A year‑long investigation following almost 20,000 adults has uncovered a clear link between getting to sleep early at night and doing more physical activity the following day. 



The recent <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2420846122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>, reports that volunteers who habitually nodded off near 9 p.m. accumulated roughly 30 extra minutes of brisk movement each day compared with people who stayed awake until 1 a.m.



<a href="https://lens.monash.edu/@josh-leota" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Josh Leota</a> of <a href="https://lens.monash.edu/@josh-leota" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monash University</a> led the project, working with colleagues across Australia, the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-bedtime-matters">Why bedtime matters</h2>



Those <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sleep-during-naps-can-spark-insight-and-creativity/">early sleepers</a> also beat the sample average, clocking about 15 more minutes of moderate‑to‑vigorous physical activity <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.682233/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">(MVPA)</a> than peers who usually fell asleep around 11 p.m.



Public‑health agencies <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/guidelines/adults.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">advise</a> adults to rack up at least 150 minutes of moderate effort each week, or about 30 minutes a day, meaning the extra half hour observed in the early‑to‑bed group can single‑handedly meet the daily target.



Crucially, the data show it is not just what time you fall asleep most nights, but whether you shift that time earlier while still getting your usual amount of shut‑eye. This combination produced the highest next‑day MVPA totals in the sample.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-night-owls-under-pressure">Night owls under pressure</h2>



Your natural preference for early or late sleep, known as your <a href="https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/chronotypes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">chronotype</a>, is not merely a quirk of habit. Research using accelerometers has <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-12267-5">linked</a> extreme evening chronotypes to more sedentary time and a higher ten‑year cardiovascular risk score in middle‑aged adults.



Another analysis of college students found that people who experience at least a two‑hour mismatch between work‑day and weekend sleep, known as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39321660/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social jetlag</a>, were less likely to hit either aerobic or strength‑training recommendations.



“Standard 9‑to‑5 routines can clash with the natural sleep preferences of evening types, leading to social jetlag, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-particular-sleep-stage-slow-wave-deep-is-most-important-for-preventing-dementia/">poorer sleep quality</a>, and increased daytime sleepiness, which can all reduce motivation and opportunity for physical activity the next day,” explained Dr. Leota.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-activity-gadgets-that-never-sleep">Activity gadgets that never sleep</h2>



The Monash team relied on a wrist‑worn wearable sensor called <a href="https://www.whoop.com/us/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">WHOOP</a> that logs heart rate, motion, and skin temperature every few seconds.



To confirm their findings, they repeated the analyses with almost 6,000 volunteers whose Fitbits fed data into the <a href="https://allofus.nih.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. All of Us Research Program</a>. The patterns held firm across age, gender, and ethnicity.



Earlier <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4341978/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> has already shown that exercise and sleep travel a two‑way street: better sleep encourages movement, while regular movement deepens sleep quality.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-work-schedules-make-it-worse">Work schedules make it worse</h2>



Evening‑type workers who are forced into early starts also face higher odds of metabolic trouble. Nurses who self‑identified as night owls had a 72 percent greater risk of developing diabetes than their early‑bird colleagues, although a healthier lifestyle cut that figure dramatically.



Adding vigorous workouts late in the evening can backfire too. An <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2025/05/10/working-out-night-sleep-quality/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> of 15,000 fitness‑tracker users found that strenuous activity inside the four‑hour window before bedtime delayed sleep onset by up to 80 minutes and severely reduced total sleep.



The <a href="https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/physical-activity" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Health Organization</a> notes that exceeding the weekly activity minimum of up to 300 minutes of moderate effort, delivers extra <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fitness-focused-medicine-physical-activity-reduces-chronic-disease-risk/">protection</a> against heart disease, depression, and several cancers. These benefits could be even easier to leverage if early sleep routines lead to increased daily activity.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-small-sleep-tweaks-big-gains-in-activity">Small sleep tweaks, big gains in activity</h2>



Participants who advanced their bedtime by even 30 minutes, without shortening their total sleep, recorded noticeable lifts in activity the next morning.



“Our findings are consistent across different populations and show that if you can get to sleep earlier than usual whilst keeping your sleep duration the same, you may be more likely to increase your physical activity the following day,” said <a href="https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/elise-facer-childs">Dr. Elise Facer‑Childs</a>, senior author of the study. 



The pattern held regardless of age or fitness level, suggesting that a modest scheduling change is one lever almost anyone can pull.



If carving out time to exercise feels impossible, consider starting with the bedroom clock. An earlier lights‑out not only guards sleep duration but also builds momentum for next‑day <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/small-bursts-of-intense-exercise-can-slow-brain-aging/">activity</a>. 



This helps people reach or surpass the 150‑minute‑a‑week benchmark without adding another appointment to an already packed calendar.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-earlier-bedtimes-may-help-fight-obesity">How earlier bedtimes may help fight obesity</h2>



Mounting research connects <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3632337/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">obesity</a> with sleep habits, particularly the timing and quality of rest. People who sleep later are more likely to snack at night and less likely to engage in early‑morning activity, both of which can contribute to long‑term weight gain.



A 2020 <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7154640/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meta‑analysis</a> found that late bedtimes are linked to higher body mass index in both children and adults, even when total sleep time is adequate. Shifting sleep earlier may align eating patterns and activity schedules in a way that helps regulate metabolism and reduce excess fat storage.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2420846122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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Early sleep times linked to enhanced activity during the day

A year‑long investigation following almost 20,000 adults has uncovered a clear link between getting to sleep early at night and doing more physical activity the following day. The recent study, reports that volunteers who habitually nodded off near 9 p.m. accumulated roughly 30 extra minutes of brisk movement each day compared with people who stayed awake until 1 a.m. Dr. Josh Leota of Monash University led the project, working with colleagues across Australia, the United States, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Why bedtime matters Those early sleepers also beat...

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

Researchers argue that Alzheimer’s is not just one disease

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

Experts led by the <a href="https://www.usc.edu/">University of Southern California</a> have evaluated the cost-benefit methods used by the Trump administration to justify a proposal to roll back <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/epa-rollback-emissions-standards/">fuel economy standards</a>. The researchers not only found that the new legislation will do more harm than good, but also discovered that the government analysis was not properly conducted. 

“It appears federal officials cherry-picked data to support a predetermined conclusion that the clean-car standards will lead to too many highway deaths,” said study lead author Professor Antonio Bento. “We do not support that conclusion and the data does not support that conclusion.”

In 2007, Congress adopted laws to require the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) to increase to 35 mpg by 2020. A midterm review conducted in 2016 found that the benefits of these changes would be greater than the costs and that the measures would be technologically feasible.

Just two years later, federal agencies announced plans to freeze CAFE standards at 2021 levels through 2025. They argued that forcing automakers to make the necessary changes so quickly would lead to cars that are too expensive and that this would keep too many old vehicles on the road that are not safe.

The authors of the current study, who are among the world's top experts in environmental economics and climate change, were puzzled by the proposal and wanted to conduct an independent assessment.

The team's findings, which will be presented to automakers and policymakers at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris this week, confirm the results of previous research which concluded that the benefits for fuel-efficient vehicles outweigh the costs.

Professor Bento said the study represents a “rapid assessment policy response” to the controversial regulatory proposal. According to the researchers, the results of the investigation suggest that flaws in the government's analysis may have been a deliberate attempt to manipulate statistics and mislead people.

Ironically, Professor Bento happens to be the economist most often cited in the documents the EPA used to make its case for the regulatory relaxation.

“It's doubtful these miscalculations were inadvertent,” said Professor Bento. “These are not mistakes, rather these are deliberate downsizing of benefits and inflating costs.”


The study is published in the journal <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/">Science</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>

Proposed changes to fuel economy standards based on flawed analysis

Experts led by the University of Southern California have evaluated...

An international team of researchers has identified a new strain of the bacteria that causes <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/global-pandemic-kill-900-million/">plague</a> in the DNA of 5,000-year-old human remains. The bacteria, or Yersinia pestis, may have contributed to the rapid decline of Neolithic European settlements at the beginning of the Bronze Age.

Study senior author Simon Rasmussen is a metagenomics researcher at the <a href="https://www.dtu.dk/english">Technical University of Denmark</a> and the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/english/">University of Copenhagen</a>.

“Plague is maybe one of the deadliest bacteria that has ever existed for humans. And if you think of the word ‘plague,’ it can mean this infection by Y. pestis, but because of the trauma plague has caused in our history, it's also come to refer more generally to any epidemic,” said Rasmussen. “The kind of analyses we do here let us go back through time and look at how this pathogen that's had such a huge effect on us evolved.”


While screening genetic data from ancient humans to investigate the evolutionary history of the plague, the team discovered the new Y. pestis strain in the DNA of a 20-year-old woman who died approximately 5,000 years ago in Sweden. The strain had the same genes that make the pneumonic plague deadly today, and traces of it were found in additional remains from the same grave site.

The new strain of the plague is not only the oldest that has ever been discovered, but is also the closest to the genetic origin of Y. pestis. The strain likely diverged from other strains around 5,700 years ago, which was a time when mega-settlements of 10,000-20,000 inhabitants were becoming common in Europe. This made job specialization, new technology, and trade possible, but these large groups may have also provided a breeding ground for plague. 

“These mega-settlements were the largest settlements in Europe at that time, ten times bigger than anything else. They had people, animals, and stored food close together, and, likely, very poor sanitation. That's the textbook example of what you need to evolve new pathogens,” said Rasmussen.

“We think our data fit. If plague evolved in the mega-settlements, then when people started dying from it, the settlements would have been abandoned and destroyed. This is exactly what was observed in these settlements after 5,500 years ago. Plague would also have started migrating along all the trade routes made possible by wheeled transport, which had rapidly expanded throughout Europe in this period."

The researchers have not yet identified the plague in the genetic materials of the individuals from the mega-settlements where it may have evolved. 

“We haven't really found the smoking gun, but it's partly because we haven't looked yet. And we'd really like to do that, because if we could find plague in those settlements, that would be strong support for this theory,” said Rasmussen.

The research represents an important step toward understanding how plague and other pathogens became deadly. 

“We often think that these superpathogens have always been around, but that's not the case,” explained Rasmussen. “Plague evolved from an organism that was relatively harmless. More recently, the same thing happened with smallpox, malaria, Ebola, and Zika. This process is very dynamic - and it keeps happening. I think it's really interesting to try to understand how we go from something harmless to something extremely virulent.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/">Cell</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Karl-Göran Sjögren / University of Gothenburg

Oldest known plague may have caused decline of Neolithic Europeans

An international team of researchers has identified a new strain...

Bullfighting continues in Spain despite growing opposition. For many people, the country of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/125-million-dinosaur-fossil-found-spain/">Spain</a> evokes images of a majestic matador waving a crimson red cape next to a stomping bull. What this scene does not portray is the immense cruelty and pain the bull suffers during the bullfight, ending only when the bull is ultimately slaughtered. While Spanish bullfighting has traditionally been a symbol of local culture and pride, citizens are increasingly rejecting the practice.

Bullfighting has a deep history in the country of Spain. The first known bullfight traces as far back at 711 A.D. and was romanticized in the 1900s by Ernest Hemingway who inspired a wave of travelers to watch a bullfight firsthand. 

Travelers attending a bullfight may come unprepared for the grotesque scene. Images of bullfighting across the U.S. rarely go beyond the waving capes, elegant costumes and stampeding bulls. Contrary to what pop culture portrays, bulls are not agitated by the color red, in fact they are actually color blind to the color. It is believed that the capes are red to hide the vast amount of blood transferring from the bull to the cape.

Bullfighting is an inherently violent spectacle. A traditional Spanish bullfight is divided into three parts. In the first part, referred to as “tercio de varas”, a picador who is riding a horse stabs the bull multiple times in the neck. These strikes can cause significant damage to the bull who can lose <a href="http://colvetcadiz.org/index.php?option=com_docman&amp;task=doc_view&amp;gid=40&amp;Itemid=209">up to 18%</a> of his blood and lose mobility in his head. 

In the second part, “tercio de banderillas,” the bull is stabbed in the shoulders with six harpoons. Finally, in “tercio de muerte” the bull is killed. The matador stabs the bull in the chest with a sword, causing profuse bleeding and suffocation while the bull chokes on his own blood. The matador may even cut the ears and tails off the still conscious animal as a trophy.

The cruelty involved in bullfighting is even worse than what is on full display in the arena. According to <a href="http://www.stopbullfighting.org.uk/facts.htm">Stop Bullfighting</a>, “The bull has wet newspapers stuffed into his ears; vaseline is rubbed into his eyes to blur his vision; cotton is stuffed up his nostrils to cut off his respiration and a needle is stuck into his genitals… In addition to this, drugs are administered to pep him up or slow him down, and strong laxatives are added to his feed to further incapacitate him. He is kept in a dark box for a couple of days before he faces the ring.”

When the bull enters the arena, he is not the violent, aggressive creature spectators expect, but rather a disoriented and scared animal trying to escape.

As animal advocacy organizations have worked to expose the realities of bullfighting, local Spaniards have become increasingly disillusioned with the practice.

A<a href="https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/bullfighting-spain"> 2015 Ipsos MORI poll</a> found that only 19% of Spaniards stated they supported bullfighting while two-thirds of respondents said they were not proud to be living in a country where bullfighting is a cultural tradition. In a 2016<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10806-017-9700-9"> study</a> of over 2,500 Spanish citizens, researchers found that the majority of citizens did not like bullfights and the great majority did not attend or watch the events. The results illustrate shifting cultural perceptions of the practice in Spain. Women and young people were concerned with animal welfare while rural people were more likely to support bullfighting than urban people.

It’s not just the locals who are distancing themselves from bullfighting. Tourist attendance at bullfights is seeing declines as animal advocacy campaigns gain more traction. In 2008, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269285581_Bullfighting_and_Tourism?enrichId=rgreq-330239a664553fc7b32118f9d9bf97ac-XXX&amp;enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzI2OTI4NTU4MTtBUzozNjAyMjA4MjUwMTQyNzJAMTQ2Mjg5NDc0NTM3MA%3D%3D&amp;el=1_x_3&amp;_esc=publicationCoverPdf">89% of British citizens</a> stated they would not visit a bullfight during their holidays.Bullfighting continues in Spain despite growing opposition

A<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286800286_A_quantitative_investigation_of_tourists'_ethical_attitudes_toward_animal-based_attractions"> study</a> on tourists’ ethical attitudes towards animal-based attractions found that tourists rated bullfighting as the least acceptable attraction, placing it above animal racing, rodeos and circuses.

Declines in attendance is having an effect on the bullfighting industry. The number of bullfights in Spain <a href="https://qz.com/112234/an-internal-crisis-is-causing-spains-beloved-bullfighting-industry-to-bleed/">declined</a> by 40% in five years. With tourists becoming more aware and young people shifting away from bullfighting, the future is likely to be bleak for the blood sport. Yet, the practice still continues. Regional bans have been passed but to the dismay of many, a ban on bullfighting in Catalonia was overturned in 2016. The judges cited the importance of preserving cultural heritage in their decision.

This refrain is commonly used by proponents of bullfighting who see the practice not only as part of their culture but also as an art form. Bullfighting is a difficult political issue in Spain with many politicians still standing strong in supporting the practice. 

It may be a long time before bullfighting is banned in Spain but changes in tourists’ attitudes towards bullfighting could create significant positive change. Once people learn about the cruelty and violence, the decision to forgo on a bullfight should be easy.

--

By <a href="mailto:brianna.grant134@gmail.com">Brianna Lynne</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Bullfighting continues in Spain despite growing opposition

Bullfighting continues in Spain despite growing opposition. For many people,...

Mountain Gorilla (Humba family)

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.unisa.edu.au/">University of South Australia</a> (UniSA) and Zoos Victoria are urging people to recycle their old <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/blue-light-smartphones-damages-eyes/">cell phones</a>. The experts are warning that a link exists between hoarding unused mobile phones and the dramatic decline of gorilla populations in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

In the past year, 400 million people around the world have stored away old cell phones in their homes. Most people are unaware that this contributes to the destruction of Grauer gorilla habitats.


As part of a national campaign operating in Australian zoos, the researchers analyzed the progress of the “They're Calling On You” mobile phone recycling project run by Zoos Victoria, which has been ongoing for six years. 

The program is focused on educating zoo visitors about the value of recycling discarded phones to extract special metals from them. In the DRC, mining for these same metals is not only destroying gorilla habitats but is also funding wars and human rights abuses.

Study lead author Dr. Carla Litchfield is an expert on great apes and a conservation psychologist at UniSA. She explained that there is less incentive to mine gorilla habitats if these “conflict” elements can be obtained from old mobile phones. 

“For every 30-40 mobile phones that are recycled, on average, one gram of gold can be recovered,” said Dr. Litchfield. “Just as mobile phone sales are soaring, and gold content is increasing in some smartphones, natural sources of gold are expected to run out by 2030."

By the year 2035, it is estimated that 8,000 tons of precious metals will be wasting away in unused cell phones across Germany alone.

“Hoarding is problematic since precious metals are not extracted and returned to the circular economy, creating the need to mine these metals in wilderness areas,” said Dr. Litchfield.

“The other issue is that if people do discard their old phones, most dispose of them in their household waste, ending up in landfill, where they leach toxic metals.”


The population of Grauer gorillas in the DRC has declined by as much as 93 percent, according to recent estimates. The species is now listed as Critically Endangered, with less than 4,000 individuals remaining in the wild.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Image Credit: Creative Commons

Recycling old mobile phones can help save endangered gorillas

Researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) and Zoos...

Why is it that certain sounds can send a shiver down your spine and make you suddenly fearful? 

In a new study conducted by researchers from the<a href="https://www.cshl.edu/"> Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory</a> examined brain cells in mice to better understand how sounds gain meaning in the brain and why certain sounds elicit a fearful response. 

The study was published in the journal Nature Communications, and the researchers trained a group of mice to associate reward or punishment with a certain tone. 

The team able to implant a small microscope with a lens into the brain of a mouse which showed how the sounds triggered neuron activity in the amygdala of the brain. 

Within the amygdala, sights, sounds, and other experiences are given either positive or negative associations. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/amygdala-experience-fear/">amygdala drives our fear response</a> and how we react to experiences and stimuli. 

After implanting the microscope in the trained mice, The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory researchers were able to track and record neuron activity before and after a mouse heard the different tones. 

The researchers noticed drastic changes in neuron activity in the brain, and after a while, a pattern emerged in correlation with either the punishment or reward tone. 

“If you look at the patterns of brain cell activity in the amygdala, you can know whether the animal is expecting a reward or fearing a punishment,” said Bo Li, a co-author of the study. 

First, the neurons in the amygdala fired off randomly, but after enough repetition, the neurons began to form a pattern in anticipation of either a reward or punishment. In turn, the mice also started to anticipate either punishment or reward upon hearing a tone. 

The researchers found that when the tones switched and the sounds that were accompanied by a reward were suddenly followed by punishment, the brain let go of its established pattern and a new pattern formed. 

The results shed light on activity in the amygdala and could help explain how the brain places meaning onto different sounds. 


In the brain, the amygdala continually goes through a process of learning and unlearning. But in people with anxiety or major depression, this process is hindered, and studies that focus on brain activity in the amygdala could help provide better treatments for certain mental health disorders. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How certain sounds incite fear in the brain

Why is it that certain sounds can send a shiver...

Hormones, the chemicals distributed throughout our body via the endocrine system, play a major role in regulating health and development. When the endocrine system is disrupted, it can cause developmental problems and malformations, increase the risks of some cancers, inhibit reproduction, and disrupt the nervous and immune systems. 

Exposure to emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals or personal hygiene products found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tap-water-contaminants/">drinking water and wastewater</a> can cause endocrine problems and are a threat to the human health even at low doses.

A collection of presentations at the <a href="http://www.sra.org/news/registration-2018-annual-meeting-now-open">2018 Society for Risk Analysis Meeting</a> this week discussed the dangers of emerging contaminants in the public water supply and the risks of exposure. 

One of the presentations focused on hormones and pharmaceuticals in drinking water. Laura Bexfield, who presented the study, analyzed data from the <a href="https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/">U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project study</a>. 

1,091 groundwater sites across the United States were tested for 21 different hormones and 103 pharmaceuticals. 

The results of the assessment found that there was one or more hormones or pharmaceuticals in untreated groundwater in six percent of 844 sites used for public drinking water and eleven percent of 247 sites used as a domestic supply. 

Bexfield's presentation examined the risk emerging contaminants in groundwater poses to human health and safety, but pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and hormones are also harmful to local ecosystems. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uri.edu/">University of Rhode Island </a>presented a study that measured contaminants in ponds in Rhode Island and proposed several solutions for reducing and managing pond contaminant levels in the area. 

Another study looked at the ecological risks of emerging contaminants along sites along a tributary in Delaware.

For that study, researchers from <a href="https://www.wcupa.edu/">West Chester University</a> developed efficient methods for detecting contaminants in watersheds worldwide.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Contaminants detected in water supply threaten human endocrine system

Hormones, the chemicals distributed throughout our body via the endocrine...

The <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/young-adult-deaths-opioid-use/">opioid epidemic</a> in the United States shows no signs of slowing, and with about 130 citizens dying from overdoses each day, officials are searching for new ways to track and intervene in drug use in their communities. Testing municipal wastewater may be an effective new way to see if and how treatment programs are working while giving officials real-time data of drug usage within one area. 

Because most drug use data relies on users self reporting, it’s difficult for officials to put forth anti-drug initiatives without knowing their true outreach. However, Aparna Keshaviah, Sc.M., of <a href="https://www.mathematica-mpr.com/">Mathematica Policy Research</a>, believes that municipal wastewater may be the key to tracking opioid usage and intervention initiatives.

"Cities can use wastewater tests to locate "hot spots" of drug use,” Keshaviah, whose study will be presented at the December 5th 2018 <a href="http://www.sra.org/">Society for Risk Analysis (SRA)</a> Annual Meeting, states. “The method can provide an early warning that drugs are entering a community. Repeated testing over time can show shifts in drug use that reveal how well control policies are working."

Her findings promote prediction rather than reaction to changes in drug use, as do the findings of Sheree Pagsuyoin, of the University of Massachusetts. Pagsuyoin’s study, also being presented at the SRA Annual Meeting, similarly examined the application of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to track community drug use within three regions in the United States.

In Pagsuyoin’s study, wastewater samples were analyzed for the presence of MDMA, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. The wastewater results were then compared to survey-based data to round out the breadth of drug usage in a specific area. Wastewater testing can be applied to many wastewater treatment plants and can help officials on their quest to introduce more effective intervention programs within their community.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Municipal wastewater testing can track opioid usage in real-time

The opioid epidemic in the United States shows no signs...

Solar and wind energy are often looked at uncritically by environmental proponents. Any type of energy comes with some cost to the environment though, and solar and wind energy is no different.  

Bats and birds are <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/wind-turbines-bird-populations/">killed</a> every year by wind turbines.  Solar panels can take up large chunks of desert previously used by a host of wildlife from pronghorns and tortoises to coyotes and rattlesnakes.  Without efficiency and reasonable limits to energy use, solar and wind power only benefit the environment so much. There is still an initial input of resources to create wind turbines and solar panels as well.

Solar panels require plastic and metal to produce, and <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic</a> reports that production also requires sodium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid.  Wind turbines also require enormous amounts of concrete and both solar and wind utilize large amounts of land dedicated to the production of electricity.  The International Union of Concerned Scientists <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/renewable-energy/environmental-impacts-wind-power#.W_mWyDhKj3g">website</a> adds:

“Harnessing power from the wind is one of the cleanest and most sustainable ways to generate electricity as it produces no toxic pollution or global warming emissions. Wind is also abundant, inexhaustible, and affordable, which makes it a viable and large-scale alternative to fossil fuels…Despite its vast potential, there are a variety of environmental impacts associated with wind power generation that should be recognized and mitigated.”

A study the <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/">Union of Concerned Scientists</a> shows that on average, a wind farm uses 30 to 141 acres per megawatt of electricity produced.  The website goes on to say that some of the land disturbance is temporary and some of the land can still be used for other purposes as well.  Grazing livestock and hiking trails are proposed uses. I’m sure livestock can still graze around wind turbines but I’m also sure I wouldn’t find hiking through a wind farm very fulfilling.  

Other problems include wildlife death.  Birds and bats are killed by wind turbines but studies have found that the impact doesn’t hurt species overall, being relatively low impact.  The placement of wind turbines in areas less frequented by birds and bats can also limit the impact on flying animals. The fact of the matter is, we’re looking at the further impact of wind on an already severely impacted avian (and bat) population.  

Keeping bird and bat populations the same as they are isn’t a bad goal but growing them to healthier, historic numbers is a greater goal.  Could wind installations made across the US hurt the possibility of animal population growth? It’s uncertain but many other impacts would need to be mitigated before it caused a significant problem.  Production of wind turbines has its own impacts though. 

Estimates of carbon dioxide emissions associated with wind energy are between 0.02 pounds and 0.04 pounds per kilowatt-hour of electricity produced.  Electricity from the relatively clean natural gas produces an estimated 0.6 and 2 pounds of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity. A big part of the carbon in wind farm production comes from concrete.  

Footings for a 300 foot wind turbine require up to 30 to 40 truckloads of concrete each, according to <a href="https://www.rutefoundations.com/single-post/2016/1/19/Creating-Wind-Energy-Expansion-in-Rural-Oregon">Rute Foundations</a>, an organization dedicated to making wind use less concrete.  According to <a href="http://www.greenspec.co.uk/building-design/environmental-impacts-of-concrete/">Green Spec</a>, concrete production is the third greatest producer of anthropomorphic greenhouse gases.  If wind can use less concrete, the impact would be substantial. 

Looking only to carbon emissions is looking at only one part of a greater problem though.  Green Spec barely even mentions that concrete could have other impacts on the environment beyond greenhouse gases.  Limestone mining to create concrete is also problematic. <a href="https://education.seattlepi.com/environmental-hazards-limestone-mining-5608.html">Seattle Pi</a>, an education website, cites problems of ground and surface water pollution from limestone mining.  Concrete also changes how water flows over the earth, how heat is absorbed and released. We can’t expect to know exactly how covering a landscape that was previously empty with wind turbines will impact our world long term if done on a global scale.

Offshore wind turbines are also changing marine ecosystems. <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608930/first-evidence-that-offshore-wind-farms-are-changing-the-oceans/">MIT Technology Review</a> reports that offshore wind energy production in Europe is creating colonies of marine species where previously there were none.  The offshore turbines are huge but mostly their concrete and steel structures sit underwater. Mussels attach to the turbine footings, creating the basis of an increasingly complex ecosystem surrounding wind turbines.  Who knows if this could change the shape of our ocean in the long term if at sea wind farms continue to grow. 

Meanwhile, solar energy has its own unanswered questions. An article in <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelshellenberger/2018/05/23/if-solar-panels-are-so-clean-why-do-they-produce-so-much-toxic-waste/#8ba3f30121cc">Forbes</a> asks, ‘If Solar Panels Are So Clean, Why Do They Produce So Much Toxic Waste?’  The piece sums up some problems with solar energy concisely in three statements by a senior Chinese solar official:

“The problem of solar panel disposal “will explode with full force in two or three decades and wreck the environment” because it “is a huge amount of waste and they are not easy to recycle.”

“The reality is that there is a problem now, and it’s only going to get larger, expanding as rapidly as the PV industry expanded 10 years ago.”

“Contrary to previous assumptions, pollutants such as lead or carcinogenic cadmium can be almost completely washed out of the fragments of solar modules over a period of several months, for example by rainwater.””

Disposal or recycling of solar panels, in themselves expensive and resource intensive to produce, is a problem we have not yet come to terms with and it’s important for something billed as environmentally friendly.  It’s projected that solar panel waste could reach 78 million metric tons by 2050, without a way to recycle that waste, it means that much more trash in a landfill and there are some nasty toxins such as cadmium in solar panels that could cause problems we can’t simply bury.               

Pump jacks move with unending consistency across whole prairie regions in places like Wyoming and Texas but slowly wind turbines are replacing them.  Solar panels spread like flowers under the hot desert sun. Our actions often have unintended consequences. The solution to the problem is actually very straightforward.  There are better ways to create electricity than fossil fuels but there is no problem-free way to create electricity. Less is more. 

As counterintuitive as it may sound, especially during this season of mass consumption, the best thing we may be able to do for the environment is nothing.  Use as little electricity as you can no matter where it comes from. Take what you need; nothing more is the perfect axiom. Like a bumper sticker I once saw says to promote meditation, “Don’t just do something.  Sit there.” 

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

The environmental impacts of solar and wind energy

Solar and wind energy are often looked at uncritically by...

The rise of fentanyl linked to drug wholesalers, report finds. According to a new report on illegal drug markets from the <a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/">University of California San Francisco</a>, the increase of fentanyl use in the United States is linked to drug wholesalers. Fentanyl, a highly-addictive synthetic opioid, is cheaper for drug wholesalers to buy than heroin. Thus, along with a shortage of heroin and pills, fentanyl use spiked in 2017 and caused about 29,000 overdoses last year alone.

Even though the synthetic drug is sweeping the country and causing chaos, most drug users don’t even know they’re taking it. The researchers say via their report, published December 4th in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/add.14474">Addiction</a>, fentanyl is often sold under the false guise of heroin or prescription pain pills like Oxycontin or Xanax.

Fentanyl is also often mixed in to whatever concoction is headed to the streets before it ends up in a dealer’s hands. Therefore, users nor sellers have any clue if fentanyl is laced into their product. This also means that demand for fentanyl is not the cause of its rise in popularity.

“Fentanyl is rarely sold as fentanyl," said the paper’s first author, Sarah Mars, PhD, a researcher in the <a href="https://fcm.ucsf.edu/">Department of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF</a>. "The dealers selling fentanyl directly to the users often don't know what's in it. Not only is this particularly dangerous, but it also means penalizing low level dealers isn't going to make any difference in the fentanyl poisoning epidemic." The rise of fentanyl linked to drug wholesalers, report finds

By using data from the United Nations’ opium production log, data pertaining to price and purity of <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/life-expectancy-overdose-us/">heroin</a> from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and results from their own study, Heroin in Transition, during which the UC San Francisco team interviewed drug users and dealers about their experiences with fentanyl, researchers further proved that the increase of fentanyl use is due to wholesalers and not demand from users.

“Our research has focused on talking to people who are using heroin and fentanyl-laced heroin, and asking them about their experiences,"  Mars, who directs the study's qualitative research, continued. "Most of the illicit fentanyl has been in the Northeast and Midwest, and we've been to places where the death rate is very high. We asked drug users how they detect it, if they can — how they try to prevent overdose."

Mars and team found that users had conflicting views on fentanyl. Some liked effects and some didn’t. However, despite their feelings toward the drug’s effects, users usually do not have the option to choose a fentanyl-laced or fentanyl-free drug because of the lack of accurate information about which drugs are laced and which aren’t.

This lack of information also means many users and dealers are unaware of the potency and/or amount of fentanyl in the drugs they buy and sell. It’s this uncertainty, plus the appearance of fentanyl analogues — different chemical variations of fentanyl — that make the drug so deadly.

Because fentanyl is more powerful and cheaper to make in labs, researchers predict it will only grow more popular with wholesalers. The motives of these wholesalers to produce such a deadly drug are unknown. But if nothing is done to thwart the production and spread of fentanyl, it will surely seep into other illicit drug markets at home and abroad.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The rise of fentanyl linked to drug wholesalers, report finds

The rise of fentanyl linked to drug wholesalers, report finds....

Most people don’t get the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html">sleep they need</a> on a day to day basis, and sleep deprivation has been linked to everything from diabetes to high blood pressure to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-deprivation-impacts-performance/">impaired work performance</a>.

However, sleeping too much can be just as harmful as not sleeping enough, and a new study found that too little or too much sleep can increase the risk of both cardiovascular disease and death. 

The study was led by researchers from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Union_Medical_College">Peking Union Medical College</a> and the <a href="http://www.phri.ca/">Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University</a> and published in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehy695">European Heart Journal. 

</a>There has been previous research that examined the link between sleep and cardiovascular disease, but this study is unique in its large sample base and the fact that it investigated sleep and heart disease risk across many different countries. 

The researchers reviewed data from the <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03225586">Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study</a>, which began in 2003 and looked at 116,632 adults aged between 35 and 70 from 21 countries in seven geographic regions around the world. 

Those who slept more than six to eight hours a day had an increased risk of heart disease and death.

After a follow-up eight years later, 4,381 of the over 116,000 adults chosen for the study had died, and 4,365 suffered a heart attack or stroke. 

The researchers took into account factors such as daytime napping, age, sex, history of cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, and education. 

While napping during the day came with a slightly increased risk of heart disease, overall the researchers found that a nap mainly helped people who hadn’t gotten enough sleep the night before. 

People who reported sleeping nine to ten hours a day had a 17 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death, whereas participants who slept over ten hours had a 41 percent increased risk of heart disease. 

“Our study shows that the optimal duration of estimated sleep is six to eight hours per day for adults,” said Chuangshi Wang, the lead author of the study. “Given that this is an observational study that can only show an association rather than proving a causal relationship, we cannot say that too much sleep per se causes cardiovascular diseases. However, too little sleep could be an underlying contributor to death and cases of cardiovascular disease, and too much sleep may indicate underlying conditions that increase risk.”

There are limitations to the study as the researchers didn’t factor in sleeping disorders or changes in sleep duration after the follow-up period, but the results emphasize how important getting enough sleep is. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Too little or too much sleep increases risk of heart disease

Most people don’t get the sleep they need on a...

Outsourcing is common in today’s global economy, and many large corporations have created job opportunities in lower-income and developing countries.  

However, as much as these corporations are transferring work, they are also transferring risks to an informal sector where <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traffic-fumes-breast-cancer/">job hazards</a> are poorly regulated, health-risks are not recognized, and problems are rarely reported. 

What’s worse, if hazardous conditions are brought to a company’s or the public’s attention, it’s usually following a tragedy resulting in a too little, too late kind of scenario, which is what happened with the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/apr/24/bangladeshi-police-target-garment-workers-union-rana-plaza-five-years-on">Rana Plaza collapse</a> among Bangladesh's garment factories. 

Over half of the people employed in developing economies work under poor conditions. With very little protection and standard safety rules and domestically, part-time, and temporary employees have to deal with many risks that should be the responsibility of the employer.

At the <a href="http://www.sra.org/news/registration-2018-annual-meeting-now-open">2018 Society for Risk Analysis Annual Meeting </a>in New Orleans, researchers presented a  series of studies involving occupational risk transfer. 

A key takeaway of the presentation was that people are willing to pay more for goods and services if it ensures workplace safety. 

Nail salons are an excellent example of risk transference because most employees in salons are independent contractors and have no say in workplace safety, their job environment, or monitoring because the salon owners are not required to provide them.

Occupational risks associated with being a nail technician include inhaling toxic fumes, poorly ventilated salons, and an increased risk of developing asthma. 

However, a consumer survey conducted by Albert J. Tien from the <a href="https://www.whwb.org/">Workplace Health Without Borders </a>organization found that nail salon customers would be willing to pay one or two dollars more for services if it increased workplace safety. 

Along with salon services, another study conducted by Mary O'Reilly from Workplace Health Without Borders found that 45 percent of consumers would pay more money for clothes if the money went to help worker health and safety. 

Both O’Reilly and Tien are working to find ways to raise awareness of poor workplace conditions, risk transference, and how to engage consumers. 

Risk transference is not just a problem abroad though, as another study found that in the United States, temporary workers assume many unfair job risks and hazards compared to permanent employees. 

Risk transference is an important concept to understand as the global economy continues to grow and employees are assuming unnecessary risks and job hazards that threaten both safety and economic progress.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

When companies outsource jobs, they also outsource health risks

Outsourcing is common in today’s global economy, and many large...

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

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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 



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Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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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



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The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/">NASA Earth Observatory</a> 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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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