Imagine checking your blood pressure as easily as glancing at a smartwatch, without the squeeze of a cuff interrupting your day.



Researchers at Boston University have taken a major step toward making that future a reality. For the first time, they've demonstrated that speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) can monitor blood pressure without a cuff.



“Hypertension affects nearly half of all adults in the U.S. and is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease,” said Ariane Garrett, a doctoral student in Darren Roblyer’s lab at <a href="https://www.bu.edu/">Boston University</a>. 



“This research is a step toward a wearable device that would let people monitor their blood pressure anytime, without a cuff.”



The study shows that SCOS can capture <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/skydiving-salamanders-can-fully-control-blood-flow-in-their-toes/">blood flow</a> and volume information simultaneously using a small optical device placed on the wrist or finger, providing up to 31 percent greater accuracy in estimating blood pressure compared to using blood volume signals alone.



This could improve early detection of hypertension, including masked hypertension that may go unnoticed in clinic readings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-blood-pressure">Understanding blood pressure</h2>



Blood pressure is the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-you-position-your-arm-can-alter-blood-pressure-readings-according-to-scientists/">force your blood exerts</a> against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps it around your body. 



It’s measured using two numbers: systolic pressure (the higher number) is the pressure when your heart beats, and diastolic pressure (the lower number) is the pressure when your heart rests between beats. 



Together, these numbers give a snapshot of how hard your heart is working and how relaxed your blood vessels are. A normal reading typically falls around 120/80 mmHg, but this can vary depending on age, activity, and health.



When blood pressure <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-minimum-amount-of-physical-activity-needed-to-prevent-high-blood-pressure/">climbs too high</a> - what doctors call hypertension - it can quietly damage your body over time. Your arteries may stiffen, your heart may strain, and your risk for stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems goes up. 



On the flip side, if your blood pressure drops too low, your body may not get enough oxygen-rich blood, which can make you feel dizzy or faint.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-light-reveals-blood-pressure-patterns">Light reveals blood pressure patterns</h2>



SCOS works by analyzing patterns created when coherent laser light scatters from moving red blood cells and tissues. Previously used for brain blood flow, the technique now opens new doors for cuffless blood pressure monitoring.



“Studies show that tracking blood pressure throughout the day, and especially at night, provides a better picture of someone’s health,” Roblyer said.



“A wearable version of our device would be easier and more comfortable for patients, and could help doctors catch conditions like masked hypertension, where clinic readings don’t reflect the true blood pressure.”



The technology’s ability to monitor blood pressure continuously and comfortably is crucial because traditional cuff-based measurements in clinics often capture only a snapshot of a person’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-worsens-cardiovascular-health-risks/">cardiovascular health</a>, missing critical fluctuations throughout the day and night.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-turning-light-into-insight">Turning light into insight</h2>



The work began as a collaboration between Boston University and Meta Platforms’ Reality Labs. The team, including co-investigator David Boas, formed a key hypothesis. They believed SCOS waveforms of blood flow and volume held valuable cardiovascular data.



In 2023, they established a strong correlation between features of blood flow waveforms and blood pressure. 



Their new study shows combining blood flow and volume data improves the accuracy of blood pressure predictions.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/blood-pressure_SCOS-cuffless-system_illustration_credit-BostonU_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/blood-pressure_SCOS-cuffless-system_illustration_credit-BostonU_1s.webp" alt="Device design. a. Principle of SCOS measurement. As blood flow and volume increase during systole, speckle contrast and intensity decrease. b. Data processing pipeline. c. Representative BFi and PPG waveforms during one cardiac pulse. d. Measurement set up. e. 532 nm and 808 nm reflective measurements are acquired at the wrist. An 808 nm transmission measurement is acquired at the finger. f. PPG and BFi waveforms at each measurement location. Credit: Boston University" class="wp-image-1976454"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Device design. a. Principle of SCOS measurement. As blood flow and volume increase during systole, speckle contrast and intensity decrease. b. Data processing pipeline. c. Representative BFi and PPG waveforms during one cardiac pulse. d. Measurement set up. e. 532 nm and 808 nm reflective measurements are acquired at the wrist. An 808 nm transmission measurement is acquired at the finger. f. PPG and BFi waveforms at each measurement location. Click image to enlarge. Credit: Boston University</figcaption></figure>



“The SCOS device enables us to measure blood pressure much more frequently than a cuff-based device,” Roblyer noted.



“There has been a lot of research indicating that single time-point measurements of blood pressure using a cuff in a clinician’s office are not a good reflection of a person's true blood pressure in daily life," he said. "However, it is difficult to take frequent cuff measurements due to the cumbersome nature of the cuff.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pressure-tested-during-daily-activity">Pressure tested during daily activity</h2>



To evaluate their system, the researchers tested SCOS on 30 volunteers. The team captured blood flow and volume data while participants were at rest. 



They also collected data during leg press exercises designed to increase blood pressure. These measurements were compared with readings from a continuous blood pressure monitor for validation.



Using a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/machine-learning-could-revolutionize-drug-discovery/">machine learning</a> model, the team trained two versions: one using both blood flow and volume signals, and another using only volume data, as current photoplethysmography devices do.



The combined model showed up to a 31% improvement in accuracy. It reached a 2.26 mmHg error for systolic pressure - a major improvement over current non-invasive methods.



“Our results showed that SCOS improves blood pressure estimation by enabling simultaneous measurements of blood flow and volume changes using the wrist or finger,” Garrett said. “This opens a new way to track cardiovascular health with optical tools.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-path-to-wearable-monitoring"><a></a>The path to wearable monitoring</h2>



Encouraged by the results, the team aims to develop a wearable SCOS device for continuous, everyday blood pressure monitoring.



The plan includes shrinking the system, adding onboard processing, and ensuring accuracy during movement and long-term wear.



This development aligns with a broader push in healthcare toward non-invasive, continuous monitoring, which could transform <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traffic-noise-increases-the-risk-of-hypertension/">hypertension</a> management and prevention.



Frequent, comfortable monitoring could help patients and doctors detect abnormal trends earlier, adjust treatment in real time, and empower individuals to take a more active role in their cardiovascular health.



In a world where hypertension silently affects millions, innovations like SCOS could help reduce cardiovascular disease risk. They offer a seamless way to track one of the most critical health measures - without the discomfort of the traditional cuff.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://opg.optica.org/boe/fulltext.cfm?uri=boe-16-8-3004&amp;id=573500" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Biomedical Optics Express</a>.



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Lasers and light replace the cuff in blood pressure breakthrough

Imagine checking your blood pressure as easily as glancing at a smartwatch, without the squeeze of a cuff interrupting your day. Researchers at Boston University have taken a major step toward making that future a reality. For the first time, they've demonstrated that speckle contrast optical spectroscopy (SCOS) can monitor blood pressure without a cuff. “Hypertension affects nearly half of all adults in the U.S. and is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease,” said Ariane Garrett, a doctoral student in Darren Roblyer’s lab at Boston University. “This...

A new investigation from <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> has found that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been much less active since President Trump took office. The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/genetically-modified-salmon/">FDA</a> is responsible for protecting the health of Americans by monitoring the safety of food, medicines, and other products.

One of the responsibilities of the agency is to issue warning letters to keep dangerous drugs or foods from becoming available to consumers. According to the study, these letters have now dropped by a third compared to FDA activity under former President Obama. Warnings from the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health have dropped even further, by more than two-thirds. 

Peter Lurie was an FDA executive under both Obama and Trump and is now executive director of the <a href="https://cspinet.org/">Center for Science in the Public Interest</a>.

“Those who think the Trump administration has not succeeded in its deregulatory efforts ought to look at these data,” said Lurie. "Industry may well take the message from this that the cop is not on the beat as often."

Similar declines were discovered among several other FDA activities as well, including the distribution of inspection reports labeled "official action indicated," which have fallen by almost half.

"FDA’s power to enforce its requirements is an important part of how it achieves its public health mission," said Patricia Zettler, who is a former FDA attorney. "If FDA is not using that power, it sends a signal that violations will be tolerated."

Scott Gottlieb was President Trump’s first FDA commissioner. After reviewing the data obtained by Science, he responded in an email. “We were pretty aggressive,” he wrote. “I don’t think you can paint us with a political narrative - that just because we were a Republican administration, somehow we must have ratcheted down enforcement activity. We didn’t.”

The researchers did find one exception to the declining number of warning letters issued. The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), which approves new drugs and monitors existing drugs, has issued 188 warnings during Trump's presidency compared with 116 in the most recent period under Obama. 

Joshua Sharfstein is a health policy researcher at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> who worked for the FDA under Obama. He said that he hopes this report from Science will lead to further investigation into what has caused recent declines in enforcement by the agency. "The FDA’s enforcement role is extremely important," said Sharfstein. “If the FDA isn’t doing enforcement, nobody’s doing enforcement."

The report was supported by the <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/investigative-journalism-fund">Science Fund for Investigative Reporting</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Hurst Photo

FDA enforcement has declined under Trump, report confirms

A new investigation from Science has found that the Food...

Hundreds of schools were closed last week in the southern Malaysian state of Johor after dozens of students became severely ill from pollution. In the industrial area of Pasir Gudang, an unknown source of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/visiting-city-air-pollution-breathing-issues/">air pollution</a> caused vomiting and difficulty breathing among dozens of students. 

According to the state news agency <a href="http://www.bernama.com/">Bernama</a>, at least 100 primary and secondary schools as well as 300 private kindergartens were affected. More than 100 children fell suddenly ill from the toxic air, and some of them reportedly collapsed after exposure.

Johor Chief Minister Dr. Sahruddin Jamal said at the time that all of the children had been taken to the hospital. He told reporters it was not clear what had caused the students to become ill. 

Just a few months ago, a massive chemical pollution spill in the nearby Kim Kim river shut down 111 schools for two weeks. After inhaling toxic fumes, thousands of people experienced issues such as eye irritation, chest pain, vomiting, and shortness of breath. Dr. Sahruddin said that the latest incident has not been linked to the same source. 

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said that the Department of Environment and other agencies are working to identify the cause of the pollution. 

"The schools were closed to prevent more people from becoming victims of the suspected air pollution here," Khuzzan said at the Pasir Gudang Indoor Stadium last week. “Most of the victims are schoolchildren, who were on the third and fourth floors of their schools. 

"This incident occurred randomly and it changed based on the direction of the wind, making it difficult to identify its source. Nevertheless, the Technical and Scientific Committee has narrowed down the number of possible sources in its investigation."

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad pledged that "stern action" will be taken once the parties responsible are identified.

--

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/umarazak

Hundreds of Malaysian schools closed after students sickened from pollution

Hundreds of schools were closed last week in the southern...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.rochester.edu/">University of Rochester</a> are shedding new light on the brain process which allows us to visually detect and separate moving objects from moving backgrounds. 

The team found that when the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-brain-learning/">brain</a> becomes desensitized to the motion in the larger background, it is easier to distinguish smaller objects moving in the foreground. On the other hand, the brain is less receptive to these smaller objects when it is more sensitive to background motion.

"The human brain cannot possibly process all of the information around us," said study lead author Professor Duje Tadin. "Being less sensitive to things that are less important makes the brain more efficient and faster at accomplishing the more important tasks."

According to the study, the brain can enhance the objects that are the most important, such as pedestrians moving on a busy street, or it can suppress the background to produce the same results. 

Professor Tadin explained that the latter is the more efficient option. 

"Think about trying to have a conversation in a room with high background noise. It is more effective to find a way to turn off the noise than it is to just try speaking more loudly."

When study participants were tested using moving textured patterns, the researchers found that younger adults were better at seeing smaller moving objects in the foreground and worse at seeing background motion. The participants aged 65 and above, however, were found to have a heightened awareness of the backdrop and were not as good at seeing the smaller objects.

The younger adults took an average of 20 milliseconds to pick out the moving objects, while older adults took about 30 milliseconds. 

"Those extra milliseconds could make a big difference," said study co-author Woon Ju Park. "Think about things that matter for your survival." 

Park explained that for an animal in the wild, a split second could mean life or death. 

"If it sees a moving object, that could either be lunch for the animal or something that could eat that animal for lunch. Animals are really good at camouflage, but even the best camouflage pulls apart with motion."

The researchers found that the brains of older adults can be trained to process motion more like young adults by practicing visual segmentation of moving objects. With training, the older participants became less sensitive to the background motion.

"Most of the time when you train something in the brain, things get better," said Professor Tadin. "This is a case where, with training, you get better at seeing objects, while at the same time get worse at seeing the background. This showed us that these two things are really integrally connected, because when we affected one, the other one also changed."

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

Image Credit: Shutterstock

How we’re able to discern moving objects against moving backgrounds

Researchers at the University of Rochester are shedding new light...

A new study published by the <a href="https://taylorandfrancis.com/">Taylor &amp; Francis group</a> has demonstrated the effectiveness of cannabis as an alternative to both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications, including opioids. The investigation revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-use-increased/">marijuana</a> may also be a valuable substitute for sleeping aids.

The research was focused on 1,000 Americans using marijuana in Colorado, where it has been legalized. The researchers found that 80 percent of individuals taking cannabis for pain reported it as being very or extremely helpful. As a result, 82 percent of the participants were able to stop or reduce their use of OTC pain medications, and 88 percent were able to stop taking opioid painkillers.

Among individuals who used marijuana to help them sleep, more than 83 percent were able to reduce or stop taking OTC and prescription sleep aids.

"Approximately 20% of American adults suffer from chronic pain, and one in three adults do not get enough sleep," said Dr. Gwen Wurm, who is an assistant professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

While OTC medications and painkillers help, they can have serious side effects. For example, opioids depress the respiratory system and overdoses are often fatal.

"People develop tolerance to opioids, which means that they require higher doses to achieve the same effect," said Dr. Julia Arnsten of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "This means that chronic pain patients often increase their dose of opioid medications over time, which in turn increases their risk of overdose."

The experts emphasized that more research is needed to understand the health benefits and potential side effects of cannabis.

"The challenge is that health providers are far behind in knowing which cannabis products work and which do not," said Dr. Wurm. "Until there is more research into which cannabis products work for which symptoms, patients will do their own 'trial and error' experiments, getting advice from friends, social media and dispensary employees."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/ujpd20/current">Journal of Psychoactive Drugs</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cannabis may be an effective alternative to pain and sleep medications

A new study published by the Taylor &amp; Francis group...

Consumers are less willing to pay for organic wine when given more info.From the shampoo we put in our hair to the wine we drink, the ingredients that go into products can seem like an enigma for consumers. That’s why many people will pay top dollar for products labeled “organic” or “made from natural ingredients.” 

While we may put a lot of faith in a label, a new study found that when provided with information about certification standards and organic grape production, consumers are less willing to pay for wines made with organic grapes. Consumers are less willing to pay for organic wine when given more info

Researchers from <a href="https://oregonstate.edu/">Oregon State University</a> conducted the study which was published in the journal PlOS ONE. 

The results of the study highlight consumer perceptions when it comes to organic labels. 

Factors like the amount of sulfites added and the addition of other ingredients separate organic wine and wine made from organic grapes from conventionally made wine. 

What the researchers found was that the more a consumer knows may not help their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-pay-wine/">wine buying choices</a>. 

“Not many wineries will take people through all of the steps of production, but there is a growing tendency to share more details on production, and that might be counterproductive,” said Nadia Streletskaya, the lead author of the study.

For the study, the researchers held auctions, and participants were given $35 to bid on a bottle of wine. The participants were split into three groups. The first group was presented with a bottle but told nothing of the production practices. 

The second group was given information about organic labels and wine made from organic grapes. 

The third group was told about conventional winemaking as well as information about both organic wine and wine made from organic grapes. 

“This is where we found a very strong impact,” said Streletskaya. “Suddenly their willingness to pay for pure organic wine shoots up, compared to organic grape wine and conventional wine. But their absolute level of willingness to pay for organic wine is the same as when no production information is given.”

When the consumers were told about conventional wine practices, they were less willing to pay for wine made with organic grapes or conventional wines. When the participants were told about organic labeling certification standards, the willingness to pay for any wine declined. 

“Wine is a very peculiar product. A lot of people who consume wine don’t really know much about wine, “said Streletskaya. “For example, once people find out something is added that doesn’t make it spoil they aren’t as excited. Another strong possibility for their less willingness to pay is that adding information might make it harder for people to choose a product because they have more information to work through.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Rostislav_Sedlacek

Consumers are less willing to pay for organic wine when given more info

Consumers are less willing to pay for organic wine when...

The <a href="https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2019/June/world-drug-report-2019_-35-million-people-worldwide-suffer-from-drug-use-disorders-while-only-1-in-7-people-receive-treatment.html">United Nations World Drug Report 2019</a> has revealed that recreational drug use is on the rise across the globe. At least one in 20 individuals, or 271 million people, between the ages of 15 and 64 used <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mushrooms-safest-recreational-drug/">recreational drugs</a> in 2017.

"The findings of this year's World Drug Report fill in and further complicate the global picture of drug challenges, underscoring the need for broader international cooperation to advance balanced and integrated health and criminal justice responses to supply and demand," said <a href="https://www.unodc.org/">UNODC</a> Executive Director Yury Fedotov.

Compared to 2009, there was a 30-percent increase in drug use worldwide by 2017. The use of cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines and prescription stimulants have made a comeback in the U.S. after a period of decline.

Despite a recent drop in the use of prescription opioids, the number of overdoses has increased in America. According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> (CDC), 47,600 of the 70,237 drug overdose deaths in 2017 were opioid-related. From 2016 to 2017, deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl increased by 45.2 percent.

Cannabis continues to be the most popular drug worldwide, and the researchers estimate that there are 188 million cannabis users. In North America, there are approximately 56.6 million cannabis users, followed by Asia with 54.2 million.

The study also revealed that seizures of cannabis have dropped by 77 percent since 2010, which is largely due to its legalization in many regions of North America. At the same time, a record 693 tons of opiates was seized in 2017.

In the United States, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a "national health emergency" and pledged the full support of the federal government. Efforts to improve border security have prevented thousands of pounds of fentanyl from entering America. In 2018, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized enough fentanyl to kill nearly 90 million Americans at the southern border alone.

Amy Schapiro, CBP’s risk analysis and decision support branch chief, said that the agency is "uniquely responsible - and uniquely positioned - for disrupting the influx of narcotics."

"Customs and Border Protection has a large role in battling the opioid emergency, because we’re at the front lines, at the border," said Schapiro. "Illicit fentanyl is produced outside the continental United States, so every time it’s being used, it’s somehow crossing our borders to get into this country. We’re fully committed to disrupting the illicit opioid supply chain and are actively working with our interagency partners."

--

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/New Africa

Recreational drug use is on the rise across the world

The United Nations World Drug Report 2019 has revealed that...

Excuses are a normal part of our day-to-day lives. You might have missed your morning alarm, or the traffic was terrible, which was why you came to work late. You might have been too tired to cook or get groceries, which is why you ordered takeout. 

We make excuses to help justify bad choices or mitigate other’s perceptions if we do something counter to their expectations, but what makes an excuse good or bad? 

This is the question tackled by Dr. Paulina Sliwa, a researcher from<a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/"> Cambridge University</a>, who examined excuses and their underlying motivations to determine why particular explanations are considered legitimate and acceptable. 

The study, published in the journal Philosophy and Public Affairs, is the first of its kind to show that we use excuses like a lawyer mounts a defense in a courtroom. The excuse is meant to prove that our underlying motivations and intentions were morally sound. 

An excuse is acceptable if the original intentions were good but something got in the way of acting on them. 

Dr. Sliwa calls this the Good Intention Account, and it shows why people are more inclined to accept certain excuses over others. 

Another important element to the excuse is why we offer one. Besides proving that our actions were well intended, we want to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-decisions-intuition-logic/">defend our actions</a> and change a person’s perception of our bad behavior. 

“Successful excuses can mitigate our blame but they ’don’t get us off the hook completely,” said Sliwa. “Saying we were tired or stressed ’doesn’t absolve us from moral responsibility completely, though they do change ’others’ perceptions of what we owe to make up for it and how the offended party should feel about our wrongdoing.”

Not only are we trying to prove our morality with excuses, but we also negotiate down our sentence, which in this casenis how much anger or compensation is merited for the mistake. 

“A successful excuse needs to make plausible that your intention really was morally adequate - but something beyond your control prevented you from translating it into action,” said Sliwa. “Things that will never work are appeals to weakness of will ‘I just couldn’t resist’ or ‘it was too tempting’ don’t work. Nor do appeals to things that are obviously immoral.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Pressmaster

What’s the difference between a good excuse and a bad excuse?

Excuses are a normal part of our day-to-day lives. You...

Past research has revealed that during certain sleep stages, memory is processed and stored, and sleep may also provide time to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mystery-need-sleep/">repair DNA damage</a>. 

Now, researchers from the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> have confirmed another important function of sleep. The team found that sleep deprivation in mice negatively impacted the brain’s ability to learn and take in new information. 

It’s thought that during sleep, synapses in the hippocampus, the small gaps where signals pass from neuron to neuron, are recalibrated to prepare for new learning. The synapses which are strengthened throughout the day are weakened to allow for the intake of new information. 

The hippocampus is the region of the brain that helps with long-term memory storage and spatial memory. Remembering where you put your keys or the route you take to work every day is an example of spatial memory. 

Since memory consolidation is such a core part of sleep, it’s not surprising that another important sleep function plays out in the synapses in the hippocampus. 

For the study, the researchers monitored synapse strength in lab mice that were awake for six to seven hours and compared that to when the mice were asleep for the same amount of time. 

When the mice were forced to stay awake, and they interacted with new stimulating activities and objects, synapse strength was at its strongest. 

The researchers say this helps prove that the hippocampus plays an essential role in learning and that sleep helps recalibrate the brain, resetting the synapses to take in new information when awake, 

The results of the study were published in the Journal of Neuroscience. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Shutterstock/fizkes

Out with the old: Sleep prepares the brain for learning

Past research has revealed that during certain sleep stages, memory...

A team of researchers have identified mechanisms within the human brain that may explain the “Uncanny Valley,” the phenomenon that causes some more than others to feel unsettled by <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/robots-autonomous-vehicles-blame-wrongdoing/">robots</a> and virtual agents that are too human-like. This discovery is published in the <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.

"Resembling the human shape or behavior can be both an advantage and a drawback," explained Professor Astrid Rosenthal-von der Pütten, Chair for Individual and Technology at <a href="http://www.rwth-aachen.de/cms/~a/root/?lidx=1">RWTH Aachen University</a>. "The likability of an artificial agent increases the more human-like it becomes, but only up to a point: sometimes people seem not to like it when the robot or computer graphic becomes too human-like."

The Uncanny Valley phenomenon was translated from a Japanese expression coined by robotics professor Masahiro Mori in 1978. Although the phenomenon is well known and documented, the mechanisms behind it were a mystery until now.

"For a neuroscientist, the Uncanny Valley is an interesting phenomenon," said Dr. Fabian Grabenhorst, a Sir Henry Dale Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>. "It implies a neural mechanism that first judges how close a given sensory input, such as the image of a robot, lies to the boundary of what we perceive as a human or non-human agent. This information would then be used by a separate valuation system to determine the agent's likability."

To see which mechanisms are responsible for the Uncanny Valley phenomenon, the team studied brain patterns in 21 healthy individuals during two separate tests, each of which used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures blood flow changes within the brain as a proxy for how active different regions are.

During the first test, the participants were asked to rate images of humans, artificial humans, android robots, humanoid robots and mechanoid robots, in terms of likability and human-likeness. And during the second test, participants were then asked which of these agents they would trust to purchase a personal gift for them. The research team found that participants generally preferred gifts from humans or from the more human-like artificial agents, but not those that were closest to the human/non-human boundary.

Having measured the participants’ brain activity during these two tests, the researchers could identify which areas of the brain caused the Uncanny Valley phenomenon and connected it to brain circuits that are crucial in processing and evaluating social cues, like facial expressions. They noted that some of the brain areas near the visual cortex deciphered how human-like the images were, and was able to create a spectrum of “human-likeness” based on the activity of the artificial agents. 

The team also found that the medial prefrontal cortex, the wall of neural tissue sandwiched between the left and right brain hemispheres, was also important in the Uncanny Valley phenomenon. The medial prefrontal cortex contains a generic valuation system that judges all kinds of stimuli, such as reward values and social stimulus like pleasant touch.

In this study, the medial prefrontal cortex worked in two separate parts to stimulate the Uncanny Valley — one area converted the human-likeness signal into a ”human detection” signal, which over-emphasized the line between human and non-human stimuli and reacted most strongly to human agents compared to artificial agents.

And the second part, called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), meshed this signal with a likability evaluation to produce an activity pattern similar to the Uncanny Valley response.

"We were surprised to see that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex responded to artificial agents precisely in the manner predicted by the Uncanny Valley hypothesis, with stronger responses to more human-like agents but then showing a dip in activity close to the human/non-human boundary — the characteristic 'valley,’" Dr. Grabenhorst said.

Furthermore, the same areas in the brain signaled evaluations when participants decided whether or not to accept a gift from a robot. When participants rejected gifts from human-like artificial agents, the amygdala, a region of the brain responsible for emotional responses, was activated.

"We know that valuation signals in these brain regions can be changed through social experience,” Dr. Grabenhorst continued. “So, if you experience that an artificial agent makes the right choices for you — such as choosing the best gift — then your ventromedial prefrontal cortex might respond more favorably to this new social partner." This could have implications for how artificial intelligence is designed in the future.

"This is the first study to show individual differences in the strength of the Uncanny Valley effect, meaning that some individuals react overly and others less sensitively to human-like artificial agents," Professor Rosenthal-von der Pütten said. "This means there is no one robot design that fits — or scares — all users. In my view, smart robot behavior is of great importance, because users will abandon robots that do not prove to be smart and useful."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Phonlamai Photo

Uncanny Valley: Why some people feel so unsettled by robots

A team of researchers have identified mechanisms within the human...

The Wind River Reservation is a 1.7 million-plus acre home to the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. The reservation was established in 1864 by the Bridger-Teton treaty with the US government. As with most reservations, this one had been stripped of its <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/bison-american-survival-story/">bison</a> herds, leaving the Native American residents on the land more dependent on food from the federal government and farming than they were traditionally. 

A paper in The <a href="https://history.msu.edu/hst321/files/2010/07/smits-on-bison.pdf">Western Historical Quarterly</a> reports how US military leaders in the late 1800s encouraged the slaughter of bison and often saw such destruction as a way of subjugating and defeating Native Americans. Because of this and the importance of the bison to the physical and spiritual cultures of many western Native American groups, bison remain a potent symbol of indigenous identity. 

Like much of the ecological landscape of North America, The Wind River Reservation’s ecology is a broken remnant of its pre-Colombian glory. Jason Baldes, Tribal Bison Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation and Wind River Reservation tribal member, told me that after the bison, pronghorn antelope and bighorn sheep were extirpated from the Wind River Reservation prior to 1984. Baldes compared the American prairie that once was to an unspoiled Africa.

"I took a trip to East Africa with my dad in the late 90s and witnessed the wildebeest migration,” Baldes said. “It was incredible to see, but what was more unfathomable was that the 1.5 million wildebeest is less than 5% of what the bison population was here, less than 200 years ago. My dad is a retired wildlife biologist, and I grew up understanding the intrinsic value of wildlife as part of our cultural ties and subsistence lifestyle, it is what we eat."

[caption id="attachment_1874604" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/bison.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1874604" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/bison.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="419" /></a> Image Credit: Jacob Byk[/caption]

The basic fact of Native American groups eating bison and other wild animals shows the importance of these creatures. Wild animals are not simply animals to enjoy looking at, they are life itself. One could argue for entire tribal groups, bison and other wild game were independence as well. 

This is why Jason Baldes has been working with the National Wildlife Federation to move bison that would otherwise be culled, off of federal land and reintroduced to Native American land, including the Wind River Reservation. To Baldes, the work is important for the healing of his people from past atrocities and the preservation of cultural identity.

"The importance of buffalo to our people cannot be understated, it is our relative,” Baldes said. “The Eastern Shoshone are the gweechoon deka, the buffalo eaters. We have had ties to the animal for millennia, but have been separated for 130+ years.  Buffalo is part of us, and is central to our ceremonies and spiritual belief ways, and is important for our diet. Even though they haven’t been in our community for a long time, we are still tied to them. Having our relative home, helps us to heal from the atrocities of the past...Bringing buffalo home to the Shoshone people is healing. The buffalo are most important for our young people, so they can know who they are, and be proud of being Shoshone."

The <a href="https://www.nwf.org/">National Wildlife Federation</a> has been working with tribal and the federal government to promote reintroduction of wildlife including bison to Native American lands. Recently, with the involvement of the National Wildlife Federation, an agreement was made between the Fort Peck Tribes and the Eastern Shoshone of the Wind River Reservation. The Fort Peck Reservation already has a large and healthy bison population, descendants of bison from Yellowstone National Park. 

[caption id="attachment_1874605" align="aligncenter" width="650"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/reservation.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1874605" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/reservation.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="423" /></a> Image Credit: Jacob Byk[/caption]

The population is healthy enough to support hunting, a small step towards returning bison to the center of life again. Now, the Fort Peck Tribes have agreed to exchange bison with the Wind River Reservation. Initially, five male bison were set to be released on June 23 during a powwow. Unfortunately, bad weather delayed capturing bison on the Fort Peck Reservation and moving them to their new home at the Wind River Reservation. The good news is that after a delay, the bison were released on the evening of the 26th. Jason Baldes told me this was an important step for bison conservation but also as a display of tribal sovereignty.

"This release is important because it brings together Tribes of the Buffalo nation,” Baldes said. “The Government to Government agreement between the Fort Peck Tribes of Montana and the Eastern Shoshone Tribe demonstrates the importance of the buffalo to our communities. Fort Peck has led the way in Yellowstone Bison conservation and restoration, and they want to help other tribes ‘bring the buffalo home.’ This will be the first Tribe to Tribe interstate transfer of Yellowstone Buffalo. This exercise in sovereignty among Tribes, strengthens buffalo conservation and cultural revitalization in our communities and sets the pace for other Tribes to do the same." 

Currently, the Wind River bison herd is modest. Before the release, the reservation was home to 27 bison, including four recent calves. The new bison bring the total to 32, but Jason Baldes seems optimistic about the future. Work is ongoing to secure a larger range for the small bison herd and grow it larger.

“There is potential, on the Wind River Reservation, to manage buffalo on hundreds of thousands of acres if people are willing to do it,” Baldes said. “A benchmark for conservation populations is a minimum of 1000 animals, in order to maintain genetic heterogeneity and variability. Two to three times that benchmark are foreseeable. Hunting by tribal members will be the primary mode of management.”

The reservation has already come a long way towards restoring their native wildlife. 7 of 7 native ungulate species are on the Wind River Reservation, with six of them living in populations large enough to support tribal hunting. Bison are currently not on the Wind River Reservation in numbers large enough to support hunting. The history of the bison is perhaps unique in American history, often treated as a Native American cow rather than a wild animal in its own right. Jason Baldes told me that to create a better future for the bison, respect is needed.

“For some reason, people feel the need to treat buffalo like cattle, through roundups, ear-tagging, vaccinations etc,” he said. “No other wildlife species go through that treatment. We need a paradigm shift to one that respects the intrinsic value the animal has. Buffalo is a keystone species, benefitting a host of others as it utilizes the landscape. We shouldn’t measure the value of buffalo on the landscape in terms of money.”

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Main Image Credit: Jacob Byk

Wind River Reservation welcomes bison in historic exchange between tribes

The Wind River Reservation is a 1.7 million-plus acre home...

According to new research, one in five American adults are negatively affected by someone else's <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/parents-teens-drink-alcohol/">drinking</a>. Each year in the U.S., an estimated 53 million people experience alcohol-related harm in the form of harassment, vandalism, physical aggression, car accidents, and financial or family problems.

The study authors note that this is a "significant public health issue" and argue that the secondhand effects of drinking should be addressed by policymakers the same as those imposed by secondhand smoke. 

A team of researchers led by Dr. Madhabika B. Nayak of the <a href="http://arg.org/">Alcohol Research Group</a> analyzed data from two national polls, the National Alcohol's Harm to Others Survey and the National Alcohol Survey. The study revealed that 21 percent of women and 23 percent of men experienced harm because of someone else's drinking in the last 12 months. 

The most common harm reported by the respondents was threats or harassment. In addition, women were more likely to report financial and family problems, while men were more likely to report ruined property, vandalism, and physical aggression.

"The freedom to drink alcohol must be counter-balanced by the freedom from being afflicted by others' drinking in ways manifested by homicide, alcohol-related sexual assault, car crashes, domestic abuse, lost household wages, and child neglect," wrote Dr. Timothy Naimi of the Boston Medical Center in an accompanying commentary. 

Dr. Naimi is an advocate for increased taxes on alcoholic beverages. He pointed out that there is strong evidence that increased alcohol taxes decrease excessive drinking and reduce the related harm to others. 

In a second commentary, Dr. Sven Andréasson of the Karolinska Institutet of Stockholm explained that setting minimum prices for alcohol is also important for reducing the harms caused by drinking.

"There is now a growing literature on the effects of national alcohol policies to reduce not only consumption but also some of the secondhand harms from alcohol, notably the effects of price policies on all forms of violence - assaults, sexual violence, partner violence, and violence toward children," wrote Dr. Andréasson. "Recent research on the effects of minimum pricing is particularly relevant in this context, where studies in Canada find reductions in violence after the introduction of minimum pricing."

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jsad.com/">Journal of Studies on Alcohol &amp; Drugs</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/LightField Studios

53 million Americans are negatively affected by someone else’s alcohol use

According to new research, one in five American adults are...

The good, the bad, and the memories: How the brain makes decisions. It was long theorized that the frontal cortex of the brain was the region where decisions are made. The orbital frontal cortex of the brain sits above the eye sockets and is considered the seat of higher-order thinking because of its role in the development of higher cognition processes. 

Calculations made in the frontal cortex were believed to influence <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-addiction-drugs/">decision making</a>. 

But now, researchers from <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale</a> have identified not one but three distinct circuits that connect to different brain regions and which are responsible for good and bad decision-making. 

The study was published in the journal Neuron. 

Having a better understanding of how decisions are processed and stored in the brain could help researchers tackle addiction, which is characterized by flawed decision-making. 

“Specific decision-making computations are altered in individuals with mental illness,” said Jane Taylor, the senior author of the study. “Our results suggest that these impairments may be linked to dysfunction within distinct neural circuits.”

Although the researchers studied decision making in rats, the results apply to human decision-making. 

“Because we used a test that is equivalent to those used in studies of human decision- making, our findings have direct relevance to humans and could aid in the search for novel treatments for substance abuse in humans,” said Stephanie Groman, a lead author of the study. 

The researchers conducted tests with rats who were given a choice between performing an action and receiving a reward or not getting a reward. During these actions, the researchers manipulated the brain circuits of the rats and found that decision making was not isolated to the orbital frontal cortex. 

Instead, the researchers identified three brain circuits that connected the orbital frontal cortex to other regions in the brain. 

This complex circuitry was activated during decision making and was responsible for either good decisions, bad decisions, or deciding which past choices should be committed to memory. 

“There are at least three individual processes that combine in unique ways to help us to make good decisions,” said Groman. 

If the rats made the right decision, one that ended in a reward, one of the brain circuits were activated, but another was activated if the rat made the wrong choice and received no reward. The third circuit stored past experiences and decisions to help the rat with future choices. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer 

Image Credit:Shutterstock/PopTika

The good, the bad, and the memories: How the brain makes decisions

The good, the bad, and the memories: How the brain...

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?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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