Santa,Claus,Sitting,Near,The,Fireplace,And,Christmas,Tree,With

Every December, colorful lights and festive tunes remind kids, and adults, that Santa Claus is on his way. Families fill their homes with decorations, children write wish lists, and a sense of anticipation hangs in the air. 



Parents have long told their kids that if they behave well, Santa will bring them just what they asked for. Until recently, few studies examined whether this belief actually influenced how kids act.



In a new project, researchers decided to see if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/irregular-bedtimes-disrupt-the-well-being-and-behavior-of-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">children</a> truly become more considerate when they think Santa is watching. 



They explored whether kids act better because of the story of Santa or because of everything else going on during the holiday season. 



Professor Kapitány from the <a href="https://www.ox.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Oxford</a> led the investigation along with colleagues from <a href="https://www.durham.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Durham</a>, <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Edinburgh</a>, and <a href="https://www.leeds.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leeds</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kids-santa-and-surprises">Kids, Santa, and surprises</h2>



The study tracked 533 kids between ages four and nine over three separate Christmases and visits from Santa. Families <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-with-behavioral-issues-have-high-cortisol-levels-in-their-hair/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported on behaviors</a> like sharing, helping others, and following rules. 



Parents also described whether their kids believed in Santa and took part in festive traditions. According to the data, there was no direct link between Santa belief alone and an increase in kindness.



Instead, good behavior rose as Christmas neared when families engaged in activities such as decorating their homes, singing carols, and enjoying special treats.&nbsp;



The study noted that these experiences led to small but consistent boosts in generous and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kindergarten-conduct-childhood-behavioral-problems-will-cost-society-later/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">respectful actions</a>. 



This shift also came with a bump in more rowdy moments, highlighting that heightened excitement can show up in many ways.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-power-of-festive-rituals">The power of festive rituals</h2>



For many families, hanging ornaments or baking Christmas cookies is more than just a fun holiday pastime. 



These rituals offer children a chance to feel a sense of togetherness and excitement that breaks up their usual routine. 



The study suggests that these shared activities have a greater <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-consider-their-own-past-actions-before-judging-others/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effect on kindness</a> than the idea of being judged by a mysterious gift-giver in a red suit.



Parents often say they remind kids to be on their best behavior so Santa will reward them. Yet the findings show it’s the holiday atmosphere itself that has the strongest pull. 



One researcher described it by saying “the magic is in the time of year, so to speak, not in the claim over the supernatural big man.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supernatural-beliefs-and-morality">Supernatural beliefs and morality</h2>



Some scholars point out that Santa is often placed on the same pedestal as other powerful beings in certain cultures. 



Parents treat him as a figure who can watch children from afar, keep track of good deeds, and decide on gifts. 



This study adds to conversations about how belief in unseen forces might shape moral choices.



Other work shows that religious ideas can sometimes bring out prosocial behavior. Hearing about rules or promises of rewards can prompt more cooperation.&nbsp;



In the case of Santa, though, the results suggest that the presence of traditions might play a bigger role in guiding kids toward friendly, generous actions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-contrasting-philosophies-on-kids-and-santa">Contrasting philosophies on kids and Santa</h2>



Philosophers have different views on whether parents should even promote Santa’s story. 



Dr. Joseph Millum from the <a href="https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of St. Andrews</a> worries it “breaches trust,” calling Santa a “preposterous lie.” Others feel that Santa can be a healthy way to bring joy into children’s lives. 



Tom Whyman, a lecturer in philosophy at the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Liverpool</a>, says that “kids need Santa.” 



These opinions highlight the varying attitudes people have toward a figure whose influence has become an enduring feature of holiday culture.



When parents choose whether to encourage this tale, they grapple with how it shapes their children’s sense of wonder and truth. 



Some families see Santa as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/pretend-play-builds-the-foundation-for-learning-and-relationships/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">harmless make-believe</a>, while others wonder if creating a magical visitor might later undermine a child’s trust. 



The study reminds us that cultural myths carry weight, yet they may not fully explain shifts in children’s behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-holiday-traditions">Implications for holiday traditions</h2>



The research shows that singing festive songs, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/christmas-trees-have-unique-strategies-to-survive-freezing-winters/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">placing ornaments on a tree</a>, or preparing traditional foods creates a distinct environment. That environment is linked with both extra kindness and occasional bursts of negative behavior. 



While the belief in Santa himself did not correlate directly with improved conduct, the coordinated celebration of the season proved to be more powerful.



Families can consider how these moments <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/personality-traits-are-not-strongly-inherited-from-parents/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bring the household closer</a>. Children who help bake cookies or watch a classic Christmas movie often feel a greater sense of involvement. 



This sense of participation aligns with the study’s findings that holiday events can be a driving force behind thoughtful gestures, cooperation, and cheer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bigger-questions-about-childhood-and-culture">Bigger questions about childhood and culture</h2>



Santa’s modern image traces back to a blend of folklore, marketing campaigns, and traditions inspired by Saint Nicholas. 



For countless children, the idea of a kindhearted figure traveling the skies in a single night is a highlight of December. 



This study encourages us to think about how such stories fit into broader questions about parenting approaches and cultural myths. 



Many communities celebrate special figures who reward the nice and ignore or punish the naughty. 



In each case, children experience stories they can hold onto, if only for a few magical years. The current research suggests that these stories may matter less than the rituals and music, but they still add color to the season.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



Plenty of families continue to share the Santa story, watch Christmas movies, and maintain lively traditions. 



The researchers point out that more studies could explore how different cultural celebrations, and the potential <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/holiday-stress-is-higher-this-year-compared-to-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stress levels surrounding them</a>, ultimately help shape child development. 



From the outside, it might seem obvious that gatherings, songs, and decorations encourage bright and kind behavior, yet measuring these elements takes careful planning.



Some psychologists are curious about whether similar patterns show up around other holidays or special events with strong rituals.&nbsp;



The core message remains that communal practices, family bonding, and joyful anticipation often spark gentler and more considerate behavior in children. 



The Santa myth is part of that puzzle, but it may not be the only factor making kids play nicely.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-did-we-learn-about-kids-and-santa">What did we learn about kids and Santa?</h2>



The takeaway here is that Christmas is a powerful backdrop for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/many-parents-use-threats-to-discipline-children-but-its-not-effective-in-the-long-run/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shaping how children behave</a>. 



A lively household filled with festive foods, carols, and colorful decorations can steer kids toward more thoughtful choices, even if the well-known Santa story doesn’t stand alone as a motivator. 



Traditions that families share appear to matter more than the promise of presents under the tree.



These observations offer a new way to think about how myths and rituals come together to create a meaningful holiday experience.&nbsp;



Children may still look forward to Santa’s arrival each year, but the real spark for positive behavior lies in those precious moments spent enjoying the season.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/osf/e8jm6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">OSF Pre-prints</a>.



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Does believing in Santa really make kids behave better? A new study found out

Every December, colorful lights and festive tunes remind kids, and adults, that Santa Claus is on his way. Families fill their homes with decorations, children write wish lists, and a sense of anticipation hangs in the air.  Parents have long told their kids that if they behave well, Santa will bring them just what they asked for. Until recently, few studies examined whether this belief actually influenced how kids act. In a new project, researchers decided to see if children truly become more considerate when they think...

New evidence uncovered in Spain has revealed that Neanderthals survived in the area long after Neanderthals died out in other parts of the world. The findings support the notion that human evolution was more complicated and uneven than previously thought.

A 10-year excavation uncovered the remains of three Middle-Paleolithic sites in southern Spain that showed evidence of Neanderthals at least 3,000 years after <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthals-smooched-treat-toothache/">Neanderthals</a> were thought to have died off. 

The researchers recently published their findings in the journal Heliyon. 

The Middle-Paleolithic Period was part of the Stone Age and dates back from 300,000 to 30,000 years ago. It was during this time that modern humans interbred with Neanderthals and other Eurasian populations. 

The researchers used radiocarbon and luminescence dating to track artifacts that were found in the sites. Luminescence dating is a precise dating method that can tell archaeologists exactly when certain events occurred. 

In this case, the excavations and dating pointed to a Neanderthal presence. 

“In three new excavation sites, we found Neanderthal artifacts dated to thousands of years later than anywhere else in Western Europe,” said Dr. João Zilhão, the lead author of the study. “Even in the adjacent regions of northern Spain and southern France the latest Neanderthal sites are all significantly older.” 

One of the most interesting aspects of the discovery is that it gives a more accurate picture of how and when Neanderthals were absorbed into modern human populations through interbreeding. 

This interbreeding was not a smooth process that happened everywhere at once, but instead was an uneven “stop and go” process that differed depending on geographic regions. 

“We believe that the stop-and-go, punctuated, uneven mechanism we propose must have been the rule in human evolution, which helps explain why Paleolithic material culture tends to form patterns of geographically extensive similarity while Paleolithic genomes tend to show complex ancestry patchworks,”  said Dr. Zilhão.

There is certainly more about human evolution left to discover, particularly when it comes to Neanderthals, and excavating new sites may be the key to unearthing that information. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Human evolution involved overlapping eras, new research finds

New evidence uncovered in Spain has revealed that Neanderthals survived...

Researchers have discovered that some Amish people have a gene mutation that enables them to live up to ten years longer. The carriers also have higher metabolic efficiency and are significantly less likely to develop diabetes.

Dr. Douglas Vaughan of <a href="http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine</a> is the lead author of the study.

“Not only do they live longer, they live healthier,” said Dr. Vaughan. “It's a desirable form of longevity.”

The researchers tested 177 Amish residents of Berne, Indiana for the analysis. They found 43 individuals who had the genetic mutation. These carriers, who have one mutant copy of the gene SERPINE1, were found to live an average of 85 years, while non-carriers in the same community were found to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-earth-meteorites-ponds/">live</a> an average of 75 years.

The analysis also revealed that Amish people with this gene mutation are less prone to diabetes, with 30 percent lower fasting insulin levels. In addition, they have higher metabolic efficiency and significantly more vascular flexibility.

“The findings astonished us because of the consistency of the anti-aging benefits across multiple body systems,” said Dr. Vaughan.

According to the researchers, the genetic mutation was introduced into the Amish community by farmers who migrated to Indiana in the 19th century from Berne, Switzerland. Due to cultural preferences, the Amish in Berne have been genetically isolated and they are mostly all related to some degree.

“This is the only kindred on the planet that has this mutation,” said Dr. Vaughan. “It's a private mutation.''  

The research team has collaborated with scientists at <a href="http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/">Tohoku University</a> in Japan to develop an experimental oral drug, TM5614, that can mimic the effects of the mutant gene. 

Clinical trials in Japan are testing to see how the drug influences insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity. The researchers will also test the drug to investigate whether it can protect against age-related illnesses.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Gene mutation allows some Amish people to live 10 years longer

Researchers have discovered that some Amish people have a gene...

While research shows us that our environment is undoubtedly being <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">damaged</a> by human activities, scientists remind us that our planet can still be restored. Books on the environment give readers a better perspective on what issues we are up against and what can be done to resolve these issues. The following are the top ten best books on the environment.

&nbsp;

The Water Will Come

This book explores how millions of people will be displaced as climate change - which brings with it rising sea levels and extreme weather events - moves water inland. Author Jeff Goodell blames fossil fuels, and warns that we must quit burning them.

&nbsp;

Silent Spring

Author Rachel Carson describes the harmful effects of pesticides and gathers expert opinions to support her cause. Carson says that the best way to move forward is to use biological controls rather than chemical methods whenever possible.

&nbsp;

Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

Mushroom expert Paul Stamets explains how growing more mushrooms may be the best thing that we could do to save the environment. His book gives an unprecedented look at how we could use natural resources to rescue our planet.

&nbsp;

Lab Girl

Geochemist and paleo geobiologist Hope Jahren documents her personal and professional life in this critically acclaimed autobiography. The story delves into the secret life of plants and into the everyday life of a scientist.

&nbsp;

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

Elizabeth Kolbert describes previous mass extinction events and compares them to the state of Earth today, arguing that we are in the midst of the sixth known mass extinction which has been caused by human activities.

&nbsp;

The World Without Us

Alan Weisman explores what the fate of our planet may be if humans no longer influenced it. He draws from the expertise of scientists and other experts to illustrate a world where humans no longer exist.

&nbsp;

The Lorax

Published as a children's book in 1971, The Lorax portrays the devastating impacts of industry on the environment. It was Dr. Seus’ favorite of his stories because he was able to address economic and environmental issues in a way that was entertaining.

&nbsp;

The Death And Life Of The Great Lakes

Dan Egan focuses on the unique ecosystems of the Great Lakes and the threat of invasive species and other challenges. Egan suggests that the lakes should be given time to recover by cutting off commercial shipping routes.

&nbsp;

A Sand County Almanac

Considered a milestone in the American conservation movement, this book is still a powerful force almost 70 years after it was published. American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist Aldo Leopold writes a collection of essays to communicate his idea of a"land ethic,” or the responsibility that people have to the land they inhabit.

&nbsp;

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

Janine M. Benyus shows us how scientists are mimicking nature's best ideas and adapting them to solve some major challenges for the benefit of humans. Scientists are developing strategies based on naturally occurring phenomenon so that we can learn how to better heal ourselves and our planet.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The top 10 books about the environment

While research shows us that our environment is undoubtedly being...

A groundbreaking study reveals that dog owners have a lower risk of fatal cardiovascular disease and death from other causes. The new research shows that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lonely-dogs-anxious-owners-can-help/">dog owners</a> in a single household have a significantly lower risk of death and cardiovascular disease than non-owners who live alone.

Swedish scientists investigated data on the health of more than 3.4 million individuals to see how dog-ownership related to the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

The researchers selected records from seven different national registries for individuals between the ages of 40 and 80 who did not have cardiovascular disease in 2001. The registries included two dog ownership registries, and enabled the researchers to track the subjects over the course of 12 years.

Mwenya Mubanga is the lead junior author of the study at <a href="https://www.uu.se/en/">Uppsala University</a>.

"A very interesting finding in our study was that dog ownership was especially prominent as a protective factor in persons living alone, which is a group reported previously to be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death than those living in a multi-person household,” said Mubanga. “Perhaps a dog may stand in as an important family member in the single households.”

The researchers found that single dog owners had a 33 percent reduction in risk of death and 11 percent reduction in risk of cardiovascular disease compared to single non-owners. 

“Another interesting finding was that owners to dogs from breed groups originally bred for hunting were most protected," said Mubanga.

"These kind of epidemiological studies look for associations in large populations but do not provide answers on whether and how dogs could protect from cardiovascular disease,” explained senior author Tove Fall. “We know that dog owners in general have a higher level of physical activity, which could be one explanation to the observed results. Other explanations include an increased well-being and social contacts or effects of the dog on the bacterial microbiome in the owner.”

Fall pointed out that there also may be health differences between dog owners and non-owners before getting a dog. For example, people who choose to get dogs may simply have more active lifestyles. The results of the study are 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

Adopting a dog can actually extend your life

A groundbreaking study reveals that dog owners have a lower...

A new forecasting tool will let scientists know which cities are at risk of flooding as glacial land ice melts. Developed by scientists at <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> in California, the model also gives experts insight into which ice sheets are of the most concern.

The tool, which predicts how water will be “redistributed" as land ice melts, can inform cities of which particular <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/iceberg-a-68/">ice sheets</a>, ice caps, and glaciers will impact sea level rise in their region.

Dr. Eric Larour, who has worked in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory since 2005, is the project’s lead developer. 

Dr. Larour told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news">BBC News</a>, "We can compute the exact sensitivity - for a specific town - of a sea level to every ice mass in the world. This gives you an idea, for your own city, of which glaciers, ice sheets and ice caps are of specific importance."

Dr. Larour explained that the tool diagnoses the sea level rise by examining its three major contributors, the first of which is gravity. 

Dr. Larour said that ice sheets “are huge masses that exert an attraction on the ocean. When the ice shrinks, that attraction diminishes- and the sea will move away from that mass." In addition, land that has been compressed underneath the weight of the ice expands vertically.

The third major influence on the pattern of sea level change is the Earth’s rotation.

"You can think of the Earth as a spinning top," said Dr Larour. "As it spins it wobbles and as masses on its surface change, that wobble also changes. That, in turn, redistributes water around the Earth."

The researchers found that sea level rise caused by changes in the northern and eastern regions of the Greenland ice sheet will directly impact New York, while London may be significantly affected by the ice sheet’s northwestern region. Sea level pattern changes in Sidney will be heavily influenced by melting ice sheets along the northeast and northwest coastline of Antarctica, according to the study.

"As cities and countries attempt to build plans to mitigate flooding, they have to be thinking about 100 years in the future and they want to assess risk in the same way that insurance companies do,” said senior scientist Dr. Erik Ivins.

The findings of the study are published in <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/?utm_source=gophotonics">Science Advances</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New tool predicts which cities are at risk as sea levels rise

A new forecasting tool will let scientists know which cities...

It can be very challenging to make important decisions based on cost versus benefit, and neuroscientists at the <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> have determined that this type of conflict is drastically affected by chronic stress. When mice were faced with a cost-benefit analysis, stress caused them to make the most high-risk decisions available.

"One exciting thing is that by doing this very basic science, we found a microcircuit of neurons in the striatum that we could manipulate to reverse the effects of stress on this type of decision making,” said study senior author Ann Graybiel. “This to us is extremely promising, but we are aware that so far these experiments are in rats and mice." 

The research team had first identified the brain circuit involved in decision making that involves cost-benefit conflict in 2015. In that study, the researchers found that they could suppress the circuit and alter the rodents' preference for lower-risk, lower-payoff choices to a preference for higher risks and higher payoffs.

In the current study, the researchers exposed the mice to a short period of stress every day for two weeks. Before experiencing stress, the rodents would choose to run toward the region of the maze which had dimmer light and weaker chocolate milk about half the time. The researchers gradually increased the concentration of chocolate milk found in the dimmer side and the animals began choosing that side more frequently.

However, when chronically stressed rodents were put in the same situation, they continued to choose the side of the maze with bright light and better chocolate milk, even as the chocolate milk concentration increased on the other side. This was the same behavior the researchers witnessed in their previous study when they disrupted specific decision-making circuitry.

"Somehow this prior exposure to chronic stress controls the integration of good and bad," said Graybiel. "It's as though the animals had lost their ability to balance excitation and inhibition in order to settle on reasonable behavior."

The researchers found that after this stress-induced change takes place, it remains in effect for months. However, they were able to develop a way to restore normal decision making in the stressed mice, which demonstrates that the brain circuitry involved in cost-benefit decision making remains intact following chronic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/watching-sports-heart-stress/">stress</a>. 

The findings of the study, which are published in <a href="http://www.cell.com/">The Cell</a>, suggest that the key brain circuitry identified by the researchers may be susceptible to guidance that could restore normal behavior in humans who have disorders which cause atypical decision making.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Stress causes the brain to make risky decisions

It can be very challenging to make important decisions based...

A new study published in the <a href="http://jech.bmj.com/">Journal of Epidemiology &amp; Community Health</a> finds that heavy drinking and smoking lead to visible signs of aging. The researchers suggest that this behavior leads to looking older than one's years. Light to moderate drinking, however, was not linked to physical aging.

The experts analyzed data from more than 11,500 adults. As part of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4625209/">Copenhagen City Heart Study</a>, the heart health and visible aging signs of the individuals had been tracked for an average of 11.5 years.

Before clinical tests, the participants reported on their lifestyle, general health, and how much they <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-kills-brain-stem-cells/">drank</a> and smoked. They were examined for four signs of aging that have been linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular issues including earlobe creases, arcus corneae, xanthelasmata, and male pattern baldness.

The individuals observed for the study ranged in age from 21 to 93. Average alcohol consumption was 2.6 drinks per week for the female participants and 11.4 drinks per week for the men. 57 percent of the women and 67 percent of the men were current smokers.

The study revealed that arcus corneae was the most common sign of aging for both sexes, with a prevalence of 60 percent among men over 70 and among women over 80. The least common sign was xanthelasmata, with a prevalence of 5 percent among men and women over 50. 

The study also demonstrated that heavy drinking and smoking led both male and female participants to looking older than their true age. Heavy drinkers and smokers also had an increased risk of developing arcus corneae, earlobe creases, and xanthelasmata.

For example, 28 or more drinks a week was associated with a 33 percent heightened risk of arcus corneae among the women, and 35 or more drinks per week among the men led to a 35 percent heightened risk of corneal arcus.

The investigation showed that visible signs of aging were found to be no different among light to moderate drinkers than among non-drinkers. Furthermore, male pattern baldness was not linked to heavy drinking and smoking.

The study authors concluded, "This is the first prospective study to show that alcohol and smoking are associated with the development of visible age-related signs and thus generally looking older than one's actual age....This may reflect that heavy drinking and smoking increases general aging of the body."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heavy drinking and smoking will visibly age you

A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology &amp;...

In today’s digital age, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/texting-pain-neck-literally/">texting</a> with emojis, abbreviations, GIFs, and memes has become the new norm. 

The downside is that texting eliminates both verbal and facial cues, and so sometimes texts can be misinterpreted or misread. Something as small as a punctuation or capitalization can change the entire tone of a text message. 

Emojis may seem like a frivolous or even lazy development, but a new study has found that they can actually help convey tone and meaning in written communication.

The study, conducted by researchers at <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/">Binghamton University</a>, found that exclamation points, emojis, and punctuation help replace the visual cues found in face-to-face communication. 

“In contrast with face-to-face conversation, texters can't rely on extra-linguistic cues such as tone of voice and pauses, or non-linguistic cues such as facial expressions and hand gestures,” said Celia Klin, one of the study’s co-authors. “It's been suggested that one way that texters add meaning to their words is by using ‘textisms’-- things like emoticons, irregular spellings (sooooo) and irregular use of punctuation (!!!).”

In a previous study, Klin had discovered that the use of a period at the end of a text message made the text seem less sincere.

For this study, Klin and her colleagues conducted experiments to see if textisms were important in conveying meaning, and if a single word text in response to an invitation was changed by the use of a period. 

With texting, the period is used rhetorically to add meaning instead of strictly grammatically, according to Klin.

Klin had study participants text either an invitation or a single word response to an invitation. The use of a period changed the meaning for many of the texts responding to the invitation. 

“Specifically, when one texter asked a question (e.g., I got a new dog. Wanna come over?), and it was answered with a single word (e.g., yeah), readers understood the response somewhat differently depending if it ended with a period (yeah.) or did not end with a period (yeah),” said Klin. 

According to Klin, the research also reflects the way texting, and textisms, show the evolution of language and communication. As different methods of communication are developed, people invent new language constructs to work with any new advancements. 

The study proves that textisms like emojis and exclamation marks are actually important in conveying meaning, and are a testament to how language evolves. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Emojis help replace clues from face-to-face communication

In today’s digital age, texting with emojis, abbreviations, GIFs, and...

“Video games won’t get you anywhere!” How many times have kids been told that by their parents? But according to new research from scientists at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>, video game skill may show a direct correlation to higher intelligence. 

While the researchers make it clear that their findings do not indicate that playing computer games will make a young person smarter, they do indicate that individuals who are more skilled at these games tend to be smarter.

The study focused on “Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas” (MOBAs), which are action strategy games that usually involve two teams of five individuals competing against each other. They also looked a multiplayer “First Person Shooter” (FPS) games, which is one of the most popular game genres today.

The researchers first study analyzed the correlation between performance in the game League of Legends and an individual’s performance in paper-and-pencil intelligence tests. Their second study looked at large datasets from two MOBA games (League of Legends and Defense of the Ancients) and two FPS games (Destiny and Battlefield 3). 

In their second study, the scientists found that for large groups of thousands of players in MOBAs, their performance in the game and IQ behaved in similar ways as player got older. However, for FPS games they found the opposite effect, where performance actually declined after players’ teen years. Athanasios Kokkinakis, a PhD student at York and lead author of the study, elaborates on this, “unlike First Person Shooter (FPS) games where speed and target accuracy are a priority, Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas rely more on memory and the ability to make strategic decisions taking into account multiple factors. It is perhaps for these reasons that we found a strong correlation between skill and intelligence in MOBAs.”

Professor Alex Wade of the University of York – a corresponding author on the paper – says that MOBA games “are complex, socially-interactive and intellectually demanding. Our research would suggest that your performance in these games can be a measure of intelligence.” Wade continues, “Research in the past has pointed to the fact that people who are good at strategy games such as chess tend to score highly at IQ tests. Our research has extended this to games that millions of people across the planet play every day.”

The researchers believe that their findings have the potential to have a big impact on the future of video games and the creative industry, as these games may be able to extend as a tool for research in mental health and psychology. They could also be used as “proxy” tests of IQ, as well as a way to monitor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ways-keep-brain-healthy/">cognitive health</a> across populations.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Good news for gamers! Video game skill linked to intelligence

“Video games won’t get you anywhere!” How many times have...

Youths feel the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles, and the extent to which they experience this pressure directly affects their well-being. Researchers explored how the development of gender identity varied among French <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/screen-time-suicide-teens/">teens</a> from different ethnicities and cultures, and closely examined the adolescents’ feelings on the subject.


Adam J. Hoffman is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan who coauthored the study at the <a href="http://www.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill</a>.

"Our study-one of the first to examine these issues longitudinally and outside of the United States-shows that boys experience greater pressure than girls to conform to gender expectations, which most likely places nonconforming adolescent boys at higher risk than girls for psychological distress,"explained Hoffman.

The research team surveyed French adolescents over four years, starting in the sixth grade and following up with them each year until ninth grade. Surveys were collected from 570 European French students and 534 North African French students. All the European French participants were born in France, while the North African French students were from Algeria, Morocco, or Tunisia, with 78 percent born in France. 

The teens were asked to report on how typical they felt of their gender and on the pressure they felt from parents, peers, or themselves to conform to traditional roles. 


In the sixth grade, girls in both groups reported lower levels of feeling typical for their gender, and also reported feeling less pressure to conform than boys. Over the course of four years, all of the teens except North African French boys reported a decrease in how much they felt typical for their gender.

Furthermore, girls in both groups reported feeling less pressure to conform to gender norms over the years they were surveyed, while North African French boys reported feeling an increase in pressure to conform to traditional roles. European French boys reported no change in this category.

"Cultural differences in gender norms provide North African French boys less freedom to deviate from traditional gender roles and norms than that experienced by European French boys," explained co-author Isabelle Regner.

"The greater pressure to conform to gender roles that North African French boys feel may be a response to contrasting messages about social status they are exposed to-one from their ethnic and cultural groups that says masculinity has greater power and prestige, the other from the broader social context that says their ethnic and cultural groups have lower status and are discriminated against."

The authors of the study, which is published in the journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-8624">Child Development</a>, say there is a need for parents and teachers to be aware of the variance in traditional gender roles among youths of different cultures. 

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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

Teen gender identity reflects cultural and ethnic differences

Youths feel the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles,...

People who are more in touch with their own heartbeat may actually be more charitable, according to a new study. 

The research, conducted by scientists from <a href="http://www.anglia.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a> and <a href="http://www.su.se/english/">Stockholm University</a>, is the first to attempt to find a physiological connection to charitable giving and altruistic behavior. 

“Despite clear biological and economic advantages of acting in self-interest, people consistently make decisions that benefit others, at a cost to themselves,” said Dr. Richard Piech, a co-author of the study. “Our study suggests that selfless acts may be influenced by signals from the body that reach the brain.”

The researchers set out to see if a physical response could explain why some people are naturally more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/female-brain-wired-generous/">giving</a> than others. 

For the study, a group of participants was asked to play a computer game where they were continually asked to share sums of money between themselves and someone they hadn’t met before.

At the end of the game, the participants were given real money, but the amounts depended on how much they had given and received by other players. 

The researchers also had the participants complete a task where they had their heartbeat recorded and were then asked to listen to a series of sounds that were either in time or out of sync with their recorded heartbeats. 

The participants that could judge the sounds that were in beat with their own heart were found to be more generous during the giving game. 

The results found that the participant's generosity was directly related to how in tune they were with their heartbeat. 

The researchers note that further research will need to be done to determine exactly why being in touch with your heartbeat may determine your generosity, but the study shows a clear link between the two.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People who are in touch with their heartbeats are more generous

People who are more in touch with their own heartbeat...

We live in an age that has been dubbed the Anthropocene era because of how drastically humans have changed the global landscape. From climate change to habitat degradation, human-related activities have played a major part in current conditions. 

Global trade and human-induced climate change, in particular, are now making it easier for pests to spread across the planet, even to those regions that might otherwise have been protected by cold winters. 

Tree-eating insects like bark beetles, wood-boring beetles, and leaf-sucking insects are killing plants and wreaking havoc on forests. Park rangers and forest conservation policies have been unable to keep up as new pests are continually introduced.  

But now, recent research from <a href="http://home.dartmouth.edu/">Dartmouth College</a> and the <a href="http://www.usc.es/en/index.html">University of Santiago de Compostela</a> offers new strategies to manage pests in the era of human-induced <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

“Forest managers working in isolation and learning by trial and error cannot possibly keep up with the rapidly changing challenges. We hope that this research can serve as a guidebook for pest management in the Anthropocene,” said Matthew Ayres, a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth.

Ayres and his colleagues from Dartmouth and Santiago de Compostela in their paper recommended several tactics that can be used to help combat new pests and reduce invasive pests from forests. 

The researchers have outlined eight different tactics, beginning with the use of practical scientific theory. 

To reduce the introduction of new pests or protect forests from invasive species, first researchers need to be thoroughly familiar with the pests and their adaptability to new environments and climates. 

“Understanding the general effects of temperature on insects gives us certainty that continued warming will produce continued changes in where we find pests,” said Ayres. “In some cases, we can make detailed predictions of where pests will be in coming years under different climate scenarios.” 

The other tactics proposed include management plans that anticipate continuing change, improving monitoring, prediction, and mitigation of established pests, and improving biosecurity against future human-aided invasions. 

In addition, the researchers emphasized the importance of different countries sharing intelligence, improved assessments of costs and benefits, accurate assessments of outcomes, and improved relationships between forests and socioeconomic systems.

The research proves that pest management is possible, even with a changing climate and increased global trade.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a>, Staff Writer

Strategies for managing new pests brought by climate change

We live in an age that has been dubbed the...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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