For decades, researchers have questioned whether boys and girls are born with the same natural ability in math. In 2005, cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke took a firm stand, stating that there are no differences in overall intrinsic aptitude for science and mathematics among women and men.



Now, the evidence is even stronger. In a new study, researchers from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard University</a> and several institutions across France examined math performance in more than 2.5 million French schoolchildren. 



The team found that at the very beginning of first grade, boys and girls start off nearly equal in math. But just four months into formal math instruction, a small gap appears - and it keeps growing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nationwide-study-tracks-the-math-gap">Nationwide study tracks the math gap</h2>



The research draws on a French government testing program that was launched in 2018. This nationwide effort tracked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reminiscing-can-boost-language-development-in-preschoolers/">language</a> and math skills of young students from first through sixth grade. 



Over five years and across four student cohorts, the program gave researchers an unmatched view of early math development.



At school entry, French girls scored slightly better than boys in language. Math scores, though, were essentially the same. 



"The headline conclusion is that the gender gap emerges when systematic instruction in mathematics begins," Spelke explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-for-gender-differences">Looking for gender differences </h2>



Spelke had already spent decades studying how young children understand numbers and shapes. Back in 2005, she wrote a major review for American Psychologist. The piece challenged the notion that boys are biologically wired for better math performance than girls.



"My argument was, 'OK, if there really were biological differences, maybe we would see them in the infancy period,'" said Spelke. 



She and her team always tracked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-children-learn-gender-stereotypes-from-storybooks/">gender</a> in their studies, but they never found infant boys outperforming girls in math, or vice versa. Still, Spelke admitted that something could be happening later in development.



"The fact that there are no differences in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/conscious-awareness-when-does-our-sense-of-purpose-emerge/">infants</a> could be because the abilities that show gender effects actually emerge during preschool," she proposed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-math-instruction-for-boys-and-girls">Math instruction for boys and girls</h2>



In recent years, Spelke has turned her attention to how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-a-better-way-for-kids-to-learn-math/">children learn counting</a> and numbers in real classrooms. 



Spelke partnered with Nobel Prize-winning MIT economist Esther Duflo to advise the Delhi office of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). The team is helping four Indian states create and test math lessons for children in preschool through first grade.



In France, she works alongside her longtime collaborator, neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene. Together, they serve on the French Ministry of Education's Scientific Council, which helped develop the EvalAide testing program. 



The idea was simple: measure where every child stands in math and language and use that data to guide better teaching.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gender-gap-emerges-in-math">Gender gap emerges in math</h2>



For this study, the team analyzed data from four full cohorts of first-graders entering school between 2018 and 2021. 



What they found was consistent: no math gap at the time of school entry, a small but significant gap favoring boys after four months, and a steadily widening gap by second, fourth, and even sixth grade.



"It was even bigger in fourth grade," Spelke said. "And in sixth grade it was bigger still."



Interestingly, the gender gap in language shrank slightly after the first few months of school and stayed relatively stable in later years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ruling-out-old-explanations">Ruling out old explanations</h2>



So why does the math gap grow with time in school? The researchers ruled out several familiar theories.



"If there was really a pervasive social bias, and the parents were susceptible to it, we would expect boys to be more oriented toward spatial and numerical tasks when they first got to school," said Spelke.



But that didn’t happen. At school entry, there was no math gap. This points away from both biological and early social bias explanations.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-experiment-during-the-pandemic">An experiment during the pandemic </h2>



The EvalAide dataset offered other insights. French first-graders can be nearly a year apart in age, depending on when their birthday falls. 



The team wondered if the older students were skewing results. They weren’t. The widening gender gap aligned more closely with time spent in school than with age.



Then came an unusual variable: COVID-19. The 2019 cohort missed the final 2.5 months of first grade due to lockdowns. That gap year created a natural experiment.



"With less time in school, the amount of the gender gap grew by less than it did in the other years where there wasn't a long school closure," said Spelke.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-confirming-the-math-gender-gap">Confirming the math gender gap</h2>



The cohort also began school just after a national education crisis. In early 2019, French students had scored <a href="https://www.polytechnique-insights.com/en/braincamps/society/how-to-improve-the-relationship-between-education-and-employment/maths-an-essential-subject-whose-level-is-falling-in-a-majority-of-countries/#:~:text=In%202003%2C%2015%25%20of%20French,European%20average%20of%20527%20points.">lowest</a> among 23 European countries in math, according to international rankings. 



In response, the French Education Ministry - guided by its Scientific Council - called for more math teaching in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-pandemic-setbacks-reduced-kindergarten-readiness/">kindergarten</a>.



Sure enough, a tiny math gender gap appeared in fall 2019 among new first-graders. That gap hadn’t shown up in 2018 but was still present in 2020 and 2021.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-problems-in-early-math-instruction">Problems in early math instruction </h2>



The study doesn't pinpoint a single cause, but its message is clear: differences in math achievement between boys and girls seem to grow as a result of what happens in early <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/schools-are-in-a-battle-with-cell-phones-to-keep-students-engaged/">school</a> instruction.



"We still don't know what that is exactly," Spelke said. "But now we have a chance to find out by randomized evaluations of changes to the curriculum."



The findings put pressure on education systems to ask hard questions about how math is taught in the early years - and what needs to change to make it fair for everyone.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09126-4">Nature</a>.



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Early math instruction may unintentionally favor boys

For decades, researchers have questioned whether boys and girls are born with the same natural ability in math. In 2005, cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke took a firm stand, stating that there are no differences in overall intrinsic aptitude for science and mathematics among women and men. Now, the evidence is even stronger. In a new study, researchers from Harvard University and several institutions across France examined math performance in more than 2.5 million French schoolchildren. The team found that at the very beginning of first grade, boys...

Rising temperatures pose major challenges to the dairy industry. For instance, the milk production of Holstein cattle can decline by 30 to 70 percent in hot weather. According to a research team from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a>, heat-stressed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dairy-cows-exposed-to-wildfire-smoke-produce-less-milk/">dairy cows</a> often develop gut permeability (leaky gut), which contributes to a significant reduction in milk production. However, the experts found that milk production can be partially restored by feeding the cows organic acids and pure botanicals.&nbsp;



“This has immediate application,” said&nbsp;study senior author Joseph McFadden, an associate professor of Dairy Cattle Biology at Cornell. “And we hope it serves as a catalyst for the field and ignites further research into dietary approaches.”



Climate change is already causing reduced milk production in Holsteins, the dominant dairy cattle breed in the United States. Even in the New York state, where the climate is generally cooler, these cows’ health and productivity are threatened, since they start experiencing heat stress at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.



“In New York state,&nbsp;we’re projected to have an increase in heat-stress events in the next decade, but the precipitation is supposed to stay. With major droughts and water demands in other areas of the country, there may be an increased emphasis on maintaining the strength of the Northeast dairy industry, but we’ll still have more heat-stress events, and we have to be proactive and ready,” Professor McFadden urged.



Heat stress is causing the cows to eat less, and this reduced food intake accounts for 30 to 50 percent of the drop in milk production. According to McFadden and his team, the remaining decline develops due to an increase in intestinal permeability, which activates the immune system. “The general working hypothesis was that an activated immune system partitions energy away from milk production to support immune function,” he explained.&nbsp;



“When the gut becomes permeable, it allows bacteria to enter the cow that activate the immune system and cause inflammation. But there had never been a study that directly confirmed that heat-stressed dairy cows developed leaky gut. Prior data only inferred this possibility.”



Fortunately, the scientists discovered that the consumption of organic acids and pure botanicals significantly reduces cows’ gut permeability and increases food intake and milk production, restoring up to three kilograms of milk per day. Moreover, cows kept on this diet showed increased nitrogen efficiency, thus reducing emissions of this harmful substance.



Further research is needed to assess the efficacy of different additives, and recommend changes to the staple diet of cows in the U.S. through optimization of the&nbsp;<a href="https://cals.cornell.edu/animal-science/outreach-extension/publications-resources-software/cornell-net-carbohydrate-and-protein-system#:~:text=The%20Cornell%20Net%20Carbohydrate%20and,supplying%20nutrients%20to%20meet%20requirements.">Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System</a> (a model used to determine what dairy and beef cattle should eat). “That model helps nutritionists formulate diets for cows. If we can improve that model and understand the nutrient requirements that a cow has during a heat-stress event, we can ensure she’s getting what she needs to maintain optimum health and performance,” McFadden concluded.



The study is published in the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-21820">Journal of Dairy Science</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dietary changes improve milk production in heat-stressed cows

Rising temperatures pose major challenges to the dairy industry. For...

Earth,And,Galaxy.,Elements,Of,This,Image,Furnished,By,Nasa.

Major <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/habitat-shifts-change-the-brain-structure-of-butterflies/">habitat shifts</a>, such as moving to land from the sea, are key evolutionary events that often spark explosions of diversity. Until recently, it was unclear how frequent such habitat transitions have been across the eukaryotic tree of life, which includes animals, plants, and a vast array of microbes. Now, an international research team led by the <a href="https://www.uu.se/">Uppsala University</a> in Sweden has discovered that eukaryotes have made hundreds of major leaps from sea to land and freshwater habitats, and vice versa, during their evolution over the last two billion years.



“We found that organisms in the eukaryote tree of life are generally grouped by whether they live in the oceans, or in non-marine habitats like freshwater and soils. This finding confirms that adapting to a different salinity - or crossing the salt barrier - is difficult, even for microbes,” said study lead author Mahwash Jamy, an expert in Organismal Biology at Uppsala.



“However, we found that microbial eukaryotes have still managed to successfully establish themselves in new habitats several hundred times during their evolution, and we’re likely to discover more of these transition events as we sequence microbes from more locations. It’s likely that these difficult-to-achieve transitions have allowed colonizing organisms to occupy vacant ecological niches, leading to the vast diversity of eukaryotes we see today.”



By sequencing DNA of microbes from boreal lakes, forest soils, the Indian Ocean, the Mariana Trench, and various other environments, the scientists reconstructed large evolutionary trees that revealed major patterns in the evolution of habitat preference. &nbsp;“It’s likely that two of the largest groups of eukaryotes, called SAR and Obozoa, each of which are much larger than the plant and animal kingdoms, arose in completely different habitats,” explained study senior author Fabien Burki, an associate professor of Organismal Biology at Uppsala.&nbsp;



“The SAR lineage, which includes groups like diatoms, ciliates, dinoflagellates, radiolarians etc., first arose in the Precambrian oceans. On the other hand, the ancestral Obazoan, which has now diversified into fungi, animals, choanoflagellates, and amoebozoans, likely inhabited non-marine habitats.”



These findings suggest that the salinity shift between marine and non-marine habitats played a crucial role in shaping eukaryotic evolution. Further research is needed to investigate what genetic mechanisms are underlying these seminal evolutionary events.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01838-4">Nature Ecology &amp; Evolution</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer&nbsp;&nbsp;

Habitat shifts shaped the evolution of life on Earth

Major habitat shifts, such as moving to land from the...

Beauty,Transparent,Drop,Of,Water,On,A,Green,Leaf,Macro

In a paper published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41929-022-00817-z">Nature Catalysis</a>, Dr. Shafeer Kalathil of Northumbria University describes new technology developed to help combat climate change and alleviate global demand for fossil fuels. Dr. Kalathil is part of a team that has discovered a chemical process that transforms <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunscreen-ingredients-make-sunlight-toxic-for-corals/">sunlight</a>, water, and carbon dioxide into acetate and oxygen to create fuels and chemicals powered by renewable energy.&nbsp;



One of the advantages of this process is that it uses bacteria cultivated in an environment that doesn't need organic inputs, doesn't create harmful toxins, and remarkably doesn't require electricity. The main objective of Dr. Kalathil's project is to create another form of energy to complement renewable sources like wind and solar.&nbsp;



"There has been an increase in electricity generation from renewable sources such as wind and solar, but these are intermittent in nature. To fill the gap when the wind doesn't blow or the sun doesn't shine, we need technologies that can create storable fuels and sustainable chemicals. Our research addresses this challenge head on," explained Dr. Kalathil.



"Several incidents have demonstrated the fragility of the global energy supply, such as recent soaring gas prices in UK [sic], the outbreak of conflicts and civil wars in the Middle East and the ecological and humanitarian threat of a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan. The search for alternative energy sources is therefore of major global importance."



"As well as securing additional much-needed energy supplies, our sustainable technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and play a key role in the global drive to achieve net zero."



Tackling the global energy crisis will not be easy and requires a wide breadth of knowledge. "The aims of the HBBE fit with what we're trying to achieve with our research – to address key environmental concerns facing our society today and in the future. This emerging field of research represents an interdisciplinary approach that combines the strengths of microbes, synthetic materials and analytical techniques for chemical transformation, and provides an excellent platform to produce high-value, environmentally friendly fuels and chemicals at scale," explained Dr. Kalathil.



"We're already in discussions with international chemical manufacturers and cosmetics producers, and the ultimate aim is to develop our technology on a commercial scale."



The team hopes their findings will motivate up-and-coming scientists to continue searching for not-yet discovered energy sources.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Transforming sunlight and water into renewable energy

In a paper published in Nature Catalysis, Dr. Shafeer Kalathil...

While climate change increases the occurrence of torrential downpours and floods in some locations, it seems to be sending more frequent and more severe droughts to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amazons-carbon-emissions-jumped-40-percent-since-2019/">Amazon </a>Basin. This has far-reaching implications for the rainforest because moisture is at the heart of its very existence. New research now suggests that dry spells in this, the largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest on earth, may cause more extensive damage than was previously thought.



Water that falls over the Amazon rainforest in South America moistens the soil and is taken up by plants. The water is then recycled, through evaporation and transpiration, back into the atmosphere, where it contributes to the droplets in mist and clouds. In this way, the forest creates its own weather, generating as much as half of the rainfall over the greater Basin.&nbsp; When less rain falls, the entire water cycle is affected – not only over the region that experienced the drought, but over large parts of the entire Amazon.



A team of researchers, led by Nico Wunderling of the Potsdam Institute of Climate Action Research, has now used network analysis to understand the complex workings of one of Earth’s most valuable and biodiverse carbon sinks.&nbsp;They have found that even if a dry spell affects only one specific region of the forest, its harm stretches beyond that region by a factor of one to three. &nbsp;As lack of rain strongly decreases the water recycling volume, there will also be less rainfall in neighboring regions, which puts even more parts of the forest under significant stress.



“More intensive droughts put parts of the Amazon rainforest at risk of drying off and dying. Subsequently, due to the network effect, less forest cover leads to less water in the system overall, and hence disproportionately more harm,” explained Wunderling. “And while we’ve investigated the impact of drought, that rule also holds for deforestation. It means essentially, when you chop down one acre of forest, what you actually are destroying is 1.3 acres.”



Extraordinarily dry seasons, that used to occur once a century, now occur twice a decade (for example in 2005 and 2010), and climate models predict they will become the new normal from 2050 onwards.&nbsp;



“These recurrent droughts are already producing quantifiable changes to the Amazon’s moisture network. We use these observations to understand and model the consequences of a future climate that resembles a permanent drought state," explained Henrique Barbosa, assistant professor of Physics at <a href="https://umbc.edu/">University of Maryland Baltimore County</a>.



In the Amazon forest, different regions experience different environmental conditions and the trees are adapted to these. Some parts already experience a dry season and have vegetation with a certain adaptive capacity. However, the researchers think that future changes in the moisture regime will run at a faster pace than the trees can adapt. “We specifically acknowledge these local adaptations as they can be a blessing or a curse under climate change,” said Boris Sakschewski from the Potsdam Institute.



The results of the network analysis reveal that, despite this adaptation, a future climate characterized by permanent drought conditions could trigger a transition to an open canopy state, particularly in the southern Amazon where human activity has already cleared large areas for pasture and crops.



“So we find that even the dry season-adapted parts of the Amazon forest won’t necessarily survive a new climate normal, and the risk of tipping into savannah or no trees at all is high,” said Sakschewski. “The consequences for biodiversity would be disastrous, but the same goes for the local, regional, and global climate.”



“Yet not all is lost,” said study co-senior author Ricarda Winkelmann. “That is because a good part of the forest is still in relatively stable conditions. The network effects of dry spells are likely limited to certain areas in the forest’s southeast and southwest –which happen to be those areas where the forest has been suffering from the human hand already, in clearing forest for pasture or soy.”



“There is still a lot we can do to try and stabilize the Amazon, as preserving it and its ecological services is of utmost importance for local, regional and global climate stability. And we know how we can do that: by protecting the rainforest from logging, and by rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to limit further global warming.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



---



By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The Amazon is drying out, with far-reaching consequences

While climate change increases the occurrence of torrential downpours and...

Our brains are working overtime to predict what will come next as we read or engage in conversation, according to a new study led by the <a href="https://www.mpi.nl/">Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics</a>. The experts report that the brain works a lot like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/speech-sounds-elicit-similar-brain-responses-in-humans-and-guinea-pigs/">speech</a> recognition in computers, but at different levels ranging from the meaning of text to specific sounds used in speech.&nbsp;



The findings support the theory that the brain serves as a prediction machine that continuously compares sensory information with internal predictions.&nbsp;



"This theoretical idea is extremely popular in neuroscience, but the existing evidence for it is often indirect and restricted to artificial situations," said study lead author Micha Heilbron. "I would really like to understand precisely how this works and test it in different situations."



Heilbron explained that research on this topic is usually conducted in an artificial setting, where participants are asked to stare at a single pattern of moving dots for half an hour, or listen to simple patterns in sounds like 'beep beep boop, beep beep boop."



"Studies of this kind do in fact reveal that our brain can make predictions, but not that this always happens in the complexity of everyday life as well. We are trying to take it out of the lab setting," said Heilbron. "We are studying the same type of phenomenon, how the brain deals with unexpected information, but then in natural situations that are much less predictable."



To do so, the researchers analyzed the brain activity of individuals as they listened to stories by Hemingway or about Sherlock Holmes. The texts of the books were simultaneously analyzed with a machine learning algorithm known as a deep neural network.&nbsp;



The experts found that for each word or sound, the brain makes predictions that are extremely sensitive to the degree of unpredictability. An unexpected word evokes a stronger brain response.



"By itself, this is not very surprising: after all, everyone knows that you can sometimes predict upcoming language. For example, your brain sometimes automatically ‘fills in the blank’ and mentally finishes someone else’s sentences, for instance if they start to speak very slowly, stutter or are unable to think of a word. But what we have shown here is that this happens continuously. Our brain is constantly guessing at words; the predictive machinery is always turned on," said Heilbron.



"In fact, our brain does something comparable to speech recognition software. Speech recognizers using artificial intelligence are also constantly making predictions and are allowing themselves to be guided by their expectations, just like the autocomplete function on your phone. Nevertheless, we observed a big difference: brains predict not only words, but make predictions on many different levels, from abstract meaning and grammar to specific sounds."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



---



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

Our brains are constantly working to predict what comes next

Our brains are working overtime to predict what will come...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> has found that a common weed - Portulaca oleracea,&nbsp;commonly known as purslane – could offer important clues about how to create drought resistant crops in a world beset by climate change. According to the experts, this plant integrates two distinct metabolic pathways in order to create a novel type of photosynthesis which enables it to endure <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plants-have-a-memory-of-drought/">droughts</a>, while also remaining highly productive.&nbsp;



“This is a very rare combination of traits and has created a kind of ‘super plant’ -&nbsp; one that could be potentially useful in endeavors such as crop engineering,” said study senior author Erika Edwards, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale.



Plants have evolved a variety of distinct mechanisms to improve photosynthesis, the process by which they use sunlight to synthesize nutrients from carbon dioxide and water. For example, while corn and sugarcane evolved what is known as C4 photosynthesis, which allows them to remain productive under high temperatures, succulents such as cacti and agaves employ another type called CAM photosynthesis, which helps them survive and thrive in areas with little water, such as deserts. While C4 and CAM serve different functions, they recruit the same biochemical pathway to act as “add-ons” to regular photosynthesis.



The researchers were surprised to find that purslane possesses both of these evolutionary adaptations, a unique feature that allows it to be both highly productive and resilient to droughts, which is a rare combination for plants. While scientists have initially thought that C4 and CAM operate independently within purslane leaves, spatial analyses of gene expression revealed that C4 and CAM activity were fully integrated, functioning in the same cells, with products of CAM reactions being processed by the C4 pathway. This system provides significant levels of protection during droughts.



Better understanding this metabolic pathway could help scientists devise novel ways of engineering crops that can withstand prolonged droughts. “In terms of engineering a CAM cycle into a C4 crop, such as maize, there is still a lot of work to do before that could become a reality,” said Professor Edwards. “But what we’ve shown is that the two pathways can be efficiently integrated and share products. C4 and CAM are more compatible than we had thought, which leads us to suspect that there are many more C4+CAM species out there, waiting to be discovered.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>.&nbsp;



---



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer&nbsp;&nbsp;

Common weed may lead to drought-resistant crops

A new study led by Yale University has found that...

Apart from providing clean food and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-make-water-resources-less-predictable/">water</a>, and countless useful raw materials, nature benefits human well-being in numerous ways. Nature may inspire us, give us a sense of place, a cultural identity and surroundings for recreation and tourism. It may provide us with opportunities for cognitive development, spiritual enrichment, reflection and pleasing aesthetic experiences.&nbsp;



Many of these nonmaterial benefits are difficult to quantify because they are spiritual or cultural in nature and may have different significance and value to different people. But it is undeniable that nonmaterial contributions from nature are hugely important in our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health.&nbsp;



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/">University of Tokyo </a>&nbsp;have now undertaken a systematic review of 301 academic articles on “cultural ecosystem services” (CES) that has enabled them to identify how these nonmaterial contributions from nature are linked to and significantly affect human well-being. Although hundreds of CES studies have previously explored the connections between nature and human well-being, these have often made use of different methods, focused on different services in different places and quantified the benefits in different ways.&nbsp;



This fragmentation has made it difficult to identify common patterns between studies and to understand overarching CES benefits to people. The current study aims to understand better how these intangible contributions from nature really affect human well-being so that policy-makers can make decisions about the environment that benefit all members of society.&nbsp;



Graduate student Lam Huynh from the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science at the University of Tokyo, and team, identified 227 unique pathways through which interaction with nature positively or negatively affects human well-being.&nbsp;



“We identified 227 unique linkages between a single CES (such as recreation or aesthetic value) and a single constituent of human well-being (such as connectedness, spirituality, or health)," said Huynh.“We knew that there are many linkages, but we were surprised to find quite so many of them,” said Huynh. “Then, through further critical reading, we could identify major commonalities.”



Through further reading, the researchers identified 16 distinct underlying “mechanisms,” or types of connection, which refer to the different ways that people’s interactions with nature affect their well-being. For example, there can be positive interactions through “cohesive,” “creative,” and “formative” mechanisms, but also negative interactions through mechanisms such as “irritation” and “destruction.” Ten of these mechanisms were newly defined, showing that our well-being is linked to the intangible aspects of nature in many more ways than previously thought.



According to the paper, the negative contributions to human well-being came mainly through the degradation or loss of CES, and through ecosystem “disservices,” such as annoyance at wildlife noise, which can affect some people’s mental health. On the other hand, the highest positive contributions of CES were to both mental and physical health, which were generated mainly through recreation, tourism and aesthetic value.



“It is particularly interesting to note that the identified pathways and mechanisms, rather than affecting human well-being independently, often interact strongly,” explained study co-author Professor Alexandros Gasparatos. “This can create negative trade-offs in some contexts, but also important positive synergies that can be leveraged to provide multiple benefits to human well-being.”



Despite the comprehensiveness of the review, the researchers acknowledge that they may not yet have identified all possible links between CES and human well-being.&nbsp;



“We hypothesize that missing pathways and mechanisms could be present in ecosystem-dependent communities, and especially traditional and Indigenous communities, considering their very unique relations with nature,” said Professor Gasparatos.



“Another of the knowledge gaps we identified is that the existing literature on these nonmaterial dimensions of human-nature relationships mainly focuses on the well-being of individuals rather than on collective (community) well-being,” explained Huynh. “This significant gap hinders our capacity to identify possible synergies and trade-offs in ecosystem management research and practice.”



The team has now received a grant to explore the effects of CES provision to human well-being in the urban spaces of Tokyo. “This project is a logical follow-up to test whether and how some of the identified pathways and mechanisms unfold in reality and intersect with human well-being,” said Gasparatos.



The researchers hope that this study will make it possible to apply the key findings from this complex and diverse body of knowledge to enable real-world impact. Study co-author Professor Kensuke Fukushi from IFI summarized their hope that “an improved understanding of nature’s many connections to human well-being, and the underlying processes mediating them, can help policymakers to design appropriate interventions. Such coordinated action could leverage the positive contributions of these connections and become another avenue to protect and manage ecosystems sustainably.”



---



By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nurturing benefits of nature are crucial for human well-being

Apart from providing clean food and water, and countless useful...

Young,Female,Nks,Uk,Ems,Doctor,In,Front,Of,Healthcare

On Thursday, July 4, 2022, the Biden administration declared the recent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/monkeypox-is-spreading-but-unlikely-to-cause-a-pandemic/">monkeypox</a> outbreak – which was first confirmed at the beginning of May in regions outside Africa (where it is endemic), and since then spread to 80 countries, infecting over 25,000 people worldwide and 6,600 in the U.S. – a national health emergency, a rare designation signaling that this virus has become a significant threat to Americans. Although this new status will help free up emergency funds and ease some bureaucratic hurdles, many experts fear that containment may no longer be possible.



Echoing the initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. officials and health agencies have had a slow start in attempting to contain the outbreak, with tests difficult to obtain, spotty surveillance mechanisms, and difficulties in getting clear estimates of the real number of cases. Moreover, since until now the virus has spread mostly among gay men, experts argue that the administration failed to properly educate people in the L.G.B.T.Q community on the risks they are facing before June’s gay pride celebrations. Finally, access to vaccines and treatments has been – and remains – scarce.



“We have five percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of the world’s cases,” said Dr. Carlos del Rio, an infectious disease physician at <a href="https://www.emory.edu/home/index.html">Emory University</a>. “That, to me, honestly, is a failure. We were caught sleeping at the wheel.”



However, there is hope that the recent designation of monkeypox as a health emergency will open new possibilities for addressing the vaccine and treatment shortage, and galvanize more testing and more health care provider awareness, particularly in regions outside big cities, where the level of attention to this outbreak has been low, as Tom Inglesby, the director of the <a href="https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/">Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security</a> at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, has pointed out.



According to Xavier Becerra, President Biden’s health secretary, declaring monkeypox a health emergency will give federal agencies power to rapidly direct funding toward developing and evaluating vaccines and drugs and hire additional healthcare workers to manage the outbreak. “We’re prepared to take our response to the next level in addressing this virus,” Mr. Becerra said, and urged “every American to take monkeypox seriously, and to take responsibility to help us tackle this virus.”



“A declaration of this monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency is important, but more important is to step up the level of federal, state, and local coordination, fill our gaps in vaccine supply, and get money appropriated from Congress to address this crisis,” added Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist at the <a href="https://ysph.yale.edu/">Yale School of Public Health</a> and advisor to the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> on monkeypox. “Otherwise, we’re talking about a new endemic virus sinking its roots into this country,” he warned.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The United States declares monkeypox a health emergency

On Thursday, July 4, 2022, the Biden administration declared the...

As glaciers retreat due to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-will-severely-impact-birds-by-2080/">climate change</a>, managers of national parks need to know what’s on the horizon to prepare for the future. A new study led by the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a> has measured 38 years of change for glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. The 670,000-acre park hosts various types of glaciers that terminate in the ocean, in lakes, or on land.



The researchers identified trends in the glacier types that are disappearing the fastest. The results showed that 13 of the 19 glaciers show substantial retreat, four are relatively stable, and two have advanced.&nbsp;



"These glaciers are a big draw for tourism in the park - they’re one of the main things that people come to see,” said study lead author Taryn Black, a UW doctoral student. “Park managers had some information from satellite images, aerial photos, and repeat photography but they wanted a more complete understanding of changes over time.”



Lake-terminating glaciers, which include the popular Bear Glacier and Pedersen Glacier, are retreating fastest. Bear Glacier retreated by five kilometers (three miles) between 1984 to 2021, and Pedersen Glacier retreated by 3.2 kilometers (two miles) during the same time period. Glacier retreat in Alaska is driven by climate change.&nbsp;



“These glaciers are at really low elevation. It’s possibly causing them to get more rain in the winter rather than snow in addition to warming temperatures, which is consistent with other climate studies in this region," said Black.



One surprising finding was that Holgate Glacier has advanced in recent years. Local boat operators had reported seeing newly exposed land near the glacier’s edge in 2020. The new analysis shows that the overall glacier has been advancing for five years, and appears to go through regular cycles of advance and retreat. The edges of most of the other tidewater glaciers were relatively stable over the study period.



The six land-terminating glaciers all showed an intermediate response, with most retreating in summer months, but at a slower rate than the lake-terminating glaciers. The Paguna Glacier is covered in rock debris from the 1964 Alaska earthquake which insulates the glacier from melting. It was the only glacier to advance during the study period.&nbsp;



These findings provide a baseline to study how climate change - including warmer air temperatures and changes in precipitation - will continue to affect these glaciers.&nbsp;



The study can support park managers by helping to quantify the changes that have been occurring. “We can’t manage our lands well if we don’t understand the habitats and processes occurring on them,” said study co-author Deborah Kurtz of the U.S. National Park Service in Seward, Alaska.



“These data will allow us to provide scientists and visitors with more details of the changes occurring at each specific glacier, helping everyone to better understand and appreciate the rate of landscape change we are experiencing in this region."



The study was conducted as part of an internship originally intended to take place at Kenai Fjords National Park. Instead, Black did the research remotely from Seattle and visited local glaciers at Mount Rainier. The project was partially funded by the National Park Service’s Future Park Leaders program, a partnership between the Ecological Society of America and the U.S. National Park Service.



The findings are published in the <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-glaciology">Journal of Glaciology</a>.



Image Credit: U.S. National Park Service



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By <a href="mailto:katherinebucko@gmail.com">Katherine Bucko</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Decades of change: how climate is affecting glaciers

As glaciers retreat due to climate change, managers of national...

Many studies have shown that, in children, ambient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/severity-of-covid-symptoms-linked-to-air-pollution/">air pollution</a> can lead to allergic sensitization, respiratory problems, and ultra-structural and cellular changes to their lungs and airways. Due to their higher intake of contaminants and greater lung surface area relative to their body weight, children are more susceptible to the damaging effects of pollution compared to adults.&nbsp;



A study led by the<a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/"> University of California, Davis</a> has now found children exposed to high levels of air pollution also have elevated markers of inflammation (such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Interleukin-6.aspx">interleukin 6</a>), and lower cardiac autonomic regulation, which impacts how fast the heart beats and how hard it pumps.



The scientists examined blood samples from over 100 children aged 9-11 in the Sacramento area of California where significant levels of pollutants were recorded by the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA). The analysis revealed that 27 children who were exposed to particulate matter carried by wildfire smoke had markers of systemic inflammation and lower cardiac autonomic regulation.



“By examining daily and monthly levels of particulate matter in relation to children’s inflammation and autonomic physiology, this study further demonstrates the immediate consequences of exposure to air pollution, which may increase risk of future disease,”&nbsp;said study lead author Anna Parenteau, a doctoral student in Psychology at UC Davis.&nbsp;



“As climate change continues to impact children and families, it is paramount to understand the impact of environmental contaminants such as air pollution on children’s physiology.”



According to Parenteau and her colleagues, children exposed to pollutants released during wildfires are likely to develop long-term health conditions, including asthma, decreased lung function, and a host of neurodevelopmental problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, memory issues, and deficits in school performance.



Continued developmental research on environmental contaminants is necessary to sound the alarm about the hazardous effects of air pollution and inform policy changes that could promote long-term population health.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cad.20474">New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Air pollution increases risk of future disease in children

Many studies have shown that, in children, ambient air pollution...

Air <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-increases-the-risk-of-dementia/">pollution</a> has been linked, in past research, to increased risks of neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia&nbsp;and&nbsp;autism. Considering that 99 percent of people across the globe live in cities where air quality is questionable, it is surprising that only one in 44 children is diagnosed with autism. Naval oceanographer Carina Block worked where she was exposed to jet exhaust fumes every day while she was pregnant and when she gave birth to a baby with a neurodevelopmental problem, she thought there might be a connection.



“I was pregnant, stressed, and worked near planes,” Block recalled. “I walked past jet fuel exhaust every day. And my child ended up developing a neurodevelopmental disorder, hydrocephalus.”



Although her daughter is now healthy, Block has continued to follow her hunch by conducting research under the auspices of the labs of psychology and neuroscience professor Staci Bilbo, PhD and cell biology professor Cagla Eroglu, PhD, both from <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a> in North Carolina. Block’s most recent research on the effects of air pollution and stress on the offspring of mice provides convincing evidence that, had she been carrying a baby boy, he may well have been born with autism



The research involved exposing pregnant mice to air pollution in the form of diesel exhaust particles. Towards the end of their pregnancy, the mice moms were dealt another stressor: they were given insufficient material from which to build a nest for their pups. According to the researcher, this added stress mimics the situation that many people find themselves in during the course of their normal lives.&nbsp;



When asked why not every child born in a polluted city develops autism, Bilbo explained that environmental toxins are worse for some people than for others and it's always the most vulnerable populations that are affected.&nbsp; In the case of autism and air pollution, Bilbo thinks the missing link is maternal stress stemming from poverty and housing insecurity.



“It’s not that wealthy people aren't stressed,” Bilbo said. “But it’s different when you have to worry about where you're going to live and whether you're safe in your home.”



This explains why Block and her team chose to limit the amount of nesting material to the pregnant mice that were already exposed to polluted air. They wished to test this combination of conditions, which are endured by many people every day, in order to monitor the effects on the brain development of the offspring.&nbsp;



The findings, published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/home">Cell Reports</a>, showed that although the stressed mice were exemplary parents that nursed and groomed their pups just as much as those who were spared the prenatal stressors, their male offspring exhibited unusual, autism-like social behavior. Adolescent male mice born to stress- and smog-exposed moms preferred hanging out with a yellow rubber duck rather than a nearby mouse (mice usually prefer the company of one of their own rather than that of a bath toy). Female offspring were less likely to be affected in this way.&nbsp;



After observing the unusual behavior in male offspring, Block and her team looked at what had happened in their brains that may have made them socially shy. Specifically, the research team wondered whether male brains had somehow missed out on their necessary refinement early in development.



All young animals have an excess of connections (synapses) between their brain cells. As they grow up and develop, these connections get “pruned” back; connections that are used often are strengthened while connections that are seldom used are removed.&nbsp; The result of this process of synaptic pruning is that the brain becomes more efficient as the animal ages.&nbsp;



The results of the brain analysis of mice indicated that male offspring of stressed mothers who had inhaled diesel fumes had missed out on the normal pruning of synapses in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a brain region that is important for perceiving and producing social cues. The overabundance of synapses in this region seemed to explain their shy social tendencies as teenagers, but it left open the question of how a double-hit of smog and stress during gestation halts typical brain sculpting.



In order to understand this, Block and her team looked at the immune system, specifically at immune cells in the brain, called microglia. These are highly active cells that monitor the brain constantly for pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, but they also destroy weak or dead synapses. This helps to trim away unwanted connections and keep the brain tidy. Block reasoned that if there are more synapses than usual, perhaps there aren’t as many microglia in the brains of affected males.



Confusingly, Block found that adolescent males from the stressed mother mice had just as many microglia in the ACC as did their peers from non-stressed moms. However, smog and housing stress lead to microglia having less of the protein that stimulates their appetite for synapses, which likely explains why pruning did not take place effectively in the ACC.&nbsp;



By adulthood, the situation in the mouse brains had been reversed. Males from smog- and stress-exposed moms now had fewer synapses in their ACC and were more gregarious than their unexposed peers. This atypical tendency to be more outgoing rather than reserved mirrored the&nbsp;<a href="https://today.duke.edu/2022/03/duke-scientists-find-brain-network-makes-mice-mingle">behavior and brain activity of mice with autism-linked genes</a>&nbsp;that has been recently described by Block’s collaborator and co-author, Duke neurobiology professor and psychiatrist Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD.



Dzirasa states that many of his patients with autism would fail the standard lab tests used to diagnose mice, because mouse behavior is considered to be autism-like if the mice are less inclined to socialize. Dzirasa and Block say that people with autism are not inherently introverted, but have difficulty understanding social cues and conventions rather than being unwilling to interact socially.&nbsp;



Block and Bilbo suggest this work provides a clear mechanism in mice that may explain why high levels of air pollution&nbsp;<a href="https://journals.lww.com/environepidem/Fulltext/2019/10000/Air_pollution,_neighborhood_deprivation,_and.8.aspx">increase the likelihood that a child will develop autism</a>&nbsp;only if they’re born in a poor neighborhood. It might also lead to the development of drugs to help prevent microglia from being manipulated by environmental stressors, since diesel exhaust and housing stress triggers a similar immune response when pregnant women catch the flu.



For now, Bilbo and her team hope that this unequivocal evidence about the impact of stress and air pollution during pregnancy pushes policymakers to promote legislation supporting clean air initiatives and social services, such as improved and expanded public housing.



“You can't ignore this study’s mechanistic findings,” Bilbo said. “This is happening, and this is how.”



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Is autism related to pollution and stress during pregnancy?

Air pollution has been linked, in past research, to increased...

Birds are described as modern-day dinosaurs, and it seems they will be forced, yet again, to adapt to a rapidly changing world. A team of scientists led by <a href="https://www.durham.ac.uk/homepage/">Durham University</a> has predicted that climate change will force avian communities worldwide to shift their ranges by 2080.



To make their predictions for the future, the researchers looked at the past. They compared previous climate data to past avian ranges to determine where the birds might move. The experts then applied these relationships to a model that considered future climates based on low and high greenhouse emissions.&nbsp;



The team was interested in more than the number of birds and species diversity. They wanted to determine the effect the shift will have on phylogenetic diversity, which factors in how many different types of birds make up a community.&nbsp;



“In our study, we examined the effects of global warming on the regional distribution of terrestrial birds around the world," said Dr. Alke Voskamp of Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre. "The focus was on the effects on species richness as well as on various aspects of phylogenetic diversity, primarily how closely related the species are to each other.”



The researchers analyzed 8,768 bird species to help them determine how many lineages might be lost or added regionally as birds move and adapt to a dynamic climate. They believe most losses will occur in tropical and subtropical areas but that community restructuring will take place worldwide.&nbsp;



The study points out that maintaining regional phylogenetic diversity will be crucial to the resilience of over biological diversity.



“The diversity of lineages is very often related to the diversity of traits that species possess and thus to their roles and functions in ecosystems," said study co-author Professor Stephen Willis of Durham University.



"For example, species from more distant lineages often have different beak types, and hence eat different types of food. Change means that the ecosystem functions that birds perform in an area may also change in the future, with potential consequences for food webs, seed dispersal and plant pollination.”



Readers can access the study in <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.2184">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:nire518@gmail.com">Erin Moody </a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change will severely impact birds by 2080

Birds are described as modern-day dinosaurs, and it seems they...

Fresh,Radish,Harvest,On,Soil,In,Garden.

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Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving fall garden, and this guide lays out the best vegetables and herbs to plant now for a fruitful autumn harvest. 



Fast-growing leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, kale, and arugula perform especially well in the waning summer heat, with harvests beginning as soon as 30 days. 



These cool-season crops relish the transition into fall, offering repeated yields with cut-and-come-again methods.



Root vegetables like radishes, carrots, and beets also excel during this period. Radishes deliver satisfaction in under a month, while carrots and beets mature in about two months. Employing succession planting ensures a continuous stream of produce deep into the cooler months. 



For a boost of fresh flavor, herbs like cilantro, basil, dill, and chervil are excellent picks. These heat-loving varieties flourish in July’s warmth and are harvest-ready in about 30 days, especially when sown continuously.



Gardeners in zones 6 through 9 can benefit from planting bush beans and snap peas, which don’t require trellising and are ideal for compact plots. 



Maturing in 50–60 days, they’re a smart choice for quick, protein-rich harvests. For those in hotter regions, heat-tolerant crops such as okra and southern peas provide reliable yields and thrive in scorching conditions.



This guide emphasizes more than crop selection—it highlights the importance of timing, soil preparation, and ongoing sowing techniques. 



With thoughtful planning and attention to regional climate needs, even late-summer gardeners can enjoy fresh salads, hearty stews, and the satisfaction of a robust, homegrown harvest well into fall.



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving...

Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

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A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

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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https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" 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> (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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" 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.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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" 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> 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



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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



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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



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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 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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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



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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



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Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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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



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The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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