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...

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...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-knowledge-evolution/">Evolution</a> is a constant, albeit slow process, and there is no finish line when it comes to how evolved a species can be. 

According to a new study, humans may now be evolving a gene that protects against alcoholism and malaria.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> identified positive gene variants across populations to show how some regions are evolving certain traits. 

Their findings were published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. 

The study focused on sweeping genetic events across different populations in order to find gene variants that overlapped. The variants were either a specific response to a region’s geographic location or shared evolutionary background. 

The researchers collected and analyzed data from 2,500 people from the 1,000 Genomes Project. The Genomes Project is the largest public catalog of human variation and ran from 2008 to 2015.

Emerging gene variants were examined in relation to their different populations, and there were five genomic hotspots that the researcher identified. 

One of the variants could potentially prevent alcoholism in the future, and this variant was seen in areas where alcoholism is particularly problematic. 

Benjamin Voight, a co-author of the study, told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5412653/Humans-evolving-gene-stop-drinking-alcohol.html">Daily Mail</a> that these gene variants may occur in areas “where people who drank heavily would die, whereas those who didn't drink much alcohol survived and passed on their genes to their children.”

The researchers discovered variants of the ADH gene which helps break down alcohol in both Africa and Asia. This variant works by making alcohol intolerable thereby avoiding potential addiction. 

Other variants could aid in building resistance to malaria in Asia and Africa and help with heart health in Europe. 

The research is noteworthy because it identifies gene variants in different populations and shows how evolution has exceeded the bounds of common ancestry with gene variant events, overlapping in some areas and not others.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Could humans be evolving a gene to protect against alcoholism

Evolution is a constant, albeit slow process, and there is...

A study from <a href="https://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> has shown that the presence of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/autonomous-vehicles-environmental-benefits/">autonomous vehicles</a> can improve traffic flow and lower fuel consumption in heavy traffic, even when only a few of the vehicles are on the road. 

A multidisciplinary team of experts in the fields of traffic flow theory, control theory, robotics, cyber-physical systems, and transportation engineering presented their research in an exhibit at the Washington Auto Show. 

The study, which was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), demonstrates how autonomous vehicles can help to prevent and clear up traffic jams.

Humans naturally oscillate while driving and this often disrupts the smooth flow of traffic. When a driver changes lanes or merges, this can create stop-and-go traffic.

During field experiments, the researchers controlled the pace of the autonomous vehicle. The self-driven car helped to manage the traffic flow by eliminating the stop-and-go waves. As a result, the traffic was not fluctuating as it does when the vehicles are all driven by humans.

The experts discovered that a percentage of autonomous vehicles as small as 5 percent could have a significant influence on traffic. In addition, the smoother flow of traffic generated by the self-driven cars was found to reduce overall fuel consumption by up to 40 percent and braking events by up to 99 percent.

“Most of the policymakers, car manufacturers, car dealers, and others we talked with were very impressed with the research results and got a positive feeling about autonomous vehicles,” said lead author Benedetto Piccoli. “They all agreed that the impact on real traffic economy and environmental impact could be of great importance.”

The NSF invited the team to discuss their work with auto industry leaders and lawmakers in Washington, D.C. 

“The experience was great since we had to interact with a new audience,” said Piccoli.

The research was presented at the auto show as part of the NSF-funded Cyber-Physical Systems research project on Control of Vehicular Traffic Flow via Low Density Autonomous Vehicles.

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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

Autonomous vehicles can help reduce traffic jams and fuel costs

A study from Rutgers University has shown that the presence...

In an unprecedented study, researchers at <a href="http://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> have projected changes in heat waves, droughts, and flooding for every European city using all available climate models.

The experts are reporting that heat waves will become worse in all 571 cities and drought conditions will increase as well, particularly in southern Europe.

River flooding will become more frequent and severe, with the worst projections in northwestern European cities. In the best case scenario, 85 percent of cities in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brexit-threat-womens-rights/">UK</a> with a river will still face increased flooding.

The team developed three possible future cases which they referred to as the low, medium, and high impact scenarios. Even for the lowest impact scenario, the number of heat wave days and maximum temperatures will rise for every city in Europe.

The high impact scenario predicts that 98 percent of European cities will experience more intense droughts in the future, and cities in southern Europe may face droughts that are 14 times worse than today.

“Although southern European regions are adapted to cope with droughts, this level of change could be beyond breaking point,” said lead author Dr. Selma Guerreiro.

“Furthermore, most cities have considerable changes in more than one hazard which highlights the substantial challenge cities face in managing climate risks.”

Study co-author Professor Richard Dawson says that the study has far-reaching suggestions in terms of how Europe adapts to climate change.

“The research highlights the urgent need to design and adapt our cities to cope with these future conditions,” said Professor Dawson.

“We are already seeing at first hand the implications of extreme weather events in our capital cities. In Paris the Seine rose more than 4 metres above its normal water level. And as Cape Town prepares for its taps to run dry, this analysis highlights that such climate events are feasible in European cities too.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will hold its first Cities and Climate Change Science Conference next month to emphasize the major roles that cities must play in climate change mitigation.

“A key objective for this conference is to bring together and catalyze action from researchers, policy makers and industry to address the urgent issue of preparing our cities, their population, buildings and infrastructure for climate change.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/erl">Environmental Research Letters</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate models show future extreme weather for European cities

In an unprecedented study, researchers at Newcastle University have projected...

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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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

[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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" 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> 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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" 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.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

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> 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

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> 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...