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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

A team of neuroscientists at <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">The University of Texas at Austin</a> have identified a set of neurons that allow disturbing memories to resurface. The discovery could ultimately lead to methods for the treatment of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/damage-brain-anxiety-disorders/">anxiety</a>, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to the researchers, the “extinction neurons” suppress fearful memories when they are activated. When these brain cells are not activated, however, frightening memories can re-emerge. While experts have been well aware of the potential for disturbing memories to pop up, the underlying cause has remained a mystery. 

“There is frequently a relapse of the original fear, but we knew very little about the mechanisms,” said study senior author Professor Michael Drew. “These kinds of studies can help us understand the potential cause of disorders, like anxiety and PTSD, and they can also help us understand potential treatments.”

Since fear has been traditionally associated with the amygdala, the team was surprised to find that the neurons linked to fear memories were located in the hippocampus. This brain region, which is responsible for many aspects of memory, seems to play an important role in compartmentalizing fear.


“Extinction does not erase the original fear memory but instead creates a new memory that inhibits or competes with the original fear,” said Professor Drew. “Our paper demonstrates that the hippocampus generates memory traces of both fear and extinction, and competition between these hippocampal traces determines whether fear is expressed or suppressed.”

Using a tool called optogenetics, the scientists were able to artificially activate the fear and suppress the extinction trace memories by turning the extinction neurons on and off again. This suggests that new pathways for drug development should be explored.

“Artificially suppressing these so-called extinction neurons causes fear to relapse, whereas stimulating them prevents fear relapse,” said Professor Drew. “These experiments reveal potential avenues for suppressing maladaptive fear and preventing relapse.”

The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/neuro">Nature Neuroscience</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: University of Texas at Austin

Why certain scary memories can suddenly resurface in your brain

A team of neuroscientists at The University of Texas at...

People certainly have strong opinions about <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/gluten-free-not-healthier/">gluten</a>, as a sensitivity or intolerance to the substance is blamed for a variety of health problems. 

Gluten has serious adverse effects for some people. However, many cases of “gluten intolerance” may actually be something else, and it’s possible that some people should be more worried about a group of sugars called fructans.  
<h2>Why do people avoid gluten?</h2>
Celiac disease is a severe immune response to gluten that has been known for over a century. However, it only occurs in less than 1% of the population. 

Wheat allergies are another severe response to gluten and other proteins present in wheat. These are even rarer, occurring in ~0.2% of the population.

These conditions are very serious and can be life-threatening, and so naturally, people with these conditions avoid gluten out of necessity.

But these conditions only account for a small portion of reported gluten intolerance. These diseases are relatively easy to definitively diagnose, and people with these conditions probably would not benefit from excluding fructans.

<h2>Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity</h2>
Reports of non-celiac gluten sensitivity are on the rise. Patients with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and other digestive issues have begun excluding gluten from their diets. Some people even claim improvements in mood and energy from a gluten-free diet. Self-reported improvements from a gluten-free diet are common.

The rise in gluten-free diets has led to some dubious claims. 63% of consumers believe that a <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/will-a-gluten-free-diet-really-make-you-healthier/index.htm">gluten-free diet will improve their health</a>. Many products proudly state they are “gluten-free” to attract health-conscious consumers. 

Even coffee and other products that should never contain gluten sometimes advertise that they are “gluten-free.” In reality, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gluten-free-not-healthier/">gluten-free foods do not provide any benefits</a> to people who aren’t sensitive to gluten. 

Despite patient reports, the cause of <a href="https://www.healthline.com/health-news/is-non-celiac-gluten-sensitivity-a-real-thing-041615#2">non-celiac gluten sensitivity is not known</a>. This has caused some uncertainty about the legitimacy of these claims. Studies have found these issues may occur in anywhere from <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/apt.13155">0.5-13% of the population</a>. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27523634">One study</a> found that only 16% of those who experience improvements from a gluten-free diet actually have a gluten intolerance. 

But a recent study published in the journal <a href="https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(17)36302-3/fulltext">Gastroenterology</a> may clear up the confusion, revealing how large sugar molecules called fructans could be the culprit, not gluten. 
<h2>What is a fructan?</h2>
Fructans are a group of sugars produced by plants. They are polysaccharides made up of many fructose molecules, and their size and complexity make them more difficult for some people to digest. 

Fructans are part of a larger group of sugars called FODMAPs. This stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di, Mono-saccharides, and Polyols. This group includes lactose, fructose, and xylitol. 
<h3>Why do they cause problems?</h3>
These sugars cause two major issues. First, they draw water into the intestines causing bloating. Additionally, these sugars cannot be digested by our natural enzymes. Instead, gut bacteria ferment these sugars producing gas.

Both of these effects are normal parts of digestion. However, some people are more sensitive to fructans. This can cause gas, bloating, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. 

Fructans can be healthy in the right quantities. They are “prebiotics” that help <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/fructans-not-gluten-might-cause-wheat-sensitivity-heres-what-you-need-to-know/2018/11/05/fcee5f2c-dbb3-11e8-b3f0-62607289efee_story.html?utm_term=.e907fc94be93">feed a healthy gut microbiome</a>. Even fructan sensitive people should consume some fructans. It is recommended to slowly increase the amount in your diet. This will help determine how much your body can tolerate. 
<h3>What foods do they occur in?</h3>
<a href="https://www.tuftsmedicalcenter.org/-/media/Brochures/TuftsMC/Patient%20Care%20Services/Departments%20and%20Services/Allergy/Chinese/Fructan%20Intolerance.ashx">70% of the fructans in American diets</a> come from wheat, which is why people may misidentify fructan intolerance as gluten intolerance. 

Fructans are present in many other foods as well. A few common ones are listed below.
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Oats</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Barley</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Garlic</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Onions</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Chickpeas</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Dates and prunes</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Asparagus</li>
</ul>
<h2>The main differences between gluten and fructan intolerance</h2>
The symptoms of gluten and fructan intolerance can be very similar, so it is worth considering both causes when experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. 

Eliminating fructans and gluten from your diet independently can help. When starting an elimination diet, consult with your doctor. It is important to get all your nutrients, so you want to be cautious that eliminating all foods with fructans or gluten won’t also eliminate essential nutrients.

Fructan intolerance can be identified with a breath test. This is done by eating large amounts of fructans. Gas production and symptoms are then measured over a period of time. 

This is not a standardized diagnostic test. However, it can be helpful in understanding your digestion. If you suspect you have a fructan intolerance, consult your doctor.

--

By <a href="mailto:casey.hofford@gmail.com">Casey Hofford</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Some who think they’re gluten intolerant are actually sensitive to fructans

People certainly have strong opinions about gluten, as a sensitivity...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.rockefeller.edu/">Rockefeller University</a> have discovered a set of brain cells that may be the key to limiting how much we want to eat. While exploring the hippocampus region of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/brain-storage-learn-language/">brain</a> in mice, the team identified neurons that act as an appetite suppressant.

The hippocampus is involved in memory, and previous studies have shown that defects in this region can disrupt feeding behavior. This suggests that, somehow, the hippocampus influences an animal’s impulse to eat based on past experiences with food. 

With this in mind, postdoctoral research associate Estefania Azevedo pinpointed a group of hippocampal cells, known as hD2R neurons, which become activated whenever a mouse begins to eat. The team found that the mice ate less when hD2R neurons were stimulated, and ate more when their activity was turned off.

Ultimately, the experts determined that hD2R neurons react to food by deterring animals from eating it. Azevedo explained that even though animals usually benefit from eating, it is useful to exercise restraint in some cases. For example, if an animal has just eaten, it would be unnecessarily risky to go out searching for more food.

“These cells keep an animal from overeating,” said Azevedo. “They appear to make eating less rewarding and, in that sense, are tuning the animal's relationship to food.”

Experiments with mice showed that hDR2 activation diminished memories that linked food to particular locations.

“Mental connections between food and location are important for survival, and the strength of these connections is regulated by how rewarding an experience is,” said  Azevedo. “Because hD2R neurons affect an animal's relationship with food, it also ends up affecting these connections.”


The researchers also discovered a previously unidentified brain circuit in which hD2R neurons receive input from a part of the brain that processes sensory information before sending output to a brain region involved in feeding. According to the researchers, this suggests that the neurons promote a healthy balance between sensing food and eating it.


The research also indicates that the brain has complex ways of controlling appetite, which may lead to the development of therapies to curb overeating.

“Our study shows that brain areas involved in cognitive processing and memory formation affect feeding behavior,” said Azevedo. “So it is possible that, with training, people may be able to learn to change their relationship to food.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/neuron/home">Neuron</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists identify key brain cells that stop us from overeating

Researchers at Rockefeller University have discovered a set of brain...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> are reporting that just an hour of swift walking is enough to prevent disability in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/older-adults-new-brain-cells/">older adults</a> with arthritis pain. The same preventive effect was also seen in patients with stiffness or aching in a knee, hip, ankle, or foot.

Study lead author Dorothy Dunlop is a professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

“This is less than 10 minutes a day for people to maintain their independence. It's very doable,” said Professor Dunlop. “This minimum threshold may motivate inactive older adults to begin their path toward a physically active lifestyle with the wide range of health benefits promoted by physical activity.”


Symptomatic knee osteoarthritis is the most common type of osteoarthritis, and the condition affects about 14 million older adults in the United States alone. Overall, 40 percent of people with osteoarthritis develop some form of physical impairment that limits their activity. 

The researchers found that one hour of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week helped older adults maintain their ability to perform daily tasks such as getting dressed. This level of exercise reduced the risk of daily living disability by 45 percent and mobility disability by 85 percent.

The investigation was focused on four years of data from more than 1,500 adults in the national Osteoarthritis Initiative. When the study began, the participants all had pain, aching, or stiffness in lower extremity joints, but were not experiencing disability. Accelerometers were used to measure physical activity among the adults during the study period. 

“Our goal was to see what kind of activity would help people remain free of disability,” explained Professor Dunlop.

Federal guidelines recommend that older adults participate in at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate-intensity activity for a reduced risk of heart disease and many other chronic diseases. However, Professor Dunlop said this level of activity can be daunting for inactive older adults with lower extremity pain.

“We hope this new public health finding will motivate an intermediate physical activity goal,” said Professor Dunlop. “One hour a week is a stepping stone for people who are currently inactive. People can start to work toward that.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.ajpmonline.org/">American Journal of Preventive Medicine</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

One hour of brisk walking helps older adults keep their independence

Researchers at Northwestern University are reporting that just an hour...

Spring is here and it’s time to get growing in the garden. If you’re looking for some gardening hacks to up your plant game, look no further than social media.
<h3>1. Find fascinating plant tips on Blossom</h3>
The DIY Instagram account recently served up three handy growing tips in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BvW3cZaAwIN/">video</a>. 

First, gardeners looking for biodegradable seed-starters don’t need to head to their nearest nursery. Instead, grab a package of ice cream cones at the grocery store. They’re just the right size for a seed’s first home, and they fall apart around when the new plant is ready to put down roots in a larger space.

Second, save the root ends of those green onions. A clear plastic egg container becomes the perfect planter to regrow your own, and save a few cents when grocery shopping.

Third, don’t throw out those rusty nails. The iron they contain can be mixed with water and become plant food.

Another recent video shows how to make a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOXuvqB_Tf/">self-watering planter</a> out of a glass bottle.
<h3>2. Check out Twitter</h3>
Have an old T-shirt you don’t want? <a href="https://twitter.com/WeirdLifeHacks/status/1094702614426603520">Turn it into a plant hanger</a> in a few easy steps with this video from DIY Hacks.

Other Twitter accounts offer gardening hacks from <a href="https://twitter.com/CupidHacks/status/1111772036194398208">plants that repel mosquitoes</a> to why you should grow <a href="https://twitter.com/NatureHacks/status/1111611512576188417">marigolds alongside your tomatoes</a>. (Hint: It has to do with a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marigolds-common-tomato-pest/">chemical released by marigolds</a> that fends off tomato-munching insects.)
<h3>3. Pop over to Pinterest</h3>
The Mother Lode of helpful gardening tricks is Pinterest. The virtual pinboard is a favorite of DIYers, who link helpful infographics, blog posts and more. Check out The Prairie Home’s <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/ThePrairieHome/gardening-tips/">Gardening Tips</a> board to start with, or just search for “gardening hacks.”
<h3>4. Now on video</h3>
And don’t forget YouTube, where you can find helpful videos such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53lJwr8KaXU">15 Plants You Can Easily Grow in Your Own Kitchen</a>, teaching you how to regrow celery, onions and even pineapples from your grocery store, along with turning old banana peels and eggshells into fertilizer. 

Head over to your favorite social media site and get growing! 

—

By <a href="mailto:kyla.cathey@gmail.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

How to find loads of helpful gardening hacks on social media

Spring is here and it’s time to get growing in...

Plastic crystals could be the answer to keeping homes and food cool while cutting down greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

Modern fridges contain a refrigerant, a material that can be compressed into a liquid, then evaporate back into a gas. The liquid refrigerant absorbs heat, cooling the fridge. As it absorbs the heat, it then turns back into a gas, starting the process all over again. Air conditioners work in a similar way.

In the past, refrigerants were mainly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ozone-layer-full-recovery-2060/">chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons</a>, which contributed to ozone depletion. They’ve been replaced by hydrofluorocarbons, which don’t affect the ozone layer but do <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hydrofluorocarbons-greenhouse-gases-powerful-carbon-dioxide/">produce greenhouse gases</a>.

Scientists have been looking for alternatives, and Dr. Bing Li and of the <a href="http://english.imr.cas.cn/">Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Metal Research</a> has struck upon a unique one: plastic crystals.

“We identified plastic crystals as promising materials for solid-state refrigeration,” Li told the <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>. 

Li and his colleagues, including researchers from the <a href="https://www.jaea.go.jp/english/">Japan Atomic Energy Agency</a> and <a href="http://www.jasri.jp/">Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute</a>, found that the plastic crystals – created decades ago and used in cosmetics, plastics, paint and other materials – work very well as a refrigerant. 

The key lies in the normally disordered structure of the plastic crystals.

“A tiny pressure can switch the materials between the disordered state and the ordered state,” Li said. 

That flip between states produces a massive energy change, giving the material heat absorbing abilities like current refrigerants. The difference is that many of the plastic crystals actually have a capacity to absorb the same amount of heat as modern refrigerants with much less pressure.

One type of crystal, neopentylglycol, can absorb exponentially more heat than current materials with the same amount of pressure.

That means that the new material could not only lower the amount of pollution coming directly from fridges, air conditioners, and other machines that rely on refrigerants – it could also drastically cut the amount of electricity required to run them.

Li and his team plan to continue testing the plastic crystals to reduce heat loss and maximize energy efficiency. 

Their work has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1042-5">Nature</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kyla.cathey@gmail.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Plastic crystals could drastically cut fridge, AC pollution

Plastic crystals could be the answer to keeping homes and...

Tennessee whiskey is at least 51 percent corn, aged in charred oak barrels, and – to whiskey lovers, at least – delicious. 

The difference between Tennessee's spirit of choice and other whiskeys goes beyond just the <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/whiskey-made-simple-ingredients/">choice of grain</a>. The secret, according to a team of researchers at the <a href="https://www.utk.edu/">University of Tennessee</a>? The Lincoln County Process.

Distillers are prohibited from labeling their product “Tennessee whiskey” unless they use the filtration process. The whiskey is filtered through charcoal sourced from sugar maple trees, before it’s put into the oak barrels for aging.

"Although Tennessee whiskey and traditional bourbon both have to be made from 51 percent corn and aged in charred oak barrels, the distinction is really this filtration step," graduate student Trenton Kerley said in a press release.

The University of Tennessee study is the first to look at the Lincoln County Process, named for the original location of the Jack Daniel’s distillery. Led by Dr. John Munafo, the team worked with <a href="https://www.sugarlands.com/">Sugarlands Distilling Company</a> to examine the effect the LCP has on that company’s Roaming Man Tennessee Whiskey.

The researchers first set baseline values for the unfiltered, unaged whiskey – including identifying odorants using the scientific techniques gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-olfactometry, along with stable isotope dilution assays. 

Once they’d recorded the whiskey’s values, they exposed it to the sugar maple charcoal Sugarlands uses for the LCP filtration. The whiskey’s chemical makeup changed drastically.

"I was expecting it to have an effect, but I wasn't expecting as large of an effect as we saw in some of the compounds. For example, levels of some compounds declined by up to 30 percent after LCP," Kerley said.

Munafo and Kerley plan to run a series of experiments on the LCP filtration, changing the amount of time the unaged Tennessee whiskey is exposed to the charcoal, as well as how much of the charcoal is used.

"There are some 'strong' flavor compounds present in low concentrations, but then there are 'weaker' aroma-active compounds such as branched alcohols that are present at high concentrations," Munafo said. "Even though they might not be potent aroma-active compounds, they could have an effect like a perception of burning that our senses pick up."

They hope their research will help distillers improve the flavor of their Tennessee whiskey. 

"We want to give them levers to pull so they are not blindly trying to get the flavor target they want," Munafo said.

The team will present their research today at the <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/national-meeting.html">American Chemical Society Spring 2019 National Meeting &amp; Exposition</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kyla.cathey@gmail.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Chemists reveal Tennessee whiskey's secrets

Tennessee whiskey is at least 51 percent corn, aged in...

The benefits of urban green spaces go far beyond just helping spruce up a city neighborhood. Research has shown that urban green spaces can help guard against <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-spaces-decline-dementia/#.XJ0g6phKhPY">mental decline</a>, improve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-spaces-good-health/#.XJ0X75hKhPY">overall health and wellbeing</a>, and help mitigate the impacts of exposure to CO2 emissions. 

Now, a new study has found that tree cover can help combat the “urban heat island” effect where human activities, vast stretches of blacktop and concrete, and an increase in emissions cause cities to be significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Madison</a> conducted an extensive study examining how tree cover impacts city temperatures on a block by black basis. 

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Enough tree cover can reduce daytime summer temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and as summer temperatures are getting more extreme in cities across the world, it will become increasingly important to find sustainable and green solutions to help keep areas cool. 

“We knew that cities are warmer than the surrounding countryside, but we found that temperatures vary just as much within cities. Keeping temperatures more comfortable on hot summer days can make a big difference for those of us who live and work there,” said Monica Turner, the co-author of the study.

Previous studies researching the “urban heat island” effect used satellite measurements of ground surface temperatures, but these measurements are not precise enough to show how temperatures vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, and the researchers needed a way to collect temperature data on a much smaller scale. 

The solution to this problem was rather unique. Carly Ziter, the lead author of the study, attached air temperature sensors to a bike and rode all around the city of Madison, Wisconsin in the summer of 2016, capturing air temperature readings every second. Ziter biked across ten different transects of the city. 

The data showed that the “heat island effect” is more like a “heat archipelago” where patches of the city are hotter than others due to lack of shade. 

The researchers analyzed the data and found that tree cover exceeding 40 percent or more was required to reap the maximum cooling benefits. 

Once that 40 percent threshold was crossed, air temperature was significantly cooler compared to other less shady areas. 

Unfortunately, the researchers say that it’s not just enough to go out and plant more trees, but that city planners need to carefully consider which areas will benefit most from more trees and which areas can easily expand to include more tree cover. 

“It's not really enough to just kind of go out and plant trees, we really need to think about how many we're planting and where we're planting them,” said Ziter. “We're not saying planting one tree does nothing, but you're going to have a bigger effect if you plant a tree, and your neighbor plants a tree and their neighbor plants a tree.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: UW-Madison

Tree cover can help cool the urban heat island effect in the summer

The benefits of urban green spaces go far beyond just...

A 70-year old man in California was awarded $80 million in damages after a federal jury determined that Roundup, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weed-killer-glyphosate-cancer-risk/#.XJz7EZhKhPY">a widely used weed killer</a>, played a major role in the development of his cancer. 

The plaintiff, Edwin Hardeman, was awarded $5.27 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages as the jury agreed that Monsanto, bought by Bayer in 2016, failed to adequately warn against the carcinogenic risks associated with long-term exposure to glyphosate. 

Glyphosate is the main component in Roundup. 

In the first phase of the trial earlier this month, the jury ruled that Roundup was a factor in Hardeman’s cancer, and during the second phase of the trial, which concluded on Wednesday, March 26th, the jury worked to establish Monsanto’s liability and the damages owed. 

“As demonstrated throughout trial, since Roundup’s inception over 40 years ago, Monsanto refuses to act responsibly,” Hardeman's legal team said in a statement. “Today, the jury resoundingly held Monsanto accountable for its 40 years of corporate malfeasance and sent a message to Monsanto that it needs to change the way it does business.”

Hardeman was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015, and a multi-year lawsuit against Monsanto alleged that the cancer was caused by long-term exposure to glyphosate after Hardeman used Roundup on his property for more than 20 years. 

While Hardeman is not the first plaintiff to be awarded compensation from Monsanto due to long-term exposure to Roundup, Hardeman’s case was the first to be tried in Federal Court. 

In 2018, a San Francisco jury awarded Dewayne Johnson, a former school groundskeeper <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/10/health/monsanto-johnson-trial-verdict/index.html">$289 million in damages</a> which was later reduced $78 million after agreeing that Roundup was to blame for Johnson’s terminal cancer. 

Nearly <a href="https://www.bayer.com/en/bayer-annual-report-2018.pdfx">11,00 similar cases against Monsanto and Bayer</a> are still pending at either the federal or state level, and although Bayer explicitly stated that the results of this recent trial would have no bearing on future cases, the jury’s ruling on both cases already appears to be setting an important precedent. 

Bayer also said they would appeal the verdict and that they were disappointed with the outcome. 

“We are disappointed with the jury's decision, but this verdict does not change the weight of over four decades of extensive science and the conclusions of regulators worldwide that support the safety of our glyphosate-based herbicides and that they are not carcinogenic,” Bayer said in a <a href="https://media.bayer.com/baynews/baynews.nsf/id/Bayer-statement-on-jurys-decision-in-phase-two-of-California-glyphosate-trial?Open&amp;parent=news-overview-category-search-en&amp;ccm=020">statement</a>. “The verdict in this trial has no impact on future cases and trials, as each one has its own factual and legal circumstances.”

Bayer and Monsanto have always been adamant that Roundup is safe even after the <a href="https://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/research/iarc/en/">World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer</a> released a report classifying glyphosate as <a href="https://www.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/MonographVolume112-1.pdf">“probably carcinogenic”</a> in 2015. 

That report opened up a flood of litigation against the company, and even though the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> does not consider glyphosate carcinogenic, many states and cities are working to limit exposure to glyphosate and glyphosate-based products like Roundup. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Jury orders Bayer to pay $80 million in Roundup cancer lawsuit

A 70-year old man in California was awarded $80 million...

While you may think that stores offering you free food samples are doing so in the hopes that you purchase that particular item, it’s possible that the bigger win for them is that you are now conditioned to receiving a reward at that location. Although it’s unlikely that any store owners know this – given that the study detailing this process was only just published – it may help you think more carefully about exactly why you are now more inclined to return to that store.

In a study published in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, researchers from the <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford University School of Medicine</a> show how rats’ spatial maps used to navigate new environments actually get redrawn when rats learn that they’ll receive a reward at a certain place on the map. And because rats’ spatial mapping system is the same as ours, it’s possible that this same process applies to us, and could play a role in addictive behavior. 

Scientists have long assumed that the brain’s internal GPS always provides you with the same map, regardless of whether you’re hungry, angry, or scared – but this new research has found that this not the case. 

“In this study, we’ve learned your internal map changes depending on your behavior, memories and state of mind,” says Lisa Giocomo, PhD, an assistant professor of neurobiology at Stanford and the study’s senior author. “We pull up different maps for the same space, depending on what we’re actually trying to do in that space.”

Giocomo has focused her research on the area of the brain called the medial entorhinal cortex, which is used in navigation as it integrates information from our senses to create maps of new places. Scientists have recently learned that various nerve cells in our medial entorhinal cortex act as compasses, speedometers, latitude and longitude coordinates, or boundary and landmark detectors. And because these cells have been found in rodents, bats, monkeys, and human, it’s believed that this spatial-mapping circuitry is a universal mechanism in mammalian navigation.

This particular study was designed to test goal-driven behavior in rats. It involved two big boxes of the same size and shape, in which the floors were randomly scattered with Cheerios. Giocomo explains that “they love Cheerios." In both boxes, the rats could forage freely for Cheerios, but the second box had an unmarked, 8-by-8-inch “reward zone” on the floor. In this box, the rats soon learned that if they navigated to the reward zone after hearing an auditory cue, they would be guaranteed to get a good-sized Cheerio reward. This reward was available only once in a while, and only for a short period of time after the auditory cue.

The researchers implanted electrodes in hundreds of nerve cells in the medial entorhinal cortex of the rats, allowing them to monitor individual nerve cells’ electrical activity. Through collecting this data, they were able to identify individual cells in each rat’s medial entorhinal cortex that served as compasses, speedometers, and position detectors.

The team also found that once a rat had learned enough about how the two box environments differed with the absence or presence of a “reward zone,” many of these spatial-map cells changed their firing patterns whenever the animal got close to the reward zone. When the rats came close to the center of this zone, their position-signifying cells fired faster, and the position-signifying cells that were firing were spaced closer together, which indicates higher spatial resolution. 

“This tells us the rat’s brains are making a new map of space, in response to their experience of a reward, that reflects the importance of the place where they got it by providing a more accurate representation of its position,” explains Giocomo.

Extrapalating these findings to humans and substance abuse, if the reward in this scenario is drugs and not Cheerios, it’s possible that the improved accuracy at the center of the reward-based map could actually enable an addict’s habit. So along with teaching us more about how the spatial mapping of our brains may function, this new research could potentially help shed light on the intricacies of addiction issues.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The brain’s spatial map may be influenced by where we receive rewards

While you may think that stores offering you free food...

While there are many apps and games out there that claim to make you smarter, scientifically speaking all these apps do is make you good at that specific game.

Getting these skills to transfer to real world problem solving is whole other matter, and it's such a frustrating problem for cognitive researchers that it's even got a catchy name, “the curse of specificity.”

In other words, even though you may be remarkably skilled at a brain-training memory game, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be any better at not forgetting what to buy at the store. 

But now, researchers from <a href="https://www.brown.edu/">Brown University</a> may have found a way to transfer learning from an activity to the real world.

Their findings were published in the journal Current Biology.

“This challenge of transferring improvements on specific, simple cognitive tasks to complex, everyday tasks has been called the ‘curse of specificity,’” said Takeo Watanabe, an author of the study. 

For cognitive researchers like Watanabe, this curse presents a problem when trying to apply hopeful results from studies to patients to help <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/running-faster-learning-ability/#.XJv89ShKhPY">improve cognition</a>. 

For the new study, the researchers focused on visual perception learning where the neurons in the visual part of the brain are occupied with processing an object's features so the object can be later identified. 

The researchers had 12 participants who were graduate or undergraduate students take part in a categorization experiment. 

“Categorization is the process the brain uses to determine if, for example, an image is a snake or a stick, and it generally occurs in a higher brain region,” said Yuka Sasaki, a co-author of the study. “Doing categorization before the visual perceptual learning tasks was a simple idea, but the effect of transfer on that level is huge.”

The participants were first taught to categorize blurry striped circles called Gabor patches into two groups depending on the angle of the stripes in the circle. 

For the next five days, participants practiced identifying and categorizing the Gabor patches.

Next, the researchers tested the participant's categorization abilities and how well they could recognize patches with angles they had practiced on and patches with angles in the same category. 

Not surprisingly, the participants improved the most on recognizing the patches they had practice with, but the researchers also found that there was some transfer of learning as the participants improved in identifying Gabor patches of the same category. 

“Usually learning is very specific, but categorization -- which happens often in our daily lives -- can make transfer possible,” said Sasaki. “We think that this finding could be especially useful for clinical purposes. You won't have to train patients on every possible combination of stimuli.”

Next, the researchers would like to continue exploring how categorization helps learning transfer using magnetic resonance imaging to record brain activity as participants take part in visual perception learning training.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How categorization could be key to applying brain training to real life

While there are many apps and games out there that...

The human understanding of death has always been closely tied to religion.  What other human activity claims to have any sort of control over death than a system of worship?  The oldest evidence for any sort of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/prehistoric-religion">spiritual or religious belief</a> comes from the remains of ceremonial burials dating back to the Paleolithic Era.  The burials include human corpses interred with tools and flowers. It seems that from the beginning, religions were about the business of asserting control over the aspect of life most impossible to control or come to terms with – death.  Religions ever since have seemed obsessed with death and the hope for human immortality.

The Ancient Egyptians built enormous stone monuments with slave labor and created elaborate embalming rituals as evidence of their fear of death.  Christians and other monotheistic religions make Heaven and Hell as major tenets of the faith. Other religions focus on reincarnation as a way to escape the brevity of human existence.  Considering the obsession with death, it’s not surprising that worship would turn towards animals that can kill. 

Few animals inspire as much fear as crocodilians.  <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/crocodiles-hide-caves/">Crocodiles</a> and their relatives seem to have ambivalence towards humans, occasionally eating them and showing no obvious outward fear for us.  

In ancient Egypt, there were many cults surrounding different deities associated with animals both wild and domesticated.  Ibises, cats and jackals have been found mummified. One of the most fascinating cults focusing around an animal deity is the ancient Egyptian crocodile cult.  Hundreds of mummified crocodiles, both those killed very young and those that died of old age, have been found. It’s not entirely clear what the exact role of the crocodiles were in these cults, but they were associated with temples to Sobek, a crocodile headed god and other lesser gods as well.  There are breeding facilities found with striking similarity to modern crocodile or alligator captive rearing facilities from the Graeco-Roman period of ancient Egypt. It seems that especially docile crocodiles were kept alive in temples where they were venerated in life. Other parts of the African region also show adoration for crocodiles.

In Madagascar, <a href="https://www.madamagazine.com/en/der-see-der-krokodile/">there is a myth</a> associated with a particular village. The myth says that long ago, an old man came to the village and walked around asking for water.  Instead of granting him this simple request, the villagers shut their doors and ignored the old man’s thirst. Only one woman gave the old man water and so the old man told her, “When your child cries tonight, take your children and leave the village”.

That night, it rained heavily in the village and the woman’s young child started crying.  Remembering the old man’s advice, the woman took her children and left her home, walking away from the village in the rain.  The next day the woman returned to the village to find it under a lake. In the lake swam the villagers who had been magically transformed into crocodiles.  The old man had been a sorcerer and this was his revenge. 

Today, a village in Madagascar still holds this myth to mean that crocodiles in a local lake represent the embodiment of their ancestors.  When the villagers have a need of assistance, they sing a prayer which brings the crocodiles to the edge of the lake where they’re given an offering of zebu (a type of cow) meat.  If a crocodile accepts the meat, it means the prayer will be answered. If the meat is ignored, it means the prayer will be ignored as well. It’s hard to know how old such a tradition may be.  Since Madagascar had its first human inhabitants arrive as late as 2,000 years ago, the crocodile worship in Madagascar can’t be older than Christianity. It’s possible that the worship at a particular lake in Madagascar is associated with a much older tradition.  

In India, there’s a worshipful affection for crocodiles as well. <a href="https://www.indiatimes.com/news/weird/meet-babiya-the-vegetarian-crocodile-who-guards-a-temple-in-kerala-245392.html">India Times</a> reports that there’s a temple in India guarded by a crocodile claimed to be vegetarian.  The crocodile lives in a pond near the temple where he’s fed daily by priests. It’s said that a crocodile living in the pond was once shot by a British soldier who then died of a snake bite as part of cosmic justice.  Another crocodile is said to have miraculously replaced the previous animal, leading to the idea that as soon as one crocodile dies, another replaces it. <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/130-year-old-crocodile-dies-villagers-mourn/article25970924.ece">The Hindu</a> reports on another venerated crocodile that was said to have lived to be 130 years old.  When the crocodile was found dead in its lake, local villagers mourned the deceased reptilian, even refusing to cook meals for the day.  Being eaten by a crocodile is also thought by some Hindus to be a good death. 

In Australia, crocodiles are used as totem, associated with certain aboriginal groups and honored as such.  <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/07/02/3536791.htm">ABC Darwin Radio</a> reports that the Larrakia people of northern Australia respect the crocodile, called ‘Dungalaba’ in their language.  The word is an important one, as it’s remembered as part of a language that is no longer spoken fluently by anyone. The crocodile is recognized as dangerous, but also the people desire it to live in its native habitat near them.  The relationship is similar to that of anyone who loves wild animals that can sometimes also be dangerous. 

It’s easy to imagine that the mythology, worship and respect surrounding crocodiles in so many different cultures is an important way to face fear. Other dangerous animals and phenomena are traditionally worshiped or respected; things such as thunder, bears and so on all have their deities and myths.

When you can be literally eaten by a crocodile, it’s comforting to understand the animal and perhaps even the death of someone eaten by it in a mythological way.  By making crocodiles part of mythology, they become more sensible as does death. This imbues the crocodile and its prey with meaning otherwise lacking in an uncaring world.  When you can be eaten, it’s comforting to feel it means more than just a snack. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

In a number of different cultures, crocodiles are worshipped

The human understanding of death has always been closely tied...

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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 



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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



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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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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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



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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



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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



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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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