Pregnancy is a time when many expectant mothers seek ways to manage discomfort and stress. With growing interest in natural remedies, cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from cannabis, has gained popularity as a perceived safe option for nausea, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. 



Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, CBD does not produce a high, leading many to assume it poses little to no risk during pregnancy.



Despite this perception, scientific research on the effects of CBD during pregnancy remains limited. Many previous studies have focused on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-use-impacts-working-memory-and-brain-function/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis smoke</a> or THC exposure, leaving CBD largely unexplored. 



A new study from <a href="https://www.mcmaster.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">McMaster University</a> challenges these assumptions, revealing concerning links between CBD use and fetal development issues. These findings suggest that CBD, often considered harmless, may have unexpected consequences for both mother and child.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-potential-risks-of-cbd-in-pregnancy">Potential risks of CBD in pregnancy</h2>



A team of researchers at McMaster University investigated the effects of cannabis use during pregnancy, specifically focusing on both CBD and THC. 



The findings, published in eBioMedicine, highlight the potential dangers of oral cannabis consumption from early to mid-pregnancy. 



The study revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-use-during-pregnancy-rewires-the-fetal-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis exposure</a> was associated with impaired fetal growth, changes in the placenta, and behavioral alterations in offspring.



Tyrah Ritchie led the study while completing her master’s degree in the Medical Sciences program at McMaster University.



“The use of cannabis during pregnancy is rising in Canada. Most previous studies focus on exposure to cannabis smoke or just the psychoactive component of cannabis (THC), leaving other cannabis ingredients and methods of consumption understudied," noted Ritchie.



"However, consuming cannabis orally or only using other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/high-potency-cannabis-use-linked-to-epigenetic-changes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis</a> ingredients like CBD, is often perceived as safer despite this lack of evidence. Our study is shedding light that there's a possibility that CBD might also be harmful in the pregnancy.”



The study challenges the belief that CBD is a safe alternative to THC during pregnancy. While THC has long been linked to developmental concerns, this research suggests that CBD may also have unintended effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fetal-growth-and-placental-development">Fetal growth and placental development</h2>



The researchers examined how THC and CBD affect fetal development by administering cannabis oil to pregnant mice. 



Their observations revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-and-hallucinogen-use-are-at-historically-high-levels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis exposure</a> resulted in smaller fetuses compared to those in the control group. This suggests that cannabis compounds may interfere with normal growth, leading to intrauterine growth restriction.



In addition to reduced fetal size, the study found that cannabis impacted the development of blood vessels that supply nutrients to the placenta. 



The placenta plays a crucial role in providing oxygen and nutrients to the developing baby, and any disruption in this process could have serious consequences.



“We did see that both THC and CBD can disrupt a special type of immune cell called a Uterine NK Cell that is crucial in normal development of the placenta," said Ali Ashkar, professor in McMaster’s Department of Medicine and co-leader of the study.



"We also saw poor development of the arteries that help supply blood to the placenta. We're thinking this is what is possibly disrupting the nutrient and oxygen delivery to the baby and contributing to the intrauterine grow restriction.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pregnancy-cbd-and-offspring">Pregnancy, CBD, and offspring</h2>



Beyond physical growth, the study also examined how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chemical-found-in-cannabis-plants-can-actually-reduce-cannabis-induced-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis exposure</a> affects offspring behavior. Researchers monitored the behavior of the mice after birth and discovered changes in aggression, activity levels, and learning ability. 



These findings suggest that exposure to cannabis during pregnancy could have lasting neurological effects on the offspring.



“Oral use of THC and CBD during the pregnancy not only disrupts growth of the baby but seems to have long-term consequences as the babies were found to have changes in their behaviour later in life,” said Ritchie.



Behavioral changes in offspring highlight the possibility of cognitive and emotional challenges that may persist into adulthood. 



The exact mechanisms behind these effects remain unclear, but the findings raise concerns about how cannabis interacts with the developing brain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-for-further-investigation">Need for further investigation</h2>



While this study provides critical insights, researchers emphasize the need for further investigation to fully understand the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/recreational-cannabis-use-protects-against-cognitive-decline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">risks</a> of CBD use during pregnancy. 



The study was conducted on mice, and while animal models offer valuable information, human studies are necessary to confirm these findings.



Ritchie stresses that the growing trend of cannabis use during pregnancy should be met with caution. Many expectant mothers turn to CBD with the belief that it is safe, but without clear scientific evidence, assumptions about its harmlessness may be misleading.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-cbd-use-during-pregnancy">Rethinking CBD use during pregnancy</h2>



The widespread perception of CBD as a natural and safe remedy has led to its increasing use among pregnant individuals. 



However, this study suggests that CBD may not be as risk-free as commonly thought. The findings indicate that both THC and CBD could interfere with crucial developmental processes, affecting both physical growth and long-term behavior.



Pregnant individuals considering cannabis products should consult healthcare professionals before use. While the study does not provide definitive answers on CBD’s safety for human pregnancies, it does highlight the need for greater awareness and caution.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-funding-and-future-research">Funding and future research</h2>



This study was supported by The <a href="https://cannabisresearch.mcmaster.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Michael G. DeGroote</a> Centre for Medicinal Cancer Research, the <a href="https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/193.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canadian Institutes of Health Research</a>, and the <a href="https://www.innovation.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canadian Foundation for Innovation</a>. 



As research in this field continues, scientists aim to explore the specific mechanisms by which cannabis compounds affect pregnancy outcomes.



With increasing cannabis use worldwide, understanding its full impact on pregnancy is more important than ever. Further studies will help clarify the risks, providing expectant mothers with the information they need to make informed choices.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(25)00016-7/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EBioMedicine</a>.



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CBD use during pregnancy has unexpected consequences

Pregnancy is a time when many expectant mothers seek ways to manage discomfort and stress. With growing interest in natural remedies, cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from cannabis, has gained popularity as a perceived safe option for nausea, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, CBD does not produce a high, leading many to assume it poses little to no risk during pregnancy. Despite this perception, scientific research on the effects of CBD during pregnancy remains limited. Many previous studies have focused...

The monogamous relationship has been the standard model for romantic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/couples-sexting-insecure-relationship/">relationships</a> since the story of Adam and Eve. Particularly in Western culture, we see the sanctity of marriage and ideation of the “nuclear family” as sacrosanct. This is why non-monogamous relationships – such as open relationships – are often attached to stigma within the general population. However, a new study from the <a href="https://www.uoguelph.ca/">University of Guelph</a> has found that people in open relationships are just as happy as those in monogamous relationships.

The study, published in the <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/home/spr">Journal of Social and Personal Relationships</a>, involved a survey of over 140 people with non-monogamous relationships and more than 200 people in monogamous relationships. Participants were asked about their satisfaction with their current relationships, and included questions about whether they had considered separating from their partner or partners, if they confided in their partners, and what their overall level of happiness was within the relationship. 

Their results showed that people in non-monogamous relationships were just as satisfied with the relationship they had with their main partner as people in monogamous relationships. “We found people in consensual, non-monogamous relationships experience the same levels of relationship satisfaction, psychological well-being and sexual satisfaction as those in monogamous relationships,” says Jessica Wood, a PhD student in applied social psychology at the University of Guelph and lead author of the study. “This debunks societal views of monogamy as being the ideal relationship structure.”

Wood also determined that an important predictor of relationship satisfaction was not the structure of the relationship, but rather sexual motivation. “In both monogamous and non-monogamous relationships, people who engage in sex to be close to a partner and to fulfill their sexual needs have a more satisfying relationship than those who have sex for less intrinsic reasons, such as to avoid conflict,” she explains.

And non-monogamous relationships may not be as uncommon as you think. Between three and seven percent of people in North America are currently part of a consensual, non-monogamous relationship. “It’s more common than most people think,” says Wood. “We are at a point in social history where we are expecting a lot from our partners. We want to have sexual fulfillment and excitement but also emotional and financial support. Trying to fulfill all these needs can put pressure on relationships. To deal with this pressure, we are seeing some people look to consensually non-monogamous relationships.”

Given the findings of this study, it seems like you’re likely to have just as good a chance at being happy in a non-monogamous relationship as you are a monogamous one. The study shows that if the relationship provides fulfillment of both psychological and sexual needs, the relationship structure itself is not as important.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Open relationships are as satisfying as monogamous ones

The monogamous relationship has been the standard model for romantic...

The consequences of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-hinder-agriculture/">climate change</a> are not only isolated to environmental pressures on animals – us humans will be faced with backlash from our environments as well. Natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes seem to be occurring more frequently and with more damage inflicted than ever before. These disasters often result in sudden population movements, as people attempt to find safe areas or follow government evacuation instructions. Using cell phone records and geo-located tweets, Spanish researchers have now developed a system that tracks human displacement caused by climate change.

This model was tested during a severe drought in La Guajira, Colombia in 2014, and determined that – during the six months of study – 10 percent of the population migrated due to the drought. This system used aggregated and encrypted cell phone metadata in order to predict the migration and “to identify population flows in the municipalities of the area affected by the drought,” explains Enrique Frías-Martínez, a researcher at <a href="http://www.tid.es/">Telefónica Research</a> in Madrid. 

This information “was then used to monitor migrations using radiation models, which take into account not only the characteristics of the population and the distance between origin and destination, but also the economic opportunities of the place where they end up.”

In the study, the researchers have applied the smartphone migration tracking system to climate change for the first time ever. They added a variation to the old model based on considering the climate of the destination area as an addition to the concept of economic opportunity, helping predict the migrations caused by climate change. 

According to Frías-Martínez, their results “indicate that the percentage of the population displaced during the drought in the Colombian region was 10% during the six months of the study.”

Their findings also show that the climate of the destination area plays a role in that decision. Patterns indicated that populations generally moved from rural areas to urban environments, which is likely due to urban areas having better economic prospects and proximity to food and water. 

“We have verified that, with cell phone traces, these migrations can be characterized with a success rate of over 60%, both in terms of the total number of people who migrate and the place where they move to,” says Frías-Martínez.

Because these populations displacements are likely to increase as climate change continues, the ability to track population migration could be very useful. As the technology improves over time, it may help us better prepare for mass migrations during natural disasters.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: David Taggart

Smartphones can track human displacement due to climate change

The consequences of climate change are not only isolated to...

Experts at <a href="https://medicine.wustl.edu/">Washington University School of Medicine</a> are reporting that outdoor air pollution is directly related to an increased risk of diabetes. This correlation was found to be strong even in regions where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-delhi/">pollution</a> levels are considered to be safe.

Diabetes affects more than 420 million people worldwide including 30 million Americans, and is growing at one of the fastest rates of any disease. An unhealthy diet, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle are all major diabetes risks. The new study identifies outdoor air pollution as yet another factor contributing to the onset of diabetes.

Pollution is believed to reduce insulin production and trigger inflammation. This prevents the body from converting blood glucose into energy that the body needs.

“Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally,” said senior author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly. “We found an increased risk, even at low levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). This is important because many industry lobbying groups argue that current levels are too stringent and should be relaxed. Evidence shows that current levels are still not sufficiently safe and need to be tightened.”

This study is the first to attempt to quantify the connection between air pollution and diabetes. 

“Over the past two decades, there have been bits of research about diabetes and pollution,” said Dr. Al-Aly. “We wanted to thread together the pieces for a broader, more solid understanding.”

The team collaborated with scientists at the <a href="https://www.stlouis.va.gov/services/Clinical_Epidemiology_Center.asp">Veterans Affairs' Clinical Epidemiology Center</a> to analyze the connection between particulate matter and the risk of diabetes. They examined data from 1.7 million U.S. veterans who did not have any history of diabetes and tracked them for an average of 8.5 years. 

The researchers compared medical information on the patients to data from the EPA's land-based air monitoring systems as well as satellite data from NASA.

The experts also reviewed all studies linking diabetes and outdoor air pollution, and developed a model that can be used to measure diabetes risks across various pollution levels.

Furthermore, by analyzing data from the Global Burden of Disease study, the researchers were able to estimate annual cases of diabetes and healthy years of life lost due to pollution.

According to the analysis, pollution contributed to 3.2 million new diabetes cases in 2016, which is around 14 percent of all new diabetes cases documented worldwide. That year, a total of 8.2 million years of healthy life were lost due to pollution-linked diabetes.

In the United States, 150,000 new cases of diabetes were attributed to air pollution annually, and 350,000 years of healthy life were found to be lost per year.

The findings of the study indicate that lower levels of pollution can lead to a significant drop in the number of diabetes cases around the world, including countries with the highest levels of pollution such as India and those with less pollution such as the United States.

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(17)30013-X/fulltext">Lancet Planetary Health</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution linked to 3.2 million cases of diabetes in one year

Experts at Washington University School of Medicine are reporting that...

As we’ve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-high-blood-pressure/">reported recently</a>, air pollution can cause serious cardiovascular and respiratory problems.

Numerous studies have shown the danger of particulate and air pollution, and the <a href="http://www.who.int/news-room/detail/02-05-2018-9-out-of-10-people-worldwide-breathe-polluted-air-but-more-countries-are-taking-action">World Health Organization </a>(WHO) found that as many as nine out of ten people worldwide breath air with high levels of pollution. 

The WHO also reported that more than seven million deaths every year can be attributed to air pollution with low and middle-income countries carrying the burden of those deaths. 

Now, a new study found that in sub-Saharan Africa, moderate decreases in air pollution could save the lives of tens of thousands of infants every year. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> and <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">the University of California, San Diego</a> conducted a study that examined the link between air pollution and premature deaths in 30 countries in Africa. 

According to the study, published in the journal Nature, there is a “robust relationship” between the two.

<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/air-pollution-killing-thousands-of-infants-in-africa-study-says-2018-06-27/">CBS news</a> reported the new findings where the researchers combined air pollution particulate satellite data with household surveys about infant births and deaths between 2001 and 2005 in parts of Africa.

Dust, wood smoke from cooking fires, and vehicle exhaust all contribute to these air pollution levels. 

The researchers found that for every ten-microgram-per-cubic-meter increase in the particulate concentrations, there is a nine percent increase in infant mortality. 

If policies and regulations that reduced air pollution five micrograms per cubic meter were put in place, it could save thousands. The researchers say that a decrease that size could have prevented 40,000 infant deaths in 2015. 

“The principal sources of particulate matter differ across sub-Saharan Africa. As such, policies and approaches to reducing pollution may be most appropriately undertaken at the local and regional scale,” Sam Heft-Neal, one of the study's authors, told The Associated Press. “In booming urban areas, many of the relevant technologies and policies are the same ones that have been applied in more developed economies: moving away from coal to cleaner feedstocks for electric power production, putting particulate filters on buses and trucks, and reducing traffic congestion.”

Pollution regulations can be difficult to implement, especially in countries where the economic and financial potential of developing local industries outweighs health and safety concerns. 

However, according to CBS, Uganda has a draft law that proposed the ban importation of vehicles older than eight years because of the exhaust fumes they emit. 

Hopefully, as studies like this continue to find staggering statistics about preventable death and cardiovascular disease, more and more countries will work toward reducing pollution levels. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution kills thousands of infants in Africa every year

As we’ve reported recently, air pollution can cause serious cardiovascular...

The effects of climate change are already here, and they become more dire and irreversible by the day. For humans, the ultimate goal when it comes to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-trade-boom-co2-emissions/">carbon dioxide emissions</a> is to get the number down to zero. 

While this may seem an unreachable goal currently, it’s one that we need to accomplish within the next several decades in order to avoid disastrous consequences. Getting there will require a great deal of hard work and innovation, as some industrial sources of atmospheric carbon do not have affordable emissions-free substitutes, says a new study in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

“We wanted to look closely at the barriers and opportunities related to the most difficult-to-decarbonize services,” says lead author Steven Davis of the <a href="https://uci.edu/">University of California, Irvine</a>.

Although human activities that contribute greatly to atmospheric carbon include heating, cooling, lighting, and motor vehicles, there are other significant contributors that pose much more of a challenge when it comes to finding alternative no-emission or low-emission options. These contributors include air travel, freight trains and ships, and the manufacturing of steel and cement.

The researchers analyzed a number of barriers to the zero-emissions goal, such as the expected increase in demand for both air travel and freight shipping – which already contribute to roughly 6 percent of global emissions. Additionally, the manufacturing of steel and cement release 1.7 and 1.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year, which is only expected to increase as infrastructure demands increase. 

“Taken together these ‘tough-nut’ sources account for a substantial fraction of global emissions,” says Ken Caldeira of the <a href="https://carnegiescience.edu/">Carnegie Institution for Science</a>. “To effectively address them, we will need to develop new processes and systems. This will require both development of new technologies and coordination and integration across industries.”

The research team also assessed potential new technologies that could bring us closer to our goal. This includes the synthesis of energy dense hydrogen or ammonia-based fuels for aviation and shipping, new furnace technologies in steel and concrete manufacturing, and possible tools to capture and safely store hydrocarbon emissions. In their assessment, they warn that the costs of implementing and scaling these technologies will be a massive hurdle. Furthermore, it will be difficult to overcome the inertia of existing systems and policies in order to make room for new technology.

“We don’t have a crystal ball to foresee what technologies will exist a century from now,” Caldeira says. “But we know that people will want buildings, transportation, and other energy services and we can try to design our energy system so that it is able to take advantage of new inventions as they come along.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Reducing emissions to zero will be a huge challenge, study finds

The effects of climate change are already here, and they...

The quest for longevity – or even immortality – has permeated human culture for millennia, as legends such as The Fountain of Youth captivate our imaginations. And while the average human <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/healthy-habits-life-expectancy/">lifespan</a> has increased over time, there seems to be a certain age barrier that humans are unable to live beyond. A new study by Elisabetta Barbi et al. looks to determine how mortality increases as we hit extreme ages.

Aging is a contentious topic amongst scientists, with heated debate as to whether mortality rates continue to increase exponentially into extreme age or level out into a high plateau. For a plateau, the likelihood of dying stays near constant for individuals at a certain age and beyond. Some studies on the demography of aging have suggested a plateau in mortality, while others have suggested exponential increase in mortality. 

In their study, Barbi et al. found strong evidence for the mortality plateau argument. They performed the study by estimating mortality rates from data on carefully documented and verified survival trajectories of almost 4,000 Italians above the age of 105 between 2009 and 2015. This high quality data allowed for extreme-age mortality estimations to be made with unmatched precision and accuracy. 

Their results showed that death rates – which increase exponentially with age – actually decelerate after 80 years old, and then begin to plateau after age 105. Additionally, the mortality rate in individuals over 105 years of age actually declined slightly across groups born within the same year, which could suggest that human longevity is increasing over time.

Interestingly, mortality plateaus have been observed in other species at extreme ages, which could mean that we share common structural and evolutionary traits linked to extreme aging.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

After you turn 105, your risk of dying from old age decreases

The quest for longevity – or even immortality – has...

It may seem counterintuitive that when outside threats decrease, we manipulate our own perception and find more and more things harmful and threatening, even if they are completely benign. 

But a new study found that we are often tricked by our own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/men-perceive-themselves-smarter/">perception</a> and see threats that aren’t actually there. 

The study was conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University in Cambridge</a>, <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/">the University of Virginia</a>, <a href="https://home.dartmouth.edu/">Dartmouth University</a> and <a href="https://www.nyu.edu/">New York University</a>. 

Published in the journal Science, the results show we can be manipulated by our own perceptions. 

For example, psychologists have found that when attacks or home-invasions are on the decline, people will perceive previously non-threatening behavior as potentially dangerous. 

For the study, the researchers conducted a series of experiments to see how perceptions altered someone’s worldview. 

In one of the experiments, participants were shown a series of 1,000 colored dots ranging from blue to purple. 

The researchers asked each participant to identify the dot’s color in several different circumstances. 

The number of blue dots increased every time even when the researchers told the participants that the blue dots were decreasing or given a financial incentive to report less blue dots than purple. 

Another experiment involved showing participants pictures of threatening or neutral faces. When the number of threatening faces decreased the researchers saw that participants noticed more and threatening faces in the pictures. 

The study provides clarity to the phenomenon of why people see increased danger in the often benign and harmless and could help with future research examining the roots of bias and perception. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Seeing danger where there is none: How our perceptions trick us

It may seem counterintuitive that when outside threats decrease, we...

It can be difficult to find the right doctor with whom you have trust and good communication. 

But a new study has found that having the right doctor for you is important, but also staying with that same doctor decreases death rates. 

Researchers from <a href="http://www.stleonardssurgery.co.uk/">St. Leonard's Practice in Exeter</a> and the <a href="https://medicine.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter Medical School </a>collaborated on the study which is the first of its kind to systematically review the relationship between death rates and continuity of care.


The results of the study, published in the journal BMJ Open, show that continuity of care directly relates to lowered death rates. 

“Continuity of care happens when a patient and a doctor see each other repeatedly and get to know each other,” said Philip Evans, a member of the research team. “This leads to better communication, patient satisfaction, adherence to medical advice and much lower use of hospital services.”

According to Evans, new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cells-resistant-viruses-aging/">advancements in technology and treatments</a> often overshadow relationships with medical professionals, but this is something that should take priority due to its life-saving potential. 

Switching doctors or building rapport with a physician is not something that everyone can afford, but new healthcare options have given more and more patients freedom to seek out the care of their choice.  

“Patients have long known that it matters which doctor they see and how well they can communicate with them,” said Denis Pereira Gray, an author of the study. “Until now arranging for patients to see the doctor of their choice has been considered a matter of convenience or courtesy: now it is clear it is about the quality of medical practice and is literally 'a matter of life and death.” 

The researchers analyzed data from 22 studies conducted in nine different countries with varying cultures and health care options. 82 percent of the studies showed that continuity of care lowered death rates compared to those patients who didn't have that option. 

What’s more, the results were not just true for family doctors but also with surgeons, psychiatrists, and other healthcare specialists as well. 

The study shows that although breakthrough treatments and high-tech instruments can help advance the medical industry and provide better care, seeing the same doctor has a significant impact on decreasing the risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-policies-cost-deaths/">early death</a>. 
--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Finding and staying with the right doctor saves lives

It can be difficult to find the right doctor with...

The double burden of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rice-lose-nutritional-value-co2/">malnutrition</a> refers places that deal with the coexistence of undernutrition with obesity and diabetes, and it’s becoming a growing health hazard in low and middle-income countries (LMICs),

Now, a new study from the <a href="https://warwick.ac.uk/">University of Warwick</a> cites war and increased urbanization as some of the underlying causes of malnutrition in LMICs. 

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the results raise many concerns about global health and nutrition especially among adolescents whose higher nutritional needs increase the risk of malnutrition. 

The researchers wanted to quantify the magnitude of the double burden of malnutrition among adolescents in low and middle-income countries and find out what factors were to blame. 

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/gshs">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/World Health Organization Global School-Based Student Health Survey</a> and the <a href="http://www.hbsc.org/">World Health Organization’s Health Behavior in School-Aged Children surveys</a>. 

The different surveys included 57 different LMICS between 2003 and 2013 involving 129,276 adolescents ages 12-15. 

Stunting, thinness, and the burden of overweight or obesity were considered for the study, and the researchers linked nutritional data from the surveys to different international databases like the World Bank, the Center for Systemic Peace, and the Uppsala Conflict Data Program.

The researchers discovered that the double burden of malnutrition was extremely common among the 57 LMICs. 

A little over ten percent of the adolescents in the surveyors had stunted growth, five and a half percent were thin and more than one-fifth of the participants were obese or overweight. 

What’s behind the increase in malnutrition? The researchers were able to explain 38.4 to 58.7 percent of the variances in adolescent malnutrition in LMICS by macro-level factors like war and a lack of democracy. 

“The majority of adolescents live in LMICs but the global health community has largely neglected the health needs of this population,” said Rishi Caleyachetty, the leader of the research. “The global health community will have to adapt their traditional response to the double burden of malnutrition in order to provide optimal interventions for adolescents.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

War and urbanization to blame for increase in global malnutrition

The double burden of malnutrition refers places that deal with...

Many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/both-humans-and-animals-use-language-tactic-of-turn-taking/">animals</a> have the ability to judge a competitor’s size and physical formidability through only hearing their vocalizations. This trait allows them to avoid physical confrontations that they would most likely lose. Now, a new study reported in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/iscience/home">iScience</a> has found that humans can also use nonverbal vocal cues – such as aggressive roars – in a very similar fashion.

“When other animals produce vocalizations, they’re doing so for a reason –they’re communicating information about themselves, be it physical condition or internal state,” explains Jordan Raine of the <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/">University of Sussex</a>. But this study is the first to show that human listeners can estimate whether another person is stronger, weaker, taller, or shorter than they are with a high degree of accuracy.

“Previous investigations have found that humans can estimate height and strength from the voice, but that they don’t do it very well,” says Raine. “However, no one has ever investigated to what extent people can judge whether someone is stronger or weaker than themselves – a judgment that may be more relevant to the survival of our ancestors than judging someone’s absolute strength or body size.”

In this study, the researchers measured the upper-body strength and height of men and women, and then recorded them producing aggressive roars and aggressive vocal sentences. They then measured the upper-body strength and height of listeners, and had them listen to the recordings and judge whether the person they heard was stronger, weaker, taller, or shorter than them.

The results showed that individuals were able to accurately guess the size and strength of the vocalizers with significant accuracy. When judging roars, male listeners accurately identified vocalizers who were stronger than themselves in 88 percent of trials – and they never identified them as weaker. Listeners were also more likely to perceive male individuals as stronger when listening to roars than when hearing aggressive speech produced by the same vocalizer.

It was also determined that women tend to overestimate men’s strength in this exercise. When a male vocalizer was of similar strength or weaker than the female listener, the female would often rate the man as stronger. The authors state that this is consistent with the overall tendency for women to underestimate their abilities, while men overestimate their abilities. Raine mentions that for animals, their vocalizations are typically “‘honest’, but as our study shows, vocalizations can also serve to exaggerate traits such as physical formidability.”

“Humans are unique in being able to express complex concepts and emotions with speech, but we still produce a wide range of nonverbal vocalizations, and our results suggest that these sounds communicate information in a similar way to other mammals,” says Raine. “So, when you next hear a roar in a Game of Thrones battle scene, remember that it’s more than just a noise – it is both a window into that person’s physical characteristics and a social tool to influence those within earshot.”

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

You talkin to me? Humans size up threats based on vocalizations

Many animals have the ability to judge a competitor’s size...

From the beginning, mainstream <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/conservation-goals-protect-ecosystems/">conservation</a> in America has been seen as a man’s game.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the life of Teddy Roosevelt and his contemporaries.  Roosevelt was in any estimation a man’s man, a war veteran, a hunter and a cheerleader for his own philosophy of the ‘Strenuous Life’.

Though not often thought of in this light, scouting was perfectly aligned with Teddy Roosevelt’s philosophy, including his conservation ethics.  Roosevelt is the only person to ever be awarded as scouting’s “Chief Citizen Scout” in 1910, when the organization was founded in the US. Roosevelt was honored and served on a local scout council, Roosevelt himself said of the organization:

“More and more I have grown to believe in the Boy Scout movement. I regard it as one of the movements most full of promise for the future here in America. The Boy Scout movement is distinctly an asset to our country for the development of efficiency, virility, and good citizenship. It is essential that its leaders be men of strong, wholesome character; of unmistakable devotion to our country, its customs and ideals, as well as in soul and by law citizens thereof, whose wholehearted loyalty is given to this nation, and to this nation alone.”

Similar to Teddy Roosevelt, scouting’s original founder Lord Baden Powell of Britain lived a life of outdoor adventure and war.  Powell spent much of his youth in boarding school, where he would sneak into the woods and hunt rabbits, cooking them over a small, smokeless fire and eating out of doors.  

Originally Powell intended just to write a guide on scouting and military espionage but it turned out many young boys read his book as well.  Baden Powell in response to his young fans wrote, Scouting for Boys, published in 1908.  The book was intended to instruct boys in outdoor skills as well as citizenship.  It’s not too hard to see how even in its infancy Boy Scouts fostered military preparedness.  Scouting for Boys was followed up by an experimental summer camp on Brownsea Island, Britain.  

Here’s where the history of scouting gets a little strange.  In 1909, the first Boy Scout Rally was held at the Crystal Palace in England.  During the rally, a group of girls showed up wearing uniforms and saying they were Girl Scouts.  Inspired by the girls show, Powell along with his sister formed the Girl Guides organization. Today most scouting organizations across the globe are co-educational, including boy and girl members.  Until recently, Boy Scouts of America was different. Although inspired by Baden Powell, Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a separate organization from Boy Scouts of America.

Being separate organizations, Girl and Boy Scouts have different although sometimes overlapping ideals and goals.  Boy Scouts has a long history working with government agencies and others to promote conservation. In 1924, 32 Eagle Scouts camped in Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry and volunteered their labor building six miles of trail.  The next year, Eagle Scouts worked as trail crews in Glacier National Park. The trend continued with scouts forming partnerships with different land management agencies. I help build trails as a Boy Scout and participated in several Eagle Scout projects cleaning up public lands, as well as improving camping and hiking infrastructure.  Boy Scouts has merit badges such as Environmental Science, Bird Studies, Backpacking, Sustainability and many more celebrating the outdoors and natural sciences. 

Scientific American reported in July 2016 that Girl Scouts environmental education is having real world impacts.  Girls Learning Environment and Energy GLEE for short, teaches girls how to curb their energy usage at home and encourage the rest of their family to do the same.  A study showed that girls in the GLEE program increased their energy saving habits by 49% and their parents increased their saving habits by 12%. 

 A Girl Scout Leader’s Guide from 1955 said, “The Girl Scout approach to nature is not through collections of flora and fauna but through understanding of living things, appreciation of their beauty, and conservation of them as they live.”  The Girl Scouts like Boy Scouts participate in volunteer projects, both environmental and humanitarian. Girl Scout badges include several dedicated to outdoor art, Eco Camper, Animal Helpers, Voice for Animals, Animal Habitats, Hiker and more that encourage outdoor recreation and environmental learning.  

Boy Scouts is changing, though and it may define the future of Girl Scouts in America as well.  In October 2017, The Atlantic reported that Boy Scouts of America is letting in girls, though as I already noted the majority of scouting organizations worldwide already allowed girls.  In America though, scouting has been reluctant to follow the trend, this may be due in part to Boy Scouts of America’s close ties to the LDS church. Boy Scout troops are generally chartered by existing organizations, often churches, the Mormon Church being one of the most common sponsors.  

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has mostly adopted Boy Scouts as a youth program for its boys instead of creating its own youth organization.  The involvement of the LDS church along with other groups has largely kept Boy Scouts extremely conservative as an organization. The Boy Scouts initially banned gay and transgender scouts, but in 2014 removed its ban on gay scouts.  The LDS church and Boy Scouts of America issued a joint statement that they will be ending their partnership earlier this year. The statement states that the reason for the separation is because church members are increasingly living outside of the US.  I don’t doubt that the greater inclusion in scouts has something to do with the break as well. In 2015, the church said it was deeply troubled by scouting’s decision to allow openly gay scout leaders. The Boys leaving with the Mormon Church represent about 18.5% of overall national members.    

Girl Scout executives have accused Boy Scouts of trying to steal their membership away by recruiting girls as numbers dwindle in both groups.  Girl Scouts asserts that it is best equipped to train and empower female leaders and will continue to do so. Girl Scouts it’s important to note has also been tied with more liberal politics, forming friendly bonds with Planned Parenthood and embracing scouts with no belief in God.  Boy Scouts still won’t allow scouts who are openly atheist or agnostic to be members in their organization.

I had a chance meeting on top of a mountain in Colorado with a local scout executive that gave me hope.  The scout leader talked about international travel, about how he and his wife adopted children from Thailand.  The man was also deeply proud that scouts was changing and becoming more inclusive. I also was happy to meet this man climbing mountains in Colorado, enjoying the outdoors, communing with the environment. 

As I reflect on scouting, I think what it’s meant to me.  Mostly I grew to love and feel comfortable in the outdoors.  An interest in nature was fostered, a love of the environment kindled.  I know Eagle Scouts who have degrees in Environmental Science and have spent winters skiing as much as possible.  It’s true I also have known conservative Eagle Scouts quick to join the military and happier hunting coyotes than saving species.  I have no first-hand knowledge of Girl Scouts in America but the organization seems to have grand ideals and also an orientation of educating girls in the environment and outdoors.  

Since Scouts allowed gay boys into their membership, the number of scouts has declined.  <a href="http://www.breakpoint.org/">Breakpoint</a> reports a fall of 6% in membership after the change, the largest drop in its history.  The decline between 2013 and 2016 was a decline of 10%. Girl Scouts itself has lost about 10 million members from 2003 to 2014.  The two organizations seem at odds with each other and in some ways it may be a struggle for survival. I see a different possibility though.  

I could hope that the former Boy Scouts of America andGirl Scouts of the United States of America could form a new whole comprised of the better qualities of both organizations.  We need scouting groups, we need organizations that promote primary experience and learning in the outdoors. If we don’t raise women and men that care about the planet, that involve themselves in the outdoors, we are doomed. 

Scouting has great potential.  Letting go of old prejudice is a good step forward.  I hope that along with those exiting the scouting movement, a new group will enter.  Scouting has the potential to educate millions of young minds in environmentalism and social justice.  I hope that scouts can rise to the occasion and become what it has promised to be. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Scouting Changes: Boy Scouts, gender, and conservation

From the beginning, mainstream conservation in America has been seen...

The midwestern part of the United States along with California are well known for their dairy industry and agriculture, however, farming plays a central role in many other areas as well.

Studies that focus on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farming-changes-greenhouse-gases/">how climate change will impact crop yields</a>, irrigation, and weather extremes is vital for farmers worldwide. But now, new research has found dairy and corn industries in the northeastern United States could be severely impacted by climate change in the future. 

According to the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5888197/Northeast-Americas-corn-dairy-farming-industry-crisis-climate-change-2050.html">Daily Mail</a>, the northeast is predicted to be the fastest-warming region in the contiguous United States. By 2050, temperatures in the region could increase 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit, around 2 degrees more than the global average projections. 

Researchers from <a href="https://agsci.psu.edu/">Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences</a> examined how the increase in temperatures would affect Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. 

The warmer temperatures could devastate corn yields and, in turn, impact dairy farmers who rely on corn for feed. 

“If climate projections hold, it will threaten the dairy industry in Lancaster County,” said Heather Karsten, a member of the research team. “Depending on which climate scenario occurs, we could see severe impacts on corn production in that major dairy area. Lancaster County is looking like it is going to experience more days with extreme temperature stress that will reduce corn yields.”

For the study, the researchers analyzed projections from nine different climate models and compared this with data on future corn-growing conditions in New York and Pennsylvania. 

The results of the analysis showed that in order to keep up with heat waves and water shortages, farmers in Lancaster County would have to plant corn earlier in the year and use Midwestern irrigation techniques. 

“Climate models suggest that the higher temperatures will occur most often later in the growing season, and that's when corn plants are vulnerable - when they are silking, pollen is being formed, endosperm is dividing and kernels growing,” Rishi Prasad, an assistant professor of crop, soil and environmental sciences at Auburn University, told the Daily Mail. 

Unless measures are taken to ensure the future of Pennsylvania and New York’s corn and dairy industries, the changes could severely impact yearly harvests and the dairy production. 

“Our analysis suggests that management strategies such as shifting the planting dates based on last spring freeze and in some cases irrigation during the greatest water-deficit stages could partially offset the projected increase in heat and drought stress,” Karsten said. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change could hinder agriculture in the northeast by 2050

The midwestern part of the United States along with California...

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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...