Many people have experienced waking up in a good mood in the morning, only to feel drained by the end of the day. A new study confirms that this pattern is not just a personal feeling - it is a widespread trend. 



According to the research, mental health and wellbeing scores peak in the morning and decline as the day progresses, reaching their lowest point around midnight.



This study provides one of the most detailed analyses of how mental health fluctuates across the day. It also examines whether these variations depend on the day of the week, the season, or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-health-and-the-internet-who-benefits-and-who-suffers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">broader social factors</a>. 



The findings offer valuable insights into daily mental health patterns, with implications for both public health and personal well-being.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-health-is-better-in-the-morning">Mental health is better in the morning</h2>



Researchers found a strong connection between time of day and mental health. In the morning, people report feeling the happiest, most satisfied with life, and least lonely. These positive feelings gradually decline throughout the day. 



By midnight, mental health scores reach their lowest levels, with increased reports of depressive and anxiety symptoms.



This pattern suggests that mental health is not static but changes over short periods. While previous studies have explored long-term shifts in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-health-the-hidden-casualty-of-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mental well-being</a>, fewer have examined how people’s mood and well-being fluctuate throughout a single day.



This research fills that gap by analyzing mental health trends across different times, days, and seasons.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daily-mood-patterns">Daily mood patterns </h2>



The research team used data from the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University College London</a> COVID-19 Social Study, which tracked mental health patterns from March 2020 to March 2022. 



The study included responses from over 49,000 participants, with a majority being women and degree-educated individuals. Since certain demographics were overrepresented, the data was weighted to reflect a more balanced population.



Participants answered direct questions about their happiness, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/doomscrolling-is-silently-ruining-our-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">life satisfaction</a>, and sense of purpose. These responses were recorded with timestamps, allowing researchers to analyze mood variations across different hours. 



The experts also collected information about each participant’s age, gender, employment status, education level, and health conditions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-some-days-feel-better-than-others">Do some days feel better than others?</h2>



Beyond daily fluctuations, the study examined whether mental health varied across different days of the week. The results showed that well-being scores were generally higher on Mondays and Fridays compared to Sundays.



Interestingly, happiness levels were also relatively high on Tuesdays, while Sundays had some of the lowest well-being scores.



Loneliness, however, remained fairly stable across all days. The study found no clear evidence that people felt more isolated on specific days of the week. 



The researchers noted that these findings challenge common assumptions, such as the idea that weekends are always better for mental health than weekdays.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-seasonal-effects-on-mental-health">Seasonal effects on mental health</h2>



The research also confirmed that mental health shifts with the seasons. Compared to winter, people generally reported lower levels of depression and anxiety during other times of the year. 



Happiness, life satisfaction, and a sense of purpose were all highest in the summer months.



Despite these seasonal variations, one surprising finding was that the daily pattern of mood remained consistent. Regardless of the season, people still felt best in the morning and worst at night. 



This suggests that while seasonal factors like daylight hours influence mood, they do not override the body’s internal clock.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-role-of-the-body-clock">Role of the body clock</h2>



The researchers suggest that the daily pattern in mental health could be explained by biological rhythms. Specifically, they point to the role of cortisol, a hormone linked to stress and energy regulation.



“For example, cortisol peaks shortly after waking and reaches its lowest levels around bedtime. However, it is important to acknowledge the differences between weekends and weekdays."



This means that while natural biological processes help regulate mood, external factors such as work schedules and daily routines also play a role. The fact that mental health fluctuates differently on weekends suggests that social and behavioral factors contribute to these changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-health-improved-after-2020">Mental health improved after 2020</h2>



Another key finding from the study was that overall mental health improved from 2020 onward. Since the research period covered the COVID-19 pandemic, this suggests that mental health gradually recovered after the initial crisis. 



However, the study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, so other factors could also explain this improvement.



The researchers acknowledge some limitations in their study. Since participants completed the questionnaires voluntarily, the timing of their responses might have influenced the results.



The study also did not account for variables such as sleep patterns, geographical location, or daily weather conditions - all of which could affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-health-crisis-half-of-the-worlds-population-will-be-affected-by-age-75/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mood</a>.



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



Despite these limitations, the study highlights important trends that could influence mental health services. Understanding when people are most vulnerable can help improve support systems.



“Other drivers of the seasonal variation in [mental health and wellbeing] could include weather (temperature, precipitation, humidity) as well as various sociocultural cycles, including cultural holidays, norms, and employment patterns,” noted the study authors.



This research suggests that mental health services should consider these time-based trends when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/surprising-mental-health-benefits-of-living-near-green-spaces/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">planning resources</a>. If people tend to struggle the most around midnight, mid-week, and in winter, then additional support should be available during these times.



“Finally, in relation to public health, our findings indicate that people’s [mental health and wellbeing] tends to be lowest around midnight, mid-week, and in winter. This should be considered when planning service and resource provision," wrote the researchers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recognizing-daily-mood-patterns">Recognizing daily mood patterns </h2>



This study reinforces the idea that mental health is constantly shifting throughout the day, with mornings generally bringing the best <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-americans-have-lost-years-of-time-to-poor-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mood</a>.



The findings highlight the importance of recognizing daily patterns in mood, rather than viewing mental health as a fixed state. While mornings seem to offer the best outlook, nights may present greater challenges.



These insights could encourage individuals to be more mindful of their mental health at different times of the day. They also provide valuable information for healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers working to improve mental well-being on a broader scale.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301418" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BMJ Mental Health</a>.



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Overall, people feel better about life in the morning

Many people have experienced waking up in a good mood in the morning, only to feel drained by the end of the day. A new study confirms that this pattern is not just a personal feeling - it is a widespread trend. According to the research, mental health and wellbeing scores peak in the morning and decline as the day progresses, reaching their lowest point around midnight. This study provides one of the most detailed analyses of how mental health fluctuates across the day. It also examines...

Colonizing a planet outside of our own solar system would be challenging enough, but first, we’d have to get there. 

Even with huge advancements in space travel, it would take thousands of years to reach our closest neighbor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exoplanet-proxima-centauri-life/">Proxima Centauri B</a>.

In that time, humanity’s survival would depend on a sizeable crew that could jumpstart a new thriving population that would continue to give birth to future generations as the ship traveled to its destination. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://en.unistra.fr/">University of Strasbourg</a> in France conducted a study that calculated just how many people would be needed to start new colony and pilot a ship to Proxima B. 

The results were published in the journal arXiv, and the number of people needed to colonize the new planet is surprisingly low. 

First, the researchers needed to calculate how long it would take to reach Proxima B, which is located within the habitable zone of its own sun, like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/moon-longer-days-earth/">Earth</a>, meaning there is a possibility for water and life. 

The planet was discovered five years ago and in order to get there, we would first have to develop a new spacecraft that could reach incredibly high speeds. 

“The fastest human-made objects are far from reaching such high speeds and a manned mission to Proxima Centauri b would thus take much longer,” the study authors said. “If we aim at exploring or colonizing the closest exoplanet from the Earth, it is mandatory to find a faster spacecraft.”

Apollo 11, which reached speeds of almost 40,000 km per hour would take over one hundred thousand years to get to Proxima B according to the researchers. 

A new probe, the Parker Solar Probe, was used as a better model because it is predicted to reach speeds of 700,000 km per hour and at those speeds, a ship could reach Proxima B in 6,300 years. 

The researchers then used Monte Carlo simulations, a class of algorithms that can determine numerical outcomes, to calculate how many people would have to board the ship and then populate enough healthy generation to reach the planet. 

Determining a realistic population size was difficult because the researchers had to factor in certain scenarios like inbreeding, infertility, and accidents. 

According to the simulations, only 98 people would be needed to start a colony of humans on Proxima B. 

The team even factored in a future catastrophe 2,500 years after the ship launched to see if a plague or other disaster could eliminate the entire crew. 

98 is the lowest number of people needed to successfully start a population that could eventually colonize our closest habitable neighbor. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

It only takes 98 people to start a colony on a new planet

Colonizing a planet outside of our own solar system would...

Sea levels are projected to rise sharply by the end of the century unless more is done to combat climate change and reduce emissions. 

For coastal communities, sea level rise is hitting particularly close to home, and soon hundreds of thousands of properties could deal with flooding on a regular basis if greenhouse gases continue to increase. 

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/17/sea-level-rise-impact-us-coastal-homes-study-climate-change">The Guardian</a> recently reported that sea level rise in areas like Miami Beach and Atlantic City could cost billions in damages and impact half a million Americans who will have to face higher insurance costs or relocate. 

Even though cities like Miami are tackling sea level rise, regular flooding will likely hit low-income communities the hardest and make living conditions impossible for those at or below the poverty line. 

“My flood insurance bill just went up by $100 this year, it went up $100 the year before,” Philip Stoddard, the mayor of South Miami told The Guardian. “People on the waterfront won’t be able to stay unless they are very wealthy. This isn’t a risk, it’s inevitable.

<a href="https://ucsusa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=cf07ebe0a4c9439ab2e7e346656cb239">The Union of Concerned Scientists </a>(UCS) conducted an analysis estimating the risk of sea-level rise on a state by state basis. 

UCS researchers combined data from the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic Administration's</a> (NOAA) projected high sea level rise scenario with property information from <a href="https://www.zillow.com/">Zillow</a>.

The NOAA predicts that sea levels could rise by six and a half feet by the end of the century if nothing is done to reduce emissions, and the UCS analysis found that under this scenario 311,000 homes in coastal communities would deal with chronic flooding. 

By the end of the century, that number could increase to 2.4 million homes, with Florida, New Jersey and New York being the most affected by chronic flooding. 

According to The Guardian, property damage and flooding on this scale would “rattle the housing market” and cause waterfront homes to drop in value while flood insurance premiums increase. 

Although rising sea levels and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antarctic-glacial-meltwater-sea-level/">rapid ice melt in the poles</a> are affecting ocean temperatures, climate, and marine ecosystems around the globe, the United States does not have a national sea level rise plan. 

The Trump administration has veered far away from climate concerns, but given the threat facing coastal communities and <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate3271.epdf?referrer_access_token=T4ZCzVSAJHcjgxjPZyjbtNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0NFv3_2_MZIRrCavou7VputsPph4gflYchFotitHpzEQgJS8ExQHaX7C0WLZ54-eNqxt9GpAOEyUZuX6ANNz4l0reobVvago66lj4HXdw6_fIdZsMMtt0KA8wFuNhsxyTHVlj-eRwY12i6DbRe3UBvEtDw7pK2hvXyI2w7caZmD7H9o0P2k5qOKli0oOT62GggJKMuStQ1g81aKWqEMZOe9vPIy8OgbuNvMh3YbomXw7gxmX9cGyBFNsFP5t9Tg6Mg%3D&amp;tracking_referrer=www.theguardian.com">the predicted mass relocation</a> of millions of people to inland states, some course of action be critical in the next few years. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sea level rise to impact hundreds of thousands of homes in the US

Sea levels are projected to rise sharply by the end...

Tattoos can come along with a variety of unexpected side effects such as infection, scarring, and chronic irritations. There are also concerns that the ink used for tattoos can have a negative impact on the immune system and other aspects of health which are not yet known. Some studies have even found that the majority of black inks contain carcinogenic compounds.

Experts are now reporting that getting a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tattoo-ink-lymph-nodes/">tattoo</a> may be particularly risky for those who have certain pre-existing health issues. Recently, a woman taking immunosuppressant drugs developed chronic pain in her hip and leg after getting a tattoo on her left thigh. 

The woman had been tattooed on her right leg years earlier with no issues, but this experience was entirely different. Ever since receiving a double lung transplant in 2009, she had been taking drugs to suppress her immune system, which doctors are theorizing may have caused the bad reaction.

The patient experienced mild skin irritation right away, which is not unusual, explained the researchers. Just over a week later, however, she developed pain in her left knee and thigh and the symptoms were so severe that strong painkillers were needed.

After ten months, the patient’s symptoms had eased up but were not entirely gone. She was referred to a rheumatology clinic and tested for various conditions, which all came back negative.

An examination of her thigh muscle, however, revealed that she had chronic muscle inflammation known as inflammatory myopathy. This condition usually comes along with muscle weakness and pain, and its cause is often unknown.

In this particular case, the doctors believe the muscle tissue disease is linked to the tattoo process itself, and the response was likely worsened by a compromised immune system.

“While we acknowledge that there is no evidence to definitely prove the causative effect, the timing of onset and the location of the symptoms correlated well with the tattoo application and there were no other identifiable factors to cause the pathology,” wrote the doctors.

Physiotherapy helped to strengthen the patient's thigh muscles, and she was finally pain-free after three years.

The study authors cautioned that individuals - especially those with compromised immune systems - should be aware of the potential risks associated with getting a tattoo.


“The tattoo industry has no regulated or professional body to enhance standards across the UK,” wrote the experts. “In this case, the tattoo application by an unregulated parlor, combined with the patient's immune suppression could have resulted in the adverse reaction.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://blogs.bmj.com/case-reports/">BMJ Case Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tattoos can pose health risks for weaker immune systems

Tattoos can come along with a variety of unexpected side...

A new study has revealed that marriage may decrease the risk of heart attack or stroke.

The research was conducted by a team of international researchers and the results were published in the journal <a href="http://heart.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/heartjnl-2018-313005">Heart</a>. 

People who are divorced, widowed, or never married may have a higher risk of heart disease, and the researchers say that marital status should be considered when assessing possible risk factors for stroke or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/when-the-weather-gets-colder-heart-attacks-get-more-lethal/">heart attack</a>. 

Age, blood pressure, smoking history, and diabetes are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and these typically account for 80 percent of diagnoses, however, it is not well understood what influencing factors are behind the other 20 percent of cases. 

Previous findings were mixed in regards to marital status and heart disease, so the researchers reviewed data from 225 past studies which were published between 1963 and 2015. 

The studies involved more than two million people aged 42 to 77 from Europe, Scandinavia, North America, the Middle East and Asia and the researchers focused on 34 out of the 225 studies reviewed. 

After analyzing the data, the researchers found significant evidence showing that marital status influences heart disease risk. 

People who were never married, widowed, or divorced were 42 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and 16 percent more likely to develop coronary artery heart disease. 

Divorce correlated with a 35 percent higher risk of developing heart disease in both men and women and widows were 16 percent more likely to have a stroke. 

Never being married was associated with higher risk of death following a heart attack or stroke. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marriage-increased-happiness-later/">The security that marriage provides </a>could explain why marital status impacts heart disease risk. Being married may lead to earlier recognition of health problems, having more satisfaction in life, and financial security. 

Whatever, the reasons, the study shows that marital status can have a large impact on heart health but there are limitations to the study. 

Even though it is the largest study of its kind to assess heart disease risk and marital status, the research did not include data from same-sex relationships, quality of marriage, or living with a partner but not being married. 

“Future research should focus around whether marital status is a surrogate marker for other adverse health behavior or cardiovascular risk profiles that underlies our reported findings or whether marital status should be considered as a risk factor by itself,” state the authors. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Marital status found to impact heart health

A new study has revealed that marriage may decrease the...

Thousands of hectares of rainforest are cleared each year to meet the growing global demand for palm oil. Indonesia and Malaysia collectively produce nearly 85 percent of the world's palm oil, and one study reports that Indonesia had the highest rate of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deforestation-amazon-fish-yields/">deforestation</a> in 2012.

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.epfl.ch/">École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne</a> (EPFL) have analyzed the carbon costs and benefits of converting rainforests into oil palm plantations. 

The study was based on over two years of data on the soil and vegetation in central Sumatra, which was collected by the University of Göttingen. The team compared the impact of oil palm monoculture with that of both intensive and extensive rubber cultivation practices.


The experts report that converting rainforest into oil palm plantations leads to the largest carbon emissions, finding that one hectare of converted land corresponds with a loss of 174 tons of carbon. According to the researchers, most of this carbon will find its way into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. 

“The quantity of carbon released when just one hectare of forest is cleared to grow oil palms is roughly equivalent to the amount of carbon produced by 530 people flying from Geneva to New York in economy class,” said study lead author Thomas Guillaume.

The amount of carbon loss identified in this study is significantly higher than the estimate published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This figure is also higher than that which is reported by sustainable palm oil certification bodies. 

In addition, the team found that intensive rubber farming is associated with a loss of 159 tons of carbon per hectare, while extensive rubber production is associated with 116 tons. 

“The quantity of biomass that humans take away in order to produce palm oil compared to the quantity left for the ecosystem sheds real doubt on the sustainability of this form of farming,” said Guillaume.

The study authors have made some recommendations to reduce the short-term environmental impact of both rubber tree and oil palm monocultures. They say that deforestation should be permitted only if the wood can be re-used without being burned. The experts also suggest that a more abundant layer of vegetation should be left on the ground as a natural fertilizer. Furthermore, the waste from palm oil mills should be put back into the soil as another form of fertilizer.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Growing demand for palm oil means deforestation, carbon emissions

Thousands of hectares of rainforest are cleared each year to...

Over a decade ago, I was a mountain biking director at a summer camp in South Dakota right out of high school.  By that time, I’d ridden the Kokopelli Trail in Moab piece by piece. The Kokopelli Trail is 139 miles long; 15% of which is single track, much of the rest of which is shared with off road Jeeps and ATVs.  I’d also done a handful of rides both on and off roads in Colorado. I’d been biking enough to enjoy it, but I wasn’t then and am not now an expert at mountain biking, just good enough to take a few kids on rides and teach the basics.  

I learned early on that there was a strange conundrum involved in mountain biking unlike few other sports.  I went on a field trip in a high school environmental science class to a controversial wilderness study area.  The sandstone on trails in the area was clearly scored by hundreds or thousands of mountain bike tires, to the point of being rutted into the exact size of a bike tire track.  If the area became a wilderness area, it would mean banning bikers forever. That’s the heart of the strange conflict of interest involved in mountain biking, the Wilderness Act of 1964 is clear about banning bikes in Section 4 C, “there shall be…no use of motor vehicles, motorized equipment”…and “no other form of mechanical transport…”

On a mountain bike, I generally feel much more comfortable sharing the trail with hikers or horses than with jeeps or ATVs.  As a hiker, I’ve shared trails with mountain bikers many times and mostly they’re considerate and polite. I’d much rather share a walking trail with bikers than with cars or other motorized traffic.  I also feel solitude is important. I feel a slower more contemplative pace is important.

A bill introduced to congress by Republican senator Mike Lee would change how wilderness designation is viewed.  In the early days after the Wilderness Act was passed, it was debated whether bicycles should be allowed in wilderness areas. It wasn’t until 1984, 20 years after the initial bill was passed, that the Forest Service permanently banned bikes.  There are some biking advocates who feel that the intention of the law was never to ban mountain bikes, which have only grown in popularity by leaps and bounds since the law was written. The same logic could be applied to drones, as I read on <a href="http://jmpeltier.com">jmpeltier.com</a>, a photography blog, 

“So some people say, “well, that motorized thing was intended for manned aircraft and ground vehicles.  They couldn’t have envisioned personal drones in 1964. I can certainly fly a small camera around.””

As the blog goes on to say though, the point isn’t the technology available when the law was written, but the timeless concept of connecting to a wilder, rawer nature.  The law was intended to protect solitude and freedom in ways few other laws have ever attempted. I personally would find hitting a drone with a load of bird shot completely justified if buzzed by one in the backcountry, especially a designated wilderness area.  

It’s also worth noting that Mike Lee, the Republican senator of Utah who sponsored the bill to allow mountain bikes in wilderness areas, has a measly 8% lifetime rating from the League of Conservation Voters.  

Mike Lee’s bill, HR 1349 is summed up in part on <a href="https://www.congress.gov/">congress.gov</a> this way,

 “This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (with respect to National Forest System land) and the Department of the Interior (with respect to public land) to authorize relevant local officials to determine all permissible forms of recreational use by nonmotorized transportation methods over any permitted routes within their jurisdictions.”

It’s not hard to imagine that the real goal behind the bill is to undermine wilderness ethics and capitalize on fractures already forming in the environmental movement, creating even more divisions and weakening it.  Indeed, as reported in <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/2009216/mountain-biker-and-wilderness-relationship-its-complicated">outsideonline.com</a> the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) was working with PEW, the Wilderness Society and the Idaho Conservation League to ask for a 500,000 acre National Monument in Idaho.  

Idaho Republican Congressman Mike Simpson went further, working through congress to create a wilderness area that was signed into law by president Obama in August 2015.  The law created a 275,000 acre wilderness area, and shut mountain bikers out of trails they’d long ridden. Mike Simpson has a 7% lifetime rating from the League of Conservation Voters; it seems likely he had ulterior motives in supporting wilderness designation, beyond conservation.  Republicans by in large hate executive powers used to create National Monuments and this was a way to undermine executive authority in a way while seeming to champion conservation. Creating a wilderness also disenfranchised mountain bikers who were working with conservation groups to protect an area they were already enjoying.         

Mountain bikes in wilderness areas are part of the bigger question of how bikes and mountain bikers fit into the environment and the environmental community.  Hiking and hikers have long been sacrosanct as part of a greater land ethic, the same is true for canoes, rafts, kayaks and even to some degree surf boards, and sail boats. 

It’s worth noting though that rock climbing was at one point quite destructive, using placed pitons that permanently marred many climbing routes.  It was inventions like modern cams that made climbing compatible with modern outdoor leave no trace ethics. I think it’s reasonable to consider the impact of permanently placed bolts on sport climbing routes too; those permanently alter the landscape for everyone and only benefit a minority of outdoor users.  Mountain bikes usually don’t change the landscape in such an obvious way as climbing bolts. Mountain bikes do bring in more people though. If a trail is only for hikers, there are unquestionably less users on it than if it’s a mixed use trail. There are some mountain biking trails too though that make them unsuitable for hiking. 

I remember visiting a trail near Palisade Colorado with my fiancé Erin. We were unaware to the degree it was used by mountain bikers but we decided we’d never hike it again.  It’s not a good hiking experience to move off trail every minute or so for bikers. The bikers were happy to accommodate us as the only hikers and were quite friendly, it was simply too crowded. 

At the same time, mountain bikers can like hikers, climbers, skiers and other outdoor people be rallied to protect land from traditional environment enemies like extraction companies.  Adventure Projects, a company now owned by REI, creates maps that can be used through GPS function on smartphones. The company purposefully sent employees to the contentious Bear’s Ears National Monument to create maps, including mountain biking maps.  The maps were to support outdoor recreation in the area in opposition of extraction leases. 

According to an article on <a href="http://www.takepart.com/feature/2016/12/02/bears-ears-national-monument">TakePart</a>, the company has so far mapped 24,546 bike rides in 30 countries.  With places like Bear’s Ears, it’s argued that more users who care about the area, the more allies are available to fight for protection.  The problem becomes more complicated when solitude, desolation and even cultural landscapes are part of what is trying to be protected.

In the midst of all of this  is the documentary Shift, a film I saw at an outdoor film fest a couple years back.  The film focuses on a Native community in the Yukon, where traditional trails on Montana Mountain were converted into a world class mountain biking trail system.  The film shows all the positives of creating mountain biking trails, economic development for local communities, personal development for young locals building trails.  The trails themselves are maintained and the landscape around them is preserved. 

There are some locals who feel biking trails used to draw tourists are inappropriate though.  I feel a bit squeamish when economics is used as a large benefit to developing a ‘natural’ environment in a certain way, it’s the same argument used for opening mines, or logging.  It’s also interesting that the area in the film is one important to Native Americans, just as Bear’s Ears is. It may be that to a certain degree Native Americans and mountain bikers are finding allies with each other in ways that neither group is able to ally with traditional conservationists.  Mountain biking isn’t as destructive as mineral extraction or logging but it also isn’t hiking. How far environmentalists and Native Americans are willing to work with mountain bikers and what priorities bikers set for the land will be a big part of how land <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/conservation-goals-protect-ecosystems/">conservation</a> will look in the future?

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Should mountain biking be included in wilderness areas?

Over a decade ago, I was a mountain biking director...

Researchers at the <a href="https://uiowa.edu/">University of Iowa</a> are developing technology that may help to prevent fatalities among pedestrians who are struck by vehicles while texting. 

A team led by Dr. Pooya Rahimian produced a computer model of a busy highway to investigate the use of loud cell phone alerts to inform pedestrians who were approaching an unsafe intersection while <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/texting-pain-neck-literally/">texting</a>.

The study was focused on 48 participants and more than 300 road-crossing trials in a 3-D immersive pedestrian simulator. The researchers found that loud warning signals were somewhat effective in changing the behavior among distracted pedestrians who were texting.

The group of individuals who received the alerts were more cautious compared to the group of study participants who did not receive the alerts. On the other hand, the team was concerned to find that - even after receiving a warning signal - the individuals never changed their course once they had entered the roadway.

This is consistent with previous research which demonstrated that it is difficult for the brain to stop actions once they have been initiated. In addition, the pedestrians in the warning group spent less time observing the traffic, indicating that they were relying too much on the cell phone alerts.

“Real-time information about when roads are safe or dangerous to cross could aid pedestrians in making good crossing decisions,” wrote the study authors. “However, there are significant challenges in the development of sensor technology to reliably and accurately measure traffic conditions and movement initiation in time to prevent collisions.”


Road safety for pedestrians and cyclists could be dramatically improved by new sensing and communications technologies. Before this can be happen, however, additional research is needed to determine how and when roadway information can be most effectively delivered to individuals who are in harm's way on the road.

The research is published in <a href="http://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/journal/human-factors">Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society</a>.

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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

Cell phone alerts can help reduce texting pedestrian fatalities

Researchers at the University of Iowa are developing technology that...

A new study published by the <a href="https://www.srcd.org/">Society for Research in Child Development</a> has revealed that children may be spared from the negative outcome of living with squabbling parents when they have positive relationships with siblings. The findings of the research suggest that the sibling bond acts as a buffer from family conflict.

Hostility between parents in the home leads to mental health issues among many children, while others do not seem to suffer the same psychological consequences. The researchers set out to investigate how some children are protected from these harmful effects.

Patrick T. Davies is a professor of Psychology at the <a href="https://www.rochester.edu/">University of Rochester</a> who led the study.

“Most children not only grow up with a sibling but spend more time interacting with siblings than with any other family member,” said Professor Davies. 

“We showed that having a good relationship with a brother or sister reduced heightened vulnerability for youth exposed to conflicts between their parents by decreasing their tendencies to experience distress in response to later disagreements between their parents.” 

The study was focused on 236 families, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-using-marijuana/">children</a> were assessed when they were 12, 13, and 14 years old.


Parents were observed firsthand and also asked to report on any topics of disagreement. The quality of sibling relationships was measured by interviews with the mothers, who answered questions about conflict and closeness between their children. Psychological problems among the children were described by the children themselves, their teachers, and their mothers.

The study revealed that children who witnessed conflict between their parents had greater distressed responses to conflicts a year later. This heightened stress response, in turn, predicted mental health problems among the adolescents in the following year.

However, teens who had witnessed conflict but had good relationships with their siblings were protected from elevated distress, and were are ultimately spared from the associated mental health complications. These protective effects were found regardless of gender or age.

Study co-author Meredith Martin is an assistant professor of Psychology at the <a href="https://www.unl.edu/">University of Nebraska-Lincoln</a>.

“Relationships with siblings protected teens whether we defined a good bond as one that included warmth and problem-solving skills or one that had low levels of destructive conflict or disengagement,” said Professor Martin.

“Strengthening sibling relationships may not only directly foster children's psychological adjustment, but also offer new approaches to counteracting the risks associated with experiencing hostility and unresolved conflicts between parents.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/index.html">Child Development</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Strong sibling bonds help buffer against conflict between parents

A new study published by the Society for Research in...

A team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/en/">Medical University of Vienna</a> has developed a saliva test that can identify whether or not an individual is at risk of becoming burned out at work. The technique measures levels of cortisol, which can be boosted to dangerous levels by chronic stress.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cortisol-indicate-stressed/">Cortisol</a> is produced in the body to help regulate processes such as metabolism and immune response. When people are under extreme stress, this hormone persists in higher concentrations.Burnout from your job can be detected in your saliva

Elevated cortisol levels have been referred to by some experts as “public health enemy number one,” due to an association with many serious health issues including lower immune function, higher blood pressure and cholesterol, weight gain, and heart disease. Cortisol excess also increases the risk of depression and mental illness.

The Austrian researchers used clinical trials to investigate the accuracy of the saliva tests. The study was focused on 66 participants, who submitted saliva samples and reported on work-related stress through surveys.

While similar tests have been conducted using saliva samples that were obtained in the morning, the researchers speculated that samples obtained in the evening would be more reliable. This is because cortisol is produced naturally in the morning, but persists into the evening hours among those who are chronically stressed.

The experts conducted saliva swabs between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and then again just before bedtime. The study revealed that all 40 participants who reported high levels of stress at work showed significantly higher levels of cortisol in both samples. The test was found to be nearly 100 percent accurate, but further trials will be needed to confirm this accuracy.

The researchers said that the stress markers identified in their research can be used for the preventive diagnosis of people who are at a greater risk of burnout. Detecting and treating chronic stress could not only lessen the effects of work burnout, but could also dramatically improve an individual’s physical and mental health.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/scientificreports">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Burnout from your job can be detected in your saliva

A team of scientists from the Medical University of Vienna...

At least 30 giant hogweed plants have been found in Virginia for the first time, prompting officials to warn that the weed can cause severe burns.

Giant hogweed is an invasive plant from the <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=458">Caucasus area in West Asia</a>, and although it was first planted for its aesthetic look, it’s sap can cause serious burns and blindness. 

Virginia is now one of the few states in the US where the plant has been found, and it can grow over 14 feet tall with large white flower clusters that can reach 2 and a half feet in diameter. 

The plant, also known as Heracleum mantegazzianum, has a watery sap that makes the skin extremely sensitive to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-sunny-fire-danger/">sun</a>. Chemical compounds called <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72556.html">photosensitizing furanocoumarins in the sap can cause phytophotodermatitis</a> resulting in third-degree blisters and burns when the sap comes in contact with skin. 

It’s advised to immediately wash the affected area and limit sun exposure for 48 hours after coming in contact with the plant because of how sensitive the skin is due to the sap. 

It can also cause blindness as well, and healing from the burns can take years according to environmental officials in Virginia. 

“Giant hogweed makes poison ivy look like a walk in the park,” said an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iwcva/posts/1889433494410724">official Facebook post </a>from the Isle of Wight County where the plants were recently discovered. 

The plant’s sap is so hazardous that it can only be handled with protective clothing and gloves. Mowing or cutting the plant only increases the risk of it spreading or growing back.

It has been listed as a noxious weed by the <a href="https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=hema17">United States Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation resources</a> and has been found along West and East Coast states. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Invasive plant that causes third-degree burns found in Virginia

At least 30 giant hogweed plants have been found in...

A new study found that inland fisheries are underreporting how many fish are caught and consumed each year. 

The research shows that food reports and data meant to keep track of where the world’s food is going and coming from underestimates how much inland fisheries supply to low-income countries.

Fish are an important source of protein, however, researchers from the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison </a>conducted a study to show that harvest reports from inland fisheries are unreliable and based on insufficient monitoring. 

Every year, food production reports are sent to the <a href="http://www.fao.org/home/en/">Food And Agriculture Organization</a>, a part of the <a href="http://www.un.org/en/">United Nations</a>, and these reports make up a large part of how we understand and track global food security. 

Given the importance of accurate food reports for food security and preventing starvation and malnutrition, the study emphasizes the need for better harvest records of inland fisheries. 

The results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Part of the reason inland fisheries have a difficult time reporting accurate harvests is that the majority of fisheries are small-scale operations located in low-income countries. 

Some of the fish harvested in these areas are for personal consumption and not sold which means that they are not reported to the UN. 

“Subsistence fishers may not rely on fishing as their primary occupation for their livelihood and then they might consume some or all their catch within their household, so the fish never enters any formal value chain,” said Etienne Fluet-Chouinard, the lead author of the study. 

To better understand the role inland fisheries play in local and global food chains, the researchers reviewed Household Consumption Expenditure Surveys which are conducted as a way to estimate living standards. 

Data from over half a million surveys in 42 low and middle-income countries were considered for the study, and the researchers found that people were catching far more fish than was being reported every year. 

The 42 countries were underestimating their harvests by 65 percent. 

“Approximately one out of every three fish caught is not showing up in the national statistics,” said Fluet-Chouinard. “In a lot of those countries, the resource is important because it is an open-access resource, so even disenfranchised groups can tap it as a source of animal protein.

Fluet-Chouinard notes that it's possible that nearly 200 million people are getting all their animal protein from rivers and lakes. 

The results are extremely problematic because the Food And Agriculture Organization relies on reports to make decisions about management and sustainability, and if these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-is-affecting-inland-fish-across-north-america/">fisheries become threatened,</a> many people would lose their main source of protein. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Inland fishery harvests are drastically underreported

A new study found that inland fisheries are underreporting how...

A study published in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2684596?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social_jama&amp;utm_term=1585129396&amp;utm_content=followers-article_engagement-image_stock&amp;utm_campaign=article_alert&amp;linkId=52856999">The Journal of the American Medical Association</a> this week examined the health effects of President Donald Trump’s environmental policies. The Trump administration’s attacks on environmental protections have been made clear, but this new research provides a glimpse of the human costs of these policies.

According to the authors, the administration has already reversed or proposed to reverse more than 60 environmental rules. With such a large scale overhaul of environmental protections it is sadly not surprising that there will be negative consequences.

The study found that the largest health consequence will be a result of changes to air quality policies. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt has issued a proposed repeal to a rule limiting greenhouse-gas emissions from existing power plans under the Clean Power Plan. The Clean Power Plan was a signature policy in Obama’s work to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The study estimated that the proposed rule would lead to “an estimated 36 000 deaths each decade and nearly 630 000 cases of respiratory infection in children alone.”

The Trump administration’s disapproval of policies controlling air pollution from motor vehicles could also have huge ramifications. 

According to the study, “Nothing formal has been proposed, but Trump has spoken about rolling back new rules put in place by the Obama administration. Based on the regulatory impact analysis performed when those rules were proposed, it was estimated that they would lead to a reduction of 5500 deaths and 140 000 cases of respiratory ailments in children over a decade—benefits that would be lost if the rules are rolled back.”

The planned repeal of emission requirements for glider vehicles would also result in negative impacts. The EPA describes glider vehicles as “cab assembly that is generally produced by a vehicle manufacturer without a new engine, transmission, or rear axle.” 

Most of these vehicles use engines from 2001 or older which do not meet current environmental standards. This repeal could cost as many as 41,000 premature deaths per decade and 900,000 cases of respiratory tract symptoms.

While the study was able to quantify the costs of many policies, the authors point out areas where it is still difficult to assess the human impacts.

Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement will likely cause deaths across the United States from increased and<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricanes-stronger-climate-change/"> stronger natural disasters</a>, rising sea levels and heat-related illnesses, among other reasons.

The authors conclude, “Overall, an extremely conservative estimate is that the Trump environmental agenda is likely to cost the lives of over 80 000 US residents per decade and lead to respiratory problems for many more than 1 million people. This sobering statistic captures only a small fraction of the cumulative public health damages associated with the full range of rollbacks and systemic actions proposed by the Trump administration.”

The Trump administration’s attack on environmental policy will also affect other areas such as clean jobs, consumer savings and wildlife protection.

While the results of this study are grave, it can also serve as a reminder for us to work to ensure harmful environmental policies are not approved.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a> <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Trump environmental policies could cost 80,000 deaths per decade

A study published in The Journal of the American Medical...

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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

[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?

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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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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



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Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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