There's something both captivating and comforting about the rhythms and harmonies of a symphony orchestra, right? Well, did you know that something similar happens inside your brain while you're catching some sleep? It turns out, our brains have a maestro of their own - breathing. 



Just as a conductor harmonizes an orchestra to create a symphony, breathing synchronizes the rhythm of brain waves during sleep. This phenomenon takes place in the hippocampus - a region of the brain that is critical for memory.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breathing-rhythms-during-sleep">Breathing rhythms during sleep</h2>



This fascinating revelation comes from a recent study by <a href="https://www.nm.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northwestern Medicine</a>. It marks the first time scientists have linked breathing rhythms during sleep to the hippocampal brain waves known as&nbsp;slow waves, spindles, and ripples. 



Study senior author Christina Zelano is a professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.



“To strengthen memories, three special neural oscillations emerge and synchronize in the hippocampus during sleep, but they were thought to come and go at random times,” noted Professor Zelano. "We discovered that they are coordinated by breathing rhythms.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-science-behind-memory-synchronization">Science behind memory synchronization</h2>



The study shows that certain brain waves, called hippocampal oscillations, align with specific phases of the breathing cycle. These oscillations are critical for organizing and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breathing-coordinates-brain-waves-for-memory-storage-during-sleep/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">strengthening memories</a>. 



Andrew Sheriff is a postdoctoral student in Zelano's lab and the corresponding author of the study.



This means that the rhythm of your breathing during sleep plays an active role in helping your brain store and recall information effectively. 



“Memory consolidation relies on the orchestration of brain waves during sleep, and we show that this process is closely timed by breathing,” explained Sheriff.



This research opens new doors for understanding the intricate relationship between breathing, brain activity, and memory.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-breathing-sleep-and-memory-consolidation">Breathing, sleep, and memory consolidation </h2>



The connection between sleep and improved memory is not a new discovery. The ancient Roman scholar Quintillion stated: "The interval of a single night will greatly increase the strength of the memory."



This phenomenon, now recognized as memory consolidation, involves the precise coordination of brain waves in the hippocampus.



Sheriff shared a personal example to explain how memory consolidation works. While attending a conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, he had to find his way around an unfamiliar city. 



After sleeping, he realized his sense of direction and understanding of the city's layout had improved. This improvement happened because, during sleep, the brain replayed and reinforced the experiences and maps he had formed earlier. 



His hippocampus, which is responsible for spatial memory, used specific brain waves to process and solidify this information overnight.



“The hippocampus plays a major role in forming a map of a new area,” Sheriff said. “I would wake up and feel I had a better representation of the city around me. That was facilitated by the oscillations that occurred during my sleep, which we found are coordinated by breathing.”



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



The study’s findings carry significant implications for individuals suffering from sleep-disordered breathing, such as sleep apnea. Poor memory consolidation is one of the many cognitive challenges associated with such conditions.



“When you don’t get sleep, your brain suffers, your cognition suffers, you get foggy,” Sheriff noted. He emphasized the connection between disrupted breathing during sleep and serious conditions such as stroke, dementia, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.



Interestingly, the unique rhythm of breathing during sleep may serve a specific purpose. “If you listen to someone breathing, you might be able to tell when they are asleep, because breathing is paced differently when you’re sleeping,” Sheriff said. 



“One reason for that may be that breathing is performing a careful task: coordinating brain waves that are related to memory.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-frontier-in-sleep-research">New frontier in sleep research</h2>



The research highlights the importance of addressing sleep disorders to maintain cognitive health and memory. Sheriff emphasized the need for individuals with disrupted breathing to seek treatment, as improved sleep could have far-reaching benefits for overall brain function.



This study was funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and a Ruth L. Kirchstein Institutional National Research Award.



This remarkable research adds a new layer of understanding to the intricate processes that occur during sleep. By uncovering the role of breathing in synchronizing brain waves, Northwestern scientists have paved the way for new interventions aimed at improving memory and cognitive health.



The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.



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Breathing rhythms help strengthen memories during sleep

There's something both captivating and comforting about the rhythms and harmonies of a symphony orchestra, right? Well, did you know that something similar happens inside your brain while you're catching some sleep? It turns out, our brains have a maestro of their own - breathing. Just as a conductor harmonizes an orchestra to create a symphony, breathing synchronizes the rhythm of brain waves during sleep. This phenomenon takes place in the hippocampus - a region of the brain that is critical for memory. Breathing rhythms during sleep...

Researchers in Argentina have determined that the use of the WhatsApp in ambulances results in faster treatment of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-weather-heart-attack/">heart attacks</a>. The messaging application was used by ambulance doctors to send diagnostic electrocardiograms (ECGs) directly to hospital laboratories, which allowed the patients to skip the emergency room.

Dr. Nicolas Lalor is a cardiologist at the <a href="http://www.icba.com.ar/">Cardiovascular Institute of Buenos Aires</a> and senior author of the study.

"More than 42 000 heart attacks occur in Argentina every year,"said Dr. Lalor. “The mortality rate from ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has declined in recent years but is still 8-12%."

"Patients have the best chance of survival when they receive primary angioplasty to restore blood flow to blocked arteries within 90 minutes of contacting the health service, explained Dr. Lalor. “Numerous delays can occur before and after patients reach the hospital which lead to this treatment target being missed."

The research team set out to examine whether the time between first medical contact and primary angioplasty could be reduced by using WhatsApp to notify hospital staff that a patient is on the way for emergency treatment.

The study included 896 patients who were admitted with STEMI between 2012 and 2016. The patients either arrived at the emergency room by their own means, were delivered by ambulance to the emergency room, or were delivered by ambulance to the cath lab and bypassed the emergency room.

Treatment times and outcomes were compared across the three groups of patients. The researchers found that the time between symptom onset and treatment was significantly lowered by 25 percent in the group that skipped the emergency room. 

The average treatment time was 150 minutes among the patients who were taken directly to the cath lab versus an average of 200 minutes for those who went to the emergency room upon arrival. The group that bypassed the emergency department also had significantly lower mortality rates and shorter hospital stays.

“We found that notifying the cath lab in advance using WhatsApp and transferring patients directly from the ambulance, bypassing the emergency department, led to quicker treatment and better outcomes for patients with STEMI,” said Dr. Lalor. “Advanced notification enables hospital staff to prepare the cath lab and the doctor is ready to start primary angioplasty when the patient arrives."

Dr. Lalor said the findings of the study will be introduced to hospitals in Argentina. The research will also be presented at the annual congress of the Argentine Society of Cardiology to experts from the <a href="https://www.escardio.org/">European Society of Cardiology</a>.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

WhatsApp helping to speed up heart attack treatment in Argentina

Researchers in Argentina have determined that the use of the...

In the past 8 million years, the human brain has almost tripled in size, while primate brain size has stayed mostly the same. Until now, it had been widely accepted that human brain size developed in response to social factors.

The “social brain hypothesis,” as it is called, suggests that the human brain grew to such a comparatively large size in response to larger groups and social circles. 

But now, researchers from <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/">Durham University</a> have found compelling evidence to suggest that brain size correlates to some degree with ecological factors like home range and diet. 

Because modern humans drive and fly all around the world, we have access to a much more diverse diet, which has accelerated brain development.

The new study was published in the journal Royal Society's Proceedings B and included the analysis of more than 140 primate species, showing almost no supporting evidence to prove the social brain hypothesis. 

“Our research has shown the traditional approach of looking for correlations between brain size and behavior may not tell us much,” said Lauren Powell, the lead author of the study. “To better understand the evolution of the brain, we need to stop thinking of it as one single organ, and instead view it as a complex mosaic, in which different components specialize in different functions.” 

The researchers used data collected from different primates to see if any results could show that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magic-mushrooms-depression-brain/">brain</a> development occurs in response to either social or ecological factors. 

Ecological factors refer to home range, or the size of the area in which the primates live, along with feeding patterns. 

The study showed much stronger evidence for brain size being associated with ecological factors. 

“To the extent that we find stability, there is stronger evidence for correlations with ecological factors, notably home range size, than for social group size. Evidence for a correlation between brain size and social group size after accounting for effects of other variables was weak,” said Powell. 

The researchers hope their efforts will spur further exploration into brain development and how it has evolved over the years. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The human brain tripled in size due to ecological factors

In the past 8 million years, the human brain has...

Have you ever wondered how mosquitoes get away with biting you so many times before you even notice? How a mosquito escapes undetected is crucial to their survival and the survival of any future offspring. 

A new collaborative study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.wur.nl/en/wageningen-university.htm">Wageningen University</a> in the Netherlands and the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/">University of California</a>, Berkeley examined mosquito escape techniques to see how these devious insects are so successful in sucking blood without being detected.

“Female mosquitoes need a blood meal to develop their eggs. One critical maneuver is the escape take-off after blood-feeding,” said Florian Muijres, one of the study’s researchers. 

Muiures, along with co-researchers Jeroen Spitzen and Sofia Chang, set out to see if the female mosquito employed any special tactics that allowed her to escape undetected. 

The team found that a quick take off is crucial to a quick escape, but a quieter and gentler approach would be more beneficial to remain undetected. 

With concerns about mosquito-transmitted diseases on the rise, especially after 2016’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mosquitoes-zika-transmit-diseases/">Zika virus</a> outbreak, understanding more about how mosquitos feed and fly away is important to disease prevention. 

The researchers set up a series of experiments using cameras focused on the mosquito’s launch pad to see if there were any special maneuvers used during takeoff. 

The experiments showed that mosquitoes who had just finished feeding began beating their wings about 30 milliseconds before takeoff. 

The researchers also discovered that during this process, the mosquitos had a wingbeat frequency of 600 beats per second, much higher than the typical 200 beats found in other similar-sized insects. 

In order to evade detection, the mosquito pushed its long legs gently down to get enough momentum for takeoff while remaining undetected. 

The researchers then compared the mosquito’s take off to fruit flies to see if there were any similarities. The fruit fly exerted a force four times as strong as the mosquito did before takeoff, but mosquitoes have to be gentler since they’re sitting on human flesh.

The researchers hope to extend their study to other blood-sucking pests to see if they use the same maneuvers and strategies as the mosquito during takeoff. In the meantime, understanding more about these behaviors can help prevent mosquito-transmitted disease outbreaks.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

How mosquitoes can suck your blood without you noticing

Have you ever wondered how mosquitoes get away with biting...

Private domestic wells, which are largely unregulated, provide drinking water for over 44 million people in the United States. According to research published by the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a>, 2 million people may be exposed to high levels of arsenic in their well water across the country. 

Naturally occurring arsenic is commonly found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/buffer-filter-nitrates-groundwater/">groundwater</a>, soil, and sediment. Long-term exposure to this inorganic arsenic has the potential to cause a variety of health problems including various cancers. In addition, recent studies indicate that even low-level exposure can be dangerous for pregnant women, inhibiting fetal growth and causing premature birth.

While city water-treatment systems filter arsenic out, monitoring and removing contaminants in well water is up to private owners. Joseph D. Ayotte and colleagues at the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a> and the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> set out to determine which regions of the country may have well water containing high levels of arsenic.

The researchers developed a model to represent tens of thousands of existing arsenic measurements from wells across the country in an effort to map well-water arsenic levels. The team took into account several factors that affect arsenic concentrations, such as regional rainfall, geology, and aquifer chemistry. 

The model pinpointed areas of the country where wells would likely have levels of arsenic higher than 10 micrograms per liter, the maximum concentration level established by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The regions identified by the model included New England, the upper Midwest, the Southwest, and southern Texas. Based on this assessment, the researchers estimated that the affected wells serve about 2.1 million people. 

The researchers hope that their investigation will raise awareness and encourage private well owners to test their wells for arsenic. The findings of the study, which are published in <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/journal/esthag">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>, could also help officials develop and implement strategies to reduce dangerous arsenic levels in well water.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Arsenic in well water could impact 2 million Americans

Private domestic wells, which are largely unregulated, provide drinking water...

An investigation from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> demonstrates that the gentle touch of another person can ease the harsh pain of social isolation. In the first study of its kind, the research shows that social touch can counteract the negative emotional impact of rejection.

Experts developed an evaluation to measure the effects of a slow, affectionate touch versus a fast, neutral touch following an incident of social exclusion. The findings of the study reveal a specific relationship between gentle touch and social bonding.

"As our social world is becoming increasingly visual and digital, it is easy to forget the power of touch in human relations. Yet we've shown for the first time that mere slow, gentle stroking by a stranger can reduce feelings of social exclusion after social rejection," said lead author Mariana von Mohr.

Recent studies have found that social touch, particularly gentle stroking of the skin, may be coded by a specialized system which links the skin to the brain. For the current analysis, researchers engaged 84 healthy women in a series of experiments.

The participants were told they were playing a computerized ball-tossing game with two other participants to measure their mental visualization skills. The other players were actually computer generated, but the subjects were not made aware of this.

After several rounds of game play, the volunteers answered questions about their emotional needs, which included needs often threatened by ostracism such as feelings of belonging, self-esteem, and control. When the participants resumed the game, the other players unexpectedly stopped throwing balls to them, provoking feelings of social isolation.

Next, the volunteers were blindfolded and their left forearms were touched with a soft-bristled brush with either slow or fast speed.

They then completed the same questionnaire as before, and the research team compared the surveys.

The participants who had been touched at a slow speed had reduced feelings of negativity and social exclusion compared to those who received a fast touch. Neither type of touch was able to totally eliminate the negative effects of being ostracized, however.

"Mammals have a well-recognized need for closeness and attachment, so it wasn't a big surprise that social support reduced the emotional pain of being excluded in social interactions,” said senior author Dr. Katerina Fotopoulou. “What is interesting however is that social support was optimally conveyed only by a simple, yet specific, instance of touch. No words, or pictures were necessary, at least in the short term.”

The research is published today 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

Human touch eases the pain of social rejection, study finds

An investigation from University College London demonstrates that the gentle...

As firefighters continue to battle the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/northern-california-fires-containment/">blazes</a> in northern California well over a week after they first began, we are once again reminded of the risks they take to keep us safe. The threat of being overtaken by flames is a known hazard of fire fighting, but there are also less obvious dangers faced by firefighters. Researchers have now measured the level of carcinogens and other harmful substances that firefighters are subjected to while battling fires, and have found a potential way to reduce this hazardous exposure.

In 2013, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/index.htm">U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health</a> reported that firefighters had higher rates of several kinds of cancer than the general population based on a study of 30,000 firefighters in three cities. When wood, plastics, furniture, electronics and other building materials burn, they release hazardous substances into the air such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). 

Exposure to PAHs is of particular concern because these compounds are known carcinogens that can cause DNA mutations and cancer. Despite this concern, few studies have investigated the actual levels of PAHs that firefighters are exposed to while working. 

A research team led by Jules M. Blais set out to examine the amount of PAHs and other combustion emissions that firefighters may encounter during a fire. To do this, they collected samples of urine and wiped the skin and clothing of over two dozen firefighters before and after they responded to fires in 2015 and 2016. 

The study revealed that post-fire levels of PAH metabolites in urine were 2.9 to 5.3 times higher than pre-fire levels. In addition, the potential for genetic mutations was found to be 4.3 times higher after exposure to PAHs. 

"There's a relationship between firefighters' urinary PAH metabolite levels and the levels of PAHs on their skin, which leads us to suspect that dermal contact may be an important route of exposure," explained co-author Jennifer Keir.

The researchers determined that immediately decontaminating the skin after exposure to fire could help reduce firefighters' susceptibility to these potentially cancer-causing compounds. 

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> publication <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/journal/esthag">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Firefighters face an increased risk of cancer

As firefighters continue to battle the blazes in northern California...

Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions, but there is still no cure to slow or stop the progression of deteriorating neurons in the brain and spinal cord. According to the <a href="https://neurodiscovery.harvard.edu/challenge">Harvard Neurodiscovery Center</a>, 5 million Americans currently suffer from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/extra-virgin-olive-oil-protects-brain/">Alzheimer's</a>, 1 million have Parkinson's, and 400,000 have multiple sclerosis. 

Those numbers are predicted to continue to climb as the population ages, and as many as one in five Americans could be diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease by 2030. 

But now, a new study from the <a href="https://uiowa.edu/icru/">University of Iowa</a> demonstrates how roundworms may offer new solutions to help ward off neurodegenerative diseases. 

The research was published in the journal Science Signaling and focused on a defense mechanism known as the heat shock response that protects the body’s cells from stressors.

When exposed to stressors like changes in temperature, the body begins production of a protein that repairs and removes damaged proteins to keep the cell healthy. 

The researchers tested the roundworm's heat shock response by exposing a group of roundworms to the scent of a lethal bacterium and another group to the scent of a benign bacterium. 

The roundworms subjected to the dangerous scent were able to prime their defenses, and when put in contact with the bacterium, lived longer than those worms who weren’t primed for the odor. 

The study theorizes that it may be possible to prime this defense in humans so that it is “on guard” against neurodegenerative disease, the same way the worms were primed against the deadly bacterium through smell. 

The key, according to Veena Prahlad, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Iowa and corresponding author on the paper, is the protein HSF1, or the heat shock transcription factor. 

HFS1 is important in guarding against protein damage in neurons, but it was thought only to be activated after there was an overload of damaged proteins in cells. 

Prahlad hypothesized that HSF1 could be put on “standby” and activated quickly in response to damaged proteins, and tested this by exposing roundworms to the smell of a lethal bacterium. 

The promising results of the study show that it may be possible to prime humans for a quick defense against neurodegenerative diseases. 

“Theoretically, it should be possible to treat these types of diseases if we can figure out how to stimulate that defense mechanism in people and have it activated more consistently to fix damaged cells. We'd need to find the same sensory triggers in humans as we have demonstrated in worms,” said Prahlad. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Roundworms may hold the key to protection against Alzheimer’s

Neurodegenerative diseases affect millions, but there is still no cure...

New research from the <a href="http://web.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> (MIT) explores the complex thought processes behind assigning blame or causality to a witnessed event. 

In many cases, humans determine responsibility by imagining what would have occurred if a suspected cause had not been involved, a process known as counterfactual simulation. In other words, to see who was responsible for an event, a person (subconsciously or not) goes through several “what if” scenarios to see how events would have played out differently.

Now, for the first time, researchers have been able to show counterfactual simulation physically playing out in real time. 

“This is the first time that we or anybody have been able to see those simulations happening online, to count how many a person is making, and show the correlation between those simulations and their judgments,” said Josh Tenenbaum, a professor in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the senior author of the new study.

MIT researchers used eye tracking to record how people reacted to events in the simulation. Previously, any instances of counterfactual simulation were solely based on personal accounts of people describing how they made judgments about blame. 

The researchers created 18 different videos of two billiard balls colliding. Some clips showed the collision pushing one of the balls moving through a gate, while some showed the collision preventing the ball from moving.

One group of participants was told in advance that they would be asked about the first ball’s effect on the second ball, while the other was only asked about the outcome of the collision.

The researchers then tracked the eye movements of participants watching the videos using infrared light. 

By monitoring the eye movements, researchers were able to see how people looked for different outcomes while the balls were colliding. 

Participants who were asked about ball A’s effect on ball B showed eye movements that followed the course ball B would have taken if it hadn’t collided with ball A. 

Those subjects who were only asked about the outcome did not perform the same eye movements. 

"We think this process of counterfactual simulation is really pervasive," said Tobias Gerstenberg, lead author of the paper. "In many cases it may not be supported by eye movements, because there are many kinds of abstract counterfactual thinking that we just do in our mind. But the billiard-ball collisions lead to a particular kind of counterfactual simulation where we can see it."

The research team hopes to shed light on complex cases of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-blame-lead-pollution/">blame</a> and, in term, help more accurately inform criminal cases.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, Earth.com Staff Writer

Humans assign blame by simulating alternative outcomes

New research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) explores...

When researchers at <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> reconstructed climate change in ancient Egypt, they discovered that environmental stress had a profound effect on economic and political stability. Their study alters the perception of the outcome of climate change, shifting the focus from short-term consequences to long-term modifications of human societies.

The researchers examined the environmental and societal impacts in Egypt after a sequence of volcanic eruptions over the past 2,500 years. The team focused on the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt (305-30 B.C.E.). This was an empire formed in the years following Alexander the Great and was well-known for its rulers such as Cleopatra.

For their investigation, the experts combined climate modeling of large 20th-century volcanic eruptions, annual measurements of Nile summer flood heights from 622 to 1902, and evidence of Nile flood quality during the Ptolemaic era. The researchers demonstrated how large volcanic eruptions affected the seasonal flooding of the Nile River, which was greatly depended upon for agriculture.

"Ancient Egyptians depended almost exclusively on Nile summer flooding brought by the summer monsoon in east Africa to grow their crops," said lead author Joseph Manning. “In years influenced by volcanic eruptions, Nile flooding was generally diminished, leading to social stress that could trigger unrest and have other political and economic consequences.”

Study co-author Francis Ludlow explained that the reduced flooding of the Nile was due to climate change brought on by volcanic eruptions. He said that volcanoes can disrupt the climate by injecting sulfurous gases into the stratosphere. 

"Egypt and the Nile are very sensitive instruments for climate change, and Egypt provides a unique historical laboratory in which to study social vulnerability and response to abrupt volcanic shocks," said Manning. "Nile flood suppression from historical eruptions has been little studied, despite well documented Nile failures with severe social impacts coinciding with eruptions in 939, in 1783-1784 in Iceland, and 1912 in Alaska.”

Widespread documentation during the Ptolemaic era provided researchers with the dates of major political events. The researchers were able to show recurring close timing between such events and the dates of major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/satellites-predict-volcanic-eruptions-2/">volcanic eruptions</a>. 

"It is very rare in science and history to have such strong and detailed evidence documenting how societies responded to climatic shocks in the past," said co-author Jennifer Marlon.

The research, which is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>, not only provides insight into climate change but also into how environmental changes have shaped human societies in the past.

“The study is of particular importance for the current debate about climate change,” said Manning.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change disrupted stability in ancient societies

When researchers at Yale University reconstructed climate change in ancient...

If your child has a medical emergency, it’s likely difficult to decide how to immediately respond in order to best handle the situation. Whether the emergency is choking, accidentally swallowing medication, or even a minor burn, a parent’s first response may help the child to get the most appropriate form of medical care for that specific situation.

Not surprisingly, a recent national poll found that many parents might struggle with the decision of whether to provide first aid at home or rush their child to the hospital if they have a medical emergency. 

The C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the <a href="https://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/home">University of Michigan</a> surveyed almost 400 parents with at least one child ages 0-5. The findings showed that only half of the parents surveyed were confident they would know what to do if their child were choking. In fact, 1 in 10 parents said that they would immediately take their child to the ER for just a minor burn.

“Our report suggests that some parents may be using the ER for common situations that could be handled at home,” says Gary Freed, a professor of pediatrics at Mott Children’s Hospital and the poll's co-director. “True emergencies warrant hospital trips, but determining what is in fact an ‘emergency’ can be a confusing and nerve-wracking experience for parents who want to make the right decision.”

Although going to the ER may seem like the best decision in a lot of cases – better safe than sorry – there can be downsides. 

For example, if a child were choking it would be more beneficial to immediately help them instead of wasting valuable time by driving them to the hospital. Luckily, the majority of parents said that their first response to choking would be to attempt to dislodge the object through effective tactics.

When asked what they would do if their child swallowed harmful medication, the majority answered that they would call Poison Control. 

“Generally, calling Poison Control is an excellent first step to take if a parent suspects their child swallowed something harmful,” explains Freed. “Poison Control staff are trained to get important information from parents about the type of medication their child might have swallowed and direct them on the next steps to take.”

One important note that Freed makes was that parents who had received recent first aid training were more likely to feel confident in the case of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-911-dust-heart-problems/">medical emergency</a>. Even properly supervised children can run into harmful situations, so whether that emergency may be choking or a burn, it’s best to get the proper training and take a first aid course.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How to know when a trip to the emergency room is necessary?

If your child has a medical emergency, it’s likely difficult...

It can be jarring to walk into your office on a hot summer day and have to wear a sweater indoors because the air conditioning is too strong. Unfortunately, this kind of temperature whiplash is a reality some of us know all too well.

Office productivity has even been known to suffer because the environment isn’t comfortable,  leading to epic battles amongst employees over temperature control. 

But now, a new system designed by researchers at <a href="http://www.cu-portland.edu/">Concordia University</a> uses a complex algorithm to find the ideal temperature while keeping energy costs down.

The algorithm factors in temperature, humidity, outside environment, natural light, and ventilation to keep an indoor space comfortable. 

“Improving the quality of the office-building environment impacts the comfort of employees, which in turn influences their productivity,” said Hashem Akbari, the co-author of the study.

Because it factors in each employee’s personal preferences and works with sensors placed around the office, the system actually cuts energy costs quite a bit. Otherwise, excess <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/summer-air-conditioning-pollution/">air conditioning</a> in areas where it is not needed or desired increases waste.

The system was first tested in an open-air office in Montreal that had four occupants in each of the five different zones in the building. 

The researchers then created a mathematical model of each employee’s preferences and included other factors like ventilation and natural light.

“The proposed method is able to act as the brain behind the decision-making system of a cloud-based energy management platform,” said Farhad Mofidi, a recent Ph.D. graduate in building engineering and a fellow researcher on the project. 

Only time will tell if the new system will catch on in offices across the globe. But combining green technology with cost savings and increased comfort could be a winning model. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Algorithm determines ideal indoor temperature, cuts energy costs

It can be jarring to walk into your office on...

After a week of chaos and devastation caused by the Northern California fires, the state’s firefighters are beginning to get the fast-burning blazes under control.

Since late in the evening of Oct. 8, more than a dozen fires have been raging through several counties in the northern part of the state, killing at least 40 people and burning whole neighborhoods in the city of Santa Rosa.

But a week later, with more than 8,000 firefighters responding to the infernos, crews are beginning to gain the upper hand, despite winds that sparked new evacuations on Saturday.

“Conditions have drastically changed from just 24 hours ago, and that is definitely a very good sign,” Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/">Cal Fire</a>, told the news agency <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/">CNBC</a>. “And it’s probably a sign we’ve turned a corner on these fires.” 

As of 1:21 p.m. Sunday, Cal Fire reported that the Tubbs Fire was 60 percent contained, after burning more than 35,000 acres in Napa County. The Atlas Fire was 56 contained at 51,057 acres. 

Fires in the Mendocino Lake Complex, Wind Complex and in Nevada County were also losing ground to the firefighters. The Sulphur Fire in Lake County was 75 percent contained, the Cascade Fire in Yuba County was 87 percent contained, and the La Porte Fire in Butte County was 80 percent contained. Other Northern California fires were at varying levels of containment.

The progress is good news for those evacuated from the wildfire areas – more than 100,000 people have been under evacuation orders over the past week, CNBC reported. About a quarter of those people were allowed to return home on Sunday.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department advised returning evacuees to wear protective clothing and expect delays. They’d have to go through safety checks and would be issued protective gear, the <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/">Sacramento Bee</a> reported.

“Residents should be prepared to evacuate again should conditions change,” the department posted on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>.

However, not all of the Northern California fires are close to being under control. The Nuns Fire – which had grown to consume four other fires in the Central LNU Complex – was only 25 percent contained. 

“Fire continued burning in the south and western portions,” Cal Fire wrote on the incident report for the fire complex.

The Redwood Valley Fire in Mendocino County, which killed at least nine people, was 35 percent contained, after burning 35,000 acres.

The Northern California fires have killed at least 40 people, mostly overnight on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, fire officials reported. Hundreds remain missing, though officials told CNBC they hope to find most of them alive.

California’s near record rainfall over the winter after several years of drought spurred vegetation growth in the state. That, combined with record heat over the summer, left behind plenty of fuel for extreme wildfires.

The long 2017 wildfire season has been extremely expensive at both the state and federal level, the <a href="http://billingsgazette.com/">Billings Gazette</a> reports. The federal government spent more than $2.7 billion on firefighting in the last budget year, the news agency said, a record high. This year’s fires have already used more than half of the state’s emergency fund.

Firefighting costs are going up in California, Oregon, Montana and elsewhere due to a combination of hotter and drier weather and a buildup of dead and dying trees damaged by past firefighting techniques, Jennifer Jones, a spokeswoman for the <a href="https://www.nifc.gov/">National Interagency Fire Center</a>, told the Gazette.

For more information about efforts to extinguish the Northern California fires, check the <a href="http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents">Cal Fire incidents website</a>. 

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: Capt. Will Martin, <a href="https://www.nationalguard.com/">Army National Guard</a>

Firefighters gaining ground on Northern California fires

After a week of chaos and devastation caused by 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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" 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.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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...