We all know that exercise is important for our bodies – it strengthens our muscles, boosts our cardiovascular health, and helps maintain a healthy weight. However, a simple 20-minute <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/walking-can-drastically-improve-your-health-without-thousands-of-daily-steps/">walk</a> can do wonders for your brain, too. There's compelling science behind the idea that walking offers a unique power boost to our cognitive abilities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-does-walking-supercharge-the-brain">How does walking supercharge the brain?</h2>



Studies have demonstrated that a brisk 20-minute <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nature-walking-quantifiably-improves-brain-health-and-functioning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">walk</a> significantly increases brain activity compared to sitting still. This heightened activity translates to better focus and improved performance on cognitive tasks. What's more, this brain boost can last for up to 30 minutes after you finish your stroll.



Research from <a href="https://www.stanford.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stanford University</a> indicates that walking can foster "divergent thinking," the kind involved in generating creative ideas. Participants consistently came up with more innovative solutions when walking compared to when seated.



Moreover, exercise, and walking in particular, can stimulate growth in brain areas responsible for coordination. This could have long-term benefits in reducing fall risk, especially as we age.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-advantages-of-walking-for-brain-and-overall-health">Advantages of walking for brain and overall health</h2>



While all forms of exercise support brain health, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/walking-can-counteract-the-health-risks-of-sitting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">walking</a> offers some unique advantages:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-joint-friendly">Joint-friendly</h3>



Unlike running or other high-impact activities, walking puts minimal stress on your knees, hips, and ankles. This makes it a great option for people of all fitness levels, including those starting an exercise routine or managing joint conditions like arthritis.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-convenience-factor">Convenience factor</h3>



You don't need to sign up for a gym or buy workout gear to reap the benefits of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/walking-is-a-powerful-tool-to-boost-brain-health-and-overall-well-being/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">walking</a>. All you need is a comfortable pair of shoes and a safe place to stroll. This accessibility makes it easy to fit walking into your daily routine, whether it's a quick walk around the neighborhood or a longer trek on a local trail.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-blood-sugar-management">Blood sugar management</h3>



Research indicates that taking a short walk after a meal (ideally within an hour) can help your body regulate blood sugar levels. This is especially important for individuals at risk of or managing type 2 diabetes. Even short "mini-walks" lasting just a few minutes can offer benefits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-putting-walking-into-practice">Putting walking into practice</h2>



Ready to make walking part of your brain-boosting strategy? Here's how to get the most out of it:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Aim for consistency: Establish a routine</h3>



The cornerstone of any effective exercise plan, including walking for brain health, is consistency. Health authorities recommend adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This can include activities such as brisk walking. To make this recommendation more manageable:



<ul>
<li>Divide your exercise into daily chunks: Instead of overwhelming yourself with long sessions, spread your walking across the week. For example, a daily 30-minute walk five days a week easily meets the 150-minute guideline.</li>



<li>Incorporate walking into your daily habits: Consider walking during your lunch break, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking farther away from entrances to naturally include more steps in your day.</li>



<li>Set specific times for walking: Having a set time each day for your walk can help turn this activity into a regular habit. This regularity not only contributes to physical health but also provides mental clarity and a break from daily stressors.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Step up the walking pace: Optimize intensity for brain health</h3>



While any walking is better than none, the intensity of your walk can significantly influence its brain-boosting effects. A moderate-intensity walk is ideal for enhancing cognitive function and overall mental health. To achieve a moderate intensity:



<ul>
<li>Monitor the heart rate: Aim for 50-70% of your maximum heart rate, which increases circulation and oxygen to the brain. You can use a simple formula to estimate your maximum heart rate: subtract your age from 220.</li>



<li>Check your breathing: Your walk should be brisk enough that you can talk but not sing. This level of effort indicates that you’re walking at a moderate pace, which is effective for improving brain function.</li>



<li>Use technology to stay on track: Consider using a fitness tracker or a smartphone app to monitor your pace and heart rate. These tools can help ensure you’re maintaining the right intensity to maximize the cognitive benefits of walking.</li>
</ul>



If you're looking for a simple, effective way to enhance your mental sharpness, reduce stress, and potentially even ward off cognitive decline, walking might be your secret weapon. 



So, the next time you need a creativity boost or feel mentally sluggish, consider swapping your desk chair for a walk around the block – your brain will thank you.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0036577" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">APA PsycNet</a>.



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Walk 20 minutes daily to boost your brain power

We all know that exercise is important for our bodies – it strengthens our muscles, boosts our cardiovascular health, and helps maintain a healthy weight. However, a simple 20-minute walk can do wonders for your brain, too. There's compelling science behind the idea that walking offers a unique power boost to our cognitive abilities. How does walking supercharge the brain? Studies have demonstrated that a brisk 20-minute walk significantly increases brain activity compared to sitting still. This heightened activity translates to better focus and improved performance on...

Scientists at the <a href="http://naturalhistory.si.edu/">Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History</a> are rewriting the history of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/corn-industry-fertilizer-efficiency/">corn</a>, one of the world's most important crops. Based on genetic and archaeological evidence, the researchers have determined that a predecessor of today's corn plants was brought to South America from Mexico more than 6,500 years ago.

According to the new study, farmers in Mexico and the southwestern Amazon improved corn over thousands of years until it was fully domesticated in each region. The findings are providing scientists with new insight into the shared history of humans and corn plants. Study lead author Logan Kistler explained that this understanding is critical for managing our fragile relationships with the plants that feed us.

“It's the long-term evolutionary history of domesticated plants that makes them fit for the human environment today,” said Kistler. “Understanding that history gives us tools for assessing the future of corn as we continue to drastically reshape our global environment and increase our agricultural demands on land around the globe.”

Microscopic pollen and resilient plant remains found in ancient sediments indicate a history of fully domesticated maize use by around 6,500 years ago in the southwest Amazon and coastal Peru. Initially, the experts assumed the fully domesticated plant was carried there by people who were migrating south.

“As far as we could tell before conducting our study, it looked like there was a single domestication event in Mexico and that people then spread it further south after domestication had taken place,” said Kistler.

When geneticists sequenced the DNA of 5,000-year-old maize found in Mexico, however, it turned out that the story was not so simple. The genes were a mixture of those found in corn’s wild ancestor called teosinte and those of the domesticated plant.

“But you've got continuous cultivation of maize in the southwest Amazon from 6,500 years ago all the way up through European colonization,” said Kistler. “How can you have this flourishing, fully domesticated maize complex in the southwest Amazon, and meanwhile, near the domestication center in Mexico the domestication process is still ongoing?”

To investigate, the team reconstructed the plant's evolutionary history by conducting a genetic comparison of more than 100 varieties of modern maize that grow throughout the Americas, including 40 varieties that have just recently been sequenced. The genomes of 11 ancient corn plants were also included in the analysis. 

After mapping out the genetic relationships between the plants, several distinct lineages were identified, proving that the final stages of corn domestication happened more than once in more than one place.

“This work fundamentally changes our understanding of maize origins,” said study co-author Robin Allaby from the University of Warwick. “It shows that maize did not have a simple origin story, that it did not really form the crop as we know it until it left its homeland.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Fabio de Oliveira Freitas

Corn was domesticated more than once in different regions

Scientists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History are...

New invasive tick could spread across the eastern US. An invasive insect known as the Asian longhorned tick, or Haemaphysalis longicornis, has been recently popping up in regions across North America. Since the first sighting was reported in New Jersey earlier this year, the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ticks-trapped-amber/">tick</a> has been found in eight other states and is expected to emerge in many more. 

Dr. Ilia Rochlin is an entomologist and researcher with the <a href="http://vectorbio.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology</a>. She studied climate data from where the tick is already established in East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, and then combined climate data from North America to identify which habitats are suitable for the insect to flourish. 

The findings of the study suggest that the Asian longhorned tick could survive in a large region of eastern North America as well as in the coastal Pacific Northwest.

[caption id="attachment_1863845" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/map.png"><img class="wp-image-1863845" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/map-1024x770.png" alt="" width="700" height="526" /></a> Image Credit: Ilia Rochlin, Ph.D., Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology[/caption]

“The Asian longhorned tick is a very adaptable species, especially in its native East Asia,” said Dr. Rochlin. “The optimal tick habitat appears to be defined by temperate conditions - moderate temperature, humidity, and precipitation. These climatic conditions also support forested or shrubby vegetation, providing prime environment for ticks. The eastern U.S. and China share similar landscape and climate.”

According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC), H. longicornis is the first invasive tick to appear in the United States in about 80 years. Even though the tick has not yet been found to transmit disease-causing pathogens in North America, it has demonstrated this capability in Asia.

The tick is also known to have the unusual ability to reproduce by parthenogenesis, a process in which females produce offspring that are essentially clones. 

“At these initial stages of the Asian longhorned tick invasion, this coarse-scale modeling can alert public health and veterinary authorities in moderate - to high-risk regions,” said Dr. Rochlin. “Hopefully, this awareness will lead to increased surveillance and expanded public outreach and education, especially to the most exposed: farmers, hunters, outdoor workers, pet owners.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jme">Journal of Medical Entomology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Jim Occi, Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology

New invasive tick could spread across the eastern US

New invasive tick could spread across the eastern US. An...

Round skulls and brains are defining features of humans, but a new study has found that some individuals with specific <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-dna-protect-viruses/">Neanderthal</a> DNA fragments have heads that are slightly less rounded. The research is giving scientists new insight into the evolution of modern brain shape and function.

Study co-lead author Philipp Gunz, who is a paleoanthropologist at the <a href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a>, explained: “We captured subtle variations in endocranial shape that likely reflect changes in the volume and connectivity of certain brain areas.”

According to co-lead author Amanda Tilot, the goal of the study was to identify “potential candidate genes and biological pathways that are related to brain globularity.”

The experts focused on the fact that living humans with European ancestry carry rare fragments of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes as a result of interbreeding between Neanderthals and the ancestors of modern Europeans.

[caption id="attachment_1863842" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Modern-humans-with-Neanderthal-DNA.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1863842" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Modern-humans-with-Neanderthal-DNA-1024x478.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="327" /></a> Image Credit: Philipp Gunz (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)[/caption]

The investigation was based on MRI brain scans and genetic information for about 4,500 people, including cranial shape and stretches of Neanderthal DNA. Ultimately, the researchers used the endocranial shape differences between Neanderthal fossils and modern human skulls to assess the shape of the participants’ brain images. 

The Neanderthal DNA fragments identified  in living humans contained two genes that have already been linked to brain development: UBR4 and PHLPP1.

“We know from other studies that completely disrupting UBR4 or PHLPP1 can have major consequences for brain development,” explained study senior author Simon Fisher. 

“Here we found that, in carriers of the relevant Neandertal fragment, UBR4 is slightly down-regulated in the putamen. For carriers of the Neandertal PHLPP1 fragment, gene expression is slightly higher in the cerebellum, which would be predicted to have a dampening effect on cerebellar myelination.”

The study authors emphasized that the effects of carrying these rare Neanderthal fragments are subtle.

“The Neanderthal variants lead to small changes in gene activity and only push people slightly towards a less globular brain shape,” said Fisher. “This is just our first glimpse of the molecular underpinnings of this phenotype, which is likely to involve many other genes.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Philipp Gunz (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Modern humans with Neanderthal DNA have different head shapes

Round skulls and brains are defining features of humans, but...

On December 6, Malaysia set fire to close to three tons of seized pangolins scales, worth $9 million in the illicit wildlife market. This incineration makes an important statement to wildlife traffickers but some in the conservation field question the effectiveness of wildlife product burnings.

According to the wildlife trade monitoring group <a href="https://www.traffic.org/news/malaysia-incinerates-tonnes-of-seized-africa-sourced-pangolin-scales/">TRAFFIC</a>, the country of Malaysia burned 12% of their total scales from pangolin seizures in 2017. The three tons of pangolin scales came from three separate seizures by the Royal Malaysian Customs.

“Malaysia has emerged as a transit hub for the illicit trade of pangolins from Africa to Asia. Over a seven-month period between May and November 2017, Malaysia seized a whopping 17,131 kg of pangolin scales in 10 shipments originating from Africa,” the group states.

As Earth.com has previously<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildlife-trafficking-pangolins/"> reported</a>, pangolins are currently facing a global, and little known, crisis as a result of wildlife trafficking. The pangolin currently holds the title of the most trafficked mammal in the world with an estimated one million individuals taken from the wild in the last decade alone. All eight species of pangolins are currently listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora affording them the highest international protection in the wildlife trade. Despite this protection, the illegal trade in pangolins has been rampant.

The species is in high demand in the wildlife market for its meat, skin and scales. Pangolin skins have been used to make boots, shoes and leather and the scales are commonly used for traditional medicine. The recent burning of pangolin scales ensures these products never enter the wildlife market and symbolizes the country’s commitment to protecting the species.

The burning of wildlife products has become a common practice for countries across the world. Countries accumulate wildlife products as they continue to thwart trafficking efforts. Instead of simply holding onto the illicit products, countries have gotten creative in efforts to deter wildlife traffickers.

In 2016, Kenya burned 105 tons of ivory in the largest ever ivory stockpile burn. This burn took out ten percent of the global stock of elephant ivory. The United States burned six tons of elephant ivory in 2013 and two tons in 2017. Between 1989 and April 2016,<a href="https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/17/WorkingDocs/E-CoP17-57-03.pdf"> over 100 tons</a> of ivory was destroyed, with the practice gaining momentum in the later years.

Supporters of wildlife product burnings argue that the burnings send the message that wildlife products have no value and that governments will not tolerate wildlife trafficking.

Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/30/kenya-to-burn-largest-ever-ivory-stockpile-to-highlight-elephants-fate"> stated</a> during the ivory burning ceremony, “Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants. This will send an absolutely clear message that the trade in ivory must come to an end and our elephants must be protected. I trust that the world will join us to end the horrible suffering of our herds and save our elephants for future generations.”

Critics of the practice worry that destroying large amounts of wildlife products will only make the remaining wildlife products more valuable. Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe have even proposed that their stockpiles of seized wildlife products should be sold and the proceeds be used for wildlife conservation.

Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe were allowed to sell part of their ivory stockpiles in a one-off sale to Japan in 1999 and to China and Japan in 2008, with South Africa also participating in this one-off sale. These one-off sales could have enabled wildlife traffickers to launder their illegal products, as it is can be impossible to distinguish between legal ivory bought in a one-off event and poached ivory products. Botswana, home to the largest population of wild elephants, has since changed their viewpoint on the issue and<a href="https://medium.com/@CountingElephants/end-african-elephant-poaching-by-banning-the-ivory-trade-918b81f40c21"> support</a> ending the international trade in elephant ivory permanently.

A 2016<a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w22314.pdf"> study</a> published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found a 66% increase in illegal ivory production across two continents and 71% increase in ivory smugglings out of Africa after the 2008 one-off ivory stockpile sale. While the price of ivory fell after the one-off sale, the researchers believe that the sale helped to de-stigmatize ivory causing increased demand for the product.

Some countries want to go beyond one-off sales by lifting the ban on the international trade of ivory products. By holding on to stockpiles of illicit wildlife products, these countries could make huge profits if the ivory trade was re-opened. The countries who choose to burn their stockpiles make it clear that they are not holding out hope for a legalized international ivory trade.

While wildlife product burnings are likely to remain a contentious issue in the conservation field, it is clear that the seizure of three tons of pangolins scales is a major conservation win for the much imperiled species.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Malaysia burns 3 tons of seized pangolin scales to deter trafficking

On December 6, Malaysia set fire to close to three...

An international team of scientists analyzed the spread of Alzheimer's disease and other <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/elderly-gun-owners-dementia/">dementia</a> between 1990 and 2016 across more than 195 countries. The study revealed that the number of people living with dementia more than doubled during this time frame, which is primarily due to the rate of growth and aging among the global population.

Overall, the researchers found that there were 43·8 million people living with dementia in 2016, including 27 million women and 16.8 million men. This represents a 117 percent increase from 20.2 million dementia patients in 1990.

Over the same 26-year study period, the number of deaths from dementia increased by 148 percent. Dementia is now the fifth most common cause of death worldwide and the second most common among people aged 70 and older.

“By 2050, the number of people living with dementia could be around 100 million,” wrote the researchers. “Tackling this will require training of health professionals, as well as planning and building facilities to cater to increasing numbers individuals with dementia.” 

The cost of care for dementia patients is very high, particularly in high-income countries. In the United States, this cost was $818 million in 2015 alone, which was a 35 percent increase from five years earlier. 

“Since aging is expected to continue, the only way to reduce burden and associated costs is to identify effective preventive or treatment measures,” wrote the study authors.  

“Despite the low return on research investment in dementia in the past, the size of the burden and its increasing trend warrant a continued effort to find effective means of intervening. Until such breakthroughs are made, dementia will constitute an increasing challenge to health-care systems across the globe.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/neurology">The Lancet Neurology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The number of dementia patients has more than doubled in 26 years

An international team of scientists analyzed the spread of Alzheimer's...

A team of researchers at the Department of Energy's <a href="https://www.lbl.gov/">Berkeley Lab</a> has investigated how the amount of fresh water that originates in the Sierra Nevada mountain snowpack will be affected by future <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-industrial-revolution/">global warming</a>. After analyzing the headwater regions of California's 10 major reservoirs, the experts are predicting a 79 percent drop in peak snowpack water volume by the end of this century.


The researchers also found that the timing of the peak snow melt could advance by four weeks, creating a delay between the time water is available and when it is needed the most. The investigation, which was focused on when and how snow melt would change, was based on climate simulations at the middle and the end of the century across five different climate models.

Alan Rhoades is a Berkeley Lab postdoctoral fellow and the study's lead author.

“This study is unique in that we're sampling across a community of models so we can see if models disagree at mid-century and end of century across a number of different snowpack measures, such as peak timing, total water volume, and melt rate,” said Rhoades. “What we found is the models usually disagree more at mid-century, but by end century they are pretty much in unison with another that under a high-emissions scenario there will be a dramatic decline in Sierra Nevada snowpack by 2100.”

Snowpack melt is a critical source of  water in California. Mountain snowpack provides the state with about two-thirds of its fresh water supply, much of which comes in a very narrow window. 

“Our precipitation is really intermittent and extremes-driven,” said Rhoades. “We basically get 50 percent of our annual precipitation in five to 15 days, or one to two weeks. Our water demand is highest during the summer months when we don't get a lot of precipitation, so we really rely on mountain snowpack as a stopgap for our water supply.”

The amount of snowfall is projected to decrease while rain could increase, which will contribute even more to the issue. Rhoades explained, “So as the world continues to warm, these storms will get even warmer and won't readily get to freezing, whereby you could have snowfall or snow accumulation and the persistence of snow on the surface.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/19448007">Geophysical Research Letters</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Global warming could drastically impact California water supply

A team of researchers at the Department of Energy's Berkeley...

By now, most people know that fast food and chain restaurants serve meals <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fast-food-restaurants-unhealthy-options/">with little nutritional value</a> that don’t adhere to public dietary recommendations. But now, new research shows that the calorie content of meals served in chain and fast food restaurants has been classified as “excessive.” 

Two new studies published in the BMJ journal December issue delved into the calorie content of fast food and chain restaurant meals served in the US, UK, and other countries and both show that only a few meals meet public health recommendations. 

For the first study, researchers from the <a href="https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/">University of Liverpool</a> reviewed nutritional information including calorie count for 13,500 meals across 21 full-service and six fast food chain restaurants in the UK. 

On average, meals contained around 751 kcals or kilocalories (the same as a calorie) in fast food restaurants and 1033 kcal in larger full-service chains. 

Very few of the meals offered by either the full-service or fast food restaurants had 600 or fewer calories, and over 80 percent of meals went over in the 27 restaurant chains. 

The second study, conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.tufts.edu/">Tufts University</a> in Boston, compared calorie information between 116 fast food and full-service restaurants in the US, Brazil, China, Finland, Ghana, and India. 

Most of the meals in the fast food chains contained on average 809 kcal and in full-service restaurants, the average meal contained 1317 calories. The researchers found that meals served in China had fewer calories compared to the other countries. 

Researchers from both studies say that these numbers may be less than what is actually consumed by people as they didn’t factor in the calories of drinks, sides, or desserts. 

The studies are concerning as people are eating out more and more, which could increase the risk of weight gain and obesity if so many of the meal options are well over recommended calorie ranges, especially if calorie information is not displayed on the menus. 

The researchers say that public health campaigns should target fast food and chain restaurant nutritional information to help better educate the public and promote restaurants to reduce the calories and portion sizes of their meals. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Research shows fast food calorie content is often “excessive”

By now, most people know that fast food and chain...

A new study from from <a href="https://www.anglia.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a> has revealed that sexual activity improves overall well-being among <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/adult-ssedatives-risky-use/">older adults</a>. For the investigation, the researchers measured the higher enjoyment of life scores of nearly 7,000 adults in England with an average age of 65.

The results showed that older men and women who reported any type of sexual activity in the previous year had a score that represented greater life satisfaction and enjoyment compared to those who did not.

“Previous research has suggested that frequent sexual intercourse is associated with a range of benefits for psychological and physiological well-being, such as improved quality of life and mental health, and lower risk of certain cancers and fatal coronary events,” said study co-lead author Dr. Lee Smith.

“Health professionals should acknowledge that older adults are not asexual and that a frequent and problem-free sex life in this population is related to better wellbeing. However, encouragement to try new positions and explore different types of sexual activities is not regularly given to ageing populations.”

Among older women, a higher enjoyment of life was associated with kissing, petting, fondling, or feeling emotionally close to their partner during sex. For this group, there was not a significant link between sexual intercourse and enjoyment of life.


For older men, however, satisfying sex life and frequency of sexual intercourse was associated with greater enjoyment of life. The findings suggest that sexual intercourse may be more important for older men than women in terms of promoting well-being.

Study co-lead author Dr. Sarah Jackson of the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> explained, “Promoting well-being in later life is a public health priority. We know that psychological well-being is intricately linked with physical health, and as the population continues to age, the burden on health services increases. If encouraging and supporting people to continue to enjoy a healthy sex life in old age could help to boost wellbeing, there may be benefits both for the individual and for the sustainability of health services."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.smoa.jsexmed.org/">Sexual Medicine</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sexual activity shown to be beneficial for older adults

A new study from from Anglia Ruskin University has revealed...

A Swedish study has found that the risk of having a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/women-wait-heart-attack/">heart attack</a> peaks on Christmas Eve, especially for people who are sick or elderly. The researchers say the elevated danger is most likely the result of heightened emotional stress.

The risk of myocardial infarction was also found to be higher on New Years' Day, during summer holidays, and on Monday mornings. According to the study, the chance of a heart attack was not increased during the Easter holiday or major sporting events.

The investigation was focused on whether national holidays, major sport events, the hour of the day, or day of the week could trigger a heart attack. Using data in the Swedish coronary care unit registry from 1998 to 2013, the researchers analyzed the exact timing of 283,014 heart attacks.

The study revealed that Christmas was associated with a 15 percent higher risk of heart attack, while midsummer holidays were linked to a 12 percent higher risk. The rate of heart attacks was also found to be higher during the early morning hours around 8:00 a.m. and on Mondays.


However, by far the biggest threat for a heart attack was found to be on Christmas Eve, when there is a 37 percent increased risk that peaks around 10:00 p.m. The danger is particularly elevated for individuals over the age of 75, and also among those with existing diabetes and heart disease.

Surprisingly, there was no higher heart attack risk associated with New Years' Eve, which is considered to be a major day for celebrations. The experts found that the higher risk was instead on New Year's Day, which they say was “possibly explained by a negligence and masking of symptoms due to alcohol.” Contrary to the findings of previous studies, no increased hazard was seen during sporting events.

The study authors pointed out that anger, stress, sadness, and grief have all been identified as potential triggers for a heart attack, and people are more likely to experience these heightened emotions during national holidays.

The research 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

Christmas Eve linked to a higher heart attack risk

A Swedish study has found that the risk of having...

The Arctic typically conjures up images of vast expanses of forbidding, snowy terrain with the occasional polar bear. However, the Arctic is also home to <a href="https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/arctic-meteorology/arctic-people.html">4 million people</a> who live in cities, towns, and settlements across the Arctic circle. 

While much attention has been paid to the increased rates of warming and sea ice loss in the Arctic, a new study shows that thawing permafrost, a worrying trend in the coldest regions of the world, presents a major building hazard. 

In the coming years, infrastructure in the Arctic could start to crumble, sink into the thawing permafrost, and collapse. 

Permafrost is the term given to soil that’s been frozen for two or more years, and in some parts of the Arctic, the permafrost has been frozen for thousands of years, according to <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/climate-change-permafrost-thawing-arctic-methane-infrastructure-1253152">Newsweek</a>. 

A team of researchers led by Jan Hjort from the <a href="http://www.oulu.fi/university">University of Oulu</a> in Finland discovered that three-fourths of the population in permafrost regions will have to deal with damaged buildings, roads, and other infrastructure by 2050. 

The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature. 

For the study, the researchers conducted a hazard risk assessment of permafrost regions in the Northern Hemisphere.

The researchers projected potential infrastructure damage based on several future climate change scenarios and focused on buildings and roads that were “fundamental” to communities in the Arctic. 

“We show that nearly four million people and 70 percent of current infrastructure in the permafrost domain are in areas with high potential for thaw of near-surface permafrost,” the researchers <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07557-4">wrote</a>. 

What’s more, the results showed that even if the targets of the Paris Agreement are met, the Arctic will still suffer significant infrastructure damage due to melting permafrost. 

The researchers say that risk-assessments are key to protecting communities that may be at risk of suffering infrastructure damage due to thawing permafrost, and that while some damage is inevitable, combating climate change and preventing warming needs to be a priority.

“Permafrost—and its thaw—is mainly controlled by climate conditions. [To prevent the permafrost thawing], we need to stop climate warming,” Hjort told Newsweek.

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

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Thawing Arctic permafrost threatens major infrastructure

The Arctic typically conjures up images of vast expanses of...

We may subconsciously perceive eye blinks as conversational cues according to new research from the <a href="https://www.mpi.nl/">Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics</a>. Paul Hömke, who headed the study, published December 12th in <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0208030">PLOS ONE</a>, wanted to know if a movement so subliminal as blinking could actually be a form of conversational feedback, similar to nodding one’s head.

Over the course of a day, humans blink about 13,500 times, which is more times than needed to keep the eyeballs moist and lubricated. Other studies have already proven that people blink during natural conversational pauses. However, no one had yet tested the subconscious use of blinking to convey conversational feedback.

Hömke and his team developed a virtual reality-based experiment to monitor blinking during conversation. Participants in the study spoke with an avatar that acted as a “virtual listener.” As participants answered questions like, “how was your weekend?” the researchers controlled the avatar’s nonverbal responses and used short and long blinks in response to the participant’s answer.

Although none of the participants reported noticing a variation in the avatar’s blinking, the participants subconsciously reacted differently to short and long blinks. Longer blinks, for example, elicited a shorter response from the speaker.

The study proves that small, nonverbal responses like blinking clearly impacts a face-to-face <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/older-people-distracted-conversation/">conversation</a>. Furthermore, these findings may contribute to future studies that investigate how humans share their mental health status via nonverbal signals.

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By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How long you blink can impact conversational communication

We may subconsciously perceive eye blinks as conversational cues according...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a> have found that the potential for mitigating climate change through land management and the modification of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/meat-consumption-climate-change-2/">individual diets</a> has been greatly underestimated. The experts are reporting that the inefficient use of land for agriculture is a major contributor to harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

The team has developed a “carbon benefits index” that can be used to evaluate which land use changes are helpful for combating climate change, such as transitions from corn to soybeans or from cropland to grazing land.

“We have to take the implications of policies for land use even more seriously than people have been doing,” said study first author Tim Searchinger, who is a research scholar in Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

“The fundamental problem is that policymakers and researchers have not truly confronted the fact that global land area is limited. Using any hectare (2.47 acres) for one purpose comes at the cost of not using it for another, and these opportunity costs have not been truly accounted for. The need is to make more efficient uses of land for all purposes.”

The need for food and carbon storage are both projected to increase over the next five decades. With this in mind, the researchers set out to investigate which changes in land or food consumption may help to meet both of these needs.


The team found that diets in wealthy nations have far higher greenhouse gas consequences than what has been calculated. They also determined that shifting away from meat-based diets that include beef, lamb, and dairy would reduce harmful emissions by up to 70 percent.

At the same time, the climate could benefit from changes in how food is produced. The study revealed that more careful management of grazing on one hectare of land in Brazil would increase the global carbon storage capacity by as much as planting one hectare of forest in Europe or the United States.

“It is important to increase both the efficiency of production on land and the efficiency of what we consume, but it's equally important that policymakers separate their efforts to influence each,” said Searchinger.

“For example, beef is very climate-inefficient and people can help the planet by eating less of it, but so long as people demand beef, farmers can help the planet by grazing beef more efficiently. Just discouraging a farmer from producing beef would hurt the climate because some less efficient farmer would likely produce the beef anyway.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/">Nature</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

Changes in land use and human diet can reduce harmful emissions

Researchers at Princeton University have found that the potential for...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

[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

[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"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...