concern (and related stress) and believed more in consumer effectiveness.



The participants in the maladaptive avoidance coping group were less likely to feel guilt or personal responsibility for climate change. They were also less likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors, and to believe that their actions could make a meaningful contribution.



Surprisingly, said Professor Helm, no differences were found between the two groups with regard to general health, anxiety, or depressive symptoms.



"Overall, we know that climate change-related anxiety is on the rise, and that may be the case for both of these profiles," said Professor Helm. "We didn't look at climate anxiety specifically, but we looked at depressive and anxiety symptoms in general; the two groups didn't differ in their level of anxiety or mental health outcomes."



The researchers were also surprised to find that there were no significant differences in the demographic makeup of the two groups when it came to factors such as race, income, education level, or employment status.&nbsp;



One difference, however, was that women were more likely to be in the adaptive approach coping group. Professor Helm noted that this is consistent with the findings of prior research."There's a whole host of literature suggesting that females have more environmental concern."



According to Professor Helm, the fact that the demographics of the two groups were so similar suggests that targeting climate change-related messaging based on demographic information alone might not be the most effective strategy.



"If you think in terms of messaging about climate change or environmental problems, very often we look at social demographic targeting, and according to our findings, that's not very useful because those two profiles should probably be receiving different kinds of messaging," explained Professor Helm.&nbsp;



"Those who are already acting pro-environmentally need reinforcement of that behavior, versus those who are in the maladaptive avoidance coping profile who don't do much at all and need to be incentivized to start doing something."



Professor Helm said that future research should examine whether the same two coping profiles exist in children and teenagers, who may be experiencing greater anxiety about climate change.



"It seems from other data that climate change concern and climate-related anxiety are particularly high among young people. Our study didn't cover the below-18 group, so understanding what's going on in that demographic might be interesting, to see if our findings hold there."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gasc20/current">Anxiety Stress &amp; Coping</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

Study finds two distinct ways that people cope with climate change

In a new study from the University of Arizona, experts...

According to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/beheco/advance-article/doi/10.1093/beheco/arab137/6454996">Behavioral Ecology</a>, human-related concepts such as intergenerational wealth and inequality can also be used to understand and explain the behavior of some <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/our-warming-climate-is-changing-how-animals-hibernate/">animals</a>. Inheritance of non-genetic commodities such as nests, territories, or tools can contribute to animals’ fitness and thus to their survival and reproductive success.



The idea for this study emerged early in the pandemic, when Dr. Jennifer Smith, a behavioral ecologist at <a href="https://www.mills.edu/">Mills College</a>, started discussing health disparities and inequalities caused by COVID-19 with her colleagues at <a href="https://www.ucla.edu/">UCLA</a>. The researchers began to wonder whether inequality exists in animals too and could be studied in order to shed more light on human inequality.



“When we started looking for it, we found lots and lots of examples,” said Dr. Smith. For instance, young red grouse have more chances to succeed in establishing their own territories when their fathers or other relatives are nearby, while female North American red squirrels can be the lucky recipients of large quantities of nuts from their mothers, helping them survive longer and reproduce earlier. Hyena daughters with high-ranking mothers inherit their status and have access to better food, and some chimpanzees and capuchin monkeys inherit stone tools from their parents, which they use to crack nuts.



“Humans pass on material wealth like silverware, a home, or land to the next generation,” said Dr. Smith. &nbsp;“Animals do this too. It occurs in many species: some individuals have priority of access to resources while others do not.”



“'Humans have language, and therefore such things as cultural traditions, rules, norms, etc.; so the possibilities for transmitting material wealth, and intellectual wealth - knowledge that can be used to improve one's well-being - are tremendously greater. But at a more abstract level, many other species have 'property rights' in the form of territorial claims that are recognized, as well as contested, by other members of the population,” added Eric Alden Smith, a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>.&nbsp;



While using ideologically-loaded terms such as “privilege” and “inequality” when describing animal behavior can have its dangers, according to Dr. Smith and her colleagues, a deeper understanding of the biological roots of these concepts could help us clarify aspects of human behavior too.&nbsp;



However, she emphasized that finding inequality in nature is not the same as justifying it. The research findings “could be misinterpreted as saying,&nbsp;‘Well, it exists everywhere, so we can do nothing about it,’” said Dr. Smith. Unlike other animals “we’re able to understand this phenomenon and then explicitly act to choose how we use that knowledge to create social change.”



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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

Wealth inequality exists in the animal kingdom too

According to a new study published in the journal Behavioral...

Autoimmune diseases are chronic conditions that occur more frequently as people age. They occur when the body’s natural defense system mistakenly attacks its own, normal cells. Common autoimmune conditions include rheumatoid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yoga-pain-depression-arthritis/">arthritis</a>, psoriasis, polymyalgia rheumatica (pain and stiffness in the muscles around the shoulders, neck and hips) and thyroid diseases. These conditions affect people more frequently as they age.&nbsp;



There are no effective treatments for autoimmune diseases, and they represent a major social and economic burden to health systems. A new study tested whether taking daily supplements of vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids from marine fish, or a combination of both, could reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases among older adults in the United States.&nbsp;



The research, which was conducted over five years, provides the first direct evidence that taking daily supplements of vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of autoimmune disease among older adults.



Scientists from Harvard Medical School and from Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted a nationwide, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial using 25,871 volunteer participants (average age 67; 51 percent women; 71 percent non-Hispanic white people) from disparate locations throughout the US.&nbsp;



Upon joining the trial, participants gave information about their age, ethnicity, region of residence, income, education, lifestyle, weight, medical history, diet and supplement use. Blood levels of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids were also measured at this point.



Participants were then randomly selected to receive a supplement of vitamin D (2,000 IU/day) or a matched placebo, and/or a supplement of omega-3 fatty acids (1,000 mg/day) or matched placebo. The participants were asked to report any diagnosed autoimmune disease over the subsequent 5.3 years. Diagnosed cases were confirmed using medical records. There were also cases that had insufficient documentation for confirmed diagnosis, and these were classed as “probable” cases.



During the trial period, a confirmed disease was diagnosed in 123 participants in the vitamin D group, whereas 155 instances of autoimmune disease were diagnosed in the associated placebo group – a 22 percent lower relative rate.



In the omega-3 fatty acid group, 130 confirmed cases were diagnosed compared with 148 in the placebo group (representing a 15 percent reduction), but this was not a statistically significant result. However, when probable cases were included, omega-3 fatty acid supplements did significantly reduce the rate by 18 percent compared with the placebo group. The effects of supplementation with these two substances were stronger the longer a patient had been taking the supplements.&nbsp;



The researchers say the findings have far-reaching implications, “given that these are well-tolerated, non-toxic supplements, and that there are no other known effective therapies to reduce rates of autoimmune diseases.”



Similar results were found when data from only the last three years of the trial were analyzed. The vitamin D group had 39 percent fewer confirmed cases than the placebo group, while the omega-3 fatty acid group had 10 percent fewer confirmed cases than were recorded in the placebo group. Both vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplements decreased autoimmune disease by about 30 percent when compared to results recorded from participants that received the placebo alone.&nbsp;



According to the study authors, this is the first direct evidence that daily supplementation with either agent – or a combination of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids – for five years among older US adults reduces autoimmune disease incidence, with more pronounced effect after two years of supplementation.



“We are continuing to follow participants for two years in an extension study to test the time course of this autoimmune disease reduction effect,” wrote the researchers. “Further trials could test these interventions in younger populations, and those with high autoimmune disease risk."



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">British Medical Journal</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

Vitamin D reduces the risk of autoimmune disease

Autoimmune diseases are chronic conditions that occur more frequently as...

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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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features 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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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"

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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...