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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Wellness in America depends on culture and where you live

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

Hispanic Americans who live in the western and midwestern United States may be exposed to drinking water with unsafe concentrations of nitrate, according to a new study. 

The study, conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://silentspring.org/">Silent Spring Institute</a> and published in the journal <a href="https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-018-0442-6">Environmental Health</a>, is the first ever nationwide investigation into socioeconomic disparities in nitrate concentrations in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/tap-water-contaminants/">drinking water</a> in the United States. 

Even though the majority of water systems analyzed in the study did not have levels of nitrate concentrations over the maximums put in place by the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA), over 1,000 community water systems had nitrate concentrations of over five milligrams per liter. 

The EPA maximum contamination level is ten milligrams per liter. 

Exposure to higher levels of nitrate concentrations could be linked to cancer, birth defects, and other developmental problems which is why it’s critical to identify any disparities in nitrate concentrations in drinking water systems to help reduce exposure to unsafe levels of contaminants. 

The researchers collected and analyzed data on 616,591 samples from 39,366 community water systems (CWSs)  all over the United States. 

Next, the team compared the data with demographic information such as race and incomes from the communities serviced by the CWSs.

1,647 of the CWSs, which combined provide water to 5.6 million Americans, had nitrate concentrations at five milligrams per liter. 

Hispanic Americans in the midwestern and western United States had the strongest likelihood of living near CWSs with higher nitrate concentrations. 

“We hypothesized that Hispanic Americans might have higher nitrate in their drinking water because many US farmworkers are Hispanic, and agriculture is a major source of nitrate pollution,” said Laurel Schaider, the lead author of the study. “However, we saw these associations even after we adjusted our statistical model to take into account agricultural land use. These results suggest that there may be additional reasons why Hispanic residents in the US have higher nitrate in their drinking water.”

The researchers also found that CWSs that had a higher proportion of residents with incomes below the poverty line correlated with a decreased risk of exposure to high concentrations. 


CWSs that drew from sources of groundwater had higher concentrations of nitrate compared to CWSs that used surface water. 

The researchers say that federal nitrate maximums may need to be re-evaluated and that further research is needed to see if nitrate concentrations are consistent all year round in the regions studied. 

“Our findings suggest that programs intended to help low-income and small public water supplies may not be adequately assisting communities with higher proportions of Hispanic residents, who are more likely to live in areas with high nitrate and thus may be at greater risk of the associated harmful health effects,” said Schaider. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Certain socioeconomic groups more at risk of unsafe drinking water

Hispanic Americans who live in the western and midwestern United...

Researchers from <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a>, part of <a href="https://www.montefiore.org/">Montefiore</a>, have discovered that the brain’s cerebellum partially controls the brain’s reward circuitry. The cerebellum has been previously thought to mainly control movement, however, this new discovery, published January 17th in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a>, connects the cerebellum to reward processing and social behavior, which could offer new ways of treating <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-addiction-memories/">addiction</a>.

MRI brain scans of individuals recovering from addiction revealed action in the cerebella when participants were shown images of objects associated with their addiction, like a syringe. The cerebella glowed more on the scan in patients who had a higher risk of relapse. 

"The notion that the cerebellum did much beyond controlling movement was met with a lot of skepticism — and no one had any real clues as to how the cerebellum might affect dopamine release," study leader <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/faculty/8472/Kamran-Khodakhah/">Kamran Khodakhah, Ph.D.</a>, professor and chair of the <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/departments/neuroscience/">Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience</a> and the Florence and Irving Rubenstein Chair in Neuroscience. 

Dr. Khodakhah hypothesized that the cerebellum, located just above the brainstem, directly connected with and activated the ventral tegmental area (VTA), an area of the brain associated with addiction. He and his team conducted studies that showed stimulating cerebellar neurons activates the VTA, therefore encouraging “addictive” behaviors in mice.

To do this, Dr. Khodakhah used optogenetics, the process of inserting genes that produce light-sensitive proteins into specific neurons. The team is then able to activate or deactivate neurons via light exposure. They first used this method to insert the genes into some cerebellar neurons connected to the VTA via axon fibers. When the genes in the cerebellar axons were activated, a third of the VTA’s neurons fired more, thus proving that cerebellar neurons form synapses, or connections, with VTA neurons. 

The team then tested the cerebellum reward processing factor in mice via the same process of stimulating the cerebellar neurons connected to the VTA within an open-chamber study. Mice repeatedly returned to the same area in the chamber where these neurons were stimulated after the neurons were not being stimulated, showing that they remembered processing a reward for doing so during stimulation. Dr. Khodakhah says that this proves the cerebellum does play a role in addictive behaviors.

Furthermore, an interactive mice study also showed that socialization requires a working cerebellum-VTA pathway. A disconnect in this pathway could be a determinant of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Dr. Khodakhah now wants to know whether the cerebellum-VTA pathway can be manipulated with drugs or optogenetics as a way of treating addiction. He also hopes to discover connections between the VTA and other parts of the brain that could play into other addictive behaviors and mental disorders.

"Cerebellar abnormalities are also linked to a number of other mental disorders such as schizophrenia," Dr. Khodakhah said, "so we want to find out whether this pathway also plays a role in those disorders."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The brain’s cerebellum is linked to addictive behavior

Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, part of Montefiore,...

A new study has revealed that practicing mindfulness may lead to fewer menopausal symptoms for women. The researchers found that the positive effects are the strongest among menopausal women struggling with depression, <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/depression-anxiety-harm-health/">anxiety</a>, and irritability.

Study lead author Dr. Richa Sood is a general internist and women's health specialist at the <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/">Mayo Clinic</a>. 

“In this study, we found that midlife women with higher mindfulness scores experienced fewer menopausal symptoms," said Dr. Sood. “These findings suggest that mindfulness may be a promising tool to help women reduce menopausal symptoms and overall stress.”

Mindfulness involves the acknowledgement of emotions, thoughts, and feelings in the present without any judgment. Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness can reduce stress and improve quality of life.

On a daily basis, around 6,000 women in the United States reach menopause. The most common symptoms include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and mood changes.

The study was focused on more than 1,700 women between the ages of 40 and 65 who received care at the Women's Health Clinic in Rochester from 2015 - 2016. The participants completed questionnaires that rated their menopausal symptoms, perceived level of stress, and mindfulness. 

The study results showed that women with higher mindfulness scores were less affected by menopause. In addition, the link between higher mindfulness and reduced menopausal symptoms was found to be stronger among women with the most perceived stress.

Dr. Sood explained, “Essentially, the first step in being mindful is to become aware that our minds are on autopilot most of the time.”

“The goal during mindful moments is not to empty the mind, but to become an observer of the mind's activity while being kind to oneself. The second step is to create a pause. Take a deep breath, and observe one's own space, thoughts and emotions nonjudgmentally. The resulting calm helps lower stress.”

The study is published in <a href="https://www.imsociety.org/about_the_journal.php">Climacteric: The Journal of the International Menopause Society</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Women who practice mindfulness are less affected by menopause

A new study has revealed that practicing mindfulness may lead...

The human face is comprised of muscles, tissue, and some of our biggest sensory organs, the eyes, nose, and mouth. We can twist, pull and move our facial muscles to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/emotions-revealed-facial-color/">help convey emotion</a> and arrange our faces to form thousands of expressions. 

But now, a new study has found that there is one emotion that has more facial expressions than any other and only 35 expressions translate cross-culturally. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> conducted the study which was published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing.

The researchers wanted to better understand how facial expressions are used to efficiently convey emotions and how these expressions translate in other cultures and countries. 

To do this, the team put together a list of 821 English words used to describe feelings. The list of words was translated into a number of different languages including Spanish, Russian, Farsi, and Mandarin Chinese. 

Once they had a list of feelings, the researchers used popular internet search engines to search for pictures of faces conveying those specific feelings and amassed a collection of 7.2 million images of facial expressions. 

Happiness had more facial expressions compared to other emotions, as the researchers identified 17 different potential facial configurations that convey the feeling. 

Disgust only had one major facial expression, fear had three, and sadness and anger each had five different possible facial expressions to help convey meaning. 

“This was delightful to discover,” Aleix Martinez, the co-author of the study told Ohio State News. “Because it speaks to the complex nature of happiness. Happiness acts as a social glue and needs the complexity of different facial expressions; disgust is just that: disgust.” 

Interestingly, only 35 of the expressions translated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/collecting-dna-from-rivers-uncovers-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">across multiple cultures</a> and conveyed the same meaning, even though computer algorithms calculated that the human face can construct a little over 16,000 unique expressions. 

The researchers then used the 7.2 million images to see if there were any duplicate facial expressions used in different cultures and only eight emotions were used in some, but not all of the cultures to convey the same meanings. 

The researchers suggest that while most emotions are universal, there are fewer facial expressions that convey those emotions than previously realized and many of them show happiness. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Humans have 17 different faces to express happiness

The human face is comprised of muscles, tissue, and some...

Nearly 25 percent of antibiotic prescriptions might be unneeded. As the opioid epidemic rages on, it’s easy to forget about another pharmaceutical crisis on the sidelines. Growing concern over <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotic-resistant-bacteria-environment/">antibiotic resistance</a> stems largely from the overprescription and overuse of antibiotics. 

Even though antibiotic misuse is a major global problem, a new study has found that patients are still being prescribed antibiotics that they don’t need.Nearly 25 percent of antibiotic prescriptions might be unneeded

Researchers from <a href="https://med.umich.edu/">Michigan Medicine</a>, part of the <a href="https://umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a>, conducted one of the most comprehensive recent assessments of outpatient antibiotic use among privately insured patients. 

The results, published in the British Medical Journal, show that in 2016, one in seven patients were prescribed antibiotics they didn’t need. 

“Antibiotic overuse is still rampant and affects an enormous number of patients,” said Kao-Ping Chua, the lead author of the study. “Despite decades of quality improvement and educational initiatives, providers are still writing antibiotic prescriptions for illnesses that would get better on their own.”


Chua and colleagues analyzed the insurance claims of 19.2 million privately insured adults aged 18 to 64 and children from 2016. 

Of those 19.2 million, 7.6 million filled an outpatient antibiotic prescription, and 2.7 million filled at least one unnecessary antibiotic prescription. 

The researchers used a classification system to analyze the claims by focusing on the new medical coding system (ICD-10). Diagnoses their accompanying prescription were labeled according to their appropriateness. Either the diagnosis “always,” “sometimes,” or “never” justified an antibiotic prescription according to the researchers. This is the first time the medical coding system has been used to study antibiotic misuse among outpatients. 

One in ten children and one in six adults received an unnecessary antibiotic prescription, and only 36 percent of those could be justified.

Antibiotics were commonly overprescribed to treat bronchitis or cold symptoms. 

Antibiotic overuse is a problem for both doctors and patients. Doctors want to treat their patients and may think that antibiotics are necessary, and patients who were inappropriately prescribed antibiotics in the past may think that antibiotics are the only way to help treat their systems. 

The results of the study are a major cause for concern because they illustrate how widespread antibiotic overuse is, even as antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise. 

Once easily treated problems are now becoming potentially life-threatening and dangerous, and around two million people develop an antibiotic-resistant infection every year, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control.</a>

“Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to public health in the world, and the large number of antibiotics that providers prescribe to patients are a major driver of resistance,” said Chua. “Providers urgently need to eliminate prescribing that isn't needed, both for the sake of their patients and society.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nearly 25 percent of antibiotic prescriptions might be unneeded

Nearly 25 percent of antibiotic prescriptions might be unneeded. As...

Daily exercise or routine physical activity could help <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/sexual-activity-older-adults/">older adults</a> preserve their memory, according to a new study published January 16th in the <a href="https://www.aan.com/">American Academy of Neurology</a>’s (AAN) journal, <a href="http://www.neurology.org/">Neurology</a>.

The study analyzed 454 older adults — 191 of whom had dementia and 263 did not — over a 20-year period. Participants were given physical exams and thinking and memory tests every year spanning the two decades, and also agreed to donate their brain to the study post death.

“Our research team measured levels of physical activity in study participants an average of two years prior to death, and then examined their brain tissue after death, and found that moving more may have a protective effect on the brain," said study author and member of the AAN, Aron S. Buchman, MD, of the <a href="https://www.rush.edu/">Rush University Medical Center in Chicago</a>. 

"People who moved more had better thinking and memory skills compared to those who didn't move much at all,” he continued. “We found movement may essentially provide a reserve to help maintain thinking and memory skills when there are signs of dementia present in the brain."

Two years prior to death, which, on average, occurred at age 91, participants were given an activity monitor called an accelerometer that was worn on the wrist and measured physical activity 24/7. Researchers recorded activity and calculated a daily activity score for each group of participants. Those with dementia had an average activity score of 130,000 counts per day, and those without had an average 180,000 counts per day.

Once researchers had the opportunity to study the brains of the participants after death, they found that higher levels of daily activity showed signs of better thinking and memory skills. Furthermore, those with better motor skills showed the same.

Researchers saw that by increasing physical activity by one single deviation, a participant was 31% less likely to develop dementia. And for every increase in motor ability by one standard deviation, participants were 55% less likely to develop dementia. 

"Exercise is an inexpensive way to improve health, and our study shows it may have a protective effect on the brain," Buchman said. "But it is important to note that our study does not show cause and effect. It may also be possible that as people lose memory and thinking skills, they reduce their physical activity. More studies are needed to determine if moving more is truly beneficial to the brain."

The study also did not take into account whether or not participants were active in their younger lives, so physical activity impact in early life is currently an unknown factor in the results. 

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Moving more may help older adults preserve memory, thinking skills

Daily exercise or routine physical activity could help older adults preserve...

The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/climate/government-shutdown-climate-change.html">New York Times</a> reports that the current U.S. government shutdown, which has just rolled into its fourth week, has halted <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> and the <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)</a> from releasing their annual temperature analysis — a crucial set of data to show how global warming had progressed in 2018.

And because NASA and NOAA data is so widely used around the world, other world governments, like Britain’s national weather and climate monitoring service, the <a href="https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/">Met Office</a>, have also been held back from releasing their yearly <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change reports</a>.

“Usually, we would have received [the NOAA data] by now,” John Kennedy, a scientist at the Met Office Hadley Centre, which specializes in climate research, told the New York Times. “But this month, we haven’t.” 

However, temperatures aren’t the only numbers Americans are currently in the dark about because of the government shutdown. The publishing of NOAA’s annual natural-disaster cost estimate, a report that has been published yearly since 1980, has also been delayed. 

2017’s natural-disaster cost estimate ranked as the highest on record due to the climate changed-induced, tag-teaming storms, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, plus the severe drought in the Great Plains. But the cost of 2018’s Hurricane Michael and Florence, paired with the sweeping California wildfires, will remain offline until the shutdown as ended.

Researchers and scientists say that the withholding of this data, plus the lack of government funding and support, is putting their current research at risk. The longer the shutdown is dragged on, the more time is wasted, money lost, and potentially life-saving discoveries are pushed back even further.

“You just can’t turn the lights off and close the door and then when the government reopens, come back and turn on the lights and open the door and the turn the computer on and, O.K., now everything’s fine and we’re going again,” Dr. Bob Peterson, president of the <a href="https://www.entsoc.org/">Entomological Society of America</a> and a professor at <a href="http://www.montana.edu/">Montana State University</a>, told the new York Times Times.

Furthermore, early-career researchers cannot do their jobs because of the lack of government funding. Chris Horvat, a polar oceanographer based at <a href="https://www.brown.edu/">Brown University</a> told the New York TImes, “We’re supposed to be the future of climate science and we can’t do our jobs” — a sentiment that is echoing throughout the U.S. research and science sector. 

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

Climate data is waiting in the wings due to government shutdown

The New York Times reports that the current U.S. government...

An international research team has identified 124 genetic variants that are linked to risky behavior. The altered <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/compassion-animals-dna/">DNA</a> sequences found in the study may ultimately be used to reveal the biological mechanisms that regulate risk taking. 

The experts emphasized that non-genetic factors are still a better predictor of risk tolerance, and that no gene variation is responsible for a certain behavior on its own. 

Study co-author Dr. Abraham Palmer is a professor of Psychiatry at the <a href="https://medschool.ucsd.edu/Pages/default.aspx">University of California San Diego School of Medicine</a>.


“Being willing to take risks is essential to success in the modern world,” said Dr. Palmer. “But we also know that taking too many risks, or not giving enough weight to the consequences of risky decisions, confers vulnerability to smoking, alcoholism and other forms of drug addiction.”

Researchers in Dr. Palmer’s lab are investigating the role that genetics play in different risky decision-making styles. A better understanding of the molecular processes that drive human behavior could inform experts on how to prevent and treat drug abuse as well as some mental illnesses.

“Risk-taking is thought to play a role in many psychiatric disorders,” said study co-author Dr. Murray Stein. “For example, patients with anxiety disorders may perceive increased risk in certain situations and therefore avoid them unnecessarily. Understanding the genetic basis for risk tolerance is critical to understanding these disorders and developing better treatments.”

Based on self-reports by participants in the study, the researchers found that genetic variants associated with overall risk tolerance were also usually associated with more impulsive behavior, such as speeding, drinking, or risky sex.

While the effects of each of the 124 genetic variants are all very small by themselves, the effect of combined variants was found to be much more significant. These variants are spread out across 99 separate regions of the genome.

“Our results point to the role of specific brain regions - notably the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia and midbrain - that have previously been identified in neuroscientific studies on decision-making,” said senior author Dr. Jonathan Beauchamp. “They conform with the expectation that variation in risk tolerance is influenced by thousands, if not millions, of genetic variants.”

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ng/">Nature Genetics</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Risky behavior may actually be in your DNA

An international research team has identified 124 genetic variants that...

According to a new study from researchers at the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a>, at most, only 0.4% of adolescent wellbeing is linked to technology and screen time. This study, published January 14th in <a href="https://www.nature.com/nathumbehav/">Nature Human Behavior</a>, is the most conclusive study thus far that has looked into adolescent relationships with <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/teens-losing-sleep-smartphones/">technology</a>.

"Our findings demonstrate that screen use itself has at most a tiny association with youth mental health," said lead researcher Professor Andrew Przybylski, Director of Research at the <a href="https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/">Oxford Internet Institute</a>, University of Oxford. "The 0.4% contribution of screen use on young people's mental health needs to be put in context for parents and policymakers. 

“Within the same dataset,” Przybylski continued, “we were able to demonstrate that including potatoes in your diet showed a similar association with adolescent wellbeing. Wearing corrective lenses had an even worse association."

The data pulled from 300,000 teens and parents throughout the U.K. and U.S.A. showed that smoking marijuana and getting bullied had, on average, 2.7% times and 4.3% times more impact on wellbeing than technology use, as did lack of sleep and not eating breakfast.

Researchers used a method called Specification Curve Analysis to reach their conclusion and avoid bias, as has been previously included in similar studies.

"Even when using the same datasets, each researcher brings different biases with them and analyses the data slightly differently," study author Amy Orben, College Lecturer at the <a href="https://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/">Queen's College, University of Oxford</a>, said. "Of the three datasets we analysed for this study, we found over 600 million possible ways to analyse the data. We calculated a large sample of these and found that - if you wanted - you could come up with a large range of positive or negative associations between technology and wellbeing, or no effect at all."

"We needed to take the topic beyond cherry-picked results, so we developed an approach that helped us harvest the whole orchard," Przybylski added.

The Specification Curve Analysis explored the entire range of correlations between adolescent wellbeing and technology use within the full dataset. Furthermore, researchers examined practical significance rather than statistical significance by using information gathered by questions within the existing dataset. 

"Research's reliance on statistical significance can yield bizarre 'results,’” Orben said. "We need to look at the size of the association to make a judgement on practical significance. If you told me the amount of time a teenager spends on digital devices, I could not do very well predicting their overall wellbeing, as only 0.4% is associated with technology use."

"Bias and selective reporting of results is endemic to social and biological research influencing the screen time debate," Przybylski explained. "We need to put scientific findings in context for parents, policymakers and the general public. Our approach provides an excellent template for data scientists wanting to make the most of the excellent cohort data available in the UK and beyond."

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Screen time has little impact on adolescent wellbeing, research finds

According to a new study from researchers at the University...

Greek philosopher Theophrastus damned it with faint praise in terming it “pseudo-emerald.” But anyone who has seen photographs of the stunning <a href="http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/explore/buildings/locations/room/B10_F2_H189/?lng=en">Malachite Room</a> in the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, designed in 1839 as a place where Nicholas I’s wife, Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna could receive state guests, knows that there’s nothing pseudo- about this striking and immediately recognizable copper carbonate mineral. 

Even on a small scale, the intricate rings of various tints of rich green make malachite among the most stunning and sui generis of Earth’s lapidary offerings. It’s name, bestowed by Pliny the Elder, derives from the Greek word for “mallow,” a green herbaceous plant; the present spelling dates to 1661. Though its viridian hues invite such comparison, really, malachite is an imitation of nothing. Calling it a pseudo-emerald is like calling a lake a pseudo-ocean. The contrast gives short shrift to its unique beauty. 

The multi-hued rings of the stone form over time when aqueous solutions containing dissolved copper come into contact with calcium carbonate (limestone) or when calcium carbonate solutions come into contact with rocks containing copper. Malachite deposits usually occur as stalactites or botryoidal clusters—shaped like bunches of grapes. Occasionally they occur in crystalline form—even sometimes as <a href="https://www.mineralienatlas.de/lexikon/index.php/MineralData?mineral=Malachite">bizarre, fragile spirals</a>—though the crystals are usually minute. 

They may also occur as pseudomorphs—so there is actually something pseudo- about them after all. Pseudomorphs are mineral deposits in which the original mineral has slowly been replaced by another. Malachite typically occurs as a pseudomorph of azurite, a blue mineral as its name suggests, and specimens in which this process is incomplete display both the green of malachite and the blue of azurite. On rare occasions, this is reversed and azurite replaces malachite. Malachite may also form as a pseudomorph of chalcopyrite, gypsum, calcite, or pyrite, among others. And it is frequently found alongside other minerals, including chrysocolla, cuprite, turquoise, and limonite. The mineral, which may contain as much as 58% copper, typically forms in the oxidizing zones above copper deposits and has long been used as an indicator of the presence of copper below.

Copper has been mined for millennia—and thus, so has the malachite that usually sits atop it. Copper was, in fact, the first metal to be used on a wide scale by early man, though older gold artifacts have been found. The <a href="http://www.regeszet.org.hu/images/angol/a_005.pdf">Copper Age</a>, also known as the Eneolithic or Chalcolithic, predates even the Bronze Age. (Dates are inexact. The Chalcolithic may have begun as early as 6000 B.C. and as late as 4500 B.C.) A copper ornament found in Iraq dates to 8700 B.C., suggesting that use of copper predates even the age bearing its name. Deposits along Lake Superior were mined as early as 5000 B.C. and formed the basis of a Native American culture known as the <a href="https://www.mpm.edu/research-collections/anthropology/online-collections-research/old-copper-culture">Old Copper Complex</a> due to the rich trove of copper artifacts it left behind. 

There is evidence that malachite was smelted to derive copper at Ei Bunar, a mine in Bulgaria, around the same time or even earlier—the first evidence of smelting to isolate metals from the rocks in which they are found. And the ancient <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/ancient-egyptians-worshipped-baboons/">Egyptians</a> began mining malachite—and smelting it—in the Timna Valley of Sinai in Israel beginning around 4000 B.C. (The Romans later took over this operation in the 2nd century A.D. and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272060120_Egyptian_Timna-_Reconsidered">it was likely used by other cultures</a> as well.)

[caption id="attachment_1865236" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/malachite.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1865236" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/malachite.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="430" /></a> Ancient Egyptian art, Image Credit: Rosana Prada/Flickr[/caption]

They also valued the mineral itself. They fashioned it into jewelry, including protective amulets. In <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=SiqCAwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT6&amp;dq=malachite&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiq7MSUzuDfAhUJnq0KHRGFDOY4ZBDoAQg-MAQ#v=onepage&amp;q=malachite&amp;f=false">one Egyptian legend</a>, a young woman drops her malachite ornament in a lake while boating with the pharaoh. Though he promises to replace it, she insists on finding the gem. The pharaoh then orders the court magician to retrieve it. Casting a spell, he removes half of the lake’s water and stacks it atop the rest, allowing the ornament to be recovered. The Egyptians also ground the mineral and used it as a cosmetic and as paint—malachite has been isolated from Egyptian tomb paintings. 

Malachite was exploited in other parts of Europe as well. <a href="http://www.iceman.it/en/the-iceman/">Ötzi the Iceman</a>, a mummy found in the Ötztal Alps between Italy and Austria, dates to 3300 B.C. The copper axe he was carrying at the time of his death in <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2518iceman.html">known to have been derived from smelted malachite </a>and concentrations of copper and arsenic in his hair suggest that he may have himself been involved in smelting operations. 

The <a href="https://www.greatormemines.info/">Great Orme mines</a> in Wales, which are full of malachite that was smelted to derive copper, are thought to have been first exploited around 1800 B.C. Disturbingly, many of the tunnels appear to have been <a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160420-the-ancient-copper-mines-dug-by-bronze-age-children">dug by children</a>. Later copper mining and smelting operations have been unearthed in other corners of the world too—from China to West Africa to South America. And, as one might expect, malachite ornaments have been found in many of these places. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/05-06/Maya_Red_Queen/">A stunning malachite mask</a> dating to 700 A.D. was discovered in 1994 in a Mayan tomb in Mexico belonging to a woman known as the “Red Queen” due to the fact that her body was coated with cinnabar powder.

Of the later malachite enthusiasts, the Russians made perhaps the most spectacular use of the mineral. Enormous quantities were extracted from extensive deposits in the Ural Mountains beginning in the 1800s and deployed on a massive scale. Aside from the Malachite Room, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral provides perhaps the best example of the lavish abandon with which malachite was used as a decorative material. Ten columns comprising some 16 tons of the green stone decorate the <a href="http://petersburg.blogs.wm.edu/2010/09/14/st-isaacs-cathedral-isaakievskii-sobor/">church’s sanctuary</a>. And Tsar Alexander gifted Napoleon with a massive suite of objects made from malachite, including tables, vases, and candelabras, now housed in the eponymous <a href="http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/estate-trianon/grand-trianon#the-state-apartments-of-the-grand-trianon">Salon des Malachites</a> in the Grand Trianon at Versailles. 

Large scale use of Russian malachite can also be seen in a set of enormous doors in Mexico City’s Chapultepec Castle; they were originally displayed at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London. The significance of malachite in Russia even extends to its folklore. In one tale, “<a href="http://askural.com/2012/02/russian-legends/">The Queen of Copper Mountain</a>,” a young man attracts the attention of a female figure believed to guard the copper deposits of the Urals. She offers him access to her wealth, but he declines, deciding to remain with his human love. The queen was said to disguise herself as a lizard when mortals approached, but when she appeared in human form, she was garbed in shimmering malachite-toned robes. The legend inspired the 1946 film <a href="https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/kamennyj-cvetok">The Stone Flower</a>, in which a stone carver attempts to carve a realistic flower from malachite and is ensnared by the queen when he seeks her help.

[caption id="attachment_1865237" align="aligncenter" width="700"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/malachite-2.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1865237" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/malachite-2.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="452" /></a> Malachite basin given to Napoleon by Czar Alexander, Image Credit: Chris Waits/Flickr[/caption]

Today, the deposits in the Urals are somewhat depleted, and mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo meet much of the world’s demand. Other sources include Australia, China, Chile, Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Utah in the United States, and Zambia. Demand for this gorgeous stone is as high as ever. Looking at the concentric circles of a polished specimen, it’s easy to see why it entranced the ancients. While modern lapidary enthusiasts may be skeptical of the magical powers attributed to it by their ancestors, it’s difficult not to be a little spellbound by malachite’s verdant rings.

--

By <a href="mailto:rtpallardy@gmail.com">Richard Pallardy</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

What makes malachite so mesmerizing

Greek philosopher Theophrastus damned it with faint praise in terming...

The nature versus nurture debate remains one of the longest-running discussions among the scientific community. 

It can be a complicated task to determine whether it is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dna-influences-school-performance/">genetics or environment</a> that is more influential on development, disease, and behavior. But now, a new study conducted by researchers from <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard University</a> and the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> in Australia used a massive insurance database to help shed insight on the age-old question. 

Studying twins, both fraternal and identical, is one the best ways to study the influence of genetics versus environmental factors because twins have similar DNA. Identical twins have matching DNA. 

However, twin nature versus nurture studies usually tackle one disease at a time or have a small sample size as finding twins that meet the right study parameters can be difficult. 

This recent study is the largest twin study of its kind, and the researchers analyzed data from an insurance database of nearly 45 million people in the United States.

The researchers were able to examine the genetic and environmental effects on 560 different diseases and health conditions for 56,396 pairs of twins and 724,513 siblings. The study was published in the journal Nature Genetics. 

“The nurture-versus-nature question is very much at the heart of our study,” Chirag Patel, the senior author of the study, told the <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/01/researchers-able-to-determine-the-effects-of-genes-and-environment-in-560-common-conditions/">Harvard Gazette</a>. “We foresee the value of this type of large-scale analysis will be in shining light on the relative contribution of genes versus shared environment in a multitude of diseases.” 

One of the largest challenges that come with understanding genetic influence compared to environmental influence on diseases is that it is not so neatly black and white. Diseases are rarely purely environmental or genetic, and instead, a complex combination of certain environmental factors and genetics create a perfect storm of sorts. 

By using such a large dataset, the researchers were able to overcome many of the challenges that arise when studying the interplay between genetics and environmental factors. 

Each pair of twins had been part of the insurance database for three years or more, and the researchers had data on pairs of twins starting with newborns to age 24. 

The researchers used a statistical approach to estimate how many pairs of twins were fraternal and how many were identical. The data included a wide range of genetic and environmental factors including pollution, climate conditions, socioeconomic status and clinical diagnoses, red and white blood cell counts, and cholesterol levels. 

After analyzing the data and accounting for all these different variables, the researchers were able to identify which diseases were more strongly influenced by genetics among the twins and which were due to certain environmental changes. 

225 out of 560 of the diseases studied, roughly 40 percent, were linked to genetics, and 138 were influenced heavily by environmental factors because the twins shared households and social settings. 

Eye disorders had little to do with genetics and 27 out of 42 eye diseases were linked to strong environmental influences. Cognitive disorders and reproductive problems had the strongest genetic influences. 

145 of the diseases studied related to socioeconomic status, and the morbid obesity was heavily linked to status, but the researchers found that climate, status, and air quality did not have as strong an impact on disease as a shared household environment. 

The researchers hope that their study will help future studies narrow down the genetic and environmental influence on diseases. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

40 percent of diseases are influenced by genetics, new study finds

The nature versus nurture debate remains one of the longest-running...

Research has shown that girls are at risk of having lower self-esteem compared to boys starting around the age of six. But now, a study from the <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/">University of Queensland</a> has revealed that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/chemicals-products-early-puberty-girls/">girls</a> who attend single-sex schools seem to be unaffected by this crash in confidence. 


The investigation was focused on more than 10,000 students between the ages of 12 and 17 in single-sex schools across South East Queensland. The researchers found that there was no significant difference between the self-confidence of boys and girls.


According to the researchers, the findings help to address workplace gender inequality starting with the education of young people.

Study lead author Dr. Terry Fitzsimmons is a UQ Business School researcher and the director of the Economics Centre for Gender Equality in the Workplace

“There have been few examinations into whether boys and girls actually differ in self-confidence, and what experiences, activities and decisions impact on levels of self-confidence in adolescents, which is a marker for future career success,” said Dr. Fitzsimmons.

“We set out to comprehensively understand what factors contribute most to developing a young person’s self-confidence and shaping their career preferences, how these differ for girls and boys, and how they change in high school.”

“By understanding these important factors and their levels of influence, we can help schools and parents more effectively develop self-confidence, career intention and leadership capacity in young people.”

Students were asked about their self-confidence levels, leadership experiences, time spent on chores, part-time work and study commitments, and career aspirations.

Dr. Fitzsimmons hopes the insights from the study will positively influence family routines, as well as school and government policies.

“Key recommendations include urging parents to assign and pay chores equally, encouraging schools to prioritise excursions to help develop self-confidence, and urging industries traditionally dominated by one gender to send diverse role models to schools to talk about careers,” said Dr. Fitzsimmons.

“Correcting the gender imbalance in the workforce and creating a more equal and fair society is everyone’s responsibility and it’s important we start now.”

“We hope our research will empower caregivers and teachers to inspire confidence and purpose in young adults, especially when they are deciding on their subjects and careers, which can be as early as 13 years of age.”

“We also hope parents adopt these practical measures in their own homes and practices, to ensure our future leaders consider all careers equally, and have a solid understanding of fairness and equality in all aspects of their lives.”

The Hands Up for Gender Equality study was launched by the Australian Institute for Business and the Economics Centre for Gender Equality in the Workplace.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Girls often experience a drop in confidence at around 6 years old

Research has shown that girls are at risk of having...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The environmental problem we actually solved

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

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex
</div></figure>







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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

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

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

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU
</div></figure>



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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-----

Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

[sendtonews key="0ynNMYkMKa-2340414-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



---



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[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



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

[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"

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