A new study suggests that early humans may have used fire not primarily for cooking, but to protect their hard-earned meat from predators and preserve it through smoking and drying.



This theory offers a fresh explanation for why fire was first adopted long before it became a common part of daily life.



Researchers from <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tel Aviv University</a> argue that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-shows-early-humans-climbed-trees-and-worked-with-stone/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">early humans</a>, especially Homo erectus, likely used fire as a practical tool to guard and store large quantities of meat. Instead of cooking, fire may have served to smoke and dry meat from massive animals like elephants or hippos.



This, they propose, was a key survival strategy that let humans make the most of rare and valuable kills.



The research was conducted by Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Professor Ran Barkai from the university’s Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures. The study is part of a broader theory that connects prehistoric developments to the decline of large game over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-uses-of-fire">Early uses of fire</h2>



Evidence of fire use becomes common in human habitats only after about 400,000 years ago. Before that, signs of fire are much rarer.



“The origins of fire use is a ‘burning’ topic among prehistory researchers around the world," Barkai said. "It is generally agreed that by 400,000 years ago, fire use was common in domestic contexts - most likely for roasting meat, and perhaps also for lighting and heating.” 



“But there is controversy regarding the preceding million years, and various hypotheses have been put forward to explain why early humans began using fire. In this study, we sought to explore a new perspective on the issue.”



Ben-Dor emphasized that early humans didn’t use fire on a regular basis. “At a number of early sites there are clear signs that fire was used, but without burnt bones or evidence of meat roasting," he said. 



The researchers suggest that ancient people needed a compelling, energy-efficient reason to invest time and effort in maintaining a fire.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-patterns-across-ancient-sites"><a></a>Patterns across ancient sites</h2>



To support their theory, the researchers analyzed nine early sites - 1.8 million to 800,000 years old - with fire evidence. These sites span Africa, Israel, and Spain. The team also drew on ethnographic data from present-day <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-hunter-gatherer-ancestors-did-much-more-gathering-than-hunting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hunter-gatherers</a> to help interpret ancient behavior.



“We examined what the nine ancient sites had in common, and found that all contained large quantities of bones from large animals - mostly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-ancient-humans-hunted-elephants-with-stone-tools/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">elephants</a>, but also hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and others,” Ben-Dor said.



Previous studies show these animals were crucial for early human diets, supplying most of the necessary calories. "The meat and fat of a single elephant contain millions of calories, enough to feed a group of 20–30 people for a month or more,” he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fire-and-smoke-protects-food">Fire and smoke protects food</h2>



From this, the researchers concluded that early humans used fire to guard valuable meat from other animals and to prevent spoilage by smoking it.



“A hunted elephant or hippopotamus was thus a real treasure - a kind of meat and fat ‘bank’ that needed to be protected and preserved for many days, since it was coveted not only by predators but also by bacteria,” Ben-Dor said.



This dual use made fire-building worthwhile, even before it became a standard domestic tool, they argue. It also explains why some early sites have evidence of fire without signs of cooked meat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-wider-prehistoric-picture">A wider prehistoric picture</h2>



Barkai sees this idea as part of a larger shift in how we understand early human behavior. “In this study, we propose a new understanding of the factors that motivated early humans to begin using fire," he explained. "The need to safeguard large hunted animals from other predators, and to preserve the vast quantity of meat over time.”



“It is likely that once fire was produced for these purposes, it was also occasionally used for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-bedrock-can-tell-us-about-ancient-cooking-and-culture/">coo</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-bedrock-can-tell-us-about-ancient-cooking-and-culture/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">k</a><a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-bedrock-can-tell-us-about-ancient-cooking-and-culture/">ing</a> - at zero marginal energetic cost. Such use may explain evidence of fish roasting from around 800,000 years ago at Gesher Benot Ya'aqov.”



The researchers' approach aligns with their broader theory that prehistoric hunting and consumption of large animals drove human evolution. When those large animals disappeared, humans adapted by exploiting smaller prey.



In this view, fire wasn’t simply a tool for comfort or cuisine. It was a strategic response to ecological and survival pressures - a way for early humans to make the most of their greatest food sources before those sources became scarce.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1585182/full">Fron</a><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1585182/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">t</a><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1585182/full">iers in Nutrition</a>.



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Early humans first used fire to preserve meat instead of cooking

A new study suggests that early humans may have used fire not primarily for cooking, but to protect their hard-earned meat from predators and preserve it through smoking and drying. This theory offers a fresh explanation for why fire was first adopted long before it became a common part of daily life. Researchers from Tel Aviv University argue that early humans, especially Homo erectus, likely used fire as a practical tool to guard and store large quantities of meat. Instead of cooking, fire may have served to...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-consumption-lowers-the-risk-of-prostate-cancer/">Coffee</a> and green tea consumption has been linked to a lower risk of a fatal cardiovascular events, according to a new study published by the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>. 

The experts report that drinking green tea or coffee can reduce multiple causes of death and prevent further cardiovascular events, while daily coffee consumption can also lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes in healthy individuals.

Previous studies have focused on the heart health benefits of green tea and coffee in people without a history of cardiovascular disease. For the current investigation, researchers set out to examine the effects of green tea and coffee consumption among heart attack and stroke survivors. 

"There is a strong need for scientific evidence on the lifestyles among survivors of stroke and heart attack considering the rapidly aging population and the need to improve life expectancy following these cardiovascular events," said study co-author Dr. Hiroyasu Iso.

The experts analyzed data on more than 46,000 participants from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk (JACC study), which was conducted in 45 communities across Japan. The individuals had shared information on their lifestyle, medical history, and diet. 

The participants were divided into three groups: history of stroke, history of myocardial infarction (MI), and no history of stroke or MI. Next, the researchers analyzed the amount and frequency of green tea and coffee consumption. 

According to the researchers, a typical cup of green tea contains about 3.4 ounces of liquid, while a typical cup of coffee contains about 5 ounces of liquid.

The study revealed that stroke survivors who consumed at least seven cups of green tea daily lowered their risk of all-cause mortality by approximately 62 percent compared to individuals who rarely drank green tea. 

Heart attack survivors who drank one cup of coffee per day reduced their overall risk of death by approximately 22 percent. In addition, people with no history of heart attack or stroke who consumed one or more cups of coffee per week had a 14 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those who did not drink coffee. 

The findings indicate that green tea consumption prevents further cardiovascular events, while coffee can prevent such events in healthy individuals.

"An important distinction to make is that in Japanese culture, green tea is generally prepared with water and without sugar. Additionally, coffee is prepared with water and occasionally milk and sugar," said Dr. Iso. "The healthiest way to prepare these beverages is without an unnecessary amount of added sugars."

The study is published in <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/str">Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Green tea and coffee lower the risk of fatal cardiovascular events

Coffee and green tea consumption has been linked to a...

Researchers at <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> have identified several factors that historically contributed to the strong mutual connection that exists between humans and dogs. Based on the analysis of more than 140 past societies, the study revealed that when women were involved in the care of a dog, it was more likely to be treated as part of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/family-wastes-food/">family</a>. 

"We found that dogs' relationships with women might have had a greater impact on the dog-human bond than relationships with men," said study first author Jaime Chambers. 

"Humans were more likely to regard dogs as a type of person if the dogs had a special relationship with women. They were more likely to be included in family life, treated as subjects of affection and generally, people had greater regard for them."

Despite the fact that dogs are the most widespread domesticated animal, very few anthropological studies have focused on the origins of the relationship between humans and canines. 

The WSU researchers searched an extensive collection of ethnographic documents in the Human Relations Area Files database, and found thousands of records that mentioned dogs. Overall, the team analyzed data from more than 844 ethnographers writing on 144 traditional societies worldwide. 

According to Chambers, looking at these cultures can provide insight into how the dog-human connection developed.

"Our modern society is like a blip in the timeline of human history. The truth is that human-dog relationships have not looked like they do in Western industrialized societies for most of human history, and looking at traditional societies can offer a wider vision."

The researchers found documented evidence of the mutually beneficial relationship of dogs and humans. In many instances, canines were treated like people - they were given names, allowed to sleep in the same beds as their owners, and were mourned when they died.

A pattern emerged from the data which showed that dogs were more likely to be regarded as family when they had a special relationship with women. In addition, the experts noted that dogs seemed to less useful to humans in warmer climate conditions. 

"Relative to humans, dogs are really not particularly energy efficient," said study co-author Professor Robert Quinlan. "Their body temperature is higher than humans, and just a bit of exercise can make them overheat on a hot day. We saw this trend that they had less utility to humans in warmer environments."

This was a fairly consistent trend, according to Professor Quinlan, but there were some exceptions to this with a few dog-loving cultures in the tropics.

The dog-human connection also seemed to be strengthened by hunting. In cultures that hunted with dogs, the animals were more valued by their human partners. Furthermore, the research suggests that hunting cultures relied more on dogs than those that were more dependant on farming. 

Thy experts said their findings support the theory that dogs and humans "chose each other," as opposed to the idea that humans sought out wolf pups to raise.

"Dogs are everywhere humans are," said Chambers. "If we think that dogs are successful as a species if there are lots of them, then they have been able to thrive. They have hitched themselves to us and followed us all over the world. It's been a very successful relationship."

The study is published in the <a href="https://ethnobiology.org/publications/journal-of-ethnobiology/current">Journal of Ethnobiology</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Women had a stronger influence on the dog-human connection

Researchers at Washington State University have identified several factors that...

In the first study of its kind, researchers at <a href="https://www1.lehigh.edu/">Lehigh University</a> have used a direct measure of skyglow to investigate the relationship between light <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-contributed-to-1-67-million-deaths-in-india-last-year/">pollution</a> and preterm births. The experts report that exposure to skyglow increases the likelihood of preterm labor by as much as 13 percent.

"We find evidence of reduced birth weight, shortened gestational length, and increases in preterm births," wrote the study authors. "Specifically, increased nighttime brightness, characterized by being able to see only one‐fourth to one‐third of the stars that are visible in the natural unpolluted night sky, is associated with an increase of 1.48 percentage points in the likelihood of a preterm birth."

According to study co-author Muzhe Yang, a professor of Economics in Lehigh's College of Business, one possible biological mechanism underlying the findings, based on the existing literature, is light-pollution-induced circadian rhythm disruption. Professor Yang explained circadian rhythm disruption can cause sleep disorders that subsequently lead to adverse birth outcomes.

"While greater use of artificial light at night (ALAN) is often associated with greater economic prosperity, our study highlights an often neglected health benefit of 'darkness,'" said Professor Yang. "We must realize that the biological clock (i.e., the circadian rhythm) of a human body, like all lives on the earth, needs the 'darkness' as part of the light-dark cycle, in order to effectively regulate physiological functions, such as sleep."

The researchers noted that the societal benefits of ALAN, such as increased economic activity, may be offset by the negative impacts of light pollution to human health. 

"Our study adds to the literature on the impact of early‐life exposure to pollution, which so far has focused primarily on air pollution," wrote the experts. "Our study has important policy implications regarding the necessity of minimizing skyglow that is, for example, contributed by streetlights."

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/23258012">Southern Economic Journal</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Light pollution has been linked to preterm births

In the first study of its kind, researchers at Lehigh...

People often use beat gestures, such as moving their hands up and down, to emphasize important words as they <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/speaking-two-languages-exercises-the-brain-protecting-against-dementia/">speak</a>. But do these gestures have an influence on how well we understand what a speaker is saying?

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.mpi.nl/">Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics</a> have found that what we see does, in fact, shape what we hear. 

"In face-to-face communication, language entails much more than just speech," explained study senior investigator Hans Rutger Bosker. "Speakers make use of different channels (mouth, hands, and face) to get a message across. We want to understand how listeners make use of these different streams of information when they are listening to someone." 

The McGurk effect is a phenomenon that suggests there is an interaction between hearing and vision in speech perception. This type of illusion takes place when one sound is paired with the visual component of another sound, which tricks our auditory perception.

The researchers set out to investigate whether what we hear may depend on the beat gestures we see. The study was focused on a set of Dutch words that differ only in stress pattern. 

For example, the word "PLAto," with stress on the first syllable, refers to the ancient Greek philosopher. But when there is stress on the second syllable, the word becomes "plaTO," or plateau.

The experts designed an experiment to test whether beat gestures used at the first or second syllable would change how people interpreted what they heard.

The study revealed that listeners were more likely to hear stress on a syllable if there was a beat gesture on that syllable. The effects were the same for both words and non-words. Beat gestures were even found to influence when people perceived a vowel as being long or short. 

"Listeners listen not only with their ears, but also with their eyes," said Bosker. "These findings are the first to show that beat gestures influence which speech sounds you hear." 

According to the researchers, the effect of beat gestures is probably even stronger in real life, when speech is less clear than it is in the lab. In noisy settings, people may rely more on visual beat gestures for successful communication. 

"Our findings also have the potential to enrich human-computer interaction and improve multimodal speech recognition systems. It seems clear that such systems should take into account more than just speech," said Bosker. 

"We will follow up on the study by using virtual reality to test how specific these effects are - are they induced by beat gestures only or also by other types of communicative cues, such as head nods and eyebrow movements?"

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb">Proceedings of the Royal Society B</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The gestures we see can change what we hear

People often use beat gestures, such as moving their hands...

Researchers have found evidence that women's menstrual cycles are synchronized with lunar cycles, including the intensity of moonlight and the moon's gravitational pull. The experts theorize that this synchronization was strongest in ancient times and has been widely lost due to modern lifestyles and exposure to artificial light at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/crown-of-thorns-starfish-stay-up-all-night-to-overindulge/">night</a>.

Study lead author Charlotte Förster holds the Chair of Neurobiology and Genetics at the <a href="https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/en/university/">University of Würzburg</a> (JMU). "We know many animal species in which the reproductive behavior is synchronized with the lunar cycle to increase reproductive success," said Förster. 

Both menstrual and lunar cycles have a length of around 29.5 days, which indicates that there is a correlation. The idea is also supported by the results of previous research. For example, multiple older studies show that women who have menstrual cycles that are synced up with the moon have the greatest chances of becoming pregnant. 

In addition, two longitudinal studies found a significant connection between lunar cycles and birth rate, with an increase in births during the full moon and a decline in births during the new moon. Further evidence suggests that births are more likely to take place at night when there is a full moon, and in the daytime when there is a new moon. 

To investigate, Förster and her team analyzed the timing of the menstrual cycles of 22 women who had kept menstrual diaries for up to 32 years. "To our knowledge, this approach to analyzing this type of long-term data has not been used before." 

Förster explained that the moon exhibits three distinct cycles that periodically change the intensity of moonlight and its gravitational pull here on Earth. 

The researchers determined that all three lunar cycles influence the onset of menstruation in women. They found that moonlight seems to have the strongest effect, while gravitational forces of the moon also contribute.

Not all women follow the cycle of moonlight, and those that do only sync up for certain periods of time. Women under 35 years of age have menstrual cycles that follow the light and dark phases of the moon for an average of 25 percent of the time.

The connection between menstrual and lunar cycles decreases as women age, and also decreases with exposure to artificial light sources at night. For example, women who go to bed late and leave lights on longer do not show signs of synchronization with the moon.

The fact that humans follow the rhythm of gravity could explain why other cycles, such as when we fall asleep or how long we sleep, are temporarily influenced by a full moon or new moon. 

According to the researchers, the observations suggest that humans respond not only to rapid changes in gravity, like when we are thrown off balance, but also to slow, recurring gravitational changes. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lunar cycles have a secret influence on human reproduction

Researchers have found evidence that women's menstrual cycles are synchronized...

People who take naps have a lower risk of developing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exposure-to-fine-particle-pollution-linked-to-higher-risk-of-dementia/">dementia</a>, according to a new study published by <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">The BMJ</a>. The researchers linked afternoon naps of at least five minutes to improved cognitive ability, such as mental agility and speed of thought.

The neurodegenerative changes associated with older age increase the risk of dementia, which affects around 50 million people worldwide. Sleep patterns also change with age, with afternoon naps becoming more frequent.

The study was focused on the sleep patterns of more than 2,200 adults over the age of 60, who were given a standardized screening test for cognitive decline and dementia.

Overall, 1,534 of the participants reported taking a regular afternoon nap of between five minutes and two hours, and the remaining 680 individuals did not take naps. In both groups, the average length of night time sleep was around 6.5 hours.

The analysis revealed that the cognitive performance scores were significantly higher among the nappers compared to those who did not nap. Afternoon naps were associated with higher scores in locational awareness, working memory, and verbal fluency.

Since this is an observational study, the researchers did not establish the underlying cause of the link between afternoon naps and lower levels of cognitive decline. However, the researchers said there are some possible explanations for the observations found.

For example, one theory is that inflammation serves as a mediator between mid-day naps and poor health outcomes. Inflammatory chemicals have an important role in sleep disorders. Sleep regulates the body's immune response and napping is thought to be an evolved response to inflammation, explained the study authors. 

"In addition to reducing sleepiness, mid-day naps offer a variety of benefits," wrote the researchers. These include "memory consolidation, preparation for subsequent learning, executive functioning enhancement, and a boost to emotional stability - but these effects were not observed in all cases."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://gpsych.bmj.com/">General Psychiatry</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Afternoon naps may prevent cognitive decline and dementia

People who take naps have a lower risk of developing...

Growing up in a bilingual home has been linked to cognitive benefits later in life, according to a new study from <a href="https://aru.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a>. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated for that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/many-young-adults-do-not-know-common-stroke-symptoms/">adults</a> who acquired their second language as young children are faster at detecting visual changes and attention-shifting compared to bilinguals who learned a second language later in life. 

In a previous study, the researchers had found that infants raised in bilingual homes adapt to their more varied language environment by shifting their visual attention faster and more frequently.

"Experiences such as musical instrument and video game training are known to modify cognitive control processes. So, claims that practicing more than one language increases cognitive demands, and thus cognitive control, come as no surprise," wrote the study authors.

"Because words in both lexicons are activated during language use, it is possible that bilinguals rely on domain-general cognitive control processes to monitor and inhibit the activation of words in the non-target language when speaking. This ‘bilingual advantage’ in cognitive control has even been reported in children as young as 7 months."

"But rather than label it as a ‘bilingual advantage’ as convention dictates, we suggested it was an adaptation to a particular set of constraints - i.e. to a more varied and unpredictable environment."

The experts wanted to know whether the adaptations found in early development persist through to adulthood. To investigate, they tested 127 bilingual adults in two separate trials. 

In the first experiment, the volunteers watched side-by-side images on a screen as one gradually changed and the other stayed the same. Early bilinguals, or individuals who learned a second language as children, picked up on the changes much faster than late bilinguals.

The second experiment confirmed that early bilinguals were better at controlling their attention. In particular, they were faster at disengaging from one picture to focus on another.

"This study is an exciting extension of our previous research, which suggested that infants raised in bilingual homes adapt to their more complex language environments by switching attention faster and more frequently," said study lead author Dr. Dean D'Souza.

"This adaptation may help them to take advantage of multiple sources of visual information, such as mouth movements, facial expressions, and subtle gestures, ultimately helping them to learn multiple languages."

"The findings from our new research with bilingual adults suggest that some of these adaptations, including being quicker at shifting attention, are maintained into adulthood."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/srep/?gclid=CjwKCAiA6aSABhApEiwA6Cbm_9Mu69fXRJQfOKxDEGfpXrV_4iG_xrF_X_qEl02QNc89jAytqGzkjBoC3woQAvD_BwE">Scientific Reports</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bilingual children have lasting cognitive benefits

Growing up in a bilingual home has been linked to...

Research has shown that the most common psychological responses to the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/most-severe-covid-19-infections-start-in-the-brain-not-the-lungs/">COVID-19</a> pandemic were anxiety, stress, and depression. A new study from the <a href="https://ics-seville.org/university-of-seville/">University of Seville</a> suggests that having indoor plants protected many people from these negative feelings. The researchers found that exposure to houseplants had a positive influence on mental health during the early months of the COVID-19 lockdown. 

The experts evaluated the role of houseplants during the confinement period from March to June, when many people were deprived of freely visiting green spaces. Previous studies have reported on the psychological benefits of nature, including lower levels of stress and a greater sense of well-being. Exposure to plants has also been linked to more positive feelings and behaviors, as well as less anger and fear. 

"These psychological benefits might be related to the so-called biophilia concept (i.e., a preference for interacting in a natural environment as a consequence of our evolutionary course) and based on theories of restorative effects," wrote the study authors. They noted that these restorative effects help to promote a genuine appreciation for nature that motivates pro-environmental behavior and creates more environmentally aware citizens.

"Furthermore, evidence shows that there is an implicit link between 'nature' and 'outdoors' that results in lower attention attributed to indoor vegetation settings," wrote the researchers. "However, in contemporary societies, the increasing amount of time spent indoors often results in separation from the natural environment."

"Living in environments with minimal or absent use of plants could lead to negative behaviors, such as irritation or hostility. These behaviors might be particularly applicable to the COVID-19 pandemic confinement, which was aggravated by additional negative emotions of fear, disappointment, uncertainty, and stress."

For the current investigation, the experts surveyed more than 4,200 individuals in 46 countries. Overall, 74 percent of the respondents agreed that having houseplants had a positive influence on their emotional well-being during lockdown. More than half of the participants said they would have preferred to have more plants in their home at that time. 

Respondents who did not have houseplants were more likely to report experiencing negative emotions compared to individuals who cared for plants during COVID-19 restrictions. People living in small or poorly lit spaces, as well as those who did not visit green spaces frequently before the pandemic, also experienced more negative emotions.

The researchers found that just over half of respondents spent more time on plant care at home during lockdown. In addition, 63 percent of the participants expressed the desire to care for plants more after the pandemic, while 40 percent said they planned to get more plants for their home. 

According to the researchers, a 2019 review of 50 studies concluded that the strongest effect of houseplants on human behavior is their capacity to increase positive emotions and to reduce negative feelings. 

"For instance, a decrease in the perception of pain, fear, unhappiness, and aggressiveness has been found to be associated with the presence of indoor plants. In addition, stress seems to be reduced in indoor environments enriched with vegetation compared with indoor spaces without plants."

The international study was coordinated by the Research Group for Urban Nature and Biosystems Engineering (NATURIB) from the University of Seville's School of Agricultural Engineering. 

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/urban-forestry-and-urban-greening">Urban Forestry and Urban Greening</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Houseplants boosted psychological well-being during COVID-19 lockdown

Research has shown that the most common psychological responses to...

An "attitude of gratitude" keeps older adults in Japan hopeful despite the challenge of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/self-control-in-childhood-linked-to-slower-aging/">aging</a>, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a>. Dr. Iza Kavedzija observed individuals in their 80s and 90s in a merchant neighborhood in the city of Osaka. 

"This attitude of gratitude binds together both reflection on the past and attention to the present moment in its fullness. It also, I suggest, opens up space for a particular kind of hope, grounded in the moment," wrote Dr. Kavedzija.

"Thus, the sense of the good and meaningful life that my older friends conveyed encapsulates an attitude of gratitude as a way of inhabiting the present, rather than dwelling in the past or leaping towards the future." 

"Some of my interlocutors and friends in the field spoke about the approaching end of their life. When speaking about the time remaining, many expressed their sense that the future ‘will somehow turn out alright’ (nantonaku)."

Dr. Kavedzija found that feeling grateful for the care and support they have had during their life helps pensioners in the country to be more optimistic, even when they experienced difficulties and were anxious about getting older.

Some of the individuals expressed fears going forward, such as getting dementia or becoming a burden to their children. Despite their concerns, however, many older Japanese adults cultivated a "quiet hope." They accepted the uncertainty ahead, but remained actively engaged in their community, which gave them a sense of security.

"As people move through life, through their later years, many experience a sense of loss. But this time for them also offers opportunities to reflect more on life, with a heightened realization of their interconnections with others," said Dr. Kavedzija. 

"If one habitually invokes the involvement of others and their role in one's life, one is reminded how much other people have helped them, in countless small and more substantive ways. The same events seem different when one focuses on how others have helped."

"An attitude of gratitude was embedded in older peoples' recollections of the past, but also allowed them to think about the present in a hopeful way. A world in which one has received much good will from others is a different place than one in which one has experienced loss, even if the facts of life are the same."

"Gratitude in Japan can be seen to a large extent as a recognition of how much one relies on others as one moves through life. Gratitude highlights feelings of interdependence in the social world."

Many people said they would not be the person they were without others who played various roles in their life. They often used the phrase arigatai, "I am grateful," and also kansha, "gratitude."

"While people in Japan might hesitate to say they are happy, gratitude is mentioned frequently," said Dr. Kavedzija. "Through appreciation, dependence on others is not seen as simply a burden or a potential source of embarrassment, but also as moving and deeply meaningful. Meaningful relationships and encounters with others comprise a valuable foundation for what Japanese people call ikigai, or that which makes life worth living."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://anthro-age.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/anthro-age">Anthropology and Aging</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Gratitude makes life more meaningful

An "attitude of gratitude" keeps older adults in Japan hopeful...

A new study from <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a> describes how sleep clears the brain of waste, which is critical for cognitive <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/study-reveals-why-breastfed-babies-live-healthier-lives/">health</a>. The researchers examined brain activity in fruit flies and found that deep sleep restores the brain by clearing harmful proteins that may cause neurodegenerative disease.

"Waste clearance could be important, in general, for maintaining brain health or for preventing neurodegenerative disease," said study senior author Dr. Ravi Allada. "Waste clearance may occur during wake and sleep but is substantially enhanced during deep sleep."

The common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a well-studied model organism for sleep, circadian rhythms, and neurodegenerative diseases. The neurons that control the sleep-wake cycles of fruit flies are strikingly similar to those found in humans. 

For the current investigation, Dr. Allada and his team examined a sleep stage in fruit flies that is similar to deep, slow-wave sleep in humans known as proboscis extension sleep (PES). During this stage of deep sleep, fruit flies repeatedly extend and retract their proboscis, or snout.

"This pumping motion moves fluids possibly to the fly version of the kidneys," explained Dr. Allada. "Our study shows that this facilitates waste clearance and aids in injury recovery."

The team manipulated the flies so that they could not achieve deep sleep. As a result, the flies struggled to clear an injected non-metabolizable dye from their systems, and were found to be more susceptible to traumatic injuries.

According to Dr. Allada, the study brings us closer to understanding the mystery of why all organisms need sleep. All animals are incredibly vulnerable when they sleep, particularly those in the wild. However, a growing collection of evidence shows that the benefits of sleep outweigh the increased risks. 

"Our finding that deep sleep serves a role in waste clearance in the fruit fly indicates that waste clearance is an evolutionary conserved core function of sleep," wrote the researchers. "This suggests that waste clearance may have been a function of sleep in the common ancestor of flies and humans."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Deep sleep clears the brain of waste

A new study from Northwestern University describes how sleep clears...

Green,Salad,With,Colorful,Tomatoes

A green Mediterranean (MED) diet reduces non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by half, according to a study from <a href="http://bgu.ac.il/en">Ben-Gurion University of the Negev</a>. This modified version of the MED diet targets intrahepatic fat more than other healthy <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/rising-temperatures-linked-to-low-quality-diets-among-children/">diets</a>, according to the 18-month clinical intervention trial.

Professor Iris Shai, the study's lead researcher, is an epidemiologist in the BGU School of Public Health and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

"Our research team and other groups over the past 20 years have proven through rigorous randomized long-term trials that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest," said Professor Shai. "Now, we have refined that diet and discovered elements that can make dramatic changes to hepatic fat and other key health factors." 

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease affects 25 to 30 percent of people in the United States and Europe. Excessive fat in the liver - 5 percent or higher - leads to type two diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and poor gut health. 

Currently, the only treatment for fatty liver is losing weight and cutting back on alcohol.

The clinical trial conducted for the study, called Direct-Plus, is the first to develop and test a new green Mediterranean diet. The modified MED diet includes the daily consumption of vegetables, walnuts, and green tea. The dietary regimen also includes an aquatic green plant called Mankai, which is rich in protein, iron, B12, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols.

"Addressing this common liver disease by targeted lifestyle intervention might promote a more effective nutritional strategy," said study last author Dr. Anat Yaskolka-Meir. "This clinical trial demonstrates an effective nutritional tool for NAFLD beyond weight loss."

The long-term trial was focused on 294 adults in their fifties with abdominal obesity. The participants were divided into three groups: healthy dietary regimen, Mediterranean diet, and green Mediterranean diet. Before and after the trial, MRI scans were used to measure the exact proportion of excess intrahepatic fat of each individual.

The results showed that every diet led to fatty liver improvement. The greatest reduction of liver fat,, however, was achieved through the green MED diet. This group dropped an average of 39 percent of hepatic fat compared to a 20 percent reduction with the traditional Mediterranean diet and a 12 percent reduction in liver fat with the more general healthy guidelines.

Furthermore, the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease dropped from 62 percent at baseline to 31.5 percent in the green MED group,

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://gut.bmj.com/">Gut</a>.

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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

Green Mediterranean diet reduces fatty liver disease by half

A green Mediterranean (MED) diet reduces non-alcoholic fatty liver disease...

A groundbreaking study from the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx">University of Birmingham</a> is providing new insight into the long-term <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/gut-health-may-protect-you-from-severe-covid-19/">health</a> benefits of breastfeeding. The researchers have discovered why breastfed babies have vastly improved immune systems, get sick less often, and recover more quickly. 

Breastfeeding has been linked to better health from infancy to adulthood. Previous research has shown that breastfed babies are less likely to develop a wide range of chronic conditions later in life, including obesity, diabetes, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular disease. Breastfed babies are also known to be much less prone to gut, ear, and respiratory infections. 

Despite the enormous health benefits associated with breastfeeding, the underlying biological mechanisms have remained unclear. Researchers have now discovered, for the first time, that breastfeeding increases a specific type of immune cells - regulatory T cells - in the first three weeks of life. These immune cells were found to be nearly twice as abundant in breastfed babies compared to babies who were fed formula.

Furthermore, the study revealed that breastfed babies have more abundant beneficial gut bacteria - Veillonella and Gemella - which specifically support the function of regulatory T cells. According to the researchers, the findings emphasize the importance of breastfeeding.

Study senior author Gergely Toldi is a researcher at the University of Birmingham and consultant neonatologist at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust.

"The influence of the type of milk received on the development of the immune response has not previously been studied in the first few weeks of life," said Toldi. "Prior to our research the outstanding importance and the early involvement of this specific cell type in breastfed babies was unknown."

"We hope this invaluable new insight will lead to an increase in rates of breastfeeding and will see more babies benefit from the advantages of receiving breastmilk."

"Furthermore, we hope for those babies who are formula fed, these results will contribute to optimising the composition of formula milk in order to exploit these immunological mechanisms. We are very grateful for the mums and babies who contributed to this special project."

Going forward, the researchers will further investigate this biological mechanism in sick and preterm newborn babies who have developed inflammatory complications.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13989995">Allergy</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study reveals why breastfed babies live healthier lives

A groundbreaking study from the University of Birmingham is providing...

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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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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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