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...

In business, having employees that are proactive can significantly increase effectiveness and competitiveness, as proactive behaviors can improve organizational creativity, processes, and job satisfaction. For that reason, getting your employees to be more proactive would seem like a priority for most business leaders.

Recent research has found that employees with empowering leaders tend to be more proactive. This is believe to be due to increased “role breadth self-efficacy,” which is defined as the confidence to perform a variety of tasks outside one’s job description. Furthermore, this research has found that when subordinates trust a leader’s competency, the leader’s power sharing behavior increases the subordinates’ confidence in performing these tasks.

“Despite the well-documented benefits of proactive behavior, the question of how to promote employee proactivity in the workplace is relatively under-explored,” says Dr. Yungui Guo, from China's <a href="http://www.zknu.edu.cn/">Zhoukou Normal University</a> and one of the study's authors. “Our research elaborates a theoretical model that explains why, and when, empowering leadership might promote this.”

In determining this, the researchers surveyed 280 leader-follower relationships from a large state-owned Chinese company. These surveys assessed the level of empowering leadership in supervisors and proactive behavior in subordinates, as well as trust in leader competence, proactive personality, and role breadth self-efficacy.

Even after controlling for proactive personality, the results showed that empowering <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/abusive-bosses-short-boost/">leadership</a> is positively correlated with proactive behavior. This effect only increased when employees had a higher level of trust in their leader’s competence.

“When you think your leader is capable, you may view their sharing of power as an opportunity to learn new things,” says Guo. “This gives you confidence to go beyond your job description – which increases your experience and mastery of different skills.”

This research also found that it is actually less necessary for leaders with high trust levels to share their power in order to motivate the proactive behavior of subordinates. “If you view your leader as incompetent, you may prefer to make your own decisions than follow what he or she tells you to do,” explains Guo. “Therefore, empowered employees with lower level of trust in leader competency are more likely to seize opportunities to exert more proactive behaviors.”

These findings provide great insight into how managers can be more effective, which in turn can lead to businesses being more effective as well. However, similar studies will have to be done in other countries in order to determine whether or not the results are only specific to one country.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Employees win when they’re empowered and trust leadership

In business, having employees that are proactive can significantly increase...

A report released earlier this week reveals that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cities-combat-climate-change/">climate change</a> is not a future problem that we may be able to prevent, but already a critical public health issue. The impacts of air pollution and heat waves are causing serious health consequences for millions of people and weakening labor productivity across the globe.

“The Lancet Countdown: Tracking Progress on Health and Climate Change” is the result of an international, multidisciplinary collaboration from the British medical journal <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current">The Lancet</a>. The research closely examines five various aspects of what the authors refer to as the “complex association between health and climate change.” 

"The human symptoms of climate change are unequivocal and potentially irreversible - affecting the health of all populations today," says the report. In addition, the consequences are disproportionately affecting communities that are least responsible for climate change yet most vulnerable to its impacts, according to the researchers.

While most research on climate change focuses on future impacts, this research demonstrates that critical health impacts of environmental changes are now occurring across the globe. "The delayed response to climate change over the past 25 years has jeopardized human life and livelihoods," say the authors of the study.

The analysis found that between 2000 and 2016, there was a 46 percent spike in the number of weather-related disasters. Within the same time frame, 125 million more people were exposed to heat waves than in previous decades. Furthermore, harmful exposure to air pollution increased by 11.2 percent worldwide since 1990.

The research also determined that global warming is accelerating the spread of Dengue fever and lengthening the duration of allergy seasons in the United States.

Despite these and other discouraging findings from the investigation, the researchers point out that “the past five years have seen an accelerated response, with momentum building across many sectors.” Greenhouse gas emissions are being cut back and a transition from coal to renewable energy has started. “Unprecedented gains in public health" will follow as climate change is tackled, say the authors.

“Preventing illnesses and injuries is more humane, more effective and more economical than treating people once they’ve become sick,” explains study co-author Howard Frumkin of the <a href="http://sph.washington.edu/">University of Washington School of Public Health</a>. “What this report makes clear is that fighting climate change is disease prevention.”

The Lancet Countdown follows up on the work of the 2015 Lancet Commission, which arrived at the conclusion that global response to climate change could be “the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century.” The Lancet Countdown will continue to track progress on health and climate change every year.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Report: Climate change is already a critical health issue

A report released earlier this week reveals that climate change...

A new study has found that depression is on the rise in the United States, especially amongst teens. Unfortunately, treatment for depression has not mirrored this rise, leaving many cases untreated and undiagnosed. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/">Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health</a> and was published in the journal. Psychological Medicine. 

The findings pose a serious problem for public health, as the most rapid rise in depression was among younger Americans, ages twelve to seventeen. 

“Depression appears to be increasing among Americans overall, and especially among youth,” said Renee Goodwin, leader of the research from the Department of Epidemiology at Mailman School of Public Health.

Goodwin also noted that undiagnosed depression is one of the highest risk factors for suicidal behaviors. 

The study used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is an annual study involving participants ages 12 and up. 

The researchers analyzed data from a little over 600,000 respondents to the Drug Use and Health survey, using criteria from the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to measure the prevalence of depression among the survey responders. 

It is the first study of its kind to examine depression and analyze trends based on gender, income, and education. 

The results show that depression is increasing in the United States, with a jump from 8.7 percent in 2005 to 12.7 percent in 2015 in those ages twelve to seventeen.

The researchers found that depression rates increased most among young and old age groups, whites, lower and higher income groups, and among those with higher education levels. 

The findings are significant as they reveal the lack of treatment options for people with depression who don’t have good access to health care, even though depression is one of the most treatable mental disorders. 

The researchers found risk groups in different backgrounds, income levels, and ages which can hopefully inform outreach efforts and improve access and treatment options for individuals with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/depression-risk-early-death/">depression</a>. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Depression increasing in the US, but many cases left untreated

A new study has found that depression is on the...

Participants in a recent study who ate spicy foods were found to be less likely to eat too much salt and more likely to have lower blood pressure. Both of these benefits combined make individuals less susceptible to a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-weather-heart-attack/">heart attack</a> or stroke.

Zhiming Zhu, M.D., the study's senior author, is the director of the Department of Hypertension and Endocrinology at the <a href="http://www.tmmu.edu.cn/">Third Military Medical University</a>. 

"Previously, a pilot study found that trace amounts of capsaicin, the chemical that gives chili peppers their pungent smell, enhanced the perception of food being salty," said Dr.Zhu. "We wanted to test whether this effect would also reduce salt consumption."

The research team focused their evaluation on 606 Chinese adults. They determined the participants’ preferences for salty and spicy flavors, and then linked those preferences to blood pressure. 

The study revealed that the individuals who most preferred spicy foods had lower systolic and lower diastolic blood pressure numbers. These adults were also found to consume significantly less salt compared to subjects who had a low spicy food preference.

Using imaging techniques, the researchers also examined two areas of the participants' brains known to be activated by salty taste. They discovered that the areas excited by salt and spice overlapped, and that spice further increased activity in brain regions stimulated by salt. The authors of the study explained that this heightened stimulation makes people more sensitive to salt so that they can enjoy food with less of it.

"If you add some spices to your cooking, you can cook food that tastes good without using as much salt," said Dr. Zhu. "Yes, habit and preference matter when it comes to spicy food, but even a small, gradual increase in spices in your food may have a health benefit."

While salt and sodium are often mistaken to be the same thing, they actually quite different. Over 75 percent of the sodium consumed by Americans comes from processed and restaurant foods, and not out of a salt shaker. The research is published in in the American Heart Association's journal <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150109.php">Hypertension</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Spicy food may help you eat less salt and lower blood pressure

Participants in a recent study who ate spicy foods were...

A new study shows that political views have a limited impact on our perception of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cities-combat-climate-change/">climate change</a>. The researchers found this to be particularly true when people observe weather conditions which persistently deviate from what is expected.

Human activities are altering the function of the very ecosystems that we all depend upon for survival. To preserve ecological services such as food and water which are critical to the sustainment of human life, humans must become aware of indications that these ecosystems are deteriorating.

At times, signals of ecosystem decline are obvious and can be easily detected. During a water pollution event, for example, it is noticeable that major changes are taking place. At other times, however, the signals are much more subtle and subject to distortion by political motivation or biases.

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.ou.edu/">University of Oklahoma</a> and <a href="https://go.okstate.edu/">Oklahoma State University</a> set out to develop a study on how people perceive climate anomalies such as extreme temperatures or rainfall. The study was focused on people in Oklahoma, a conservative state where a large portion of the population is skeptical about human-caused climate change.

The research team compared high-resolution climate data to the Meso-Scale Integrated Socio-geographic Network (M-SISNet), a panel survey that keeps a consistent measure of the public's perceptions of climate conditions.

"We found that, apart from slight biases at the extreme ends of the political spectrum, people in Oklahoma - a state where the concept of 'global warming' traditionally gets quite a chilly reception - readily perceived feedback from the climate system,” explained lead author Dr. Joseph Ripberger.

"We saw individuals drawing on objective signals, such as departures from average rainfall and temperatures, when they revised their perceptions of climate feedback. As you would expect, this revision was at its most pronounced when the signals were large and consistent,” said Dr. Ripberger.

The results of the study will be encouraging for anyone hoping to see climate change policies agreed upon across party lines.

"While more work is needed to understand how this kind of updating affects broader beliefs about climate change and public policy, analysis of dynamic data on human perceptions allows us identify similarities across the partisan spectrum,” said co-author Dr. Hank Jenkins-Smith.

"These similarities bode well for efforts to promote mitigation, adaptation, and resilience, as human systems continue to interact with a changing climate," said Dr. Smith.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/erl">Environmental Research Letters</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Politics have finite impact on how we perceive changing climate

A new study shows that political views have a limited...

With regions across the country experiencing summer-like temperatures well into October, it may come as no surprise that the winter season in the United States is getting shorter. Weather statistics from over 100 years show that the freeze season is now arriving over a month later than it did in the 20th century.

This month, just 40 percent of the country saw their first freeze by October 23rd versus the expected 65 percent, according to Jeff Masters of <a href="https://www.wunderground.com/">Weather Underground</a>. Further evidence of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-europe-drought/">changing climate</a>, the delayed freezing temperatures have both good and bad consequences. The fruit and vegetable growing season lasts longer, yet so do warm weather pests and outdoor allergy triggers.

Ken Kunkel, a meteorologist at the <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/">National Centers for Environmental Information</a>, examined data from 700 weather stations across the United States going back to 1895. Kunkel determined that the delayed freezing trend started around 1980. He also found the freeze season in 2016 started two weeks later than the 20th century average, and the last spring frost occurred generally nine days earlier. 

Overall, the winter freeze of 2016 was more than a month shorter than that of 1916. The Pacific Northwest was affected the most, with the frost season in Oregon declining by 61 days. Kunkel told the <a href="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">Associated Press</a> that the 2016 season was “way off the charts.”

Kunkel and other scientists agree that the freeze trend is an expected result of global warming, but also has some ties human activities. Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist at the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a>, said the exceptionally later freeze “represents the kind of conditions that will be more routine in a decade or two” due to manmade climate change.

According to Jason Furtado, a professor of Meteorology at the <a href="https://www.ou.edu/">University of Oklahoma</a>, this shrinking freeze season is what climate scientists have long predicted.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cold winter weather arriving later and leaving earlier in the U.S.

With regions across the country experiencing summer-like temperatures well into...

As the global population grows and carbon dioxide emissions increase, future generations will become even more susceptible to the devastating impacts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-costing-billions/">climate change</a>. According to a new study, the value that society chooses to place on the human population will directly affect how much money is invested in policies, such as carbon taxes, to protect future generations.

The cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will become billions or more over the next few decades, causing major challenges for policymakers. A research team set out to identify the ideal measures of climate mitigation, and used a climate-economic model to evaluate two different approaches to valuing the human population.

One approach assessed by the researchers assumes that society hopes to improve upon the number of people who experience well-being and happiness. The other approach assumes that society prefers to increase the average overall happiness and well-being of a population. 

The researchers found that with both ethical approaches, a smaller population could save billions of dollars on climate change prevention policies. These findings offer insights into the influence of population growth and population ethics on climate change and human development policy. 

The experts also determined that investment in human development programs could result in avoided climate change mitigation costs enough to pay for the programs themselves. Noah Scovronick is the study’s co-lead author and a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University's Program in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP), which is based at the <a href="http://wws.princeton.edu/">Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs</a>.

"With higher population growth, more people will be vulnerable to climate change. Understanding how much society values those future people should be an influential component of climate policy decisions," said Scovronick. 

Under both ethical approaches, wealthier regions would save the most per capita. But if society desires to increase average happiness instead of wanting to increase the number of people who are happy, the result is mitigation cost savings of tens of billions of dollars a year. 

"We have a responsibility to protect future people against unacceptable levels of harm from climate change, but how should we value them in our policy analyses?" said co-lead author Mark Budolfson from the <a href="http://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a>. "That's the essential question of this research, and we hope future research will investigate this further."

The study published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a> (PNAS).
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How much do people actually care about future generations?

As the global population grows and carbon dioxide emissions increase,...

Well this explains a lot. A new study has found that junk food is actually twice as distracting as healthy food. 

The study was conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">John Hopkins University</a> who discovered that people who are hard at work are easily distracted by pictures of junk food, but after a few bites of candy, junk food lost its initial appeal. 

The research was published in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review and confirms the old saying that you should never shop hungry. 

“What your grandmother might have told you about not going to the grocery store hungry seems to be true. You would probably make choices that you shouldn't or ordinarily wouldn't,” said Corbin A. Cunningham, the lead author. 

For the study, the researchers created a computer task for a group of participants to perform. In the task, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-allergies-develop-adult/">food</a> was irrelevant, and the study participants had to answer questions as quickly as they could. 

“We wanted to see if pictures of food, particularly high-fat, high-calorie food, would be a distraction for people engaged in a complicated task,” said Howard Egeth, a co-author of the study. “So we showed them carrots and apples, and it slowed them down. We showed them bicycles and thumbtacks, and it slowed them down. But when we showed them chocolate cake and hot dogs, these things slowed them down about twice as much.” 

As the subjects performed the computer tasks, random pictures would flash briefly in the periphery of the screen, a mix of images of fatty snacks, healthy foods, and non-food items like bicycles. 

All the pictures were distracting, but the junk food pictures like potato chips and candy were twice as distracting as the other healthy food and non-food pictures. 

For the second experiment, the researchers gave a new group of participants the same computer task to complete, but before the subjects went to answer the questions, they were given two fun-sized candy bars to eat. 

In this group, the participants were less distracted by junk food, having the same reaction to all the images equally, likely because their cravings for fatty foods were met when they were given the candy bars to eat before the task. 

The results beg the question if other snacks or less chocolate would yield similar outcomes.

“But what if we gave them an apple? What if we gave them a zero-calorie soda? What if we told the subjects they'd get money if they performed the task quickly, which would be a real incentive not to get distracted. Could junk food pictures override even that?” asked Egeth. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Junk food found to be twice as distracting as healthy food

Well this explains a lot. A new study has found...

Nanotechnology could revolutionize fashion – by making climate control clothing that can automatically warm up or cool down for the wearer’s comfort. 

Scientists have developed tiny “nanocapsules,” made of a starchy outer shell and filled with a waxy substance, that can be woven into the fabric. The nanocapsules are invisible to the naked eye, but can provide powerful temperature control.

That’s because, as the wearer’s body heats up, the wax inside each capsule melts and absorbs the heat. Then, as the body cools down, the wax solidifies, releasing the stored heat.

“It can be used for outdoor clothing, sportswear and everyday clothing,” Dr. Carla Silva, who created the fabric, told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/">Daily Mail</a>. “It could especially improve the comfort of those less able to control their body temperatures, such as young children and the elderly.”

Those with chronic illnesses or spinal cord injuries that affect the autonomic nervous system may also have problems with body temperature regulation. Clothing using the team’s nanocapsules could help.

The wax inside the nanocapsules melts and re-solidifies, but it cannot escape the starchy exterior. It works by mimicking the sweating process. As sweat evaporates, it helps to disperse heat. 

Silva, a lead researcher at the <a href="http://www.scienceportugal.com/en/institutions/centi-centre-for-nanotechnology-and-smart-materials/">Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials</a> in Portugal, helped to develop a similar <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-07-intertwined-nanotech-eczema.html">nanocapsule fabric that will treat eczema</a> earlier this year. She and her team hope to adapt the technology to also be able to treat bacterial infections and other skin disorders.

The nanocapsules can be chemically bonded to fabric, and are resistant to washing. 

Silva and her team are working with <a href="http://www.devan.net/">Devan Chemicals</a>, a Belgian company, to develop the nanocapsule technology for both the climate control clothing and the skin treatment.

Additional funding for the team’s research was provided by the <a href="https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en">European Union</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Climate control clothing could soon be reality

Nanotechnology could revolutionize fashion – by making climate control clothing...

Combating climate change will take a mass effort on both global and local scales. But now that the Trump administration has pledged to dismantle the Obama-era <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pruitt-clean-power-plan/">Clean Power Plan</a>, new strategies will be needed to forge ahead. 

A recent study from the <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT) offers some new ideas of how cities can combat the effects of climate change on a local level. Co-authored by professor David Hsu, the study suggests that cities should focus on cutting emissions from residential use as opposed to transportation.

The research found that cities could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by changing planning policies and residential building codes with smarter building practices, as opposed to increased housing density.

According to the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/">U.S Energy Information Administration</a>, housing accounts for 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.

“Our take-home message is that cities can do a lot at the local level with housing stock. In transportation, cities can't make up for the loss of a national strategy,” said Pro Hsu.

Some cities that don’t see as much residential development, such as Houston or Phoenix, won’t gain as much from new policies. But changes in planning and building still have potential to mitigate climate change across the board. 

“You can do a lot of things at the local level to affect housing stock that are basically equivalent or even more aggressive than the Clean Power Plan,” said Hsu. 

For the study, the researchers collected economic, environmental and demographic data from eleven major cities in the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Seattle.

The data was then used to help develop models that would project greenhouse gas emissions through the year 2030 based on different scenarios involving changes in housing and development and later, transportation.

Some of the scenarios that cut emissions included putting in place new energy-efficient construction standards, building multi-family homes, and retrofitting old homes to be more efficient.

The results showed that retrofitting existing homes to be energy efficient had the potential to reduce emissions by 19 percent by 2030, and changing building plans to make new houses energy efficient would reduce emissions by 6 percent.

In terms of transportation, running similar emission simulations found that a federal mandate increasing fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon would reduce carbon emissions by 38 percent.  

It’s important to note that the results of the study vary from city to city.  

The researchers add that it will be up to each city to find the best courses of action to reduce climate change, but the research indicates that reductions are possible with just a few policy changes. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How cities can best combat climate change on a local level

Combating climate change will take a mass effort on both...

To say politics these days has become divisive is an understatement. Whether it’s sports games, public restrooms, or television shows, virtually no place is safe from the unprecedented political polarization. But what exactly is fueling the divide?

A new study, conducted by researchers at <a href="https://www.byu.edu/">Brigham Young University</a> and <a href="http://www.lsu.edu/">Louisiana State University</a>, found that the current polarization is partly driven by politicians who use violent rhetoric. 

"Even if it's metaphorical, and everyone knows it, there's something that happens when you frame things in terms of battle or war that has real-world consequences," said Josh Gube, a professor at Brigham Young University.

The study was published in the journal Political Communication and shows that even a small shift in tone, using words like “battle” and “fight” instead of “work” or “struggle,” can heighten emotions and increase polarization. 

For the study, researchers asked both Republicans and Democrats to read statements on policy issues with some of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/donald-trump-vs-environment/">politicians</a> using words like “fight” and others using words like “effort.” 

The research team then measured political support for those policies among constituents. 

The results showed that violent metaphors drove a wedge between political supporters with a polarization effect of 20 percent. 

According to the researchers, politicians often feel using war metaphors are necessary to engage and rally their supporters. But on the other hand, such rhetoric drives non-supporters further and further away. 

Media and news outlets also further push polarization by mirroring the language and tone of the politicians they cover.

To remedy the divide, the researchers suggest that politicians forgo the mass campaigns with violent rhetoric and instead use a strategy known as “micro-targeting.” 

"If you can restrict your use of that language or the reception of that language to people that are just on your side, then you have the ability to push in one direction on political issues," said Nathan Kalmoe, one of the co-authors of the study and a professor at Louisiana State. 

Another important aspect of the study is understanding how the voter is manipulated by the constant use of violent rhetoric in politics.

If politicians can tone their rhetoric down, the researchers note, and save the heightened speeches for a micro-targeted audience, then ideally that pattern would trickle down through news coverage also taking a more neutral tone.

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By <a href="http://mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Current polarization driven by politicians using violent language

To say politics these days has become divisive is an...

In the past, there was some belief among scientists and the general public that frequent marijuana use may decrease an individual’s sexual desire or performance. Now, a new study published in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1743-6109">Journal of Sexual Medicine</a> has found strong evidence that the effect of marijuana use might actually be the opposite.

“Frequent marijuana use doesn’t seem to impair sexual motivation or performance. If anything, it’s associated with increased coital frequency,” says Dr. Michael Eisenberg, the study's senior author and assistant professor of urology at <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over 20 million adult Americans currently use marijuana, and with the legalization of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-sleep-users/">cannabis</a> for medical or recreational use in 29 states, that number is only getting higher (no pun intended).

This study was the first to examine the relationship between cannabis use and frequency of sexual intercourse at the population level in the U.S., surveying over 50,000 men and women, ages 25-45. The researchers used the National Survey of Family Growth, which provides data related to family structures, sexual practices, and child bearing.

They found that 24.5 percent of men and 14.5 percent of women reported using marijuana in the previous four weeks, and there was a strong correlation between increased marijuana use and increased sexual intercourse in that time period. In fact, cannabis users reported having roughly 20 percent more sex than non-users.

"The overall trend we saw applied to people of both sexes and all races, ages, education levels, income groups and religions, every health status, whether they were married or single and whether or not they had kids,” Eisenberg adds. Furthermore, this was still the case when the researchers accounted for other substance use, which shows that this correlation isn’t necessarily due to these individuals simply being less inhibited.

Although a significant correlation was found between increased marijuana usage and sexual activity, it doesn’t mean that this study established a causal link. In other words, Eisenberg cautions, “it doesn't say if you smoke more marijuana, you’ll have more sex.” So you should probably put down your car keys and go back to sitting on the couch – the pot shop can wait.

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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

Study finds that more marijuana use means more sex

In the past, there was some belief among scientists and...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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