Sunburn is painful skin damage that we've all experienced after spending a bit too much time outdoors without protection from UV rays. Whether it's from a lazy beach day or an exhilarating hike, the aftermath tells a singular tale - crimson skin and a nagging sting.



We've long believed that stepping out into the sun requires ample sunscreen slathering, shade-seeking, and hat-wearing, especially between the peak hours of 12 noon and 3 p.m.



However, researchers at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a> and <a href="https://www.ntu.edu.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nanyang Technological University</a> (NTU Singapore) have made surprising new strides in our understanding of sunburn.



As it turns out, the DNA damage we've always associated with sunburn might not be the complete story.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dna-rna-and-sunburn-damage">DNA, RNA, and sunburn damage</h2>



When it comes to sunburn, the prevailing wisdom suggests that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-can-now-collect-human-dna-from-water-air-and-basically-everywhere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DNA</a> damage triggers inflammation and subsequent cell death.



However, this recent research suggests that the real offender might be <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rna-world-unraveling-mysteries-life-origin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">RNA</a>, not DNA. 



"Sunburn damages the DNA, leading to cell death and inflammation. So the textbooks say," stated assistant professor Anna Constance Vind from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the <a href="https://researchprofiles.ku.dk/en/organisations/institut-for-cellul%C3%A6r-og-molekyl%C3%A6r-medicin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a>. 



"But in this study we were surprised to learn that this is a result of damage to the RNA, not the DNA that causes the acute effects of sunburn." 



But what's the difference between DNA and RNA? While they share similarities, the two aren't interchangeable. 



DNA is a more consistent molecule, whereas RNA is more transitory. 



A particular type of RNA, messenger RNA (mRNA), carries information from DNA to create proteins - the fundamental building blocks of cells.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-importance-of-rna">Importance of RNA</h2>



The importance of mRNA in our body's response to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-does-skin-become-leathery-after-too-much-uv-light-from-sun-exposure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UV radiation</a> can't be understated. 



"DNA damage is serious as the mutations will get passed down to progenies of the cells, RNA damage happens all the time and does not cause permanent mutations," Vind explained. 



"Therefore, we used to believe that the RNA is less important, as long as the DNA is intact. But in fact, damages to the RNA are the first to trigger a response to UV radiation."



Investigating more deeply into the matter was no small task.



The researchers embarked on a study involving both mice and human skin cells to better understand the consequences of UV radiation on the skin. They discovered a consistent response in both species.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-zak-alpha-the-protector">ZAK-alpha - the protector</h2>



RNA damage activates a response in ribosomes (protein complexes that interpret the mRNA to assemble proteins).



This process is managed by a protein known as ZAK-alpha, which triggers what is referred to as the "ribotoxic stress response."



Think of it like a vigilant watchman, always on the lookout for RNA damage. When it detects any, it won't hesitate to call for backup.



"We found that the first thing the cells respond to after being exposed to UV radiation is damage to the RNA, and that this is what triggers cell death and inflammation of the skin," explained Professor Simon Bekker-Jensen, who was also from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.



In mice exposed to UV radiation we found responses such as inflammation and cell death, but when we removed the ZAK gene, these responses disappeared, which means that ZAK plays a key role in the skin's response to UV-induced damage.



"So you could say that everything depends on this one response, which monitors all protein translations occurring. The cells respond to the RNA damage, realizing that something is wrong, and this is what leads to cell death," Bekker-Jensen elaborated.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-sunburn-and-uv-damage">Rethinking sunburn and UV damage</h2>



The study's findings question our long-held beliefs about sunburn and how our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/skins-secret-strength-shields-against-puncture-damage/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">skin</a> safeguards itself. It suggests that RNA damage sparks a quicker, more efficient response, which safeguards the skin from additional harm.



"The fact that the DNA does not control the skin's initial response to UV radiation, but that something else does and that it does so more effectively and more quickly, is quite the paradigm shift," reflected Vind.



Knowing how our skin reacts to UV damage at a cellular level could potentially transform prevention and treatment approaches to sunburn and other inflammatory skin conditions.



"Many inflammatory skin diseases are worsened by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/many-parents-are-not-using-sunscreen-properly/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sun exposure</a>. Thus, understanding how our skin responds at the cellular level to UV damage opens the door to innovative treatments for certain chronic skin conditions," explained Dr. Franklin Zhong, Nanyang assistant professor at NTU's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and a co-author of the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rewriting-the-textbooks">Rewriting the textbooks</h2>



In closing, it seems now is the time to revise our textbooks and rethink how we perceive the effects of UV radiation on our skin. 



"This new knowledge turns things upside down. I think most people associate sunburn with DNA damage; it is established knowledge," Professor Simon Bekker-Jensen concluded. "But now we need to rewrite the textbooks, and it will affect future research on the effects of UV radiation on the skin."



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1097276524008840" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Molecular Cell</a>.



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Main cause of sunburn is finally identified, and it's time to rewrite the textbooks

Sunburn is painful skin damage that we've all experienced after spending a bit too much time outdoors without protection from UV rays. Whether it's from a lazy beach day or an exhilarating hike, the aftermath tells a singular tale - crimson skin and a nagging sting. We've long believed that stepping out into the sun requires ample sunscreen slathering, shade-seeking, and hat-wearing, especially between the peak hours of 12 noon and 3 p.m. However, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have...

According to a new study, the romantic relationships we have in our teens have little impact on our ability to communicate and successfully build <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/relationship-decide-stay-breakup/">romantic relationships</a> as adults. Instead, the friendships we form as teens have a much greater impact on romantic success and satisfaction later on.

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/">University of Virginia</a> and <a href="https://www.jmu.edu/">James Madison University</a> conducted a long-term study to better understand what factors best predict romantic success as adults.

It’s been previously established that someone’s physical and mental health as a teen has a strong influence on romantic partnerships later on. However, for this study the researchers wondered whether romantic relationships or friendships had a greater impact on future romantic success.

The research was published in the journal Child Development.

“In spite of the emphasis teens put on adolescent romantic relationships, they turn out not to be the most important predictor of future romantic success,” said Joseph P. Allen, the leader of the study. “Instead, it's the skills learned in friendships with peers of the same gender--skills such as stability, assertiveness, intimacy, and social competence--that correspond most closely to the skills needed for success in adult romantic relationships.”

For the study, 165 adolescents ages 13 to 30 participated in the research and the participants were racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse.

The researchers interviewed each participant and conducted interviews each year over the course of three years as participants who were in their teens at the start of the study reached their late 20s.

Participants discussed their social lives, friendship, and romantic partners as well as dating history. When the participants were in their late 20s, the researchers also asked about satisfaction with their current romantic life.

The team identified several key trends and found that friendships were a much stronger predictor of romantic success at ages 27 to 30.

Teens at 13 who were able to openly establish relationship expectations with their friends had greater romantic success later on.

At 15 and 16, the researchers found that the ability to form close friendships and maintain a diverse social circle was another strong predictor.

As the participants progressed into adulthood, the ability to maintain close and stable friendships was a key indicator of romantic success later on. Friendships had the biggest influence on romantic success later on compared to any other factors including adolescent romantic relationships.

“Romantic relationships in adolescence are much more likely to be fleeting, and as such, they don't appear to be the main way teens learn skills needed for the future,” said Rachel K. Narr,  a co-author of the study.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Teen friendships can influence romantic success in adulthood

According to a new study, the romantic relationships we have...

Natural disasters can have a long term impact on student performance. When a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-risk-natural-disasters-doubled/">natural disaster</a> strikes a community, it can be difficult to pick up the pieces, rebuild, and try to fall back into normal patterns of work, school, and home life.

For children, natural disasters can disrupt schooling and classes may even be put on hold temporarily. Researchers from several universities in Australia set out to investigate the long-term effects that a natural disaster can have on academic performance. 

The study, published in the journal Child Development, reviewed several years’ worth of school records from children in Australia that had been impacted by bushfires. 

“Our study is the first in Australia to track the academic performance of elementary-school children affected by a natural disaster over a four-year period,” said Lisa Gibbs, the leader of the study. “The findings highlight the extended nature of academic impact and identify important opportunities for intervention in the education system so children can achieve their full potential.”

24,642 students who had attended primary school in Australia and who had been affected by a severe series of bushfires that spread across Victoria on February 7th, 2009 were included in the study. 

The date is known as Back Saturday because the fires were some of the worst fires in Australia’s history. 

The researchers reviewed each student’s standardized test scores on reading, writing, numeracy, and grammar two and four years after the fires. 

Some of the students had been more impacted by the fires than others, and the researchers took into account property lost, family members affected, lives lost, as well as other demographic and external factors such as home environment and parent’s education. 

Of all the subjects, reading and numeracy had the lowest scores for the children who had been affected by the fires. 

The team also found that schools impacted by the fires saw fewer expected gains in these subjects but subjects like writing and grammar were not affected. 

“Given the apparent delayed impact of the fires, it will be important for future studies on the impacts of disasters on children to extend beyond three years, and to consider academic and cognitive impacts alongside factors related to health and social and emotional well-being,” said Jane Nursey, a co-author of the study. 

The study shows a strong link between poor academic performance and natural disasters. The researchers say the results call for interventions to ensure that students impacted by a natural disaster receive as much emotional and academic support as possible.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Natural disasters can have a long term impact on student performance

Natural disasters can have a long term impact on student...

Scientists at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Chemical_Society_(EuChemS)">European Chemical Society</a> (EuChemS) have created a new periodic table that highlights which elements are now considered endangered. Elements such as allium, arsenic, yttrium, and silver have become shockingly scarce and could vanish in less than 100 years at the current rate. 

The experts added a mobile phone symbol to the 31 elements that are used to make phones, hoping to send a powerful message about how much we depend upon these elements in our daily lives. The modified periodic table also distinguishes conflict minerals, which fuel violence and wars in the regions where they are extracted.

David Cole-Hamilton, a professor of Chemistry at the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/">University of St. Andrews</a>, pointed out that all of the conflict minerals are used in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/smartphones-sleep-deprivation-kids/">cell phones</a>. 

“We have to question whether it’s really necessary to change over mobile phones every year or so. 10 million phones a month are changed in Europe alone. Most of them are sent to the developing world - either for reuse or for recycling - but the recycling is not efficient.”

[caption id="attachment_1865899" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/elements.png"><img class="wp-image-1865899" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/elements.png" alt="" width="700" height="456" /></a> Image Credit: European Chemical Society[/caption]

Professor Cole-Hamilton also explained why we should be far more conservative with helium. He said that while it is widely used for magnetic resonance imaging and deep sea diving, the helium for both of these applications is recycled. 

“But if you have a helium balloon at a birthday party, it will either deflate or burst, and either way the helium is released into the atmosphere,” said Professor Cole-Hamilton. “Helium is so light that once it’s in the atmosphere it can actually escape from the Earth completely and go into outer space where it’s lost to us forever.”

The team hopes to make their periodic table accessible to everyone, and has already made “great progress in getting it into schools across Europe.” The Royal Society of Chemistry will be sending a copy to every one of its 50,000 members.

“It’s amazing to think that everything that we see around us in the natural world is made up from just 90 building blocks - the 90 naturally occurring elements,” said Professor Cole-Hamilton. “Furthermore, these 90 elements, in different combinations, make up all of the wonders of nature, and all the technology and gadgets we use every day. We need to have a better way of dealing with these resources, or we won’t have them anymore.”

The EuChemS version of the periodic table was launched this week at the European Parliament.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Elements used to make smartphones and devices are becoming scarce

Scientists at the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) have created a...

Researchers at <a href="https://international.au.dk/">Aarhus University</a> in Denmark have found that, even under the worst global warming conditions, power generated by wind farms and solar panels will still be functioning in Europe by the end of the century. For their investigation, the experts developed a simplified model of Europe’s electricity system and combined it with existing climate models.

“Most other energy system studies assume a number of technologies and seek to combine them in a cost-optimal way to cover the demand,” said first author Smail Kozarcanin. 

“In this study, we seek to understand, for example, how climate change affects the system independent of which technologies are used to cover the demand that remains unmet by wind and solar. To the best of our knowledge, this technology-independent focus in combination with high-resolution data on climate change projections is unique to our study.”

Even under the worst case scenario projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), wind and solar power generation will only drop slightly. 

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">Climate change</a> will increase the amount of cloud cover above northern Europe As a result, solar panels will generate less power. There will also be an increase in the frequency of storms, interfering with the energy produced by wind turbines, which automatically shut down during storms.

According to the researchers, more energy is used for heating than cooling in Europe. This means that energy demand will decrease as temperatures rise and will balance out the drop in wind and solar power generation.

Jim Watson is a professor of Energy Policy at University College London who was not involved in the study. Professor Watson told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a> that the research “provides some confidence about the resilience of a low carbon electricity system.”

“Extreme weather might require changes to the renewable generators and other parts of the system,” said Kozarcanin. “For example, future wind turbines may require new types of storm protection and solar panels could need protection against super hailstorms. But our study shows that large-scale infrastructure choices, such as back-up power plant capacity, are relatively unaffected by the level of climate change.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/home">Joule</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>

Renewable energy systems will still work in a changing climate

Researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark have found that, even...

New research has revealed just how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smoking-leads-poor-diet/">smoking</a> can drastically speed up the aging process in adults.

According to scientists, people actually have two ages, their chronological age and their biological age. Chronological, as the name suggests, is your age according to when you were born, but biological age refers to the age of a person’s body based on different biological markers and lifestyle factors.

Two people may be chronologically the same age, but have very different biological ages based on lifestyle, diet, and age-related disease risks. 

Researchers from <a href="http://insilico.com/">Insilico Medicine</a>, an artificial intelligence solutions company, conducted a study to examine the impact smoking has on biological age. 

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports and results show that smoking can increase a person’s biological age as much as 20 years. 

The researchers reviewed and analyzed a large dataset meant to represent the entire population of Alberta, Canada including both rural and urban populations. The dataset was comprised on 149,000 individual records and of those 49,000 were smokers. 

Blood biochemistry and cell count information on non-smokers and smokers was then fed into a deep neural network, an advanced algorithm and modeling system, which had been trained to predict the chronological age of an individual based on the blood data.

The researchers first predicted that the biological age of smokers under 30 would be anywhere between 31 to 50. 

After the deep neural network analyzed the data, biological age for smokers 31 to 40 years of age was predicted to be 41 to 50. 

“Compared with nonsmokers, smokers showed an accelerated rate of aging through to age 55 years regardless of sex,” the researchers <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35704-w">said</a>. 

Older smokers did not have as drastic differences in their ages. 

Analysis of blood tests could soon replace traditional self-reporting methods that medical professionals use to measure the health impacts of different lifestyle choices, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6603459/Smoking-AGES-Scientists-discover-40s-biologically-TWICE-age.html">Daily Mail</a> which reported on the study. 

“We applied artificial intelligence to prove that smoking significantly increases your biological age,” said Polina Mamoshina, the lead author of the study. “I am pleased to be part of the research study, which provides fascinating scientific evidence that smoking is likely to accelerate ageing.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Smoking can age you by 20 years

New research has revealed just how much smoking can drastically...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> have confirmed that the frequency of severe storms will substantially increase as a result of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>. By the end of the century, more extreme rainfall events will coincide with rising temperatures across tropical oceans. 

The study, which was led by Hartmut Aumann of the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>, was focused on 15 years of data collected by NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument. The researchers used the data to examine the relationship between average sea surface temperature and the onset of severe storms.

The team found that extreme storms, which were defined as those producing at least 0.12 inches of rain per hour over a 16-mile area, usually developed when the sea surface temperature was higher than 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The study also revealed that 21 percent more storms develop for every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit that the surface temperatures rise.

“It is somewhat common sense that severe storms will increase in a warmer environment. Thunderstorms typically occur in the warmest season of the year,” said Aumann. “But our data provide the first quantitative estimate of how much they are likely to increase, at least for the tropical oceans.”

Based on current climate models, if carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise steadily, the surface temperatures in tropical waters could increase by as much as 4.8 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. This scenario would boost the frequency of extreme storms by 60 percent, according to the study authors.

“Our results quantify and give a more visual meaning to the consequences of the predicted warming of the oceans,” said Aumann. “More storms mean more flooding, more structure damage, more crop damage and so on, unless mitigating measures are implemented.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</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>

Warming waters will drastically increase frequency of extreme storms

Researchers at NASA have confirmed that the frequency of severe...

According to startling new research, more women are now having <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/heart-attack-stroke-unemployment/">heart attacks</a> at a younger age. The researchers found that almost one-third of all heart attacks among women since 1995 involved young females between the ages of 35 and 54.

Study co-author Melissa Caughey is a cardiovascular epidemiologist and instructor at the <a href="https://www.med.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina School of Medicine</a>. 

“Women now, compared to younger women generations before them, are less healthy,” Caughey told <a href="http://time.com/">Time Magazine</a>. “It’s probably reflective of poorer health in general.”

The investigation was focused on the medical records of nearly 30,000 people between the ages of 35 and 74, who were hospitalized for a heart attack between 1995 and 2014. From 1995 until the end of the study period, the number of patients who were considered young increased by 27 percent, and the researchers noted that this increase was mostly driven by female patients. 

The study also revealed that younger women who had heart attacks were more likely to have a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, and stroke compared to men of the same age.

According to Time, Caughey explained that poorer health among young women may be attributed to high rates of obesity and stress and low rates of physical activity. She noted that obesity is more prevalent among younger women than younger men, and this is particularly true for black women.

The research confirmed the results of previous studies which found that women do not receive the same care for heart attacks as men. Caughey told Time that one explanation for this discrepancy is that the symptoms of heart attacks in women are more complicated and not as easy to recognize as the warning signs among men. 

Even though heart attacks remain the leading cause of death for both sexes, the study authors pointed out that it is still largely considered to be “a man’s disease.” Caughey said she hopes to bring more awareness to the growing issue of heart disease and heart attacks among women. 

The study is published in a special women’s health edition of the journal <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/circ">Circulation</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heart attacks have become more common among young women

According to startling new research, more women are now having...

There just aren’t enough hours in the day, especially in today’s always on, always on-the-go, and always plugged-in society. Between work and home, trying to carve out any time for yourself to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exercise-improve-thinking-skills/">exercise </a>can seem an impossible task, especially with the commonly held belief that working out in the evening is bad for sleep. 

But now, a new study may be able to put the idea that high-intensity evening exercise disrupts sleep to rest. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.csu.edu.au/">Charles Sturt University</a> in Australia found that evening exercise does not negatively impact sleep quality and could even help suppress appetite. 

The research was published in the journal <a href="https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/EP087455">Experimental Physiology</a>. 

Eleven middle-aged men were recruited for the study which involved experimental trials of high-intensity exercise in the morning, afternoon, and evening to see if working out had any impact on sleep or feelings of hunger. 

Participants completed cycling exercises with six one-minute bursts of high intensity broken up by four minutes of rest. Blood samples were drawn both before and after the exercise sessions, and the participants had their sleep monitored. 

Evening exercise did not negatively impact sleep quality for the participants, and after analyzing the blood samples, the researchers found that evening exercise correlated with a bigger decrease in hunger-stimulating hormone levels. 

The researchers found that time of day did impact how intensely the participants exercised. 

“Interestingly, power output during the sprint efforts was higher for the afternoon and evening trials compared to the morning trial, indicating that participants were able to perform better during latter parts of the day,” said Penelope Larsen, the lead author of the study. “Therefore, time-of-day may also need to be considered when planning training schedules.”

The study only involved a small group of middle-aged men, so there are limitations to the study’s findings, and the results may not apply across different age-groups or sexes. 

“In the future, we hope to conduct similar studies recruiting women, to determine whether sleep and appetite responses may be different depending on sex,” said Larsen. “Also, this study only considered a single bout of exercise; therefore, it would be beneficial to investigate long-term sleep, and appetite adaptations to high-intensity exercise training performed either in the morning, afternoon or evening.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Working out in the evening won’t keep you up at night

There just aren’t enough hours in the day, especially in...

What gives dark chocolate its captivating scent? Dark chocolate is comprised of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smell-mixtures-scents/">multiple flavors and scents</a> that work together to create a rich sensory experience. 

Bitter chocolate mixed with cocoa butter and sugar with hints of vanilla, fruit, or spices makes dark chocolate a treat that’s hard to say no to and one of the most widely consumed luxury foods worldwide. 

Dark chocolate has a strong fragrance that easily tingles the taste buds, but when it comes to pinpointing the subtle notes, intense flavors, and the lingering aftertastes that go into dark chocolate to recreate the scent, food scientists have been unable to crack the code... until now.What gives dark chocolate its captivating scent? 

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/">Technical University of Munich</a> replicated the complex mixture of scents that make dark chocolate by starting from scratch. 

Over the last century, 600 compounds have been identified in chocolate, but just a few of these compounds activate our olfactory receptors and create the smell of chocolate. Past research has identified the compounds that create milk and dark chocolate, but less is known about how much of each is needed to actually build the scent. 

In this study, the researchers purchased two dark chocolate bars each with a unique aroma from a local grocery store. 

Aroma extract dilution analysis identified which volatile compounds are responsible for each bar’s signature scent. The researchers then used isotope dilution analysis to measure the amounts of each compound in the bars. 

The analysis yielded surprising results including the identification of compounds like the violet-scented β-ionone that were quantified for the first time. 

Once the researchers had the measurements, the aromas were then reconstructed from the ground up by mixing the right ratios of compounds together. 

The result? Two fragrances that closely matched the original bars bought at the grocery store which were tested by a sensory panel of trained participants. 

The researchers published their findings in the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society’s</a> Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What gives dark chocolate its captivating scent?

What gives dark chocolate its captivating scent? Dark chocolate is...

A number of countries consider the costs of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to be a high price tag, which prevents any meaningful climate action to combat global warming. 

Although <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/un-climate-chief-global-emissions-cutting-pledges-not-enough-2/">cutting emissions</a> to meet the goals outlined by the Paris Agreement may seem expensive, once you factor in the toll increased pollution will have on human health, the costs get much higher.  

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a> found that the benefits that reducing pollutants and aerosols will have on global health will far outset the costs of cutting emissions.

Air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide each year, according to the <a href="https://www.who.int/airpollution/en/">World Health Organization</a>, and as emissions increase, so will the risks of disease and early death attributed to pollution. 

For this study, published in the journal Nature, the researchers found that immediate and significant reductions in CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions make economic sense once health benefits are factored in. 

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will also reduce deaths from air pollution in communities near the emissions reductions,” said Mark Budolfson, the co-lead author. “These health ‘co-benefits’ of climate change policy are widely believed to be important, but until now have not been fully incorporated in global economic analyses of how much the world should invest in climate action.”

The researchers expanded on a climate model called the RICE model and factored in aerosol pollution. 

Aerosols have been excluded from certain climate model studies in the past. But because of the complex benefits and risks aerosols pose to both human health and the environment, factoring in aerosol pollution allows researchers to more accurately assess the environmental and economic costs of current and future climate action. 

After factoring aerosols, the researchers found that the benefits to global human health more than justify the high costs of projected emissions reductions. 

China and India would benefit the most through immediate climate action, the researchers found. 

“Some developing regions have been understandably reluctant to invest their limited resources in reducing emissions,” said Noah Scovronick, a co-lead author from <a href="http://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory University</a>. “This and other studies demonstrate that many of these same regions are likely to gain most of the health co-benefits, which may add incentive for them to adopt stronger climate policies.”

The study shows the importance of including air pollution and the costs to global health pollution into climate models. The results could also help convince hesitant policymakers and world leaders to prioritize climate change mitigation. 

“We show the climate conversation doesn’t need to be about the current generation investing in the further future,” said Budolfson. “By making smart investments in climate action, we can save lives now through improved air quality and health.”

--

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>

The costs of cutting emissions are offset by the benefits to global health

A number of countries consider the costs of cutting greenhouse...

According to preliminary research from the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>, it is never too late to reduce your risk of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sleeping-heart-disease-risk/">heart disease</a> by adding fruits and vegetables to your diet. The experts also report that high-quality plant-based foods can increase longevity.

Study lead author Dr. Megu Y. Baden is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at the <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a> in Boston.

“Not all plant-based diets are equal, but boosting the intake of high-quality plant-based foods over time lowers the risk of death even among people who started off with poor-quality diets,” said Dr. Baden.

While previous studies have shown that a healthy, plant-based diet can reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, this study is the first to look at how changes in diet may influence the risk of mortality - no matter when the changes were made. 

Healthy plant-based foods include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Lower-quality plant-based foods are items such as fruit juices, refined grains, potatoes, and sweets. The researchers developed three diet scales to represent the overall consumption of these types of plant-based foods.

The study was focused on 47,983 women with an average age of 64, who were participating in the Nurses' Health Study. The investigation also involved data from 25,737 men with an average age of 64 participating in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. 

When they started the programs, the participants had no history of heart disease or cancer. The individuals self-reported any changes in their diet for 12 years prior to a 12-year follow-up period from 1998-2014.

Compared to individuals who had fairly stable diets, the researchers found that deaths from all causes were eight percent lower in those with the biggest increase in an overall plant-based diet and ten percent lower in those with the biggest increase in a healthy plant-based diet. 

On the other hand, for individuals with the biggest increase in an unhealthy plant-based diet, death from all causes was 11 percent higher.

The study also revealed that gaining an extra 10 points on the healthy plant-based diet scale was associated with a 10 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease. A 10-point increase in score can be achieved, for example, by replacing one serving of refined grains with a serving of whole grains each day. 

Dr. Baden explained, “Over a period of time, consuming more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, while decreasing your intake of refined grains, sweets and desserts, and animal foods such as animal fat meat, and miscellaneous animal-based foods, may lower your risk of death from heart disease and other causes.”

The research was presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention | Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions 2019.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Healthy plant-based foods lower the risk of death from heart disease

According to preliminary research from the American Heart Association, it...

Changes in precipitation expected to impact vital crops worldwide. A new study has found that principal crops like wheat, maize, and rice will be impacted by future changes to rainfall patterns caused by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warming-shifting-climate-boundaries/">climate change</a> even if greenhouse gas emissions are drastically reduced.

Researchers from the <a href="https://ciat.cgiar.org/">International Center for Tropical Agriculture </a>and the <a href="http://www.uchile.cl/">Universidad de Chile </a>studied how permanent changes to regional precipitation across the globe will impact future crop production of wheat, maize, rice and soybean, four crops that represent 40 percent of the world’s total caloric intake. 

While some regions are already experiencing irregular precipitation patterns and climate change is expected to cause changes to rainfall and temperatures, many of the world’s key crop regions have yet to undergo any imminent precipitation changes. 

For this study, the researchers examined how changes to regional precipitation would impact crop production under four emissions scenarios to predict when an area can expect permanent precipitation changes, which the researchers call the time of emergence (TOE). 

Already, some areas have new climate norms compared to the generation before. 

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that 14 percent of land that produces key cereals will be drier and 31 percent will be wetter by 2040.

[caption id="attachment_1869475" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/drier.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869475" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/drier.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="502" /></a> Image Credit: Lucelly Anaconas / International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)[/caption]

Under a medium climate mitigation scenario, the researchers found that dry regions like Australia, Southern Africa, and Southwestern South America will only get even drier. 

27 percent of wheat cropland in Australia, 100 percent of cropland in Algeria, 79 percent of land in South Africa, and 74 percent of land in Mexico will face less precipitation under a medium emissions reduction scenario. Changes in precipitation expected to impact vital crops worldwide 

With a business-as-usual scenario, these numbers only increase. 

“These are definitely countries that will need to think rather quickly what they'd like to do with their wheat production,” said Maisa Rojas, the study's lead author. “What we're predicting are probably conservative years for time of emergence. Detectable precipitation changes are of course not only important for agriculture, but for water resource management more in general, so our results are relevant for other sectors as well.”

The researchers say countries like China and India will see an increase in precipitation no matter how much emissions are reduced, and the amount of rainfall could lead to increases in cropland and production.

[caption id="attachment_1869476" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/wetter.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1869476" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/wetter.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="502" /></a> Image Credit: Lucelly Anaconas / International Center for Tropical Agriculture[/caption]

Wheat fields in the US, Canada, and Russia will also have higher levels of precipitation, but the researchers warn that the precipitation changes will also cause rising sea levels, higher temperatures, and increase the risk of floods. 

Regardless of region or when the expected time of emergence is, farmers worldwide will see a huge change in precipitation in the coming years. 

“Farmers growing crops in those areas are going to experience significantly different conditions than what they are used to,” said Julian Ramirez-Villegas, a co-author of the study. “They're going to be completely outside their normal historical environments and many farmers are already struggling with historic variability.”

The results call for swift action and adaptation on the part of farmers likely to be hit hardest by precipitation changes. 

While changes are expected under any emission scenario, if greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced under the Paris Agreement guidelines, it could buy farmers more time to adapt, and less land would be impacted. 

“The precise nature of the changes is impossible to predict,” said Andy Challinor, a co-author of the study. “What this study tells us is that adaptation needs to be agile. For the first time, we can tell what changes to be ready for - and when they are expected - in our major crop-growing regions. Prior to this study, the rainfall changes experienced by crops were thought to be so unpredictable that no real advice could be given.”

--

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: Neil Palmer/CIAT

Changes in precipitation expected to impact vital crops worldwide

Changes in precipitation expected to impact vital crops worldwide. A...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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