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...

Researchers have found that a psychedelic drug called Ayahuasca that is often used in the Amazon region gives people an improved sense of wellbeing, and may be an effective treatment for alcoholism and depression.

Ayahuasca is a potent brew used in healing ceremonies as a spiritual medicine that contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychedelic drug. DMT is classified as a Schedule 1 drug in the United States and is illegal in almost every country.

A growing collection of research suggests that psychedelic drugs such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magic-mushrooms-depression-brain/">magic mushrooms</a> and LSD can help treat alcoholism and depression. Researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> and <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> analyzed Global Drug Survey data from more than 96,000 people worldwide to examine the potential therapeutic benefits of ayahuasca.

The study revealed that ayahuasca users reported significantly lower alcohol issues than people who took LSD or magic mushrooms. In addition, those who took ayahuasca reported higher overall well-being in the year leading up to the survey.

"These findings lend some support to the notion that ayahuasca could be an important and powerful tool in treating depression and alcohol use disorders," said lead author Dr. Will Lawn. “Recent research has demonstrated ayahuasca's potential as a psychiatric medicine, and our current study provides further evidence that it may be a safe and promising treatment.”

Dr. Lawn pointed out that ayahuasca users still reported high drinking levels, and that further research is needed “to fully examine ayahuasca's ability to help treat mood and addiction disorders.” He added that, this study is still important because it is most likely “the largest survey of ayahuasca users completed to date."

The acute effects of ayahuasca last around six hours, and are felt most intensely one hour after ingestion. Most people surveyed reported taking the drug with a healer or a shaman.

"If ayahuasca is to represent an important treatment, it is critical that its short and long-term effects are investigated, and safety established,” said senior author Celia Morgan.

Of the survey participants, 527 were ayahuasca users, 18,138 used LSD or magic mushrooms, and 78,236 did not take psychedelic drugs.

"In this work, long-term ayahuasca use has not been found to impact on cognitive ability, produce addiction or worsen mental health problems,” said Morgan. "In fact, some of these observational studies suggest that ayahuasca use is associated with less problematic alcohol and drug use, and better mental health and cognitive functioning."

The study is published in the Nature journal <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

Ayahuasca may be effective treatment for alcoholism, depression

Researchers have found that a psychedelic drug called Ayahuasca that is...

When you’re in the middle of a stressful or challenging situation, you may wonder why you feel so disoriented.

But new research published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/behavioral-neuroscience">Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience</a> has found that stressful situations make it harder for the brain to understand where you are and what’s happening around you.

In the study, researchers showed participants videos of a positive, negative, and neutral situation, after which they asked them to take tests measuring their unconscious ability to acquire information about where and when things had happened. The results showed that participants performed worse on these tests after watching the challenging videos, both positive and negative. The researchers believe that this shows challenging situations cause the brain to pass on nuanced, context-based cognition and focus on reflexive action instead.

“We aimed to make this change measurable on a behavioral level, to draw conclusions on how behavior in everyday life and challenging situations is affected by variations in arousal,” says researcher Thomas Maran.

This involved using video clips that had been used previously to elicit reactions in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/watching-sports-heart-stress/">stress</a> studies. The videos consisted of one violent scene (negative), one sex scene (positive), and one neutral control scene. Results showed that both the sex scene and the violent scene affected the participants’ ability to memorize where objects had been and notice patterns in two different tasks.

The researchers believe that these challenging situations decrease our ability to pick up context cues because of some neurophysiological changes in the hippocampus region of the brain. However, only the behavioral impacts were analyzed in this study.

“Changes in cognition during high arousal states play an important role in psychopathology,” explains Maran. He believes that further research could improve our understanding of potential therapeutic and forensic applications for these findings. Additionally, it may help us better understand others’ reactions to challenging situations – such as witnessing a crime or experiencing war. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Stressful situations change the way our brains process information

When you’re in the middle of a stressful or challenging...

Even with swift climate change mitigation, heatwaves are projected to get worse. The number of lives lost to heatwaves depends on how sensitive our bodies are to heat, and a new study has found that we are much more sensitive to heat than you might expect.

Worldwide, over 800 deadly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deadly-heatwaves-rise-emission/">heatwaves</a> have been documented since 1980, which collectively claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. The European heatwave of 2003 killed 70,000 people alone.

Camilo Mora from the <a href="https://manoa.hawaii.edu/">University of Hawaii at Manoa</a> is the lead author of the study.

"We know of many case examples when people have died as a result of heatwaves," said Mora. "However, why people died is a question whose answer is scattered."

For the study, the research team reviewed all of the known ways that heat kills people. They identified five physiological mechanisms which impact seven vital organs. Out of 35 possible interactions between these mechanisms and organs, the researchers found medical evidence to support 27 interactions that could be a fatal result of heat.

Ischemia and heat cytotoxity are conditions that can terminally interfere with the functioning of the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, or guts. Although both conditions can be deadly by themselves, the set of physiological responses to those two attacks pose an even greater risk of death. The attack on the body from ischemia and heat cytotoxity can lead to systemic inflammatory response, for example, which is related to organ failure.

Internal complications created by ischemia, heat cytotoxity and systemic inflammatory response can cause clots that cut off the blood supply to the brain, kidneys, liver, or lungs. As a result, the depletion of clotting proteins can trigger fatal hemorrhaging even without injury. 

The conditions of ischemia and heat cytotoxity can also be worsened with strenuous activity, which causes the breaking of skeletal muscle cells. This results in the leakage of myoglobin, which is toxic to the kidneys, liver, and lungs.

"Dying during a heatwave is like a terror movie with 27 bad endings to choose from," said Mora. "It is remarkable that humanity overall is taking such a complacency on the threats that ongoing climate change is posing."

The findings of the research suggest that all heat damaging mechanisms can be triggered any time there is substantial heat. This puts everyone at risk, with an even greater threat to those with physical ailments or who cannot afford life saving resources, like air conditioning.

The study is published in the American Heart Association journal <a href="http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/">Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists identify 27 ways that heatwaves can kill you

Even with swift climate change mitigation, heatwaves are projected to...

Selecting the best possible people to spend time with is the secret to happiness, according to a new study. Neuroscience Professor Moran Cerf from <a href="http://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> has found through his research that when two people spend a lot of time together, their brain waves begin to look just alike.

Because our brain waves synchronize with people we communicate most frequently with, they start to actually resemble those of our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/birds-friends-longer-lives/">friends</a>. This level of comprehension is actually happening beyond what we realize, and so we adopt ways of looking at things and behaviors of close friends without noticing.

“The more we study engagement, we see time and again that just being next to certain people actually aligns your brain with them,” says Dr. Cerf. “This means the people you hang out with actually have an impact on your engagement with reality beyond what you can explain. And one of the effects is you become alike.”

Previous studies have shown this type of neural coupling is a key part of mutual communication that results from understanding each other. 

For example, when we are communicating most effectively with a partner and we are on the same wavelength, we can even anticipate what they are going to say. The evolutionary advantage of this is stronger teamwork.

According to the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/">Business Insider</a>, Dr. Cerf says the best way to achieve long-term satisfaction is to surround yourself with the right people.

Dr. Cerf believes that people generally do not make good decisions. We do things we normally would not do based on social cues and also let our emotions turn rational decisions into irrational ones. Therefore, we should minimize decision-making altogether and simply decide to surround ourselves with the right friends. 

Dr. Cerf says that instead of wasting our time focused on decisions that do not bring life satisfaction, such as where to go or what to wear, we should instead focus on the one decision that most affects our happiness - who to go with. 

Ultimately, Dr. Cerf feels that we can achieve the utmost happiness and minimize the amount of exhausting decisions that need to be made in life by surrounding ourselves with friends who epitomize what we strive to be. If you want to exercise more or simply be a kinder person, for example, make friends with someone who embodies these traits and you will pick them up naturally.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Friends synch brain waves and live happier lives, study finds

Selecting the best possible people to spend time with is...

Immigration policy is a subject of much contention today, and many refugees and immigrants are faced with hostility not just from American citizens, but from the rhetoric of policy makers and our country's leaders. 

Now, a new study has now found that unregistered immigrants living near the California-Mexico border have a lifetime history of trauma and psychological distress.

The study was conducted by<a href="http://www.rice.edu/"> Rice University</a> psychologists and is the first population-based study to show the impact that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wall-u-s-mexico-border-environment/">living near the border</a> has on unregistered Mexican immigrants.

The results of the study show that 82 percent of participants experienced a long history of trauma, including witnessing violence or living in poverty.  

Almost half of the immigrants interviewed for the study showed signs of clinically significant psychological distress. 

“Our findings are alarming, the prevalence of traumatic events among undocumented immigrants in our study is much higher compared with estimates for other U.S. populations,” said Luz Garcini, the lead author. 

For the study, Garcini interviewed 248 Mexican immigrants, ranging from 18 to 45 years of age, from high-risk neighborhoods near the California-Mexico border. The participants had also lived in the U.S for more than ten years. 

The city where the study was conducted is listed as one of the most conservative in the United States, with many residents strongly opposed to immigrants and in favor of disciplinary actions against undocumented immigrants.

Garcini asked the participants to undergo clinical interviews conducted by psychology doctoral trainees. The interviews were then analyzed and assessed for traumatic experiences. 

Overall, one-third of those interviewed had experienced six or more traumatic events, and nearly 50 percent of the participants showed signs of clinically significant psychological distress. 

59 percent of participants with psychological distress had also reported a history of experiencing domestic violence or bodily injury. 56 percent said they had witnessed violence toward others.

The study shows the stress and trauma that unregistered immigrants face over their lifetime. Garcnini hopes her results will help improve treatment options for those living in similar high-risk situations and spur policy change meant to protect human rights. 

“Revisiting immigration policies to devise solutions grounded in evidence and advocating support mechanisms aimed at protecting the human rights of this immigrant population are essential to prevent the negative consequences of trauma for these immigrants and the broader communities in Mexico and the U.S.,” Garcini said.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Immigrants living on the US-Mexico border endure life of trauma

Immigration policy is a subject of much contention today, and...

Surprising new research reveals that the time of day an injury is sustained affects the rate at which it will heal. Scientists have discovered that the body's internal clock causes wounds such as cuts and burns to heal around twice as quickly if the injury happened during the day rather than at night.

The study, led by scientists from the <a href="http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/">Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology</a> in Cambridge, is the first to show how the internal body clock regulates wound healing and optimizes conditions for daytime healing.

A person's circadian rhythm controls nearly every cell in the body. Tests in both mice and skin cells showed that while the body’s internal clock is in daytime mode, wounds to the skin heal almost twice as efficiently as wounds suffered at night.

The research team also analyzed the records of 118 patients with burn injuries and found more evidence to support their findings. Using a database from all major burns units in England and Wales, the experts determined that burns sustained at night took an average of 60 percent longer to heal than burns that occurred during the day. 

Daytime burns were classified as 95 percent healed after 17 days, while night-time burns took an average of 28 days to reach the same level of progress. The researchers determined that one reason for the accelerated daytime healing was that skin cells moved to the site of the wound to repair it much faster during those hours.

There was also more collagen present at the wound site in daytime hours, which continued for up to two weeks after the wound was inflicted. Human and mouse skin cells grown in a lab dish exhibited this same response, indicating that the process is not initiated by signals transmitted throughout the body but by the body's natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/day-drinking-feels-different/">circadian rhythm</a>.

Dr. John O'Neill is the senior author on the paper from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.

"This is the first time that the circadian clock within individual skin cells has been shown to determine how effectively they respond to injuries,” said Dr. O’Neill. “We consistently see about a 2-fold difference in wound healing speed between the body clock's day and night. It may be that our bodies have evolved to heal fastest during the day when injuries are more likely to occur.”

Lead author Dr. Ned Hoyle said, “Further research into the link between body clocks and wound healing may help us to develop drugs that prevent defective wound healing or even help us to improve surgery outcomes."

The study is published in <a href="http://stm.sciencemag.org/">Science Translational Medicine</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Daytime wounds heal much faster than those suffered at night

Surprising new research reveals that the time of day an...

A new study finds that people are not born with a belief in God. While previous studies have focused on how religious beliefs are affected by intuitive thinking and analytical thinking, the current research reveals that spiritual beliefs are not influenced by either of these cognitive styles but instead by our surroundings and upbringing.

In the past, many experts have thought that people who have strong <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientific-education-beliefs/">religious</a> beliefs are less analytical and more intuitive. These researchers believe that when people think more analytically, their spiritual beliefs decline.

Researchers at <a href="http://www.coventry.ac.uk/">Coventry University</a> and <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">Oxford University</a> have determined that such theories are not entirely accurate because people are not “born believers.” Their analysis was focused on pilgrims participating in the Camino de Santiago, a religious tradition in Spain. 

The team asked pilgrims about the strength of their beliefs and assessed their levels of intuitive thinking with a probability task, where participants had to decide between a logical and an instinctive choice. The researchers also performed brain-imaging experiments on the participants to look for a connection between analytical thinking and religious convictions. 

Ultimately, there was no link found between intuitive or analytical thinking and religious beliefs from any of the tests. The scientists concluded that socio-cultural processes and childhood surroundings were much more likely to play a role in spiritual beliefs. 

The study was the first to challenge a growing collection of work by cognitive psychologists, who have tried to show for the past two decades that believing in the supernatural is something that comes naturally or intuitively.

Lead author Miguel Farias said, "What drives our belief in gods - intuition or reason; heart or head? There has been a long debate on this matter but our studies have challenged the theory that being a religious believer is determined by how much individuals rely on intuitive or analytical thinking.”

The researchers feel that their research supports a different theory that religion is a nurture-based process which develops throughout the time of one's upbringing and education.

"We don't think people are 'born believers' in the same way we inevitably learn a language at an early age,” said Farias. “The available sociological and historical data show that what we believe in is mainly based on social and educational factors, and not on cognitive styles, such as intuitive/analytical thinking.Religious belief is most likely rooted in culture rather than in some primitive gut intuition."

The research 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

Religious beliefs linked to upbringing, not thought process

A new study finds that people are not born with...

Grabbing a late night snack is always tempting, but research has shown that eating at night is detrimental to your overall health and wellbeing. 

Eating after dinner, when the body should be at rest, can increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and weight gain, as calories consumed at that time are more likely to be stored as fat.

Now, a new study from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Autonomous_University_of_Mexico">National Autonomous University of Mexico</a> has found that eating late at night disrupts the body’s natural 24-hour cycle. 

For the study, researchers focused on triglycerides in rats. The team fed fat to a group of rats right before their rest period, and their blood-fat levels increased rapidly as a result. 

The blood-fat levels were higher if they were fed before rest than if they were fed before their active period. 

In another part of the study, the researchers removed part of the rat’s brain that controls the 24-hour cycle. After doing this, there was no change in blood-fat levels regardless of when the rats were fed. 

The study shows that when the rats were fed before rest, it was counter to their natural 24-cycle, which increased their blood-fat levels. 

People who snack late at night are also running counter to their body’s natural rhythm and increase their risk of diabetes, weight gain, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-diets-heart-disease/">heart disease</a>. 

These results are especially problematic for those individuals whose work schedules run counter to the 24-hour cycle, such as people who work the late shift or work nights. 

It turns out that in the long-term, late-night eating can be more than just a bad habit, but even dangerous one.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Late night snacking may increase risk of diabetes, heart disease

Grabbing a late night snack is always tempting, but research...

In the information age, anyone with a phone or computer can be a critic. Whether discussing the current political climate or an opinion on music or restaurants, opinions are everywhere online.

Just one look at the news and you can see how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/twitter-unreliable-representation/">Twitter</a> has changed the landscape of how we discuss current events and personal opinions. 

But now, a new study has found that the way in which we receive an opinion makes a difference in how we understand it. According to the research, people are more receptive to differing ideas or opinions if they are heard a loud or in person rather than read in text.

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/">Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley</a> and published in the journal Psychological Science.

“Our findings show that even when the content is the same, the medium through which it is expressed can affect evaluations of the communicator,” said Juliana Schroeder, the study’s lead researcher. “It is possible that variance in communicators' natural cues in their voices, such as tone, can convey their thoughtfulness

For the study, the researchers conducted several experiments where opinions were either read, watched, or listened to. Six participants were recorded while they expressed their personal opinions on political and social topics. 

A different group of participants were then randomly given either the full video recording to watch, an audio version of the recording, or a transcript of the recording to read. 

The researchers measured the reactions to the different mediums and asked the second group of participants to rate the “speaker.” 

The results showed that listening versus reading made a difference in how people judge the mental capacities of the communicator. The participants who either watched the full recordings or just listened to the audio had similar ratings of the speaker compared to those who just read the transcripts. 

As it turns out, listening to someone tell their opinion humanizes them. Intonation, speech patterns, and natural pauses give a little more validity to the speaker, as opposed to just reading the words in text.

“If mutual appreciation and understanding of the mind of another person is the goal of social interaction, then it may be best for the person's voice to be heard,” said the researchers. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People are more receptive to opinions they hear rather than read

In the information age, anyone with a phone or computer...

Quitting smoking is no easy feat. Even though you may be very aware the health risks associated with smoking, the side effects of withdrawal can be even more daunting to deal with.

But now, a new study conducted by researchers at the <a href="http://www.lsi.umich.edu/">University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute</a> may have uncovered genetic factors that explain why quitting smoking is so difficult.

The research found that a genetic mechanism may predispose a person to be dependent on nicotine.

For the study, the researchers examined nicotine dependence in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/roundworms-protection-alzheimers/">roundworms</a>. They may sound like a strange test subject, but roundworms actually have similar reactions to nicotine as mammals do, and become easily dependent on it. 

After analyzing the genetic makeup of the roundworms, the researchers discovered that a series of genes were involved in creating more nicotine receptor proteins. 

These proteins have been the focus of many studies involving nicotine dependence, but the roundworm study gives new insight into the genetic processes leading up to the creation of those proteins. 

The results of the study point to specific genes and microRNAs as vital to the creation of nicotine receptor proteins, increasing the roundworm’s dependence on nicotine and worsening withdrawal. 

“We're seeing a clear link between nicotine, microRNA, the receptor proteins, and nicotine-dependent behavior,” said Jianke Gong, a lead author of the study.

The connection between microRNAs and receptor proteins has been examined by researchers before and thought to be irrelevant to nicotine dependence. But the researchers note that this was decades before when the technology for research was not nearly as advanced as it is today. 

The study shows that roundworms are an excellent model for examining nicotine dependence and withdrawal, and delves into genetic mechanisms that may be at the heart of nicotine dependence. 

The researchers hope their findings will encourage future studies that look into just how microRNAs contribute to addiction and withdrawal.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Can’t quit smoking? Blame your genes

Quitting smoking is no easy feat. Even though you may...

Beer and wine doesn’t just taste good because of the ingredients. The complex flavors that you’ll hear about from every wine connoisseur and “hop head” at the bar are a result of carefully balanced chemistry. A combination of biological factors from the ingredients and resulting chemical reactions when they’re mixed can give these alcoholic beverages the distinctive tastes many people love.

In Belgium – arguably one of the beer capitals of the world – microbiologists have been using genetic mapping to identify specific yeast genes that produce higher levels of a rose or honey aroma in wine and beer. This aroma comes from a flavor compound known as phenylethyl acetate.

Yeast is a major component of the flavor of any <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/probiotic-beer-helps-gut/">beer</a>, as it adds both carbonation and flavor in fermentation. Although most of the flavor in wine comes from the grapes used, the metabolism of the yeast can alter the flavors and add secondary flavors.

“In some wines, you can smell the rose flavor above all the others,” says Johan Thevelein, a microbiologist at the Center for Microbiology at <a href="http://www.vib.be/en/Pages/default.aspx">VIB</a>, a life sciences institute in Flanders. “But why certain yeast strains make more of this compound than other strains, there was no knowledge at all.”

By using high-throughput genomic analysis to study genes in a hybrid strain of brewer’s yeast, the researchers identified the causative gene that was linked to higher production of phenylethyl acetate. They used CRISPR/Cas9 to play with the alleles they identified that were responsible for higher production of this flavor compound, switching the alleles between parent strains and observing the increase in phenylethyl acetate production.

“You have to do two things,” says Thevelein. “One is to improve the yeast trait that you want to improve. Second is to change nothing else in the yeast. In practice, the latter turns out to be much more difficult than the former. If the fermentation is bad, you have to throw away all the beer.”

In the past, enhancing these yeast strains for more desirable flavors has been a significant challenge. The process can be both expensive and time-consuming. But the researchers believe that CRISPR/Cas9 will help create a more efficient way to engineer desirable traits in yeast – adding desirable genes and swapping out undesirable genes.

And there’s even more good news for beer drinkers: the researchers have recently partnered with a Belgian brewery to help evaluate their experimental strains with the idea of creating and controlling even tastier beer.

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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

Using science to improve the taste of beer and wine

Beer and wine doesn’t just taste good because of the...

A study from the <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine</a> has found that 70 percent of all cannabidiol products sold online are not labeled correctly, potentially causing serious harm to consumers. Lead author Marcel Bonn-Miller believes the mislabeling of cannabidiol products is a direct result of the insufficient regulation of the drug.

"The big problem, with this being something that is not federally legal, is that the needed quality assurance oversight from the Food and Drug Administration is not available,” said Bonn-Miller. “There are currently no standards for producing, testing, or labeling these oils.”

Cannabidiol, a natural chemical found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-use-sex/">marijuana</a> plants, has been the subject of much interest in recent years as research has shown the compound has many therapeutic uses. CBD provides medical benefits without making patients feel intoxicated because it is not a psychoactive drug like marijuana.

In states where it has been legalized, patients report using CBD for a variety of health conditions including epilepsy, migraines, insomnia, and anxiety. Business experts estimate that the market for CBD products will spike to over $2 billion in consumer sales within the next three years. 

While the interest in CBD continues to grow, the regulation of products containing CBD is not keeping up with the pace. This is primarily due to the fact that CBD is still considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance despite its legal status in many states. Most CBD products are purchased online, where sites often do not even use the term cannabidiol to avoid getting into trouble.

"So, right now, if you buy a Hershey bar, you know it has been checked over; you know how many calories are in it, you know it has chocolate as an ingredient, you know how much chocolate is in there” said Bonn-Miller. “Selling these oils without oversight, there is no way to know what is actually in the bottle. It's crazy to have less oversight and information about a product being widely used for medicinal purposes, especially in very ill children, than a Hershey bar."

Bonn-Miller and his team purchased and analyzed 84 products containing CBD from 31 online retailers. They found that at least 42 percent of the products were under-labeled, meaning that the product contained a higher concentration of CBD than indicated. 26 percent of the products examined by the team were over-labeled, meaning the product contained a lower concentration of CBD than indicated on the label. 

Only 30 percent of the CBD products purchased by the researchers contained an actual CBD content that was within 10 percent of the amount on the product label. While excessive CBD is not thought to be dangerous, the wrong dosage may negate the therapeutic effects of the drug.

"People are using this as medicine for many conditions (anxiety, inflammation, pain, epilepsy)," said Bonn-Miller. "The biggest implication is that many of these patients may not be getting the proper dosage; they're either not getting enough for it to be effective or they're getting too much."

A number of the products analyzed for the study also contained a significant amount of THC, the chemical compound in cannabis responsible for making people feel high. THC is linked to cognitive impairment and other negative health effects. Because this medication is often given to children who suffer from epilepsy, parents could be giving their child THC without realizing it.

"Future research should be focused on making sure people are paying attention to this issue and encouraging regulation in this rapidly expanding industry,” said Bonn-Miller.

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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

Cannabidiol products sold online are most often mislabeled

A study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine...

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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

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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

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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