A good night’s sleep does more than help you feel rested - it literally clears your mind. New research reveals how deep sleep removes waste buildup in the brain, a process that is crucial for brain health.



However, sleep aids may disrupt this natural “brainwashing” system, raising questions about their long-term effects on cognitive function.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-s-built-in-cleanup-system">Brain’s built-in cleanup system</h2>



The glymphatic system is like a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-sleep-transforms-brain-performance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cleaning service for your brain</a>. Throughout the day, metabolic waste builds up in the brain, including toxic proteins that, if not removed, can lead to neurological issues like Alzheimer’s disease.



The glymphatic system works by using cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, to flush out these harmful substances.



Think of the CSF as water flowing through pipes and washing away debris. This process happens most effectively during deep sleep, when the brain’s cleaning system kicks into high gear.



While scientists have known about the glymphatic system’s existence for years, they didn’t understand exactly what powered it - until now.



Recent research has shown that norepinephrine, a chemical messenger in the brain, is key. During deep sleep, waves of norepinephrine cause blood vessels in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/your-brain-literally-changes-based-on-daily-activities-and-lifestyle/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain</a> to pulse rhythmically. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-norepinephrine-in-brain-cleaning">Role of norepinephrine in brain cleaning</h2>



Danish scientists have uncovered a crucial role for norepinephrine during deep sleep. They found that the brainstem releases waves of norepinephrine roughly every 50 seconds during this sleep phase. 



These waves cause blood vessels in the brain to contract and relax rhythmically, much like a pump. This rhythmic movement generates fluid pulses that help cerebrospinal fluid flow through the brain and flush out waste and toxins.



“It’s like turning on the dishwasher before you go to bed and waking up with a clean brain,” explained Maiken Nedergaard, senior author and researcher at the <a href="https://www.rochester.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Rochester</a> and <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-blood-flow-during-sleep">Brain blood flow during sleep</h2>



Nedergaard's team investigated how norepinephrine affects blood flow during sleep. In sleeping mice, they observed that waves of norepinephrine align with changes in the size of blood vessels.



These waves cause the blood vessels to alternately contract and expand in a steady rhythm. This rhythmic motion acts like a pump, pushing cerebrospinal fluid through the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sleep-how-slow-waves-boost-memory-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain</a> to remove waste.



“You can view norepinephrine as this conductor of an orchestra. There’s a harmony in the constriction and dilation of the arteries, which then drives the cerebrospinal fluid through the brain to remove the waste products,” noted lead author Natalie Hauglund.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-are-all-types-of-sleep-equal">Are all types of sleep equal?</h2>



The researchers investigated how zolpidem, a common sleep aid, affects the brain's cleaning system during deep sleep. They found that mice given zolpidem experienced a significant reduction in norepinephrine waves, which are essential for driving the brain’s waste-clearing process. 



Specifically, the norepinephrine waves were 50% weaker in mice that were given zolpidem than in mice that slept naturally.



As a result, the fluid transport system responsible for flushing out brain waste slowed down by more than 30 percent. Although zolpidem helped the mice fall asleep faster, their brain’s ability to remove harmful waste was compromised.



This suggests that while sleep aids like zolpidem can promote sleep, they might interfere with the brain's natural cleaning processes, potentially <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poor-sleep-habits-may-age-the-brain-faster/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">affecting long-term brain health</a>.



“If people aren’t getting the full benefits of sleep, they should be aware of that so they can make informed decisions,” Hauglund warned.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-human-health">Implications for human health</h2>



While this study was focused on mice, the researchers believe the findings are relevant to humans, who also have a glymphatic system.



Similar patterns of norepinephrine waves, blood flow changes, and fluid dynamics have been observed in human brains. Disruptions to these processes may contribute to neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.



“Now we know norepinephrine is driving the cleaning of the brain, we may figure out how to get people a long and restorative sleep,” Nedergaard concluded.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-the-brain-healthy-with-sleep">Keeping the brain healthy with sleep</h2>



The research highlights how critical deep sleep is for keeping the brain healthy. During deep sleep, the brain’s cleaning system removes harmful waste and toxins. This process is essential for preventing neurological disorders and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-is-essential-for-memory-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">maintaining cognitive function</a>.



While sleep aids can make falling asleep easier, they may interfere with the brain's natural cleaning process by disrupting mechanisms like norepinephrine waves, which drive waste clearance. 



This disruption could reduce the benefits of sleep and potentially harm long-term brain health.



By understanding these processes, people can make more informed decisions about their sleep habits, such as prioritizing natural, restorative sleep over relying on sleep medications.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(24)01343-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cell</a>.



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Deep sleep clears toxic waste from the brain

A good night’s sleep does more than help you feel rested - it literally clears your mind. New research reveals how deep sleep removes waste buildup in the brain, a process that is crucial for brain health. However, sleep aids may disrupt this natural “brainwashing” system, raising questions about their long-term effects on cognitive function. Brain’s built-in cleanup system The glymphatic system is like a cleaning service for your brain. Throughout the day, metabolic waste builds up in the brain, including toxic proteins that, if not removed,...

A team of researchers has found that the brain's executive functions work the same way, regardless of gender or sex. This finding contradicts the idea that neural processes work differently among men and women.

Executive functions are the cognitive processes that ultimately control our behavior, such as attention, working memory, reasoning, decision making, and impulse control. Well-developed executive functioning can lead to social success, yet poorly-developed functioning can lead to mental disorders such as schizophrenia and ADHD. 

The role of gender in cognitive processes has been a major focus of research due to the fact that the medical conditions associated with these functions tend to show a strong gender-bias. For example, boys are at least three times more likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to girls.

Psychologist Nicole Grissom from the <a href="https://twin-cities.umn.edu/">University of Minnesota</a> teamed up with Teresa Reyes, an expert in Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the <a href="https://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a>, to review more than 150 studies on executive functions and their associated behaviors. 

The analysis revealed only small and subtle gender differences, if any, in the brain's most important neural processes. 

“It would be incorrect to conclude that gender and sex is the primary factor driving individual differences in executive function and cognitive performance,” said the researchers.

According to Grissom and Reyes, there are environmental pressures that have been identified in previous research which may explain some of the discrepancies in executive functioning between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gender-bias-lawyers-courtroom/">genders</a>, such as our positive and negative experiences while growing up. 

The team also concluded that executive function differences may be attributed to genetics. The researchers found evidence that our genotype had an influence on neural circuit mechanisms and also on the way we develop during the maturation process. These “developmental trajectories” could make a big difference in our cognitive thinking and behavior, as well as our risk of mental health issues.

“It is critical that females and males of all species continue to be examined, to determine the mechanisms supporting executive function across genders and sexes,” wrote the study authors. “Indeed, this work may identify alternative pathways that can be harnessed and enhanced in patients with disorders associated with executive function deficits.”


The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/npp">Neuropsychopharmacology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The brain’s executive functions are the same in men and women

A team of researchers has found that the brain's executive...

A comprehensive investigation into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-drinkers-alcohol-sales/">alcohol</a> use has revealed that it is a leading risk factor for death and disease worldwide. The study was focused on alcohol use and the subsequent health impacts in 195 countries from 1990 to 2016. Alcohol was found to be linked to 2.8 million deaths every year.

The researchers also determined that one in ten deaths of people between the ages of 15 and 49 were associated with alcohol. The results of the study suggest there is no level of alcohol consumption that should be considered safe. According to the study authors, any potential heart benefits are heavily outweighed by other potential health risks, particularly cancer.

Dr. Max Griswold is a researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> and the lead author of the study.

“Previous studies have found a protective effect of alcohol on some conditions, but we found that the combined health risks associated with alcohol increase with any amount of alcohol,” said Dr. Griswold. “In particular, the strong association between alcohol consumption and the risk of cancer, injuries, and infectious diseases offset the protective effects for ischaemic heart disease in women in our study.” 

Alcohol can affect health in complex ways, and regular consumption is known to have a negative impact on organs and tissues. On the other hand, previous research has suggested that low levels of alcohol consumption can have a protective effect against heart disease and diabetes.

In the current study, the experts estimate that drinking one alcoholic drink per day for one year increases the risk of developing one of the 23 alcohol-related health problems by 0.5 percent compared with not drinking at all.

“Although the health risks associated with alcohol starts off being small with one drink a day, they then rise rapidly as people drink more,” explained Dr. Griswold.

One in three people drink alcohol worldwide, which is the equivalent of 2.4 billion people, including 25 percent of women and 39 percent of men. 

Drinking patterns vary greatly among different countries. Denmark has the highest numbers of current alcohol drinkers, including 95 percent of women and 97 percent of men, while the lowest numbers are in Pakistan, where only 0.3 percent of women and 0.8 percent of men currently drink.

Alcohol was found to be the seventh leading risk factor for premature death and disease in 2016. However, among people aged 15 to 49, alcohol was the leading risk factor in same year. These alcohol-related deaths were primarily caused by road injuries, self-harm, and tuberculosis. Among people over the age of 50, cancers were the leading cause of alcohol-related fatalities.

“Policies focusing on reducing alcohol consumption to the lowest levels will be important to improve health,” said Dr. Griswold. “The widely held view of the health benefits of alcohol needs revising, particularly as improved methods and analyses continue to shed light on how much alcohol contributes to global death and disability.”


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

Alcohol linked to 2.8 million deaths each year, study finds

A comprehensive investigation into alcohol use has revealed that it...

The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18th in 1815 and is known as that battle that marked the final defeat of <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/battle-of-waterloo">Napoleon Bonaparte</a>. 

Now, a new study shows that the rainy weather that helped secure a victory for the Allied army was caused by a huge volcanic eruption on the Indonesian Island of Sumbawa two months prior to Waterloo. 

Researchers from Imperial College London discovered that electrified volcanic ash released high into the atmosphere can “short circuit” the ionosphere and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-volcanic-eruptions-slow-down-global-warming/">change global weather.</a>

The researchers theorize that in 1815, the eruption from the Indonesian volcano Mount Tambora emitted volcanic ash that disrupted the current in the ionosphere and caused heavy rain throughout Europe. 

It’s known that the Tambora eruption killed 100,000 people and created “a year without summer” in 1816.

This new study, though, shows that ash from eruptions can shoot higher into the atmosphere than previously realized and this can impact cloud formations and weather. 

The results were published in the journal Geology. 

“Previously, geologists thought that volcanic ash gets trapped in the lower atmosphere, because volcanic plumes rise buoyantly,” said Matthew Genge. “My research, however, shows that ash can be shot into the upper atmosphere by electrical forces.”

Genge developed a model that calculated how volcanic ash could be emitted into the atmosphere. Small particles, less than .2 millionths of a meter in diameter, are able to reach the ionosphere according to the model’s calculations. 


The electric charge of the particles is what drives them so high up according to the study. 

“Volcanic plumes and ash both can have negative electrical charges and thus the plume repels the ash, propelling it high in the atmosphere,” said Genge. “The effect works very much like the way two magnets are pushed away from each other if their poles match.”

Genge compared his model’s calculations with past weather records and found that weather patterns following the 1833 eruption of the volcano Krakatoa caused similar global weather disruptions to what was happening in Europe in 1815.

The research shows how impactful major volcanic eruptions can be and helps provide insight into how the Tambora eruption let the Napoleon's’ ultimate defeat.  

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

An Indonesian volcano eruption influenced the defeat of Napoleon

The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18th in...

Scientists have found that a drug called galantamine, which is commonly used for treating Alzheimer's disease, is a highly effective way of inducing lucid dreams. In this type of dream state, an individual becomes aware that he or she is dreaming and can take control of what happens during the dream.

Many experts believe that lucid dreaming has mental, physical, and spiritual benefits, such as overcoming <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amygdala-experience-fear/">fears</a> and phobias.

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> and <a href="http://www.lucidity.com/">The Lucidity Institute</a> found that 42 percent of study participants who had taken galantamine experienced lucid dreams. The team, which was led by Dr. Stephen La Berge, says this is “one of the most effective methods for inducing lucid dreams available today.”

The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is believed to regulate the stage of sleep that is associated with dreaming, or REM sleep. Chemicals called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEls) help promote this compound by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase - an enzyme in the brain called that deactivates acetylcholine. 

Galantamine is an AChEI that is used to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The drug is fast-acting and has only a few mild side effects.

The study was focused on 121 individuals who had previously received some training on how to induce lucid dreams. The participants were given a placebo on the first night, followed by four milligrams of galantamine on the second night, and eight milligrams on the third night.


“On 3 consecutive nights, they awoke approximately 4.5 hours after lights out, recalled a dream, ingested the capsules and stayed out of bed for at least 30 minutes,” wrote the study authors.

As the individuals fell back asleep, they practiced the Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (MILD) technique.

“To effectively practice MILD requires good dream recall,” wrote the researchers. “One begins by remembering a dream, either from a previous night or, ideally, from which one has just awakened. One then identifies an anomaly within the dream that is characteristic of one’s dreams.”


While taking the placebo, only 14 percent of the participants had a lucid dream. This number increased to 27 percent on the second night, and jumped up to 42 percent on the third and final night.

“Galantamine also significantly increased dream recall, sensory vividness and complexity. Dream recall, cognitive clarity, control, positive emotion, vividness and self-reflection were increased during lucid compared to non-lucid dreams.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS One</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Alzheimer's drug found to be effective for inducing lucid dreams

Scientists have found that a drug called galantamine, which is...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.gwu.edu/">George Washington University</a> has found that social media bots and Russian trolls spread false information about vaccines on Twitter. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/twitter-analytical-emotional-thinking/">tweets</a> came months before a campaign was launched using similar tactics during the 2016 United States presidential election.

The team examined thousands of tweets posted between July 2014 and September 2017. The researchers found several Twitter accounts, which are now known to belong to the same Russian trolls who interfered in the election, that tweeted about vaccines in a misleading way. They discovered marketing and malware bots that were also working to stir up controversy surrounding online conversations about vaccines.

“The vast majority of Americans believe vaccines are safe and effective, but looking at Twitter gives the impression that there is a lot of debate,” said study co-author Professor David Broniatowski. “It turns out that many anti-vaccine tweets come from accounts whose provenance is unclear. These might be bots, human users or ‘cyborgs’ - hacked accounts that are sometimes taken over by bots.” 

“Although it's impossible to know exactly how many tweets were generated by bots and trolls, our findings suggest that a significant portion of the online discourse about vaccines may be generated by malicious actors with a range of hidden agendas.”


The study revealed that “content polluters,” which are bot accounts that distribute malware and unsolicited content, tweeted 75 percent more anti-vaccination messages compared to average Twitter users.

“Content polluters seem to use anti-vaccine messages as bait to entice their followers to click on advertisements and links to malicious websites,” explained study co-author Sandra Crouse Quinn. “Ironically, content that promotes exposure to biological viruses may also promote exposure to computer viruses.”

The Russian trolls and the bot accounts posted tweets that were both for and against vaccinations. The team observed more than 250 tweets about vaccines from Twitter accounts that are linked to the Internet Research Agency, a Russian government-backed company that was recently indicted by a grand jury for attempting to interfere in the 2016 United States presidential election. The tweets manipulated viewers and promoted hostility with the use of polarizing language that linked vaccinations to sensitive issues in America, such as racial and economic differences.

“These trolls seem to be using vaccination as a wedge issue, promoting discord in American society,” said study co-author Mark Dredze. “However, by playing both sides, they erode public trust in vaccination, exposing us all to the risk of infectious diseases. Viruses don't respect national boundaries.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.apha.org/publications-and-periodicals/american-journal-of-public-health">American Journal of Public Health</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Russian trolls and bots influenced Twitter discussion of vaccines

A new study led by George Washington University has found...

Alcohol is used around the world in many forms and in countless cultures. Whether it’s in beer, wine, or spirits – many people enjoy the taste and its added bonus of being a social lubricant. But it comes as no surprise that many people abuse <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/binge-drinking-alcohol-sleep/">alcohol</a>, and thus are faced with numerous medical issues that can negatively impact their lives and the lives of those around them. However, one party that does not face any negative consequences from alcohol abuse is the industry itself.

A new study from the Alcohol Research Group at the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">University of Sheffield</a> in England has found that more than two-thirds of alcohol industry revenue in England comes from consumers drinking at risky levels.

Drinkers that consume more than the government’s low-risk guideline of 14 units per week make up 25 percent of the population, but are responsible for 68 percent of industry revenue. Furthermore, four percent of the population drinking at “harmful” levels account for nearly a quarter of the total value of all alcohol sold.

“Our analysis shows that if everyone in England drank within the guidelines, the average price of a pint in a pub would have to rise by £2.64 and a bottle of wine in the supermarket by £4.36, in order to maintain current levels of revenue for the alcohol industry,” explains Colin Angus, a research fellow in the Alcohol Research Group. “The size of these increases cast serious doubt on the industry’s claims that it supports moderate drinking.”

Clearly, these findings depict a major conflict of interest for the alcohol industry’s involvement in improving government alcohol policies to protect the public. 

“Alcohol causes 24,000 deaths and over 1.1 million hospital admissions each year in England, at a cost of £3.5 billion to the NHS,” says Aveek Bhattacharya, a policy analyst at the Institute of Alcohol Studies and lead author of the paper. “Yet policies to address this harm, like minimum unit pricing and raising alcohol duty, have been resisted at every turn by the alcohol industry. Our analysis suggests this may be because many drinks companies realize that a significant reduction in harmful drinking would be financially ruinous.”

Bhattacharya suggests that the government should realize that the alcohol industry has much to lose from stricter alcohol policies, and be wary of the industry’s attempts to halt any strengthening of these policies through lobbying and offers of a partnership. “Protecting alcohol industry profits should not be the objective of public policy – previous research has shown that reducing alcohol consumption would not only save lives and benefit the exchequer, but could also boost the economy and create jobs,” he concludes.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heavy drinkers account for over two-thirds of alcohol sales

Alcohol is used around the world in many forms and...

The largest monumental cemetery ever discovered in eastern <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fossils-humans-africa/">Africa</a> has now been uncovered by an international research team. The Lothagam North Pillar Site near Lake Turkana in modern-day Kenya was a communal site that was built around 5,000 years ago.

The remains of at least 580 men, women, and children suggest that they were engaged in an egalitarian society without a social hierarchy.

The development of such a massive public project by “mobile pastoralists” contradicts the idea that a complex social structure was required for the construction of large public monuments.

The research team, which included researchers from <a href="https://www.stonybrook.edu/">Stony Brook University</a> and the <a href="https://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a>, determined that the cemetery was used for several centuries between 5,000 and 4,300 years ago. 

A platform that was about 98 feet in diameter was built over a large, excavated hole where the bodies were buried. The cavity was filled and capped with stones, followed by megalith pillars. 

According to the researchers, all of the individuals that were buried - from infants to the elderly - were placed in the same area. The distribution of personal ornaments was also evenly distributed, suggesting that everyone in this particular society was considered to be equal.

“This discovery challenges earlier ideas about monumentality,” said study co-author Elizabeth Sawchuk. “Absent other evidence, Lothagam North provides an example of monumentality that is not demonstrably linked to the emergence of hierarchy, forcing us to consider other narratives of social change.”

Ancient monuments have long been considered to be indicators of complex societies with distinct social classes. In this case, however, the cemetery shows no evidence of a rigid social hierarchy. 

“The monuments may have served as a place for people to congregate, renew social ties, and reinforce community identity,” said study co-author Anneke Janzen. “Information exchange and interaction through shared ritual may have helped mobile herders navigate a rapidly changing physical landscape.” 

“The Lothagam North Pillar Site is the earliest known monumental site in eastern Africa, built by the region's first herders,” said study leader Elisabeth Hildebrand. “This finding makes us reconsider how we define social complexity, and the kinds of motives that lead groups of people to create public architecture.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: PNAS

Ancient graveyard reveals social structure from 5,000 years ago

The largest monumental cemetery ever discovered in eastern Africa has...

A team of researchers at <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University</a> has recognized a link between the average distance of humans to rivers and the occurrence of catastrophic flood events. The team used satellite nighttime light data to examine how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sea-level-rise-tsunami-flooding/">flood</a> protection affects human proximity to rivers.

Flooding is one of the costliest and deadliest natural hazards, and the intensity of floods has increased dramatically across some regions of the world. Between 1980 and 2014, economic losses from flooding exceeded $1 trillion USD and claimed more than 226,000 lives.

The rising trend of global flood losses has been primarily attributed to growing populations in flood-prone areas, which increase the number of people that are exposed to flooding events.

To understand changes in flood risk, experts must determine how humans adapt and respond to flood events. For example, communities cope with floods by upgrading the infrastructure built for flood protection, implementing building codes and early warning systems, or by moving away from flood-prone areas.


The investigation was focused on the occurrence of catastrophic flood events in 16 countries with different hydroclimatic and socioeconomic contexts as well as different levels of structural flood protection. 

The research team found that flood fatalities and economic losses are both positively correlated with changes in human proximity to rivers across individual countries. When flood protection was in place, however, the tendency to relocate was reduced.

“We found that societies with low protection levels tend to resettle further away from the river after catastrophic flood events, and that the decrease in human settlements close to the river may have contributed to reduced exposure to future flood events,” said study co-author Johanna Mård. “Conversely, societies with high protection levels show no significant changes in human proximity to rivers.”

Regions with high protection levels rely heavily on structural measures, reinforcing flood protection and quickly resettling in the same flood-prone areas after a flooding event. While frequent flooding is not as much of a threat in these areas, individuals who live here remain at risk of catastrophic flooding events.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Catastrophic flood events often reconfigure human settlement

A team of researchers at Uppsala University has recognized a...

The Imperial Woodpecker and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, which were the once largest woodpeckers in North America, most likely became extinct at some point during the twentieth century. Researchers have now investigated the fate of their surviving cousin, the Pileated Woodpecker, in suburban areas of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seattle-bans-plastic-straws/">Seattle</a>.

The study revealed that the woodpeckers can coexist with developed land as long as the tree cover remains above a certain threshold.

Researchers Jorge Tomasevic and John Marzluf monitored 16 Pileated Woodpeckers at 9 sites with varying degrees of urbanization across Seattle. After tracking each bird for about a year using radio tags, the experts found that Pileated Woodpeckers are very resourceful, using forested areas such as parks as well as moderately urbanized areas where some trees had been retained. They also took advantage of backyard bird feeders.

Desiree Narango is an expert on avian urban ecology at the <a href="https://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a>.

“As suburban sprawl becomes more and more ubiquitous, it's imperative that we consider which specific yard features can be promoted to share our neighborhoods with wildlife,” said Narango. “This paper is a nice example showing that even a mature forest specialist can use and navigate the suburban landscape if we provide the resources they need: large trees and some retained wooded areas.”


According to the research, Pileated Woodpeckers and other species that are associated with them can be sustained by preserving at least 20 percent of the forest cover in large suburban areas. This includes dead trees that are still standing.

“You'd think that such large bird would be easy to find, especially when carrying a transmitter, but they did a very good job hiding,” explained Tomasevic. “It was also very challenging to work in populated areas. I have so many anecdotes, good and bad, about dealing with people and people dealing with me doing my work.” 

“Some people were very friendly, but some were a little nervous with me walking around the neighborhood. I tried to look as official as possible, with University of Washington logos on my jacket, and I created a website for the project and printed some business cards. It was a great opportunity to do outreach, and I'm still friends with some of the neighborhood residents.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.americanornithologypubs.org/loi/cond">The Condor: Ornithological Applications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: J. Tomasevic

Urban development and woodpeckers coexist in Seattle

The Imperial Woodpecker and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, which were the...

With <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/medical-marijuana-stress-depression/">marijuana</a> being legalized across the country and world, the demand for it has rapidly grown and as the economic principle goes, so has the supply. New marijuana farms have been popping up to meet the needs of this new demand, but what effect will more legal growing practices have on the environment? 

There are a few key factors to be aware of when trying to dissect the potential impact of this newly legal crop. First off, it has proven difficult for researchers to accurately measure how exactly legalization is changing marijuana’s footprint on the environment since many farming practices that have existed in the past have primarily been underground and illegal, outside of the handful of farmers who were permitted to provide medical marijuana. But researchers from <a href="https://www.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina</a> at Chapel Hill and <a href="http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/">Lancaster University</a> in the U.K. have called upon federal bodies to begin doing just that. 

One thing that researchers do know though is that illegal operations were worse for the environment since they did not need to comply with any environmental standards. This led to some externalities of growing the crop that may not otherwise occur with legal farming practices. The intensive taxing of local streams and creeks to meet water needs of the thirsty crop is one such occurrence. 

It’s estimated that in California alone, illegal grow sites have been depleting over a billion gallons of water away from sources reserved for human consumption in cities like San Francisco and Sacramento. Marijuana plants require more water than most crops used in agriculture, and <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/olcc/marijuana/Documents/CEBP/WorkingDocument_CEBP_08162016.pdf">a report from Oregon discovered</a> that a mature plant needs at least 23 liters of water a day, whereas a grape plant used in winemaking only needs about 13 liters. 

Another <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0120016">report out of California</a> confirmed that clandestine operations were responsible for the drying up of several creeks in four different northern California watersheds. Reports from <a href="http://www.iercecology.org/">Integral Ecology Research Center</a> also show evidence of water sources that continue to flow are at high risk of being contaminated by unmonitored insecticides and rodenticides which are used to protect the secret crops from pests. The impacts can be devastating to local wildlife as the poisons move up the food chain. It will be important to see how and when legalization will affect the production of illegal marijuana and its damaging impact to the local ecosystems.

Researchers hope illegal sites will be replaced with legal practices that have to meet environmental standards. However, the legal farming of marijuana also comes with its own plethora of environmental problems. 

For example, prime growing season in California is only May through September. Since farmers want to grow the entire year under optimal conditions to make sure their yield is as profitable as possible, many are turning to indoor cultivation. Between the many high-intensity light bulbs, dehumidifiers, air-conditioners, and ventilation, it is an extremely electricity intensive practice. 

In a 2012 study conducted by researcher Evan Mills published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy-policy">Energy Policy</a> (far before legalization), it was reported that 3% of California’s electricity usage was for these indoor farms. Unless states require the use of clean energy for farmers, like in Oregon and Colorado, tons of carbon dioxide could be produced from this energy consumption. In Boulder, CO growers must offset 100% of their fuel footprint by using only renewable sources or by paying into a fund dedicated to offsetting their energy use. 

The best of both worlds so far that appeases both the environment and the needs of growers and consumer demand comes in the form of greenhouses. Crops are in a controlled environment that takes advantage of natural sunlight and air systems. Greenhouses are also much more likely to be used now that the crop is legal and does not need to be concealed in the woods or inside warehouses - a clear win for legalization.

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By <a href="mailto:bianca@earth.com">Bianca Vierra</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

How the growth of the marijuana industry impacts the environment

With marijuana being legalized across the country and world, the...

A new study from <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> has found that the most popular exotic pets are also the most likely to be released into the wild. The research sheds new light on how the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/concerns-reptiles-amphibians-pets/">exotic pet trade</a> has become a primary contributor to the introduction of reptiles and amphibians into non-native areas, where they can do a lot of damage.

The team identified 1,722 reptile and amphibians that were traded as pets in the United States from 1999 to 2016. This information was compared with data from a citizen science project that documents sightings of non-native species across the country. 

The study revealed that popular pets, which are imported in high numbers and sold at low prices, are the most likely to be dumped out into the wild later on.

Oliver Stringham is a Rutgers doctoral student and the study’s lead author.

“The owners may underestimate the space and costs needed to keep such animals as they grow into adults,” said Stringham. “Boa constrictors and reticulated pythons grow over 8 feet long. African clawed frogs and Russian tortoises live 30 years or more  Not wanting to euthanize, owners may resort to releasing them instead.”


Once exotic pets are released into the wild, they threaten wildlife through disease transmission, competition for food, and predation. For example, Burmese pythons invaded the Everglades National Park in the 1990s. These massive snakes, which grow up to 18 feet in length, have caused notable declines in native mammal and bird populations.

According to the study authors, providing prospective exotic pet owners with information about the potential growth and lifespan of the animals may help to prevent future releases. In addition, pet owners should be informed of the ecological damage that results from introducing non-native species, and should be given access to a list of safe places to surrender them.

Study co-author Julie Lockwood is a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

“While it might not be possible to fully prevent the release of exotic pets, reducing the number can be an effective way to prevent new species from becoming established and potentially invasive,” said Lockwood.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652664">Journal of Applied Ecology</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Matthew Sileo

Most popular exotic pets are most likely to be dumped in the wild

A new study from Rutgers University has found that the...

You’ve likely heard that drinking red wine with dinner is good for your heart, and now, new research shows that this may be because the alcohol is consumed consistently. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> and the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> conducted a study that examined the risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) amongst different types of drinkers. The team categorized the different types of drinking as moderate drinkers, heavy, or unstable (meaning inconsistent or sporadic). 

The results, published in the journal <a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1123-6">BMC Medicine</a>, suggest that unstable drinking patterns such as quitting drinking or drinking on and off increase the risk of CHD. Individuals who are consistent in their moderate drinking habits may be better protected against CHD. 

“This study uses long-term data to distinguish between persistent non-drinkers and former drinkers, allowing us to test the established theory that only the latter have an elevated risk of CHD,” said Dara O'Neill, the corresponding author of the study. “We did not find this to be the case but we did observe a sex-related difference. Amongst consistent non-drinkers, women showed a higher risk of developing CHD compared to consistently moderate drinkers, but their male counterparts did not.”

The researchers reviewed data on 35,132 individuals from six different studies, five of which were conducted in the UK and one in France. The studies recorded information on alcohol intake for participants over ten years as well as any diagnosed CHD events. 

Of the 35,132 individuals examined for the new study, 1,718 developed CHD during the ten year period. CHD events were the highest among former drinkers and surprisingly low for heavy drinkers. 

The researchers say that the low cases of CHD among heavy drinkers are not representative of how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-years-life/">heavy drinking impacts health</a> and heart disease risk, and any interpretations on how heavy drinking correlates with CHD should be made with caution. 

What the results do seem to show is that inconsistent drinking behavior increases the risk of CHD as opposed to moderate drinking. The researchers say that this could be because of external factors associated with inconsistent drinking such as lifestyle changes or stress.  

“When we split the sample by age, we found that the elevated risk of incident CHD amongst inconsistently moderate drinkers was observed in participants aged over 55, but not those aged below,” said O’Neill. “It may be that the older group experienced lifestyle changes, such as retirement, which are known to co-occur with increases in alcohol intake and that these could have played a role in the differing risk.”

There are a lot of gaps in the data which prevent the researchers from reaching any definite conclusions on the risks of CHD, and drinking but the study does lend interest to research on how drinking impacts heart health. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drinking in moderation may decrease the risk of heart disease

You’ve likely heard that drinking red wine with dinner is...

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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

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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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...