Have you ever looked back and felt like the years just vanished overnight? You're not the only one. Many of us notice that as we age, our perception of time changes. 



Days and years seem to speed by, leaving us wondering what changed. Is it just our busy lives, or is there something deeper happening in our brains?



Scientists are diving into this age-old mystery to uncover why time feels like it's racing against us. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-human-perception-of-time">Human perception of time</h2>



From changes in how our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nature-experiences-alter-time-perception/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">minds process information</a> to the routines that shape our daily lives, there's a lot going on behind the scenes.



Adrian Bejan, a researcher at <a href="https://www.duke.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Duke University</a> with decades of experience, offers a fascinating perspective on this phenomenon. 



He suggests that our perception of time changes due to physical alterations in our brains and bodies as we age.



But let's unpack this idea step by step. Why do some days feel longer or shorter than others? And why does time seem to fly by as we get older?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-clock-time-vs-mind-time">"Clock time" vs. "mind time"</h2>



According to Bejan, there's a distinction between measurable clock time and the time <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/slow-motion-exercise-changes-our-perception-of-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">perceived by our minds</a>. 



He explains, "The measurable ‘clock time’ is not the same as the time perceived by the human mind. The ‘mind time’ is a sequence of images, i.e., reflections of nature that are fed by stimuli from sensory organs."



In simpler terms, our brains process a series of mental images based on what we see, hear, and experience. 



When we're young, our brains receive and process these images more rapidly. As we age, this processing slows down due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-rate-influences-our-perception-of-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physical changes</a> like the degradation of neural pathways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-some-days-feel-longer">Why some days feel longer</h2>



Have you noticed that days filled with new experiences or productivity seem longer? That's because your mind is processing more information and creating more mental images. 



When you're well-rested, your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brains-bend-time-to-adapt-to-lifes-rhythm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brain operates</a> more efficiently, allowing you to take in more of the world around you.



Think about athletes who perform best when they're rested. "Lack of rest makes you miss plays, unable to anticipate, unable to see the ball before it arrives," Bejan notes. 



The same goes for students taking exams; a well-rested mind can work through problems more thoroughly, making the exam period feel longer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-perception-of-time-based-on-routine">Perception of time based on routine</h2>



Cindy Lustig, a psychology professor at the <a href="https://umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Michigan</a>, offers another angle. She points out that as we age, our lives often become more routine. 



"When we are older, we tend to have lives that are more structured around routines, and fewer of the big landmark events that we use to demarcate different epochs of the ‘time of our lives,’" says Lustig.



With fewer new experiences, our brains lump similar days and weeks together. This can make time feel like it's passing more quickly because there are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-and-adults-perceive-time-differently/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">fewer memorable events</a> to distinguish one period from another.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-media-s-impact-on-time-perception">Social media's impact on time perception</h2>



In today's digital age, excessive use of social media can also distort our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/astrophysicist-says-hes-cracked-the-equation-for-time-travel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sense of time</a>. When we dive into our favorite apps, we're met with an endless stream of posts, videos, and updates that continuously stimulate our senses. 



This constant engagement can make minutes turn into hours without us noticing. The design of these platforms often encourages prolonged usage through features like infinite scrolling and autoplay videos, which can trap us in a loop where we lose track of how much time has actually passed.



Moreover, excessive use of social media can lead to sleep deprivation, especially when we stay up late scrolling through our feeds. 



Lack of adequate sleep affects our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/time-cells-in-the-brain-are-key-to-complex-learning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cognitive functions</a>, making it harder for us to process information efficiently. This can further alter our perception of time, making days feel shorter and less memorable.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-physical-changes-in-the-aging-brain">Physical changes in the aging brain</h2>



Bejan emphasizes that physical changes in our brains contribute significantly to this <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meditation-reveals-common-altered-states-of-consciousness/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">altered perception</a>. 



"The rate at which changes in mental images are perceived decreases with age because of several physical features that change with age: saccades frequency, body size, pathways degradation, etc.," he explains.



As our neural pathways degrade over time, our brains take longer to process new information. 



This slower processing speed means we're generating fewer mental images in the same amount of clock time, making time seem to pass faster.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-friendly-debate-among-experts">Friendly debate among experts</h2>



While Bejan's theory is compelling, Lustig isn't entirely convinced it tells the whole story. 



She challenges some of his points, especially regarding physical changes like head size affecting perception. 



"He makes some argument about the length of the optic nerve related to head size, and I will let you judge whether an 80-year-old has a substantially larger head than a 25-year-old," Lustig remarks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-really-going-on-with-time">What's really going on with time?</h2>



The truth might be a blend of both perspectives. Our perception of time likely changes due to a combination of physical changes in our brains and the way we experience life as we age. 



With fewer novel experiences and a slower processing speed, time seems to accelerate.



But here's something to ponder: Can we slow down our perception of time by actively seeking new experiences and staying mentally engaged? It's worth considering.



Perhaps the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mindfulness-can-lead-to-altered-states-of-consciousness/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">key lies in mindfulness</a> and breaking out of routines. By introducing variety into our lives and challenging our minds, we might recapture that youthful sense of time stretching out before us.



Have you tried picking up a new hobby or exploring a new place recently? How did it affect your perception of time?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-perception-and-the-human-experience">Time, perception, and the human experience</h2>



To sum it all up, our sense that time speeds up as we age seems to stem from both physical changes in our brains and the routines we fall into over the years.



As we get older, our brains process new information more slowly due to the degradation of neural pathways.



This slower processing means we perceive fewer <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-do-dreams-influence-our-perceptions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mental images</a> in the same amount of clock time, making days and years feel like they pass more quickly.



Meanwhile, as we get older, we tend to have more structured lives filled with routines and fewer novel experiences. 



This lack of new events makes it harder for our brains to distinguish one day from the next, contributing to the sensation that time is slipping away.



While scientists like Bejan and Lustig continue to explore this intriguing topic, one thing is clear: our perception of time is deeply personal and influenced by many factors.



By actively seeking new experiences and staying mentally engaged, we might just slow down our perception of time and make each moment count a little more.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-review/article/why-the-days-seem-shorter-as-we-get-older/2CB8EC9B0B30537230C7442B826E42F1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Review</a>.



-----



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.



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.



-----

Time flies by much faster as we get older, and now we know why

Have you ever looked back and felt like the years just vanished overnight? You're not the only one. Many of us notice that as we age, our perception of time changes. Days and years seem to speed by, leaving us wondering what changed. Is it just our busy lives, or is there something deeper happening in our brains? Scientists are diving into this age-old mystery to uncover why time feels like it's racing against us. Human perception of time From changes in how our minds process information...

The Caterpillar Construction Company, popularly known as Cat, has recently unveiled a new smartphone that could prove invaluable to construction workers, electricians, and any person that works with toxic materials and fumes. 

The line of <a href="https://www.catphones.com/en_gb/features/rugged-and-tough-phones/">Cat branded “rugged” phones</a> range from the S30 to the S60, which made headlines as being the world’s first ever smartphone with thermal imaging. 

Now, the new S61 is the first smartphone ever built with the ability to detect harmful pollutants in the air known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). 

Paint fumes, solvents, and cleaning products are all known sources of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/products-urban-air-pollution/">VOCs</a>, which can be hazardous to health and wellbeing, especially for professionals who are around them.

According to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA), VOCs can irritate the eye, nose, and throat, cause headaches, liver and kidney damage, and even possibly cancer. 

The S61 smartphone can measure indoor air quality, temperature, and even humidity because of a sensor from Sensirion, a Swiss company. 

The sensor would then be able to alert someone to the potential hazards so that they could take immediate action such as airing out the areas in question or leaving the room to get fresh air. 

Some of the other features of the phone include being dustproof, waterproof up to ten feet for an hour, having an improved thermal imaging camera, and an ability to withstand breaking if dropped onto concrete from heights of up to six feet. 

The special features are specifically aimed for construction and trade workers. 

“We know that 60 percent of Cat S60 customers use the integrated thermal camera at least once per week,” said Peter Stephens, CEO of Bullitt Group, which is the global mobile device licensee for Caterpillar. “Packing in even more genuinely useful tools of the trade means there's simply no other smartphone out there that can do everything the S61 can. We are incredibly proud of it.”

The phone will be launched in Barcelona at the <a href="https://www.mobileworldcongress.com/">Mobile World Congress</a> later this month and will cost nearly $1,000.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/earth/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

New smartphone can detect harmful pollutants and chemicals

The Caterpillar Construction Company, popularly known as Cat, has recently...

Many ski resort openings were delayed across the western part of the country from Colorado to California this year, as warmer winters and lower snowfall are becoming a common occurrence. Ski resorts are hit hard with losses in a low-snow season, and the United States economy suffers as well.

According to a study from the nonprofit organization <a href="https://protectourwinters.org/">Protect Our Winters</a> (POW), the winter sports economy experiences a loss of up to $1 billion and more than 17,350 jobs in a winter with minimal snowfall.

On the other hand, POW reports that a good snow season in the United States contributes an additional $692.9 million to the economy and more than 11,750 jobs.

Rebecca Hill is a Colorado-based natural resources economist who contributed to the POW study. Hill pointed out that the service industries surrounding ski resorts are also greatly impacted when skiers do not show up.

The analysis revealed that snowboarders, skiers, and snowmobilers boosted the economy by around $20.3 billion in the 2015-2016 winter season through spending at ski resorts, hotels, restaurants, bars, and grocery stores. 

Skier visits in the United States averaged 55.4 million between 2001 and 2016. According to the researchers, 3.8 million more tourists showed up to ski in the highest snow years, while skier visits dropped by 5.5 million below average during the five lowest snow years.

There seems to be a steady progression in warming trends, and 2016 and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2017-second-hottest-year-2/">2017</a> have been declared by NASA to be the hottest years on record. Since 1901, winter temperatures in the United States have risen at almost twice the rate of summer temperatures, and colder regions are transitioning faster than warmer ones.

The 2018 Economic Report from Protect Our Winters can be found <a href="https://protectourwinters.org/2018-economic-report/">here</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change is costing the winter sports economy big money

Many ski resort openings were delayed across the western part...

We’ve all heard the stereotypes. They say <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brexit-threat-womens-rights/">women</a> are inferior drivers, and some think teenagers are too young to be allowed to operate a car.

But now, a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">University of California, Los Angeles</a>, examined how certain factors like gender and age impacted driving skill for new drivers. 

The results show that mandatory minimums should extend to all new drivers and not just teens, as surprisingly younger drivers had stronger driving skills than people in their 20s. 

For the study, 100 new drivers with less than five hours of experience were asked to take a two-hour driving lesson. The lesson took place in Los Angeles, which was rated as having <a href="http://inrix.com/scorecard/">the worst traffic in the world</a>. 

The study participants were evenly split by gender, and the average age was 18. After the lesson, driving instructors were asked to rate the participant's driving skills on a scale of one to four.

For the study’s purposes, one meant that the driver needed much more practice and four indicated that the instructor felt the driver was ready for the state test. 

The researchers analyzed the scores and found that age and gender had an impact on driving skill. Male teens scored 36 percent higher than those men in their 20s, but this was not evidenced in female drivers. 

Female drivers were more likely to be less confident in their driving skills, but their own perceived confidence did not affect their scores, as they ranked comparably to the men. 

The results also showed that playing sports improved driving for both men and women, but playing video games did not affect skill at all. 

The researchers plan to continue to examine how external factors like gender and socioeconomic status relate to passing or failing a driving test.. However, based on the results, the study authors feel that states should consider extending mandatory driver’s ed and safety training to all new driver rather than simply those under 18. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Teens and women are not inferior drivers, study finds

We’ve all heard the stereotypes. They say women are inferior...

Neuroscientists have identified a brain signal that corresponds with speech and understanding. When someone comprehends words that are being spoken, the signal is present. However, the signal is absent when the listener either did not understand what was being said or was not paying attention.

According to the study’s lead author Ed Lalor from <a href="https://www.tcd.ie/">Trinity College Dublin</a>, the discovery of this brain signal could be groundbreaking. 

“Potential applications include testing language development in infants, or determining the level of brain function in patients in a reduced state of consciousness,” said Professor Lalor. 

“The presence or absence of the signal may also confirm if a person in a job that demands precision and speedy reactions - such as an air traffic controller, or soldier - has understood the instructions they have received, and it may perhaps even be useful for testing for the onset of dementia in older people based on their ability to follow a conversation.”


Throughout the day, people routinely communicate around 120 to 200 words per minute. At this rate, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/right-ear-listening-ability/">listeners</a> must comprehend the meaning of each of these words very rapidly to stay on track with the conversation.

The ability of our brains to compute words so quickly, despite the fact that words can vary greatly depending on their context, has been a mystery to scientists. But now, researchers have demonstrated that our brains rapidly decipher the similarity in meaning that each word has to the words that came just before it.


For their investigation, the researchers analyzed how smartphones and modern computers can “understand" speech. The computers accomplish this level of comprehension by finding similarities between one word and another.

The researchers set out to determine if humans compute the similarity between words as well. They used a technique known as electroencephalography (EEG), which records electrical brainwave signals, as participants listened to a number of audiobooks.

When the experts examined the brain activity that had been captured, they identified a specific brain response that represented how similar or different a given word was from the words that preceded it.

The researchers discovered that the signal completely disappeared when the participants could not understand the speech or when they stopped paying attention. The team concluded that this signal provides a critically important and sensitive representation of whether individuals are truly comprehending the speech they are hearing.

“There is more work to be done before we fully understand the full range of computations that our brains perform when we understand speech,” said Professor Lalor.

“However, we have already begun searching for other ways that our brains might compute meaning, and how those computations differ from those performed by computers. We hope the new approach will make a real difference when applied in some of the ways we envision.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Brain signal indicates if someone is listening in conversation

Neuroscientists have identified a brain signal that corresponds with speech...

Music can drastically improve your workout, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27748159">previous research</a> has found that listening to music at the gym is a key motivator. 

The music helps distract the mind, boost energy, and enhance mood, all of which aid <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-brain-major-boost/">exercise</a> endurance.

“Given that exercise is often tiresome, boring and arduous, anything that relieves those negative feelings would be welcome,” Costas Karageorghis, an expert in exercise and music, told <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/psychology-workout-music/">The Scientific American</a>. 

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from <a href="http://www.brunel.ac.uk/">Brunel University</a> in London proves that music enhances performance and helps people enjoy the workout. 

The results, published the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, showed that runners who listened to “Happy” by Pharrell Williams enjoyed their workout 28 percent more than those who listened to nothing at all. 

The findings not only support previous research done on music and exercise, but also suggest that when faced with a workout, listening to your favorite music can help make the experience more gratifying. 

“We showed music has the potential to increase beta waves and elicit a more positive emotional state,” said Marcelo Bigliassi, the study’s lead author. “This can be capitalized upon during other forms of exercise and render a given activity more pleasurable.”

The study included 24 runners who were asked to run 400 meters while wearing portable electroencephalograms. This allowed the researchers to measure brain waves and electrical responses while the participants were running. 

The participants were split into three groups: the control group listened to nothing, another group listened to a TED Radio Hours podcast, and the third group listened to six minutes of music. 

After reviewing the electroencephalogram data, the researchers found that music affects electrical frequency in the brain, boosting beta frequencies in the frontal regions of the cortex, which causes focus to drop but improves enjoyment. 

Listening to the podcast was better than listening to nothing at all, but it was music that seemed that have the greatest impact on enjoyment and attitude during the workout. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study proves that music enhances exercise performance

Music can drastically improve your workout, and previous research has...

Gun laws and gun safety are both quite relevant – as well as contentious – topics these days, particularly in the United States. There is much debate about who should be allowed to have access to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/white-american-men-guns/">firearms</a>, and what firearms should be available to the public. With this in mind, any data relevant to how U.S. gun owners use and store their firearms is welcome to help inform this heated national debate.

In the first nationally representative survey in 15 years to examine gun storage practices in U.S. households, researchers found that more than half of gun owners reported not storing all of their guns in a safe manner. This internet-based survey was conducted by researchers at the <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/">Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health</a>, and published in the <a href="http://ajph.aphapublications.org/">American Journal of Public Health</a>.

The survey defined safe storage as all guns stored in a locked gun safe, cabinet or case, locked into a gun rack, or stored with a trigger lock or other lock. All of these practices have been shown to reduce the risk of unauthorized access or use.

“Household gun ownership can increase the risk of homicides, suicides, and unintentional shootings in the home, but practicing safe storage for all guns reduces these risks,” says Cassandra Crifasi, lead author of the study and an assistant professor with the <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/index.html">Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research</a>. “The survey findings indicate a real public health emergency. More than half of gun owners in the U.S. are not storing all of their guns safely.”

While only 46 percent of gun owners reported storing all of their guns safely, the survey found that gun owners were 44 percent more likely to report safely storing their firearms if they had a child under the age of 18 in the home. In 2016, there were more than 1,600 firearm deaths among children under the age of 18, almost 40 percent of which were due to suicide. States with child access prevention laws that require gun owners to ensure children do not get unauthorized access to guns reported fewer firearm suicides among adolescents. Other studies have also shown a reduced risk for self-inflicted injury among adolescents when guns are stored safely.

When participants were asked about factors that influence their gun storage practices, 43 percent selected concerns about home defense, 35 percent said a gun safety-training course, and 30 percent said family discussions. The study also found that gun owners who reported that a gun safety-training course influenced their gun storage decisions were twice as likely to practice safe storage for all of their guns. Gun owners who said family discussions influenced their gun storage practices were almost 40 percent more likely to practice safe storage.

“It’s encouraging to see the positive associations between safety training and reporting safe storage practices,” said Daniel Webster, study co-author and director of the <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-center-for-gun-policy-and-research/index.html">Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research</a>. “Requiring gun purchasers to take safety training classes, as a handful of states already do, might lead to more gun owners storing their guns safely.”

The survey also found that gun owners who reported their storage practices were influenced by home defense were 30 percent less likely to practice safe storage of all their firearms. Gaining a better understanding of the motivations for why people have firearms in their homes could help us improve education practices – as well as policy-making – in order to reduce the risks of accidental deaths and suicides – particularly in adolescents.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Survey: Over half of US gun owners don’t safely store their guns

Gun laws and gun safety are both quite relevant –...

For many years, it was believed that humans – not <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthals-wooden-tools-fire/">Neanderthals</a> – were the creators of the world’s oldest known cave paintings. Now, a new study led by the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> and the <a href="http://www.eva.mpg.de/index.html">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> has found that paintings in three caves in Spain were created over 64,000 years ago. That would place their origin roughly 20,000 years before modern humans even arrived in Europe.

Until these findings came to light, all discovered cave art was solely attributed to modern humans. However, imprecise dating techniques (specifically radiocarbon dating) have hampered scientists’ ability to produce reliable results. New uranium-thorium dating techniques provide much more accurate results, and can give a minimum age for the carbonate deposits that build up on top of cave paintings.

The study, published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, shows how an international team of scientists used these state-of-the-art techniques to discover that the age of the paintings actually date close to 64,000 years-old. “This is an incredibly exciting discovery which suggests Neanderthals were much more sophisticated than is popularly believed,” says Chris Standish, an archaeologist at the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> and joint lead author of the study.

The team of researchers from the UK, Spain, France, and Germany analyzed more than 60 carbonate samples from three cave sites in Spain. All three caves are home to red (ochre) or black paintings of groups of animals, dots, and geometric signs, along with hand stencils, handprints, and engravings. The authors believe that creating this cave art must have involved sophisticated behavior such as the choosing of a location, mixing of pigments, and planning of light source.

“Soon after the discovery of the first of their fossils in the 19th century, Neanderthals were portrayed as brutish and uncultured, incapable of art and symbolic behavior, and some of these views persist today,” says Alistair Pike, professor of Archaeological Sciences at the <a href="https://www.southampton.ac.uk/">University of Southampton</a> and co-director of the study. “The issue of just how human-like Neanderthals behaved is a hotly debated issue. Our findings will make a significant contribution to that debate.”

But this discovery may go beyond art. Dirk Hoffman of the <a href="http://www.eva.mpg.de/index.html">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> – a joint lead author on the study – adds that symbolic material culture, which is the collection of cultural and intellectual achievements handed down from generation to generation, was formerly only ever attributed to homo sapiens. 

“The emergence of symbolic material culture represents a fundamental threshold in the evolution of humankind. It is one of the main pillars of what makes us human,” says Hoffman. “Artifacts whose functional value lies not so much in their practical but rather in their symbolic use are proxies for fundamental aspects of human cognition as we know it.”

These findings change the way scientists will now think about our early ancestors. “Neanderthals created meaningful symbols in meaningful places,” says Paul Pettitt, a study co-author of <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/">Durham University</a>. “The art is not a one-off accident.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: H. Collado

Neanderthals, not humans, were responsible for the first cave art

For many years, it was believed that humans – not...

Even though humans and fruit flies have not shared common ancestry in about 800 million years, we still share similar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-biological-clocks-grow/">circadian clock</a> neurons that control our body's daily rhythms. A recent analysis of fruit flies may help experts understand more about sleep timing in humans.

Researchers at the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> found that circadian clock neurons in fruit flies are constantly tracking the external temperature using thermoreceptors. The experts discovered that even small fluctuations in temperature have physiological effects on the neurons that regulate sleep timing.


“Decades of work from recent Nobel Prize winners and many other labs have have actually worked out the details of how light is able to adjust the clock, but the details of how temperature was able to adjust the circadian clock were not well understood,” said study first author Swathi Yadlapalli.

“Going forward, we can ask questions of how these two stimuli are processed and integrated into the clock system, and how this has effects on our sleep behavior and other physiological processes.”

The circadian rhythm is a cycle that controls many physiological processes, guiding sleep and waking over the course of a day. 


Study principal investigator Orie Shafer explained that circadian clocks in mammals control the internal body temperature to drive sleep patterns. He said that, although we think of the human body temperature as a steady 98.6 degrees, our body temperature actually fluctuates throughout the day.

“The circadian system produces a daily rhythm in temperature which is an important cue for when it's time to go to sleep,” said Shafer.

The researchers developed an optical imaging and temperature control system to examine how fruit fly neurons respond to external temperature. They captured snapshots of neural activity in the circadian clock neurons while the flies were exposed to a hot or cold stimulus.

“It looks like clock neurons are able to get the temperature information from external thermoreceptors, and that information is being used to time sleep in the fly in a way that's fundamentally the same as it is in humans,” said Shafer.

 “As temperature drops, these neurons that promote sleep become excited, and that really entrains the sleep activity cycle to external temperature cycles. It's precisely what happens to sleep in mammals when internal temperature drops.”

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

Temperature impacts circadian clocks that guide sleep

Even though humans and fruit flies have not shared common...

Researchers at Columbia University's <a href="https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/">Mailman School of Public Health</a> are reporting that the legalization of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-less-damaging-alcohol/">medical marijuana</a> in the United States has not led to more recreational use of the drug by teenagers.

“For now, there appears to be no basis for the argument that legalizing medical marijuana has increased teens' use of the drug,” said senior author Dr. Deborah Hasin. 

“However, we may find that the situation changes as commercialized markets for medical marijuana develop and expand, and as states legalize recreational marijuana use.”

The investigation was based on data from 11 separate studies dating back to 1991 and from four large-scale U.S. surveys including the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The researchers examined recreational marijuana use among teenagers following new medical marijuana laws and found no significant changes.


California was the first state in the country to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes in 1996, and a total of 29 states have now approved medical marijuana. Critics of the legislation have argued that it will lead to a rise in recreational use of marijuana among adolescents.

Dr. Hasin pointed out that there is little research available on the effect that legalized medical marijuana may have among adults.


“Although we found no significant effect on adolescent marijuana use, existing evidence suggests that adult recreational use may increase after medical marijuana laws are passed.” said Dr. Hasin. 

“The $8 billion cannabis industry anticipates tripling by 2025. Obtaining a solid evidence base about harmful as well as beneficial effects of medical and recreational marijuana laws on adults is crucial given the intense economic pressures to expand cannabis markets.”

Dr. Hasin said that thorough research is also needed to determine the intensity of marijuana use in teens.

“This warrants additional consideration, especially with the decreasing national trend of risk perception among adolescents and as the current perception gives rise to more medical marijuana stores and commercial opportunities.”

The study is published online in the journal <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction">Addiction</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Legalized medical marijuana has not increased use in teens

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health are...

After a traumatic or difficult life event such as the loss of a loved one, it can be difficult to cope and process everything.

Many people have a hard time finding meaning or even a sense of self, but a new study has revealed how these kind of life-changing events can provide crucial learning opportunities. 

Researchers from <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> found that most people gained wisdom and new insight from a difficult time. The research was published in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B. 

“The adage used to be 'with age comes wisdom,' but that's not really true,” said Carolyn Aldwin, an author of the study and an expert on psychosocial factors that influence aging. “Generally, the people who had to work to sort things out after a difficult life event are the ones who arrived at new meaning.”

The researchers wanted to examine the effects that adversity and trauma had on the development of wisdom. Their work could help with future studies that delve into healthy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/positive-attitude-dementia-risk/">aging</a> and how to incorporate better coping and management techniques. 

For the study, 50 adults ages 56 to 91 were interviewed. During the interviews, participants were asked to discuss a difficult life event, how they cope, and if their outlook was changed after. 

Aldwin noted that people often define themselves based on their past traumas and so for the interviews, the participants were immediately able to identify a difficult or challenging time. 

After analyzing the interviews, the researchers found that 13 of the participants were not affected by the event as far questioning their purpose or meaning. 

A large majority of the participants, however, reported that the event was so disrupting that it presented an opportunity to reflect and assess their beliefs and understanding of the world around them, ultimately gaining new wisdom and insight. 

The results also showed that social interactions such as receiving unsolicited emotional support played an important role in how people coped and managed after the event in questions and also added wisdom. 

“It mattered whether a participant was expected to adjust to the event quickly and 'get back to life,' or whether they were encouraged to grow and change as a result of the event,” said Heidi Igarashi, the study’s lead author. “The quality of the social interactions really make a difference.”

The results show how important social support is during a difficult event and that the kind of support we receive helps shape the way we look for new understanding and meaning.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Difficult life events can provide new insight and wisdom

After a traumatic or difficult life event such as the...

Homo erectus may have had a more refined language than was previously believed, according to a controversial new theory.

Until now, it had always been thought that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-learn-language/">language</a> first developed with Homo sapiens. This is because analysis of Homo erectus shows that species lacked the hyoid bone, which is an anchoring structure for the tongue and a key player in speech. 

Unlike Homo sapien, the lack of hyoid bone would have only enabled Homo erectus to make primitive sounds such as grunting or howling. 

However, Daniel Everett, a professor at <a href="https://www.bentley.edu/">Bentley University</a>, boldly claims that this is not the case. He argues that if Homo Erectus lacked language, boat travel would have been impossible. 

“What is the greatest technology we have ever had as a species, the answer is language. Who invented it? Homo Erectus, about one million years ago or more,” Everett said at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Austin. “Those are controversial claims. Everybody talks about Homo Erectus as a stupid ape-like creature, which of course describes us just as well, and yet what I want to emphasize is that Erectus was the smartest creature that had ever walked the Earth.” 

Everett suggests that Homo erectus traveled by boat and landed on different islands and shores across the oceans.

Building and navigating these boats would not have been possible given the currents and the conditions of sea travel without some language with symbols. 

“They needed to be able to paddle. And if they paddled they needed to be able to say ‘paddle there’ or ‘don't paddle,’” said Everett. “You need communication with symbols not just grunts. They accomplished too much for this to simply be the sort of communication that we see in other species without symbols.” 

Everett’s claims are controversial, and the scientific community does not completely agree that Homo erectus was a cabal sea-farer or that they had a more evolved language. 

“Tsunamis could have moved early humans on rafts of vegetation.,” Chris Stringer, Head of Human Origins at the Natural History Museum in London told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/feb/20/homo-erectus-may-have-been-a-sailor-and-able-to-speak">The Guardian. </a>

But if Everett’s theories are correct, it reconstructs our understanding of early man and how language truly first developed. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

When did humans first begin using words?

Homo erectus may have had a more refined language than...

If you call yourself a perfectionist, it’s likely you are constantly striving to be the best at everything and avoid making mistakes at all costs. 

While this tenacity may help you become and stay successful, it can often be an exhausting and difficult way to live. Perfectionists can be overly self-critical and get down on themselves for making minor mistakes. When a perfectionist fails, they can often experience depression and burnout.

In a recent study published in the open-access journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, researchers from <a href="http://www.acu.edu.au/">Australian Catholic University</a> found that relating to oneself in a healthy way can help disrupt the link between perfectionism and depression. In the study, led by Madeleine Ferrari, the researchers assessed whether self-compassion – a way to positively relate to oneself – might help weaken the association between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/screen-time-suicide-teens/">depression</a> and perfectionist tendencies.

The study involved 541 adolescents and 515 adults answering questions in an anonymous survey that assessed perfectionism, depression, and self-compassion. Detailed analysis of these questionnaires determined that self-compassion might help perfectionists avoid falling into the trap of depression when they experience failure. This finding was consistent across both groups of differently-aged people, suggesting that self-compassion could help moderate the link between perfectionism and depression across a wide range of ages. 

“Self-compassion, the practice of self-kindness, consistently reduces the strength of the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and depression for both adolescents and adults,” says Ferrari. The authors believe that self-compassion interventions may help moderate the negative effects of perfectionism, but further research is needed to determine if this is the case.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Self-compassion found to be crucial in combating perfectionism

If you call yourself a perfectionist, it’s likely you are...

<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...