THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, is being used by more pregnant women as the legalization of recreational cannabis gains ground. Women who are expecting often use cannabis for morning sickness, lower back pain, or anxiety relief.



Recent figures indicate that up to 1 in 5 pregnant women in the U.S. now use cannabis. However, growing research suggests that THC exposure could pose significant risks to the developing fetus.



A recent study highlights how prenatal exposure to THC may increase the risk of opioid addiction later in life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-thc-rewires-the-fetal-brain">THC rewires the fetal brain</h2>



The preclinical animal study, led by researchers at the <a href="https://www.medschool.umaryland.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Maryland School of Medicine</a> and published in the journal Science Advances, revealed that prenatal exposure to THC rewires the fetal brain.



According to the study, THC made certain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-makes-you-feel-moody-and-sad-by-depleting-dopamine/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dopamine</a> neurons hyperactive, resulting in a marked increase in dopamine release and an amplified response to reward-related cues, such as a signal indicating the availability of food or an opioid drug.



“Doctors are contending with an explosion of cannabis use, and the THC content has quadrupled from what it was a generation ago,” said Dr. Joseph Cheer, a professor of Neurobiology and Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.



“It demonstrates the enduring consequences that prenatal cannabis exposure exerts on the brain’s reward system, which ultimately results in a neurobiological vulnerability to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/opioid-related-deaths-are-on-the-rise-among-young-people/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opioid</a> drugs.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-prenatal-exposure-to-thc">Prenatal exposure to THC</h2>



The study revealed that prenatal exposure to THC led to significant changes in the brain's reward system, particularly in male animals. 



These animals displayed an exaggerated surge in the "reward-seeking" brain chemical dopamine when exposed to opioid drugs during adolescence, compared to those not exposed to THC.



Even moderate doses of THC - equivalent to one to two joints per day in humans - altered how the fetal brain processed rewards, fostering behavior suggestive of increased opioid-seeking.



This behavior was confirmed by follow-up experiments where tiny sensors implanted in their brains detected heightened dopamine release and over-activation of neurons linked to reward-seeking behavior.



“These observations support the hypothesis of a hypersensitized ‘wanting’ system that develops in the brain after exposure to THC during <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prenatal-cannabis-exposure-has-unexpected-effect-on-infant-language/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prenatal</a> development,“ said Dr. Cheer. 



"Interestingly, we found that this opioid-seeking phenotype occurs significantly more in males compared to females, and we are currently performing research with our colleagues at UMSOM to determine why this is the case.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advancing-research-and-guidance">Advancing research and guidance </h2>



Dr. Cheer and his colleague, Dr. Mary Kay Lobo, co-direct the Center for Substance Use in Pregnancy at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Kahlert Institute for Addiction Medicine. 



Their ongoing research aims to further understand the long-term impact of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prenatal-thc-exposure-linked-to-life-long-health-risks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">drug exposure during pregnancy</a>.



“We need to more fully understand the enduring effects of THC exposure in the womb and whether we can reverse some of the deleterious effects through CRISPR-based gene therapies or repurposed drugs," said study co-author Dr. Dean Mark T. Gladwin.



"We also need to provide better advice to pregnant patients, many of whom are using cannabis to help control anxiety because they think this drug is safer for their baby than traditional anti-anxiety medications.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-use-during-pregnancy">Cannabis use during pregnancy </h2>



The findings suggest that there is a need for more exhaustive public health programs to educate pregnant women on the long-term effects that coincide with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/record-number-of-americans-are-high-on-marijuana-at-work/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">marijuana</a> exposure during pregnancy. 



Previous studies on cannabis use during pregnancy have also raised significant concerns about its potential impacts on fetal development and maternal health.



For example, studies have linked prenatal cannabis exposure to deficits in attention, memory, and executive functioning in children. 



Furthermore, cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of low birth weight, which can lead to complications such as developmental delays and long-term health issues.



Guidelines on pregnancy and provision of adequate resources for pregnant women could be created and harmonized in collaboration between healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers.



Investments in supplemental research, which would include human studies, may also clarify how exposures to THC impact the fetal brain in its developing state. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adq5652" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Science Advances</a>.



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Cannabis use during pregnancy rewires the fetal brain

THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, is being used by more pregnant women as the legalization of recreational cannabis gains ground. Women who are expecting often use cannabis for morning sickness, lower back pain, or anxiety relief. Recent figures indicate that up to 1 in 5 pregnant women in the U.S. now use cannabis. However, growing research suggests that THC exposure could pose significant risks to the developing fetus. A recent study highlights how prenatal exposure to THC may increase the risk of opioid addiction later...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University of London</a> and the <a href="https://semmelweis.hu/english/">Semmelweis University</a> in Budapest has found that drinking up to three cups of <a href="http://archive">coffee</a> per day is highly beneficial for heart health. In addition, the results suggest that consuming moderate amounts of coffee reduces the overall mortality rate and the risk of strokes.



The scientists gathered data on coffee-drinking habits, lifestyle, blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol levels from 468,629 UK <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">Biobank</a> participants who didn’t have any record of heart disease before the beginning of the study. They were divided into three groups – non-coffee drinkers, light-to-moderate coffee drinkers, and heavy coffee drinkers.



“The large sample size, linked health data, and detailed heart MRI scans available in the UK Biobank offered a strong base to address this research question,” said study co-author Professor Steffen Petersen, a professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen Mary.&nbsp;



“According to the results, light-to-moderate coffee consumption is not damaging from a cardiovascular point of view, and it could be beneficial. As far as we know, this has been the largest study to date which focused on the effect of coffee on cardiovascular health.”



“Light-to-moderate coffee consumption was associated with a 12 percent lower risk of overall mortality, and with a 17 percent lower risk of death caused by cardiovascular diseases compared to non-coffee drinkers. In addition, from half to three cups of coffee was associated with a 21 percent lower risk of stroke,” reported study lead author Judit Simon, a PhD student at Semmelweis University.



Moreover, even for participants who were heavy coffee drinkers, the scientists did not find evidence of negative cardiovascular consequences. However, there were no positive heart benefits observed for this group, as was the case of light-to-moderate coffee drinkers.



The researchers also investigated the relationship between the type of coffee consumed (ground, instant, decaffeinated) and discovered that, while the consumption of ground coffee was associated with lower mortality risks, this benefit was not found in the case of instant coffee drinkers. This may be caused by the different production process of ground coffee, and the use of different types of additives during its manufacture.&nbsp;



The consumption of decaffeinated coffee was also associated with lower mortality risks, suggesting that it is not only the caffeine that plays a role in the positive effects of coffee. Further research is needed to understand which are the beneficial elements contained in coffee and how they function.



The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurjpc/zwac008/6512055">European Journal of Preventive Cardiology</a>.&nbsp;



---



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

Coffee drinkers may actually live longer

A new study led by Queen Mary University of London...

A recent U.S. study indicates that one in 12 people experiences loneliness to the extent where it may cause serious <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-use-may-negatively-impact-brain-health/">health</a> problems. Still yet, the true extent of loneliness on a global scale remains unclear.



In an effort to help decision makers understand the severity of the loneliness epidemic, a team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/">University of Sydney</a> analyzed evidence from more than 100 countries and territories. The results have confirmed that the issue is widespread throughout many countries.



"Humans thrive on meaningful social connections. Feelings of loneliness set in when a discrepancy exists between one’s desired and one’s actual level of social relationships," wrote the study authors. "Loneliness is a negative, subjective experience closely linked to the quality of social connections.&nbsp;



"Loneliness is similar to, but distinct from, social isolation, which is defined as a lack of social contacts, and being alone, characterized as being physically removed from social connections. Transient loneliness is a common experience, but chronic or severe loneliness pose threats to health and well-being."



The experts noted that a growing collection of research has linked loneliness to various adverse health outcomes, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, coronary heart disease, sleep disturbance, and increased risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.



The researchers said that feeling lonely may also be detrimental to behavioral, mental, and social health throughout the lifespan, with potential outcomes like depression and substance abuse.&nbsp;



"According to a 2015 meta-analysis, people with chronic loneliness had a 26 percent increased risk of mortality," wrote the study authors. "This increased risk is comparable to established risk factors such as physical inactivity and grade 1 obesity."



Based on studies from 106 countries, the prevalence of lonely feelings among adolescents ranged from 9.2 percent in Southeast Asia to 14.4 percent in the Eastern Mediterranean region. 



"Based on our meta-analysis, the prevalence of loneliness is highly heterogenous across countries, even within the same region. While insufficient data prevented us from identifying geographical patterns of loneliness outside of Europe, within Europe the pattern is clear and consistent," said the researchers.



"Across different adult age groups, northern European countries consistently reported the lowest prevalence of loneliness, whereas eastern European countries reported the highest."&nbsp;



"One study attributed country level differences to demographic characteristics, health status, social participation, and social support. Others have cited welfare systems and social security schemes as contributing factors, as welfare generosity has been positively linked to social participation and inversely associated with social exclusion."



Most of the data examined for the study was from high income countries, particularly Europe. This makes the data insufficient to make conclusions about trends on a global scale.



Regardless, the researchers pointed out that even if the problem of loneliness had not worsened during their search period, from 2000 to 2019, the subsequent Covid-19 pandemic had a profound impact on loneliness. With this in mind, the experts said that their review provides an important pre-pandemic baseline for future surveillance.



The study authors also noted that while the data gaps in low and middle income countries raise an important issue of equity, the findings still reinforce the urgency of approaching loneliness as an important public health issue.



“Public health efforts to prevent and reduce loneliness require well coordinated ongoing surveillance across different life stages and broad geographical areas,” wrote the researchers.



“Sizeable differences in prevalence of loneliness across countries and regions call for in-depth investigation to unpack the drivers of loneliness at systemic levels and to develop interventions to deal with them."



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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

Loneliness is a global health issue that must be addressed

A recent U.S. study indicates that one in 12 people...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a> has recently investigated the relationship between cannabis use and brain health. Despite the perception that this drug is harmless, which led to its legalization in several states across the U.S., as well as in other countries such as the Netherlands, animal studies show that its psychoactive component, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) could cause behavioral and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/housework-promotes-cognitive-strength-and-mental-agility/" data-type="news" data-id="1898804">cognitive</a> abnormalities, particularly if exposure occurs prenatally or during adolescence.&nbsp;



While further research is necessary in order to clearly map the risks and benefits associated with cannabis, scientists warn that there might be an increased risk of cognitive impairment associated to the use of this substance.



Cannabis contains two main substances, THC and CBD (cannabidiol). While THC is the compound that gives the sensation of being high, CBD has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can have significant therapeutic benefits. This compound is similar to substances that the human body produces naturally (<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-increases-the-bodys-own-cannabis-like-substances/">endocannabinoids</a>), which are involved in the regulation of many fundamental bodily processes during life, including learning, memory, pain control, and sleep. The proper functioning of endocannabinoids is essential to prenatal brain development and brain maturation during adolescence.



According to scientists, since both THC and endocannabinoids attach to neurons through molecules called cannabinoid receptors, exposure to THC may interfere with and disrupt the normal actions of endocannabinoids, particularly during prenatal life and adolescence.&nbsp;



“Data obtained in these animal studies demonstrate that disruption of endocannabinoid pathways leads to behavioral and cognitive abnormalities, such as poorer memory and learning ability and a heightened sensitivity to stress. Also, there may be vital life periods – gestation and adolescence – when the brain may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of THC,” explained study lead author Fernando Testai, a professor of Neurology and Rehabilitation at the <a href="https://www.uic.edu/">University of Illinois at Chicago</a>.&nbsp;



Several studies performed on humans led to similar results: children whose mothers consumed cannabis during pregnancy had more psychological problems and poorer cognitive function, while cannabis use during adolescence has been associated with the thinning of the prefrontal cortex, a brain area crucial for cognition. Moreover, regular consumers tended to score poorly on verbal memory tests and driving tests. Finally, cannabis users were found to have an increased risk of clot-caused stroke, with one study finding a 17 percent and another a 24 percent increase in strokes among this population.



Further research is needed to clarify whether the relationship between cannabis use and brain health depends upon a person’s age, whether different types of cannabis impact the brain differently, or whether there are differences in brain health effects depending on whether the substance is smoked or consumed in edibles. Most importantly, urgent research is needed to clarify the ways in which cannabis interacts with prescription medications, particularly in elderly people who may be using multiple drugs such as blood thinners, antiarrhythmia or anticonvulsant medications to treat chronic health issues.



“Our understanding of the effects of marijuana on the brain is imperfect, and human research in this area is a work in progress. Still, the results of recent animal studies challenge the widely accepted idea that cannabinoids are harmless and call for caution when using marijuana, particularly while pregnant or during adolescence,” concluded Professor Testai.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1161/STR.0000000000000396">Stroke</a>.



---



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

Cannabis use may negatively impact brain health

A new study led by the American Heart Association has...

Young people can add years onto their life expectancy through dietary changes, according to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/">PLOS Medicine</a>. The experts report that a young adult in the United States can add more than a decade to their life by shifting away from a typical Western diet to a healthy diet with more legumes, whole grains and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eat-a-handful-of-walnuts-every-day-for-better-heart-health/">nuts</a>.&nbsp;



The researchers analyzed data from existing studies, such as the Global Burden of Diseases study, to build a model that instantly estimates the impact of dietary changes on life expectancy. The results show that healthy diets, including less red or processed meat, could also extend the lives of adults by eight years.&nbsp;



“Research until now have shown health benefits associated with separate food group or specific diet patterns but given limited information on the health impact of other diet changes. Our modeling methodology has bridged this gap," said study lead author Lars Fadnes of the University of Bergen.



For young adults in the United States, the model estimates that a sustained shift from a typical Western diet to the optimal diet beginning at age 20 would increase life expectancy by up to 10.7 years among women and 13 years among men.&nbsp;



Adopting a healthy diet at age 60 could increase life expectancy by eight years for women, and by 8.8 years for men. Furthermore, an 80-year-old adult could gain an average of 3.4 years from such dietary changes.



The largest gains in life expectancy are associated with eating more legumes, more whole grains, and more nuts, while eating less red or processed meat.&nbsp;



Each year, dietary risk factors are estimated to cause 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life-years annually. The new model makes it possible to instantly calculate how life expectancy (LE) is affected by a range of dietary changes. This tool, called the <a href="https://food4healthylife.org/">Food4HealthyLife calculator</a>, is available to the public online.&nbsp;



“Understanding the relative health potential of different food groups could enable people to make feasible and significant health gains,” said the researchers. “The Food4HealthyLife calculator could be a useful tool for clinicians, policy makers, and lay-people to understand the health impact of dietary choices.”



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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

Dietary changes can add years to your life expectancy

Young people can add years onto their life expectancy through...

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.



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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

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...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.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...