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...

Can living near wind turbines have an effect your health?  Wind turbines are one of the more promising sources of clean renewable energy to gain prominence in recent years – but they’re not without their critics. Complaints about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/military-tech-wind-turbines/">turbines</a> range from them being an eyesore to being a health issue for those who live near them. Recently, a team of researchers from the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto</a> published an analysis of how residential distance from wind turbines affects people’s health.

People who live near wind turbines often claim that their quality of life is disturbed by the shadow flicker, audible sounds, and subaudible sound pressure levels that come from the turbines. Researchers report their investigation of these claims through reanalysis of data collected for the “Community Noise and Health Study” by Statistics Canada in the <a href="https://asa.scitation.org/journal/jas">Journal of the Acoustical Society of America</a>.

“The Community Noise and Health Study generated data useful for studying the relationship between wind turbine exposures and human health – including annoyance and sleep disturbances,” says Rebecca Barry, an author on the paper. “Their original results examined modeled wind turbine noise based on a variety of factors – source sound power, distance, topography and meteorology, among others.”

The earlier study from Statistics Canada did not find a direct link between residents’ distance from wind turbines and sleep disturbances, blood pressure, or stress. But this new analysis found that survey respondents who lived closer to wind turbines reported lower ratings for environmental quality of life.

“Respondents who live in areas with higher levels of modeled sound values (40 to 46 decibels) reported more annoyance than respondents in areas with lower levels of modeled sound values (&lt;25 dB),” Barry said. The survey’s respondents who lived closer to the turbines “were more likely to report being annoyed than respondents who live further away.”

However, the authors do note that their cross-sectional study cannot determine whether the respondents were dissatisfied before the wind turbines were installed.  

“Wind turbines might have been placed in locations where residents were already concerned about their environmental quality of life,” says Sandra Sulsky, a researcher from <a href="http://www.ramboll.com/">Ramboll</a>, the engineering company that funded this study. “Also, as is the case with all surveys, the respondents who chose to participate may have viewpoints or experiences that differ from those who chose not to participate. Survey respondents may have participated precisely to express their dissatisfaction, while those who did not participate might not have concerns about the turbines.”

This more recent study was unable to determine if exposure to wind turbines actually has a tangible impact on human health. But they propose that future studies should measure the residents’ perceptions and concerns before and after wind turbine installation, in order to better clarify the effects that turbines may have on the lives of those living in close proximity.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Can living near wind turbines have an effect your health?

Can living near wind turbines have an effect your health? ...

For many working in higher education, end-of-course-evaluation of teaching (SETs) surveys have become a central part of the academic year. 

SETs are widely used and taken extremely seriously by faculties when it comes to evaluating a professor’s teaching prowess. The evaluations can even factor in decision making for academic recruitment, distribution of school funds, and changes made to educational curricula. 

As popular as the evaluations are, there are some criticisms that teacher evaluations may not be an accurate assessment of the quality of course material. 

Now, a new study found that SETs can be easily manipulated and that simply rewarding students with chocolate cookies can result in higher evaluations. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uni-muenster.de/en/">University Hospital of Muenster</a> in Germany conducted the study. 

The researchers wanted to examine the validity of SETs and see if a simple intervention by the teachers being evaluated could influence results. 

To test this, the research team split 118 undergraduate third-year medical <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/many-students-skip-breakfast/">students</a> into 20 groups. 

During the first four sessions of an emergency medicine class (a typical part of a medical student’s curriculum) ten groups were given 500 grams of chocolate cookies. The other ten groups represented the control groups and were not given any sweets. 

After the class sessions, all the students completed a 38 question evaluation survey which covered the instructor, course contents, teaching materials, and a self-assessment. 

Those groups that had been given cookies during class gave their teacher higher evaluations than those groups who had not gotten any cookies. The groups with the chocolate cookies also rated the teaching materials better and overall scores were higher than the control group. 

These worrying results show how easily manipulated course evals can be, and suggest that they may not be the best way to measure course materials and content. 

In fact, the study matches other research that has found environmental factors, the attractiveness of the teacher, and grading leniency can all influence SETs results. 

“Consequently, a higher student satisfaction does not necessarily correlate with a higher quality of education,” the authors note. “These findings question the validity of SETs when used to make widespread decisions within the faculty.” 

Teachers may want to take this study to heart and find ways to control their SETs with treats or easy grading, particularly when SETs play such an integral part of faculty decisions. 

“Students' end-of-course feedback and evaluation of teaching and teachers (SET) has become a standard tool for measuring 'quality' of curricular high-grade education courses,” said Manuel Wenk, a leader of the research. “The results of these evaluations often form the basis for far-reaching decisions by the academic faculty, such as changes to the curriculum, the promotion of teachers, the tenure of academic appointments, the distribution of funds and merit pay, and the choice of staff. So this is a totally inadequate tool to measure quality if you can mess with the system that easily!”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Offering chocolate cookies found to improve evaluation scores

For many working in higher education, end-of-course-evaluation of teaching (SETs)...

<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> reported on October 24, 2010 that there was finally a price tag on the loss of natural resources in the world.  A second article by <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> continues the discussion about the value of nature, stating, 

“The natural world supports the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people the world over. It also provides the foundations upon which all the world's major corporate enterprises are built…The majority of businesses, for example, would struggle to survive without clean and accessible water.”

It is true that businesses depend on natural resources for their income.  Many people see businesses recognizing the ‘cost’ to the natural world of their practices as a good thing.  An example <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> used was calculating the cost of converting mangroves to a shrimp farm in Thailand.  In the end, after taking into account the mangrove’s role in buffering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-maria-real-death-toll/">hurricanes</a> and other factors, it’s not profitable to destroy mangroves to create a shrimp farm.  The profit from selling shrimp just doesn’t equal the financial benefit of the mangroves. 

As ‘resources’ become scarcer, it’s inevitable that the cost of wonton waste will go up.  It’s also natural that businesses trying to limit their financial loss may see the benefits of protecting ‘resources’.  As the human population living on earth continues to skyrocket, things like food and water become harder to find. If you can’t find water, you’re not going to be doing any sort of business and you won’t make profit, this much is common sense.  Part of the problem is that there is more incentive to protect things like clean water, which everyone needs to survive and no incentive to protect say, wild tigers which may endanger profits and even human life.

A rise in consumer consciousness over loss of biodiversity, global climate change, and other issues has also made companies pay more attention.  <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> uses fishing as an example of rising cost, regulating fisheries has become necessary for the long term survival of fishes and indeed the fishing industry.

I have experience working in fisheries management in Alaska, where individual fishermen have opted into a system of being taxed which pays for fishery management.  In a system like Alaska’s, the financial cost of fish depletion has been taken on by the fishermen themselves and the system has been made rather sustainable. Part of the problem here is that the incentive isn’t for nature with a light human touch but heavily managed nature for the sole benefit of human desire.  For instance the organization I worked for in Alaska was also involved in introducing salmon to river systems where salmon didn’t historically breed. Another problem is that others damage to fish populations isn’t inflicted only by fishermen but also by pollution, development, etc. These minor matters aren’t the true heart of the economics problem.  

The disastrous BP gulf oil highlights some of the problems of equating nature to a price tag.  Seafood processors, oystermen and shrimpers were awarded almost a billion dollars in losses, according to an article in <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/">Independent</a>.  The initial award was even greater until it was found that a lawyer created a false roster of clients he supposedly represented, using the identities of dead people and even a dog.  BP agreed to pay the final amount awarded of $94.7 million, and while this may seem like a huge win for gulf coast residence dependent on seafood for a living, the loss doesn’t end with them.  Fines BP ended up paying were even greater, on January 16 of this year, according to The Balance, BP announced to take a charge of $1.7 billion for expenses related to their spill and on September 2014, and BP was fined $18 billion under the Clean Water Act.

The problem isn’t so much that BP didn’t pay enough so much as there’s no price that can be paid.  It’s understood by most people that no amount of money can bring back a dead loved one. It’s similarly true that no amount of money can bring back healthy oceans, wetlands, bird or fish populations.  The BP oil spill caused lung diseases in bottlenose dolphins, developmental problems in fish, and left oil residue that will remain in some amount for an untold amount of time. 

Animals died.  Habitat has been lost.  The world will never be quite the same.  In the end, BP and other corporations can wreak so much damage precisely because there is a predictable cost associated with it.  Drilling in a dangerous, cost cutting way is speculative investment. BP doesn’t suffer the damage, it doesn’t lose its beautiful home or life, BP only writes out some checks.  There’s plenty of propaganda that BP uses too, acting as if cleaning up part of the mess they made was a charitable act. The statement on BP’s website on April 15 2014, announcing the end of active cleanup work is a perfect example of what I mean; here’s a taste,

““Reaching this milestone is the result of the extraordinary efforts of thousands of people from BP, local communities, government agencies, and academic institutions working together,” said John Mingé, Chairman and President of BP America.  “Immediately following the Deepwater Horizon accident, BP committed to cleaning the shoreline and supporting the Gulf’s economic and environmental recovery. Completing active cleanup is further indication that we are keeping that commitment.””

Considering BP’s inability to prevent a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it’s startling that in 2017, BP had another leak in Alaska’s Arctic, when a broken oil well started spewing natural gas.  The leak was controlled relatively quickly and there was little damage but it could’ve been much worse and in the Arctic, the stakes are even higher than in the Gulf of Mexico. 

It’s easy to imagine the same philosophy of paying for damage being applied by a whole host of businesses to cover the normal environmental damage occurred regularly and it is.  Cap and Trade is based on this idea. Annie Leonard, proponent of sustainability and critic of consumerism, pointed out many of the problems with cap and trade. Under a global plan for cap and trade on carbon emissions, poorer countries that didn’t initially create the greenhouse gas problem will suffer most, burdened with an unfair amount of the cost.  The biggest polluters are also awarded the most carbon credits initially and cheating in offsetting carbon is incentivized.

I would argue that any time money becomes a major part of motivation, morals become perverted.  If economic incentives can bring us people who are literally willing to blow the tops off mountains for money, how can we expect it to protect wild nature?  The effects of environmental damage can outlast companies too. 

The Gold King Mine near Silverton Colorado was closed in 1923 but EPA contractors caused the release of toxins from the mine into the Animas River watershed.  The EPA claimed responsibility for the spill but refused to pay anything for it, claiming sovereign immunity, an antiquated law that once allowed monarchs immunity to the legal repercussions of their actions.  Other mines in the area had already severely impacted the Animas watershed’s animal and plant life but this spill was particularly bad, entailing 3 million gallons of waste being dumped into the environment. 

This is especially sad to me as I love the area surrounding the Animas River; it’s not far from the location of my first backpacking trip.  This is an area of mountains, elk and bear, a place that deserves clean water. Even the human cost in these areas is very real, contaminated water isn’t safe to drink.  The Denver Post reported in April 2016 that there are at least 230 other old mines leaking heavy metal waste into rivers in the state and the problem only continues downstream.  According to The Denver Post, the overall output of these mines equals one Gold King Mine disaster every two days.  I wonder what the unknown cost in health, human, animal environmental is for all the toxic waste quietly seeping into rivers?  When the cost is measured in dollars, who foots a bill when those responsible are bankrupt or dead? 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Reducing Earth to a price tag: How economics devalues nature

BBC reported on October 24, 2010 that there was finally...

In theory, combating climate change is simple: reduce the world’s carbon emissions, find a way to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, and transition to sustainable, renewable and efficient sources of energy. Easy, right?

Sadly, even though the Paris Accord and other similar efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change have seen worldwide support, we’re still quite a ways from seeing substantial policy changes to reduce global warming.

Part of what makes climate change policies so difficult to implement are the rising demands for energy coupled with the need to raise living standards in developing countries in Africa, Asia, and South America. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.iiasa.ac.at/">International Institute for Applied Systems </a>shows for the first time that it is possible to limit global warming and still meet the <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300">United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals</a> for the global South. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Energy, and the results outline ways to limit global warming to 1.5 Degrees Celsius by dramatically changing the way we travel, heat and cool homes, and use smart technology. 

“A rapid downsizing of the global energy system between now and 2050 makes it much more feasible to transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewables and electricity to provide for development needs while limiting the impacts of climate change,” said Charlie Wilson, the study’s co-author. 

For the study, the researchers examined a wide range of available technologies and innovations that could help reduce emissions if they became mainstream. 

The researchers compared these innovations to studies of energy use in transportation, homes, offices, and manufacturing and discovered that a 2-4 fold reduction in energy was possible while still meeting rising energy demands. 

Some possibilities to improve energy efficiency include putting vehicles with increased occupancy on the road, investing more in single digital technology like smartphones, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cities-combat-climate-change/">renovating homes to reduce heating and cooling costs</a>, and urging people to eat less red meat. 

With significant efforts from policymakers to reduce global energy demand by 40 percent by 2050, the researchers discovered that it would be possible to meet the world’s energy needs and mitigate climate change.

“Not only does our scenario show how to meet the 1.5°C climate target based on evidence on what is already possible, it also shows how this dramatic reversal in global emission trends supports a wide range of development objectives in the global South, from rising living standards to cleaner air and improved health,” said Wilson. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lifestyle changes can limit global warming, meet mitigation goals

In theory, combating climate change is simple: reduce the world’s...

Losing sleep affects more than just human health and could even cost a country’s economy, according to a new study that calculated the economic costs of inadequate sleep in Australia. 

More than one in three adults worldwide report difficulties with quality sleep, and it’s a growing public health problem. Sleep surveys have shown that between 33 and 45 percent of adults in Australia complain of inadequate sleep. 

Other western countries report similar numbers, with 35 percent of U.S adults, 30 percent of Canadians, 37 percent of adults in the UK, and 26 percent of adults in France all complaining of insufficient sleep. 

Not getting enough sleep can <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-impacts-performance/">impair focus and alertness</a>, reduce motivation, and affect memory as well as increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke, obesity, and depression. 

But now, a new study led by researchers from the <a href="https://www.uwa.edu.au/">University of Western Australia</a> shows that not getting enough sleep also has steep economic ramifications. 

The results were published in the journal Sleep and suggest that governments should invest in efforts to make sure people are getting enough sleep, as sleep loss could result in substantial economic losses. 

For the study, the researchers measured the economic consequences of limited sleep times in Australia which they defined as “difficulties with sleep initiation, maintenance or quality associated with the presence of impaired daytime alertness” at least several days a week. 

Both financial and non-financial cost data collected from national surveys were analyzed for the research. Financial costs can refer to health care, productivity losses, costs of vehicle accidents while non-financial costs referred to the impacts to well-being. 

The results showed that in Australia, lack of sleep cost the country’s economy $17.88 billion and the non-financial cost of reduced well-being was $27.33 billion. 

$17.88 billion represents 1.55 percent of the Australian gross domestic product which shows how much inadequate sleep costs the country’s economy. 

Due to the similar numbers of adults who report sleep loss in other nations, it’s likely that other countries suffer comparable economic losses which just further emphasizes the need for health measures meant to reduce sleep loss worldwide. 

“We are in the midst of a worldwide epidemic of inadequate sleep, some from clinical sleep disorders, some through pressure from competing work, social and family activities and some from failure to give sleep sufficient priority through choice or ignorance,” said the researchers. “Apart from its impact on well-being, this problem comes at a huge economic cost through its destructive effects on health, safety, and productivity. Addressing the issue by education, regulation, and other initiatives is likely to deliver substantial economic as well as health benefits.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleep loss can cost a country’s economy billions of dollars

Losing sleep affects more than just human health and could...

A new study led by the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> has found that there will be a dramatic decline in the demand for fossil fuels in the near future, driven by a major global shift in power and transportation technology.

The findings of the study indicate that this decline is imminent, and will occur regardless of investor confidence in fossil fuel stocks or the adoption of climate policies.

“Our analysis suggests that, contrary to investor expectations, the stranding of fossil fuels assets may happen even without new climate policies,” explained study co-author Professor Jorge Viñuales. “This suggests a carbon bubble is forming and it is likely to burst.”

“Individual nations cannot avoid the situation by ignoring the Paris Agreement or burying their heads in coal and tar sands. For too long, global climate policy has been seen as a prisoner's dilemma game, where some nations can do nothing and get a 'free ride' on the efforts of others. Our results show this is no longer the case.”


The international team of economists and policy experts produced detailed simulations which revealed that this fall in demand has the potential to leave massive fossil fuel reserves as “stranded assets” that will abruptly drop in value before the year 2035.


A decline in the price of fossil fuel of this magnitude could cause a huge “carbon bubble” built on long-term investments to burst. According to the experts, the equivalent of one to four trillion US dollars could be wiped off the global economy in fossil fuel assets alone.

The researchers are reporting that there will be massive losses for some countries and huge gains for others.


Many nations across the European Union, as well as Japan and China, rely on costly fossil fuel imports to meet energy needs. These countries stand to save a lot of money with the right investment in low-carbon technologies, while boosting their economy and increasing jobs in sustainable industries.

On the other hand, major carbon exporters with relatively high production costs - including Canada, the United States, and Russia - would see domestic fossil fuel industries collapse.

“Until now, observers mostly paid attention to the likely effectiveness of climate policies, but not to the ongoing and effectively irreversible technological transition,” said study lead author Dr. Jean-Francois Mercure.

The researchers also found that the current rate of fossil fuel production combined with major declines in demand could cause an initial US$4 trillion of fossil fuel assets to be completely wiped out.

“If we are to defuse this time-bomb in the global economy, we need to move promptly but cautiously,” said study co-author Hector Pollitt. “The carbon bubble must be deflated before it becomes too big, but progress must also be carefully managed.

The study authors say that it is critical for countries to diversify their energy supplies and investment portfolios.

“Divestment from fossil fuels is both a prudential and necessary thing to do,” said Dr. Mercure. “Investment and pension funds need to evaluate how much of their money is in fossil fuel assets and reassess the risk they are taking.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Carbon bubble will burst as fossil fuel demand plummets

A new study led by the University of Cambridge has...

Researchers from <a href="https://www.colostate.edu/">Colorado State University</a> have revealed why agriculture emerged at certain times and in certain places over the course of human history. 

The experts found evidence to support the theory that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/europe-unsustainable-future-agriculture/">agriculture</a> commenced in times of surplus, when human populations were more concentrated, and when environmental conditions were improving.

Agriculture has appeared independently in at least a dozen different places over the last several thousand years. This study is the first of its kind to analyze theories about the forces that have driven the origins of agriculture.

The researchers disproved one common theory that agriculture emerged out of necessity during desperate times. The study also contradicted the idea that there is no general pattern underlying the origins of agriculture. 

In contrast, the experts found a clear pattern that farming is tied to social and environmental conditions which are unique to each place of origin.

Senior author Michael Gavin explained that the study's findings may prove helpful in understanding other watershed events in human history.

“There have been several key threshold events in our history that changed the entire course of our species,” said Gavin. “Agriculture is a link to so many other components for what the world is like today for billions of people. This begins to help us explain a key moment in human history.”

The researchers modeled correlations between the environment, cultural traits, and population densities of relatively recent societies that depended on hunting and fishing for food.

This model was found to be very useful in predicting population densities, and the researchers paired the model with data on past climate to map the population density of the entire globe dating back as far as 21,000 years. These maps were used to analyze the conditions during the starting point of agriculture in each of the 12 places of its origin. 


Study co-lead author Patrick Kavanagh said that all of the 12 regions showed the same pattern at the time of agricultural development.

According to the researchers, improving environmental conditions may have afforded people the option of exploring new ideas, and having more people in one place would have been an advantage in sharing and refining these ideas.

While there were commonalities found among the different locations, the places and people were likely very different from a social standpoint. Regardless, these agricultural centers had remarkable similarities, including environmental conditions that were improving and the potential for higher population densities.

“In all of these major origin centers of agriculture, there were some critical environmental changes that needed to occur,” said Kavanagh. “Environmental conditions needed to improve - which we saw in all 12 centers of origin - despite variation in the timing and the diverse geographic locations in which they occurred.”

The team plans to seek out other applications for the maps they produced for this study.

“It is amazing to examine these maps of the potential population density of the world dating back tens of thousands of years,” said Gavin. “We could potentially create them going back to the dawn of our species. This provides a new tool to explore many unanswered questions about human history."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/">Nature Human Behaviour</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

Agriculture developed in times of surplus and good conditions

Researchers from Colorado State University have revealed why agriculture emerged at...

An investigation led by the <a href="http://www.lse.ac.uk/">London School of Economics and Political Science</a> has found that economic models which underestimate the potential impacts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-costing-billions/">climate change</a> are misguiding policymakers.

The researchers are urging the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to improve how it evaluates the results of economic modeling as the Panel develops its Sixth Assessment Report, which will be published in 2021 and 2022.


The study authors, including Thomas Stoerk of the <a href="https://www.edf.org/">Environmental Defense Fund</a> and Gernot Wagner of <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a>, hope to draw attention to the “mounting evidence that current economic models of the aggregate global impacts of climate change are inadequate in their treatment of uncertainty and grossly underestimate potential future risks.”

The experts are warning that the integrated assessment models that are currently in use do not accurately account for “tipping points,” which mark a transition into when climate impacts “accelerate, become unstoppable, or become irreversible.”

According to the researchers, these models do not sufficiently account for the risks of climate change, particularly when future global warming is not limited to two degrees Celsius.

The study authors point to “a major discrepancy between scientific and economic estimates of the impacts of unmanaged future climate change.”

“These discrepancies between the physical and the economic impact estimates are large, and they matter,” write the study authors. “However, physical impacts are often not translated into monetary terms and they have largely been ignored by climate economists.”

The researchers suggest that the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report should place more emphasis on decision-making under future uncertainty, and should focus on estimating how this uncertainty itself affects the financial cost projections of climate change.

The preparation of the report could combine the work of scientists and economists to better quantify the upcoming effects of climate change, according to the study authors.

They explain that this would allow the IPCC to  “provide policymakers with a more robust and rigorous way of assessing the potential future risks of economic damage from climate change.”

The paper is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/reep">Review of Environmental Economics and Policy</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Most models underestimate the economic impact of climate change

An investigation led by the London School of Economics and...

A new survey from <a href="https://www.orlandohealth.com/">Orlando Health</a> has found that 90 percent of men have changed their daily habits to reach fitness goals. Some of these lifestyle changes are healthy, while others rely on extreme workout regimens or supplements that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and may have unexpected consequences. 

Men may not talk as much about their body image issues, but they have the same insecurities as women. According to the study, millennials are much more likely than any other age group of men to take an extreme approach to fitness. 

Fifty-one percent of millennials reported using supplements, while 56 percent said they regularly work out more than four days per week. Intense workout schedules have been found to cause an unhealthy fluctuation in muscle mass and weight due to fact that they are often inconsistent.

Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt and Dr. Sijo Parekattil, both urologists at Orlando Health, are setting out on a road trip to talk to men about male body image and healthy lifestyle changes in the <a href="https://driveformenshealth.com/">5th annual Drive for Men's Health</a>.

“Finding that healthy balance can be a challenge, but it's something that men should be speaking to their doctors about,” said Dr. Brahmbhatt. 

“The daily habits that they think are improving their health could actually be putting it at risk. A lot of claims on the labels of supplements and shakes are, at best, unresearched, and at worst, potentially dangerous.”

This year's event will begin in New York City on June 4th, followed by a 3,000-mile journey across the country. The experts will visit Philadelphia, Columbus, Chicago, and Houston before hosting a grand finale event in Clermont, Florida.

The doctors will team up with local chefs at farmers’ markets in each city for health and nutrition demonstrations. The goal of the event is to encourage men to take control of their health and to become a part of the conversation on body image issues for men. 

The road trip will end with a 5K run, in partnership with Clermont Waterfront ParkRun, to celebrate optimal health and active lifestyles.

“We want people to have fun at these events so that they are engaged and can absorb the important health messages that we're putting out there,” said Dr Parekattil. 

“Showing up creates a great opportunity to start the conversation and make an appointment with your doctor, because just living a healthy lifestyle isn't enough. Having regular visits with a physician is also extremely important to disease prevention and maintaining good health.”

Follow along with the doctors on their mission across America by using the hashtag #Drive4Men. The experts will be answering questions and giving live health advice on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube along their journey.

Twitter and Instagram: @drive4men, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/drive4men">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://bit.ly/2HC9IUA">YouTube</a>

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The downside of millennial health and body consciousness

A new survey from Orlando Health has found that 90...

A new survey has now found the average ages when both men and women start to feel invisible because they no longer garner the same amount of romantic attention. 

For women, this happens at around age 45, while for men, it’s 47. 

Julian De Silva, a well known cosmetic surgeon from <a href="http://www.londonfacialplasticsurgery.co.uk/">London’s Centre For Advanced Facial Cosmetic &amp; Plastic Surgery</a>, conducted a survey of more than 2000 people, and the results were published in the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5791027/Is-age-start-feel-invisible.html">Daily Mail</a>.

Silva’s survey touches on the dislike of aging and the common physical signs of aging that make people feel less attractive like wrinkles, eye bags, gray hair, and changes in body shape. 

The survey links declines in being seen as a “sexual object” in society to feeling invisible.

The results, according to the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5791027/Is-age-start-feel-invisible.html">Daily Mail</a>, showed that a majority of the women surveyed noticed a waning in male attention once they were in the 40s. 

46 percent of the women told Silva they wished they could once again experience the same attention that they had noticed in their 20s and 30s. 

Growing older also impacted sexual confidence for women, and 43 percent said that getting wrinkles and gray hair, part of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cells-resistant-viruses-aging/">aging</a> process, made them feel less attractive. 

The survey showed that men go through similar events when they turn 47.

One in four of the male survey respondents said that the appearance of gray hairs, drooping jowls, and enlarged breast tissue deeply impacted attractiveness. 

Silva’s research also linked aging to a decline in photos posted on social media because people are less happy with their looks. 

“Whether we like it or not, the age of invisibility happens to both sexes throughout their forties and fifties,” Silva told the Daily Mail. “For women, we found the peak age was 45. We are all living longer and healthier lives and women have never looked better in their 40s but they do feel under increasing pressure to turn back the aging process.” 

Interestingly, Silva noted that while women are under pressure to change their looks as they get older, men seem to feel less of that pressure and are more satisfied aging naturally. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.cpm">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Survey identifies the age when people begin to feel less attractive

A new survey has now found the average ages when...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/legalized-medical-marijuana-teens/">teenage</a> years can be tough for anybody while they’re growing up. Hormones and puberty create a mixed bag of bizarre and unfamiliar feelings and experiences, and teens may often take out their frustrations on those around them – especially their parents. Now, a top neuroscientist is asking parents to be more sympathetic towards the grouchy behavior of teenagers, as it may be a result of changes going on in their brain as they grow.

Sara-Jayne Blakemore is a professor of cognitive neuroscience at <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>. She states that the teenage brain loses 17% of its grey matter in the pre-frontal cortex between childhood and adulthood. The pre-frontal cortex is often referred to as the brain’s “control center,” and the impact of this change is something scientists are only now beginning to understand.

“The teenage brain is not broken, it is not dysfunctional, it is not a defective adult brain,” she told an audience at the Hay Festival, after recently publishing a book on the subject called “The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain.”

Blakemore points out that typical teenage characteristics like moodiness, risk-taking, sleeping late, and feelings of embarrassment towards their parents could be a result of the maturing teenage brain. “'It is a formative period in life where the brain is changing in really important ways where neural pathways are malleable and passion and creativity run high,” Blakemore explains. “We should not demonize this period of life we should understand it, nurture it, and celebrate it.”

She also states that our new understanding of the teenage brain should be incorporated into how the education system is run in the United Kingdom. Blakemore says that children are experiencing “social jetlag” at school because their bodies are naturally producing melatonin – a sleep hormone – for longer periods than adults. With early starts to school days, their body’s natural sleep cycles are being cut short. “'They are constantly shifting their body clock from one time zone to another, which must be very disorienting,” says Blakemore.

Blakemore believes these changes should be extend to school systems in the United States, where school days begin as early as 7:30 in the morning. Although few people are at their best in the early morning, maybe it’s time we cut teenagers some slack on their grouchiness and penchant for sleeping in.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Teenagers are moody due to drastic changes in their brains

The teenage years can be tough for anybody while they’re...

Constantly putting conversations and meetings on hold to check smartphone notifications, emails, and answer calls is actually changing your brain chemistry. 

<a href="http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/05/29/scientists-constant-interruptions-smartphone-impact-brain-chemistry/">CBS Philadelphia</a> recently reported on the increased risk of smartphone addiction and a concept known as the “switch cost.”

The switch cost is the pattern that arises in the brain while constantly being diverted by phone notifications and calls. As we continue to let our lives be interrupted by these notifications, it's actually changing the way our brain works. 

“There’s this phenomenon they call switch cost that when there’s an interruption we switch away from the task that we were at and then we have to come on back. We think it interrupts our efficiency with our brains, by about 40 percent. Our nose is always getting off the grindstone, then we have to reorient ourselves,” Scott Bea, a psychologist at Cleveland Clinic, told CBS Philly. 

It’s been found that notifications from phones actually release cortisol which is the bodies stress hormone, phones are keeping our brains on “high alert.”  

“These constant alerts jolt our stress hormones into action, igniting our fight or flight response; our heartbeats quicken, our breathing tightens, our sweat glands burst open, and our muscles contract. That response is intended to help us outrun danger, not answer a call or text from a colleague.” journalist Hilary Brueck wrote in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/">Business Insider</a>.

If people aren’t allowed access to their phones, these symptoms can increase and even cause anxiety until someone has the phone back in their hands. 

Besides Cortisol, smartphone apps have also been found <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/02/12/584389201/smartphone-detox-how-to-power-down-in-a-wired-world">to release</a> reward chemical dopamine because we associate Twitter, Facebook and Instagram notifications with a reward. The activation of the reward center just makes phones all the more addictive. 

Researchers have found that having constant access to social media platforms like Facebook on smartphones can also increase the risk of depression in young adults. 

Even with all the documented health risks of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/addiction-smartphones-imbalances-brain/">smartphone addiction</a>, creating new healthy habits to break the interrupting cycle is not easy and takes time. 

“Initially, when you start trying to stay away from the technology, or confine it, you’ll be a little uncomfortable, you’ll have that fear of missing out, or a little anxiety that something is getting past you, but with practice, your brain can get used to it,” Scott Bea told CBS Philly.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Smartphone notifications are changing the way our brains work

Constantly putting conversations and meetings on hold to check smartphone...

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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?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[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

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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"

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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...