A recent study is the first to suggest that the use of high-potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA, providing valuable insights into the biological impact of cannabis use.&nbsp;



High-potency cannabis is defined as having Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the principal psychoactive constituent in cannabis - content of 10% or more.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-biological-impact-of-high-potency-cannabis-nbsp">Biological impact of high-potency cannabis&nbsp;</h2>



The research also showed the effect of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-cannabis-use-disorder-risk-varies-among-young-adults/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis</a> use on DNA is different in people experiencing their first episode of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childhood-sleep-deprivation-linked-to-adult-psychosis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">psychosis</a> compared to users who have never experienced psychosis. 



This suggests there could be potential for DNA blood tests to help characterize those cannabis users at risk of developing psychosis to inform preventative approaches.



“With the increasing prevalence of cannabis use and more availability of high-potency cannabis, there is a pressing need to better understand its biological impact, particularly on mental health,” said senior author Marta Di Forti, a professor of drugs, genes and psychosis at <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">King's College London</a> (KCL).



“Our study is the first to show high-potency cannabis leaves a unique signature on DNA related to mechanisms around the immune system and energy production.”



According to Professor Forti, future research needs to explore if the DNA signature for current cannabis use - in particular the one of high-potency types - can help identify those users most at risk to develop psychosis, both in recreational and medicinal use settings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-potency-cannabis-and-dna-methylation-nbsp">High-potency cannabis and DNA methylation&nbsp;</h2>



The researchers explored the effects of cannabis use on DNA methylation - a chemical process detected in blood samples that alters how genes are functioning (whether they are switched “on” or “off”).&nbsp;



DNA methylation is a type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-status-linked-to-lasting-epigenetic-changes-in-hyenas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">epigenetic change</a>, which means it alters gene expression without affecting the DNA sequence itself and is considered a vital factor in the interplay between risk factors and mental health.



The laboratory team at the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Exeter</a> conducted complex analyses of DNA methylation across the whole human genome using blood samples from both people who have experienced first-episode psychosis and those who have never had a psychotic experience. 



The researchers investigated the impact of current cannabis use, including frequency and potency, on the DNA of 682 participants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genes-related-to-energy-and-immune-function">Genes related to energy and immune function</h2>



The analysis showed that frequent users of high-potency cannabis had changes in genes related to mitochondrial and immune function, particularly the CAVIN1 gene, which could affect energy and immune response.&nbsp;



These changes were not explained by the well-established impact that tobacco has on DNA methylation, which is usually mixed into joints by most cannabis users.



“This is the first study to show that frequent use of high-potency cannabis leaves a distinct molecular mark on DNA, particularly affecting genes related to energy and immune function,” said study lead author Emma Dempster, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter.



“Our findings provide important insights into how cannabis use may alter biological processes. DNA methylation, which bridges the gap between genetics and environmental factors, is a key mechanism that allows external influences, such as substance use, to impact gene activity.”&nbsp;



Dempster noted that these epigenetic changes, shaped by lifestyle and exposures, offer a valuable perspective on how cannabis use may influence mental health through biological pathways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-valuable-new-insights">Valuable new insights</h2>



Dempster meta-analyzed data from two cohorts: the GAP study, which consists of patients with first-episode psychosis in <a href="https://slam.nhs.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust</a>, and the EU-GEI study, which consists of patients with first-episode psychosis and healthy controls across England, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Brazil.



This totaled 239 participants with first-episode psychosis and 443 healthy controls representing the general population from both study sites who had available DNA samples.&nbsp;



Most of the cannabis users in the study used high-potency cannabis more than once a week (defined as frequent use) and had first used cannabis at the age of 16 years old, on average.



This study, published in the journal <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41380-024-02689-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Molecular Psychiatry</a> provides crucial insights into how high-potency cannabis use may impact DNA and lead to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-potency-linked-to-dramatic-rise-in-psychiatric-disorders/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">psychiatric disorders</a>, highlighting the need for further research to understand the biological mechanisms at play and to develop preventative strategies for those at risk of psychosis.



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High-potency cannabis use linked to epigenetic changes

A recent study is the first to suggest that the use of high-potency cannabis leaves a distinct mark on DNA, providing valuable insights into the biological impact of cannabis use.&nbsp; High-potency cannabis is defined as having Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the principal psychoactive constituent in cannabis - content of 10% or more.&nbsp; Biological impact of high-potency cannabis&nbsp; The research also showed the effect of cannabis use on DNA is different in people experiencing their first episode of psychosis compared to users who have never experienced psychosis. This suggests...

During Teddy Roosevelt’s time as president, he was derided as being a traitor to his race and class; it’s hard to see Trump as anything but.  The one striking similarity between the presidents’ is their apparently shared love of big game hunting.  Much has been made of Trump’s moves to reduce his predecessors’ national monuments and the possibility of attempting to rescind some.  Less attention has been paid to how the standing national parks and monuments are becoming an exclusive place for the rich to vacation.

It seems obvious that lifting bans on importing game trophies such as elephants will mostly benefit the elite with money for African safari vacations.  Certainly Teddy Roosevelt was rich enough to safari in Africa and collect specimens for the Smithsonian.  Likewise Trump’s sons have taken an interest in the kingly pastime of gunning down animals.  Pictures of Eric and Donald Jr. can be found online, posing holding an elephant’s tail and together with a dead leopard among others.  The difference lies in Roosevelt’s naivety in thinking that killing of predators could help other wildlife as well as his dedication to scientific collecting.  Of course Roosevelt did enjoy the sport of killing as well but held to some code of ethics.  For Trump, what’s of utmost importance is that the rich can enjoy killing (or anything else they want) and decorate their walls tastefully with glass eyed heads.  Roosevelt also worked hard to create wildlife reserves, bird sanctuaries, National Parks and forests: the spine of American conservation.  

Trump recently reduced Bear’s Ears by 85% and Grand Staircase Escalante by 50%.  It’s unlikely Trump will completely rescind any national monument but he could try that as well.  What Trump will more likely do is make National Parks less relevant.  More precisely Trump’s secretary of the Interior, Zinke may make National Parks less relevant.  

The National Parks have a problem with the lack of visitor diversity.  As of 2016 less than 2% of visitors at Saguaro National Park were Hispanic.  To clarify, Saguaro sandwiches Tucson AZ to the east and west, a city with a population 44% Hispanic or Latino.  Only 20% of visitors to national parks in the US were minorities, despite minorities making up 40% of the overall population.

It seemed that Obama tried to make more inclusive national monuments.  Obama declared Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park, Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Stonewall National Monument and Cesar E. Chavez National Monument among many others.  These aren’t ‘wilderness’ National Monuments but monuments celebrating the history of underrepresented people in America.  Bear’s Ears was a more typical ‘wilderness’ monument and it did something else fantastic, Bear’s Ears is to be the first National Monument co-managed by Native American groups and the federal government.  This is a heritage Trump’s administration seems to take issue with.    

Now the National Park Service has proposed steep fee hikes.  The proposal would increase from $30 fees for a car at the Grand Canyon to $70 during peak season.  Fees would be hiked in 17 national parks.  Places like Joshua Tree and Yosemite along with most of the iconic western parks (and others) would become prohibitively expensive.  

The reason for the fee hikes Zinke explained, is for better park infrastructure.  I wonder how John Muir or Ed Abbey would feel about that.  For those who may not know; Muir once built a ‘cabin’ with no walls spanning a creek and happily noted frogs jumping through it.  Abbey of course opposed virtually any development in the parks.  Teddy Roosevelt didn’t even support cars in National Parks, would you drive into a cathedral?  These are the men who fought to preserve the land in the first place; why are we so quick to ignore them now?  

With the increase of park fees, it seems unlikely diversity in the parks will increase.  It seems more likely that the parks will become whiter and richer, the way Trump likes things.  With less people and only one type of person at that, there will be less resistance to further development.  I wonder how long until Forest Service and BLM Lands come under similar management plans?  Or perhaps the idea is with less people outside, more unobstructed mineral extraction.  Trump’s already looking at opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration.  One wonders, if he were alive today, would even Teddy Roosevelt oppose the rule of this government?  

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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

National parks, Trump and the Ghost of Teddy Roosevelt

During Teddy Roosevelt’s time as president, he was derided as...

A new study from the <a href="https://ph.ucla.edu/">UCLA Fielding School of Public Health</a> reveals that around 15 million Americans will have mild cognitive impairment or full-blown <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/roundworms-protection-alzheimers/">Alzheimer’s</a> dementia by the year 2060. This is nearly triple the current number of just over 6 million people that suffer from these conditions.

The researchers analyzed information from the largest studies available on the progression of Alzheimer's disease. The team used this data in a computer model they developed which accounts for the aging U.S population, and projected the numbers of people in preclinical and clinical states of Alzheimer’s disease. 

The analysis showed that about 5.7 million Americans will have mild cognitive impairment and another 9.3 million will have dementia due to Alzheimer's by the year 2060. Of the group of Americans suffering from the onset of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s, 4 million will need intensive, round-the-clock care, according to the study.

Mild cognitive impairment is an intermediate level of dementia that is not yet considered to be fully developed. Study lead author Ron Brookmeyer estimates that about 2.4 million Americans are currently living with this stage of impairment due to Alzheimer's disease.

"Estimates by disease state and severity are important because the resources needed to care for patients vary so much over the course of the illness," said Brookmeyer.

Brookmeyer explained that the findings of this study expose an urgent need to develop therapies to slow the progression of the disease in people who have indications of cognitive decline that could lead to Alzheimer's dementia. 

"There are about 47 million people in the U.S. today who have some evidence of preclinical Alzheimer's, which means they have either a build-up of protein fragments called beta-amyloid or neurodegeneration of the brain but don't yet have symptoms," said Brookmeyer. "Many of them will not progress to Alzheimer's dementia in their lifetimes. We need to have improved methods to identify which persons will progress to clinical symptoms, and develop interventions for them that could slow the progression of the disease, if not stop it all together."

The study, which is the first of its kind to estimate the numbers of Americans living with mild cognitive impairment or preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, is published in the journal <a href="http://www.alzheimersanddementia.com/">Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association</a>. 

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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

Twice as many Americans will have Alzheimer’s by 2060

A new study from the UCLA Fielding School of Public...

A study from the <a href="https://www.utmb.edu/">University of Texas Medical Branch</a> reports that children who were spanked while growing up are more likely to become physically aggressive with romantic partners later in life.

The researchers focused their analysis on 758 young adults who were 19 and 20 years old. All of the participants had been part of an ongoing case study for several years.

For the evaluation, the experts had to determine what was considered corporal punishment and what was considered child abuse. The experts defined child abuse as being hit with either a belt or a board, or having injuries that were noticeable or had to be treated by the doctor.

The individuals were asked to report on how often they were slapped, spanked, or struck with an object as punishment when they were <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-practicing-age-6/">children</a>. The participants were also asked about their own tendencies toward violent behavior.

Overall, 68 percent of the subjects reported receiving corporal punishment during childhood. 

The study revealed that enduring this type of discipline increased the likelihood that individuals would be violent with their future partners. One in five of the young adults who had experienced corporal punishment admitted to recent violence against their intimate partners.

Regardless of the extent of physical punishment, spanking alone was found to be enough to increase the chance of aggressive behavior later in life.

Study lead author Jeff Temple told <a href="http://www.cnn.com/">CNN</a>, "There's a tendency for adults who have been spanked to say 'I turned out just fine,' so they continue the behavior with their children."

Temple argued that, "There's zero evidence that it enhances children's development, and there is a whole bunch of evidence that it has negative outcomes. Our goal is not to turn out fine. Our goal is to turn out healthier and happier than previous generations."

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.jpeds.com/">Journal of Pediatrics</a>.

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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

Children who are spanked often become aggressive later in life

A study from the University of Texas Medical Branch reports...

Science could offer a new solution to city pest problems by genetically modifying rats to be infertile or only have male offspring. 

According to a new report from the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5148577/Researchers-reveal-plan-create-infertile-GM-rats.html">Daily Mail</a>, researchers from the <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/">University of Edinburgh </a>have suggested make populations of rats infertile over the next two years. 

Researchers in Australia have already used gene-modifying technology to help combat malaria, which is carried by insects. Many mosquito populations are now almost entirely male in certain areas which means that breeding is practically an impossibility. 

Even though this has been successful with mosquitos, this is the first time that researchers will be using the method on mammals. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rats-major-cities-monitored/">Rats</a> are, of course, a nuisance in urban areas. They can spread disease and are difficult to deal with once they infest a home or area. Their population numbers also fluctuate dramatically, leading to periodic surges in city subways and streets.

The United Kingdom spends an estimated £1.2 billion each year on pest control, and in New York City,<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/nyregion/new-york-city-escalates-the-war-on-rats-once-again.html"> annual budgets have approved millions </a>of dollars to “wage war on rats.”

Instead of investing thousands of dollars in rat traps and other expensive pest control options, genetic modification is a much less traumatic way of controlling the species. 

“There are obvious benefits of this gene drive strategy compared to current control measures that are really quite brutal – shooting, poisoning, trapping, kind of 'bash over the head' techniques,” said Gus McFarlane, co-author of a study told the Daily Mail. “'It is more humane to cause a population decline with minimal animal suffering.”

The researchers suggest using CRISPR/Cas 9 which is a tool that allows scientists to edit DNA with exact precision. 

CRISPR has been likened to a pair of “molecular scissors, ” and in this case, the Edinburgh researchers would specifically target fertility genes or sex chromosomes in rats. 

The rats would then pass on their genes to other rats or only have male rats in the next generations which would drastically decrease rat populations. 

The researchers are hoping to start trial studies on lab rats in the next couple of years. 

CRISPR is not without its controversy, with some scientists urging for caution as the long-term risks of precision gene editing are still unknown. 

“'We have the makings of a technology that could reduce or eliminate a pest population in a humane and species-specific manner,”  Bruce Whitelaw, a principal investigator at the Roslin Institute, told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html">Daily Mail</a>. “We need more research to better understand the risks, and whether these can be mitigated, but we believe the potential benefits merit further investigation.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, Earth.com Staff Writer

Genetic modification could manage rat populations

Science could offer a new solution to city pest problems...

New research is contradicting the long-assumed belief that humans evolved in Africa and then spread out across Asia into Australia around 60,000 years ago. There is now evidence that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-water-management/">humans</a> left Africa many times prior to this, and interbred with many ancient humans in various locations across Eurasia.

Using advances in technology such as updated DNA analysis and fossil identification techniques, 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="http://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Manoa</a> are challenging the theory of a single human dispersal out of Africa. 

The analysis, which is based upon a review of new discoveries from Asia over the past ten years, shows that Homo Sapiens reached distant parts of the Asian continent, as well as Near Oceania, much earlier than previously thought. Evidence that ancestors of modern humans interbred with other ancient people already present in Asia, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, makes the tracking of our evolutionary history quite complicated.

The new model reveals that multiple dispersals of modern humans came out of Africa, beginning as early as 120,000 years ago.

"The initial dispersals out of Africa prior to 60,000 years ago were likely by small groups of foragers, and at least some of these early dispersals left low-level genetic traces in modern human populations,” explained study co-author Michael Petraglia. “A later, major 'Out of Africa' event most likely occurred around 60,000 years ago or thereafter.”

Recent genetic research has demonstrated that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals, the Denisovans, and also with a currently unidentified population of pre-modern hominins. These groups overlapped with modern human ancestors in Asia, with many instances of interactions, suggesting that the spread of material culture is more complex than previously realized.

"Indeed, what we are seeing in the behavioral record is that the spread of so-called modern human behaviors did not occur in a simple time-transgressive process from west to east,” said study co-author Christopher Bae. “Rather, ecological variation needs to be considered in concert with behavioral variation between the different hominin populations present in Asia during the Late Pleistocene.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Bae et al. 2017. On the origin of modern humans: Asian perspectives. Science. Image by: Katerina Douka and Michelle O'Reilly

Human dispersal out of Africa occurred over a staggered period

New research is contradicting the long-assumed belief that humans evolved...

How do jaguars, hamburgers and border walls relate to each other?

Beef is usually not thought of as sustainable. Yet there has been some progress towards making beef a more sustainable enterprise.

In a world where ‘sustainable’ has become the gold standard of buzz words, we must ask, ‘Is sustainable enough?’ Is sustainable beef good for jaguars? Basically something being sustainable means that it can go on for the long term; however you define ‘long term’. Sustainable beef means it has only sustainable inputs, there aren’t finite resources being used for the creation of your hamburger. Sustainable resources are those like water and sun, resources that aren’t going to run out in the foreseeable future. Things get a little murky here though. If water is being pumped from an aquifer that fills at an extremely slow rate, it becomes a less sustainable source of water. If solar panels are made in an intensively fossil fuel dependent process, they’re less sustainable. Is sustainable enough?

Even in a truly sustainable beef production model, things don’t necessarily bode well for big predators. Long have predators been the bane of the rancher. Wolves were villainized throughout the US partly because they were blamed for cattle death. Wolves and their place in the western US is still incredibly contentious. The place of jaguars in the west is on even rockier terrain than that of wolves.

In 1963 a hunter shot a big cat which he thought was a big bob-cat; it turned out the man had killed a jaguar. The jaguar was heralded as the last jaguar in the US, the end of an era. Since that time, other jaguars have been seen crossing the US Mexico border but no evidence of a US breeding population has been found.

Some say, so what? Jaguars wander into the US occasionally and wander out. Their home is further south, not in most of North America. However, it’s hard to deny that historically the jaguar didn’t have a much larger home range, extending further into the US.

In Mexico as in the US, ranchers do not like jaguars. Jaguars have been poisoned and shot for as long as European cattle have been threatened by the big cats. One jaguar with a radio collar was burned to destroy evidence. Recently I saw hope of that changing. At a talk at a Tucson REI, the Northern Jaguar Project expounded on their relationship with ranchers. NJP has started paying ranchers for photos; photos of live predators. Jaguars caught with camera traps on ranchers land pay the most but there is also a reward for ocelots, bobcats and mountain lions. In the US the government and other organizations have offered reimbursement for predation by wolves and other protected predators. NJP however is the first example I know of with positive reinforcement. The project is small but it’s growing, trying to recruit and sign contracts with more ranchers even as they expand the size of a more traditional reserve.

North of the border there is no positive incentive for ranchers to abstain from killing jaguars. Then again, there aren’t a lot of jaguars in the US and making true of the threatened border wall won’t help anything. An almost negligible amount of beef in the US comes from Central and South America, so the hamburger you’re eating isn’t necessarily the problem. Beef isn’t the problem with the jaguar’s current situation. With climates trending warmer, there is the potential of more conflict between jaguars and American <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-start-regulating-gas-emissions-cows/">cattle ranchers</a>, then that burger becomes something else. It’s my view that we shouldn’t be happy with keeping the world as it is but should be involved in making things better; better for jaguars as well as humans.

--

By Zach Fitzner, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Earth.com exclusive: Beef, jaguars, and the border wall

How do jaguars, hamburgers and border walls relate to each...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.ucla.edu/">University of California Los Angeles</a> (UCLA) shows that we form assumptions about a group of people in the amount of time it takes to blink our eyes. In just a half a second, people discern the number of men versus women in a group and decide whether the group is threatening or not.

According to the researchers, groups tend to feel more threatening to us than a single person. They say that how many people are in the group and also the sex ratio of the group make a difference in our split second assessment.

"These judgments impact whether we think groups are hostile or hospitable," explained lead author Nicholas Alt. "For example, if you enter a public park, you rapidly notice the number of men and women. And, if there are only men or a majority are men, you would judge the group as threatening."

Studies in vision science and social psychology have shown that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-immunity-common-cold/">humans</a> can perceive a person’s social category, emotional state, and personality traits just by glimpsing at the individual’s face. The research team set out to determine if we can decipher groups this quickly as well.

The experts developed a series of three studies to examine how quickly and accurately people detected differences in groups. Overall, the participants could identify a group’s ratio of men to women in 500 milliseconds and judged groups as more threatening as the ratio of men to women increased. 

Now that they have demonstrated how fast people can extract social category data from a group of faces, the team plans to investigate ways to potentially manipulate a person’s perception of groups. They will also analyze whether masculinity and femininity are perceived at rapid speed through visual cues, and the effect that this may have on social evaluative judgments.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/home/spp">Social Psychological and Personality Science</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Humans judge a group of other people in half a second

A new study from the University of California Los Angeles...

Whether or not you’re a night owl or an early-riser, all of our bodies have an internal biological or “circadian” clock that is synchronized with solar time and cycles daily. This <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-life-sunrise-sunset/">circadian clock</a> is synced with environmental light-dark cycles, helping orchestrate metabolic and behavioral patterns such as daily cycles of rest and activity. Now, new research suggests that the body's biological clock may have the potential to act as a tumor suppressor.

Diseases such as cancer can disrupt our biological clock, throwing sleep cycles and daily rhythms out of whack. Researchers from the <a href="https://www.charite.de/en/">Charité-Medical University</a> of Berlin, Germany hypothesized that the circadian clock may be able to act as a tumor suppressor, given the amount of molecular time-dependent processes that it regulates. These processes include metabolism, DNA repair, and the cell cycle. This is important because a significant number of cancers involve a dysfunctional or hyperactive cell cycle, enabling tumor cells to grow uncontrollably.

The researchers disrupted a protein called RAS – which is activated in roughly a quarter of human tumors – and proteins INK4A and ARF – which are cancer suppressors – and found that there was cross-talk between the circadian clock and the cell cycle. RAS is known to control the cell cycle as well as the circadian rhythms, and enacts this control through INK4A and ARG.

“Based on our results, it seems to us that the clock is likely to act as a tumor suppressor, and that it is of advantage for cancer cells to circumvent circadian control,” says Dr. Angela Relógio. “One cannot stop wondering whether disrupted circadian timing should be included as a next potential hallmark of cancer.”

These findings from Relógio (whose surname ironically means “clock” in Portuguese) and her colleagues have revealed the importance of internal time in cancer treatment. Further research may lead to us enhancing cancer treatment through implementation of an “internal time factor” that takes into account a patient’s sleep-wake cycle.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Could the body’s biological clock help fight off cancer?

Whether or not you’re a night owl or an early-riser,...

An unprecedented study has found that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-fall-love/">humans</a> have biological limitations, and that human-caused environmental changes may play a role in preventing these limits from being reached. The analysis suggests that humans have likely arrived at their maximum limits for height, physical performance, and lifespan. 

For the investigation, an interdisciplinary team of experts from across France have accounted for 120 years worth of data while considering the effects of both genetic and environmental circumstances. The findings of the study indicate that humans are now the tallest they can become, have the longest life expectancies, and the most physical abilities they will ever have.  

"These traits no longer increase, despite further continuous nutritional, medical, and scientific progress,” explained Professor Jean-François Toussaint from<a href="https://www.univ-paris5.fr/eng"> Paris Descartes University</a>. “This suggests that modern societies have allowed our species to reach its limits. We are the first generation to become aware of this.”

The researchers found that there will be notable a shift in the proportion of the global population who reach the previously recorded maximum limits. From here on out, less athletic records will be broken and people will meet - yet not exceed - today’s highest life expectancy.

When the researchers considered how both environmental and genetic limitations combined may affect the ability for us to reach our upper limits, human-caused environmental changes were identified as a key contributor.

"This will be one of the biggest challenges of this century as the added pressure from anthropogenic activities will be responsible for damaging effects on human health and the environment,” said Professor Toussaint. "The current declines in human capacities we can see today are a sign that environmental changes, including climate, are already contributing to the increasing constraints we now have to consider."

"Observing decreasing tendencies may provide an early signal that something has changed but not for the better,” he explained. “Human height has decreased in the last decade in some African countries; this suggests some societies are no longer able to provide sufficient nutrition for each of their children and maintain the health of their younger inhabitants.”

The researchers hope the findings of this study may have some positive consequences by encouraging policymakers to focus on strategies that could improve quality of life and maximize the number of people who reach their biological potential.

"Now that we know the limits of the human species, this can act as a clear goal for nations to ensure that human capacities reach their highest possible values for most of the population,” said Professor Toussaint. “With escalating environmental constraints, this may cost increasingly more energy and investment in order to balance the rising ecosystem pressures. However, if successful, we then should observe an incremental rise in mean values of height, lifespan and most human biomarkers." 

The research is published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00812/full">Frontiers in Physiology</a>.

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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

Have humans peaked when it comes to life span?

An unprecedented study has found that humans have biological limitations,...

Have you ever tried to change course midstream and found yourself unable to? For instance, say you notice a traffic light change yellow and decide to accelerate through, but then you see a police car, but you still speed through anyway because you weren’t quick enough to stop.

There’s a reason we can’t just instantly switch actions or stop a movement that we’ve already started, and neuroscientists from<a href="https://www.jhu.edu/"> John Hopkins University</a> have uncovered why.

Their new study, which was published in the journal Neuron, shows the inner workings of the brain as it sends and receives signals. 

The researchers found that a lightning fast interaction between three different parts of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-processes-internal-experiences/">brain</a> is necessary to change or stop an action or behavior in process. 

Timing also played a major role in changing an action midstream, and the earlier you decide to change course, the better, according to the study.

“We have to process all of these pieces of information quickly,” said Susan Courtney, the senior author. “The question is: When we do succeed, how do we do that? What needs to happen in order for us to stop in time?”

It only takes a matter of milliseconds to go through with an action, and the research shows that if you can change your mind after 100 milliseconds or less, you can change or stop the plan.

The results could help with addiction treatments and understanding why people fall more as they get older.

For the study, the researchers had human and monkey subjects partake in an activity while their brains were monitored with MRI scanners. 

The activity involved shapes on a screen that were either blue, which meant stop or yellow which meant go. Another set of shapes used the same colors but they had the opposite meanings. The subjects followed the shapes and had to change directions or stop their already planned eye movements.

The MRI scans allowed the researchers to see how the brain processed information and quick changes while the subjects followed the shapes on the screen. 

Electrodes were implanted in the monkey subjects brain which gave the researchers a closer look at how different areas of the brain communicate with each other to stop. 

After monitoring the brain activity and analyzing the results, the researchers found that when the different parts of the prefrontal and pre-motor cortex didn’t communicate correctly or interact quickly enough, then the participants couldn’t change or stop a planned action or behavior.

Because cognitive functioning deteriorates  as we age, slower communication between these areas of the brain could explain why elderly people are prone to falling.

“We know people with damage to these parts of the brain have trouble changing plans or inhibiting actions,” Courtney said. “We know as we age, our brain slows down and it takes us longer to find words or to try to make these split-second plan changes. It could be part of the reason why old people fall.” 

The results could also better explain addiction behaviors and help people understand that the quicker you can “turn off” a thought about an addictive behavior like drinking, says Courtney, the more likely you will succeed in not following through on it. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Why we can’t always stop a course of action once we’ve started

Have you ever tried to change course midstream and found...

Cities are beginning to turn to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/easy-ways-adopt-zero-waste-mindset/">composting</a> as another means of keeping waste out of landfills, which also creates a nutrient-rich material that can be used for farming.

Composting comes with many benefits, but now new research has found that composting can lead people to make more eco-conscious decisions in their day to day lives. 

The study was led by Nicole Sintov, an Assistant Professor of Behavior, Decision-making and Sustainability at the <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a>. 

Sintov was interested to see if the adoption of a composting program would encourage area residents to make other smart “green” decisions” as part of something called “spillover.” 

Spillover is a concept where one behavior leads to another, either with positive or negative chain effects. For example, someone who decides to eat a salad for lunch might overcompensate for dinner. 

Sintov wanted to explore how spillover would apply to residents of Costa Mesa, California who in 2015 were given the option of curbside recycling and compost. 

“The idea is if you're investing all these resources - composting bins and trucks and new facilities - is it possible that this could lead to any other pro-environment behavior, or do people start to slack off in other areas, which we don't want,” said Sintov. 

The study included 284 Costa Mesa residents who were asked about three food-waste prevention behaviors and seven energy and water-waste behaviors, such as unplugging electronics and taking shorter showers. 

The results showed an increase in water and energy conservation behaviors that correlated with the start of the composting program. Composting was a catalyst that motivated other eco-friendly decisions. 

The researchers were happy to see that the spillover was largely positive. 

Sintov and her colleagues found that because those people that composted were actively engaged in waste disposal, they were more consciousness of waste in other aspects of their lives. 

“Our study found that this happened because waste was on their minds, or 'cognitively accessible,' and this thinking about waste seems to lead you to manage waste in other ways,” said Sintov. 

The study does not represent a wide range of residents, as the participants for the study all came from one affluent and well-educated community. The researchers note that further studies will need to be done to see if the results are duplicated in different communities and populations. 

Even with this in mind, the results present convincing evidence that composting programs have added eco-friendly benefits beyond reducing waste in landfills. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Composting leads to more eco-friendly decisions

Cities are beginning to turn to composting as another means...

An ongoing <a href="https://www.npr.org/">NPR</a> series titled “Discrimination in America” takes an in-depth look at the discrimination and harassment that many Americans face on a daily basis. The series is based on a survey conducted for the <a href="https://www.npr.org/">National Public Radio</a>, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a>.

The most recent installment in the series examines the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/economic-hardship-racial-discrimination/">discrimination</a> faced by Asian Americans and included responses from 500 Asian American U.S adults. 

At least 25 percent reported personal discrimination based on their race when applying for jobs, trying to get equal pay, or trying to rent or buy a home.

Almost 1 in 5 Asian Americans said they were discriminated against when applying to or attending college. 

18 percent felt discriminated against while interacting with police, and 12 percent reported they or a family member were stopped or mistreated both in the court system and by police because they were Asian. 

Indian Americans, on the other hand, reported higher instances of unfair police treatment and were stopped on average 17 percent more than Chinese Americans. 

It doesn’t stop there, with one-third of the survey respondents having experienced racial slurs or comments directly targeting their ethnicity. 

21 percent of Asian Americans reported that they have been threatened or harassed and 10 percent say they or a family member dealt with violence. 

When seeking medical treatment, almost 1 in 10 Asian Americans said at one time or another that they avoided seeking health care or going to a doctor due to the concern that they would be discriminated against. 

Higher income Asian Americans report fewer instances of unfair treatment by medical professionals, but the survey results showed that regardless of income, Asian Americans experience discrimination in nearly all facets of their lives. 

"Our poll shows that Asian American families have the highest average income among the groups we've surveyed, and yet the poll still finds that Asian Americans experience persistent discrimination in housing, jobs, and at college,” said Robert Blendon, the co-director of the survey.  “Over the course of our series, we are seeing again and again that income is not a shield from discrimination.” 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

At least 25 percent of Asian Americans report discrimination

An ongoing NPR series titled “Discrimination in America” takes an...

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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

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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

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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...