Parents, take note - your child's inconsistent bedtime routine could be the troublemaker behind their erratic emotions and behavior. And no, it doesn't have to do so much with the quality or duration of their sleep, but more about the regularity of their sleep schedule. 



This is according to the latest research paper published by the Grand team at Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College of Medicine.



The research shows that children who stick to a regular bedtime, falling asleep and waking up at the same time each day, have better control over their behavior and emotions, particularly during stressful situations or while collaborating with others.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sleep-and-behavior-patterns-in-children">Sleep and behavior patterns in children</h2>



The research was led by Adwoa Dadzie, a doctoral student, and her adviser Professor Orfeu Buxton. The team analyzed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-who-watch-screens-in-bed-have-the-most-disrupted-sleep/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a> and behavior data from 143 six-year-old children.



The information was extracted from the Penn State Intervention Nurses Start Infants Growing on Healthy Trajectories (INSIGHT) study. 



When these kids were just newborns, their mothers received training in responsive parenting from the <a href="https://www.psu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Penn State</a> researchers. So, this study is longitudinal, which means the experts have been tracking the development of these kids for quite some time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-training-mothers-in-responsive-parenting">Training mothers in responsive parenting</h2>



Responsive parenting, in simple terms, means answering to a child’s emotional and physical needs in a warm, timely, and consistent way. 



Earlier research found that training mothers in responsive parenting during their infant's early years promotes healthy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-sleep-day-2024-the-quest-for-a-well-rested-society/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep habits</a> and reduces childhood obesity. 



Now, the latest analysis from the same study provides even more compelling proof of the benefits of regular sleep timing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bedtimes-behavior-and-emotions">Bedtimes, behavior, and emotions</h2>



"Children who had consistent bedtimes were generally able to regulate their behavior and emotions," explained Dadzie. "On the contrary, children whose bedtimes and sleep times were erratic showed more impulsivity and less control."



The child's sleep pattern was tracked using a monitor they wore on their wrist for seven days. The device kept a check on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poor-sleep-habits-may-age-the-brain-faster/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">various sleep aspects</a>. The data was then cross-checked with the child’s reaction to a frustrating task.



The task involved placing a toy the child chose in a transparent, locked box. The child was given a set of keys - none of which could unlock the box. Following this, the researchers kept an eye on how the child reacted and whether they displayed regulated or unregulated behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-varying-bedtimes-and-children-s-emotions">Varying bedtimes and children's emotions</h2>



Observing their behavior while decorating a picture frame with their parents was another important step of the study.



The findings? The more a child’s bedtime varied each night, the worse they regulated their behavior and emotions.



"Parenting matters. When parents create clear routines and respond timely and appropriately to their child’s needs, children show better outcomes in behavior regulation and even weight control," said Professor Buxton.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-control-over-behavior-and-emotions">Control over behavior and emotions</h2>



Between the year 2012 and 2014, the INSIGHT study set up an experiment on preventing childhood obesity. 



The researchers engaged families with newborns and grouped them into two - a control group that was informed about child safety, and an intervention group that was educated on responsive parenting techniques.



Parents in the intervention group were taught how to respond during different infant behavior states like fussiness, alertness, drowsiness, and sleeping.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bedtime-and-regulation-of-emotions">Bedtime and regulation of emotions</h2>



By the time these children turned three, they had lower body mass indices (BMIs) than the kids in the control group! 



The targeted program did not focus solely on weight. It provided training on recognizing hunger and satiety signs in children, allowing the child to decide when they are full, and the establishment of routines and expectations around food, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-is-essential-for-memory-formation/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a>, and behavior regulation.



When these children turned six and returned to the College of Medicine for evaluation, this current study on bedtime and behavior used data from their visit.



"The results clearly indicated that sleep regularity is crucial for fostering prosocial and age-appropriate behavior in children," said Dadzie.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-responsive-parenting-matters">Responsive parenting matters</h2>



Remember, parents: you hold the key to your child's healthy development. Even if you have hectic schedules that don't allow for a consistent bedtime routine, you can still act responsively. 



Set clear standards and bedtime routines, and respond promptly and suitably to your children's needs, helping them regulate their emotions effectively.



With eight years of research on the INSIGHT project, the proof is all there: When parents are responsive, they raise healthier children.



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1064350" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Developmental &amp; Behavioral Pediatrics</a>. 



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Irregular bedtimes disrupt the well-being and behavior of children

Parents, take note - your child's inconsistent bedtime routine could be the troublemaker behind their erratic emotions and behavior. And no, it doesn't have to do so much with the quality or duration of their sleep, but more about the regularity of their sleep schedule. This is according to the latest research paper published by the Grand team at Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State College of Medicine. The research shows that children who stick to a regular bedtime, falling asleep and...

<a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> graduate student Carly Ziter is reporting that urban green spaces like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-green-facades-cool-urban-heat-islands/">parks</a> and golf courses contribute a lot to the planet's natural landscape, but are not always represented in data used by ecologists.

“Often when we're doing regional studies of ecosystem services, or the ways that nature benefits us, we ignore the cities,” said Ziter. “We treat the city as this kind of gray box; quite literally on maps it's often a gray box. And what we've discovered here is that ... we need to be thinking about the city as part of the landscape.”

Ziter collected soil samples from 100 sites across the city of Madison, Wisconsin, for her investigation. Each sample was then analyzed for three ecosystem services - carbon storage, flood mitigation, and water quality regulation.

The study revealed that urban green spaces play a large role in providing these services, particularly flood control and carbon storage.

Ziter found that more developed areas like private backyards and public parks stored substantially more carbon in their soils than urban forests or grasslands. These urban soils even stored more carbon overall compared to agricultural soils in areas surrounding Madison.

Ziter explained that many assessments of  carbon storage “count urban areas as zero” despite their significant contribution as carbon sinks.

While the extent of ecosystem services varied across the sites, urban grasslands and forests made a big difference in flood mitigation by capturing water that would have otherwise ran out into the streets.

“My front yard and my backyard can be more different in terms of their ecology than two houses across the city from one another,” said Ziter. “And that's really fascinating from a management perspective, because it's these small decisions people are making as individuals that are shaping the ecology of these landscapes.”

The United States Census Bureau reported in 2016 that over 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas. That means that there are a lot of these small decisions being made that can have a huge impact on the ecological makeup of our country.


“If you're out gardening, you're interacting with the natural world. If you're going out for a walk along the lake, you're interacting with the natural world. We often think of nature as being in these big wild spaces, but there are a lot of smaller day-to-day interactions that we don't realize are fostering a connection to our environment,” said Ziter.

She said that these types of interactions can help one's overall quality of life in the city. 

Ziter hopes her study, which is published in the journal <a href="http://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1939-5582/">Ecosystem Applications</a>, encourages ecologists to pay more attention to urban green spaces. 

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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

Urban green spaces help store carbon and stop flooding

University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student Carly Ziter is reporting that...

Research from the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> has demonstrated that a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dog-loves-smile/">smile</a> is not always a pleasant expression with warm feelings behind it, and smiles can even be downright hateful. According to the study authors, recipients have physical responses which depend on the intended message behind the smile.

For example, some smiles are meant to express a message of dominance. These smiles cause their recipients to experience a spike in stress hormones. Smiles that are intended to be encouraging or rewarding, on the other hand, seem to protect people from feelings of stress.

“Facial expressions really do regulate the world. We have that intuition, but there hasn't been a lot of science behind it," said lead author Jared Martin. “Our results show that subtle differences in the way you make facial expressions while someone is talking to you can fundamentally change their experience, their body, and the way they feel like you're evaluating them.”

Martin worked in the lab of Psychology professor and study co-author Paula Niedenthal. Her previous research on emotions resulted in three major types of smiles: dominance, which is meant to convey status; affiliation, which communicates a bond and shows you are not a threat; and reward, a big smile that is given to let someone know they are making you happy.

The investigation was focused on 90 male college students who were tasked with short, improvised speaking assignments. They were told they were being judged by a fellow student via webcam, who had actually been previously recorded while randomly expressing one of the three types of smiles.

Throughout the presentations, the students’ heart rates were monitored and they were asked to give saliva samples, which were used to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol.


“If they received dominance smiles, which they would interpret as negative and critical, they felt more stress, and their cortisol went up and stayed up longer after their speech,” said Niedenthal. “If they received reward smiles, they reacted to that as approval, and it kept them from feeling as much stress and producing as much cortisol.”

The affiliate smiles were found to have an effect on the speakers that was similar to the effect associated with reward smiles.


The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

[caption id="attachment_1130362" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/164346.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1130362" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/164346-300x183.jpg" alt="Image Credit: UW-Madison" width="300" height="183" /></a> Image Credit: UW-Madison[/caption]

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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

&nbsp;

Humans have a physical reaction to different kinds of smiles

Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has demonstrated that a...

Researchers at <a href="http://www.concordia.ca/">Concordia University</a> are describing a method that they have developed to substantially reduce the carbon emissions generated by homes and buildings while lowering energy costs.

In Canada, residents of the Far North live at great distances from power grids. Powering these remote communities along with large buildings that share built energy systems can be costly in terms of both money and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/oil-companies-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

“It often feels like we have to choose between our financial constraints and using more energy-efficient measures,” said study co-author Mohammad Sameti. “But what our method shows is that we can efficiently integrate a given system to positively affect both.”

Professors in the Department of Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering teamed up with colleagues to develop a method that could optimize the integration of multiple systems across multiple buildings.

The research team studied a grid that served eight residential buildings with varying power demands and constraints to identify an energy usage pattern that was both efficient and cost -effective. 

They created a virtual model to provide a range of simulations that considered multiple non-renewable and renewable energy sources, including hydroelectric power. The experts also had to consider issues within the grid, such as the age of buildings or how their energy use changes at different times.

“Because of the complexity of the problem and the large number of decision variables involved, we needed to run all possible variables,” explained co-author Fariborz Haghighat.

The study revealed that, when the priority of the simulation was to reduce carbon emissions, these emissions could be reduced by 59 percent while cutting costs by 75 percent. When overall costs were prioritized instead, however, the result was a savings of just 38 percent along with higher carbon emissions. 

“To optimize cost, we had to prioritize systems that burn fossil fuels. These technologies are cheaper to install and operate than the renewable energy models, but offer no reduction in emissions,” said Sameti.

“Renewable energy sources used in the optimal simulation create a net-zero energy usage by the network, removing the need to rely on traditional heating and cooling technologies with higher emissions, and draw less power from the grid.”

This study demonstrates that a significant reduction in carbon emissions is possible without changing all systems in all buildings within a grid. Because of this, the new approach can be applied as changes are made over time. The ultimate goal of the research is the development of a net-zero energy district (nZED).

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/applied-energy">Applied Energy</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

Reducing a building’s CO2 emissions can also lower energy costs

Researchers at Concordia University are describing a method that they...

Many people worry about their personal health when it comes to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genetically-modified-cacao-chocolate/">GMO crops</a>.  Individual health is a real problem, as there is possibly a link between increased allergy sensitivity and GMO grain crops.  

But my own health isn’t my first concern when it comes to genetically engineering food, at least not directly.  GMO crops are often modified in way more consistent with modern industrial agriculture than the organic, environment based farms that most traditional crops evolved in.  

What does increased industrial agriculture mean for the consumer?  Industrialization of our food supply has wide reaching implications, but first, let’s talk about chemicals.  Many GMO crops are designed to be more dependent on products such as the herbicide Roundup.  This means that the plant can survive being sprayed with an herbicide that destroys ‘pesky’ weeds.  Fertilizers are also used in heavy dosages in conjunction with GMO crops.  A part of the reason so many fertilizers are used is because the ecology of the soil that naturally creates nutrition is destroyed with large dosages of toxins, such as herbicides and pesticides. The end result of this process is a plant alone in a sterile, artificial environment, with less insects, less fungi, less microbes and less other plants, all of which contribute to the health of the environment.  

Of course the use of pesticides has gotten plenty of coverage in the media, especially neonicotinoid pesticides which cause colony collapse disorder in bees.  The problem goes far beyond honey bees and pollination though.  True pesticides may be devastating honey bees but it doesn’t stop with insects we all know and love.  The invertebrate world is incredibly complex and much of the diversity of the rest of the animal (and plant and fungi) world rests on the humble invertebrates.  We’re also destroying butterflies as well as crop ‘pests’ and insects bats, frogs, lizards and birds depend on for survival.. not to mention soil invertebrates that create living nutrition that feeds plants.

Fertilizers also go only so far.  Sure, a synthetic fertilizer will keep plants alive and give them some nutrition, but only to a finite extent.  Plants can give us only what we put into them.  Things like dung and worm casings, further processed by fungi and microbes, create many compounds.  Traditional synthetic fertilizers mainly contain Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium; the bare basics that are needed to keep a plant healthy.  Soil nutrition is important and we need plants with more than the three basic nutrients.  Soils that are treated only with artificial fertilizers become increasingly poor; soils that are allowed to develop their own ecology and nutrition naturally can become richer over time.  The difference is nutrition we evolved with and nutrition we invented for the modern convenience of industrial processes.  Runoff from fertilizers also causes problems, creating things like algal blooms that choke wetlands and create oxygen free water ways, killing fish and other aquatic organisms.  

Food security may be one of the biggest problems that GMO crops create.  Through the history of the human race, we’ve probably bred millions of different plants.  Many of the plants were bred in a specific environment, for specific conditions.  Some crops ripen faster, some slower.  Some food plants need a lot of water, some are drought tolerant.  Plants can survive intense heat or crippling cold depending on the conditions they evolved in.  As a whole group the incredible diversity of  and in different crops adds up to not putting all our eggs in one basket.  If you grow three types of tomatoes, two types of cucumber and five carrot varieties, it seems unlikely all will fail because of the same factor unless there is a catastrophe.  

GMO crops on the other hand are replacing local, traditionally developed crops with monocultures that thrive under the same, standard conditions.  GMO crops are usually clones so there isn’t any genetic variation even within a single variety unlike traditional crops.  A monoculture is more vulnerable to a devastating failure from one disease, one cold snap, one heat wave, one drought.  As more of the world grows the same few crops, the whole global food supply becomes increasingly fragile.  Foods also become increasingly boring.  Look at the difference between a thriving farmer’s market and the produce section of your local Wal-Mart. 

The overall impact of the process creating GMO foods is a problem few think about when considering GMO food.  Genetically modified crops, dependent on industrial farming, are more dependent on oil than organic foods.  The real problem isn’t in an individual plant’s genes but in the process of growing that plant.  

GMO may have a place.  It’s hard to entirely discount things like golden rice, designed to give more nutrition to impoverished children.  It’s unlikely that most crops, swapping genes between (mostly) other plants will be dangerous to human health.  Evolution through natural or artificial selection changes the prevalence of genes in a population all the time.  The problem is the process and the scale.  The problem comes when all the crops are GMO.  The problem increases when farms are industrial rather than subsistence.  Local farms engaging as many local people as possible in their own food production is probably the best way to ensure good food and a healthy environment.    

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The real problem with GMO crops

Many people worry about their personal health when it comes...

A new study has found that even a single LSD drug trip can affect your personality for months or even years after. 

LSD, or Lysergic acid diethylamide, sometimes just referred to as acid, is a hallucinogenic drug that has mood-altering capabilities and can make the user more open to different experiences. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.uam.es/">Universidad Autónoma de Madrid </a>and the <a href="http://www5.usp.br/english/?lang=en">University of São Paulo</a> reviewed studies that focused on the psychological effects that LSD, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mushrooms-hallucinogenic-predators/">magic mushrooms</a>, and ayahuasca had on a person’s personality.

The results were published in the journal Neuroscience &amp; Biobehavioral Reviews. 

The researchers reviewed 18 studies published between 1985 and 2016 taking place in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, and Germany. All the studies revolved around serotonergic psychedelics which are known to influence personality. 

After reviewing and analyzing the studies, the results showed that psychedelic drugs did appear to influence and change personality, even long after the drug was taken. 

The impact on personality was apparent, especially in comparison to those participants who didn’t consume any psychedelics. 

For some of the participants who took the psychedelics, the studies reported that they showed higher levels of openness or a willingness to try new experiences. The researchers also found that LSD also had similar effects to antidepressants even a year or more after the study was conducted. 

The researchers note that these therapeutic effects, particularly for patients suffering from depression, should be examined further and more studies need to be conducted. 

According to <a href="https://www.livescience.com/61902-psychedelic-drugs-change-personality.html">Live Science</a>, the research could be an important contribution to the psychology of personality and whether it is something constant or is something continually shaped and influenced. 

“This type of research may offer new evidence to the classic discussion on whether personality is or isn’t a constant and stable psychological trait,” the researchers said.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Taking LSD can permanently impact your personality

A new study has found that even a single LSD...

An international team of researchers set out to investigate the effects of high <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-junk-food-tax/">salt</a> intake on blood pressure. The experts analyzed the diets of over 4,000 individuals and found that people who ate more salt had higher blood pressure no matter how healthy their overall diet was.

The researchers are now warning people to lower their salt intake and urging food manufacturers to reduce the amount of salt in their products.

It is estimated that over 29 percent of adults in the United States and over 25 percent of adults in the UK have high blood pressure, which greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure has a range of potential causes including weight, age, and eating too much salt. 

Even though fruit and vegetables are believed to lower blood pressure, the new study has demonstrated that these foods cannot counteract the negative influence of high salt intake.

The team used dietary data to examine concentrations of sodium in urine samples from the study participants. They also measured the intake of potassium and over 80 other nutrients that are thought to be associated with lower blood pressure.

The study revealed that, even in people who were eating a high amount of potassium and other nutrients, higher salt intake was linked to high blood pressure.

Dr. Queenie Chan from the <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/school-public-health">School of Public Health at Imperial</a> is a co-lead author of the research

"We currently have a global epidemic of high salt intake - and high blood pressure,” said Dr. Chan. “This research shows there are no cheats when it comes to reducing blood pressure. Having a low salt diet is key - even if your diet is otherwise healthy and balanced.”

“As a large amount of the salt in our diet comes from processed food, we are urging food manufacturers to take steps to reduce salt in their products.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150109.php">Hypertension</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

Salt can be dangerous even with an otherwise healthy diet

An international team of researchers set out to investigate the...

Your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/addiction-smartphones-imbalances-brain/">smartphone</a> may not seem like a major contributor to carbon emissions and climate change, but a new study shows that smartphone production and data centers will have the biggest environmental impact of all information and communication technology by 2040. 

The study, led by Lotfi Belkhir, an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Associate Professor at the <a href="https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/sept/">W Booth School of Engineering</a> at <a href="http://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a>, was in response to a question asked by a student about the sustainability of software. 

Belkhir, with the help of fellow researcher Ahmed Elmeligi, set out to examine the carbon footprint of small electronic devices like smartphones and laptops as well as the data centers that work behind the scenes. 

The results, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, show that information and communications technology (ICT) will have an increasing environmental impact, particularly with the production of smartphones. 

“We found that the ICT industry as a whole was growing, but it was incremental,” said Belkhir. “Today it sits at about 1.5%. If trends continue, ICT will account for as much as 14% for the total global footprint by 2040, or about half of the entire transportation sector worldwide.”

The materials needed to create a smartphone’s chip and motherboard are costly to mine, and 85 percent of smartphone emissions come from the production alone. 

On top of this, smartphones are easy to buy and phone companies are constantly releasing new models with more attractive features, which means smartphones create a good deal of waste. 

“Anyone can acquire a smartphone, and telecommunications companies make it easy for people to acquire a new one every two years,” said Belkhir. “We found that by 2020 the energy consumption of a smartphone is going to be more than that of PCs and laptops.”

In order to reduce future emissions from smartphones and other information communications technologies, Belkhir notes that data centers need to be powered by renewable energy rather than coal or fossil fuels. 

The study also points out the detrimental environmental impact that most smartphone manufacturers have when encouraging consumers to upgrade to a new phone every few years. 

“Communication and data centers have to go under renewable energy now,” said Belkhir. “The good news is Google, and Facebook data centers are going to run on renewable energy. But there needs to be a policy in place so that all data centers follow suit. Also, it's not sustainable to have a two-year subsidized plan for smartphones.”

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Your smartphone is more harmful to the environment than you think

Your smartphone may not seem like a major contributor to...

When researchers set out to investigate how food availability may affect armed conflict in Africa, they made the discovery that food abundance is a much more likely cause of war than food scarcity. 

The findings of the research contradict the theory that climate change will increase the frequency of civil war in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-activity-reshaped-ecosystems/">Africa</a> as a result of food scarcity.

Study author Ore Koren is a United States foreign policy and international security researcher at <a href="http://home.dartmouth.edu/">Dartmouth College</a>.

“Examining food availability and the competition over such resources, especially where food is abundant, is essential to understanding the frequency of civil war in Africa,” said Koren.

For their investigation, the researchers used PRIO-Grid data from over 10,600 grid cells in Africa from 1998 to 2008, data on agricultural yields from EarthStat, and also information from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Dataset.

The team estimated how annual local wheat and maize yields may have affected the frequency of conflict. The study revealed that there are four main reasons why conflict breaks out over food in Africa.

Armed troops that are not regularly supported by the state depend on locally sourced food, which means that they are drawn to areas with abundant food sources and aim for control of these resources. 

Rebel groups which oppose the government are also drawn to areas with an abundance of food, and often misuse the resources to make money.

Many rural areas have civil defense forces to protect the community against intruders. These militias often attempt to expand their control into other areas with arable land and food resources.

Militias representing farming communities are highly mobile, following their cattle or livestock. They often raid other communities to feed their herds, and sometimes resort to violence.


Although droughts can lead to conflict in urban areas, this was not the case for rural areas of Africa. Here, the majority of armed conflicts occurred where food crops were abundant. 

“Understanding how climate change will affect food productivity and access is vital; yet, predictions of how drought may affect conflict may be overstated in Africa and do not get to the root of the problem,” said Koren.

“Instead, we should focus on reducing inequality and improving local infrastructure, alongside traditional conflict resolution and peace building initiatives.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajae">American Journal of Agricultural Economics</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

Food abundance causes more conflict in Africa than food scarcity

When researchers set out to investigate how food availability may...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.dukehealth.org/locations/duke-university-medical-center">Duke University Medical Center</a> are reporting that heart patients with a positive attitude have a better chance of recovery. The investigation was focused on over 2,000 patients who were diagnosed with angina, a heart condition characterized by intense chest pain. 

After tracking the patients for two years, experts found that those with an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/difficult-times-important-happiness/">optimistic outlook</a> were about 30 percent less likely to require hospital treatment.

The research adds to a growing number of studies that suggest a person's attitude and outlook can greatly influence how well the individual recovers from health issues.

“Our findings suggest that if we can identify patients who are less optimistic for whatever reason - whether it’s because their disease has made them despair for the future, they have uncertainty about their diagnosis, or they have multiple comorbidities - and help them feel more hopeful by focusing on what they can do, we may be able to positively affect outcomes,” said lead author Dr. Alexander Fanaroff.

The research team checked in with the patients three times over the course of a year and questioned the participants on how optimistic they felt about the future. Individual levels of optimism remained essentially the same throughout the study period.

Around 25 percent of the study participants were classified as being “most optimistic,” and  about 40 percent were “optimistic.” Other patients were found to be either not optimistic or neutral.

The study revealed that, for every degree of optimism, the odds of needing hospital treatment dropped.

Ultimately, the most optimistic patients were found to be 30 percent less likely to land in the hospital for angina compared to the least optimistic patients.

Similar results have recently been reported for respiratory, stroke, and cancer patients as well. 

Scientists believe this is likely due to the fact that people who are more optimistic are generally less stressed. Individuals who are less stressed tend to have lower cholesterol, better immunity, and better heart health.

Dr. Fanaroff added that patients suffering from angina often hold themselves back from physical exercise and normal activities.

“People will often cut back on or stop activities they like to do-tennis, playing with grandchildren, job-related tasks-either because of the pain itself or because they worry that the activity prompting the pain is dangerous to their heart,” said Dr. Fanaroff.

“As a clinician, it doesn’t cost anything to help patients with chronic angina focus on what they can do, letting them know that there are medications and procedures that can help them return to a normal life and continue to do the things they like to do.”

“Bottom line - there’s reason to be optimistic for patients with chronic angina, and it’s important that clinicians relay that to them.”

The research is being presented at the <a href="http://www.acc.org/">American College of Cardiology</a>'s 67th Annual Scientific Session.

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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

Optimistic patients are more likely to recover from health issues

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center are reporting that heart...

Both BP and Exxon Mobil recently released reports revealing that they believe oil demand will peak in the next two decades. 

This is because the demand for renewable energies is also expected to skyrocket in the coming years, with more consumers looking for alternative and eco-friendly power solutions such as solar power and electric cars. 

What is surprising is that the major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exxon-mobil-misled-public/">oil companies</a> are admitting to this effect after a long and storied history trying to combat climate change science. As one <a href="http://time.com/5178262/climate-change-oil-companies-future/">Time</a> piece pointed out, these companies have previously attempted to “murky the science underpinning the need for action on global warming.”

<a href="http://corporate.exxonmobil.com/en/energy/energy-outlook/a-view-to-2040">Exxon Mobil’s 2018 Outlook on Energy: A View to 2040</a> predicts that electricity from wind and solar power will increase 400 percent. BP, according to <a href="http://time.com/5178262/climate-change-oil-companies-future/">Time</a>, made similar projections, suggesting renewable energy will consist of 40 percent of new energy production in the future. 

Even though it’s been proven over over that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are a major contribution to climate change, oil companies and many policymakers in support of oil and coal were less than willing to concede to this fact until now. 

“The recognition of the energy transition has grown over the past year with the oil and gas players,” Marie-Helene Ben Samoun, managing director of the Boston Consulting Group’s oil and gas practice told <a href="http://time.com/5178262/climate-change-oil-companies-future/">Time</a>. “They are not only acknowledging global warming, but they are also acknowledging the energy transition and the impact on their own portfolio.”

While this news may seem like a boon to environmentalists and future climate change policy, the move may be more of a strategic one in order to protect assets rather than protect the environment. 

In an effort to secure their position in a rapidly changing market, BP and Exxon Mobil are remodeling their business plans to emphasize natural gas and shifting away from gasoline in favor of other necessary petroleum products. 

The news that two major oil companies are openly discussing the impact that climate change and the shift to renewables will have on their businesses is a huge deal. It just may not be nearly enough to push US policymakers to implement the necessary steps to mitigate climate change and reduce emissions. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Oil companies admit climate change will impact their business

Both BP and Exxon Mobil recently released reports revealing that...

A recent study has found that the brain still functions for some time even after a person’s heart stops, and if circulation is restored quickly enough, it’s possible to revive them. 

The research was conducted by a team of neurologists from the <a href="https://www.charite.de/en/">Charité–Universitätsmedizin</a> in Berlin and the<a href="https://med.uc.edu/"> University of Cincinnati College of Medicine</a>. 

Published in the journal Annals of Neurology, the study discusses an event called “spreading depolarization” and the critical timeline that a person has until the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-learns-repeat-actions/">brain</a> completely shuts down and death is irreversible. 

For the study, the researchers attached electrodes to nine patients, both in Berlin and Ohio, who were dying from a fatal brain injury and who had requested not to be resuscitated. 

The electrodes allowed the researchers to examine brain activity leading up to and after someone’s death. 

In eight of the patients, the researchers observed an increase in electrical activity in the brain. This wave of spreading depolarization started two to five minutes after blood flow radically slowed down and stopped. 

The electrical activity was a response to the brain losing oxygen and energy, and the neurons function on reserves in the brain for a brief time until the brain eventually permanently shut down. 

The results show that that brain is still “conscious” even after the heart stops, and that there may be a small window of time after circulation is cut off from the brain that a person can still be revived. 

“After circulatory arrest, spreading depolarization marks the loss of stored electrochemical energy in brain cells and the onset of toxic processes that eventually lead to death,” said Jens Dreier told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5444223/What-happens-brain-minutes-die.html">Daily Mail</a>. “'Importantly, it is reversible – up to a point – when the circulation is restored.” 

Although the researchers are not sure how long a person has until the brain shuts down completely, the results could impact future research examining the traditional markers of death and how to handle patients before declaring a time of death.  

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The brain remains conscious for some time after the heart stops

A recent study has found that the brain still functions...

After yet another school shooting, debate has again erupted over what can be done to improve <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gun-owners-store-guns/">gun</a> laws in the United States. 

Although many calls have been made for firmer policies and sensible gun control, the realities of implementing such policies have been a complex struggle. 

Studies that examine the effects of potential gun laws are actually few and far between, which means that policymakers have little evidence to offer when it comes to the advantages of implementing firmer gun laws.

A new study by the <a href="https://www.rand.org/">RAND Corporation’s</a> Gun Policy in America initiative found that there has been a surprisingly small amount of research on the effectiveness of gun laws, but that several common gun policies have been shown to work.

The goal of the Gun Policy in America initiative is to help bridge this gap and provide nonpartisan data that could inform discussions about gun policy.

Researchers from RAND collected and reviewed thousands of studies to find any available evidence that the effect of 13 common gun policies would have on gun violence and gun owners.

Of those, there were 62 studies that investigated the causal effects of gun policies on different outcomes that the RAND researchers included in their assessment.

“While science can teach us a lot about gun policy, research in this area is generally far behind where it is for most other causes of death that claim similar numbers of lives in the U.S. each year,” Said Andrew Morral, the project's leader. “This does not mean that gun policies have no effects. Most laws probably have some effect, however small or intended. Instead, the limited evidence base reflects shortcomings in the contributions that scientific study has made to the policy debate.”

95 gun policy experts were also interviewed representing a wide range of views, with some aligning with the NRA and others in favor of stricter gun control.

For the study, these views were grouped into two different sets with opposing ideologies. The researchers wanted to see if there was any overlapping consensus or agreement between the two different groups.

The two groups disagreed about the merits and impact of different gun laws, but both wanted to reduce instances of gun fatalities.

“Both groups overwhelmingly favored policies they believed would reduce firearm homicides and suicides, but there is disagreement about which laws would have these effects,” said Morral. “Collecting more and stronger evidence about the true effects of laws is a necessary and promising step toward building greater consensus around the effective gun policy.”

After evaluating both the studies and the interviews, the results showed that policies designed to limit firearm self-injuries, suicides, and unintended injuries to children by keeping guns away from children would have the most positive impact.

There was also moderate evidence that supported the positive impact that background checks would have on reducing suicides and homicides by firearm.

The RAND researchers say their study emphasizes the need for funding for research on the effects of gun control laws.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Study reveals gaps in gun law research, offers possible solutions

After yet another school shooting, debate has again erupted over...

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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

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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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