The COVID-19 pandemic certainly shook things up, changing our daily routines and lifestyles, including our means of transportation.



With mask mandates and lockdowns, many of us bid farewell to our daily commutes, while countries restricted international travel to curb the virus's spread. 



Four and a half years on, we are learning to coexist with the virus and starting to understand the impact of pandemic-related changes.



A recent study investigated how the pandemic reshaped energy consumption in the transportation sector across Europe.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-post-pandemic-shifts-in-transportation">Post-pandemic shifts in transportation </h2>



The study was led by Helena Patiño, a PhD student from the <a href="https://www.uoc.edu/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Universitat Oberta de Catalunya</a> (UOC). The research sheds light on the transportation transition during and after the pandemic.



The team examined how changing travel habits have affected energy consumption and emissions.



"Overall, Europeans have reduced car use since the pandemic, but have flown much more frequently," said Patiño. 



"However, trends vary considerably between countries. Some have resumed previous transport patterns, while others have managed to maintain a moderate reduction in transport use."



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



Transportation, heavily reliant on nonrenewable energy sources, contributes about 37% of our global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/the-hidden-carbon-footprint-of-long-distance-travel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">carbon</a> dioxide (CO2) emissions, the primary greenhouse gas. 



Therefore, altering our travel behavior is critical to global climate strategies, like the European scheme for a 55% reduction in emissions by 2030.



"Achieving lasting changes in people's behavior is not easy," said Patiño. "Governments should support environmentally friendly transport options, such as bicycles and electric cars, and lead campaigns to change behavior, so that sustainable transport is not just an option, but the preferred choice for everyone."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-case-studies-from-different-countries">Case studies from different countries</h2>



Post-lockdown transport habits across Europe have displayed a contrasting recovery. In countries like Austria, Germany, and the United Kingdom, the impact has been less pronounced with only minor shifts in car and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/flying-has-never-been-safer-and-continues-to-improve/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">plane use</a>.



On the other hand, countries with stricter government regulations such as Greece, Portugal, Italy, and Spain saw a significant surge in travel post-lockdown.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-transport-policies-and-behavioral-changes">Transport policies and behavioral changes</h2>



Interestingly, some countries managed to maintain changes brought on by the pandemic. Sweden, Denmark, and the Czech Republic, for instance, saw lasting effects. 



"Sweden already had a relatively high percentage of remote workers before the pandemic, but the number has continued to grow since then. Furthermore, since 2010, the country has been promoting outdoor leisure activities, facilitating access to places of natural beauty and promoting outdoor exercise," noted Patiño. 



"Denmark, in turn, has continued to invest in cycling infrastructure and electric bicycles. A recent survey found that Copenhagen residents are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cycling-could-dramatically-cut-carbon-emissions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cycling</a> to work more than before the pandemic."



While it's unlikely a uniform shift towards less travel will occur across Europe, as per Patiño, the experiences of these three countries offer insights into how robust transport and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/some-countries-are-lagging-behind-in-the-shift-to-green-energy/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">energy policies</a> can help sustain behavioral changes and reduce CO2 emissions, reshaping the future of mobility.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reinventing-urban-spaces-for-sustainable-transit">Reinventing urban spaces for sustainable transit</h2>



The transformation of travel habits during the pandemic has opened doors to reimagining urban spaces to better support sustainable transit. 



European cities are increasingly prioritizing infrastructure that favors low-carbon transport, such as dedicated cycling lanes, pedestrian-friendly areas, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/biden-lays-out-plan-for-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">electric vehicle charging stations</a>. 



Urban planners now have the opportunity to encourage greener modes of transportation by redesigning cities around sustainable travel. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-initiatives-for-sustainable-transportation">Initiatives for sustainable transportation </h2>



Cities like Paris, with its "15-minute city" model, aim to reduce reliance on cars by ensuring that residents can access most of their daily needs within a short walk or bike ride.



These initiatives are critical for a sustainable future as they encourage a shift from car dependency to more environmentally friendly alternatives. 



The success of such urban redesigns can serve as a blueprint for other cities aiming to curb emissions while promoting healthier, more resilient communities. 



With proper policies and infrastructure, Europe could set a global example for post-pandemic mobility that aligns with climate goals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-road-ahead-for-sustainable-mobility">The road ahead for sustainable mobility</h2>



As Europe continues to adapt to new mobility trends, the challenge lies in making these sustainable shifts permanent. 



Policymakers and urban planners are now focused on reinforcing eco-friendly practices, from expanding public transport networks to promoting zero-emission zones in major cities. 



By embracing these changes, Europe has the potential to lead a global movement towards greener, more resilient urban transport systems that meet both environmental and community needs.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421524002246?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Energy Policy</a>.



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Did the pandemic change our transportation habits?

The COVID-19 pandemic certainly shook things up, changing our daily routines and lifestyles, including our means of transportation. With mask mandates and lockdowns, many of us bid farewell to our daily commutes, while countries restricted international travel to curb the virus's spread. Four and a half years on, we are learning to coexist with the virus and starting to understand the impact of pandemic-related changes. A recent study investigated how the pandemic reshaped energy consumption in the transportation sector across Europe. Post-pandemic shifts in transportation The study...

A new survey found that a majority of LGBTQ people have experienced some form of harassment, discrimination, or violence during their lives. 

The survey, which was conducted for an <a href="https://www.npr.org/">NPR</a> series called “Discrimination in America,” included reports from over 3,000 U.S. adults age 18 or older who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or questioning.

The results confirm that most LGBTQ Americans have experienced multiple forms of discrimination.

“This report confirms the extraordinarily high levels of violence and harassment in LGBTQ people's lives,” said Logan Casey, a deputy director of the survey. “It also shows the serious barriers to health care for LGBTQ and especially transgender people in America.”

Among the most startling numbers in the survey include 57 percent who say that they or an LGBTQ friend or family member have been harassed or threatened because of their identity. 

51 percent of LGBTQ people have experienced sexual harassment or violence.

Almost 1 in 5 of the people surveyed said they avoided medical care because they were worried about facing discrimination. 

31 percent of all transgender people in the survey said they have no regular doctor or healthcare professional, with 22 percent currently uninsured.  

Another 22 percent report some form of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/economic-hardship-racial-discrimination/">discrimination</a> in the workplace, and the same percent of people reported difficulties trying to rent an apartment or buy a house specifically because of their LGBTQ identity.

One in 5 LGBTQ Americans report that they were personally discriminated against while applying for or attending college.

One of the most troubling results of the survey was the discrimination members of the LGBTQ community faced when dealing with law enforcement. Almost one in six LGBTQ people say were discriminated against when talking with police officers. 

Nearly 100 percent of the survey participants believe that there is discrimination against  members of the LGBTQ community, but there is a question of whether discriminatory laws and policy or if individual prejudice is the larger problem. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Most LGBTQ Americans have experienced harassment, violence

A new survey found that a majority of LGBTQ people...

Yellow-fronted canary, Crithagra mozambicus, at Pilanesberg Nati

The wild bird trade has been occurring around the world for ages, and is the root cause of exotic birds spreading worldwide. Birds are the most traded animals in the world, with Europe historically being the main importer. The consequences of the bird trade can affect both the importing and exporting countries. In the country where the birds are captured, it can cause a loss of biodiversity. In the country where the birds arrive, they can damage the local ecosystem, destroy crops, and outcompete local birds.

In 2005, the European Union (EU) banned the trade of all wild birds. A new study shows that since that time, the trade of wild birds has dropped roughly 90 percent globally. The number of birds traded annually fell from about 1.3 million to 130,000.

Prior to this ban, the countries of Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain accounted for the import of about two-thirds of all wild birds on the global market. These birds came mostly from West Africa, and almost all wild bird exports involved two groups of birds. Passerines, including the popular pet birds such as the yellow-fronted canary and the common waxbill, made up almost 80 percent of exported birds. Parrots made up roughly 18 percent.

Since the EU trade ban, these numbers have reversed. Currently, passerine birds make up less than 20 percent of the global trade while parrots have increased to almost 80 percent of all traded birds. Parrots are now the most threatened group of bird species, and the bird most likely to establish in countries it is not native to.

Latin America has now taken the reigns from West Africa as the main exporter of wild birds, responsible for over half of all global wild bird exports. Both the United States and Mexico are now much bigger importers, as wild imports in these two countries have increased from about 23,000 to 82,000 annually.

“Worryingly, we document a shift in wild bird trade towards areas with a high biodiversity,” says Luis Reino, from the <a href="https://cibio.up.pt/">CIBIO-InBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources</a>. “For example, several south-east Asian nations have emerged as important bird importers. These regions are now exposed to a higher risk of bird invasions.”

Reino believes that these results show the importance of a global wildlife trade ban, which would help reduce the number of traded birds and minimize the chances of exotic birds spreading. If anything, the success of the EU trade ban shows that a global ban would likely be effective.

--

By: <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Derek Keats, 2016

Global trade of wild birds greatly reduced by EU trade ban

The wild bird trade has been occurring around the world...

Previous research has suggested that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/genes-determine-music-songbirds/">songbirds</a> and humans share the same innate process that guides how they learn and produce sounds. Scientists at <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> are providing new evidence that human speech and birdsong are, in fact, rooted in the same biological process.

The researchers discovered that young zebra finches are naturally inclined to learn certain patterns of sound over others. “In addition, these sound patterns resembled patterns that are frequently observed across human languages and in music,” explained senior author Jon Sakata.

Theories on the association between human language and music inspired the experiments with finches. According to language experts, all of the world’s languages share many common features, which are referred to as "universals." These features include the language’s word structure as well as acoustic patterns of speech such as timing and pitch.

Scientists such as Noam Chomsky believe that these shared features represent a "universal grammar" that is built by natural brain mechanisms. These mechanisms promote language learning and influence how it is perceived. In zebra finches, there are acoustic patterns which are universal across populations.

"Because the nature of these universals bears similarity to those in humans and because songbirds learn their vocalizations much in the same way that humans acquire speech and language, we were motivated to test biological predisposition in vocal learning in songbirds," said study co-author Logan James.

In an attempt to identify biological predispositions, the research team taught young zebra finches songs consisting of five acoustic elements arranged in every possible sequence. Each sequence was presented in random order and for the same amount of time so that each finch would individually select which sequences to use out of the options made available.

The patterns chosen by the trained birds were extremely similar to the patterns observed in natural populations of birds. Both wild finches and finches raised in the lab placed a long, low-pitched vocalization at the end of their songs.

The researchers identified other sounds which were more likely to appear in the beginning or middle of the birdsong.  Short, high-pitched vocalizations were more likely to be produced in the middle of song than at the beginning or end of song, for example. 

These findings  match patterns commonly shared in diverse languages and in music, where sounds at the end of songs are longer and lower in pitch than sounds in the middle.


"In the immediate future, we want to reveal how auditory processing mechanisms in the brain, as well as aspects of motor learning and control, underlie these learning biases,” said Sakata.

The research is published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Do humans and birds learn speech the same way?

Previous research has suggested that songbirds and humans share the...

A new study reveals that people who are overly-concerned with material possessions use Facebook more often. These individuals use the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-helping-communities-manage-fires/">social media</a> platform as a way to keep tabs on what other people have and to compete with them.

People who are materialistic are constantly comparing themselves to others, and researchers have found that Facebook is the ultimate resource for doing so. These individuals use the social media site to achieve their goals, while treating their Facebook friends as “digital objects.”

Phillip Ozimek from the <a href="http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/index_en.htm">Ruhr-University</a> in Bochum, Germany, is the lead author of the study.

Ozimek said, “Materialistic people use Facebook more frequently because they tend to objectify their Facebook friends – they acquire Facebook friends to increase their possession. Facebook provides the perfect platform for social comparisons, with millions of profiles and information about people. And it's free – materialists love tools that do not cost money!”

The research team focused the first phase of their study on 242 Facebook users, surveying the individuals to learn about their social media activity and their inclination toward materialism. The participants were asked to rate how much they agreed with statements such as “I often compare how I am doing socially,” and “Having many Facebook friends contributes to more success in my personal and professional life.”

For the next phase of their analysis, the researchers surveyed a second sample of Facebook members. This group of 289 participants included more males and less students than the first group.

Data from both sample groups indicated that materialistic people use Facebook more frequently and with more intensity. These individuals were more likely to compare their lives to the lives of others. The materialistic users also had more friends on Facebook, and often used these connections as a means to reach their goals.


The researchers say that the findings of the study demonstrate how social media platforms are used in drastically different ways depending on the user. Most people use social media sites simply to feel good and accomplish goals, while others have less positive intentions.

“Social media platforms are not that different from other activities in life – they are functional tools for people who want to attain goals in life, and some might have negative consequences for them or society,” said Ozimek. “It seems to us that Facebook is like a knife: it can be used for preparing yummy food or it can be used for hurting a person.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/heliyon/">Heliyon</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Materialistic people use Facebook more often, study finds

A new study reveals that people who are overly-concerned with...

A new study published in <a href="http://oem.bmj.com/">Occupational &amp; Environmental Medicine</a> has revealed that air pollution may lead to poorer quality sperm. The researchers found that levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) noticeably affect the health of sperm.

Previous research has suggested that exposure to chemicals may worsen sperm quality, but an association with air pollution has not yet been established. An international team of researchers set out to explore a possible link between exposure to PM2.5 and sperm health.

The researchers focused their study on approximately 6,500 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/men-harder-quitting-drinking/">men</a> in Taiwan between the ages of 15 and 49. The men were all involved in a medical examination program from 2001-2014. During this time, their sperm quality was assessed including total numbers, size, and movement.

Using a new mathematical approach combined with NASA satellite data, the research team estimated PM2.5 levels at each man's home address for an average of two years. The researchers found a strong association between PM2.5 exposure and abnormal sperm shape. 

After taking into account other factors such as age, weight, and alcohol consumption, the experts determined that exposure to PM2.5 gave the men a 26 percent higher chance of being in the bottom 10 percent of normal sperm shape and size.

On the other hand, PM2.5 exposure was also associated with an increase in sperm numbers. The researchers believe this may be the body's way of compensating for the negative effects of air pollution on sperm size and shape.

Because this is an observational study, the findings cannot clearly define cause and effect. However, experimental studies have previously linked components of fine particulate matter such as heavy metals to sperm damage.

"Although the effect estimates are small and the significance might be negligible in a clinical setting, this is an important public health challenge," explained the study authors. "Given the ubiquity of exposure to air pollution, a small effect size of PM2.5 on sperm normal morphology may result in a significant number of couples with infertility.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution causes a noticeable decline in sperm quality

A new study published in Occupational &amp; Environmental Medicine has...

Each year, more than 3 million deaths occur as a result of alcohol consumption, and roughly 5 percent of all health issues around the world are linked to alcohol as well. While alcohol can be the source of loosened inhibitions and increased fun, it’s important to understand the effect it has on us individually and as a society.

A recent study published in the online journal <a href="http://www.bmj.com/">BMJ Open</a> has found that different types of alcohol initiate different emotional responses. Through analysis of responses to the Global Drug Survey (GDS) – the world’s largest online survey of legal and illicit drug and alcohol use – the researchers explored the emotional factors that are linked to alcohol preference.

The GDS asks questions regarding <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-consumption-cultural-values/">alcohol consumption</a> and the emotions associated with drinking beer, spirits, and red or white wine either while at home or while out. The emotions surveyed included energized, relaxed, confident, sexy, tired, ill, restless, aggressive, and tearful.

Not surprisingly, red wine was most associated with feeling relaxed (at around 53%) while spirits were least likely (20%). 

In fact, spirits were most likely to be associated with negative feelings than beer and both types of wine. Almost one-third of spirit drinkers linked imbibing with feelings of aggression, compared to less than 3 percent of wine drinkers. 

But on the flip side, spirits were also more likely to be a source of positive feelings compared to beer or wine. Over half of those surveyed associated drinking spirits with feelings of energy and confidence, and over 40 percent associated it with feeling sexy – which is always a good recipe to bust out some moves on the dance floor.

The results showed a fair amount of disparity amongst nationality, age, and gender. Women were more likely than men to associate each emotion with all types of alcohol – except for aggression. Both men and heavy/dependent drinkers were significantly more likely to associate aggression with all forms of alcohol. However, dependent drinkers were also five times more likely to associate feeling energized with alcohol consumption – which may shine light on alcoholics’ dependence on drinking to experience positive emotions.

Because this was an observational study, no firm conclusions can be made about cause and effect. But the authors point out, “Understanding emotions associated with alcohol consumption is imperative to addressing alcohol misuse, providing insight into what emotions influence drink choice between different groups in the population.”

Further research may help identify risk factors for people with alcohol dependency and aid in this population having better access to the help they may need.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Different alcoholic beverages cause different emotional responses

Each year, more than 3 million deaths occur as a...

Solitude or social withdrawal can tend to have a negative connotation, especially during youth and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/screen-time-suicide-teens/">adolescence</a>. While social avoidance certainly can have negative impacts on development and social skills, new research shows that this behavior may also have some positive effects.

According to a new study, alone time can have a positive impact on creativity, showing that social withdrawal in moderation can be a good thing.

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.buffalo.edu/">University of Buffalo </a>and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences. 

“When people think about the costs associated with social withdrawal, often times they adopt a developmental perspective,” said Julie Bowker, the lead author of the study. “During childhood and adolescence, the idea is that if you're removing yourself too much from your peers, then you're missing out on positive interactions like receiving social support, developing social skills and other benefits of interacting with your peers.”

The researchers discovered that when an individual is spending more time alone, it’s important to look at the root reason.

“Motivation matters,” said Bowker.“We have to understand why someone is withdrawing to understand the associated risks and benefits.” 

Shy people tend avoid social situations out of fear or anxiety, but some people simply prefer to be alone. 

For the study, Bowker asked 295 participants to self-report their motivations for social withdrawal. Bowker also measured approach behaviors and motivations as well as avoidant behaviors and desires. 

The results of Bowker’s analysis showed that shyness avoidance had a negative impact on creativity, but those who just preferred to be alone were found to be more productive and creative during that time. 

“Over the years, unsociability has been characterized as a relatively benign form of social withdrawal,” said Bowker. “But, with the new findings linking it to creativity, we think unsociability may be better characterized as a potentially beneficial form of social withdrawal.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Alone time can be good for creativity

Solitude or social withdrawal can tend to have a negative...

Despite the rapid pace of technology, humans still have an internal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-bird-seasonal-clocks/">biological clock</a> that helps us adapt to different environmental cues, such as daylight. And while many of us live in environments now dominated by artificial light that continue to hustle and bustle long after dark, scientists have found that the dynamics of sunrise and sunset still influence our daily activities.

In today’s cities, our biological clocks must work alongside our “social clock” of day-to-day activities, such work, leisure, and school. 

“How does the daily rhythm of humans pan out under the simultaneous ticking of these two clocks?” asks Daniel Monsivais, the study’s lead author and a professor at <a href="http://sci.aalto.fi/en/">Aalto University School of Science</a>, Finland. This is the question he and his colleagues attempt to answer using a novel technique called “reality mining,” where patterns of human activity are analyzed using wireless devices.

For the study, the researchers looked through anonymous records of call times from roughly one million mobile phone users in a southern European country (the country also remained anonymous for the study). Through these records, they inferred each user’s sleep/wake cycle by determining daily periods when their calling activity started and ended.

Surprisingly, the results showed that the timing of the sunrise and sunset at an individual’s respective longitude still had an effect on the start and end of their daily activities. Furthermore, the seasonal variations in sunset and sunrise times followed closely the changes in the timing of a user’s daily activity.

Among these results, the researchers also found that duration of sleep varied with age and women tended to sleep more than men – which has been confirmed by previous studies. 

“The next step in our study is to use this type of big data approach to understand the difference in behavior between urban and rural populations, as it pertains to the role of social and biological clocks in their daily routines,” says Monsivais.

These findings may have implications not only for human health, but for the economy, power consumption, and public transportation as well. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

City life is still dictated by sunrise and sunset

Despite the rapid pace of technology, humans still have an...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a> has ranked different modifiable risk factors to the incidence of certain cancers. The results show that more than 4 in 10 cancer cases in the U.S are related to at least one major modifiable risk factor. 

The study was led by Farhad Islami of the American Cancer Society and was published in the online journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

For the study, the researchers examined known risk factors for cancer such smoking, excess body weight, alcohol, poor diet, UV radiation, physical inactivity, processed meats and secondhand-smoke.

The research team then connected those known risk factors to cancer statistics for 26 different types of cancer cases and deaths.

The study also calculated combined contributions of risk factors, like excess body weight, alcohol intake and poor diet, to see if this further increased the risk of cancer. 

The results show that in the United States, approximately 42 percent of all cancer cases and 45 percent of cancer deaths in 2014 were attributed to one or more of the modifiable risk factors identified in the study. 

Smoking was linked to 19 percent of cancer cases and nearly 30 percent of deaths. Excess weight was the second biggest risk factor for cancer, causing 7.8 percent of cancer cases. 

The study also connected risk factors to certain types of cancer. For example, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-drinking-visibly-age/">smoking</a> accounted for 81.7 percent of all lung cancers, 73.8 percent of larynx cancers, and 50 percent of esophageal cancers. 

Excess weight was linked to 60.3 percent of uterine cancers and alcohol consumption was associated with almost 25 percent of liver cancers in men. 

When the researchers combined risk factors to calculate its contribution to cancers, excess weight, alcohol consumption, poor diet, and physical inactivity accounted for 13.9 percent of all cancer cases in men and 22.4 percent in women. 

The study’s results highlight just how certain preventable risk factors contribute to cancer and cancer deaths, emphasizing how reducing and eliminating each with lifestyle changes could go a long way.

“Our findings emphasize the continued need for widespread implementation of known preventive measures in the country to reduce the morbidity and premature mortality from cancers associated with potentially modifiable risk factors.” the authors write. “Increasing access to preventive health care and awareness about preventive measures should be part of any comprehensive strategy for broad and equitable implementation of known interventions to accelerate progress against cancer.”

[caption id="attachment_963632" align="aligncenter" width="211"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/risk-factors.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-963632" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/risk-factors-211x300.png" alt="" width="211" height="300" /></a> Image Credit: American Cancer Society[/caption]

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandett@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a>

Nearly half of all cancer cases linked to modifiable risk factors

A new study from the American Cancer Society has ranked...

The migration of over 5 million Germans to North America in the 19th century was due largely to climate change, according to a new study. While a century of poverty and war also caused Germans to flee their homeland, researchers have determined that the variable climate played its own role in the massive population shift.

19th century Germany experienced not only extreme weather events such as floods and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-europe-drought/">droughts</a>, but also cold winters and chilly summers. Rüdiger Glaser is a professor at the <a href="https://www.uni-freiburg.de/?set_language=en">University of Freiburg</a> and the lead author of the study.

"Overall, we found that climate indirectly explains up to 20-30% of migration from Southwest Germany to North America in the 19th century," said Glaser.

"Our results show that the influence of climate was marked differently during the different migration waves," added study co-author Iso Himmelsbach.

The team analyzed migration statistics and population data from the 19th century, along with weather data, harvest figures, and cereal-price records. After identifying the most significant migration waves, they investigated how much of a role the climate played in each of the waves.

The first major migration wave was largely driven by a changing climate, after the eruption of the Tambora volcano in Indonesia in 1815. The cloud of ash and gases released into the atmosphere caused temperatures to drop around the world for a few years. The climate was wet and cold with widespread crop failures and famine.

"Another peak-migration year, 1846, had an extremely hot and dry summer leading to bad harvests and high food prices," said study co-author Annette Bösmeier. "These two years of high migration numbers appear to be quite strongly influenced by climate changes, while for other migration waves other circumstances appeared to be more important.”


The researchers found that climate was less of a factor in the largest migration wave, from 1850 to 1855. The Crimean War put pressure on Germany’s grain markets when France banned German food imports, and some of the country’s poorest people were paid to leave to save on welfare and to prevent uprisings.

"Migration in the 19th century was a complex process influenced by multiple factors. Lack of economic perspectives, social pressure, population development, religious and political disputes, warfare, family ties and the promotion of emigration from different sides influenced people's decision to leave their home country," explained Glaser. "Nevertheless, we see clearly that climate was a major factor."

As the world currently anticipates further global climate change and the mass migrations that will result, the research team believes that this study may provide insight into the many factors that influence migration. The research is published in the European Geosciences Union’s open-access journal <a href="https://www.climate-of-the-past.net/">Climate of the Past</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Immigration to America was driven by climate change

The migration of over 5 million Germans to North America...

Researchers have demonstrated that babies are actively studying language before they start talking. A new investigation shows that babies can make word associations long before they can express the words themselves.

"Even though there aren't many overt signals of language knowledge in babies, language is definitely developing furiously under the surface," said Elika Bergelson, an assistant professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a>. 

Bergelson previously participated in a 2012 study which revealed that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/babies-learn-perseverance-adults/">infants</a> as young as six to nine months old already have a basic understanding of words for food and body parts. For the current study, Bergelson’s team used eye-tracking software to show that babies also recognize that the meanings of some words are more alike than others.

"Even in the very early stages of comprehension, babies seem to know something about how words relate to each other," said Bergelson. "And already by six months, measurable aspects of their home environment predict how much of this early level of knowledge they have. There are clear follow-ups for potential intervention work with children who might be at-risk for language delays or deficits."

In order to measure word comprehension, babies and their caregivers were taken into a lab equipped with a computer screen and few other infant distractions. 

The babies were shown related pairs of images, like a foot and a hand, or unrelated pairs, like a foot and a carton of milk. The caregiver was prompted to say the name of one of the images in each pair while an eye-tracking device followed the baby's gaze.

The study showed that babies spent more time looking at the image that was named when the two images were unrelated.

"They may not know the full-fledged adult meaning of a word, but they seem to recognize that there is something more similar about the meaning of these words than those words," explained Bergelson.

The research team used home recordings to investigate the babies’ word knowledge, and found that it was directly related to the amount of time they heard objects being discussed in their home environment.

"My take-home to parents always is, the more you can talk to your kid, the better," Bergelson said. "Because they are listening and learning from what you say, even if it doesn't appear to be so."

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Babies understand words that are related before they can speak

Researchers have demonstrated that babies are actively studying language before...

For health organizations around the world, understanding why people drink <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-drinking-visibly-age/">alcohol</a> in excess is an important endeavor. Harmful alcohol consumption resulted in over 3.3 million deaths in 2012, according to the World Health Organization. Alcoholism is also directly linked to health problems such as high blood pressure, liver cirrhosis, and chronic pancreatitis.

In a recent study published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology">Frontiers in Psychology</a>, researchers found that nations with populations that value autonomy and harmony tend to have higher levels of alcohol consumption than those with more traditional values – such as hierarchy and being part of a collective. 

These findings may have important implications for public health organizations around the world that tackle problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

This is the first time that researchers have attempted to locate the broad societal and cultural predictors of alcohol consumption, rather than simply focusing on these issues at an individual level. They did this by analyzing data on alcohol consumption and cultural value orientation for over 70 countries. 

The researchers modeled whether the country’s average level of alcohol consumption could be linked to different societal values (i.e. autonomy, hierarchy, harmony, and collectivism).

The results differed slightly between men and women, but the researchers still found that values of autonomy and harmony are associated with greater alcohol consumption, while values of hierarchy and embeddedness are associated with less alcohol consumption.

“Our results suggest that bodies like World Health Organization should prioritize tackling alcohol consumption in countries that are more autonomous and less traditional,” says Dr. Richard Inman, a professor at the <a href="http://www.ulusiada.pt/">University of Lusíada</a> and one of the study’s authors. “And future research should be directed at further understanding the relationship between cultural values and alcohol.”

Smoking, alcohol consumption, inactivity, and diet are the non-communicable health problems that cause 70% of deaths worldwide. The study’s authors believe that the next step for this research is for other scientists to create similar models for these risky behaviors so that these issues can be better understood at a base level.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heavy alcohol consumption linked to specific cultural values

For health organizations around the world, understanding why people drink...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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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

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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features northwest Lesotho in South Africa.



According to ESA, Lesotho is the only nation in the world that lies completely above 1,000 m in elevation. The country is famous for its tall mountains and narrow valleys, and is known as Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky."



Out of a population of around two million people, about 80 percent live in rural areas. More than 75 percent of these people are engaged in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-have-a-global-impact-on-agriculture/">agriculture</a>, including rainfed cereal production and animal grazing.&nbsp;



ESA reports that the country’s agricultural system faces a growing number of issues, with climate-related vulnerabilities such as drought, floods and extreme temperatures occurring more frequently. 



Diamonds are amongst the minerals found in the mountains. Indeed, Lesotho can truly be called the Kingdom in the Sky. Beautiful, culturally rich, safe, affordable, and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg, mountainous Lesotho is a vastly underrated travel destination. the Kingdom of Lesotho (Sotho: 'Muso oa Lesotho) is an enclaved country in southern Africa. It is just over 30,000 km2 (11,583 sq mi) in size and has a population of around 2 million.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



"Dublin is located near the midpoint of Ireland’s east coast in the province of Leinster. The city, which covers an area of around 115 square kilometers, is bordered by the Dublin Mountains, a low mountain range to the south, and is surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west," says ESA.



"The city straddles the River Liffey, which rises in the Wicklow Mountains and flows around 80 kilometers eastwards through the city of Dublin, in which it is canalised and bordered with quays. It then empties into Dublin Bay, an arm of the Irish Sea."



Dublin has an abundance of green spaces, including one of the largest enclosed public parks in any European capital city. Phoenix Park, which was originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, includes 707 hectares of green space.



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain. The image was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.



"Together with the provinces of Huesca and Teruel, Zaragoza formed the old kingdom of Aragon. Its capital, also called Zaragoza (not visible in this image) is home to around half of Aragon’s population," says ESA.



"The Ebro River can be seen winding its way through the province from west to east in this image. Between its source in the Cantabrian Mountains in the northwest and its delta on the Mediterranean coast, the Ebro River is fed by more than 200 tributaries as it flows 910 km across much of northern Spain."



Since rainfall is very scarce in this region, irrigation in the Ebro basin is critically important. In the valleys surrounding the Ebro River, many fields are used for growing crops such as corn, wheat, and barley.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> reveals the evolution of the Columbia Glacier in southeastern Alaska. Columbia is among the fastest shrinking glaciers in the world, and the video documents its rapid retreat over the years.&nbsp;



Columbia Glacier is a large, multi-branched calving glacier that flows out of the Chugach Mountains to the Prince William Sound.&nbsp;



According to USGS, Columbia had a long history of stability prior to 1980, with a length 41 miles, and small, short-lived advances or retreats.



In the years since 1980, however, satellite images have captured Columbia’s alarming retreat. By using false-color images, scientists can distinguish between snow and ice, open water, vegetation, and rocky debris on the glacier’s surface.



The series of false-color images featured in today's video were acquired over the span of 35 years. You can see that by 2021, the glacier’s main branch had retreated about 15 miles from its initial position.



The Columbia Glacier has also lost more than 50 percent of its volume, mostly due to calving. <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/nasa-reveals-3d-visual-of-an-atmospheric-river/">NASA</a> reports that while climate change likely started the retreat, mechanical processes kept the disintegration going.



The NASA images are provided by Jesse Allen, Robert Simmon, Joshua Stevens, and Lauren Dauphin using data from Landsat satellites, from the U.S. Geological Survey, and data from MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite. The structure of Columbia’s moraine played a large role in the stability of the glacier before 1980. 



Like other tidewater glaciers, the Columbia built up a moraine over time, and the mixture of ice and rock functioned like a dam keeping out the sea. It was supported on one end by the shoreline and by the underwater terminal moraine at the other.



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/&nbsp; NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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



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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



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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...