Healthy,Vegetarian,Dinner.,Woman,In,Jeans,And,Warm,Sweater,Holding

Aging can mean many things. It can mean slowing down, feeling less sharp, or facing more health issues. But it doesn’t have to. A new study suggests that what women eat in midlife could set the stage for how well they age. 



Published in JAMA Network Open, the study from <a href="https://www.tufts.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tufts University</a> and <a href="https://hsph.harvard.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a> dives into the power of carbohydrates and fiber in shaping <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/organ-aging-can-predict-diseases-decades-in-advance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health</a> decades later.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-carbs-affect-aging">How carbs affect aging</h2>



Not all carbs are equal. Some lift you up, while others drag you down.



“We’ve all heard that different carbohydrates can affect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-old-are-you-really-new-tool-measures-aging-from-the-inside-out/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health</a> differently, whether for weight, energy, or blood sugar levels. But rather than just look at the immediate effects of these macronutrients, we wanted to understand what they might mean for good health 30 years later,” said lead author Andres Ardisson Korat.



The study zeroed in on 47,000 women, ages 70 to 93. The researchers looked at what these women ate over a span of three decades, starting in 1984. They tracked their intake of refined carbs, high-quality carbs, and fiber. They wanted to see who aged well - and who didn’t.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-healthy-aging-looks-like">What healthy aging looks like</h2>



Living past 70 doesn’t mean you’re aging well. The researchers defined <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/curiosity-might-help-you-stay-sharp-as-you-age/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">healthy</a> aging as reaching 70 without major chronic diseases, keeping a sharp mind, staying physically capable, and feeling good mentally. Out of 47,000 women, only 3,706 fit that bill.



What did those women have in common? A diet rich in high-quality carbs and fiber. The more they ate from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, the better they aged.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-quality-carbs-boost-aging">High-quality carbs boost aging</h2>



Eating more high-quality carbs wasn’t just good. It was transformative. Women who upped their intake of high-quality carbs by 10% had a 31% better chance of aging well. 



The same couldn’t be said for refined carbs. Sugary snacks and white bread were linked to a 13% drop in the odds of healthy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-discover-a-protein-that-reverses-cellular-aging/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aging</a>. 



“Our results are consistent with other evidence linking consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes with lower risks of chronic diseases, and now we see the association with physical and cognitive function outcomes,” said study senior author Qi Sun.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fiber-s-role-in-protecting-health">Fiber’s role in protecting health</h2>



Fiber doesn’t just keep things moving. It protects your mind. It shields your body. For every one-standard-deviation bump in fiber intake, the odds of healthy aging shot up by 17 percent.



Fruit fiber boosted odds by 14 percent. Vegetable fiber added 11 percent. Even cereal fiber, often overlooked, contributed a 7% increase.



The benefits of fiber went beyond disease prevention. Women with higher fiber intake had stronger memories, better physical function, and fewer mental health problems.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-all-carbs-affect-aging-differently">All carbs affect aging differently</h2>



Glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) may sound like fancy terms, but they matter. Foods with a high GI hit blood sugar hard and fast. Not great for aging well.



High GL foods, on the other hand, had a surprising link to better mental health. But once the researchers factored in fiber intake, that connection weakened. The takeaway? Fiber might buffer some of the negative effects of high-GI foods.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-replacing-refined-carbs">Replacing refined carbs</h2>



Imagine swapping out refined carbs for high-quality ones. What happens? Women who did had 8% to 16% better odds of aging well. That’s a big jump.



“Studies are starting to find an association between food choices in midlife and quality of life in later years. The more we can understand about healthy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-bodies-begin-breaking-down-two-very-precise-ages/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">aging</a>, the more science can help people live healthier for longer,” Korat said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-women-s-diets">Tracking women's diets</h2>



This study tracked women’s diets for over 30 years. It connected their midlife eating habits to their health in their 70s and 80s. The findings suggest that small, consistent changes matter more than drastic diets.



The researchers saw that women who ate more whole grains, fruits, and veggies over time aged better than those who filled up on white bread and sweets.



The study mostly included white, educated health professionals. Participants reported their own dietary habits, which might not be completely accurate. And after three decades, memories can get hazy.



Still, the findings were clear. Eating more high-quality carbs and fiber in midlife made a noticeable difference. It wasn’t just beneficial - it was transformative.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-women">What this means for women</h2>



Aging well isn’t just about avoiding illness. It’s about staying mentally sharp, physically active, and feeling good. The study suggests that what women eat in their 40s and 50s can impact their health decades later.



But it’s not just about eating fewer carbs. It’s about eating the right ones. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes gave women a better shot at aging well.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-carbs-and-fiber-shape-aging">Carbs and fiber shape aging</h2>



The food choices women make in midlife are more than just meals. They’re investments. 



High-quality carbs and dietary fiber aren’t just good for digestion. They’re linked to lower risks of chronic diseases, sharper minds, and better physical health in old age.



Aging doesn’t have to mean decline, and it doesn’t have to mean slowing down. For the women in this study, eating well decades earlier paid off in a big way. The lesson? It’s never too early to think about the future. And it’s never too late to make better choices.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2834202" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JAMA Network Open</a>.



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High-quality carbs in midlife linked to healthier aging

Aging can mean many things. It can mean slowing down, feeling less sharp, or facing more health issues. But it doesn’t have to. A new study suggests that what women eat in midlife could set the stage for how well they age. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study from Tufts University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health dives into the power of carbohydrates and fiber in shaping health decades later. How carbs affect aging Not all carbs are equal. Some lift you up, while...

If multiple males are competing for a mate, it impacts the quality performance of sperm. 

Rival males have better-performing sperm that’s faster and more efficient but also more susceptible to DNA damage, according to a new <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/zebrafish-spinal-cord-injuries/">zebrafish</a> study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.ua.es/en/">University of Alicante</a> and the <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">University of Uppsala</a> in Sweden. 

In the study, published in the journal Evolutionary Biology, the researchers compared the sperm of two male zebrafish in the presence of a single female to the sperm of a single male in a tank with two females. 

The fish were observed and monitored for two weeks, and the researchers used geometric morphometry to analyze and compare differences in sperm shape, size, quality, and performance. 

The two rival males developed competitive spermatozoa that were faster, had smaller heads, and were more efficient compared to the single male fish with no competition. 

The competing spermatozoa showed higher rates of DNA damage and the researchers say this could impact not only fertilization but also future offspring. 

A potential explanation for the higher rates of damage in the competing males is that sexual rivalry increases stress levels. 

Sexual rivalry and sperm design are not well understood, and studies like this can help shed insight on how competition among males impacts evolution and species diversification. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Competing for a mate impacts sperm quality and performance

If multiple males are competing for a mate, it impacts...

An international research team led by <a href="https://www.uu.se/en">Uppsala University</a> has discovered that individuals buried in megalithic tombs in Ireland and Sweden during the Stone Age were relatives. The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/families-prone-migraines/">families</a> can be traced for more than ten generations, which indicates that megaliths were graves for kindred groups in northwestern Europe.

Beginning around 4,500 BCE, megalithic monuments emerged along the Atlantic European shoreline that were often used for funeral practices. However, the social structure and origin of the groups that began constructing the stone monuments remains a mystery.

For the current study, the researchers sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 24 individuals recovered at five megalithic burial sites, representing megalithic construction in northern and western Europe.

By using radiocarbon-dating, the team traced the remains back to between 3,800 and 2,600 BCE. Genome sequencing revealed that the individuals in the megaliths were closely related to Neolithic farmers in northern and western Europe, but not closely related to farmers in central Europe. On the British Isles, the males in the tomb outnumbered the females. 

“We found paternal continuity through time, including the same Y-chromosome haplotypes reoccurring over and over again,” said study co-author Helena Malmström. “However, female kindred members were not excluded from the megalith burials as three of the six kinship relationships in these megaliths involved females.”

The genetic analysis showed close family ties among the individuals buried within the megaliths. In two particular tombs that were located about two kilometers away from each other, it appeared that parents were buried together with their offspring. “This came as a surprise. It appears as these Neolithic societies were tightly knit with very close kin relations across burial sites,”  said co-author Federico Sanchez-Quinto.

The Ansarve site on the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea is located in an area that was home to mostly hunter-gathers.

[caption id="attachment_1871267" align="aligncenter" width="469"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/europe.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1871267" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/europe.jpg" alt="" width="469" height="512" /></a> Megalith tombs on the British Isles, Image Credit: Göran Burenhult[/caption]

“The people buried in the Ansarve tomb are remarkably different on a genetic level compared to the contemporaneous individuals excavated from hunter-gather-contexts, showing that the burial tradition in this megalithic tomb, which lasted for over 700 years, was performed by distinct groups with roots in the European Neolithic expansion,” explained study co-author Magdalena Fraser.

“That we find distinct paternal lineages among the people in the megaliths, an overrepresentation of males in some tombs, and the clear kindred relationships point to towards the individuals being part of a patrilineal segment of the society rather than representing a random sample from a larger Neolithic farmer community," said study senior author Mattias Jakobsson.

“Our study demonstrates the potential in archaeogenetics to not only reveal large-scale migrations, but also inform about Stone Age societies and the role of particular phenomena in those times such as the megalith phenomena,” concluded Sanchez-Quinto.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Main Image Credit: Magdalena Fraser

Families in Europe were buried together during the Stone Age

An international research team led by Uppsala University has discovered...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society for Neuroscience</a> has pinpointed a pattern of brain activity associated with anger during dreams. The research may ultimately help experts understand the neural foundation of the emotional content involved in nightmares, which may also be the basis for various mental and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/poor-sleep-genes/">sleep disorders</a>.

Little is known about the brain mechanisms which underlie the emotions that are experienced during dreams. A team of researchers led by Pilleriin Sikka of the <a href="https://www.utu.fi/en">University of Turku</a> has discovered one such mechanism that is tied to emotional response during both times of sleep and wakefulness. 

The investigation was focused on the electroencephalography recordings from participants during a two-night sleep study. After the individuals had experienced five-minute bouts of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, they were awakened and asked to describe their dreams and rate the various emotions that were involved.

During evening wakefulness and also during REM sleep, the researchers found that individuals who displayed greater alpha-band brain activity in the right frontal cortex experienced more anger in their dreams. This same neural activity, which is known as frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA), has also been linked to anger during wakefulness. 

The findings indicate that FAA may be a universal representation of emotion regulation, which is the ability to respond to life experiences with a range of emotions.

The study is published in the <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Where do angry dreams come from? Scientists may have found the answer

A new study from the Society for Neuroscience has pinpointed...

New research from the <a href="https://osteopathic.org/">American Osteopathic Association</a> has revealed that patients who use <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-compound-psychosis/">cannabis</a> regularly may require more than twice the typical level of sedation for medical procedures. 

The investigation was focused on the medical records of 250 patients who received endoscopic procedures in Colorado after 2012, which is the year that recreational cannabis was legalized in the state. The researchers discovered that patients who used cannabis on a daily or weekly basis needed 14 percent more fentanyl, 20 percent more midazolam, and 220 percent more propofol to be sedated.

“Some of the sedative medications have dose-dependent side effects, meaning the higher the dose, the greater likelihood for problems,” said study lead author Dr. Mark Twardowski. “That becomes particularly dangerous when suppressed respiratory function is a known side effect.”


Dr. Twardowski explained that due to cannabis's status as a schedule 1 drug, a lack of research combined with its sudden widespread legalization raises concerns about other unforeseen issues.

“Cannabis has some metabolic effects we don't understand and patients need to know that their cannabis use might make other medications less effective. We're seeing some problematic trends anecdotally, and there is virtually no formal data to provide a sense of scale or suggest any evidence-based protocols.”


Dr. Twardowski said that some doctors have noticed an increase in the number of patients complaining of chronic nausea, which is often caused by cannabis use. In addition, anesthesiologists have found that patients are requiring much higher dosages for general anesthesia and have noted higher rates of post-op seizures.

This information prompted an investigation by Dr. Twardowski and his colleagues. Their study revealed that cannabis use in the United States increased by 43 percent between 2007 and 2015, with the greatest increase documented among people 26 and older. 

As recreational cannabis is legalized in more and more states, many individuals will become more honest about their cannabis use and there is the potential for meaningful data collection. According to the researchers, adding specific questions regarding cannabis use to patient intake forms is the first step to acquiring useful information that influences patient care. 

“This study really marks a small first step,” said Dr. Twardowski. “We still don't understand the mechanism behind the need for higher dosages, which is important to finding better care management solutions.”

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

Regular cannabis users require higher sedation dosages for surgery

New research from the American Osteopathic Association has revealed that...

According to a study led by researchers at <a href="https://www.tufts.edu/">Tufts University</a>, the new mandatory added sugar labeling policy adopted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could prove to be a cost effective solution for healthcare systems in the United States. The research is the first to estimate the potential impacts of the label, which is set to take effect between 2020 and 2021.

The FDA announced in 2016 that one of the changes in the Nutrition Facts label will be adding the grams and percent Daily Value of added sugar content. This change is intended to help consumers limit their added <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sugar-worsens-mood/">sugar</a> intake to the levels recommended by the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

According to the study, the FDA's added sugar label could prevent or postpone nearly one million cases of cardiometabolic diseases such heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes over a 20-year period. Furthermore, if packaged foods and beverages are reformulated to reduce added sugar content, this effect combined with the new food labels could prevent or postpone nearly three million cases of cardiovascular disease and diabetes over the same time frame.

In particular, the added sugar label could prevent or postpone 354,400 cases of cardiovascular disease and 599,300 cases of diabetes. The label could also save $31 billion in net healthcare costs and $61.9 billion in societal costs.

“The added sugar label is an important policy step toward reducing consumption of foods and beverages with high added sugar contents, improving health, and lowering healthcare spending,” said study co-author Dr. Renata Micha. “These findings have important implications for individuals, policy makers and the food industry alike. Modest industry reformulation would be a powerful way to maximize potential benefits, highlighting industry's critical role in being part of the solution.”

“Informing consumers about what is in their sugary drinks, cakes, and sweets will help them decide what they want to eat for their health now and later,” said study co-senior author Dr. Martin O'Flaherty from the University of Liverpool. “Full implementation of the label before 2021 could help maximize health and economic gains.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/journal/circ">Circulation</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a>  Staff Writer

Added sugar labels could substantially improve public health, study finds

According to a study led by researchers at Tufts University,...

French fries. Chips. Popcorn. Everyone loves that salty flavor, but too much sodium has been linked to a host of health problems, from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salt-dangerous-healthy-diet/">high blood pressure</a> to stroke and heart disease. 

Good news: scientists have discovered a way to make food taste salty, but without dangerous levels of added sodium chloride.

“It's a stealth approach, not like buying the ‘reduced salt’' option, which people generally don't like,” said Dr. Carolyn Ross, a food scientist at <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a> who helped to create the salt mix.

Ross and her team set out to create a salt mix that contained less sodium chloride – the salt linked to health issues. Most table salt is sodium chloride, and most foods with a salty flavor contain it. So do many other foods that aren’t especially salty, like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/salt-hidden-bread/">bread</a>.

The mix Ross’ team created does contain some sodium chloride, but they found they could replace up to a quarter of the table salt with calcium chloride, which has not been linked to any health issues.

They also considered using potassium chloride, but found it to be a poor substitute for the salty flavor people were looking for.

"Potassium chloride, especially, tastes really bitter and people really don't like it," Ross said. 

For the study, participants tested the salt mixtures alone, in water, and in tomato soup. The team was trying to discover how much of the dangerous sodium chloride could be replaced before participants noticed the change in salty flavor.

The mix they settled on, with a quarter calcium chloride, passed muster with taste-testers. Adding potassium chloride or replacing more than about 22 percent of the sodium chloride with calcium chloride brought unfavorable reviews.

“If we can stair-step people down, then we increase health while still making food that people want to eat,” Ross said.

The study has been published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/17503841">Journal of Food Science</a>. 

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Scientists give food salty flavor without sodium

French fries. Chips. Popcorn. Everyone loves that salty flavor, but...

Who you marry – and whether or not you stay together – may be influenced by an alcohol consumption gene, a new study has found.

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> looked at data collected from 47,000 couples in the <a href="https://www.nature.com/collections/ukbiobank">UK Biobank</a>, and found that those who imbibed similar amounts tended to stay together longer. Heavier drinkers paired up with other heavier drinkers, and light drinkers stuck to light drinkers, they discovered.

And that seemed to go beyond personal preference. The couples were found to have share variants of an alcohol consumption gene. The gene variant ADH1B is believed to influence whether someone is a light or heavy drinker.

Previous studies on couples’ drinking habits have relied on self-reported data, but this is the first to look at DNA.

“We wanted to disentangle the possibilities using a genetic approach,” Dr. Laurence Howe told the <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/">New Scientist</a>. “This suggests that alcohol consumption directly influences mate choice, adding to the growing evidence that humans are more likely to select a similar mate.”

The study also discovered that one person’s drinking can affect how much their partner drinks. Each extra beverage one person consumed in a week was linked to a 0.26 increase in their partner’s alcohol consumption.

The alcohol consumption gene is linked to other factors that could also influence drinking, the researchers noted. ADH1B has been connected to being from a poorer socio-economic class.

A different variant of the alcohol consumption gene can dictate how strongly people feel the side effects of drinking, with heavier drinkers less likely to suffer from severe hangovers.

Heavy alcohol consumption has also been linked to cultural values of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-consumption-cultural-values/">autonomy and harmony</a>. However, drinking alcohol in large amounts has been linked to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-2-million-deaths/">certain cancers</a>, a variety of other illnesses, and injuries.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/418269v3">bioRxiv</a>.

—

By Kyla Cathey, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Alcohol consumption gene influences who you marry

Who you marry – and whether or not you stay...

The range of mosquito and tick-borne (vector-borne) diseases like chikungunya, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is rapidly expanding, according to new research being presented at this year's <a href="https://www.escmid.org/">European Congress of Clinical Microbiology &amp; Infectious Diseases</a> (ECCMID).

Over the next few decades, vector-borne diseases are expected to sweep Europe due to climate change and international travel. Europeans in higher latitudes and altitudes, who have not experienced the threat of vector-borne diseases before, may need to be on alert in the coming years if preventative measures aren’t taken, and if surveillance and data sharing pertaining to vector-borne outbreaks is not improved. 

"Climate change is not the only or even the main factor driving the increase in vector-borne diseases across Europe, but it is one of many factors alongside globalisation, socio economic development, urbanisation, and widespread land-use change which need to be addressed to limit the importation and spread of these diseases,” said Professor Jan Semenza from the <a href="https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/home">European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control</a> in Stockholm, Sweden.

"The stark reality is that longer hot seasons will enlarge the seasonal window for the potential spread of vector-borne diseases and favour larger outbreaks,” said Dr. Giovanni Rezza, Director of the <a href="https://ecdc.europa.eu/en/instituto-superiore-di-sanita-epiet">Department of Infectious Diseases at the Istituto Superiore di Sanitá</a> in Rome, Italy. "We must be prepared to deal with these tropical infections. Lessons from recent outbreaks of West Nile virus in North America and chikungunya in the Caribbean and Italy highlight the importance of assessing future vector-borne disease risks and preparing contingencies for future outbreaks."

Because of global warming, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/mosquitoes-sense-smell-disease/">mosquitos</a>, ticks, and other disease-carrying insects have had the opportunity to adapt to changing seasons, and populations have mushroomed in both tropical regions and warmer regions in Europe like France, Greece, and Croatia.

"Mediterranean Europe is now a part-time tropical region, where competent vectors like the Tiger mosquito are already established,” Dr. Rezza noted. 

Over the past 30 years, there has been a 400% increase in reported cases of the viral disease TBE. This influx is mostly due to heightened surveillance and diagnosis. However, climate change models predict that by 2040 through 2060, we could see a 3.8% population growth of Ixodes ricinus ticks, with Scandinavia being the largest area at risk.

"Given the ongoing spread of invasive mosquitoes and other vectors across Europe, we must anticipate outbreaks and move to intervene early,” Professor Semenza said. "Public health agencies need to improve surveillance, for example through early warning systems, increase awareness of the potential risks among healthcare workers and the general public, as well as adopt innovative control strategies such as community interventions."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Range of tick and mosquito-borne disease is spreading rapidly

The range of mosquito and tick-borne (vector-borne) diseases like chikungunya,...

Is determination the key to success or will perseverance only get you so far? 

This is the question researchers from the<a href="https://www.aka.fi/en"> Academy of Finland</a> asked in a new study examining how much “grit” influences <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/time-parents-kids-academic-success/">academic achievement</a>. 

The study, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, defines grit as consistency of interest and perseverance of effort, and the researchers drew from a sample of more than 2,000 students in Finland, following the students from grades 6 through 9. 

The researchers wanted to see to what extent growth mindset and committing to academic goals impacted grit or whether grit was the go-between for achieving educational goals and growth. 

“A key element of grit is high persistence in the face of difficulties and setbacks,” said Kateriinna Salmela-Aro, the leader of the study. “Mere purpose without grit does not lead to anything, but grit needs a purpose.”

The researchers found that grit was the most significant indicator of academic success and that perseverance had a stronger influence on goal commitment compared to interest and passion in a topic. 

In other words, determination and perseverance helped students succeed in school and maintain higher grades throughout their academic careers. 

“Our study shows the power of grit,” said Kateriina Salmela-Aro, the leader of the study. “The results persist even if we control for personality traits, such as conscientiousness and academic persistence. Young people should see the meaning of everyday school work as part of life in a broader context and establish achievable goals for themselves.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Grit really does lead to academic success, study shows

Is determination the key to success or will perseverance only...

A new study from <a href="https://english.tau.ac.il/">Tel Aviv University</a> has revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-neanderthals-cannibalism/">Neanderthals</a> and woolly mammoths shared DNA that allowed them to adapt to freezing cold environments hundreds of thousands of years ago. The researchers also discovered genes that the ancient humans and animals had in common which would have increased the production of hair and skin.

“Neanderthals and mammoths lived together in Europe during the Ice Age. The evidence suggests that Neanderthals hunted and ate mammoths for tens of thousands of years and were actually physically dependent on calories extracted from mammoths for their successful adaptation,” said study co-lead author Professor Barkai. “Neanderthals depended on mammoths for their very existence.”

“They say you are what you eat. This was especially true of Neanderthals; they ate mammoths but were apparently also genetically similar to mammoths.”

To investigate these similarities, the archaeologists reviewed three case studies that compared the genomes of woolly mammoths and Neanderthals. 

The first case study described the mutual appearance of the LEPR gene, which is related to thermogenesis and fat storage in the body. The second study found genes related to keratin protein activity in both species, and the third study focused on skin and hair pigmentation variants in the genes MC1R and SLC7A11.

“Our observations present the likelihood of resemblance between numerous molecular variants that resulted in similar cold-adapted epigenetic traits of two species, both of which evolved in Eurasia from an African ancestor,” explained study co-lead author Meidad Kislev. “These remarkable findings offer supporting evidence for the contention regarding the nature of convergent evolution through molecular resemblance, in which similarities in genetic variants between adapted species are present.”

“We believe these types of connections can be valuable for future evolutionary research. They're especially interesting when they involve other large-brained mammals, with long life spans, complex social behavior and their interactions in shared habitats with early humans.”

The researchers concluded that both species likely had ancestors that came from Africa and adapted to living conditions in Ice Age Europe. The species also became extinct at around the same time.

“It is now possible to try to answer a question no one has asked before: Are there genetic similarities between evolutionary adaptation paths in Neanderthals and mammoths?” said Professor Barkai. “The answer seems to be yes. This idea alone opens endless avenues for new research in evolution, archaeology and other disciplines.”

“At a time when proboscideans are under threat of disappearance from the world due to the ugly human greed for ivory, highlighting our shared history and similarities with elephants and mammoths might be a point worth taking into consideration.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/human-biology">Human Biology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Neanderthals and woolly mammoths shared much of the same DNA

A new study from Tel Aviv University has revealed that...

Poor <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-damages-dna-cancer/">sleep quality</a> may be genetic, according to one of the largest new studies of its kind. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> along with an international team from France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/sleepctr/">Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology</a> in Pennsylvania and <a href="https://www.massgeneral.org/">Massachusetts General Hospital</a> conducted the study. 

It’s the largest genetic study of its kind to use accelerometer data to investigate the potential genetic links to poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation. 

“We know that getting enough sleep improves our health and wellbeing, yet we still know relatively little about the mechanisms in our bodies that influence how we sleep,” said Andrew Wood, the senior author of the study. “Changes in sleep quality, quantity and timing are strongly associated with several human diseases such as diabetes and obesity, and psychiatric disorders.

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

The researchers reviewed and analyzed data from 85,670 participants of the UK Biobank and 5,819 participants from three other studies. 

All participants wore accelerometers on their wrist, which constantly measure activity levels and are a reliable way to measure and assess sleep habits compared to self-reported sleep diaries.

After analyzing the data, the researchers identified 47 genetic links to sleep quality, duration, and timing including 10 new links to sleep duration and 26 to sleep quality that were previously unknown. 

These links, including a gene called PDE11A, could explain why some people have trouble staying asleep, falling asleep, or getting enough restful deep sleep. 

A variant of the PDE11A gene, for example, was found to impact sleep duration and quality. 

The genetic links to sleep quality were also connected to the production of serotonin which is important in influencing sleep cycles and deep sleep. 

“This study identifies genetic variants influencing sleep traits, and will provide new insights into the molecular role of sleep in humans,” said Samuel Jones, the lead author of the study. “It is part of an emerging body of work which could one day inform the development of new treatments to improve our sleep and our overall health.”

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Can’t sleep? Your genes may be to blame

Poor sleep quality may be genetic, according to one of...

We all know the many <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-reduces-cancer-risk/">proven benefits to exercising</a>, but some people are daunted by the idea of hitting the gym every day for a physically demanding work out. 

However, researchers from the <a href="https://www.gih.se/in-english/">Swedish School of Sport and Health Science</a> say that exercising more could be as simple as taking the stairs every day rather than ramping up a workout to the extreme. 

“People think they have to start going to the gym and exercising hard to get fitter,” said Dr. Elin Ekblom-Bak, an author of the study. “But it doesn't have to be that complicated. For most people, just being more active in daily life - taking the stairs, exiting the metro a station early, cycling to work - is enough to benefit health since levels are so low to start with. The more you do, the better.”

Exercising more, regardless of what level of physical fitness you start at, is one of the best ways to increase longevity and live a longer, healthier life, according to a new study presented at <a href="https://www.escardio.org/Congresses-%26-Events/EuroPrevent">EuroPrevent 2019.</a>

The study was the largest cardiorespiratory fitness study to date and included data on 316,137 adults aged 18 to 74 who had a health screening between 1995 and 2015 in Sweden. 

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 Max) was used to assess cardiorespiratory fitness, as VO2 Max measures the maximum amount of oxygen the heart and lungs can provide the muscles during physical activity. 

The researchers also reviewed Swedish national registries to find information on all-cause mortality and first-time cardiovascular events that occurred within the same time frame. 

Overall the researchers found that the risk of all-cause mortality dropped 2.8 percent and heart attacks dropped by 3.2 percent the more VO2 Max increased.

Each milliliter increase in VO2 Max decreased the risk of death and heart attack. 

These positive benefits were experienced by all age groups and held true for both men and women. 

“It is particularly important to note that an increase in fitness was beneficial regardless of the starting point,” said Ekblom-Bak. “This suggests that people with lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness have the most to gain from boosting their fitness.”

The study emphasizes the importance of physical fitness but shows that even at the most basic of levels, a little exercise goes a long way in helping people live longer. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Simple ways of moving more can help you live longer, research shows

We all know the many proven benefits to exercising, but...

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

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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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[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

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" 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> 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

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" 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.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

[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



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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