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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Cannabis use during pregnancy rewires the fetal brain

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

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/edrv/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1210/endrev/bnab027/6371193?redirectedFrom=fulltext">Endocrine Reviews</a> has found that time-restricted eating, or intermittent fasting, is an excellent method for the prevention and management of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/obesity-and-high-fat-diets-may-contribute-to-hair-loss/">obesity</a>, cardiometabolic diseases, or liver diseases. It can also improve sleep patterns and quality of life in general.



Intermittent fasting, or eating within a consistent window of eight to ten hours each day, is a popular dietary trend that has often been used in order to lose weight.&nbsp;



A research team led by the <a href="https://www.salk.edu/">Salk Institute for Biological Studies</a> has discovered that this method also appears to be a very powerful strategy to prevent and manage a whole range of chronic diseases, including diabetes or cardiovascular diseases.&nbsp;



Study lead author Satchidananda Panda is a professor at the Salk Institute who explores the genes, molecules, and cells that are involved in circadian rhythms.



“People who are trying to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle should pay more attention to when&nbsp;they eat&nbsp;as&nbsp;well as&nbsp;what&nbsp;they eat.&nbsp;Time-restricted eating&nbsp;is an easy-to-follow&nbsp;and effective&nbsp;dietary strategy that requires less mental math than counting calories. Intermittent fasting can improve sleep and a person’s quality of life as well as reduce&nbsp;the&nbsp;risk&nbsp;of&nbsp;obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” said Professor Panda.



The researchers confirmed that the expression of genes, hormone levels, and metabolic processes in general rise and fall during different times of the day. Thus, aligning our daily eating schedules with our bodies’ internal clocks can significantly improve health and reduce the possibility of developing chronic diseases. 



Moreover, <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.120.318155">previous studies</a> have also found that intermittent fasting can reduce hypertension by reshaping the composition of the gut microbiota.



“Eating at random times breaks the synchrony of our internal program and make us prone to diseases,” explained Professor Panda. "Intermittent fasting is a lifestyle that anyone can adopt. It can help eliminate health disparities and lets everyone live a healthy and fulfilling life."



---



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

Intermittent fasting improves health

A new study published in the journal Endocrine Reviews has...

In a new study led by the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a>, an international team of archaeologists and anthropologists described and contextualized the oldest pieces of jewelry yet discovered, dating back between 142,000 and 150,000 years ago: a set of 33 shell beads found in the Bizmoune Cave from southwest Morocco. Their appearance signals crucial developments in human cognition and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-support-can-protect-your-brain-health/">social</a> relations.&nbsp;



The beads were made from sea snail shells and measured roughly half an inch in length. Holes in their center and other signs of wear and tear indicate that they were hung from clothing or on strings. According to study lead author Steven L. Kuhn, a professor in the <a href="https://anthropology.arizona.edu/">School of Anthropology</a> at the University of Arizona, these beads are the earliest known evidence of a form of nonverbal human communication.&nbsp;



“They were probably part of the way people expressed their identity with their clothing,” he explained. “They show that it was present even hundreds of thousands of years ago, and that humans were interested in communicating to bigger groups of people than their immediate friends and family.”



These ancient beads are associated with the Aterian culture, a Middle and Late Paleolithic tool industry located in northern Africa. The Aterian people were among the first to use bows and arrows to hunt a large variety of animals, including gazelles, rhinoceros, warthogs, and wildebeests. The discovery of the jewelry that they also produced opens new questions regarding their cognitive and social structures.



According to Professor Kuhn, these ornamental pieces of material culture are clearly symbolic and were probably marks of group identity in a period when clans or other allegiances were developed in order to protect limited resources.&nbsp;



Rather than painting their bodies or faces in order to signify their social belonging, as earlier people did, the beads’ makers produced something more long-lasting, suggesting that the message they tried to convey was a very important one and that their sense of social identity was particularly strong.



Further research is needed to shed more light on the cognitive developments that prompted such behaviors and the social and cultural factors that sustained them.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abi8620#con1">Science Advances</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

The world’s oldest jewelry discovered in Morocco

In a new study led by the University of Arizona,...

Unhealthy,Food,,High,Fat,And,Carbs,Burger,And,Beer

Obesity is considered a world-wide epidemic and has been associated with many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insects-from-jamaica-transmit-diseases-to-florida-palm-trees/">diseases</a> in humans, including heart disease and diabetes. Despite this, the precise mechanisms whereby obesity effects organ dysfunction are not known.&nbsp;



In a recent article published in&nbsp;Nature, researchers from <a href="https://www.tmd.ac.jp/english/">Tokyo Medical and Dental University</a> (TMDU) identified a mechanism whereby genetically induced obesity or eating a high-fat diet can lead to hair thinning and loss in laboratory mice.&nbsp;



Hair follicles are tiny epithelial organs that grow hair, thanks to the action of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). These cells replenish themselves at the start of every new hair follicle cycle, which enables us to grow our hair back after it falls out naturally. Unfortunately, HFSCs become depleted as we age, which leads to miniaturization of hair follicles and consequent thinning of our hair.



The researchers from TDMU used mouse models to investigate whether genetically induced obesity and eating a high-fat diet accelerate hair loss, and to establish the molecular mechanisms involved.



The experts found that both obesity and eating a high-fat diet can lead to depletion of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and that these cells begin to differentiate into keratinized skin cells, rather than forming new hair follicles. This blocks hair follicle regeneration and ultimately results in the loss of hair follicles. Even when young mice are fed a high-fat diet for only four consecutive days, their HFSCs show increased oxidative stress and begin to exhibit abnormal differentiation into skin cells.&nbsp;



“High-fat diet [HFD] feeding accelerates hair thinning by depleting HFSCs that replenish mature cells that grow hair, especially in old mice,” explained study lead author Hironobu Morinaga. “We compared the gene expression in HFSCs between HFD-fed mice and standard diet-fed mice and traced the fate of those HFSCs after their activation.”



“We found that those HFSCs in HFD-fed obesed mice change their fate into the skin surface corneocytes or sebocytes that secrete sebum upon their activation. Those mice show faster hair loss and smaller hair follicles along with depletion of HFSCs.”&nbsp;



The data demonstrate that stem cell inflammatory signals induced by obesity robustly repress organ regeneration signals, thereby accelerating the miniaturization of the hair follicles.&nbsp;



“The gene expression in HFSCs from the high-fat-fed mice indicated the activation of inflammatory cytokine signaling within HFSCs,” explained senior author Emi K. Nishimura. “The inflammatory signals in HFSCs strikingly repress Sonic hedgehog signaling that plays a crucial role in hair follicle regeneration in HFSCs”.



The researchers also found that re-activation of the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway can reverse the depletion of HFSCs. “This could prevent the hair loss brought on by the high-fat diet,” said Nishimura. The discovery could lead to new methods for preventing and treating hair thinning as well to enhanced understanding of obesity-related diseases.



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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

Obesity and high-fat diets may contribute to hair loss

Obesity is considered a world-wide epidemic and has been associated...

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abd5186">Science Robotics</a> has found that socially interactive robots built to assist <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drawing-memory-retention-seniors/">seniors</a> with their daily living should be constructed as collaborative and peer-oriented rather than dominant and authoritative. This will maximize humans’ acceptance of their advice and assistance.&nbsp;



“When robots present themselves as human-like social&nbsp;agents, we tend to play along with that sense of humanity&nbsp;and treat them much like we would a&nbsp;person,” explained study&nbsp;lead author Shane&nbsp;Saunderson, a specialist in human-robot interaction at the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto.</a>&nbsp;



“But even simple tasks, like asking someone to take their medication, have a lot of social depth to them. If we want to put robots in those situations, we need to better understand the psychology of robot-human interactions.”&nbsp;



According to Saunderson and his team, in order to understand how to build better robots, scientists should first understand the concept of “authority” and how to incorporate it into their machines. The researchers found that this concept can be divided into two: formal authority and real authority.



“Formal authority comes from your role: if someone is your boss, your teacher or your parent, they have a certain amount of formal authority,” Saunderson explained. “Real authority has to do with&nbsp;the control of decisions, often for&nbsp;entities&nbsp;such as&nbsp;financial rewards or punishments.



Saunderson and his colleagues devised a humanoid robot named Pepper and used it to help 32 volunteer participants to complete a series of tests. For some subjects, Saunderson was presented a formal authority figure, with Pepper as a simple helper, while for others Pepper was introduced as the authoritative leader of the experiment.



The researchers discovered that Pepper was less persuasive when presented as a strong authoritative figure than when introduced as a peer helper. “Social robots are not commonplace today, and in North America at least, people&nbsp;lack both relationships and a sense of shared identity with robots. It might be hard for them to come to see them as a legitimate authority,” explained Saunderson.&nbsp;



Thus, the scientists concluded that in order to create positive experiences in contexts of human-robot interaction, robots should be constructed as peer-oriented and collaborative rather than dominant and authoritative.&nbsp;



“This ground-breaking research provides an understanding of how persuasive robots should be developed and deployed in everyday life, and how they should behave to help different demographics,&nbsp;including our vulnerable populations such as older adults,”&nbsp;concluded study co-author Goldie Nejat.&nbsp;



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

Friendly robots are more helpful than authoritative ones

A new study published in the journal Science Robotics has...

If as a child, your parents forced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/broccoli-and-cabbage-reduce-the-risk-of-heart-attack/">broccoli</a> on you against your will, you know that Brassica vegetables (including cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts) are often unloved. A new study from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> reveals the science behind why some kids are so repulsed by eating these vegetables.



The research shows that as the unwanted vegetable touches the tongue, a chemical reaction occurs. An enzyme that exists within the microbiome of some people’s saliva reacts with the plant, creating a sulfurous odor. Needless to say, this is unpleasant.&nbsp;



While previous research showed that adults have various levels of this enzyme within their mouths, the new study confirms that the same is true for children as well. Looking at the various levels of the enzyme, the scientists analyzed how this affects whether a child likes Brassica vegetables or not.



Using mass spectrometry, the scientists separated the active compounds causing the unpleasant taste reaction from steamed vegetables. Next, parent child pairs were tested for their reaction to the foul smelling compounds. The researchers mixed saliva with powdered cauliflower to see how much of the noxious chemical was produced by the interaction. There was great variability in how much of the smelly chemicals were produced by each saliva interaction.



Interestingly, in children, those whose saliva caused the worst reactions had the strongest dislike for Brassica vegetables. In adults, there was no cause and effect relationship between a dislike for Brassica and overactive saliva enzymes. The researchers also found that there was a lot in common between the saliva microbiome of a child and his or her parent.&nbsp;



The study has real world relevance because in most western countries, vegetable consumption is below daily recommendations. This health faux pas may be partially due to the microbes living in our mouths.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The research is published in the <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/jafcau">Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry</a>.



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

Kids' dislike for vegetables caused by microbes in the mouth

If as a child, your parents forced broccoli on you...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.rush.edu/">Rush University Medical Center</a> found that the MIND diet, a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets, significantly slows <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/colorful-foods-can-prevent-cognitive-decline/">cognitive</a> decline in older adults and improves their cognitive functioning. 



The MIND diet includes at least three servings of whole grains, a green leafy vegetable, and another vegetable of choice per day, washed away with a glass of wine, together with frequent nut snacks. It should also include regular consumption of beans (every two days), poultry and berries (twice per week), and fish (once per week.) A person following the MIND diet should significantly limit items such as butter, sweets, pastries, whole fat cheese, and fried or fast foods.



<a href="https://www.rush.edu/news/new-mind-diet-may-significantly-protect-against-alzheimers-disease">Previous studies</a> have already suggested that following a MIND diet can significantly protect against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. According to the new research, which is published in the <a href="https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad210107">Journal&nbsp;of Alzheimer’s Disease</a>, participants in a longitudinal study who moderately followed the MIND diet had increased cognitive functioning later in life.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Some people have enough plaques and tangles in their brains to have a postmortem diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, but they do not develop clinical dementia in their lifetime,” said study&nbsp;lead author Klodian Dhana, an assistant professor in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rushu.rush.edu/research/departmental-research/internal-medicine-research/geriatrics-gerontology-and-palliative-medicine-research">Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine</a> at&nbsp;Rush Medical College.&nbsp;



“Some have the ability to maintain cognitive function despite the accumulation of these pathologies in the brain, and our study suggests that the MIND diet is associated with better cognitive functions independently of brain pathologies related to Alzheimer’s disease.”



Participants from the&nbsp;ongoing <a href="https://www.rushu.rush.edu/research/departmental-research/memory-and-aging-project">Memory and Aging Project</a>, which has begun in 1997, were given a score according to how closely they followed the MIND diet and undertook annual evaluations and cognitive tests. The scientists found that participants with higher MIND diet scores performed significantly better at cognitive tests and showed less signs of cognitive decline as they grew older.&nbsp;



“We found that a higher MIND diet score was associated with better memory and thinking skills independently of Alzheimer's disease pathology and other common age-related brain pathologies. The diet seemed to have a protective capacity and may contribute to cognitive resilience in the elderly,” explained Professor Dhana.



“Diet changes can impact cognitive functioning and risk of dementia, for better or worse. There are fairly simple diet and lifestyle changes a person could make that may help to slow cognitive decline with aging, and contribute to brain health."



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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

The MIND diet slows cognitive decline

Researchers at the Rush University Medical Center found that the...

Men’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleeping-heart-disease-risk/">sleeping</a> patterns might be more powerfully influenced by the lunar cycle than women’s, according to a new study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721052992?via%3Dihub">Science of the Total Environment</a>. Researchers from <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University</a> found that men tend to sleep worse on nights during the first half of the lunar cycle.



For decades, scientists have struggled to understand whether any correlation between sleep patterns and the lunar cycle exists in humans. The results have been rather conflicting, with some studies finding strong correlations and others finding none.&nbsp;



Moreover, most previous studies faced a serious methodological problem: they did not control their analyses for variables that are known to have a significant impact on human sleep, such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea.



Led by Dr. Christian Benedict, an associate professor of Neuroscience at Uppsala, a team of researchers aimed to address these problems by adjusting their findings to chronic sleep problems such as insomnia or sleep apneas. Additionally, their study is the first to investigate sex-specific associations of the lunar cycle with sleep.&nbsp;



The lunar cycle can be described in terms of a waxing and waning period. During the waxing period, the amount of the illuminated moon surface as observed from the Earth increases, and the time when the moon passes a place’s meridian gradually shifts to late evening. By contrast, during the moon’s waning period, the illuminated moon surface decreases and the moment when the moon crosses a location’s meridian shifts to daytime.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"We used one-night at-home sleep recordings from 492 women and 360 men,” reported Dr. Benedict. “We found that men whose sleep was recorded during nights in the waxing period of the lunar cycle exhibited lower sleep efficiency and increased time awake after sleep onset compared to men whose sleep was measured during nights in the waning period. In contrast, the sleep of women remained largely unaffected by the lunar cycle. Our results were robust to adjustment for chronic sleep problems and obstructive sleep apnea severity.”&nbsp;



The experts think that the moon might impact sleep through the presence of the sunlight reflected by the moon at times when people usually go to sleep, and that the male brain could be more sensitive to ambient light than the female brain.



Dr. Benedict concluded that it is difficult to understand whether the association of sleep with the lunar cycle was causal or just correlative. Further research is needed to disentangle the peculiar relationship that exists between human sleep and the moon.&nbsp;



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

The moon disrupts sleep among men more than women

Men’s sleeping patterns might be more powerfully influenced by the...

A new study published in <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10902-021-00440-y">The Journal of Happiness Studies</a> has investigated the impact of fruit, vegetables and exercise on individual <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cuddling-with-dogs-can-improve-your-well-being/">well-being</a>. The experts found that fruit and vegetable consumption, along with physical activity, increase general life satisfaction.



While correlations between healthy lifestyles and well-being have previously been documented and used in public health campaigns advocating the value of healthier diets and exercise, this new study shows that there is also a positive causation between a healthy lifestyle and general wellbeing.&nbsp;



“There has been a bigger shift in recent years for healthier lifestyle choices. To establish that eating more fruit and vegetables and exercising can increase happiness as well as offer health benefits is a major development,” said study co-author Uma Kambhampati&nbsp;from the <a href="http://www.reading.ac.uk/">University of Reading</a>. “This may also prove useful for policy campaigns around environment and sustainability.”



The researchers argued that the capacity of individuals to delay gratification and apply self-control plays a fundamental role in influencing lifestyle decisions. This ability enables individuals to give greater weight to the investment component of their lifestyle, which might not always be pleasant, rather than merely the affective component, where desires are gratified immediately.&nbsp;



For example, many people engage in strenuous physical exercise as a long-term goal of increasing their wellbeing, instead of munching tasty fast foods on their couches to achieve instant gratification.&nbsp;



"Behavioral nudges that help the planning self to reinforce long-term objectives are likely to be especially helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” explained lead study author Dr. Adelina Gschwandtner, a senior lecturer at the University of Kent’s <a href="https://www.kent.ac.uk/economics">School of Economics</a>. “If a better lifestyle not only makes us healthier but also happier, then it is a clear win-win situation.”



Humans’ unique ability to invest in long-term goals of maintaining good health and well-being by consuming fruits and vegetables and engaging in sports activities is now proven to be also a source of mental well-being and thus overall life satisfaction.&nbsp;



Although men are generally shown to be more willing to exercise and women more prone towards healthy eating, both genders appear to be particularly good long-term planners, able to delay instant gratification in order to achieve later and more prolonged states of well-being and life satisfaction.



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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

Fruit, vegetables, and exercise can increase life satisfaction

A new study published in The Journal of Happiness Studies...

Failure to meet the recommended guidelines of seven or more hours of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-linked-to-quickly-deteriorating-mood-in-teens/">sleep</a> per night has been linked to unhealthy snacking. Experts in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">The Ohio State University</a> analyzed data on nearly 20,000 Americans and found that individuals who fall short of sleep recommendations eat more snacks that are high in carbohydrates, added sugar, and fat.



The results of the analysis show that the most preferred non-meal food categories - salty snacks and sweets - are the same among adults regardless of their sleep habits. However, individuals who sleep less tend to consume more snack calories in a day.



The study authors found that nighttime snacking is a habit among Americans that is tied to how much we sleep. “At night, we’re drinking our calories and eating a lot of convenience foods,” said study senior author Professor Christopher Taylor.



“Not only are we not sleeping when we stay up late, but we’re doing all these obesity-related behaviors: lack of physical activity, increased screen time, food choices that we’re consuming as snacks and not as meals. So it creates this bigger impact of meeting or not meeting sleep recommendations.”



“We know lack of sleep is linked to obesity from a broader scale, but it’s all these little behaviors that are anchored around how that happens."



The analysis showed that almost 96 percent of the subjects ate at least one snack a day. More than 50 percent of all snacking calories fell under two broad categories: soda and energy drinks; and chips, pretzels, cookies and pastries.&nbsp;



Overall, the participants who slept less than seven hours a night ate higher quantities of snacks with more calories and less nutritional value.



While there are many physiological factors involved in sleep’s relationship to health, Taylor said changing behavior by avoiding unhealthy snacking at night could help adults not only meet the sleep guidelines, but also improve their diet.



“Meeting sleep recommendations helps us meet that specific need for sleep related to our health, but is also tied to not doing the things that can harm health,” said Taylor.&nbsp;



“The longer we’re awake, the more opportunities we have to eat. And at night, those calories are coming from snacks and sweets. Every time we make those decisions, we’re introducing calories and items related to increased risk for chronic disease, and we’re not getting whole grains, fruits and vegetables."



“Even if you’re in bed and trying to fall asleep, at least you’re not in the kitchen eating – so if you can get yourself to bed, that’s a starting point.”



The study is published in the <a href="https://jandonline.org/">Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics</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

Lack of sleep leads to unhealthy snacking

Failure to meet the recommended guidelines of seven or more...

Stress is a normal and integral part of everyday modern life with many manifestations, whether in terms of sleepless nights, racing heartbeats, sweaty palms or “butterflies” in the stomach.&nbsp;



In conventional thinking, stress is something bad that should be avoided if possible. It has been linked to a range of illnesses, including heart disease, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/is-the-obesity-crisis-linked-to-the-use-of-a-common-pesticide/">obesity</a>, depression, cancer and diabetes. However, a new study finds that stress can be harnessed and put to use if we reframe our thoughts to see it as a challenge, rather than a threat.



Psychologists from the <a href="https://www.rochester.edu/">University of Rochester</a> hypothesize that reframing our perception of stress in terms of its functional benefits helps reduce the sense of threat and can make a positive difference to a person’s mental health and general wellbeing.&nbsp;



In their study, published recently in the <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/xge">Journal of Experimental Psychology</a>: General, the scientists randomly assigned 339 students from community college to stress reframing or to control conditions just before taking their second in-class exam. Those in the reframing group were trained to perceive stress as a useful tool rather than an obstacle. This training took the form of a standardized reading and writing exercise that highlighted the fact that stress responses have a function in enhancing performance, including the performance on academic tests.&nbsp;



“We use a type of ‘saying is believing’ approach whereby participants learn about the adaptive benefits of stress and they are prompted to write about how it can help them achieve,” says study lead author Professor <a href="http://www.sas.rochester.edu/psy/people/faculty/jamieson_jeremy/index.html">Jeremy Jamieson</a>, the principal investigator at Rochester's&nbsp;<a href="https://socialstresslab.wixsite.com/urochester">Social Stress Lab</a>.



The results showed that math students who had been trained to reframe their stress as a positive tool exhibited lower levels of test anxiety on a subsequent exam. In addition, they achieved better scores on the exam than the control group. Trained students reported procrastinating less during the learning process and also set themselves more positive goals – goals focused on achieving good outcomes (such as passing the test) rather than avoiding negative outcomes (like not failing the test).&nbsp;



During the typical stress response, the sympathetic nervous system is aroused and this leads to increased heartbeat and sweaty palms, among other physical changes. These changes prepare a person to respond to perceived danger by fighting or fleeing.&nbsp;



For example,&nbsp;a person who has to undergo a job interview might experience a racing heartbeat and interpret this as nervousness that could sabotage performance. If the person were to understand that the increased heart rate delivers extra oxygen to the brain and will therefore enhance intellectual performance, the stress response becomes an ally and not a foe.&nbsp;



During the experience of stress, several different hormones are released into the blood, some helpful and some not. The research team found that students who were trained to reframe their perception of stress had lower levels of cortisol, a catabolic hormone that breaks down body tissues. On the other hand, they also had higher levels of testosterone, an anabolic hormone that builds body mass and enhances performance and endurance. This hormonal change would help a student to perform at his or her peak.



When asked what advice they had for parents whose children felt stressed or anxious, the team responded that stress is a normal part of life and that parents should help their children learn to cope constructively with stress rather than try to protect them from it. Children have to go out of their comfort zones in order to grow, learn and succeed. They should be taught that struggles are part of life and that they can succeed at doing difficult things.&nbsp;



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

Look at stress as a challenge rather than a threat

Stress is a normal and integral part of everyday modern...

A collection of new studies published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a> explores how leveraging the diversity of aquatic food products (“blue foods”) in the following decades could mitigate malnutrition, increase global health, and lower the environmental footprint of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/supermarket-layout-influences-food-choice-and-diet/">food</a> system. These studies are the first in a series produced by the&nbsp;<a href="https://bluefood.earth/what-we-do/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Blue Food Assessment</a>&nbsp;(BFA), a group of over 100 experts aiming to assess the benefits of eating aquatic plants and animals.&nbsp;



“Few, if any, countries are developing their blue food sector to provide ecological, economic, and health benefits to its full potential,” said BFA co-chair Rosamond Naylor. “This assessment aims to provide the scientific foundation for decision-makers to evaluate trade-offs and implement solutions that will make blue foods an instrumental part of an improved food system from local to global scales.”



According to the experts, blue foods have more nutritional benefits than terrestrial animal-source foods. Compared to chicken, trout has 19 times more omega-3 fatty acids, oysters and mussels have 76 times more vitamin B-12 and five times more iron, and carps have none times more calcium.



Blue foods are also significantly more sustainable, with many aquatic species such as sardines, anchovies, bivalves, and seaweeds having environmental footprints lower than that of chicken - which represents the lowest impact of terrestrial meat.



“People are trying to make more informed choices about the food they eat, in particular the environmental footprint of their food,”&nbsp;explained Ben Halpern, a marine biologist from the <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara</a>.&nbsp;



Together with several colleagues, Halpern explored the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03889-2">environmental sustainability of blue foods</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00363-0">the opportunities for growth of small-scale producers</a>,&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00368-9">climate risks facing aquatic food systems</a>.&nbsp;



“For the first time we pulled together data from hundreds of studies on a wide range of seafood species to help answer that question. Blue foods stack up really well overall and provide a great option for sustainable food,” he added.



Currently, over 2,500 species of fish and aquatic plants are caught or cultivated for food, providing sustenance for more than one billion people. Researchers hope that in the following decades, blue foods will become even more important, providing not only a healthier food source, but also a more environmentally friendly one.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Blue Food Assessment group is led by Stanford University’s&nbsp;<a href="https://oceansolutions.stanford.edu/">Center for Ocean Solutions</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://fse.fsi.stanford.edu/">Center on Food Security and the Environment</a>, the&nbsp;Stockholm University’s <a href="https://www.stockholmresilience.org/">Resilience Centre</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://eatforum.org/">EAT</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

Blue foods are healthy and environmentally friendly

A collection of new studies published in the journal Nature...

In a new report from <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/">Cardiff University</a>, experts say that changing diets to tackle <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-people-are-increasingly-anxious-over-climate-change/">climate</a> change is unattainable for minority groups. The researchers found that a significant number of individuals in the lowest income and education groups cannot afford a healthier diet.



The experts say that making food more affordable for ethnic minority groups is crucial to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food industry.



The new research, published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natfood/">Nature Food</a>, shows that a healthy, more environmentally friendly diet is achievable for a large portion of the population. On the other hand, this type of diet is unaffordable for up to 38 percent of Black and Hispanic individuals in the lowest income and education groups, according to the study.&nbsp;



The researchers emphasize that a diet including more whole grains, dairy, fruit and vegetables, seafood, and plant protein, combined with lower levels of added sugars, refined grains, saturated fats and sodium, could be achieved within current food budgets for 95 percent of the US population.



Widespread adoption of the optimized diet could decrease food-related greenhouse gas emissions by two percent, land use by 24 percent, and energy consumption by four percent. At the same time, however, water consumption would increase by 28 percent.



The study authors are calling on policy makers to improve urban planning and infrastructure to lessen the time and monetary burden associated with accessing healthy food choices.



The experts are also calling for educational programs in schools to promote healthy eating. Land use and greenhouse gas emissions associated with U.S. diets are nearly double the world average.&nbsp;



The Cardiff study has revealed that on average, a individual's daily diet generates 3.4 kg of carbon dioxide emissions, 15.6 m2 of land use, 972 liters of blue water. At the national level, this is the equivalent of 385 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions, 1.77 million km2 of land, and 110 billion m3 of water.



“Our study shows that those who are well-paid and/or well educated are more likely to adopt healthier diets but are also responsible for larger environmental impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, blue water footprint, land occupation, as well as energy consumption,” said study co-author Dr. Pan He.



“While shifting to a healthy diet can reduce the environmental impacts and is affordable for most people, this would be unattainable for disadvantaged groups who may still be stuck on the way of change."



“Policies that make nutritious food more affordable are needed to promote better nutrition and improved environmental outcomes simultaneously, particularly for more vulnerable socio-economic groups.”



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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

Healthier diets are not attainable for everyone

In a new report from Cardiff University, experts say that...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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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

[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...