Have you ever found yourself in a quandary about whether children should use their fingers to count? If you have, you're not alone. Many preschool teachers are in the same boat. 



Some believe that little ones who resort to finger counting are struggling with math. Others see it as a clear sign of advanced numerical knowledge. 



One of the lead researchers for this study is Dr. Catherine Thevenot from the Institute of Psychology at the <a href="https://www.unil.ch/central/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Lausanne</a>. 



Her team decided to investigate if a finger counting strategy could give a leg up to kindergarten-aged children when faced with arithmetic problems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-impact-of-finger-counting-on-kids">Impact of finger counting on kids</h2>



The experiment, which involved 328 five and six-year-olds (mainly white European kids living in France), set out to determine if children who don’t ordinarily count on their fingers could be trained to do so. And more importantly, it sought to find out if this training would improve their arithmetic abilities.



The process was straight-forward. Recruited through their teachers, the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-with-too-much-screen-time-struggle-to-gain-language-skills/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">children</a> underwent a pre-test, a two-week training period, a post-test right after the training, and a delayed post-test.



The children who were trained and did not originally count on their fingers showed a substantial improvement in performance (from 37% to 77% of correct responses), outperforming those in the control group.



We now have the first study to prove that a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/board-games-help-children-improve-their-math-skills/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">child's arithmetic performance</a> can be boosted by teaching them a finger counting strategy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crunching-numbers-with-dr-thevenot">Crunching numbers with Dr. Thevenot</h2>



As it turns out, the catalyst for this research was a question that kept cropping up during her interactions with primary school teachers -- should they encourage or discourage their pupils to count on their fingers? The lack of a clear answer in existing research prompted her to investigate the issue.



"Our findings are highly valuable because, for the first time, we provide a concrete answer to the long-standing question of whether teachers should explicitly teach children to use their fingers for solving addition problems -- especially those who don’t do so naturally. The answer is yes," Dr Thevenot said.



"Our study demonstrates that finger calculation training is effective for over 75% of kindergartners. The next step is to explore how we can support the remaining 25% of children who didn’t respond as well to the intervention." 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-of-finger-counting">Benefits of finger counting</h2>



"When I first saw the results, I was amazed by the huge improvement in performance among children who didn’t initially use their fingers to solve the problems. Before our intervention, these children were only able to solve about one-third of the addition problems at pre-test," Dr. Thevenot said.



"After training, however, they were solving over three-quarters of them! The difference was striking, especially compared to the control groups, where gains were insignificant. The extent of this improvement truly exceeded my expectations," she concluded.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-broader-implications-for-education">Broader implications for education</h2>



The insights gleaned from this study could have far-reaching implications for educational practices. 



By allowing children, particularly those who might initially struggle with arithmetic, the freedom to employ finger counting, educators can foster an environment that is both supportive and conducive to learning. 



This study challenges the traditional pedagogical stance that views finger counting as a crutch indicative of mathematical deficiency. 



Instead, it paints finger counting as a valuable tool that can enhance a child's comprehension of numbers and arithmetic processes, potentially leading to more effective teaching strategies that embrace individual learning styles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-comes-next">What's comes next?</h2>



What does the future hold? Well, they are now probing if the children have gained a deeper understanding of numbers or are simply following a procedure to solve problems. 



Initial results are promising according to Dr. Thevenot, but more tests are required for confirmation.



The study by Dr. Thevenot and her team opens several avenues for further investigation. Future research could explore the long-term impacts of finger counting as a foundational skill integrated into early mathematics education. 



Additionally, examining how cultural differences affect the perception and utilization of finger counting in various educational systems can provide a more comprehensive understanding of its benefits and limitations. 



Importantly, expanding the demographics beyond the initial cohort to include diverse populations will enhance the generalizability of the findings. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-show-of-hands">A show of hands</h2>



To sum it up, it seems that finger counting could be instrumental in reducing disparity in mathematics among children. 



So, the next time you see a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kindergarten-conduct-childhood-behavioral-problems-will-cost-society-later/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">child</a> using their ten tiny tools to solve a math problem, remember, they might just be on to something. And, who knows? Maybe we adults could pick up a thing or two from those little fingers.



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This study is summarized from an article in Child Development, titled "Finger counting training enhances addition performance in kindergarteners," authored by Poletti, C., Krenger, M., Létang, M., Hennequin, B., and of course, our Dr. Thevenot from <a href="https://www.unil.ch/central/en/home.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Lausanne</a>.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cdev.14146" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Child Development</a>.



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Finger counting boosts math skills in children

Have you ever found yourself in a quandary about whether children should use their fingers to count? If you have, you're not alone. Many preschool teachers are in the same boat. Some believe that little ones who resort to finger counting are struggling with math. Others see it as a clear sign of advanced numerical knowledge. One of the lead researchers for this study is Dr. Catherine Thevenot from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Lausanne. Her team decided to investigate if a finger counting...

The very idea of a talking gorilla charmed the world in the 1970s, when Koko, the young Western lowland gorilla was introduced on the cover and in the pages of National Geographic. Koko was, and is the (child?) of psychologist Francine “Penny” Patterson and her friend and Koko photographer/videographer of four decades, Ron Cohn. The story of this odd, but dedicated little family is told in the BBC documentary,<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07gxpd7"> Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks</a>. The film was produced for a <a href="http://www.pbs.org/program/koko-gorilla-who-talks/">PBS</a> release in 2016 and is currently available on Netflix. 

Patterson first met Koko at the San Francisco Zoo soon after the female <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archivist-reveals-gorillas-story/">gorilla’s</a> birth, in 1971. She was a doctoral candidate in Psychology at Stanford University who wanted to discover the viability of human-gorilla communications through American Sign Language. Soon after she started working with Koko, the young gorilla had to be separated from her mother for the treatment of a life-threatening disease and the troop rejected her when she was returned. As a result, Patterson took control of Koko and eventually adopted her.

As the film shows through vintage footage, usually shot by Cohn, Koko’s ability to grasp sign language was remarkable. She learned at about the rate of one sign a month for her first year-and-a-half with Patterson, or about 80 signs by the time she was two. Today, at the age of 44, it’s said that Koko knows some 1,000 sign language gestures and recognizes 2,000 spoken English words. Patterson also insists that Koko can combine gestures to express simple thoughts. For instance, when Koko’s pet kitten was run over by a car, the gorilla was said to have strung together the message, “comfortable hole goodbye.” (It’s not explained how Koko knew that burial was a traditional endgame, though perhaps her human family buried the kitten in her presence.) 

The gorilla’s level of communications ability was questioned by other researchers, however. Leading the charge was Dr. Herb Terrace, a Columbia University behavioral psychologist who’d undertaken a long-term project of his own to teach sign language to Nim, a chimpanzee. His conclusion, based on a 1979 paper, was that Project Nim – and, by extension, all efforts to communicate with primates via sign language – was a failure. He insisted that Nim, Koko, and others on the same experimental wavelength, were merely responding by prompts for praise or treats. 

Terrace’s paper convinced most of the scientific community, and by the 1980s, there was little enthusiasm to pursue sign-language communications involving primates. Instead, researchers focused on watching the animals communicate with one another.

It’s curious to note that there are few if any scenes in the film of handlers other than Patterson “speaking” with Koko. Could others fluent in American Sign Language have carried on the same level of conversation that Patterson claimed? One frequent visitor, an animal language expert named Eugene Linden, is quoted on camera explaining how Koko had greeted him for the first time with a complex message, but we don’t learn whether Linden witnessed and understood the communication himself or relied on an interpretation of Koko’s doting “mother.”

Though it’s not a part of this film, Patterson sent out a press release upon the 2014 death of the actor Robin Williams. She said that Koko had overheard phone call exchanges concerning Williams’ death and showed curiosity. Patterson said that when she explained the tragedy, Koko became “very somber, with her head bowed and her lip quivering.” Williams had spent one afternoon playing with Koko a decade previously, and the two had never reconnected. 

Koko has had relationships of sorts with two male gorillas, but none has led to mating activity and Patterson says that her – and Koko’s – one regret is that the gorilla never had a baby. Today, the gorilla spends her time with Patterson and Cohn and a retinue of caregivers in a sanctuary near Patterson’s California home.

“There’s something special about gorillas being gorillas,” says one of her caregivers at one point in the film. “But there’s also something special about Koko.” 

Koko is worth seeing. It does subtly point toward what the animal might have missed in not spending more of her early years with her own kind, though it never seriously challenges the viewpoint of Patterson and Cohn.  

[caption id="attachment_131604" align="aligncenter" width="800"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/mezzanine_513.jpg.resize.800x450.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-131604" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/mezzanine_513.jpg.resize.800x450.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="450" /></a> Credit: PBS[/caption]

--

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/program/koko-gorilla-who-talks/">PBS</a>. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07gxpd7">BBC</a>

Earth.com Film Review: Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks

The very idea of a talking gorilla charmed the world...

A team of doctors at <a href="http://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a> in Britain have received the first UK license to perform a 3-parent In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) technique aimed at preventing inherited genetic diseases. If all goes according to plan, the first 3-parent child will be born this year.

According to the <a href="http://www.hfea.gov.uk/">Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority </a>(HFEA), this will mark the first time that the new mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) will be performed on patients. Thanks to funding from the <a href="https://www.england.nhs.uk/">NHS England</a>, the Newcastle team hopes to treat up to 25 female patients per year.

“The team here at Newcastle Fertility Centre is delighted with the decision to grant our clinic a licence to offer treatments to prevent transmission of mitochondrial DNA disease,” said Professor Mary Herbert of <a href="http://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a>. “Many years of research have led to the development of pronuclear transfer as a treatment to reduce the risk of mothers transmitting disease to their children. It's a great testament to the regulatory system here in the UK that research innovation can be applied in treatment to help families affected by these devastating diseases.”

MRT babies would receive a small amount of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-shark-dna-may-hold-key-curing-cancer/">DNA</a> from a third person. This donor DNA would then replace abnormal genes in the mitochondria. 

“This significant decision represents the culmination of many years hard work by researchers, clinical experts, and regulators, who collectively paved the way for Parliament to change the law in 2015 to permit the use of such techniques,” said <a href="http://www.hfea.gov.uk/">HFEA</a> Chair Sally Cheshire. “Patients will now be able to apply individually to the HFEA to undergo mitochondrial donation treatment at Newcastle, which will be life-changing for them, as they seek to avoid passing on serious genetic diseases to future generations.”

Some critics have questioned the ethics of the 3-parent procedure and the creation of so-called “designer babies.”

“It comes as little surprise that the HFEA has approved the creation of 'three-parent' embryos given their track record of undermining respect for the human embryo and the integrity of human reproduction,” said bioethicist Dr. Andrew McCarthy of The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children. “The two techniques which the HFEA has decided to permit are not curative of mitochondrial diseases and in no way help those who already have them.”

But defenders of MRT are quick to point out that mitochondria only possesses 0.1% of a human’s DNA and has no influence over appearance or personality. It is DNA in the cell nucleus that contains most individual genes.

“This is excellent news, especially for those patients in the UK who have been waiting for this opportunity,” said Professor Simon Fishel, Managing Director of CARE Fertility. “We know it won't be easy for all concerned as the technology is not straightforward and success will depend upon many factors. But it is indeed a step in the right direction following in-depth debate and consideration of all issues from the medical science to the ethics.”

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.ncl.ac.uk/">Newcastle University</a>, <a href="http://www.hfea.gov.uk/">HFEA</a>

First 3-parent babies could be born in the UK this year

A team of doctors at Newcastle University in Britain have...

Can you think of any product you give less thought to than palm oil? There probably aren’t many. And yet it’s an ingredient in about 50 percent of the products you find at the supermarket. Particularly, packaged foods and snack foods.

Palm oil is also used for animal feed and such non-food applications as health and beauty products, soap and cleaning supplies and even biodiesel products.

So what’s the problem? And why did palm oil merchant Neil Blomquist feel the need to create the pro-palm oil website PalmDoneRight.com?

Just Google “palm oil” and you start to get an idea. One of the first terms that pops up is “conflict palm oil.” Entries on the first results page asks readers to “Say No to Palm Oil.” Another states “Why Palm Oil Isn’t the Enemy.”

Enemy?

Conflict palm oil is what it’s called on the websites of environmental and activist organizations opposed to the trade, and the product is blamed for a host of violations. Here’s how SayNotoPalmOil.com, sums it up: “The industry is linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/federal-budget-climate-change-research/">climate change</a>, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses in the countries where it is produced, as the land and forests must be cleared for the development of the oil palm plantations.”

The practice is even decimating orangutan populations, according to multiple sources.

Described before as a palm oil merchant, Blomquist, managing director of Natural Habitats USA, might dispute that description. He’d call himself an organic palm oil merchant. That added word makes all the difference to him.

“We’re running the first supply chain that’s 100 percent organic,” he told Earth.com. “If done right, palm oil can be more sustainable than any seed oil.”

Blomquist, who’s worked in the organics industry since 2002, also runs PalmDoneRight.com, which he called a marketing and educational site for the concept of organic palm oil. Its goal is to lift the organic product over the multiple controversies related to conventional farming practices regarding the product.

“Our entire supply chain is small farmers,” he said. “Their average farm size is 30 hectares.” (Less than 75 acres.)

That’s in Ecuador. In Sierre Leone, the only other country in which Natural Habitats does business, the typical farm supplier is a little over one hectare. The company contracts with 2,000 farmers here and 178 in Ecuador.

The statistics about farm size are an important component of Blomquist’s pitch. That’s because the profile of conflict palm oil growers are large plantation owners who clear-cut their rainforest land, farm it environmentally irresponsibly and virtually enslave their labor crews.

“There’s no clear-cutting, burning or planting in primal forests,” Blomquist said in describing the practices of the network of growers his company partners with. His suppliers have been growing on their existing modest plots of land for generations. Natural Habitats follows payment requirements for Fair For Life certification and sends agronomists to teach sustainable farming practices that increase productivity and replace the use of pesticides and herbicides.

Supplier recruitment is never a problem, according to Blomquist. “We never have to go to them. They come to us” as the company’s reputation and the profitability of working with Natural Habitats spreads.

One reason palm oil is such a boon to the African and South American farmers, said Blomquist, is that it’s a 365-day crop. There is no off season. And the farmers have eager buyers in his company.

Blomquist is still challenged in telling the story when his company’s main product line is so seemingly enmeshed with conflict palm oil, but he’s managed to convert even natural food stores.
His long-term goal, he said, is to get to a point in time when his educational website PalmDoneRight.com can "come off the market." Blomquist believes that will be accomplished the day truly organic palm oil is seen in a different light and it no longer needs defending.
--

By David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Palm Oil Done Right

Can you think of any product you give less thought...

Ignore the punny title if you can. Cowspiracy, now streaming on Netflix, offers a powerful and provocative indictment of animal agriculture as the number one global cause of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The film’s producer/director team of Kip Andersen (who’s also the documentary’s narrator) and Keegan Kuhn states that 51 percent of carbon emissions can be blamed on livestock, particularly cattle. That’s more than the CO2 emissions of oil and gas.

That figure has been challenged, however, by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The organization said that it came from a 2009 Worldwatch Institute report that was never peer-reviewed by the scientific community. The actual figure is 15 percent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wind-farms-emissions-great-britain/">carbon emission</a> contribution by livestock, a still-significant number, but far below the contribution of fossil fuels. The scientist group also said that Cowspiracy overstated the methane produced by cows. <a href="http://blog.ucsusa.org/doug-boucher/cowspiracy-movie-review">Here’s the scientists' argument</a>.

At any rate, Andersen and Kuhn make strong (and, presumably unchallenged) cases for other environmental damage caused by livestock production. For instance, they say that while the shale oil production method known as fracking uses 100 billion gallons of water, livestock consume 34 trillion gallons annually, from hydration to water usage in the production of grains to feed them.

Putting this in another light, Cowspiracy reports on how environmental agencies encourage individuals to take shorter showers to conserve water. But one hamburger consumes 660 gallons of water, the equivalent, says Andersen, to his showering over a two-month period. While domestic water use is five percent of total U.S. consumption, animal agriculture uses 55 percent, the filmmakers say.

The pair further blames livestock for deforestation, the overhunting of predators and cattle waste runoff into rivers and oceans. (Livestock produce 130 times more waste than humans, the film claims.)

The “conspiracy” in Cowspiracy has to do with silence. Federal and state agencies and environmental groups including Greenpeace, Sierra Club and many others say little about animal agriculture as a planetary villain or refuse to be interviewed at all.

One anti-animal ag activist said that the groups don’t want to lose their funding. This question of funding, from the animal agriculture industry to environmental groups, specifically Greenpeace, was put to one beef industry spokesperson who’d been otherwise cooperative. She twice responded that she’d prefer not to answer that question.

(In fairness, the groups’ lack of emphasis on animal ag as an environmental hazard could also be connected to the challenges put forth by the Union of Concerned Scientists.)

An Amazon Watch spokesperson discussed the very real threat of being killed for outspokenness as another reason activists might be silent. It was stated that over the last 20 years, more than 1,100 rainforest defenders have been killed in Brazil, presumable by cattle ranching interests. One of those was Sister Dorothy Stang, an American assassinated for speaking out against the industry.

In America, the threat is lawsuits. A former cattleman interviewed on the documentary was sued by the cattle industry under federal food disparagement laws for claims he made on Oprah.

The film’s producers took one odd side trip that seemed a better fit for another documentary in discussing fishing methods that are depopulating the oceans.

They also make clear that, after detailing the unsustainability practices associated with meat, fish and dairy, that their suggested solution is a plant-based diet. That point is made in horrific detail when we see tightly caged cows and chickens, and when an adorable little girl cuddles a couple free-ranging pigs at her folks’ pastoral organic farm and states in a matter-of-fact way that she shouldn’t get close to them. They’re going to be killed soon, her mother pleasantly explains. And finally, there was the scene of a pair of ducks graphically being butchered by a backyard farmer – a scene I had to fast-forward through.

How can such a film influence viewers? I had lunch at a natural food market after watching Cowspiracy. Almost everything on the menu contained chicken, bacon or cheese. I passed up the carrot hot dog and settled on the veggie melt. It was delicious, though not as filling or affordable as a Big Mac.

--

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.cowspiracy.com">Cowspiracy Official Website</a>

Film Review, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Ignore the punny title if you can. Cowspiracy, now streaming...

Smell walking has arrived in the world’s cities – some of them, at least. The scent-guided tours are doing more than just just building odor-based maps. They could also help detect air pollution.

Though humans don’t have the sense of smell dogs or cats do, the human nose can pick up odors related to car exhaust and other harmful emissions. 

The city of Guangzhou in China has even gone so far as to hire “smell specialists” to evaluate sealed containers of air from different parts of the city, according to the <a href="http://env.people.com.cn/n/2015/0812/c1010-27446210.html">People’s Daily Online</a>. The goal is to determine air quality.

It sounds strange, but there may be some real science behind it. 

“Smells impact our behavior, attitudes and health,” one team of researchers wrote in their study, which was presented at the <a href="http://researchswinger.org/publications/icwsm15_smell.pdf">2015 International Conference on Web and Social Media</a> [PDF]. “Street food markets, for example, have dramatically changed the way we perceive entire streets of global cities.”

The team, led by Dr. Daniele Quercia of the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>, has since created a smell dictionary, analyzed thousands of smell-related images on social media, and built smell maps of London and Barcelona. People can zero in on neighborhoods to find out where to go to literally smell the roses, which areas smell like fish or manure, and more.

More importantly, Quercia’s team found that images that are tagged with emissions-related keywords like “traffic” roughly match up with air quality indicators, at least in London.

The researchers believe smell walking could go far beyond just mapping the scents of cities.

The scent maps – including the streets that have worse air quality and higher emissions levels – could be used to help walkers, runners and cyclists plan their routes. Dog walkers and parents or guardians with small children could choose parks that have better air quality. 

The maps could be used to create smartphone and tablet apps that point city visitors to the most <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/people-places-and-things/200912/the-smell-is-right-using-scents-enhance-life">relaxing spots</a>, near lavender bushes, citrus trees or bakeries that smell of vanilla. 

Quercia’s team of researchers want smell walking to become as much a part of city planning and guidebook creation as vision and hearing. 

“We hope to empower designers, researchers, city managers by offering them a number of methodological tools and practical insights to re-think the role of smell in their work,” they wrote.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Smell walking helps build maps, fight air pollution

Smell walking has arrived in the world’s cities – some...

DNA technology has progressed to the point where researchers can – and have – identified the types of meals and even relationships based on analysis of fossilized remains. Now, researchers have made an interesting discovery from a hardened tooth plaque of five Neanderthals found in a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millipede-species/">cave</a>.

Our ancient relatives seem to have had the capability to use natural remedies to treat oral pain and stomach ailments. And they appear to have interacted intimately – smooched, at the very least – with humans.

“It really paints a different picture, almost of their personalities, of really who they were,” said study co-leader Laura Weyrich, a palaeomicrobiologist at the <a href="http://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide in Australia</a> of the findings from El Sidrón Cave in northern Spain.

The clue of natural pain remedy use was the unexpected DNA found on the teeth of one of the El Sidrón Neanderthals. It came from poplar trees and a mold that’s the source of penicillin. Poplars contain salicyclic acid, which is traditionally used to make aspirin. The conclusion is that the remedies were used to try to treat a visible tooth abscess and a stomach infection.

As for the suggestion of possible fooling around between humans and Neanderthals, that came about with genetic evidence of a microbe called Methanobrevibacter oralis in the mouths of the El Sidrón Cave crew that can still be found in modern human mouths but was not endemic to Neanderthal populations.

“If you’re swapping spit between species, there’s kissing going on, or at least food sharing,” says Weyrich, “which would suggest that these interactions were much friendlier and much more intimate than anybody ever possibly imagined.”

The study also suggested that Neanderthal diets consisted of whatever they could scrounge up. While a 2013 study of the plaque DNA of a Neanderthal population found in a cave in Belgium discovered woolly rhinoceros and wild sheep on the menu, the El Sidrón group indicated a primarily plant-based diet – mushrooms, moss and pine nuts.

The research team’s findings were reported in <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a>.

 --

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/neanderthal-tooth-plaque-hints-at-meals-and-kisses-1.21593"> Nature</a>

Neanderthals might have smooched with humans and treated toothache

DNA technology has progressed to the point where researchers can...

Uber has had a rough few weeks. From sexual harassment allegations to stolen technology lawsuits to a disturbing video of <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/uber-flying-car/">Uber</a> CEO Travis Kalanick berating a driver, the ride-sharing giant could use some good news. Unfortunately, we don’t have any for them. According to a new study, yellow taxis have been found to be safer than cabs that look like regular cars.

The study was performed by researchers at the <a href="http://www.nus.edu.sg/">National University of Singapore</a> and was published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2017/02/28/1612551114.abstract">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America</a>. The team set out to see if there is a link between the color of a taxi and the frequency of its car accidents by comparing yellow taxis to blue cabs. 

The research found that yellow taxis are 9 percent less likely to be involved in accidents than blue ones. Scientists believe that this is in part due to the higher visibility of the color yellow, which makes other drivers more aware of its presence, thus making it easier to avoid hitting.

“The findings of our study suggest that color visibility should play a major role in determining the colors used for public transport vehicles,” said Professor Ho Teck Hua, lead-author of the study. “A commercial decision to change all taxis to yellow may save lives and potentially reduce economic losses by millions of dollars. Our results are also noteworthy to smaller taxi companies and to drivers who use their private vehicles as taxis to work for private-hire car services.”

The study was conducted over the course of 36 months, during which time researchers recorded accident data from two fleets of yellow and blue taxis. The team analyzed records from 4,175 yellow taxis and 12,525 blue cabs and found that yellow taxis average 6 fewer accidents per month. 

“We are keen to further validate the findings of our study by looking at the use of yellow in other types of public transport, such as school buses,” added Professor Ho. “For instance, we hope to compare the accident rates of yellow school buses against other colors to find out if yellow is indeed a safer color for school buses. Furthermore, we are also interested to look at private-hire vehicles and do a comparison of the accident rates of vehicles that are of different colors.”

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.nus.edu.sg/">National University of Singapore</a>

Sorry Uber, yellow taxis found to be safer than other colors

Uber has had a rough few weeks. From sexual harassment...

Forget about classical crib music and brain development games from the age of two for improving intellectual performance. Get your kids out in the fresh air and have some fun. Japanese researchers from the <a href="http://www.nodai.ac.jp/english/">Tokyo University of Agriculture</a> found that the motion associated with horseback riding can stimulate activity in the brain and enhance your child’s cognitive abilities.

Researchers conducted simple tests before and after the study subjects went horseback riding, and found a measurable bump in the results of kids assigned to some of the horses after the rides. The conclusion was that the vibrations from saddle time apparently activated the parts of the developing brain associated with learning and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tree-vegetation-in-the-arctic-has-memory/">memory</a>.

“One important characteristic of the horse steps is that they produce three-dimensional accelerations. The movement of the horse's pelvis may provide motor and sensory inputs to the human body and in this study,” said Professor Mitsuaki Ohta of the Japanese university and the author of the study. “I believe some of the differences among the rider's performances might be due to these accelerations.”

The study findings were published in the journal <a href="http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/public-health">Frontiers in Public Health</a>.

Unfortunately, the study showed horseback riding to have less of a positive impact on children’s mathematical abilities. So you’re still going to have to learn how to help your kids with their new math homework.

--

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://journal.frontiersin.org/journal/public-health"> Frontiers in Public Health</a>

Study suggests horseback riding could make your kids smarter

Forget about classical crib music and brain development games from...

This past December, two men stumbled upon an unusual treasure just below the surface of some farmland in the Staffordshire Moorlands. The pair unearthed four pieces of jewelry that may very well be the oldest Iron Age gold in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tiny-houses-britains/">Britain</a>.

The collection, consisting of three necklaces and one bracelet, has been named the Leekfrith Iron Age Torcs, after the parish where they were found. 

A formal evaluation of the exact monetary worth has yet to take place, but discoverers Mark Hambleton and Joe Kania have vowed to split the money 50/50 with landowner Stuart Heath. 

Experts in the field believe that the Iron Age gold torcs were made in Europe, most likely France or Germany, in the third or fourth century. Two or the torcs are comprised of twisted gold wire, while the other two have trumpet-shaped finials and Celtic decoration. 

“This unique find is of international importance. It dates to around 400-250 BC, and is probably the earliest Iron Age gold work ever discovered in Britain,” said Dr. Julia Farley, curator of the British &amp; European Iron Age collections at the <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/">British Museum</a>. “The torcs were probably worn by wealthy and powerful women, perhaps people from the continent who had married into the local community. Piecing together how these objects came to be carefully buried in a Staffordshire field will give us an invaluable insight into life in Iron Age Britain.”

Discoverers Himbleton and Kania are lifelong friends who were encouraged to pursue treasure hunting by Himbleton’s father Roy.

“I used to go metal detecting with my dad when I was young and he said to me 'why are you bothering fishing? You should be back in those fields,” Hambleton said. “I am so glad we took his advice and pleased of course that he got the chance to see these amazing pieces and prove he was right all along.”

--

By Rory Arnold, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Britain’s oldest Iron Age gold discovered by treasure seekers

This past December, two men stumbled upon an unusual treasure...

When it comes to what you eat, keep it simple. That’s the takeaway from a paper published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The review of nutritional studies indicated that what you probably already knew is, unfortunately, true. Dietary fads don’t work and aren’t necessary. The research paper cuts through the clutter of heart-health studies and concludes that the basics – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts – are best to eat for the maintenance of good heart health. Some cardio-healthy diets also include very limited helpings of lean meat, fish, low-fat and nonfat dairy products and liquid vegetable oil.

In other words, forget about<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/03/22/do-juice-cleanses-work_n_1372305.html"> juice cleanses</a>, which rob your diet of needed fats and proteins, can be dangerous if you have diabetes, kidney disease or other ailments, and often have little or no fiber, which aids in digestion. As for the magical “detox” benefits of juice cleansing – that’s what your liver, kidneys and intestines are for.

“Juicing is okay, as long as you don’t think you can only drink juice for an extended period of time,” registered dietician Ana Reisdorf told <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>. “You also need to realize you can end up consuming tons of calories from fruit, depending on how you make your juice.”

 As for the too-good-to-be-true benefits of the very popular high fat/low carbohydrate diets:<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/06/time-to-retire-the-low-carb-diet-fad/258343/"> too good to be true</a>. That’s the verdict following a 25-year Swedish study that found that short-term weight loss is possible. But over time, the high fat/low carb diet increased blood cholesterol levels – and waistlines. Both are major risks for cardiovascular disease.

 “There is a great amount of misinformation about nutrition fads, including antioxidant pills, juicing and gluten-free diets,” said Andrew Freeman, MD, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness in the division of cardiology at <a href="https://www.nationaljewish.org/">National Jewish Health</a> in Denver and the paper's lead author. “However, there are a number of dietary patterns that have clearly been demonstrated to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease.”

Freeman also explained some of the confusion in nutritional studies. He pointed out that some that promote the addition of other foods are funded by the food industry. Others might rely on the often unreliable memory of study respondents.

 Here are some other conclusions drawn by the paper.
<ul>
 	<li>       Juicing can be a healthy dietary source, but the juicing process concentrates the calories, making it easy to over-consume. Going old-school – simply eating your fruits and vegetables – is better for you. And if you do juice, don’t make it a multi-day or multi-week cleanse.</li>
 	<li>       Olive oil is your healthiest cooking oil option, but go lightly on it since it’s also high in calories. And avoid coconut oil and palm oil since school is still out on both.</li>
 	<li>       Ah, gluten. While those with celiac disease should certainly avoid it, the health claims for a gluten-free diet are unproven for those without a gluten sensitivity. Which is<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33486177"> sure to be a surprise to a lot of people</a>. A survey by NPD Group indicated that 29 percent of American adults – some 70 million people – are trying to reduce how much gluten they eat. YouGov says that 60 percent of UK adults have bought gluten-free food products. Yes, gluten’s a threat to celiac sufferers, but that’s about one percent of the population in the developing world. And yet, seven percent of Brits claim an allergy or intolerance, and another eight percent say they avoid gluten as a healthy living decision. (Chelsey Amer, MS, RDN, a private practice dietitian and nutrition consultant, points out another drawback of gluten avoidance. “A gluten-free diet, if not medically warranted, is not needed for weight loss and can even backfire and cause weight gain! The variety of gluten-free products lining supermarket shelves are full of more sugar and fat to help mimic the flavor and texture of products containing gluten and can even have more calories!”)</li>
 	<li>       Forget about your high-dose oxidation supplements. Just – once again – eat your fruits and vegetables.</li>
 	<li>       Nuts – yes. Good for you, but high in calories, so go lightly.</li>
</ul>
<a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> caught up with several healthcare professionals to get their take on the new report.

Robyn Lanci - Certified Health Coach

"I think the paleo diet is one of the best out there, while a gluten-free one (unless medically necessary) is one of the worst. Although a paleo diet eliminates food groups like dairy, it doesn't eliminate anything that's actually good for your body -- it can just take some getting used to. It's a common assumption for example, that dairy is needed for calcium, but the reality is that you can find it in many fruits, which are paleo-friendly. Our bodies aren't made to digest cow's milk; the number of lactose-intolerant people serve as a testament to that fact. A gluten-free diet is marketed well, but not beneficial unless you've got celiac disease or another sensitivity like migraines. Fat-free diets are also quite similar in the sense that they're marketed well but aren't good for you. When a manufacturer removes the fat (or lowers it significantly) from an item, it gets replaced with something else. That something else is usually chemicals, sugar, or a combination of the two. So while the original version of whatever is being marketed as fat free or low fat isn't good for you, you're better off with that versus the alternative."

<a href="http://www.anareisdorf.com">Ana Reisdorf</a> - Registered Dietitian

"I think the common belief one needs to "detox" is probably what annoys me the most. If you just stop putting junk into your body, it will naturally detox itself. So, its not necessary to buy any special product to do so.Juicing is ok, as long as you don't think you can only drink juice for an extended period of time. You also need to realize you can end up consuming tons of calories from fruit, depending on how you make your juice."

<a href="https://blog.slickcoach.com">Mario Behrendt</a> - Fitness Coach

"There is no special diet. You won’t magically lose body fat because you go vegan, or paleo or gluten-free. What’s important though, is how a person feels on a diet. Some people feel better on carbs, some feel better without carbs. There’s no one-size-fits-all-diet. Everyone is different, has different genes and enzymes."

<a href="http://CitNutritionally.com">Chelsey Amer</a> - Registered Dietitian, Nutritionist, and Nutrition Consultant

"My favorite diet trending right now is eating for gut health! From kombucha to probiotics to the variety of fermented foods available, gut health has become sexy, hot and important for health and weight loss. We're learning that having a healthy microbiome (which is the good bacteria in our intestines) is linked to everything from weight management to preventing chronic diseases. The worst diets that are trending to me are restrictive diets that have you cut out complete food groups when it is not warranted. Eliminating grains, legumes or fruit completely from your diet is unnecessary and can even be dangerous because you'll be missing out on some very important nutrients!

I am definitely not a fan of juicing as a way to "detox" or lose weight because juice doesn't contain all of the nutrients you need to thrive! Vegetable and fruit juices have the fiber stripped out and instead contain just sugar, vitamins and minerals. I would much rather you eat fruits and vegetables in their whole form because they contain fiber, which helps keep you full and because we are more satisfied when we chew real food!"

<a href="http://www.cuttothechasenutrition.com">Dr. Keith Ayoob</a> - Diet &amp; Lifestyle, Nutritionist, Dietician

"Juicing always surprises me that people think it's more healthful as a juice than as the whole food.  The juicers that remove the pulp are removing what you need the most. My take on juicing: Your gut already has a juicer. It just works more slowly.  No need to hurry. Smoothies can be a whole lot of natural calories. If the smoothie doesn't have protein, it's a missed opportunity. Zero-carb diets are absolutely ridiculous. Anytime you remove a food category, it can be a red flag for obsession or phobia. Your body needs carbs.

Best diet: Go for one with a boatload of science behind it and that's also livable for the rest of your life: the "Modi-Med Diet".  It's a modified Mediterranean diet (emphasizes fish, olive oil, nuts on most days, along with daily fruits and vegetables) that combines a Med diet with a DASH-type diet. DASH is "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" and is basically loaded with fruits and vegetables, plus low-fat dairy foods."

--

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.onlinejacc.org/"> Journal of the American College of Cardiology</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

New study proves you are what you eat

When it comes to what you eat, keep it simple....

You might consider yourself lucky you didn’t attend the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston earlier this month, where scientists reported the various ways humans are losing evolutionary ground to modern life. Before you book a ticket on Virgin Galactic, don’t despair! All three presenters – scientists studying the senses – also offered pathways to solutions.

According to the speakers, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-crisis-india/">pollution</a> in modern life is affecting our sense of smell and increasing our risk of mental illness. Staring at LCD screens all day is damaging our vision. And our love of sweets has pushed us off the evolutionary wagon to cause an obesity pandemic.

Yeah, it got pretty dark.

Professor Kara Hoover, one of the AAAS presenters and a biological and evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, refers to these sets of challenges as “evolutionary mismatch.” She expanded on the concept in a later interview with Earth.com: “Evolutionary mismatch explores the idea that the evolutionary function for a trait is no longer an advantage in a changed environment. I'd say that our environment is mismatched to the sense of smell in the sense that it is impeding its function.”

Hoover explained how the presentations of the three scientists pointed out evidence of this mismatch and suggested answers. “Our AAAS panel had a common theme when thinking about our sensory futures and reflected what health professionals already suggest – engagement with natural environments, time away from screens, and reducing pollution.”

Take those ubiquitous computers. We spend much of our modern life staring closely at their glowing screens just a few feet from our faces.

“We’re inside, we’re in fake lighting, we’re not spending as much time outside in the context in which our vision system evolved,” said Amanda Melin, associate professor of archeology and anthropology at Calgary University. “And our lighting, as well as other things like near-work tasks, might be drastically affecting our acuity.”

Her prescription for society is to get outdoors more often, taking in the long view – literally – and natural lighting.

This is necessary, Melin said, “in order for our eyeball to grow properly and for us to have the right proportions so that the images are really clearly in focus on the retina.”

She also suggested that policymakers find ways to encourage children and young people to spend more time outside.

As for our collective sugar rush, it goes back to a point before we branched off the evolutionary tree from primates, according to Paul Breslin, professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University. Back then, our chimp ancestors had a taste for sugar that drew them to ripe fruit – a healthy dietary choice. They’d chow down on as much of the stuff as they could get, and even pile on extra pounds doing so, but when fruit supply ran out they’d scurry down the tree and switch to a more slimming menu of insects and leaves.

Today we have processed sugar, so the supply never runs out.

As Breslin put it, “We climb up into this tree that our society has created and we gorge on the fruit but the tree never comes out of fruit and we never come down out of the tree, so we gorge and gorge and gorge on sugary foods and get chubbier and chubbier.”

Hoover’s contribution to the shared AAAS presentation was on air pollution and the multiple olfactory-based threats it poses.

“Our sense of smell evolved in very odor-rich landscapes in which we were interacting regularly with the environment,” she said. “Now today we’re not interacting with the environment and we’re in very polluted places. Pollution tends to disrupt the sense of smell and that puts you at greater risk of things like mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety. And it also puts you at greater risk for physical health [problems], such as obesity, and greater risk for social health, not being able to pick up on social cues from other human beings.”

In Earth.com’s exclusive follow-up interview, Hoover said, “Engagement with all the senses in natural settings has been shown to improve well-being – physical, mental, and social . . . . Taking time to stop and savor the smell of flowers, put your nose into a pleasant odor plume and follow its source, engage deeply with food before eating – all these contribute to ‘smell-being’ and improvements in well-being.”

During her AAAS lecture, Hoover found a way to sum up all the presentations and embrace a common set of solutions. Her advice was to focus first on the environmental issues.                    

“The greener the city, the better the environment would be for our sense of smell,” she said. “And also, the greener the city the more we might be encouraged to go out and play in parks, getting exposed to sunlight and getting away from the computer more regularly. I think it’s continuing the theme that we’re talking about quite a lot in modern society today: having a better, healthier atmosphere.”

Hoover added this final tidbit of advice for Earth.com readers: “Invest in research and its applications that will foster green and sustainable alternatives to all the problematic tools in aid of 'modernity' that we have burdened our planet with.”

--

By David Searls, Earth.com Staff Writer

Source:<a href="http://www.aaas.org/"> American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>

Modern life is an “evolutionary mismatch” threatening us all

You might consider yourself lucky you didn’t attend the annual...

Housing in London and other parts of the United Kingdom is downright unattainable for many. That’s where out-of-the-box thinking (or in the box as the case may be) comes in. From a fiberglass houseboat and virtual playhouses to converted ambulance houses and free temporary lodging in luxury quarters, there’s no end to the sacrifices and creativity of Britons seeking affordable housing.

Here are a few of the alternative housing heroes of Britain, as reported by <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/news">BuzzFeed News</a>.

Tiny houses, tiny costs

The tiny houses supplied by Mark Burton can cost less than $7,500 U.S. Some are small enough to be towed by car, while others look like kids’ playhouses found in backyards. But they’re housing an ever-growing number of Britons.

“People want to either rent a piece of land on a farm or buy a small piece of woodland and have a tiny house and live in it, but the councils would not allow anything like that,” said Burton. “I know people who have done this and are living under the radar of the council, who wouldn’t want to be named.”

An 80s ambulance called home

David Coward, a 33-year-old seasonally employed forklift operator, values his dog, Billy, and his freedom. He likes it when the view changes outside his window. That’s why home is a 1980s-era ambulance found on eBay for about $1,000. Coward spent roughly $1,250 to add storage, a bed and a wood-burner.

Now he takes his home from job to job, moving when he must – without running water, but that’s just a detail.

“This is my life,” he said. “I do not want to change it.”

Houseboat house

London resident and theater student Phoebe Patey-Ferguson, 26, pays the British equivalent of about $40 monthly for her housing. Impossible? Not if you live on a fiberglass houseboat and your “landlord” is actually the Canal and River Trust.

“I don’t have electricity, plumbing, running water, solar panels, a kitchen, or a fridge,” she admitted. Furthermore, she must seek a new port every two weeks to stay legal. But her place is cozy and affordable and, she said, her first home that doesn’t have a wall of mold.

Legal squatter

Robyn Winfield-Smythe, 32, once lived in a grand but rundown property in Piccadilly that overlooked Buckingham Palace – and paid nothing for it. Naturally, there’s a catch. Smythe is a property guardian for the Live-In Guardians program. The idea is to install such temporary residents in apartment buildings idled before rehabilitation in order to keep utilities running and squatters away.

The downside is that Smythe can be removed with just two weeks’ notice. She called it a great exercise in “living for the moment” and shrugged off the frequent need to pack up and move.

These Britons and others are finding accommodations that fit their budgets and lifestyles – and even their sense of whimsy.

--

By David Searls, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tiny houses offset tiny income for Britain’s creative homeowners

Housing in London and other parts of the United Kingdom...

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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

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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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



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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

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