Cancer can turn life upside down for many people. The physical struggle is often matched by emotional burdens that seem to show up when least expected. 



A recent study led by Ryan Castle from the <a href="https://wholehealthoncology.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Whole Health Oncology Institute</a> is shedding new light on the role of cannabis to treat cancer symptoms. 



Castle's team joined forces with <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250416912635/en/Cancer-Playbook-Powered-by-Whole-Health-Oncology-Institute-Launches-the-Largest-Meta-Analysis-to-Date-on-Medical-Cannabis-and-Cancer-Symptoms">Cancer Playbook</a> to explore whether cannabis can help with typical cancer complaints like pain, appetite loss, and sleeplessness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-may-ease-cancer-symptoms">Cannabis may ease cancer symptoms</h2>



Cancer Playbook is known for bridging research with the experiences of real people. The platform gathers observations from individuals going through <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-cancer-cell-death-may-transform-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">treatment</a>, then combines that data with findings from peer-reviewed publications.



This provides a more complete view of how cannabis interacts with the body, while also revealing what has worked for others.



“We expected controversy. What we found was overwhelming scientific consensus,” said Castle. 



Many studies now suggest that, when properly used, cannabis can be of significant help in addressing cancer symptoms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-real-stories-shape-cannabis-research">Real stories shape cannabis research</h2>



Technology in healthcare is moving fast, but personal stories can be just as powerful. Cancer Playbook uses <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/patient-reported-outcome" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Patient Reported Outcomes</a> to shift the spotlight onto people’s actual experiences. 



Those outcomes transform observations about fatigue and aches into reliable data that clinicians can apply.



Healthcare professionals have started to give these accounts more attention, since large <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/cannabis-pdq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trials</a> don't always capture the day-to-day hurdles that real individuals face. 



Focusing on each person’s comfort level, mood, and energy can create a more complete cancer care plan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-may-reduce-cancer-related-pain">Cannabis may reduce cancer-related pain</h2>



Pain can influence every aspect of life for cancer patients. Opioids have been a traditional go-to, but some find limited relief or tough side effects. 



Data from various research efforts suggest that cannabis may ease <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7140/5/1/7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lingering pain</a> for some patients while posing fewer complications.



Users who turn to cannabis for treating cancer symptoms often report fewer problems than they had feared. 



A handful of these studies show promise in helping with neuropathic pain, which is a tricky discomfort that standard drugs can’t always contain.



Not everyone responds in the same way, but many see cannabis as a welcome option for exploring additional approaches.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-appetite-and-nausea">Cannabis, appetite, and nausea</h2>



Nausea is a serious drain on quality of life for people undergoing harsh treatments. Traditional anti-nausea medications help but might not cover the full scope of how patients feel. That’s where medical cannabis steps in, offering another strategy for those dealing with this challenge.



Some <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11409765/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a> indicates that cannabis may support better eating patterns by triggering chemical receptors tied to hunger. 



Even modest success can make a difference by preserving energy and mood. It’s not a magic fix, but it could be an added tool in an often-complicated toolbox.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-may-help-reduce-inflammation">Cannabis may help reduce inflammation</h2>



Inflammation can worsen cancer’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-cancer-cell-death-may-transform-treatment/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">effects</a> and lead to other serious problems. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915323000021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientists</a> studying <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/neurotoxin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neurotoxins</a> and immune triggers have noticed that cannabinoids might reduce harmful responses at the cellular level. This suggests a targeted benefit that goes beyond just pain or nausea management.



Experts caution that these biological processes are not fully understood, and it’s unclear how inflammation shifts from minor to long-term danger. 



Early patterns, though, point to cannabis as having a role in controlling swelling in tissues, which might be helpful if standard therapies fall short.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-patients-need-informed-choices">Patients need informed choices</h2>



“Too often, people turn to cannabis as a last resort. We believe it should be part of the conversation from day one,” said Jim Gerencser, the founder of Cancer Playbook.



By logging real-life feedback and comparing it with existing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aspirin-may-prevent-cancer-from-moving-to-other-parts-of-the-body/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">research</a>, Cancer Playbook informs patients on treatment approaches that doctors might not always have time to discuss in detail. 



This helps remove guesswork and promotes shared decision-making, which can reduce anxiety when facing critical choices.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-large-studies-support-cannabis-use">Large studies support cannabis use</h2>



Interest in cannabis has been sparked by large reviews that merge thousands of peer-reviewed articles. 



Researchers pool results to look for patterns that might be overlooked if only a handful of academic papers is scanned. This approach shapes a big-picture view of what may help many people who are facing cancer diagnoses.



Recent findings suggest that several cannabinoids appear safer and more effective than older assumptions indicated. 



However, some questions remain about recommended doses and timing. Clinical trials still need to define the exact parameters for optimal results.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-medical-advice-and-safe-cannabis-use">Medical advice and safe cannabis use</h2>



Although the enthusiasm for cannabis is growing, it’s wise to proceed with medical advice. Certain interactions with prescription drugs haven’t been fully studied. There's also the complexity of the plant itself - hemp, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/endocannabinoid" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">endocannabinoids</a>, and oils vary in chemical content.



Some oncologists suggest choosing formulations that have been tested for purity, which can reduce the risk of additives or inconsistent potency. Safety checks matter. 



Cancer treatment demands careful collaboration between patients and healthcare teams, so speaking openly about cannabis use is key.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cannabis-research-across-cancer-fields">Cannabis research across cancer fields </h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/video-games-could-accelerate-discoveries-in-cancer-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Research</a> on cannabis continues to shift. Some of it focuses on how different strains interact with radiation or immunotherapy. Other work tracks its <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/anticarcinogenic" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">anticarcinogenic</a> capabilities, although that part is still being investigated in labs and patient trials.



Discussions about cannabis today look different from earlier times, when legal barriers limited the scope of studies. The current environment encourages deeper investigations. That leads to a broader acceptance of cannabis as a therapy that is worth exploring.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-cancer-care">The future of cancer care</h2>



Many updates in oncology come from labs, but the patient perspective is equally valuable. When data from countless personal experiences gets analyzed, fresh patterns can emerge. 



Information about how people handle their side effects or combine treatments can shed new light on possible ways to get results.



Well-designed platforms like Cancer Playbook aim to make sense of these experiences without trivializing the science behind it all. It’s a blend of real-world accounts and measured research, which gives patients a more active role in shaping their own care path.



The study was published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2025.1490621/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Oncology</a>.



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Overwhelming evidence that cannabis significantly helps cancer patients

Cancer can turn life upside down for many people. The physical struggle is often matched by emotional burdens that seem to show up when least expected. A recent study led by Ryan Castle from the Whole Health Oncology Institute is shedding new light on the role of cannabis to treat cancer symptoms. Castle's team joined forces with Cancer Playbook to explore whether cannabis can help with typical cancer complaints like pain, appetite loss, and sleeplessness. Cannabis may ease cancer symptoms Cancer Playbook is known for bridging research...

Reopened Silk Road route swaps horses for trains. Hundreds of years ago, merchants traveled the Silk Road from <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/china-ivory-trade-ban/">China</a> to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/european-union-celebrates-paris-agreement-climate-change/">Europe</a>, bringing silk, paper, gunpowder, and various exotic goods to trade. Today, the route is being revived with the introduction of a 7,456-mile train route from China to London. 

China’s East Wind train company is celebrating the debut of its Silk Road route that will run from Yiwu, a manufacturing town in East China, to Great Britain. It will take the train 16 days to complete the journey, and it will bring 34 carriage loaded with goods made in Yiwu.  

The new train route is expected to herald in a new era in trade relations between the UK and China. Goods sent via the train route will travel faster than if they traveled via a container ship. Train shipping is also less expensive than shipping by air. 

The East Wind from Yiwu to London will start out running once a week on a trial basis. East Wind, owned by China’s Yiwu Timex Industrial Investment, also features a route from Madrid to Spain that runs twice a week.

The Silk Road journey has always been a difficult one. It features a route that winds through treacherous mountains, around blazing deserts, and across endless miles of the Russian steppe. Before the advent of wheeled travel, merchants who ventured on the Silk Road had to have a constant supply of fresh horses to complete their journey.

Today’s Silk Road may not require fresh horses, but it does require different trains. The route pushes through Russia, Kazakstan, Belarus, Poland, Belgium, and finally France, all before it arrives in London. Because each country has different rail gauges on its train lines, the same train can’t complete the entire journey.

--

By Dawn Henderson, Earth.com Staff Writer

Reopened Silk Road route swaps horses for trains

Reopened Silk Road route swaps horses for trains. Hundreds of...

NuScale Power wants small-scale nuclear reactors to be part of the planet’s future energy portfolio. To that end, they’ve submitted designs for a small modular reactor to the <a href="https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/advanced/nuscale.html">U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission</a>.

Bonus: No meltdowns. At least, that’s what the small size is supposed to ensure.

The design <a href="http://www.nuscalepower.com/">NuScale Power</a> submitted is for a small modular reactor, or SMR, that can be factory-built and shipped to a destination for assembly.

On top of providing nuclear power, it can refine oil, desalinate saltwater, produce hydrogen, and more. The modular design means it can be built in a number of sizes and fit into existing power plant designs.

Each module is so small that the surface area is much larger compared to the volume than that ratio is in a traditional nuclear reactor. That design ensures heat can be siphoned off easily, and a meltdown is next to impossible.

Each of the SMRs produces about 50 megawatts of power, and they can be paired with other energy sources or put together in a “12-pack” to produce 600 mW, the company said.

The firm is the first to submit an SMR design to federal regulators. Because their design is the first, it may take some time – as long as 40 months – for it to wind its way through the approval process, if it’s approved at all.

NuScale Power has taken steps to make approval a slam-dunk, though.

The company invested more than $30 million in testing the SMR design, including building large-scale test facilities and a control room simulator so they could run through every scenario imaginable.

NuScale Power submitted more than 12,000 pages of technical and design information to the NRC to ensure regulators have everything they need to begin their review.

The SMR design has been in the works for nearly 20 years. The early research began at <a href="http://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a>, led by Dr. Jose Reyes, a physicist who co-founded the company and now serves as its chief technical officer.

If the NRC approves the design, NuScale has developed a teaming arrangement with the <a href="https://energy.gov/">U.S. Department of Energy</a>, the state of Utah, and <a href="https://www.energy-northwest.com/">Energy Northwest</a> to build the first <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/indian-point-3-nuclear-power-plant-shuts-down/">reactor</a> in Idaho.

—

By Kyla Cathey / Earth.com staff writer

NuScale Power designs nuclear reactor that can't melt down

NuScale Power wants small-scale nuclear reactors to be part of...

The multimillion-dollar sushi market in places like the UK and Southern California may be damaging our oceans as well as our bodies, according to leading marine biologists. Not only has the trendiness of the fish dish led to a sharp decline in the tuna population, but it’s also responsible for filling our bodies with harmful microbeads.

Sushi’s reputation as an exotic, low-calorie, vitamin rich food has won it the endorsement of Hollywood celebrities and health food aficionados alike. But according to Dr. Daniel Pauly and Dr. Kirk Zeller from the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca">University of British Columbia</a> in Canada, sushi’s popularity as a source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids has placed bluefin and yellowfin tuna populations at "crisis" levels.

“Historically we have had the ‘Popeye effect’ where everyone ate spinach; then vitamin D was good and vitamin C would save us from having cancer,” Pauly said. “Now it is omega-3 – all these things are going to save us, make us healthy and we are going to live forever. None of this is true – what we  need is a balanced diet.”

Pauly is also convinced that plastic microbeads – used in personal care products and makeup – can be found in the sushi served in sushi bars. The microscopic plastic fragments, recently banned in the U.S. and the UK, attract and carry pesticides and industrial chemicals.  

“Microbeads are poison pills which soak up all the pollutants and they are consumed by little fish which are then eaten by tuna,” Pauly said.

Bluefin tuna, often served in high-end Japanese restaurants, and yellowfin tuna, usually used in supermarket sushi rolls, are in high global demand, and the global tuna population is falling. 

“We are in permanent crisis if you look at it in historic terms. Bluefin tuna was extremely abundant, especially in the Mediterranean. What has become of that? We have 2 to 3 percent of what we had 200 years ago,” added Pauly.

Zeller also warns that sushi is not as healthy as it was once purported to be. High levels of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in waterways are suspected to cause cancer in people.

—

By Darryl Joseph / Earth.com Staff Writer

Sushi demand killing tuna population, feeding us microbeads

The multimillion-dollar sushi market in places like the UK and...

The post-apocalyptic world of endless desert and dust bowls in Mad Max: Fury Road featured a tyrant who lorded over the starving and dehydrated masses by controlling a huge tank of drinkable water. The sci-fi film may have been more realistic than we knew, as a new affordable water crisis may be developing in the U.S.. 

A new study by <a href="https://msu.edu">Michigan State University</a> scholar and assistant geography professor Elizabeth Mack asserts that if water rates continue to rise as projected, the number of U.S. households unable to afford water could triple by nearly 36% in as few as five years. 

In her study, one of the first nationwide investigations of water affordability, Mack attributes the developing water crisis to a number of factors, including aging infrastructure, climate change, and declining populations in urban areas. 

“In cities across the United States, water affordability is becoming an increasingly critical issue,” Mack states. Her study, published online in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, analyzes water pricing, consumption, socioeconomic and demographic data. 

The <a href="https://www.epa.gov">Environmental Protection Agency</a> recommends that spending on water and wastewater services combined should amount to no more than 4.5% of household income. If true, some 13.8 million U.S. households (nearly 12% of all households) may be unable to pay their water bills. She says that poor families are being hit especially hard by these statistics. 

Since 2010, water rates have gone up 41%. If that trend continues, an estimated 40.9 million households (35.6% of all households) will be unable to afford water and wastewater services in five years.

Regarding aging infrastructure, experts predict it will cost more than $1 trillion over the next 25 years to replace World War II-era water systems. Climate change is expected to introduce more severe weather events and require improvements to wastewater facilities. These fixes are estimated to cost the U.S. more than $36 billion by 2050.

In addition to that, shrinking populations in major cities results in fewer households paying for the large fixed cost of water service.  In Philadelphia, 40% of water accounts are past due. In Detroit, 50,000 households have been unable to pay their bills and had their water service terminated since the beginning of 2014.

The study says that governments, utilities and consumers will have to work together to fix the issue.

“Water is a fundamental right for all humans. However, a growing number of people in the United States and globally face daily barriers to accessing clean, affordable water,” says Mack. “The hope that is enhanced awareness of this issue in the developed world will highlight the severity of the issue, which is not isolated to people in the Developing world.”

Affordable water crisis developing in the U.S.

The post-apocalyptic world of endless desert and dust bowls in...

Garbage food

Edible foods trashed by UK families total billions. New figures released today by the waste and recycling advisory body<a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/category/materials-and-products/food"> Wrap</a> claim UK households threw away £13 billion worth of edible food in 2015. This staggering figure amounts to around £470 per household, equating to nearly $13.7 billion in U.S. currency, or around $500 per household.

The data report revealed that an estimated 8 million metric tons of household food waste was thrown away in 2015, up from 7.7 million metric tons in 2012.

Of the food thrown away by UK households, over half was recorded as “avoidable” waste, which means it was edible before being thrown in the trash.

The report also added that these avoidable waste products generated over 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas production over their lifetime. To prevent that pollution you would need to take 25% of cars off UK roads.

Wrap cites the root cause of this food waste increase as the perfect storm of falling UK food prices coupled with rising household incomes since 2014. The report indicates these factors may have increased the notoriously thrifty UK population to be less frugal during regular shopping.

This data shows an abrupt stop in what had previously been a downward trend in UK household food waste. Between 2007 and 2012, the total amount of household food waste dropped by 15 percent and avoidable waste dropped by 21 percent. Wrap credits this to the rising food prices at the time, along with changes to labeling that simplified “use by” date advice, as well as active campaigning that raised awareness of food waste.

Regionally, Wales actually showed significant progress in cutting food waste in the UK with a 12% percent food waste reduction since 2009. This may be due to a devolved administration and a greater availability of civic-run food waste collections.

Trewin Restorick, the founder and chief executive of environmental charity<a href="https://www.hubbub.org.uk/"> Hubbub</a> – a major food waste project for<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/j-sainsbury"> Sainsbury’s</a> in Derbyshire – said, “Seeing food waste grow again is massively disappointing and should be a wake-up call for efforts to be redoubled. [The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs] needs to copy the leadership being shown in Wales and Scotland.”

&nbsp;

$14 billion worth of edible foods trashed by wasteful UK households

Edible foods trashed by UK families total billions. New figures...

Imagine buzzing across the Hudson River or around the San Francisco Bay on a boat that actually floats above the water. It could happen sooner than you might think. Flying water taxis are now one step closer to becoming a reality now that its investors have received a new round of funding. 

Yachtsman Alain Thébault and Swedish windsurfer Anders Bringdal have teamed up to design these “flying water taxis” otherwise known as the Sea Bubble. The unique vehicles will float 2 feet above the water, capable of reaching speeds up to 18 miles per hour. 

The team raised $3.6 million for the project last month, and have just announced they are expecting an additional third round of funding. Thébault told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-11/flying-river-taxis-eye-customers-from-the-seine-to-san-francisco">Bloomberg</a> that the next installment could be up to 10 times that amount.

Production of the flying water taxis will begin next month, and testing will occur in Paris in the spring. Test vehicles will be able to carry up to 6 passengers at a time.

Thébault told <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/27/paris-to-trial-flying-river-taxis-in-the-seine-next-year/">The Telegraph</a> that he envisions SeaBubbles will ultimately be available to order on an app like Uber. 

The technology powering SeaBubbles was originally invented by Thébault in 1994 for a sail-powered vessel he called Hydroptere. Instead of floating along the the water like a typical boat, the Hydroptere channels a similar model that planes use to fly, where air passes over the wings and generates lift.

By floating above the water, the Sea Bubble avoids up to 40% of the drag imposed by water flow. Because the boat is electrically powered, it remains very quiet and produces zero emissions. 

Trips on the Sea Bubble will cost roughly $12. 

“The idea actually came from my daughters after I sailed from LA to Hawaii recently,” Thébault told <a href="http://www.thelocal.fr/20161027/paris-flying-river-taxis-to-be-tested-on-seine-sea-bubbles">The Local</a>. “They told me to invent a zero-emission cab because they were sick of seeing the pollution in Paris, London, and the US." 

“Next spring we will hold a public demonstration on the Seine in front of the National Assembly in Paris with five Sea Bubbles”

Flying water taxis could be coming very soon

Imagine buzzing across the Hudson River or around the San...

The Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio, is the place to be if you want to learn more about the world.

At least, some of the brightest minds in the United States think so. MENSA has listed the museum in its <a href="https://www.us.mensa.org/welcome-to-our-site/the-mensa-top-ten-survey/mensa-top-ten-science-museums/">top 10 American science museums</a>, and it won a coveted nod as the top family-friendly science center in America from <a href="http://www.parents.com/fun/vacation/us-destinations/best-science-centers/">Parents Magazine</a>.

<a href="http://cosi.org/">COSI</a> has earned that praise.

“COSI ... inspires the scientists, dreamers, and innovators of tomorrow,” the museum declares on its website.

The science center, which first opened in 1964, offers more than 300 hands-on activities. It has partnered with the Columbus community to offer unique attractions like the WOSU@COSI television station; Labs in Life, working research labs created in partnership with <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> and staffed by working scientists and students; and a gallery of Columbus, Ohio’s history sponsored by the <a href="http://www.columbushistory.org/">Columbus Historical Society</a>.

Full of brightly colored, kid-friendly exhibits, the Center of Science and Industry is located near Genoa Park. That makes it a great option, whether you want to spend the day getting as much use as possible out of a Do-It-All pass, or just spend a few hours with some hands-on fun before or after a picnic lunch.

The Do-It-All ticket is more winter-friendly, of course! It includes all of COSI’s classic exhibits, along with the Planetarium and Motion Simulator. Do-It-All also includes a 3-D movie at the National Geographic Giant Screen Theater.

The Motion Simulator and the Giant Screen Theater both use modern tech to make it feel like you’re in space, under the ocean, or beyond.

Recent showings at the National Geographic theater have included “Journey to the South Pacific” and “Secret Ocean.”

Of course, those are just the extras. It’s COSI’s classic exhibits that have been the heart of the museum for decades.

They’re divided up into areas like Big Science Park, an outdoor lab where visitors learn about basic physics and green engineering; Ocean, where kids can learn about how water works and pilot an underwater ROV; and Space, which has interactive simulator stations where guests can try landing the Space Shuttle.

There’s also the ever-changing line-up of speakers and live shows, as well as special events geared toward certain age groups. Camp COSI is for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, while COSI After Dark lets legal drinkers explore the museum while enjoying the no-host bar and small plates.

The Center of Science and Industry also offers special programs for educators.

If you’re in the Columbus area, stop by and spend a day with COSI. You’ll have so much fun, you won’t even notice you’re learning.

To purchase tickets and plan your visit, go to the <a href="https://reservations.cosi.org/Info.aspx?EventID=19">COSI tickets website</a> or call (614) 228-2674.

Museum of the week: Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio

The Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio, is...

What’s going on in the world today? Plenty. In your daily dose of Earth news for January 9, 2017, you'll find a new nature miniseries, tips on algae growth, potential uses for earwax, and more.
<h2>Earth news for January 9, 2017:</h2>
<h4>BBC launches ‘Spy in the Wild’</h4>
With “Planet Earth II” over, nature fans are looking for their next fix. “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfdrQL5Ff-A">Spy in the Wild</a>” aims to provide it. The new <a href="http://bbc.co.uk/">BBC</a> documentary conceals cameras in lifelike robots, and sends them to watch animals in their natural habitats.

Maybe they're a little too lifelike. In the first episode, a robot disguised as a langur monkey successfully infiltrates a group in India. When the robot was dropped from a height, the monkeys began mourning, producers said.

The miniseries airs in the UK beginning Thursday. In the U.S., the first episode will run February 1 on <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/">PBS Nature</a>.
<h4>Could earwax be the next big tech innovation?</h4>
Scientists at the <a href="http://www.gatech.edu/">Georgia Institute of Technology</a> have taken on a new – and sort of disgusting – project: figuring out a technological use for earwax.

The project was inspired after her boyfriend had water trapped in his ear by an earwax plug, doctoral student Alexis Noel said. She wondered how the earwax was able to allow the water in, then trap it so effectively, and mentioned it to Dr. David Hu. They decided to take on the problem.

Using earwax from pigs, sheep, rabbits, and dogs, they began testing its properties and trying out different uses. They’ve found that earwax is made up pretty consistently across species.

They also found that it has excellent filtering properties. As earwax collects dust, it traps it. When too much dust is trapped, the earwax crumbles and falls away, and new wax is formed.

While they’re still studying exactly how earwax is formed, the researchers already see potential uses in tech. One idea would be to create a biomimetic adhesive surface for ventilation systems in robotics and other machinery.
<h4>Colorful new flatworm species discovered in Brazil</h4>
Scientists have found three new land-based species of flatworm in the Araucaria forest of Brazil. Flatworms are invertebrates, and also predators that hunt other invertebrate species.

The Araucaria is part of Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest and is considered to be a hotspot of flatworm diversity, the scientists wrote in their article in <a href="http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=11093">ZooKeys</a>, an open access journal. The three new species belong to the genus Cratera.
<h4>In forests, Missouri bees prefer darker flowers</h4>
Bees prefer darker colors in cool climates, at least when it comes to flowers. That’s what scientists at <a href="https://www.slu.edu/">St. Louis University</a> discovered while observing how native bee species interact with birds foot violets.

In most cases, the bees prefered the concolor morph, in which all five petals of the flower are light in color. In sunny locations, the concolor morph far outnumbers the bicolor morph, which has two dark purple petals and three light ones.

But in shady, wooded areas, the bicolor morph makes up about half of the flower population. Bees in these areas always land on the darker petals to feed, the researchers found. Testing revealed darker petals were warmer.
<h4>Scientists at UC Irvine find a new method for recycling greenhouse gases</h4>
A team of researchers from <a href="https://uci.edu/">University of California, Irvine</a> has discovered a new method for dealing with carbon dioxide: using it to help produce biofuel.

The bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii can be used to convert carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide. Though toxic in enclosed spaces, carbon monoxide can be used to produce biofuels and chemical products. Their findings were published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nchembio/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nchembio.2245.html">Nature Chemical Biology</a>.
<h4>Biodiversity of algae is important in biofuel production</h4>
<a href="https://www.umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> researchers studying algae-derived biocrude have found that when raising algae, biodiversity is important. They found that growing a wide variety of algae reduced crop failure and gave a better return on investment. While their research was conducted indoors in tanks, that will be true in outdoor tanks or ponds, too, the researchers said.

The research is being funded by a $2 million, four-year grant from the <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/">National Science Foundation</a>.
<h4>Scientists explore link between rainfall in West, Rocky Mountain air quality</h4>
When the western U.S. suffers from a drought, Rocky Mountain air quality suffers, too, scientists at the <a href="http://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> found.

That’s because drought sparks more wildfires, which creates haze in the Rockies, the scientists said. Haze can be evaluated with instruments that measure aerosol optical depth – the amount of aerosols between the sensor and the sun.

Aerosols in the Rockies went up when the west was in a drought, according to the study published in the journal <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa510a/meta;jsessionid=5E21027595D39B0B34BD2C5716CCDC9D.c4.iopscience.cld.iop.org">Environmental Research Letters</a>.
— January 9, 2017

Earth news daily: January 9, 2017

What’s going on in the world today? Plenty. In your daily...

Cities in northern England have a new and growing segment of the population: urban foxes. And they're not the only places with an influx of non-human newcomers.

Researchers are taking note of a growing trend among wildlife. Feral cats, mice, raccoons, and starlings are being joined by more exotic urbanites such as foxes and coyotes.

A team led by Dr. Dawn Scott of <a href="https://www.brighton.ac.uk/">University of Brighton</a> has discovered that urban fox populations in England have exploded in recent years. Numbers clocked in at 33,000 then, and they've risen to 150,000 today, they told <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4087010/A-country-overrun-foxes-Numbers-creature-FIVE-TIMES-higher-England-s-cities-thought.html">The Daily Mail</a>. Particularly in the northern towns of England, fox numbers have multiplied rapidly in the past two decades.

Protection from hunters and plentiful food have led many animals to begin calling cities home. And they're adapting and learning how to change their lifestyles around human activity to better fit in.

“We are the biggest cause of evolution on the planet right now,” Dr. Suzanne MacDonald, a psychologist and biologist at York University in Canada, told <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160418-animals-urban-cities-wildlife-science-coyotes/">National Geographic</a> in April 2016.

England's urban foxes demonstrate this well. Even though fox communities have grown in urban areas, human residents of cities report seeing the furry creatures much less. Foxes are either becoming part of the city scenery, or getting a lot better at avoiding attention.

Urban foxes aren't the only ones moving into cities. Coyotes, hedgehogs, and other wild creatures have joined metropolitan standards like squirrels, raccoons, and feral pigeons. Some come for the safety and better meals. Others have nowhere else to go.

“To live in harmony with animals whose habitat we’re destroying, we’re going to have to do a lot more work in what we’re doing to them,” MacDonald said.

Several major cities put a lot of effort into protecting their wild animal populations.

<a href="http://www.architecture.org/architecture-chicago/buildings-of-chicago/building/aqua/">Aqua Tower</a> in Chicago is designed with exterior terraces to look more like a cliff, which prevents birds from crashing into it as frequently. In Germany, Berlin plans to adopt “coherent greenery,” where they will connect the green spaces within the city so that wildlife can move around more easily.

Efforts are even being made in Los Angeles to build a land bridge over the 101 Freeway, which would allow mountain lions to mingle rather than live in isolation.

Some of the newly urban animals, such as red foxes and coyotes, have traits that let them successfully exist in cities without much human help.

Animals that survive and thrive in the wild by being sneaky, adaptable, and fast breeders – and those that aren’t fussy about what they eat – tend to do very well in cities, said Tristan Donovan, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Feral-Cities-Adventures-Animals-Jungle/dp/1569760675">Feral Cities: Adventures with Animals in the Urban Jungle</a>.

Red foxes actually live in greater densities in cities than in the country now, and city-dwelling coyotes tend to live longer than their rural counterparts, scientists said.

“It’s a pattern we’ve seen across the whole continent – they’re figuring out a way to deal with whatever we’ve done to the landscape,” Dr. Chris Nagy, a wildlife biologist, told National Geographic. Nagy has studied coyote populations in New York City for years.

<a href="https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/sustain/report/terra3/terra3-13.htm">Studies</a> have shown that human development almost always leads to decreased biodiversity. But urban foxes and other city-dwelling wildlife show that many species can adapt and thrive in human cities.

Their presence can sometimes be dangerous. Animals such as mountain lions and coyotes can become bolder as they grow more accustomed to human contact.

However, many cities are finding solutions to help animals coexist with humans. Human development of their native environments leaves few alternatives.

Urban foxes and other animals settle into cities, raise families

Cities in northern England have a new and growing segment...

Israel averages more than 300 days of sun each year, but it lags behind much rainier countries when it comes to solar power. Now it plans to catch up by building the world’s tallest solar tower.

Israel has relied on fossil fuels for power generation since 1923, a quarter of a century before the country was founded. It also imports large quantities of natural gas. The established industry and a lack of incentives has slowed the adoption of renewable energy sources such as solar.

The country’s government hopes the solar tower, based near Ashalim, will change that.

The <a href="http://megalimsolar.wixsite.com/megalim-solar-power/the-project">Ashalim Solar Thermal Power Station</a> is a major step toward Israel’s goals for renewable energy. The country hopes to receive 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Renewables make up 2.5 percent of Israel’s power generation right now.

The solar tower will go up in the Negev Desert outside Ashalim. Four plots have been set aside, and three are set for completion in 2018. Once finished, the Ashalim solar tower should generate 310 megawatts of power – 1.6 of the country’s power needs.

At the power station, more than 50,000 computer-controlled heliostats – mirrors that direct the sunlight toward a specific target – will track the sun and concentrate sunlight onto a boiler at the top of the tower. That will create enough high temperature steam to power a turbine generator, which will in turn produce energy, according to <a href="http://megalimsolar.wixsite.com/megalim-solar-power">Megalim Solar Power Ltd.</a>, which is building part of the project with <a href="http://www.brightsourceenergy.com/ashalim-solar-project#.WG6M78MrLnA">BrightSource Energy</a> and <a href="http://www.ge.com/">General Electric</a>.

One of the three plots in Negev is earmarked for the tower. The others will hold a traditional photovoltaic solar farm, and an energy storage facility.

The Ashalim solar tower isn’t the first such project in the world. California has the largest solar tower installation, and there are about a dozen more worldwide. However, Israel’s will be the tallest, in part because they’ve maximized the small space in Negev by packing in as many heliostats as possible. When heliostats are closer together, the boiler toward has to be taller to compensate.

If the project is successful, it could start a trend. Israeli companies have produced some of the top solar energy technology in the world, but are generally forced to take their expertise outside of the country’s borders due to a lack of demand and usable land in Israel. Now, it could be their day in the sun in their homeland.

Israel plans to soak up the sun with world's tallest solar tower

Israel averages more than 300 days of sun each year,...

What if we could see just how much a new smartphone or sushi lunch will affect wildlife? Now we can, thanks to new maps of consumer hotspots that put wildlife at risk.

Dr. Daniel Moran of the <a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/">Norwegian University of Science and Technology</a> paired up with his colleague, Dr. Keiichiro Kanemoto of <a href="http://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/english/">Shinshu University</a>, to tackle the problem.

They created a new technique that examines global supply chains to identify where they cause threats to animals species, and analyze how. Then they mapped out each country’s consumer hotspots across the globe.

“Locating biodiversity threat hotspots driven by consumption of goods and services can help to connect conservationists, consumers, companies and governments in order to better target conservation actions,” Moran and Kanemoto wrote in an <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-016-0023">article</a> published this week.

In other words, the major players can tackle threats like deforestation in a way that leaves everyone all satisfied. And the maps help identify threats to wildlife and what is causing them, allowing those players to take action.

Moran and Kanemoto focused on 6,803 vulnerable and endangered animal species listed by the <a href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/">International Union for Conservation of Nature</a> and <a href="http://www.birdlife.org/">BirdLife International</a>. Then they looked at the threats each species faced, such as deforestation. Finally, they followed the chain of events to the ultimate consumer.

That way, they could determine which consumer hotspots were causing a ripple effect down the global supply chain.

The tool lets you look at a country and see where its consumer habits have the largest effect.

For example, the U.S. is a consumer hotspot that causes threats to species in Mexico, Madagascar, the Sahel region of Africa, Southeast Asia, Spain, Central America, and elsewhere.

For marine species, Southeast Asia was the primary consumer hotspot. The region’s fishing industry feeds not just that area, but people in the U.S. and the European Union.

The two scientists hope that their work will help countries and consumers take more effective steps toward conserving endangered species.

“Maps of species threat hotspots can thus help all actors, from producers and conservationists to final consumers, to focus solutions on targeted biodiversity hotspots,” they wrote.

The pair published their research in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/natecolevol/">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.

New maps show consumer hotspots that threaten endangered species

What if we could see just how much a new...

One of winter’s greatest dangers: those icy sidewalks that send you slipping, sliding, and maybe falling.

A little salt makes them a lot less treacherous – but it may be harming the local environment, too. The <a href="https://www.soils.org/">Soil Science Society of America</a> posted a new warning on its blog <a href="https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/">Soils Matter</a> about overuse of the useful mineral.

“The most commonly used item for managing ice is road salt, or sodium chloride. While this salt does melt ice, when overused or mismanaged, it can become a serious environmental pollutant,” wrote blog contributor Mary Tiedeman, a doctoral student in soil microbiology.

The U.S. applies between 10 to 20 million tons of salt to roadways and sidewalks every winter, she noted, citing research by the <a href="http://www.caryinstitute.org/">Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies</a>. Salt is such a popular deicer because it’s cheap, available, and effective.

But salt meant for wintery roads and icy sidewalks can end up elsewhere, including in soil, Tiedeman said. It can bounce away during application, be washed away by melting snow and ice, or blow away during strong winds.

And that’s bad news for topsoil.

“Once deposited, components of salts, particularly sodium ions, can wreak havoc on soil systems. They do this by reducing soils’ ability to retain plant nutrients and water, and maintain soil structure,” Tiedeman wrote.

Sodium contamination and the breakdown of soil structure makes it harder for water to flow through soil. The top layer can also wash away through erosion more easily. Once salt is in the soil, it can take years to become diluted enough that it’s no longer causing harm.

Too much salt can also be toxic to most plant species.

The best way to avoid damaging the soil and staying safe this winter is to be proactive, Tiedeman wrote.

Shoveling quickly after snowfall means the snow has less time to become ice, she said. That means you can use less salt to deice. Wetting the salt slightly before application helps keep it where it’s supposed to be: on icy sidewalks, not bouncing or blowing into soil. Try to keep salt application only to areas where you expect foot traffic, if possible.

“Clay-based kitty litter and/or sand can also be used instead of, or in addition to salts, as they add traction to otherwise slippery surfaces,” she added.

Icy sidewalks add to 'salt of the Earth' and that's not a good thing

One of winter’s greatest dangers: those icy sidewalks that send...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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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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