A new study has revealed how both recent and lifetime cannabis use can affect cognitive function. In particular, cannabis use was linked to reduced neural activity during working memory tasks. 



The project - among the largest to investigate cannabis and cognition - examined more than 1,000 adults aged 22 to 36, using cutting-edge brain imaging techniques to assess the impact of cannabis on various mental processes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-and-working-memory-nbsp">Cannabis and working memory&nbsp;</h2>



The research team discovered that 63% of heavy lifetime <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-and-hallucinogen-use-are-at-historically-high-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis</a> users showed diminished brain activation in key regions while performing a working memory exercise, while 68% of recent users demonstrated a similar pattern.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pupils-enlarge-dilate-when-working-memory-engaged-focused-on-task/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Working memory</a>, a cognitive ability essential for temporarily storing and manipulating information, underpins a wide array of everyday tasks, such as following directions or solving mental calculations.



Joshua Gowin is the study’s first author and an assistant professor of radiology at the <a href="https://medschool.cuanschutz.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Colorado School of Medicine</a>.&nbsp;



“As cannabis use continues to grow globally, studying its effects on human health has become increasingly important. By doing so, we can provide a well-rounded understanding of both the benefits and risks of cannabis use, empowering people to make informed decisions and fully comprehend the potential consequences,” said Gowin.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-distinguishing-cannabis-users-by-intake">Distinguishing cannabis users by intake</h2>



The researchers classified study participants into three groups, based on cannabis usage history:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Heavy users: Over 1,000 total instances of cannabis use</li>



<li>Moderate users: Between 10 and 999 total uses</li>



<li>Non-users: Fewer than 10 total uses</li>
</ul>



The volunteers completed seven cognitive tasks - ranging from working memory and reward assessment to emotional processing and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-with-too-much-screen-time-struggle-to-gain-language-skills/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">language skills</a> - while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).&nbsp;



This approach allowed scientists to examine real-time brain activity in response to different stimuli.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-working-memory-the-most-vulnerable-function">Working memory: The most vulnerable function</h2>



While many of the tasks revealed subtle cognitive differences, the most pronounced effect appeared in working memory.



“We applied the highest standards to our research, setting rigorous thresholds for statistical significance across all seven cognitive function tests. To minimize the risk of false positives, we employed false discovery rate (FDR) correction,” noted Gowin.&nbsp;



“While some of the other tasks indicated potential cognitive impairment, only the working memory task showed a statistically significant impact.”



Reduced working memory performance manifested in lower neural activation within regions such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), and the anterior insula. These areas are closely tied to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/optimal-decision-making-is-a-balance-of-experience-and-knowledge/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decision-making</a>, problem-solving, and the integration of thoughts and emotions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-use-and-brain-function-nbsp">Cannabis use and brain function&nbsp;</h2>



Notably, the researchers found that refraining from cannabis prior to cognitive testing might offer some improvement in working memory performance. However, abrupt cessation could also temporarily disturb cognitive function, especially among heavy users, due to potential withdrawal symptoms.



“People need to be aware of their relationship with cannabis since abstaining cold turkey could disrupt their cognition as well. For example, heavy users may need to be more cautious,” said Gowin.



This dynamic highlights the complexity of cannabis’s impact on cognition, emphasizing that moderation or gradual reduction may be preferable for individuals wishing to protect or recover working memory capabilities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-research-is-needed-nbsp">Further research is needed&nbsp;</h2>



While the findings confirm a clear correlation between cannabis use and reduced working memory function, the researchers emphasize there is still much to learn about how these effects might vary across age groups, usage patterns, and individual physiology.



“There are a lot of questions we still need answers to regarding how cannabis impacts the brain. Large, long-term studies are needed next to understand whether cannabis use directly changes brain function, how long these effects last and the impact on different age groups,” noted Gowin.



Such extended research could clarify the duration of these cognitive impacts, determine whether they persist long after cessation, and identify any unique vulnerabilities among younger or older populations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-the-risks-and-benefits-nbsp">Understanding the risks and benefits&nbsp;</h2>



As cannabis use gains broader acceptance and legalization in many regions, these findings bear considerable weight on both public health strategies and policy considerations.&nbsp;



By highlighting potential risks to memory and daily functioning, this research serves as a reminder of the importance of understanding both the benefits and drawbacks of cannabis consumption.



Ultimately, knowledge gained from such studies could shape guidelines and interventions, aiding individuals and communities in making well-informed decisions about cannabis use - particularly in contexts demanding a high degree of working memory and cognitive performance.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2829657" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JAMA Network Open</a>.



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Cannabis use impacts working memory and brain function

A new study has revealed how both recent and lifetime cannabis use can affect cognitive function. In particular, cannabis use was linked to reduced neural activity during working memory tasks.  The project - among the largest to investigate cannabis and cognition - examined more than 1,000 adults aged 22 to 36, using cutting-edge brain imaging techniques to assess the impact of cannabis on various mental processes. Cannabis and working memory&nbsp; The research team discovered that 63% of heavy lifetime cannabis users showed diminished brain activation in key...

Having a sense of control over our lives has been shown to influence how well we feel, how healthy we are, and how successful we are at mastering challenges in our lives. Some people have high internal control beliefs and feel they can influence their environment and their future by their own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pandemic-restrictions-had-a-lasting-effect-on-behavior-patterns/">behavior</a>. Others, with high external control beliefs, perceive that things happen to them as a result of external factors, such as powerful others, chance and fate.&nbsp;



Being involved in a romantic relationship can have a powerful influence on a person’s perception of control, often being linked to improvement in subjective well-being. Although previous research has investigated the links between perceived control and satisfaction with a romantic relationship, little is known about how a person’s perceived control changes due to the loss of such a relationship.&nbsp;



New research by Eva Asselmann of the Health and Medical University in Potsdam, Germany, and Jule Specht of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has now investigated the changes in perceived control that people experience after going through a separation, a divorce or the death of a partner. The findings are published in the open-access journal&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.



For their study, the researchers used data from the Socio-economic Panel Study (SOEP), a nationally representative household panel study conducted in Germany. This study commenced in 1984 and is ongoing to this day. Specifically, they used yearly questionnaire results from 1994, 1995, and 1996 to evaluate changes in perceived control for 1,235 people who experienced separation from their partner, 423 who got divorced, and 437 whose partners passed away.



Statistical analysis of the questionnaire results suggests that, overall, people who went through a separation experienced a decrease in perceived control in the first year after separation, but this was followed by a gradual increase in the subsequent years. Interestingly, the authors report that individuals who separated from a partner had higher external control beliefs in the first year of being separated, but their internal control beliefs (sense that they could control the outcomes of their own lives) increased in the following years.&nbsp;



After separation, women were more likely than men to have a decreased sense of control, and younger people experienced less of a decrease in their perceived control than did older people who became separated from their partners.&nbsp;



The findings were different in the case of people whose partners had passed away. In general, people whose partners passed away had an overall increase in perceived control during the first year following the loss. Thereafter, perceived control continued to increase, when compared with levels before the loss was experienced. The authors suggest that after losing a partner, many people may realize that they are able to cope with life on their own and this would lead to a new sense of autonomy and independence.&nbsp;



There was again an age effect in changes to perceived control after experiencing the death of a partner, with younger people reporting more detrimental effects on their sense of control than older people did.&nbsp;



The analysis found no links between getting divorced and a person’s perceived sense of control. Getting divorced was thus considered to be unrelated to changes in perceived control in the years surrounding the event.&nbsp;



The researchers acknowledge that there are some limitations to their study, not least of which is the fact that perceived control was assessed in the questionnaires with a scale that made use of only eight items. More comprehensive data on this aspect in future studies would be an improvement. The researchers also call for future investigations to track people who have not yet experienced relationship loss and then to evaluate changes in perceived control when loss occurs. They also call for research into the mechanisms that underlie post-loss changes in perceived control.



“Our findings suggest that people sometimes grow from stressful experiences – at least regarding specific personality characteristics. In the years after losing a romantic partner, participants in our study became increasingly convinced in their ability to influence their life and future by their own behavior," explained the study authors. "Their experience enabled them to deal with adversity and manage their life independently, which allowed them to grow.”



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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

Relationship loss can lead to renewed sense of control

Having a sense of control over our lives has been...

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in young people in Australia, affecting up to 31.5 percent of the population between 16 and 24 years of age. This is double the rate of prevalence in the general population. Characterized by feelings of extreme worry and concern that are not necessarily related to any specific cause, anxiety can have severe manifestations that interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively.



Treatments used to decrease the severity of symptoms in young people suffering from anxiety include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is an antidepressant drug. Unfortunately, these approaches only work for about 50 percent of young people, and the rest continue to suffer the debilitating symptoms of their anxiety disorder.&nbsp;



It is this situation that led <a href="https://www.orygen.org.au/">Orygen</a>, Australia's&nbsp;first and only youth mental health policy think tank, to undertake a pilot study on the use of cannabidiol (CBD) to treat anxiety in treatment-resistant young people. The Cannabidiol Youth Anxiety Pilot Study (CAPS) was a 12-week open-label trial initiated by Orygen with the aim to test the feasibility, safety, tolerability and therapeutic effects of cannabidiol in reducing anxiety severity in young people.



“We’re seeing more and more young people experiencing anxiety – it’s the fastest growing form of mental ill-health in young people and we urgently need innovation in treatment. Cannabidiol is a promising treatment option which appears safe and effective. We need further research to confirm this and explore its value,” said Professor McGorry, study co-investigator and Orygen Executive Director.



Cannabidiol is a non-intoxicating component of the&nbsp;Cannabis sativa&nbsp;plant. This means it is not mind-altering and will not make a person “high." It is also not addictive and does not induce any significant negative side effects or lead to the emergence of any neurological or psychiatric manifestations. Previous research has already found CBD to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety in adults.&nbsp;



In Australia, cannabidiol has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as a treatment for children with rare forms of epilepsy (Dravet syndrome and Lennox Gastaut syndrome). It has also been approved for clinical trials as a treatment for children in Australia with Tourette Syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability.



“Cannabidiol is non-intoxicating and doesn’t contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) so it doesn’t cause alterations in thinking and perception, it doesn’t make you ‘high’ and it’s not addictive. In fact, cannabidiol has been used to treat addictive behaviors in other research trials and can reduce some of the adverse and intoxicating effects of THC,” said Orygen’s Professor Paul Amminger, who led the study.



Thirty young people took part in the trial. They were all clients of Orygen’s primary care services, and were aged between 12 and 25 years. All the participants had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and had failed to show significant improvement in their symptoms after five cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. They began the trial by taking a 200mg capsule of cannabidiol each day, and increased this to 400mg after one week. Those who did not show improvement at this dosage had their dosage increased in 200mg increments until they received 800mg per day.



Participants had to fill in a questionnaire about the severity of their symptoms, such as panic attacks, situational anxieties, worries and flashbacks. This questionnaire provided a self-rated scale (the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale) that quantified the anxiety symptoms they experienced. In addition, a clinician completed a Hamilton Anxiety Rating for each participant.



The results of the pilot study, published in the <a href="https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/">Journal of Clinical Psychiatry</a>, showed that after 12 weeks, young people with treatment-resistant anxiety had an average of 42 percent reduction in the severity of their symptoms. This result was evident using data from both the clinician’s rating assessment and the participant’s own self-assessment.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The young people had fewer panic attacks and could do things which they were previously unable to do like leave the house, go to school, participate in social situations, eat at restaurants, take public transport or attend appointments by themselves,” Professor Amminger said. “That's an amazing change in the group which has had treatment-resistant, long-standing severe to very severe anxiety."



Professor Patrick McGorry said the findings held promise for a significant number of young people, with Australian Bureau of Statistics&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/latest-release">data released recently showing </a>that anxiety was the most common form of mental ill-health in young people in the country.&nbsp;



“Our pilot study found that cannabidiol not only helped to reduce anxiety symptoms but it was also very well tolerated&nbsp;–&nbsp;the most common side-effects were mild sedation and mild fatigue but that was at the time when doses were increased, and usually went away after a couple of days,” said Professor Amminger. “We did not see side-effects like suicidal thoughts, irritability or sleep problems, which are not uncommon in people taking SSRIs.”



Although the findings are promising, further research is required.



“An open-label pilot study is limited by its design,” Professor Amminger explained. “To see a treatment effect in the treatment-resistant group is encouraging, but it could still be a placebo effect. The next step is a randomized controlled trial, which is the gold standard to test a new intervention. Such a trial needs to be done in a much larger group – around 200 to 250 young people – to enable us to say with some certainty that there is, or is not, a real treatment benefit and effects.”



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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

Cannabidiol is effective for treating anxiety in young people

Anxiety is the most common mental health condition in young...

Far from leading to “digital dementia”, as predicted by some neuroscientists, using a digital device as an external memory store can actually result in improved memory skills. This is the finding of a new study, published in the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/xge">Journal of Experimental Psychology</a>.



We might imagine that using smartphones, tablets and laptops to store important information would make our own memories lazy and forgetful. The new study, which was led by researchers at <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>, reveals exactly the opposite. People who use digital devices to store information actually remember that information more effectively. Individuals using mobile devices also seem to have an improved memory of information that they didn’t even save.&nbsp;



In order to explore how storing information on a digital device influences memory abilities, the researchers developed a task to be played on a touchscreen digital tablet or computer. The memory test was undertaken 16 times by each of the 158 volunteers, who were aged between 18 and 71.



Participants were shown up to 12 numbered circles on the screen, and had to remember to drag some of these to the left and some to the right. The number of circles that they remembered to drag to the correct side determined their pay at the end of the experiment. One side was designated ‘high value’, meaning that remembering to drag a circle to this side was worth 10 times as much money as remembering to drag a circle to the other ‘low value’ side.



The participants had to use their own memory to remember on half of the trials and they were allowed to set reminders on the digital device for the other half.



As might be expected, the participants chose mostly to store information about the high-value circles on their digital devices when this option was allowed. And the mere act of thinking about and storing these details, improved their memory for those high-value circles by 18 percent. At the same time, however, their memory for details of the low-value circles also improved – by a whopping 27 percent. And this was seen even in people who had not set any reminders for low-value circles.&nbsp;



Making use of an external storage device for reminders did have a potential cost though. When the device was taken away, the participants remembered the low-value circles better than the high-value ones. This indicates that they had trusted in the device to do the remembering while they, themselves, had forgotten the important details.&nbsp;



“We found that when people were allowed to use an external memory, the device helped them to remember the information they had saved into it," said study senior author Dr. Sam Gilbert from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. "This was hardly surprising, but we also found that the device improved people’s memory for unsaved information as well.”



“This was because using the device shifted the way that people used their memory to store high-importance versus low-importance information. When people had to remember by themselves, they used their memory capacity to remember the most important information. But when they could use the device, they saved high-importance information into the device and used their own memory for less important information instead.”



“The results show that external memory tools work. Far from causing ‘digital dementia’, using an external memory device can even improve our memory for information that we never saved. But we need to be careful that we back up the most important information. Otherwise, if a memory tool fails, we could be left with nothing but lower-importance information in our own memory.”



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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

Digital devices can actually improve our memory skills

Far from leading to “digital dementia”, as predicted by some...

A new study published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.05.033">Journal of the American College of Cardiology</a> has found that projected rates of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-air-pollutants-contribute-to-cardiovascular-disease/">cardiovascular</a> risk factors and disease will increase significantly in the United States by 2060, contributing to a rising burden on the U.S. health care system. According to the experts, there is an urgent need for equitable access to prevention education and treatments in order to prevent such future outcomes.



By using data from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau report for the years 2025 to 2060, combined with the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and disease based on the&nbsp;U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the scientists evaluated future cardiovascular risk factors (including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity) and disease (heart attack, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure) in different groups, based on sex, age, and race/ethnicity.



The analysis revealed that all four risk factors are expected to increase from 2025 to 2060, with the largest percentage increase in diabetes (39.3 percent), followed by dyslipidemia (27.6), hypertension (25.1), and obesity (18.3). Stroke and heart failure are estimated to be the leading cardiovascular diseases (increasing by 33.8 and 33.4 percent, respectively), followed by ischemic heart disease (30.7), and heart attack (16.9).



While these problems will likely affect equally both genders, the researchers expect the cardiovascular risks to increase substantially for racial and ethnic minorities. “Our analysis projects that the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and diseases will continue to rise with worrisome trends,” said study senior author James L. Januzzi Jr, a professor of Medicine at <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a>.



“These striking projections will disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority populations in the U.S. Understanding these results will hopefully inform future public health policy efforts and allow us to implement prevention and treatment measures in an equitable manner.”



The scientists emphasize the importance of preventive education regarding cardiovascular risk factors. Moreover, improving access to quality health care, facilitating lower-cost access to effective treatments, and dismantling broader systems that leave racial and ethnic minorities at higher risk are all crucial for reversing this worrisome trend.



“Ultimately, as prevention is imperative to tackle the future burden of cardiovascular disease, the results from this study pose an important challenge,” said study lead author Reza Mohebi, an expert in Cardiology at Harvard. “In order to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. population, health care policymakers will need to allocate preventive measures and health care resources to the more vulnerable populations we projected to have higher percentage rise in disease,” he concluded.



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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;&nbsp;

Steep rise in cardiovascular disease expected in the U.S.

A new study published in the Journal of the American...

People who live in socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods are about 20 percent less likely to conceive compared to those living in neighborhoods with more resources, according to a recent study from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>. The researchers measured “fecundability,” or the monthly probability of getting pregnant without the use of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-may-be-linked-to-female-fertility-issues/">fertility</a> treatments.



Neighborhoods were compared based on a measure of the socioeconomic resources in a neighborhood known as the area deprivation index score. Even among a relatively affluent, highly educated population, it was found that people living in more deprived neighborhoods had lower fecundability rates than people living in higher-opportunity neighborhoods.



“The world of fertility research is beginning to examine factors associated with the built environment. There are dozens of studies looking at how your neighborhood environment is associated with adverse birth outcomes, but the pre-conception period is heavily under-studied from a structural standpoint,” explained study lead author Mary Willis. “Turns out, before you’re even conceived, there may be things affecting your health.”



Public health research in the last decade has highlighted social determinants of health and that where you live is the greatest predictor for overall life expectancy, based on income, health care access, employment rates, education level and access to safe water.



“But the concept that your neighborhood affects your fertility hasn’t been studied in depth,” said Willis. “In addition, the world of infertility research is largely focused on individual factors, so when I came into this study as an environmental epidemiologist, I was thinking we should look at it as a structural problem.”



The study leveraged data from the Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO). The experts analyzed the outcomes of 6,356 individuals between the ages of 21 and 45, who were attempting to conceive without the use of fertility treatment.



The majority of people in the cohort were white, had completed a four-year college education and earned more than $50,000 a year.



Study participants filled out online surveys every eight weeks for up to 12 months, answering questions about menstrual cycle characteristics and pregnancy status. During the study period, 3,725 pregnancies were documented.



The participants were compared across different area deprivation index rankings at both the national and within-state levels, which used socioeconomic indicators including educational attainment, housing, employment and poverty.



The results showed that individuals in the most-deprived neighborhoods had a reduction in fecundability of about 20 percent compared with those in the least-deprived neighborhoods. The most-deprived neighborhoods saw a reduction in fecundability of up to 25 percent.



“The fact that we’re seeing the same results on the national and state level really shows that neighborhood deprivation can influence reproductive health, including fertility,” Willis said.



Fertility treatments are costly, and are often limited to families with significant resources. Investing in deprived neighborhoods to address socioeconomic disparities could lead to positive benefits for fertility.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Where you live affects your ability to conceive

People who live in socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods are about 20...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a> has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-industry-is-not-threatened-by-plant-based-alternatives/">plant-based dietary alternatives</a> to animal products are better for human health and the environment than the meat products they are designed to replace.&nbsp;



According to the experts, plant-based meat and dairy alternatives “offer a healthier and more environmentally sustainable solution which takes into account consumer preferences and behavior.” Moreover, since they are specifically created to replicate the taste, texture, and overall eating experience of animal products, they are a much more effective way of reducing demand for meat and dairy products than just encouraging people to eat vegetarian meals.&nbsp;



By examining 43 studies focused on the environmental and health impact of plant-based foods, the scientists found that these products tend to have better nutritional profiles than animal products, and are highly beneficial for weight loss, building muscle mass, and improving overall health.&nbsp;



Moreover, since producers can add ingredients such as edible fungi, microalgae, or spirulina to plant-based foods, they can boost the amounts of amino acids, antioxidants, and vitamins B and E in these products, thus further improving their nutritional profile.



Plant-based products were also found to cause lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions than the animal ones, while generally requiring less agricultural land and water, and causing less pollution than animal-based products. Thus, increasing the use of such products will have not only significant health benefits, but will also help fighting climate change by safeguarding the environment.



“Increasingly we’re seeing how plant-based products are able to shift demand away from animal products by appealing to three essential elements consumers want: taste, price, and convenience. This review demonstrates overwhelming evidence that, as well as being far more sustainable compared to animal products in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use, plant-based animal product alternatives also have a wide range of health benefits,” said study author Christopher Bryant, a psychologist at the University of Bath.



“Despite the incredible advances that plant-based producers have made over recent years, there is still huge potential to improve their taste, texture, and how they cook. There’s also enormous potential to innovate with ingredients and processes to improve their nutritional properties – for example by boosting vitamin content.”



Further research is needed to make these improvements a reality, and ensure that manufacturers can make tastier and healthier products that provide consumers with sustainable options that are more likely to reduce the demand for animal products.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666833522000612#bib0085">Future Foods</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;

Plant-based foods are healthier than animal products

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

The joy of our diving into our own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mindfulness-meditation-can-reduce-pain/">thoughts</a> without distractions is highly underestimated, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a>. The experts found that people enjoy sitting alone with their thoughts much more than they would expect.&nbsp;



“Humans have a striking ability to immerse themselves in their own thinking,” said study lead author Aya Hatano of Kyoto University in Japan.



“Our research suggests that individuals have difficulty appreciating just how engaging thinking can be. That could explain why people prefer keeping themselves busy with devices and other distractions, rather than taking a moment for reflection and imagination in daily life.”



In a series of six experiments with 259 participants, the researchers compared people’s predictions of how much they would enjoy simply sitting and thinking with their actual experience of doing so.&nbsp;



The first expirament asked people to predict how much they would enjoy sitting alone with their thoughts for 20 minutes and without distractions such as reading, walking or looking at their phones. Afterward, the participants reported how much they had enjoyed it.



In every case, participants enjoyed thinking more than they had anticipated. This held true in other expiraments where participants sat in a bare conference room or in a small, dark area with no visual stimulation.&nbsp;



In another experiment, the researchers compared one group of participants’ predictions of how much they would enjoy thinking with another group’s predictions of how much they would enjoy checking the news on the internet.&nbsp;



The thinking group was expected to enjoy the task significantly less than the news-checking group, but afterward, the two groups reported similar enjoyment levels. The results are an important reminder in the modern era of information overload.



“It’s now extremely easy to ‘kill time.’ On the bus on your way to work, you can check your phone rather than immerse yourself in your internal free-floating thinking, because you predict thinking will be boring,” said study co-author Kou Murayama of the University of Tübingen.



"However, if that prediction is inaccurate, you are missing an opportunity to positively engage yourself without relying on such stimulation.”&nbsp;



Previous studies have shown that letting your mind wander has benefits such as problem solving, enhanced creativity, and can even help people find meaning in life.&nbsp;



"By actively avoiding thinking activities, people may miss these important benefits,” said Murayama. He suggests that future research should delve into the types of thinking that are most enjoyable and motivating, “Not all thinking is intrinsically rewarding, and in fact some people are prone to vicious cycles of negative thinking."



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/xge">Journal of Experimental Psychology</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sitting alone with your thoughts is highly underestimated

The joy of our diving into our own thoughts without...

Consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood sugar levels and improve gut health. New research focused on individuals with a risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/links-between-climate-and-heart-disease-must-be-addressed/">heart disease</a> found that green tea extract can lower inflammation and decrease "leaky gut." 



This is the first study to assess whether health risks linked to metabolic syndrome could be diminished by green tea’s anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut Metabolic syndrome affects up to one-third of adults in the U.S. This is the first study to assess whether health risks linked to metabolic syndrome could be diminished by green tea’s anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut. 



Study senior author Richard Bruno is a professor of Human Nutrition at The Ohio State University. 



“There is much evidence that greater consumption of green tea is associated with good levels of cholesterol, glucose and triglycerides, but no studies have linked its benefits at the gut to those health factors,” said Bruno. 



The clinical trial was conducted on 40 individuals as a follow-up to a 2019 study that associated lower obesity and fewer health risks in mice that consumed green tea supplements. 



In the current study, the researchers made an unexpected discovery. They found that green tea extract lowers blood sugar and decreases gut inflammation and permeability in healthy people. 



“What this tells us is that within one month we’re able to lower blood glucose in both people with metabolic syndrome and healthy people, and the lowering of blood glucose appears to be related to decreasing leaky gut and decreasing gut inflammation – regardless of health status,” Bruno said. 



People with metabolic syndrome are diagnosed with at least three of five factors that increase the risk for heart disease,and other health problems – excess belly fat, high blood pressure, low good cholesterol, and high levels of fasting blood glucose and triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. 



These risk factors are often only slightly altered as physicians commonly recommend weight loss and exercise. But overall lifestyle modifications can be difficult for some people, and these risk factors can continue to threaten overall health. 



"Our work is aiming to give people a new food-based tool to help manage their risk for metabolic syndrome or to reverse metabolic syndrome.” said Bruno. 



For 28 days, participants consumed gummy confections containing green tea extract rich in anti-inflammatory compounds called catechins. The daily dose equaled five cups of green tea. All participants spent another 28 days taking a placebo, with a month off of any supplement between the treatments. 



The participants followed a diet low in naturally occurring antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, teas and spices during the placebo and green tea extract periods to ensure that results could be attributed to the effects of green tea alone. 



The results showed that fasting blood glucose levels for all participants were significantly lower after taking green tea extract compared to levels after taking the placebo. The experts found that all participants had decreased gut inflammation and a decrease in small intestine permeability. 



Gut permeability, or leaky gut, enables intestinal bacteria and related toxins to enter the bloodstream, stimulating low-grade chronic inflammation. 



“That absorption of gut-derived products is thought to be an initiating factor for obesity and insulin resistance, which are central to all cardiometabolic disorders,” said Bruno. “If we can improve gut integrity and reduce leaky gut, the thought is we’ll be able to not only alleviate low-grade inflammation that initiates cardiometabolic disorders, but potentially reverse them.” 



The researchers believe there is potential for green tea to alleviate the risk of either developing or reversing metabolic syndrome. 



The research was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Ohio State. The findings are published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition. 



--- By Katherine Bucko, Earth.com Staff Writer

Green tea extract lowers blood sugar and improves gut health

Consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood...

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> (OSU), the damaging effects of daily, lifelong exposure to the blue light emanating from phones, computers, or household appliances worsen with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swans-sacrifice-rest-to-defend-their-foraging-areas/">age</a>. Although the investigation was focused on the impact of blue light on the common fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster), the findings could potentially be extended to humans too, since this model organism shares many cellular and developmental mechanisms with us.



The scientists examined the survival rates of flies kept in darkness and then moved at progressively older ages (two, 20, 40, and 60 days) to an environment of constant blue light. By focusing on the impact of the light on flies’ mitochondria – which act as cells’ power plants, generating adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a source of chemical energy – the researchers discovered that prolonged exposure significantly affected flies’ longevity, regardless of whether they were able to visually perceive this light or not.



“The novel aspect of this new study is showing that chronic exposure to blue light can impair energy-producing pathways even in cells that are not specialized in sensing light,” said study lead author Jadwiga Giebultowicz, an expert in circadian clocks at OSU.&nbsp;



“We determined that specific reactions in mitochondria were dramatically reduced by blue light, while other reactions were decreased by age independent of blue light. You can think of it as blue light exposure adding insult to injury in aging flies.”&nbsp;



The flies exposed to blue light showed damage to their retinal cells and neurons and had impaired locomotion. Surprisingly, even mutant flies that didn’t develop eyes displayed such impairments, suggesting that flies don’t need to actually see the light in order to be harmed by it. The damage caused by exposure to blue light was strongly age-dependent.&nbsp;



“The same length of exposure to the same intensity of light decreases lifespan and increases neurodegeneration more significantly in old flies than in young ones,” said Giebultowicz.



While it is not yet clear whether these findings apply to humans too, there is a significant possibility that similar processes might be at play during humans’ exposure to blue light.&nbsp;



“There are increasing concerns that extended exposure to artificial light, especially blue-enriched LED light, may be detrimental to human health. While the full effects of blue light exposure across the lifespan are not yet known in humans, accelerated aging observed in this short-lived model organism should alert us to the potential of cellular damage by this stressor,” Giebultowicz concluded.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-022-00092-z">NPJ Aging</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&nbsp;&nbsp;

Damage from blue light exposure increases with age

According to a new study led by the Oregon State...

Many war veterans and returning military personnel experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing traumatic and horrifying events. Although this mental condition can be treated with psychotherapy and medications, the symptoms may persist for years. A growing number of sufferers also incorporate complementary interventions to try and alleviate the debilitating symptoms. One such intervention has involved the use of service dogs specially trained to perform tasks to help mitigate specific <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/women-with-ptsd-and-depression-are-four-times-more-likely-to-die-prematurely/">PTSD</a> symptoms.



Previous qualitative and quantitative research has indeed shown that military veterans with service dogs experience less severe PTSD symptoms and a better quality of life than those who do not have service dogs. However, the mechanisms by which the dogs bring about these changes has not been investigated and is currently not understood. A new observational study led by Clare Jensen of Purdue University has sought to understand what it is about the service dogs, or the bond between dogs and handlers, that brings about the reduction in symptom severity.



Jensen and colleagues studied 82 military members or veterans and their service dogs, which had all been trained to alleviate PTSD symptoms. Some of the tasks that trained PTSD dogs carry out involve applying pressure to the handler during bouts of anxiety, nudging to disrupt flashbacks and waking the handler from nightmares. Dogs are also trained to warn the handler when a person approaches from behind, and handlers may command the dog to initiate a social contact (“make a friend”) with another person, thereby making social interactions easier to initiate.&nbsp;



The 82 veterans and their 82 dogs were selected by K9s for Warriors, a non-profit organization that provides trained PTSD service dogs to post-9/11 military members and veterans across the US at no cost. In the month before meeting with their new dogs, the people completed surveys about their demographics, personalities and mental health issues. The temperament of each dog was also recorded in detail. After pairing the military members and the dogs, a three-week training took place in which handlers were taught how to work with their dogs.&nbsp;



A subsequent survey was completed at the home of each handler, three months after the initial pairing. In addition to answering survey questions, the handlers were also assessed using observations of their interactions with their dogs. The data collected was used to evaluate the dog characteristics that best predicted positive mental health outcomes, to assess dog and human characteristics that best predicted a close handler-dog bond, and to explore potential mechanisms whereby mental health improvements occur.



The results of the study, published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLoS ONE</a>, complement the growing evidence that partnership with a PTSD service dog can be effective for reducing symptoms and improving mental health among veterans with PTSD. Although most of the dog characteristics analyzed were not associated with better or worse veteran mental health outcomes, there was one exception. Dogs with lower levels of excitability were linked to both a decrease in severity of PTSD symptoms in handlers, and a closer partnership between handler and dog. Handlers attributed many of their mental health improvements to the calming effect of their dog.



The factors associated with better mental health outcomes included a close veteran-dog partnership (which was linked to lower dog excitability) and the perception by the handler that the dog’s care was easy. The researchers also found a link between worse depression and handlers that more frequently asked service dogs to initiate a social greeting. In addition, veterans who frequently asked their dogs to alert them to a human approaching from behind were more likely to have greater anxiety but less severe PTSD symptoms.



Further research will be needed to expand on these findings and potentially identify how the most suitable pairings between veterans and dogs can be achieved in future, such that the veterans benefit most from their relationships with their service dogs. In addition, the results may help determine how best to select and train future service dogs, for example by favoring calm individuals and training to reduce excitability.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“This study provides new information about how and why service dogs may improve mental health for some veterans with PTSD," said Jensen. "We are especially grateful to the military veterans who made this possible by sharing their time and experiences with us.”



---



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

Service dogs reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress

Many war veterans and returning military personnel experience posttraumatic stress...

Several studies have found that cocoa flavanols are as efficient in lowering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-blood-pressure-doubles-risk-of-severe-covid/">blood pressure</a> and arterial stiffness as many blood pressure medication. However, since these studies have been performed in tightly controlled experimental settings, how effective flavanols are in everyday life has remained unknown. Moreover, some scientists voiced concerns that using cocoa as a treatment for high blood pressure could pose health risks by decreasing the pressure when it is not raised.&nbsp;



Now, for the first time, a research team from the <a href="https://www.surrey.ac.uk/">University of Surrey</a> has set out to investigate the effects of cocoa flavanols on lowering blood pressure and arterial stiffness in individuals outside clinical settings. The analysis revealed that cocoa only reduces blood pressure and arterial stiffness when elevated, thus paving the way for it to be safely used in clinical practice.



“High blood pressure and arterial stiffness increases a person’s risk of heart disease and strokes, so it is crucial that we investigate innovative ways to treat such conditions,” said study senior author Christian Heiss, a professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Surrey. “Before we even consider introducing cocoa into clinical practices, we need to test if the results previously reported in laboratory settings safely translate into real-world settings, with people going about their everyday lives.”



Professor Heiss and his team enrolled 11 healthy participants and asked them to consume, on alternating days, either six cocoa flavanol capsules or six placebo ones containing only brown sugar. The participants were provided with an upper arm blood pressure monitor and finger clip measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV), which shows the levels of arterial stiffness. These measurements were taken before the consumption of the capsules, every 30 minutes after ingestion in the first three hours, and hourly for the remaining nine hours.



The measurements revealed that blood pressure and arterial stiffness were only lowered in participants if it was high, with no effect occurring when the pressure was already low in the morning. Moreover, significant effects in people with initially high blood pressure were identified also at eight hours after taking the pills, which is probably due to how gut bacteria metabolize cocoa flavanols.



“The positive impact cocoa flavanols have on our cardiovascular system, in particular, blood vessel function and blood pressure, is undeniable. Doctors often fear that some blood pressure tablets can decrease the blood pressure too much on some days,” said Professor Heiss.



“What we have found indicates that cocoa flavanols only decrease blood pressure if it is elevated. Working with participants’ personal health technologies showed us how variable blood pressure and arterial stiffness can be from day to day and shows the role of personal health monitors in developing and implementing effective personalized care,” he concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.886597">Frontiers in Nutrition</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;

Study confirms: cocoa reduces high blood pressure

Several studies have found that cocoa flavanols are as efficient...

Many previous studies have shown that exposure to vegetated areas and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-spaces-are-a-critical-refuge-for-threatened-species/">green spaces</a> can be beneficial to our physical and mental health. Recent research published by the <a href="https://europeanlung.org/en/">European Lung Foundation</a> has now revealed that children whose proximity to vegetation close to their homes increased in the first ten years of life tended to have better lung health. These findings support the idea that families benefit by moving to greener areas, but also highlight the need to create more green spaces in urban areas.



The study, which was led by Dr. Diogo Queiroz Almeida from the University of Porto, was focused on data from the research project known as Geração 21. This initiative began by recruiting over 8,000 mothers and their newborn infants in public hospitals in the Porto Metropolitan Area in 2005 and 2006.&nbsp;



All of the children were invited to be re-evaluated at the ages of four, seven and ten years. However, since not all of the participants ended up giving complete sets of data, the current study on lung health ultimately included data from 3,278 of the children.



Lung function was gauged at ages four, seven and ten using each child’s forced vital capacity (FVC). This is the maximum amount of air a person can blow out after taking in the deepest possible breath and it is a measure of lung volume and size. FVC can indicate how well the lungs are working and help diagnose lung conditions like asthma.&nbsp;



The team used satellite data and maps to assess the amount of vegetation within 100, 250 and 500m of each child’s residence at the time of his or her birth, as well as at the ages of four, seven and ten. In addition, geographical information systems (technology for comparing the geographical locations of different things) were used to determine the distance between children’s home addresses and their nearest park, public garden or other public green spaces at these same ages.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Analysis of the data showed that children whose home surroundings became greener between the time of their birth and their tenth birthday - due either to moving home or to environmental changes - tended to have better lung function.



“Our research suggests the greener, the better. These improvements are modest at around two percent. However, if we look at the whole population, making our neighborhoods greener could have a considerable impact.” Dr. Almeida explained that factors such as differences in physical activity and levels of air pollution were accounted for, but the link between better lung function and increased exposure to vegetated areas persisted.



“We looked at factors like physical activity and air pollution, but the link between lung function and moving closer to green space remained, even after we took these into account,” said Dr Almeida. “It could also be that getting closer to nature reduces stress, which can improve physical health, or it might have a positive effect on children’s microbiomes – the community of different bacteria that live in our bodies.”



“We found that living in greener neighborhoods as children grow up is more important for their breathing than living in a green area when they were born. This may be because babies spend much less time outdoors than children.”



During this study, the researchers also assessed whether there was a link between children’s lung health and the proximity of their homes to rivers and the sea – so-called ‘blue space’. They made use the Portuguese Water Atlas (from the Portuguese “Atlas da Água”) to assess the distance between each child’s residence and the nearest blue space. The researchers found no link with children’s lung health, although it must be noted that less than one percent of the children in the study lived within 800m of any blue space.&nbsp;



"This research strengthens the evidence supporting the benefits of green spaces on respiratory health. Moving to greener areas may be a possible strategy to improve children’s lung function. However, house prices often dictate where families live, any many cannot afford to live in greener neighborhoods," said Dr. Almeida.



"To reduce health inequalities, we need to make our cities greener, especially in areas where there is little or no green space. In particular, we need to involve children and their carers to make sure our parks and gardens suit their needs.”



The researchers will continue to study the role of green and blue spaces in other areas of children’s health. They are also using focus groups to understand how and why green spaces are used by younger people.



“We know that early childhood is a crucial time for lungs to grow and develop, and that a child’s environment and the air they breathe can have an impact on their lung health for the rest of their life," said Professor Marielle Pijnenburg of the European Respiratory Society, who was not involved in the research.



"This study suggests that making sure our children grow up close to parks, gardens and green spaces could help improve their lung health, although as the authors said the mechanisms for this are unknown and may be complex. This finding contributes to a growing number of studies that show health benefits of making our neighborhoods greener and healthier.”



The research is published in the <a href="https://erj.ersjournals.com/">European Respiratory Journal</a>.



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

Green spaces are beneficial for children’s lung health

Many previous studies have shown that exposure to vegetated areas...

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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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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

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