Gel manicures have turned into a tiny luxury that fits between lunch breaks and school runs. The ultraviolet or near‑ultraviolet lamps that harden glossy manicure coatings do the job in about four minutes, so the routine feels harmless.



The dryers bathe fingertips in swift pulses of light, but until recently few people asked what those pulses do to the skin that holds the nails. A new laboratory study brings unsettling answers.



The new work was led by photochemist <a href="https://bicyt.conicet.gov.ar/fichas/p/en/maria-laura-dantola" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. María Laura Dántola</a> at the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Physical‑Chemical Research <a href="https://www.inifta.unlp.edu.ar/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(INIFTA</a>), part of Argentina’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council <a href="https://www.conicet.gov.ar/?lan=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(CONICET</a>).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-studying-manicure-lamps">Studying manicure lamps</h2>



Serrano’s team placed common skin molecules, including tyrosinase, inside a chamber that mimicked a salon lamp and zapped them for the same four‑minute cycle used in most gel services. 



All targets, from amino acids to lipids, emerged chemically altered and less able to perform their jobs.



“These devices are used without any controls or regulations requiring manufacturers to report on the potential risks of frequent exposure,” cautioned Dántola and colleagues. 



One of the starkest changes hit tyrosinase, the enzyme that drives production of melanin, a pigment that shields DNA from solar radiation.



The researchers also measured how fast the altered molecules sparked <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/oxidative-stress" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">oxidative stress</a> reactions that can shred cell membranes. Reaction rates jumped within seconds, confirming that harm starts long before a hand is removed from the booth.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-photosensitization-matters">Why photosensitization matters</h2>



Photosensitization happens when a molecule absorbs light then transfers that energy to oxygen, creating reactive species. Those species slice through DNA, proteins, and lipids with no regard for cell repair cycles.



Because tyrosinase sits at the start of melanin synthesis, even small interruptions amplify downstream damage. Losing melanin’s natural sunscreen effect makes every future dose of sunlight or lamp light more hazardous.



Many over‑the‑counter skincare ingredients, including retinoids and some antibiotics, can enhance photosensitization. 



People who use them may face higher risks because their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vitamin-c-promotes-skin-renewal-and-anti-aging-at-the-genetic-level-dna-demethylation/">skin</a> already carries extra light‑reactive compounds.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tyrosinase-melanin-and-lost-defense">Tyrosinase, melanin and lost defense</h2>



Tyrosinase flips the chemical switches that turn the amino acid tyrosine into melanin granules. When the lamp’s photons broke those switches, the team saw melanin output stall.



Without melanin the skin compensates poorly for incoming ultraviolet, so photo‑aging and cancer risk rise. The altered enzyme also disrupts color balance, explaining reports of blotchy pigmentation after frequent gel sessions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-manicure-lamps-are-very-bright">Manicure lamps are very bright</h2>



Bench measurements showed the lamp delivered a dose of <a href="https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/focused-on-health/what-s-the-difference-between-uva-and-uvb-rays-.h15-1592991.html">UVA radiation</a> around 368–400 nanometers, the same band blamed for tanning and wrinkles. 



A separate American <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-35876-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> in 2023 reported that a 20‑minute session killed up to 70 percent of cultured human skin cells and stamped permanent mutations on the survivors.



Sensor data from the Argentine team indicate the lamp’s irradiance peaks at 7 milliwatts per square centimeter, nearly matching the noon sun in Buenos Aires during spring. 



Weekly visits translate into roughly three and a half hours under that intensity each year, more than many people spend sunbathing.



A systematic <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38557455/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> in 2024 concluded that while the absolute cancer risk appears low, the evidence remains weak and long‑term users should be told the data gaps.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-short-bursts-long-shadows">Short bursts, long shadows</h2>



Gel clients often repeat the service every two to three weeks, layering dose upon dose across years. Cumulative exposure matters because photochemical injuries add rather than heal, especially when they trigger oxidative stress and DNA breaks.



A 2023 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-49814-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">test</a> on human keratinocytes showed sunscreen with SPF 50 cut cell death by more than one‑third during the same four‑minute irradiation used in salons. 



Protective gloves that leave only the nail plate visible can block over 90 percent of the rays, yet they remain optional accessories.



“These are processes that, in one way or another, result in cell death,” added Dántola and colleagues after monitoring the altered enzyme profiles. 



The comment echoes warnings from dermatology societies that link chronic UVA to premature aging and certain skin cancers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-keeping-nails-and-skin-safe">Keeping nails and skin safe</h2>



Dermatologists at the <a href="https://www.aad.org/media/news-releases/gel-manicures-dermatologists-share-tips-to-keep-nails-healthy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Academy of Dermatology</a> urge customers to apply a broad‑spectrum SPF 30 or higher on their hands before every gel manicure and to choose LED lamps that cure polish faster and with lower UV output.



Salons can switch to newer hybrid lacquers that air‑dry or set under visible blue light, trimming exposure further. At home, limiting sessions and spacing them at least a month apart reduces cumulative dose.



For clients unwilling to give up the chip‑free finish, simple habits help: wear fingertip‑less UPF gloves, time the lamp cycles carefully, and keep moisturizer handy because dry <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/teen-skin-bacteria-could-hold-the-secret-to-acne-prevention/">skin</a> amplifies light penetration.



Regulators have yet to issue binding standards for consumer nail lamps, so the burden falls on users and technicians. 



Serrano’s group believes clear warning labels and pre‑packed barrier gloves would let people enjoy the beauty trend while understanding the trade‑offs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-manicure-lamps-speed-vs-safety">Manicure lamps: Speed vs. safety</h2>



The beauty business around gel nails is sizable. Analysts <a href="https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/uv-nail-gel-market" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">estimate</a> the global UV gel polish segment alone was worth almost six billion dollars in 2024 and could double within a decade.



Social media trends and influencer tutorials push fans to redo manicures every week rather than once a month, increasing exposure well beyond the study’s four‑minute baseline. Convenience encourages at‑home kits, yet those kits often ship without detailed safety instructions.



Dántola stresses that the project sits in basic science, aimed at mapping chemical events rather than legislating behavior. 



Still, sharing data allows dermatologists, engineers, and regulators to design larger trials that measure real <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/microplastics-carry-toxic-chemicals-that-are-easily-absorbed-by-skin/">skin</a> after repeated consumer‑level doses.



Applied research may soon test glove fabrics, lamp filters, or polish formulas that polymerize under visible light. Until such options become standard, informed choice remains the safest tool on the manicure table.



The study is published in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39763051/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chemical Research in Toxicology</a>.



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Manicure lamps can seriously damage skin and cause premature aging

Gel manicures have turned into a tiny luxury that fits between lunch breaks and school runs. The ultraviolet or near‑ultraviolet lamps that harden glossy manicure coatings do the job in about four minutes, so the routine feels harmless. The dryers bathe fingertips in swift pulses of light, but until recently few people asked what those pulses do to the skin that holds the nails. A new laboratory study brings unsettling answers. The new work was led by photochemist Dr. María Laura Dántola at the Institute of Theoretical...

Cats can be finicky pets. One minute your four-legged friend is purring and rubbing against your legs, but as soon as you start stroking its fur, the cat does a 180 and starts hissing, scratching and biting. 

If you’ve experienced this kind of rejection from your cat, there is a simple reason behind the behavior. According to Lauren Finka, a postdoctoral research associate at <a href="https://www.ntu.ac.uk/">Nottingham Trent University</a>, you might be petting your cat wrong. 

In an article for the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stroke-a-cat-according-to-science-116025">Conversation</a>, Finka takes readers through the ancestry of house cats and helps shed light on the odd quirks of felines. 

Cats, like dogs, evolved alongside humans, but their path to domestication took a few different turns. 

First of all, domestication of dogs is said to have begun between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-dogs-bond/">20,000 and 40,000 years ago</a>. As dogs diverged from their wild ancestors, they started working alongside humans, and a beneficial partnership arose. 

With cats, this domestication process is said to have begun around 4,000 years ago. Cats helped keep pests under control. Four thousand years ago seems like a long time, but your snuggly little kitten probably still thinks like a wildcat. 

Dogs and their wild wolf ancestors are social creatures, hunting, living, and communicating in packs. Wildcats, on the other hand, prefer a more solitary life. 

This doesn’t mean you can’t ever pet your cat. Many cat owners will attest that their cat is extremely affectionate (on their terms).

It’s just important to understand the subtle clues you cat might be giving you. 

First and foremost, let your cat come to you for affection. As social creatures ourselves who use touch to communicate, using restraint when faced with something cute, soft, and fluffy does not come naturally, according to Finka. 

However, restraint is exactly what’s required. Research has shown that cats will let their owners stroke them for longer when the cat initiates contact rather than humans. 

If your cat does hop on your lap for a good cuddle, you’re not in the clear entirely. Look for crucial body language and behavior signals while you pet your cat. 

Less is more, according to Finka. Stick to the base of the ears, under the chin and cheeks rather than the tummy or back. 

If your cat is purring, relaxed, and gently waving their tail, chances are that your cat is happy. 

However, if while stroking your cat and you don’t hear any purring, notice that the cat is shaking their head, licking their nose, twitching, or flattening their ears, stop stroking and walk away. 

“Ultimately though, when it comes to cats, it’s important to respect their boundaries – and the wildcat within – even if that means admiring their cuteness from afar,” Finka 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/PHOTOCREO Michal Bednarek

How to pet your cat the right way

Cats can be finicky pets. One minute your four-legged friend...

The results of a new study suggest that high empathy scores will become a prerequisite for getting into medical school. 

The researchers measured the empathy levels of more than 16,000 medical students to establish a set of national standards, which will serve as a benchmark for determining which applicants are the most well-suited for the medical profession. 

According to the experts, these national norms will make it easier to distinguish between two applicants with similar academic qualifications. The standards will also help in identifying students who may need additional training to boost their <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/people-avoid-empathy/">level of empathy</a>.

Study lead author Dr. Mohammedreza Hojat is a professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of <a href="https://www.jefferson.edu/">Thomas Jefferson University</a>.

"Testing for empathy should not replace the traditional admissions process," said Dr. Hojat. "However, it can add great value in helping medical schools select individuals who rank high on empathic orientation toward patient care as well as academic capabilities."

Previous research has shown that physicians who are more empathetic demonstrate a higher level of competence and have better patient outcomes compared to less empathetic doctors.

"When patients feel like their doctor cares about and understands them, they are more likely to trust," explained Dr. Hojat. "Patients who trust their doctors are more likely to reveal more about their lifestyle and other factors relevant to their illness, allowing for more accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatments."

Patients also become more compliant when they trust their doctors, meaning they are more likely to follow instructions such as taking their medication and eliminating bad habits.

The nationwide study by Dr. Hojat and his team has developed national norms in empathy for the first time. This will enable researchers to examine a number of issues, such as differences in empathy among students in different years of medical school.

"Some studies with allopathic medical students showed that once they move from the first two years in medical school and into the clinical years, when they actually work with patients, their empathy begins to decline," said Dr. Hojat. "It's interesting to see if that pattern of decline can also be observed in osteopathic medical students and to explore the reasons for such changes, and study approaches to enhance and retain empathy in physicians-in-training."

The study is published in <a href="https://jaoa.org/">The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association</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/wavebreakmedia

Empathy may soon be an important factor in medical school admissions

The results of a new study suggest that high empathy...

Caffeine during pregnancy can impair liver development in babies. There are many foods and activities that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-pregnancy-morning-sickness/">pregnant women avoid</a> for the sake of their baby’s health and development. 

In a new study, researchers from <a href="https://en.whu.edu.cn/">Wuhan University </a>in China discovered that high consumption of caffeine during pregnancy could increase the risk of liver disease in offspring and lower birth weights. 

Similar research has found that drinking more than two to three cups of coffee, the equivalent of around 300 milligrams of caffeine per day, can lower birth weight. 

This study confirms that there are little considered long-term adverse health effects that can also develop when pregnant women drink coffee. 

Past animal studies, in particular, have found that caffeine intake can impair liver development and increase the risk of fatty liver disease. 

The link between long-term liver problems and caffeine consumption in pregnancy has not been well understood until now. 

For this study, the researchers monitored pregnant rats who were given high and low doses of caffeine. A high dose was equivalent to six to nine cups of coffee, and a low dose was equal to two to three cups of coffee. 

The researchers examined the liver function and hormone levels of the rats’ offspring. Overall, caffeine intake correlated with higher levels of corticosteroids in the offspring and lower levels of the liver hormone insulin like growth factor (IGF-1). 

“Our results indicate that prenatal caffeine causes an excess of stress hormone activity in the mother, which inhibits IGF-1 activity for liver development before birth,” said Dr. Yinxian Wen, a co-author of the study. 

IGF-1 is crucial for liver development, and the researchers found that even though there were initially low levels of IGF-1 in the offspring, there was a catch-up phase. 

The researchers theorize that this added stress on the liver during development could make liver disease more likely to develop during adulthood. 

“However, compensatory mechanisms do occur after birth to accelerate growth and restore normal liver function, as IGF-1 activity increases and stress hormone signalling decreases,” said Wen. “The increased risk of fatty liver disease caused by prenatal caffeine exposure is most likely a consequence of this enhanced, compensatory postnatal IGF-1 activity.”

The study was published in the Journal of Endocrinology, and the results help shed light on the underlying links between liver disease and caffeine consumption during pregnancy. 

As the study further proves, caffeine can lower birth weight and impair liver development in animals. 

“Our work suggests that prenatal caffeine is not good for babies and although these findings still need to be confirmed in people, I would recommend that women avoid caffeine during pregnancy,” said Wen. 

The study was published in the Journal of Endocrinology. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Demkat

Caffeine during pregnancy can impair liver development in babies

Caffeine during pregnancy can impair liver development in babies. There...

Plastic chemicals continue to increase the risk of obesity among children. A new study published by the <a href="https://www.endocrine.org/about-us">Endocrine Society</a> has revealed that exposure to common chemicals in plastics and canned foods may promote childhood obesity. The research suggests that "BPA free" products are not necessarily a safe alternative. 

Almost a decade ago, high exposure to the chemical <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/bpa-exposure-autism/">bisphenol A (BPA)</a> was linked to more than double the risk of obesity among children. In the years that followed, BPA plastic materials have been largely replaced with bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF).

For example, these manufactured chemicals are now used in the lining of aluminum cans that package food and drinks, as well as thermal paper from cash-register receipts. 

"This research is significant because exposure to these chemicals is very common in the United States. BPS and BPF use is growing because manufacturers are replacing BPA with these chemicals, so that is contributing to the frequency of exposure," said study co-author Dr. Melanie Jacobson.

"Although diet and exercise are still understood to the main drivers of obesity, this research suggests that common chemical exposures may also play a role, specifically among children."

For their investigation, the researchers used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. The team analyzed the correlation between BPA, BPS, and BPF exposure and body mass outcomes among children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 19. 

The results showed that children who had greater levels of BPS and BPF in their urine were more likely to be obese compared to children with lower levels. Plastic chemicals continue to increase the risk of obesity among children

"In a previous study, we found that the predecessor chemical to BPS and BPF - BPA - was associated with a higher prevalence obesity in U.S. children, and this study found the same trend among these newer versions of that chemical," said Dr. Jacobson. "Replacing BPA with similar chemicals does nothing to mitigate the harms chemical exposure has on our health."

The study is published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jes">Journal of the Endocrine Society</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/Jekatarinka

Plastic chemicals continue to increase the risk of obesity among children

Plastic chemicals continue to increase the risk of obesity among...

Living with large reptiles that can eat humans is always a tenuous position.  The reality of being eaten by a <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cultures-crocodiles-worshipped/">crocodilian</a> is a very ancient one for humans. Fossil evidence from the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania shows that hominid fossils, perhaps those of human ancestors, were <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-predators-prey/">preyed upon</a> by a crocodile, Crocodylus anthropophagus as long as 1.8 million years ago.  Alligators in Florida have killed 24 people since 1973.  <a href="http://www.crocodile-attack.info/data/map">CrocBITE</a>, the worldwide crocodilian attack database, has already recorded 116 worldwide crocodilian attacks on humans this year, some of which were fatal. 

Attacks by crocodiles have captured the imagination both in the US and abroad.  <a href="https://youtu.be/H6MLJG0RdDE">Crawl</a>, a movie in which a giant crocodilian hunts people trapped in a flooded basement in Florida, hit theaters July 12 in the US.  In other parts of the world, crocodilians are more reality than terrifying flight of imagination, but sometimes unreasonable fear is mixed in.  The <a href="https://www.sanpedrosun.com/community-and-society/2010/09/06/crocodile-sanctuary-in-belize-destroyed-by-mob/">San Pedro Sun</a> reported in 2010 that a crocodile conservation facility was burned down and crocodiles killed and mutilated by a mob.  The mob was apparently motivated by the advice of a clairvoyant who falsely claimed the remains of missing children would be found in the bellies of the crocodiles.  

Despite the violence of crocodilians and the intense fear humans often feel for them, humans and crocodilians have found ways to coexist in some parts of the world.  In the United States, American Alligator populations plunged close to extinction from hunting and habitat destruction. Alligators were put on the endangered species list in 1967, but were removed in the 1980s after a long recovery.  

Today, the American Alligator is considered a conservation success story.  <a href="https://defenders.org/american-alligator/basic-facts">Defenders of Wildlife</a> estimates that there are now 5 million alligators in the southeastern US and as many as 1.2 million in Florida alone.  The species is carefully managed for hunting and raised in captivity for entertainment as well as for alligator skins used to make clothing and accessories.  

Crocodiles in Australia are also thriving. So called ‘salties’ are one of the most dangerous crocodilians to humans.  Despite their common name, salt water crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) can live in fresh water as well as salt.  <a href="https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/crocodiles-rising/">Haika Magazine</a> reported in 2016 that despite a previous history of decline, like the American Alligator the species had rebounded.  According to the Australian <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=1774">Department of the Environment and Energy</a>, the population of salt water crocodiles is estimated to be 100,000, although there could be as many as 200,000 living in the wild.  Much like in the United States, crocodiles are raised in captivity but on an even broader scale for skins, meat and entertainment for tourists.  Native peoples have the right to limited hunting of crocodiles as well.  

Despite these instances of successfully managing co-habitation between crocodilians and humans, it doesn’t always work out so well.  <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2019/04/rise-in-crocodile-sightings-linked-to-habitat-degradation-in-indonesia/">Mongabay</a> reports that in Indonesia, salt water crocodile sightings and conflicts are on the rise.  Last February, villagers captured a crocodile, tied its mouth shut and beat it before turning the animal over to a wildlife organization which released the crocodile far from human habitation.  The crocodile was suspected of preying on local villagers livestock and the presence of the large reptile was seen as threatening, thus prompting the villagers to attack the animal. The fear of more crocodiles following in the wake of the one captured is very real in a region where crocodile attacks are on the rise.  

Human encroachment into the habitat of a dangerous wild animal is a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, the habitat destruction that comes with human development endangers the animal.  On the other hand, more humans close to (in this case dangerous) wild animals increases the likelihood of conflict.  Over the long history of humanity, we’ve mostly killed off dangerous animals or moved away from them, to the point where less of us are knowledgeable about the proper way to live near dangerous predators or are willing to accept the risk of doing so.  One of the purposes of parks is to preserve wildlife in a way that isn’t very threatening to humans or human society.  

Wild animals don’t recognize the boundaries of parks, though.  Alligators can potentially be in almost any pool of water within their range, even if it’s an artificial pool of water <a href="https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-gator-attack-disney-world-20160822-snap-story.html">inside Disney World</a>. Unfortunately, humans are increasingly living in close quarters with dangerous crocodilians.  

The reason for the increase in crocodile encounters in part of Indonesia is due to a greater human presence and destruction of habitat.  Blast fishing and turn over of habitat into farms push the crocodiles into a desperate situation with less of their traditional food or habitat available.  Sometimes human encounters with crocodiles can become incredibly nasty. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-crocodiles/indonesian-villagers-kill-nearly-300-crocodiles-in-revenge-attack-idUSKBN1K60HQ">Reuters</a> reported that last year, a man was killed by a crocodile at a conservation breeding facility in Indonesia.  In the wake of the man’s death, the local villagers killed all 292 crocodiles in the facility with clubs, knives and hammers in revenge.  

For now in America and Australia, crocodilians are protected by law but human populations in those areas are growing as well.  <a href="https://www.hakaimagazine.com/features/crocodiles-rising/">Haika Magazine</a> points out that Darwin, right in salt water crocodile’s range, is one of the fastest growing capitals in Australia.  Key West Aquarium suggests it’s best to not encounter alligators in close proximity, however human populations in Florida it notes are 20 million in a state with one million alligators.  People are increasingly close to the dangerous animals. The conservationists managing hunting and farming the crocodilians point to monetization as a way to save dangerous animals.  

I wonder if putting a cash value is enough to protect crocodilians or if it cheapens them and actually ourselves.  If we’re concerned for our own lives, aren’t we monetizing ourselves when we put a price on a crocodile or alligator?  It seems what we need more is true respect and we rarely respect what we spend money on, we instead objectify it. It also denies the crocodilians their place as free agents in complex ecosystems. Is there enough room for danger left in the world?    

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Andi syahputra

Habitat destruction leads to confrontations with crocodiles in Indonesia

Living with large reptiles that can eat humans is always...

For many people, the burning and painful sensations that come from eating spicy foods are all worth it for those delicious flavors. 

Spicy foods can help with weight loss and may even increase longevity. Many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/spicy-foods-health-perks/">studies tout the benefits</a> of adding spicy sauces and peppers to your dishes. 

However, new research from <a href="http://www.qu.edu.qa/">Qatar University</a> and the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a> found a surprising and concerning link between eating spicy foods and dementia. 

Dementia affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide. One in three seniors dies from a dementia-related disease, according to the <a href="https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures">Alzheimer’s Association</a>. 

Scientists are working to unlock the mysteries of dementia to find potential new treatments to slow the progression of the disease. 

This recent study was 15 years in the making, and the researchers reviewed data from the <a href="https://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/china">China Health and Nutritional Survey</a>. 

Data on 4,582 Chinese adults over 55 years old who took part in the surveys from 1991 to 2006 were included in the study. The researchers examined diet and cognition. 

“Chili is one of the most commonly used spices in the world and particularly popular in Asia compared to European countries,” said Dr. Ming, a co-author of the study. “In certain regions of China, such as Sichuan and Hunan, almost one in three adults consume spicy food every day.” 

Participants that ate more than 50 grams of chili every day showed faster cognitive decline. The risks were even more evident in thinner individuals. 

Overall the researchers found that high intake of spicy foods like fresh or dried chili peppers can double the risk of dementia in older adults. 

“Chili consumption was found to be beneficial for body weight and blood pressure in our previous studies. However, in this study, we found adverse effects on cognition among older adults,” said Dr. Zumin Shi, the leader of the study. 

The study, published in the journal <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566199/">Nutrients</a>, is the first longitudinal study of its kind to examine the impacts of chili consumption on cognition. 

--

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

New study links spicy food consumption to dementia

For many people, the burning and painful sensations that come...

While birth order among families is believed to have a profound effect on the intelligence and personality traits of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/younger-siblings-develop-empathy/">siblings</a>, experts do not fully understand the psychological and biological evolution that is involved.  

According to a recent report in <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>, birth order is now thought to have a significant influence on mental and physical health as well, which makes it more important than ever to scientifically explain how the order of our birth shapes us.

In 1995, Frank Sulloway of <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a> proposed the “family niche” theory for birth order effects. This theory suggests that personalities are not directly shaped by birth order, but are molded by family dynamics. 

Solloway explained that the family is not necessarily a shared environment, but actually a set of different roles taken on by siblings which provide them with their own unique experiences and outlooks. 

He concluded that older children tend to identify more with their parents, while younger children do not have a need to fill that particular niche and are often more rebellious against authority. As a result, older children become more conscientious and socially dominant compared to their younger siblings. 

In 2015, a team of researchers led by Julia Rohrer at the <a href="https://www.uni-leipzig.de/en/">University of Leipzig</a> analyzed data from 20,000 children across the UK, the United States, and Germany. The results indicated that birth order had no impact on personality, but may slightly increase the IQ of older siblings.

After continuing his own investigation for the last 18 years based on nearly half a million participants in six countries, Solloway found evidence to support a slight increase in intelligence among firstborns. His massive dataset also produced evidence that birth order does, in fact, have identifiable effects on personality. 

The long-term analysis revealed that older children are more likely to have an assertive personality and high self-esteem, but are also more moody and tense. Younger children tend to be more extroverted, but also self-conscious. Solloway found that middle children are the least assertive and the most agreeable and cooperative. Finally, the study showed that an only child will most likely be neurotic, yet with high self-esteem.

"People use birth order to rationalize why they are different from their siblings. They magnify its influence but it’s important to know that some of that influence is real,” said Solloway.

According to the report in New Scientist, birth order may influence health due to early exposure to certain hormones or microbes. It is possible, for example, that some cancers are less common among younger siblings simply because there are greater oestrogen levels in the umbilical cord during the earlier pregnancies. Therefore, firstborns may have a higher risk of cancer later in life due to the presence of more oestrogen in the uterus. 

In a phenomenon called fetal microchimerism, fetal cells can persist in the mother’s blood for decades after they give birth, which means younger children have some cells that are shared with their older siblings as well as their mothers. Lee Nelson at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle told New Scientist that "there are more positive reasons for microchimerism than negative." When the biological effects of birth order are better understood, therapies could be developed to target inherited cells that cause harm.

--

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/Nataliya Dorokhina

Birth order can impact mental and physical health, new report shows

While birth order among families is believed to have a...

According to a new study from the <a href="https://www.aan.com/">American Academy of Neurology</a> (AAN), having a larger BMI in your 60s could be linked to <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/low-protein-high-carb-diets-aging/">brain aging</a> later in life. Carrying around excess weight at this point in one’s life could also accelerate brain aging by about a decade, the study shows.

"People with bigger waists and higher BMI were more likely to have thinning in the cortex area of the brain, which implies that obesity is associated with reduced gray matter of the brain," said study author and AAN member Tatjana Rundek, MD, PhD, of the <a href="http://med.miami.edu/">University of Miami Miller School of Medicine</a>. "These associations were especially strong in those who were younger than 65, which adds weight to the theory that having poor health indicators in mid-life may increase the risk for brain aging and problems with memory and thinking skills in later life."

The study, which involved 1,289 participants averagely aged 64, and two-thirds of whom were Latino, measured participants' BMI and waist circumference. Then, about six years later, participants underwent MRI brain scans to measure the thickness of the cortex area of the brain, overall brain volume, and other brain-related factors.

The results, published in <a href="https://www.neurology.org/">Neurology,</a> showed that 346 of the participants had a BMI of less than 25, which is considered normal weight; 571 people had a BMI of 25 to 30 (overweight); and 372 people had a BMI of 30 or higher (obese).

When it came to waist circumference, which differs between men and women, the normal weight group, consisting of 54% women, had an average of 33 inches. The overweight group (56% women) had an average of 36 inches, and the obese group (73% women) had an average of 41 inches.

The higher the BMI, the thinner the cortex, even after researchers adjusted their findings for other factors that could affect the thinness of the cortex, like high blood pressure, alcohol use, and smoking. Furthermore, they found that those who were overweight experienced a 0.098 millimeter thinning of the cortex for every unit increase in BMI, and having a thinner cortex has been associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

What’s more is that also having a larger waist was also associated with a thinner cortex after adjusting for other factors.

Rundek noted, that the study does not prove that extra weight causes the cortex to get thinner. It only proves there is an association.

"In normal aging adults, the overall thinning rate of the cortical mantle is between 0.01 and 0.10 mm per decade, and our results would indicate that being overweight or obese may accelerate aging in the brain by at least a decade,” Rundek said.

"These results are exciting because they raise the possibility that by losing weight, people may be able to stave off aging of their brains and potentially the memory and thinking problems that can come along with brain aging," Rundek continued. "However, with the rising number of people globally who are overweight or obese and the difficulty many experience with losing weight, obviously this is a concern for public health in the future as these people age."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/VGstockstudio

Excess weight gain in your 60s could be linked to brain aging down the line

According to a new study from the American Academy of...

Experts pinpoint the key drivers of population-wide dietary shifts. Experts pinpoint the key drivers of population-wide dietary shifts. Researchers at the <a href="http://www.iiasa.ac.at/">International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis</a> (IIASA) have identified the factors that will have the biggest influence on achieving a global transition to more sustainable diets. Using a new computational model of behavioral dynamics, the team pinpointed the major drivers of population-wide dietary shifts.

The consumption of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/eating-red-meat-risk-death/">red and processed meat</a> has been tied to serious health complications  including diabetes, heart disease, and various cancers. Livestock farming for meat production also has a major environmental impact, contributing to deforestation, land and water degradation, and biodiversity loss. 

Furthermore, the meat industry is responsible for methane emissions that are comparable to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by all of the world's cars, trucks, and airplanes combined.

Previous studies have shown that if people limited their red meat consumption to one serving per week and white meat to half a portion per day, the GHG emissions of the agriculture sector would be reduced by about half. This may seem simple enough, but the scale of behavioral change required will make the transition very difficult to achieve. In the current study, the IIASA team explored the major behavioral drivers of widespread shifts to sustainable diets. Experts pinpoint the key drivers of population-wide dietary shifts

"The human behavior aspect of such large scale diet changes have to our knowledge not been studied before in relation to the food system, although we need this information to understand how such a global change can be achieved. Our study covers this gap based on a computational model of population-wide behavioral dynamics," explained study lead author Sibel Eker.

The results of the computational analysis indicated that social norms along with self-efficacy are the key drivers of population-wide dietary shifts, playing a larger role than both climate and health risk perception. The study also revealed that dietary changes are particularly influenced by how quickly social norms spread in the young population. 

According to the researchers, this is the first model to combine the influences of climate, diet, and behavior. The modeling framework may also be adapted to address new research questions for exploring the connections between behavior, health, and sustainability. 

"We can use models to explore the social and behavioral aspects of climate change and sustainability problems in the same way as we explore the economic and environmental dimensions of our world," said Eker. 

"In this way, we get a better understanding of what works to steer the lifestyle changes required for sustainability and climate change mitigation. As lifestyle change is a key driver of climate change mitigation, this modeling exercise can be seen as an example of how we can integrate human behavior and lifestyle changes into integrated assessment models for a richer scenario exploration."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/natsustain/">Nature Sustainability</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/hlphoto

Experts pinpoint the key drivers of population-wide dietary shifts

Experts pinpoint the key drivers of population-wide dietary shifts. Experts...

Balloons pose a serious threat to the environment. But what about sky lanterns?. First it was plastic straws. Now <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/balloons-environmental-impact/">balloons</a> are quickly gaining public ire due to their environmental impacts. Sky lanterns are a natural alternative to balloons, yet there has been little focus on their effect on the environment. 

Sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns, are tiny paper hot air balloons. Similar to traditional latex balloons, the lanterns are often released into the sky during celebrations. 

Balloons can cause vast damage to an ecosystem once released. Not only do balloons contribute to our pollution crisis, but wild animals may mistake balloons for food and ingest the material. The balloon can then block the animal’s stomach resulting in a slow death by starvation. Turtles are especially susceptible to this as balloons floating in water look eerily similar to jellyfish. Wildlife also risk becoming entangled in the strings of the balloon. Balloons pose a serious threat to the environment. But what about sky lanterns?

Balloon releases were once an exciting public spectacle. Many other balloons are also accidentally released into the environment with the slip of a hand. Balloons pose a serious threat to the environment. But what about sky lanterns?

This balloon pollution quickly adds up. During a 2016 international beach clean-up event, enough balloons were <a href="https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/International-Coastal-Cleanup_2017-Report.pdf">collected</a> to lift a 2,200 pound walrus off the ground.

At least five states have laws cracking down on balloon releases, according to<a href="https://balloonsblow.org/laws-concerning-balloons/"> Balloons Blow</a>, a non-profit that educates the public on the destructive effects of balloons.

While opposition to balloon releases grows, the effects of releasing sky lanterns is often left out of public discourse. Although sky lanterns have a smaller impact on pollution than balloons, the lanterns pose a unique threat due to their fire hazard.

Sky lanterns propel off the ground through a small fire that is ignited at the bottom of the lantern. The lanterns therefore could damage ecosystems, wildlife and human health if the flame touches the ground and starts a fire.

In 2011, a sky lantern caused a<a href="http://www.mofd.org/announcements/sky-lanterns-fire-danger-falling-from-the-sky"> wildfire</a> that burned 800 acres in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 

While floating in the sky, sky lanterns pose a risk to airplanes. There were<a href="https://seneddresearch.blog/2013/10/16/sky-lanterns/"> 40 incidents</a> between airplanes and sky lanterns from 2001 to 2012 in the United Kingdom. During this time, only 8 incidents were reported between airplanes and balloons.

Farmers have also expressed concerns that the lanterns threaten their livestock through ingestion and entanglement but this phenomenon has yet to be assessed in depth.

Despite the lack of attention on the environmental impacts of sky lanterns, their release has been regulated throughout the world, including in Austria, Brazil, Costa Rica and Germany. In the United States, at least 17 states have banned them.

The sky lantern industry has worked to address environmental concerns by replacing metal wires with non-flammable strings and using rice paper and bamboo. These sky lanterns are often advertised online as “eco-friendly”.

Not all environmentalists are convinced. Balloons Blows<a href="https://balloonsblow.org/flaming-litter/"> warns</a> that even “eco-friendly” sky lanterns are an unsafe alternative as they still present a fire hazard.

Releasing a fire into the environment certainly comes with its risk, yet the full scale of this problem is still up in the air.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/stepmorem

Balloons pose a serious threat to the environment

Balloons pose a serious threat to the environment. But what...

A new study has estimated that a typical apple contains about 100 million bacteria. The researchers discovered that this enormous bacterial community is much more diverse and balanced in organic <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/apple-iconic-fruit/">apples</a>, which could make them healthier, tastier, and better for the environment.

Study senior author Professor Gabriele Berg is the head of the Institute of Environmental Biotechnology at <a href="https://www.tugraz.at/">Graz University of Technology</a>.

"The bacteria, fungi and viruses in our food transiently colonize our gut," said Professor Berg. "Cooking kills most of these, so raw fruit and vegetables are particularly important sources of gut microbes."

"83 million apples were grown in 2018, and production continues to rise. But while recent studies have mapped their fungal content, less is known about the bacteria in apples."

The researchers compared the bacteria in store-bought apples with that of fresh organic apples around the same size. The stems, peels, flesh, seeds, and calyx were all analyzed separately. 

Similar numbers of bacteria were found to be present in the organic and conventional apples. "Putting together the averages for each apple component, we estimate a typical 240g apple contains roughly 100 million bacteria," said Professor Berg.

The majority of the bacteria are in the seeds, with most of the remainder located in the flesh. When it comes to which type of apple is healthier, organic apples have a better variety of bacteria to support gut health.

"Freshly harvested, organically managed apples harbor a significantly more diverse, more even and distinct bacterial community, compared to conventional ones," explained Professor Berg. "This variety and balance would be expected to limit overgrowth of any one species, and previous studies have reported a negative correlation between human pathogen abundance and microbiome diversity of fresh produce."

Organic apples contained specific groups of bacteria that are known for their potential health benefits. The study also provided evidence that organic apples taste better. 

"Escherichia-Shigella, a group of bacteria that includes known pathogens, was found in most of the conventional apple samples, but none from organic apples. For beneficial Lactobacilli, of probiotic fame, the reverse was true."

"Methylobacterium, known to enhance the biosynthesis of strawberry flavor compounds, was significantly more abundant in organic apples; here especially on peel and flesh samples, which in general had a more diverse microbiota than seeds, stem or calyx."

The findings support those of a previous study, which also showed that the microbiome is more diverse in organically grown fruits. 

"Our results agree remarkably with a recent study on the apple fruit-associated fungal community, which revealed specificity of fungal varieties to different tissues and management practices," said study lead author Birgit Wasserman.

"The microbiome and antioxidant profiles of fresh produce may one day become standard nutritional information, displayed alongside macronutrients, vitamins and minerals to guide consumers. Here, a key step will be to confirm to what extent diversity in the food microbiome translates to gut microbial diversity and improved health outcomes."

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology">Frontiers in Microbiology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Organic apples have the best variety of bacteria for gut health

A new study has estimated that a typical apple contains...

The Mbendjele BaYaka people, a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/farmers-less-free-time-hunter-gatherers/">hunter-gatherer society</a> living the Republic of Congo, can accurately orient themselves in the dense rainforest in which they forage and hunt. 

Navigation is a crucial skill among the Mbendjele BaYaka and researchers from the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/en">Max Planck Institute</a> have found that orientation ability develops early on and that both men and women are equally capable of orienting themselves. 

The researchers conducted 600 pointing tests where participants were asked to point to an out-of-sight target in over 60 different locations in the rainforest both within and outside their camp. 

54 Mbendjele BaYaka men, women, and children ages 6 to 76 years completed the tests, and there was a high level of accuracy among all those who participated. 

Both men and women were equally capable of locating the out-of-sight target. The researchers say this is because all members of the Mbendjele BaYaka travel long distances to forage.

“Gender equality in the Mbendjele BaYaka population may result in Mbendjele women’s long-distance foraging for fishing and hunting as do men,” said Haneul Jang, the leader of the study. “This might allow women and men to develop similar orientation abilities.”

In societies where mobility differs between men and women, this could impact orientation abilities, Jang notes. 

“Our results are consistent with previous studies that found no sex differences in orientation abilities in hunter-gatherer societies where both sexes actively travel away from home,” said Jang. “Studies from various cultures suggest that sex differences in orientation abilities may indeed result from sex-specific mobility, and our results add to this growing body of evidence.”

The idea that men have a better sense of direction does not apply when both sexes do the same amount of traveling. 

“In contrast to men and women in our society, where women may still be more likely to work at home or closer to home compared to men, we observed that Mbendjele men and women travel equally far from home, and it is therefore perhaps not surprising that they score equally well in orientation tasks,” said Karline Janmaat, the main supervisor of the study.

The researchers found that among the Mbendjele BaYaka, strong orientation develops early on with children as young as six able to point to targets as accurately as adults in the tests. 

However, the younger children performed better when closer to camp and when the sun was visible. 

“Unlike the adults, who have a very good sense of direction in distant areas even if they cannot see the sun’s position, the children make large pointing errors in less familiar areas when they cannot see the sun,” said Jang. “However, if they can see the sun, children’s performances improve considerably. 

This is a remarkable find because it’s the first time researchers have discovered evidence of using the sun as a compass in humans. 

“We know that bees can use the sun to navigate, but surprisingly there has been no scientific evidence yet that humans may have this skill, too, and that children may develop this skill by age six,” says Janmaat. 

There is a sense of urgency in studying the hunter-gatherers of the Congo like the Mbendjele BaYaka, according to the researchers. 

“Our study shows that there is still so much to discover and with a high level of urgency. All forests inhabited by human rainforest foragers in Congo have been sold to foreign companies, causing these people to lose not only their foraging grounds, but their intriguing navigation skills as well.”

A study detailing the findings was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Karline Janmaat

Navigation skills develop early on among rainforest hunter-gatherers

The Mbendjele BaYaka people, a hunter-gatherer society living the Republic...

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

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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



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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 



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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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" 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 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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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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



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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



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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



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Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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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



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Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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