Lovely,Young,Happy,Couple,Sitting,In,The,Back,Of,Their

Births are steadily dropping in many parts of the world, while dogs are taking center stage in households that once prioritized children. Families everywhere say their pets feel like children, and it sparks questions about how we view families, caring, and belonging.



At the heart of this conversation is the idea that some people use <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-dogs-replacing-children-how-modern-society-is-changing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dogs</a> to satisfy a nurturing need without the commitments that come with raising human children. 



Research from <a href="https://www.elte.hu/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eötvös Loránd University</a> shines a light on these evolving roles.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-we-treat-pets-like-children">Why we treat pets like children</h2>



This review was led by PhD student, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=wAduFK4AAAAJ&amp;hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ms. Laura Gillet</a>, and senior author, <a href="https://enikokubinyi.elte.hu/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ms. Enikő Kubinyi</a>, of the MTA-ELTE ‘Momentum’ Companion Animals Research Group at Eötvös Loránd University. 



Their work offers a fresh perspective on why people may treat their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-people-treat-their-dogs-is-directly-tied-to-their-own-childhood/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dogs</a> as dear family members, even calling them furry children.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-many-see-pets-as-easier-than-kids">Many see pets as easier than kids</h2>



“Despite the high dependency and attachment of dogs to their caregivers, in the eyes of many, commitments coming with dog ownership remain less burdensome than child parenting” explained Ms. Gillet.&nbsp;



Households vary widely when it comes to pets. Some folks see their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/family-dogs-boost-physical-activity-levels-among-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">canine companions</a> as children in all but name. Others embrace the idea that dogs are simply easier to manage than human kids.&nbsp;



Individuals who decide to adopt dogs say it meets their desire to look after another living being. 



Some appreciate the freedom of having a friendly companion without the lengthy financial and emotional investment that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/parents-treat-their-children-differently-but-do-they-have-a-favorite/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">raising a human child</a> often demands.



This shift in how we welcome dogs into our daily routines partly explains why people across different cultures now place their pets in roles once held only by children.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dogs-have-needs-similar-to-toddlers">Dogs have needs similar to toddlers</h2>



Dog and owner relationships often show strong attachment features. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23224364/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studies</a> using separation and reunion tasks found that dogs are more at ease with their primary caregiver than with strangers. 



Dogs also look to their owners for comfort during stressful situations, which adds to the idea that canines naturally bond with people in ways that mirror child-parent attachments.



Despite these similarities, dogs will not grow into independent adults who leave home. They stay reliant on their caregivers for food, walks, and social outings, and this ongoing dependence can make them feel like permanent toddlers. 



Many owners find it heartwarming to remain in that caregiver role, though there can be questions about whether the dog’s own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-get-a-rush-of-the-love-hormone-by-playing-with-dogs/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">needs</a> are fully understood or respected.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-does-any-of-this-matter">Why does any of this matter?</h2>



“We would like to point out that, contrary to popular belief, only a small minority of dog owners actually treat their pets like human children” said Ms. Kubinyi, head of the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/veterinary-science/research/companion-animal-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Companion Animals Research Group</a>, senior author of the review. 



Some people view dog care as a way to fill time or emotional space. Others juggle raising dogs alongside actual children, seeing them as separate bonds. Those with no children may prefer dogs for a sense of closeness and routine that is less daunting.



Still, cultural norms play a big part. In places where human births are dropping or delayed, it is easier to focus resources on pets and treat them with child-like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/national-dog-day-honoring-mans-best-friend/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">affection</a>. 



The Internet and social media also encourage this trend by highlighting stories and pictures of so-called pet parenting, which can reinforce the idea that dogs fit perfectly into a modern household.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pets-children-and-health">Pets, children, and health</h2>



Many <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31323057/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experts</a> worry that the intense focus on adorable dog breeds with round faces and short muzzles can lead to health problems. 



When a dog looks <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lost-in-translation-how-we-misread-our-dogs-emotions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">extremely childlike</a>, it may come with breathing issues or other complications linked to breeding. If owners favor an “infant look,” they might ignore the fact that these animals still require robust exercise and proper medical care.



Others point out that lavishing dogs with constant attention can create behavioral problems. It is easy to misread signs that a dog needs more personal space or is uneasy. 



Overprotective owners could even cause <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dogs-can-feel-our-emotions-through-our-heart-rate/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stress for their pet</a>, especially if they hold it to human child standards.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-family-dynamics-are-changing">Modern family dynamics are changing</h2>



For some, dogs may serve as “pre-children,” fitting in before a couple welcomes a human baby. Later, that same dog might be a sibling figure once an infant arrives. 



In other cases, a dog might stand in for a child permanently, offering a sense of purpose and affection. Each setup reflects personal choices, finances, and local customs, and it reveals how family can expand to include pets in new ways.



Though dogs do not replace children, they can ease the universal desire to nurture and connect. As modern life changes, it will be interesting to see how these bonds evolve and whether dog parenting continues to reshape what we think of as family.



The study is published in <a href="https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1016-9040/a000552" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Psychologist</a>.



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More couples are calling their pets 'kids,' redefining the concepts of family and parenting

Births are steadily dropping in many parts of the world, while dogs are taking center stage in households that once prioritized children. Families everywhere say their pets feel like children, and it sparks questions about how we view families, caring, and belonging. At the heart of this conversation is the idea that some people use dogs to satisfy a nurturing need without the commitments that come with raising human children. Research from Eötvös Loránd University shines a light on these evolving roles. Why we treat pets like...

There may be more genetic mutations that contribute to human <a href="http://www.earth.com/image/many-fires-are-still-raging-across-california/">aging</a> than what was previously realized, according to a new study from <a href="https://liu.se/en">Linköping University</a>. The research supports a new theory about the type of mutation that drives the aging process. 

"The evolution of aging is, in a manner of speaking, a paradox. Evolution causes continuous adaptation in organisms, but even so it has not resulted in them ceasing to age," said study lead author Urban Friberg.

Almost 70 years ago, there were two theories proposed on the different types of mutations that contribute to aging. Both of these mutations are either beneficial or neutral early in life, yet become detrimental as the organism gets older, which leads to aging.

"In order for aging to evolve in response to a declining strength of selection with age, a genetic architecture that allows for mutations with age-specific effects on organismal performance is required," wrote the study authors. "Our understanding of how selective effects of individual mutations are distributed across ages is however poor."

"Established evolutionary theories assume that mutations causing aging have negative late-life effects, coupled to either positive or neutral effects early in life." 

The latest theory, however, suggests that the genetic mutations that cause aging are already harmful in early life and become increasingly damaging over time. 

To investigate, the experts focused their research used on the fruit fly, or Drosophila melanogaster. They tested 20 different mutations that they had introduced into the genetic material of the flies. 

For each separate mutation, the team studied a group of flies with the mutation and a control group without it. The mutations had specific, visible effects, which made it easy to follow, such as a somewhat different appearance of the wings or a different shape of the eyes.

The study revealed that the latest theory is correct: most of the mutations had a negative effect on the fertility of the fruit flies early in life, and most of them also caused reproductive aging to occur more rapidly.

"The results suggest that mutations that are detrimental early in life can also contribute to aging," said study co-author Martin Iinatti Brengdahl. "Thus it may be that mutations that bring on aging are significantly more common than we previously believed."The study is published in the journal <a href="https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/submission-guidelines">BMC Biology</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

Scientists investigate which genetic mutations promote aging

There may be more genetic mutations that contribute to human...

A national survey from <a href="https://www.rand.org/">RAND Corporation</a> reveals that Americans drastically increased their alcohol intake during the nationwide response to the coronavirus pandemic. A spike in alcohol consumption was particularly pronounced among women, who had a 41-percent higher frequency of heavy <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/lithium-in-public-drinking-water-may-lower-suicide-risk/">drinking</a> episodes with four or more drinks in a couple of hours.

The research is based on a survey of 1,540 adults who are members of the RAND American Life Panel, a nationally representative internet panel. The survey participants were asked about their alcohol consumption during the spring of 2019 and in spring 2020 during the early months of the pandemic shutdown.

Compared to the same time last year, the overall rate of alcohol consumption increased by 14 percent among adults over age 30. For individuals between the ages of 30 and 59, alcohol intake rose by an average of 19 percent.

Study lead author Michael Pollard is a sociologist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

"We've had anecdotal information about people buying and consuming more alcohol, but this is some of the first survey-based information that shows how much alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic," said Pollard.

"Alcohol consumption can have significant negative health consequences, so this information suggests another way that the pandemic may be affecting the physical and mental health of Americans."

According to the researchers, the alcohol spike seen among women and younger adults highlights the need for primary care providers, behavioral health providers, and family members to be aware of the risks of increased alcohol use and heavy drinking during the pandemic.

The findings indicate that future research is needed to determine whether higher rates of alcohol consumption persist as the pandemic continues, and how mental and physical well-being are being affected.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen">JAMA Network Open</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

Alcohol consumption surges during pandemic shutdown

A national survey from RAND Corporation reveals that Americans drastically...

Participating in after-school activities may help young girls overcome attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to some degree, according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.umontreal.ca/en/">University of Montreal</a>. 

The researchers found that girls who are involved in sports or extracurriculars show improved <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/chimpanzees-respond-to-dynamic-environments-by-learning-new-behaviors/">behavior</a> and attentiveness in early adolescence. The benefits, however, do not seem to be as pronounced among boys.

"Girls who do regular extracurricular sports between ages 6 and 10 show fewer symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder at age 12, compared to girls who seldom do," said study lead author Professor Linda Pagani. "Surprisingly, however, boys do not appear to gain any behavioral benefit from sustained involvement in sports during middle childhood."

Prior to the study, it was unclear to what extent organized physical activity is beneficial for children with ADHD symptoms, said the researchers.

"Past studies have varied widely in quality, thus blurring the true association between sport and behavioural development," said Professor Pagani. "Past research has not acknowledged that boys and girls are different in how they present ADHD symptoms."

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) harms children's ability to process information and learn at school, explained Professor Pagani. Being involved in sports can help young people develop life skills and supportive relationships, while providing the opportunity for them to get organized under adult mentorship and supervision.

"Thus, from a public-health perspective, extracurricular sport has the potential to be a positive, non-stigmatizing and engaging approach to promote psychological well-being and could thus be viewed as behaviour therapy for youth with ADHD."

"Sports are especially beneficial if they begin in early childhood. And so, since using concentration and interpersonal skills are essential elements of sport, in our study we undertook to examine whether it would result in reductions in ADHD symptoms over the long term."

The research was focused on data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development coordinated by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, which involved nearly 2,000 children born in 1997 and 1998. Parents reported on whether their children participated in an extracurricular physical activity that required a coach or instructor between ages 6 and 10. The children's behavior was compared to that of their classmates at age 12. 

The team analyzed the data to look for any significant link between sustained participation and later ADHD symptoms, while accounting for many relevant factors.

"Our goal was to eliminate any pre-existing conditions of the children or families that could throw a different light on our results," said Professor Pagani.

She noted that in childhood, boys with ADHD are more impulsive and more motor-skilled than girls. "As a result, boys are more likely to receive medication for their ADHD, so faster diagnosis and treatment for boys in middle childhood could diminish the detectable benefits of sport. They might be there; they're just harder to tease out."

"In girls, on the other hand, ADHD is more likely to go undetected - and girls' difficulties may be even more tolerated at home and in school. Parents of boys, by contrast, might be more inclined to enroll them in sports and other physical activities to help them."

"We know that sporting activities have other numerous benefits for the mental health of all children. However, for reducing ADHD symptoms, middle childhood sports in elementary school seem more noteworthy for girls."

This is why structured extracurricular activities that demand physical skill and effort under the supervision of a coach or instructor could be valuable to any official policy aimed at promoting behavioral development, according to the researchers.

"Sports activities in early childhood can help girls develop essential social skills that will be useful later and ultimately play a key role in their personal, financial and economic success," said Professor Pagani.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/preventive-medicine">Preventive Medicine</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

Sports activities are especially beneficial for young girls

Participating in after-school activities may help young girls overcome attention-deficit...

One in three parents plan to skip the flu shot for their children this year, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at <a href="https://www.uofmhealth.org/">Michigan Medicine</a>. The findings come at a critical point during the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cats-can-fight-off-sars-cov-2-with-no-symptoms-of-infection/">COVID-19</a> pandemic, when public health experts are emphasizing the importance of seasonal flu vaccinations for people of all ages.

"We may see peaks of flu and COVID-19 at the same time, which could overwhelm the health care system, strain testing capacity and potentially reduce our ability to catch and treat both respiratory illnesses effectively," said poll co-director Sarah Clark.

"Our report finds that even during the pandemic, some parents don't see the flu vaccine as more urgent or necessary. This heightens concerns about how the onset of flu season may compound challenges in managing COVID-19."

According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">CDC</a>, the flu has caused up to 45 million illnesses, 810,000 hospitalizations, and 61,000 deaths a year since 2010. Young children, particularly under the age of two, have an elevated risk of developing serious complications with the flu. 

The latest Mott Poll was focused on nearly 2,000 responses from parents of children between the ages of two and 18 in August 2020. The families who are least likely to get their children vaccinated against the flu are those who did not do so last year.

"A key challenge for public health officials is how to reach parents who do not routinely seek seasonal flu vaccination for their child," said Clark. "When getting a yearly flu vaccine is not a pattern, parents need to be prompted to think about why it's essential for their child to get vaccinated."

The poll suggests that families whose doctor strongly recommends the flu shot are more likely to get their children vaccinated. However, less than half of parents say their child's regular health care provider strongly recommends that their child get the flu vaccine this year.

This may be due to the impact of COVID-19 on the health care delivery system, as many child health providers have limited the number of patients seen for in-person visits, said Clark. An increase in telehealth visits may miss the opportunity for doctors to thoroughly discuss flu vaccinations this year.

&nbsp;

Among the 32 percent of parents who report their child is unlikely to get a flu vaccine this year, the most common reasons include concerns about side effects and the belief that the shot is unnecessary.

Experts say these notions are often based on misconceptions, and that the flu vaccine offers the best protection against contracting the virus and potentially developing severe flu-related illness.

"There is a lot of misinformation about the flu vaccine, but it is the best defense for children against serious health consequences of influenza and the risk of spreading it to others," said Clark.

According to the survey, 14 percent of parents will not seek the flu shot because they are keeping children away from health care sites due to the risk of COVID-19 exposure.

"Most child health providers have made changes to their office environment to keep children safe during office visits and vaccinations," said Clark. "Parents who are concerned about COVID exposure should contact their child's provider to learn about what types of precautions have been put in place."

During the pandemic, the overall rate of childhood vaccinations dropped significantly. Children are falling behind on vaccinations for diseases like measles and pertussis.

Experts emphasize that the flu vaccine will help limit the stress on health care systems during the pandemic by reducing the number of flu-related doctor visits and hospitalizations. 

"Children should get the flu vaccine not only to protect themselves but to prevent the spread of influenza to family members and those who are at higher risk of serious complications," said Clark.

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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

One in three parents will skip their child's flu shot this year

One in three parents plan to skip the flu shot...

Loving-kindness meditation helps to eliminate negative emotions and increase <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/hedonistic-pleasures-promote-long-term-happiness/">happiness</a>, according to a study from the <a href="https://www.hse.ru/en/">National Research University</a>. The team found that loving-kindness meditation is more effective than compassion meditation in evoking positive feelings among those who are new to both practices.

"Despite being often overlapped and used interchangeably in academic literature, loving-kindness meditation (LKM) and compassion meditation (CM) are also seen to have their distinct features," wrote the researchers.

"As a differential approach towards LKM and CM can promote a more accurate integration of these practices into the clinical field, it is worth studying their differential effects."

In Buddhism, there are "four immeasurable meditations," including loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity meditation. While these are different practices, they share the common goal of sharing positive messages.

"LKM and CM represent two theoretically different practices. However, as they belong to the same tradition of meditation, they are similar in their intention of forming positive wishes towards self and others, and this appeared to have a positive effect on practitioners’ emotional experience. At the same time, LKM was found to be more effective in evoking positive emotions in first-time practitioners, compared with CM," wrote the study authors.

Meditation is used to restore energy, decrease stress, and find inspiration, and different types of meditation produce different results. Experts are increasingly interested in finding ways to measure these differences as well as the impact they have on people's emotional state.

In the current study, the researchers wanted to compare the outcomes of loving-kindness and compassion meditation, including the various emotions they evoke.

The investigation was focused on 201 American students who had never practiced meditation before. Compared to a control group, the participants who practiced one of the meditations for 15 minutes noticed a significant increase in happiness, as well as love and care for other people. The study revealed that the loving-kindness intervention was more effective in increasing positive emotions and happiness.

"The higher effectiveness of loving-kindness meditation may be a sign that this type of meditation is more suitable to newcomers - those who have never tried meditation before," said study co-author Ulyana Sirotina. "Compassion meditation is traditionally practiced after one has already mastered LKM."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/12671">Mindfulness</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

Loving-kindness meditation increases positive emotions and happiness

Loving-kindness meditation helps to eliminate negative emotions and increase happiness,...

The world should prepare for a "silent wave" of neurological complications stemming from the COVID-19 <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pandemic-related-losses-and-media-exposure-linked-to-stress-and-depression/">pandemic</a>, according to a team of neuroscientists and clinicians at the <a href="https://florey.edu.au/">Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health</a>. 

In a paper published by <a href="https://www.iospress.nl/">IOS Press</a>, the researchers describe the potential link between COVID-19 and increased risk of Parkinson's disease. They are urgently calling for the availability of more accurate diagnostic tools to identify neurodegeneration early on, as well as a long-term monitoring approach for people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2.

"Although scientists are still learning how the SARS-CoV-2 virus is able to invade the brain and central nervous system, the fact that it's getting in there is clear," said Professor Kevin Barnham. "Our best understanding is that the virus can cause insult to brain cells, with potential for neurodegeneration to follow on from there."

The team reports that the neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19 have ranged from the loss of smell to much more severe symptoms, such as lack of oxygen to the brain, or hypoxia.

"We found that loss of smell or reduced smell was on average reported in three out of four people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While on the surface this symptom can appear as little cause for concern, it actually tells us a lot about what's happening on the inside and that is that there's acute inflammation in the olfactory system responsible for smell," explained study co-author Leah Beauchamp.

Inflammation is known to play a major role in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, and this link has been extensively studied in patients with Parkinson's. Further research into neurodegenerative issues may prove critical for addressing the lasting health impacts of COVID-19 infection.

"We believe that loss of smell presents a new way forward in detecting someone's risk of developing Parkinson's disease early. Armed with the knowledge that loss of smell presents in around 90% of people in the early stages of Parkinson's disease and a decade ahead of motor symptoms, we feel we are on the right track," said Beauchamp.

By the time Parkinson's disease is diagnosed, which is based on the loss of motor dysfunction, dopamine cells in the brain have already been lost to some degree. 

"By waiting until this stage of Parkinson's disease to diagnose and treat, you've already missed the window for neuroprotective therapies to have their intended effect. We are talking about an insidious disease affecting 80,000 people in Australia, which is set to double by 2040 before even considering the potential consequences of COVID, and we currently have no available disease-modifying therapies," said Professor Barnham.

The researchers hope to establish a simple, cost-effective test to identify people in the community at risk of developing Parkinson's, or who are in early stages of the disease. The team has also developed two neuroprotective therapies that are currently under investigation.

"We have to shift community thinking that Parkinson's is not a disease of old age. As we've been hearing time and time again, the coronavirus does not discriminate - and neither does Parkinson's," said Professor Barnham.

"We can take insight from the neurological consequences that followed the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1918 where the risk of developing Parkinson's disease increased two to three-fold. Given that the world's population has been hit again by a viral pandemic, it is very worrying indeed to consider the potential global increase of neurological diseases that could unfold down track."

"The world was caught off guard the first-time, but it doesn't need to be again. We now know what needs to be done. Alongside a strategized public health approach, tools for early diagnosis and better treatments are going to be key."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.journalofparkinsonsdisease.com/">Journal of Parkinson's Disease</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

COVID-19 could lead to a "silent wave" of neurological issues

The world should prepare for a "silent wave" of neurological...

A newborn's response to pain can be reduced when they are held by a parent with skin-to-skin contact. In a new study from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>, researchers found that when babies were being held through clothing during a painful medical procedure, there was more <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/the-brain-region-that-motivates-us-may-also-help-us-avoid-punishment/">brain</a> activity in response to the pain.

"We have found when a baby is held by their parent, with skin-on-skin contact, the higher-level brain processing in response to pain is somewhat dampened. The baby's brain is also using a different pathway to process its response to pain," said Dr. Lorenzo Fabrizi.

"While we cannot confirm whether the baby actually feels less pain, our findings reinforce the important role of touch between parents and their newborn babies."

The study was focused on 27 infants between 0-96 days old at University College London Hospitals. The researchers measured the babies' response to a painful yet clinically required blood test. Brain activity was recorded with EEG electrodes placed on the scalp.

The infants were held against their mother's chest either wearing clothing or only a diaper for skin-to-skin contact. The blood test triggered a series of four to five waves of brain activity. 

The study revealed that the initial brain response to the pain was the same, but the later waves of activity were impacted by whether the baby was held skin-to-skin or with clothing.

"The slightly delayed response was dampened if there was skin contact with their mother, which suggests that parental touch impacts the brain's higher level processing. The pain might be the same, but how the baby's brain processes and reacts to that pain depends on their contact with a parent," explained Professor Rebecca Pillai Riddell. "Our findings support the notion that holding a newborn baby against your skin is important to their development."

The researchers noted that the babies' brain responses were not only dampened in the skin-to-skin group, but also followed a different neural pathway.

"Newborn babies' brains have a high degree of plasticity, particularly those born preterm, and their development is highly dependent on interactions with their parents," said Dr. Laura Jones. "Our findings may lend new insights into how babies learn to process threats, as they are particularly sensitive to maternal cues."

"Parents and clinicians have known for many years how important skin to skin care is for babies in NICU," said Dr. Judith Meek. "Now we have been able to demonstrate that this has a solid neurophysiological basis, which is an exciting discovery."

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15322149">European Journal of Pain</a>.

---

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Babies have reduced pain response with skin-to-skin contact

A newborn's response to pain can be reduced when they...

Excess belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is a major risk factor for serious health complications such as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/getting-a-flu-shot-may-protect-you-from-dangerous-heart-complications/">heart</a> disease and cancer. A new study published by <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">BMJ</a> goes a step further, suggesting that visceral fat is a strong predictor of death from any cause.

The experts found that excess belly fat is associated with a higher risk of premature death - regardless of an individual's overall weight or size. 

According to the researchers, the findings suggest that measuring central fatness could be used alongside body mass index to help determine the risk of premature death.

Individuals who are overweight or obese are known to be more susceptible to heart disease, certain cancers, kidney disease, and neurological disorders. Previous studies suggest that belly fat is more strongly linked to premature death than overall obesity, but the evidence has not been entirely conclusive. 

To investigate, an international team of researchers set out to examine whether measures of belly fat are associated with a higher risk of all cause mortality in the general population. The experts analyzed the results of 72 studies, which involved more than 2.5 million participants who were followed up with for anywhere between 3 and 24 years.

All of the studies estimated the health risks for at least three measures of midsection fatness, such as waist circumference, hip circumference, thigh circumference, and total body mass. 

A detailed analysis of the data revealed that most measures of belly fat were linked with a substantially higher risk of all cause mortality. The findings showed, for example, that each 10 centimeter increase in waist circumference was associated with an 11 percent higher risk of premature death from any cause. 

By contrast, the team identified a link between larger hips and thighs and a lower risk of all cause mortality. 

The researchers concluded that "measures of central adiposity could be used as a supplementary approach, in combination with body mass index, to determine the risk of premature death."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.bmj.com/">The BMJ</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

Excess belly fat is a reliable predictor of premature death

Excess belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is a...

A new study from the <a href="https://missouri.edu/">University of Missouri Columbia</a> has found evidence that the gut microbiome has a powerful influence on <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/scientists-solve-the-mystery-of-why-we-need-sleep/">sleep</a>. When the researchers transplanted gut bacteria from mice with sleep apnea to healthy mice, the recipients exhibited increased sleepiness throughout waking hours.

Previous studies have shown that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may alter gut bacteria in a way that promotes comorbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and cognitive problems.

"Obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic prevalent condition characterized by intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentation," wrote the study authors."

"Evidence suggests that OSA can alter the gut microbiome diversity and composition that may then promote the occurrence of some of the OSA-associated morbidities." 

"However, it is unclear whether perturbations in the gut microbiome caused by intermittent hypoxia (IH) can elicit sleep disturbances that underlie the increased sleep propensity that occurs in IH-exposed mice."

According to study lead author Dr. David Gozal, the research shows that the gut microbiome plays a major role in sleep regulation. This could ultimately translate into therapies that target the gut microbiome in humans to treat OSA.

"By manipulating the gut microbiome, or the byproducts of the gut microbiota, we would be in a position to prevent or at least palliate some of the consequences of sleep apnea," said Dr. Gozal. "For example, if we combine continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) with customized probiotics that change the patient's gut microbiome, we might be able to eliminate some of the tiredness and fatigue and reduce the likelihood of the comorbidities associated with OSA that affect cognition, memory, cardiovascular disease or metabolic dysfunction. If we can do any one of those things, then this is a major movement forward in the way we treat OSA."

The researchers exposed male mice to either room air or intermittent hypoxia - a condition in which the body does not get enough oxygen. After six weeks, fecal material was collected from all of the animals. 

A third group of mice received a fecal transplant from either the mice breathing room air or those exposed to intermittent hypoxia. This group underwent sleep recordings for three consecutive days. 

The mice who received transplants from the intermittent hypoxia group showed clear signs of increased sleepiness, such as sleeping longer and more often during their normal period of wakefulness.

"This is the first study that evaluated sleep in naïve mice subjected to a fecal microbiome transplant from mice exposed to intermittent hypoxia," said Dr. Gozal. "The fecal microbiome analysis showed profile differences between the mice transplanted from intermittent hypoxia donor mice versus those exposed to room air, indicating that the transplant altered the GM of the recipient mice."

There is a growing collection of evidence to suggest that the gut microbiome influences health and sleep quality through the brain-gut microbiome axis (BGMA). Further research is needed to identify the mechanism involved in the relationship between the brain and the gut.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/experimental-neurology">Experimental Neurology</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

Gut microbiome plays an unexpected role in sleep regulation

A new study from the University of Missouri Columbia has...

Playing video games as a child leads to long-lasting <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-protects-cognitive-function/">cognitive</a> benefits, according to new research from the <a href="https://www.uoc.edu/portal/en/index.html">Universitat Oberta de Catalunya</a> (UOC). The study suggests that gaming improves working memory and concentration. 

Previous studies have shown that gaming improves attention, enhances visual-spatial skills, and causes structural changes in the brain - even increasing the size of some regions. The current study is the first to show that video games promote positive cognitive changes that can take place years after people stop playing them.Playing video games in childhood improves working memory years later

"People who were avid gamers before adolescence, despite no longer playing, performed better with the working memory tasks, which require mentally holding and manipulating information to get a result," said study lead author Dr. Marc Palaus.

The research was focused on 27 people between the ages of 18 and 40 with and without any kind of video gaming experience.

The experts analyzed cognitive skills, including working memory, at three points during the study period: before training the volunteers to play Nintendo's Super Mario 64, at the end of the training, and fifteen days later. 

The findings revealed that participants who had not played video games in childhood did not benefit from improvements in processing and inhibiting irrelevant stimuli. As expected, these individuals were initially slower than those who had played games as children.

"People who played regularly as children performed better from the outset in processing 3D objects, although these differences were mitigated after the period of training in video gaming, when both groups showed similar levels," said Dr. Palaus.

The experts also performed 10 sessions of a non-invasive brain stimulation known as transcranial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-may-give-sea-turtles-their-magnetic-sixth-sense/">magnetic</a> stimulation on the individuals. 

"It uses magnetic waves which, when applied to the surface of the skull, are able to produce electrical currents in underlying neural populations and modify their activity," explained Palaus.

The researchers theorized that combining video gaming with this type of stimulation could improve cognitive performance, but that was not the case. Playing video games in childhood improves working memory years later

"We aimed to achieve lasting changes. Under normal circumstances, the effects of this stimulation can last from milliseconds to tens of minutes. We wanted to achieve improved performance of certain brain functions that lasted longer than this."

The game used in the study had a 3D platform, but there are many types of video games that can influence cognitive functions. According to Dr. Palaus, what most video games have in common is that they involve elements that make people want to continue playing, and that they gradually get harder and present a constant challenge. 

"These two things are enough to make it an attractive and motivating activity, which, in turn, requires constant and intense use of our brain's resources," said Dr. Palaus. "Video games are a perfect recipe for strengthening our cognitive skills, almost without our noticing." 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience">Frontiers in Human Neuroscience</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

Playing video games in childhood improves working memory years later

Playing video games as a child leads to long-lasting cognitive...

Taking hot baths on a regular basis helps to modify some of the risks associated with type 2 <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/weight-loss-can-prevent-or-reverse-diabetes/">diabetes</a> (T2D), according to a new study from the <a href="https://www.easd.org/">European Association for the Study of Diabetes</a> (EASD).  

The experts found that the heat from hot tubs and saunas has a therapeutic effect on various T2D risk factors such as higher body mass index and glycated haemoglobin |(HbA1c), a measure of blood sugar control. 

Previous studies have suggested that some forms of heat therapy, including hot-tub bathing, can improve blood sugar control and body fat percentage. A research team led by Dr. Hisayuki Katsuyama of Kohnodai Hospital in Japan set out to investigate how heat may help T2D patients on a daily basis. 

The study is the first of its kind to examine the effects of sauna or hot tub use on metabolic parameters across a large number of individuals with T2D in a real-world setting.

The study was focused on patients with T2D living in Japan, where it is a common part of everyday life to take hot baths. The researchers surveyed nearly 1,300 patients that regularly visited the outpatient unit of Kohnodai Hospital between October 2018 and March 2019.

The experts compared the frequency of hot bathing with specific beauty markers and blood test results. 

The patients were divided into three groups according to the frequency of bathing. After detailed analysis of the data, the researchers established that the mean frequency of bathing was 4.2 times a week and the mean duration of bathing was 16 minutes. 

The study revealed that increased bathing frequency was linked to decreases in body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, and glycated haemoglobin.

The frequency of hot-tub bathing could independently predict glycated haemoglobin and body mass index. After adjusting for age, sex, and the number of blood pressure drugs, reductions in diastolic blood pressure were also associated with increased bathing frequency.

"Our results indicate that daily heat exposure through hot-tub bathing has beneficial influences on cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes," wrote the study authors.

The research was presented at the <a href="https://www.easd.org/">European Association for the Study of Diabetes</a> (EASD) Annual Meeting.

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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

Hot baths help lower risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes

Taking hot baths on a regular basis helps to modify...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.uoc.edu/portal/en/index.html">Universitat Oberta de Catalunya</a> (UOC) has revealed that the people who are bilingual have a lower risk of developing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dementia-gene-elevates-covid-19-risk/">dementia</a>. The researchers found that regularly speaking two languages protects against cognitive decline.

Study lead author Marco Calabria is a professor at the UOC Faculty of Health Sciences and a member of the University's Cognitive NeuroLab research group.

"The prevalence of dementia in countries where more than one language is spoken is 50% lower than in those regions where the population uses only one language to communicate," said Professor Calabria.

Previous studies produced evidence that the lifelong use of two or more languages could be a key factor in increasing cognitive reserve and delaying the onset of dementia. Research has also shown that bilingual people have improved memory and executive function.

"We wanted to discover the mechanism through which bilingualism contributes to cognitive reserve in cases of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's, and whether there were differences in terms of the benefit gained from different degrees of bilingualism, and not only between monolingual and bilingual people," said Professor Calabria.

Unlike in previous studies, the researchers established a scale of bilingualism,  ranging from people who speak only one language but are passively exposed to another to individuals who have excellent proficiency in both and use them on a daily basis. 

The study was focused on the population of Barcelona, where the use of Catalan and Spanish is highly variable.

"We wanted to take advantage of this variability, and instead of comparing monolingual and bilingual people, we looked at whether in Barcelona - where everyone is more or less bilingual - there was a certain degree of bilingualism that had neuroprotective benefits," explained Professor Calabria.

"We saw that the people with a higher degree of bilingualism received a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment later than those who were passive bilinguals."

Professor Calabria considers speaking two languages and regularly switching from one to the other to be lifelong training for the brain. He explained that such linguistic gymnastics is related to other cognitive functions, such as executive control, which kicks in when we perform several actions at once to help us filter out relevant information.

The brain's executive control system is used to control two languages and it has to switch between them. The brain must focus on one and then the other, to avoid the languages interfering with each other.

"In the context of neurodegenerative diseases, this system could offset symptoms. So, when something is not functioning well due to the disease, thanks to the fact that it is bilingual, the brain has efficient alternative systems for resolving the problem," said Professor  Calabria. 

"We have seen that the more you use both languages and the better your language skills, the more neuroprotective advantage you have. In fact, active bilingualism is an important predictor of delay in the onset of symptoms of mild cognitive impairment - a preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease - because it contributes to cognitive reserve."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/neuropsychologia">Neuropsychologia</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

Speaking two languages protects against dementia

A new study from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> explores the ability of salt to transform the way that foods and beverages taste. Salt is known to cover up undesirable flavors, such as bitterness in coffee or beer, but how exactly does sodium chloride change the taste of other compounds?



One previous study showed that, not only does salt suppress bitterness, but also enhances sweetness and sourness. Another study revealed that bitterness reduction by salt seems to be happening at the tongue receptor level as well as in the brain.&nbsp;



While it is known that salt taste is mediated by the presence of sodium channels in the form of taste buds, experts believe that there is also an unknown receptor responsible for how we taste salt that has not yet been identified.&nbsp;



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[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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