Egyptian rituals have long captivated scholars and enthusiasts alike, and a recent breakthrough has demystified some of their most mysterious aspects.



In an incredible leap forward for archaeology and anthropology, a new study has provided tangible proof that hallucinogenic mixtures were an integral part of this ancient civilization's sacred practices.



The physical evidence of hallucinogens was found in an Egyptian Bes mug, a rare relic stored in a collection at the Tampa Museum of Art.



These curious objects are distinctively adorned with the ferocious face of Bes, a protective deity linked to everything from fertility to magical healing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracing-the-roots-of-ritualistic-practices">Tracing the roots of ritualistic practices</h2>



This research didn't materialized overnight. The role of the Bes mugs in ancient Egyptian society has been a topic of debate for a long stretch of time.



“For a very long time now, Egyptologists have been speculating what mugs with the head of Bes could have been used for, and for what kind of beverage, like sacred water, milk, wine or beer,” noted Branko van Oppen, a museum curator at the Tampa Museum of Art.



The ubiquity of the mugs throughout different epochs made it tough to pinpoint their exact use and significance.



The cryptic puzzle finally began to unravel when researchers from the <a href="https://www.usf.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of South Florida</a> embarked on an ambitious project to explore the unknown. 



“There’s no research out there that has ever found what we found in this study,” said Davide Tanasi, lead author of the research paper. 



The team managed to dissect the chemical signatures of a long-dried liquid inside one of the Tampa Museum's Bes mugs, providing a concrete clue to its past use.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-secret-concoction-used-in-egyptian-rituals">The secret concoction used in Egyptian rituals</h2>



The result was nothing short of astounding. The researchers discovered a blend of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/psychedelic-drugs-secreted-from-toad-skin-greatly-improve-cognitive-functioning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">psychedelic drugs</a>, bodily fluids, and alcohol inside the mug - a "cocktail" likely used in a ritual re-enacting an Egyptian myth.



The mysterious brew was sweetened with popular ingredients of the time like honey, sesame seeds, pine nuts, licorice, and grapes, quite possibly to mimic the appearance of blood.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-glimpse-into-ancient-life">A glimpse into ancient life</h2>



This astounding find has brought to life vivid images of the Greco-Roman period in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/egypts-pyramids-were-built-along-a-buried-branch-of-the-nile-river/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Egypt</a>. 



The historical significance of the discovery underlines the importance of the Bes Chambers at Saqqara, a site frequented by individuals hoping to confirm a successful pregnancy - a perilous phase in the ancient world.



“Egyptologists believe that people visited the so-called Bes Chambers at Saqqara when they wished to confirm a successful pregnancy because pregnancies in the ancient world were fraught with dangers," explained Van Oppen. 



He believes the special brew was likely used in a dream-vision inducing ritual during this fraught period.



This groundbreaking study has helped us connect the dots between myths and reality. 



“With this study, we’ve found scientific proof that the Egyptian myths have some kind of truth and it helps us shed light on the poorly understood rituals that were likely carried out in the Bes Chambers in Saqqara, near the Great Pyramids at Giza,” Tanasi said. 



Thus, the shroud of mystery surrounding ancient Egyptian rituals is gradually lifting, one artifact at a time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-symbolism-of-bes-in-egyptian-rituals">Symbolism of Bes in Egyptian rituals</h2>



The discovery of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/peruvian-empire-kept-control-with-beer-and-hallucinogens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hallucinogenic substances</a> within the Bes mug not only sheds light on the practices of ancient Egyptian rituals but also emphasizes the cultural weight carried by Bes, the deity represented on the artifact. 



Known for his lion-like visage and protective nature, Bes held an essential place in daily life and spiritual practices. He was not just a guardian deity; he was seen as a figure that could ward off evil spirits, promote <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-improves-sperm-quality-and-fertility/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fertility</a>, and bring joy through music and dance.



In ancient Egypt, rituals involving Bes were believed to harness his powerful essence, particularly in times of vulnerability, such as childbirth and healing. 



The presence of hallucinogenic elements in the brew suggests that these ceremonies aimed to elevate participants' consciousness, inducing trance-like states for divine communication or visionary experiences.



Such practices aligned with the belief that connecting with deities like Bes could provide spiritual protection and guidance.



This new understanding of Bes' involvement in these rituals deepens our appreciation for how ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-how-ancient-egyptians-built-pyramids-djoser-may-be-solved/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Egyptians</a> intertwined the mystical with the tangible, creating sacred ceremonies that reflected their beliefs in the interconnectedness of the human and divine realms.



The study was published in the journal <a href="https://search.app?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41598-024-78721-8&amp;utm_campaign=aga&amp;utm_source=agsadl2%2Csh%2Fx%2Fgs%2Fm2%2F4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



Image Credit:&nbsp;Scientific Reports&nbsp;(2024).



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Hallucinogens were used in ancient Egyptian rituals

Egyptian rituals have long captivated scholars and enthusiasts alike, and a recent breakthrough has demystified some of their most mysterious aspects. In an incredible leap forward for archaeology and anthropology, a new study has provided tangible proof that hallucinogenic mixtures were an integral part of this ancient civilization's sacred practices. The physical evidence of hallucinogens was found in an Egyptian Bes mug, a rare relic stored in a collection at the Tampa Museum of Art. These curious objects are distinctively adorned with the ferocious face of Bes,...

Keto diet may help prevent migraines. The ketogenic diet is a low-carb diet that is high in proteins and fats. In the absence of the blood sugar that is produced by carbohydrates, the keto diet triggers the body to convert some of its stored fat to highly efficient energy molecules called ketones.

For decades, the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/keto-diet-anti-cancer/">keto diet</a> has been used to treat epilepsy in children who do not respond to treatment. Cutting carbs is also associated with a number of health benefits including lower blood pressure, reduced abdominal fat, and improved heart health. 

Studies dating all the way back to the 1920s have found evidence to suggest that a ketogenic diet may help to prevent migraines, yet it was unclear whether this effect was tied to the reduction of carbs or simply to the weight loss. 

To investigate, a team led by Cherubino Di Lorenzo of the <a href="https://www.dongnocchi.it/">Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation</a> compared the results of a keto diet with another low-calorie diet that was high in carbs.

The study was focused on 35 overweight adults with frequent migraines, who spent four weeks on each diet in a randomly assigned order. Meals such as smoothies and soups were prepared for both the keto and non-keto diets that had the same amount of fat and calories but different ratios of protein and carbohydrates.

Overall, the participants lost about the same amount of weight on the diets. However, the keto diet was found to be much more effective in preventing migraines. On the keto diet, nearly 75 percent of participants had migraine days that were reduced by at least half, while only 9 percent of the individuals experienced this level of improvement on the diet that was high in carbs.

To put this into perspective, the best migraine prevention drugs available - CGRP monoclonal antibodies - have been proven to reduce migraine days by at least half for up to 48 percent of users.

According to Di Lorenzo, the keto diet may help prevent migraines because the brain is using ketones instead of glucose for fuel. He explained that in animal studies, ketone bodies were found to reduce brain inflammation and stop the spread of the electrical waves that are thought to cause migraine pain.

Christina Sun-Edelstein at the University of Melbourne said that further research is needed before the ketogenic diet can be recommended for migraine prevention. 

“There are many migraine treatments that seem to work well initially but then are ultimately disappointing," Sun-Edelstein told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>. "If it is shown to be effective and safe in larger studies, I think it’s something that many people would be willing to try."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients">Nutrients</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/AlexeiLogvinovich

Keto diet may help prevent migraines

Keto diet may help prevent migraines. The ketogenic diet is...

A team of researchers presented various styles of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pottery-developed-fishing/">ceramics</a> to 113 individuals and analyzed their visual response. The ceramics represented different societies over thousands of years from 4.000 B.C. to the change of era. 

The study revealed that the same evolutionary trends that had driven the emergence of the societies associated with the ceramics could be observed in the visual behavior of the participants.

Study co-author Felipe Criado-Boado is a researcher at at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_National_Research_Council">Spanish National Research Council</a> (CSIC).

“We hypothesized that culture and social life influence cognition in a highly stereotyped fashion. Eye movements are the most objective proof of a parallel evolution between the cognitive process, material development and changes in social complexity,” said Criado-Boado.

The research is part of a new scientific field that combines neuroscience with human palaeontology, archaeology, and other social and human sciences called neuroarchaeology.

[caption id="attachment_1869325" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ceramic-changes.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869325" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ceramic-changes.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="185" /></a> The main ceramics analyzed in the experiments and heat map of the visual fixations in each one of them. Image Credit: CSIC[/caption]

“The visual prominence of each ceramic style produces a distinct visual response,” said Criado-Boado. “Prehistoric ceramics comprise an important part of the material world that surrounded the individuals of that time. This is why an analysis of this kind is not only feasible, but also provides very significant results.”

Luis M. Martínez is a researcher at the Institute of Neurosciences in Alicante. He explained that there are neural circuits in our brains which are like maps that represent our personal and peripersonal space. “These circuits determine the way in which we relate socially, and also with the world around us.” 

“With experiments of this kind, we are demonstrating that these representations are modified by the use and making of tools and other cultural artifacts; what we are discovering is that they are quickly incorporated into these neural maps, becoming part of our body schema as if they were an extension of it.”

“These experiments unequivocally demonstrate that there is a very close interaction between cultural changes and brain plasticity, which provides a new perspective on how the brain governs for the transmission of cultural values, beliefs and customs.”

The results of the study suggest that the human visual system internalizes objects as they are viewed, demonstrating that there is a perceptual engagement between individuals and the material structures in their environment. 

“This is why perception cannot be separated from form. Seen from this perspective, it could be proposed that the shape of objects (pottery, in this case) and the pattern of visual exploration they produce have changed over history, and are connected with behavior in the same way as they are with the social realm, including social complexity,” said Criado-Boado.

The findings also indicate that technology is an important factor in the mental aspects of human life. This offers new insight into the processes of innovation throughout history, aa well as the technological changes that are taking place today. 

“It is believed that by 2020 there will be 100 billion sensors around the world capturing information of all kinds and processing it digitally, all connected to each other and functioning like an enormous human mind. If this prediction is fulfilled, research in the field of cognitive processes and material culture throughout history may be useful for the future, since it can show how humans rely on images that symmetrically help them to shape a collective consciousness of the world.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main image credit: CSIC

Cultural changes are closely tied to cognitive changes

A team of researchers presented various styles of ceramics to...

Alternate-day fasting is a safe alternative to caloric restriction, study finds. Calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, and alternate-day fasting (ADF) have all been under recent scrutiny by researchers investigating the biological effects of fasting <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/keto-diet-prevent-migraines/">diets</a>. 

But now, a new study from the <a href="https://www.uni-graz.at/en/">University of Graz</a> in Austria is the first of its kind to find numerous health benefits of strict ADF in healthy people. 

"Strict ADF is one of the most extreme diet interventions, and it has not been sufficiently investigated within randomized controlled trials," said Frank Madeo, a professor of the Graz <a href="https://molekularbiologie.uni-graz.at/en/">Institute of Molecular Biosciences</a>. "In this study, we aimed to explore a broad range of parameters, from physiological to molecular measures. If ADF and other dietary interventions differ in their physiological and molecular effects, complex studies are needed in humans that compare different diets."

Over the course of four weeks, 60 healthy participants of normal weight were divided up into either ADF or an ad libitum control group. Those in the latter could each at much as they wanted, whereas those in the ADF program alternated 36 hours of zero-calorie intake with 12 hours of unlimited eating. Those in this group also took part in glucose monitoring to ensure they did not take in calories during fast days.

The researchers also studied a group of 30 people who had already partook in strict ADF for more than six months prior to the study enrollment. These participants were compared to normal, healthy controls who had no fasting experience.Alternate-day fasting is a safe alternative to caloric restriction, study finds

"We found that on average, during the 12 hours when they could eat normally, the participants in the ADF group compensated for some of the calories lost from the fasting, but not all," said Harald Sourij, a professor at the <a href="https://www.medunigraz.at/en/">Medical University of Graz</a>. "Overall, they reached a mean calorie restriction of about 35% and lost an average of 3.5 kg [7.7 lb] during four weeks of ADF."

In the ADF group, the researchers found several biological effects from the fasting regimen. The ADF participants had fluctuating downregulation of amino acids, specifically the amino acid methionine, which has been shown to cause lifespan extension in rodents. 

Furthermore, these participants had continuous upregulation of ketone bodies, reduced levels of sICAM-1 (a marker linked to age-associated disease and inflammation), lower levels of triiodothyronine without impaired thyroid gland function (linked to longevity in humans), lowered levels of cholesterol, and reduction of belly fat.

[caption id="attachment_1877059" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ADF.png"><img class="wp-image-1877059" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ADF.png" alt="" width="650" height="640" /></a> Image Credit: Stekovic et al./Cell Metabolsim[/caption]

"Why exactly calorie restriction and fasting induce so many beneficial effects is not fully clear yet," said Thomas Pieber, head of endocrinology at the Medical University of Graz. "The elegant thing about strict ADF is that it doesn't require participants to count their meals and calories: they just don't eat anything for one day."

"The reason might be due to evolutionary biology," Madeo explained. "Our physiology is familiar with periods of starvation followed by food excesses. It might also be that continuous low-calorie intake hinders the induction of the age-protective autophagy program, which is switched on during fasting breaks."

Even though ADF shows health benefits, the researchers note that they do not recommend ADF as a general nutrition plan for everyone.

"We feel that it is a good regime for some months for obese people to cut weight, or it might even be a useful clinical intervention in diseases driven by inflammation," Madeo said. "However, further research is needed before it can be applied in daily practice. Additionally, we advise people not to fast if they have a viral infection, because the immune system probably requires immediate energy to fight viruses. Hence, it is important to consult a doctor before any harsh dietary regime is undertaken."

This study is published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(19)30429-2">Cell Metabolism</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Shutterstock/Oleksandra Naumenko

Alternate-day fasting is a safe alternative to caloric restriction, study finds

Alternate-day fasting is a safe alternative to caloric restriction, study...

New research from scientists at the <a href="http://www.buffalo.edu/">University of Buffalo</a> has revealed a link between a plant compound found in red wine, called resveratrol, and anti-stress effects. 

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/red-wine-lung-cancer-prevention/">Resveratrol</a> can effectively block the expression of a stress-control enzyme in the brain, and therefore, the compound may be useful in future depression treatments.

This study is published in <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/neuropharmacology">Neuropharmacology</a>.

"Resveratrol may be an effective alternative to drugs for treating patients suffering from depression and anxiety disorders," said co-lead author Ying Xu, MD, PhD, a research associate professor in the <a href="http://pharmacy.buffalo.edu/">UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences</a>.

Resveratrol, found in the skins and seeds of grapes and other berries, was already known to have antidepressant effects, however its relationship to phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), an enzyme influenced by stress hormone corticosterone, which regulates the body’s response to stress, was unknown. 

When too much corticosterone is released, a person can develop depression and other mental disorders. However, as this study shows, resveratrol inhibits the expression of PDE4, and therefore provides neuroprotective effects against corticosterone. 

Although prescribing red wine for depression is certainly not the answer, the researchers hope that their discovery can help scientists develop depression treatments from a new angle.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Artemidovna

Resveratrol found in red wine offers new methods for treating depression

New research from scientists at the University of Buffalo has...

Some stress and anxiety can actually be helpful. As <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/work-stress-sleep-hypertension/">Earth.com has reported</a>, stress can have a harmful impact on your health and wellbeing and has been linked to poor sleep and high blood pressure.

But according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/lisa-damour">Lisa Damour</a>, a psychologist and columnist for the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a>, not all stress is bad for you. Damour led a presentation about the potential <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/certain-stress-boost-longevity/">benefits of stress</a> and anxiety at the annual convention of the <a href="https://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a>. 

Damour notes that some stress is helpful, and as we learn to manage stress, we become stronger and more resilient when future stressful situations arise. 

People may want to reframe how they think about stress, instead of seeing all stress and anxiety as bad and unhealthy. Some stress and anxiety can actually be helpful

“It’s important for psychologists to share our knowledge about stress with broad audiences: that stress is a given in daily life, that working at the edge of our abilities often builds those capacities and that moderate levels of stress can have an inoculating function, which leads to higher than average resilience when we are faced with new difficulties,” said Damour. 

While research has shown that too much can be toxic, there are positive benefits that are often overlooked.  

Anxiety, for example, serves as an internal alarm and if it is viewed as something protective and helpful, people may be able to decipher these warnings and act accordingly.  

“As all psychologists know, anxiety is an internal alarm system, likely handed down by evolution, that alerts us to threats both external - such as a driver swerving in a nearby lane - and internal - such as when ’we’ve procrastinated too long and it’s time to get started on our work,” said Damour.

Damour counsels her clients to pay attention to those nervous, anxious feelings. A teen who suddenly feels anxious at a party may be feeling wary for a reason, so it’s important to listen to what your nerves are telling you. 

Having anxiety about a test because you haven’t studied is also normal, according to Darmour. 

“Similarly, if a client shares that ’she’s worried about an upcoming test for which she has yet to study, I am quick to reassure her that she is having the right reaction and that ’she’ll feel better as soon as she hits the books,” said Darmour. 

How do we decipher between what is healthy and unhealthy stress and anxiety? In other words, how do we learn not to be stressed about being stressed? 

Chronic or traumatic stress can be unhealthy, and too much stress may make it impossible for a person to cope or build up a tolerance. 

Anxiety can also be unhealthy when the alarm system overreacts to a threat or ‘goes off’ for no reason. 

When left untreated, stress and anxiety can be a serious detriment to health and well-being, which is why Damour is adamant about rethinking our relationship with stress. 

“Psychologists are good at taking a more measured approach to thinking about the human experience,” said Damour. “We want to support well-being, but ’don’t set the bar at being happy nearly all of the time. That is a dangerous idea because it is unnecessary and unachievable,” she said. “If you are under the impression that you should always be joyful, your day-to-day experience may ultimately turn out to be pretty miserable.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Aaron Amat

Some stress and anxiety can actually be helpful

Some stress and anxiety can actually be helpful. As Earth.com...

Living among green vegetation can lower risk of heart disease. A new study published by the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a> has revealed that people who live in neighborhoods with more green space have a lower risk of developing heart disease and strokes. 

The research, which was conducted by experts at the <a href="http://louisville.edu/">University of Louisville</a>, is the first of its kind to measure the impact of green spaces on individual-level markers of stress and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wood-coal-cooking-cardiovascular/">cardiovascular disease</a> risk.

The investigation was focused on 408 people of different age groups, ethnicities, and socioeconomic levels. Over the course of five years, blood and urine samples were collected and then tested for signs of blood vessel injury and cardiovascular disease risk.

To measure the density of green spaces near the homes of the participants, the researchers used data from a tool called the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which relies on satellite imagery to indicate vegetation density levels. 

The study revealed that living in areas with more green vegetation was associated with lower urinary levels of epinephrine, indicating lower levels of stress, as well as lower urinary levels of F2-isoprostane, indicating better health. Participants who lived close to green spaces were also found to have a higher capacity to repair blood vessels.

Study lead author Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar is a professor of Medicine and director of the University of Louisville Diabetes and Obesity Center.

“Our study shows that living in a neighborhood dense with trees, bushes and other green vegetation may be good for the health of your heart and blood vessels,” said Dr. Bhatnagar. “Indeed, increasing the amount of vegetation in a neighborhood may be an unrecognized environmental influence on cardiovascular health and a potentially significant public health intervention.”

The study is published in <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/jaha">JAHA: Journal of the American Heart Association</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Living among green vegetation can lower risk of heart disease

Living among green vegetation can lower risk of heart disease....

Too much or too little <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-heart-disease/">sleep</a> can increase the risk of heart disease. However, for individuals with genetic predispositions to cardiovascular disease, getting the right amount of sleep each night can help lower heart attack risk. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado, Boulder</a>, the <a href="https://www.manchester.ac.uk/">University of Manchester</a>, and the <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/">Massachusetts General Hospital</a> analyzed medical records and sleep habits from the UK Biobank in a new study. 

The researchers reviewed data from 461,000 Biobank participants ages 40 to 69. The participants had no prior heart attack history and were followed up for a period of seven years. 

The participants that slept less than six hours each night on average were 20 percent more likely to have a heart attack in the follow-up period. 

Participants that slept more than nine hours each night were 34 percent more likely to have a heart attack. 

“This provides some of the strongest proof yet that sleep duration is a key factor when it comes to heart health, and this holds true for everyone,” said Celine Vetter, the senior author of the study. 

The correlated risks held true even after accounting for 30 different influencing factors like physical activity, smoking history, and mental health. 

The researchers also investigated the potentially protective benefits sleep provides for people with a genetic predisposition to heart disease and found that genetically influenced short sleep periods increased heart attack risk. 

Sleeping between six and nine hours each night decreased heart attack by 18 percent for people with a genetic predisposition to cardiovascular disease. 

It is still not clear how sleeping too much or too little increases heart disease risk, but the study shows a clear link between sleeping and heart attacks.

“It’s kind of a hopeful message, that regardless of what your inherited risk for heart attack is, sleeping a healthy amount may cut that risk just like eating a healthy diet, not smoking, and other lifestyle approaches can,” said Iyas Daghlas, the lead author of the study. 

The researchers published their findings in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/wavebreakmedia

Getting the right amount of sleep can lower heart attack risk

Too much or too little sleep can increase the risk...

Two studies from the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/joint-research-centre_en">European Commission Joint Research Centre</a> (JRC) have projected the future costs of major flooding events along the coast of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/large-scale-deforestation-europe/">Europe</a>. The researchers found that, without increased investment in resilient infrastructure along the coast, the annual damage caused by floods could increase from 1.25 billion Euros today to between 93 and 961 billion Euros by the end of the century.


According to the experts, these coastal floods could impact up to 3.65 million people every year in Europe by 2100, primarily due to an increase in extreme sea levels driven by global warming.

The scientists estimated how extreme sea levels will change during the present century. They also investigated how this sea level rise will affect future losses from coastal flooding when combined with socioeconomic change. 

The team accounted for two scenarios - one where moderate policy efforts are made to mitigate climate change and another “business as usual” scenario where climate change continues at its current rate.


The study revealed that - unless adaptation measures are adopted very quickly - there is an unprecedented flood risk. More specifically, defense structures need to be modified to withstand an increase in sea levels ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 meters in order for Europe to keep future coastal flood losses constant relative to the size of the economy.


Across the globe, the projected rise in costs from coastal flooding is now mainly attributed to climate change, whereas before it was primarily driven by socioeconomic development.

The rising sea levels are mainly triggered by thermal expansion, but retreating ice cover across regions such as Greenland and Antarctica are now also making large contributions to sea level rise.

The results of the JRC studies have been published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a> and <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Europe needs major coastal overhaul to avoid disastrous flooding

Two studies from the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC)...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo</a> has demonstrated that exercise can change the connections in the brain that are associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research, which was focused on a mouse model, showed that behavioral differences disappeared and structural differences were reduced after one month of treadmill <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/morning-exercise-improves-cognitive-performance/">exercise</a>. 
"Voluntary exercise can be a safe, drug-free way to improve overall health and now we have a better understanding of how exercise can positively change brain structure in ASD," said study lead author Professor Ryuta Koyama.

The study was performed in mice, and the researchers caution against expecting the same results in humans.

"A very important part of this research is that the mice were not forced to exercise - any physical activity was voluntary," said Professor Koyama. "If children are interested, they should be encouraged to do any exercise they want, but this research does not reveal how different activities might affect the brains of children with ASD."

Around ten years ago, a collection of small studies began producing evidence to suggest that regular exercise could improve the social difficulties and repetitive behaviors commonly observed among children with ASD. While many studies have investigated how exercise can make large-scale changes in healthy brains, there was no research to show how exercise may alter the brain structure of ASD patients. 

As they get older, the brains of children naturally trim away any redundant connections between neurons. A defining feature of autism is the presence of too many of these redundant connections in the brain. The results of the mouse model study indicate that exercise somehow activates the brain's normal pruning process. 

"Exercise likely enhanced the contrast between active and inactive neuronal connections so that the weak ones could be more easily targeted for removal," said Professor Koyama.

The ASD model mice display the same behaviors that are characteristic of neurodevelopmental differences. For example, they groom themselves repetitively, they interact less with new mice, and it takes them longer to start eating again when they are exposed to a new environment.

The researchers placed a running wheel in the corner of the cages so the mice could run as much as they wanted from the time they were four weeks old until eight weeks old, which is when mice reach adulthood. 

"Part of the variability of our data is that we could not give all mice the same amount of exercise. Some mice may have exercised just a little, some may have exercised very intensely," said Professor Koyama.

The researchers found that the ASD model mice who exercised exhibited behavior that was similar to healthy mice after just 30 days of gaining access to the running wheel.

Next, the researchers analyzed a brain structure called mossy fibers in the hippocampus, which is the site of neurogenesis in adults. In this area, neurons are often connected to dozens of mossy fibers sent out by other neurons.

This brain region is also equipped with immune cells called microglia, which alter the structure of the brain by overtaking less active synapses. The researchers noted that microglia had removed the less active mossy fibers in the brains of the mice that were on the spectrum, while sparing the active mossy fibers. 

According to the research team, the findings suggest that the connection between exercise and microglia should receive as much attention as future research focused on the causes of autism spectrum disorder.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home">Cell Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Exercise can help eliminate the excess brain connections of autism

A new study from the University of Tokyo has demonstrated...

The hardest part of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/crash-dieting-health-damage/">dieting</a> is the dieting itself. Not eating your favorite unhealthy foods can leave you dreaming about the sugary and fatty treats that got you into this diet in the first place. But these cravings for junk food that seem to grow the further we get into a diet are not just in your imagination.

“Craving for foods high in fat - this includes many junk foods - is an important part of obesity and binge eating,” says Jonathan Hommel, assistant professor in the department of pharmacology and toxicology at the <a href="https://www.utsystem.edu/institutions/university-texas-medical-branch-galveston">University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston</a>. “When trying to lose weight people often strive to avoid fatty foods, which ironically increases motivation and craving for these foods and can lead to overeating. Even worse, the longer someone abstains from fatty foods, the greater the cravings.”

Recently, Hommel and a team of UTMB researchers identified the brain circuits that may be able to act as a brake on binge eating and junk food craving. In a study published in <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/behavioural-brain-research">Behavioural Brain Research</a>, the researchers successfully inhibited fatty food seeking behaviors in rats who had spent a month eating a low-fat diet.

While multiple behavioral studies have shown that denying certain foods causes increased craving and motivation for that food, the brain mechanisms that lead to this type of overeating have not been identified. 

The UTMB team took rats that had been on a 30-day low-fat diet and trained them to work for fatty treats by pressing a lever. In order to measure craving and motivation, the amount of times needed to press the lever to receive a treat was increased until the rat gave up trying. In half the rats, the researchers blocked the effects of a brain chemical called neuromedin U receptor 2 within a region of the brain that regulates food intake. The other half were the control group, and did not undergo this procedure. 

It turned out that the rats who had been treated did not work as hard for fatty treats as the control rats. This may indicate that the researchers found new brain circuits that could one day help us better understand our own cravings – and maybe stop them entirely.

“While our findings are only the first step in a long process from the scientific lab to the doctor’s office, we are planning to develop new drugs to help curb those cravings,” says Hommel. “Although it may be years before the drug is ready, our research highlights some important features of food craving that may help you set realistic New Year’s resolutions.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why do food cravings seem to get worse when you’re dieting?

The hardest part of dieting is the dieting itself. Not...

An extensive, seven-year study has revealed that consistent meditation over the course of a lifetime may help a person maintain attentiveness and reduce the extent of cognitive decline. 

The research team analyzed the benefits gained from three months of full-time <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yoga-meditation-reverse-ill-health/">meditation</a> training, and then followed up with participants seven years later to see if the benefits were still noticeable.

The project was initially launched by the team at the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a> in 2011. The experts tested the cognitive abilities of the study participants before and after they attended a three-month-long retreat at the Shambhala Mountain meditation center.

The training was designed to help individuals improve their attentiveness and also to help them focus on compassion, kindness, and emphatic joy. The researchers followed up six months, 18 months, and seven years later to evaluate the participants. 

By the final assessment, all of the remaining participants reported that they still practiced meditation. Across all of the individuals, they meditated an average of 1 hour a day for seven years, and 85 percent of them had attended at least one meditation retreat.

When cognitive abilities were tested at the seven-year mark, the experts found that the study participants had partially maintained the cognitive skills that they had gained after the intense meditation training in 2011. 

The study also revealed that older adults who had meditated frequently did not demonstrate typical patterns of age-related cognitive decline.

“This study is the first to offer evidence that intensive and continued meditation practice is associated with enduring improvements in sustained attention and response inhibition, with the potential to alter longitudinal trajectories of cognitive change across a person's life,” said lead author Anthony Zanesco.


Zanesco, who is now at the University of Miami, emphasized that further research is needed to determine if meditation is an effective treatment for improving cognitive function in older adults.

The study is published in Springer's <a href="https://link.springer.com/journal/41465"> Journal of Cognitive Enhancement</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Long-term meditation found to have lasting mental health benefits

An extensive, seven-year study has revealed that consistent meditation over...

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer among both men and women. Most fatalities occur after the cancer spreads to other parts of the body through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system in a process known as metastasis. 

In a groundbreaking new study, researchers may have discovered a way to slow down the spread of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/red-wine-lung-cancer-prevention/">lung cancer</a> with capsaicin, the same compound that makes chili peppers hot and spicy. 

Jamie Friedman is a doctoral candidate who conducted the research in the lab of Dr. Piyali Dasgupta at the Marshall University <a href="https://jcesom.marshall.edu/">Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine</a>.

“Lung cancer and other cancers commonly metastasize to secondary locations like the brain, liver or bone, making them difficult to treat,” said Friedman. “Our study suggests that the natural compound capsaicin from chili peppers could represent a novel therapy to combat metastasis in lung cancer patients.”

The investigation was focused on experiments involving three lines of cultured human non-small cell lung cancer cells. The researchers found that capsaicin prevented invasion, which is the first step of the metastatic process. The team also observed that, among mice with metastatic cancer, those who consumed capsaicin had smaller groups of metastatic cancer cells in their lungs compared to mice who were not treated.


Upon further analysis, the experts established that capsaicin suppresses lung cancer metastasis by inhibiting activation of the protein Src. This protein plays a major role in initiating the process of invasion and other tumor progression-related events

“We hope that one day capsaicin can be used in combination with other chemotherapeutics to treat a variety of lung cancers,” said Friedman. “However, using capsaicin clinically will require overcoming its unpleasant side effects, which include gastrointestinal irritation, stomach cramps and a burning sensation.”

The researchers are working to identify elements of capsaicin that retain the anti-tumor capacity of the compound without the spiciness. They are also hoping to find additional natural compounds with anti-cancer properties.

The findings were presented at <a href="https://experimentalbiology.org/2019/home.aspx">Experimental Biology 2019</a>, the annual meeting of the American Society for Investigative Pathology.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Spicy chili pepper compound slows the progression of lung cancer

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer among both men and...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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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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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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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...