Not long ago, the common belief was that only a subset of media consumers - often less educated and highly biased - would let their political allegiance override the truth. They would believe the news that favors their political inclinations, even if it wasn't authentic.



Then some intriguing studies emerged which indicated quite the opposite. The research suggested that media consumers across the spectrum value truth over partisanship.



The studies proclaimed that the authenticity of news was more influential than its alignment with a consumer's political views by more than four times.



However, as we stand on the brink of a national election fraught with misinformation, a fresh study shakes this understanding to its core.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-and-political-views">News and political views</h2>



The research, led by top psychology scholars at Stanford University, suggests that the masses tend to prioritize partisanship over truth when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/political-views-change-our-perception-of-the-past-and-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consuming news</a>.



Quite unexpectedly, this behavioral pattern spans across all political orientations, educational backgrounds, and reasoning capabilities.



Study lead author Michael Schwalbe is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychology at the School of Humanities and Sciences at <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford University</a>.



"We saw an effect of people being more influenced by political alignment than truth," said Schwalbe. 



"We saw it on both political sides and even among people who scored well on a reasoning test. We were a bit surprised to see how widespread this tendency was. People were engaging in a lot of resistance to inconvenient truths."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pervasive-problem-across-political-parties">Pervasive problem across political parties</h2>



The researchers unearthed intriguing ways in which political views and partisanship can impact the analysis of news. 



In one measure of bias, people's beliefs about the impartiality of their political side compared to their rivals were assessed. Ironically, those who were most confident in their side's neutrality were the most biased.



Furthermore, partisanship seemed to have a more robust effect on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-opinions-swing-voting-and-elections-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">processing real news</a> than fake news. People demonstrated a higher propensity to reject true information that challenged their political views and accept false information that supported their ideological stances.



"Everyone thinks it's the other person who is the problem," said Geoffrey L. Cohen, the James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business, professor of psychology in H&amp;S, and senior author of the study. 



"People say, 'Not me!' But it turns out, like with a lot of social psychological research, it's actually a pretty pervasive problem across political parties and up and down the educational ladder. The problem isn't just misinformation but the filters of our own mind - perhaps more so."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-sources-and-political-beliefs">News sources and political beliefs</h2>



The study is based on research conducted on a sample of the voting-age U.S. population, matched to the demographics of the census. This group included supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump.



A distinctive aspect of this research is its deviation in methodology from previous studies. According to Cohen, this could be why the findings contradict them. While the other studies used existing news headlines, this research involved fabricated ones.



Also, in prior investigations, subjects could see the news sources, which may have influenced their acceptance or rejection of the information, whereas this study focused on the headlines alone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-headlines">The role of headlines</h2>



The research team conjured fake headlines like "Trump Beats Grandmaster Chess Champion" and "Trump Attended Private Halloween Gala with Sex Orgies Dressed as the Pope." 



Surprisingly, the experts discovered that Trump's supporters and opponents were more likely to believe headlines that aligned with their views than to accept <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cities-are-largely-unprepared-for-the-effects-of-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">true headlines</a> that opposed their beliefs.



The researchers suggest that one contributing factor for this situation is the increased consumption of partisan media. 



"We found that the strongest predictors of bias include extreme views of Trump, a one-sided media diet, and belief in the objectivity and lack of bias of a person's own political side relative to the other side," Schwalbe said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-concern-about-news-consumption">Growing concern about news consumption </h2>



The findings of this study underscore concerns about news consumption in the 21st century, especially with the advent of social media and the constant availability of political news. 



Gaining access to one-sided information has become easier, which can reinforce beliefs in personal objectivity and lead to deepened polarization over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-paths-to-improvement">Possible paths to improvement</h2>



Having identified the problem, the next logical step is to propose interventions. A measure suggested by Cohen, known as "pre-bunking," involves proactive fact-checking where media sources warn of potential misinformation, or people independently learn to recognize manipulation tactics.



However, Cohen and Schwalbe emphasized that the solution doesn't solely lie in policy changes focused on fake news; people are also biased in their disbelief of true news.



Accordingly, they highlight the significance of promoting intellectual humility, wherein media consumers acknowledge the fallibility of their minds and learn to question their perceptions.



"There's still much more to do to understand the problem," said Schwalbe. So, while this study forms a solid foundation for further exploration, there's no denying that we're only at the beginning of this investigative journey.



The study is published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2025-33892-004.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Psychology: General</a>. 



-----



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People trust news that matches their political views, even when it's fake

Not long ago, the common belief was that only a subset of media consumers - often less educated and highly biased - would let their political allegiance override the truth. They would believe the news that favors their political inclinations, even if it wasn't authentic. Then some intriguing studies emerged which indicated quite the opposite. The research suggested that media consumers across the spectrum value truth over partisanship. The studies proclaimed that the authenticity of news was more influential than its alignment with a consumer's political views...

A preliminary study being presented at the <a href="http://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>'s Scientific Sessions 2017 reveals that eating slowly may have surprising and substantial health benefits. The research shows that a slower rate of eating lowers the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, and a cluster of dangerous health risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. 

When the dangerous risk factors of metabolic syndrome coincide, there is a significantly  increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. The risk of metabolic syndrome increases with age, affecting over 40 percent of people in their 60s and 70s.

Japanese researchers focused their study on 642 men and 441 women who did not have metabolic syndrome in 2008. The average age of the participants was 51. The team divided the subjects into three groups based on their self-reported eating speeds, which were classified as slow, normal or fast.

After following up five years later, the researchers established that fast eaters were almost 12 percent more likely to have developed metabolic syndrome than normal eaters or slow eaters. Eating faster was found to be linked with a larger waistline, higher blood sugar, and more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yoga-effective-tool-fight-depression/">weight gain</a>.

Takayuki Yamaji, M.D., is a study co-author and cardiologist at <a href="https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en">Hiroshima University</a> in Japan.

Dr. Yamaji explained, “Eating more slowly may be a crucial lifestyle change to help prevent metabolic syndrome. When people eat fast they tend not to feel full and are more likely to overeat. Eating fast causes bigger glucose fluctuation, which can lead to insulin resistance. We also believe our research would apply to a U.S. population."

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Eating fast is bad for your heart and fitness

A preliminary study being presented at the American Heart Association's...

Movies are powerful tools to get messages across about climate change, pollution, and other environmental issues. While some films tend to over-dramatize or over-exaggerate the details, they still manage to inform the public of negative environmental trends and the potential outcomes they cause. 

<a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> presents: the top 10 environmental disaster movies.

&nbsp;

The Day After Tomorrow

In this science-fiction disaster film, a climatologist unsuccessfully tries to warn public officials of imminent devastation. Despite the fact that the acceleration of the weather events is unrealistic, it is still a terrifying look at the dramatic impacts of abrupt climate change. The movie was inspired by the book “The Coming Global Superstorm,” a 1999 fictional novel.

&nbsp;

Deep Impact

When an astronomer sees that a comet is on a collision course with the planet, he dies trying to alert the world. A year later, the threat is uncovered and astronauts are sent to bomb the comet in an attempt to divert it. The comet splits into two fragments, one of which slams into Earth off of Cape Hatteras, and the impact causes a mega tsunami which kills millions of people.

&nbsp;

Armageddon

When an asteroid the size of Texas is set to hit Earth in less than a month, NASA puts together a team of deep core drillers to save the planet by drilling into the center of the asteroid and detonating a nuclear warhead. While this fiction film has faced criticism for being scientifically inaccurate, the threat of an asteroid impact is still very eye-opening.

&nbsp;

Erin Brockovich

This film tells the true story of Erin Brockovich, a legal assistant who discovers that the groundwater in Hinkley, California, is seriously contaminated. From 1952 to 1966, Pacific Gas &amp; Electric dumped around 370 million gallons of chromium 6-tainted wastewater. The energy company ended up paying $333 million, the largest settlement in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history.

&nbsp;

A Civil Action

Also based on a true story about water contamination, children are becoming terminally sick and their families sue three large companies who have been dumping toxic waste. Ultimately, two of the companies are forced to pay for the largest chemical cleanup in the history of the Northeastern United States at that time, which cost them about $68 million.

&nbsp;

Contagion

This disaster film documents the rapid spread of a deadly virus transmitted by fomites. Researchers and public health officials scramble to contain the disease and to develop a vaccine. The movie was inspired by the real-life 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 flu pandemic.

&nbsp;

2012

The Earth’s core is heating up and causing volcanoes and earthquakes of unprecedented strength. The characters race to save their families as they face the end of the world. As huge landmarks like the White House are washed away, the movie and its special effects seem terribly unrealistic at times. However, the sheer possibility of an apocalyptic event is captivating.

&nbsp;

The Sum of All Fears 

This film also addresses an apocalypse as a Neo-Nazi Austrian sets out to start a nuclear war between the United States and Russia. In real life, the movie was criticized for vividly portraying terrorism only nine months after the September 11th attacks.

&nbsp;

Outbreak

A deadly airborne virus outbreak threatens to wipe out civilization in this medical disaster film. The fictional virus, which is similar to Ebola, spread rapidly throughout the United States after an infected African monkey was smuggled into the country. When the film was released, a real-life outbreak of the Ebola virus was occurring in the African country of Zaire.

&nbsp;

Soylent Green

This fictional film shows how the industry of the 20th century led to pollution, overpopulation, and global warming issues in the year 2022. While critics say it was not the very best depiction of mankind depleting Earth’s resources, the basis of the story is hauntingly similar to some of the major environmental challenges we are facing today.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The top 10 environmental disaster movies

Movies are powerful tools to get messages across about climate...

Heart-stopping sex is pretty uncommon, scientists say – and that’s a good thing for those who want to keep their tickers in top shape.

In a memorable scene in a 2004 episode of the show “House, M.D.,” Dr. Alison Cameron describes the supposed dangers of sex, including constricted arteries, racing heartbeat and rising blood pressure. “If God hadn't made it unbelievably fun, the human race would've died out eons ago,” she tells her colleagues.

But the fictional description may not be completely accurate, it seems. Sex is rarely a triggering factor in sudden cardiac arrest, according to new preliminary research by Dr. Sumeet Chugh and his colleague Dr. Aapo Aro. 

The doctors, both from <a href="https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Heart-Institute/">Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute</a>, looked at more than 4,500 cases of sudden cardiac arrest that occurred in adults between 2002 and 2015 in the northwestern United States. Out of those cases, they found only 34 that occurred during or within an hour after sex. 

In both groups, heart disease and the use of heart medication was common, Chugh and Aro said.

In the rare cases in which cardiac arrest does occur during sex, most of the victims are men – a full 94 percent, to be exact. Or, to look at the statistics another way, about 1 in 100 cases of sudden arrest in men are associated with sex, while in women it’s more like 1 in 1,000.

But the most worrying of their discoveries about literally heart-stopping sex is that bystanders performed CPR in only one-third of sex-related cardiac arrest, even though partners witnessed each heart attack.

While the research adds to conversations about sexual activity and safety between doctors and their patients, it also emphasizes the need for better education about CPR. The public needs to be informed not just about how to perform CPR, but also that it can be essential regardless of where or when a heart attack occurs.

The research was funded by grants from the <a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/">National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute</a> secured by Dr. Chugh. The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s <a href="http://professional.heart.org/professional/EducationMeetings/MeetingsLiveCME/ScientificSessions/UCM_316900_Scientific-Sessions.jsp">Scientific Sessions 2017</a>. 

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Heart-stopping sex? It's rare, science shows

Heart-stopping sex is pretty uncommon, scientists say – and that’s...

The costs of poor sleep are high – impaired memory, lack of good judgement, and a high risk of stroke or obesity, among others. But new studies are beginning to show just how complex the effects of sleep are when it comes to physical and mental health.

Several studies examining how sleep affects the brain were presented at <a href="https://www.sfn.org/annual-meeting/neuroscience-2017">Neuroscience 2017</a>, the annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society for Neuroscience</a>. 

One study uncovered three species of spiders with accelerated circadian rhythms. The discovery has raised new questions about how the spiders can avoid negative health effects due to poor sleep, according to Dr. Darrell Moore of <a href="http://www.etsu.edu/">East Tennessee State University</a>, who led the research.

A study of microRNA expression found that it can indicate when someone has a history of poor sleep in both humans and rats. The discovery by Dr. Seema Bhatnagar of the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> found that it could provide a method for predicting when poor sleepers are at risk for diseases or cognitive deficits connected with sleep loss.

A third study led by Dr. Roy Cox, a postdoctoral research fellow at <a href="http://www.bidmc.org/">Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center</a>, found that the brain reactivates negative, emotional memories during sleep. 

Additional research found that brain activity during sleep can be analyzed to determine whether people looked at photos of people or houses before drifting off.

"Sleep is even more multifaceted and fascinating than we realize," Dr. Sigrid Veasey of the University of Pennsylvania said in a press release. "Today's findings reveal interesting new aspects of the complex relationship between sleep and the brain, and the vital role that sleep plays in everyday human functioning."

The new studies add to a growing body of research about the effects of poor sleep. Neuroscientists have found in the past that adequate sleep is essential for good health, and it can improve memory and cognitive function. Poor sleep is connected to memory problems, impaired judgement, and cardiovascular disease, along with stroke and obesity.

The new research was supported by the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/">National Institutes of Health</a> and other organizations.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Studying the effects of poor sleep on the brain

The costs of poor sleep are high – impaired memory,...

While many people simply will not consider eating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/houses-lifestyles-attract-bugs/">bugs</a>, there is a lot of potential for insects as a sustainable source of food for both people and animals. A new review published in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291467-3010">Nutrition Bulletin</a> explores the challenges and potential risks that hinder the progress of using insects as food and feed.

Insects are high in nutrients such as animal protein. Insects also produce lower environmental footprints than traditional animal feed, and they can be raised simply on organic waste such as leftover food. Some scientists consider insects to be the feed of the future, but obstacles still remain.

Darja Dobermann is a doctoral researcher in Entomophagy at the <a href="http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/">University of Nottingham</a> and <a href="https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/">Rothamsted Research</a>.

"In ideal conditions, insects have a smaller environmental impact than more traditional Western forms of animal protein; less known is how to scale up insect production while maintaining these environmental benefits," says Dobermann.

As for people food, the report points out that insects have been a source of food for hundreds of years in over 100 countries. In central Africa, half of all of dietary protein comes from insects, and their market value is higher than most alternative sources of animal protein. The safety of introducing bugs as food, however, presents more issues.

"Insects present a nutritional opportunity, but it is unclear how their nutritional quality is influenced by what they are fed," says Dobermann. 

The review also clarifies that insects need to be easy to locate and discoverable in high enough quantities to make the efforts of capturing them worthwhile. They must also be large enough to have substantial dietary value.

"Studies overall show that insects could make valuable economic and nutritional contributions to the food or feed systems, but there are no clear regulations in place to bring insects into such supply systems without them turning into a more expensive version of poultry for food, or soya for feed," explains Dobermann.

According to the researchers, there are over 2000 edible species of insects. The most popular insect species for consumption are beetles, caterpillars, bees and wasps, ants, grasshoppers, and crickets.
--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Could eating BUGS be the way of the future?

While many people simply will not consider eating bugs, there...

Racial tension in the United States has been a hot button issue, especially since the 2016 presidential election. A simple truth that everyone can agree on, however, is that sadly, race still plays a large role in how a person is experienced by the world. 

Now, a new study has shed light on the rampant racial profiling that occurs in the retail industry.

The study, titled “Shopping While Black,” was published in the Journal of Consumer Culture and delves into the hostility that African-Americans face while shopping, and how some feel they have to modify their behavior to simply buy what they need. 

While you would think economic disparity would be the greatest influence in how shoppers are treated, the study shows that even a wealthy black shopper faces hostile or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/economic-hardship-racial-discrimination/">discriminatory</a> treatment in stores. 

This was especially true in stores that sold high-end clothing, when black professionals shopping for work clothes at high-end retailers were often judged to be poor. 

“The privileges and entitlements that come with economic resources are often not afforded to African-American shoppers,” said Cassi Pittman, one of the study authors and an assistant professor of sociology at <a href="https://case.edu/">Case Western Reserve University</a>.

Pittman interviewed 55 middle-class African-Americans from New York City, asking about their personal experiences shopping and if they felt any discrimination or hostility based on their race. 

The results of the interviews show just how serious the issue is. 80 percent of the study participants said they experienced racial stigma and stereotypes while shopping, 59 percent were perceived as a shoplifter, 52 percent reported receiving poor or even no service, and 52 percent were perceived as poor. 

The study participants also reported that they had experienced being followed around in stores, told where the location of the store's sale selection was without asking, were ignored by store staff, and told the price of more expensive items without asking. 

The interviewees reported similar results in grocery stores, drugstores, and boutiques and often reported that they felt the need to modify their behavior or downplay their race to be able to go about their shopping. 

“Many shoppers feel their race undermines their credibility in stores,” Pittman said. “They're treated differently, but not wholly denied access. In many ways, this a microcosm of racial exclusions embedded in American society.”

The results are yet another example of the hostility and discriminatory behavior that people of color face on a daily basis. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Racial profiling found to be rampant in the retail industry

Racial tension in the United States has been a hot...

Sexual harassment has been leading the news as of late, with numerous claims being made against political figures and the Hollywood power players. 

It’s important to note that no matter the kind of harassment, physical or verbal, it is still abuse and can have a lasting, damaging effect on the victims. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the<a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/"> Norwegian University of Science and Technology </a>set out to distinguish between physical and nonphysical sexual harassment and show that non-physical abuse can be also detrimental to health and well-being. 

“Being exposed to non-physical sexual harassment can negatively affect symptoms of anxiety, depression, negative body image and low self-esteem," said Mons Bendixen and Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, the co-authors of the study. 

The researchers focused their study on teens and found that harassment was not exclusively aimed at girls, boys were also just as likely to be targeted with verbal abuse. 

The researchers conducted two different studies asking high school students about their experience with sexual harassment in the previous year. The researchers had responses from nearly 3,000 students, and both studies had similar results. 

The researchers felt it was important to distinguish between different forms of harassment so they divided the types of harassment into two different groups, physically coercive behavior, and non-physical harassment. 

“As far as we know, this is the first study that has distinguished between these two forms and specifically looked at the effects of non-physical sexual harassment," said Bendixen.

The team conducted two different studies surveying high school students on their experiences with sexual harassment. Because some slurs and slang terms might not be offensive to everyone, the researchers left it to the students to determine if they were offended by certain comments. 

The first study was done in 2007 and involved 1,384 h<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/friendships-impact-mental-health/">igh school students</a>, and the second was conducted in 2013-2014 and included 1,485 students. 

The results of both studies show that non-physical sexual harassment is damaging and has a negative effect on the receiver. 

The researchers note that methods to combat harassment have been largely ineffective. 

“This has been studied for years and in numerous countries, but no studies have yet revealed any lasting effects of measures aimed at combating sexual harassment," said Bendixen. “We know that attitude campaigns can change people's attitudes to harassment, but it doesn't result in any reduction in harassment behavior.” 

The researchers plan to conduct an upcoming study that further explores why sexual harassment is so pervasive in society, and how to reduce instances of harassment.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Both verbal and physical sexual harassment cause lasting damage

Sexual harassment has been leading the news as of late,...

When looking to buy a home or rent an apartment, one of the first deciding factors is the neighborhood the property is located in. Is it a relatively safe neighborhood? What are the other families like?

Now, a new study has found that neighborhood environment has a profound effect on children through their teens. Poor environments can influence behavioral problems in young kids and adolescents. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.jhsph.edu/">Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health</a> and published in the journal Social Science &amp; Medicine. 

The results show that problem behaviors like fighting, stealing, and destroying property can be linked to external surroundings and is exacerbated by poor a home environment. 

For the study, the researchers examined survey data that was collected between 1997 and 2007 on 3,563 children. The researchers also asked the parents of the children surveyed to rate their neighborhoods as “excellent,” “good,” “fair,” or “poor.” 

The researchers also reviewed data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a study that surveyed families over multiple generations since 1968. 

The survey focused on economic, social, and health factors that impacted the different families. Parents were also asked to rate behavioral problems they observed in their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-kids-eczema-asthma/">children</a> as well as neighborhood quality. 

Children who lived in neighborhoods rated as poor were much more likely to show behavioral problems, and those problems continued into adolescence. 

The researchers note that the longer a child is exposed to a poor neighborhood the stronger the influence of that environment. 

The study also found that behavioral problems exhibited early on can predict damaging patterns of addiction, violence, and substance abuse later in life. 

Anne Riley, the study’s lead author, hopes that these sobering results will help shape housing policies and community investment decisions. 

“I think this is a wakeup call for understanding the power of neighborhoods to contribute to the crime and behavior problems that we see in our society,” said Riley. “Our results suggest that neighborhood effects are something that we need to tune into in a much more explicit and purposeful way.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Neighborhoods influence how kids behave into their teens

When looking to buy a home or rent an apartment,...

What exactly influences which <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dirty-laundry-attracts-bed-bugs/">bugs</a> join us to live inside of the house? An international team of scientists set out to investigate how physical factors of our homes, ranging from the floor plan to our level of cleanliness, affect the diversity of the insects living among us. 

"We are just beginning to realize--and study--how the home we create for ourselves also builds a complex, indoor habitat for bugs and other life," said lead author Dr. Misha Leong. "We're hoping to better understand this age-old coexistence, and how it may impact our physical and mental well-being."

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.calacademy.org/">California Academy of Sciences</a>, <a href="https://www.ncsu.edu/">North Carolina State University</a>, and the <a href="http://snm.ku.dk/english/">Natural History Museum of Denmark</a> teamed up for the study, which focused on 50 homes in Raleigh, North Carolina. The analysis revealed that a larger number of insect species were found in rooms with more outdoor accessibility, such as windows and doors.

"We're beginning to see how houses can be a passive go-between for insects traveling through the surrounding landscape," said senior author Dr. Michelle Trautwein. "The more numerous the entry points of windows and doors, the more diverse the community that thrives inside."

The researchers also found that ground floors harbored the most insect diversity, and that more varieties of insects existed in carpeted rooms as opposed to rooms with bare floors.

"While the idea of uninvited insect roommates sounds unappealing, bugs in houses may contribute to health in a roundabout way," said Dr. Trautwein. "A growing body of evidence suggests some modern ailments are connected with our lack of exposure to wider biological diversity, particularly microorganisms--and insects may play a role in hosting and spreading that microbial diversity indoors."

The insects discovered in the study varied from room to room. Common areas like living rooms had more diverse bug communities compared to bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. Basements also held a larger variety of insects, which were typically cave-dwelling species that thrive in damp, dark spaces like spiders and crickets.

Every room in the home contained a complex habitat of predator and prey. Scavenger species, strays from outdoors, and temporary go-betweens all played key roles in a room's ecological structure. 

"Even though we like to think of our homes as shielded from the outdoors, wild ecological dramas may be unfolding right beside us as we go about our daily lives," said Dr. Leong. "We're learning more and more about these sometimes-invisible relationships and how the homes we choose for ourselves also foster indoor ecosystems all their own."

Species diversity within the home tends to mirror the life thriving outside, according to the researchers. Tidiness played no significant role in what insects were found indoors. The presence of pets, houseplants, pesticides, and dust also had no notable impact on insect diversity, indicating that indoor bug communities are more strongly influenced by the environment outside the window than our cats, dogs, or cleaning habits.

The study is published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Different houses and lifestyles attract different types of bugs

What exactly influences which bugs join us to live inside...

The negative effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/china-air-pollution-years/">air pollution</a> on health are relatively well noted and understood, but new research points towards yet another health risk associated with exposure to air pollution. A recent study from <a href="https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> has found that exposure to air pollution is linked to osteoporosis-related loss of bone mineral density and increased risk of bone fractures. 

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle due to the body losing more bone mass than it can rebuild. It is also the most common reason for broken bones amongst the elderly.

In the United States alone, there are an estimated 2 million osteoporosis-related bone fractures. Research shows that in the year following a bone fracture in an elderly individual, risk of death increases by as much as 20 percent, and only 40 percent of individuals regain their independence. Needless to say, osteoporosis is a scourge on public health as well as national health costs.

For their study, the researchers assessed osteoporosis-related fracture hospital admissions in 9.2 million Medicare enrollees from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the U.S. between 2003 and 2010. The findings show that even a small increase in levels of ambient particulate matter (PM2.5) may lead to an increase in bone fractures in older adults.

They simultaneously ran an analysis of eight years of follow-up among almost 700 middle-aged, low-income adults in the Boston Area Community Health/Bone Survey cohort. The findings of the latter study showed that participants living in areas with higher levels of PM2.5 and black carbon had lower levels of parathyroid hormone. This hormone is a key calcium and bone-related hormone, necessary for retention of bone mass.

PM2.5 is also known to cause systemic oxidative damage and inflammation, which they believe may accelerate bone loss and increase risk of bone fractures in the older population.

“Decades of careful research has documented the health risks of air pollution, from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, to cancer, and impaired cognition, and now osteoporosis,” says Andrea Baccarelli, chair of Environmental Health Sciences at the <a href="https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/">Mailman School</a> and the study’s senior author. “Among the many benefits of clean air, our research suggests, are improved bone health and a way to prevent bone fractures.”

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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

Air pollution linked to osteoporosis-related bone fractures

The negative effects of air pollution on health are relatively...

Given the news and social media landscape of this past presidential election, it probably won’t be surprising to hear that even small news outlets can influence a discussion across both social media and public opinion. But the amount of influence these outlets have may surprise you.

A recent large-scale study reports that if only three small news outlets wrote about a topic such as jobs, the environment, or immigration, the discussion of that topic would increase across <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-helping-communities-manage-fires/">social media</a> and public opinion on the topic could be changed by several percentage points.

The results were published by the <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>. 

These results were consistent across varying political affiliations, geographies, and other similar subgroups. Gary King and his colleagues quantitatively explored this subject by taking advantage of the massive conversation recorder that is social media. The researchers recruited 48 mostly small news media outlets and had groups of two to five outlets write articles on approved subjects and publish on random assigned dates. 

Through comparing outcomes in the weeks these stories ran (called “treatment weeks”) to a normal “control” week, the authors were able to determine the influence of these news stories. They found that the average cluster of stories increased discussion in each subject area by over 60%. Even more interesting – and perhaps terrifying – was that the story clusters were able to shift the balance of opinion by an average of 2.3% in the direction of the opinion of the published articles. 

With our current political and news-cycle climate, these results aren’t necessarily surprising. However, they are legitimately concerning. The study’s findings just go to show that now more than ever we should be careful in believing everything we read.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Even small news outlets can have a big impact on public opinion

Given the news and social media landscape of this past...

A new study from <a href="https://www.utmb.edu/">The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston</a> has revealed that drinking alcohol negatively affects a key region of the brain where new cells develop. Chronic alcohol drinking kills brain stem cells and weakens the production of new nerve cells, and the damage is far worse for females.

It was previously thought that the adult brain had a fixed number of nerve cells from early in life. Alcohol-induced damage to the brain could only be treated by protecting the remaining nerve cells.

"The discovery that the adult brain produces stem cells that create new nerve cells provides a new way of approaching the problem of alcohol-related changes in the brain," said study co-author Dr. Ping Wu. "However, before the new approaches can be developed, we need to understand how alcohol impacts the brain stem cells at different stages in their growth, in different brain regions and in the brains of both males and females."

The research team set out to observe the impact of long-term <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-easier-speak-language/">alcohol</a> consumption on brain stem cells. They used a technique that allowed them to tag brain stem cells of adult mice and monitor how they develop into nerve cells over time.

The study showed that consistent alcohol consumption had varying effects on different regions of the brain. The region found to be most susceptible to the effects of alcohol was one of two brain regions where new brain cells are created.

The researchers also noted that brain stem cells in key brain regions of adult mice responded differently to alcohol exposure. The scientists identified for the first time that these changes vary between males and females.

Dr. Wu said that chronic alcohol drinking killed most brain stem cells and reduced the production and development of new nerve cells. The female mice showed more severe deficits than males. The females had displayed behavior which indicated they were more severely intoxicated, and their pool of stem cells was much more greatly reduced.

The scientists will use the findings of this research to learn more about how alcohol interacts with brain stem cells. This may ultimately lead to improved treatment for alcoholism.

The study is published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/home">Stem Cell Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Long-term heavy drinking kills brain stem cells

A new study from The University of Texas Medical Branch...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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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



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...