We all know that feeling. The alarm blares, and instead of getting up, we slap the snooze button and drift back to sleep. Those extra minutes feel like a gift, but are they really? Sleep experts warn that hitting snooze disrupts crucial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/irregular-sleep-may-cause-premature-muscle-aging/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a> stages. 



Yet, a study led by researchers at <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mass General Brigham</a> reveals that more than half of sleep sessions end with a snooze alarm. The average person spends 10.8 minutes each morning in a cycle of fragmented sleep before finally waking up



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-hits-snooze-the-most">Who hits snooze the most?</h2>



Some people can’t help but keep hitting the snooze button. Researchers divided snooze users into three groups. 



The first group barely hit snooze, maybe once or twice, for just three minutes. The second group snoozed a bit more, pressing it twice and snoozing for over six minutes. The last group - the heavy snoozers - couldn’t stop. 



They hit snooze four times per morning, spending about 20 minutes in a foggy, half-awake state.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-snoozing-disrupts-sleep">Why snoozing disrupts sleep</h2>



“Unfortunately, the snooze alarm disrupts some of the most important stages of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-the-brain-for-the-future-while-protecting-memories-of-the-past/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a>,” said Robbins. 



“The hours just before waking are rich in rapid eye movement sleep. Hitting the snooze alarm will interrupt these critical stages of sleep and typically only offer you light sleep in between snooze alarms."



“The best approach for optimizing your sleep and next day performance is to set your alarm for the latest possible time, then commit to getting out of bed when your first alarm goes off.”



Wake up feeling groggy and disoriented? That’s sleep inertia. The study backed this up, showing heavy snooze users slept less soundly and felt less rested during the day.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-women-use-the-snooze-button-more">Women use the snooze button more</h2>



Women seem to use the snooze button more than men. In the study, women pressed snooze an average of 2.5 times per session, while men hit it 2.3 times. Women also spent more time in snooze mode, averaging 11.5 minutes compared to 10.2 minutes for men.



Why do women snooze more? Researchers think it might be because women often deal with more sleep problems, like insomnia or restless <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-quality-could-be-the-key-to-better-metabolic-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a>. They might also have more responsibilities, like work, childcare, or other tasks that can interrupt their sleep. 



In the morning, they try to grab a few extra minutes of rest by hitting snooze. But those extra minutes don’t always provide real rest - they often leave them feeling more tired and groggy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-weekdays-vs-weekends">Weekdays vs. weekends </h2>



People hit the snooze button more on weekdays than on weekends. The study found that from Monday to Friday, the average number of snoozes per session was 2.5. On weekends, it dropped slightly to 2.3.



Why the difference? During the workweek, people have set schedules and early alarms, so they’re more likely to hit snooze to squeeze in a bit more sleep. 



On weekends, they have more freedom to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-loss-has-a-greater-impact-on-heart-health-than-expected/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a> in and less pressure to get up at a specific time. As a result, they don’t feel the need to keep pressing snooze.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-sleep-duration-affects-snoozing">How sleep duration affects snoozing</h2>



Not everyone has time to hit snooze. Those sleeping less than five hours hardly used the snooze function. 



However, those logging more than nine hours couldn’t get enough. They hit snooze four times per session, stretching their wake-up window to 20 minutes of fragmented sleep.



Researchers suggest that short sleepers might have tighter schedules, with no room for those few extra minutes in bed. Meanwhile, long sleepers may feel like they have more time to spare, leading to more snoozing.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-which-countries-hit-snooze-the-most">Which countries hit snooze the most</h2>



Snooze habits vary from country to country. In the study, Sweden had the highest average snooze usage, with people hitting the snooze button 2.7 times per session. 



Germany and the United States were close behind at 2.5 snoozes per session. Japan and Australia kept their snooze time shorter, averaging 2.2 presses per session. 



When it came to how long people stayed in snooze mode, Sweden was again the leader. People there spent an average of 11.7 minutes hitting snooze. In Japan, that number was much lower - just 9.2 minutes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-prime-season-to-hit-snooze">The prime season to hit snooze</h2>



Seasons matter. In the Northern Hemisphere, December was prime snooze season, with people averaging 2.62 snoozes and 11.83 minutes of fragmented sleep. 



Down south, July took the top spot with 2.35 snoozes. On the flip side, September in the north and November in the south had the lowest snooze rates.



Why the shift? Dark mornings and less daylight in winter could make it harder to wake up, tempting people to hit snooze again and again.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bedtime-and-wake-time">Bedtime and wake time</h2>



When you go to bed and wake up can affect how much you hit snooze. People who went to sleep early, around 8 p.m., barely used the snooze button. They averaged 2.5 presses. 



On the other hand, those who stayed up until 10 p.m. hit snooze five times, dragging out their wake-up by 26 minutes.



Wake-up times showed similar patterns. Early risers who woke up at 3 a.m. only hit snooze twice. But those getting up at 1 p.m. pressed snooze nearly seven times, spending 37.6 minutes in a foggy, fragmented state of sleep.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-optimizing-sleep-and-feeling-rested">Optimizing sleep and feeling rested </h2>



Sticking to a regular sleep schedule meant less snoozing. People who went to bed at their usual time hit snooze five to six times per session. 



But those who stayed up late? They hit snooze up to seven times, struggling to get up in the morning and dragging out their wake-up time.



Is hitting the snooze button worth it? Rebecca Robbins thinks not. "The best approach for optimizing your sleep and next day performance is to set your alarm for the latest possible time, then commit to getting out of bed when your first alarm goes off."



Hitting snooze might feel good in the moment, but it breaks up crucial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bees-sleep-like-humans-with-similar-brain-patterns/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep stages</a>, leaving you groggy and less rested. Next time that alarm rings, think twice before slapping snooze. Your brain - and your mood - will thank you.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-99563-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Scientific Reports</a>.



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Why hitting the snooze button makes you feel worse

We all know that feeling. The alarm blares, and instead of getting up, we slap the snooze button and drift back to sleep. Those extra minutes feel like a gift, but are they really? Sleep experts warn that hitting snooze disrupts crucial sleep stages. Yet, a study led by researchers at Mass General Brigham reveals that more than half of sleep sessions end with a snooze alarm. The average person spends 10.8 minutes each morning in a cycle of fragmented sleep before finally waking up Who hits...

An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered around the world every year. They don’t biodegrade, they’re full of chemicals, and they’re killing a massive number of plants, according to a new study from <a href="https://aru.ac.uk/">Anglia Ruskin University</a>.

“We found they had a detrimental effect on the germination success and shoot length of both grass and clover, and reduced the root weight of clover by over half,” said lead author Dr. Dannielle Green. "Ryegrass and white clover, the two species we tested, are important forage crops for livestock as well as being commonly found in urban green spaces. These plants support a wealth of biodiversity, even in city parks, and white clover is ecologically important for pollinators and nitrogen fixation.” 

Cigarette butts, made of bioplastics, aren’t biodegradable. That means when they’re tossed on the ground, they sit there until they’re cleaned up or eventually covered with soil.

But the presence of cigarette butts in the soil can reduce successful germination – “birth” from seed to plant – of white clover by 27%, and the length of the plant’s stem by 28%, which negatively affects survival. For ryegrass, the germination success was cut by 10% and shoot length by 13%.

The effects were the same whether the cigarette butt was from a smoked cigarette or an unused one, researchers said. That indicates the problem isn’t the chemicals in tobacco, but the butt itself. The filters are made out of bioplastics.

"Although further work is needed, we believe it is the chemical composition of the filter that is causing the damage to plants,” co-author Dr. Bas Boots said in a press release. “Most are made from cellulose acetate fibres, and added chemicals which make the plastic more flexible, called plasticisers, may also be leaching out and adversely affecting the early stages of plant development."

Cigarette butts <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-trash-gulf-mexico/">clog the Gulf of Mexico</a> and was one of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emaciated-bear-plastic-container/">most-collected trash items</a> during an <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/">Ocean Conservancy</a> clean-up in 2017. Discarded, still-lit butts have <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wildfires-complicated-nature/">sparked major wildfires</a>.

"In some parks, particularly surrounding benches and bins, we found over 100 cigarette butts per square meter,” Green said. “Dropping cigarette butts seems to be a socially acceptable form of littering, and we need to raise awareness that the filters do not disappear and instead can cause serious damage to the environment."

The study has been published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109418">Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Trillions of cigarette butts are littered each year and it's killing plants

An estimated 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered around the...

According to <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default/files/attach/2019/07/killer-heat-environmental-research-communications-article.pdf">a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists</a>, an average of 36 days per year could feel like 100°F or hotter come the middle of the century. And toward the end of the 21st century, that number of days per year could jump to 54.

“We basically are looking at increases in the kinds of conditions we’re seeing this week across the country,” said lead climate analyst for the UCS Erika Spanger-Siegfried, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/18/climate-crisis-extremely-hot-days-could-double-us-study">per The Guardian</a>. 

Currently, regions across the U.S. are experiencing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/record-heat-increasingly-common/">heat waves</a>, and heat warnings and advisories have been issued in about half of the fifty states. According to the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/">National Weather Service</a>, heat indexes (how the temperature and air moisture feel) in some areas are expected to hit 110°F.

This new report “shows a hotter future that’s hard to imagine today,” according to co-author Kristina Dahl, also per The Guardian. “Nearly everywhere, people will experience more days of dangerous heat even in the next few decades.” 

That is, if current climate politics stay the same. The only way to prove this study wrong is for worldwide governments agree to cut back on production of heat-trapping pollution pumped out from power plants, cars, and other human-driven activities. 

Since industrialization, average global temperatures have jumped 1.8°F, and the scientists predict that in the 21st century alone, if these policies are not changed, we could see an average temperature increase of 6°F by the end of the century. 

The researchers suggest that parts of the Southern U.S. states like in Texas and Florida could experience temperatures of 100°F or hotter for five months out of the year. And more than one-third of the U.S. population could experience “off-the-charts” days that have a heat index of 127°F or higher. Currently, the Sonoran Desert is the only part of the country that experiences “off-the-chart” hot days.

To prepare for the worst, the scientists recommend cities create more green space, paint roofs white, and work cooling systems and architecture into new buildings.

“Heat risk is on the rise,” lead author Julie Arrighi said. “The positive message is that we can prevent the deaths that are associated with [heat waves] with relatively simple, low-cost actions. We just need to take those actions and to be ready for that hotter future.”

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Juergen Faelchle

The number of extremely hot days in the U.S. may double

According to a new study from the Union of Concerned...

Understanding science can actually promote faith in spirituality and God. While science and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/religion-shaped-environment-views/">religion</a> are considered to be conflicting subjects by most Americans, a new study from <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a> (ASU) suggests that an understanding of science can actually promote faith and religion. The researchers found that scientific facts can create a feeling of awe, which leads to belief in more abstract views of God. 

"There are many ways of thinking about God. Some see God in DNA, some think of God as the universe, and others think of God in Biblical, personified terms," said study lead author Professor Kathryn Johnson. "We wanted to know if scientific engagement influenced beliefs about the existence or nature of God."

Study co-author and graduate student Jordan Moon explained that, even though science is often thought of in terms of data and experiments, it may mean more to some people. 

The research team examined two types of scientific engagement - logical thinking or experiencing the feeling of awe - to get a better understanding of how they may affect an individual's religious beliefs. 

The study participants were asked to report on how interested they were in science and how committed they were to logical thinking. The individuals were also asked how often they felt awe, or an overwhelming feeling of wonder that often leads to open-mindedness.

The participants who reported both a strong commitment to logic and having experienced awe were found to be the most likely to have faith in God. These individuals commonly described God in an abstract and unconventional way, as being mystical or limitless.

"When people are awed by the complexity of life or the vastness of the universe, they were more inclined to think in more spiritual ways," said Professor Johnson. "The feeling of awe might make people more open to other ways of conceptualizing God."

"A lot of people think science and religion do not go together, but they are thinking about science in too simplistic a way and religion in too simplistic a way," said study senior author Professor Adam Cohen. "Science is big enough to accommodate religion, and religion is big enough to accommodate science."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-experimental-social-psychology">Journal of Experimental Social Psychology</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>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Triff

Understanding science can actually promote faith in spirituality and God

Understanding science can actually promote faith in spirituality and God....

The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) announced Thursday that it would not ban chlorpyrifos, a commonly used <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/us-use-harmful-pesticides/">pesticide</a> that has been linked to health problems in children. 

Although it has been banned from household use, it is still commonly used by farmers. The EPA cited a lack of reliable evidence proving that exposure to the pesticide is dangerous in a statement explaining the decision. 

Currently, the pesticide is used to treat more than 50 cereal, fruit, and vegetable crops in the US, but growing concerns about the health risks led to many calling for a ban of the substance. 

In 2015, the EPA under the Obama Administration produced several studies showing that chlorpyrifos can disrupt brain development, causing major damage. The findings led to a proposed ban that had yet to be put in effect. 

In 2017, Scott Pruitt halted the ban and reversed the decision which led to a series of lawsuits challenging Pruitt. 

In April, the EPA was ordered to decide once and for all whether to ban chlorpyrifos. 

Thursday’s announcement was a welcome relief to farmers and the chemical industry that had been lobbying hard for the continued use of the pesticide. 

“The availability of pesticides, like chlorpyrifos, is relied upon by farmers to control a variety of insect pests and by public health officials who work to control deadly and debilitating pests like mosquitoes,” said Chris Novak, chief executive of <a href="http://www.croplifeamerica.org/">CropLife America</a>, in a statement.

However, there are many still opposed to the decision, and environmental and health groups will continue to try and get the pesticide banned. 

“By allowing chlorpyrifos to stay in our fruits and vegetables, Trump’s EPA is breaking the law and neglecting the overwhelming scientific evidence that this pesticide harms children’s brains,” said Patti Goldman, a lawyer for <a href="https://earthjustice.org/">Earthjustice.</a> 

This decision is not the only move this year by the EPA that seemingly disregards the risks to human health or the environment. 

The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/18/climate/epa-chlorpyrifos-pesticide-ban.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share">New York Times</a> reports that the EPA announced it would not ban the use of asbestos, only restrict it. Another ruling prohibits surprise inspections of power plants. 

The agency has also approved the use of a pesticide that is harmful to bees. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Fotokostic

EPA won’t ban harmful pesticide linked to health problems in children

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Thursday that it would...

Music has a powerful influence on our mood, health, and even daily decisions. Research has shown that listening to a little classical or upbeat pop music in the morning can <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/waking-up-upbeat-song/">reduce grogginess</a>. Restaurant music volume influences <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/restaurant-music-affects-order/">healthy choices</a> while ordering and music can also ease anxiety. 

Now, researchers from the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> have put the calming effect of music to the test in a new study.

The researchers wanted to find out if listening to a relaxing song had the same soothing effect as medication often administered before anesthesia when a patient is about to undergo surgery. 

Anxiety before an operation is common but raised stress hormones before surgery can hinder recovery. To help ease anxiety, benzodiazepines like midazolam are administered before a peripheral nerve block anesthesia is injected to numb a specific region of the body. 

These drugs help patients feel relaxed before the surgery, but they are not without side-effects like interrupting blood flow, increasing agitation, and causing breathing problems. 

For the study, 157 adult participants randomly received either one or two milligrams of midazolam or were given noise-canceling headphones to listen to a relaxing song three minutes before being given anesthesia. 

The song wasn’t just any calming piece of music. The researchers chose British ambient music duo Marconi Union’s song “Weightless,” which is considered one of the most relaxing songs in the world. 

Anxiety levels were recorded before and after the drug or music was used, and both patient and doctor satisfaction were measured using a 10-point scale. 

All in all, both the music and drug had similar calming effects and eased anxiety. The music patients were less satisfied though, and doctors had issues with the headphones while trying to communicate with their patients. 

The researchers say that patient satisfaction might improve if allowed to choose the music. 

There were many unaddressed factors in the study, and limitations to the results include the short experiment time, and that satisfaction was not measured with a validated scale. 

It’s possible that music could help reduce anxiety before an operation, but more research is needed, according to the researchers. 

“However, further studies are warranted to evaluate whether or not the type of music, as well as how it is delivered, offers advantages over midazolam that outweigh the increase in communication barriers,” the researchers said. 

The findings of the study were published in the journal Regional Anesthesia &amp; Pain Medicine.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Torwaistudio

Music may be as effective as some preoperative medications that calm nerves

Music has a powerful influence on our mood, health, and...

Cannabis use both before and during pregnancy is on the rise among women. With the increased legalization of both medical and recreational <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-use-increased/">marijuana</a> throughout the United States, it’s no surprise that cannabis use could be increasing in certain populations. While the good or bad of increased marijuana use can be debated endlessly, there are specific people who probably should be avoiding cannabis altogether. 

A new study published in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen">JAMA Network Open</a> has found that the number of women using cannabis in the year before they get pregnant and early in their pregnancies is increasing – and the frequency of use is also rising. 

Researchers from <a href="https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/">Kaiser Permanente</a> analyzed self-reported cannabis use among nearly 280,000 pregnant women – a total of 367,403 pregnancies – in Northern California from 2009 to 2017. They found that during this period, the adjusted prevalence of self-reported cannabis use in the year before pregnancy increased from 6.8% to 12.5%, and the adjusted prevalence of self-reported cannabis use during pregnancy increased from 1.9% to 3.4%. These rates were adjusted for demographics.

Within the group of women who self-reported cannabis use during the year before pregnancy, the amount who were daily users increased from 17% to 25% and weekly users increased from 20% to 22%, while monthly-or-less users decreased from 63% to 53%. 

Among women who self-reported cannabis use during pregnancy, the proportion who were daily users increased from 15% to 21%, weekly users from 25% to 27%, and monthly users also decreased in this group from 60% to 52%. However, it’s important to note that investigators were unable to differentiate whether self-reported cannabis use during pregnancy occurred before or after women were aware that they were pregnant.

“These findings should alert women’s health clinicians to be aware of potential increases in daily and weekly cannabis use among their patients,” says lead author Kelly Young-Wolff, PhD, MPH, a research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. “The actual numbers are likely higher, as women may be unwilling to disclose their substance use to a medical professional.”

The study’s authors state that some women may use cannabis during pregnancy to combat morning sickness, as previous research has shown that women with severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy were almost 4 times more likely to use cannabis during the first trimester of their pregnancy. Young-Wolff believes that women may get the impression from cannabis product-marketing and media that cannabis use is safe during pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends women who are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy discontinue cannabis use due to concerns about impaired neurodevelopment and an infant’s exposure to the adverse effects of smoking. Substantial evidence indicates that exposure to cannabis during pregnancy is associated with having a low-birthweight baby.

“There is an urgent need to better understand the effects of prenatal cannabis exposure as cannabis becomes legalized in more states and more widely accepted and used,” explains senior author Nancy Goler, an obstetrician/gynecologist and associate executive director of The Permanente Medical Group. “Until such time as we fully understand the specific health risks cannabis poses for pregnant women and their fetuses, we are recommending stopping all cannabis use prior to conceiving and certainly once a woman knows she is pregnant.”

For future research, Young-Wolff and colleagues plan on studying whether prenatal cannabis use is linked to increased risk of adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes using data from urine toxicology testing, self-reported frequency of prenatal cannabis use, and mode of cannabis administration. 

Additionally, they plan on studying whether legalization of cannabis for recreational use in 2018 and local regulatory practices (such as retailer bans) are associated with variation in prenatal cannabis use.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Syda Productions

Cannabis use both before and during pregnancy is on the rise among women

Cannabis use both before and during pregnancy is on the...

Countries with strong women's rights are healthier and have faster growth. When women’s rights are prioritized, it has wide-reaching economic and health benefits for a nation, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ Open. 

Researchers from <a href="https://drexel.edu/">Drexel University</a> examined the impact a strong women’s rights initiative has on a nation’s sustainable development and health. 

Many countries have signed the international bill of rights for women. Yet women worldwide continue to struggle with discriminatory policies that fail to address key issues concerning <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/men-women-equally-competent/">equality</a>, health, and safety. 

In this study, the researchers reviewed and analyzed health, human rights, and economic and social rights data from 2004 through 2010 collected from 162 countries. 

The researchers then categorized the countries based on how strong their women’s rights were and the priority given to women’s economic and social rights. 44 of the countries were rated as having high respect for women’s rights, 51 were rated as moderates, and 63 were characterized as poor. 

In the countries that had strong women’s rights, the researchers found links to a stronger healthcare system and better overall health compared to countries rated as moderate or poor. 

Even in countries where access to hospital beds and doctors were lower than average, health outcomes were still higher for countries with more women’s rights. 

What is interesting is that the positive health effects were only evident in countries where women’s rights, specifically, were highly respected. Countries that had strong civil or political rights did not have as consistently positive health averages. 

“Since the promotion and protection of women’s rights play a fundamental role for progress for states as they unite health, human rights, and development, nations that have the ability to promote [women’s social and economic rights]...are missing a crucial component in positive health outcomes,” the researchers wrote in their study. 

There are limitations to the results, but the study offers a strong case for prioritizing women’s rights which could promote sustainable development. 

“Today, the value of human rights has often been questioned from an economic standpoint; however, our data find that rather than limit progress, human rights, and [women’s economic and social rights] in particular, can only benefit them,” the research team concludes.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Lindsay McLean

Countries with strong women's rights are healthier and have faster growth

Countries with strong women's rights are healthier and have faster...

When the UK government agreed to a voluntary pact with the food industry in 2011 to reduce <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/moderate-salt-intake-health/">salt intake</a>, it seemed like a step in the right direction. 

But a new study shows that the pact, called the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-health-responsibility-deal">Public Health Responsibility Deal</a>, has fallen short. Salt consumption in the UK is on track to cause 26,000 new cases of heart disease and 3,800 cases of stomach cancer by 2025 unless there’s a major change in strategy and policy. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London </a>evaluated the Public Health Responsibility Deal to see how salt consumption changed since the pact was introduced. 

The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Epidemiology &amp; Community Health. 

Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey from 2001 and 2001, as well as national sodium intake surveys from 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2014, were compared to healthcare and workplace productivity costs linked to heart disease and stomach cancer. 

Between 2003 and 2010, average salt intake decreased for both men and women. Before 2003, average salt intake was 10.5 grams for men and 8 grams for women, but this fell by .2 grams for men and .12 for women. 

After 2011 though, trends reversed coursed and decreases in salt intake slowed. It’s estimated that the increased consumption of salt directly correlated to 9,900 cases of heart disease and 1,5000 cases of stomach cancer by 2018. 

What’s more, the researchers project that if salt intake trends continue, it could cause 5,500 extra deaths from heart disease by 2025. 

Not only will this unfairly impact disadvantaged communities, but the researchers found that the added economic costs of salt intake could total more than £1 billion by 2025.

The Responsibility Deal may have looked good on paper and in the headlines, but this study shows that it has not had nearly its desired impact. 

“Public-private partnerships such as the [Responsibility Deal], which lack robust and independent target setting, monitoring, and enforcement are unlikely to produce optimal health gains,” the researchers conclude in their study.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Angelus_Svetlana

Salt consumption is still high in the UK despite pact with food industry

When the UK government agreed to a voluntary pact with...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poor-oral-health-cardiovascular/">Oral health</a> is largely overlooked by the global health community, even though 3.5 billion people are affected by oral diseases worldwide, nearly half the global population. 

Modern dentistry revolves on a treat first model, and prevention is rarely factored into oral health policies. 

The Lancet recently published a Series on Oral Health which addresses these major failings. Thirteen experts from 10 countries led by the <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University of College London</a> reviewed three decades of oral health data for the series. 

There have been major advancements in dentistry, and we have a better understanding of the causes of tooth decay and gum disease. However, the global burden of oral diseases remains high, especially among low and middle-income countries.

Dental decay is one of the most common health conditions worldwide, but the high costs of care represent a significant barrier for seeking treatment. 

Modern dentistry needs radical reform, according to the researchers. Sugar, alcohol, and tobacco are all risk factors in gum disease and tooth decay, but in high-income countries, dental practices are trapped in a “treatment-over-prevention” cycle. 

“We need tighter regulation and legislation to restrict marketing and influence of the sugar, tobacco and alcohol industries, if we are to tackle the root causes of oral conditions,” said Professor Richard Watt, the lead author of the series.

Raising awareness about prevention is key, but the global health community can only do so much when competing with food and beverage corporations that market sugary beverages and alcohol. 

In middle-income countries, oral care is not as advanced as it is in high-income countries, and in low-income countries, even the most basic dental care is inaccessible or unavailable. 

“Current dental care and public health responses have been largely inadequate, inequitable, and costly, leaving billions of people without access to even basic oral health care,” said Watt. “While this breakdown in the delivery of oral healthcare is not the fault of individual dental clinicians committed to caring for their patients, a fundamentally different approach is required to effectively tackle the global burden of oral diseases.”

The researchers highlight some key areas in dental care where improvements are needed most. 

First, the divide between dental and general healthcare needs to be closed, and future dental education must center around prevention first. Oral healthcare must be accessible to all, and policies need to target the underlying causes of oral disease. 

“A clear need exists for broader accessibility and integration of dental services into healthcare systems, especially primary care, and for oral health to have more prominence within universal health coverage commitments,” said Dr. Jocalyn Clark, an Executive Editor at the Lancet. 

“Everyone who cares about global health should advocate to end the neglect of oral health.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Africa Studio

Oral healthcare crisis has long been overlooked across the globe

Oral health is largely overlooked by the global health community,...

Most Americans now view men and women as being equally competent Women are no longer viewed as being less competent than men, according to a study from <a href="https://www.northwestern.edu/">Northwestern University</a>. The new perception of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/women-resuscitated-cardiac-arrest/">women</a> is consistent with their growing achievements in education as well as in the workforce. 

On the other hand, just because women are now perceived as being more proficient does not mean that they are earning the top job positions. The research suggests that this may be due to the fact that women are still seen as less ambitious and decisive, which puts them at a disadvantage in regard to leadership roles.

The researchers analyzed 16 surveys conducted in the United States that involved  more than 30,000 adults. The respondents were asked to compare men and women in terms of many characteristics, such as competence, intelligence, creativity, compassion, decisiveness, and ambition. 

The analysis revealed that most Americans now view women and men as being equally competent. Furthermore, among those who felt there was a difference, most reported that women are more competent than men. Study lead author Professor Alice Eagly said some of the other findings were also surprising.

"The perceptions of women as communal and men as agentic have not eroded since the 1940s, contrary to conventional wisdom about convergence in gender roles," said Professor Eagly. "Rather, communal stereotypes have changed but increasingly towards portraying women as more compassionate, affectionate and sensitive than men. Men are still viewed as more ambitious, aggressive and decisive than women, and that agency stereotype has not substantially changed since the 1940s."

The researchers pointed out that these stereotypes are generally shared by diverse groups of respondents. For example, women were ranked as being more competent than men by respondents regardless of their sex, race, ethnicity, college education, marital status, or employment status.

Professor Eagly explained that women's increasing labor force participation and education likely underlie the increase in their perceived competence, but added that occupational segregation was found to persist.

"Specifically, women are concentrated in occupations that reward social skills or offer contribution to society. People observe the social roles of women and men and infer the traits that make up gender stereotypes. In general, stereotypes reflect the social position of groups in society and, therefore, change only when this social position shifts. That's why gender stereotypes have changed," said Professor Eagly.

"The current stereotypes should favor women's employment, because competence is, of course, a job requirement for virtually all positions. Also, jobs increasingly reward social skills, making women's greater communion an additional advantage."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/amp/">American Psychologist</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: Shutterstock/fizkes

Most Americans now view men and women as being equally competent

Most Americans now view men and women as being equally...

Philippe Crombé from Belgium’s <a href="https://www.ugent.be/en">Ghent University</a> believes that the development of new stone tools by European hunter-gatherers during the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/chewing-gum-first-humans-scandinavia/">Mesolithic Era</a> (about 11,000 to 6,000 years ago) were created in response to a rapidly changing climate. 

At this time, global warming occurred at a rate of ca. 1.5 to 2°C per century, thus causing many issues like the ones we are seeing today — rising sea level, drought, wildfires, and plant and animal migrations. To properly keep up with their changing environment, Crombé witnessed a shift in the design of microliths such as small stone arrowheads and hunting barbs.

Crombé used Bayesian modelling to link 228 radiocarbon dates correlating with Mesolithic sites along the southern North Sea basin to the various microliths discovered at these sites. And he realized that the variation in microlith shapes is much more complex than previously thought.

Crombé believes that different microlith shapes were developed to distinguish different groups living along the North Sea basin. And as the sea level began to rise, these groups migrated to new areas where they had to compete for territory and use symbols to identify which group they came from.

The study, published in <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, also shows that developments in microlith shapes appear to be linked to short but important climatic events, most likely connected to increasing environmental and demographic changes. For example, triangle-shaped microliths were made after an abrupt cooling period in the Early Mesolithic Era, which is associated with wildfires and erosion. And another cooling climate event 1,000 years later is linked to the creation of small “backed bladelets” and “invasively retouched microliths.”

A third cooling period 1,000 years later than that introduced new trapeze-shaped arrowheads. Although more research is needed, Crombé believes that approaching these findings holistically can help him determine if climatic and environmental changes affected more than just microliths during the Mesolithic Era.

"In response to rapid climate warming some 11,500 years ago, hunter-gatherers along the southern North Sea (NW Europe) faced similar environmental changes as we encounter today, such as rapid sea level rise, increased drought and wildfires and migration of people, plants and animals,” he said. “By studying the hunting equipment, this paper investigates how these hunter-gatherers coped with these changes."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Ulco Glimmerveen

Changing climate may have influenced Mesolithic hunter-gatherer stone tools

Philippe Crombé from Belgium’s Ghent University believes that the development...

The small logo on LaCoste polo shirts has often raised some questions. Is that an alligator? A crocodile? What’s the difference between the two anyway and can you even tell on such a small logo? 

The small crocodile logo on LaCoste shirts has long been a subtle symbol of quality, even luxury. In Peter Brinkley’s famous novel, Jaws, the polo shirt logo plays a small but important role as a symbol of wealth and elitism that the hero sheriff of the story can’t quite measure up to. Seeing the crocodile logo, few if any actually consider the animal itself. That may soon change as LaCoste recently replaced their iconic crocodile logo with other endangered animal species to draw attention to their plight.

Limited edition polo shirts feature ten different threatened animals, according to <a href="https://www.lacoste.com/us/saveourspecies.html">LaCoste</a>. 3,502 polos were created worldwide, sold in stores in the US, Europe and Asia as well as online. Unfortunately for anyone interested in buying one of these rare shirts, they’re already all gone. The sales of the polo shirts was part of an effort to make sure the flesh and blood animals aren’t also soon all gone. 

The profits from the limited edition polo shirts went to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (<a href="https://www.iucn.org">IUCN</a>), specifically towards their Save our Species (SOS) program. IUCN is an extremely large and old organization, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2018. IUCN is unique in that it is a combination of government agencies as well as civil societies with 1,300 member organizations. Member organizations are represented at a council that votes on resolutions for the whole organization. The council is headquartered in Switzerland. Although the IUCN <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2018/may/22/12-conservation-success-stories-in-pictures">claims several successful</a> conservation stories, the animals celebrated on the LaCoste polo shirts are far from successful at this point.  

Of the ten animal’s replacing the LaCoste crocodile logo, the Monk Seal, with an estimated population of 1400, has the most individual members remaining. The Cebu Damselfly (similar to a dragonfly) with an <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/59770/12016276">estimated population</a> of 20 to 50 mature individuals all in a small part of the Philippines is the rarest creature to grace a polo shirt and the only insect. The Addax, a white antelope with corkscrew antlers from the deserts of Chad and Niger, is almost as rare with an <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/512/50180603">estimated population</a> of 30 to 90 adult individuals. 

The animals on the limited polo shirts range across the gambit of taxonomy though seem to focus on mammals. There’s the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/six-north-atlantic-right-whales-dead/">North Atlantic Right Whale</a>, the Iberian Lynx, the Yemeni mouse-tailed bat, the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat and as I already noted the Addax. There’s also the Moheli Scops Owl, the Mountain Chicken (confusingly actually a frog), the Opal Goodeid a two inch long fish native to Mexico and of course the Cebu Damselfly. By necessity, this small selection of animal logo ambassadors will stand for many other animals and even plants that are increasingly threatened with extinction by human activity. 

[caption id="attachment_1875331" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Moheli-scops-owl.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1875331" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Moheli-scops-owl.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="495" /></a> Moheli scops owl, Image Credit: Agami Photo Agency[/caption]

The Moheli Scops Owl, for instance, is one of six critically endangered owl species worldwide, according to <a href="https://rainforests.mongabay.com/endangered/charts/birds-owls.html">Mongabay</a>. In fact, 17% of all owl species are estimated to be threatened with extinction and 11% are thought to be near threatened. Four owls have gone extinct in the recent past. The Moheli Scops Owl seems to be unlucky enough to have always been rare, the tiny owl is endemic to Moheli Island, part of the Comoros at first thought to only live on a single mountain top. The owl was first described by science only in 1998, according to the <a href="https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/Moheli_Scops_Owl">Peregrine Fund</a>. The Cebu Damselfly as the only insect on the polo shirts is a stand in for an even larger and more important group.

Insects are low food webs and so many things eat them, which makes them especially crucial for the healthy function of ecosystems. A <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320718313636">study</a> published in April’s Biological Conservation estimates that over 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction. The paper predicted that as those 40% of insect species could be extinct within a handful of decades. If this prediction comes to pass, it will certainly trigger a cascade effect, killing of many other more ‘charismatic’ species as well. The Mountain Chicken clearly depends on insects for survival.

As the only amphibian on the LaCoste polo shirt, the Mountain Chicken, is a single representative for an entire clade, similar to the Cebu Damselfly. Sadly, the frog was named after the food it is reported to taste like – chicken, according to <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/01/160128-mountain-chicken-frog-endangered-animals/">National Geographic</a>. The frog lives now on only two islands in the Caribbean where it’s considered a delicacy. 

Besides being eaten, Chytrid fungus, a fungal disease that attacks amphibians has led to the decline of the Mountain Chicken, reducing population by 80%. Although, recent reintroduction programs hope to reverse the situation. The Mountain Chicken is not alone; there are more frogs than any other species of amphibians. Of the approximately 6,750 species of frogs and toads, <a href="https://www.edgeofexistence.org/amphibians/">EDGE</a> estimates that approximately 879 are threatened with extinction. Others on the roster of polo shirt animals are unique in their own way.

Hawaiian Monk Seals are the only seal found in the Hawaiian Islands, according to <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/podcast/hawaiian-monk-seal-rehab-and-recovery">NOAA</a>. The Opal Goodeid is the only fish in the group, representing the earth’s first vertebrate animals and sadly the fish’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/881/13088347">IUCN</a> conservation status hasn’t been updated since 1996. The lack of new data highlights how often organisms like fish get less research and conservation money than beloved mammals and birds. As a bat, the Yemeni mouse-tailed bat is of course, part of a historically misunderstood if not understudied group of animals. 

The Iberian Lynx is one of the more charismatic of the group, as cats are a standard icon of endangered or imperiled animals (think of how images of tigers and snow leopards are used). The lynx <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/12520/50655794">population</a> is also disturbingly low, with an estimated 156 mature individuals. Fortunately for the beautiful cat, the population although not home free, is rising, which of course is the whole point.   

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer                                       

Main Image Credit:  rarrarorro / Shutterstock

LaCoste swaps out the iconic crocodile logo for other endangered animals

The small logo on LaCoste polo shirts has often raised...

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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features 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

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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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