There's something both captivating and comforting about the rhythms and harmonies of a symphony orchestra, right? Well, did you know that something similar happens inside your brain while you're catching some sleep? It turns out, our brains have a maestro of their own - breathing. 



Just as a conductor harmonizes an orchestra to create a symphony, breathing synchronizes the rhythm of brain waves during sleep. This phenomenon takes place in the hippocampus - a region of the brain that is critical for memory.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breathing-rhythms-during-sleep">Breathing rhythms during sleep</h2>



This fascinating revelation comes from a recent study by <a href="https://www.nm.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northwestern Medicine</a>. It marks the first time scientists have linked breathing rhythms during sleep to the hippocampal brain waves known as&nbsp;slow waves, spindles, and ripples. 



Study senior author Christina Zelano is a professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.



“To strengthen memories, three special neural oscillations emerge and synchronize in the hippocampus during sleep, but they were thought to come and go at random times,” noted Professor Zelano. "We discovered that they are coordinated by breathing rhythms.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-science-behind-memory-synchronization">Science behind memory synchronization</h2>



The study shows that certain brain waves, called hippocampal oscillations, align with specific phases of the breathing cycle. These oscillations are critical for organizing and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breathing-coordinates-brain-waves-for-memory-storage-during-sleep/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strengthening memories</a>. 



Andrew Sheriff is a postdoctoral student in Zelano's lab and the corresponding author of the study.



This means that the rhythm of your breathing during sleep plays an active role in helping your brain store and recall information effectively. 



“Memory consolidation relies on the orchestration of brain waves during sleep, and we show that this process is closely timed by breathing,” explained Sheriff.



This research opens new doors for understanding the intricate relationship between breathing, brain activity, and memory.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breathing-sleep-and-memory-consolidation">Breathing, sleep, and memory consolidation </h2>



The connection between sleep and improved memory is not a new discovery. The ancient Roman scholar Quintillion stated: "The interval of a single night will greatly increase the strength of the memory."



This phenomenon, now recognized as memory consolidation, involves the precise coordination of brain waves in the hippocampus.



Sheriff shared a personal example to explain how memory consolidation works. While attending a conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, he had to find his way around an unfamiliar city. 



After sleeping, he realized his sense of direction and understanding of the city's layout had improved. This improvement happened because, during sleep, the brain replayed and reinforced the experiences and maps he had formed earlier. 



His hippocampus, which is responsible for spatial memory, used specific brain waves to process and solidify this information overnight.



“The hippocampus plays a major role in forming a map of a new area,” Sheriff said. “I would wake up and feel I had a better representation of the city around me. That was facilitated by the oscillations that occurred during my sleep, which we found are coordinated by breathing.”



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



The study’s findings carry significant implications for individuals suffering from sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea. Poor memory consolidation is one of the many cognitive challenges associated with such conditions.



“When you don’t get sleep, your brain suffers, your cognition suffers, you get foggy,” Sheriff noted. He emphasized the connection between disrupted breathing during sleep and serious conditions such as stroke, dementia, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.



Interestingly, the unique rhythm of breathing during sleep may serve a specific purpose. “If you listen to someone breathing, you might be able to tell when they are asleep, because breathing is paced differently when you’re sleeping,” Sheriff said. 



“One reason for that may be that breathing is performing a careful task: coordinating brain waves that are related to memory.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-frontier-in-sleep-research">New frontier in sleep research</h2>



The research highlights the importance of addressing sleep disorders to maintain cognitive health and memory. Sheriff emphasized the need for individuals with disrupted breathing to seek treatment, as improved sleep could have far-reaching benefits for overall brain function.



This study was funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and a Ruth L. Kirchstein Institutional National Research Award.



This remarkable research adds a new layer of understanding to the intricate processes that occur during sleep. By uncovering the role of breathing in synchronizing brain waves, Northwestern scientists have paved the way for new interventions aimed at improving memory and cognitive health.



The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.



-----



Like what you read? <a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a> for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



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



-----

Breathing rhythms help strengthen memories during sleep

There's something both captivating and comforting about the rhythms and harmonies of a symphony orchestra, right? Well, did you know that something similar happens inside your brain while you're catching some sleep? It turns out, our brains have a maestro of their own - breathing. Just as a conductor harmonizes an orchestra to create a symphony, breathing synchronizes the rhythm of brain waves during sleep. This phenomenon takes place in the hippocampus - a region of the brain that is critical for memory. Breathing rhythms during sleep...

Biodegradable water bottle

An entirely biodegradable water bottle might sound too good to be true, but thanks to the innovations of an Edinburgh-based company, plastic-free biodegradable water bottles could soon be a reality and ready for consumers. 

James Longcroft invented the plastic-free bottle after launching a non-profit water bottle company, <a href="https://choosewater.org/">Choose Water</a>, as a means to provide clean drinking water to countries in Africa two years ago. 

Longcroft saw the growing problem with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-pollution-oceans-triple/">plastic pollution</a> filling up landfills and ending up in the oceans and decided to go plastic-free. 

After experimenting with different materials and techniques, Longcroft designed an effective replacement bottle that didn’t use any fossil fuels in the production process.

The paper bottle surrounds a waterproof seal made of entirely sustainably-sourced natural ingredients and can break down in salt-water in just three weeks. 

“The outside is made from recycled paper, but the inside had to be waterproof, provide strength so the bottle would retain its structure, and keep the water fresh – just like plastic,” Longcroft told the <a href="https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/edinburgh-inventor-creates-biodegradable-water-bottle-to-fight-plastic-problem-1-4731899">Scotsman</a>. “We've managed to do all that, which is pretty exciting. It's made with a combination of natural, sustainable materials. I've just mixed some stuff together from trees and plants – they're all natural.” 

The bottle costs just a little more to make than the average price of just one plastic single-use bottle. After use, the new bottle starts to break down almost immediately and takes only a few weeks to completely biodegrade. 

The steel cap is the only part of the bottle that doesn’t break down quickly but still begins to decompose within a year. 

Plastic pollution is increasing and while researchers, engineers, and policymakers are scrambling to find ways to reduce the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills and oceans, plastic production is projected to exceed 500 million metric tons by 2050. 

Choose Water’s plastic-free bottle could be a major step in reducing plastic pollution and creating new ways to package and sell products that are sustainably sourced. 

 “Changing an industry will be a massive uphill battle but with the public's support we will change the way we look at bottled water',” Longcroft was quoted as saying in the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5678023/The-paper-bottle-disintegrates-saltwater-just-THREE-WEEKS.html">Daily Mail</a>. “We really want to get our bottles on shelves and into people's hands as soon as possible, if we can stop even one plastic bottle ending up in the environment it will be worth it.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: John Stillwell/PA Wire

Plastic-free water bottles could soon hit the shelves

An entirely biodegradable water bottle might sound too good to...

According to a new report by the <a href="http://who.int/">World Health Organization (WHO)</a>, over 90 percent of humans on Earth are breathing in highly polluted air. In addition, 90 percent of deaths caused by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/half-americans-air-pollution/">air pollution</a> occur in developing countries.

The WHO collected data from over 4,300 cities in 108 countries, adding more than 1,000 cities to its ambient air quality database since the WHO’s last report two years ago. The WHO now has the world’s biggest database of outdoor air pollution.

Air pollution has been linked to cardiovascular disease, lung cancers, stroke, and respiratory issues. 

“Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest and most marginalized people bear the brunt of the burden,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, a chief of the WHO in <a href="http://www.who.int/news-room/detail/02-05-2018-9-out-of-10-people-worldwide-breathe-polluted-air-but-more-countries-are-taking-action">a statement</a>.

In 2016 the WHO estimated that air pollution was responsible for the deaths of 4.2 million people, that number has now increased to seven million annually. 

The gap in air quality between affluent and developing countries is only made worse by the fact that more than 40 percent of the world’s population doesn’t have access to clean cooking fuels, which is one of the biggest contributors to household pollution. 

“It is unacceptable that over three billion people -- most of them women and children -- are still breathing deadly smoke every day from using polluting stoves and fuels in their homes,” said Tedros. 

Besides cooking fuels, exposure to outdoor pollution from public transportation, industrial operations, and motor vehicles reportedly kills 4.2 million people every year. 

The majority of these deaths occur in what the WHO calls the Eastern Mediterranean Region, which encompasses the Middle East and North Africa as well as Southeast Asia. 

Air pollution in cities in these regions is sometimes five times more than the WHO’s pollution limits. 

Even though people are gaining access to cleaner fuels and more is being done to reduce pollution, the WHO says it is not enough to keep up with the growing population. 

“Many of the world’s megacities exceed WHO’s guideline levels for air quality by more than 5 times, representing a major risk to people’s health,” said Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Public Health, Social and Environmental Determinants of Health at the WHO. “We are seeing an acceleration of political interest in this global public health challenge. The increase in cities recording air pollution data reflects a commitment to air quality assessment and monitoring. Most of this increase has occurred in high-income countries, but we hope to see a similar scale-up of monitoring efforts worldwide.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

WHO report: 90 percent of people breathe highly polluted air

According to a new report by the World Health Organization...

Experts have identified nerve cells in the brains of mice that trigger their physical response to visual threats. Researchers at the <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford University School of Medicine</a> found that altering the activation levels of two nuclei controlled whether mice would become courageous or afraid when confronted by a simulated predator.

The two adjacent clusters of nerve cells, located in the center of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strong-grip-brain-function/">brain</a>, determined whether the mouse would have a passive or aggressive reaction to a perceived threat.

Study senior author Dr. Andrew Huberman explained that human brains likely contain this same circuitry. Therefore, finding non-invasive ways to strengthen or weaken the signals of the nuclei may help treat people with excessive anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This opens the door to future work on how to shift us from paralysis and fear to being able to confront challenges in ways that make our lives better,” said Dr. Huberman.

When a predator such as a hawk or an owl is advancing, a mouse must make a split-second decision to freeze, duck into a shelter, or run for its life. 

The researchers simulated the aerial approach of a bird on an overhead screen to examine which regions of the brains of mice would become active. They noted heightened activity in a structure called the ventral midline thalamus, or vMT. 

Although the vMT was found to receive a broad amount of inputs, its output points were limited to two main destinations - the basolateral amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex.

In previous studies, the amygdala has been linked to the processing of threat detection and fear and the medial prefrontal cortex has been linked to anxiety and high-level executive functions.

The investigation revealed that the nerve tract leading to the basolateral amygdala originated from a nerve-cell cluster in the vMT called the xiphoid nucleus. The researchers also discovered that the tract that leads to the medial prefrontal cortex came from a cluster called the nucleus reuniens.


The experts modified specific nerve cells to stimulate or inhibit activation levels in these two nerve tracts. Stimulating xiphoid activity caused the mice to freeze out of fear, while stimulating the nucleus reuniens caused the mice to become aggressive and brave. 

Dr. Huberman said the courageous behavior was unmistakable, and loud. He explained, “You could hear their tails thumping against the side of the chamber. It's the mouse equivalent of slapping and beating your chest and saying, ‘OK, let's fight!’”

In the absence of a predator, stimulation of the nucleus reuniens did not trigger any aggressive behavior.

Dr. Huberman said that human brains have a structure that is equivalent to the vMT. He theorized that episodes or malfunctioning circuitry in people with chronic anxiety, phobias, or PTSD may cause vMT signaling to persist with repeated exposure to stressful conditions.

The team is now investigating techniques that may adjust the arousal states of people suffering from severe anxiety issues. The researchers believe that shifting the balance of nerve signaling strength in the human equivalent of the vMT may help patients learn how to better cope with stress.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fear and courage have controllable switches in the brain

Experts have identified nerve cells in the brains of mice...

Cutting <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reforestation-efforts-greenhouse-gas/">greenhouse gas emissions</a> is a major area of focus for a number of U.S. states and cities. Most places are attempting to do this through cap-and-trade programs, building-efficiency regulations, and increasing public transit and renewable energy resources. But there are countless other ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, some of which are explored in a new article published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/page/esthag/about.html">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Researchers have found additional measures cities could utilize in order to further shrink their carbon footprint, all of which are related to reducing emissions stemming from food consumption and waste. Previous studies have shown that feeding urban populations accounts for 20 to 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions come from producing and transporting food, as well as refrigeration, cooking, and food waste. 

In the past, much of the conversation around this idea has focused on the agricultural production side of things, but researcher Eugene Mohareb and his colleagues wanted to see what would happen if they reassessed this topic from the standpoint of urban consumption.

A member of the research team had previously conducted a review of diet-related emissions, which the researchers built off of for this current study. They pooled data from numerous sources to estimate emissions related to various components of the U.S. food system, including transportation, processing, and waste disposal methods. The team them estimated how changes in certain urban consumption practices could potentially reduce these emissions.

The results showed that increasing urban agriculture to occupy half of the vacant land in cities would only reduce food-related emissions by about 1 percent. However, switching from fossil fuel-based electricity to carbon-free energy sources could cut food-related emissions by 18 percent or more. They also found that reducing retail and consumer food waste by half would drop emissions by 11 percent, and replacing just a quarter of total beef consumption with chicken instead would decrease emissions by 6 percent. 

In short, it would be more effective for cities to focus on converting to carbon-free energy sources and look for ways to reduce waste than it would to focus on utilizing urban space for agriculture. In the meantime, we can all individually reduce our own carbon footprints by buying locally, growing food in gardens at home, and attempting to limit food waste as much as possible. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cities can change food systems to reduce their carbon footprint

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions is a major area of focus...

Researchers have estimated that a 52-percent increase in animal production would be required to meet the dietary needs of the global population by 2050. A new study from the <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California Santa Barbara</a> has found that farming fish is the most feasible way to satisfy the growing demand for protein without placing too much strain on the environment.

Animal agriculture takes up large areas of land, uses massive amounts of energy, and results in harmful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agriculture-higher-methane-emissions/">greenhouse gas emissions</a>. The amount of cropland needed for raising animals could be significantly reduced with the development of more aquatic farming, or aquaculture. 

The research from UC Santa Barbara is the first land-use analysis to focus on aquaculture. The findings of the study show that fish farming has great potential for improved food security and land conservation.

“While aquaculture can add some pressure because - ultimately - it is a food production system, our study demonstrates the relative amount is minuscule compared to terrestrially farmed animals,” said lead author Halley Froehlich. “Aquaculture is not going to be the main strain on future crop feed and land use. It is - and will likely continue to be - terrestrial livestock.”


The researchers set out to compare how much land would be required to grow the seven most common crops used to feed livestock and farmed fish under several scenarios between now and 2050. 

The experts modeled a business-as-usual scenario where meat consumption continues to rise at the current rate compared to fish consumption. They also modeled two scenarios where aquaculture meets the increasing demands of the global population by 2050 and eliminates the need to raise more terrestrial animals for food.

The study revealed that replacing additional land animal production with fish production could save between 729 and 747 million hectares of land globally. This area of land is twice the size of India, which is the seventh largest country in the world.


The research demonstrates how critical of a role that food choices will play in the future of biodiversity. Habitat loss, which is largely driven by land use changes, is the biggest threat to biodiversity.

“The expansion of agriculture across the world is driving most species extinctions and the dramatic loss of ecosystems,” said study co-author Claire Runge. “This is only going to increase into the future. Aquaculture offers one way to reduce some of this pressure on our natural landscapes, wild places and wildlife.”

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Farming fish can improve global food security and conserve land

Researchers have estimated that a 52-percent increase in animal production...

What’s the best time to learn a new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bilingual-children-learn-faster/">language</a> and is it ever too late to be proficient in a second language? 

Research has shown that it is harder for adults to learn a new language than it is for children, but previous research has been unable to determine the “critical learning period” for learning a new language. 

But now, a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT) using the largest dataset for a language-learning study ever compiled has finally identified the key ages for learning a new language. 

The results show that the skills to learn a new language are present up to ages 17 or 18, a longer window for learning than previously thought. However, the researchers also found that unless learning a new language starts at 10, full proficiency will never be reached. After 10, the ability to learn a new language starts to decline. 

The results were published in the journal Cognition.

“If you want to have native-like knowledge of English grammar you should start by about 10 years old,” said Joshua Hartshorne, a member of the research team. “We don't see very much difference between people who start at birth and people who start at 10, but we start seeing a decline after that.”

Trying to pinpoint the best ages to learn a new language is difficult because analyzing the right data outside of lab setting proved almost impossible. 

Past studies were not able to fully replicate the process of long-term language learning, and in certain instances, adults tested better in lab settings when taught new elements of a language. 

For this study, the researchers knew they needed a massive pool of participants, all at different levels of learning a new language. 

The researchers worked with MIT undergraduates to develop an entertaining grammar quiz identifying some of the most problematic grammar rules of the English language.

Titled “Which English,” the quiz was posted on Facebook and after a while the researchers had data from 669,498 participants. The quiz asked participants about their language background, their age, and when they started learning English. 

Once the researchers had all the data they needed, a series of computational models were used to analyze the data. The data showed that grammar-learning ability remained strong until 17 or 18 but declined after. 

The researchers note that the results do not mean that adults can’t learn a new language, only that they will not be completely proficient.

Next, the researchers hope to better understand why 18 is the cut off point for the critical learning period and with the amount of data the quiz supplied, there is potential for future language-learning studies. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists identify the best ages to learn a new language

What’s the best time to learn a new language and...

Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of pressurized water mixed with chemicals deep into the Earth in order to break up rocks and extract trapped oil and gas. Studies have shown how hydraulic fracking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbird-nests-struggling-fracking/">negatively impacts</a> the environment, but what about the effect that fracking has on health? 

We may soon be in the midst of another U.S. fracking boom and understanding just how the process affects both the environment and people who live near fracking sites will be crucial for future policies. 

A new study has identified the first evidence that fracking chemicals found in groundwater are hazardous to the immune system and could pose a risk to pregnant women and increase susceptibility to diseases in infants. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/">University of Rochester Medical Center</a> and published in the journal<a href="https://academic.oup.com/toxsci"> Toxicological Sciences</a>. 

Around 200 chemicals from fracking water have been found in groundwater and there is a strong potential that the chemicals may end up in drinking water for people who live near fracking sites. There have also been higher reports of disease near fracking sites. 

For this study, the researchers exposed mice to the chemicals present in groundwater from fracking and found that fracking chemicals can target the immune system. 

“Our study reveals that there are links between early life exposure to fracking-associated chemicals and damage to the immune system in mice," said Paige Lawrence, the leader of the study. “This discovery opens up new avenues of research to identify, and someday prevent, possible adverse health effects in people living near fracking sites.”

The researchers classified 23 of the 200 chemicals as endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors can interfere with hormones and negatively affect the body’s systems that are linked to hormones. 

“Our goal is to figure out if these chemicals in our water impact human health,” said Lawrence, “but we first need to know what specific aspects of health to look at, so this was a good place to start.” 

Hormones play a big role in the immune system and so the researchers tested the 23 endocrine disruptors on mice by adding them to the drinking water of pregnant mice. 

The team found that the mouse pups whose mothers drank the chemical-laden water had abnormal immune responses to some diseases and were more susceptible to a disease similar to multiple sclerosis than those who weren’t exposed to the chemicals. 

The chemicals used in fracking inhibited the natural immune system’s ability to fight infections in mice and the results of the study point to the possibility that fracking negatively impacts immune health in humans. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fracking can be harmful to human immune system health

Fracking involves injecting millions of gallons of pressurized water mixed...

The wine industry is a large and complex machine, containing a delicate ecosystem that balances the contributions of a multitude of actors, from the growers all the way to the sommelier – who just conveniently suggested you buy the most expensive wine on the menu. In short, this industry is a little more complicated than just making wine for consumers to buy, which is why wine distributors look to researchers such as M. Hakan Hekimoglu of <a href="https://www.rpi.edu/">Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</a> (RPI) to determine how to price their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grape-waste-wine-antioxidants/">wines</a>.

Hekimoglu is an assistant professor of supply chain management at the Lally School of Management at RPI, and his publications on wine analytics are revered as highly influential by wine distributors. Along with Burak Kazaz of the Whitman School of Management at <a href="https://www.syracuse.edu/">Syracuse University</a>, he recently published a report outlining a new approach to predicting the release prices of Bordeaux wines (known as En Primeur prices). This approach uses weather information and the Liv-ex 100 index, and predicts a slight price increase this year for the 2017 vintage wines. 

“Our goal in this report is to provide insights regarding the impact of weather and market fluctuations in the release prices of fine wines and explain how analytical models can be used to determine and/or predict those prices,” says Hekimoglu.

The authors believe that this research will increase transparency in price dynamics, and help winemakers make important decisions on determining what prices to charge. This report should also assist buyers in knowing whether or not the En Primeur prices are appropriate. 

The report used data from the London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex), which is an international exchange for fine wine trade based in London. It predicts a 2.02 percent increase for the First Growth and a 1.47 percent increase for the Left Bank winemakers in Bordeaux — who are undoubtedly happy with this news. So if you’re looking to invest in some Bordeaux wines, it might make sense to do it sooner rather than later.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How weather and climate impact the price of wine

The wine industry is a large and complex machine, containing...

Researchers are reporting that chemical emissions from personal care products are contributing to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/half-americans-air-pollution/">air pollution</a>, according to a new study out of Boulder, Colorado. During rush hour, the magnitude of emissions from personal care products was found to be comparable to emissions from automobiles.

Study lead author Matthew Coggon is a CIRES scientist at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a> working in the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory.

“We detected a pattern of emissions that coincides with human activity: people apply these products in the morning, leave their homes, and drive to work or school. So emissions spike during commuting hours,” said Coggon.

Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5 Siloxane) belongs to a class of chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which evaporate quickly. Once in the air, however, sunlight can trigger VOCs to react with nitrogen oxides and other compounds to form ozone and particulate matter.

The researchers measured levels of VOCs such as siloxane, which is commonly added to shampoo and lotion for a silky texture, as well as emissions of benzene and other chemicals emitted by vehicles. Measurements were conducted in 2015 and 2017 from the roof of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory, and in 2016 from a mobile lab on the ground in Boulder.

“We were surveying the air, monitoring every species our instrument was sensitive to - about 150 compounds,” said Coggon. “We found a big peak in the data but we didn't know what it was.”


Study co-author Patrick Veres suggested it may be siloxane. Because the siloxane emissions correlated with the benzene emissions from traffic, they expected to find it in vehicle exhaust. 

When they established that siloxane was not present in vehicle exhaust, they discovered that the common denominator between benzene and siloxane was commuting. Both siloxane and benzene emissions peaked when people set out for their morning work commute, and then decreased during the day.

Because the skin care and hair products were not as potent at the end of the day, the evening peak of siloxane emissions was lower compared to the morning peak.

A recent study led by CIRES and NOAA's Brian McDonald found that personal care products, household cleaners, paints, and pesticides produced around half of the VOC emissions in Los Angeles during the research period.


“This study provides further evidence that as transportation emissions of VOCs have declined, other sources of VOCs, including from personal care products, are emerging as important contributors to urban air pollution,” said McDonald.

“In this changing landscape, emissions from personal care products are becoming important,” said Coggon. “We all have a personal plume, from our cars and our personal care products. It's likely that emissions from personal care product also affect the air quality in other cities besides Boulder and L.A. Our team wants to learn more about these understudied sources of pollution.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/toc/esthag/52/1">Environmental Science and Technology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Chemicals in skin and hair products contribute to air pollution

Researchers are reporting that chemical emissions from personal care products...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a> has revealed that severe behavioral issues in young people may be caused by abnormal connectivity in key regions of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strong-grip-brain-function/">brain</a>. The research is shedding new light on why some adolescents struggle to control their emotions and engage in the most serious forms of antisocial behavior.

The study was focused on young people who were known to have “conduct disorder,” a condition characterized by lying, truancy, and even physical violence.

The researchers used neuroimaging techniques to investigate a possible link between the severity of conduct disorder and psychopathic traits, such as a lack of remorse or guilt.

The scans were used to analyze the amygdala in teens with conduct disorder compared to teens without the disorder. The amygdala is a key region of the brain involved in understanding the emotions of others.

In prior studies, the research team had found that young people with conduct disorder have difficulty recognizing emotions in other people's faces, such as happiness and sadness. 

In the current study, the experts set out to determine what happens in the brain that would cause problems with facial expression recognition. The scientists theorized that they may find amygdala damage in patients with conduct disorder.

The team examined the connectivity between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain that governs planning, decision-making, and the moderation of social behavior.

The study revealed that teens with both conduct disorder and high levels of psychopathic traits showed normal connectivity between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. On the other hand, individuals who had conduct disorder alone demonstrated abnormal connectivity among these brain regions.

Dr. Graeme Fairchild explained, “These results may explain why young people with conduct disorder, but without psychopathic traits, find it difficult to control their emotions - especially strong negative emotions like anger.”


In the youths that had conduct disorder alone, areas of the brain which normally regulate emotions are less capable of doing so, putting these individuals at a higher risk for developing comorbid mental disorders. For example, adolescents with psychopathic traits may be protected more from the development of depression or anxiety compared to those who have conduct disorder alone.

“This study shows that there may be important differences between youths with high and low levels of psychopathic traits in the way the brain is wired,” said Dr. Fairchild. 

“The findings could have clinical implications, because they suggest that psychological treatments that enhance emotion regulation abilities are likely to be more effective in the youths with conduct disorder alone, than in the psychopathic subgroup.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan">Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Kids with behavioral problems may have differently wired brains

A new study from the University of Bath has revealed...

According to the “hygiene hypothesis,” children need to be exposed to germs so that their immune systems can develop resistance to diseases. A recent study from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a> is providing more evidence to support this theory, finding that growing up in a rural environment around animals is linked to a more stress-resistant immune system and a lower risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meditation-mental-health-benefits/">mental health</a> issues.

“It has already been very well documented that exposure to pets and rural environments during development is beneficial in terms of reducing risk of asthma and allergies later in life,” said co-author Christopher Lowry. “This study moves the conversation forward by showing for the first time in humans that these same exposures are likely to be important for mental health.”


The investigation, which was led by Professor Stefan Reber of the <a href="https://www.uni-ulm.de/en/">University of Ulm</a>, was focused on 40 healthy German males between 20 and 40 years old. Half of the individuals had grown up on a farm around animals and the other half had grown up in the city without any pets.

The study participants were tasked with giving a speech in front of a neutral audience before attempting to solve a challenging math problem while being timed. The researchers collected blood and saliva samples from the individuals before and after the challenges.

Those participants who had grown up in cities had a heightened immune response to the experience, including higher levels of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), prolonged elevation of the inflammatory compound interleukin 6, and muted activation of the anti-inflammatory compound interleukin 10.

“People who grew up in an urban environment had a much-exaggerated induction of the inflammatory immune response to the stressor, and it persisted throughout the two-hour period,” said Lowry

Despite intense immune responses, the participants from urban backgrounds surprisingly reported feeling less stress after the tests compared to participants from rural backgrounds.

“This exaggerated inflammatory response is like a sleeping giant that they are completely unaware of,” said Lowry.

In past studies, exaggerated inflammatory response has been linked to a higher risk of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) later in life. 

Previous research has also demonstrated that our immunoregulatory response to stress develops in childhood and is strongly influenced by our microbial environment.Humans are exposed to far fewer microorganisms in the city, which is now home to more than half of the global population.

“If you are not exposed to these types of organisms, then your immune system doesn't develop a balance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory forces, and you can develop a chronic, low-grade inflammation and exaggerated immune reactivity that makes you vulnerable to allergy, autoimmune disease and, we propose, psychiatric disorders,” said Lowry.


The researchers recommend eating probiotics, spending more time in nature, and getting a pet.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> (PNAS).

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Exposure to animals and the outdoors strengthens mental health

According to the “hygiene hypothesis,” children need to be exposed...

A new study from the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> (NCAR) has revealed that the United States is no longer making as much progress in reducing the air pollutants that cause <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fertilized-soil-pollution-california/">smog</a>. The results of the research suggest that it may be harder than previously thought to achieve target levels of ozone pollution.

“Although our air is healthier than it used to be in the 80s and 90s, air quality in the U.S. is not progressing as quickly as we thought,” said study co-author Helen Worden. “The gains are starting to slow down.”


An international team of researchers analyzed satellite and ground-based measurements of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. They found that levels of these pollutants, which contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, are not declining at a pace that is consistent with past years.

Levels of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide have declined significantly since the 1970 Clean Air Act, which led to emission-reducing technologies such as the development of catalytic converters for vehicles. On the other hand, the standards for ozone are not being met by a number cities and regions across the United States.

The researchers found that emission reductions dramatically stalled out between 2011 and 2015. In fact, nitrogen oxide concentrations dropped 76 percent more slowly from 2011 to 2015 compared to the previous decade from 2005 to 2009.

The Environmental Protection Agency had substantially underestimated the slowdown of these reductions in the same time frame, reporting that progress only declined by 16 percent.

The study authors have determined several reasons for the lingering prevalence of nitrogen oxides, including slower-than-expected reductions in emissions by diesel trucks and increasing emissions from industrial, residential, and commercial boilers and off-road vehicles.


Study co-author Brian McDonald is a scientist with the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> and the <a href="https://cires.colorado.edu/">Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences</a>.

“As you become effective at controlling emissions from cars and power plants, the other sources become more important and there's less information about them,” said McDonald.


The researchers explained that follow-up studies combined with more sophisticated satellite tools will provide experts with more accurate data to interpret how pollution is changing with emissions regulations.


“The top-down satellite measurements and the inventories provide complementary data that will enable us to get better estimates of the emission sources,” said McDonald. “It will be useful to learn more about why the discrepancies exist and why the trend toward better air quality is slowing down.”

The study will be published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air quality improvement in the U.S. has slowed down

A new study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...