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...

The power of positive thinking came to the forefront in recent research conducted by scientists at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a>. The study revealed that people who were in a sad <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dark-chocolate-triggers-mood-boosting-changes-in-the-gut/">mood</a> improved more quickly when they used a therapeutic method that they believed to be aligned with their strongest skill. These participants improved more quickly than people asked to use a skill that they believed to be a relative weakness.



“We found that it helps people to think they’re working with their strengths rather than with something they see as a weakness,” said study lead author&nbsp;<a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=WD5esBUAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Samuel Murphy</a>.



The unusual thing about this study was that the participants were randomly told what their strong skill was, regardless of whether this was true or not. What was important was not if the participants actually had their assigned skill in abundance, but if they believed they had it.



“Our results suggest that whether participants were good at the skill was not relevant. It was the belief that they were good at that skill that made it effective,” explained study co-author Professor&nbsp;<a href="https://psychology.osu.edu/people/strunk.20">Daniel Strunk</a>.



For the investigation, 616 undergraduate participants were introduced to two different therapy skills, one using a cognitive approach and the other using mindfulness. The participants were told that these therapy skills could be useful in their daily lives.&nbsp;



Cognitive skills were defined as identifying and re-evaluating negative thoughts and beliefs.&nbsp;Mindfulness skills were defined as awareness and acceptance of one’s thoughts and feelings without trying to change them.



Participants were then given a hypothetical situation in which they could use these skills – feeling hurt by not being invited to a social event by a friend – and directed to practice both skills and complete some questionnaires on how they used them. Following this exercise, the researchers told each participant which one, cognitive or mindfulness, was his or her stronger skill. In reality, however, the participants were simply assigned to each skill group randomly.



The participants then underwent a “sad mood induction,” during which they were told to imagine vividly that someone they cared about was dying, while at the same time they listened to the sad song “Russia under the Mongolian Yoke,” played at half speed to make it sound even sadder. They then had to use the therapy skills to help themselves recover from the sad mood and they completed five mood assessments in the minutes following the completion of the sad mood induction.



In one last requirement, half of those who were told that mindfulness was their stronger skill had to use cognitive skills (their weaker strategy) to recover from the sad mood, while the other half had to use mindfulness (their stronger strategy). Similarly, those participants who were told that a cognitive approach was their stronger skill had to use mindfulness when dealing with a sad mood, while the other half had to use cognitive strategies.



The results showed that all of the participants saw their sad mood gradually improve after the induction was over. Whether they were asked to use cognitive or mindfulness skills had no significant effect on mood recovery – but the framing of whether they were told it was their strongest or weakest skill did make a difference.



Participants who used the skill they had been told was their strongest - regardless of whether it was cognitive or mindfulness - saw a bigger improvement in mood than participants who worked with a skill they had been told was their weakest.



The study authors could not explain why framing the therapy skill as a strength resulted in a more rapid mood recovery.&nbsp;



“It may be that if there is this initial encouragement early on that they are really good at one particular strategy, that may inspire greater confidence and persistence in using this skill, which leads to better results,” said Murphy.



Or it may be the other way around: “People may be discouraged if they’re told a particular skill is their weakness and then not try as hard or be as confident that it will work,” Strunk said.



The researchers noted that the findings may be helpful to therapists who focus on building clients’ strengths. “It is very easy to let clients know that you’re building on their strengths, so if it enhances the benefit, that will be important to try,” said Murphy.



This approach is particularly relevant currently as psychotherapists focus more on encouraging clients to use their skills to help deal with and solve their own problems, rather than being dependent on the therapist to “fix” the problems. This represents a paradigm shift and psychotherapists are still learning how to maximize their success in this approach.



“How therapists frame the treatment for a client may play an important role in how well it works. Telling clients that you’re going to be working on their strengths may further enhance the effectiveness of their treatment,” Strunk said.



“We only studied mindfulness and cognitive skills here, but there are a variety of approaches to improving mental health,” he said. “The ones that you think would work best for you probably will indeed work best.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10974679">Journal of Clinical Psychology</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

Focusing on your strongest skills can improve your outlook

The power of positive thinking came to the forefront in...

In a new study from <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> (WSU), experts have found that a high protein diet increases the risk of kidney <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-stimulates-digestion-and-protects-against-disease/">disease</a> and premature death among captive polar bears. 



Previous studies have suggested that there is a similar link between kidney disease and excessive protein consumption among humans. The Mayo Clinic reports that a high-protein diet may worsen kidney function in humans, particularly in the long term, because the body may struggle to eliminate all the waste products.



A research team led by WSU wildlife biologist Charlie Robbins investigated what zoos have typically been feeding polar bears. The study revealed that their diet usually consists of a food ratio intended for big cats, containing about two to three parts protein to one part fat. This diet is the opposite of what polar bears would be eating in the wild.&nbsp;



“Zoos made some assumptions in the past about the nutritional requirements of polar bears because their diet is almost exclusively animals,” said Professor Robbins. “But, unlike cats, they do not need and cannot tolerate high protein.”



Even though polar bears are carnivores that feed mainly on seals, researchers have found that they have physiology that is more closely aligned with humans and other omnivores.



Looking at death records of captive polar bears, the researchers discovered that the most common cause of death was kidney disease. Bears with fatal kidney disease died 10 years earlier than bears without the condition. The second most common causes of death were liver disease and cancer, according to the analysis.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Out of more than 600 bears examined in the wild, the team found no evidence kidney disease.



“A slate of early deaths across sexes that is limited to two major organs raised several red flags for us,” said Professor Robbins, who has researched both grizzly and polar bear nutrition for more than 35 years.



Former WSU graduate student Karyn Rode conducted field studies which showed that wild polar bears prefer a diet that is two parts fat to one part protein.



“Although we knew that polar bears selected for the blubber of their prey, this was the first time we were able to quantify how much fat they were actually consuming,” said Professor Robbins. “When it comes to feeding polar bears, the general mindset has been that they are carnivores. No one has really been paying attention to the amount of protein they might need, much less limitations on how much they might tolerate.”



In the current paper, the researchers propose that - like humans - both polar and grizzly bears require relatively low levels of protein. When captive bears were offered their choice of blocks made up of pure lard and blocks made up of high protein meat, they ultimately consumed the same ratio of fat to protein as their relatives in the wild.



The study authors recommend that zoos should adopt alternative foods for captive polar bears that mimic the fat-protein ratio found naturally in the wild. Once these alternatives are introduced, monitoring the animals could help experts determine whether the new diets may improve their health and longevity.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10982361">Zoo Biology</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

High protein diet causes kidney disease in polar bears

In a new study from Washington State University (WSU), experts...

Obesity is a complex disease with contributing factors that are genetic and environmental. It is known that the gene melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) is a critical regulator of appetite and energy expenditure in rodents and humans, and that mutations in this gene can lead to overeating, reduced energy expenditure and obesity. But a new study has now identified the role of a second gene in mediating the effects of MC4R.



Scientists from <a href="https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/">Osaka Metropolitan University</a> in Osaka, Japan, have conducted research showing that the transcription cofactor gene called CREB-Regulated Transcription Coactivator 1 (CRTC1) modifies the obesity-suppressing effects of MC4R. Previous research had shown that when CRTC1 is deleted in mice, they become obese, indicating that functioning CRTC1 suppresses obesity. However, since CRTC1 is expressed in all neurons in the brain, the specific neurons responsible for suppressing obesity, and the mechanism by which the suppression works, remained unknown.



Despite the fact that both MC4R and CRTC1 are known to be involved in the development of obesity, there have been no previous studies linking these two genes. The new study, published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1096/fj.202200617R">The FASEB Journal</a>, involved a research group led by Associate Professor Shigenobu Matsumura from the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology at Osaka Metropolitan University. The researchers decided to focus their investigations on brain neurons that express the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R).&nbsp;



The experts bred a strain of mice that expresses the gene CRTC1 normally, except in the brain neurons that express MC4R, where the CRTC1 gene is blocked. In this way, they hoped to examine the effect that losing functional CRTC1 in those cells has on the development of obesity and diabetes. They hypothesized that, because mutations in the MC4R gene are known to cause obesity, CRTC1 expression in these MC4R-expressing neurons would suppressed obesity.&nbsp;



They found that, mice lacking CRTC1 specifically in MC4R cells, were sensitive to the type of diet they were fed. If they ate a standard diet, the mice without CRTC1 in MC4R-expressing neurons showed no changes in food intake, body weight, or glucose metabolism. However, if the modified mice were fed a high-fat diet, they ate more, gained weight and became obese. They also developed diabetes.&nbsp;



The researchers concluded that CRTC1 expression in MC4R cells is required for metabolic adaptation to high-fat diets, particularly with respect to appetite regulation. This gene has an important role in MC4R cells and protects against dietary adaptation.



“This study has revealed the role that the CRTC1 gene plays in the brain, and part of the mechanism that stops us from overeating high-calorie, fatty, and sugary foods,” said Professor Matsumura. “We hope this will lead to a better understanding of what causes people to overeat.”



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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



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.

Study reveals what triggers our brains to overeat

Obesity is a complex disease with contributing factors that are...

According to a new scientific review supported by <a href="https://www.coffeeandhealth.org/">the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC)</a>, drinking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-coffee-protects-against-alzheimers-disease/">coffee</a> has many health benefits. Coffee consumption not only stimulates digestion and helps colon motility, but can also change the gut microbiota, increasing the number of “good bacteria” from our stomach. Moreover, it can protect against liver disease and reduce the risk of gallstones.



By reviewing 194 research articles, a team of scientists led by the <a href="https://www.inserm.fr/en/home/">French National Institute of Health and Medical Research</a> (INSERM) has found that drinking moderate amounts (three to five cups per day) of coffee can be highly beneficial for our health.&nbsp;



Most of the studies shown that coffee is associated with gastric, biliary, and pancreatic secretions, which are all crucial for the digestion of food. By stimulating the production of gastrin, hydrochloric acid, and cholecystokinin, coffee helps our organism properly digest a large variety of foods. Furthermore, coffee stimulates colon motility - the process through which food travels through our digestive tracts - and can thus reduce the risk of chronic constipation.



Drinking coffee regularly can also change the composition of gut microbiota, increasing the numbers of Bifidobacteria, inhabitants of our gastrointestinal tract that help break down food, absorb nutrients, and fight off pathogenic micro-organisms. Finally, although the evidence is still scarce, coffee may also help protect against more serious diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinoma.&nbsp;



&nbsp;“Contrary to some assumptions, coffee consumption is not overall linked to bowel or digestive problems. In some instances, coffee has a protective effect against common digestive complaints such as constipation,” explained study lead author Astrid Nehlig, the Emeritus Research Director of INSERM.



“Emerging data also indicate there may be an association with improved levels of gut bacterial groups such as Bifidobacteria which have recognized beneficial effects.&nbsp;Although additional data will be needed to understand coffee’s effects throughout the digestive tract, this is an extremely encouraging place to begin.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/2/399">Nutrients</a>.



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

Coffee stimulates digestion and protects against disease

According to a new scientific review supported by the Institute...

The health benefits associated with exposure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-nature-affect-human-health-in-urban-areas/">nature</a> are remarkable. Experts have found that spending time in natural environments can enhance memory and mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve heart health, among other benefits. 



Many studies have shown that nature and green spaces can make urban environments healthier and improve the well-being of millions of city dwellers. With this goal in mind, researchers at the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a> are urging governments to consider nature-based citizen science as part of their public health policies.



"Despite being a named component of scientific and environmental strategies of governments, to our knowledge, the intrinsic health benefits of citizen science in natural environments do not form part of public health policy," wrote the study authors.



"We contend that citizen science programs that facilitate exposure to natural environments in urban areas may represent an important public health policy advance."



The United Nations estimates that 88 percent of the global population will be living in urban areas by the middle of this century. According to UniSA Professor Craig Williams, it is more important than ever to maintain a connection with natural environments.



“Whether you’re watering the garden, taking a stroll around the block, or simply watching the world go by, getting out into nature is good for your health,” said Professor Williams.



“Natural environments can enhance human performance, improve success at work (or school) and are known to provide significant mental, emotional, and physical health benefits."



“Conversely, urbanization can negatively affect human health by increasing the prevalence of allergic, autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases, with some of these factors contributing to rise in cancers, depression and cardiovascular disease."



“As cities grow, fewer people have access to natural environments, which is part of the reason urban living can be bad for your health."



“Citizen science can change this. Nature-based citizen science projects can motivate people to engage with natural environments. And if they can be orchestrated, organised, and promoted in cities - particularly as part of a public health policy - then we have the potential to improve people’s health through that mechanism.”



Professor Williams pointed out that citizen science can also alleviate stress and isolation. “In as little as 15 minutes in a natural environment, a person can experience lower stress levels as measured by blood pressure, cortisol levels and pulse rate."



He noted that in Australia, the outdoors remains one of the few places where people can safely get together despite the persistent risk of COVID-19.



“Being out and about in nature – whether in person, or by electronic means (as are many of our projects), is a great way to help people stay connected, while also providing them with a purpose, helping them feel like they’re contributing to something, and being part of a community."



“At the same time, they’re discovering great places to go in their city, and hopefully improving their well-being by doing so.”



The paper is published in the <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph">International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health</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

Natural environments play an overlooked role in public health

The health benefits associated with exposure to nature are remarkable....

Scientists estimate that 19 million people in the United States live in so-called “food deserts” – places with low access to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-should-eat-the-same-healthy-foods-as-adults/">healthy</a> and nutritious food. In addition, more than 32 million people live below the poverty line, and are forced to buy the cheapest available food, regardless if it is less healthy than other options available in their proximity. 



However, the complex ways in which diet and health are influenced by individual and community characteristics - such as education and food access - are still not fully understood.&nbsp;



An interdisciplinary team of researchers led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> and <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> has recently completed the largest nationwide study in the United States on the intricate relationship between food environments, demographics, and dietary health.&nbsp;



Using the <a href="https://www.myfitnesspal.com/">MyFitnessPal</a> app, a popular smartphone-based food journaling application, the scientists collected a vast amount of data, spanning over five years.&nbsp;



"Our findings indicate that higher access to grocery stores, lower access to fast food, higher income and college education are independently associated with higher consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, lower consumption of fast food and soda, and less likelihood of being classified as overweight or obese," reported study lead author Tim Althoff, an assistant professor of Computer Science at the University of Washington.



According to Professor Althoff and his colleagues, previous understanding of the relationship between environment, socioeconomic factors, and diet has been challenged by small sample sizes, single locations, and non-uniform design across studies. By contrast, this new study analyzed data from over 1.1 million users, spanning 2.3 billion food entries, and encompassing more than 9,800 U.S. zip codes.



Scientists discovered that higher educational attainment was the greatest positive predictor of a healthier diet and body mass index (BMI). However, high family income was associated with a marginally higher percentage of people with a BMI verging towards obesity, regardless of their educational status.



As the researchers stress though, these broad, population-level results fail to do full justice to the complexity of individual and community differences. "When we dug into the data further, we discovered that the population-level results masked significant differences in how the food environment and socioeconomic factors corresponded with dietary health across subpopulations," said study co-author&nbsp;Hamed Nilforoshan, a doctoral student in Computational Social Science at Stanford.



Further research is needed to assess whether population-level findings can be applied to smaller communities. “While policies aimed at improving food access, economic opportunity and education can and do support healthy eating, our findings strongly suggest that we need to tailor interventions to communities rather than pursuing a one-size-fits-all approach," concluded study co-author Jenna Hua, a former postdoctoral fellow at Stanford.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27522-y">Nature Communications</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

Healthy diets linked to education and food access

Scientists estimate that 19 million people in the United States...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01254-x">Nature Human Behavior</a> has found that playing a recently developed action video game can help children significantly improve their reading skills. Since reading requires skills such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-can-reduce-or-prevent-vision-loss/">vision</a>, attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, a research team led by Angela Pasqualotto, a postdoctoral fellow in Psychology at the <a href="https://www.unige.ch/en/">University of Geneva</a>, created a video game aiming to help children develop these capacities.



“The universe of this game is an alternative world in which the child, accompanied by his Raku, a flying creature, must carry out different missions to save planets and progress in the game,” explained Dr. Pasqualotto. &nbsp;“For example, the Raku flies through a meteor shower, moving around to avoid those or aiming at them to weaken their impact, while collecting useful resources for the rest of the game, a bit like what you find in action video games.”&nbsp;



Dr. Pasqualotto and her colleagues enrolled 150 Italian schoolchildren aged between 8 and 12, and divided them into two groups: one group played the action game developed by the team, and the other played <a href="https://scratch.mit.edu/">Scratch</a>, a non-action game which teaches kids how to code, and also requires planning, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities.



After initially testing the children’s reading levels as well as their attentional control, the researchers asked them to play the games for six weeks (two hours per week) under supervision at school. After the end of this period, children’s reading capacities were tested again.



“We found a 7-fold improvement in attentional control in the children who played the action video game compared to the control group,” said Dr. Pasqualotto. “What is particularly interesting about this study is that we carried out three further assessment tests at 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months after training. On each occasion, the trained children performed better than the control group, which proves that these improvements were sustained.”



Moreover, the scientists observed clear improvements not only in reading speed, but also in reading accuracy, together with longer-term increases in the children’s overall school grades. &nbsp;“The effects are thus long-term, in line with the action video game strengthening the ability to learn how to learn,” said study co-author Daphne Bavelier, a professor of Psychology at the University of Geneva.



Researchers are now trying to adapt the videogame in German, English, and French to investigate whether its benefits on reading acquisition can extend to non-phonetic languages too, in which not all letters are pronounced, and thus require further abilities such as a greater reliance on memorization.&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

Playing action video games can improve reading skills

A new study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a> has investigated how different health-promoting signaling <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/origins-life-simple-molecules/">molecules</a> produced by various organs of our bodies following physical exercise are influenced by the time of the day when exercise is performed. Understanding the relationship between circadian rhythms and exercise can have broad impacts on our health, helping us improve our sleep, memory, and metabolic homeostasis.



Most of our cells regulate their biological processes over a 24-hour period, operating in so-called “circadian rhythms.” Thus, the sensitivity of different bodily tissues to the effects of exercise depends on the time of day when exercise is performed. In order to better understand this complex connection, the researchers carried out experiments on mice that exercised either in the early morning or late evening.&nbsp;



Using mass spectrometry to analyze blood samples and tissues from the specimen’s heart, liver, brain, muscle, or fat, the scientists detected hundreds of metabolites and signaling molecules in each type of tissue, and monitored how they were changed by exercising at different times of the day. This resulted in an “Atlas of Exercise Metabolism,” a complex and comprehensive map of exercise-induced molecules found in different tissues following exercise at different times of day.



“A better understanding of how exercise affects the body at different times of day might help us to maximize the benefits of exercise for people at risk of disease, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said study co-author Juleen R. Zierath, an expert in Circadian Biology at the University of Copenhagen.



“Not only do we show how different tissues respond to exercise at different times of the day, we also propose how these responses are connected to induce an orchestrated adaptation that controls systemic energy homeostasis,” added study co-author Jonas Thue Treebak, an associate professor specializing in molecular metabolism at the same university.



This research sheds new light on how tissues communicate with one another, and how exercise can help “realign” in particular tissues faulty circadian rhythms that have previously been linked to increased risks of metabolic diseases, such as obesity or type 2 diabetes. Further research is needed to understand how newly identified exercise-induced signaling molecules in multiple bodily tissues individually or collectively affect health.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413121006355?via%3Dihub#sec2">Cell Metabolism</a>.&nbsp;



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

How exercise affects the body at different times of day

A new study led by the University of Copenhagen has...

A new study from <a href="https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/">Waseda University</a> reveals that eating slowly and chewing food well increases the body’s energy expenditure and can indeed help obesity and metabolic syndrome.&nbsp;



It may sound counterintuitive, but each time you eat food your body’s metabolic rate increases and you use up extra energy. So, in response to consuming calories, your body begins to use more calories. This is because food needs to be broken down, digested, absorbed and transported to various places in the body for storage. All of these processes require energy.



Although some of the energy generated by your body is used up in the digestion of your food, there is also heat produced each time you eat. This is known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), or the thermic effect of food, and is defined as the amount of energy expenditure, above the basal metabolic rate, that is due to the cost of processing food for use and storage. A common estimate is that around 10 percent of the calories you consume in food will be used up in the processing of that same food.



Interestingly, previous studies by Dr. Yuka Hamada and Professor Naoyuki Hayashi from Waseda University have shown that eating slowly and chewing food thoroughly further increase the energy expenditure associated with the processing of food, as well as stimulating intestinal motility – all of which increases heat generation in the body after food intake. These findings have relevance for people wishing to maintain their weight or, indeed, to lose weight.&nbsp;



However, the findings of these earlier studies were complicated by the fact that the influence of the size of the bolus (swallowed lump of food) and the “lumpiness” of the food were not taken into consideration.&nbsp;



“We were unsure whether the size of the food bolus that entered the digestive tract contributed to the increase in DIT observed after slow eating," explained Professor Hayashi. "Also, do oral stimuli generated during prolonged chewing of food play any role in increasing DIT? To define slow chewing as an effective and scientific weight management strategy, we needed to look deeper into these aspects.”



In their recent study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, the scientists designed new experiments that excluded the effect of the food bolus by using liquid food. Their aim was to find out whether oral stimuli generated during prolonged chewing of food had any influence on the increase in metabolic rate that follows the ingestion of food.



The study involved 11 adult male volunteers, each of whom went through three eating trials while various aspects of their physiology, metabolic rate and circulatory systems were monitored.&nbsp;



In the first trial, volunteers swallowed 20ml of cocoa-flavored liquid food every 30 seconds until 200 ml had been ingested. In the second trial, conducted at least three days later, the volunteers were again given 20 ml samples of the same liquid food every 30 seconds but had to keep it in the mouth for 30 seconds before swallowing it. This meant that they tasted the food for 30 seconds each time.&nbsp;



In the final trial, the effect of both tasting and chewing were assessed. In this third test, conducted after another break of at least three days, the volunteers had to “chew” each sample of liquid food for 30 seconds (at a rate of one chew per second) before ingesting. In each trial, a total of 200 ml of liquid food was swallowed and the effects on variables such as DIT, hunger, fullness, gaseous exchange and circulation were measured.&nbsp;



The results showed that several metabolic and physiological measures were significantly affected by prolonged tasting and chewing of food. In particular, DIT increased significantly when food was tasted and when it was chewed for prolonged periods. 



In addition, circulation in the celiac artery increased with taste stimulation and with chewing. This artery supplies blood to the liver, stomach, abdominal esophagus, spleen, and the superior halves of the duodenum and the pancreas, and so the motility of the upper gastrointestinal tract was increased by taste and chewing.&nbsp;



“We found DIT or energy production increased after consuming a meal, and it increased with the duration of each taste stimulation and the duration of chewing. This means irrespective of the influence of the food bolus, oral stimuli, corresponding to the duration of tasting food in the mouth and the duration of chewing, increased DIT.”&nbsp;



The results also showed that protein oxidation was significantly greater in the chewing trial than in the control trial, at 45–60&nbsp;minutes after the test drink. This indicates that chewing helps to speed up and increase the digestion of proteins in particular. Fat and carbohydrate oxidation did not differ significantly between the trials.&nbsp;



The researchers calculated the increase in energy production due to DIT from the 200-kcal beverage used in these experiments. They found that tasting increased DIT from 3.4&nbsp;kcal to 5.6&nbsp;kcal over 90&nbsp;minutes, and adding chewing increased it to 7.4&nbsp;kcal over 90&nbsp;minutes. Thus, the increase in DIT by chewing was between 1.8 and 4.0&nbsp;kcal over 90&nbsp;minutes. The use of liquid reduces the chewing stimulation, resulting in a smaller DIT than was recorded in previous studies that used solid foods.&nbsp;



“While the difference in energy expenditure per meal is small, the cumulative effect gathered during multiple meals, taken over every day and 365 days a year, is substantial," concluded Hayashi.



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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

Chewing food thoroughly may help manage weight

A new study from Waseda University reveals that eating slowly...

In our contemporary society, seven or eight hours of rest per night without any interruptions is considered the norm for a healthy sleeping pattern. However, according to Roger Ekirch, a professor of history at <a href="https://vt.edu/">Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University</a> (Virginia Tech), sleep is not a biological constant, and changes substantially in different historical and cultural contexts.&nbsp;



While researching nocturnal life in preindustrial Europe and America, Professor Ekirch discovered strong evidence that people used to sleep in segments – a first and a second period of rest, separated by a few hours dedicated to activities such as sex, eating, chatting, praying, or taking medicine. The practice of sleeping throughout the entire night didn’t appear to take hold until a few centuries later, when electricity and the Industrial Revolution changed our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-acidification-disrupts-the-behavior-of-fish-shoals/">behavior</a> patterns forever.



The remnants of the “by-phasic sleep” mentioned in many medieval diaries, medical texts, literary works, and prayer books, can be found in our modern society too. “A large number of people who today suffer from middle-of-the-night insomnia, the primary sleep disorder in the United States - and I dare say in most industrialized countries - rather than experiencing a quote unquote, disorder, are in fact, experiencing a very powerful remnant, or echo of this earlier pattern of sleep," explained Ekirch.



However, this does not mean that we should consider by-phasic sleep as “normal” or healthier than other types of sleep. "There is no such thing as natural sleep. Sleep has always been cultural, social and ideological," said Brigitte Steger, a senior lecturer in Japanese Studies at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.



Moreover, it would be too simplistic to understand the Industrial Revolution as a clear turning point, completely changing sleep patterns.&nbsp;



"There is not such a clear-cut difference between premodern (or pre-industrial) and modern sleep habits," explained Professor Steger. "And sleep habits throughout pre-industrial times and throughout the world have always changed. And, of course, there has always been social diversity, and sleep habits have been very different at court than for peasants, for instance."



Other scholars such as Gerrit Verhoeven, an assistant professor of Cultural Heritage and History at the <a href="https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/">University of Antwerp</a> in Belgium, did not find evidence of fundamental changes in sleep patterns throughout history.



“As a historian I'm concerned that arguments about alleged sleeping patterns in the past - prolonged, by-phasic and with napping during the day - are sometimes presented as a possible remedy for our modern sleeping disorders. Before drawing such conclusions, we have to do much more research about these early modern sleeping patterns," he said.&nbsp;



Professor Ekirch’s findings are explained in great detail in his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/At-Days-Close-Night-Times/dp/0393329011">At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past</a>.



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

Sleeping patterns were different during the Middle Ages

In our contemporary society, seven or eight hours of rest...

After rising more than twentyfold in December due to the spread of the highly-contagious <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/did-the-omicron-variant-jump-to-humans-from-mice/">Omicron</a> variant, the number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-can-prompt-the-creation-of-self-attacking-antibodies/">Covid-19</a> cases in New York City appears to start flattening. In other major cities first hit by the Omicron wave, such as Washington D.C., Newark, Cleveland, New Jersey, Maryland and Boston, case numbers have already started to decrease. The news offers hope to Americans that the Omicron wave may have started to peak and the infections will soon drop rapidly.



This pattern of fast rise and fall of Omicron cases was already noticed a few weeks ago in the case of the variant’s first epicenter, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/31/south-africa-omicron-coronavirus-peak/">South Africa</a>, and more recently in other countries such as the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/omicron-peak-appears-to-have-passed-in-u-k-offering-hope-the-wave-is-receding-11642078349">United Kingdom.</a> The decline in hospitalizations and deaths in South Africa and the current flattening of the number of severe cases in certain European countries increases hope that Omicron’s toll may turn out to be less than Delta’s.



However, the situation in the United States appears more worrisome than in these other countries. With hospitalization numbers reaching all-time <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-breaks-covid-19-hospitalization-record-omicron-surges-2022-01-10/">records</a> and deaths averaging over 1,800 per day in the past week (a 50 percent increase over the past&nbsp; two weeks), the U.S. is “very far from being out if the woods,” as Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the director of the <a href="https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/home">Ohio Department of Health</a>, put it.&nbsp;



“If we’ve learned one thing about Covid it’s that it is extraordinarily unpredictable. And things can change dramatically and quickly,” he added.



Even if U.S.’s new case numbers have already peaked and the country will follow the same pattern of rapid descent as places where the Omicron wave has already peaked and is now falling sharply, rises in hospitalizations and deaths are still expected for a few more weeks, possibly even until mid-February. Moreover, U.S.’s rather low vaccine uptake (63 percent) leaves a large part of the population susceptible to more severe forms of illness.



However, the hope that Omicron may be a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/world/europe/uk-omicron-coronavirus-pandemic.html">turning point</a> in the pandemic - by offering a large amount of herd immunity at a bearable cost, due to high transmissibility but inherent mildness - increases in many places all over the world, with several countries in Europe starting to treat the variant more like the common flu, and let it become an inescapable, yet less dangerous part of our daily lives.



“At some point, we’ll be able to draw a line — and Omicron may be that point — where we transition from what is a catastrophic global threat to something that’s a much more manageable disease,” said Lauren Ancel Meyers, a professor of Integrative Biology and Statistics at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas</a>.



Yet, many public health experts are warning that it is too early to make this call. In a recent plea published in the <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o90">British Medical Journal</a>, an international team of scientists argued that there is still an urgent need to “reduce infections to avoid overwhelming health systems and protect public life and the economy.”



“Even under the most optimistic assumptions, letting Omicron run unfettered risks potentially devastating consequences,” they warned.



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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

Omicron is starting to peak in the United States

After rising more than twentyfold in December due to the...

During the last year, people spent an average of 4.8 hours per day on their smartphones, thus nearly a third of their waking hours. Globally, consumers spent 3.8 trillion hours on mobile phones, paid $320,000 on apps every minute, and downloaded over 435,000 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/health-exercise-apps-teens/">apps</a> per minute. These statistics are detailed in a new <a href="https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/state-of-mobile-2022/">report</a> from <a href="https://www.appannie.com/en/">App Annie</a>, the “State of Mobile in 2022."



By analyzing a vast amount of data, including downloads, consumer spending, and usage estimates, the App Annie company - a leading global provider of mobile data and analytics - has found that smartphones may be the leading technology of the present.



“Mobile is the greatest of all time and the go-to device of the future,' said Theodore Krantz, CEO of App Annie. “The big screen is slowly dying as mobile continues to break records in virtually every category – time spent, downloads and revenue.”



“Despite access to bigger screens, consumers are still watching content on mobile. Competition is heating up in the space and exclusive content is a way of drawing in new viewers.”&nbsp;



The data revealed that, globally, consumers spent $170 billion on apps (up to 19 percent from 2020), while app downloads have continued increasing at five percent each year, reaching a record of 230 billion in 2021. 



The greatest increases were seen in consumer spending on dating apps ($4.2 billion, marking a 55 percent increase from 2019), followed closely by food and drink apps, with a 50 percent yearly increase. Online advertising is also surging, topping $295 billion in 2021 (a 23 percent increase), and heading toward $350 billion within a year.&nbsp;



In terms of user engagement, TikTok, a newly established Chinese social media app, was the standout winner, ahead of previous leaders such as Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. While TikTok and Facebook both registered 19.6 average monthly hours per user in 2021, TikTok witnessed an extraordinary growth, from only 13.3 average monthly hours in 2020.



“2021 was another blockbuster year in mobile, following a pandemic-induced catalyst to mobile habits in 2020. 2022 is set to blow past records in a transformed economy reliant on digital socialization, hybrid work, and entertainment from the palm of your hand. A mobile-first strategy is a prerequisite for success in our transformed economy,” App Annie said.



However, whether we should be as optimistic as this company regarding such life-changing transformations remains an open question. Research into smartphone technology should also take into account their negative impacts, such as the diminished need for real-life interaction, disruption of sleeping patterns, and the emergence or exacerbation of mental disorders, such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety.



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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

People spend nearly 5 hours a day on smartphones

During the last year, people spent an average of 4.8...

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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



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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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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

[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

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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...