Imagine listening to your favorite song and seeing bursts of color with each note. Or think of a number that tastes like your favorite candy. For individuals with synesthesia, these experiences are not mere flights of fantasy, but their everyday reality.



They inhabit a sensory wonderland where sight meets sound, taste intertwines with touch, and their brain functions as a gifted maestro, skillfully orchestrating this magnificent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-sense-of-smell-can-change-the-colors-we-see/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">symphony of senses</a>.



Each moment becomes an intricate tapestry woven from the threads of their heightened perceptions, allowing them to experience the world in ways that most can only dream of.



Colors resonate with sounds, flavors burst into visual patterns, and the beauty of life unfolds in a brilliant kaleidoscope of sensations that enriches their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-digital-technology-influence-our-sense-of-self/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">understanding of existence</a> itself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-one-size-of-synesthesia-does-not-fit-all">One size of synesthesia does not fit all</h2>



Synesthesia, unlike most conditions, is charmingly varied. Synesthesia isn’t a one-size-fits-all condition. It <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24995-synesthesia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">comes in various forms</a>, each with its own intriguing twist:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Grapheme-Color Synesthesia: Ever noticed letters or numbers seem to carry specific colors? For instance, the letter "A" might always appear red to you. </li>



<li>Chromesthesia: This type links sounds to colors. A particular musical note or voice might evoke shades like blue or green. </li>



<li>Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia: Words or sounds trigger taste sensations. Hearing someone’s name could make you taste chocolate. </li>



<li>Spatial Sequence Synesthesia: Numbers, dates, or sequences form visual patterns in your mind’s eye, like seeing months arranged in a circular layout around you. </li>



<li>Mirror-Touch Synesthesia: Feeling a similar sensation on your body when you see someone else being touched.</li>
</ul>



Each form offers a different lens through which synesthetes experience the world, making their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blinking-plays-crucial-role-vision-human-perception/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sensory interactions</a> uniquely personal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exactly-how-does-it-work">Exactly how does it work?</h2>



Where does this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emotions-sensory-perception-brain-fascinating-interplay/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sensory magic</a> come from? After all, most of us, the 'neurotypical' majority, live in a world where the senses operate independently.



Scientists think synesthesia happens because of extra connections between different areas of the brain, showcasing its amazing plasticity and adaptability. 



These additional neural links let one type of sensory input, like sound or color, trigger another, leading to the fascinating experiences that synesthetes often talk about.



Genetics also play a big role in synesthesia, as this interesting condition tends to run in families, hinting at a hereditary aspect. 



Research shows that people with synesthesia often have family members who also experience it, suggesting that genetic factors might help shape its development.



Plus, advanced studies using brain imaging techniques have found that people with synesthesia have structural differences in various brain regions that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/visual-perception-speed-varies-greatly-among-humans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">process sensory info</a>. 



These differences might include variations in the density of neural pathways or the size of certain brain areas, helping to explain why their brains create these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-perception-we-see-the-world-based-on-what-we-expect-to-see/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unique sensory experiences</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-synesthesia-as-a-blessing-and-a-curse">Synesthesia as a blessing and a curse</h2>



For many people with synesthesia, it’s not just a quirky condition -- it’s a fantastic source of creativity and better memory. 



Artists, musicians, and writers often find inspiration in their synesthetic experiences, using their unique perceptions to create rich and multidimensional work. 



Picture a musician who sees colors while composing tunes or a painter who hears sounds as vibrant shades. These mixed senses can lead to art that connects on multiple levels, providing a depth that others might miss.



But living with synesthesia can be a bit tricky sometimes. Some folks feel overwhelmed by their perceptions, especially in busy, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-the-human-nose-perceives-the-scent-that-lingers-after-rain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sensory-filled environments</a>. 



Balancing these heightened experiences can be tough, affecting how synesthetes go about their daily lives. Still, many embrace their unique way of seeing the world, finding strength and inspiration in their sensory connections.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-well-known-people-with-synesthesia">Well known people with synesthesia</h2>



Several beloved figures from history have worn their synesthetic experiences proudly.



Renowned author Vladimir Nabokov associated each alphabet and numeral with a unique hue that ultimately seeped into his evocative literary descriptions.



The abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky had a colorful symphony playing in his mind, which found expression in his rhythm-filled paintings.



Today, musician Pharrell Williams blends colors and sounds to create his exuberant music.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-common-is-it">How common is it?</h2>



Synesthesia affects around 4% of people, but that number could actually be higher since some experiences are pretty subtle and might go unnoticed. 



It shows up in all genders and cultures, though certain types may pop up more in specific groups.



There’s such a wide variety of synesthetic experiences that while some are famous, others are still pretty rare and not as well understood. 



This variety really highlights how complex synesthesia is and how important it is to keep researching its many aspects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-living-the-synesthetic-life">Living the synesthetic life</h2>



Synesthetes experience a range of reactions towards their condition, some embrace it while others grapple with it. 



For those who experience it, synesthesia shapes normal daily life in both good and bad ways. 



It boosts creativity and memory, helping synesthetes shine in art and intellectual pursuits. Their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aphantasia-research-results-people-who-cant-visualize-information/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">unique way of experiencing the world</a> makes learning and creating more vivid and fun.



On the flip side, having senses constantly interacting can feel a bit overwhelming, especially in busy or noisy places. 



Many synesthetes find ways to manage sensory overload, balancing their heightened experiences with everyday demands. 



This balance affects how they connect with the world, influencing everything from personal relationships to work life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-synesthesia-teaches-us">What synesthesia teaches us</h2>



To sum it all up, synesthesia and synesthetes give us a rare glimpse into the brain’s amazing ability to connect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parasomnia-awake-dream-exploring-sleepwalking-deep-mind/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">different sensory inputs</a>, showing us that there is no single way to perceive reality. The synesthetic blending of senses can help us understand how our own brain interprets the world.



In addition, studying synesthesia gives us a peek into the incredible world of sensory fusion. It helps us appreciate the diversity of human perception and the nuanced neurological choreography that shapes our reality.



Irrespective of whether you are a synesthete or just fascinated by the human mind, synesthesia reminds us of the richness and complexity of our sensory experiences.



-----



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Synesthesia: How some people taste words and see music in color

Imagine listening to your favorite song and seeing bursts of color with each note. Or think of a number that tastes like your favorite candy. For individuals with synesthesia, these experiences are not mere flights of fantasy, but their everyday reality. They inhabit a sensory wonderland where sight meets sound, taste intertwines with touch, and their brain functions as a gifted maestro, skillfully orchestrating this magnificent symphony of senses. Each moment becomes an intricate tapestry woven from the threads of their heightened perceptions, allowing them to experience...

Engaging in daily chores around the house may be beneficial to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/soundscapes-of-national-parks-linked-to-striking-health-benefits/">cognitive health</a>. In a recent study, researchers discovered that older adults who spent more time on household chores showed greater brain size.

Study lead author Noah Koblinsky is an exercise physiologist and project coordinator in the Rotman Research Institute (RRI) at <a href="https://www.baycrest.org/">Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care</a>. 

"Scientists already know that exercise has a positive impact on the brain, but our study is the first to show that the same may be true for household chores," said Koblinsky.

"Understanding how different forms of physical activity contribute to brain health is crucial for developing strategies to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults."

The researchers examined the potential links between household chores, brain volume, and cognition among 66 older adults. The study involved three assessments at Baycrest Hospital, including a health evaluation, structural brain imaging, and a cognitive assessment.

The participants reported on how much time they spent on household chores, such as tidying, dusting, meal preparation, shopping, heavy housework, yard work, home repairs, and caregiving.

The analysis revealed that older adults who spent more time busy with household chores had greater brain volume, regardless of exercise. 

The boost in brain volume was observed in two critical brain regions: the hippocampus, which plays a major role in memory and learning; and in the frontal lobe, which is involved in many aspects of cognition.

While it is possible that individuals with bigger brains are simply drawn to household chores, there are other explanations for the link between brain size and household physical activity.

First off, heart health is closely tied to brain health. It could be that household chores have a similar effect on the heart and blood vessels as low-intensity aerobic exercise, according to the researchers.

In addition, the planning and organization involved in household chores may promote the formation of new neural connections over time, even as we age.

Furthermore, older adults who engage in more household chores are spending less time being sedentary and more time staying active. Sedentary behavior has been tied to poor brain health.

"Besides helping to guide physical activity recommendations for older adults, these findings may also motivate them to be more active, since household chores are a natural and often necessary aspect of many people's daily lives, and therefore appear more attainable," said Dr. Nicole Anderson.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/">BMC Geriatrics</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Household chores can improve brain health in older adults

Engaging in daily chores around the house may be beneficial...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.escardio.org/">European Society of Cardiology</a> has confirmed the link between red meat and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/work-stress-and-social-strain-raise-risk-of-heart-disease-in-women/">heart</a> disease.  

The researchers found that greater consumption of red and processed meat is associated with poor heart function and stiff arteries, as well as other markers of cardiovascular disease. 

"Previous studies have shown links between greater red meat consumption and increased risk of heart attacks or dying from heart disease," said study lead author Dr. Zahra Raisi-Estabragh of Queen Mary University of London. 

"For the first time, we examined the relationships between meat consumption and imaging measures of heart health. This may help us to understand the mechanisms underlying the previously observed connections with cardiovascular disease."

The study involved nearly 20,000 participants in the UK Biobank, who reported on their intake of red and processed meat. The researchers analyzed three types of heart measures.

The experts determined that greater intake of red and processed meat was associated with worse heart health across all measures. Individuals who reported eating meat frequently were found to have smaller ventricles, poorer heart function, and stiffer arteries.

By contrast, higher consumption of oily fish was linked to significantly better heart health. As the amount of oily fish intake increased, heart function improved and the arterial stiffness was reversed to some degree.

"The findings support prior observations linking red and processed meat consumption with heart disease and provide unique insights into links with heart and vascular structure and function," said Dr. Raisi-Estabragh.

According to the researchers, the associations between heart health and meat intake were partially explained by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity.

"It has been suggested that these factors could be the reason for the observed relationship between meat and heart disease," said Dr. Raisi-Estabragh. 

"For example, it is possible that greater red meat intake leads to raised blood cholesterol and this in turn causes heart disease. Our study suggests that these four factors do play a role in the links between meat intake and heart health, but they are not the full story."

Dr. Raisi-Estabragh noted that the study did not look into alternative mechanisms. "There is some evidence that red meat alters the gut microbiome, leading to higher levels of certain metabolites in the blood, which have in turn been linked to greater risk of heart disease."

"This was an observational study and causation cannot be assumed. But in general, it seems sensible to limit intake of red and processed meat for heart health reasons."

The research was presented at ESC Preventive 2021.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Red meat consumption linked with poorer heart function

A new study from the European Society of Cardiology has...

In a new study from the <a href="http://www.ugr.es/en">University of Granada</a>, experts have shown that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neighborhood-green-space-linked-to-lower-rates-of-smoking/">smoking</a> cannabis significantly impairs vision in more ways than one. At the same time, the researchers found that more than 90 percent of cannabis users believe that it has only a slight effect on their vision, if any. 

The team set out to investigate the visual effects of smoking cannabis compared to the effects that are perceived by the users themselves.

The study revealed that some of the key visual functions that are altered by cannabis are visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, the ability to focus, and glare sensitivity.

"Although visual acuity is the most widely used test to assess the state of visual function, there are other metrics that have been demonstrated to be more important for certain everyday tasks, for example, driving or reading. One of these is contrast sensitivity, and our results have shown that this parameter is significantly worse after smoking cannabis,' wrote the study authors. 

Study lead author Sonia Ortiz Peregrina explained that cannabis use is on the rise even though it is an illegal drug. According to a national survey conducted in Spain, cannabis use has increased since 2011, with 37 percent of Spanish adults having used the drug at some point.

The experts conducted exhaustive visual trials while the participants were under the influence of marijuana, and also while they were not. 

The results of the tests confirmed that visual functions like focus and contrast sensitivity were significantly worsened following consumption. Despite the results, 30 percent of the participants did not believe their vision had suffered at all, and 65 percent said it had worsened only slightly.

"According to the questionnaires we gave to the participants, about two thirds are aware of the negative effect of cannabis on their visual function, although very few indicate that it affects them to any great extent. There is a widespread belief that cannabis is a soft drug and that it even has positive effects at the brain level," wrote the researchers.

The lack of awareness that individuals presented about the visual impairment caused by smoking cannabis indicates that public health campaigns may be necessary. 

"Our results could help generate a better understanding of the visual changes related to cannabis use and their implications for everyday tasks, raising awareness among users of the risks involved consuming this drug," concluded the researchers.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Smoking cannabis can cause visual impairment

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

A team of researchers at <a href="https://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a> surveyed more than 1,600 individuals to investigate how their mental health, physical activity, and sedentary behavior were affected by the COVID-19 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preserving-nature-is-key-for-preventing-future-pandemics/">pandemic</a>.

The experts discovered that mental health issues served as a barrier to physical activity by blocking the motivation to exercise among people who could have benefited the most. 

The researchers explained that people wanted to be active to improve their mental health but found it difficult to exercise due to stress and anxiety.

"Maintaining a regular exercise program is difficult at the best of times and the conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic may be making it even more difficult," said study last author Jennifer Heisz.

"Even though exercise comes with the promise of reducing anxiety, many respondents felt too anxious to exercise. Likewise, although exercise reduces depression, respondents who were more depressed were less motivated to get active, and lack of motivation is a symptom of depression."

The survey respondents reported higher psychological stress and moderate levels of anxiety and depression triggered by the pandemic. 

Meanwhile, compared to six months prior to the pandemic, aerobic activity was down by about 20 minutes per week and sedentary time was up by about 30 minutes per day.

Individuals who reported the biggest drops in physical activity also experienced the worst mental health outcomes, noted the researchers, while respondents who maintained their physical activity levels fared much better mentally.

The study revealed that economic disparities also had a significant effect on mental health, particularly among young adults.

"Just like other aspects of the pandemic, some demographics are hit harder than others and here it is people with lower income who are struggling to meet their physical activity goals," said study co-lead author Maryam Marashi.

"It is plausible that younger adults who typically work longer hours and earn less are lacking both time and space which is taking a toll."

The experts have designed an evidence-based toolkit which includes the following advice to get active: some exercise is better than none, move a little every day, and lower the intensity of exercise when you are feeling anxious.

"Our results point to the need for additional psychological support to help people maintain their physical activity levels during stressful times in order to minimize the burden of the pandemic and prevent the development of a mental health crisis," said Heisz.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mental health issues can block motivation for exercise

A team of researchers at McMaster University surveyed more than...

Ants respond to social isolation in similar ways as humans and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-ocean-mammals-are-recovering-others-are-not/">mammals</a>, according to a new study. The researchers found that ants who endured social isolation exhibited behavioral differences, such as letting themselves go.

The experts were particularly surprised to find that immune and stress genes became less active in the brains of the isolated ants. 

"This makes the immune system less efficient, a phenomenon that is also apparent in socially isolating humans - notably at present during the COVID-19 crisis," explainedp study co-author Professor Susanne Foitzik of <a href="https://www.uni-mainz.de/eng/">Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz</a> (JGU). 

Social mammals like humans experience stress as a result of isolation, which has a negative impact on well-being and physical health. 

"Isolated people become lonely, depressed, and anxious, develop addictions more easily, and suffer from a weakened immune system and impaired overall health," said study lead author Professor Inon Scharf.

The effects of social isolation have been widely investigated among mice and humans but little is known about how insects cope. This is surprising because insects such as ants like in highly evolved social systems.

For their entire lives, ants participate as members of the same colony and are dependent on the other group members. Worker ants give up their own reproductive potential and dedicate themselves to responsibilities like feeding the larvae, cleaning and defending the nest, and searching for food.

The current study was focused on the effects of social isolation among ants of the German species Temnothorax nylanderi. These ants live on the forest floor in cavities in acorns and sticks, with colonies of a few dozen workers. 

The researchers removed young workers from 14 colonies and kept them in isolation for varying lengths of time, ranging from one hour to a maximum of 28 days. 

The experts found that after isolation, the workers were less interested in their adult colony mates and spent less time grooming themselves. On the other hand, the amount of time they spent in brood contact increased.

"This reduction in hygienic behavior may make the ants more susceptible to parasites, but it is also a feature typical of social deprivation in other social organisms," explained Professor Susanne Foitzik.

The study revealed significant changes in the behaviors of the isolated insects, but the most striking findings that were found were changes in gene activity. Many genes related to immune system function and stress response became less active after social isolation.

"This finding is consistent with studies on other social animals that demonstrated a weakening of the immune system after isolation," said Professor Scharf.

"Our study shows that ants are as affected by isolation as social mammals are and suggests a general link between social well-being, stress tolerance, and immunocompetence in social animals," said Professor Foitzik.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1365294x">Molecular Ecology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Social isolation affects ants in similar ways as humans

Ants respond to social isolation in similar ways as humans...

Work stress and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-ranking-male-baboons-age-faster/">social</a> strain put women at significantly greater risk of developing coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, according to a new study from <a href="https://drexel.edu/">Drexel University</a>. 

The research suggests that the stress of work demands, when compounded by social pressure, is associated with a 21 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease among women.

Specific high-stress life events were independently linked to greater heart disease risk, including the death of a spouse, divorce, social strain, and verbal or physical abuse.

The research was focused on data from 80,825 postmenopausal women who were included in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, which tracked participants from 1991 to 2015. The goal of the study was to find better methods of preventing cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis in women. 

For the current study, the Drexel team evaluated the effects of stress from job strain, difficult life events, social strain, and the associations among these forms of stress as contributors to coronary heart disease.

During the study period, nearly five percent of the women developed coronary heart disease. The combination of work stress and social strain was found to induce the greatest risk.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted ongoing stresses for women in balancing paid work and social stressors. We know from other studies that work strain may play a role in developing CHD, but now we can better pinpoint the combined impact of stress at work and at home on these poor health outcomes," said study senior author Professor Yvonne Michael. 

"My hope is that these findings are a call for better methods of monitoring stress in the workplace and remind us of the dual-burden working women face as a result of their unpaid work as caregivers at home."

The study authors noted that future studies should look at the effects of shift work on coronary heart disease and explore the effects of job demands according to gender.

"Our findings are a critical reminder to women, and those who care about them, that the threat of stress to human health should not go ignored," said study lead author Dr. Conglong Wang. "This is particularly pertinent during the stressors caused by a pandemic."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/jaha">Journal of the American Heart Association</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Work stress and social strain raise risk of heart disease in women

Work stress and social strain put women at significantly greater...

Male baboons who achieve a high social rank do not live as long as males with lower social status, according to a new study from <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a>. The experts found <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/epigenetic-passed-future-generations/">epigenetic</a> marks associated with a struggle for dominance that speed up aging.

Using blood samples collected from 245 wild baboons in Kenya, the researchers examined chemical genetic modifications known as DNA methylation marks.

"Environmental stressors can make the clock tick faster, so that some individuals appear biologically older than their actual age and experience a higher risk of age-related disease," explained study co-first author Jordan Anderson.

"We sought to answer what social or early life experiences contribute to accelerated aging in baboons."

Methylation marks are found throughout the entire genome. The team measured about 400,000 of these sites and then narrowed that number down to about 500 sites which best predicted age.

Surprisingly, adversity in early life did not affect the rate of aging among male baboons. The strongest relevant factor was found to be social status. 

"Male baboons who compete successfully for high social status appear to age faster," said study senior author Professor Jenny Tung. "We repeatedly sampled some of these males and were able to show that the clock can speed up or slow down as males move up or down the social ladder."

Higher body mass index, which is associated with having more lean muscle mass in baboons, was also associated with accelerated aging. This is likely because of the physical demands that come along with maintaining high social status. 

The researchers found that aging speeds up as the animals climb the social ladder. By contrast, if a male drops in social status, there is a corresponding drop in his rate of aging.

The study authors explained that the reason the baboons work so hard to achieve a high-stress social status is for the sake of having offspring.

"If male baboons are going to have babies, they need to achieve high rank," said Professor Tung. "They will have very little chance to leave offspring if they don't achieve high rank, which creates a powerful evolutionary motivation."

"While the findings reveal how social pressures can influence aging for males, we don't see the same effect of rank in female baboons, who are born into their social rank rather than having to fight for it."

"Our results have important implications for research on the social determinants of health in humans and other animals because they show that 'high status' can mean very different things in different contexts. They also highlight the importance of examining the effects of both early life and current life environments on biological aging."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://elifesciences.org/">eLife</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Male baboons age faster as they climb the social ladder

Male baboons who achieve a high social rank do not...

Animals are able to create their own cultures just like humans, according to a study led by Professor Andrew Whiten at the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St. Andrews</a>. The research suggests that animals pick up cultural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/beluga-whales-prioritize-family/">traditions</a> from their parents.

“The all-pervading cultural nature of our species was long thought to define what it is to be human, separating us from the rest of the natural world and the evolutionary processes that shape it," said Professor Whiten.

“Other species were thought to live by instinct and some ability to learn, but only humans had culture. Over recent decades, a rapidly growing body of research has increasingly revealed a very different picture.”

Professor Whiten argues that if culture is seen as traditions that are passed on by learning from others, culture is far from unique to humans. In this case, there is evidence of culture among a growing variety of animals, including mammals, fish, birds, and insects.

According to the study, examples of animal culture range from a group of chimpanzees that have a tradition of wearing a blade of grass in one ear to female fruit flies that copy the mate preferences of other females. 

“Culture even pervades animals’ lifetimes, from infancy to adulthood. The young of many species may first learn much from their parents, but increasingly learn from the different skills of others (as we humans do), even coming to focus on those in their group who display the greatest expertise, for example in using tools," explained Professor Whiten.

“Learning from others continues to be important into adulthood. Monkeys and apes dispersing as adults into new groups, avoiding inbreeding, have been found to adopt local habits different to those back home - ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’ appears a useful rule of what can be learned from the locals in an environment new to these animal immigrants.”

Professor Whiten said it must be recognized that culture is not a uniquely human capacity that emerged out of the blue, but that it has deep evolutionary roots. 

"Recognition of such practical implications of the reach of animal culture, along with implications for the broad range of scientific disciplines, should help assure a bright future for researchers in this field," said Professor Whiten.

"A new generation of scientists will now surely pursue the wider reaches of culture in animals’ lives, aided by the substantial armoury of methodological advances developed over the past two decades."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.   

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans are not the only animals that create their own culture

Animals are able to create their own cultures just like...

Fiber is an essential <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/arctic-ground-squirrels-recycle-their-own-nutrients-during-hibernation/">nutrient</a> that has been linked to weight loss, healthy blood sugar levels, and lower cholesterol. Now, in a new study from the <a href="https://www.unicamp.br/unicamp/english">University of Campinas</a> in Brazil, researchers have found evidence that fiber may also play an important role in controlling the inflammation associated with COVID-19.

The experts report that compounds produced by gut microbiota during the fermentation of insoluble fiber have the potential to limit the severity of COVID-19. These compounds were found to reduce the expression of a gene that plays a key role in viral cell entry and a cytokine receptor that favors inflammation.

Meanwhile, the molecules did not affect the ability of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 to enter and replicate in cells lining the intestines. 

As many as half of all COVID-19 patients experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain. These symptoms have been detected in 17.6 percent of severe cases, and are partly associated with viral entry into intestinal cells that alters their normal functions.

Furthermore, recent studies have found evidence of major changes in the gut microbiota of COVID-19 patients, including a decrease in levels of bacteria that secrete short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by fermenting dietary fiber. These fatty acids are important to colon health and to maintaining the integrity of the intestinal barrier.

The researchers set out to investigate whether SFCAs directly influence the infection of intestinal cells by SARS-CoV-2. 

“In earlier research, we found in animals that compounds produced by gut microbiota help protect the organism against respiratory infection," said Patrícia Brito Rodrigues.

"The model used there was respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis and frequently infects children. Similar results have been obtained by other research groups in studies of different respiratory diseases."

For the current study, healthy colon tissue and epithelial cells were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the lab and subjected to a battery of tests.

“Viral load wasn’t reduced and was the same in cells and tissue treated with SCFAs and in untreated samples," explained Professor Raquel Franco Leal. "However, treated intestinal biopsy samples displayed a significant decrease in expression of the gene DDX58 (an innate immune system receptor that detects viral nucleic acids and activates a signaling cascade that results in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines) and the interferon-lambda receptor, which mediates antiviral activity."

"There was also a decrease in expression of the protein TMPRSS2, which is important to viral cell entry."

Tissue and cell samples were treated with a mixture of compounds that are produced by gut microbiota during the metabolization of the SCFAs present in dietary fiber. The treatments did not alter viral load in colon biopsies or cells, and there were no changes in cell wall permeability and integrity.

“That doesn’t exclude the possibility of significant action by SCFAs on infection by SARS-CoV-2. The antiviral effects could depend on interaction with other cells in the organism,” explained Rodrigues. 

“We’ll continue our investigation in animal models since the action of these compounds on the infection could depend on a more complete system than the samples we used in vitro (isolated cells and tissues).”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/kgmi20/current">Gut Microbes</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

Fiber may help control inflammation in COVID-19 patients

Fiber is an essential nutrient that has been linked to...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.nd.edu/">University of Notre Dame</a> has revealed that formal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/higher-educational-status-linked-to-healthier-diet/">education</a> does not consistently lead to greater job satisfaction. In fact, there is almost no correlation between the two, according to the researchers.

"Our study shows people who have invested in formal education do not tend to be more satisfied in their jobs," said study co-author Professor Brittany Solomon. 

"We found that better-educated individuals do enjoy greater job-related resources including income, job autonomy and variety. But they also endure longer work hours and increased job pressure, intensity and urgency." 

"On average, these demands are associated with increased stress and decreased job satisfaction, largely offsetting the positive gains associated with greater resources."

The researchers determined that the association between education and job satisfaction was more likely to be negative among women, yet less negative among individuals who are self-employed. 

"Women still face workplace adversity that can undermine the positive returns on their educational investment," said Professor Solomon. "This dynamic is particularly important given the reversal of the gender gap in education, with more women completing higher education than men."

"We explored the notion that the education-job satisfaction link is negative and stronger for women and discovered that, compared to their highly educated male counterparts, highly educated women experience more stress at work and lower job satisfaction."

The experts noted that self-employment offers considerable flexibility to organize one's schedule, choose the work content, and to decide how to respond to job demands.

"We found that, compared to their wage-employed counterparts, those in self-employment seem to be more insulated from the adverse effects of education on job stress and satisfaction," explained Professor Solomon. "We believe illuminating this boundary condition is notable for the educated and organizations that value and want to retain their educated employees."

The researchers do not advise skipping higher education in an effort to achieve greater job satisfaction, but instead recommend a realistic calculation of the trade-offs of specific working conditions, including the associated stress.

"Balancing those conditions that lead to both stress and job satisfaction may help workers recalibrate their values and ultimately make decisions that suit their priorities," said Professor Solomon. "Leaders may also consider better ways to manage the greater demands encountered by their highly educated employees so that exploiting an organization's greatest human capital does not backfire. For example, by removing incentives for employees to take on excessive work hours, organizations can avoid inadvertently pressuring employees to incur stress that undermines job satisfaction."

"Many people pursue higher education to get a better job on paper, not realizing that this 'better job' isn't actually better due to the unanticipated effects of demands and stress over time," Solomon said. "It's good for people to be realistic about the career paths they pursue and what they ultimately value."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/apl">Journal of Applied Psychology</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

Formal education is not linked to greater job satisfaction

A new study from the University of Notre Dame has...

Regular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-increases-blood-flow-to-the-brain/">exercise</a> is linked to better sleep, and a new study reveals that sleep quality is even improved when the beneficial effects are not obvious. 

Experts at the <a href="https://www.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/">University of Tsukuba</a> have found that vigorous exercise is associated with improvement across various sleep parameters without a perceivable change in sleep quality.

Exercise is known to improve overall sleep quality by reducing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. Physical activity also boosts the amount of time spent in deep sleep, which is the most essential stage of sleep for feeling rested and staying healthy.

However, previous studies have produced contradictory results on the link between exercise and sleep. To address these inconsistencies, the Tsukuba took a new approach. The researchers used the coefficient of variation of the envelope (CVE), a computational method for analyzing brain signals.

"CVE is a novel tool for quantifying sleep depth according to the characteristics of brain oscillations," said study senior author Professor Kaspar E. Vogt. "We wanted to use it to determine whether exercise would improve or decrease sleep quality, in addition to determining whether short bouts of exercise could exert a lasting effect on metabolic state."

The study was designed to evaluate the effects of 60 minutes of vigorous exercise on sleep among healthy young men.

"The results were surprising," said the study authors. "We found that exercise improved the quality of sleep as measured using objective techniques, while the participants reported no change in the quality of their sleep."

According to the researchers, one explanation could be that the benefits of enhanced sleep quality were countered by an increase in stress and muscle soreness, because the participants were not accustomed to vigorous exercise.

"The results of the subjective evaluations of sleep quality indicate that regular moderate exercise may be more beneficial for perceived sleep quality than occasional vigorous exercise, which might not have a subjective effect despite objective improvements in sleep," explained Professor Vogt.

The findings indicate that sleep structure is greatly improved by exercise, and could potentially be applied in the development of new treatments for various sleep disorders.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</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

Exercise improves sleep quality in undetectable ways

Regular exercise is linked to better sleep, and a new...

A cup of leafy green vegetables a day improves muscle strength, regardless of physical activity, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.ecu.edu.au/">Edith Cowan University</a> (ECU). The researchers found that people who consumed a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-diet-lowers-the-overall-risk-of-stroke/">diet</a> rich in nitrates, mainly from vegetables, had significantly better muscle function.

The investigation was focused on data from more than 3,700 participants Melbourne's Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute AusDiab study. Individuals with the highest nitrate consumption had 11 percent stronger lower limb strength compared to those with the lowest nitrate intake. 

Study lead author Dr. Marc Sim said the findings reveal important evidence for the role diet plays in overall health.

"Our study has shown that diets high in nitrate-rich vegetables may bolster your muscle strength independently of any physical activity," said Dr. Sim.

"Nevertheless, to optimise muscle function we propose that a balanced diet rich in green leafy vegetables in combination with regular exercise, including weight training, is ideal."

Muscle function is critical for maintaining good overall health, especially bone strength later in life.

"With around one in three Australians aged over 65 suffering a fall each year, it's important to find ways of preventing these events and their potentially serious consequences."

Dr. Sim noted that while leafy green vegetables may be some of our least favorite, they could be the most important. The greatest health benefits were linked to lettuce, spinach, kale and beetroot.

"Less than one in ten Australians eat the recommended five to six serves of vegetables per day," said Dr. Sim.

"We should be eating a variety of vegetables every day, with at least one of those serves being leafy greens to gain a range of positive health benefits for the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system."

"It's also better to eat nitrate-rich vegetables as part of a healthy diet rather than taking supplements. Green leafy vegetables provide a whole range of essential vitamins and minerals critical for health."

Dr. Sim said the next step of his research will be exploring strategies to increase leafy green vegetable consumption in the general population.

"We are currently recruiting for the MODEL Study, which examines how knowledge of disease can be used to prompt people in making long-term improvements to their diet and exercise."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn">Journal of Nutrition</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Leafy green vegetables improve muscle strength

A cup of leafy green vegetables a day improves muscle...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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



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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

[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

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...