Not long ago, the common belief was that only a subset of media consumers - often less educated and highly biased - would let their political allegiance override the truth. They would believe the news that favors their political inclinations, even if it wasn't authentic.



Then some intriguing studies emerged which indicated quite the opposite. The research suggested that media consumers across the spectrum value truth over partisanship.



The studies proclaimed that the authenticity of news was more influential than its alignment with a consumer's political views by more than four times.



However, as we stand on the brink of a national election fraught with misinformation, a fresh study shakes this understanding to its core.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-and-political-views">News and political views</h2>



The research, led by top psychology scholars at Stanford University, suggests that the masses tend to prioritize partisanship over truth when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/political-views-change-our-perception-of-the-past-and-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consuming news</a>.



Quite unexpectedly, this behavioral pattern spans across all political orientations, educational backgrounds, and reasoning capabilities.



Study lead author Michael Schwalbe is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychology at the School of Humanities and Sciences at <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford University</a>.



"We saw an effect of people being more influenced by political alignment than truth," said Schwalbe. 



"We saw it on both political sides and even among people who scored well on a reasoning test. We were a bit surprised to see how widespread this tendency was. People were engaging in a lot of resistance to inconvenient truths."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pervasive-problem-across-political-parties">Pervasive problem across political parties</h2>



The researchers unearthed intriguing ways in which political views and partisanship can impact the analysis of news. 



In one measure of bias, people's beliefs about the impartiality of their political side compared to their rivals were assessed. Ironically, those who were most confident in their side's neutrality were the most biased.



Furthermore, partisanship seemed to have a more robust effect on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-opinions-swing-voting-and-elections-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">processing real news</a> than fake news. People demonstrated a higher propensity to reject true information that challenged their political views and accept false information that supported their ideological stances.



"Everyone thinks it's the other person who is the problem," said Geoffrey L. Cohen, the James G. March Professor of Organizational Studies in Education and Business, professor of psychology in H&amp;S, and senior author of the study. 



"People say, 'Not me!' But it turns out, like with a lot of social psychological research, it's actually a pretty pervasive problem across political parties and up and down the educational ladder. The problem isn't just misinformation but the filters of our own mind - perhaps more so."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-sources-and-political-beliefs">News sources and political beliefs</h2>



The study is based on research conducted on a sample of the voting-age U.S. population, matched to the demographics of the census. This group included supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump.



A distinctive aspect of this research is its deviation in methodology from previous studies. According to Cohen, this could be why the findings contradict them. While the other studies used existing news headlines, this research involved fabricated ones.



Also, in prior investigations, subjects could see the news sources, which may have influenced their acceptance or rejection of the information, whereas this study focused on the headlines alone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-role-of-headlines">The role of headlines</h2>



The research team conjured fake headlines like "Trump Beats Grandmaster Chess Champion" and "Trump Attended Private Halloween Gala with Sex Orgies Dressed as the Pope." 



Surprisingly, the experts discovered that Trump's supporters and opponents were more likely to believe headlines that aligned with their views than to accept <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cities-are-largely-unprepared-for-the-effects-of-climate-change/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">true headlines</a> that opposed their beliefs.



The researchers suggest that one contributing factor for this situation is the increased consumption of partisan media. 



"We found that the strongest predictors of bias include extreme views of Trump, a one-sided media diet, and belief in the objectivity and lack of bias of a person's own political side relative to the other side," Schwalbe said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-growing-concern-about-news-consumption">Growing concern about news consumption </h2>



The findings of this study underscore concerns about news consumption in the 21st century, especially with the advent of social media and the constant availability of political news. 



Gaining access to one-sided information has become easier, which can reinforce beliefs in personal objectivity and lead to deepened polarization over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-possible-paths-to-improvement">Possible paths to improvement</h2>



Having identified the problem, the next logical step is to propose interventions. A measure suggested by Cohen, known as "pre-bunking," involves proactive fact-checking where media sources warn of potential misinformation, or people independently learn to recognize manipulation tactics.



However, Cohen and Schwalbe emphasized that the solution doesn't solely lie in policy changes focused on fake news; people are also biased in their disbelief of true news.



Accordingly, they highlight the significance of promoting intellectual humility, wherein media consumers acknowledge the fallibility of their minds and learn to question their perceptions.



"There's still much more to do to understand the problem," said Schwalbe. So, while this study forms a solid foundation for further exploration, there's no denying that we're only at the beginning of this investigative journey.



The study is published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2025-33892-004.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Experimental Psychology: General</a>. 



-----



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People trust news that matches their political views, even when it's fake

Not long ago, the common belief was that only a subset of media consumers - often less educated and highly biased - would let their political allegiance override the truth. They would believe the news that favors their political inclinations, even if it wasn't authentic. Then some intriguing studies emerged which indicated quite the opposite. The research suggested that media consumers across the spectrum value truth over partisanship. The studies proclaimed that the authenticity of news was more influential than its alignment with a consumer's political views...

Research on the unlikely similarities between chili peppers and marijuana could be key to new therapies for diabetes and colitis, according to a new study by the <a href="http://uconn.edu/">University of Connecticut</a>.

When eaten, both interact with same receptor in our stomachs, according to the paper published in the April 24 issue of the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

Chili peppers contain a chemical called capsaicin which researchers found lowered inflammation in mice. Feeding chili peppers to mice actually cured.them of Type 1 diabetes. 

Researchers also discovered capsaicin was binding to a receptor called TRPV1, which is found on specialized cells throughout the gastrointestinal tract.

When capsaicin binds to it, TRPV1 causes cells to make anandamide, a  compound chemically similar to cannabinoids in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-strain-flavors/">marijuana</a>.

The molecule reacts with both TRPV1 (to produce more anandamide) and another receptor to activate a type of immune cell that subdues inflammation, the study found. 

The brain also has anandamide receptors that react with the cannabinoids in marijuana to get people high. The question of why humans have receptors for cannabinoids in their brains has long been a mystery, the study said..

"This allows you to imagine ways the immune system and the brain might talk to each other," said Pramod Srivastava, professor of Immunology and medicine at UConn Health School of Medicine. “They share a common language, And one word of that common language is anandamide.”

The researchers don’t know yet don't know how or why anandamide might relay messages between the immune system and the brain.

It's remains difficult to get a federal license to experiment on human with marijuana, but state legalization of pot may open to new resources for researchers.

"I'm hoping to work with the public health authority in Colorado to see if there has been an effect on the severity of colitis among regular users of edible weed," since pot became legal there in 2012, Srivastava said. 

That could help researchers make a case  that anandamide or other cannabinoids could be used as therapeutic drugs to treat certain disorders of the stomach, pancreas, intestines and colon, the university said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://uconn.edu/">University of Connecticut</a>

How chili peppers and marijuana can calm your stomach

Research on the unlikely similarities between chili peppers and marijuana...

Exercise can benefit the body in numerous ways, even if the activity isn’t particularly strenuous. Researchers at <a href="http://www.nmhu.edu/">New Mexico Highlands University</a> (NMHU) have recently found that the simple exercise of walking has significant benefits for your brain.

The research team discovered that the impact your foot creates while walking actually sends pressure waves through your arteries, which can significantly modify and increase the supply of blood to your brain. It was previously believed that blood supply to the brain was involuntarily regulated by the body and remained unaffected by changes in blood pressure caused by <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hunter-gatherers/">exercise</a>.

In a previous study, NMHU researchers had found that the foot’s impact during running caused impact-related retrograde (backward-flowing) waves through the arteries that can sync with the heart rate and stride rate to dynamically regulate the circulation of blood to the brain.

While conducting this similar study on walking, they found that the lighter foot impact caused by walking is still significant enough to produce pressure waves that increase blood flow to the brain. Although these effects were less intense than the ones caused by running, they were still noticeable.

“What is surprising is that it took so long for us to finally measure these obvious hydraulic effects on cerebral blood flow,” says Ernest Greene – the first author of the study. “There is an optimizing rhythm between brain blood flow and ambulating. Stride rates and their foot impacts are within the range of our normal heart rates (about 120/minute) when we are briskly moving along.”

These results show how important even light exercise can be to an individual’s overall wellbeing. So if you feel like your brain isn’t working to full capacity, take it for a walk.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://experimentalbiology.org/2017/Home.aspx">Experimental Biology 2017</a>

Why walking daily is crucial to brain health

Exercise can benefit the body in numerous ways, even if...

Need another reason to skip the sugary mocha and take the stairs? Climbing stairs could actually boost your energy more than caffeine does.

This is good news for the sleep-deprived young women who served as the subjects of the new study, conducted by <a href="http://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a> kinesiologists. That’s because a jolt of caffeine in the afternoon can add to the problem – causing them to lose sleep – with less benefit.

Knowing which method is more effective for boosting energy – ingesting caffeine or climbing stairs – can help sleep-deprived groups make smarter choices, authors Dr. Derek D. Randolph and Dr. Patrick J. O’Connor said.

“The acute energizing effect of exercise and caffeine has never been examined in a single study of adults with chronic sleep deprivation but evidence from a study of this type could help individuals choose between these two common alertness-enhancing options,” Randolph and O’Connor wrote in their study, published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938416310666">Physiology and Behavior</a>.

For the study, the pair found 18 college women ranging from ages 18 to 23 willing to participate. They asked them to spend 10 minutes climbing stairs, to take a 50-mg caffeine pill, or to take a placebo pill in a blind test.

They found that the women reported higher energy after climbing stairs than they did after taking either the caffeine pill or the placebo. 

“A brief bout of low-to-moderate intensity stair walking has transient energizing effects that exceed a low dose of caffeine for active young women with chronic insufficient sleep,” they wrote.

In other words, it gives you a stronger energy boost that lasts longer, without staying in your system for four to five hours the way caffeine does. The short, moderate burst of exercise also doesn’t serve up most of the side effects of caffeine, like restlessness and stomach irritation.

It may be less tasty than a caramel macchiato, but for people who need energy in the afternoon without lingering effects on sleep, climbing stairs may be a better option – and better for the waistline, too.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Need a pick-me-up? Climbing stairs could beat caffeine

Need another reason to skip the sugary mocha and take...

Ever wonder why your coworker can walk right by the chocolate birthday cake in the break room without batting an eye, while you’ve already had your third piece and it’s not even noon? Chocolate has been the dietary downfall of many a person, but scientists now think these irresistible food desires and eating habits could be linked to gene variations within the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/animals-one-side-brain/">brain</a>.

New research from the <a href="https://www.uam.es/UAM/Home.htm">Universidad Autonoma de Madrid</a> in Spain sheds light on how gene variations from person to person influence how our brains desire different foods. In the past, much research has been done to identify the genes linked to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, but little has been done on how gene variants could affect eating behaviors in healthy individuals. 

“Most people have a hard time modifying their dietary habits, even if they know it is in their best interest," explains Silvia Berciano – the leading researcher from <a href="https://www.uam.es/UAM/Home.htm">Universidad Autonoma</a>. “This is because our food preferences and ability to work toward goals or follow plans affect what we eat and our ability to stick with diet changes.”

This study is the first of its kind to describe how brain genes affect food intake as well as dietary preferences in healthy people. It includes an analysis of the genetics of over 800 men and women of European ancestry, which was paired with information about their individual diets.

Through this analysis, the researchers found that their genes of interest played a significant role in an individual’s food choices and dietary habits. Higher chocolate intake and a larger waist size were both linked to certain variations of the oxytocin receptor gene. Furthermore, a gene associated with obesity had an impact on vegetable and fiber intake. Not surprisingly, they also found specific genes that were linked to salt and fat intake.

The scientists believe that this knowledge could lead to improved strategies that help people understand and follow their optimal diets. “The knowledge gained through our study will pave the way to better understanding of eating behavior and facilitate the design of personalized dietary advice that will be more amenable to the individual, resulting in better compliance and more successful outcomes,” says Berciano.

Research such as this could also be helpful in developing new medical treatments and therapies that will aid in minimizing a person’s risk for diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. 

The research team hopes to continue with similar studies involving other groups of people with different characteristics and ethnicities. They also plan on investigating whether the gene variants they identified are associated with increased risks in certain diseases or health issues.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://experimentalbiology.org/2017/Home.aspx">Experimental Biology 2017</a>

New research shows how our eating habits may be genetic

Ever wonder why your coworker can walk right by the...

Today, Saturday April 22nd, marks the official arrival of Earth Day 2017. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and support our planet - and it may be the most important Earth Day yet.

Why? Because this year, we find ourselves at a crucial environmental crossroads. Sea levels are rising, pollution is rampant, and now, the new Trump administration has made it clear that it does not consider the health of our planet to be a priority. President Trump has slashed the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency and appointed a climate-change denier to run the federal agency. He’s called global warming a hoax “made up by the Chinese” and has issued a permit for the controversial Keystone XL Pipeline. He’s even threatened to back out of the landmark 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to curb global emissions.  Yikes.

But if you love the planet as much as we do, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> has your back. We’ve assembled this step-by-step guide to getting active in saving our planet and protecting its vital resources against those who will happily trade it in for profit. 

Here’s what YOU can do about it:

&nbsp;

The MARCH FOR SCIENCE is today!

On the heels of the massively successful Women’s March comes the <a href="https://www.marchforscience.com">March For Science</a> - a global effort to organize, voice support, and “defend the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments.” And it’s happening today!

“The March for Science champions robustly funded and publicly communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, nonpartisan group to call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policy-makers to enact evidence based policies in the public interest.  

The March for Science is a celebration of science.  It's not only about scientists and politicians; it is about the very real role that science plays in each of our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world.  

Nevertheless, the march has generated a great deal of conversation around whether or not scientists should involve themselves in politics. In the face of an alarming trend toward discrediting scientific consensus and restricting scientific discovery, we might ask instead: can we afford not to speak out in its defense?”

Get up, and get out to join us today in the March For Science. <a href="https://www.marchforscience.com">Click here</a> to learn more and register for your local march.

&nbsp;

STOP USING SO MUCH PLASTIC

As it stands, 300 million tons of plastic are manufactured each year to make disposable bags, bottles, and packaging. But only 10% of that plastic is correctly recycled and reused. 

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plastic-waste-dumped-arctic/">we reported</a>, plastic waste has become a massive problem for the world’s oceans. In fact, plastic waste is now “abundant and widespread” even in the Arctic where there is a very low human population. 

What can you do about it? Start with your own habits. Purchase reusable grocery bags. Make sure to recycle plastic bottles and utensils. Eliminate unnecessary plastic from your life and encourage (or shame!) your friends and loved ones to do the same.

&nbsp;

LAND RIGHTS NOW

As <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/land-rights-indigenous-peoples/">we reported</a> earlier this week, communities, women’s groups, and environmental activists are joining forces with Indigenous Peoples today as part of the <a href="http://www.landrightsnow.org/">Land Rights Now</a> initiative. Protests, events, and meetings will take place to draw attention to the global campaign that aims to help protect the land ownership rights of Indigenous Peoples. The goal of the initiative, launched in March 2016, is to double the quantity of land owned and managed by Natives and local communities by 2020.

"The power of the <a href="http://www.landrightsnow.org/">Land Rights Now</a> initiative is its unifying call to respect the rights of approximately 2.5 billion people, which includes around 400 million Indigenous Peoples," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/SRIndigenousPeoples/Pages/SRIPeoplesIndex.aspx">UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a>. "Recognizing these rights also means reducing conflict, fighting against climate change, promoting sustainable development, preserving cultures, and protecting the world's most fragile ecosystems."

<a href="http://www.landrightsnow.org/">Click here</a> to get involved with Land Rights Now. 

&nbsp;

REDUCE YOUR FOOTPRINT

Our friends at <a href="http://www.earthday.org">EarthDay.org</a> have assembled an incredibly useful quiz to help teach people how they can reduce their footprint and help preserve natural resources. As it stands, humans are consuming far more resources than the Earth can replenish. 

<a href="http://www.earthday.org/reduce-footprint-take-ecological-footprint-quiz/">Click Here</a> to take the Ecological Footprint Quiz and learn more about how you can help stop this unsustainable cycle.

&nbsp;

DONATE

Earth Day Network's mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle to build a healthy, sustainable environment, address climate change, and protect the Earth for future generations.

Earth Day 2017 will see teach-ins around the world and a March for Science rally on the National Mall that will bring together scientists and supporters to demand that our leaders recognize the scientific truths across all disciplines, including climate change and other environmental issues.  

<a href="https://donate.earthday.org/checkout/donation?eid=76714">Click here</a> to donate to Earth Day Network.

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Rory Arnold</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earth Day Exclusive: Your guide to saving the planet

Today, Saturday April 22nd, marks the official arrival of Earth...

Men tell sexist and homophobic jokes when they feel their masculinity is being questioned, according to a new study by researchers from <a href="http://wcu.edu/">Western Carolina University</a>.

In the study, 387 heterosexual men were asked how much they agreed with various statements, including “Women seek to gain power by getting control over men” and “Once a woman gets a man to commit to her, she usually tries to put him on a tight leash.” 

The study also examined the types of humor the men preferred. 

Sexist and anti-gay jokes provided self-affirmation to the men who feel their masculinity is being questioned, the study found.

“Men higher in precarious manhood beliefs expressed amusement with sexist and anti-gay humor in response to a masculinity threat because they believe it reaffirms an accurate, more masculine impression of them,” said Dr Emma O'Connor, lead author of the study. "It appears that by showing amusement with sexist and anti-gay humor, such men can distance themselves from the traits they want to disconfirm.”

The researchers hope the findings will help create a better understanding about the kinds of situations in which sexist and anti-gay jokes occur, and ultimately prevent them from being used, for instance, in the workplace.

"Work settings where women occupy positions of authority might inherently trigger masculinity threats for men higher in precarious manhood beliefs and thus sexist joking," O'Connor said.

She points out that sexist jokes and teasing are the most common forms of sexual harassment that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/challenges-zika-vaccine-success/">women</a> experience in the workplace.

"Since humor is given social protection afforded to humor as a medium for communicating disparagement, it is possible that men use sexist humor in the workplace as a ”'safe” way to reaffirm their threatened masculinity,"  O'Connor said. 

&nbsp;

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://wcu.edu/">Western Carolina University</a>

Men turn to misogyny to affirm their masculinity, says new study

Men tell sexist and homophobic jokes when they feel their...

It turns out that psychedelic drugs actually do create a higher state of of consciousness, a new study says.

The research by the <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sackler/">Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex</a>,  is the first to show brain-signal diversity that is higher than in someone who is simply 'awake and aware,' the authors say.

Previous studies have tended to focus on lowered states of consciousness, such as sleep, anesthesia, or the so-called “vegetative” state.

In this study, neuroscientists observed a sustained increase in neural signal diversity, which measures the complexity of brain activity in people under the influence of psychedelic <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/lsd-accidental-discovery/">drugs</a> compared with when they were in a normal waking state.

"This finding shows that the brain-on-psychedelics behaves very differently from normal,” said Anil Seth, co-director of the Sackler Centre .  

During the psychedelic state, the electrical activity of the brain is less predictable and less 'integrated' than during normal conscious wakefulness - as measured by global signal diversity, Seth said.  

"Since this measure has already shown its value as a measure of 'conscious level', we can say that the psychedelic state appears as a higher 'level' of consciousness than normal - but only with respect to this specific mathematical measure," Seth said.

The study re-analysed data that had previously been collected by <a href="http://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> and the <a href="http://www.imperial.ac.uk/">University of Cardiff</a> in which healthy volunteers were given one of three psychedelic drugs: psilocybin, ketamine and LSD.

The researchers stress that their findings do not mean that the psychedelic state is a 'better' or more desirable state of consciousness. Instead it shows that the psychedelic brain state is distinctive and can be related to other global changes in conscious level such as sleep and anesthesia by application of a simple mathematical measure of signal diversity.

The findings could be valuable in exploring controlled medical use of psychedelic for example in treating severe depression, the researchers said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sackler/">Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex</a>

New study proves that psychedelics create a higher consciousness

It turns out that psychedelic drugs actually do create a...

Human influences account for the decline in water retained from melting snow on mountains in the Western United States, a new study found.

Over the last three decades, the annual maximum amount of water contained from the mountains has declined 20 percent, the study said. Natural influences alone could not account for the losses, the researchers said.

Their analysis attributed the drop to human factors such as changes in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forests-reduce-greenhouse-gases/">greenhouse gases</a>, aerosols, ozone and land use.

"These results add to the evidence of a human influence on climate that will have severe impacts on our water supply," said Benjamin Santer, a climate scientist at <a href="https://www.llnl.gov/">Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory</a> and a co-author of the paper.

Data examined by the researchers showed that 307 of the 354 snow runoff measuring stations or about 87 percent of all stations, have a negative trend in annual maximum water from snow runoff.

The researchers estimate another 60 percent loss of maximum water from melted snow over the next 60 years. 

Runoff from melting snow in the mountains strongly influences the levels of rivers and streams . 

"The projected losses have serious implications for the hydropower, municipal and agricultural sectors in the region," said John Fyfe, a senior research scientist at the <a href="http://www.cccma.ec.gc.ca/">Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis of Environment and Climate Change Canada</a>, and lead author of the study, scheduled for publication in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.llnl.gov/">Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory</a>

Decline in Western U.S. snow runoff due to human influences

Human influences account for the decline in water retained from...

Sometimes the act of simply looking at food is enough to make one’s mouth water with hunger. It’s why fast food commercials feature perfectly manicured hamburgers and ice-cold beverages dripping with condensation. But have you ever wondered why our brain is able to make this connection?

In a recent study, scientists at the <a href="https://www.nig.ac.jp/nig/">National Institute of Genetics</a> (NIG) in Japan revealed the direct link between visual perception of food and feeding motivation. They were able to determine this link by studying the neuronal activity in specific areas of the zebrafish brain, which suggested that “eating with the eyes” is a trait rooted deep within evolution.

For this study, Professor Kawakami – the senior author of the paper – made use of his expansive zebrafish facility, which contains thousands of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-fish-migration/">fish</a> tanks and nearly 2,000 genetically different fish lines. Two of these driver fish lines were used in the study: one for the imaging of prey detector neurons and the other for the feeding center located in the hypothalamus.

“In vertebrate animals, feeding behavior is regulated by a brain area called the hypothalamus,” explains Dr. Muto – the leading author of the study. “The hypothalamic feeding center integrates information about bodily energy requirements and environmental food availability. Zebrafish, like humans, mostly use vision for recognition of food or prey.” But not much was known about how the hypothalamus received its visual information about the prey. 

The researchers decided to look for neurons in the visual system of the fish that responded to prey. This led to their discovery of “prey detector” neurons in an area called the pretectum. Going even further, they found a direct neural link that connected prey detector neurons to the hypothalamic feeding center.

They were able to make this discovery due to recent progress in the development of a highly sensitive, genetically encoded calcium indicator called GCaMP, which they used to monitor neuronal activity in the form of calcium signals.

“Successful brain imaging was made possible through development of our genetic resources on which I have spent more than twenty years,” says Kawakami. “This is the power of zebrafish genetics. This work showcases a successful application of our genetic resources in the study of brain function.”

The researchers believe that this study is an important step in understanding how the visual perception of food links to motivational feeding behavior. Further research may help increase understanding of how feeding is regulated and could possibly lead to improvements in treating eating disorders.

More information on this study can be found in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.rois.ac.jp/english/">Research Organization of Information and Systems</a>

The real reason looking at food can make you feel hungry

Sometimes the act of simply looking at food is enough...

Communities, women’s groups, and environmental activists are joining forces with Indigenous Peoples today as part of the <a href="http://www.landrightsnow.org/">Land Rights Now</a> initiative. Protests, events, and meetings will take place this week to draw attention to the global campaign that aims to help protect the land ownership rights of Indigenous Peoples. The goal of the initiative, launched in March 2016, is to double the quantity of land owned and managed by Natives and local communities by 2020.

"The power of the <a href="http://www.landrightsnow.org/">Land Rights Now</a> initiative is its unifying call to respect the rights of approximately 2.5 billion people, which includes around 400 million Indigenous Peoples," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the <a href="http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/SRIndigenousPeoples/Pages/SRIPeoplesIndex.aspx">UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples</a>. "Recognizing these rights also means reducing conflict, fighting against climate change, promoting sustainable development, preserving cultures, and protecting the world's most fragile ecosystems."

Governments are taking control of the future of land that they do not have the right to govern, as the struggle for Indigenous Peoples to secure their land rights becomes a global issue. Dams, coal mines and palm oil plantations are among the projects that are in the works that would demolish the conservation efforts of many generations of Indigenous peoples. Natives are attempting to gain the acknowledgement and support of both the government and the private sector for their efforts to preserve biodiversity and prevent climate change. Communities of Brazil, Kenya, Guatemala, and Taiwan are demanding their rights to land be recognized before it is too late.

"We have the right to decide our own future and survival, and are carrying out projects that protect our territory and protect our planet from the impacts of climate change," said Manari Ushigua, President of the Sápara Federation in Ecuador.

The Save Lamu Coalition has united in Kenya to protest the construction of of a coal plant in Lamu, a coastal town in Kenya. The community here depends on the land and coastal waters that would be immensely damaged by the coal plant.

"We're not anti-development, but no one in the world has ventured into coal mining and faced no long-term consequences," noted Ishaq Abubakar of the Lamu Youth Alliance.

Lamu activist Walid Ahmed added, "The whole world is worried about global warming and climate change. It can't be these things do not matter for Lamu."

Brazil, once known as a leader in preserving Indigenous land rights, is now blatantly disregarding these rights with infrastructure plans that threaten the livelihood of the Munduruku and other Amazonian communities. Part of the Amazon forest, which happens to be one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, would be devastated by the development of a proposed mega-dam. 

"Indigenous lands help regulate the planet's climate, for they are obstacles to deforestation. There is ten times less deforestation in indigenous lands than in non-titled lands," said Sônia Guajajara, National Coordinator of Brazil's Association of Indigenous Peoples. "The section of the Amazon Forest under our protection stores 13 billion tons of carbon. Without these reserves, Brazil will not comply with the goals established in the Paris Climate Agreement."

Indigenous movement leaders have enlisted the help of Justice Minister Osmar Serraglio, a former member of Brazil’s agribusiness legislature. They are urging Serraglio to help end the Brazilian government’s attack on Indigenous People’s rights and land. Activists also want Serraglio to stop efforts to pass a Constitutional Amendment that will slow the legal designation of land to the Natives.

"The [Brazilian] government is coming here to get rid of everything--the natives, the forest and the river," said Chief Juarez Saw of the Munduruku.

In Guatemala, palm oil production is taking precedence over the Natives’ land ownership rights, and many have been forced to leave their land. Communities of Raxruha in the Alta Verapaz region have been impacted the most, but the effects of this industry are approaching surrounding villages. The Network of Communities Affected by Palm Oil has organized to demand the government to stop violating land ownership rights. They also point out that the social and environmental damage that has been done must be repaired.

The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/preparing-new-era-wildfires/">forests</a> have provided a way of life for the Guatemalan Natives that preserve them for generations. These resourceful  forests are being rapidly replaced by palm oil plantations that are damaging the environment. For many of the Natives, their lives have been completely uprooted. Any opposition by the Natives to the acquisition of their land is met with violence and force.

Margarita Osorio is a local women's leader and land rights activist. "The destruction of the forests began when they started planting palm oil. We feel challenged and intimidated by the way they criminalize and threaten us," said Osorio.

Recent legislature took away any chance for Natives of Taiwan to protect their land rights. The government can take away their land with no contention, and they have. The Pinuyamayan people in the community of Kasavakan have already lost ten acres of forest. They are teaming up with other Indigenous organizations to oppose the new regulation.

"Now we have no way to exercise our Free, Prior and Informed Consent when a development project is conducted in so-called 'private lands,'" said Tuhi Martukaw, a member of the community. "It is ten acres today but what worries the community is what comes next. The concern is that this ruling will split apart Indigenous Peoples lands and make way for massive development projects that don't take the existing communities into consideration." 

Indigenous Peoples have been responsible for the conservation of the land and forests they inhabit for ages. Research shows they have maintained a high level of biodiversity and lower deforestation rates in their ancestral community forests. Despite the immeasurable protection these groups have provided for natural resources, governments across the globe are disregarding the land rights of Natives with plans of destructive projects. The disturbance of these well-preserved habitats is not only a threat to the Indigenous Peoples, but also a threat to the climate and the Earth’s most valuable substances. 

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.landrightsnow.org/">Land Rights Now</a>

Urgent action taken to secure land rights of Indigenous peoples

Communities, women’s groups, and environmental activists are joining forces with...

While we humans may have liquor stores and bars to supply us with seemingly endless amounts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/alcohol-body-drunk/">alcohol</a>, we’re not the only organisms that can get drunk and act out. When under the effects of alcohol, inebriated crayfish will tail-flip until they become over-intoxicated and eventually roll on their backs – as researchers from the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a> found out recently.

Professor Jens Herberholz and students Matthew Swierzbinski and Andrew Lazarchik at the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a> have published a study showing that isolated crayfish are less sensitive to the effects of alcohol than socialized crayfish. Herberholz previously studied the cellular mechanisms that underlie decision-making and aggression in crayfish, so he was interested to see how previous social experience in these crustaceans might change how alcohol affects them.

“How past social experience might shape the neurobehavioral effects of acute alcohol exposure is significantly understudied,” says Herberholz. This may be due to the fact that alcohol is a complicated drug, as it affects a wide range of cellular systems. This means that the factors that contribute to alcohol sensitivity have gone largely undiscovered.

The research team began their experiment by intoxicating individual crayfish that were previously housed together. Rather than allowing them to sip from glasses of full-bodied merlot, the crayfish were placed in tanks of dilute alcohol from a range of concentrations. The individuals were then filmed as they became more and more intoxicated – going from walking aggressively on stiff legs to tail-flipping to finally rolling on their backs.

As was expected, the effects occurred much more quickly in the tanks with the highest alcohol concentrations, which caused the crayfish to begin tail-flipping just 20 minutes into the exposure. The crustaceans that were in the most dilute alcohol took around 2 hours to express this behavior.

When the team performed the same tests on crayfish that had been held in isolation for a week prior to their night out on the town, the animals were significantly less sensitive to the effects of alcohol. In this case, they took about 28 minutes on average to being tail-flipping. 

This tail-flipping behavior in crayfish is controlled by the lateral giant interneuron. By inserting fine silver wires near the sensory nerves that excite this interneuron, Lazarchik discovered that the neural circuit became more sensitive in both isolated and socialized crayfish when they were inebriated. However, the effects of alcohol on the lateral giant interneuron became apparent more quickly in the sociable crayfish – perfectly matching their more expedited tail-flipping behavior.

Herberholz believes that alcohol may have more of an impact on the GABA neurotransmitter – which inhibits behavior – in the socialized crayfish compared to the isolated ones. He also suspects that isolation could cause humans to become less sensitive to the effects of drinking, and may cause individuals to consume more.

“Our study shows that social experience can change the sensitivity to acute alcohol,” says Herberholz, going on to add that similar responses may be observable through socialization studies of humans – although they are a long way from proving this theory. The researchers hope that in the future, this research could lead to better treatments and preventative measures to help humans suffering from alcohol abuse.

More information on this study can be found in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.biologists.com/">The Company of Biologists</a>

What crayfish can teach us about the effects of alcohol

While we humans may have liquor stores and bars to...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a> predicts that sea-level rise could lead to an influx of evacuees into inland cities – similar to what <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rising-sea-louisiana-coast/">Louisiana</a> experienced after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

The researchers estimate that rising ocean waters could displace approximately 13.1 million people over the next century. This is the first study that attempts to model the inland destination of millions of potentially displaced migrants from coastal communities. Ultimately, the data points to Atlanta, Houston, and Phoenix as major destinations for those looking to relocate.

Studies of sea-level rise as a singularity are common, and may help plan for the development of necessary infrastructure. But little research has been done on where the displaced populations will go. In fact, no previous studies model the potential migration due to sea-level rise or how it will affect populations in areas that could be potential safe havens.

“We typically think about sea level rise as a coastal issue, but if people are forced to move because their houses become inundated, the migration could affect many landlocked communities as well,” says Mathew Hauer, the study’s lead author.

The lack of research done on this connection is likely due to the fact that the relationships between environmental stressors and migrations are extremely complicated. In particular, sea-level rise is a unique environmental stressor as it permanently converts habitable land into uninhabitable water.

For this study, the researchers combined estimates of populations at risk from sea-level rise within a migration systems simulation in order to estimate both the number of migrants and their possible destinations over the coming century. 

“Some of the anticipated landlocked destinations, such as Las Vegas, Atlanta and Riverside, California, already struggle with water management or growth management challenges,” explains Hauer.

By getting a head start on preparing for a possible swell in migrant population, these cities may be able to provide the necessary infrastructure changes to prepare for a wetter, darker future.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a>

&nbsp;

Rising sea levels could reshape cities as people migrate inland

A new study from the University of Georgia predicts that...

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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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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

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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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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