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...

Cotton, long known as “the fabric of our lives,” starts out as tufts of fiber and seed in the cotton plant. For every pound of cotton fiber or lint, there are 1.6 pounds of seeds. 

According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/10/17/658221327/not-just-for-cows-anymore-new-cottonseed-is-safe-for-people-to-eat">NPR</a>, there are 40 million tons of cottonseed removed from cotton lint every year. While these seeds are made into animal feed and oils that are safe for human consumption and used in many different food products, the seeds themselves are toxic to humans because they contain gossypol, a toxic chemical.  

Soon though, the cottonseed may be safe for humans and animals and used in everything from flours to hummus due to a new genetically engineered kind of cotton plant.

This week, the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">US Department of Agriculture</a> approved a new kind of cotton plant that was developed by researchers from <a href="https://www.tamu.edu/">Texas A&amp;M University</a>. 

Texas produces the most cotton in the United States, according to the <a href="http://www.cotton.org/edu/faq/">National Cotton Council of America.</a>

The cottonseed is packed with protein and oils, and so it has a lot of potential as a food source. The <a href="https://www.fda.gov/">Food and Drug Administration</a> (FDA) has not yet approved the new cottonseeds, but the Department of Agriculture's new move allows farmers to grow the seed and paves the way for testing and approval. 

Gossypol is found both in the cotton plant’s seed and leaves, and it’s a significant deterrent for pests, but the researchers wanted to make the seeds of the plant safe while keeping gossypol in the leaves. 

Keerti Rathore started working on creating a new kind of plant 23 years ago. Rathore found a way to silence gene expression or switch off the gene responsible for gossypol production in the seeds of the plant while still keeping the chemical in the leaves. 

“This was my first project, and hopefully it's coming to an end, and a good conclusion,” Rathore told NPR.

Rathore has even tried the seeds from his new genetically engineered cotton plant and says that they taste like chickpeas. 

The potential impact that cottonseed could have on food demand is not small, and Rathore explained to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-cotton/modified-cotton-could-be-human-food-source-after-u-s-green-light-idUSKCN1MR26Y">Reuters</a> that cottonseed could meed the daily protein requirements of 575 million people. 

In countries where many people routinely don’t get the nutrition they need, but cotton is widely grown like in India, this new cotton plant could provide a buffer against <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/war-urbanization-global-malnutrition/">malnutrition</a>. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-cotton/modified-cotton-could-be-human-food-source-after-u-s-green-light-idUSKCN1MR26Y">Reuters</a>

Cotton plant with edible seeds could offer nutrition to millions

Cotton, long known as “the fabric of our lives,” starts...

While last <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/2018-record-cold-temperatures/">winter</a> was especially brutal in many parts of United States, this winter looks to be more mild thanks a relatively weak El Niño.

The <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center has released its Winter Outlook report looking at temperature, precipitation, and drought for the upcoming months. 

December 2018 through February 2019 will likely be wetter and warmer than normal for much of the United States, and no part of the country is expected to have colder than average temperatures. 

Three-quarters of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, are expected have above average temperatures.

[caption id="attachment_1861103" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NOAA.png"><img class="wp-image-1861103" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/NOAA-1024x673.png" alt="" width="700" height="460" /></a> Image Credit: NOAAClimate.gov[/caption]

Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, explained that just because colder than average temperatures are not expected, there is still a chance of <a href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/videos/noaas-mike-halpert-explains-2018-19-us-winter-outlook">below, average, and above normal temperature</a> and precipitation levels. 

“Even on a warming planet,” Halpert told the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6291537/Wet-mild-Warm-winter-predicted-US.html">Daily Mail</a>. “it doesn't mean winter goes away and it's never cold again.”

There is a 70 to 75 percent chance that El Nino will develop in the Pacific and drive these above average temperatures. 

“We expect El Niño to be in place in late fall to early winter,” said Halpert in an NOAA <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/winter-outlook-favors-warmer-temperatures-for-much-of-us">press release</a>. “Although a weak El Niño is expected, it may still influence the winter season by bringing wetter conditions across the southern United States, and warmer, drier conditions to parts of the North.”

For precipitation, the Winter Outlook predicts that the from the Southern US to the Mid Atlantic, the season will be wetter than normal. 

Drought conditions, on the other hand, will continue across the Southwest with some improvements in the coastal Pacific Northwest. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.climate.gov/">NOAAClimate.gov</a>

Experts predict this winter will be warmer and wetter

While last winter was especially brutal in many parts of...

A new study has revealed that tornadoes are shifting east across the United States from the Great Plains to the Midwest and the Southeast. While the experts say that the trend is clearly a sign of climate change, the underlying cause of the new pattern remains a mystery.

Over the past four decades, the researchers found a significant decrease in the frequency of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/tornado-season-retreating-sea-ice/">tornadoes</a> across portions of Texas, Oklahoma, and northeast Colorado. This region, which is known as Tornado Alley, still experiences the most tornadic activity in the country, but the experts determined that several states in the lower Mississippi Valley are starting to catch up.

A rising number of tornado reports and tornado environments were found in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Study lead author Victor Gensini is a professor at <a href="https://www.niu.edu/">Northern Illinois University</a> in the Department of Geographic and Atmospheric Sciences.

“Regions in the Southeast and Midwest are closing the gap when it comes to the number of tornado reports,” said Professor Gensini. “It’s not that Texas and Oklahoma do not get tornadoes. They’re still the number one location in terms of tornado frequency, but the trend in many locations is down over the past 40 years.”


According to Professor Gensini, the study used two separate approaches to investigate the tornado frequency trends in the United States.

First, the researchers examined the number of tornado reports from 1979 to 2017. In addition, the experts used an index known as the Significant Tornado Parameter (STP) to look into the frequency of environmental conditions that were favorable for producing tornadoes. The results of both study methods  highlighted the eastward progression of tornadoes.

“One could argue that because a region’s population has increased, more tornadoes are sighted and reported,” said Professor Gensini. “But we also identified this eastward trend when using the STP index, which looks at the frequency of tornado environments and has nothing to do with people. This increases our confidence in the reporting trend that we’re seeing.”

It is important for researchers to understand this trend as well as its potential for future damage and casualties.

“We’ve shown the tornado frequency trend is increasing in the Midwest and Southeast,” said Professor Gensini. “While tornadoes can happen in all 50 states, if more tornadoes are happening in your area, you’re more susceptible to one of these disasters.

“This could be taken into consideration when adopting building codes, identifying potentially impacted community assets, creating awareness and making emergency preparations.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/npjclimatsci">Climate and Atmospheric Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>. <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tornado activity is shifting eastward in the United States

A new study has revealed that tornadoes are shifting east...

Cancer is a ticking time bomb in our bodies. If there were an equation for cancer it would mainly consist of mutations + time = cancer. And it’s no secret that if we live long enough, we’ll likely experience some form of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-mouth-cancer/">cancer</a> ourselves. 

A recent study published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> has found that by the time we reach middle age, over half the esophagus in healthy people has been taken over by cells containing mutations in cancer genes. The report details how mutant cells mutate and compete with each other over time – with only the fittest mutations surviving.

Scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, MRC Cancer Unit, <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a> along with collaborators have uncovered for the first time evidence that healthy cells in the esophagus carry at least several hundred mutations per cell on average in people in their twenties. These mutations only increase as we age, and rise to over 2,000 mutations per cell later in life. 

However, it’s important to note that only mutations in a dozen or so genes really matter when it comes to cancer, as these mutations give the cells a competitive advantage and allow them to take over the tissue, forming a dense patchwork of mutations.

The researchers made this discovery through studying normal esophageal tissue. 

“Under the microscope, the esophageal tissue looked completely normal – it came from healthy individuals who had no signs of cancer,” explains lead author Phil Jones, a professor at the University of Cambridge. “After studying the genetics we were shocked to see that the healthy esophagus was riddled with mutations. We discovered that by the time an individual reaches middle age, they probably have more mutant than normal cells.”

Using targeted and whole-genome sequencing to map groups of mutant cells in esophageal tissue, scientists found that these mutations ran rampant even in individuals with no history of esophageal cancer or any related problems.

Additionally, this research has brought new understanding to the mutations that are found in the squamous form of esophageal cancers. Mutations in the NOTCH1 gene – known to control cell division – were found in almost half of all cells in the normal esophagus by middle age. But a mutated gene known to be found in almost all esophageal cancers – TP53 – was only found to be mutated in 5 to 10 percent of normal cells. These findings suggest that researchers may need to reevaluate the role of some genes believed to be responsible for cancer, as it’s possible that the NOTCH1 mutation could possibly protect cells against cancer development, rather than being responsible for it.

“We have found that genetic mutations associated with cancer are widespread in normal tissues, revealing how our own cells mutate, compete and evolve to colonize our tissues as we age,” says Dr. Inigo Martincorena, joint lead author from the <a href="https://www.sanger.ac.uk/">Wellcome Sanger Institute</a>. “Given the importance of these mutations to cancer, it is remarkable that we have been unaware of the extent of this phenomenon until now. While the work sheds light on early cancer development, it also raises many questions about how these mutations may contribute to ageing and other diseases, opening interesting avenues for future research.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Average healthy esophagus still accumulates hundreds of mutations

Cancer is a ticking time bomb in our bodies. If...

A new study from the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/joint-research-centre_en">Joint Research Centre</a> (JRC) is reporting that a combination of climate change and population growth will elevate competition among countries for limited <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/colorado-river-drought/">water</a> resources. The researchers have identified five global hotspots where water scarcity may cause major conflict in the not-so-distant future.

Scarce water resources can cause or worsen political tensions, regional instability, and social unrest. The goal of this research is to implement strategies that may promote cooperation among countries.

Water conflicts are more likely to become an issue in areas that are already experiencing water stress, such as regions along the Nile, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Indus, Tigris-Euphrates, and Colorado rivers. The experts referred to these five regions as “water hotspots” where “hydro-political interactions” are most likely to occur.

Using a new machine-learning approach, the JRC scientists analyzed the conditions and factors that will most likely to lead to water management issues.

“The scope of our study is two-fold. First, we wanted to highlight the factors which lead to either political cooperation or tensions in transboundary river basins. And second, we wanted to map and monitor the likelihood of these kinds of interactions over space and time and under changing socio-economic conditions,” explained JRC study lead author Fabio Farinosi.

The study revealed that the main factors that drive either political cooperation or tensions in transboundary river basins are: scarcity of water, high population density, power imbalances, and climatic stressors.

The combined effect of climate change and population growth will increase the likelihood of water-related conflict surrounding shared river basins by between 74.9 and 95 percent. Furthermore, increased pressure will be placed on water resources worldwide.


“This does not mean that each case will result in a conflict,” said Farinosi. “It depends on how well prepared and equipped the countries are to cooperate. This is where we hope our research can help, by raising awareness of the risks so that solutions can be sought early on.”

Based on the results of the study, the experts have created a model and an index that can be used to help identify areas at risk of water conflicts across the globe. The tools may influence policymakers to implement strategies that encourage cooperation between countries before conflicts arise.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/global-environmental-change">Global Environmental Change</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Top five areas where water scarcity will likely trigger conflict

A new study from the Joint Research Centre (JRC) is...

For years, conventional dating advice has argued that sleeping with an ex is a terrible idea and only prolongs the pain and heartbreak of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/secret-getting-over-breakup/">breaking up</a>. But new research has shown that sex with an ex after a breakup doesn’t necessarily stop two former lovers from moving on.

Researchers from <a href="https://wayne.edu/">Wayne State University</a> conducted two studies involving people who had recently been involved in a breakup or who had engaged in intimacy with an ex to examine the impacts that sex had on moving on after a relationship. 

The results, published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, show that even for people pining over an ex, sleeping together doesn’t prevent partners from moving on. 

Understanding the motivations behind sleeping with past romantic partners was important for the researchers because it’s a shared experience for many people across all age groups and relationship types. 

In one of the studies, the researchers interviewed 113 participants who had recently been through a breakup and later followed up with the participants two months later with an online survey asking about any lingering emotional attachment. 

The second study included 372 participants who reported on any sexual engagement with an ex and emotional attachment as well. 

Surprisingly, the researchers found that sleeping with an ex didn’t impede recovery after a breakup. 

Even the participants who were still heavily emotionally attached didn’t suffer after a physical encounter with an ex. Instead, the researchers said that emotionally attached participants who slept with an ex were more positive in their everyday life. 

“This research suggests that societal handwringing regarding trying to have sex with an ex may not be warranted,” said Stephanie Spielmann, the lead author of the study. “The fact that sex with an ex is found to be most eagerly pursued by those having difficulty moving on, suggests that we should perhaps instead more critically evaluate people's motivations behind pursuing sex with an ex.” 

According to Spielman, there is much to be learned from studies like these that delve into the more nuanced complications and motivations of romantic relationships. Understanding how something like sex with an ex can impact mental health and well being can help better inform someone’s post-breakup recovery. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleeping with an ex doesn’t necessarily stop you from moving on

For years, conventional dating advice has argued that sleeping with...

The holidays are coming up, and it’s more likely than not that you’ll soon be standing over a table full of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/fast-food-restaurants-unhealthy-options/">food</a>, brain firing with anticipation and building the perfect plate in your mind before you dig in. In these situations, we have to make quick decisions about which dishes to try and how much of each to take. While you may think these decisions are made mainly by your stomach, neuroscientists at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have now found the region of your brain that is strongly linked to food preference decisions.

The research team wanted to find out how the brain determines what to eat and how much of it to eat when an individual has several good food options. Even if there are similar foods available that we desire somewhat equally, the favorite dish will likely be eaten faster and with bigger bites.

In their study, the scientists gave rats two similar sugary drinks. The rats preferred the drink made with sucrose over the one made with maltodextrin – so that when they receive sucrose, they’d lick it up faster. Over the course of multiple days, the rats were given either one drink or the other while the researchers mapped their brain activity at the exact moment the animals realized which drink they received. Thus, the neuroscientists could pinpoint the neurons that registered excitement for sucrose, and the disappointment for maltodextrin.

“We found a region in the brain that reflects our perception of food in a strikingly dominant way,” says lead author David Ottenheimer, a Johns Hopkins University graduate student studying neuroscience. “The level of brain activity we saw exceeded our expectations by far.” The neurons that were activated are in a region called the ventral pallidum, an area that has long been associated with reward and pleasure perception – but always considered to be in more of a secondary role.

The researchers then presented the rats with a different set of options – either the maltodextrin drink or plain water. They found that when the rats got maltodextrin, these neurons fired like they had for sucrose. These results indicate that the brain area is making context-dependent decisions, responding to the best food option at any given time.

“Because the signaling by ventral pallidum neurons changes immediately when the rat changes his ranking of which flavor is his favorite, we see this response as providing a real-time readout of what you like best from currently available options,” says senior author <a href="https://pbs.jhu.edu/directory/patricia-janak/">Patricia Janak</a>, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neuroscience.

Although more research is needed to figure out what the signaling in this region of the brain really means, the team believes their study could be key to developing therapies and treatments that encourage healthy eating. “Our data suggest that further investigation of ventral pallidum will be critical for understanding how we make decisions about eating,” says Ottenheimer. “If we want to figure out why a food can be exciting in one scenario and disappointing in another, ventral pallidum could be the key.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What determines our food preferences and decisions?

The holidays are coming up, and it’s more likely than...

A new study has found that the herpes virus has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, and that people with severe herpes benefit from taking antiviral drugs as they decrease the risk of developing dementia. 

A new paper by Ruth Itzhaki, a professor at the <a href="http://www.manchester.ac.uk/">University of Manchester</a>, was published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2018.00324/ful">Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience </a>and reviews 25 years of research examining the link between herpes and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/exercise-benefits-alzheimers/">Alzheimer’s</a>. 

Itzhaki is a leading expert on Alzheimer’s and it’s connection to HSV1, the Herpes Simplex Virus 1. 

Herpes viruses remain in a person’s immune cells, and neurons for the entirety of their life and flare-ups or reactivation of the virus can happen when stress or illness puts a strain on the body’s immune system. 

It’s been theorized and extensively studied that because HSV1 infects neurons, during reactivation, the infected neurons cause mental deterioration. 

“Viral DNA is located very specifically within plaques in postmortem brain tissue from Alzheimer's sufferers,” said Itzhaki. “The main proteins of both plaques and tangles accumulate also in HSV1-infected cell cultures - and antiviral drugs can prevent this.”

Carriers of the gene variant APOE-ε4 are particularly at risk of developing Alzheimer's later on in life. 

“HSV1 could account for 50% or more of Alzheimer's disease cases,” said Itzhaki, “Our theory is that in APOE-ε4 carriers, reactivation is more frequent or more harmful in HSV1-infected brain cells, which as a result accumulate damage that culminates in development of Alzheimer's.” 

To prove this, Itzhaki analyzed data from <a href="https://nhird.nhri.org.tw/en/">Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database</a>. 

The database is appealing to researchers like Itzhaki because 99.9 percent of Taiwan’s population is enrolled in it and there is a lot to be learned about microbial infections and diseases from such a large sample. 

Three studies were published in 2017 and 2018 using the National Health Insurance Research Database to investigate the development of senile dementia and the success of treatments administered to patients with obvious signs of HSV1 infection. 

“The striking results include evidence that the risk of senile dementia is much greater in those who are infected with HSV, and that anti-herpes antiviral treatment causes a dramatic decrease in number of those subjects severely affected by HSV1 who later develop dementia,” said Itzhaki.

Itzhaki notes that the results only apply to patients with severe HSV1 infections but that over 150 publications provide evidence to support the theory that HSV1 influences Alzheimer's. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New study shows that herpes can increase risk of Alzheimer’s

A new study has found that the herpes virus has...

A new study has found that making farmland and vineyards more diverse is not only better for the environment and <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/protecting-biodiversity-political-action/">biodiversity</a>, but it also helps boost working land productivity.

Take, for example, the big brown bat which has to eat thousands of bugs to sustain itself and could help with pest control for farmers.

However, the common practice of monoculture, dedicating large areas of land to just one type of crop, is inhospitable for bats and other species that need a diverse landscape to nest and feed.

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a> recently reviewed the positive impact of diversification, the opposite of monoculture, in a new paper published in the journal Science. 

The threats to biodiversity and food security are becoming more and more severe due to climate change, and finding new methods for protecting ecosystems while still ensuring agricultural yields is going to be crucial in the coming years. 

Researchers from Berkeley show that diversifying working lands, even through simple, small steps such as planting trees or hedgerows along the edges of a field could go a long way in preserving biodiversity. 

“Protected areas are extremely important, but we can't rely on those on their own to prevent the pending sixth mass extinction,” said Adina Merenlender, a co-author of the study. “This is even more true in the face of climate change, because species will need to move around to adapt to shifts in temperature and climate.”

The researchers say that transforming large areas of land for a single crop can be detrimental to certain species that are unable to adapt to significant environmental changes like big brown bats and acorn woodpeckers. 

When woodlands and shrublands are cleared away, these species begin to decline.

“If you can leave shrubs, trees, and flowering plants, the habitat suitability -- not just for sensitive birds but also for other vertebrates - goes way up,” said Merenlender. “This is true not only in California's vineyards, but on working lands around the world.”

The researchers suggest incorporating a combination of patchwork fields, orchards, and flowers into working lands to enhance biodiversity and reduce the need for pesticides and man-made fertilizer.

Livestock integration provides natural fertilizer, flowers attract bees which can help with pollination, and birds and bats feed on insects. 

“It is possible for these working landscapes to support biodiversity but also be productive and profitable,” said Claire Kremen, the first author of the study. “And ultimately, this is where we have to go. We just can't keep mining our soils for their fertility and polluting our streams - in the end, this will diminish our capacity to continue producing the food that we need. Instead, we must pay attention to the species, from microbes to mammals, that supply us with critical services, like pollination, pest control, and nutrient cycling.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Corey Luthringer

Diversifying farmland, vineyards boosts conservation, pest control

A new study has found that making farmland and vineyards...

Kisspeptin, a hormone responsible for regulating reproduction, has a much stronger influence on regulating mood and brain activity than previously realized. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> studied kisspeptin and its effect on brain activity during the brain’s resting state, something that had never been done before. 

“Although we have previously investigated how this hormone affects the brain when it is in an active state, this is the first time we've demonstrated it also affects the brain in its baseline, resting state,” said Waljit Dhillo, the senior author of the study. “These insights suggest the hormone could one day be used to treat conditions such as low sex drive or depression.” 

Think of the resting state like a car in neutral. It’s a period when the brain isn’t concentrating on a task, and studies that delve into the brain’s resting state are providing new insights into the active <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/switch-turns-brain-off-sleep/">brain</a> and psychological disorders. 

Kisspeptins were discovered along with the gene that produces them, KISS1, in 1996. KISS1 and kisspeptin are named after <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/landia/PIIS2213-8587(13)70098-6.pdf">Hershey’s Kisses</a> because the gene was discovered in Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

Studies have shown that kisspeptin <a href="https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physiol.00009.2010">is a “master regulator” of reproduction</a> and the researchers wanted to better understand how the hormone influences brain activity. 

According to the researchers, the study could help pave the way for new treatments for problems like low sex drive. 

For the study, 29 men were given a kisspeptin infusion and shown an array of themed images while they were in an MRI scanner. The images were either sexual, negative, or neutral in nature and the researchers monitored brain activity as the participants viewed the images. 

In a second visit, the participants were given a placebo and asked to take part in the same MRI test, but the men didn’t know that they had not been given the hormone. 

The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, and the researchers found links between the hormone and decreased sexual aversion and increased sexual arousal during resting states. 

“Our findings help unravel the many and complex roles of the naturally-occurring hormone kisspeptin, and how it orchestrates reproductive hormones as well as sexual and emotional function,” said Alexander Comninos, the first author of the study. “Psychosexual problems, such as low sex drive, affect up to one in three people, and can have a devastating effect on a person's, and a couple's, wellbeing. These findings open avenues for kisspeptin as a future treatment for these problems, although there is a lot of work still to be done.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Imperial College London

Hormone that regulates reproduction could treat low sex drive

Kisspeptin, a hormone responsible for regulating reproduction, has a much...

Coffee growers in Latin America are facing one of the most severe threats to crops in the last 60 years. Coffee leaf rust is causing billions of dollars in damages and threatening the world's coffee supply.

Coffee leaf rust, or Hemileia vastatrix, is an orange, powdery fungus that causes the plants to lose their leaves, resulting in major production losses. In the worst cases, entire crops have been lost for up to two years.

The disease began to spread rampantly during the 2011-2012 growing season. Since that time, 70 percent of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/coffee-drinkers-live-longer-lives/">coffee</a> farms in Central America have been affected, causing over $3 billion in damages.

Cathie Aime is a mycologist at <a href="https://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University</a> who studies the systematics of rust fungi. 

“This is one of those rusts that even though it’s been with us for over 100 years, we don’t even understand its entire life cycle,” said Aime. “This is much more difficult than it sounds. For rust fungi, they’re obligate pathogens, so you can’t get pure DNA in meaningful quantities. You can’t grow it in culture or manipulate it in the lab. And they’re microfungi, so you are dealing with extremely small organisms embedded in their host.”

[caption id="attachment_1861058" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/coffee.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1861058" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/coffee.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="566" /></a> Image Credit: Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org[/caption]

The British colony of Ceylon, which is Sri Lanka today, was once a major coffee producer until coffee leaf rust wiped out the crop in the late 1800s. Central America coffee crops were threatened by the disease in the 1970s, but the combination of management practices and new resistant coffee varieties kept losses to a minimum.

“Suddenly it is once again becoming of extreme economic importance,” said Aime. “There’s low levels of rust disease evident everywhere, but they haven’t caused the kind of major epidemics, besides Ceylon, that we’re seeing again today.”

Experts are warning that the fungus is evolving, and surprisingly little is known about it. This emphasizes the need for a detailed genetic analysis of coffee leaf rust.

“Sequencing and annotating the coffee leaf rust genome is essential research work in our quest to combat coffee’s No. 1 disease. With this information in place, breeders may draw on it to create varieties resistant to rust,” explained Tim Schilling, CEO and founder of <a href="https://worldcoffeeresearch.org/">World Coffee Research</a>. 

“Dr. Aime and the team at Purdue is doing crucial research in this regard. With her specific expertise in the evolution of rust fungi, Dr. Aime is uniquely equipped to help us develop a solution to this extreme challenge complicating the future of coffee production.”

Cathie Aime and the Purdue researchers recently received a grant from World Coffee Research to study the disease.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org

Rust fungus outbreak is threatening the world’s coffee supply

Coffee growers in Latin America are facing one of the...

The role of the government is often seen as a regulator of business.  One of the major ways the government regulates business is by keeping the environmental practices of business within reasonable bounds.  

Sometimes there is a struggle between government regulators and those who are unwilling or even unable to comply with environmental regulations.  Sometimes poverty coerces people to act in their best interest against law. In western culture, the embodiment of the poor taking the law into their own hands is Robin Hood.  The reality of the nature of struggle between government and poor is often much messier and less clear cut than stories like Robin Hood’s would have us believe. Nigeria has such an example.

Many oil companies work operate in Nigeria.  A quick Google search shows that you’re likely to have used one of the oil companies that works in Nigeria.  Examples include Exxon Mobil, Chevron Corporation and Royal Dutch Shell (most often known simply as Shell). Nigeria is also part of <a href="https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/167.htm">OPEC</a> which lists their crude oil production at 82,000 barrels per day.  The value of Nigerian petroleum exports for 2017 was $38,607,000,000.  

By the 1980s, Nigeria’s economy had become almost completely dependent on oil production, with as much as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_in_the_Niger_Delta">25% of the nation’s GDP</a> being made up of petroleum extraction, the percentage has only risen with petroleum extraction making up 60% of Nigeria’s GDP in 2008. The wealth brought by oil has created economic disparity in Nigeria, though.  <a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/even-it-nigeria/nigeria-extreme-inequality-numbers">Oxfam International</a> reports that Nigeria has the largest economy in Africa, yet wealth disparity is extreme.  Oxfam reports:

“The combined wealth of Nigeria’s five richest men - $29.9 billion - could end extreme poverty at a national level yet 5 million face hunger. More than 112 million people are living in poverty in Nigeria, yet the country’s richest man would have to spend $1 million a day for 42 years to exhaust his fortune.”

In the Niger Delta, inequity has historically been part of life.  The government and oil companies have in the recent past forced ethnic minorities from their land to seize control of petroleum revenues without compensation to land owners.  The government has even massacred some groups, like those living in Ogoniland, and denied fair trials for others who were hanged by the government. A 2001 report by <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/">Greenpeace</a> found that Shell had given money to the Nigerian military as bribes for their violent acts.    

Organized resistance formed by minority groups has at times violently taken control of oil produced in the Niger Delta.  Today, there are hundreds of small militia groups and a couple of larger ones operating in the Niger Delta. Oil pipelines are tapped and the oil drained off to be loaded onto waiting boats by these militia groups.  Government amnesty programs slowed the violent resistance movements but actions have flared up again in 2016 when a few different oil operations were bombed by different militant groups.

The crude oil stolen by militant groups is often processed in clandestine refineries in the Niger Delta, Africa’s largest wetland.  The processing is often done with few health or environmental protections and leaks are common. When government forces seize these illegal refineries, oil is often dumped on the ground, spilled rather than used by the Nigerian forces.  All of this together has a huge impact on the environment. 

The Nigerian Delta is a place of incredible biodiversity, as well as a place of poverty and unique cultural groups.  Located in the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria is not only tropical but equatorial. This means that Nigeria and the Niger Delta in particular stands in a unique place in the world.  

The Niger Delta is made up of coastal barrier islands, mangrove swamp forests, freshwater swamps and lowland tropical rainforests.  The area is also home to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_issues_in_the_Niger_Delta">20 million</a> people of 40 different ethnic groups.  Oil spills in the area aren’t always recorded with any sort of accuracy and estimates of the number of oil spills vary, the Department of Petroleum Resources estimates there were 4,835 oil spills between 1976 and 1996 totaling 2.4 million barrels of oil spilled.  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell">The Guardian</a> reports that one source estimated 1.5m tons of oil spilled in 2006, noting this number to be 50 times the pollution released in the famous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska.  

According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/30/oil-spills-nigeria-niger-delta-shell">Shell</a>, 98% of its spills are due to vandalism.  This stops short at explaining the motivation behind such vandalism though.  Many oil companies including Shell have been accused of human rights violations in Nigeria.  According to <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/shell-oil-settlement-ogoniland/">Greenpeace</a>, cleanup of the oil spills in Ogoniland will take 25 to 30 years.  As of 2015, Shell has agreed to pay only $83 million for cleanup and restoration of the area. 

Greenpeace also reports that a United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) concluded a study of the area in 2011 concluding that drinking water was contaminated in at least ten communities.  The report also found oil floating on ground water and seeping into soil. This comes on top of the alleged complicity of Shell with human rights violations, arrests and executions of resistance members and forced removal of people from their land.  News such as this fuels continued violence in Nigeria as inequity continues despite the new government’s commitment to stop corruption. 

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/jul/18/shameful-nigeria-doesnt-care-about-inequality-corruption">The Guardian</a> reported in 2017 that 86 million people still live in extreme poverty in Nigeria.  Between 2004 to 2010, the number in extreme poverty increased from 69 to 112 million, despite economic growth of 7% and an increase in the number of millionaires in Nigeria of 44%.  Corruption is rampant in the country as well, money lost in the government is commonplace. 

Political and economic power coincide in Nigeria, a country with little ethical or legal oversight.  Now as Nigeria’s economic growth has slowed, there is even less discussion in the country about economic inequality.  The poor are left living in the waste left by the rich and those struggling for justice by any means available. There is little way to know the full extent of the problem as oil companies and the Nigerian government keep full records of oil spills and connected problems secret from the public.                                      

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Illegal oil refineries in Nigeria have led to conflict, spills

The role of the government is often seen as a...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features 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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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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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