The unfairness of discrimination is obvious,&nbsp;but did you know it could also rob you of years of healthy life?&nbsp;A new study shows that experiencing prejudice can cause premature <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/syncing-brain-muscle-circadian-rhythms-slows-aging/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aging</a>, increasing your risk of serious diseases and shortening your lifespan.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-discrimination-what-it-is-and-how-it-causes-aging">Discrimination: What it is and how it causes aging</h2>



We often hear about major discrimination – big,&nbsp;shocking events like being denied a job because of your race or being harassed due to your gender identity.&nbsp;But the study by <a href="https://publichealth.nyu.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NYU's School of Global Public Health</a> found that everyday slights ("microaggressions"),&nbsp;along with workplace bias,&nbsp;were also damaging.&nbsp;This includes:



<ul>
<li>Being treated with less respect than others:&nbsp;This could mean being ignored in meetings,&nbsp;having your ideas dismissed,&nbsp;or facing condescending comments laced with stereotypes.&nbsp;This constant undermining chips away at your confidence and sense of belonging.</li>



<li>Being unfairly passed over for opportunities:&nbsp;Imagine consistently being overlooked for promotions,&nbsp;training,&nbsp;or high-profile projects despite your qualifications.&nbsp;This not only limits your career growth but sends a crushing message that your contributions aren't valued.</li>



<li>Feeling threatened or harassed due to your identity (race,&nbsp;gender,&nbsp;sexual orientation,&nbsp;etc.):&nbsp;Even if the harassment isn't overt physical violence,&nbsp;it can take the form of offensive jokes,&nbsp;invasive questions,&nbsp;or exclusion from social groups.&nbsp;These experiences create a hostile environment where you feel unsafe and unwelcome,&nbsp;impacting your mental and physical health.</li>
</ul>



These seemingly subtle acts might be dismissed by some as "not a big deal" or told to "just get over it".&nbsp;However,&nbsp;this study highlights the very real harm caused by this kind of persistent disrespect.&nbsp;The cumulative effect over time contributes to the stress that drives premature aging.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-premature-aging-discrimination-s-hidden-cost">Premature aging: Discrimination's hidden cost</h2>



The NYU study looked at over 2,000 adults and found a clear link:&nbsp;people who experienced more discrimination had signs of accelerated aging at the molecular level.



“Experiencing discrimination appears to hasten the process of aging,&nbsp;which may be contributing to disease and early mortality and fueling health disparities,” said Adolfo Cuevas,&nbsp;lead author of the study.



This doesn't mean you'll instantly get wrinkles, but it puts you at higher risk for age-related diseases like heart problems, depression, and more. It's a heavy burden to carry.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stress-from-discrimination-and-aging-connection">Stress from discrimination and aging connection</h2>



Our bodies are amazingly resilient,&nbsp;but they're not designed for constant stress.&nbsp;When we face threats (real or perceived),our bodies go into "fight-or-flight" mode.&nbsp;This ancient survival mechanism prepares us to handle danger by:



<ul>
<li>Increasing heart rate and blood pressure:&nbsp;This gets more oxygen to muscles for quick action.</li>



<li>Dumping stored energy:&nbsp;Sugars are released into the bloodstream for immediate fuel.</li>



<li>Suppressing 'non-essential' functions:&nbsp;Digestion and the immune system temporarily slow down.</li>
</ul>



This release of hormones like cortisol was originally designed for short bursts to escape a predator or fight off an attacker. But in modern life,&nbsp;our bodies can't always tell the difference between a looming deadline and real physical danger.



This chronic stress leads to something called "biological <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aging-may-be-driven-by-genetic-imbalances/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aging</a>," where our bodies start to function like they're older than our actual age.&nbsp;Here's how:



<ul>
<li>Cellular damage:&nbsp;Cortisol and other stress hormones can damage cells and hinder DNA repair.</li>



<li>Inflammation:&nbsp;Constant 'fight-or-flight' mode triggers low-grade inflammation throughout the body,&nbsp;linked to many chronic diseases.</li>



<li>Weakened immune system:&nbsp;Stress takes a toll on our ability to fight off infections and diseases.</li>
</ul>



Discrimination is a powerful stressor because it hits our core need for safety,&nbsp;belonging,&nbsp;and respect.&nbsp;This constant strain eats away at our health on a cellular level,&nbsp;making us biologically 'older' than our years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-race-matters">Race matters</h2>



The study revealed a troubling trend:&nbsp;Black participants reported experiencing more discrimination and exhibited signs of faster biological <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/secrets-of-aging-discovered-in-plant-leaves/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aging</a> compared to White participants.&nbsp;This highlights the persistent social inequalities that lead to a greater burden of discrimination for Black Americans.



However,&nbsp;the study also found a seemingly contradictory result.&nbsp;White participants who did experience discrimination showed a potentially stronger negative impact on their biological aging.&nbsp;Researchers hypothesize a few reasons for this.



Black participants might have faced more frequent and low-level ("microaggressions") discrimination throughout their lives. This constant drip of stress may have a cumulative effect, leading to a higher overall level of biological aging. 



In contrast, White participants who experienced discrimination may have had fewer encounters, making it a more acute stressor with a potentially more intense impact.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-facing-prejudice">Facing prejudice</h2>



Living in a society where you face regular prejudice might lead some people to develop coping mechanisms to manage the stress. 



Black Americans may have had more experience navigating these situations, while White participants who rarely experience discrimination might lack established coping strategies.



Additionally, studies suggest that strong social support networks can buffer the negative effects of stress.&nbsp;Black communities often have a rich tradition of social support,&nbsp;which might help to mitigate the impact of discrimination on biological aging.



It's important to note that these are potential explanations, and further research is needed to fully understand the complex reasons behind this disparity. 



"These findings underscore the importance of addressing all forms of discrimination to support healthy aging and promote health equity,” noted Cuevas.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fighting-back-change-starts-with-us">Fighting back: Change starts with us</h2>



This research is sobering, but it's also empowering. Here's what we can do:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-challenge-our-own-biases">Challenge our own biases</h3>



We all have biases that can influence our thoughts and actions. Take time to reflect on unconscious prejudices and work to unlearn them. Educate yourself on different perspectives and engage in conversations that promote understanding and empathy.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-speak-up">Speak up</h3>



When you witness discrimination, safely call it out. Be an ally by supporting those affected and advocating for inclusive behavior. It's crucial not to remain silent or passive when someone is being mistreated.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-support-anti-discrimination-efforts">Support anti-discrimination efforts</h3>



Contribute your time or resources to organizations that combat discrimination and fight for equality. Volunteering or donating to these groups helps amplify their impact and furthers the cause.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-manage-stress">Manage stress</h3>



While discrimination can be a significant source of stress, it's important to address other stressors that are within our control. Find and practice healthy coping techniques like exercise, meditation, or talking to friends to reduce overall stress levels.



Imagine a world where everyone is treated with respect,&nbsp;regardless of how they look or who they love.&nbsp;It's not just a moral issue – this study suggests it's a matter of life and death.&nbsp;By working together,&nbsp;we can create a society where everyone has a chance to live a long and healthy life.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666354624000528?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brain Behavior &amp; Immunity - Health</a>.



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Discrimination speeds up aging at the molecular level

The unfairness of discrimination is obvious,&nbsp;but did you know it could also rob you of years of healthy life?&nbsp;A new study shows that experiencing prejudice can cause premature aging, increasing your risk of serious diseases and shortening your lifespan. Discrimination: What it is and how it causes aging We often hear about major discrimination – big,&nbsp;shocking events like being denied a job because of your race or being harassed due to your gender identity.&nbsp;But the study by NYU's School of Global Public Health found that everyday slights...

Evidence of the earliest use of nutmeg, the key ingredient in all things pumpkin spice, was recently discovered in Pulau Ay in the Banda Islands.


Nutmeg comes from the seeds of the Myristica frangans tree which is native to the Banda Islands and was once a prized spice thought to contain healing properties in the middle ages. 

However, long before that, it seems people were using nutmeg as an ingredient as early as 3,500 years ago, 2,000 years before the prior first known use of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/spicy-food-less-salt/">spice</a>. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>, <a href="https://ugm.ac.id/">Universitas Gadjah Mada</a> in Indonesia, the <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">University of New South Wales</a> in Australia conducted two archeological excavations in 2007 and 2009 on the island of Pulau Ay. 

A study detailing the excavations and the researchers’ findings was published in the journal Asian Perspectives. 

The Pulau Ay site was occupied from 2,300 to 3,500 years ago and the researchers uncovered a number of artifacts including pottery, animal bones, and stone tools. 

Remnants of nutmeg were discovered on potsherds unearthed in the area which points to the use of the spice, either foraged or cultivated, as an ingredient. 

The excavation findings also show how the people of Pulau Ay shifted from eating primarily fish to living in permanent settlements and relying on domesticated pigs. 

“This site shows us how people adapted to living on these small tropical islands in stages, from occasional use as fishing camps to permanent occupation,” Peter Lape, a member of the archeological team said in a University of Washington <a href="https://www.washington.edu/news/2018/10/03/3500-year-old-pumpkin-spice-archaeologists-find-earliest-use-of-nutmeg-as-a-food/">news release</a>. “It’s also fascinating to see such early use of nutmeg, a spice that changed the world a few thousand years later.”

The potsherds and pottery also contained residue from six other plants including purple yam and sago (a starch that can be eaten from palms) along with nutmeg.

Palau Ay represents a unique opportunity for archeologists to piece together not just the early history of how nutmeg became the hugely coveted spice it was during the 14th century and beyond, but also more information on early Neolithic human settlements.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Humans have been crazy for pumpkin spice for thousands of years

Evidence of the earliest use of nutmeg, the key ingredient...

Groundbreaking research from the <a href="http://www.dtu.dk/english">Technical University of Denmark</a> (DTU) has produced a new antivenom that is based on human antibodies. The experimental antivenom has been developed to counteract dendrotoxins from one of the most venomous snakes in the world, the black mamba, which is found in Africa.

Every year, more than 100,000 people die of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/decrease-rainfall-fewer-snakebites/">snakebite</a> envenoming and many more are disabled. Most snake bites occur in poor areas of the world, which means that the issue is not a primary focus for pharmaceutical companies.

DTU Professor Andreas Hougaard Laustsen said that the findings may lead to a paradigm shift in snakebite treatment.

“The leap forward in our experiments is that we used a biotechnological method to find and then propagate human antibodies in the laboratory to enable use in the treatment of experimental black mamba envenoming,” said Professor Laustsen. 

“The method we employed can be used to discover human antibodies in the lab by simulating of the human immune system, so we can avoid injecting patients with snake venom to raise antibodies by immunization.”

The antibodies for the black mamba antivenom were identified using a library of human antibody genes extracted from white blood cells in donor blood. Professor Laustsen explained why it could still take years before the production of the antivenom outside of the lab.

“We have shown that it is possible to produce an experimental human-based antivenom against important toxins from one snake species, the black mamba. Before clinical testing of the antivenom on humans will make sense, it is relevant to develop more antibodies for the antivenom to give it a broader spectrum against several types of snake venom.”

If the research is successful, a doctor will be able to use the antivenom even in cases where the source of the snakebite is unknown. This has the potential to save many lives all over the world.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New antivenom may revolutionize snakebite treatment

Groundbreaking research from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has...

Predicting the outbreak trends for influenza – a virus that infects millions in the U.S. each year, killing tens of thousands – is extremely important to public health. Flu viruses spread and evolve through a range of animals, which provides information that scientists use to more accurately predict which strain human populations should be vaccinated against. But predicting when flu season will start, and which strain it may be, is no easy task. 

A new report published in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> has found that the more people a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/city-birds-lay-larger-eggs/">city</a> has, and the more organized its populations movements, the longer its flu season will last – even if climatic conditions aren’t favorable for the spreading of influenza. This study could be an important step towards improving the accuracy of influenza outbreak predictions.

Factors related to immunity, social crowding, shifting climatic conditions, and many others have previously been believed to dictate the size and shape of seasonal influenza outbreaks. But to more accurately predict these outbreaks, it’s now clear that researchers must assess an array of processes, from urbanization to climate.

In an effort to increase accuracy, researcher Benjamin Dalziel of <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> and colleagues analyzed weekly flu incidence data. This was represented by data on U.S. patients visiting doctors’ offices with flu-like symptoms between 2002 and 2008. The data covered over 600 regions throughout the U.S., all varying in size and structure – including transportation patterns.

Results showed that influenza spreads differently in urban centers with pockets of high population density connected by organized movement. In these areas, cases of the flu were more vastly distributed through the winter months, even early or late in the season when the weather isn’t optimal for viral transmission. In smaller cities, flue cases were more tightly grouped in a short period during the peak flu season. These patterns consistently emerged year after year.

The researchers also analyzed the influence of specific humidity –a key weather metric – on flu outbreaks. They found that as specific humidity decreases, the moisture droplets that infected individuals expel when coughing remain viable in the air for longer. Through modelling, they determined how local humidity patterns in certain regions contributed to differences in flu patterns – as it was found that flu epidemics were more intense in cities with more significant shifts in humidity. 

All of these findings could be integral to helping both scientists and policy makers better control flu outbreaks. While eliminating influenza altogether is wholly unrealistic, reducing the number of people who get sick is now a much more viable option.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

City density and climate influence how flu outbreaks occur

Predicting the outbreak trends for influenza – a virus that...

Neanderthals were able to survive almost 300,000 years in part due to their system of healthcare – albeit a very rudimentary “system.” 

Previous research from the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a> has reported that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/neanderthals-exterous-hands/">Neanderthals</a> care for their injured and dying, which may have been a factor in the development of certain healthcare practices. Now, a new study has found that they provided widespread healthcare to members of their group – even assisting in childbirth – which could have led to an “evolutionary advantage” that prolonged their existence as a species.

Researchers from the University of York examined the skeletal remains of over 30 individuals with noticeable minor and serious injuries. These remains included a wide range of different injuries and recoveries, suggesting that Neanderthals likely had a well-developed system of care that helped them survive.

“Neanderthals faced multiple threats to their lives, particularly from large and dangerous animals, but in popular culture Neanderthals have such a brutish and strong image that we haven’t really thought too deeply about their vulnerabilities before now,” says Dr. Penny Spikins, from the University of York’s Department of Archaeology.

Over 80 percent of Neanderthal skeletal remains known to archaeologists have evidence of numerous injuries. Some of these injuries would have only required minor care, like food and rest, while others would have likely required more serious care and could have been life-threatening. Other studies have found that in some samples, the injuries occurred well before the individual’s death, and would have required monitoring, massage, fever management, and hygiene care. 

“We have evidence of healthcare dating back 1.6 million years ago, but we think it probably goes further back than this,” says Dr. Spikins. “The high level of injury and recovery from serious conditions, such as a broken leg, suggests that others must have collaborated in their care and helped not only to ease pain, but to fight for their survival in such a way that they could regain health and actively participate in the group again.”

Researchers believe that because Neanderthals lived in small groups, even just a single death may have had a significant effect on the group. They also say that childbirth was an important focus of Neanderthal healthcare.

“It is likely that they would have had assisted childbirth; the role that we now attribute to midwives,” says Spikins. “Without support, they probably could not have survived the toll that the death rate of mothers and babies could have taken on their communities. When we look at the daily risks and dangers involved in hunting and finding food, as well as in childbirth in respect to their small hunting communities, it is not surprising that they would develop practices to improve health and reduce mortality risk.”

Even when looking back at our distant ancestors who lived well over a million years ago, we can see similarities in culture and human attributes. “We can start to see healthcare as a pattern of evolutionary significant collaborative behavior, alongside hunting together, food sharing and parenting,” Spikins says. “In this we can see why providing healthcare to those in need today is such an important part of human life.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Neanderthals had a healthcare system and looked after each other

Neanderthals were able to survive almost 300,000 years in part...

<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/energy-drinks-harmful-young-people/">Energy drinks</a> are the coffee of the younger generations. Their ties to the sports, gaming, and partying worlds make them well suited for teens and young adults to buy them by the millions… or billions. Currently, energy drinks are responsible for over $50 billion in global sales each year, and they show no sign of slowing down – due in large part to targeted marketing efforts.

A recent report in the <a href="https://www.jneb.org/">Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior</a> has found that digital marketing of energy drinks is more persuasive with young adults than other marketing methods. “Because Internet usage among this age group is so prevalent, digital marketing of unhealthy food and beverages may have a greater effect,” explains lead author Limin Buchanan, a PhD candidate in the School of Health and Society at the <a href="https://www.uow.edu.au/index.html">University of Wollongong</a> in Australia.

In this study, researchers recruited 359 young adults from the New South Wales region. This group was mainly comprised of middle-class students who worked part-time. More than half of the group had consumed energy drinks. They were all asked to take a survey about their exposure to and engagement with energy drink marketing, as well as their attitudes towards energy drinks and frequency of consuming said drinks. 

The results showed that energy drink users reported greater exposure to and engagement with digital marketing than non-users. Exposure alone wasn’t linked to energy drink usage, but engagement was. Engagement included clicking on a social media ad or playing an online game. Individuals who engaged more with the digital marketing also had an increased attitude of normalcy towards energy drinks, and were more likely to use energy drinks when pressured by their peers.

Although energy drinks aren’t as inherently dangerous as other substances young adults may be consuming, there are some health concerns. “Consumption of energy drinks is a public health concern in children and young adults because they may cause dental problems, cardiovascular and neurological issues, and in rare cases, death,” says Buchanan.

Luckily, the study also showed that the impact of digital marketing engagement was mediated by individual’s attitudes against energy drink usage and its normalcy. This shows that educating young adults about the health issues associated with these drinks may reduce the effects of marketing. 

“Public health professionals have advocated for stronger regulations on marketing unhealthy foods to children through traditional media,” says Buchanan. “This advocacy could be expanded to include restrictions on digital marketing to young adults based on current research. Future nutrition education interventions may focus on strategies to lessen the appeal of energy drinks, denormalize energy drink use, and strengthen young adults’ ability to reject this drink option when with peers.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Energy drink marketing is especially influential to young people

Energy drinks are the coffee of the younger generations. Their...

Studies have demonstrated that our brains struggle to make a decision when faced with too many options, which is referred to by scientists as “choice overload.”

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/">California Institute of Technology</a> are providing new insights into this phenomenon, including how many options the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/brains-recognize-familiar-faces/">brain</a> prefers and the regions of the brain that are involved.

For the study, participants were presented with images of scenic landscapes that they could have printed on a piece of merchandise such as a coffee mug. The volunteers were offered a variety of sets, which contained six, 12, or 24 pictures. 

As the individuals made their selections, the activity in their brains was recorded with a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. The volunteers were also asked to browse over the images again while a computer randomly selected a picture for them.

The study revealed that brain activity spiked in two regions while the participants were making their choices - the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the striatum.The ACC is where the potential costs and benefits of decisions are weighed, while the striatum is responsible for measuring the value. 

Brain activity was found to be highest in these two regions when the participants had 12 options to pick from.

Study lead author Colin Camerer explained that this pattern can likely be explained by the interactions between the striatum and the ACC, where the increasing potential for reward is weighed against the increasing amount of work the brain will have to do to consider the possible outcomes.


The potential reward increases alongside the number of options, but then begins to level off as the return diminishes. 

“The idea is that the best out of 12 is probably rather good, while the jump to the best out of 24 is not a big improvement,” said Camerer. He explained that people tend to feel like they have more control over their lives when they have more options to choose from, even if having all those options leaves them stressed out when it is time to make a decision.

“Essentially, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs,” said Camerer. “When we think about how many choices we want, we may not be mentally representing the frustrations of making the decision.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav">Nature Human Behaviour</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Our brain struggles to decide when we have too many options

Studies have demonstrated that our brains struggle to make a...

Researchers at <a href="http://www.bu.edu/sph/">Boston University School of Public Health</a> are reporting that women who are under a lot of stress are much less likely to conceive a child. Out of nearly 5,000 women who were trying to become <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/pregnancy-over-35-cardiovascular-disease/">pregnant</a>, those who were under the most pressure at home and at work were 25 percent less likely to conceive.

Study lead author and doctoral student Amelia Wesselink said that more healthcare providers should be counseling women who are trying for a baby about the very real benefits of striking a healthy work-life balance.

The investigation was focused on 4,769 women between the ages of 21 and 45 and 1,272 men over the age of 21 who participated in the Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO). None of the volunteers had a history of infertility, and the couples had not been trying to get pregnant for longer than six menstrual cycles.

“While some epidemiologic studies support the hypothesis that stress can adversely affect fertility, few prospective studies have assessed the association in couples from the general population,” said Wesselink.

The responses from the individuals were based on the past month, and were measured on a scale known as the perceived stress scale (PSS), in which higher scores represent a higher level of stress.

The team found that women with PSS scores of 25 or more were 13 percent less likely to conceive than those who scored under 10. Furthermore, couples were found to be 25 percent less likely to conceive when the male PSS score was under 10 and the female score was 20 or higher.

Overall, 20 to 25 percent of women and 18 to 21 percent of men of reproductive age in the United States report that they are under stress on a daily basis. According to the research, which followed up on couples for one year, stress among males had no notable effect on the pregnancy outcome.

“Higher female PSS scores were associated with slight reductions in fecundability (fertility),” said Wesselink. “Male PSS scores were not substantially associated with fecundability.”

“Although this study does not definitely prove stress causes infertility, it does provide evidence supporting the integration of mental health care in preconception guidance and care.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/aje">American Journal of Epidemiology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>. <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Women with high work-life stress have a harder time getting pregnant

Researchers at Boston University School of Public Health are reporting...

A new move by the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> could loosen restrictions that were designed to limit human exposure to radiation. This is the latest in a series of controversial proposals to weaken pollution regulations that are considered by the Trump administration to be too expensive or inconvenient for businesses.

According a new report by the <a href="https://apnews.com/amp/6a573b6b020e453c90ecd5e84aa23f57?__twitter_impression=true">AP</a>, supporters of raising the threshold for radiation exposure argue that it is time to re-evaluate radiation regulations and that weakening these limits could save billions of dollars.


Dr. Edward J. Calabrese is a professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts who is set to be the lead witness at the Congressional hearing on the proposal. Dr. Calabrese has compared small doses of radiation to exercise and sunlight, claiming that  exposure can enhance the body's ability to repair itself.

The government's current guidelines state that any exposure to harmful radiation is a cancer risk. Changes to radiation limits could be particularly dangerous for workers at nuclear power plants, oil and gas drilling sites, or in the medical field.

After a recent review of 29 public health studies, the <a href="https://ncrponline.org/">National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements</a> has reiterated that there is no risk-free level of radiation exposure.

While the latest <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/epa-eliminate-science-advisor/">EPA rule</a> does not directly address radiation, Dr. Calabrese is quoted in a press release as saying that the move is a “major step forward” in re-assessing the risk of “chemicals and radiation.”

Previously this year, proposals that targeted vehicle and power plant emissions were introduced after former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced plans to make the scientific research used in policy-making decisions “fully transparent.” In April, Pruitt stated: “The era of secret science at EPA is coming to an end.”

The EPA says that scientific findings will only be used if they can be re-tested and reproduced, while scientists argue that some of the most important studies relevant to pollution cannot be replicated without putting people and animals at risk. 

Jan Beyea is a physicist who participated in an investigation with the National Academies of Science after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. 

According to Beyea, the EPA science proposal represents voices that are “generally dismissed by the great bulk of scientists.” She explained that the latest rule would lead to increases in chemical and radiation exposures in the workplace, in the home, and outdoors. Beyea said that while the individual cancer risk may be low, the cumulative risk is not.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Report: EPA may be moving to weaken radiation regulations

A new move by the Environmental Protection Agency could loosen...

As recently as 6,000 years ago, the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wind-solar-farms-sahara/">Sahara Desert</a> was not a desert at all, but was more of a tropical region with grass and lots of rain. A new study has found that the transition to desert would have happened about 500 years earlier if not for the influence of hunter-gatherers and cattle-herders, also known as pastoralists.

“The fact that societies practicing 'pastoralism' persisted in this region for so long and invested both economically and ideologically in the local landscape, does not support the scenario of over-exploitation,” said Brierley. “Our study shows that increasing human population and sustainable pastoralism did not accelerate - and may even have delayed - the decline of the Green Sahara.”

The Sahara experiences long-term rotations between dry and wet climates as the shifting tilt of Earth’s axis changes the path of seasonal monsoons. 

It was previously theorized that human activities accelerated the Sahara's most recent transition from grassland to desert. The new findings, however, suggest that these activities actually delayed desertification.

“The possibility that humans could have had a stabilizing influence on the environment has significant implications,” said study lead author Chris Brierley. “We contest the common narrative that past human-environment interactions must always be one of over-exploitation and degradation.”


The team developed a model to predict when the African Humid Period should have naturally ended based on climate data. The model simulations revealed that the “Green Sahara” should have turned to desert 500 years sooner.

“This suggests that the inclusion of increasing elements of pastoralism was an effective adaptation to the regional environmental changes,” wrote the study authors. “Pastoralism also appears to have slowed the deterioration caused by orbitally-driven climate change.”

Study co-author Katie Manning is a researcher at <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/">King's College London</a>.

“The spread of domestic animals across the Sahara occurred at a time of increasing climatic instability, and yet, these pastoralist populations thrived,” said Manning. “It is likely that strategies used by contemporary traditional herders, such as seasonal movement and selective grazing, were also used by these early pastoralists, helping to maintain an otherwise deteriorating ecosystem.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Pastoralists may have delayed the desertification of the Sahara

As recently as 6,000 years ago, the Sahara Desert was...

In a very short period of time, the term “<a href="http://www.earth.com/news/people-believe-fake-news/">fake news</a>” has gone from an almost oxymoronic turn of phrase to become a crisis for media outlets around the world. Countless fake news generators have sprung up in the last year, filling social media pages and general discourse with biased, nonfactual information. While websites such as Politifact and Snopes attempt to debunk fake news as it comes out – the process is long, tedious, and overwhelming.

That is why researchers in <a href="https://www.csail.mit.edu/">MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab</a> (CSAIL) and the <a href="https://www.qcri.org/">Qatar Computing Research Institute</a> (QCRI) set out to find a new approach to debunking fake news. Their idea was not to focus on each fact or lack thereof individually, but to assess the news sources themselves. With this approach, they have demonstrated a new system that uses machine learning to determine if a source is factually correct or politically biased. 

“If a website has published fake news before, there’s a good chance they’ll do it again,” says postdoctoral associate Ramy Baly, the lead author on a new paper about the system. “By automatically scraping data about these sites, the hope is that our system can help figure out which ones are likely to do it in the first place.” According to Baly, the system only needs about 150 articles to reliably detect if a news source is trustworthy.

This system is the result of a collaboration between computer scientists at MIT CSAIL and QCRI, which is part of the <a href="https://hbku.edu.qa/">Hamad Bin Khalifa University</a> in Qatar. Analysis of the system’s own accuracy in determining factuality showed that it was 65 percent accurate at detecting whether an outlet has a high, medium, or low level of factuality. It also was roughly 70 percent accurate at detecting if an outlet leaned to the right, left, or was in the middle.

The researchers found that the most reliable ways to detect fake news and biased reporting were to assess the common linguistic features across the source’s stories – including sentiment, complexity, and structure. Fake news outlets were more likely to use language that was hyperbolic, subjective, and emotional. The authors say that the system also found correlations with an outlet’s Wikipedia page and its credibility. The longer pages that had fewer target words such as “extreme” or “conspiracy theory” were found to be more accurate.

However, co-author Preslav Nakov does state that this system is very much a work-in-progress, and that – even if its own accuracy was improved – it would be best to have it work alongside traditional fact-checkers. “If outlets report differently on a particular topic, a site like Politifact could instantly look at our ‘fake news’ scores for those outlets to determine how much validity to give to different perspectives,” says Nakov, a senior scientist at QCRI.

The research team also formed a new open-source dataset of more than 1,000 news sources annotated with factuality and bias score. This is the world’s largest database of its kind. Moving forward, the team plans to assess whether the English-trained system can be adapted to other languages and also determine religion-specific biases.

“It's interesting to think about new ways to present the news to people,” says Nakov. “Tools like this could help people give a bit more thought to issues and explore other perspectives that they might not have otherwise considered.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New machine learning system helps debunk fake news

In a very short period of time, the term “fake...

A new study has found that hugs may actually help protect against stress and negative emotions caused by interpersonal conflict. 

People who frequently engage in interpersonal touch often have an improved sense of wellbeing and healthier relationships. 

Researchers have theorized that touch can also buffer against the damaging mood changes associated with interpersonal conflict. 

Interpersonal conflict can strain a relationship, cause <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/2017-year-stress-pain/">stress</a>, and negatively impact a person’s health and wellbeing. 

However, most studies examining this link between touch and communication focused on the role of touch in romantic relationships. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/">Carnegie Mellon University</a> conducted a study published in the journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0203522">PLOS ONE</a> investigating how hugs, a common gesture of love and support in a wide range of social settings, protect against conflict. 

The researchers interviewed 404 men and women consecutively every night for 14 days. 

Participants in the study were asked about any conflicts that came up, how many hugs they received, and their moods over the course of the interview period. 

A participant who reported getting a hug on the day a conflict occurred described feeling less negative emotions and the conflict didn’t have as negative an impact on positive emotions compared to people who hadn’t received a hug. 

The researchers also found that the effects of the hug lingered on and helped improve mood and psychological well being in the days following a conflict. 

More research is needed to help confirm the theories that interpersonal touch can buffer against interpersonal conflict, but the study shows that something as simple as a hug can help positively impact someone’s mood and well-being. 

“This research is in its early stages. We still have questions about when, how, and for whom hugs are most helpful,” said Michael Murphy, the lead author of the study. “However, our study suggests that consensual hugs might be useful for showing support to somebody enduring relationship conflict.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The healing power of a hug is real, new study reveals

A new study has found that hugs may actually help...

Research has shown that fulfillment and satisfaction in a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/factors-predict-cheating-marriage/">marriage</a> can improve heart health and motivate people to stay fit and exercise more. <a href="https://heart.bmj.com/content/early/2018/06/06/heartjnl-2018-313005">One study</a> even found that being single or divorced increased the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to people who are married. 

But now, a new study has found that a happy marriage not only improves quality of life but can also help you live longer. 

The research was conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Boulder-Colorado</a> and published in the journal Health Psychology. 

For the study, the team analyzed responses from waves of the <a href="http://gss.norc.org/">General Social Survey</a> conducted from 1978 through 2010. Overall, the researchers examined interview responses from over 19,000 married people aged through 90. 

At the time of the survey, the participants had been asked to rate the happiness and quality of their marriages. 

The researchers then compared the survey responses to health records and tracked the health and mortality of the different participants through 2014. 

Longevity was significantly impacted by marriage quality and people who were in a happier marriage had a 20 percent decreased risk of dying during the years the researchers monitored. 

Even after accounting for different demographic variables, the researchers found that happily married individuals had significantly lower odds of dying compared to people who rated their marriage as “not too happy.” 

Mark Whisman, a co-author of the study told <a href="http://time.com/5410260/marriage-helps-you-live-longer/?utm_source=emailshare&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=email-share-article&amp;utm_content=20181002">Time</a>, which reported on the study, that there are several reasons why a happy marriage can increase longevity. 

According to Whisman, spouses can encourage each other to change their habits,  marriage can be a crucial source of support for people and can give people a sense of fulfillment in life. 

“A high-quality marriage can serve as a buffer against chronic or acute stressors in life,” Whisman told Time. 

There are limitations to the study because the study did not examine longevity in single people or how people in unhappy marriages were impacted healthwise. 

The researchers say that the future research is needed to ensure the results are replicable but the study indicates that marriage quality has a significant impact on a person’s lifespan. 
 ---

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A happy marriage can extend your lifespan, new study shows

Research has shown that fulfillment and satisfaction in a marriage...

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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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...