Cannabidiol (CBD) is emerging as the future of medicinal cannabis, as new research uncovers how it works with brain receptors to affect anxiety and pain management.



Unlike its psychoactive cousin, THC, cannabidiol has the potential for therapy without the high.



Scientists have long hypothesized about CBD's functional mechanisms, but a recent breakthrough has provided new insight into how it fine-tunes key biological processes.



While research on cannabis has intensified recently, there is still much to understand regarding the ways in which the plant components interact in the body.



In a significant advance, researchers have now looked more closely at what is being characterized as a highly complex interplay between CBD and THC that opens new avenues for using the benefits with fewer of the negatives.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-introducing-the-power-of-cbd-and-thc">Introducing the power of CBD and THC</h2>



A team of researchers from the <a href="https://olemiss.edu/departments/pharmacy/natural-products-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Mississippi's</a> National Center for Natural Products Research has investigated the complex relationship between cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis.



Their study sheds new light on how these compounds interact with the body's cellular receptors, potentially revolutionizing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-women-experience-more-chronic-pain-than-men/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">pain</a> and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chemical-found-in-cannabis-plants-can-actually-reduce-cannabis-induced-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anxiety</a> treatments.



As demand for CBD products surges in the U.S., following hemp’s decriminalization by the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, it as become critical to understand these interactions.



"The 2018 Farm Bill passage effectively opened a Pandora's box of research challenges," said Amar Chittiboyina, principal scientist and associate director of the Center.



"CBD's use proliferated across a wide spectrum, from pain management and recreational purposes to seemingly endless other applications. However, the fundamental question lies in understanding how CBD works on various targets and exerts its perceived effects at the molecular level," commented Chittiboyina.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-magic-key-cb1-receptor">The magic key: CB1 receptor</h2>



At the core of the study is cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1), a protein that is found throughout the body and regulates pain, mood, appetite, metabolism, and memory.



Both CBD and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/prenatal-thc-exposure-linked-to-life-long-health-risks/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">THC</a> interact with this receptor, but they do so in distinctly different ways.



When THC binds to CB1, it acts like an "off switch" for pain, providing relief but often leading to side effects such as memory loss, nausea, and addiction.



CBD, on the other hand, behaves more like a dimmer switch, as it delicately modulates the receptor’s function.



This newfound understanding paves the way for future research aimed at harnessing the benefits of THC while minimizing its drawbacks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-cannabis-research">The future of cannabis research</h2>



"Often, to mitigate pain, patients combine opiates with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/recreational-cannabis-use-protects-against-cognitive-decline/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis</a>, kratom, and other substances. Is this approach beneficial or detrimental?" asked Chittiboyina, highlighting the many research opportunities that lie ahead.



The findings could even pave the way for the development of a more efficient, synthetic form of CBD that is designed to optimize receptor interactions while reducing unwanted effects.



This research goes beyond viewing cannabis merely as a drug - it positions the substance as a "treasure chest" of medicinal advances.



"We're trying to pull out the benefits and leave the harms behind," said Robert Laprairie, an associate professor at the <a href="https://www.usask.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Saskatchewan</a>, and co-author of the study.



One of the next research frontiers involves investigating whether CBD interferes with opioids like morphine. 



If CBD negatively interacts with opioid receptors, it could reduce the efficacy of opioids, which is a potential concern for individuals who rely on opioids for pain relief.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cbd-research-s-promising-path">CBD research’s promising path</h2>



While these findings provide a foundation for understanding CBD’s therapeutic potential, the researchers emphasize that further studies are necessary before drawing definitive conclusions.



"But, if we can pinpoint how CBD interacts with multiple targets on a molecular level, we will be in a stronger scientific position to develop solutions that are relevant to public health," the team concluded.



Their discoveries not only deepen our understanding of cannabis compounds but also open doors for targeted drug development aimed at reducing the risks associated with THC and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-discovery-offers-hope-for-tackling-opioid-addiction/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">opioids</a>. 



The study marks an important step toward safer and more effective treatment options for those suffering pain and struggling with mood disorders. 



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The research was supported by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the National Science Foundation XSEDE Bridges, and the Mississippi State-sponsored National Center for Cannabis Research and Education.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00343" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Chemical Neuroscience</a>.



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CBD can help ease chronic pain, anxiety, and mood disorders

Cannabidiol (CBD) is emerging as the future of medicinal cannabis, as new research uncovers how it works with brain receptors to affect anxiety and pain management. Unlike its psychoactive cousin, THC, cannabidiol has the potential for therapy without the high. Scientists have long hypothesized about CBD's functional mechanisms, but a recent breakthrough has provided new insight into how it fine-tunes key biological processes. While research on cannabis has intensified recently, there is still much to understand regarding the ways in which the plant components interact in the...

In regions where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-trees-resist-drought/">trees</a> are scarce, using this precious wood to make paper isn’t exactly the priority. But what if there was an easier, more sustainable way to make paper in these areas – especially if they were home to a lot of elephants or cattle? According to research from Alexander Bismarck of the <a href="https://www.univie.ac.at/en/">University of Vienna, Austria,</a> both elephant and cow manure can be used as a great source of cellulose for paper manufacturing.

“Animals eat low-grade biomass containing cellulose, chew it and expose it to enzymes and acid in their stomach, and then produce manure. Depending on the animal, up to 40 percent of that manure is cellulose, which is then easily accessible,” says Bismarck.

Because the animals breakdown the cellulose in their stomachs, fewer chemical treatments and much less energy would be needed to turn the partially digested material into cellulose nanofibers, when compared to making paper from raw wood. The manure is treated with sodium hydroxide solution, which partially removes lignin – which can be used as a fuel or fertilizer – as well as other impurities. The material is then bleached with sodium hypochlorite in order to fully remove lignin and produce while pulp for making paper. The purified cellulose needs little to no grinding to break it down into the nanofibers required to make paper.

“You need a lot of energy to grind wood down to make nanocellulose,” says Andreas Mautner, a postdoc student at the University of Vienna. But if you use manure as a starting material, “you can reduce the number of steps you need to perform, simply because the animal already chewed the plant and attacked it with acid and enzymes. You inexpensively produce a nanocellulose that has the same or even better properties than nanocellulose from wood, with lower energy and chemical consumption.”

Bismarck also says that the dung-derived nanopaper could be used in a number of applications, including as filters to clean wastewater before releasing it back into the environment, or as reinforcement for polymer composites. His team is currently working with an industrial consortium to explore these other avenues.

The researchers are also looking into whether the process can be made to be even more sustainable. They are attempting to use biogas produced from manure as fuel for generating electricity or heat, and extracting cellulose fibers from that residue.

Overall, these new applications for a seemingly useless (and unpleasant) waste product could provide a viable way for certain regions – like many parks in Africa or cattle farms in the U.S. and Europe – to get rid of manure in an environmentally sound way, while also generating a useful product. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Manure can be used to make paper sustainably if trees are scarce

In regions where trees are scarce, using this precious wood...

According to new research, drinking alcohol makes your heart race and could cause arrhythmias in people with heart conditions. 

The new study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.en.uni-muenchen.de/about_lmu/academics/medical_center/index.html">LMU University Hospital Munich Department of Cardiology</a> in order to assess the acute effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-good-brain/">alcohol</a> on heart health. 

The results were presented at the <a href="https://www.escardio.org/Sub-specialty-communities/European-Heart-Rhythm-Association-(EHRA)?hit=metanav">European Heart Rhythm Association</a> 2018 Congress1, which is organized by the <a href="https://www.escardio.org/">European Society of Cardiology. </a>

During the 2015 Munich Oktoberfest, researchers recorded the heart rate activity of over 3,000 participants using electrocardiograms (ECG) and measured breath alcohol concentrations. 

The researchers also compiled data on the participants’ age and sex, if there was a history of heart disease, and if they smoked. 

The average breath alcohol concentration was .85 g/kg and higher concentrations correlated with a faster heartbeat. 

“The more alcohol you drink, the higher your heart rate gets,” said Stefan Brunner, a cardiologist at the University Hospital Munich and one of the lead authors of the study. 

After the study was conducted, researchers went to back to examine the ECG data in more detail.  The researchers investigated the impact alcohol concentration had on different electrocardiogram parameters besides heart rate. 

The results of the second analysis also showed that heart rate sped up with increased alcohol consumption but did not affect any of the other ECG parameters. 

All in the all, the study reveals that alcohol directly impacts heart rate and increased alcohol consumption causes your heart to race.

“We cannot yet conclude that a higher heart rate induced by alcohol is harmful,” said Moritz Sinner, a fellow lead author. “But people with heart conditions already have a higher heart rate, which in many cases triggers arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation. So it is plausible that the higher heart rate following alcohol consumption could lead to arrhythmias.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Drinking alcohol increases your heart rate, study finds

According to new research, drinking alcohol makes your heart race...

If immediate measures are taken to drastically reduce carbon emissions worldwide, it could save millions of lives, according to a new study. 

The study was conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a> and calculated the number of lives that could be saved in 154 different urban areas if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/co2-emissions-energy-costs/">emissions</a> were reduced sooner rather than later. 

Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the research is the first of its kind to show the preventable number of deaths from air pollution on a city by city basis. 

Although capping emissions is a top priority, the more favorable plan is postponing major emission cuts in order to reduce the cost of restructuring the energy sector. 

“The lowest-cost approach only looks at how much it will cost to transform the energy sector,” said Drew Shindell, the study’s first author. “It ignores the human cost of more than 150 million lost lives or the fact that slashing emissions in the near term will reduce long-term climate risk and avoid the need to rely on future carbon dioxide removal.” 

The researchers projected the number of preventable deaths by running computer simulations of three future emission scenarios. 

The simulations projected pollution levels under different emissions regulations and their associated health risks. 

The first scenario examined the impact of accelerating carbon emissions with no negative emissions over the remainder of the 21st century. The second scenario used higher carbon emissions in the short term but still met the Paris Climate Accord goals by the end of the century. 

The third scenario simulated the effects of radically accelerating carbon emission reductions.  Each scenario projected pollution levels, and from this, the researchers could infer the health risks and mortality rates linked to varying levels of CO2 pollution. 

The scenario with the quickest reduction of carbon emissions had the greatest benefit regarding preventable deaths. 

In India, over 8 million lives could be saved in major urban areas like Delhi and Kolkata. Thirteen Asian and African cities showed one million preventable deaths, and in 80 cities that number was at least 100,000. 

The results call into the question current emission standards and plans for reducing CO2 pollution. The health risks from increased pollution and emissions should be a priority when working to mitigate climate change. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Quickly reducing carbon emissions could save 153 million lives

If immediate measures are taken to drastically reduce carbon emissions...

A new study from <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> has revealed that emotions can be detected in the color of a person's face, even with the slightest change of blood flow and no muscle movement. The researchers have demonstrated for the first time that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/negative-emotions-growth-success/">emotional expression</a> is linked to the central nervous system. 

The breakthrough has enabled the experts to develop computer algorithms that can identify human emotion through color around the cheeks, chin, nose, and eyebrows with up to 90 percent accuracy.

Study co-author Aleix Martinez is a cognitive scientist and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Ohio State.

“We identified patterns of facial coloring that are unique to every emotion we studied,” explained Professor Martinez.

“We believe these color patterns are due to subtle changes in blood flow or blood composition triggered by the central nervous system. Not only do we perceive these changes in facial color, but we use them to correctly identify how other people are feeling, whether we do it consciously or not.”


For their investigation, the researchers captured hundreds of images of facial expressions and separated them into different color channels based on how colors are perceived by the human eye. Computer analysis revealed that emotions such as joy or sadness produced unique color patterns.

The researchers found that these color patterns remained essentially the same for specific emotions regardless of ethnicity or skin tone.

“There's a little bit of every color everywhere,” said Martinez. Red, green, blue, and yellow are present in every emotion, but in slightly different concentrations and on different areas of the face. For example, disgust creates a red-green cast around the nose and forehead with a blue-yellow cast around the lips.

To test whether the colors could independently convey emotions, the different color patterns were superimposed onto images of faces with no expression.

The neutral faces were presented to 20 study participants who were asked to guess how the person in the picture was feeling. The individuals were given a list of 18 emotions to choose from, including basic emotions like “happy” or “sad” and more complex emotions such as “happily surprised.”

“Admittedly, these images look weird,” said Martinez. “But we told people to go ahead and guess from the list of emotions what emotion they thought those faces were conveying. And they guessed right most of the time.”

The study participants were able to identify the emotions, based on color alone, between 65 and 75 percent of the time. The same images were used with the algorithms developed by the team, and the computer accurately identified the emotions between 65 and 90 percent of the time. 

Happiness was the easiest emotion for the computer recognize, while “fearfully disgusted” was the least recognizable.


The researchers are obtaining a patent for the computer algorithms, and they hope that the programs may pave the way for future artificial intelligence technology that can recognize and also imitate human emotions. A company has been formed called Online Emotion to commercialize the research.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A person’s emotions are revealed by changes in facial color

A new study from Ohio State University has revealed that...

Skin care products such as face and body wash are often purchased based on the way that they smell, yet these scents do not typically last very long after application. Researchers have created a new way to identify fragrances that will stick to the skin longer by using a sensing device.

“Companies incorporate a lot of fragrance oils in wash-off products, such as face washes and body scrubs, but the majority of these oils get washed away,” said lead author Martin S. Vethamuthu. 

“My research team of solvers wants to help other companies amplify the efficacy, add to the allure and ensure the integrity of the retention of these fragrance notes in their products for skin and hair.”

Consumers are willing to spend a lot of money on products that smell good, but many are left dissatisfied when the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scent-reduce-stress/">scent</a> does not last for more than an hour or two.

The research team set out to increase the efficiency of fragrance oils, which is a complex process.

“To build a scent profile in a body wash, it is a creative and artistic process of blending the fragrances,” said Vethamuthu.

He explained that there are three categories of scents: the top note, middle note, and base note. 

“Each of these has a purpose, and some scents are meant to evaporate during the shower while others are meant to remain on the skin even after toweling off.” 

Developing fragrance profiles can be a time-consuming and expensive process. Each time a fragrance is blended, the oil is sent to evaluators, who often return the fragrance for changes to be made and then re-evaluate the scents until the fragrance is flawless. 

Vethamuthu’s team has modified a device, known as the twister bar headspace sorption extraction sensor, to simplify the process of perfecting fragrances. The tool is commonly used in the food industry to detect chemicals that could alter flavors and scents.

The sensor was used to identify which fragrances lingered on the skin longer, allowing the team to gather a profile of these particular scents. The experts also mixed the fragrance oils with various polymers to ensure their longevity.

Using this simplified process, evaluators would only be needed in the final step of the scent development process for verification.

“Polymers impact different fragrances in diverse ways,” said Vethamuthu. “By studying synthetic and naturally derived polymers, manufacturers can select the types of polymers they want to use that will correspond with the fragrance notes they want to prevail.”

Vethamuthu will continue to optimize these methods, and he hopes to refine the tool to mimic the human sense of smell.

The research was presented at the 255th National Meeting &amp; Exposition of the <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS).

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New breakthrough will help develop fragrances that last longer

Skin care products such as face and body wash are...

Many people still seem surprised to learn that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/agriculture-higher-methane-emissions/">methane emissions</a> from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cowspiracy-film-review/">cows</a> are a major contributor to climate change. But now, a new study has revealed that meat-heavy diets account for almost half of the food-related greenhouse emissions in the United States. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> and <a href="http://tulane.edu/">Tulane University</a> examined the carbon impact of typical diets in the United States and found that just 20 percent of Americans are actually responsible for half of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions.

“Previous studies of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions have focused mainly on the average diet in a given country,” said Diego Rose, the principal investigator on the project. “This study is the first in the United States to look instead at self-reported dietary choices of a nationally representative sample of thousands of Americans.” 

The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

For the study, the researchers created a database that calculated the environmental impacts involved in producing more than 300 types of foods.

The database was then linked to the findings of a nationally representative one-day dietary recall survey of more than 16,000 U.S adults. 

With both the database and survey, the researchers were able to rank different types of diets by their carbon footprint and the greenhouse gases they produced.

Diets that included a lot of beef or dairy had the highest impact and produced more greenhouse gases than the other diets. 

In total, 20 percent of the diets with highest carbon footprint produced 46 percent of total diet-related greenhouse emissions.

“A big take-home message for me is the fact that high-impact diets are such a large part of the overall contribution to food-related greenhouse gases,” said Martin Heller, the first author of the paper. 

The results show the high levels of emissions from the meat and dairy industry, and the researchers recommend that people with high impact diets reduce the amount of meat they consume as an easy and sustainable solution for reducing emissions. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Meat-heavy diets are a major contributor to greenhouse emissions

Many people still seem surprised to learn that methane emissions...

Now more than ever, children in the United States perceive scientists as being female, and not just male. Researchers at <a href="http://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> analyzed 50 years of “Draw-A-Scientist” studies and found that children are depicting female scientists more often than ever before in their drawings.

According to the experts, the findings indicate that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gender-stereotypes-expectations-globe/">stereotypes</a> linking science to the male gender have weakened in children over time. This is likely due to the depiction of more female scientists in children's media, such as on television and in magazines.

“Given this change in stereotypes, girls in recent years might now develop interests in science more freely than before,” said study lead author David Miller. “Prior studies have suggested that these gender-science stereotypes could shape girls' interests in science-related activities and careers.

The investigation was focused on the combined results from 78 “Draw-A-Scientist” studies that included more than 20,000 children in kindergarten through the 12th grade.

In the first study, conducted between 1966 and 1977, less than one percent of nearly 5,000 children drew an image of a woman when asked to draw a scientist. The drawings consistently depicted men working with lab equipment, often with lab coats, glasses, and facial hair.

In later studies, which were conducted between 1985 and 2016, the researchers found that an average of 28 percent of children drew female scientists. While both boys and girls began creating female scientists more over time, girls drew female scientists much more often than boys overall.

“Our results suggest that children's stereotypes change as women's and men's roles change in society,” said study co-author Alice Eagly. “Children still draw more male than female scientists in recent studies, but that is expected because women remain a minority in several science fields.”


The research team also examined how children form stereotypes about scientists throughout their development, and noted that children did not associate science with men until grade school. At around age 5, they drew roughly about the same amount of male and female scientists.

Throughout elementary and middle school, the tendency to depict scientists as being male increased strongly with age. Older children also tended to draw scientists with lab coats and glasses, suggesting that children learn new stereotypes as they grow.

“These changes across children's age likely reflect that children's exposure to male scientists accumulates during development, even in recent years,” said study co-author David Uttal.

“To build on cultural changes, teachers and parents should present children with multiple examples of female and male scientists across many contexts such as science courses, television shows and informal conversations.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-8624">Child Development</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: More than ever, kids view scientists as being female too

Now more than ever, children in the United States perceive...

New research documents how our early human ancestors led far more complex lives and used more sophisticated tools than had been previously thought.

According to the research published in the journal Science, early Homo sapiens transported stones long distances and used colored pigments for symbolic purposes. Major environmental shifts that occurred during the early African Middle Stone Age that might have driven the need for this transport and travel. 

After it was revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-first-using-words/">Homo sapiens</a> emerged 300,000 years earlier than records showed, paleoanthropologists excavating around the Olorgesailie Basin in Kenya were able to piece together a new timeline of when sophisticated stone tools were first used. 

The excavation yielded evidence of Middle Stone Age tools, complex social networking, and the symbolic and decorative use of pigments long before these behaviors were commonplace.

Small hand axes, tools made with black obsidian, and rocks covered with black and red pigment,  all point to a complex, intelligent, and highly social society that lived, hunted and networked around the Olorgesailie Basin hundreds of thousands of years ago. 

Researchers believe that because the obsidian rock was not native to the area, early humans would have had to form a vast social network in order to trade or receive the raw materials they used in their tools. 

According to researchers, this is the earliest known evidence of social networks ever to have formed among humans. 

At the time these tools were created, there was a major climate shift occurring which may have driven early humans to go beyond their immediate range as a matter of survival.

The social network could have created new hunting opportunities and ways to fine tune tool building and hunting techniques. 

The artifacts found in the area, combined with the new evidence of the first homo sapiens, has created a completely new chronology of the evolution of human behaviors. 

“This change to a very sophisticated set of behaviors that involved greater mental abilities and more complex social lives may have been the leading edge that distinguished our lineage from other early humans,” said Rick Potts, director of the <a href="http://humanorigins.si.edu/">Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History</a> Human Origins program.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Smithsonian

Sophisticated tools used by our earliest ancestors found in Africa

New research documents how our early human ancestors led far...

As human society has evolved, our cultures have become increasingly hierarchical. It has been a long-standing debate in the field of cultural evolution as to how this change has occurred. Some scientists believe that material changes to a society’s resources or subsistence strategies led to our societies becoming more hierarchical, while others believe that hierarchy is the cause – rather than result – of these changes. For many, the answer lies between these two extremes. 

To further explore these differing theories, researchers from the <a href="https://www.shh.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History</a> and the <a href="https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en.html">University of Auckland</a> have published the results of a new study in <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">PNAS</a>, in which they examined 155 Austronesian societies. These societies ranged from Madagascar to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/easter-island-supportive-community/">Easter Island</a> and Taiwan to New Zealand. The social stratification and agricultural practices of these societies were also diverse, with societies ranging from egalitarian to rigidly stratified, and agricultural systems ranging from the least intensive to the most intensive in the pre-modern world. 

“The Pacific is an ideal setting to test these ideas,” says senior author Quentin Atkinson, of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History and the University of Auckland. “It’s like a giant natural experiment with populations spread across hundreds of islands with different political institutions and modes of subsistence. And we know the cultural ancestry of these populations because it is encoded in the languages they speak.”

The study’s results showed that there was not a simple causal connection between changes in a society’s mode of agriculture and increasing hierarchy. In many cases, agricultural intensification did tend to coevolve with sociopolitical hierarchy, but in other cases, the two appeared independent of each other. Furthermore, when both traits did appear, intensive agriculture didn’t always come first.

“There’s a widely held view that material changes to the environment drive social evolution and not the reverse,” says Atkinson. “Our findings challenge that view and show that the causal arrow actually goes both ways.”

Their findings suggest that hierarchy and agricultural intensification promoted each other, and may be part of a feedback loop that also involves population growth. Because of this, social and political factors could be among the most important drivers of cultural evolution, rather than secondary to the process. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Agriculture and social hierarchies usually evolve simultaneously

As human society has evolved, our cultures have become increasingly...

In today’s modern democracies, the public has the power to redistribute wealth – taking from the rich and giving to the poor – in order to bridge the gap between the economic inequalities that plague many nations. But for the most part, the top 1% remain super-wealthy, while the vast majority of people live a much more modest lifestyle. So why do voters in these democracies with great income inequality not attempt to redistribute wealth at a much higher rate, especially given that they maintain the voting majority? A new experimental study published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> might have the answer.

In an international study that is the first to examine how individuals change the distribution of wealth when confronted with clear-cut cases of favorable and unfavorable economic inequality, researchers from the <a href="https://www.unisg.ch/">University of St. Gallen</a> in Switzerland and <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> found that, given the chance to “play Robin Hood,” most people showed little interest in making significant transfers of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wealthier-countries-higher-cancer/">wealth</a>.

“Participants in our experiment were willing to tolerate a considerable degree of inequality even in a setting where they have full control over the final distribution of wealth and there are no costs to redistribution,” says Michael Bechtel, an associate professor of political science in Arts &amp; Sciences at <a href="https://wustl.edu/">Washington University</a> in St. Louis and co-author of the study.

Their experiment sampled a representative group of 5,000 adults in Germany and the United States. Study participants were randomly selected to receive a pair of Amazon gift cards, with designated values of $25, $50, or $75. The participants were informed which card was theirs, and then given the option to transfer funds to or from the other card.

“Individuals know exactly how the value of their Amazon card compares to the other respondent’s gift card, and they can fully remove inequality by giving to or taking from the other respondent,” explains Kenneth Scheve, a professor of political science at Stanford and co-author of the study.

When cardholders had the ability to transfer the entire value of someone else’s card to themselves, most only took a small fraction of the total amount. Results also showed that the people most likely to take funds from a wealthier cardholder were often unwilling to transfer their own funds to a poorer cardholder. On the other hand, people more willing to share their money with poorer cardholders were less likely to take funds from those richer than them.

“This suggests that inequality persists in part because individuals are not averse enough to inequality,” says Bechtel. “And because the aversion to favorable and unfavorable inequality is distributed in ways that make it difficult to marshal the level of public support needed to implement the type of ‘Robin Hood’ policies – taking from the rich and giving it to the poor – that would be most effective at reducing inequality,” Bechtel said.

The results of this study show a new method for measuring individual preferences in willingness to redistribute wealth, presenting a potential tool that can be used to determine the likelihood that voters in a particular nation would support and enact progressive wealth redistribution programs. The study found that German participants were more likely to reduce favorable and unfavorable inequality than Americans – a tendency that corresponds with differences that mirror in real-life wealth transfer programs currently in place in these countries. 

In general, this study gives a closer look into how people respond to inequality when given the opportunity to change it, and may help us better understand the political support for certain economic policies among different nations.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Americans don’t like playing Robin Hood to fix income inequality

In today’s modern democracies, the public has the power to...

Scientists from different fields of research have teamed up predict incidences of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tropical-trees-resist-drought/">drought</a> and famine in an effort to save lives.

An early warning system designed by a multidisciplinary team of climatologists and food security and resource experts has already proven successful at mitigating severe food shortages from drought in Africa. 

In 2016, 81 million people worldwide experienced food insecurity, and 80 percent of that group live in Africa. 

Food insecurity in Africa can be traced back to several factors including civil war, but drought due to climate change is a large part of the recent shortages.

Climatologists from the <a href="http://chg.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Group</a> have studied the relationship between warm sea-surface temperatures and drough to create accurate predictions that could help those in high-risk areas adequately prepare. 

The UC Santa Barbara team collaborated with the <a href="http://www.fews.net/">Famine Early Systems Network</a>, the <a href="https://eros.usgs.gov/">Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science</a>, and the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. </a>

Understanding the relationship between sea surface temperatures and drier rainy seasons was a key part of the research. 

“Sea surface temperatures create opportunities for prediction because a really warm ocean often triggers changes in atmospheric circulation that produce droughts in some places and more rainfall in others," said Chris Funk, a member of the early predictions research team. “If we pay attention and watch where those exceptionally warm sea surface temperatures are, we then can produce better drought forecasts that help prevent food insecurity in Africa.”

The researchers came up with a series of predictions and effectively created an early warning system for a series of droughts that swept through parts of Africa in 2015. In June of that year, the researchers projected a drier than usual rainy season. 

The predictions ultimately came true, and what little rainfall that did occur in southern Africa  came far later than usual. Soon after, the area experienced a severe drought that could have resulted in many more fatalities had it not been for the early warning given. 

The researchers also predicted and prevented major crises from droughts in 2016 and 2017 in the Eastern Horn of Africa, eastern Ethiopia and southern Somalia. 

The early warning system illustrates the potential of bringing scientists, experts, and policymakers from different fields together to battle food insecurity.
--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Predicting drought and famine to help save lives

Scientists from different fields of research have teamed up predict...

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lsd-permanently-impact-personality/">hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide</a> (LSD) has been an intensely studied and even more intensely governed illicit substance since the famous MKUltra Project, in which the U.S. government tested its effects on unknowing participants. Since then, the study of this substance has been tightly regulated, but the effects it has on the human brain are still of great intrigue to scientists around the world.

A recent study published in <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">JNeurosci</a> by researchers from the <a href="http://www.uzh.ch/en.html">University of Zurich</a> has found that LSD alters activity of brain regions involved in differentiating between oneself and another. Researchers Katrin Preller and Franz Vollenweider led a team that investigated the role of the serotonin 2A receptor in social interaction – which a number of psychiatric disorders impair. 

For the study, participants received either LSD, ketanserin (a drug that blocks the effects of LSD), or a placebo before they engaged in a gaze-following game with a virtual human-like character. Through a combination of eye-tracking and functional magnetic resonance imaging, the researchers discovered that LSD interfered with participants’ ability to coordinate their attention with the virtual character on a particular object on the screen.

Participants that took LSD had reduced activity in the temporal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, which are areas of the brain imperative for establishing one’s sense of self. The effects of LSD blurred the line between experimental conditions where either the participant or the virtual character took the lead in directing attention. The researchers also found that these effects were blocked by ketanserin, which indicates that this receptor system could be a target for treating social impairments in disorders that are characterized by increased self-focus – such as depression – or loss of the sense of self – like in schizophrenia.

Overall, these findings may have implications for treating mental or mood disorders that affect so much of the population. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

LSD disrupts the boundaries between yourself and others

The hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has been an intensely...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes Earth’s interconnected systems, and how this network is affected by rising temperatures.&nbsp;



During 2020, average global temperatures matched the hottest year on record. The hurricane season was also record-breaking, with many of the storms intensifying at extraordinary speeds. Hot water in the ocean is fuel for hurricanes. The satellite data shows that it's all one interconnected system showing how Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected.



According to NASA, dust swept up from Northern Africa plays a major role in the formation of hurricanes, and is also a key source of fertilization in the Amazon rainforest. As a result of<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/seagrass-wasting-disease-is-fueled-by-climate-change/"> climate</a> change, dust plumes are expected to decline, which will have an effect on vegetation far away.&nbsp;



Images from Earth-observing satellites show how the world’s plant life is affected by natural disasters, fires, and deforestation. Satellites also reveal how widespread changes in vegetation impact waterways,&nbsp; the climate, air quality. Satellites communicate by using radio waves to send signals to the antennas on the Earth. "Earth From Space" is a groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. 



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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