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.



-----



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...

Cosmic rays sounds like something out of a Ziggy-Stardust-era David Bowie song, but they’re real. It also turns out that these radiation clouds that appear at high altitudes may be problematic for frequent airline travelers. 

Scientists have always known that people were exposed to some degree of radiation when they traveled by airplane. Things like cosmic rays and solar wind sometimes penetrate the magnetic field around the Earth, creating low levels of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fukushima-radiation-levels-high/">radiation</a> through which air passengers soar when they fly. Levels of this radiation are higher in the polar regions, and longer flights subject passengers and crew to more radiation than shorter ones. 

How much radiation are we talking, here? Experts previously estimated that it would take a flight of approximately 12.5 hours to deliver as much radiation as a chest X-ray. That’s if the flight stays in the high latitudes and isn’t zipping past the polar regions or traveling when there are solar storms.

Meanwhile, they reported that mid-latitude flights take around 25 hours and flights around the equator take 100 hours to deliver the same amount of radiation.

New research has revealed that the levels in radiation clouds may be higher than scientists once thought, however.

W. Kent Tobiska and his team from<a href="http://www.spacewx.com"> Space Environment Technologies</a> ran tests that found surges in radiation level data that spiked as high as double what they had previously expected. He believes that radiation particle belts trapped in Earth’s magnetic field may sometimes “leak” and move into the Earth’s stratosphere. Flying through these particle clouds could cause the kinds of spikes seen in the research. 

If Tobiska’s theory is confirmed, scientists will need to find a way to identify the location of such clouds so that air crews can avoid them during flights. The team’s findings were published in the journal <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1542-7390/">Space Weather</a>. 

--
By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air travelers fly through radiation clouds, study shows

Cosmic rays sounds like something out of a Ziggy-Stardust-era David...

Tired of the daily traffic jam? Sick of sitting in a line of parked-and-running cars that are going nowhere fast? Elon Musk has a solution – why not just tunnel under it all? 

The billionaire founded SpaceX with the goal of making space transportation affordable and eventually colonizing Mars. He was also key in getting Paypal off the ground, as well as the architect of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/video/faraday-future/">Tesla</a> electric car. So when Musk says he’s going to do something, the world perks up its ears. 

That’s exactly what happened when Elon Musk tweeted about his frustration with Los Angeles-area traffic and what he planned to do about it. “Traffic is driving me nuts. Am going to build a tunnel boring machine and just start digging…” he wrote. 

Most people probably wrote off Musk’s tweet as someone blowing off steam. Until, that is, the next tweet arrived. This one was a picture of some sort of tunnel boring machine. This photo had the caption “Minecraft.” For those who are unfamiliar, players of the popular Minecraft game must dig huge tunnels in order to gain access to resources.

Musk knows all about travel. In addition to his groundbreaking work with Tesla and SpaceX, he’s been working to develop Hyperloop, a method of transportation in which passengers would be sealed in a pod and shot through a vacuum tube at speeds of 745 miles per hour.

Will Musk actually make good on his comments or was he simply venting in 140 characters or less? His final tweet on the matter: “I am actually going to do this.” 

--
By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Elon Musk suggests building a tunnel to beat L.A. traffic

Tired of the daily traffic jam? Sick of sitting in...

The saying, “There’s an app for that” now applies to fishermen. 

Developers of a new app hope to make it easier for fishermen to locate high-yield fishing areas, increasing the chance that they return to shore with a decent haul for the day. The app also features a function that lets the fishermen sell their catch before their boat even reaches shore. 

Those who make their living on the water are praising <a href="http://abalobi.info">Abalobi</a>, the app being piloted by the <a href="https://www.uct.ac.za">University of Cape Town</a>. Fishermen who use lines instead of nets sometimes only catch 20 fish a day, so being able to find the fish is important. The app’s GPS functionality lets users mark places where they’ve located large numbers of fish.

A fisherman’s workday doesn’t end once they’ve pulled their lines in for the day. They still have to sell their haul. Fishermen like David Shoshola are pleased that Abalobi lets him search out the best possible sale price for their daily catch, saving time and footwork once he returns to the dock. 

"It has removed a lot of the worry," he told <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news">BBC News</a>. "I have a wife and three kids to support, and it gives me much more security."

The app hasn’t gone without controversy, however. It has pitted fishermen who wish to make a living against conservationists alarmed about the depleting global fish population and overfishing. 

Matt Hayes, owner of an Atlantic <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tapeworm-salmon-sushi/">salmon</a> fishery in Norway, is concerned that large fishing operations may use the app to overfish certain areas, putting smaller operations out of business. 

"You don't want to deprive someone of a living, but you don't want to bestow upon them the tech that means they will fish themselves out of existence,” he said. 

Associate Professor Clive Trueman of the UK’s <a href="http://noc.ac.uk">National Oceanography Centre</a>, disagrees, saying that the app has simply digitized the way fishermen have traditionally used word-of-mouth to spread the news of good fishing areas. He has hopes that going forward, the app may be useful for scientists and conservationists. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New app helps fishermen seek and sell their catch

The saying, “There’s an app for that” now applies to...

Every year on February 2nd, otherwise known as Groundhog Day, Americans gather around to watch a furry rodent emerge from his burrow. If he sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of winter. If not, everyone celebrates the early arrival of spring.

Groundhog Day – or some form of it – has been celebrated for centuries all over the world. Early February marks the period that falls squarely between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It was a symbolic time for the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as the Celtics, who eagerly anticipated the emergence of spring. 

In Europe, February 2nd marked Candlemas Day for early Christians, who lit candles and commemorated the purification of the Virgin Mary.

The day also has a more practical significance. <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/lost-topsoil-farmers-switchgrass/">Farmers</a> who needed an indication of whether it was time to start planting would begin watching for hibernating rodents to emerge from their winter’s sleep. In Europe, this meant the emergence of hedgehogs or badgers. When German farmers first arrived in Pennsylvania, the groundhog was their Candlemas weathervane. 

According to Stan Zervanos of Pennsylvania State University, sleepy-eyed groundhogs are completely unaware of their weather-predicting significance to humans. When they emerge in early February, it’s for one reason alone: preparing to make sweet, sweet groundhog love. 

The furry creatures temporarily emerge in early February in order to chat up the females and reestablish the bonds necessary for finding a mate. Then they pop back into their burrows to finish their winter nap before ending their hibernation in early March – just in time for mating season. 

So the next time you think Punxsutawney Phil looks a little cranky as he’s being carried around by some guy in a top hat, it’s not your imagination. They’re throwing poor Phil completely off his game.    

--

By Dawn Henderson,<a href="http://earth.com"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

&nbsp;

The sexy science behind Groundhog Day

Every year on February 2nd, otherwise known as Groundhog Day,...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cats-just-smart-dogs-thank-much/">Cat lovers</a> take a lot of heat. They’re stereotyped as being eccentric recluses who struggle to find a piece of cat hair-free clothing every time they set foot out the door. Their lives revolve around the care and feeding of a demanding, aloof little fur ball (or three). And now, cat lovers are getting no love from the scientific community, as researchers have just announced a possible link between cat litter and Alzheimer’s disease. 

The problem lies in a tiny parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. It thrives in soiled litter boxes and is a real threat to pregnant women who end up with litter scooping duty. However, it’s also a risk to other cat owners who scoop the litter box and fail to wash their hands thoroughly afterwards. 

If a person is infected with T. gondii, the parasite moves into their brain. There, it can increase the risk of anxiety, schizophrenia, and even brain cancer. Scientists are also looking into whether or not the infection may cause Alzheimer’s disease. 

Scientists published the study in the <a href="http://www.journalofparasitology.org/">Journal of Parasitology</a>. Journal editor Michael Sukhdeo of <a href="http://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a> said that the Alzheimer’s-T. gondii link is likely because “the parasite likes to live in the brain. 

In their research, they looked at mice who were infected with T. gondii, as well as others who were altered to show symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s. Researchers found that mice infected with the parasite demonstrated impairments to their learning and memory that mimicked the classic symptoms of Alzheimer’s. 

They also noted that the infection altered the mice’s brain chemistry and increased their chances of developing Alzheimer’s. 

The findings increase the health risk posed by cat litter to pregnant women, but they also mean that other adults need to be more cautious when handling soiled cat litter. People who are infected may notice flu-like symptoms; they may also experience no symptoms whatsoever. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: Michael Sukhdeo, <a href="http://www.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University</a>

Oh, poop! Scientists link cat litter to Alzheimer’s

Cat lovers take a lot of heat. They’re stereotyped as...

Pretty soon, consumers will be able to wander into their neighborhood Walmart and go <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/green-technologies-development/">green</a> when they purchase their bath towels. A new initiative from the retail mega-chain aims to create more jobs in America as well as make manufacturing more environmentally-friendly. 

In 2014, Walmart, the Walmart Foundation, and the <a href="http://www.usmayors.org">United States Conference of Mayors</a> launched a funded effort to make it more cost-effective to manufacture household goods in the United States. Called the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund, it has awarded a total of $10 million in grants, including approximately $3 million for projects having to do with domestic manufacturing. 

The Boston Consulting Group expects that the initiative will create around 1 million new jobs in the U.S.

The effort isn’t only focused on job creation, however. The Innovation Fund is also meant to promote development of environmentally-friendly manufacturing practices. For example, Cornell University was the recipient of one investment. Researchers there designed a method to turn post-consumer textiles into brand-new products. An added plus: it reduces energy and water consumption. 

Grant recipients are carefully chosen and must meet specific criteria. They must be able to reduce the overall cost of textile manufacturing in the U.S. – a problem that has traditionally led to manufacturing being shipped overseas. They must also develop manufacturing processes in a way that can be broadly applied across many different kinds of products. 

Among the 2017 winners of the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation grant is Washington State University. They’re working to create a green process to recycle cotton waste. Since waste products creating from the dyeing process is a huge concern to manufacturers and environmentalists, University of Massachusetts Lowell was also one of the several winners. Researchers there are in the process of developing an eco-friendly magnetic dyeing technology.

--
By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Walmart goes to bat for jobs and the environment

Pretty soon, consumers will be able to wander into their...

For some time now, it has been widely understood that the Mayan civilization collapsed on two separate occasions. The first time occurred in the second century AD, known as the Preclassic Maya collapse, while the second took place in the ninth century AD, called the Classic Maya collapse.

But now, a team of researchers from the <a href="http://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> have used radiocarbon dating to find out why the Mayan civilization collapsed twice. According to their findings, published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, both periods underwent similar trajectories of warfare and social instability. 

“What we found out is that those two cases of collapse (Classic and Preclassic) follow similar patterns,’ said Takeshi Inomata, lead author of the study. “It’s not just a simple collapse, but there are waves of collapse.” 

“First, there are smaller waves, tied to warfare and some political instability, then comes the major collapse, in which many centers got abandoned.Then there was some recovery in some places, then another collapse.”

Radiocarbon dating from archaeological excavation sites has allowed the researchers to track the chronology of each event. The data revealed similar patterns of population size and construction increasing and decreasing.

“It’s really, really interesting that these collapses both look very similar, at very different time periods,” said Melissa Burham, co-author of the study. “We now have a good understanding of what the processes looked like, that potentially can serve as a template for other people to try to see if they have a similar pattern at their (archaeological) sites in the same area.”

“Radiocarbon dating has been used for a long time, but now we’re getting to an interesting period because it’s getting more and more precise,” added Inomata. “We’re getting to the point where we can get to the interesting social patterns because the chronology is refined enough, and the dating is precise enough.”

--

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com Staff Writer

Image: Takeshi Inomata/<a href="http://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a>

Mayan civilization collapsed twice for the same reasons, study shows

For some time now, it has been widely understood that...

When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg paid over $100 million for a 700-acre property in Hawaii in 2014, he likely envisioned raising his family in a peaceful retreat on the laid-back island. What he’s raised, however, is the ire of the locals. It’s safe to say that he hasn’t been welcomed to his Kauai neighborhood with leis and friendly “Alohas.” 

The problem? Nearly a dozen parcels of Zuckerberg’s land are owned by other people. Known as kuleana lands, these pieces of property were granted to private citizens in the <a href="http://www.hoakaleifoundation.org/documents/kuleana-act-1850">Kuleana Act of 1850</a>. A chunk of Zuckerberg’s estate is owned by kamaaina families. “Kamaaina” translates to “child of the land” and refers to people who were born on the island, regardless of their racial heritage. 

Zuckerberg has already bought interests in some of the kuleana lands from their part owners. Now, he’s hoping to force the other owners to sell the remaining land at public auction in a bid to get more privacy around his estate. He’s filed a massive lawsuit against hundreds of defendants who are listed as owners. Defendants in the cases will have 20 days to file a response to his lawsuit.  

Ownership of kuleana lands sometimes isn’t straightforward. For instance, one suit involves 300 different defendants who are descended from a Portuguese plantation worker granted land. Another parcel on Zuckerberg’s estate is owned by a woman who, in line with an ancient Hawaiian tradition, has no surname. Other cases involving the estate will have to be traced back hundreds of years through genealogical records.

Locals have already bumped heads with Zuckerberg over a rock wall he constructed around his property after he purchased it. The wall is meant to reduce noise from the highway and follows all necessary building regulations, but neighbors are angry that it disrupts their view. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

In bid for privacy, Zuckerberg files property lawsuit in Hawaii

When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg paid over $100 million for...

Something is rotten in the state of Pennsylvania. The town of Jersey Shore, to be exact – and no, it’s not wannabe reality TV stars. That’s a different Jersey Shore. This one is plagued by a field of rotting radishes.

The odor first infused the town about three weeks ago. Residents couldn’t find the source of the foul stench, so they turned to TV news station <a href="http://wnep.com/">WNEP</a> for help.

After getting descriptions of the odious odor from town citizens – who said the gag-worthy aroma was similar to a leaky propane tank, rotten eggs or bad pumpkins, and worse than a dead deer – the news team from the aptly named Nippenose Township set out to investigate.

The news team’s first stop was to check in with the obvious suspect: the town sewage plant. But things smelled no worse than usual there, WNEP said.

"If someone could smell our plant five miles (away), then the odor here would be quite overbearing and that's not the case," <a href="https://www.jerseyshorewater.com/">Jersey Shore Sewer Authority</a> director Shawn Lorson told the station.

So the news team had to follow their noses. Their olfactory investigation led them to some fields outside Jersey Shore.

Turns out the citizen who guessed rotten pumpkin wasn’t too far off. The fields that were raising such a big stink in Jersey Shore were full of bad vegetables, all right: rotting radishes.

The fields belonged to <a href="http://www.taseeds.com/">T.A. Seeds</a>, a company that sells hybrid corn, soy, alfalfa, and other crops throughout the U.S. In the winter, they told WNEP, they plant radishes as a cover crop to help scavenge the nutrients in the soil.

Usually, the radishes are mostly decayed by the time the weather warms up, and the town never has to deal with the smell. This year, however, unusually warm weather sent the horrible stench of rotten vegetables wafting through town.

“You know you are going to get more odor if you have this warm weather in January. You are going to smell it a lot quicker,” T.A. Seeds president Taylor Doebler told the Nippenose news team.

Eventually, the smell should go away, he said.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

This town stinks thanks to rotting radishes

Something is rotten in the state of Pennsylvania. The town...

Melbourne tram network soon to run on solar power 

The Melbourne tram network will soon be getting a boost from the sun thanks to a solar plant that’s soon to be built in Victoria. 

Expected to be finished by the end of 2018, the solar plant will be Victoria’s first large-scale solar plant. It will produce 75 megawatts of power, and roughly half of that will be used to power the tram network. <a href="http://www.vic.gov.au/contactsandservices/directory/?ea0_lfz149_120.&amp;roleWithSubordinates&amp;0f0ae7b5-1d94-447b-991c-17af23eefbf6">Energy, Environment and Climate Change</a> Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said that 35 megawatts of power will be an ample amount to power the Melbourne network, which currently consists of 410 trams. 

The Melbourne tram network isn’t the only thing that will benefit from the solar plant; the project is also expected to create 300 new jobs. In addition to this, the solar-produced energy will pour into the current electrical system. 

To help ensure that the project is financially stable, the government will purchase renewable energy certificates from the solar plant. In order to generate additional revenue, producers of renewable power often sell electricity, as well as renewable energy certificates. 

Meanwhile, questions remain about the overall price tag of the project, as well as the extent to which it will help citizens. D’Ambrosio did not answer questions about how much the project will cost. She also avoided directly saying whether building and using a solar plant – rather than existing power – would create eventual savings. 

"The more renewable energy that comes into the system actually puts downward pressure on electricity prices.” D’Ambrosio said to<a href="http://www.theage.com.au"> The Age</a>. 

Energy Minister David Southwick disagrees with the project and said that it won’t be a help to families who are struggling to pay their electrical bills. Meanwhile, environmental activists applauded the project. 

--
By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Melbourne tram network soon to run on solar power

Melbourne tram network soon to run on solar power The...

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pesticide-regulation-hawaiian-residents/">Hawaii</a> legislature is working to pass a bill that would put the state on the fast track to eco-conscious transportation. The hope is to have all vehicles in the state running on renewable fuel by 2045. If that seems like a huge hurdle, keep in mind that Hawaii has set a similarly high bar for its utilities, which it also hopes to see running 100% on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/renewable-energy-capacity-overtaken-coal/">renewables</a> by 2045. 

While the state is hoping to push for the change in transportation, they’re aware of the problems this may pose to residents and aren’t making them switch out their vehicles just yet. 

"Nobody wants to step in and force people to get rid of cars that they might love now," state Rep. Chris Lee, chairman of the Energy and Environment committee, told the <a href="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">Associated Press</a>.

Beyond a potential pushback from Hawaiians who are hesitant to purchase new cars, legislators know they’re facing an automobile industry that has been slow to change. In the state of Hawaii alone, there are only around 5,000 electric vehicles among the 1 million cars traveling the roads. While the Hawaiian auto industry is supportive of the bill, big changes in a small state won’t be enough to shift the global automotive industry in an environmentally-friendly direction. 

While the current bill won’t enforce renewable fuel mandates, it will make Hawaii more friendly to electric car drivers. It will increase the required number of electric vehicle charging stations so that drivers can boost their batteries while stopping to shop or grab a bite to eat. 

Hawaii currently ranks second in the U.S. for its number of electric car owners; it has 2.94 electric vehicles for every 1,000 residents. It has also developed and pursued renewable energy strategies more aggressively than any other state. 

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Hawaii says aloha to renewable fuel and electric cars

The Hawaii legislature is working to pass a bill that...

Dogs simply love heading outside for a walk. This daily <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-truth-about-dog-dreams/">dog</a> walking ritual between pet and owner serves as a bonding experience – one that researchers have discovered is more complex than people originally thought.

A recent study published in <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rscg20/current">Social &amp; Cultural Geography</a> shows that dog walks actually involve constant negotiation about where to walk, how long to walk, and how the walk will take place. Dog owners often make these decisions based on their perception of their pet’s personality, likes, and dislikes. 

Taking a dog for a walk involves more than simply heading out the door for a bit of exercise. Louis Platt, lecturer at <a href="http://www2.mmu.ac.uk">Manchester Metropolitan University</a> and co-author of the study, says that dog walking is a shared experience between the dog and owner. Humans want to see their dogs have fun and wish to provide a safe, stress-free environment in which that can happen. 

This is why dog owners tailor their walk schedule and journey to their dog’s individual needs. Many owners hit the great outdoors with their canine companions because they feel that it’s where their pets can let loose and demonstrate the “doggyness” that is so often denied to them while indoors. 

Owners spoke of heading to their dog’s “favorite park” or areas where they felt the dog enjoyed frolicking. They also customize the length of their walks according to what they felt their dog would most enjoy. One study participant said that long daily walks were part of her dog’s “right” to a good life. 

Caution and anxiety also play a role in dog owner’s decisions about where and how to walk. People with large or aggressive dogs tend to avoid paths where they might meet other dogs, lots of people, or small children. Letting their canines off leash was another activity where dog owners took special care. Many of them expressed concern at the idea of their dog wandering away. Owners who approve of off-leash dog walking feel that this is “the dog’s time” to be itself. 

From when to leash up to where to head out, there’s definitely more to dog walking than lifting legs and wagging tails.

--

By Dawn Henderson, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer
Source: Louis Platt, <a href="http://www2.mmu.ac.uk">Manchester Metropolitan University</a>

Negotiating the world of dog walking

Dogs simply love heading outside for a walk. This daily...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

[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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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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...