Physical activity is often linked to a longer life, but a Finnish twin study suggests the connection may not be as direct as previously thought. The findings challenge traditional assumptions about exercise and aging.



Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä examined how long-term physical activity affects mortality and whether it can counteract genetic risks for disease. The team also explored role of exercise in biological aging.



The experts analyzed 22,750 Finnish twins born before 1958. Their leisure-time <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-reduces-the-risk-of-brain-diseases-by-up-to-54-percent/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physical activity</a> was assessed in 1975, 1981, and 1990. The researchers followed up on mortality data through the end of 2020. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moderate-activity-yields-maximum-benefits">Moderate activity yields maximum benefits</h2>



The researchers identified four activity groups: sedentary, moderately active, active, and highly active. Over 30 years, the biggest difference was found between the sedentary and moderately active groups.



Moderately active individuals had a 7% lower mortality risk. However, those in the highly active group did not show additional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/strength-training-may-be-the-best-exercise-for-insomnia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">benefits</a>.



In the short term, more physical activity correlated with lower mortality. However, in the long run, highly active individuals had no advantage over those who were sedentary.



“An underlying pre-disease state can limit physical activity and ultimately lead to death, not the lack of exercise itself,” said Professor Elina Sillanpää from the Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences.



“This can bias the association between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-doses-of-exercise-can-greatly-reduce-dementia-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physical activity</a> and mortality in the short term.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exercise-guidelines-and-mortality-risk">Exercise guidelines and mortality risk</h2>



The experts also evaluated whether following World Health Organization (<a href="https://www.who.int" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WHO</a>) physical activity guidelines influenced mortality and genetic disease risk. The WHO recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity weekly.



The results of the study showed that meeting these guidelines did not lower mortality risk. Even twins who followed the recommendations for 15 years showed no significant difference in mortality rates compared to their less active siblings.



"The widely observed favorable association between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-focused-medicine-physical-activity-reduces-chronic-disease-risk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physical activity</a> and mortality are based on observational studies that are prone to bias from different sources,” noted postdoctoral researcher Laura Joensuu.



“In our studies, we aimed to account for various sources of biases, and combined with the long follow-up period, we could not confirm that adhering to physical activity guidelines mitigates genetic cardiovascular disease risk or causally reduces mortality.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exercise-and-biological-aging">Exercise and biological aging</h2>



For a subset of twins, the researchers analyzed biological aging using epigenetic clocks. These clocks estimate biological aging based on chemical markers that regulate gene activity.



The results showed a U-shaped pattern. Both the least and most active individuals experienced accelerated biological aging.



“We found that the association between leisure-time physical activity and biological aging was U-shaped: Biological aging was accelerated in those who exercised the least and the most,” said Sillanpää.



Lifestyle factors like smoking and alcohol use played a major role in the link between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-is-far-more-important-than-weight-for-living-a-healthy-life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">physical activity</a> and biological aging. The study also examined genetic susceptibility to coronary artery disease and blood pressure using polygenic risk scores.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-exercise-does-not-slow-aging">More exercise does not slow aging</h2>



This research challenges the widely held belief that more exercise always leads to a longer life. 



While physical activity is beneficial for overall health, its impact on longevity is more complicated than previously assumed. Moderate exercise appears to offer the best balance, while excessive activity does not necessarily add extra years to life.



The findings also highlight the importance of considering other factors, such as lifestyle habits and genetic predisposition. Exercise alone may not be enough to overcome genetic risks. Other aspects of health, such as diet, stress management, and avoiding harmful habits, play a crucial role in aging and longevity.



Future research may further clarify the relationship between physical activity and lifespan. In the meantime, individuals should aim for a balanced approach to exercise, focusing on overall well-being rather than just lifespan extension.



The study involved researchers from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and the Methodology Centre for Human Sciences at the <a href="https://www.jyu.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Jyväskylä</a>. Experts at the Finnish Institute of Molecular Medicine at the <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Helsinki</a> also contributed.



The findings are published in the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10654-024-01200-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Journal of Epidemiology</a>.



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Exercise and aging: New study reveals a surprising connection

Physical activity is often linked to a longer life, but a Finnish twin study suggests the connection may not be as direct as previously thought. The findings challenge traditional assumptions about exercise and aging. Researchers from the University of Jyväskylä examined how long-term physical activity affects mortality and whether it can counteract genetic risks for disease. The team also explored role of exercise in biological aging. The experts analyzed 22,750 Finnish twins born before 1958. Their leisure-time physical activity was assessed in 1975, 1981, and 1990. The...

Overheated cities can fight the “<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-green-facades-cool-urban-heat-islands/">urban heat island</a>" effect by painting roofs white, installing “cool” reflective pavement, and planting more vegetation, a new study says.

Changing 20 percent of a city's roofs and half of its pavements to 'cool' forms could save up to 12 times what they cost to install and maintain, and reduce air temperatures by about 0.8 degrees, the <a href="http://www.essex.ac.uk/">University of Essex </a>study said. 

"It is clear that we have until now underestimated the dramatic impact that local policies could make in reducing urban warming,” said Richard S.J. Tol, Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex. 

Researchers from the Sussex in the UK, <a href="https://www.unam.mx/">Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México</a> and <a href="https://www.vu.nl/en/">Vrije University Amsterdam</a> say their new research is significant because so much emphasis is placed on tackling global climate change, while local interventions can be as important if not more so. 

The analysis of 1,692 cities, published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/">Nature Climate Change</a>, shows that the total economic costs of climate change for cities this century could be 2.6 times higher when heat island effects are taken into account than when they are not.

The urban heat island occurs when natural surfaces, such as vegetation and water, are replaced by heat-trapping concrete and asphalt, and is exacerbated by heat from cars, air conditioners and other sources. This effect is expected to add a further two degrees to global warming estimates for the most populated cities by 2050.

Higher temperatures damage the economy in numerous  ways. More energy is used for cooling, air is more polluted, water quality decreases, and workers are less productive, the study said.

City-level changes to fight global warming go hand-in-in hna with global efforts, the authors added.

“In fact, the largest benefits for reducing the impacts of climate change are attained when both global and local measures are implemented together,” Tol said. “ And even when global efforts fail, we show that local policies can still have a positive impact, making them at least a useful insurance for bad climate outcomes on the international stage."

--

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.essex.ac.uk/">University of Essex</a>

Cities can fight global warming with reflective roofs, pavement

Overheated cities can fight the “urban heat island" effect by...

Scientists are finding increasing health benefits from having a quick blast of cold water, the <a href="http://dailym.ai/2sf5DwY">Daily Mail</a> reported. Among other perks, the cold water has been found to help boost the immune system.

Last week, 64-year-old comic Ruby Wax revealed she has a cold shower or bath every day to give herself a “youthful complexion” and ward off wrinkles, the Mail reported.

The best results come not from a cold shower or bath but alternating between hot and cold water, the story said.

This technique, known as contrast water therapy, involves showering for about 20 minutes, using hotter water for three to four minutes before suddenly switching to cold for one minute and then back again.

Standing under, or sitting in, hot water for several minutes opens up blood vessels in the skin and muscles, improving the flow of oxygen-rich blood. Switching to cold water for one minute makes the same blood vessels instantly constrict, reducing the flow of blood.

During strenuous exercise oxygen-rich blood cannot reach the muscles to match the rate at which <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/ocean-oxygen-levels-drop/">oxygen</a> is used, the Mail said. In response, muscles release a substance called lactic acid which causes a painful burning sensation and can delay recovery after exercise.

A study published last year by the <a href="https://www.amc.nl/web/Research/ResearchAMC.htm">Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam</a> found taking a ‘hot-to-cold’ shower every day slashed absences from work due to sickness by almost 30 percent.

The researchers studied 3,000 men and women aged 18 to 65 who were told to turn the shower to cold for up to 90 seconds at a time in the morning, according to the study published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

The British Association of Dermatologists says there is no research to confirm that contrast water therapy prevents skin aging.

However, Georgios Tzenichristos, a sports scientist who specialises in skin care at The Hale Clinic, London, says contrast water therapy may help increase blood flow to the tiny capillaries that lie near the surface of the skin and provide it with the nutrients needed to keep it elastic and taut.

“Hot and cold showers improve circulation and skin ageing is mostly a problem of poor circulation,” he told the Mail. “Better circulation improves the function of fibroblasts, the cells which produce collagen — the main structural protein in skin.” 

--

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://dailym.ai/2sf5DwY">Daily Mail </a>

Why a blast of cold water has health benefits

Scientists are finding increasing health benefits from having a quick...

Hundreds of springs, that lingered despite long dry spells, allowed early humans to migrate north out of Africa, a new study found.

The research by <a href="http://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University-New Brunswick </a>and other institutions shows climate may not have played as much of a primary role in human evolution as previously asserted.

"This has very important implications for human evolution," said Gail M. Ashley, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers. "We're not saying anything about why early humans left Africa. We're only saying it was possible to leave Africa by going from one spring to the next and they could travel during dry periods."

The study, which focused on the key role of "hydro-refugia," or water refuges, in East African early human evolution and dispersal, was published in the online journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>. Hydro-refugia, a new term coined by the scientists, include springs, wetlands, groundwater-fed perennial streams and groundwater-fed rivers.

The importance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/irrigation-groundwater-depletion/">groundwater</a> for the survival of our hominin ancestors during dramatic climate swings could inspire and inform strategies for human resilience to future climate change, according to the study.

The African climate has fluctuated for several million years between wet and dry in 23,000-year cycles, the study said. Most lakes in East Africa, where early humans arose, are saline and alkaline and undrinkable and rivers dry up for large parts of the year. The study focused instead on the viability of groundwater-fed springs.

It examined 808,000 square miles, stretching from northern Tanzania to Ethiopia and focusing on the East African Rift Valley, using hydrogeological modeling of the current landscape.

"I'm absolutely amazed how in some places, it looks like a trickle of water is coming out and yet it will supply hundreds of animals a day," said Ashley.

The study assumed that a person could walk up to 180 kilometers, or about 112 miles, in three days.

"In some places, people could not migrate and they would have stayed at one spring for quite a long time until it got wetter again, and then more springs would open up and they could continue to move," Ashley said.

Researchers have always assumed that climate was the main factor in human migration and human evolution, she added.

"Climate fluctuated, but the geology allowed the development and maintenance of springs - hydro-refugia - on the landscape, allowing humans to disperse and migrate out of Africa," she said. "The bigger question is what motivated humans to move up the East African Rift Valley. We know they did and we have shown how it was possible, but we don't really have a logical reason for them doing that."

--

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://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University-New Brunswick </a>

Photo Credit: Gail M. Ashley, Rutgers University

Groundwater springs allowed early humans to migrate out of Africa

Hundreds of springs, that lingered despite long dry spells, allowed...

Brain cells that destroy and digest worn-out cells and debris go into overdrive in mice that are chronically deprived of sleep, a new study found.

This may help in the short term by clearing harmful and debris and rebuilding worn circuitry but could be harmful in the longer term, Michele Bellesi of <a href="http://www.univpm.it/English/">Marche Polytechnic University</a> told <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>. It could also explain why a chronic lack of sleep puts people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders, Bellesi said.

Bellesi’s team compared the brains of mice that had either been allowed to sleep for as long as they wanted or had been kept awake for a further eight hours. Another group of mice were kept awake for five days in a row – mimicking the effects of chronic sleep loss.

The team specifically looked at glial cells, which form the brain’s housekeeping system. Earlier research had found that a gene that regulates the activity of these cells is more active after a period of sleep deprivation, New Scientist reported.

One type of glial cell, called an astrocyte, prunes unnecessary synapses in the brain to remodel its wiring. Astrocytes seemed to be more active in sleep-deprived mice.

This suggests that sleep loss can trigger astrocytes to start breaking down more of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/learning-to-read-rewrite-brain/">brain’s</a> connections and their debris. 

“We show for the first time that portions of synapses are literally eaten by astrocytes,” says Bellesi told New Scientist.

Much of the remodeling was of the largest synapses, which are more mature and used more intensively. 

“They are like old pieces of furniture, and so probably need more attention and cleaning,” said Bellesi.

But the team also found that microglial cells were more active after chronic sleep deprivation. Excessive microglial activity has been linked to a range of brain disorders. 

“We already know that sustained microglial activation has been observed in Alzheimer’s and other forms of neurodegeneration,” Bellesi added,

The finding could explain why lack of sleep seems to make people more vulnerable<a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17853-lack-of-sleep-linked-to-alzheimers/"> to such dementias, said Agnes Nadjar of</a> the <a href="http://www.u-bordeaux.com/">University of Bordeaux</a> in France.

--

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.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>

How lack of sleep can actually eat at your brain

Brain cells that destroy and digest worn-out cells and debris...

The portion of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/learning-to-read-rewrite-brain/">brain</a> that processes vision continues to develop into a person’s late 30s and 40s, a new study found. This dispels the previous belief that vision stabilized much earlier in life.

“There's a big gap in our understanding of how our brains function," said the study leader, Kathryn Murphy, a professor in <a href="http://www.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a>’s department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior. "Our idea of sensory areas developing in childhood and then being static is part of the challenge. It's not correct."

The study analyzed proteins in post-mortem brain-tissue samples from 30 people ranging in age from 20 days to 80 years.

The visual cortex matures until about age 36, plus or minus 4.5 years, the study found.

Researchers were surprised by the findings, expecting that the cortex matured at 5 to 6 years based on previous results from animal samples and prevailing scientific and medical belief.

Treatment for conditions such as amblyopia, or "lazy eye," have been based on the idea that only children could benefit from corrective therapies, since it was thought that treating young adults would be pointless, said Murphy.

Though the research is isolated to the visual cortex, it suggests that other areas of the brain may also be much more plastic for much longer than previously thought, she added.

The research is published in the <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience.</a>

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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.mcmaster.ca/">McMaster University</a>

Vision actually continues to develop until mid-life, study finds

The portion of the brain that processes vision continues to...

Until now, the desalination of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saltwater-waste-injections-triggered-earthquakes/">salt water</a> has been an expensive and environmentally risky process. But a newly developed system can now recover nearly all the water from highly-concentrated salt solutions, promising an end to water shortages in arid areas.

The new system, developed by engineers at the <a href="http://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>, reduces concerns over disposal of high salinity brine from fracking, the university said. 

Reverse osmosis is the most common method of removing salt from seawater, wastewater, and brackish water, but it is not capable of treating highly concentrated salt solutions called brines. Brines are generated in massive amounts during reverse osmosis and fracking.

Brines must also be disposed of properly to avoid environmental damage.

The new research involves the development of a carbon nanotube-based heating element that will vastly improve the recovery of fresh water during the membrane distillation processes.

"In an ideal scenario, thermal desalination would allow the recovery of all the water from brine, leaving behind a tiny amount of a solid, crystalline salt that could be used or disposed of," said David Jassby, an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering, who led the research project.

One way to treat brine is membrane distillation, a thermal desalination technology in which heat drives water vapor across a membrane, allowing further water recovery while the salt stays 

"Unfortunately, current membrane distillation processes rely on a constant feed of hot brine over the membrane, which limits water recovery across the membrane to about 6 percent,” Jassby said. 

The University of California researchers developed a self-heating carbon nanotube-based membrane that only heats the brine at the membrane surface. The new system reduced the heat needed in the process and increased the yield of recovered water to close to 100 percent.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nnano/">Nature Nanotechnology</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="http://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>

New desalination system offers fresh water solutions

Until now, the desalination of salt water has been an...

Smartphone users are more likely to make rational and unemotional decisions than computer users when presented with a moral dilemma, a new study found.

Computer users were more likely to favor action based on intuition and following established rules, according to the research by <a href="https://www.city.ac.uk/">City University of London</a>

The study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/computers-in-human-behavior">Computers in Human Behavior</a>, is one of the first to examine the impact of the digital age on moral judgments, the university said.

The researchers recruited 1,010 people and presented them with a classic moral dilemma known as the “Trolley Problem.”

In the ‘fat man’ version of this dilemma, a runaway trolley is heading toward five innocent victims, and you and a fat man are standing on a footbridge overlooking the track. Participants are told that they can spare the lives of the five people if they push the fat man off the bridge onto the tracks below, stopping the trolley.

Study participants were more like to vote to sacrifice the fat man, saving five lives, while answering the question on their smartphone than when using a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/california-energy-efficiency-computers/">computer</a>.

“What we found in our study is that when people used a smartphone to view classic moral problems, they were more likely to make more unemotional, rational decisions when presented with a highly emotional dilemma,” said lead author of the study, Dr Albert Barque-Duran, a Psychology department researcher. “This could be due to the increased time pressures often present with smartphones and also the increased psychological distance which can occur when we use such devices compared to PCs.”

With so much daily activity online now, it is important to study the issue, said Barque-Duran.

“Due to the fact that our social lives, work and even shopping takes place online, it is important to think about how the contexts where we typically face ethical decisions and are asked to engage in moral behaviour have changed, and the impact this could have on the hundreds of millions of people who use such devices daily,” the researcher said.

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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.city.ac.uk/">City University of London</a>

People make more rational choices on smartphones than computers

Smartphone users are more likely to make rational and unemotional...

Wristband fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Apple Watch accurately measure heart rate but miss the mark on how many calories are burned, a <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> study found.

Six out of seven fitness trackers studied measured <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diesel-fuel-pollution-heart-damage/">heart</a> rate within 5 percent accuracy, but none measured calorie burn well, the university said.

The team evaluated the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn and the Samsung Gear S2. 

Sixty volunteers wore the seven devices while walking, running on treadmills, or using stationary bicycles. Each volunteer’s heart was measured with a medical-grade electrocardiograph. Metabolic rate was estimated with an instrument for measuring the oxygen and carbon dioxide in breath — a good proxy for metabolism and energy expenditure. 

“The heart rate measurements performed far better than we expected,but the energy expenditure measures were way off the mark,” said researcher Euan Ashley. “The magnitude of just how bad they were surprised me.”

Even the most accurate device was off on energy expenditure by an average of 27 percent, and the least accurate was off by 93 percent, the study found.

“People are basing life decisions on the data provided by these devices,” said Ashley, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Genetics and Biomedical Data Science at Stanford. 

Consumer devices aren’t held to the same standards as medical-grade devices, and it’s hard for doctors to know what to make of heart-rate data and other data from a patient’s wearable device, he said.

“It’s likely the algorithms used in the devices are making assumptions that don’t fit individuals very well,” added coauthor Anna Shcherbina, a Stanford graduate student .

“All we can do is see how the devices perform against the gold-standard clinical measures,” she said. “My take on this is that it’s very hard to train an algorithm that would be accurate across a wide variety of people because energy expenditure is variable based on someone’s fitness level, height and weight, etc.”

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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.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>

&nbsp;

Fitness trackers found to provide inaccurate calorie burn data

Wristband fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Apple Watch accurately...

The over watering of trees and lawns caused Los Angeles to lose 100 gallons of water per person per day to the atmosphere through evaporation in the summer of 2010, a new study found. Moreover, over-irrigation resulted in the loss of 70 billion gallons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-clouding-lake-tahoe/">water</a> per year.

Lawns accounted for 70 percent of the water loss, while trees accounted for 30 percent, according to the study funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=241970&amp;WT.mc">National Science Foundation</a> and published in the journal <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-7973/">Water Resources Research</a>.

The study, based on measurements before Los Angeles mandated watering restrictions in 2014, show a “pattern of systemic overwatering of the city's lawns, and a surprising water efficiency of its tree cover.” The researchers found a correlation between water loss and household income.

"California's recent drought highlights the need for urban water conservation," says Tom Torgersen, program director in the Division of Earth Sciences in NSF's Geosciences Directorate.

Researchers measured evapotranspiration (ET), the evaporation of water from the soil and the transpiration, or release of water vapor, from plants

In Los Angeles, the greatest ET was due to turf grass and seed-producing trees.

"Both provide an alleviation of the urban heat island effect and reduce the need for air conditioning," Torgersen says. "However, the benefit is not evenly shared. The higher the median income, the greater the local ET, with cooler temperatures in wealthier areas and higher temperatures in poorer sections of the city.”

ET rates in the wealthiest neighborhoods, they found, were roughly twice those of poorer neighborhoods.

Trees use far less water than grassy lawns, the study said. Under dry conditions, trees will rein in transpiration so they can retain water.

"It's surprising that we can maintain the tree canopy of L.A. with relatively little water," said Diane Pataki of the University of Utah, one of the researchers in the study. "There's this assumption that we need abundant irrigation to support trees. But we can drastically reduce water use and still have trees."

Los Angeles' watering restrictions were lifted this spring after a very wet winter. At present, it's too early to tell whether Los Angeles residents' watering patterns and landscaping choices will return to pre-drought excesses, Pataki said.

"Whether the drought changed people's landscape preferences in a lasting way, that's something we still need to find out," she 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="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=241970&amp;WT.mc">National Science Foundation</a>

Over watering lawns lost Los Angeles 70 billion gallons of water

The over watering of trees and lawns caused Los Angeles...

Warmer nights as a result of climate change will cause millions of people to lose sleep, with the poor and elderly most affected, according to a new study.

If climate change is not addressed, temperatures in 2050 could cost people in the United States millions of additional nights of insufficient sleep per year, the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> study said. By 2099, the figure could rise by several hundred million more nights of lost sleep annually.

"Sleep has been well-established by other researchers as a critical component of human health,” said Nick Obradovich, who conducted much of the research as a doctoral student in political science at the University of California San Diego. “Too little sleep can make a person more susceptible to disease and chronic illness, and it can harm psychological well-being and cognitive functioning." 

The study analyzed federal health survey data from 765,000 U.S. residents between 2002 and 2011. It then linked data on self-reported nights of insufficient sleep to daily temperature data from the National Centers for Environmental Information.

The analysis showed that increases in nighttime temperature by 1 degree Celsius translate to three nights of insufficient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-robbing-sleep/">sleep</a> per 100 individuals per month.

Those earning below $50,000 a year and those over the age of 65 are most severely affected, the study found. 

The study also paints a bleak picture for the future based on climate projections for 2050 and 2099 by NASA Earth Exchange.

Warmer temperatures could cause six additional nights of insufficient sleep per 100 individuals by 2050, and approximately 14 extra nights per 100 by 2099.

"The U.S. is relatively temperate and, in global terms, quite prosperous," Obradovich said. "We don't have sleep data from around the world, but assuming the pattern is similar, one can imagine that in places that are warmer or poorer or both, what we'd find could be even worse."

The study, published by <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>, is the largest real-world study to date to find a relationship between reports of insufficient sleep and unusually warm nighttime temperatures. It is also the first to apply the discovered relationship to projected climate change.

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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://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a>

Why climate change will make sleep more difficult

Warmer nights as a result of climate change will cause...

As the summer season approaches, many people plan to enjoy hot days in the sun with cocktails. Drinking during the day seems to weaken the effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/alcohol-body-drunk/">alcohol</a> compared to drinking at night. Scientific evidence is emerging that explains why the time of day alcohol is consumed can produce drastically different results.

Researchers have identified factors that  impact the level of intoxication people feel while they drink. The experts shared their findings with Katie Heaney of <a href="http://nymag.com/">New York Magazine</a>. The scientists revealed that behavior, circadian rhythms, and stress contribute to the intensity of the effects of alcohol. 

Nyree Dardarian, a professor of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University, explained that the time of day people drink influences their behavior while drinking. For example, day drinking usually revolves around food. People typically sit and eat more when drinking during the day. Going out at night often means less food and faster absorption of alcohol.

“Food in your stomach will delay gastric emptying, which will make the alcohol take longer to get into the blood system,” said Dardarian.

A team of American scientists tested the alcohol sensitivity of lab rats to compare day drinking to nighttime drinking. They discovered the animals were increasingly sensitive to alcohol at night, and determined this was due to changes in the circadian. The rats also consumed more alcohol at night, indicating that drinking tends to speed up after dark. 

In another study, 60 adults were instructed to drink a moderate amount of alcohol. They were then exposed to either a cardiovascular test, a stressful film, or a control condition. The study showed that the participants who watched the distressing video progressed to their peak BAC much faster than the other individuals. The researchers established that alcohol is absorbed more quickly when a person is experiencing stress or anxiety.

The results of these studies suggest that day drinking in a relaxed, daytime setting may have a much more desirable outcome than drinking in a stressful atmosphere after the sun goes down. This holiday weekend is the perfect time to stay out of the crowd and test this theory. 

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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 

Source: <a href="http://nymag.com/">New York Magazine</a>

&nbsp;

Why day drinking feels different than drinking at night

As the summer season approaches, many people plan to enjoy...

Diesel pollution can cause heart damage, according to a new study.

"There is strong evidence that particulate matter emitted mainly from diesel road vehicles is associated with increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, and death," said lead author Nay Aung, a cardiologist and research fellow at <a href="http://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University</a> of London.

Heart damage is driven by an inflammatory response from inhaling particulate matter, Aung said. It starts with a localized inflammation of the lungs “followed by a more systemic inflammation affecting the whole body.”

The new study conducted cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on 255 participants to measure their heart‘s left ventricular volume and left ventricular ejection fraction. The particulate exposure was calculated based on the participant’s home address.

"We found that as [particulate] exposure rises, the larger the heart gets and the worse it performs,” Aung said. “Both of these measures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality from heart disease.”

More educated participants were less likely to have heart damage, the study found.

“This could be due to a number of factors including better housing and workplace conditions, which reduce pollution exposure,” Aung said. It could also be because people with more education have healthier lifestyles, and better access to healthcare, he added.

Aung advised people to avoid places with heavy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traffic-noise-birds-stop-singing/">traffic</a>.

“If you want to cycle into work and there is heavy traffic around that time then try to find a quieter route,” Aung said. “Walk on the part of the pavement furthest from cars to reduce the amount of pollution you breathe in.”

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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.escardio.org/">European Society of Cardiology</a>

Study: Diesel fuel pollution linked to heart damage

Diesel pollution can cause heart damage, according to a new...

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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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"

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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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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