Artificial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-artificial-sweeteners-safe-the-debate-is-heating-up/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sweeteners</a> are appealing to those who want a sweet taste without the calories or health concerns associated with sugar. Yet, emerging research continues to uncover potential gut harm caused by sugar substitutes, such as neotame. 



A new study from Anglia Ruskin University (<a href="https://www.aru.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ARU</a>) sheds light on neotame, a relatively newer artificial sweetener, and its shocking effects on the gut.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-neotame-wrecks-havoc-on-the-gut-microbiome">How neotame wrecks havoc on the gut microbiome</h2>



According to the research, neotame directly harms the gut's protective lining and changes the behavior of good gut bacteria. This can weaken the gut barrier and disrupt the gut microbiome. These changes affect digestion, immune health, and can lead to various health problems.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neotame-s-impact-on-epithelial-cells-in-the-gut">Neotame's impact on epithelial cells in the gut</h3>



Research indicates that neotame has the capacity to directly induce cell death in the epithelial cells that line your intestinal walls. The exact mechanism by which this occurs is still being investigated but might involve the disruption of essential cellular functions.



The epithelial lining of the gut plays a crucial role in maintaining a physical barrier between the contents of your digestive tract and your internal systems. 



This barrier is essential for both nutrient absorption and for protecting your body from harmful toxins, pathogens, and other substances found within the gut. Neotame's ability to kill these cells directly undermines the integrity of this barrier.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neotame-s-disruption-of-gut-microbes">Neotame's disruption of gut microbes</h3>



Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria like E.coli and E. faecalis. In a healthy state, many of these bacteria contribute to digestive processes and play a role in immune system support. However, exposure to neotame appears to induce negative changes in these bacteria.



Neotame can cause normally beneficial gut bacteria to become harmful. This includes increased adherence (sticking) to the gut wall, the ability to invade the gut lining, and the potential to break through the gut barrier and enter the bloodstream.



If harmful bacteria escape the confines of the gut and reach the bloodstream, this can cause sepsis - a life-threatening condition where the body has an extreme inflammatory response to infection.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-consequences-of-a-neotame-compromised-gut">Consequences of a Neotame compromised gut</h2>



Your gut is often called the "second brain." It's home to trillions of microorganisms, collectively known as your gut microbiome, that have a profound influence on your overall well-being. Here's what might happen when neotame disrupts your delicate gut ecosystem:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs">Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)</h3>



As discussed, damage to the gut barrier can lead to increased intestinal permeability (often called "leaky gut"). This allows unwanted substances to pass through the gut lining and into the body, potentially triggering inflammation and immune responses that exacerbate IBS symptoms.



Research suggests that people with IBS often have altered gut microbiota compared to healthy individuals. An imbalance between beneficial and harmful gut bacteria can contribute to digestive distress, including abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sepsis">Sepsis</h3>



A compromised gut barrier allows harmful bacteria to potentially escape from the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream. This translocation of bacteria can trigger a severe systemic inflammatory response known as sepsis.



Sepsis is a medical emergency. When not promptly treated, it can progress to septic shock, leading to multiple organ failure and death.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-metabolic-and-inflammatory-disorders">Metabolic and inflammatory disorders</h3>



The gut microbiome plays a significant role in regulating various metabolic processes, including energy harvesting from food and blood sugar control. An altered gut microbiome can contribute to metabolic dysregulation, leading to issues such as insulin resistance (a precursor to type 2 diabetes).



Disruptions in the gut microbiome from neotame can promote low-grade, chronic inflammation throughout the body. This sustained inflammation is a key contributor to the development of numerous chronic health conditions, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, and possibly even some forms of cancer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-neotame-s-place-among-other-artificial-sweeteners">Neotame's place among other artificial sweeteners</h2>



This isn't the first time artificial sweeteners have been under scrutiny. “There is now growing awareness of the health impacts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-sweeteners-obesity-diabetes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sweeteners</a> such as saccharin, sucralose and aspartame, with our own previous work demonstrating the problems they can cause to the wall of the intestine and the damage to the ‘good bacteria’ which form in our gut," said study senior author Dr. Havovi Chichger.



For people struggling with weight control, diabetes, or glucose intolerance, artificial sweeteners can be a tool. But the research on neotame and other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-sweetener-has-been-linked-to-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sweeteners</a> paints a complex picture. While they reduce sugar intake, the long-term consequences of their effect on the gut remain a significant health concern.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-things-to-consider">Things to consider </h2>



Before using any artificial <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-sweeteners-linked-to-increased-risk-of-cancer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sweetener</a>, consider the following:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moderation-is-key">Moderation is key</h3>



<ul>
<li>Small amounts if needed:&nbsp;If you decide to incorporate artificial sweeteners into your diet, it's crucial to do so with extreme caution. Using them sparingly minimizes potential exposure and reduces the risk of negative effects on gut health.</li>



<li>Retraining your palate:&nbsp;Our taste preferences are adaptable. Gradually reducing your intake of artificial sweeteners and highly sweetened foods allows your taste buds to adjust. Over time, you'll appreciate and enjoy the subtle sweetness of naturally occurring sugars found in fruits, vegetables, and some dairy products.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-food-labels">Read food labels</h3>



<ul>
<li>Ingredient awareness:&nbsp;Scrutinize ingredient lists carefully. Artificial sweeteners like neotame, sucralose, aspartame, and others can appear in a surprising variety of products, including diet drinks, processed snacks, chewing gum, and even seemingly "healthy" bars or beverages.</li>



<li>Hidden names:&nbsp;Artificial sweeteners can go by many names. Be vigilant in spotting them on food labels to make more informed choices about what you consume.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-natural-alternatives">Natural alternatives</h3>



<ul>
<li>Stevia and monk fruit:&nbsp;These plant-derived sweeteners have little to no impact on blood sugar levels, making them potentially safer options. However, some individuals may find they have an aftertaste or digestive sensitivities to them.</li>



<li>Use with caution:&nbsp;Even natural <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-sweeteners-health-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sweeteners</a> shouldn't be consumed in excess. The goal is to reduce your overall reliance on overly sweet flavors and to appreciate the inherent sweetness of whole foods.</li>
</ul>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-talk-to-your-doctor">Talk to your doctor</h3>



<ul>
<li>Personalized advice:&nbsp;Seeking guidance from your doctor or a registered dietitian is essential, especially if you have underlying health conditions like diabetes or any digestive issues.</li>



<li>Individualized approach:&nbsp;They can help you develop a dietary plan that addresses your specific needs and concerns while taking into account potential risks associated with artificial sweeteners.</li>
</ul>



The evolving understanding of the complex relationship between artificial sweeteners like neotame and gut health underscores the value of a whole-foods based diet. This recent research on neotame is another reminder that what we put into our bodies has far-reaching effects beyond simple taste and metabolism. 



Prioritizing healthy, unprocessed foods is the best way to support your gut microbiome and your overall well-being for the long term.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1366409/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Frontiers in Nutrition</a>.



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Artificial sweetener neotame has shocking effects on gut health

Artificial sweeteners are appealing to those who want a sweet taste without the calories or health concerns associated with sugar. Yet, emerging research continues to uncover potential gut harm caused by sugar substitutes, such as neotame. A new study from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) sheds light on neotame, a relatively newer artificial sweetener, and its shocking effects on the gut. How neotame wrecks havoc on the gut microbiome According to the research, neotame directly harms the gut's protective lining and changes the behavior of good gut bacteria....

Coffee production is actually good for the birds, too. A team of scientists set out to determine which type of coffee bean farms are the most beneficial to forest wildlife. The researchers investigated the relationship between bird diversity and the two primary coffee types, Arabica and Robusta.

<a href="https://www.wcs.org/">Wildlife Conservation Society</a> Associate Conservation Scientist Dr. Krithi Karanth teamed up with experts at <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton University</a> and the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a> to investigate bird diversity on coffee plantations in the Western Ghats mountain region of India. 

Previous studies have shown that shade-grown <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-nuts-heart-health/">coffee</a>, which is typically Arabica, promotes significant levels of biodiversity.Now that coffee production is globally shifting toward Robusta, experts are concerned this may be detrimental to wildlife because this coffee requires a more intensive cultivation process with direct sunlight.

The study revealed that Arabica bird populations were more species rich, but the researchers were surprised to find that Robusta also provided substantial biodiversity benefits. In addition, Robusta was found to support large populations of several sensitive bird species.


The study authors identified a total of 79 forest-dependent species living in the coffee plantations they surveyed, including three threatened species. These farms also promote mammal, amphibian, and tree diversity.

“Coffee farms already play a complementary role to protected areas in a country like India where less than four percent of land is formally protected,” said Dr. Karanth. 

“Therefore, building partnerships with largely private individual and corporate land holders will provide much needed safe-passage and additional habitats for birds and other species.”
Indian Robusta receives relatively high flavor ratings by coffee experts and commands a price premium. Furthermore, farmers use less pesticides in the Robusta farmlands, which are more disease-resistant.

“An encouraging result of the study is that coffee production in the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, can be a win-win for birds and farmers,” said lead author Charlotte Chang.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</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: Manish Kumar

Coffee production is actually good for the birds, too

Coffee production is actually good for the birds, too. A...

The results of the 2017 State of American Well-Being Index show that it was not a good year for many in the United States. 

The Index is part of a poll by <a href="http://www.well-beingindex.com/">Gallup-Sharecare</a> and measures happiness and contentment based on five essential categories of well-being: purpose (goals), social (friendships), financial (money), community (where you live), and physical (health and body). 

For the poll, 160,000 interviews were conducted across all 50 states from January 2nd, 2017 to December 30th. 

The poll found that for many states, 2017 brought a decrease in happiness, and for the first time no state had an increase in well-being. 

The United State’s Gallup Index score fell from 62.1 out of 100 in 2016 to 61.5, and 21 states, the largest number since 2009, showed declines in well-being compared to 2016. 

Some of the unhappy states with the lowest scores were Arkansas and Louisiana. Many states in the southern and western United States also saw declines. 

These declines, according to a <a href="http://news.gallup.com/poll/226517/record-states-decline-2017.aspx?utm_source=alert&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=morelink&amp;utm_campaign=syndication">statement released by Gallup-Sharecare</a>, were driven by lower scores in measurements of well-being, the same metrics that make up the basis for the Index. 

The lowered scores were connected to an increase in cases of diagnosed depression, people reporting an increase in feeling worried, an increase in reports of daily pain, fewer people reported that they reached their goals, and an overall reduced feeling of satisfaction with living standards. 

The poll also had another first as South Dakota and Vermont beat out Hawaii, the usual frontrunner, with the highest well-being scores. For 2017, South Dakota had the highest score (64.1), and Hawaii ranked third. 

The reason for the South Dakota and Vermont’s scores has to do with having the most sense of purpose and for Vermont, the best community. 

If you ask most people, they would agree that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/2017-second-hottest-year-2/">2017</a> was a tough year, and Gallup’s Index provides evidence.

Gallup notes that the results are important and that policy leaders and business owners should take particular notice of the declining trends. 

Sharecare research has shown that people with a higher sense of wellbeing are less likely to quit and change jobs, call off work, and are better prepared to deal with stressful events.

“State leaders should monitor their well-being score and develop specific strategies to improve it,” said Dan Witters, a Research Director of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. “State and community leaders can study and adopt best practices from states with consistently high well-being scores, such as Hawaii, South Dakota and Vermont, in order to maximize the chances that their own constituents are best able to lead a life well lived,” 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New poll shows happiness in the U.S. dropped in 2017

The results of the 2017 State of American Well-Being Index...

Researchers at <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University</a> set out to investigate how people would respond if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/life-earth-earlier/">life</a> was discovered outside of our planet. The team found that most people would have a positive reaction to news of extraterrestrial life.

“If we came face to face with life outside of Earth, we would actually be pretty upbeat about it,” said lead author Michael Varnum. “So far, there's been a lot of speculation about how we might respond to this kind of news, but until now, almost no systematic empirical research.”

In a preliminary experiment, the researchers analyzed the language used in newspaper articles describing potential evidence of extraterrestrial life, including the 1996 discovery of possibly fossilized extraterrestrial Martian microbes. 

Using a software program to decipher the feelings behind the written text, the team found the emotions to be significantly more positive than negative.

The researchers conducted a separate study with 500 participants who were instructed to write about how they would feel and how others may react to an announcement that extraterrestrial microbial life had been discovered. 

The feelings expressed by the respondents were much more positive than negative. One participant wrote: “I would have some excitement about the news. It would be exciting even if it was a primitive form.”

The experts focused an additional study on 500 different individuals who were presented with past news stories and asked to write their reactions down on paper. 

The participants were divided into one group that read an article describing possible evidence of life on Mars and a second group that read an article describing the creation of synthetic human life in a lab.

Once again, the team found significantly more positive than negative emotions in the responses, and the effect was much stronger in response to the article about extraterrestrial life.

One participant said: “This discovery shows that other planets have the ability to have life on them. It's a very interesting and exciting finding that could be only the beginning.”


Varnum said that the studies suggest that, “if we find out we're not alone, we'll take the news rather well.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology">Frontiers in Psychology</a>. Varnum will also present the study findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin, Texas.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People may respond positively to news of alien life, study finds

Researchers at Arizona State University set out to investigate how...

Women who regularly use cleaning products appear to experience a greater decline in lung function over time than women who do not clean, according to new research from the <a href="http://www.uib.no/en">University of Bergen</a> in Norway.

The team analyzed data from 6,235 individuals who had responded to the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. The participants had an average age of 34 at the beginning of the project, and were followed for over 20 years.

“While the short-term effects of cleaning chemicals on asthma are becoming increasingly well documented, we lack knowledge of the long-term impact,” said senior author Cecile Svanes. “We feared that such chemicals, by steadily causing a little damage to the airways day after day, year after year, might accelerate the rate of lung function decline that occurs with age.”


Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) is the amount of air that an individual can forcibly exhale in one second. FEV1 declined 3.6 milliliters (ml) per year faster in women who cleaned at home and 3.9 ml per year faster in women who worked as cleaners.

Forced vital capacity (FVC), or the total amount of air an individual can forcibly exhale, declined 4.3 ml per year faster in women who cleaned at home and 7.1 ml per year faster in women who cleaned for a living.

The study authors found that the accelerated lung function decline in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cause-unexplained-infertility/">women</a> who worked as cleaners was comparable to that of regular smokers. 

Oistein Svanes is a doctoral student in the Department for Clinical Science and the study's lead author. Svanes said that the extent of lung impairment was surprising at first. 

“However, when you think of inhaling small particles from cleaning agents that are meant for cleaning the floor and not your lungs, maybe it is not so surprising after all,” he said.

The study authors said that the decline in lung function may be explained by the irritation that most cleaning chemicals cause on the mucous membranes lining the airways, which ultimately leads to persistent changes in the airways.

Asthma was also found to be more prevalent in women who cleaned at home or at work compared to those who did not clean. In addition, men who cleaned at home or work also exhibited signs of faster lung function decline than men who did not clean.

“The take home message of this study is that in the long run cleaning chemicals very likely cause rather substantial damage to your lungs,” said Oistein Svanes. “These chemicals are usually unnecessary; microfiber cloths and water are more than enough for most purposes.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.atsjournals.org/journal/ajrccm">American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine</a> by the <a href="http://www.thoracic.org/">American Thoracic Society</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Exposure to cleaning products can be harmful to lung function

Women who regularly use cleaning products appear to experience a...

“Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them.” 

-John Muir- The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, (1913)

Science is usually associated most closely with environmentalism, specifically concepts like conservation and ‘green’ technology.  Environmentalism has become tied so strongly to science that those non-scientists, even academics such as philosophers or literary critics are usually banished to the fringe of the movement.  The exception is in nature writing with one caveat: nature writing/environmental writing draws heavily on science for its authority.  

Religion is sometimes seen by scientists and environmentalists as a relic of the past or dangerous to the concepts of objective realities dealt with in environmentalism.  I find myself in an odd place here and must confess my biases.  I am an atheist trained in science with little love lost between me and organized religion.  That said, I am coming to appreciate that a more nuanced, subtle and not strictly logical worldview may be necessary to save environmentalism.  Other movements such as Martin Luther King’s or Gandhi’s struggles for civil rights and a free India were radically helped by spirituality.  Beyond that, it’s more than a bit naïve to assume that even given endless time and resources, the whole world can be understood with the aid of science.  

In Equatorial Guinea, I hiked along paths through the jungle, and what made the paths special is they were no recreational trails but foot routes for practical travel between places.  Along the trails there were clusters of what appeared to be garbage: old bottles, potato chip bags and beer cans.  It was a little depressing to think that people travelling paths to trap animals for food or reach a village had such little respect for their environment.  The ‘trash’ was explained to me and my perspective changed.  The piles of food and drink containers it turned out were respectful offerings left for some sort of forest spirit in a religious tradition quite foreign to me.  

In <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-species-pelican-spiders/">Madagascar</a>, 80% of original forest has been destroyed.  This is a stark number and one hard to grasp.  Riding in a ‘taxi brousse’ from Antananarivo to Kinjavato, the small village where I worked in reforestion for 5 months, reality set in.  It seemed for the first day of driving that there wasn’t even the smallest snippet of forest to be seen.  It wasn’t until near the end of that first full day driving that we glimpsed some of the famed tropical forest near Ranomafana and that seemed exceedingly small and fragile.  Near Kianjavato, where I worked as a volunteer coordinating and planting trees, there were patches of forest.  In many of the forest patches were tombs, some of them natural caves and rock shelves where bodies were interred.  The forests around the tombs were considered sacred and very likely the reason that the forests were left standing in those places.  

Many modern environmentalists such as Jack Turner (a Buddhist) or Terry Tempest Williams (a somewhat heretical Mormon) draw on their spiritual traditions for inspiration and authority.  Historical figures like John Muir or Thoreau are equally absorbed in spiritual imagery and ideas.

In all honesty, atheist or not, there is something wildly transcendent in nature, whatever it may be.  Trees, rivers, mountains, cool canyons and dark caves are as close to sanctity as anyone should wish.  Feeling your body move shakily or with easy confidence across a rugged landscape engulfs one’s mind in a timeless world beyond puny human understanding.  

Certain beliefs can be detrimental to the environment as well as beneficial.  I remember talking to an old boss I worked under at a gunpowder factory and being disgusted by the narrowness of his thinking. While discussing climate change, this man’s religious beliefs said that humans couldn’t destroy earth because God wouldn’t allow it.  Likewise missionaries have pushed native populations the world over to abandon ‘pagan’ dietary restrictions, resulting in devastation of never before hunted animal populations.  Many Christians take the Bible to mean we can do whatever we want to other animals, plants and ‘inanimate’ earth without responsibility to the environment or fellow organisms.

What I hope is not that people follow any particular religion.  What I hope is that people get away from cities, away from cell phones, even away from books or music.  Lay in a mountain meadow; scramble into a desert canyon; watch the endless lapping of the sea.  Sit, or walk; climb or paddle.  Dream and see if you can’t hear a little whisper of something ancient and sacred in the falling of a leaf or the drifting of a cloud.  Perhaps you’ll see a sign in a boulder field or a stalactite.  Perhaps you’ll find something in yourself and everywhere around you.      

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Religion and environmentalism may not be completely at odds

“Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-crime-behavior/">Air pollution</a> comes from many sources, from factories, to cars, to cigarette smoke. But when we think about air pollution, we generally think of the smog in major cities caused by heavy traffic and proximity to industrial factories. It’s not often that we consider the contributions of the day-to-day products we use.

But now, a new study led by the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) has found that chemical products that contain certain compounds refined from petroleum – such as pesticides, paints, perfumes, and household cleaners, now rival motor vehicle emissions as the biggest source of urban air pollution.

Although people use about 15 times more fuel by weight than they do petroleum-based compounds in chemical products, these products contribute about as much air pollution as the transportation sector does. In particular, particle-forming emissions from chemical products – which contain tiny particles than can damage people’s lungs – are roughly twice as high as those from the transportation sector.

“As transportation gets cleaner, those other sources become more and more important,” says Brian McDonald, a scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) working in the NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Division, and lead author of the study. “The stuff we use in our everyday lives can impact air pollution.”

In this new assessment, researchers zeroed in on volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can move into the atmosphere and react to produce either ozone or particulate matter. Both products of these reactions are regulated in the U.S. and other countries due to their health hazards.

The researchers assessed recent chemical production statistics gathered by industries and regulatory agencies, and made atmospheric chemistry measurements of the air in Los Angeles. They found that in the U.S., the amount of VOCs emitted by consumer and industrial products is actually two to three times greater than previously estimated by current air pollution inventories. 

They also determined that these same inventories overestimate vehicular sources of air pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 75 percent of VOC emissions come from vehicular sources, with the remaining 25 percent coming from chemical products. These new findings have the split closer to 50/50.

So why does this disproportionate air quality impact of chemical product emissions occur? It’s due in part to a fundamental difference between these products and fuels. 

“Gasoline is stored in closed, hopefully airtight, containers and the VOCs in gasoline are burned for energy,” explains Jessica Gilman, an atmospheric scientist at the NOAA and co-author of the paper. “But volatile chemical products used in common solvents and personal care products are literally designed to evaporate. You wear perfume or use scented products so that you or your neighbor can enjoy the aroma. You don’t do this with gasoline.”

Part of the reason that consumer and industrial chemical products have now been found to have this larger contribution is that, in recent years, cars have gotten cleaner. This means that we now have to focus our efforts on reducing emissions from these products in much the same way we did with cars. 

“It’s worked so well that to make further progress on air quality, regulatory efforts would need to become more diverse,” says Joost de Gouw, a CIRES chemist and co-author of the paper. “It’s not just vehicles any more.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Consumer and industrial products tied to urban air pollution

Air pollution comes from many sources, from factories, to cars,...

Going on a blind first date is just as thrilling as skydiving, according to a new study monitoring the heart rates of participants. The results suggest that doing more things outside of your comfort zone could help ease fight-or-flight nerves. 

The findings came as a surprise to researchers from the University of Wolverhampton, who conducted the study. 

“It’s no surprise to see heart rates spike before undertaking thrilling experiences and extreme sports, however it is a surprise to see dating, among the top thrills,” said Martin Khechera, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at the<a href="https://www.wlv.ac.uk/"> University of Wolverhampton</a>.

For the study, the researchers asked participants to do several activities, including indoor skydiving, a zip wire course, and a first date. The participants wore monitors to measure heartbeat and fluctuations in pulse. 

The average heart rate during skydiving for the participants was 111 beats per minute (BPM), just slightly higher than the heart rates measured during a first date which was 106 BPM. 

The study also included a survey of 2,000 British adults and their feelings about first date experiences. 

The survey found that 54 percent of responders feel a first date is a thrilling experience and one-third of participants previously considered leaving or canceling a date because of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-water-pain-relief/">nerves</a>. 

According to the study, the key to losing those first date jitters may be continually putting yourself in situations out of your comfort zone. 

“The more we get used to pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone the better we get in handling stressful situations,” said Khechera. “It’s valid to conclude that the more we push ourselves out of our comfort zone by skydiving or taking on heights or even the exhilarating rush of a zip line the better we get in dating.” 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Going on a blind date is as thrill-inducing as skydiving

Going on a blind first date is just as thrilling...

High blood pressure is widespread and impacts about one billion people across the globe. The condition increases the risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breakfast-prevent-cardiovascular-disease/">cardiovascular disease</a>, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. 

It’s been proven that dairy consumption has a positive impact on heart health and has been associated with beneficial effects on high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance. 

Now, a new study found that eating yogurt specifically could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with high blood pressure. 

A team of researchers who specialize in nutritional science and epidemiology conducted the study, which was published in the American Journal of Hypertension. 

The results showed that consuming yogurt was linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease among men and women with hypertension. 

For the study, the team collected and analyzed data from two previous studies, the <a href="http://www.nurseshealthstudy.org/">Nurses’ Health Study</a> and the<a href="https://sites.sph.harvard.edu/hpfs/"> Health Professionals Follow-Up Study</a>. 

The Nurses’ Study included 55,000 women ages 30 to 55 with high blood pressure, while the Health Professionals Study included 18,000 men ages 40 to 75.

The Nurses’ Health Study had participants fill out a 61 item questionnaire that included questions about dietary intake and any diagnosed heart issues such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization.

In the two studies, there were 5,448 reported cases of cardiovascular disease among the participants. 

After analyzing the data, the researchers found a link between eating yogurt and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Among the Nurses’ Health participants, a high consumption of yogurt correlated with a 30 percent reduction in risk of heart attack for women and a 19 percent lower risk in men in the Health Professional study. 

The results showed that in both men and women with high blood pressure, eating two or more servings of yogurt a week was linked to a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease 

“We hypothesized that long-term yogurt intake might reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems since some previous small studies had shown beneficial effects of fermented dairy products,”  said Justin Buendia, the study’s lead author. “Our results provide important new evidence that yogurt may benefit heart health alone or as a consistent part of a diet rich in fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.” 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Eating yogurt is good for your heart

High blood pressure is widespread and impacts about one billion...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/self-driving-cars-sensors/">Autonomous vehicles</a> are quickly becoming more of a reality in the developed world, as some major companies have already put hundreds of vehicles on the road. This new technology could eventually save you the trouble of driving yourself everywhere, but could it also save the environment?

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/esthag">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a> has found that the added weight, electricity demand, and aerodynamic drag of the sensors and computers used in these vehicles are major contributors to their lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. 

However, when savings from the driving efficiencies of autonomous vehicles are factored into these calculations, the net result is a reduction in lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of as much as 9 percent compared to conventional vehicles. 

“This study explored the tradeoffs between the increased environmental impacts from adding autonomous vehicle equipment with the expected gains in driving efficiency,” explains Gregory Keoleian, director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the <a href="https://www.umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> School for Environment and Sustainability, and co-author on the study.

In the study, the researchers assess the lifetime contributions of the sensing and computing subsystems in autonomous vehicles to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Autonomous vehicles – formally known as connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) – usually include multiple cameras, radar, sonar, LiDAR, a GPS navigation system, a computer, and support structures.

The vehicles the researchers analyzed for the study are Level 4 CAVs, which are vehicles that can operate without human input or oversight under select conditions. They assessed two types of CAVs: those powered by internal combustion engines and battery-powered electric vehicles. The two vehicle types were paired with sensing and computer subsystems of three sizes (small, medium, and large) to create six scenarios. To estimate lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for each scenario, they utilized life-cycle assessment methodology.

The results showed that autonomous vehicles with electric powertrains have 40 percent lower lifetime greenhouse gas emissions than vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines. “We’ve shown in this paper that a battery-electric vehicle is a better platform for CAV components compared to the internal-combustion engine vehicle in terms of minimizing environmental impacts,” says study lead author Jim Gawron, a graduate student at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability and at the Ross School of Business.

Their findings also showed that the sensing and computing subsystems in CAVs could increase a vehicle’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by between 3 and 20 percent, as a result of increases in power consumption, weight, and aerodynamic drag. This includes the added weight and power demand of the onboard computer – roughly 45 percent of the weight and 80 percent of the power – and the drag caused by exterior-mounted CAV components. Luckily, the operational benefits of these vehicles are expected to outweigh these increases in the majority of cases. 

However, the conclusions of this study are based on the assumption that the operational efficiencies of CAVs can result in a 14 percent reduction in fuel consumption over conventional vehicles. But if the reduction ends up being significantly lower than 14 percent, the environmental benefits could disappear.

“Our findings highlight the need to focus on energy efficiency when designing autonomous vehicles so that the full environmental benefits of this emerging, transformative technology can be realized,” says Keoleian. “We hope this work contributes to a more sustainable mobility ecosystem.”

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Autonomous vehicles would have environmental benefits

Autonomous vehicles are quickly becoming more of a reality in...

Experts at <a href="https://www.fiu.edu/">Florida International University</a> are reporting that having an intelligent best friend in middle school can boost our intelligence later in life. The researchers say this is likely due to the fact that we absorb the knowledge and skills of our closest peers.

“Decades of research has revealed clear associations between indicators of intelligence and a host of important outcomes,” wrote the study authors. “Thus, it is not surprising that a multitude of studies have attempted to elucidate the factors that contribute to the development of, and individual variation in, intelligence.”

“The current study sought to contribute to this body of research by exploring a relatively novel potential influence on intelligence: peers.”

The research was based on data from hundreds of participants across the country, including “target children” who had taken intelligence tests at age 10 and then again at age 15. The target children were linked with the test scores of their best friends, who had completed intelligence tests between the ages of 11 and 12.

The study revealed that intelligence among the target children at age 15 strongly corresponded with the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/self-control-tied-intelligence/">intelligence</a> levels of their best friends at age 11. 

The researchers said that these findings indicate that we not only seek out friends who have a similar IQ to our own, but that the intellect of our closest peers directly influences our own intellectual capacity.

“Overall, our results provide support for the hypothesis that having more intelligent friends is associated with higher future levels of intelligence,” wrote the researchers. “Our findings add … another layer of evidence for the important and pervasive influence of peers on a host of traits during adolescence.”

The <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/tvj9z">study</a> was led by Dr. Ryan Meldrum.

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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

Our childhood friends can actually make us smarter

Experts at Florida International University are reporting that having an...

A commonly cited story about how rabbits became domesticated has been found to be untrue. Instead, a new study published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution suggests that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-domesticated-10000-years/">domestication</a> of rabbits had no exact origin but happened over a broad period of time.   

The research also has wide implications as it shows how domestication was an ongoing process, and trying pinpoint a single origin in time when an animal was domesticated is not possible. 

Previously, information about the domestication of rabbits was based on the story that says in 600 A.D. Pope Gregory declared that eating fetal rabbits was acceptable during lent and so monks began domesticating the first rabbits. 

However, archeologists from the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> found this wasn’t the case at all, as there is evidence of domesticated rabbits dating back as far as the last ice age.

Researchers Evan Irving-Pease and Greger Larson were testing a method for genetically dating domestication using the molecular clock. 

By comparing the genomes of a domestic animal and a wild one, the molecular clock would show when in time the two converged, which would be when the animal was first domesticated. 

Irving-Pease and Larson tried this method on rabbits, thinking that it would prove that genomes of rabbits diverged in 600 A.D. matching the popular story. Instead, the molecular clock method showed that rabbits were domesticated much earlier, even before domestication existed. 

Their findings complicate the matter of domestication and disprove the theory that rabbits were first domesticated by monks. 

“I had cited it, colleagues of mine had cited it, it's all over Wikipedia, it's all over the web... but it turns out that the modern story is a complete house of cards,” said Larson. “What was really interesting to me then was why nobody's really thought about it or been critical about it.” 

Larson and his colleagues instead suggest that rabbit domestication happened over a long period of time beginning in the paleolithic era. They were hunted and kept in cages, then moved around and eventually bred as pets. 

Trying to pinpoint domestication is an impossible feat for many animals because as the researchers say there’s no “eureka” moment.

“We have been slightly arrogant,” said Irving-Pease. “We know a hell of a lot less about the origins of the things that matter most to us than we think we do.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rabbits have been domesticated much longer than most thought

A commonly cited story about how rabbits became domesticated has...

What determines an individual’s personality? While psychologists have worked to understand this complex component of the human experience, there have been many controversies and contradicting information about how personalities develop. 

But now, a new theory has been published by Carol Dweck, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation.

Dweck suggests that personality is based on basic needs and fulfillment. Her work combines motivation, personality, and development in one framework. 

Published in the journal Psychological Review, the findings revolve around the idea that as people try and meet their needs and create goals and beliefs around their experiences, this is how personality is formed and developed. 

According to Dweck, we all have basic psychological needs that must be met. These are the need to predict our world, the need to build competence to act on our world, and the need for acceptance from others. 

As an example of these basic needs being met, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eggs-high-iq-babies/">infants</a> are constantly on the lookout for need-relevant information and working to fulfill them. Learning as they go, their experiences begin to shape their beliefs about the world and their ability to act in that world. These beliefs are termed “BEATs.” 

Dweck defines BEATs as all the experiences a person has while trying to meet their needs. BEATs are an important factor in personality, both with goal orientation and inner beliefs about need fulfillment. 

A person’s BEATs help shape personality because they can determine how someone goes about meeting their needs and goals, in other words, motivations.

Dweck’s theory is noteworthy because it shows how personality is developed by motivations instead of the idea that personality is genetic and we’re born with certain personality traits. 

Personality is shaped as our beliefs and experiences evolve.  The research also provides insight into growth and development and the personality processes that can help shape well-being

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What determines how our personalities develop?

What determines an individual’s personality? While psychologists have worked to...

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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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[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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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> describes why satellite images and measurements of our planet have become "essential to our survival, offering a new outlook of our world."&nbsp;



Rising sea levels pose one of the biggest societal threats associated with climate change. According to ESA, satellite altimeter missions such as Copernicus Sentinel-6 are essential in monitoring global and regional changes in sea level.



"Unbeknown to many, the island of Crete, Greece, plays an important role in the Copernicus satellite altimetry constellation and on an international stage," reports ESA.



"Satellite altimetry data have to be continuously monitored at the ESA’s Permanent Facility for Altimetry Calibration where different techniques have pioneered the use of transponders to provide the best measurements to validate satellite altimeters in space soon after launch."



Dr. Craig Donlon explains that, by understanding planet Earth through satellite measurements, we are able to find evidence of change.&nbsp;



Video Credit: European Space Agency&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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...