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 recent <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, has found that climate change and overfishing has shrunk many of the world’s fisheries. Researchers have found that ocean warming has caused an average 4.1% decline in sustainable catches for both fish and shellfish between 1930 and 2010. In five specific locations, including the East China Sea and North Sea, the average drop was between 15% and 35%.

These drop percentages are concerning as seafood has become a huge source of nourishment for the growing global population. And more than 56 million people work in the fisheries industry or subsist on fisheries, the researchers note.

"We recommend that fisheries managers eliminate overfishing, rebuild fisheries and account for climate change in fisheries management decisions," said study leader <a href="https://marine.rutgers.edu/~cfree/">Chris Free</a>, a postdoctoral scientist at the <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara</a>. "Policymakers can prepare for regional disparities in fish catches by establishing trade agreements and partnerships to share seafood between winning and losing regions."

"We were stunned to find that fisheries around the world have already responded to ocean warming," said co-author <a href="https://marine.rutgers.edu/main/malin-pinsky">Malin Pinsky</a>, an associate professor in <a href="http://deenr.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers' Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources</a>. "These aren't hypothetical changes sometime in the future."

Although some ocean species have benefitted from warming ocean temperatures, these species can only take so much warming before they start to decline in numbers due to too high of temperatures, senior author <a href="https://marine.rutgers.edu/~ojensen/index.html">Olaf Jensen</a>, an associate professor in <a href="https://marine.rutgers.edu/main/">Rutgers' Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences</a>, said.

Scientists from <a href="https://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers-New Brunswick</a> and the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> studied the impact of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-summer-weather-severe/">climate change</a> and ocean warming on 235 populations of 124 species in 38 global ecological regions. They then used ocean temperature maps to combine fishery data and estimate temperature-caused changes in the sustainable catch between 1930 and 2010. Losses were seen in areas like the Sea of Japan, North Sea, Iberian Coastal, Kuroshio Current, and Celtic-Biscay Shelf. Gains were recorded in the Labrador-Newfoundland, Baltic Sea, Indian Ocean, and Northeast U.S. Shelf.

Furthermore, the researchers note that overfishing makes species in fisheries more vulnerable to ocean warming, and continued warming will negatively impact efforts to rebuilt overfished areas.

The next step is for researchers to better understand the impact of tropical ocean warming as well as explore other factors related to the drop of sustainable catches in fisheries like ocean temperatures, ocean oxygen content, acidity, and productivity.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Orion Weldon

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Climate change has already shrunk many global fisheries

A recent Rutgers University study, published in the journal Science, has...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/new-parents-sleep-deprivation/">Sleep deprivation</a> and untreated sleep disorders greatly increase the risk for serious metabolic issues such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Trying to make up for lost sleep over the weekend doesn’t work A team of researchers has determined that sleeping more on the weekends cannot compensate for a chronic lack of sleep. 

“The key take-home message from this study is that ad libitum weekend recovery or catch-up sleep does not appear to be an effective countermeasure strategy to reverse sleep loss induced disruptions of metabolism,” said study co-lead author Kenneth Wright of the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a>.

The researchers set out to investigate how a weekend of recovery sleep may influence an individual's metabolic health. The study was focused on healthy young adults, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group got plenty of sleep each night for 9 nights, while the second group got just 5 hours of sleep each night for 9 nights. The third group of participants slept 5 hours for 5 nights, slept as much as they wanted over the weekend, and then returned to 2 more days of restricted sleep. Trying to make up for lost sleep over the weekend doesn’t work

In the sleep-restricted groups, insufficient sleep led to an increase in snacking after dinner and weight gain. During weekend recovery in the third group, study participants consumed fewer extra calories after dinner compared to those who got insufficient sleep. When the individuals returned to the work week, however, their circadian body clock shifted and they also ate more after dinner and gained weight. 

Sleep deprivation was associated with a decrease in insulin sensitivity, and this effect was stronger in the group that had a chance to sleep more on the weekend. The insulin sensitivity of their whole bodies, liver, and muscle decreased by up to 27 percent once they returned to insufficient sleep after the weekend. 

“Our findings show that muscle- and liver-specific insulin sensitivity were worse in subjects who had weekend recovery sleep,” said co-lead author Christopher Depner. He noted that these metabolic aberrations were not seen in the people who got consistently less sleep. “This finding was not anticipated and further shows that weekend recovery sleep is not likely (to be) an effective sleep-loss countermeasure regarding metabolic health when sleep loss is chronic.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Trying to make up for lost sleep over the weekend doesn’t work

Sleep deprivation and untreated sleep disorders greatly increase the risk...

The health effects of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-consumption-heart-failure/">alcohol</a> consumption may be underestimated, particularly for younger people. Previous studies that have provided evidence for protective health benefits from drinking were typically focused on individuals who were over the age of 50, which fails to account for people who had died younger than age 50 as a result of alcohol consumption.

The study authors, led by Dr. Timothy Naimi of the <a href="https://www.bmc.org/">Boston Medical Center</a> pointed out that “deceased persons cannot be enrolled in cohort studies. Those who are established drinkers at age 50 are 'survivors' of their alcohol consumption who (initially) might have been healthier or have had safer drinking patterns.”

According to the researchers, more than 40 percent of deaths related to alcohol occur before age 50. This suggests that most current studies do not represent the risks of alcohol consumption across the full age spectrum.

For their investigation, Dr. Naimi and his team used the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact software application from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The experts obtained government statistics on the cause of death or preventive health benefits related to alcohol consumption from 2006 to 2010.

The researchers found that age was a major factor in deaths prevented by alcohol consumption. Overall, 35.8 percent of deaths caused by alcohol occurred in people between the ages of 20 and 49, and only 4.5 percent of fatalities in this age group had been prevented by alcohol consumption.

While individuals aged 65 and older saw a similar mortality rate caused by drinking, 80 percent of the deaths that were prevented by alcohol occurred in this group.

The study authors said the findings show that younger people “are more likely to die from alcohol consumption than they are to die from a lack of drinking.” On the other hand, older people are the most likely to reap the health benefits of moderate drinking.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jsad.com/">Journal of Studies on Alcohol &amp; Drugs</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Alcohol consumption can be beneficial… depending on your age

The health effects of alcohol consumption may be underestimated, particularly...

A new report has found that Americans use more toilet paper than any other population in the world with a tissue market that generates $31 billion each year.

The <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/issue-tissue-how-americans-are-flushing-forests-down-toilet-report.pdf">report</a>, conducted by the<a href="https://www.nrdc.org/"> Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)</a> and the environmental group <a href="https://www.stand.earth/">Stand.earth</a>, shows that our propensity for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/manure-paper-sustainably/">tree-pulp paper products</a> is degrading Canadian forest habitats and threatens indigenous communities. 

Even though the United States accounts for just four percent of the world’s population, the country is responsible for 20 percent of total global toilet paper use. 

On average, Americans go through about three rolls of toilet paper a week. 

The super-soft, two-ply toilet paper that’s a staple in your bathroom, the facial tissue you always have on hand if you get a cold, and the quilted paper towels you use to mop up the kitchen counter are all typically made of tree-pulp. 

While tree-pulp paper products are easy on your wallet, the new “Issue with Tissue” report emphasizes the high environmental costs of single-use paper products. 

The NRDC describes the manufacturing and consumption of paper products as a “tree-to-toilet-pipeline,” where trees are cut down to make pulp which is turned into paper that is soon flushed away. 

Most wood-pulp comes from boreal forests in Canada which stretches from the Yukon to Newfoundland.

It’s a vast habitat, home to caribou and over a hundred species of birds. 70 percent of Canada’s<a href="https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/boreal/17394"> indigenous communities</a> live in the country’s forested regions, but logging destroys a million acres of boreal forests each year to help meet the demand for tree-pulp paper products. 

The impacts of logging on the forest ecosystem are devastating both the indigenous communities and native wildlife. 

“Some communities have only a fraction of their forest left intact,” the report states. “Although Canadian governments have made efforts toward reconciliation...often communities
do not have the power to say no to development on their lands.” 

Logging also contributes to climate change, and less tree cover means more carbon emissions are released into the atmosphere. 

The report called out tissue manufacturers Procter &amp; Gamble Co., the makers of Charmin, and Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Georgia-Pacific which manufacture Angel Soft and Quilted Northern, as some of the least environmentally friendly tissue paper companies. 

“The average American consumer doesn’t think about how their toilet paper is made,” said Shelley Vinyard, a co-author of the report and campaign manager of the NRDC’s boreal corporate campaign. “We can’t afford this old-fashioned and outdated approach to making toilet paper and other tissue products, given the climate crisis and the urgent need to keep our forests intact.”

The report includes a “buyer’s guide to the sustainability of at-home tissue products,” where different popular tissue brands are graded on their sustainability and eco-friendly materials so consumers can make more informed decisions when stocking up on toilet paper. 

--

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>

America’s high demand for toilet paper is destroying Canadian forests

A new report has found that Americans use more toilet...

You may remember the great public debate surrounding the photograph of a dress that quickly became a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/28/business/a-simple-question-about-a-dress-and-the-world-weighs-in.html">viral sensation in 2015</a> after the public could not agree on its color. 

Was it blue with black stripes or white with gold stripes? The two color schemes were so different that the internet exploded when it became clear that so many people perceived the same image so differently. 

Now, a new study of colorful snail shells has once again revealed that people see and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hormone-see-color/">categorize some colors differently</a>. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/">University of Nottingham</a> first categorized analyzed the color of Cepaea nemoralis (grove snail) shells and then measured the shells using a spectrometer to see if there were differences in the way people saw the color of shells. 

The study was published in the journal Heredity, and the researchers explain how the ability to accurately identify and categorize colors is crucial to how we classify species and to our understanding of evolution. 

Grove snails are common across Europe, and their shells can be yellow, brown, and pink. The color of the shell may have evolved in response to the snail’s preferred habitat or to evade predators.

If there are documented color changes that have evolved in a species, like if a grove snail’s shell changed color, researchers can work understand what environmental factors prompted the change. 

However, it’s important to know what color that snail’s shell is in the first place.  If researchers studying the snails see different colors, it represents of a problem in classifying them.

[caption id="attachment_1868714" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/snail-shells.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1868714" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/snail-shells.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="343" /></a> Snail shell color variations, Image Credit: Daniel Ramos Gonzalez[/caption]

“The shell patterns and colour are hugely variable - almost like a snail fingerprint. As scientists, to ensure the accuracy of our studies and the subsequent interpretation, it is important that we have a reproducible measure of colour,” said Angus Davison, the leader of the study. “The problem is that there are obvious differences in how humans perceive and categorise their colour, making it very difficult to compare the different types.”

For the study, Davison and a Ph.D. student categorized grove snail shell colors by eye. The snail shells were then measured with a spectrometer which measured the light that reflects off the shell to accurately identify the color of the shell. 

Yellow snail shells were accurately identified by eye and matched the yellow shells measured by the spectrometer. But the researchers found that humans struggled to agree on the color of brown or pink shells.

Now, the researchers have a better understanding of how people process and label colors which going forward could help with future studies examining color and evolution. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Dr Angus Davison/The University of Nottingham

Pink or brown? ‘The Dress’ debate returns, this time over snail shells

You may remember the great public debate surrounding the photograph...

There’s a reason that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tigers-species/">tigers</a> and pets are not often associated with each other. Our pets are cuddly and innocent companions while tigers are majestic, yet fierce wild animals. But right now, the United States has a pet tiger problem that was made all the more apparent by recent news of a tiger left abandoned in a Texas home.

In early February, a person entered an abandoned home in Houston, Texas to smoke pot. Inside, the person found a tiger living in small cage, according to <a href="https://abc13.com/tiger-found-abandoned-at-vacant-home-in-se-houston/5132909/">KTRK</a>. Thankfully, the tiger was able to be relocated to a Texas sanctuary to live out the rest of its life.

While this story is certainly bizarre, it is not uncommon to find tigers living as pets in the US. In 2003, a Congressional report estimated that there are as many as <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-108hrpt269/html/CRPT-108hrpt269.htm">11,500</a> tigers living in private homes in the US. Other estimates put the US captive tiger population at <a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/more-tigers-in-american-backyards-than-in-the-wild">5,000</a>. It is difficult to calculate an exact number of pet tigers as there is no universal database for these pets.

Either way, it is believed that there are now more tigers living in captivity in the US than in the wild throughout the world. The tiger is currently listed as Endangered and its population is estimated to be less than 4,000.

The import, export and sale of pet tigers are regulated by US and international laws when they occur across country and state borders, but the sale of pet tigers can occur within state lines and in the illegal wildlife market. State laws also vary on the private ownership of big cats with some states outright banning it and other states having no laws on the subject.

The private ownership of tigers is a cause for concern for a variety of reasons including public safety risks. Tigers are inherently wild animals, and strong ones at that. They are highly territorial and use their body weight to knock their prey down and bite their neck to kill them. Private owners are unlikely to be able to properly control a pet tiger in the case of an attack. From 1990 to 2006, captive tigers in the US attacked at least 27 people, killing seven people and severely injuring 20, according to<a href="https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/5400/paper-tigers.pdf"> TRAFFIC</a>.

Even police departments are often ill-prepared to handle pet tigers. In 2017, police officers killed a loose tiger that was roaming around Atlanta, Georgia. The local police officers do not carry tranquilizers on hand and officers decided to shot the animal after it began to enter a densely populated area, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/09/06/georgia-tiger-on-loose-killed/637054001/">USA Today</a> reported.

Animal welfare is another concern that comes with the private ownership of tigers. Tigers are not your run-of-the-mill pet. They do not simply require a bowl of food and water to survive. A full grown tiger can consume 20 pounds of meat a day and needs a safe and stimulating environment. Boredom can be very dangerous in predatory animals and tigers without proper enrichment may attack out of agitation. Lack of animal welfare can, therefore, increase concerns about public safety.

Owners may buy a tiger as a pet when it is an adorable and small cub. Once they become fully grown adults, the owner is likely to become overwhelmed with their pet. According to the 2003 Congressional <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-108hrpt269/html/CRPT-108hrpt269.htm">report</a>, many pet tigers are abandoned after they reach 300 pounds.

The fate of these unwanted tigers is murky. It is unclear what would have happened to the tiger in Houston if someone had not been searching for a spot to smoke pot. The animal could have very likely starved to death.

Advocates of the private ownership of tigers claim that captive tigers can help preserve the species by being reintroduced into the wild, but pet tigers often live in a far different environment than their wild counterparts. The chances of pet tigers surviving in the wild are low. Additionally, many zoos are unwilling to take in pet tigers due to concerns over available space and genetic diversity. It is often up to overburdened wildlife sanctuaries to step up if an owner wants to relinquish a pet.

Recognizing the current pet tiger problem in the US, Congress has previously introduced the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2990/text?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22big+cat+public+safety+act%22%5D%7D&amp;r=1&amp;s=2">Big Cat Public Safety Act</a> to prohibit the breeding and possession of dangerous big cats including lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs. 

But this week, it was announced that the Big Cat Public Safety Act was reintroduced in the US House of Representatives, championed by Reps. Michael Quigley (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) along with 52 bipartisan cosponsors.

“From irresponsible breeding to inhumane living conditions and public exploitation, the mistreatment of big cats comes in a variety of forms,” said Rep. Quigley. “By introducing the Big Cat Public Safety Act, we are working to address a serious issue that causes immeasurable animal suffering and introduces inexcusable threats to human safety. State laws regarding private ownership of big cats are inconsistent or nonexistent, which is why a uniform federal law is necessary to end this dangerous industry once and for all.”

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Recent tiger seizure illustrates pet tiger problem in the US

There’s a reason that tigers and pets are not often...

For new parents, sleep can sometimes feel like a lost luxury quickly replaced by a constant state of sleep deprivation.

You would think that once an infant starts sleeping through the night, sleep patterns should go back to normal for parents. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, as a new study found that after the birth of a first child, sleep duration and satisfaction for parents don’t recover for six years.

Researchers from the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/">University of Warwick</a> in collaboration with researchers from the <a href="https://www.diw.de/en">German Institute for Economic Research</a> and <a href="https://www.wvu.edu/">West Virginia University</a> examined sleep schedules of new parents to see not only how much sleep was lost in the years after childbirth, but also how sleep duration differed between mothers and fathers. 

The researchers detailed their findings in a new study published in the journal Sleep.

4,659 new parents who had a child between 2008 and 2015 took part in the study, and the researchers monitored sleep duration by conducting yearly sleep surveys.

New mothers <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/modern-couples-women-house/">got less sleep overall</a> compared to new fathers, but both parents lost sleep and had less satisfying sleep. In the first three months, mothers slept one hour less than before becoming pregnant, and fathers slept 15 minutes less.

The lost sleep only partially recovered as the child grew, and after six years, mothers still slept 20 minutes less compared to before pregnancy and fathers stayed at 15 fewer minutes of sleep.

First time parents had more exaggerated sleep losses compared to parents with more than one child, and in the first year, breastfeeding mothers had their sleep more impacted than bottle-feeding mothers.

“Women tend to experience more sleep disruption than men after the birth of a child reflecting that mothers are still more often in the role of the primary caregiver than fathers,” said Sakari Lemola, an author of the study.

The researchers made sure to account for any external factors that could influence sleep duration, but income or having two versus one parent in the household didn’t do much to guard against sleep deprivation.

“While having children is a major source of joy for most parents it is possible that increased demands and responsibilities associated with the role as a parent lead to shorter sleep and decreased sleep quality even up to 6 years after birth of the first child,” said Lemola.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New parents experience sleep deprivation for six years after birth

For new parents, sleep can sometimes feel like a lost...

Smartphones can be used to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tracking-food-calorie-intake/">track calorie intake</a> and cumulative exercise, but could they also be working against your dietary goals?

According to a new study published in <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/physiology-and-behavior">Psychology &amp; Behavior</a>, men and women consume an average of 15% more calories when looking at a smartphone while eating a meal than when they are eating undistracted. Smartphone usage also seemingly causes people to eat fattier foods.

“[Smartphone usage] may prevent the correct understanding of the brain over the amount of food ingested,” researchers, who carried out the study at the <a href="https://ufla.br/en/ufla/">Federal University of Lavras in Brazil</a> and the <a href="https://www.umcutrecht.nl/en/Research">University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands</a>, noted.

The team watched 62 volunteers, both men and women aged 18 to 28, eat alone. The volunteers were told to eat whatever they wanted from a wide selection of food, ranging from healthy to unhealthy items. 

The volunteers were observed eating at three different intervals. During one interval, they ate without distractions. They then ate while looking at their smartphone. And finally, they ate while reading a magazine.

Researchers noted that, on average, the volunteers ate a total of 535 calories when they ate undistracted. But when eating while looking at a smartphone, they ate an average of 591 calories. Volunteers also ate more while eating with a smartphone than with a magazine.

“Smartphone use during a meal increased calorie and fat intake,” said lead author Márcio Gilberto Zangeronimoa. “Tablets and smartphones have become the main “distracters” during meals, even early in childhood, so it is important to pay attention to how this may impact food choices. A distracter prevents the brain correctly understanding the amount of food ingested.”

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Using your smartphone during mealtimes can cause weight gain

Smartphones can be used to track calorie intake and cumulative...

A well-preserved skeleton found in France is giving experts new insight into the anatomy and movement of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/neanderthals-first-home/">Neanderthals</a>. After virtually reconstructing the specimen’s pelvis and spine, researchers at the <a href="https://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a> (UZH) discovered that Neanderthals walked upright just like modern humans. 


Early reconstructions of Neanderthals gave the impression that these early humans had poor posture and walked only partially upright. These observations, however, were primarily based on the skeleton of an elderly male Neanderthal. 

For many decades, scientists have been aware that Neanderthals shared many similarities with modern humans. In recent years, the focus has shifted back to studying the differences. Study lead author Martin Haeusler, a specialist in Evolutionary Medicine at UZH, said, “Focusing on the differences is back in fashion.”

For example, recent studies have concluded that Neanderthals did not have a well-developed curved spine. These findings were based on the analysis of a few isolated vertebrae. But now, the UZH team has found evidence to suggest otherwise.

[caption id="attachment_1868575" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/neanderthals.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1868575" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/neanderthals.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="841" /></a> Image Credit: Martin Häusler, UZH[/caption]

The researchers virtually reconstructed the skeleton from La Chapelle-aux-Saints. The computer model showed that Neanderthals had a curved lumbar region and neck, just like modern humans today. 

The reconstruction of the pelvis revealed that the sacrum was positioned just like that of modern humans, which suggests that Neanderthals possessed a lumbar region with well-developed curves. When they pieced the individual lumbar and cervical vertebrae together, the experts found that this curvature was even more pronounced.

Furthermore, wear marks in the hip joint of the skeleton indicates that Neanderthals had an upright posture similar to how we carry ourselves today.

“The stress on the hip joint and the position of the pelvis is no different than ours,” said Haeusler. “On the whole, there is hardly any evidence that would point to Neanderthals having a fundamentally different anatomy.” 

“Now is the time to recognize the basic similarities between Neanderthals and modern humans and to switch the focus to the subtle biological and behavioral changes that occurred in humans in the late Pleistocene.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Neanderthals walked with the same upright posture as modern humans

A well-preserved skeleton found in France is giving experts new...

When it comes to what kind of weather is normal and what is unusual, people have very short memories, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/">University of California, Davis</a>. The researchers believe that this detachment may prevent people from having a realistic perception of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

The team analyzed more than two billion Twitter posts by users in the United States. They discovered that people tend to base their understanding of “normal” weather on what has happened in the last two to eight years.

Study lead author Frances C. Moore is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis.

“There's a risk that we'll quickly normalize conditions we don't want to normalize,” said Professor Moore. “We are experiencing conditions that are historically extreme, but they might not feel particularly unusual if we tend to forget what happened more than about five years ago.”

The experts looked at Twitter posts created between March 2014 and November 2016 to determine what kind of temperatures generated the most tweets about weather. 

The study revealed that people often tweeted when they were experiencing temperatures that were unusual for a particular time of the year. If the same weather persisted for more than a year, however, there was much less commentary. This indicates that people began to view big weather changes as being normal in a relatively short amount of time.


The researchers used sentiment analysis tools, which measure the positive or negative association of words. After repeated exposure to historically-extreme temperatures, people tweeted less about the weather specifically, but still expressed negative sentiments. In particular, hot or cold conditions seemed to make people grouchy and unhappy.

“We saw that extreme temperatures still make people miserable, but they stop talking about it,” said Professor Moore. “This is a true boiling-frog effect. People seem to be getting used to changes they'd prefer to avoid. But just because they're not talking about it doesn't mean it's not making them worse off.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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>

Image Credit: NOAA

It only takes a few years for people to normalize unusual weather

When it comes to what kind of weather is normal...

A little boy sits on a fallen tree trunk, dressed in warm clothes and a hat with a punpon. Long wide panorama

A new study from <a href="https://international.au.dk/">Aarhus University</a> has revealed that children who grow up with greener surroundings have a much lower risk of developing certain mental illnesses later in life. The findings highlight the importance of creating <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/green-spaces-childrens-respiratory/">greener cities</a> to benefit mental health. 

According to the World Health Organization, more than 450 million people suffer from mental disorders, and this number is expected to increase. 

The researchers used satellite data to examine the presence of green space surrounding the childhood homes of nearly one million people in Denmark. This information was compared with the risk of developing 16 different mental disorders.

The study revealed that children living among green spaces were 55 percent less likely to develop a mental health disorder. 

Study lead author Kristine Engemann is an expert in the Department of Bioscience and the National Centre for Register-based Research at Aarhus University.

“Our data is unique. We have had the opportunity to use a massive amount of data from Danish registers of, among other things, residential location and disease diagnoses and compare it with satellite images revealing the extent of green space surrounding each individual when growing up,” said Engemann.

Previous studies have shown that more green space promotes greater social cohesion and physical activity. Green space has also been found to improve cognitive development among children. These factors can all have a positive impact on mental health.

“With our dataset, we show that the risk of developing a mental disorder decreases incrementally the longer you have been surrounded by green space from birth and up to the age of 10. Green space throughout childhood is therefore extremely important,” explained Engemann.

“There is increasing evidence that the natural environment plays a larger role for mental health than previously thought. Our study is important in giving us a better understanding of its importance across the broader population.”


As the number of people living in the world’s cities continues to grow, the research has important implications for urban planning.

Study co-author Professor Jens-Christian Svenning added, “The coupling between mental health and access to green space in your local area is something that should be considered even more in urban planning to ensure greener and healthier cities and improve mental health of urban residents in the future.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</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: Colourbox.dk

Growing up with green spaces can lower risk of adult mental illness

A new study from Aarhus University has revealed that children...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society for Neuroscience</a> has found that when people make eye contact, the same areas of their brains are simultaneously activated. The findings of the research suggest that eye contact in real-time provides the best foundation for effective social interaction.

A research team led by Norihiro Sadato, a professor at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, used neuroimaging to study the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/predict-pain-brain-activity/">brain activity</a> of pairs of adults as they made eye contact. In particular, the experts used a technique called hyperscanning functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) imaging, which uses a video camera and screen in each person's fMRI scanner. 

As the partners stared into each other's eyes,  the researchers were able to compare their brain activity on the screens in real-time or with a 20-second delay. 

The study revealed that eye contact had a notable influence on when the partners blinked. The experts also found that eye contact led to increased activation of the cerebellum and enhanced connectivity within the limbic mirror system. 

The results suggest that real-time eye contact prepares the brain for socially  sharing with others. Previous research published in PNAS showed that our sensitivity to eye contact starts almost as soon as we are born. At just two days old, newborns were found to prefer the faces that gazed back at them. 

A separate study published in the journal Cognition found that eye contact has such a big influence on our mental state that it can be difficult to think clearly and perform tasks while maintaining a mutual gaze. The current analysis led by Sadato may help to explain the strong effect of eye contact on our cognitive control. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.eneuro.org/">eNeuro</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Eye contact activates the brain for social interaction

A new study from the Society for Neuroscience has found...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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