The fight against pain may have a new player in its ranks - gender. The findings from a recent study indicate that men and women resort to different biological mechanisms for pain relief. But what does this mean?



A team of researchers at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of California San Diego</a> School of Medicine has unmasked an intriguing reality - pain management is not a one-size-fits-all solution. 



The way <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-men-and-women-react-differently-to-stress/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">men and women</a> experience and combat pain varies significantly, pointing to key biological differences in their responses.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gender-differences-in-pain-management">Gender differences in pain management </h2>



Men tend to rely on the release of endogenous opioids, which are the body's natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-learn-how-to-activate-the-bodys-natural-pain-killers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pain relievers</a>. These substances act similarly to prescription opioids like morphine, binding to opioid receptors in the brain to dampen the perception of pain. 



In contrast, women appear to utilize alternative, non-opioid pathways. These channels bypass the body's opioid system entirely, meaning that the pain relief mechanisms at play in women may be less reliant on the body’s internal opioids.



This finding suggests there is a biological reason for why women might not respond as well to opioid-based treatments.



The research highlights a major distinction in how pain relief strategies should be tailored based on gender, potentially altering the way we approach pain management altogether.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-opioids-may-not-help-women-in-pain">Opioids may not help women in pain</h2>



Powerful synthetic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-discovery-offers-hope-for-tackling-opioid-addiction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opioid</a> drugs such as morphine and fentanyl are the leading painkillers at our disposal today. 



By adhering to the same receptors as endogenous opioids, these synthetic molecules pack a potent punch. However, this characteristic also primes them for a high risk of addiction.



One of the profound peculiarities of opioid therapy is the subpar response exhibited by women. 



"Dependence develops because people start taking more opioids when their original dosage stops working," explained Dr. Fadel Zeidan, an expert at the UC San Diego Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion.



"Although speculative, our findings suggest that maybe one reason that females are more likely to become addicted to opioids is that they’re biologically less responsive to them and need to take more to experience any pain relief.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-new-approach-to-pain-management">A new approach to pain management </h2>



The research was based on data from two clinical trials consisting of 98 participants, including healthy individuals and chronic lower back pain sufferers.



According to Dr. Zeidan, the results underscore the need for more sex-specific pain <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-therapy-can-reduce-pain-stress-and-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">therapies</a>, because many of the treatments we use do not work nearly as well for women as they do for men.



The implications of the study are immense. For one, the findings could revolutionize the way we approach pain management.



Tailoring treatment to an individual’s gender could improve patient outcomes and decrease opioid reliance and misuse. 



After all, it is clear disparities exist in pain management between genders, and these results provide the first tangible evidence that sex-based differences in pain processing need to be considered more seriously when developing and prescribing treatment for pain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pain-treatment-for-women">Pain treatment for women </h2>



This research highlights a crucial issue that's been overlooked in healthcare - how men and women experience pain differently. Traditionally, pain treatments have followed a standardized approach, but this study suggests a shift in thinking is needed.



If men and women utilize different biological pathways for pain relief, it stands to reason they might need distinct treatments. The findings also explain why women have a greater prevalence of chronic pain. 



For women, who appear less responsive to opioids, exploring alternative methods that align with their unique pain pathways becomes important. Options like anti-inflammatory drugs, nerve blockers, or innovative approaches like mindfulness-based <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mindfulness-meditation-is-a-powerful-weapon-against-chronic-pain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pain management</a> could offer better results.



Furthermore, the study points out a pressing concern: women might face a higher risk of opioid addiction due to the need for larger doses to achieve pain relief. This insight could shed light on the alarming rates of opioid misuse among women. 



As we move forward, it's evident that doctors will need to carefully consider painkiller prescriptions, possibly adopting gender-specific guidelines to safeguard women from the risks of dependency.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae453/7821498" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PNAS Nexus</a>.



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Why women experience more chronic pain than men

The fight against pain may have a new player in its ranks - gender. The findings from a recent study indicate that men and women resort to different biological mechanisms for pain relief. But what does this mean? A team of researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has unmasked an intriguing reality - pain management is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The way men and women experience and combat pain varies significantly, pointing to key biological differences in their responses. Gender differences in...

Fake news can create false memories, study shows. The last few years have seen the explosion of the term “fake news,” as well as its use in persuading voters to lean one way or another during important elections. The 2016 U.S. presidential election in particular will forever be tied to the term, and has led to a multitude of studies that attempt to analyze how fake news affects people voting in elections.

In this vein, a joint study published in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/pss">Psychological Science</a> by American and Irish researchers has found that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/over-65-share-fake-news/">fake news</a> certainly seems to influence voters, and may even cause some people to form false memories based on fabricated news reports. 

“In highly emotional, partisan political contests, such as the 2020 US Presidential election, voters may ‘remember’ entirely fabricated news stories,” says lead author Gillian Murphy of <a href="https://www.ucc.ie/en/">University College Cork</a>. “In particular, they are likely to ‘remember’ scandals that reflect poorly on the opposing candidate.”

The researchers surveyed over 3,000 potential Irish voters leading up to a 2018 referendum on abortion. Participants were asked about their voting plans prior to the referendum, and then given six news reports. Two of those reports were entirely false, and presented political figures involved in both sides of the abortion debate as having participated in illegal or immoral behavior. 

Study participants were then asked if they had heard about these events before reading the (unknown to them) fabricated news story. They were also asked if they could recall specific memories about these events.

After participants were informed that some of the news stories they had just read were untrue, they were asked to identify the fake news reports. The results of the study showed that almost half of the participants “remembered” at least one fake story, and they were more likely to remember a false claim about political figures on the side they opposed. Furthermore, many participants refused to reconsider their memories even after they were informed that they had just read fake news. Some participants even added additional details to these stories.

“This demonstrates the ease with which we can plant these entirely fabricated memories, despite this voter suspicion and even despite an explicit warning that they may have been shown fake news,” says Murphy.

Cognitive tests administered with the study also showed that lower intelligence did not correlate with increased susceptibility to accept fake news as true. 

However, individuals who scored higher in cognitive testing were less likely to remember false details that agreed with their beliefs. The researchers suggest that this may show that intelligent individuals are more likely to question their own beliefs and preferred news sources. 

With the 2020 U.S. presidential election looming large on the horizon, gaining and understanding of how fake news affects voters is becoming increasingly important. Fake news has been weaponized successfully against voters in recent years, and in order for our elections to have results based in truth and reality, we’ll need to figure out how to disrupt the fake news machine.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/FGC

Fake news can create false memories, study shows

Fake news can create false memories, study shows. The last...

Scorpion toxin – specifically, a chemical isolated from the venom of the Australian Black Rock scorpion – could be the key to understanding chronic pain. It might even help scientists develop non-addictive treatments for it. 

The toxin activates a protein in the brain that researchers have dubbed the “wasabi receptor.” It got the name because certain spicy foods, including wasabi, mustard, onions and ginger, also activate the TRPA1 protein.

A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California, San Francisco</a> and the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> set out to see if there was an animal venom that might also activate the protein. They found it in the Australian scorpion toxin.

“Think of TRPA1 as the body's 'fire alarm' for chemical irritants in the environment,” UCSF doctoral student and lead author John Lin King said in a press release. “When this receptor encounters a potentially harmful compound – specifically, a class of chemicals known as ‘reactive electrophiles,’ which can cause significant damage to cells – it is activated to let you know you're being exposed to something dangerous that you need to remove yourself from.”

The TRPA1 protein can also be triggered by environmental pollutants like cigarette smoke, the researchers said. In that case, the protein reaction is in the cells that line the airway, and can cause coughing and airway inflammation.

The scorpion toxin that triggers the protein only seems to do so in mammals, according to the researchers, although all animals have some form of the TRPA1 protein. Since the Black Rock scorpions don’t hunt mammals, it’s likely the toxin is defensive. That may be the case for plants like garlic and ginger, too.

“Our results provide a beautiful and striking example of convergent evolution, whereby distantly related life forms – plants and animals – have developed defensive strategies that target the same mammalian receptor through completely distinct strategies,” senior author Dr. David Julius of UCSF said.

The scorpion toxin has some other unusual properties: it can “force” its way through the cell wall rather than being checked by the normal processes that protect cells from invaders. That could offer a unique insight into someday treating chronic pain and inflammation. 

“It was surprising to find a toxin that can pass directly through membranes. This is unusual for peptide toxins,” Lin King said. “But it’s also exciting because if you understand how these peptides get across the membrane, you might be able to use them to carry things – drugs, for example – into the cell that can’t normally get across membranes.”

The pain response from the scorpion toxin also does not trigger inflammation. That may eventually help researchers figure out how to stop the inflammatory response that’s often triggered by chronic pain. 

“The discovery of this toxin provides scientists with a new tool that can be used to probe the molecular mechanisms of pain, in particular, to selectively probe the processes that lead to pain hypersensitivity,” Lin King said. “And for those interested in drug discovery, our findings underscore the promise of TRPA1 as a target for new classes of non-opioid analgesics to treat chronic pain.”

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30779-2">Cell</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Could scorpion toxin be the key to non-addictive pain killers?

Scorpion toxin – specifically, a chemical isolated from the venom...

The Kardiozive Brno 2030 study was designed to investigate the complex relationships between cardiovascular disease and a range of various factors, including pet ownership. In the very first analysis of data from this research, experts have determined that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dog-owners-perceived-attractive/">dog ownership</a>, in particular, is associated with better cardiovascular health.

Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez is the chair of the Division of Preventive Cardiology at the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/">Mayo Clinic</a> in Rochester. He explained that having a dog may prompt owners to get outside and move around more regularly. In previous studies, dog ownership was also found to improve mental health and reduce the perception of social isolation, which are both risk factors for heart attacks. 

The Kardiozive Brno 2030 study initially collected health and socio-economic information in 2013 and 2014 from more than 2,000 participants in the city of Brno, Czech Republic. Follow-up evaluations were scheduled to be conducted every five years through 2030.

A follow-up in 2019 was focused on 1,769 subjects with no history of heart disease. These individuals were scored based on Life's Simple 7 ideal health behaviors and factors, including body mass index, diet, physical activity, smoking status, blood pressure, blood glucose, and total cholesterol.

The overall cardiovascular health scores of pet owners were compared to the rest of the participants. Next, the researchers compared the health scores of dog owners with those who did not own pets and also with other pet owners.

"In general, people who owned any pet were more likely to report more physical activity, better diet and blood sugar at ideal level," said Dr. Andrea Maugeri. "The greatest benefits from having a pet were for those who owned a dog, independent of their age, sex and education level."

The experts identified a link between dog ownership and favorable heart health. This finding is validated by a previous report from the American Heart Association, which noted that dog owners enjoy the benefits of physical activity, engagement, and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to Dr. Maugeri, the research suggests that people could adopt, rescue, or purchase a pet as a potential strategy to improve their cardiovascular health as long as pet ownership led them to become more physically active.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/">Mayo Clinic Proceedings</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Rohappy

Having a dog can improve your cardiovascular health

The Kardiozive Brno 2030 study was designed to investigate the...

New research from the <a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/">Universities of Newcastle</a>, <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/">Warwick</a>, and <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">Sheffield</a> proves that city-dwellers who live within 984 feet of a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/city-planners-mental-health-nature/">park</a>, play area, or green space are generally happier than those who do not. 

The researchers surveyed 25,518 Londoners and assessed factors that play into their overall wellbeing, including marital status, education, health and income. However, they found that the amount of green space a person lived near had much to do with their life satisfaction, happiness and self-worth.

“We believe this it is the first study to demonstrate how urban greenspaces may improve a broader definition of mental wellbeing,” said lead author Dr. Victoria Houlden, <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7378689/City-dwellers-live-1-000ft-park-play-area-happier.html">per DailyMail.com</a>. “What makes our work different is the way we consider multi-dimensional mental wellbeing, in terms of happiness, life satisfaction and worth.”

Before this study, published in <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/applied-geography">Applied Geography</a>, others have investigated how green space can better one’s mental health. However, this research is the first to quantify how close one must be to green space in order to feel the benefits. 

The researchers found that green space within 984ft of the home had the greatest influence on city-dwellers’ mental wellbeing. And for ever increase in one hectare of land (about 2.4 acres) near residents’ homes, their life satisfaction increased by about 8%, their self worth increased by 7%, and their overall happiness increased by 5%.

However, the researchers did notice that green space was less important for the mental wellbeing of those located in Central London and East London.

“Up until now the evidence for the link between green space and mental wellbeing has been pretty circumstantial,” said Scott Weich, professor of mental health at the University of Sheffield, per DailyMail.com. “By combining advanced statistical and mapping methods, we've shown that the effect is real and substantial. Basically we've proven what everyone has always assumed was true.”

“This is the first study to provide concrete evidence of how urban greenspaces may improve mental wellbeing in the broadest sense,” added Professor Stephen Jarvis, of the University of Warwick, “and should therefore lead to healthier, happier and more productive urban landscapes in the future.”

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By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Liderina

City people who live close to green space are generally happier, study finds

New research from the Universities of Newcastle, Warwick, and Sheffield...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/calorie-restriction-heart-disease/">Heart disease</a>, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension are known collectively as cardiometabolic disease, which is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. According to a new study from <a href="https://www.nm.org/">Northwestern Medicine</a>, the total number of deaths from cardiometabolic disease have been increasing in the United States since 2011.

The researchers found that while the overall rate of fatal heart disease decreased over time, the rate of decline slowed after 2010. Deaths from stroke and diabetes declined from 1999 to 2010, but then leveled off. Furthermore, deaths from high blood pressure increased between 1999 and 2017. 

"We know the majority of deaths attributable to cardiometabolic disease are preventable," said study senior author Dr. Sadiya Khan. "Our findings make it clear that we are losing ground in the battle against cardiovascular disease. We need to shift our focus as a nation toward prevention to achieve our goal of living longer, healthier and free of cardiovascular disease."

Dr. Khan said that until 2011, advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease led to significant declines in deaths related to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Since 2011, however, these rates have flattened and hypertension deaths continue to rise.

The team analyzed mortalities in the United States between 1999 and 2017 using data from the Centers for Disease Control's Wide-Ranging Online Database for Epidemiological Research (WONDER). The study was specifically focused on deaths caused by heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. 

Dr. Khan pointed out that the culprit could be the rise in obesity in recent decades. She explained that although this dataset did not allow for identification of the causes of the worsening cardiometabolic disease trends, the prevalence of obesity has risen significantly since 2011, and obesity is a major risk factor for heart disease.

"Cornerstones of good cardiometabolic health include maintaining a normal body weight, eating a healthy diet, staying physically active and not smoking," said study first author Dr. Nilay Shah. "These actions are important to preventing heart disease, no matter your age."

According to Dr. Khan, it is critical that the prevention of risk factors for cardiometabolic health begins early in life. This can be managed by consulting your doctor to assess any risk factors and engaging in heart-healthy behaviors.

Dr. Khan noted that policy makers need to develop public health prevention strategies to support Americans in eating a healthy diet and having safe places to exercise in their neighborhoods. Furthermore, increasing access to affordable health care and medications is needed to improve cardiovascular health equally across the population.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/">JAMA</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/Monster e

Preventable heart disease deaths are on the rise in the US

Heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension are known collectively as...

Scorecard reveals which states rank best and worst for clean energy. The <a href="https://aceee.org/">American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy</a> (ACEEE) recently released its annual scorecard ranking 75 major cities in the US based on clean energy initiatives and climate goals.

The<a href="https://aceee.org/local-policy/city-scorecard"> 2019 City Clean Energy Scorecard</a> shows that cities are continuing to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-fuel-efficiency-standards/">climate change into their hands</a> even while the current Administration is working hard to pump the brakes on climate change policies. 

To create the scorecard, ACEEE researchers reviewed data on more than 265 clean and renewable energy initiatives between 2017 and 2019. More than 50 metrics were used to rank cities in five major policy areas. 

The researchers reviewed local government operations, buildings policies, energy and water utilities, and transportation policies. 

How well are cities reaching their climate goals and gearing towards an energy efficient economy? The scorecard shows that Boston holds the number one spot, followed by San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis and Washington, DC. 

However, the majority of cities in the survey are making minimal progress and will likely not meet their proposed climate goals. 26 of the cities don’t even have set targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Only eleven out of the 75 cities with data on climate goal progress will come close to meeting their greenhouse gas targets the scorecard shows. 

“Cities are making impressive clean energy gains—taking big steps to waste less energy and encourage more renewable power. But they have more to do,” said David Ribeiro, the lead report author. “Cities must continue their push for innovative buildings policies, take greater steps to tackle transportation emissions, and better track progress to know which investments have the greatest impact.”

[caption id="attachment_1875737" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/scorecard.png"><img class="wp-image-1875737" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/scorecard.png" alt="" width="650" height="757" /></a> Image Credit: ACEEE[/caption]

All in cities made more progress in increasing energy efficiency for buildings, but more attention must be paid to the transportation sectors. 

The scorecard found that there was much room for improvement with cities investing in low-income communities and communities of color, which often face disproportionate pollution exposure and health risks. 

“It is vital that cities move quickly to reduce their carbon emissions and that they do so in ways that engage and benefit all residents, including low-income communities and communities of color,” said Lois DeBacker, the managing director of The Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program, which helps funds the ACEEE. “ACEEE’s City Clean Energy Scorecard offers a clear guide for local leaders to learn from one another how to transition to clean energy in an equitable manner.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Main Image Credit: Shutterstock/Sean Pavone

Scorecard reveals which states rank best and worst for clean energy

Scorecard reveals which states rank best and worst for clean...

The costs of the opioid epidemic in the United States go far beyond health risks and the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-adult-deaths-opioid-use/">rising death toll due</a> to overdoses in recent years.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.psu.edu/">Penn State University</a> collaborated on a series of papers examining the social and economic costs of the opioid epidemic. 

The research specifically focused on how the opioid epidemic is costing states like Pennsylvania and diverting important resources. 

“State and local governments have long shouldered the burden of the opioid epidemic and its costs to individuals and families,” said Dennis Scanlon, one of the authors involved in the collaboration and the director of the <a href="https://hhd.psu.edu/chcpr">Center for Health Care and Policy Research at Penn State</a>. “They are at ground zero for the epidemic, where services for those being harmed by opioids are significant and costly, spanning well beyond healthcare for treatment and prevention.”

The papers are part of a supplement published in a special issue of the American Journal of Managed Care. 

“Each article in this special issue presents complex cost analyses of the implications of opioid misuse, shedding new light on the opioid epidemic at the state level, and adds to a growing body of literature about the opioid epidemic.”

Some of the topics covered in the collaboration include how the opioid crisis impacts employment rates and places an increasingly costly burden on Medicaid programs. 

One paper reveals that between 2000 and 2016, opioid addiction decreased tax revenue for the United States by over $11 billion. 

Another study in the series focused on the total costs of the opioid epidemic to the criminal justice system for Pennsylvania between 2007 and 2016, which added up to over $526 million. 

The researchers also delve into issues like opioid addiction and the criminal justice system, or how addiction impacts children. 

Educational programs that address the functional needs of children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome in Pennsylvania cost the state around one million dollars annually, the researchers found.

Neonatal abstinence syndrome can occur when a baby is exposed to drugs like opioids while in the womb. 

The research emphasize the devastatingly high-costs of the opioid crisis on both social welfare and state governments. 

“Due to these costs, every American has suffered and will continue to suffer from resources diverted to the epidemic that could have been made available for a more productive societal use,” said Scanlon.

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By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Kimberly Boyles

&nbsp;

The economic cost of the opioid epidemic exceeds billions of dollars

The costs of the opioid epidemic in the United States...

Rapid eye movement (REM) is a crucial stage in the sleep cycle associated with dreaming. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-brain-learning/">mechanics and purpose of REM sleep</a> have long fascinated researchers, but a new study has found that the brain may actively forget or store information during this phase. 

When we slip away to dreamland and enter REM, breathing becomes erratic, heart rates increase, and the brain is host to a flurry of activity. 

It’s been suggested that REM plays an important role in storing new memories and eliminating excess information which could be why so few dreams are remembered the next day. 

Francis Crick, one of the discoverers of the DNA double helix, suggested that the brain actively forgets information during REM, but exactly how this happens was unknown until now. 

A team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.sri.com/about/organization/biosciences/center-neuroscience">Center for Neuroscience at SRI International</a> in California, <a href="http://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/">Nagoya University</a> in Japan, and <a href="https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/">Hokkaido University</a> in Japan focused on cells that produce melanin-concentrating hormones (MCH) which are known to influence sleep and appetite. 

The researchers found that hypothalamic MCH cells sent messages to the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain. 

“From previous studies done in other labs, we already knew that MCH cells were active during REM sleep. After discovering this new circuit, we thought these cells might help the brain store memories,” said Dr. Thomas Kilduff, an author of the study.

Once this link was discovered, the researchers switched MCH neurons in mice on and off with different genetic tools and conducted memory tests. 

For one test, the mice had to distinguish between familiar and new objects. When the MCH cells were switched on as the mice retained information, it had a negative effect on memory, but when the cells were turned off, memory improved. 

The mice also performed better on memory tests when the MCH neurons were disabled during REM. 

“These results suggest that MCH neurons help the brain actively forget new, possibly, unimportant information,” said Dr. Kilduff. “Since dreams are thought to primarily occur during REM sleep, the sleep stage when the MCH cells turn on, activation of these cells may prevent the content of a dream from being stored in the hippocampus - consequently, the dream is quickly forgotten.”

The research, published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aax9238">Science</a>, could help with finding new pathways for studying and treating sleep and memory disorders. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Syda Productions

During deep sleep, the brain may actively forget unimportant information

Rapid eye movement (REM) is a crucial stage in the...

Adding a few nuts to your daily diet can help keep the weight off. A long-term observational study has revealed that just half a serving of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/eating-nuts/">nuts</a> can lower an individual's risk of obesity. 

According to the researchers, substituting unhealthy foods, such as processed meat or potato chips, with half an ounce of nuts may be an effective strategy to avoid the gradual weight gain that is associated with aging.

American adults gain an average of one pound per year, and weight gain of more than four or five pounds is linked to an elevated risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

While nuts are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they are also high in calories, which makes them an unlikely choice for weight control. However, the new research suggests that the quality of a food may be more important than its quantity.

The analysis was focused on data from hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals who had participated in three large previous studies, including the Nurses Health Study (NHS). 

The participants were between the ages of 24 and 70 when they first enrolled, and were followed up with for more than 20 years - reporting on weight, physical activity, and diet. Every four years, the individuals were asked how often they had eaten a one-ounce serving of nuts, including peanuts and peanut butter, over the past year.

In all three studies, average nut consumption slowly yet steadily increased. The researchers determined that an increase in the consumption of any type of nut by half a serving a day was associated with a 15-percent lower risk of gradual weight gain and obesity.

Those who consistently increased their nut intake by more than half a serving a day were found to have a 23-percent lower risk of weight gain and obesity. 

"In addition to the impact on human health, using environmentally friendly plant-based protein, such as nuts and seeds to replace animal sources of protein may contribute to the promotion of a global sustainable food system," wrote the study authors.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://nutrition.bmj.com/">BMJ Nutrition, Prevention &amp; Health</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Dionisvera

Adding a few nuts to your daily diet can help keep the weight off

Adding a few nuts to your daily diet can help...

The Hawksbill turtle has a strikingly beautiful shell that has enchanted nature and animal lovers across the world. Unfortunately, the turtle’s shell also appeals to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dna-test-illegal-ivory-poachers/">poachers</a> who target the species to sell tourist trinkets.

The Hawksbill turtle is currently listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, the most dire classification before Extinct in the Wild. The largest threat to the species is the tortoiseshell trade. The Hawksbill turtle is coveted for its shell which is made up of scales shaded with hues of gold, amber and brown. The scales are taken off the turtles and crafted into items such as combs, jewelry and sunglasses.

Hawksbill turtle populations are estimated to have plummeted <a href="https://www.tooraretowear.org/turtleshell-products/">90%</a> in the past century. As the turtles struggles to cope with intense poaching for their shells, they are also subject to poaching for their eggs and meat, habitat destruction and entanglement and ingestion of marine debris.

The Hawksbill turtle has long been targeted for its shell. Tortoiseshell jewelry has dated as far back as ancient Egypt and has continued until modern day. Recognizing the threats to the Hawksbill turtle, the species was placed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1977, prohibiting international commercial trade. 

When Japan, a major market for tortoiseshell products, joined CITES in 1980 they took exception to the prohibition and imported Hawksbill shells. Tortoiseshell products, called bekko in Japan, have historically been in high demand in the country as many consider them cultural items. In 1993, Japan gave into international pressure and stopped importing Hawksbill shells although illegal imports are still a concern.

Despite international and national laws protecting Hawksbill turtles, the trade is wide-scale. The campaign Too Rare to Wear, which works to end demand for turtle products,<a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57f7027abebafb13aa7c3099/t/5908f61ed482e90d12b2198c/1493759541207/TRTW+Report+Final.pdf"> examined</a> the Hawksbill tortoiseshell trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. Overall, researchers found over 10,000 tortoiseshell products for sale. The products were readily available to tourists in almost one-third of surveyed shops. Nicaragua had the highest number of stores selling tortoiseshell products, followed by Honduras and Cuba. 

Part of the reason the tortoiseshell trade is so rampant is because the products can be attractive to travelers. The tortoiseshell pattern is well recognized and products can sell for less than one dollar, making them an easy trinket to bring home. While travelers likely know to forgo on buying ivory and rhino horn products, they may be in the dark about the tortoiseshell trade. A 2016 WildAid<a href="http://stopwildlifetrafficking.org/images/content/report/KRC_Poll_Summary.pdf"> poll</a> conducted by KRC Research found that Americans were aware of the trade of charismatic species such as elephants, rhinos and tigers but knew less about the trafficking of bird, reptile and marine species.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/hawksbill.jpg"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-1866784" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/hawksbill.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="393" /></a>

This lack of awareness can put travelers in a bind if they are caught importing Hawksbill products into countries where the products are illegal, such as the United States which protects sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act. Sea turtle products are one of the <a href="https://defenders.org/sites/default/files/publications/combating-wildlife-trafficking-from-latin-america-to-the-united-states.pdf">most commonly</a> confiscated wildlife items by U.S. officials.

To this end, Too Rare to Wear is working to educate consumers on the plight of the Hawksbill turtle and alternative souvenirs such as coconut shell jewelry. In addition, conservation groups are working directly with local communities to involve them in ecotourism which can incentivize sea turtle conservation.  

Forensic advances can also play a role in curtailing Hawksbill turtle poaching. Last year, World Wildlife Fund and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began a project to trace the tortoiseshell trade using DNA testing of products and live turtles, The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/13/hawksbill-turtle-poaching-to-be-fought-with-dna-technology">reports</a>. The results of the DNA testing will help researchers identify where the turtle products originated in order to guide future conservation efforts.

Travelers can do their part by reporting any tortoiseshell products they have found for sale on Too Rare to Wear’s <a href="https://www.tooraretowear.org/report-turtleshell">website</a>. Mostly important, travelers should refuse to buy products they believe are made from Hawksbill turtles.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Critically endangered turtles are being poached for jewelry

The Hawksbill turtle has a strikingly beautiful shell that has...

Climate change predicted to increase range of sometimes fatal fungal infection. Along with sea-level rise, heat waves, drought, and rising temperatures, climate change will impact the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tick-mosquito-borne-disease-spreading/">spread of infectious diseases</a> like malaria, lyme disease, and dengue fever. 

In a new study, researchers from the<a href="https://uci.edu/"> University of California, Irvine</a> have found that climate change will increase the spread of a fungal disease endemic to the southwestern United States. 

Valley fever is a sometimes fatal fungal infection caused by breathing in the airborne spores of the Coccidioides fungus. In parts of California and the Southwest, Coccidioides grows beneath the surface during brief periods of precipitation. 

Once the soil dries, the fungus strands break apart into sports which can be inhaled by construction and agricultural workers, or anyone who disturbs the spores. 

Nearly 40 percent of people who breathe in the spores become sick with valley fever and fever, chills, and cough are all symptoms of infection. If the disease travels to the brain, it can be fatal. Most at risk are pregnant women, older adults, and people with HIV as well as people of Filipino and African descent. 

The researchers found that as temperatures climb due to climate change, it will increase the range of valley fever. By 2100, the number of individuals infected could grow by 50 percent, and the disease could spread to more states. 

Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming could see cases of valley fever in the coming years, and infection could become more widespread in states like Colorado and Idaho. 

“We made projections out to the end of the 21st century, and our model predicts that valley fever will travel farther north throughout the western United States, especially in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains and throughout the Great Plains, and by that time, much of the western U.S. will be considered endemic,” said Morgan Gorris, the lead author of the new study. 

The researchers started with a valley fever map that shows which states are endemic and then created a model using data on valley fever cases and climate conditions where the disease is common. 

“By 2100, for a business-as-usual scenario in which we do not take serious action to limit climate change, we would predict a doubling of the area where this disease is present,” said James Randerson, a co-author of the new study. “It’s a huge expansion and especially worrisome because Valley fever is going to impact previously untouched communities throughout the West.”

The researchers published their findings in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019GH000209">GeoHealth</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Kateryna Kon

Climate change predicted to increase range of sometimes fatal fungal infection

Climate change predicted to increase range of sometimes fatal fungal...

A new study has revealed that a child's desire to share becomes influenced by social norms around the age of eight. 

The research team was led by psychology expert Dr. Bailey House at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>, who studies how decision-making and behavior varies across diverse societies, and how adults and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/children-sleep-fire-alarm/">children</a> are shaped by both cultural beliefs and evolved adaptations.

The extensive study was focused on eight societies across the world. The team examined the behavior of children and adults when asked to engage in specific sharing tasks. Once the sharing patterns were established among the adults in each community, the researchers worked with the children to determine how they would respond.

The children were presented with two options: to keep a reward for themselves and give another reward to a stranger, or to keep both rewards for themselves. Children under the age of seven mostly chose the selfish option in all communities, while children eight and older were much more likely to follow the adults patterns and share.  

At about eight years old, children in all societies also began to respond strongly to social norms. For example, they shared more when told that the generous option was "right," and shared less when they were told that the selfish option was "right."

"These results suggest that, during middle childhood, children become sensitive to culturally-specific information about how to behave. This 'information' may be encoded in local norms, which children acquire through an evolved human psychology for learning and conforming to normative information," said Dr. House.

"This implies that that we ought to have a universally-developing psychology for becoming sensitive to normative information, and that variation in prosocial behavior ought to be linked to variation in the content of a society's social norms, and not to variation in development."

The study was conducted in urban communities in Germany, the United States, Argentina, and India; in rural communities across Ecuador, Vanuatu, and Argentina; and in a hunter-gatherer society in Tanzania.

"People in all of these groups share extensively, but they are used to doing so in different situations and probably for different reasons. This is likely why people in these different societies made very different choices when we put them all in the exact same sharing situation," explained Dr. House.

"One of the implications of the study is that we should start to pay attention not just to what children know but why they start to follow social norms. The next step is to pose the question of what is happening in a child's development between the ages of eight and 12 that makes them more responsive to social norms around them. The goal of the work is to better understand how culture and psychological maturation work together to produce human diversity in cooperation and other behaviors."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/">Nature Human Behaviour</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/Lopolo

Social norms influence decision-making among children by age 8

A new study has revealed that a child's desire to...

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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

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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



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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

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