From childhood spats to shared memories and cherished traditions, there's a unique bond that ties siblings together. But there's one topic that's a perennial cause for discussion: who's the favorite child?



Alex Jensen, a professor from BYU School of Family Life, shed some valuable insights on this playful contest in his recent research, which examines the subtle displays of parental favoritism influenced by birth order, personality, and gender.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-younger-siblings-vs-older-siblings">Younger siblings vs. older siblings</h2>



According to Professor Jensen, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parent-children-relationships-are-key-to-lifelong-well-being/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parents</a> generally treat their children differently based on birth order, often having a favorite.



Younger siblings often receive more attention, warmth, and support from parents. This could be because parents have more experience raising children by the time the younger ones arrive, making them more relaxed and affectionate.



On the other hand, older siblings tend to gain more independence as they grow up. Parents are usually stricter with their firstborns but gradually become less controlling over time. 



Since older siblings are the first to experience different stages of life, parents may place higher expectations on them to be responsible and self-sufficient.



In short, younger siblings may get more emotional support, while older ones receive more freedom. This difference in treatment can shape sibling relationships and influence how children perceive fairness in their families.



“It is helpful to take the findings from this study and be aware of the patterns that could be happening in your family,” Jensen said. “When parents are aware, they can make small adjustments that benefit everyone.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-parents-favor-daughters">Do parents favor daughters?</h2>



The researchers found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-who-use-humor-have-better-relationships-with-their-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parents</a> tend to favor daughters slightly more than sons, often seeing them as the favorite child.



This preference appears in different ways, such as how parents interact with their children and how they distribute resources like money, time, and attention. Interestingly, while parents are aware of this bias, children themselves do not seem to notice it.



The researchers analyzed data from 19,469 participants. The results showed that both mothers and fathers are more likely to treat daughters with warmth, engage in more positive interactions with them, and provide them with more resources compared to sons.



This could be due to cultural expectations, emotional closeness, or the perception that daughters require more protection and support.



Even though this favoritism is subtle, it can still influence how children perceive their relationships with their parents and siblings. Understanding these tendencies can help parents ensure fairness and strengthen family bonds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-personality-of-favorite-child-matters">Personality of favorite child matters</h2>



It’s not just birth order or gender that matters - personality also influences favoritism. The study revealed that children who are more conscientious and agreeable receive <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/many-parents-use-threats-to-discipline-children-but-its-not-effective-in-the-long-run/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">better treatment</a>, regardless of whether they are the eldest or youngest.



“Most parents probably connect more easily with one child over another, whether that be due to personality, birth order, gender or other things like shared interests,” Jensen said. 



“Watch for those patterns within yourself. Pay attention to how your children react to things that could be perceived as favoritism.”



One surprising finding? Extraversion didn’t seem to impact favoritism. “Americans seem to particularly value extraverted people, but within families it may matter less,” Jensen noted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-being-the-favorite-child-matters">Why being the favorite child matters</h2>



Favoritism in families goes beyond small privileges like getting the biggest slice of cake - it can have serious emotional and psychological effects on children.



When a child feels less favored by their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-often-feel-lonely-burnt-out-parenting-demands/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">parents</a>, they may struggle with low self-esteem, anxiety, or feelings of rejection. This emotional distress can lead to changes in their behavior, such as acting out, withdrawing socially, or experiencing difficulty in school.



Research suggests that children who perceive themselves as less favored are more likely to develop mental health challenges, including depression and behavioral issues. 



They may seek attention through rebellious actions or disengage from family interactions altogether. This dynamic can also create resentment toward siblings, weakening family relationships over time.



Parents may not always be aware of these effects, but favoritism can leave a lasting impact. 



“Keep an eye out for things that seem unfair. Your children will let you know if they think something is unfair,” Jensen said. “Either they are missing perspective and understanding, or you need to make some changes in your parenting. Make sure you are open to the latter.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-can-parents-do">What can parents do?</h2>



Parents don’t need to feel guilty, but they should be mindful of these patterns. Jensen emphasizes that favoritism isn’t always intentional - it often happens naturally based on personality and circumstances.



“Sometimes parents get so concerned about treating their kids the same that they may overlook individual needs,” he said. 



“We’re not suggesting parents feel guilty; instead, parents can look at this research and use it as encouragement to look at places where they can improve, without going to extremes.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strengthening-family-bonds">Strengthening family bonds</h2>



Favoritism can impact sibling relationships, but awareness can help parents make positive changes. The study from <a href="https://familylife.byu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BYU School of Family Life</a> encourages families to focus on connection rather than comparison.



“The simple answers are perhaps the best. Be patient with yourself and with your children,” Jensen said. 



“Spend time together. Do things together that you like to do. Do things together that your children like to do. Work together, serve others together, worship together. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-spend-the-most-time-on-devices-but-nature-offers-a-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Relationships</a> take time and time together doing a variety of things will have many positive benefits.”



So, if you’re wondering whether your sibling really is the “golden child,” the answer might not be so simple. It’s not just about being the oldest, the youngest, or even the most charming - it’s about personality, responsibility, and sometimes, just how easy you are to deal with.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-bul0000458.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Psychological Bulletin</a>.



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Parents treat their children differently - but do they have a favorite?

From childhood spats to shared memories and cherished traditions, there's a unique bond that ties siblings together. But there's one topic that's a perennial cause for discussion: who's the favorite child? Alex Jensen, a professor from BYU School of Family Life, shed some valuable insights on this playful contest in his recent research, which examines the subtle displays of parental favoritism influenced by birth order, personality, and gender. Younger siblings vs. older siblings According to Professor Jensen, parents generally treat their children differently based on birth order,...

Frequent social media use among teens has been linked to a range of mental and physical health risks, including depression, sleep deprivation, and self-deprecation. Yet for many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-helps-teenagers-adhd/">teenagers</a>, social media has become a major part of everyday life. 



But social media is a big part of life for many adults as well, and the potential health risks in this age group have not been very well established. In a new study from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a>, experts report that middle-aged adults using highly visual social media apps such as Instagram or TikTok have a high risk of depression.&nbsp;



The study was focused on data from surveys conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, involving more than 5,000 adults with an average age of 56.&nbsp;



The surveys collected information for 13 months from May 2020 to May 2021. In the first survey, all of the individuals reported minimal depressive symptoms.&nbsp;



"Among survey respondents who did not report depressive symptoms initially, social media use was associated with greater likelihood of subsequent increase in depressive symptoms after adjustment for sociodemographic features and news sources," explained the study authors.&nbsp;



According to the researchers, some social media platforms - particularly Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube - were associated with greater levels of self-reported depressive symptoms on a subsequent survey. 



"Notably, with the exception of Snapchat, this association was not explained in regression models by use of other news sources, suggesting it is not accounted for by differential media consumption more broadly. Likewise, the association was not meaningfully changed by number of social supports or face-to-face social interactions at baseline, suggesting it is not mediated by reduction in social interactions more broadly," explained the study authors.&nbsp;



"While we cannot test causation, as in a prior study of Facebook discontinuation, our design allowed us to look at incident self-reported depression following social media use."&nbsp;



"Our results extend prior observations of elevated depressive symptoms in adolescents or young adults associated with social media use in cross-sectional studies. They are also consistent with prior short-term longitudinal studies. Beyond the ability to look longitudinally, this study also extends prior studies by examining a broader age range, with a mean age of 56 years." 



"Our results suggest that the associations previously observed with depressive symptoms are not limited to young adults; indeed, while effect sizes for Facebook are greater among younger adults, effect sizes for TikTok and Snapchat are greater among those age 35 years or older."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2786464">JAMA Network Open</a>.



---



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

Social media causes depression in adults, too

Frequent social media use among teens has been linked to...

Man,Eating,Grilled,Meats

According to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/">University of Leeds</a>, healthier diets are linked to lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The scientists discovered that men’s diets, which usually consist of a larger amount of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-meat-paradox-people-care-about-animals-but-still-eat-meat/">meat</a>, are linked to 41 percent higher greenhouse gas emissions than women’s, and that non-vegetarian diets in general produce 59 percent more emissions than vegetarian ones.



Food production is a major source of greenhouse gases, accounting for over 30 percent of the total emissions. Less environmentally sustainable diets are usually more processed, energy-dense, and nutrient-poor. After identifying the amounts of emissions caused by 3,233 types of foods, the researchers evaluated the nutritional benefits and emission footprints of the diets of 212 UK adults over three days.



The scientists found that healthier diets were correlated with lesser amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. Non-vegetarian diets were associated with a 59 percent increase in emissions compared to vegetarian ones, and diets with greater amounts of meat, which were predominantly consumed by men, were linked to a 41 percent increase in emissions. 



Moreover, the scientists discovered that diets containing more carbohydrates, saturated fats, and sodium tended to produce higher greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;



“There are broad-brush concepts like reducing our meat intake, particularly red meat,” the study authors wrote. “But our work also shows that big gains can be made from small changes, like cutting out sweets, or potentially just by switching brands.”&nbsp;



“Our work is not showing you need to give up meat entirely, but that diets with less meat are more sustainable,” explained study co-author Darren Greenwood, a biostatistician at the University of Leeds. 



“Eat less meat. When you do eat meat, eat better quality meat. That's the message. Cutting down on sweets, cakes and biscuits can also help reduce our impact on the environment, as well as being healthier.”



“Healthier diets had lower greenhouse gas emissions, demonstrating consistency between planetary and personal health,” the scientists concluded.&nbsp;



Further research is needed to take into consideration more factors, such as food brands, countries of origin, and other environmental impacts besides those related to greenhouse gas emissions.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0259418">PLoS One</a>. &nbsp;



---



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

Non-vegetarian diets produce 59 percent more emissions

According to a new study led by the University of...

A recent study by the University of Sydney <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/charles-perkins-centre/">Charles Perkins Centre</a> compared the impact of diets and drugs on the functioning of human cells and aging. The researchers found that nutrition has a significantly higher influence on our metabolic health.&nbsp;



The study reports that the composition of our diet may be more effective than medications in preventing diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.



The study builds on the team's groundbreaking work in mice and humans, which demonstrated how food and certain combinations of proteins, lipids, and carbs can protect against aging, obesity, heart disease, immunological dysfunction, and the risk of metabolic illnesses like type 2 diabetes.



The researchers set out to investigate whether medications or diet were more effective at rewiring nutrient-sensing and other metabolic systems, and if medications and diet interacted in any way that made them more or less effective.



“Diet is a powerful medicine. However, presently drugs are administered without consideration of whether and how they might interact with our diet composition – even when these drugs are designed to act in the same way, and on the same nutrient-signalling pathways as diet,”&nbsp; said senior author and Academic Director of the Charles Perkins Centre, Professor Stephen Simpson.&nbsp;



The complex research included 40 different treatments on the mouse, each designed with differing levels of protein, fat and carbohydrate balance, calories and drug content.The goal of the study was to understand how three anti-aging medicines affected the liver, which is a vital organ in the metabolism.&nbsp;



The geometric framework for nutrition developed by Professors Stephen Simpson and David Raubenheimer was used in the study. This framework allowed the team to evaluate how combinations and interactions of different nutrients influence health and disease, instead of focusing on any one nutrient in isolation, which is a drawback in past nutrition studies.&nbsp;



Lead author Professor David Le Couteur of the Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health emphasized the complexity and importance of the study, noting that it looks at several different diets simultaneously, rather than just comparing a few different diets.



“This approach is the only way we can get an overview of the interaction between diet, our health and physiology, We all know what we eat influences our health, but this study showed how food can dramatically influence many of the processes operating in our cells. This gives us insights into how diet impacts on health and aging.” said Professor Le Couteur.



According to the results, diet had a stronger influence on metabolism than three medicines routinely used to treat diabetes and slow down aging.



“We discovered dietary composition had a far more powerful effect than drugs, which largely dampened responses to diet rather than reshaped them,Given humans share essentially the same nutrient-signalling pathways as mice, the research suggests people would get better value from changing their diet to improve metabolic health rather than taking the drugs we studied.” said Professor Simpson.



The results indicated that the total calories consumed and the balance of macronutrients (protein, lipids, and carbs) in the diet had a significant impact on the liver and metabolic pathways. Proteins and calorie intake also influence the basic processes that determine how our cells function.&nbsp;



For example, the amount of protein consumed had an effect on mitochondrial activity, which is the component of the cell that generates energy. This has a downstream effect because the quantity of protein and dietary energy consumed has an impact on how well cells convert their genes into the different proteins required to let cells operate effectively and reproduce new cells.



The findings indicate that the medications mostly dampened the metabolic response of the cell to nutrition rather than radically altering it.



The researchers discovered interactions between the biochemical effects of the drugs and diet composition of a more specific nature that can help further studies.A cancer drug and another diabetic drug both reduced the effects of food protein on the energy-producing mitochondria, but one anti-aging drug had a greater effect on changes in the cells produced by dietary fat and carbohydrates.



The research was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/home">Cell Metabolism</a><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2021.10.016">.</a>



---



By <a href="http://mailto:ashikha92@gmail.com">Ashikha Raoof</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nutrition protects against aging better than drugs

A recent study by the University of Sydney Charles Perkins...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/">King’s College London</a> (KCL) has found that drinking four small glasses of wine or four pints of beer per week damages short-term memory and spatial awareness, and increases the risk of developing dementia in older age.



The researchers analyzed a sample of 15,582 people aged over 50 during a period of two years, and assessed their consumption of alcohol in terms of quantity and frequency in relation to their cognitive functioning. 



The analysis revealed that people hitting “risky” drinking levels of eight units a week (the equivalent of four pints of beer or small glasses of wine), suffered a greater decline in working memory and spatial awareness.



“With a career of more than 20 years devoted to research on alcohol and older people, this is certainly the most groundbreaking study on the relationship between drinking and the risk of dementia,” said study lead author Dr. Rahul Rao, a psychiatrist at KCL.



“None of the participants had dementia at the start of the study but those who drank at risky levels were more likely to show cognitive decline, which is likely to progress to dementia.”



According to the researchers, only a small additional deterioration in mental impairment can easily take many people past the clinical threshold for dementia.&nbsp;



While until recently, binge drinking was correlated to increased risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/physical-activity-reduces-the-risk-of-alzheimers/">Alzheimer’s disease</a>, the new study shows that even small amounts of alcohol can have serious impact on cognitive health.



“Using tests to pick up this cognitive impairment early can protect the brain and prevent further decline into dementia.&nbsp;With alcohol use, this is wholly preventable if the people identified early with these tests cut down or become abstinent. It has the potential to improve public health,” said Dr. Rao.



According to Dr. Rosa Sanchez, a senior researcher at <a href="https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/">Alzheimer’s Research UK</a>, these findings should make people aware of the dangers posed by alcohol consumption and do their best to follow the recommended guidelines.



“Taking steps to curb the amount of alcohol you consume can have far-reaching health benefits and isn't limited to improving brain health,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34766529/">Aging and Mental Health</a>.



---



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

Small amounts of alcohol have big impacts on brain health

A new study led by King’s College London (KCL) has...

A new study published in the <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2021/11/11/JNEUROSCI.1483-21.2021">Journal of Neuroscience</a> has found that physical activity in middle and old age dampens inflammation in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-a-grandmothers-brain-reacts-to-the-sight-of-her-grandchildren/">brain</a>. This prevents cognitive decline and either decreases the risk of developing medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or at least mitigates some of their worst effects.



By studying 167 people with an average age of 90 at their death, a research team from the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California, San Francisco</a> (UCFA) found that those who exercised regularly had a lower level of microglia (types of cells that can cause inflammation) activation in the brain.



“Microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, activate to clear debris and foreign invaders from the brain. But too much activation can trigger inflammation, damage neurons and disrupt brain signaling,” explained study lead author Katlin Casaletto, a neuropsychologist at UCFA. “Exercise helps reduce abnormal activation in animals — but that link hadn't been established in humans.”



In order to assess the relation between exercise and cognitive functioning in humans, Dr. Casaletto and her colleagues asked the participants to wear activity monitors 24 hours per day for up to ten days before their annual cognitive exams. 



After the participants died, the researchers measured microglia activation and several markers of Alzheimer’s disease in their brain tissue (nearly 60 percent of them developed Alzheimer’s by the time of their death), and compared the findings to the level of exercise the participants engaged in earlier.



&nbsp;“Greater physical activity was linked to lower microglial activation,” Dr. Casaletto reported. “This was particularly in the inferior temporal gyrus — a brain region hit hardest by Alzheimer's. Physical activity had a more pronounced effect on inflammation in people with more severe Alzheimer's pathology.”



“These are the first data supporting microglial activation as a physiological pathway by which physical activity relates to brain heath in humans. Though more interventional work is needed, we suggest physical activity may be a modifiable behavior leveraged to reduce pro-inflammatory microglial states in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;



In future studies, the researchers plan to investigate in more detail how physical activity relates to better cognitive aging and reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases.



---



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

Physical activity reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s

A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience has...

Flavored vapes have recently been regarded with just as much suspicion as traditional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/e-cigarettes-potential-carcinogen/">cigarettes</a>. However, a new study from researchers at the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia</a> suggests that vaping is less harmful than smoking, and may make it easier to kick the habit.&nbsp;



“There has been a lot of concern that young people may start vaping because they are attracted to e-liquid flavors, and that it could potentially lead them to start smoking tobacco," said study lead author Caitlin Notley.



"We wanted to find out more about the links between vape flavors, the uptake of vaping among young people, and whether it leads to regular vaping and, potentially, tobacco smoking.”



Examining 58 past studies, which cumulatively examined over 500,000 subjects, Notley and her colleagues find that "flavored e-liquids are an important aspect of vaping that young people enjoy. This suggests that flavored products may encourage young people to switch away from harmful tobacco smoking towards less harmful vaping.”&nbsp;



In other words, given the choice between vaping and smoking actual cigarettes, adolescents and young adults are more likely to choose the former, and are less likely to adopt traditional smokes afterward.



“Flavors may be an important motivator for e-cigarette uptake – but we found no evidence that using flavored e-liquids attracted young people to go on to take up tobacco smoking.” Importantly, Notley says she and her colleagues “found no adverse effects or harm caused by using liquid vape flavors."



However, these results are not necessarily to be taken at face value. The researchers noted that previous research attempts did not very clearly define what they meant when they said “e-liquid flavors.” Without clear definitions, it’s hard to test and replicate the results of the study.&nbsp;



Still, Notley believes that “ensuring the continued availability of a range of e-liquid flavors is likely to be important in encouraging young people who smoke to switch to vaping as a less harmful alternative.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.addictionjournal.org/">Addiction</a>.



---



By <a href="http://mailto:rugerpaleo@gmail.com">Alex Ruger</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Flavored vapes may actually help young people quit smoking

Flavored vapes have recently been regarded with just as much...

Old,Man,Or,Grandfather,In,Medical,Mask.,The,Dangers,Of

The first data from COVID-19 research by the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) has been published today in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nataging/">Nature Aging</a>. The analysis shows that the pandemic has had significant impacts on the mental health of older people, particularly those who were lonely, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/isolated-tropical-birds-may-represent-new-species/">isolated</a> or had pre-existing medical conditions.&nbsp;



The research team, led by Parminder Raina from the <a href="https://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a>, found that 43 percent of adults aged 50 or older experienced moderate or high levels of depressive symptoms at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that this rate increased over time.&nbsp;



Data was collected using telephone and online surveys to examine how factors such as health status, income and social participation had impacted the development of depressive symptoms in older people. Data was gathered during the initial lockdown, starting in March 2020, and after re-opening following the first wave of COVID-19 in Canada.&nbsp;



The researchers found that loneliness was the most significant predictor of worsening depressive symptoms, with other pandemic-related stressors, such as family conflict, also increasing the odds. In addition, people with lower income and poorer health, either due to pre-existing health conditions or health concerns that developed during the pandemic, experienced a greater impact.



“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on older adults, with groups of people who were already marginalized feeling a far greater negative impact,” said Raina, who is a lead principal investigator of the CLSA and also a professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact and scientific director of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging.



“Those who were socially isolated, experiencing poorer health and of lower socioeconomic status were more likely to have worsening depression as compared to their pre-pandemic depression status, collected as part of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging since 2011."



Women were also disproportionately affected, with higher odds of pandemic depression than men. Female respondents reported that factors such as separation from family and increased time caregiving were stressors during this time.



The CLSA is a large, national, long-term study that follows approximately 50,000 adults, aged between 45 and 85 when first recruited. The study aims to understand how changing biological, medical, psychological, social, economic and lifestyle factors impact the health of people as they age. The platform is funded by the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.



The research team included CLSA principal investigators Christina Wolfson of McGill University, Susan Kirkland of Dalhousie University, Lauren Griffith of McMaster, along with a national team of investigators.



“These findings suggest the negative mental health impacts of the pandemic persist and may worsen over time, and [this] underscores the need for tailored interventions to address pandemic stressors and alleviate their impact on the mental health of older adults,” concluded Raina.



---



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

Older people twice as likely to suffer from pandemic depression

The first data from COVID-19 research by the Canadian Longitudinal...

A recent study by <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> reveals that extending social support to one's spouse, friends, and family is just as crucial as receiving it when it comes to one's health.



While experts have long believed that obtaining social support from others is beneficial to health, previous studies have yielded varied results. The research team set out to investigate whether providing assistance can also have a positive impact on one's health.



The researchers looked for a key indicator of health - chronic inflammation. Study participants who reported they were able to provide social support to family and friends had lower inflammation. 



“Positive relationships may be associated with lower inflammation only for those who believe they can give more support in those relationships,” said study lead author Professor Tao Jiang.



The results suggest that having friends to depend on may not improve your well-being unless you also express your willingness to assist them when they are in need of support. The findings also indicate that the healing potential of strong relationships stems from mutual support. 



“It may be that when people believe they can give more support to friends and family, these relationships are especially rewarding and stress-relieving, which reduces inflammation,” said Professor <a href="https://psychology.osu.edu/people/way.37">Baldwin Way</a>.



The study relied on information from 1,054 healthy adults between the age of 34 and 84 who took part in the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States.&nbsp;



The participants responded to a questionnaire that evaluated their "social integration," which included questions about their marital status, living with a partner, how frequently they contacted family and friends, and how frequently they joined social groups or activities.



The volunteers were also asked to rate how much they think they could rely on their relatives, friends, or spouse for assistance in the event of an emergency.



According to Professor Jiang, the significance of this research is due to the fact that this dataset is one of the few that additionally asked individuals to rate how much they were available to support family, friends, and spouses.



“This work underscores the importance of incorporating the concept of giving support into future research in this area,” said Professor Jiang.



Two sets of blood tests were conducted years apart, and the parameters studied included an interleukin-6 (IL-6) test, which measures the systemic inflammation in the body.



“Higher levels of IL-6 are associated with increased risk for many of the diseases that are the top killers of Americans, including cardiovascular disease and cancer. That’s why we thought it was important to find out why previous studies found such weak evidence for the link between social support and lower inflammation,” explained Professor Way.



The experts determined that the health benefit of being accessible to others remained true, even after accounting for a wide range of other characteristics that could influence inflammation, such as age, income, and education, as well as health habits, medication use, and known medical illnesses. 



The researchers also found that the relationship between health and the desire to help others may be more significant for women. According to Professor Jiang, a preliminary analysis indicates that the link between providing social support and improved health is more evident in women.



“This reflects the idea that social relationships are often seen as more important for women than for men. But our sample size was not large enough to show that conclusively. We need to study that issue further,” said Professor Jiang. 



---



By <a href="http://mailto:ashikha92@gmail.com">Ashikha Raoof</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Giving social support to others is good for your health

A recent study by Ohio State University reveals that extending...

Humans in all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ancient-cultures-marijuana-psychoactive-effects/">cultures</a> play games in order to learn and practice group norms. Through games, cultural knowledge is often stored and taught to community members. New research led by the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/index/">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> in Leipzig has found that different cultures play different types of games. Thus, if a culture is cooperative, the games people play tend to be more cooperative, while if a culture is competitive, the activities will be more competitive in nature.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“If you live in Germany, chances are high that you played a competitive game,” said study lead author Sarah Leisterer-Peoples, a doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute. “We think that games might reflect aspects of human cultures, such as how competitive and cooperative the cultures are.”



Previous research suggested that in socially hierarchical cultures or those with large wealth or status differences, competitive games are most frequently played, while in egalitarian cultures, with little differences in status and wealth, traditional activities are usually more cooperative. However, this relationship was investigated in just a few cultures, thus problematizing attempts of generalization.



In their new study, Leisterer-Peoples and her colleagues used a large historical database about games played by cultures located in the Pacific.&nbsp;



“The cultures in our study lived in a broad geographic range, spanning the Pacific Ocean. The cultures were very diverse, but also shared similarities, which allowed for a comparison on several aspects of the cultures,” said Leisterer-Peoples.



The scientists discovered that cultures frequently engaging in conflicts with other cultures had more cooperative rather than competitive games, while cultures with frequent internal conflicts had the opposite.



“These findings might be non-intuitive at first glance, but make sense in light of theories on the evolution of cooperation in cultural groups. In times of conflict with other cultures, group members have to cooperate with one another and compete with their opponents. This is reflected in the kinds of games that are played - games with competing groups. And when there’s a lot of conflict among the members of a group, they tend to play games that are competitive. These findings suggest that the games we play reflect the socio-ecological characteristics of the culture that we are in,” explained Leisterer-Peoples.&nbsp;



By mimicking real-world behavior, games are an important avenue through which group norms are learned and practiced during childhood. Further research is needed to assess whether this is the case in modern-day cultures too, where video games have largely replaced traditional activities.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0259746">PLoS One</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

Games reflect the culture in which they are played

Humans in all cultures play games in order to learn...

A new longitudinal study led by <a href="https://www.ecu.edu.au/">Edith Cowan University</a> (ECU), Australia, has found that drinking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-daily-dose-of-coffee-may-protect-you-from-covid-19/">coffee</a> reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, drinking more coffee was positively correlated with increased capacities for planning, self-control, and attention.



As part of the <a href="https://aibl.csiro.au/">Australian Imaging, Biomarkers, and Lifestyle Study of Aging</a>, scientists investigated whether coffee intake affected the rate of cognitive decline in a cohort of over 200 Australians followed for more than a decade. The results suggest a significant association between coffee and a variety of markers related to Alzheimer’s disease.



“We found&nbsp;participants&nbsp;with no memory impairments and&nbsp;with&nbsp;higher coffee consumption&nbsp;at the start of the study had&nbsp;lower risk of&nbsp;transitioning to mild cognitive impairment&nbsp;-&nbsp;which often precedes Alzheimer’s disease&nbsp;-&nbsp;or developing&nbsp;Alzheimer’s disease over the&nbsp;course&nbsp;of the study,” reported study lead author Dr. Samantha Gardener, a postdoctoral fellow at ECU.



Higher coffee intake appeared to be linked to slowing the accumulation of amyloid proteins in the brain, which clump together forming toxic plaques in people with Alzheimer’s disease. The study results indicate that increasing from one to two cups of coffee per day could significantly protect the brain against amyloid accumulation.



“If&nbsp;the average cup of coffee made at home is 240g, increasing to two cups a day could potentially&nbsp;lower cognitive decline by&nbsp;eight&nbsp;per cent after 18 months,” Dr. Gardener said.&nbsp;“It&nbsp;could also see a&nbsp;five&nbsp;per cent decrease in&nbsp;amyloid&nbsp;accumulation&nbsp;in the brain&nbsp;over the same time period.”&nbsp;



Although the study did not differentiate between caffeinated and de-caffeinated coffee, and did not investigate the consequences of different ways of producing and consuming coffee, the benefits of consuming this beverage on a regular basis seem quite clear: drinking more coffee could be an easy and accessible way to help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.



“It’s a simple thing that people can change. It could be particularly useful for people who are at risk of cognitive decline but haven’t developed any symptoms. We might be able to&nbsp;develop some clear guidelines people can follow in middle age&nbsp;and&nbsp;hopefully it could then have a lasting effect,” Dr. Gardener concluded.



The study is published in&nbsp;the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.744872/full">Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience</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

Drinking coffee protects against Alzheimer’s disease

A new longitudinal study led by Edith Cowan University (ECU),...

We all know that the benefits of regular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-and-physical-activity-can-optimize-bone-health-in-children/">physical activity</a> (PA) include better health and a reduced risk of chronic disease, limited mobility, and mortality among older people. And yet, global statistics show that almost one-third of people did not meet the minimum recommendations for weekly activity times in 2016. Furthermore, the figures had remained stable during the previous decade, indicating that people had not taken to heart advice about remaining active.&nbsp;



The earlier statistics also showed that insufficient levels of physical activity were twice as prevalent in high-income as in low-income countries (36.8 percent vs 16.2 percent). Among high-income countries in the Asian Pacific, Singapore had the highest incidence of insufficient activity (36.5 percent).&nbsp;



Earlier studies had focused on the effects of recreational PA on mental and physical health in older people, but a team of scientists from Singapore decided to investigate the impact that the non-recreational activity of housework had on age-related decline in functional ability. The experts feel that, with a rapidly aging global population and increased life expectancy, new strategies and policies are needed in order to promote healthy aging, worldwide.&nbsp;



The study, published today in the <a href="https://bmjopen.bmj.com/">British Medical Journal Open</a>, examined associations between light housework (LH) or heavy housework (HH) activities, and the cognitive, physical and sensorimotor functions among younger and older adults in Singapore. The goal was to determine whether the activity associated with household chores contributes to healthy aging in independent adults.



A total of 489 adults, aged between 21 and 90, was included in the study. Participants all had fewer than 5 underlying conditions and no cognitive issues. They were all living independently and were able to carry out routine daily tasks. The individuals were divided into two age groups; 21–64-year-olds were classified as ‘younger’, while 65–90-year-olds were ‘older’.



Participants reported on how much time they spent doing light housework (LH), and heavy housework (HH) duties. Light housework included washing up, dusting, making the bed, hanging out the washing, ironing, tidying up, and cooking. Heavy housework was defined as window cleaning, changing the bed, vacuuming, washing the floor, and activities such as painting or decorating.



The team used standardized tests to assess physical and cognitive function. Physical function was also measured using repeated chair-sit-to-stand tests and gait speed. These tests are indicative of leg strength and therefore of the risk of falling. Cognitive functioning was assessed in terms of mental agility, which included short and delayed memory, visuospatial ability, language and attention span.



Almost two-thirds of the participants (61 percent of younger; and 66 percent of older) met the minimum recommended weekly activity levels through doing housework alone.&nbsp;



Furthermore, the results showed that after adjusting for other types of regular physical activity, housework was associated with sharper mental abilities and better physical capacity - but only among participants in the older age group. Cognitive scores were eight percent and five percent higher, respectively, in those doing high volumes of light or heavy housework compared with those in the low volume groups.&nbsp;



Also, the intensity of housework was associated with better functioning in specific cognitive areas. Heavy housework was associated with a 14 percent higher attention score, while light housework was associated with 12 percent and eight percent higher short and delayed memory scores, respectively.&nbsp;



Participants who did a lot of housework showed better sit-to-stand times (eight percent faster) and improved balance/coordination scores (23 percent improved) than those who did little housework.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Although this was a correlational study and direct causal relationships cannot be assigned, the authors refer to previous research indicating a link between aerobic exercise and improved cognitive function. They feel that the sharper mental agility associated with housework might occur through similar mechanisms.&nbsp;



“These results collectively suggest that the higher cognitive, physical and sensorimotor functions related to heavy housework activities might plausibly be associated with lower physiological fall risk among community-dwelling older adults," wrote the study authors.&nbsp;



“Incorporating [physical activity] into daily lifestyle through domestic duties (i.e., housework) has the potential to achieve higher [physical activity], which is positively associated with functional health, especially among older community-dwelling adults.”



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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

Housework promotes cognitive strength and mental agility

We all know that the benefits of regular physical activity...

It is tempting to think that as we get <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/older-couples-have-synchronized-heart-rates/">older</a>, we have an excuse to take things easy and be less active. This would be the wrong approach, however, according to a team&nbsp;of&nbsp;evolutionary biologists and biomedical researchers at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard&nbsp;University</a>. In the new study, the scientists outline the evolutionary and biomedical evidence supporting the idea that humans not only evolved to live many decades after they stop reproducing, but they also evolved to be physically active in this later stage of life.&nbsp;



“It’s&nbsp;a&nbsp;widespread&nbsp;idea&nbsp;in&nbsp;Western societies&nbsp;that&nbsp;as we get older, it’s&nbsp;normal to slow down,&nbsp;do less,&nbsp;and retire,” said&nbsp;Harvard evolutionary biologist <a href="https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/people/daniel-e-lieberman">Daniel E. Lieberman</a>, the paper’s lead author.&nbsp;“Our&nbsp;message is the reverse:&nbsp;As we get older, it becomes even more important to stay physically active.”&nbsp;



The research&nbsp;team, which includes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/doctors/17939/aaron-baggish">Aaron Baggish</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://researchfaculty.brighamandwomens.org/BRIProfile.aspx?id=1154">I-Min Lee</a>&nbsp;from Harvard Medical School,&nbsp;believes the paper offers the first detailed evolutionary explanation for why lack of physical activity&nbsp;as&nbsp;humans&nbsp;age increases the risk of disease and decreases&nbsp;longevity.&nbsp;



The researchers allude to other apes that have a longevity of only 35 to 40 years in the wild and do not survive much past menopause. This shorter lifespan is also associated with considerably less physical activity, suggesting a possible link between living longer and being more active.&nbsp;



“We evolved basically from couch potatoes,” said&nbsp;Lieberman, who&nbsp;has twice observed&nbsp;wild&nbsp;chimpanzees&nbsp;in Tanzania&nbsp;and been surprised by how&nbsp;much of their day is spent “sitting on their butts,&nbsp;digesting.”&nbsp;



Other evidence is provided by modern hunter-gatherers, who average&nbsp;about&nbsp;135 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity&nbsp;a day.&nbsp;This level of activity – about six to ten&nbsp;times more than the level of the average American – may be one of the reasons that hunter-gatherers&nbsp;who survive&nbsp;childhood tend to live about&nbsp;seven decades.&nbsp;



Fossil evidence shows that lifespans that extended beyond the reproductive age were common by 40,000 years ago, contrary to the belief that human lifespans in prehistoric times were short.&nbsp;



The advantages of exercise are well-known, and older people are no different in terms of the benefits they can derive from keeping active. Indeed, the researchers emphasized that the key health benefit of physical activity is to extend the years that a person spends in good health.&nbsp;



The study discusses two routes whereby lifelong physical activity reallocates energy to improve health.&nbsp;



Firstly, the experts identified that physical activity helps to direct excess energy away from harmful metabolic mechanisms, such as fat storage. At the same time exercise also results in the allocation of more energy to carry out repair and maintenance in the body.&nbsp;



During exercise, calories are used up, but there is also damage to the tissues at the molecular and cellular level. The body responds to this by repairing the damage, for example by healing tears in muscle fibers, microfractures in bone and wearing in cartilage. This means that after recovering from physical exercise, we come back stronger than we were before.&nbsp;



Exercise also leads to the release of certain antioxidants&nbsp;and&nbsp;anti-inflammatories,&nbsp;and&nbsp;enhances&nbsp;blood flow.&nbsp;In the absence of physical activity, these responses occur less often. Some of these repair processes have been shown to lower the risk of diabetes, obesity, cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.&nbsp;



“The&nbsp;key take-home point is that because we evolved to be active throughout our lives, our bodies need physical activity to age well. In the past,&nbsp;daily&nbsp;physical activity was necessary in order to survive, but today we&nbsp;have to&nbsp;choose to exercise, that is do voluntary physical activity for the sake of health and fitness,” said Lieberman.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Levels of physical activity have been decreasing worldwide, as machines and technology replace human labor. We no longer have to forage actively for food and our leisure time is spent largely in front of a screen. The advice of the research&nbsp;team, which also includes graduate students&nbsp;Timothy Kistner and Daniel Richard,&nbsp;is that we should get out of our chairs and do some exercise.



“The key is to do something,&nbsp;and to try to make it enjoyable so you’ll keep doing it,” said Lieberman.&nbsp;“The good news is that you don’t need to be as active as a hunter-gatherer. Even small amounts of physical activity&nbsp;–&nbsp;just 10&nbsp;or&nbsp;20 minutes a day&nbsp;–substantially lower your risk of mortality.”&nbsp;



The study is published today in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">PNAS</a>,



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

Stay physically active for more healthy years of life

It is tempting to think that as we get older,...

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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?

[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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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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

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes two exoplanets that are orbiting a star 218 light-years away. A team of researchers led by the University of Montreal has found evidence that these planets are "water worlds."



The experts used data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes. They discovered that exoplanets Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 could be composed largely of water.



"We previously thought that planets that were a bit larger than Earth were big balls of metal and rock, like scaled-up versions of Earth, and that's why we called them super-Earths," explained study co-author Björn Benneke.&nbsp;



"However, we have now shown that these two planets, Kepler-138 c and d, are quite different in nature and that a big fraction of their entire volume is likely composed of water. It is the best evidence yet for water worlds, a type of planet that was theorized by astronomers to exist for a long time."



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Leah Hustak (STScI)



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes a new map of Mars that is providing insight into the planet’s watery past. The map also reveals where future missions could safely land on Mars.&nbsp;



The map has been created over the last decade using observations of water-rich rocks and mineral deposits. The images were captured by ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.



"A big surprise is the prevalence of these minerals, with the map revealing hundreds of thousands of water-affected locations in the oldest parts of the planet," says ESA. "The new data will help answer exciting questions about Mars’ climate history, whether water was globally persistent or confined to short, intense episodes, and whether the conditions were ever suitable for life."



"Specifically, the map shows the locations and abundances of aqueous minerals. These are from rocks that have been chemically altered by the action of water in the past, and have typically been transformed into clays and salts."



According to John Carter of the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale (IAS), our collective understanding of Mars has been oversimplified. He explained that planetary scientists have tended to think that only a few types of clay minerals on Mars were created during its wet period, then as the water gradually dried up, salts were produced across the planet.



The new map shows that the composition of Mars is much more complicated than what we thought. For example, while many salts formed after Martian clays, there are some salts that are presumed to be older than some of the clays.&nbsp;



“The evolution from lots of water to no water is not as clear cut as we thought, the water didn’t just stop overnight. We see a huge diversity of geological contexts, so that no one process or simple timeline can explain the evolution of the mineralogy of Mars. That’s the first result of our study. The second is that if you exclude life processes on Earth, Mars exhibits a diversity of mineralogy in geological settings just as Earth does,” said Carter.



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



The experts found that the muscle metabolism of cavefish has been genetically reprogrammed over time. As a result, the animals have experienced major changes in their morphology and behavior. Despite these changes, however, the cavefish remain healthy and fit.



The research may provide new clues about the evolutionary consequences of prolonged physical inactivity in humans.&nbsp;



“It’s no surprise that people are moving less and less as technology has advanced,” said Rohner. “With cavefish, we have a unique system where we can study what might happen if people remained couch potatoes over very, very long periods of time.”



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> some of the most incredible waves in the world, as seen by Landsat satellites.



"With more than 370,000 miles of coastline on Earth, there are plenty of places where epic waves build up, curl over, and hurtle toward the shore.- much to the thrill of surfers," says NASA. "There are some places where these waves are so magnificent that they can be seen from space."



"With the broad perspective of satellites, we can see how these iconic waves develop into the world’s tallest, longest, fastest, and heaviest."



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...