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>.



-----



Like what you read?<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/">&nbsp;Subscribe to our newsletter</a>&nbsp;for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

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,...

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a bold plan to protect Manhattan against rising sea levels and weather extremes due to climate change. 

The mayor’s ten billion dollar plan involves extending lower Manhattan shoreline, essentially making the island bigger. The raised shoreline would be extended by 500 feet in some places and act as a barrier against rising flood waters. 

Climate change projections estimate that sea levels around New York City coastlines could increase 18 to 50 inches by 2100, according to the state’s <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/45202.html">Department of Environmental Conservation</a>. 

With <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-expect/">rising sea levels</a>, flood-prone areas will increase as will damage to infrastructure, threatening the wellbeing and livelihoods of many New York City residents. 

In many respects, Hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call for New York City,  after thousands of properties were destroyed in the 2012 storm. 

Storms, hurricanes, and dangerous waves only expected to become more frequent and severe in the coming years. 

In the next 30 years, 37 percent of lower Manhattan properties will be at risk from flooding, and by 2100 that number will increase to 50 percent, which is why it is imperative that the city take quick measures to mitigate future flood risks.

The mayor’s coastline project, which was announced on Thursday, would protect against six feet of sea level rise.

[caption id="attachment_1869774" align="aligncenter" width="642"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/deblasio-plan.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1869774" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/deblasio-plan.jpg" alt="" width="642" height="436" /></a> Image Credit: nyc.gov[/caption]

“Hurricane Sandy showed us how vulnerable areas like Lower Manhattan are to climate change,” said Mayor de Blasio. “That’s why we not only have to reduce emissions to prevent the most cataclysmic potential effects of global warming, we have to prepare for the ones that are already inevitable.” 

Because of the high projected costs of the plan, the city will either need federal funding or, if that fails, the scheme will have to be funded privately.  

“Our actions will protect Lower Manhattan into the next century. We need the federal government to stand behind cities like New York to meet this crisis head on,” Mayor de Blasio said. 

--

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>

NYC mayor unveils $10 billion plan to protect city from climate change

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a bold...

Students from thousands of schools across over 100 countries are expected to take part in today’s <a href="https://www.youthclimatestrikeus.org/">Youth Climate Strike</a>. 

Protests have been in the works for some time, and students are planning to skip school in an effort to draw attention to the threat of climate change and urge the passing of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-new-deal/">Green New Deal</a>.

Record-breaking temperatures, sea ice retreat, climate extremes, wildfires, and rapid decreases in biodiversity are increasing public concern about climate change and emissions.

The catalyst for the strike can be traced back to Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old activist who skipped school to protest outside of Swedish Parliament for weeks last year.

Thunberg also gave a powerful speech at the <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/our-house-is-on-fire-16-year-old-greta-thunberg-speaks-truth-to-power/">World Economic Forum</a> and as James Workman, a World Economic Forum writer who reported on Thunberg’s speech noted, the Swedish activist is not one to mince words. 

“Our house is on fire,” Thunberg said. “At Davos, people like to talk about success, but financial success has come with a price tag, and on the climate, we have failed. And unless we recognize the failures of our system, there will be unspoken suffering.”

More and more young people across the world are tired of government leaders failing to act on climate change. 

When <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/22/climate/feinstein-sunrise-green-new-deal.html">Senator Dianne Feinstein</a> made headlines after lecturing a group of young people about the impossibility of the Green New Deal passing, she was chastised for her harsh, if realistic comments. 

For Feinstein, though, and many other Democrats and Republicans, the consequences of climate change are muddied by the complexities of policy and government. 

For the members of the Youth Climate Strike though, the time for action is now, the clock is running out and the only generation on the line who will bear the brunt of today’s inaction are the very people leading the strike.

“Because you're not really listening to us now, so this is the radical stuff that we need to do to get your attention,” Haven Coleman, the co-founder, and co-director of the organization planning the first school strikes in the US, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/03/14/703461293/skipping-school-to-protest-climate-change">NPR</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Students worldwide skipping school to protest climate change inaction

Students from thousands of schools across over 100 countries are...

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide no specific recommended limits for the amount of cholesterol or <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/whole-eggs-egg-whites/">eggs</a> that individuals should consume. However, the results of a new study suggest that people who eat more eggs and dietary cholesterol have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality from any cause. 

Study co-author Norrina Allen is an associate professor of Preventive Medicine at the <a href="https://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine</a>.

“The take-home message is really about cholesterol, which happens to be high in eggs and specifically yolks,” said Professor Allen. “As part of a healthy diet, people need to consume lower amounts of cholesterol. People who consume less cholesterol have a lower risk of heart disease.”


Among the most commonly consumed foods, egg yolks have one of the highest concentrations of dietary cholesterol. According to study lead author Wenze Zhong, other animal products such as red meat, processed meat, and high-fat dairy products also have high cholesterol content.

The average American consumes 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day, which is more than the recommended daily limit that was in place before 2015. The average adult in the United States also eats three to four eggs per week, and this has typically been viewed as part of a healthy diet.

“Our study showed if two people had exact same diet and the only difference in diet was eggs, then you could directly measure the effect of the egg consumption on heart disease,” said Professor Allen. “We found cholesterol, regardless of the source, was associated with an increased risk of heart disease.”

The researchers determined that the higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death associated with dietary cholesterol was the same regardless of exercise, overall diet quality, or the amount and type of fat in the diet.

The research was focused on nearly 30,000 racially and ethnically diverse adults in the United States who participated in studies that followed up for as many as 31 years.

The investigation revealed that eating 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day was associated with a 17- percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18-percent higher risk of all-cause deaths. The analysis also showed that eating three to four eggs per week was associated with a 6-percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease and an 8-percent higher risk of any cause of death.

Zhong explained that we should not completely eliminate eggs and other cholesterol-rich foods from meals because eggs and red meat are good sources of important nutrients such as essential amino acids, iron, and choline.

“We want to remind people there is cholesterol in eggs, specifically yolks, and this has a harmful effect,” said Professor Allen. “Eat them in moderation.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/">JAMA</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Egg consumption linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide no specific recommended...

Kids are spending more time at home compared to the beginning of the 2000s, but a new study shows that this extra time is being spent alone on smartphones and not engaging with parents.

The study, conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> and the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/">University of Warwick</a>, is the first of its kind to measure the impacts of smartphone use on family time. 

“Our study is the first to measure the rapid spread of mobile devices across family life, revealing that children and parents will spend time on devices such as smartphones and tablets even while watching TV or eating together,” said Dr. Stella Chatzitheochari, a co-author of the study. 

While time spent together and the activities that families share like mealtimes and watching TV remained unchanged from 2000 to 2015, the results show that children are still spending an extra 30 minutes at home.

For the study, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, the researchers reviewed data from 5,000 daily diaries from 2,500 children and their parents to see how family time changed over the years. 

The children in the study were between 8 and 16 years old when they started their daily diaries. 

By 2015, the researchers found that smartphones and mobile devices were used during all <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smartphones-mealtimes-weight-gain/">aspects of family time</a>. 

“The research shows that device use is now embedded into family life. While we did not find any significant changes in the time family members spend interacting and doing things together, it is certainly possible that mobile devices distract people's attention during family activities, leading to feelings that the quality of family relationships is under threat,” said Chatzitheochari.

Mobile devices were most heavily used during what the researchers called “alone-together time,” when children are home but not engaged with their parents. 

Alone-together time made up the entirety of the extra time that children spent at home and by 2015, and the researchers found that alone-together time increased by 30 minutes. 

In 2000, parents and their children spent 347 minutes together, but only 84 minutes were spent doing shared activities. In 2015, the time spent together between families increased to 379 minutes, but 95 minutes were spent alone-together. 

Mobile devices did not impact the 84 minutes that families spent on shared activities, but older children spent less time than their younger siblings with their parents overall.

The researchers say that although smartphone use is now so heavily enmeshed among families, mobile devices might be benefiting social skills and enhancing time spent together. 

“Given this large increase in alone-together time, it is perhaps reassuring that we also found no decline in the amount of time families spent in shared activities between 2000 and 2015,” said Dr. Killian Mullan, the first author of the study. “This suggests that parents still value key aspects of traditional family life, such as family meals or shared hobbies, and seek to prioritise them in the face of pressure from technological change.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Kids spending more time at home, but it’s time spent on smartphones

Kids are spending more time at home compared to the...

A new study led by <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford Medicine</a> has proposed that the best way to measure the role of democracy in public health is to examine the causes of adult mortality, such as noncommunicable diseases, HIV, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/unstable-income-cardiovascular-disease/">cardiovascular disease</a>, and transportation injuries. The research suggests that these four causes of mortality are the most improved by democracy. 

“The results of this study suggest that elections and the health of the people are increasingly inseparable,” wrote the study authors. “Democratic institutions and processes, and particularly free and fair elections, can be an important catalyst for improving population health, with the largest health gains possible for cardiovascular and other noncommunicable diseases.”

Study co-lead author Tara Templin said the study sheds new light on how governance and health inform global health policy debates, especially as global health funding declines.

“As more cases of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers occur in low- and middle-income countries, there will be a need for greater health care infrastructure and resources to provide chronic care that weren't as critical in providing childhood vaccines or acute care,” said Templin.

Noncommunicable diseases, HIV, cardiovascular disease, and transportation injuries were responsible for 25 percent of total death and disability in people younger than 70 in low- and middle-income countries in 2016. Cardiovascular diseases accounted for 14 million deaths across those countries, and 42 percent of the fatalities occurred in individuals under the age of 70.


According to the researchers, the increase in democratic experience over the past 20 years has reduced mortality in these countries from cardiovascular disease, other noncommunicable diseases, and tuberculosis by between 8 and 10 percent.

“Free and fair elections appear important for improving adult health and noncommunicable disease outcomes, most likely by increasing government accountability and responsiveness.”

The study was focused on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study, and Financing Global Health databases, which included information from 170 countries between 1970 and 2015. The analysis revealed that democracy is associated with better noncommunicable disease outcomes. The researchers theorize that democracies may give higher priority to health care investments.

“Democratic government has not been a driving force in global health,” wrote the researchers. “Many of the countries that have had the greatest improvements in life expectancy and child mortality over the past 15 years are electoral autocracies that achieved their health successes with the heavy contribution of foreign aid.”

The experts noted that Ethiopia, Myanmar, Rwanda and Uganda all extended their life expectancy by 10 years or more between 1996 and 2016. While these particular nations are among the least democratic in the world, they were among the top recipients of foreign assistance for health.

“This study suggests that democratic governance and its promotion, along with other government accountability measures, might further enhance efforts to improve population health,” wrote the study authors. “Pretending otherwise is akin to believing that the solution to a nation's crumbling roads and infrastructure is just a technical schematic and cheaper materials.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/">The Lancet</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Democracy linked to better health outcomes in less wealthy nations

A new study led by Stanford Medicine has proposed that...

Stress can negatively impact <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-sick-allergies/">health and wellbeing</a> and cause people to become overwhelmed and feel that they have no control over their daily lives. 

Now, a new study has found that older adults feel more youthful when they have control over their daily lives, even if stress levels are high.

Finding ways to improve self-control is important and can help boost wellbeing. But the study, conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a>, found that different age groups place different levels of importance and value on self-control. 

“We recently found that there are things older adults can do to improve their feelings of control in their everyday lives,” said Shevaun Neupert, a co-author of the study. “Now this study highlights how those feelings of control influence perceptions of age. The more control older adults think they have, the younger they feel.”

The study showed that self-control made older adults feel younger despite stress or health concerns, but for younger age groups, stress and health impacted how youthful each individual felt. 

The researchers surveyed 116 adults aged 60 to 90 and 107 younger adults aged 18 to 36 for eight consecutive days. The participants were given questionnaires about daily stressors, physical health, and self-control and how old they felt. 

“Everyone's sense of control fluctuates from day to day, or even over the course of a day - that's normal,” Neupert says. “We found that when older adults felt more in control, they also felt younger. That was true even when accounting for stress and physical health.”

For the 18 to 36-year-olds though, feelings of self-control did little to impact feelings of youthfulness. 

The study shows that as people age, their sense of autonomy may impact their well-being and ensuring that older adults have self-control over their lives could help guard against daily stressors. 

The study was published in the journal Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Older adults feel younger when they’re in control

Stress can negatively impact health and wellbeing and cause people...

After tobacco companies bought food and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/big-soda-influences-obesity-research/">drink beverage companies</a> in the early 1960s, some of the biggest names in tobacco employed their marketing and advertising techniques to sell sugary, high-calorie drinks like Kool-Aid and Tang to children.

In a new study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California-San Francisco</a> reviewed documents from the tobacco industry that had previously been kept secret, but detailed the brand acquisitions and marketing campaigns of R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris, two leading tobacco companies. 

It’s hard to imagine that the makers of Marlboro and Virginia Slims created the Kool-Aid Man, but the researchers found that as tobacco companies began to face scrutiny from health officials, executives quickly shifted gears and branded some of their products to appeal to younger demographics. 

The study was published in the journal The BMJ and researchers link these early brand acquisitions and marketing to the high consumption of sugary beverages among children in the US today. 

“Executives in the two largest U.S.-based tobacco companies had developed colors and flavors as additives for cigarettes and used them to build major children's beverage product lines, including Hawaiian Punch, Kool-Aid, Tang and Capri Sun,” said Laura Schmidt, the senior author of the study. “Even after the tobacco companies sold these brands to food and beverage corporations, many of the product lines and marketing techniques designed to attract kids are still in use today.”

Both kids and adults consume large amounts of sugary beverages, and on average young people drink 143 calories of sugary drinks each day. 

These drinks, although sweet and addictive, do not fulfill many nutritional needs and high consumption of sugary beverages has been linked to an increased risk of childhood obesity and metabolic problems. 

Not all sugary drinks have roots in the tobacco industry, but the researchers found that R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris once owned several of the most popular brands of fruity and sweet drinks.

In 1963, R.J. Reynolds purchased Hawaiian Punch from the Pacific Hawaiian Products Company and wanted to highlight the beverage’s mascot Punchy as a counterpart to Joe Camel. Punchy was featured on coloring books, comics, toys, and clothing. 

Similar to Punchy, Phillip Morris hit advertising gold when it created the Kool-Aid Man after acquiring Kool-Aid from General Foods in 1985. 

The Kool-Aid Man not only helped sell the wide array of Kool-Aid flavors offered by the company but also merchandise with the Wacky Wild Kool-Aid style campaign. 

“The Wacky Wild Kool-Aid style campaign had tremendous reach and impact,” said Kim Nguyen, the first author of the study. “Lots of kids in the '80s dreamed of getting swag from the Wacky Warehouse. What is really 'wacky' is that the Kool-Aid kid program was modeled after a tobacco marketing strategy designed to build allegiance with smokers.”

Now, as sugary drinks are being linked to health problems and obesity, many sweetened beverage manufacturers say they limit marketing to children and make sure children are less exposed to commercials for unhealthy foods. 

“The industry claims that these tobacco-inspired marketing strategies are not actually targeting children and should be excluded from these industry-led agreements," said Schmidt. “But the evidence cited in our research shows that these product lines and marketing techniques were specifically designed for and tested on children.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Tobacco execs used the same strategies to sell sugary drinks to kids

After tobacco companies bought food and drink beverage companies in...

A new study has found that the diversity and genetic mixture amongst hunter-gatherers living thousands of years ago was much more complex than once thought. 

This research, published in <a href="http://www.cellpress.com/">Current Biology</a>, reports new genomic evidence pointing towards a more diverse genetic lineage for these hunter-gatherers, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe – what we now know as Portugal and Spain – where they survived the Last Glacial Maximum (18,000-24,000 years ago).

“We can confirm the survival of an additional Paleolithic lineage that dates back to the Late Ice Age in Iberia,” says Wolfgang Haak of the <a href="https://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a>. “This confirms the role of the Iberian Peninsula as a refuge during the Last Glacial Maximum, not only for fauna and flora but also for human populations.”

Past studies have found that western and central Europe were largely populated by ancestry linked to an ~14,000-year-old individual found in Villabruna, Italy. The ancestry of this individual replaced evidence of earlier ancestry more closely represented by 19,000-15,000-year-old individuals associated with what’s known as the Magdalenian cultural complex. However, little has been known about the genetic diversity of hunter-gatherers in southern Europe at this time… until now.

Haak and his colleagues have now reported new genome-wide data from 11 hunter-gatherers from Balmá Guilanyá in Spain. Their findings implicate dual ancestry of these individuals from both Villabruna and the Magdalenian-related individuals. This discovery indicates an early connection between these two areas, leading to a genetic ancestry that carried through to later Iberian hunter-gatherers.

“The hunter-gatherers from the Iberian Peninsula carry a mix of two older types of genetic ancestry: one that dates back to the Last Glacial Maximum and was once maximized in individuals attributed to Magdalenian culture and another one that is found everywhere in western and central Europe and had replaced the Magdalenian lineage during the Early Holocene, with the exception of the Iberian Peninsula,” explains Haak. 

These findings were surprising to archaeologists, as they had previously described distinct cultural changes occurring with the Holocene hunter-gatherers. But this new genetic evidence paints a different picture, as it portrays an almost stable blend of two ancient source populations.

“At the same time, we can show that this genetic ancestry is also present in Early European farmers who expanded during the Neolithic period across Europe," explains Vanessa Villalba, a PhD student who co-authored the study with Haak. “The fact that we can trace both hunter-gatherer lineages tells us that the newbies picked up this ancestry by mixing with the locals in Iberia. The signs of mixing between local hunter-gatherers and newly arriving farmers is fantastic to witness, even though we have virtually no overlap in the radiocarbon record in many areas of Iberia,” she says. “It just shows how much of the past we are still missing.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Museo de Huesca

Early hunter-gatherers were surprisingly diverse, research shows

A new study has found that the diversity and genetic...

Touring in Venice, Italy was different than I expected. Although the iconic bridges and canals looked romantic and serene in the tour books, in person I struggled to push through the throngs of tourists. When I was able to make my way onto the bridges, I was struck by the strong odors and garbage floating in the waterways. Away from the bridges, merchants threw selfie sticks and purses into my face, yelling the price to me. I didn’t even get to see the inside of Saint Mark’s Basilica as there was a two-hour wait to get in.

I was disheartened by my experience in one of the most famous cities in the world, not only for the sake of my own travels, but also because of the degradation of the city at the hands of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/effects-overseas-tourism-volunteerism/">tourists</a>.

The problem of overtourism is not isolated to Venice. Cities such as Rome, Santorini and Barcelona have experienced an influx of visitors as well. The tourism sector has increased dramatically in recent decades. In 1950, there were<a href="https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284420070"> 25 million</a> international tourists compared to 1.3 billion in 2017. And now, the tourism sector is projected to only keep growing.

Today’s culture, especially among young people, values having experiences and travels over material possessions resulting in increased interest in travelling. Some destinations have been famous travel spots for years while other previously unknown sites have been amplified by social media sites and travel blogs. It’s hard to resist the urge the visit these places once you see jaw-dropping photos of them plastered all over the internet. Destinations such as Iceland, Portugal and Croatia, which slid under-the-radar years ago, are now prime vacation spots for young travelers.

Tourism can be beneficial towards local communities and economies, but overtourism is an issue for a host of reasons. Droves of tourists often leave a footprint behind after their visits. Tourist attractions can become overloaded with garbage and pollution as taxis and buses cart tourists around. Cruise ships can destroy the local ecosystem by striking fragile coral reefs. Local wildlife may be exploited for use as souvenirs as seen in tropical destinations where sea turtles are poached for jewelry and sea shells are sometimes overharvested.

These negative consequences may cause hostility among locals who live in tourist hot spots and have to deal with a reduced quality of life due to excessive noise and traffic. The population of Venice has plummeted from 175,000 in the 1940s to 55,000. In 2017, 2,000 Venetians marched against the tourism industry, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/23/venice-tempers-boil-over-tourist-high-season">The Guardian</a> reports. One of the protestors told the outlet they believe Venice may soon be populated only by tourists.

It is cruelly ironic that the beauty that brought tourists to these locations could be the cause of their demise. Historic and culturally significant locations should be preserved and maintained in their natural form but it is difficult to do this with a large number of tourists constantly visiting.

The governments of some popular tourist destinations have implemented laws in an attempt to control overtourism. Machu Picchu limits the number of people who can visit and closes the Inca trail every February for maintenance. Venice prohibits people from sitting in popular areas such as St. Mark’s Square and the steps of the Rialto Bridge.

The World Tourism Organization just released a<a href="https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284420070"> report</a> on overtourism where they outline their recommendations on this issue. Suggested solutions include having cities host events in less populated areas, promoting experiences during off-peak travel times, creating pedestrian-only zones and increasing the benefits of tourism to local communities. The recommendations highlight the idea of encouraging sustainable tourism where both locals and the travelers can enjoy the beauty of these iconic cities.

Tourists should also consider visiting destinations that are not known for overtourism. Visiting these unknown spots can provide tourists with an authentic experience where they feel more like a local than a Black Friday shopper fighting the crowds.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Are we loving our tourist destinations to death?

Touring in Venice, Italy was different than I expected. Although...

A new study by experts at the <a href="http://www.weizmann.ac.il/">Weizmann Institute of Science</a> has found that taking a deep breath before a simple task can improve performance. The research suggests that inhaling stimulates a part of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/brain-chips-superintelligence/">brain</a> that is responsible for attention and concentration. 

A team led by Professor Noam Sobel, who is the Head of the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute, set out to investigate whether inhaling had an influence on the execution of simple tasks. 

The study was focused on 30 individuals who were presented with shapes and words while they were hooked up to a device that measured inhalation and exhalation through the nose and also monitored brain activity. The participants were asked to determine if the words were real or made up, and if the shapes were physically possible.

The study revealed that participants scored higher on the shape tasks after inhaling.


Professor Sobel told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>: “In cognitive brain science we’re often used to looking at minute differences that gain statistical significance over large data sets. It’s a real difference in performance.”


On the other hand, the participants did not improve their scores on word tasks by inhaling. In fact, some individuals scored higher after exhaling when determining whether words were real or fake. 

According to study co-author Ofer Perl, the higher scores on the shape task cannot be explained by improved oxygen levels in the brain because it would take dozens of seconds to affect these levels.


The experts also observed increased electrical activity in regions of the brain associated with attention after participants inhaled, but this effect was not observed after exhalation. Professor Sobel said this means that the brain “processes things differently from inhale to exhale.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/">Nature Human Behavior</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Taking a deep breath can improve concentration on simple tasks

A new study by experts at the Weizmann Institute of...

Scientists have widely agreed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-tools-hunt-distance/">tool-making</a> is one of the key behaviors that distinguished our human ancestors from other primates. But now, a new study from <a href="http://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory University</a> suggests that it was not the act of tool-making that set hominins apart, but that it was the act of making tools smaller. 

“It's a need that we've been perennially faced with and driven by,” said study lead author and anthropologist Justin Pargeter. “Miniaturization is the thing that we do.”

The research, which provides the first comprehensive outline of prehistoric tool miniaturization, proposes that miniaturization is a central tendency in hominin technologies that dates back at least 2.6 million years.

“When other apes used stone tools, they chose to go big and stayed in the forests where they evolved,” said study co-author Professor John Shea. “Hominins chose to go small, went everywhere, and transformed otherwise hostile habitats to suit our changing needs.”

The study authors found that small stone flakes used for piercing, cutting, and scraping appeared in the archeological record at sites on every continent. According to Pargeter, these stone flakes were like the disposable razor blades or paperclips of today - easy to make and easily replaced.

As Pargeter explored ideas for a thesis topic, he examined artifacts from a South African site called Boomplaas. He discovered a sliver of crystal quartz that looked like it had been designed using a highly technical method called pressure flaking. “It was diminutive, about the size of a small raisin, and weighed less than half a penny. You could literally blow it off your finger.”

Under a magnifying glass, there was evidence that the tiny piece of quartz had been used for hunting. “It suddenly occurred to me that archeologists may have missed a major component of our stone tool record,” said Pargeter. “In our desire to make 'big' discoveries we may have overlooked tiny, but important, details. A whole technology could lay hidden behind our methods, relegated to bags considered waste material.”

Pargeter theorized that the tiny flake could have been hafted, using a plant-based resin, onto a link shaft that would fit onto a light arrow shaft.

“The link shaft goes into the animal, sacrificing the small blade, but the arrow shaft pops out so you can retain this more costly component. Our ancestors were masters of aerodynamics and acted like engineers, rather than what we think of as 'cave people.' They built redundancy into their technological systems, allowing them to easily repair their tools and to reduce the impact of errors.”

“The hands of other primates are not evolved for repeated fine manipulation in high-force tasks,” explained Pargeter. “We've evolved a unique precision grip that ratchets up our ability for miniaturized technology.”

Dietrich Stout is the director of the Paleolithic Technology Laboratory at Emory University. He described how Pargeter's work adds another dimension to the investigation of human evolution. “He's exploring what may have led to the compulsion to produce these tiny instruments - essentially the relationship between the tools and the human body, brain and the probable uses of the tools,” said Stout.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15206505">Evolutionary Anthropology</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: Emory University

The miniaturization of tools is a specifically human trait

Scientists have widely agreed that tool-making is one of the...

Gentrification is a problematic but all too common issue in urban planning and development in many cities in the US and Canada. 

The upscale transition of low-income neighborhoods renovated to accommodate middle class and affluent residents can drive up rental and housing prices and displace former residents.  But gentrification can also bring much-needed facilities, services, and goods that were otherwise absent from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-the-greening-of-cities-does-not-benefit-everyone-equally/">underserved pre-gentrified areas</a>.

While gentrification is becoming increasingly common and a political point of contention, it can be challenging to study or even to define gentrification as it occurs. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uottawa.ca/en">University of Ottawa </a>in Canada have developed a deep mapping computer model that takes data from Google Street View to track gentrification on a property-by-property basis. 

Previously, studies into gentrification analyzed census data, but this did little to identify warning signs of gentrification or show how individual properties changed over time in a gentrified neighborhood. 

“Gentrification is reshaping our cities, but at the same time it is hard to determine where and how fast the phenomena occurs in large dynamic urban centers,” the researchers said. 

In this new study, published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0212814">PLOS ONE</a>, the researchers used Google Street View panoramas of properties in the urban core of Ottawa from 2007 through 2016 and developed a deep-mapping computer model to read and process the data. 

The model searched through the panoramas looking for indicators of gentrification like home improvements and renovations. The model was able to identify gentrification with a 95 percent accuracy compared to a human. 

In the Greenbelt neighborhood, the computer found 3,483 indicators of gentrification at 2,922 properties. 

The model’s analysis matched a map that marked where development and building permits had been issued. Having a way to track gentrification at the property level will help aid in further defining and tackling the problems of gentrification in cities across North America. 

“These maps have direct implications for planning, social justice and addressing inequality in this large urban center,” the researchers concluded. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Ilic et al, 2019

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

New tool uses Google Street View to track neighborhood gentrification

Gentrification is a problematic but all too common issue in...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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"

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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