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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Rare gene explains why some people can thrive on less sleep

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

The analysis of a skeleton from the 9th century suggests that the leaves of ferns were used as a medicinal treatment for conditions such as <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/susceptible-common-cold/">colds</a>, dandruff, and kidney stones in medieval times. The study was focused on the remains of a male between 21 and 30 years old, who had been buried in the ancient cemetery of Can Reiners on the Spanish Balearic Islands. 

The skeleton had traces of starch grains consistent with cereal plants, such as wheat and rye. More significantly, there was a collection of cells in which spores are formed from the underside of a fern leaf.


While there is no evidence to indicate that the fern leaf was part of the human diet at any point in time, there are written records dating as far back as the first century AD that the fern leaf was used to relieve the symptoms of certain ailments.

Folk medicine stories have described that the fern was used in various regions across Europe, but this study provides the first physical evidence in human remains, as well as the first identification of a particular species of fern.


Study co-author Dr. Elena Fiorin is an expert the Department of Archaeology at the <a href="https://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>. 

“Through analysis of the dental calculus of the skeleton, which we believe dates back to the ninth or 10th century, we were able to determine that the cells were from fern plant, asplenium trichomanes, a common species that grows in rocky areas worldwide,” said Dr. Florin. 

“These ferns have been used by herbalists, surgeons, doctors, and other healers for centuries across Europe, but until now we have only had written documents that describe their use.”

“The finding from the dental remains of this skeleton show just how much information we can get from dental calculus analysis. It demonstrates that in this region of Spain, communities were aware of the medicinal properties of some plants and how to administer them to get the desired result.”

Historical texts show that the plants were used to cure dandruff, the common cold, kidney stones, and alopecia. There is also reference to the plant being used to stimulate menstrual flow in women.

The skeletal remains of the young male do not disclose what he was treated for specifically, but it is likely that he drank a fern leaf infusion to cure congestion, a condition of the skin, or a urinary tract infection. 

“The research demonstrates the use of ferns as healing plants in the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages,” said Dr. Fiorin. “We now have the potential to look at other dental remains for similar properties that might tell us more about the use of medicinal herbs in the past.”

“These ferns were employed, and are still used in Europe today, to cure a variety of diseases and through the archaeological record we can start to see how human beings have used the natural environment to assist in healthcare throughout our evolution.”

The study is published in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10991212">International Journal of Osteoarchaeology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Medieval people may have used fern leaves to treat colds and dandruff

The analysis of a skeleton from the 9th century suggests...

After studying a set of family trees of more than 400 million people, researchers from <a href="https://www.calicolabs.com/">Calico Life Sciences</a> and <a href="https://www.ancestry.com/">Ancestry</a> have realized that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-peaked-life-span/">life span</a> is less influenced by genetics than originally thought. They gather that previous studies, which estimated life span heritability at 15% to 30%, failed to take into consideration the likeliness of people selecting partners with similar traits to themselves.

Calico Life Sciences, a research and development company with an aim to better understand biology and aging, teamed up with genealogy site Ancestry, with their public pedigree data, to estimate the heritability of life span based on genetics alone.

By using Ancestry’s wealth of information regarding birth and death years and locations for over 400 million people (mostly of American and European descent), researchers at Calico were able to mathematically and statistically estimate heritability of life span by looking at data shared by siblings and first cousins within the family trees. Their findings were similar to those of previous life span heritability studies.

However, the researchers found that the life spans of spouses were the most alike. Although this could be due to the fact that spouses mostly live within the same environment and therefore their life spans could be similar due to non-genetic factors, researchers found evidence that “assortative mating” is the cause for this correlation. 

Lead author Graham Ruby explains, "What assortative mating means here is that the factors that are important for life span tend to be very similar between mates.” This means we are likely to choose mates that have similar traits, either genetic or sociocultural, to us, including life span. 

Now that it is known assortative mating is at work, Ruby and his team estimate that heritability of life span is no more than 7%.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Genetics only have a limited influence on a person’s life span

After studying a set of family trees of more than...

New research reveals that people are more likely to recall a conversation if a speaker uses precise diction and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/speed-speech-predict-words/">slow, clear communication</a>. 

Sandie Keerstock and Rajka Smiljanic, researchers and linguists from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>, are currently working to understand why some conversations are quickly forgotten while others can be recalled years later. 

Keerstock and Smiljanic have focused their research on how clarity of speaking style impacts memory and recently, the two conducted a new study with non-native English speakers.

Previously the team proved that clearly spoken sentences were quickly recognized and remembered. 

For this most recent work, the researchers asked 30 native and 30 non-native English listeners  to listen to blocks of sentences. 

Examples of the sentences included “the boy carried the heavy chair,” and a listener would hear each phrase twice. Once with a speaker delivering a slow, articulate sentence and another with the same speaker using a casual and quick delivery. 

After hearing the sentences, the researchers asked the participants to write down, for verbatim, what sentences they had heard after being given one word prompts. 

The clear sentences were more easily remembered than the ones delivered in a conversational manner, and this held true for both groups of listeners. 

The researchers theorize that enunciation and clarity help with sentence recognition after the fact. 

Listeners don’t have to work as hard to understand what a speaker who enunciates and talks slowly is saying, and so more energy can be reserved for memory formation. 

“That appears to be an efficient way of conveying information, not only because we can hear the words better but also because we can retain them better,” said Smiljanic. 

The team will present their findings at the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/176th-meeting-acoustical-society-of-america/">Acoustical Society of America's 176th Meeting </a>this week in Canada. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Speaking clearly shown to improve the listener’s ability to remember

New research reveals that people are more likely to recall...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/applied-health/index.aspx">University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Health Research</a> have found that 7 of 8 children who have their tonsils removed did not benefit from the surgery. Their findings are based on medical records of over 1.6 million <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/children-breathe-toxic-air/">children</a> in the U.K. who had tonsillectomies between 2005 and 2016. The study shows that only 11.7% actually needed the operation.

The study, published in British Journal of General Practice, revealed that a total of 32,500 children get their tonsils out each year, costing the NHS an annual £36.9 million.

According to U.K. health policy, a child must report more than seven sore throats within one year, five sore throats per year over the span of two years, or three sore throats per year for three years in a row, to justify a tonsillectomy. But, researchers found that 67% of the children studied suffered a number of sore throats less than the recommended amount to receive a tonsillectomy, making a huge portion of the operations unnecessary. 

However, researchers also found that many children who would benefit from a tonsillectomy aren’t actually undergoing the operation. Their findings show that out of 15,764 children who reported a sufficient number of sore throats, only 2,144 (13.6%) had the surgery.

"Research shows that children with frequent sore throats usually suffer fewer sore throats over the next year or two,” Tom Marshall, Professor of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Birmingham, said. “In those children with enough documented sore throats, the improvement is slightly quicker after tonsillectomy, which means surgery is justified. But research suggests children with fewer sore throats don't benefit enough to justify surgery, because the sore throats tend to go away anyway.”

Perhaps these findings will both affect how pediatricians diagnose children as well as educate parents on when/if a tonsillectomy is necessary for their child.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New study: 7 of 8 children’s tonsillectomies are unnecessary

Researchers at the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Health...

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a> and the <a href="http://www.bristol.ac.uk/">University of Bristol</a> set out to investigate the role that non-cognitive skills such as conscientiousness and perseverance may play in life achievement. The experts found that these skills may be just as important as cognitive ability for <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/narcissistic-people-prone-success/">success</a> in school and in the workforce. 

The study is the first of its kind to review the entire literature on the value of non-cognitive skills in children under the age of 12, such as the impact these skills have on later life outcomes including academic achievement and language ability.

Study senior author John Lynch is a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Adelaide.

“Traits such as attention, self-regulation, and perseverance in childhood have been investigated by psychologists, economists, and epidemiologists, and some have been shown to influence later life outcomes,” said Professor Lynch. “There is a wide range of existing evidence underpinning the role of non-cognitive skills and how they affect success in later life but it's far from consistent.”


Study co-author Professor Lisa Smithers added: “There is tentative evidence from published studies that non-cognitive skills are associated with academic achievement, psychosocial, and cognitive and language outcomes, but cognitive skills are still important.”

The researchers pointed out that the quality of evidence in this field of study is less than adequate. Out of over 550 relevant studies, only around 40 percent were found to be of sufficient quality.


“So, while interventions to build non-cognitive skills may be important, particularly for disadvantaged children, the existing evidence base underpinning this field has the potential for publication bias and needs to have larger studies that are more rigorously designed,” said Professor Lynch. “That has important implications for researchers and funding agencies who wish to study effects of non-cognitive skills.”

The findings suggest that school administrators and teachers should seek out more opportunities to promote valuable non-cognitive skills such as determination, motivation, self-directed learning, collaboration, communication, and attentiveness. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/">Nature Human Behaviour</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Success requires more than just intelligence, new study finds

Researchers at the University of Adelaide and the University of...

Corn production in the midwestern United States has been booming for the past 70 years, and new research shows that climate change has played a significant role in the abundance of crop yields. 

However, while warmer and earlier springs have benefitted midwest farmers, researchers wonder if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/warmer-temperatures-will-threaten-corn-availability/">corn will continue to hold up</a> as climate change worsens and food demand increases. 

Since 1940, corn production has increased fivefold, and it had been thought that this was because of advancements in farming technology. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> recently conducted a study to examine the role climate change and local temperatures have played in Midwest corn harvests. 

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The researchers found that earlier and warmer springs are allowing farmers to plant earlier which gives their corn more opportunity to grow and thrive before harvest. 

The results show that both longer growing seasons and a natural cooling effect during the hottest days of the summer have boosted corn production. 

“Our research shows that improvements in crop yield depend, in part, on improvements in climate,” said Peter Huybers, professor and co-director of the <a href="http://environment.harvard.edu/">Harvard University Center for the Environment.</a> “In this case, changing temperatures have had a beneficial impact on agricultural production, but there is no guarantee that benefit will last as the climate continues to change. Understanding the detailed relationships between climate and crop yield is important as we move towards feeding a growing population on a changing planet.” 

The researchers reviewed crop yield and temperature data from 1981 through 2017 and discovered that the increase in temperatures over the years moved planting days three days earlier per decade. 

Planting earlier wasn’t the only factor improving corn crops, though, as the researchers found that high temperatures create a cooling effect over large fields. 

These twin effects, cooling and earlier planting, have been responsible for much of the crop increases since the 1980s. 

“Increasingly productive and densely-planted crops can evaporate more water from leaves and soils during hot days,” said Nathaniel Mueller, a co-author of the paper. “Widespread increases in rates of evaporation apparently helps shield maize from extreme heat, cooling the surrounding area and helping to boost yields.”

Corn farmers are using climate change to their advantage and planting earlier with the season has so far improved crop yields, but the researchers are not sure if these trends will continue with future climate change. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Is the midwest’s booming corn production sustainable?

Corn production in the midwestern United States has been booming...

A new study from <a href="https://www.monash.edu/">Monash University</a> has linked industrial emissions, fine particles from vehicle exhaust, and other sources of air pollution to an increased risk of autism. The study was focused on children in Shanghai from birth to three years old, who were found to be 78 percent more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when exposed to long-term <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-asthma-attacks/">air pollution</a>. 

For the investigation, 124 ASD children and 1,240 healthy children were examined over a nine-year period. While previous research has linked prenatal air pollution exposure to ASD in children, this study is the first to analyze the potential for this association in early life. 

Study co-author Yuming Guo is a professor in Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. 

“The causes of autism are complex and not fully understood, but environmental factors are increasingly recognized in addition to genetic and other factors,” said Professor Guo. “The developing brains of young children are more vulnerable to toxic exposures in the environment and several studies have suggested this could impact brain function and the immune system.” 

“These effects could explain the strong link we found between exposure to air pollutants and ASD, but further research is needed to explore the associations between air pollution and mental health more broadly.”

According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is the cause of up to 4.2 million deaths every year. Professor Guo explained that global air pollution is rapidly becoming worse, and there is no safe level of exposure.

“The serious health effects of air pollution are well-documented, suggesting there is no safe level of exposure. Even exposure to very small amounts of fine particulate matter have been linked to preterm births, delayed learning, and a range of serious health conditions, including heart disease.”

The current study analyzed the health impacts from three types of particulate matter including PM1, PM2.5, and PM10. These airborne particles are produced by emissions from factories, vehicle exhaust, road dust, and construction. Experts have established that the smallest airborne particles are more capable of penetrating the lungs and entering the bloodstream, which can lead to serious health issues.

“Despite the fact that smaller particles are more harmful, there is no global standard or policy for PM1 air pollution,” explained Professor Guo. “Given that PM1 accounts for about 80% of PM2.5 pollution in China alone, further studies on its health effects and toxicology are needed to inform policy makers to develop standards for the control of PM1 air pollution in the future.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international">Environment International</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>

Study: Air pollution exposure linked to development of autism

A new study from Monash University has linked industrial emissions,...

You probably don’t think about your showerhead too much, but a new study shows that showerheads in the US and Europe are covered in bacteria, some of which can cause lung disease. 

Researchers from the <a href="http://fiererlab.org/">Fierer Lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder</a> examined swabs of bacteria from European and US showerheads. 

While most of the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sunlight-kill-harmful-bacteria/">bacteria</a> currently thriving in the damp and warm environment of your bathroom are harmless, certain species of mycobacteria can cause non-tuberculous lung infections. 

“There is a fascinating microbial world thriving in your showerhead, and you can be exposed every time you shower,” Noah Fierer, an author of the study told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6346991/The-slime-showerhead-ALIVE.html">Daily Mail</a>. “Most of those microbes are harmless, but a few are not, and this kind of research is helping us understand how our own actions-from the kinds of water treatment systems we use to the materials in our plumbing-can change the makeup of those microbial communities.”

The researchers found that mycobacteria were more prevalent in the US compared to Europe and this was connected to water treatment systems and municipal tap water use. 

What’s more, the geographic locations where mycobacteria levels were highest were also “hot spots” for non-tuberculosis lung disease.

According to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/mycobacteria-factsheet.pdf">Environmental Protection Agency</a>, mycobacteria are rod-shaped and thrive in moist environments because of their thick, waxy, outer coating.  

For the study, the researchers analyzed swabs from 656 showerheads in the US and 13 countries in Europe. 

The researchers sequenced the DNA of the different bacteria and identified the species and prevalence of the bacteria. 

Once the harmful mycobacteria were found, the researchers created a map to find any localized concentrations of mycobacteria and identified hot spots in Southern California, Florida, and New York. 

Because the mycobacteria were more prevalent in the US, the researchers theorize that their abundance is linked to the use of municipal tap water versus well water. 

The kind of showerhead, the amount of chlorine in the water, and the other types of bacteria present all factored into the levels of mycobacteria found on the showerheads. 

The study was published in the journal mBio, and the researchers next plan to investigate the hot spots further and identify any driving factors. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Lung-disease bacteria found in lurking in showerheads in the US

You probably don’t think about your showerhead too much, but...

Last-chance tourism just might be the gloomiest travel trend on the rise. This travel experience takes visitors to endangered and diminishing destinations to experience them firsthand before they might be gone forever. While last-chance tourists travel to these destinations to appreciate their beauty and value, they are, paradoxically, contributing to their demise.

Last-chance tourism, previously believed to be a small segment of the travel industry, was recently<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandratalty/2017/12/28/for-second-year-last-chance-tourism-named-top-travel-trend-for-2018/#b9b69c664bef"> voted</a> the top travel trend in 2018. With its increased popularity comes more travelers flying, driving and walking through these imperiled habitats.

Climate change is a major motivation for last-chance tourists and the most popular travel destinations are those that are at the highest risk, such as the Arctic and the Great Barrier Reef.

These fragile ecosystems are already in a precarious state. A<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0041-2"> paper</a> published in Nature this year found that almost one-third of the Great Barrier Reef’s coral was killed as a result of ocean temperature spikes in 2016. The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)</a><a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/"> predicts</a> that Greenland has lost an average of 281 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2016.

So why are tourists visiting these vulnerable habitats? A<a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160922085356.htm"> 2016 study</a> set out to explore travelers’ motivations for visiting the <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/great-barrier-reef-bounce-back/">Great Barrier Reef</a>. They found that just under 70% of respondents were “strongly motivated” to see the reef before it was gone. While the travelers displayed a high level of concern about climate change and coral bleaching, they expressed little concern on the impacts of tourism on the reef health.

"This finding was of interest, as it emphasises the paradox involved in LCT [last-chance tourism], in that tourists are travelling greater distances to view the destination that is in danger, contributing higher levels of emissions and thus exacerbating the impacts of climate change,” the authors note.

A similar sentiment<a href="http://www.livablecitiesforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Groulx_LCF-2016_Loving-a-place-to-death.compressed.pdf"> was found</a> in last-chance tourists traveling to Canada to visit the Arctic. Tourists visited the destination because of a desire to “capture a disappearing experience in a ‘pristine’ environment.”

A<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09669580903215147"> 2010 study</a> that examined the carbon costs of polar bear viewing tourism in Churchill, Canada found that the industry contributed an estimated 20,892 t/CO2 each six-week season. The carbon costs can be even higher when many tourists are traveling from far distances. According to<a href="http://www.climatecentral.org/news/heres-how-much-co2-will-make-the-arctic-ice-free-20844"> Climate Central</a>, every round-trip transatlantic flight causes the planet to lose 30 square feet of Arctic sea ice. Polar bears are dependent on sea ice for a variety of activities such as hunting, traveling, searching for mates and raising their cubs. The IUCN Red List, which currently <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22823/14871490#threats">lists</a> the polar bear as Vulnerable, states that climate change is the single most important threat to the long-term persistence of the species.

While last-chance tourists generally seem concerned about climate change, there is a disconnect between their concerns and actions. Only 46% of the last-chance tourists studied in Churchill stated that they would be willing to pay a carbon travel tax to offset the environmental damage they have caused. Seven percent of the tourists had purchased carbon offsets when interviewed.

As climate change continues to accelerate, last-chance tourism will likely become more controversial. Critics of last-chance tourism claim that tourists visit the endangered destinations for self-serving reasons. Others may argue that tourism is justified if the damage is irreversible and the habitat will be lost regardless of tourist activity.

Either way, the grim idea of visiting parts of our world that may destroyed by climate change should help us grasp the gravity of the situation.

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By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

"Last-chance tourism” lets visitors see endangered habitats at a cost

Last-chance tourism just might be the gloomiest travel trend on...

According to a new study published by the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a>, positive childhood memories lead to better health later in life. Individuals who can look back on their early life with fondness, particularly those who had close bonds with their parents, have fewer chronic illnesses and less <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/unlimited-screen-time-depression/">depression</a> in older adulthood.

Dr. William J. Chopik from <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a> is the study's lead author.

“We know that memory plays a huge part in how we make sense of the world - how we organize our past experiences and how we judge how we should act in the future. As a result, there are a lot of different ways that our memories of the past can guide us,” said Dr. Chopik. “We found that good memories seem to have a positive effect on health and well-being, possibly through the ways that they reduce stress or help us maintain healthy choices in life.”


Dr. Chopin explained that an association was previously established between positive memories and good health in young adults, including a higher quality of personal relationships, lower incidence of substance abuse, less depression, and fewer health problems. The researchers wanted to investigate this relationship among older adults.

The team used data from two nationally representative surveys, with a total of more than 22,000 participants. The surveys included questions about perceptions of parental affection, overall health, chronic conditions, and symptoms of depression.

Participants in both groups who received higher levels of affection from their mothers in early childhood were found to have better physical health and fewer depressive symptoms later in life. Those who reported that they received more support from their fathers also experienced fewer depressive symptoms.

“The most surprising finding was that we thought the effects would fade over time because participants were trying to recall things that happened sometimes over 50 years ago,” said Dr. Chopin. “One might expect childhood memories to matter less and less over time, but these memories still predicted better physical and mental health when people were in middle age and older adulthood.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/hea/">Health Psychology</a>.

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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

A happy childhood leads to better health in adulthood, study finds

According to a new study published by the American Psychological...

A new study from the <a href="https://med.uth.edu/">McGovern Medical School at UTHealth</a> in Houston, Texas found that consuming a single <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/energy-drinks-harmful-young-people/">energy drink</a> causes a notable weakening of blood vessel function in young, healthy adults.

To gather their findings, McGovern’s John Higgins, M.D., M.B.A., and colleagues, observed 44 healthy, non-smoking medical students in their 20s. The team monitored the students’ endothelial function, the endothelial being the thin membrane that lines the inside of the heart and blood vessels, before and after drinking a 24-ounce energy drink.

Ninety minutes after the energy drinks had been consumed, Higgins and his team looked at the students’ artery flow-mediated dilation, which is the process of checking blood vessel health via ultrasound. They noted that vessel dilation had dropped to 2.8% in diameter post-energy drink from about 5.1%. This suggests that the energy drink caused massive blood vessel impairment. 

“As energy drinks are becoming more and more popular, it is important to study the effects of these drinks on those who frequently drink them and better determine what, if any, is a safe consumption pattern,” Higgins and his colleagues stated. They believe the drink had such a major negative impact due to its contents — caffeine, taurine, and sugar.

This study dives deeper into the investigation of energy drinks’ impact on the cardiovascular system as a whole. The evidence proving energy drinks directly affect blood vessel function puts researchers one step closer to pinpointing exactly where and how energy drinks affect a person’s heart.

These findings will be presented at the <a href="https://professional.heart.org/professional/EducationMeetings/MeetingsLiveCME/ScientificSessions/UCM_316900_Scientific-Sessions.jsp">American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2018</a> in Chicago, which kicks off on November 10th.

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By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A single energy drink can harm blood vessel function

A new study from the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth...

Cigarette <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/genetic-mutation-quit-smoking/">smoking</a> is on the decline in the United States, and researchers have been quantifying the health benefits of quitting. However, new research from the <a href="https://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a> has revealed that it takes more than 15 years for former smokers to reduce their cardiovascular disease risk to the level of those who never smoked.

Previous studies have concluded that the increased risk for cardiovascular disease among smokers diminishes just a few years after quitting. However, those studies did not account as accurately for the history of the smokers, including variations in the number of cigarettes smoked per day, or quitting followed by a relapse.

For the current investigation, the researchers obtained detailed information from 8,700 participants in the Framingham Heart Study, including lifetime smoking history. The individuals were all free of cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study. 

The participants were followed up on an average of 27 years later, when cardiovascular disease risk was compared among current, former, and non-smokers. 

The study revealed that former smokers who had quit within the last five years reduced their cardiovascular disease risk by 38 percent compared to those who continued to smoke. In addition, the experts found that the risk of cardiovascular disease among former smokers did not return to the level of non-smokers for 16 years.


The researchers also determined that more than 70 percent of cardiovascular disease events in current or former smokers occurred among those who smoked at least one pack a day for 20 years.


Study co-author Meredith Duncan is a Ph.D. student at <a href="https://ww2.mc.vanderbilt.edu/">Vanderbilt University Medical Center</a> in Nashville, Tennessee.

“These findings underscore the benefits of quitting smoking within five years, which is 38 percent lower risk of a heart attack, stroke, or other forms of cardiovascular disease risk compared to people who continue to smoke,” said Duncan. “We also found that cardiovascular disease risk remains elevated for up to 16 years for former smokers compared to people who have never smoked. The bottom line is if you smoke, now is a very good time to quit.”

The research will be presented in Chicago at the <a href="https://professional.heart.org/professional/EducationMeetings/MeetingsLiveCME/ScientificSessions/UCM_316900_Scientific-Sessions.jsp">American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2018</a>.

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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

Smokers must quit for 16 years to level out cardiovascular risk

Cigarette smoking is on the decline in the United States,...

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing it with probiotics and prebiotics, aiming to create a treat that satisfies cravings while supporting gut health. 



The challenge lies in maintaining chocolate's beloved texture and flavor while adding health benefits.



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Probiotics - beneficial microbes that balance gut bacteria and aid digestion - are typically fragile and can be destroyed by stomach acid or processing. 



Prebiotics act as food for these microbes, helping them thrive. Together, they form "synbiotics," a powerful health combination.



Researchers Smriti Gaur and Shubhi Singh from India's Jaypee Institute of Information Technology took an innovative approach, using natural prebiotics like corn and honey instead of complex processing methods. 



They created five chocolate varieties: a control and four synbiotic versions containing different combinations of prebiotics, probiotics (Lactobacillus strains), and flavor enhancers (cinnamon or orange).



Laboratory simulations of human digestion showed the probiotics remained viable for over five hours, suggesting they could survive long enough to benefit gut health.



Taste tests were positive, with researchers particularly enjoying the orange-flavored variety, describing it as having "vibrant citrus notes" complementing the "rich cocoa" with a "luxurious" texture.



This research represents just the beginning. With further refinement of strains, textures, and flavors, chocolate could evolve beyond mere indulgence to become a functional food that nourishes while it delights.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsfoodscitech.4c00741" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ACS Food Science &amp; Technology</a>.

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

Scientists are transforming chocolate into a functional food by infusing...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Nushagak Bay, a large estuary in southwest Alaska. Nushagak runs mainly north to south and exits in Bristol Bay, a large body of water in the Bering Sea.



"The bay is primarily fed by the Nushagak River, which begins in the Alaska Range and flows southwest approximately 450 km. The bay is also fed by several additional rivers including the Wood, Igushik, Snake and Weary rivers," says ESA.



"The dark colors of the Nushagak River are most likely due to tannins or lignins (chemical substances found in plants). Tannins and lignins from roots, leaves, seeds, bark and soil can leach into the water and give it a brown or even black colour. The sediments then flow southwards where it is mixed with the bluer waters of the bay."



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> (ACS) reveals that proteins on flu viruses are actually flexible, tilting and waving in a “breath-like” motion. According to the experts, these proteins could be used to better defend against the flu.



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Lake Trasimeno, which is located west of Perugia in central Italy. It is the fourth largest lake in the country. While Trasimeno’s water level varies, it has a maximum depth of approximately six meters.&nbsp;



"In this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, captured on 6 August 2022, the lake’s emerald green colour is likely due to the presence of phytoplankton. Streaks in the water, particularly visible in the west, indicate the presence of soil and sediments which have been stirred up by winds. Dark colored waters in the southern part of the lake indicate a presence of submerged and floating macrophytes (aquatic plants) as well as algae," says ESA.



"Surrounded by hills on three sides, Trasimeno is subject to heavy storms created by winds, especially from the north and west. There are three islets in the lake: Maggiore, Minore and Polvese (the largest). The lake’s shores are sparsely inhabited with only two popular villages: Castiglione del Lago and Passignano sul Trasimeno."



"Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years which has affected drinking water supplies, hydroelectric power and agricultural production. High temperatures, hot winds and lack of rainfall are the main causes of drought in the Umbrian region which saw Lake Trasimeno’s drop 1.3 m, reaching the limit of the hydrometric zero in July 2022."



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.acs.org/">American Chemical Society</a> describes a new self-powered nanosensor that can instantly detect mercury contamination with the tap of a finger.&nbsp;



The oxidized form of mercury can be harmful when it is ingested through contaminated water or food. This makes it necessary for experts to develop sensors that can quickly and accurately detect the presence of mercury.&nbsp;



Zong-Hong Lin and colleagues have now created a triboelectric nanosensor (TENS) that can detect mercury by simply by touching a sample. According to the researchers, their TENS could serve as the basis for similar devices to safely and remotely monitor other pollutants.



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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