Falling asleep and waking up refreshed is something most of us crave. Yet some people appear to thrive on fewer hours, leaving everyone else wondering how they manage it. A new study involving a healthy older adult suggests that a rare gene mutation might be a key to needing fewer hours of sleep.



The research was led by Dr. Hao Chen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), whose team investigated a "natural short sleeper" <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-night-of-lost-sleep-can-trigger-hidden-health-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trait</a> linked to a genetic variant in the SIK3 gene.



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



Scientists who explore patterns of rest have long recognized that people’s genetic makeup can influence how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-the-brain-for-the-future-while-protecting-memories-of-the-past/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a> they need. This latest finding highlights how even a slight genetic tweak might reduce the time required for the brain and body to recover.



Those who qualify as short sleepers function at a normal or high level despite clocking fewer hours in bed. Researchers classify them separately from individuals suffering from insomnia, because these short sleepers typically wake up rested and show no health problems tied to exhaustion.



One older participant reported sleeping around 6.3 hours per night yet displayed sharp cognition and good health. Her genetic profile pointed to a single mutation as the possible reason for her efficient slumber.



These individuals, referred to as natural short sleepers, seem wired to operate on less rest. Specialists are intrigued by how they sail through daily life with no visible drawbacks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gene-mutation-and-sleep-patterns">Gene mutation and sleep patterns</h2>



The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/protein-kinases" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kinase protein</a> produced by the SIK3 gene relays signals that influence various cellular processes. Scientists suspect that changes in kinase function might play a role in controlling how much time the body devotes to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-can-boost-memory-in-a-surprising-way/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a>.



When Dr. Chen’s team transferred this mutation to lab mice, the animals spent slightly less time resting each day. This observation hinted at a biological mechanism that could be significant across different species.



“Studying human sleep genes not only expands our knowledge regarding the sleep regulatory network, but also may bring the basic research from mouse models to clinical relevance,” noted the researchers.



Brain scans in the test mice revealed that their <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/protein-biology/protein-biology-learning-center/protein-biology-resource-library/pierce-protein-methods/phosphorylation.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phosphorylation</a> patterns changed, especially around the areas that oversee rest and wake cycles. This shift aligns with the idea that sleep is coordinated by a web of signals in the brain that might be influenced by tiny chemical tweaks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-mutations-in-short-sleepers">Genetic mutations in short sleepers</h2>



Scientists have now identified at least five distinct genetic mutations linked to the natural short sleep trait. Each one affects different proteins involved in the brain’s signaling and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-quality-could-be-the-key-to-better-metabolic-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a>-wake rhythms, hinting at multiple pathways that might influence rest duration.



The SIK3 variant joins others such as <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1801693115" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DEC2</a>, <a href="https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-rare-gene-mutation-is-associated-with-requiring-less-sleep-researchers-say" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ADRB1</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/387129" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NPSR1</a>, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/14816" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GRM1</a>, each contributing a piece to the sleep efficiency puzzle. Researchers believe that mapping these variants could eventually lead to a full blueprint of how the body regulates its need for sleep.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-treatments-for-sleep-disorders">Treatments for sleep disorders</h2>



Researchers think there could be important applications for people who struggle with sleep disorders. Adjusting the pathways linked to this genetic variant might shorten the time needed to feel rested, although practical therapies will likely take time to refine.



Still, scientists caution that these insights do not give an excuse to slash nightly rest. They emphasize that ordinary individuals without the mutation may not reap any benefits from copying a short sleeper’s schedule.



Experts see promise in pursuing treatments that enhance the body’s own efficiency. They hope new knowledge of genetic influences will guide strategies to help those who find it difficult to get restorative rest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-on-short-sleep-genes">Future research on short-sleep genes </h2>



Short-sleep genes have captured the imagination of specialists for years. There is strong interest in mapping out exactly how the human brain resets itself, and why some people get the same benefits in a compressed timeframe.



“These [NSS] people, all these functions our bodies are doing while we are sleeping, they can just perform at a higher level than we can,” said neuroscientist and geneticist Ying-Hui Fu, from the University of California, San Francisco (<a href="https://www.ucsf.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCSF</a>). 



Scientists aim to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37398097/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">uncover</a> the precise factors that grant this group their resilience. Many research teams intend to investigate how broader networks of genes might interact to influence rest. 



The SIK3 discovery raises big questions about what else might affect daily energy levels and long-term health.



Fascination with short sleepers is unlikely to fade soon. Unlocking the secrets of their genetics could reshape how we view rest, opening a path to solutions for chronic sleep troubles.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2500356122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PNAS</a>.



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Rare gene explains why some people can thrive on less sleep

Falling asleep and waking up refreshed is something most of us crave. Yet some people appear to thrive on fewer hours, leaving everyone else wondering how they manage it. A new study involving a healthy older adult suggests that a rare gene mutation might be a key to needing fewer hours of sleep. The research was led by Dr. Hao Chen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), whose team investigated a "natural short sleeper" trait linked to a genetic variant in the SIK3 gene. How genetics...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> have demonstrated that the amount of time that we spend being either active, sedentary, or sleeping is determined by our genes. Some of the associations identified in the study between genetic regions and activity were brand new to science. 

The experts analyzed the activity of 91,105 individuals using data from the UK Biobank, which included information collected from activity trackers worn by the participants for a week. Using the massive amount of tracking device data, the team used machine learning to identify active and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sedentary-behavior-cardiovascular-trouble/">sedentary lifestyles</a>. 

When this data was combined with genetic information in the UK Biobank, the researchers were able to pinpoint 14 genetic regions that were tied to activity, seven of which had never been related to activity before. 

The study is the first to provide a causal link between physical activity and lower blood pressure. The research also revealed that physical activity and sleep have a strong influence on mental health, well-being, and brain structure.

“How and why we move isn't all about genes, but understanding the role genes play will help improve our understanding of the causes and consequences of physical inactivity,” said study lead author Dr. Aiden Doherty.

“It is only by being able to study large amounts of data, such as those provided by UK Biobank, that we are able to understand the complex genetic basis of even some of the most basic human functions like moving, resting and sleeping.”

Study co-author Dr. Karl Smith-Byrne pointed out that the use of machine learning in big healthcare data sets is advancing quickly, and is having a profound effect on the sorts of studies that can be carried out.

“We have carefully developed machine learning models to teach machines how to analyse complex functions like activity,” said Dr. Smith-Byrne. “These models provide exciting new insights into human movement behaviours in large studies such as UK Biobank with its half a million participants.”

Professor Michael Holmes added, “This provides scientists with a wonderful opportunity to learn much more about how genes and environment interact in our daily lives, causing us to move as we do, and possibly putting us at increased risk of disease. For instance, it might help us determine whether inactivity is a cause or a consequence of obesity.”

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

Genes can determine whether we have active or sedentary lives

Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated that the...

According to the <a href="https://www.itu.int/">International Telecommunication Union</a> (ITU), 51.2 percent of the global population will be online by the end of this year. The ITU suggested that getting 3.9 million people connected on the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/online-food-shopping-healthy/">internet</a> is an important milestone that will help promote sustainable development across the planet. 

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said in a statement: “By the end of 2018, we will surpass the 50/50 milestone for Internet use. This represents an important step towards a more inclusive global information society.” 

Among the world’s richest countries, internet use has been rising slowly but steadily, increasing from 51.3 percent in 2005 to 80.9 percent today. Some of the biggest advancements have occurred in developing countries, where 45.3 percent of people are now online versus only 7.7 percent just 13 years ago. 

The ITU report revealed that the number of individuals with online access in Africa jumped from 2.1 percent to 24.4 percent between 2005 and 2018. The researchers also found that while fixed-line telephone subscriptions are down to just 12.4 percent, the number of mobile phone subscriptions is now greater than the world's population. 

Mobile broadband subscriptions have dramatically increased from just 4 percent in 2007 to over 69 percent today. According to the ITU, there are now 5.3 billion active mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide. In addition, 96 percent of the world population lives within reach of a mobile cellular network, and 90 percent of people have internet access with at least 3G speeds.

Zhao added that “far too many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the digital economy.” He is urging for more “technology and business innovation so that the digital revolution leaves no one offline.” 

The ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Over half of all people in the world now have internet access

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 51.2 percent of...

For the characters on one popular television show, loyalty is a death sentence. The trick to surviving “Game of Thrones” may be switching sides, a new study has found.

Researchers at <a href="https://www.mq.edu.au/">Macquarie University</a> in Australia set out to see if they could spot a pattern to the deaths on the fantasy TV show with a notoriously high body count. 

"The risk of death is high among characters in Game of Thrones,” said Dr. Reidar Lystad of the <a href="https://www.mq.edu.au/research/research-centres-groups-and-facilities/healthy-people/centres/australian-institute-of-health-innovation">Australian Institute of Health Innovation</a>, who co-authored the study. “By the end of the seventh season, more than half of the characters had died – 186 out of the 330 characters we included in this study – with violent deaths being the most common by far."

After tracking who lived and who died across all seven seasons released so far, they found one. Characters who stayed loyal to their house were more likely to die, especially if they were “lowborn.” The risk of death went down for lords and ladies, even if they stayed loyal – but only a little. Switching sides lowered that risk.

"While these findings may not be surprising for regular viewers, we have identified several factors that may be associated with better or worse survival, which may help us to speculate about who will prevail in the final season,” Lystad said in a press release.

The researchers found a few other risk factors for dying before the show ends. More than 80 percent of the deaths so far have occurred in Westeros, most while the characters were at home. Only two of the deaths were from natural causes, while 13 were from decapitations.

Fans of characters who have been series regulars can relax – a little. They’re not totally safe, but characters had a 14 percent chance of dying within an hour of screen time. The average survival time of deceased characters was 28 hours and 48 minutes. The most common causes of death were assault, war and legal executions.

The team used the <a href="https://www.imdb.com/">Internet Movie Database</a> and the <a href="https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/Game_of_Thrones_Wiki">Game of Thromes Wiki</a> to conduct their research, which also included logging the gender, social status, religion and occupation of the victims. And, of course, who stayed loyal to their house and who preferred switching sides.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://injepijournal.springeropen.com/">Injury Epidemiology</a>. Game of Thrones is set to return in April 2019.

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Switching sides may be key to survival on 'Game of Thrones'

For the characters on one popular television show, loyalty is...

Drawing boosts memory retention and could help fight dementia, according to a new study by researchers at the <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/">University of Waterloo</a>.

"We found that drawing enhanced memory in older adults more than other known study techniques," Melissa Meade, a doctoral candidate in cognitive neuroscience at the university, said in a press release. "We're really encouraged by these results and are looking into ways that it can be used to help people with dementia, who experience rapid declines in memory and language function."

Meade, Dr. Myra Fernandes and Dr. Jeffrey Wammes tested memory retention of both a group of undergraduate students and senior citizen volunteers with a series of techniques, including drawing, re-writing notes, visualization and looking at images. Each group was asked to perform a set of tasks using one of the techniques. Then, later on, their memory was assessed. 

The researchers found that drawing appears to be the most effective tool for encoding new memories for both groups. They theorize it may work because drawing makes use of visual, spatial and other methods of recalling the information.

"Drawing improves memory across a variety of tasks and populations, and the simplicity of the strategy means that it can be used in many settings," Fernandes said.

Both young people and seniors showed the highest memory retention with drawing, but the technique was especially helpful for seniors, the researchers said. The research shows some promise for helping people with dementia better encode new memories.

"We think that drawing is particularly relevant for people with dementia because it makes better use of brain regions that are still preserved, and could help people experiencing cognitive impairment with memory function," Meade said. "Our findings have exciting implications for therapeutic interventions to help dementia patients hold on to valuable episodic memories throughout the progression of their disease."

The new research joins recent studies on how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-anxiety-depression-dementia/">music</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-activity-helps-dementia/">time for socializing</a> and even <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blueberry-vinegar-battle-dementia/">blueberry vinegar</a> hold promise for new dementia treatments.

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/uear20/current">Experimental Aging and Research</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Drawing boosts memory retention in seniors

Drawing boosts memory retention and could help fight dementia, according...

Most of us can relate to the mortification of accidentally sending a pocket text or calling someone’s number unintentionally. 

The rise of cellphones and the easy way they fit into pockets, purses, and jackets has led to many  embarrassing encounters and is just one of the repercussions of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digital-media-distract-drain/">“always-on” lifestyle</a> of today’s digital age<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/digital-media-distract-drain/">. </a>

However, keeping our phones close by even while sleeping has led to a new kind of pocket dial in the form of sleep texting. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www1.villanova.edu/university.html">Villanova University</a> recently conducted a study and found that sleep texting and sleeping with a phone close by were increasingly common and connected to poor sleep quality in college students. 

Sleep texting describes when a person accidentally sends a text or picks up the phone while sleeping or drifting on to sleep with no memory of sending the text the next morning. 

Just after falling asleep before a person sinks into a state of deep sleep, they may unconsciously and instinctively reach for their phone if they hear it ring and go on to respond with incoherent gibberish. 

“Sleep texting occurs when an individual responds to or sends a text message electronically while in a sleep state,” the researchers said. “This action can occur once or multiple times during the sleep cycle, adversely affecting the quality and the duration of the individual’s sleep.” 

For this study, the researchers asked 372 college students from two universities about their sleeping habits and if they slept with their phone close by. 

The researchers also recorded cell phone use while the student participants slept and sleep quality throughout the night. 

A quarter of the participants admitted to sleep texting and said they didn’t get sufficient sleep. 

The majority of participants who did report sleep texting said they did not remember doing it or what they texted. 

“The lack of memory is not surprising as sleep research has found that people awakened after sleeping more than a few minutes are usually unable to recall the last few minutes before they fall asleep,” said Elizabeth Dowdell, the lead author of the study.

College students tend to get less sleep than other age groups which is why the increase in sleep texting is concerning. 

The study adds to growing research on the impacts of smartphone addiction, which is especially common among younger generations.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleep texting is the new pocket dial, new study shows

Most of us can relate to the mortification of accidentally...

The ground above Tehran’s exorbitant groundwater basins is sinking. Unregulated groundwater basins and government-funded dams have been built in response to Iran’s water crisis. And in Tehran alone, the number of wells has increased from 4,000 in 1968 to more than 32,000 in 2012. 

However, these man-made structures have caused shrinkage in Lake Urmia, desertification, massive sandstorms, and groundwater levels to drop twelve meters in half a century. As a result, Tehran is sinking about 25 centimeters every year.

Mahdi Motagh and Mahmud Haghshenas Haghighi from the Remote Sensing Section of the <a href="https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/home/">GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences</a> in Potsdam came to this conclusion using data from four satellite systems. Their findings, published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/remote-sensing-of-environment">Remote Sensing of Environment</a>, showed that three separate regions of Tehran sank more than 25 centimeters each year between 2003 and 2017 — which, in total, added up to several meters.

Motagh and Haghshenas Haghighi used InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) to come to their conclusion. InSAR uses high-precision radar signals in the microwave range recorded by satellites to create images of Earth’s surface topography. The researchers used nine data InSAR data sets collected between 2003 and 2017 to see the short- and long-term effects of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/groundwater-depletion-carbon-dioxide/">groundwater</a> levels on Earth’s surface.

Tehran’s sinkage has caused cracks in buildings and crevices in the ground. Furthermore, Haghshenas Haghighi and Motagh note that several groundwater basins have been irreversibly damaged by the sinkage and will not be able to store as much water as before.

The discovery of Tehran’s sinking should lead Iranian government officials to explore scientifically sound and sustainable ways of water storage and management. Motagh and Haghshenas Haghighi plan to use the same data analyzation method to explore the sinkage outside of Tehran in the future.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tehran continues to sink at a dangerous speed

The ground above Tehran’s exorbitant groundwater basins is sinking. Unregulated...

In an effort to clean up Beijing’s smog problem caused by exhaust fumes and coal fires, the Chinese government has introduced emission-free solar power and plans to explore more photovoltaic systems in the future. However, the presence of smog negatively affects <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/harnessing-solar-power/">solar power</a> by way of reducing the amount of solar radiation hitting the ground, thus weakening the power output of existing photovoltaic systems.

According to the <a href="https://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a>, smog causes 1.6 million premature deaths in China each year and 7 million premature deaths worldwide. Major air pollution can cause lung disease, stroke, and/or heart attacks. These staggering numbers show that reducing smog and employing a cleaner energy solution is vital.

Mercè Labordena and her colleagues from the <a href="http://www.cp.ethz.ch/">Climate Policy group at ETH Zurich</a> produced a study, published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, showing how China’s power industry could transform via solar energy if, and only if, all smog-causing emissions are eliminated.

Labordena’s study found that China could produce an additional 85 to 158 terawatt hours of electricity per year by 2040 with current and future photovoltaic systems. Furthermore, China’s electricity industry could pull in an extra 10.1 billion U.S. dollars from solar power. But this is only possible if the government puts the kibosh on all household, industry, transportation, and power emissions. Solar radiation would have to increase by a countrywide average 11% to achieve the above calculations.

This seems like a challenging and expensive feat. However, Labordena and her team found that 13% to 17% of the cost for employing best-practice emission standards in China would be earned back by high-functioning photovoltaic systems. Investors would see a quick turn around, Labordena said.

Improved public health, aiding the fight against global warming, and an increase in industry revenue should all be eye-catching initiatives for Chinese and other government officials in countries where smog is a huge problem. Based on Labordena’s study, reducing smog is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Battling smog can also increase solar power generation

In an effort to clean up Beijing’s smog problem caused...

A team of researchers led by <a href="https://www.yale.edu/">Yale University</a> has found that a new drug can help ease withdrawals among people who are dependent on cannabis. In addition to reporting fewer withdrawal symptoms, the study participants who took the drug exhibited better sleep patterns, which are typically disrupted in heavy users who are attempting to quit.

The drug is a fatty acid inhibitor that acts upon endocannabinoid metabolic receptors in the brain. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-lung-health/">marijuana</a> use declined among subjects who were administered the drug compared to those who were given a placebo.

Study co-author Deepak Cyril D'Souza is a professor of Psychiatry at Yale.

“With an increase of marijuana legalization efforts, it is reasonable to expect an increase in demand for treatment, and right now we don't have any medications to help individuals trying to quit,” said Professor D'Souza. 

According to DSM-5, the statistical manual of mental health disorders developed by the <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/">American Psychiatric Association</a>, cannabis use disorder (CUD) is marked by social and functional impairment, risky use, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms.

In 2015, around four million Americans met the diagnostic criteria for having CUD, and nearly 150,000 sought out treatment. Withdrawal symptoms include marijuana cravings, irritability, depression, insomnia, and a decrease in appetite and weight.

For their investigation, the Yale team recruited 70 males who used cannabis on a daily basis. All of the participants, including 46 who received the drug and 34 who received a placebo, endured forced withdrawal as patients in the research unit for the first week. After their release from the hospital, the individuals continued receiving treatment for three weeks as outpatients.

The new drug works by inhibiting fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the enzyme that degrades anandamide, a brain chemical that acts on brain cannabis receptors. Professor D'Souza explained, “Anandamide is to cannabis as endorphins are to heroin.”

Currently, a larger trial of the new drug funded by the U.S. National Institute of Drug Abuse is in progress.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(02)06284-0/fulltext">Lancet Psychiatry</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New drug can reduce cannabis withdrawal symptoms

A team of researchers led by Yale University has found...

As unbelievable as it sounds, a new study could lead to the development of a pill that would allow people to eat as much as they want without gaining weight. The experts behind the research are hopeful that their approach will ultimately help to combat <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/obesity-childhood-asthma-cases/">obesity</a> and other dangerous health conditions like diabetes.

The international team of scientists, which was led by Professor Damien Keating at <a href="https://www.flinders.edu.au/">Flinders University</a>, screened rodents to look for potential genetic candidates that may cause obesity. The researchers identified and removed a single gene known as RCAN1 in mice before feeding them a high fat diet. They discovered that the mice did not gain any weight, even after gorging on fatty foods for extended periods.

“We know a lot of people struggle to lose weight or even control their weight for a number of different reasons. The findings in this study could mean developing a pill which would target the function of RCAN1 and may result in weight loss,” said Professor Keating.

The human body contains two types of fat: brown fat which burns energy and white fat which stores energy. Professor Keating explained that blocking RCAN1 helps to transform unhealthy white fat into healthy brown fat, which makes it a potential treatment for obesity.

“We have already developed a series of drugs that target the protein that this gene makes, and we are now in the process of testing them to see if they inhibit RCAN1 and whether they might represent potential new anti-obesity drugs,” said Professor Keating.

“In light of our results, the drugs we are developing to target RCAN1 would burn more calories while people are resting. It means the body would store less fat without the need for a person to reduce food consumption or exercise more.”


According to the researchers, further studies are needed to determine if the same approach is effective in humans. 

“Our research is focused on understanding how cells send signals to each other and how this impacts health and the spread of disease,” explained Professor Keating.

“We really want to pursue this, it's exciting and we have research funding from the Australian government through the National Health and Medical Research Council to continue to explore viable options. These results show we can potentially make a real difference in the fight against obesity.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://embor.embopress.org/">EMBO Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New gene-targeting pill could help combat obesity

As unbelievable as it sounds, a new study could lead...

Engineers from the <a href="http://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</a> conceptualized a design for a renewable energy storage system that would stow away solar and wind power and feed it back to an electric grid to supply power to homes and businesses on demand.

The design, published December 5th in the journal <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/journals/journalissues/ee#!recentarticles&amp;adv">Energy and Environmental Science</a>, maps out a way to store excess heat generated by solar and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/what-happens-to-wind-power-when-theres-no-wind/">wind power</a> in large tanks of white-hot molten silicon. The system would convert light from the glowing silicon back into electricity, which can be used within a specific gridded area.

"Even if we wanted to run the grid on renewables right now we couldn't, because you'd need fossil-fueled turbines to make up for the fact that the renewable supply cannot be dispatched on demand," Asegun Henry, the Robert N. Noyce Career Development Associate Professor in the <a href="http://meche.mit.edu/">Department of Mechanical Engineering</a>, said. "We're developing a new technology that, if successful, would solve this most important and critical problem in energy and climate change, namely, the storage problem."

The team’s design, called TEGS-MPV, for Thermal Energy Grid Storage-Multi-Junction Photovoltaics, utilizes joule heating — a process by which an electric current passes through a heating element. TEGS-MPV does not require fields of mirrors, like current solar plants do, and operates at a higher temperature than current solar plants, which use hot salt to convert solar energy into electricity.

Instead, TEGS-MPV, affectionately called “sun in a box,” would use a large, insulated, 10-meter-wide graphite tank filled with liquid silicon, and kept at an even 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit. A series of tubes would connect this “cold” tank to a second, "hot" tank. Electricity from a town's solar cells would enter into the system and be converted to heat via the heating elements. 

Liquid silicon would then be pumped out of the cold tank and would heat up as it passes through the tube system exposed to the heating elements, and into the hot tank. Here is where the thermal energy would now be stored at a hot temperature of about 4,300 F.

Then, when electricity is needed, the molten, glowing liquid silicon would be pumped through another system of tubes that emit that light. Solar cells, called multijunction photovoltaics, turn that light into electricity, which can be introduced into a town’s grid. The then-cooled silicon would be pumped back into the cold tank to be used in the next round of storage.

The team estimates that their “sun in a box” system could help about a 100,000-home city be powered by renewable energy. Furthermore, their system is geographically unlimited and cheaper than pumped hydroelectric storage, the cheapest form of grid energy storage currently in use today.

“In theory,” Henry said, “this is the linchpin to enabling renewable energy to power the entire grid."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

“Sun in a box” pitched as a solar and wind power storage system

Engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conceptualized a design...

A team of researchers from the <a href="https://medschool.ucsd.edu/Pages/default.aspx">University of California San Diego School of Medicine</a> have taken a different approach to treating and preventing the parasitic disease malaria. Rather than waiting for the parasite to replicate within a victim’s blood, the team attempted to target the parasite when it initially infects a person’s liver. This new method of treatment could potentially unlock the key for preventing <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/dogs-diagnose-malaria/">malaria</a> infection altogether.

Researchers extracted malaria parasites from over one million mosquitos and tested over 500,000 chemical compounds that had the potential to shut down the parasite within a person’s liver. The team was able to narrow down their list to just 631 compounds that hold promise for the development of a malaria prevention drug.

The team’s findings, published December 7th in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, have already been made available within the scientific community.

“It's our hope that, since we're not patenting these compounds, many other researchers around the world will take this information and use it in their own labs and countries to drive antimalarial drug development forward," said Elizabeth Winzeler, PhD, professor of pharmacology and drug discovery at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Current malaria drugs only treat the symptoms after a person has become infected with the parasite. These drugs simply block the replication process within in the blood, however, they do not prevent infection nor the transmission of malaria parasites — Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax — via mosquito bite.

After finding these 631 promising compounds by way of engineering malaria sporozoites to produce the luciferase enzyme, and then applying certain compounds to see which ones turn the luciferase enzyme off, therefore killing the sporozoite, Winzeler’s team now hopes to figure out how these compounds work to move forward in the drug production. Her team will work alongside members of the <a href="https://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Health/Malaria">Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Malaria Drug Accelerator (MalDA)</a>, an international consortium focused on speeding up drug development.

"It's difficult for many people to consistently sleep under mosquito nets or take a daily pill," Winzeler concluded. "We've developed many other options for things like birth control. Why not malaria? The malaria research community has always been particularly collaborative and willing to share data and resources, and that makes me optimistic that we'll soon get there too."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A new breakthrough malaria prevention drug is just around the corner

A team of researchers from the University of California San...

A research team is arguing that Alzheimer's is not just one disease, but can actually be divided into six subgroups. The team suggests that this new approach could pave the way for more effective and personalized treatments. 

Currently, there is no cure for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-increase-alzheimers-risk/">Alzheimer's</a>, a debilitating disease that affects memory and causes cognitive decline. 

In the United States, 5.7 million people currently live with the disease, and the <a href="https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures">Alzheimer's Association</a> projects that by 2050, 14 million people will have it. 

Nineteen researchers across multiple institutions including the <a href="http://www.uwmedicine.org/education">University of Washington School of Medicine</a> found that Alzheimer's was not one disease but could be classified into different groups. The researchers published their findings in a new study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. 

“Alzheimer’s, like breast cancer, is not one disease,” said Shubhabrata Mukherjee, the lead author. “I think a good drug might fail in a clinical trial because not all the subjects have the same kind of Alzheimer’s.”

For the two-year study, the researchers took 4,500 participants across five different studies diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s and placed them into groups based on cognitive functioning. 

The average age of the participants was 80, and the researchers reviewed neuropsychological test scores and genetic data to identify biological differences across the groups. Participants were scored on memory, executive functioning, language, and visuospatial functioning. 

Executive functioning describes skills like time management and focusing on a task, and visuospatial functioning refers to how people see and interpret the space around them. 

The researchers then created six different subgroups based on the scores. Each of the groups included participants who had scored lower on one or more categories compared to the others. 

39 percent of the participants belonged to a group where the scores were close together across all four categories. 

The next group was the second largest, and the members of this group had lower memory scores compared to the other categories. 

The researchers also used genome-wide genetic data to find any similarities in gene variants between the groups.

Being able to classify Alzheimer's could create personalized treatments that target specific issues and the research helps explain why treatments and cures for Alzheimer's have thus far been ineffective. 

“The implications are exciting,” said Paul Crane, a corresponding author. “We have found substantial biological differences among cognitively defined subgroups of Alzheimer’s patients.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Researchers argue that Alzheimer’s is not just one disease

A research team is arguing that Alzheimer's is not just...

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

[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

[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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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