In the United States and worldwide, alcohol consumption remains a leading cause of preventable death and disability, contributing to liver disease, mental health disorders, and accidents.&nbsp;



Researchers from <a href="https://www.fau.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida Atlantic University</a> (FAU)’s Schmidt College of Medicine have delved into U.S. trends in alcohol-related deaths from 1999 to 2020. 



Utilizing data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER), they uncovered alarming statistics.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dramatic-surge-in-alcohol-related-deaths-nbsp">Dramatic surge in alcohol-related deaths&nbsp;</h2>



The study reveals that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spike-in-alcohol-use-during-the-pandemic-continues-today/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">alcohol</a>-related deaths in the U.S. have surged dramatically in the last two decades. The mortality rate nearly doubled from 10.7 per 100,000 in 1999 to 21.6 per 100,000 in 2020. 



The total number of alcohol-related deaths soared from 19,356 to 48,870, marking a dramatic twofold increase. Every age group experienced increases, with the most alarming spike - nearly fourfold - in those aged 25 to 34.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gender-and-age-disparities">Gender and age disparities</h2>



The 85 and older age group saw a possible but nonsignificant increase. Individuals aged 55-64 had both the steepest rise in mortality and the highest absolute rates in both 1999 and 2020.&nbsp;



Both men and women experienced significant increases in alcohol-related deaths, but men had the highest rates in both years and saw the steepest increase overall.&nbsp;



Women, however, saw the largest proportional rise, with deaths increasing from 4.8 per 100,000 in 1999 to 12 in 2020.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alcohol-consumption-among-women-nbsp">Alcohol consumption among women&nbsp;</h2>



Study senior author Dr. Panagiota “Yiota” Kitsantas is a professor and chair of the Department of Population Health and Social Medicine at FAU.&nbsp;



“Our study found significant gender differences in alcohol-related mortality. While men had higher overall death rates, women experienced a larger relative increase, which may reflect changing social norms and the alcohol industry’s increased targeting of women through marketing campaigns,” said Dr. Kitsantas.



“As alcohol consumption among women has grown, so have the associated risks. Women appear to be more vulnerable to alcohol’s harmful effects due, possibly, to differences in body composition and metabolism, leading to higher blood alcohol concentrations.”&nbsp;



Moreover, mental health issues like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-with-a-history-of-depression-tend-to-process-more-negative-information/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">depression</a> and anxiety, already more common in women, can be worsened by alcohol use, noted Dr. Kitsantas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-regional-variations-in-alcohol-related-deaths-nbsp">Regional variations in alcohol-related deaths&nbsp;</h2>



Deaths in women increased two-and-a-half times, while Asian and Pacific Islander communities experienced the steepest rise of 2.4 times.&nbsp;



Regionally, the Midwest experienced the greatest jump, with an increase of 2.5 times in alcohol-related mortality, followed by the Northeast, West, and South.



“Addressing these factors through tailored interventions could help combat the growing U.S. alcohol mortality epidemic,” said Dr. Kitsantas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-complications-of-associated-risk-factors">Complications of associated risk factors</h2>



Findings from the study highlight significant clinical and public health challenges that may benefit from targeted interventions.&nbsp;



Risk factors such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childhood-obesity-rates-are-surging-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">obesity</a>, diabetes, and liver damage complicate these challenges, accelerating alcohol-related mortality. Gender, demographic, and regional differences should guide healthcare strategies.



“Health care providers should recognize that heavy alcohol use is a leading risk factor for total mortality and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-century-of-progress-in-the-fight-against-cardiovascular-disease/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cardiovascular disease</a>, especially heart attacks and stroke,” said co-author Charles H. Hennekens, a professor of medicine at FAU. 



“To mitigate these risks, screening for alcohol use in primary care settings is essential. Coexisting conditions like overweight and obesity can accelerate liver damage, which may in turn lead to earlier onset of cirrhosis and liver cancer.”



“The U.S. has the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the world and low levels of daily physical activity. The deleterious interaction of these factors may contribute to the observed trends in alcohol-related mortality, particularly in younger adults.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-global-context-and-future-directions">Global context and future directions</h2>



Alcohol consumption varies significantly by region worldwide and in the U.S. According to 2019 data, Latvia had the highest annual per capita consumption at 13.2 liters, followed by France at 12.2 and the U.S. at 10.&nbsp;



Descriptive data on mortality reveal complex links between alcohol use and premature deaths. Latvia, for example, leads in alcohol consumption and ranks third in total deaths, while France, despite high alcohol consumption, has low cardiovascular mortality but high rates of cirrhosis and liver cancer.&nbsp;



In contrast, Russian men have high alcohol consumption and an elevated rate of cardiovascular mortality. These patterns illustrate the complex interrelationships of alcohol consumption, premature death, and disease, regardless of the beverage type.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-alcohol-consumption-and-premature-death">Alcohol consumption and premature death</h2>



“Both globally and in the U.S., high levels of alcohol consumption are closely linked to premature deaths and disability,” said Hennekens.&nbsp;



“The difference between consuming small amounts of alcohol daily and larger amounts could be the difference between preventing and causing premature death. One immediate effect of alcohol is liver damage, and in the U.S., the rising rates of obesity and diabetes also contribute to early liver damage.”



In conclusion, the authors emphasize that healthcare providers should be aware that in the U.S. as well as most populations worldwide, individuals who consume large amounts of alcohol tend to have the highest risks of mortality as well as deaths from cardiovascular disease, predominantly due to heart attacks and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dramatic-temperature-changes-linked-to-half-a-million-stroke-deaths/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stroke</a>.



The research is published in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2024.10.024" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The American Journal of Medicine</a>.



-----



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Alcohol-related deaths have doubled over the past two decades

In the United States and worldwide, alcohol consumption remains a leading cause of preventable death and disability, contributing to liver disease, mental health disorders, and accidents.&nbsp; Researchers from Florida Atlantic University (FAU)’s Schmidt College of Medicine have delved into U.S. trends in alcohol-related deaths from 1999 to 2020.  Utilizing data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER), they uncovered alarming statistics. Dramatic surge in alcohol-related deaths&nbsp; The study reveals that alcohol-related deaths in the U.S. have surged dramatically...

Amazon makes pledge to reduce single-use plastic waste. Last month, the billionaire behemoth corporation Amazon came under heavy criticism after unveiling new packaging that is not able to be recycled. Three items used for mail purchases are all deemed as single-use only, which means that they cannot be refashioned for any other purpose.

These items are all used for Amazon’s Prime service, and include an air pillow, bubble-lined plastic bag, and a standard plastic bag – which would all be left to never degrade naturally after their one-time use. 

Luckily, Amazon’s Indian arm has now announced plans to replace all <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/panama-ban-plastic-bags/">single-use plastic</a> in its packaging by June 2020, using paper cushions in place of plastic packaging. This move comes ahead of Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s impending ban on plastic bags, cups, and straws. 

It also follows an announcement by rival Flipkart, which said it has cut down on single-use plastic by 25% and plans to move entirely to recycled plastic consumption in its own supply chain by March 2021. 

Amazon has often been criticized for using too much plastic and thermocol to wrap the billions of packages the company ships every year. A petition on Change.org for Amazon to curb its plastic use recently gained 4,000 signatures. Amazon makes pledge to reduce single-use plastic waste 

In an effort to be more environmentally friendly (and maybe appease some perturbed customers) this new paper material is said to be entirely recyclable. 

While efforts such as banning straws and plastic bags in many major cities across the world are a move in a positive direction, it’s not the general public that contributes the most to overall pollution. Substantial efforts to protect our environment will only come at the expense of gigantic corporations such as Amazon making significant changes to their operating procedures and non-recyclable waste.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Michael Vi / Shutterstock

Amazon makes pledge to reduce single-use plastic waste

Amazon makes pledge to reduce single-use plastic waste. Last month,...

9/11 first responders have an elevated risk of heart disease. Researchers have determined that New York City firefighters exposed to 9/11 World Trade Center (WTC) dust have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). 

According to the study, the first responders on the scene have a 44-percent higher risk of CVD compared to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/rough-sleep-firefighters-risk/">firefighters</a> who arrived when the airborne dust was not as thick. 

Study lead author Dr. David J. Prezant is a professor at <a href="http://www.aecom.yu.edu/">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a>, a pulmonary disease specialist at Montefiore Health System, and the chief medical officer for the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).

"The increase in risk was significant, even taking into account known CVD risk factors such as age, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking," said Dr. Prezant. 

Earlier studies linked WTC exposure to a higher risk of blood cancer and autoimmune rheumatologic diseases. Dr. Prezant said the research collectively "highlights the need to add these health conditions to the list of WTC-related diseases that are coverable under the James L. Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act."

The current study was focused on 9,796 male firefighters who worked at the WTC site. Most were non-smokers with an average age of 40 on September 11, 2001. 

The researchers divided the firefighters into four groups: those who first arrived at the WTC site during the morning of 9/11, those who first arrived that afternoon, those who first arrived on September 12, and those who first arrived between days 3 and 14.

The experts also reviewed 16 years of medical records, physician exams, and questionnaires to assess the participants for primary and secondary CVD events. 

Firefighters who arrived during and immediately after the WTC collapse were found to have a 44-percent higher risk of experiencing primary and secondary CVD events compared with those who arrived on September 12 or later.

In addition, firefighters who worked at the WTC site for six months or more were 30 percent more likely to experience a primary or secondary CVD event. These associations remained statistically significant regardless of other factors, such as age, race, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, and probable PTSD.

"An important message is that new chest pain in this group should not automatically be attributed to well-known WTC-related illnesses, such as acid reflux or obstructive airway disease. It might very well be associated with CVD," said Dr. Prezant.

"Our results emphasize why it is crucial to monitor the long-term health of anyone exposed to massive environmental disasters, even many years after the event," added study co-lead author Dr. Rachel Zeig-Owens. "By screening for and treating the other CVD risk factors - such as elevated cholesterol, hypertension, obesity, and smoking - we are able to lower the overall risk of CVD in those most exposed to the World Trade Center disaster."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/">JAMA Network Open</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Anthony Correia

9/11 first responders have an elevated risk of heart disease

9/11 first responders have an elevated risk of heart disease....

Silk has long been associated with China and for good reason. The Mulberry silk moth (Bombyx mori) is native to China, initially the only place that the moth was raised for silk. 

<a href="http://www.silk-road.com/artl/silkhistory.shtml#The_legend_of_Hsi-Ling-Shih">Chinese myth claims</a> that manufacture of the fabric was invented by Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih, wife of the mythical Yellow Emperor at roughly 3,000 BCE. What is certain is that silk was <a href="http://www.historyofclothing.com/textile-history/history-of-silk/">being manufactured</a> in China by the 27th century BCE. By 300 CE, Japan was manufacturing silk with their own domestic cultivation of silk moths. Around 500 CE, Byzantine monks smuggled silkworm cocoons into the Byzantine Empire inside of hollow bamboo staffs. Soon, Byzantium was manufacturing its silk, seriously hurting China’s monopoly on the silk industry. 

Today, silk is still a <a href="http://www.tradeforum.org/Silk-in-World-Markets/">source of profit</a> for China. Silk makes up only 0.2% of the global textile market, but the annual turnover of the China National Silk Import and Export Corporation alone was $2-$2.5 billion US. In traditional silk manufacturing, the silk moth is raised in captivity where it makes cocoons out of its silk. The cocoons are collected and processed to be made into fabric. There are many other insects that produce silk and different ways to create silk fabric, though.

In Thailand, <a href="http://www.catwalkyourself.com/fashion-dictionary/wild-silk-tussah/">different moths</a> have been cultivated than the traditional mulberry silk moth. Though the moths in Thailand and China are domesticated that the traditional sense of the word implies, they are held captive. Ghandi was critical of the silk industry because in traditional silk production, the silk moth pupae is boiled alive to extract the silk from the cocoon. There are some companies in India in particular in which the moths are allowed to leave their cocoons before the silk is collected. Other small scale silk production follows a completely different model for manufacturing silk. 

Silk is also produced by a variety of arthropods in different varieties, including spiders. Wild silk is collected from arthropods, usually moths that are not held in captivity. Instead, the silk cocoons are collected in the wild from wild moths. <a href="http://www.stayorg.com/fabrics/tussar-silk.html">Tussar silk</a> is made from silk of moths native to India that feed on native plants there. The silk is traditionally collected in the wild. 

<a href="https://www.thetextileatlas.com/craft-stories/eri-silk-assam-india">Eri silk</a> is another type made by a moth native to North-eastern India, where the moth feeds off castor plants. The Eri silk is particularly interesting because the cocoon is open on one end, allowing the moth to leave without damaging the silk manufactured from it. For this reason, this silk is often manufactured without hurting the silk moths. 

Silk sometimes even has the potential to actually protect the environment. In Madagascar, burial rituals are fascinating and more similar to those of animal-centric traditions in Indonesia than closer mainland Africa. Most human remains are interred in tombs, whether those are caves or buildings, rather than buried in the earth or cremated. <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/madagascar-whats-good-for-the-forest-is-good-for-the-native-silk-industry/">Mongabay</a> reports that in the Central Highlands of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/protect-madagascars-rosewood-trees/">Madagascar</a>, burial rituals have a very specific local flavor connected to wild silk. There is a long tradition of silk burial shrouds being made from the silk of the native landibe silk moth (Borocera cajani). After several years, a ceremony is carried out with human remains. During the ‘turning of the bones’ ceremony, the remains are wrapped in an additional layer of silk. Many of the elderly have silk burial shrouds already prepared when they die. 

The wild Malagasy silk is different from Asian silk in a few ways. Landibe silk is thicker than Asian silk, sometimes being mistaken for cotton. Products woven from the landibe silk are durable and said to be stronger than traditional Asian silk although not always as highly valued. Until recently, the cocoons of the mulberry silk moth native to China but cultivated also in Madagascar were more expensive than the native moth cocoons. Unfortunately, scarcity has driven up the cost of landibe cocoons and silk products, making them close to the same price as Asian silk. 

In 1902, Madagascar’s silk cocoon harvest was 100 tons but in 2009 that harvest was only 43 tons, according to <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/madagascar-whats-good-for-the-forest-is-good-for-the-native-silk-industry/">Mongabay</a>.  The landibe moths responsible for Madagascar’s wild silk feed mainly on tapia trees (Uapaca bojeri), especially near the time they start creating their cocoons. Larger amounts of human caused fires have cleared some of the landscape of the tapia forests recently in the common ‘tavy’ practice. The tapia trees are fire resistant though, and scientists disagree on whether the tapia cover has actually decreased by these activities. 

What does seem to be clear is that the landibe silk moths have declined, making creating native wild silk products harder to produce. It’s also true that healthy forests support higher populations of silk moths. However, the local silk industry may be a way to preserve the culture of the area as well as the tapia forests of Madagascar. 

Some non-profit organizations have taught local people business silks, enabling them to make not only burial shrouds and products they use themselves but also create scarves, blankets and other things to sell to tourists. This gives a source of income in an incredibly poor country, especially for women who often have a hard time finding jobs or making a living. 

<a href="https://www.wildsilkmarkets.com">Wild Silk Markets</a> has created an online market of silk tapestries and other decorative products made in a process that doesn’t kill the silk moth. The idea behind the business is to create a sustainable livelihood for traditional Malagasy silk manufacturers as well as support forest conservation. Local weaving cooperatives are also a way for local women to provide for themselves or their families, sometimes these cooperatives use wild silks but also Chinese silks and cotton. 

The <a href="https://folkartmarket.org/artist/prisca-marie-ramanaliniaina/">International Folk Art Market</a> in Santa Fe New Mexico, a non profit dedicated to supporting traditional folk art and artists, created a documentary about the silk production and a Malagasy artist has participated in the market. 

The wild silk of Madagascar shows how local cultures and environments can be tightly interwoven, each dependent on the other. It’s no coincidence that we are losing languages and traditions in huge numbers at the same time we lose biodiversity. Both the silk moth and the weaver are part of Madagascar’s environment.                         

--

By<a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com"> Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Image Credit: Tylototriton/Wikimedia Commons

Wild silk business may support forest conservation in Madagascar

Silk has long been associated with China and for good...

Your mood could be affected by your gut bacteria. Within the past two decades, scientists have realized that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/regulating-gut-bacteria-anxiety/">gut bacteria</a> can actually affect a person’s mood. According to a report in <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24332460-500-gut-feeling-how-a-healthy-microbiome-helps-beat-stress-and-lift-mood/">New Scientist</a>, the path to discovery began in 2004 when a researcher at <a href="http://www.kyushu-u.ac.jp/en/">Kyushu University</a> saw that mice who lacked microbes in their guts reacted abnormally to stress.

Unlike mice found in nature, these mice were raised in a sterile environment, and therefore lacked the valuable microbes found in the guts of wild mice. Without microbes, these lab-bred mice were left vulnerable to pathogens that would normally be fought off by the good bacteria in the gut. The team bred them to study the results of physical disease on microbe-lacking mice, however, they witnessed a surprising behavioral result as well.

The mice that lacked microbes spent less time with their fellow mice and had a more exaggerated response to stress in comparison to mice with the appropriate microbes. It almost looked as though the mice were depressed, as New Scientist reported. However, after researchers fed these mice a pathogen-free microbial mixture, the mice developed a normal stress response within mere days.

This connection between microbes and mood was then dubbed the gut-brain axis.

After this initial study, <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/2011/110830/full/news.2011.510.html">another study</a> led by John Cryan and Ted Dinan of <a href="https://www.ucc.ie/en/">University College Cork</a> discovered that the bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus has an anti-anxiety effect in mice.

“They became a lot more chilled out and relaxed. They behaved as if they were on Valium or Prozac,” Cryan said. “We looked at their brains and found widespread changes.”

To figure out how these findings related to humans, Cryan and Dinan gave normal mice a faecal transplant from a person with depression. The mice that received the transplant also developed depression-like symptoms, thus proving that the gut-brain axis discovered in mice translates to humans as well.

But it was still unclear how the gut-brain axis actually worked, according to New Scientist. Due to the blood-brain barrier, which prevents cells, particles, and some molecules from entering the brain, how could the neurotransmitters produced by microbes — which include dopamine and serotonin — affect the brain?

In 2017, scientists discovered a special set of cells in the gut lining, which detect neurotransmitters produced by microbes and create a pulse in the vagus nerve, which connects the gut to the brain. Furthermore, more evidence suggests that gut microbes and their molecules can actually adjust the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, and can even influence the development of the brain within the first three years of a person’s life.

Therefore, the amount of gut bacteria one has can actually affect the way a person processes emotions. And as <a href="https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00006842-201710000-00010">another 2017 study</a> from the <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">University of California, Los Angeles</a>, concluded, consuming probiotics can improve one’s emotional processing and may even curb some symptoms of depression and anxiety.

“I do believe the data supports a role for microbes modulating how we feel,” lead researcher Kirsten Tillisch told New Scientist, but she cautioned that these studies show correlation between gut microbes and mood, not causation. 

Therefore, it’s possible that mood is affecting the microbes rather than the other way around.

In order to bring new probiotic-based mental health treatment to the mainstream, researchers must discover which microbes actually reside in the gut. To do so, a new technique of microbial research has been developed. It’s dubbed whole-genome shotgun sequencing and it can reportedly locate species and subspecies by analyzing every gene in a sample taken from an environment.

Whole-genome sequencing has already been used by researchers at <a href="https://www.kuleuven.be/english/">KU Leuven in Belgium</a>, who were able to view <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30718848">the microbes in the guts of over 1,000 people</a>. By doing so, the team was able to report that people who were diagnosed with depression showed a reduced number of Coprococcus and Dialister bacteria.

“This new way of looking at brain health is literally turning things upside down,” Cryan told New Scientist.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/T. L. Furrer

Your mood could be affected by your gut bacteria

Your mood could be affected by your gut bacteria. Within...

A team of researchers believe that by taxing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sugary-drinks-cancer/">sugar-sweetened beverages</a> (SSBs) by the amount of sugar they contain could result in massive health benefits and economic gains. 

At the present, seven U.S. cities tax SSBs based on volume. However, this tax doesn’t take into account the actual amount of sugar in each beverage.

"Despite their different sugar content and resulting different harms, all sugar-sweetened beverages are taxed at the same rate per liter under a volumetric tax," the team, made up of researchers from <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/">New York University</a>, the <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a>, the <a href="https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/">Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania</a>, and the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a> stated. "This tax structure gives consumers no incentive to substitute from high-sugar to low-sugar SSBs, even though the latter are less harmful. Thus, while a volumetric tax reduces consumption of SSBs in general, it does not provide the maximum possible health benefits."

"A basic economic principle is that such corrective taxes should be proportional to the harm caused," the authors said. "The harm from sugary drinks comes from the sugar, and SSBs vary substantially in sugar per unit volume."

Although they believe a tax on included sugar would be more beneficial than a tax on liquid volume, the authors stated that the latter is still instrumental in fighting obesity. By the researchers’ calculations, a 34-cent-per-liter volumetric tax results in the average U.S. adult to drink 2.9 fewer ounces of SSBs per day (a 22% reduction). This decrease in sugar intake could result in a 2.3-pound weight loss for said average adult. 

Furthermore, if a nationwide volumetric SSB tax is initiated, researchers estimate obesity rates would drop by 2% (a 2.1 million decrease of obese adults), and would lower the number of new Type 2 diabetes diagnoses by 2.3% (about 36,000 new cases per year).

And such a tax would also result in massive health care savings — about $1.4 billion per year nationwide.

But taxing based on SSB sugar amounts would yield even greater results, the researchers said. U.S. adults would consume 2.3 fewer grams of sugar per day under this tax in comparison to the volumetric tax, thus helping them lose an additional 0.7 pounds. Obesity would drop in an additional 630,000 adults, Type 2 diagnosis would be slashed by another 0.7%, and the economic gain would skyrocket to an additional $400 million.

"Once there is agreement to tax SSBs, it seems natural to tax the harmful sugar, instead of the liquid that comes with the sugar," the authors said. "Our calculations suggest that this idea offers valuable low-hanging fruit for improving public health."

This study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/monticello

How a sugar tax could cut down on obesity while enhancing economic gains

A team of researchers believe that by taxing sugar-sweetened beverages...

Ancient DNA study spans millions of years of Central and South Asian history. The largest-ever study of ancient human DNA sheds light on the early history and migrations of people in Central and South Asia from the Mesolithic Era to the Iron Age. 

A team of archaeologists, geneticists and anthropologists analyzed and sequenced the genomes of 524 ancient individuals from Central and <a href="https://www.bing.com/search?q=south+asia&amp;cvid=054854f3d8ff480d9d9ad22327ba1d3a&amp;FORM=ANAB01&amp;PC=HCTS">South Asia</a>, increasing the number of total ancient studied and published genomes worldwide by 25 percent. 

The researchers sequenced ancient human genomes, compared the DNA data to other previously sequenced genomes and reviewed key archeological and linguistic records from the region. 

The expansive research was published in two papers in the journals Science and Cell and has helped put several debates about the early origins of language and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-first-farmers-east-africa/">farming</a> to rest. 

“These studies speak to two of the most profound cultural transformations in ancient Eurasia--the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and the spread of Indo-European languages, which are spoken today from the British Isles to South Asia--along with the movement of people,” said Vagheesh Narasimhan, a co-first author of both papers.

One of the biggest takeaways of the study is that it helps confirm the theory that Indo-European languages spread and first arrived in Europe via the Eurasian Steppe. 

More than 400 languages including Hindu, Bengali, Persian, Russian, Spanish, and English are considered Indo-European, and as the largest language family on Earth, it’s long been wondered how the roots of these languages spread. 

It’s long been thought that Indo-European languages either arrived in Europe from herders traveling through the Steppe or by farmers migrating from Anatolia, which is present-day Turkey. 

This recent study helps confirm the Steppe theory because people living in South Asia share little common ancestry with ancient Anatolian farmers. Ancient DNA study spans millions of years of Central and South Asian history

“We can rule out a large-scale spread of farmers with Anatolian roots into South Asia, the centerpiece of the ‘Anatolian hypothesis’ that such movement brought farming and Indo-European languages into the region,” said David Reich, a co-senior author of the papers. “Since no substantial movements of people occurred, this is checkmate for the Anatolian hypothesis.”

The researchers linked present-day speakers of certain branches of Indo-European languages to a subgroup of ancient Steppe pastoralists that spread into Europe 5,000 years ago before returning to Central and South Asia. 

Another important mystery solved by the study is how ancient populations shifted from hunting and gathering to farming. Did settlements switch to farming as populations migrated into new areas or did they copy other communities?

The researchers found that the practice of farming in Iran and Turan coincides with the arrival of Anatolian ancestry. 

“This confirms that the spread of agriculture entailed not only a westward route from Anatolia to Europe but also an eastward route from Anatolia into regions of Asia previously only inhabited by hunter-gatherer groups,” said Ron Pinhasi, a co-senior author of the Science article.

However, the history of farming in Central and South Asia is not clean-cut and the researchers found that by 5,000 years ago, a two-way pattern of ancestry and farming technology split north and south along the “Bronze Age Silk Road.” 

In South Asia, the researchers didn’t find any common ancestry to Anatolian people who helped spread farming west, rather South Asians are related to an Iranian lineage that separated from early farmers and hunters and gathers. 

For South Asia, farming was a practice adopted by local foragers rather than through the spread of farming cultures. 

“The study directly ties present-day South Asians to the ancient peoples of South Asia’s first civilization,” said Narasimhan.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Vasant Shinde/Cell

Ancient DNA study spans millions of years of Central and South Asian history

Ancient DNA study spans millions of years of Central and...

Democratic presidential candidates offer climate crisis plans at town hall. Wednesday night, ten Democratic presidential candidates took part in <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/05/politics/climate-town-hall-highlights/index.html">CNN’s Climate Crisis Town Hall,</a> discussing climate change and their plans for the future of the environment. 

The Town Hall lasted for seven hours with each candidate given 40 minutes to discuss the environment and answer questions. 

Many candidates offered ambitious plans, but at a time when climate change demands action, ambitious and even expensive policies may be the only way to mitigate catastrophic warming and sea-level rise. 

Here’s what the candidates had to offer:

Julián Castro went first and set the stage for the rest of the candidates. The former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development has a ten trillion dollar climate plan that first involves rejoining the Paris Accord. 

A carbon pollution fee, stopping fracking on federal land, and promoting renewable energy are all on Castro’s climate to-do list. 

Importantly, Castro highlighted how climate change unfairly impacts <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/communities-of-color-face-pollution/">marginalized and minority communities</a> and justice for minorities is a cornerstone of the candidate’s campaign.

California Senator Kamala Harris made a bold splash when she promised to abolish the Senate filibuster in order to see the Green New Deal passed. Harris’ $10 trillion plan includes ending fossil fuel emissions by 2030 and having a carbon-neutral economy by 2045. 

“I strongly believe this is a fight against powerful interests,” Harris said on Wednesday night. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden wants to lead the world in the fight against climate change, but his plan was one of the least expensive compared to the trillions pledged by other candidates. 

Among Biden’s climate goals, he wants to invest $1.7 trillion into clean energy, reverse GOP tax cuts and invest in green jobs, fine serial polluters, and have zero-emission energy production by 2050. 

Senator Elizabeth Warren’s climate plan has a price tag nearly double that of Biden or Pete Buttigieg. 

Like Biden, though, Warren wants to reverse GOP tax cuts to help pay for climate mitigation. 

Much of Warren’s climate plan adopts from former 2020 candidate Jay Inslee including retiring coal-fired electricity, having zero-emission cars and trucks by 2030, and zero-emission energy production by 2035. 

Senator Bernie Sanders, no stranger to the presidential race, had an even more ambitious and costly plan. 

Sander’s $16 trillion plan would invest more in green energy than any other candidate, and his climate policies include banning fracking, fining major polluters, and having zero-carbon emissions by 2050. 

“We are fighting for the survival of the planet Earth, our only planet. How is this not a major priority?” Sanders asked.

As the 2020 presidential election looms closer, these climate policy plans could make or break a candidate’s campaign. 

Regardless of the price tag or ambitious energy investments, the question is how much climate action can we expect if these candidates take office, and is there a plan B to ensure climate mitigation takes priority? 

--

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/24Novembers

Democratic presidential candidates offer climate crisis plans at town hall

Democratic presidential candidates offer climate crisis plans at town hall....

According to the <a href="http://www.fs-unep-centre.org/">Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2019 report</a>, worldwide investment in renewable energy over the last decade is set to hit $2.6 trillion this year. As a result, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/renewable-energy-storage-costs/">renewable energy</a> capacity will have quadrupled from 414 GW at the end of 2009 to 1,650 GW by the end of 2019.

"Overall, we note that these figures represent a small share of the overall economic transition required to address climate change," wrote the authors of the report.

"The stock of fossil fuel power already installed, and those added this decade, has helped renewables, excluding large hydro, raise their share of global electricity generation, from 11.6% in 2017 to 12.9% in 2018." 

"Were it not for this green power, world carbon dioxide emissions last year would have been an estimated 2 gigatons greater. Nevertheless, global power-sector emissions are likely to have risen by at least 10 percent between the end of 2009 and 2019."

Solar power will account for half, or s1.3 trillion, of the global renewable energy investment - growing from 25 GW at the beginning of 2010 to an expected 663 GW this year. To put it into perspective, this is enough energy to produce all of the electricity needed to power 100 million of the estimated 128 million households in the United States. 

The study authors noted that renewables have also become much more cost-competitive over the last decade. Since 2009, the levelized cost of electricity has dropped by 81 percent for solar photovoltaics and by 46 percent for onshore wind.

[caption id="attachment_1877433" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/figure.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1877433" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/figure.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="500" /></a> Image Credit: UN Environment / FS / BNEF[/caption]

"Sharp falls in the cost of electricity from wind and solar over recent years have transformed the choice facing policy-makers," explained Jon Moore, who is the chief executive of BloombergNEF. "These technologies were always low-carbon and relatively quick to build. Now, in many countries around the world, either wind or solar is the cheapest option for electricity generation."

China has been the biggest investor in renewable energy capacity, commiting $758 billion between 2010 and the first half of 2019. The United States ranked second with an investment of $356 billion, followed by Japan at $202 billion.

Within the same decade, Europe spent $698 billion on renewables capacity, with Germany contributing the most at $179 billion.

"The technologies to use wind, sun or geothermal energy are available, they are competitive and clean. Within 10 years Germany will produce two-thirds of its power based on renewables. We are demonstrating that an industrial country can phase out coal and, at the same time, nuclear energy without putting its economy at risk," said Svenja Schulze, Germany's Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

"We know that renewables make sense for the climate and for the economy. Yet we are not investing nearly enough to decarbonize power production, transport and heat in time to limit global warming to 2C or ideally 1.5C. If we want to achieve a safe and sustainable future, we need to do a lot more now in terms of creating an enabling-regulatory environment and infrastructure that encourage investment in renewables."

While China was the largest single investor in 2018, renewable energy capacity investment was more widespread than ever last year, with 29 countries investing more than $1 billion.

"Investing in renewable energy is investing in a sustainable and profitable future, as the last decade of incredible growth in renewables has shown," said Inger Andersen, who is the executive director of the <a href="http://www.unenvironment.org/">UN Environment Programme</a>.

"But we cannot afford to be complacent. Global power sector emissions have risen about 10 per cent over this period. It is clear that we need to rapidly step up the pace of the global switch to renewables if we are to meet international climate and development goals."

The report has been released ahead of the UN Global Climate Action Summit.

--

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>

Main Image Credit: Shutterstock/Alberto Masnovo

Renewable energy investment has skyrocketed over the last ten years

According to the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2019...

In a new study published by <a href="https://www.endocrine.org/about-us">The Endocrine Society</a>, researchers have found that e-cigarettes may be damaging to fertility. Using a mouse model, the experts also demonstrated that vaping can lead to negative pregnancy outcomes.

According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC), the number of middle and high school students using <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/e-cigarettes-quit-smoking/">e-cigarettes</a> has exploded in recent years, jumping from 2.1 million in 2017 to 3.6 million in 2018. Vaping is also driving increased tobacco use among adolescents.

E-cigarettes are promoted as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, yet little is known about the potential health impacts of vaping. Last month, a study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine showed that vaping just one time caused immediate damage to blood vessels and vascular function, even when the electronic cigarettes were nicotine-free.

For the current analysis, the researchers used a mouse model to examine whether e-cigarette exposure impairs fertility and offspring health. Study co-author Dr. Kathleen Caron is a professor and chair in the Department of Cell Biology &amp; Physiology at UNC Chapel Hill. 

"We found that e-cigarette usage prior to conception significantly delayed implantation of a fertilized embryo to the uterus, thus delaying and reducing fertility (in mice)," said Dr. Caron. "We also discovered that e-cigarette usage throughout pregnancy changed the long-term health and metabolism of female offspring - imparting lifelong, second-generation effects on the growing fetus."

After exposure to e-cigarette vapor, female mice exhibited reduced embryo implantation and a notable delay in the onset of pregnancy with the first litter. In addition, the offspring that were exposed to e-cigarettes in utero failed to gain as much weight as control mice.

"These findings are important because they change our views on the perceived safety of e-cigarettes as alternatives to traditional cigarettes before and during pregnancy," said Dr. Caron.

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jes">Journal of the Endocrine Society</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/Oleggg

E-cigarette exposure may cause fertility issues and damage to fetuses

In a new study published by The Endocrine Society, researchers...

A team of social psychologists at the <a href="https://home.www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> set out to investigate whether the concept of moral character is universal by studying populations outside of the Western world. 

Research focused on the Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania revealed that these indigenous people agree on what qualities are characteristic of morality, yet hold different views of who has such virtue.

The team interviewed Hadza people, asking them to rank others on a number of qualities, including who has a good heart, is the most giving, and who is the most hard-working. Overall, the researchers had 94 judges rank their campmates on global character and relevant character traits for a total of 824 observations.

The study revealed that while Hadza could all agree on the importance of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/people-generous-live-strangers/">generosity</a> and hard work for outstanding moral character, they had conflicting ideas of who among them best represented these traits.

"It's not that the Hadza do not have a concept of morality or don't care about it. They agreed on what traits contributed to moral character. But they cannot agree on who exemplifies it," explained study lead author Kristopher Smith.

The Hadza live in small nomadic tribes and shift from group to group, which means the social structure of each tribe is constantly changing. According to scientists, this nomadic way of life provides a unique opportunity to explore the origins of human cooperation.

Even though the Hadza are a modern society, the experts note that their way of life is more similar to how our human ancestors lived than to western societies. 

In a previous study, the team discovered that generosity depended on a group's dynamic. While a generous group led members to be more generous, a stingy group led to less sharing. 

Study co-author Professor Coren Apicella said that mobility and changing group dynamics may explain the current findings as well, noting that "the changing of groups and behavior may make it difficult for individuals to track and agree on moral reputations."

Smith said the study results suggest that there is little consistency in moral behavior across different circumstances for the Hadza, and that "reputation may have played a smaller role in the evolution of morality."

"Understanding how moral psychology differs across cultures and in different social systems may provide insight into ways to improve our interactions with one another, and maybe overcome moral disagreements in our society."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/home/spp">Social Psychological and Personality Science</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/franco lucato

Hunter-gathers agree on the importance of morality and generosity

A team of social psychologists at the University of Pennsylvania...

In a new study conducted by a team of economists in Canada, people who have visible <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/people-getting-tattoos-2000-years-ago/">tattoos</a> were found to be more impulsive and hasty in their decision-making compared to individuals who do not have tattoos. 

The team set out to understand why tattoos, which were once primarily reserved for motorcycle gang members and prison inmates, have become so increasingly popular and mainstream. The experts said that this rise in popularity "constitutes one of the most significant cultural trends in the West."

Study co-author Bradley Ruffle is a behavioral economist and a professor at <a href="https://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a>.

"I'm an economist. From an economic perspective this decision to have a tattoo is puzzling," Professor Ruffle told <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/">The Times</a>. "Tattoos are about making some kind of statement. But why not just dye your hair or get a personalized T-shirt you can remove?"

In the United States, around 45 million adults have at least one tattoo. In 2014 alone, the American tattoo industry racked up a massive $3 billion in revenue. Young adults are particularly eager to get inked, with some studies estimating that nearly 40 percent of 18- to 29-years olds have a tattoo.

The McMaster study was designed to examine how individual thought processes may vary among people with and without tattoos. Of more than 1,000 participants, 781 had no tattoos and 255 had at least one tattoo, including 68 people who had tattoos that were visible when they were fully clothed. 

The participants were presented with a game used to assess long-term planning ability, including a monetary test which offered a greater payday for those individuals who waited longer to cash out. The individuals were given two options: one that would earn them $1.00 in 18 hours and one that would grant them a larger sum of $2.50 in three weeks.

The study revealed that the non-tattooed participants chose the more lucrative option, while the majority of the visibly tattooed participants did not take the time to think their decisions through and settled for less money. The researchers observed that tattooed participants also answered a simple logic question impulsively.

Professor Ruffle pointed out that these traits identified in people with tattoos are not always bad qualities to have. "Sometimes it’s good to make decisions fast," he explained. "If you’re a professional basketball player and you need to decide whether to shoot or pass, you don’t want someone who stands there and deliberates."

The research is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-economic-behavior-and-organization">Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization</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/Olena Yakobchuk

People with tattoos tend to be more impulsive, new study finds

In a new study conducted by a team of economists...

Those who have their homes damaged by extreme weather events like a hurricane or flood are at risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, according to a new study. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a> and the <a href="http://natcen.ac.uk/">National Centre for Social Research</a> discovered that even when the damage is minor, living through an extreme weather event impacts mental health. 

The risks to mental health after having your home damaged are the same as the mental health risks linked to living in a disadvantaged area. 

For the study, the researchers reviewed and analyzed data from the <a href="http://natcen.ac.uk/our-research/research/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey/">Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS)</a>, which is a large UK mental health survey. 

In 2014, fieldwork surveys for the APMS questioned participants about weather damage to their homes from December 2013 through March 2014, a period when UK residents experienced serious winter storms and flooding. 

Over 10,000 properties were flooded during those six months. 

After taking into account other influencing risk factors, the researchers found that people who had their homes flooded or dealt with other storm damage had a 50 percent increased risk of experiencing mental health issues. 

The study highlights that the high mental health risks associated with weather damage to homes, and the researchers suggest that mental health support be included in recovery efforts and emergency planning.

With climate change expected to increase temperature and precipitation, storms and flooding will <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warming-waters-increase-extreme-storms/">become more severe</a>. The number of UK properties that could be damaged in a major flood could increase by 41 percent if global temperatures rise below two degrees Celsius.  

“With extreme weather events on the rise due to climate change, environmental and health policies need to be brought much more closely together,” said Hilary Graham, the lead author of the study. “This means recognising that flood protection policies are also health protection policies and that better protecting communities from floods is also an investment in protecting their mental health.”

The study was published in the journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public 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>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/MDay Photography

Extreme weather events increase the risk of mental health issues

Those who have their homes damaged by extreme weather events...

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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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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



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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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