A massive new analysis suggests Americans don’t just differ in what they earn or how long they live - they also differ in how they experience wellness. 



Drawing on more than 325,000 survey responses collected over eight years, researchers found clear regional differences in wellness.



People in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions tend to score higher on “traditional” wellness, which includes <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-focused-medicine-physical-activity-reduces-chronic-disease-risk/">physical health,</a> finances, and social support.



Many Southern regions, by contrast, rank higher on “existential” wellness, such as purpose, meaning, and a strong sense of community identity. The pattern lines up with centuries-old settlement histories that still shape local norms today.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-measuring-wellness-two-ways">Measuring wellness two ways</h2>



The team worked with data from the <a href="https://news.gallup.com/topic/well-being-index.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index</a> spanning 2009–2016 and grouped responses into two broader composites.



“Traditional” wellness bundles tangible aspects of life - physical and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mental-health-crisis-half-of-the-worlds-population-will-be-affected-by-age-75/">mental health</a>, financial security, and day-to-day social support. 



“Existential” wellness captures the less tangible side - purpose, personal growth, community belonging, and living in line with one’s values.



Separating the two helps explain why some places thrive on paper (jobs, hospitals, income) yet still report a thinner sense of meaning - or the reverse.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-old-map-explains-modern-feelings"><a></a>An old map explains modern feelings</h2>



To test whether regional culture matters in wellness, the researchers turned to the American Nations Model. 



This framework divides the U.S. into historical “nations” based on who settled there first. Think Yankeedom, the Deep South, Greater Appalachia, El Norte, and others.



Each region inherited durable folkways about trust, autonomy, community, and authority. Even after accounting for education and income, these cultural footprints predicted distinctive wellness profiles where people live.



The headline split was clear. Northeastern and Midwestern regions, including Yankeedom, leaned higher on traditional wellness. 



Several Southern and frontier-legacy regions - such as the Deep South, Greater Appalachia, El Norte, and parts of the Far West - leaned higher on existential wellness.



In other words, the balance of “health and money” versus “purpose and belonging” shifts in systematic ways across the cultural map.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wellness-differences-stand-out">Wellness differences stand out</h2>



Statistically, the contrasts weren’t subtle. In within-region comparisons, traditional wellness significantly exceeded existential wellness in Yankeedom.



Existential wellness was higher in the Deep South and especially Greater Appalachia - the largest reversal in the set.



Several other regions showed smaller or no gaps, demonstrating that not every place fits a single mold.



These effects held in mixed-effects models that controlled for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-education-matters-for-healthy-aging-and-longevity/">education</a> and income and accounted for clustering within metropolitan areas.



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/existential-wellness_american-nations-settlements_PLOS-One_1m.jpg"><img src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/existential-wellness_american-nations-settlements_PLOS-One_1s.webp" alt="Wellbeing across the American Nations: First Settler Effects influence traditional and existential wellness. Credit: David R. Samson, Nathan Oesch, Colin Woodard" class="wp-image-1985865"/></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Wellbeing across the American Nations: First Settler Effects influence traditional and existential wellness. Click image to enlarge. Credit: David R. Samson, Nathan Oesch, Colin Woodard</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture-race-and-wellness">Culture, race, and wellness</h2>



The study also looked at Black and Hispanic residents across regions. Patterns generally echoed the broader map. 



Black and Hispanic respondents tended to show higher traditional wellness in Northeastern and Midwestern regions. They also reported higher existential wellness in Southern regions.



Notably, Black respondents showed consistently lower traditional wellness than white respondents across regions. In the Northeast and Midwest, they also fared worse on existential wellness. 



Together, these patterns suggest that material constraints and structural disparities remain powerful drivers.



At the same time, the relatively stronger existential scores in many Southern contexts may reflect the buffering role of community networks and cultural identity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cultural-roots-of-wellness">Cultural roots of wellness</h2>



Culture shapes where institutions flourish (hospitals, schools, civic groups), how people relate to one another (trust, norms of reciprocity), and what counts as a good life (autonomy vs. solidarity, achievement vs. belonging).



Those long-running preferences influence migration, policy choices, and investments that, over time, help set the table for different “flavors” of well-being.



The authors found the pattern persisted even after adjusting for education and income, and they reported model checks to reduce issues like multicollinearity among predictors.



That suggests the American Nations framework isn’t just a clever historical story - it adds real explanatory power to why wellness feels different in different parts of the country.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wellness-policy-must-fit-culture">Wellness policy must fit culture</h2>



If you want to boost <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/simply-looking-at-art-can-improve-your-well-being/">well-being</a>, focusing only on income or clinics may miss what makes people feel whole in a given place.



In regions that already score high on traditional metrics, investing in community identity, public spaces, and opportunities for contribution might move the needle on meaning and purpose.



In places rich in existential wellness but poorer on traditional metrics, policies that improve access to preventive care, stable work, and safety nets could pay outsized dividends.



Put simply, the study argues that wellness strategies work best when they respect the cultural ecologies where people live - strengthening what’s already strong while shoring up what’s thin.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-limits-and-a-next-step"><a></a>Limits - and a next step</h2>



This is an observational study using self-reported survey data; it can’t prove cause and effect. The American Nations borders blur in real life, people move, and city-level differences within regions can be large.



Still, with more than 325,000 respondents across 110 metro areas and eight years of data, the signal is hard to ignore. 



The authors call for digging into mechanisms: Which specific institutions or community practices best translate cultural inheritance into day-to-day well-being? 



And which levers - health infrastructure, schooling, neighborhood design, civic organizations - offer the highest return in each region?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-place-and-culture-shape-wellness">Place and culture shape wellness</h2>



Where you live doesn’t just shape your paycheck and your hospital bill. It also shapes how you experience a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/creativity-improves-life-satisfaction-and-overall-well-being/">good life</a> - whether that’s feeling financially secure and physically well, or feeling rooted in purpose and community.



The United States’ oldest settlement patterns still echo in those experiences today. 



They remind policymakers that the most effective pathways to human flourishing may look different from Boston to Birmingham to El Paso.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0327972" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PLOS One</a>.



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Wellness in America depends on culture and where you live

A massive new analysis suggests Americans don’t just differ in what they earn or how long they live - they also differ in how they experience wellness. Drawing on more than 325,000 survey responses collected over eight years, researchers found clear regional differences in wellness. People in the Northeastern and Midwestern regions tend to score higher on “traditional” wellness, which includes physical health, finances, and social support. Many Southern regions, by contrast, rank higher on “existential” wellness, such as purpose, meaning, and a strong sense of community...

While you may think that stores offering you free food samples are doing so in the hopes that you purchase that particular item, it’s possible that the bigger win for them is that you are now conditioned to receiving a reward at that location. Although it’s unlikely that any store owners know this – given that the study detailing this process was only just published – it may help you think more carefully about exactly why you are now more inclined to return to that store.

In a study published in <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, researchers from the <a href="http://med.stanford.edu/">Stanford University School of Medicine</a> show how rats’ spatial maps used to navigate new environments actually get redrawn when rats learn that they’ll receive a reward at a certain place on the map. And because rats’ spatial mapping system is the same as ours, it’s possible that this same process applies to us, and could play a role in addictive behavior. 

Scientists have long assumed that the brain’s internal GPS always provides you with the same map, regardless of whether you’re hungry, angry, or scared – but this new research has found that this not the case. 

“In this study, we’ve learned your internal map changes depending on your behavior, memories and state of mind,” says Lisa Giocomo, PhD, an assistant professor of neurobiology at Stanford and the study’s senior author. “We pull up different maps for the same space, depending on what we’re actually trying to do in that space.”

Giocomo has focused her research on the area of the brain called the medial entorhinal cortex, which is used in navigation as it integrates information from our senses to create maps of new places. Scientists have recently learned that various nerve cells in our medial entorhinal cortex act as compasses, speedometers, latitude and longitude coordinates, or boundary and landmark detectors. And because these cells have been found in rodents, bats, monkeys, and human, it’s believed that this spatial-mapping circuitry is a universal mechanism in mammalian navigation.

This particular study was designed to test goal-driven behavior in rats. It involved two big boxes of the same size and shape, in which the floors were randomly scattered with Cheerios. Giocomo explains that “they love Cheerios." In both boxes, the rats could forage freely for Cheerios, but the second box had an unmarked, 8-by-8-inch “reward zone” on the floor. In this box, the rats soon learned that if they navigated to the reward zone after hearing an auditory cue, they would be guaranteed to get a good-sized Cheerio reward. This reward was available only once in a while, and only for a short period of time after the auditory cue.

The researchers implanted electrodes in hundreds of nerve cells in the medial entorhinal cortex of the rats, allowing them to monitor individual nerve cells’ electrical activity. Through collecting this data, they were able to identify individual cells in each rat’s medial entorhinal cortex that served as compasses, speedometers, and position detectors.

The team also found that once a rat had learned enough about how the two box environments differed with the absence or presence of a “reward zone,” many of these spatial-map cells changed their firing patterns whenever the animal got close to the reward zone. When the rats came close to the center of this zone, their position-signifying cells fired faster, and the position-signifying cells that were firing were spaced closer together, which indicates higher spatial resolution. 

“This tells us the rat’s brains are making a new map of space, in response to their experience of a reward, that reflects the importance of the place where they got it by providing a more accurate representation of its position,” explains Giocomo.

Extrapalating these findings to humans and substance abuse, if the reward in this scenario is drugs and not Cheerios, it’s possible that the improved accuracy at the center of the reward-based map could actually enable an addict’s habit. So along with teaching us more about how the spatial mapping of our brains may function, this new research could potentially help shed light on the intricacies of addiction issues.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The brain’s spatial map may be influenced by where we receive rewards

While you may think that stores offering you free food...

While there are many apps and games out there that claim to make you smarter, scientifically speaking all these apps do is make you good at that specific game.

Getting these skills to transfer to real world problem solving is whole other matter, and it's such a frustrating problem for cognitive researchers that it's even got a catchy name, “the curse of specificity.”

In other words, even though you may be remarkably skilled at a brain-training memory game, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll be any better at not forgetting what to buy at the store. 

But now, researchers from <a href="https://www.brown.edu/">Brown University</a> may have found a way to transfer learning from an activity to the real world.

Their findings were published in the journal Current Biology.

“This challenge of transferring improvements on specific, simple cognitive tasks to complex, everyday tasks has been called the ‘curse of specificity,’” said Takeo Watanabe, an author of the study. 

For cognitive researchers like Watanabe, this curse presents a problem when trying to apply hopeful results from studies to patients to help <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/running-faster-learning-ability/#.XJv89ShKhPY">improve cognition</a>. 

For the new study, the researchers focused on visual perception learning where the neurons in the visual part of the brain are occupied with processing an object's features so the object can be later identified. 

The researchers had 12 participants who were graduate or undergraduate students take part in a categorization experiment. 

“Categorization is the process the brain uses to determine if, for example, an image is a snake or a stick, and it generally occurs in a higher brain region,” said Yuka Sasaki, a co-author of the study. “Doing categorization before the visual perceptual learning tasks was a simple idea, but the effect of transfer on that level is huge.”

The participants were first taught to categorize blurry striped circles called Gabor patches into two groups depending on the angle of the stripes in the circle. 

For the next five days, participants practiced identifying and categorizing the Gabor patches.

Next, the researchers tested the participant's categorization abilities and how well they could recognize patches with angles they had practiced on and patches with angles in the same category. 

Not surprisingly, the participants improved the most on recognizing the patches they had practice with, but the researchers also found that there was some transfer of learning as the participants improved in identifying Gabor patches of the same category. 

“Usually learning is very specific, but categorization -- which happens often in our daily lives -- can make transfer possible,” said Sasaki. “We think that this finding could be especially useful for clinical purposes. You won't have to train patients on every possible combination of stimuli.”

Next, the researchers would like to continue exploring how categorization helps learning transfer using magnetic resonance imaging to record brain activity as participants take part in visual perception learning training.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How categorization could be key to applying brain training to real life

While there are many apps and games out there that...

The human understanding of death has always been closely tied to religion.  What other human activity claims to have any sort of control over death than a system of worship?  The oldest evidence for any sort of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/prehistoric-religion">spiritual or religious belief</a> comes from the remains of ceremonial burials dating back to the Paleolithic Era.  The burials include human corpses interred with tools and flowers. It seems that from the beginning, religions were about the business of asserting control over the aspect of life most impossible to control or come to terms with – death.  Religions ever since have seemed obsessed with death and the hope for human immortality.

The Ancient Egyptians built enormous stone monuments with slave labor and created elaborate embalming rituals as evidence of their fear of death.  Christians and other monotheistic religions make Heaven and Hell as major tenets of the faith. Other religions focus on reincarnation as a way to escape the brevity of human existence.  Considering the obsession with death, it’s not surprising that worship would turn towards animals that can kill. 

Few animals inspire as much fear as crocodilians.  <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/crocodiles-hide-caves/">Crocodiles</a> and their relatives seem to have ambivalence towards humans, occasionally eating them and showing no obvious outward fear for us.  

In ancient Egypt, there were many cults surrounding different deities associated with animals both wild and domesticated.  Ibises, cats and jackals have been found mummified. One of the most fascinating cults focusing around an animal deity is the ancient Egyptian crocodile cult.  Hundreds of mummified crocodiles, both those killed very young and those that died of old age, have been found. It’s not entirely clear what the exact role of the crocodiles were in these cults, but they were associated with temples to Sobek, a crocodile headed god and other lesser gods as well.  There are breeding facilities found with striking similarity to modern crocodile or alligator captive rearing facilities from the Graeco-Roman period of ancient Egypt. It seems that especially docile crocodiles were kept alive in temples where they were venerated in life. Other parts of the African region also show adoration for crocodiles.

In Madagascar, <a href="https://www.madamagazine.com/en/der-see-der-krokodile/">there is a myth</a> associated with a particular village. The myth says that long ago, an old man came to the village and walked around asking for water.  Instead of granting him this simple request, the villagers shut their doors and ignored the old man’s thirst. Only one woman gave the old man water and so the old man told her, “When your child cries tonight, take your children and leave the village”.

That night, it rained heavily in the village and the woman’s young child started crying.  Remembering the old man’s advice, the woman took her children and left her home, walking away from the village in the rain.  The next day the woman returned to the village to find it under a lake. In the lake swam the villagers who had been magically transformed into crocodiles.  The old man had been a sorcerer and this was his revenge. 

Today, a village in Madagascar still holds this myth to mean that crocodiles in a local lake represent the embodiment of their ancestors.  When the villagers have a need of assistance, they sing a prayer which brings the crocodiles to the edge of the lake where they’re given an offering of zebu (a type of cow) meat.  If a crocodile accepts the meat, it means the prayer will be answered. If the meat is ignored, it means the prayer will be ignored as well. It’s hard to know how old such a tradition may be.  Since Madagascar had its first human inhabitants arrive as late as 2,000 years ago, the crocodile worship in Madagascar can’t be older than Christianity. It’s possible that the worship at a particular lake in Madagascar is associated with a much older tradition.  

In India, there’s a worshipful affection for crocodiles as well. <a href="https://www.indiatimes.com/news/weird/meet-babiya-the-vegetarian-crocodile-who-guards-a-temple-in-kerala-245392.html">India Times</a> reports that there’s a temple in India guarded by a crocodile claimed to be vegetarian.  The crocodile lives in a pond near the temple where he’s fed daily by priests. It’s said that a crocodile living in the pond was once shot by a British soldier who then died of a snake bite as part of cosmic justice.  Another crocodile is said to have miraculously replaced the previous animal, leading to the idea that as soon as one crocodile dies, another replaces it. <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/130-year-old-crocodile-dies-villagers-mourn/article25970924.ece">The Hindu</a> reports on another venerated crocodile that was said to have lived to be 130 years old.  When the crocodile was found dead in its lake, local villagers mourned the deceased reptilian, even refusing to cook meals for the day.  Being eaten by a crocodile is also thought by some Hindus to be a good death. 

In Australia, crocodiles are used as totem, associated with certain aboriginal groups and honored as such.  <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/07/02/3536791.htm">ABC Darwin Radio</a> reports that the Larrakia people of northern Australia respect the crocodile, called ‘Dungalaba’ in their language.  The word is an important one, as it’s remembered as part of a language that is no longer spoken fluently by anyone. The crocodile is recognized as dangerous, but also the people desire it to live in its native habitat near them.  The relationship is similar to that of anyone who loves wild animals that can sometimes also be dangerous. 

It’s easy to imagine that the mythology, worship and respect surrounding crocodiles in so many different cultures is an important way to face fear. Other dangerous animals and phenomena are traditionally worshiped or respected; things such as thunder, bears and so on all have their deities and myths.

When you can be literally eaten by a crocodile, it’s comforting to understand the animal and perhaps even the death of someone eaten by it in a mythological way.  By making crocodiles part of mythology, they become more sensible as does death. This imbues the crocodile and its prey with meaning otherwise lacking in an uncaring world.  When you can be eaten, it’s comforting to feel it means more than just a snack. 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

In a number of different cultures, crocodiles are worshipped

The human understanding of death has always been closely tied...

A team of neuroscientists at the <a href="http://www.cbm.uam.es/joomla-rl/index.php/en/research/publications/digital-csic/64-about-cbmso">Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center</a> (CBMSO) in Madrid has found new evidence that older adults are still developing new brain cells. Scientists have long debated whether this process, known as neurogenesis, persists after the brain is fully developed. The new research suggests that neurogenesis is still taking place far beyond middle age. 

A study published last year in the journal Nature reported that neurogenesis slows to a halt by adolescence. This contradicts the outcome of previous investigations that found new neurons in <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/older-adults-feel-younger-control/">older adults</a>.


However, experts such as CBMSO neuroscientist María Llorens-Martín questioned the methods used in the Nature study. The research was focused on 59 samples of human brain tissue, some of which had been immersed in paraformaldehyde for months or years. 

According to Llorens-Martín, paraformaldehyde forms bonds between the components that make up neurons, turning the cells into a gel. She explained that this makes it difficult to detect the doublecortin (DCX) protein, which is considered by many scientists to be the “gold standard” marker of immature neurons.

According to the study authors, the number of brain cells that test positive for DCX declines sharply after the tissue is immersed for just 48 hours in paraformaldehyde. Llorens-Martín noted that detecting new neurons is “almost impossible” after six months. 


The CBMSO team examined brain tissue samples from adults between the ages of 43 and 87, which had only been preserved in paraformaldehyde for 24 hours. They found that tens of thousands of cells tested positive for DCX in the dentate gyrus region of the hippocampus. Llorens-Martín said that the neurons showed youthful characteristics under the microscope. They were smooth and plump with simple, undeveloped branches.

In the brain tissue of the youngest donor, there were about 42,000 immature neurons per square millimeter of brain tissue. Compared to this sample, there were 30 percent fewer new neurons in the sample from the oldest donor. The study also revealed that people suffering from Alzheimer’s had 30 percent fewer immature neurons compared to healthy donors of the same age.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nm/">Nature Medicine</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Older adults can still produce new brain cells, research shows

A team of neuroscientists at the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">UC San Francisco</a> set out to investigate how your brain knows when you have had enough water and allows you to stop feeling thirsty. While the team had found in a previous study that there are sensors in the mouth and throat that assist in this process, the experts felt there were still unanswered questions.

“This fast signal from the mouth and throat appears to track how much you drink and match that to what your body needs,” said study lead author Christopher Zimmerman. “But we also knew that this fast signal couldn't explain everything.”

In particular, the researchers wanted to understand how the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/physical-exercise-strengthen-brain/">brain</a> knows the exact amount of hydration a certain drink will provide. For example, salty sea water does not quench thirst, but would activate many of the same receptors in the mouth and throat as drinking water.

The team implanted optical fibers near the hypothalamus of mice to watch the activity of thirst neurons while the animals drank salty water. As expected, the neurons ceased activity as soon as the thirsty animals took a drink. However, the neurons quickly switched back on, suggesting that some other sensor tested the water and sent out an alert to the brain that it was too salty.

The researchers speculated that these signals were coming from the gut. To investigate, liquid was distributed directly into the stomachs of thirsty mice while the experts observed the activity of the thirst neurons. The experiment revealed that delivering fresh water to the gut deactivated the cells the same way as taking a drink, but the thirst neurons remained active after salt water was delivered.

The findings suggest that the sensors in the mouth and throat signal the brain to temporarily quench thirst to reward animals for taking a drink, but the decision of whether the thirst is quenched is then reviewed by neurons based on a second round of signals from sensors in the gut.

“Interestingly, salt water didn't drive drinking in well-hydrated mice, just in mice who were already thirsty,” said Zimmerman. “This suggests that signals from the gut are needed to quench thirst, but that you actually need to become dehydrated to trigger thirst in the first place.”

Dr. Zachary Knight is a neuroscientist and an associate professor of Physiology at UCSF. 

“This is the first time we've been able to watch in real time as single neurons integrate signals from different parts of the body to control a behavior like drinking,” said Dr. Knight. “This opens the door to studying how all these signals interact, such as how stress or body temperature influences thirst and appetite.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/">Nature</a>.
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sensors in the gut help the brain determine if we are hydrated

Researchers at UC San Francisco set out to investigate how...

A new study from the <a href="https://healthcare.utah.edu/">University of Utah Health</a> has revealed that pairing music with medications may be an effective way to manage pain. In particular, a mouse model showed that the combination of ibuprofen and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/music-listeners-brainwaves/">music</a> improved pain associated with inflammation by more than 90 percent.

“We know these drugs work without music but they can produce toxicity and adverse effects,” said study senior author Dr. Grzegorz Bulaj. “The holy grail is to combine the right drug with this new paradigm of music exposure, so we do not need as much drug for analgesic effects.”

The researchers tested this new strategy using a model that mimics inflammatory pain and a model that mimics surgical pain. The mice examined in the study were separated into two groups, including a control group that was exposed to ambient noise and a group that listened to three three-hour sessions of Mozart for 21 days.

“Music is like DNA. We had musicians analyze sequences of several Mozart pieces to optimize the playlist,” said Dr. Bulaj. “This was exciting but challenging to integrate these musical analyses into neuropharmacology.”

The study was conducted four times with ibuprofen, cannabidiol, levetiracetam, and the galanin analog NAX 5055. Both groups of mice received one suboptimal dose of each drug for comparison. 

When paired with music, ibuprofen reduced pain responses in the inflammation pain model by 93 percent compared to the drug alone. In addition, music and cannabidiol or NAX 5055 reduced swelling by up to 21 percent in the inflammatory pain model, while music alone reduced pain by 77 percent in the surgical pain model.

“There is emerging evidence that music interventions can alleviate pain when administered either alone or in combination with other therapies,” said study first author Dr. Cameron Metcalf. “I was particularly excited to see reduced swelling in the inflammatory pain model.”

According to Dr. Metcalf, medications currently available to treat inflammation do not show the same effectiveness in such a short amount of time. 

"It is exciting to think of what this might mean for the anti-inflammatory effects of music interventions and where the research may take us next,” said Dr. Metcalf.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology">Frontiers in Neurology</a>.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Music can be combined with medication to improve pain relief

A new study from the University of Utah Health has...

Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and other <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/cleaning-products-gain-weight/">cleaning products</a> are marketed for their ability to kill germs and dangerous bacteria. You can find bottles of hand sanitizer in almost any bathroom, office, and doctor’s office. 

Hand sanitizer is even sometimes used to replace soap in situations where hand-washing is not an option. But have you ever wondered what exactly is in hand sanitizer and if overexposure to any of the chemicals and ingredients used in these products can pose a risk to your health? 

Sure, you could start by checking the ingredients list, but unfortunately there’s only so much information you can garner from a label, especially when it comes to chemicals. 

Unlike food products, cleaning products aren’t as thoroughly regulated as we might hope. The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) only requires manufacturers of cleaning products to list agents that are active disinfectants or of “known concern.” 

If cleaning companies don’t have to put an ingredient on the label, they won’t, most likely in an effort to protect trade secrets. 

In her book, Green Goes With Everything, author Sloan Barnett explains that because of the Toxic Substance Control Act of 1976, the EPA can only force a company to prove the safety of a product if the agency has found it poses a health risk. 

Testing the thousands of chemicals that go into our cleaning products would require a massive amount of resources and funding that the EPA just doesn’t have and, under the current Trump administration, isn’t likely to receive.

If the government isn’t even aware of what chemicals pose health risks and manufacturers aren’t stringently testing their products for safety, how are we as consumers supposed to be smart about what chemicals we allow in our homes? 

Take Triclosan, for example. Triclosan is a common antibacterial agent added to antibacterial soaps, body washes, toothpastes, and even cosmetics. In 2016, the<a href="https://www.pharmacytoday.org/article/S1042-0991(17)30602-3/pdf"> Food and Drug Administration </a>announced a ban on 19 active ingredients in soaps and body washes, triclosan among them, because research showed that daily exposure to triclosan in animals decreased thyroid hormone levels. 

While triclosan was banned from antibacterial soaps, the ban did not extend to hand sanitizers, and so you still might be using toothpaste or cosmetics that contain <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/well/live/why-your-toothpaste-has-triclosan.html">triclosan</a>. 

“There’s seldom any way for you to know either what kinds of chemicals are in tub cleaner, detergent, shampoo, air freshener, nail polish, makeup, or anything else, or whether any of the ingredients are toxic,” Barnett <a href="https://www.today.com/health/dirty-truth-about-cleaning-products-wbna26903507">wrote</a>. “About the only information we’re commonly given is what the warning label on the product as a whole says — assuming it has one.”

Besides exposure to unknown harmful ingredients, there are other major risk factors that need to be addressed when we look at cleaning products. Many of these toxic and harmful products warn of potential poisoning when used incorrectly or ingested. 

Hand sanitizer is a good example of a product that besides containing harmful ingredients, could also be easily misused by children due to their scents, colors, and easy availability. A good majority of hand sanitizers on the market today are alcohol based. 

“Many caregivers are unaware of the very high alcohol content present in alcohol-based hand sanitizers, which can contain up to 60% to 95% alcohol,” said Cynthia Santos, MD, from CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health. “Young children may inadvertently consume these hand sanitizers because of their appealing scents, like apple, vanilla, and citrus.”

Santos, along with a team of researchers, conducted a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5657893/">study</a> analyzing exposure to alcohol and non-alcohol based hand sanitizers in children 12 and younger and found that exposures can range from intentional or unintentional ingestion, inhalation, or dermal and ocular exposures. 

These exposures come with serious health risks and can cause apnea, irritation, nausea, and vomiting, to name a few. 

Another problem with hand sanitizer aside from toxicity and potential for misuse is what the antibacterial agents do to your body’s natural germ defenses and microbiome. 

One 2018 <a href="http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/10/452/eaar6115">study</a> found that a bacterium resistant to multiple drugs, Enterococcus faecium, has grown more tolerant of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. 

This is a major problem since drug resistance in health care settings where hand sanitizers and disinfectants are widely used and distributed is an <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-environment/#.XJlCayhKhPY">increasingly difficult challenge. </a>

“We have to be careful about this new trend towards heavy reliance on alcohol-based hand sanitizers,” Lance Price, a professor at the George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health and the founding director of GW's Antibiotic Resistance Action Center, told <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/08/02/635017716/some-bacteria-are-becoming-more-tolerant-of-hand-sanitizers-study-finds">NPR</a>.  “Soap and water should be our number-one protection,” 

Hand sanitizer and many other cleaning products that tout their germ-fighting abilities can lull consumers into a sort of false sense of security, not realizing the long-term risks of exposure or if the products are doing more harm than good. 

When we rub hand-sanitizer on our hands, we may be unwittingly lowering our own immunity by killing off the colonies of bacteria, both good and bad, that make up our skin’s microbiome. 

“One aspect of hand sanitizers that is usually overlooked is that they can affect bodies’ microbiomes in a few ways, and some of these ways could be bad,” Jonathan Eisen, a microbiologist at the University of California at Davis, told <a href="https://www.popsci.com/is-hand-sanitizer-bad-for-my-microbiome">Popular Science</a>. “While they are killing potentially dangerous microbes, they are also altering the communities of beneficial bacteria on the skin.”

More research is needed to see how hand sanitizers and disinfectants impact the body’s microbiome and ability to stave off germs, but often the simplest solution is best, as nothing beats soap and water to keep your hands clean. 

“Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”

Even with soap, you might have products and brands that contain problematic ingredients which is why it’s crucial to always look at the ingredients, do your research if you’re unsure, and consider both your health and the environmental impacts when you purchase cleaning products, cosmetics, and hygiene products. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How clean (and safe) are cleaning products and sanitizers?

Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, and other cleaning products are marketed...

A new study from <a href="https://www.pdx.edu/">Portland State University</a> has revealed that there is greater potential for flooding and extreme heat in East Portland's low-income neighborhoods where there are fewer green spaces. In particular, the research was focused on nuisance flooding, which is the kind of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/historic-flooding-nebraska-iowa/">flooding</a> that shuts down roads, overwhelms storm drains, and flows into basements.

Portland is burdened with extreme heat in the summer months and frequent flooding in the winter and spring, and these conditions will only become worse as a result of climate change. 

The PSU researchers mapped winter flood and summer heat hazard potential and then compared it to sociodemographic and physical variables across individual neighborhoods, including population density, income, and green space.

The study revealed that the areas with the greatest combined hazard potential were poorer communities clustered in East Portland, Southeast Portland, and North Portland. By contrast, the city's wealthier neighborhoods in the western hills, central Northeast, and in the Southwest showed the lowest risk for extreme heat and flooding.

Heejun Chang is a Geography professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at PSU and the director of the Water as an Integrated System and Environment (WISE) research group.

“Not surprisingly, those poorer, low-lying areas on the eastside along Highway 205 are disproportionately exposed to floods and urban heat islands,” said Professor Chang. “Those are the potential target areas where the city needs to pay attention to.”


According to Professor Chang, planting trees is an easy and effective action to ease both urban heat and flooding. 

“If you can better manage land, you can better manage water in the urban areas. During the summer, trees can provide shading and reduce the heat island effect. But during winter, they can intercept the rainwater, hold water in the soils longer, and release water gradually.”

Professor Chang said that in some areas where impervious surface areas are too high, green roofs might be a better alternative. His team will continue to explore ways to expand green infrastructure to reduce the potential for extreme heat and nuisance flooding.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-disaster-risk-reduction">International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Low-income areas are more vulnerable to severe heat and flooding

A new study from Portland State University has revealed that...

The transition from living at home to going away to college can be a difficult challenge for many students to overcome. Researchers have found that even though 18 is an age that corresponds with many adult milestones such as college, voting, and legally being able to live independently of one’s parents, mentally we don’t <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/adulthood-begin-age-30/#.XJppRShKhPY">fully reach adulthood until our 30s</a>. 

In addition, many mental illnesses like depression and bipolar disorder are more likely to manifest during a person’s 20s, and college is an especially vulnerable time with many new pressures and expectations. 

Now, a new study has revealed how psychological support at home can go a long way in making the college transition easier for students.

Researchers from the <a href="https://missouri.edu/">University of Missouri</a> examined how parental relationships impacted millennials and found that students who felt like their psychological needs were met and who had a strong sense of autonomy were better able to adjust and thrive to the college environment. 

The results, published in the Journal of Social Psychology, also show that millennials who feel like their parents are overbearing or controlling have a harder time adjusting, feel less supported and cared for, and worry more. 

“Millennial college students are experiencing poorer psychological health than any other previous generation,” said Nathaniel Greene, the leader of the study. “An early indication of student's well-being is their initial worry about college, but understanding what factors might mitigate worry prior to millennials' transition into college is limited in current research.”

For this study, the researchers surveyed 335 students during college orientation in the summer before freshman year. Information on the students, including demographics, history of family education, basic need satisfaction, and how worried each student was at the prospect of going to college, was collected and analyzed for the research. 

After analyzing the survey data, the researchers found that students who felt like their parents supported their needs were less worried. 

It was autonomy that was the biggest predictor of worry in the students, and if a student felt in control and had a strong sense of independence, they reported far less apprehension compared to students who didn’t feel in control. 

“Parents, peers, and educators should support millennial students' basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness both before and after the transition to college, as they are essential to their overall psychological health,” said Greene. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Psychological support makes transitioning to college easier, study shows

The transition from living at home to going away to...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.qut.edu.au/">Queensland University of Technology</a> (QUT) has found that one in five women and one in eight men are compromising their sleep to spend more time on their <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/smartphones-sleep-deprivation-kids/">mobile phones</a>. The researchers found a major increase in the amount of this “technoference” in the last 13 years.

The study was focused on the survey responses of more than 700 mobile phone users across Australia between the ages of 18 and 83 in 2018. The questions were replicated from a previous survey that was conducted in 2005. 

When the researchers compared the data between 2005 and 2018, they found significant increases in people blaming their phones for losing sleep, becoming less productive, taking more risks while driving, and even blaming their phones for more aches and pains.

According to study lead author Dr. Oscar Oviedo-Trespalacios, the survey results showed 24 percent of women and 15 percent of men could now be classified as “problematic mobile phone users.” Among 18 to 24 year-olds, this number jumps to 40.9 percent.

“When we talk about technoference we're referring to the everyday intrusions and interruptions that people experience due to mobile phones and their usage,” said Dr. Oviedo-Trespalacios. “Our survey found technoference had increased among men and women, across all ages.”

“For example, self-reports relating to loss of sleep and productivity showed that these negative outcomes had significantly increased during the last 13 years. This finding suggests that mobile phones are potentially increasingly affecting aspects of daytime functioning due to lack of sleep and increasing dereliction of responsibilities.”

One positive finding was that fewer people reported having phone bills that they could not afford to pay. Over the 13-year time span, the number of people who found it difficult to switch off their phone remained fairly constant.

Dr. Oviedo-Trespalacios said that the survey results also implied that smartphones are being used as a coping strategy, with one in four women and one in six men reporting that they would rather use their phone than deal with more pressing issues.

The number of smartphone users is expected to exceed 2.5 billion this year worldwide. In Australia alone, about 88 percent of adults now own a smartphone, which is one of the highest smartphone usage rates in the world.

“The speed and depth of smartphone take-up in Australia makes our population particularly vulnerable to some of the negative consequences of high mobile phone use,” said Dr. Oviedo-Trespalacios. 

“Rapid technological innovations over the past few years have led to dramatic changes in today's mobile phone technology - which can improve the quality of life for phone users but also result in some negative outcomes. These include anxiety and, in some cases, engagement in unsafe behaviors with serious health and safety implications such as mobile phone distracted driving.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry">Frontiers in Psychiatry</a>.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

‘Technoference’: Our smartphones are costing us sleep and productivity

A new study from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT)...

According to new research from <a href="https://wsu.edu/">Washington State University</a>, female bosses and businesswomen are often perceived as dishonest and untrustworthy by her peers and employees. These findings are published in <a href="https://www.springer.com/psychology/journal/11199">Sex Roles</a>.

“'Highly attractive women can be perceived as dangerous and that matters when we are assessing things like how much we trust them and whether we believe that what they are saying is truthful,” said lead author Leah Sheppard. “It becomes more nuanced when we look at gender. For women there are certain contexts in which they don't seem to benefit from their beauty.”

Based on their experiments and conversations with both female and male study participants, the researchers believe that this distrust of attractive <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/heart-attacks-young-women/">females</a> in traditional “masculine” roles stems from a place of jealousy and sexual insecurity. Furthermore, evolution has made us subconsciously view attractive females as threats and liars who can steal away sexual partners. 

For their experiment, researchers pulled images from a “professional woman” Google search and asked participants to rate their attractiveness. 

Then, researchers asked 198 participants, both male and female, who they would believe more — a female or male boss — who is delivering bad news from the company. Both men and women agreed that they would be less likely to believe an attractive woman. And some participants even said that female bosses are more deserving of being fired compared to male bosses.

However, when researchers told participants to think of a time when they felt most secure in a romantic relationship, meaning their partner was 'faithful and committed to them alone,” their opinions toward attractive female bosses shifted. Being more sexually secure, the attractiveness of a female boss no longer played a role in the perception of being trustworthy.

“[Attractive women are] going to be challenged in terms of building trust,” Sheppard said. “That's not to say that they can't do it. It's just that trust is probably going to form a bit more slowly.'”

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Attractive female bosses are perceived as deceitful “femme fatales”

According to new research from Washington State University, female bosses...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.cogneurosociety.org/">Cognitive Neuroscience Society</a> (CNS) has revealed that the brain waves of babies literally sync with their moms as they are learning from them. The researchers found that the more this neural activity is synchronized, the faster an <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/babies-laughing-friends-strangers/">infant</a> will learn in the social environment. 

“Despite the fact that this is such a powerful learning mechanism, surprisingly little is known about how the human brain performs social learning,” said Victoria Leong of the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>. “When we connect neurally with others, we are opening ourselves to receiving information and influence from others.”

A collection of research will be presented at this year’s CNS meeting by cognitive neuroscientists who are learning more about the social brain by finding new ways to study it. 

“We're this massively social species and yet the field of neuroscience has focused on the brain in isolation,” said Thalia Wheatley of Dartmouth College. “There's this huge gap in knowledge about how our brains work in concert with other minds.”

Leong’s team investigated how a mother’s emotional response toward new toys affected the baby's interaction with the toys. The infants and mothers were wearing wireless EEG technology as the babies watched their moms react to various objects. 

The mothers would either show a positive emotion about an object by smiling and saying “I like this,” or would frown and say “I don't like this.” Next, the babies selected which object to play with, while the researchers analyzed whether the level of “neural synchrony” between the mother and infant predicted how the infant would respond to the toys. 

“We found that stronger neural synchrony predicted a higher likelihood of social learning by the infant,” said Leong. 

The team noted that social signals such as eye contact were associated with increased synchronization and improved social learning. According to Leong, however, there is still much work to be done to identity exactly what leads to the neural synchrony.


The study findings produced a clear message about mother-infant bonding. “There is no substitute for being physically present and in the moment to connect with an infant.”

The research will be presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society 26th Annual Meeting in San Francisco this week.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Babies learn social cues faster when neural activity syncs with mom

A new study from the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) has...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that scientists never expected.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hidden-waters-beneath-ancient-craters">Hidden waters beneath ancient craters</h2>



Scientists have made a startling discovery that challenges everything we thought we knew about <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saturn-moon-mimas-has-remarkably-young-ocean/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saturn's moon Mimas</a>. Beneath the heavily cratered surface that earned it the nickname "Death Star" lies a global ocean that formed just 5 to 15 million years ago—a remarkably young age by cosmic standards.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cassini-data-reveals-orbital-secrets">Cassini data reveals orbital secrets</h2>



The discovery, led by Dr. Valéry Lainey of the <a href="https://observatoiredeparis.psl.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Observatoire de Paris</a>, emerged from careful analysis of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NASA</a>'s Cassini spacecraft data. By studying subtle irregularities in Mimas's orbit around Saturn, researchers detected the gravitational signature of liquid water hidden 20 to 30 kilometers beneath the moon's icy shell.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-an-unlikely-ocean-world">An unlikely ocean world</h2>



At only 400 kilometers in diameter, Mimas seemed like the least likely candidate to harbor a subsurface ocean. Unlike other ocean moons such as Europa and Enceladus, which show clear surface signs of internal activity, Mimas displays no obvious hints of the liquid water beneath its ancient, crater-scarred exterior.



"Mimas is a small moon, and its heavily cratered surface gave no hint of the hidden ocean beneath," explained Dr. Nick Cooper from <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Queen Mary University of London</a>, a study co-author.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-implications-for-astrobiology">Implications for astrobiology</h2>



The ocean's recent formation makes Mimas a prime target for studying how oceans develop and potentially support life. This discovery adds another member to the exclusive club of ocean worlds in our solar system, each offering unique insights into the conditions necessary for habitability.



The research, published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a> journal, demonstrates how advanced orbital analysis can reveal hidden features of celestial bodies, opening new possibilities for understanding ocean formation throughout the cosmos.



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Scientists discover unexpected young ocean on Saturn's cratered moon Mimas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E0mn5mTvhQ 'Death Star' moon Mimas conceals a 15-million-year-old ocean that...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE
</div></figure>



On the unforgiving landscape of North Greenland, temperatures drop and sunlight barely penetrates through the polar winter. It was here, however, that an international team of scientists found <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predatory-worms-were-terror-beasts-half-a-billion-years-ago/#google_vignette" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence of sea monsters</a> that would change our understanding of ocean life in the past.



This video captures the discovery of Timorebestia fossils that had been hidden for more than 500 million years in the Sirius Passet formation. The "terror beasts," as they are called, are a hidden chapter in the evolutionary history of <a href="https://www.earth.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth</a>, showing that sophisticated predator-prey interactions occurred much earlier than previously envisioned.



Dr. Jakob Vinther and his research team at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bristol</a>, in collaboration with researchers at the <a href="https://eng.kopri.re.kr/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Korean Polar Research Institute</a>, braved extreme weather conditions at 82.5 north latitude to locate these giant creatures. Using sophisticated electron microprobe analysis, they revealed the detailed anatomy of the animals, including their muscle and nerve tissues.



The find upsets the traditional timeline of sea predators. Although we've long appreciated that Cambrian oceans were at one time ruled by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWI3-UgA3_o&amp;list=PL1QLQMW9MWDwpkFOnvgAmu7wT6rZmYqdJ&amp;index=19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arthropods</a>, these discoveries indicate that relatives of arrow worms were first to dominate the seas. These worms were building sophisticated food webs several million years before other predator groups arose.



Each fossil is a story of ancient hunger, with fossil stomach contents revealing these meter-long beasts dined on heavily armored arthropods regularly, cementing their place as the ocean's first apex predators.



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE On the unforgiving landscape of North Greenland, temperatures drop...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3JH03PqEQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New York is the site of the world's oldest forest.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-385-million-year-old-trees-discovered">385-million-year-old trees discovered</h2>



Scientists have uncovered something extraordinary just two hours north of New York City. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-forest-discovered-close-to-new-york-city/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">world's oldest forest</a>, dating back 385 million years, offers a window into how Earth's first complex forests shaped our planet's atmosphere.



Located near <a href="https://townofcairo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cairo, New York</a>, in Greene County, these weren't merely primitive plants struggling to survive. These were sophisticated trees with root systems remarkably similar to modern forests. This ancient woodland predates dinosaurs by 140 million years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cairo-forest-discovery">The Cairo forest discovery</h2>



385 million years ago, upstate New York was a tropical paradise near the equator. Thanks to continental drift, this ancient forest has traveled thousands of miles to its current location.



The fossil forest sits in an abandoned quarry, roughly half the size of a football field. This represents just a slice of what was likely a massive forest system stretching from New York into Pennsylvania.



Charles Ver Straeten, curator of sedimentary rocks at the <a href="https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York State Museum</a>, made the discovery in 2009. While scouting the former highway department property, his trained eye spotted wandering patterns in the stone that looked like marine features.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-age-and-preservation">Revolutionary age and preservation</h2>



The site contains 385-million-year-old rocks with fossilized woody roots forming horizontal patterns up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide. As Christopher Berry, a paleobotanist at Cardiff University, explains: "You are walking through the roots of ancient trees."



This discovery pushes back advanced tree evolution by millions of years. The research, published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a> in December 2019, fundamentally changes our understanding of when complex forests first emerged.



Researchers believe a massive flood buried the forest floor, creating perfect fossilization conditions. Over millions of years, sediment hardened into rock, preserving these root patterns like nature's time capsule.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meet-archaeopteris-the-first-modern-tree">Meet Archaeopteris: the first modern tree</h2>



The star of this ancient forest is Archaeopteris – not to be confused with the feathered dinosaur Archaeopteryx. This tree was far older and more revolutionary.



William Stein from <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Binghamton University</a> describes the roots as "strikingly modern, essentially what you'd see outside in my yard right now." These weren't simple root systems you'd expect from ancient plants.



Some fossilized roots are six inches (15 centimeters) in diameter, forming 36-foot-wide (11-meter) patterns. These giants grew up to 65 feet (20 meters) tall with five-foot-diameter (1.5-meter) trunks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-changing-impact">Climate-changing impact</h2>



These trees fundamentally changed Earth's environment. Kevin Boyce, a Stanford University geoscientist, explains how their deep roots triggered "weathering," chemical reactions that pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.



This process dropped atmospheric CO2 levels from 10-15 times higher than today to roughly modern concentrations. These ancient trees helped create atmospheric conditions that made complex life possible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-forest-ecosystem">Ancient forest ecosystem</h2>



The forest was remarkably diverse. Scientists identified Eospermatopteris, palm tree-like plants with short roots that reached 30 feet (9 meters) tall but lacked woody structure. The forest also housed cladoxylopsids and a mysterious third species still being studied.



All reproduced through spores rather than seeds – millions of years before seeds evolved. This tropical environment had no grass, flowers, or flying insects, just towering trees creating Earth's first complex forest canopy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientific-significance">Scientific significance</h2>



Before this finding, the Gilboa forest, located 25 miles (40 kilometers) away, held the "oldest forest" title. Cairo's trees are 2-3 million years older, showing that complex forest ecosystems developed much faster than scientists believed possible.



Patricia Gensel, a <a href="https://www.unc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of North Carolina</a> paleobotanist, notes: "The size of those root systems is really changing the picture. Even 20 years ago, researchers assumed trees with such complex root systems didn't evolve so early."



The Cairo site presents three unique root systems, suggesting Devonian period forests were diverse ecosystems with different trees occupying different environmental niches, much like today's forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-preservation-efforts">Modern preservation efforts</h2>



In 2022, New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey secured a $170,000 grant for the town of Cairo to construct specialized fencing around the fossil forest site. The town plans to conduct a feasibility study exploring the possibility of creating an educational center and working lab on-site.



Joe Hasenkopf, chair of the Cairo Planning Board, hopes to partner with educational institutions to create a research facility serving scientists, students, and the public.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-today-s-climate">Lessons for today's climate</h2>



Why does a 385-million-year-old forest matter today? It shows how dramatically forests can change Earth's climate. These ancient woodlands created the atmospheric conditions supporting complex life.



Understanding how prehistoric forests transformed the planet helps us appreciate modern forests' critical role in addressing climate change. Forests remain Earth's most effective carbon capture systems.



These prehistoric trees changed Earth's atmosphere by pulling massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the air. As we face modern climate challenges, this ancient forest reminds us of trees' incredible power to transform our planet's environment.



The next time you walk through a forest, remember you're experiencing an ecosystem whose blueprint was established 385 million years ago in upstate New York. These ancient pioneers didn't just survive – they thrived and changed the world forever.



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3JH03PqEQ New York is the site of the world's oldest...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-don-t-we-ever-hear-about-acid-rain-anymore-the-environmental-crisis-that-was-solved">Why don't we ever hear about "acid rain" anymore? The environmental crisis that was solved</h2>



Remember the 1980s when acid rain dominated headlines? Dire warnings about rain eating buildings, killing fish, and destroying forests filled every news cycle. Then, almost like magic, acid rain vanished from public discourse. What happened? Did we actually solve one of the late 20th century's most pressing environmental challenges?



The answer might surprise you. Unlike many environmental issues that drag on indefinitely, acid rain represents one of modern history's most successful ecological recovery stories. It's a tale of science, politics, and technology working together to tackle what seemed impossible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What was acid rain?</h2>



Acid rain isn't regular rain having a bad day – it's precipitation that became significantly more acidic due to air pollution. When power plants, factories, and vehicles burn fossil fuels, they release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The science behind it</h2>



Think of acid rain as nature's chemistry experiment gone wrong. These compounds react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. When mixed with water vapor in clouds, they create precipitation with dangerously low pH levels.



While clean rain has a pH of about 5.6, acid rain could drop as low as 4.2 to 4.4 – roughly as acidic as tomato juice or coffee. According to US Geological Survey documentation, Scottish chemist Angus Smith first coined "acid rain" in 1872, but it didn't become a household phrase until the 1960s and 1970s when Swedish scientist Svante Odén documented its devastating effects on Scandinavian lakes and European forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The crisis at its peak</h2>



During the height of public concern, environmental damage was both widespread and visible. This wasn't some abstract future threat – people could see destruction happening in real-time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Environmental devastation</h2>



The most dramatic impacts were impossible to ignore. Research documented by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation shows that in the Adirondack Mountains, more than 200 lakes became so acidic they couldn't support fish life. The Adirondack Council reports that 409 lakes once supported brook trout, but many lost their fish populations due to acid rain.



By 1976, when scientists cataloged all acidified lakes in the Adirondack Park, researchers found that half of the lakes over 2,000 feet above sea level had no fish, according to studies published in environmental journals. The acidification process worked like a slow-motion disaster. As acid rain fell into watersheds, it gradually lowered pH levels. Fish couldn't survive in acidic water, and their food sources died off too.



Trees at high elevations showed stress directly linked to acid rain. It weakened them by leaching nutrients and making them susceptible to disease. Historical records show Germany's Black Forest saw nearly half its trees damaged by the mid-1980s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Economic impact</h2>



Acid rain wasn't just environmental – it was expensive. Acidic precipitation corroded infrastructure, buildings, and monuments. Historic stone structures deteriorated at accelerated rates. Tourism suffered as lakes became fishless and forests declined. EPA economic analyses from the period documented repair costs mounting into billions annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The solution: government action and technology</h2>



Transformation from crisis to success required unprecedented cooperation between governments, industries, and environmental groups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Clean Air Act of 1990</h2>



The turning point came with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, signed by President George H.W. Bush. This represented a fundamentally new approach to environmental regulation, as documented in EPA historical records.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cap-and-trade success</h2>



Instead of mandating specific technologies, the 1990 amendments introduced something revolutionary: a cap-and-trade system for sulfur dioxide emissions. EPA program documentation shows this market-based approach set overall limits but allowed companies to trade emission allowances.



The genius was harnessing market forces to find cost-effective pollution reduction. Companies reducing emissions cheaply could sell excess allowances to those facing higher costs. Research published in environmental economics journals and EPA progress reports shows this resulted in dramatic SO2 reduction at a fraction of projected costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technology advances</h2>



Policy provided the framework, but technology made reductions possible. Studies in atmospheric science journals document the widespread adoption of flue gas desulfurization systems ("scrubbers") that removed sulfur dioxide before it reached the atmosphere. By the 2000s, new installations could remove over 95% of SO2 emissions, according to EPA technical reports.



The push coincided with cleaner energy development. Natural gas produces fewer sulfur compounds than coal. Wind and solar, emerging in the 1990s, captured growing market share, reducing reliance on high-sulfur coal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-we-don-t-hear-about-it-today">Why we don't hear about it today</h2>



Why did acid rain disappear from headlines? Simple: the problem was largely solved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Success doesn't make news</h2>



There's an old journalism saying: "If it bleeds, it leads." Environmental success stories don't generate urgency like crisis reporting. Media attention shifted to other challenges: climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. There's only so much environmental anxiety the public can absorb, and newer concerns replaced acid rain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mission accomplished</h2>



The primary reason is beautifully simple: interventions worked. EPA monitoring data shows sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990. Academic research published in environmental science journals confirms pH levels in formerly affected areas returned closer to normal. This represents one of history's most dramatic environmental recoveries. Studies by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation show fishless lakes now support healthy populations. Forests recovered, and building damage slowed dramatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-it-really-gone">Is it really gone?</h2>



The crisis is largely resolved, but monitoring data shows the problem isn't completely eliminated – it's managed to acceptable levels. Some areas still experience occasional events during high pollution periods. International environmental research indicates that rapidly industrializing Asian countries face similar problems to what we experienced decades ago, though they're implementing successful strategies.



EPA research shows nitrogen oxide emissions proved more challenging than sulfur dioxide, coming from vehicles and mobile sources. Climate science studies suggest changing weather patterns add complexity to how acid rain forms and falls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What this teaches us</h2>



The acid rain experience proves that seemingly intractable environmental problems can be solved with scientific understanding, political will, and technological innovation. Environmental monitoring data shows recovery speed was remarkable – within a decade, measurable improvements appeared in air quality and ecosystem health.



Success came from bipartisan support across party lines. Policy analysis studies show the market-based approach appealed to those preferring economic incentives while achieving environmental goals. This support created lasting policy surviving political changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h2>



Acid rain's disappearance from public consciousness represents environmental science's greatest success stories. Through effective regulation, technological innovation, and international cooperation, we transformed an overwhelming crisis into a manageable challenge.



Today's silence isn't because we forgot – it's because we solved it. The 1990 Clean Air Act, combined with technology and energy market changes, reduced acid rain emissions over 90%, according to comprehensive EPA data analysis.



This success offers hope for current challenges. It proves complex problems can be solved when science, policy, and technology work together. As we face climate change and plastic pollution, acid rain reminds us that dramatic positive change is possible.



Next time someone asks whether environmental regulations work, remember acid rain. It's proof that sometimes, we get it right.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Sources: This article draws from EPA official documentation and progress reports, peer-reviewed research published in environmental and atmospheric science journals, historical data from the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation records, US Geological Survey publications, policy analysis studies, and environmental monitoring data collected over three decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



1. Is acid rain completely gone? No, but EPA monitoring shows it's reduced to manageable levels. US sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990, making acid rain much less severe than the 1980s crisis.



2. How long did solving take? Environmental monitoring data shows significant improvements began within 5-10 years of 1990s emission controls. Full ecosystem recovery took longer – some areas need 20-30 years for complete recovery.



3. What made the solution successful? Clear scientific understanding, visible damage motivating action, bipartisan support, available technology, and innovative market-based policies like cap-and-trade.



4. Do other countries have acid rain problems? Yes, particularly rapidly industrializing Asian countries. However, international environmental research shows many implement similar successful control strategies.



5. Could acid rain return? Potentially, if regulations weaken or we return to high-sulfur coal without controls, though effects would take years to become severe according to environmental projections.



6. Can you recommend any teaching tools on the subject of "acid rain"? The United States Environmental Protection Agency produced a wonderful teacher's guide for ages 14 and under that you can find on the EPA website here: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf</a>



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The environmental problem we actually solved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk Acid rain and a crisis solved. Why don't we...

Fresh,Radish,Harvest,On,Soil,In,Garden.

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https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex
</div></figure>







Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving fall garden, and this guide lays out the best vegetables and herbs to plant now for a fruitful autumn harvest. 



Fast-growing leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, kale, and arugula perform especially well in the waning summer heat, with harvests beginning as soon as 30 days. 



These cool-season crops relish the transition into fall, offering repeated yields with cut-and-come-again methods.



Root vegetables like radishes, carrots, and beets also excel during this period. Radishes deliver satisfaction in under a month, while carrots and beets mature in about two months. Employing succession planting ensures a continuous stream of produce deep into the cooler months. 



For a boost of fresh flavor, herbs like cilantro, basil, dill, and chervil are excellent picks. These heat-loving varieties flourish in July’s warmth and are harvest-ready in about 30 days, especially when sown continuously.



Gardeners in zones 6 through 9 can benefit from planting bush beans and snap peas, which don’t require trellising and are ideal for compact plots. 



Maturing in 50–60 days, they’re a smart choice for quick, protein-rich harvests. For those in hotter regions, heat-tolerant crops such as okra and southern peas provide reliable yields and thrive in scorching conditions.



This guide emphasizes more than crop selection—it highlights the importance of timing, soil preparation, and ongoing sowing techniques. 



With thoughtful planning and attention to regional climate needs, even late-summer gardeners can enjoy fresh salads, hearty stews, and the satisfaction of a robust, homegrown harvest well into fall.



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving...

Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

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https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

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.



<figure class="wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Ug657J67iEo?si=w96YjGMsg939LD_3
</div></figure>



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

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" 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> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



"The main antigenic targets of influenza virus are two surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Whereas the structural and dynamical properties of both glycoproteins have been studied previously, the understanding of their plasticity in the whole-virion context is fragmented," wrote the researchers.



To investigate, the team conducted detailed simulations of the influenza A H1N1 virion, or the swine flu. The experts concluded that the visualizations show many new vulnerable states of flu viruses, which could improve future vaccines and antiviral drugs.



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"]</div>



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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" 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> 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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"]</div>



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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