Our everyday food choices are often guided by taste, tradition, and convenience. However, beneath these choices lie hidden risks that many tend to ignore. There is growing evidence suggesting that even tiny amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks, and trans fats carry health risks. 



A team of researchers analyzed over 60 previous studies. They looked at how processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats impact risks of type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and ischemic heart disease.



“Habitual consumption of even small amounts of processed <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sunflower-protein-could-change-the-future-of-sustainable-meat/">meat</a>, sugary drinks, and trans fatty acids is linked to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease and colorectal cancer,” said Dr. Demewoz Haile, the study’s lead author from the <a href="https://www.washington.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Washington</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-risks-behind-daily-choices">Risks behind daily choices</h2>



The analysis revealed alarming <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-consumption-drove-an-evolutionary-leap-in-early-humans/">trends</a>. Eating just one hot dog a day increased type 2 diabetes risk by 11 percent. It also raised the risk of colorectal cancer by 7 percent. 



Consuming a daily 12-ounce soda raised type 2 diabetes risk by 8 percent and ischemic heart disease by 2 percent.



“This current research has shown, yet again and consistent with prior research, that to achieve health gains it is best to avoid or minimize the habitual consumption of each of processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and industrially produced trans fatty acids (TFAs),” said Dr. Nita Forouhi of the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Cambridge</a>.



According to Dr. Forouhi, there is no such thing as a “safe amount” of processed meat consumption.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strong-and-consistent-health-risks">Strong and consistent health risks</h2>



The risks associated with eating processed meats may appear small. However, Dr. Mingyang Song from <a href="https://hsph.harvard.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health</a> explained why they are concerning.



“When we look at the actual data there, it’s really remarkably consistent and remarkably strong, and even in the lower dose of consumption, we can still see an increased risk of disease,” he said.



The study used a burden-of-proof method. This approach weighs evidence from several studies and considers their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meat-protein-boosts-survival-but-plants-boost-longevity/">quality</a>. Though conservative, the method strengthens the results.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-processed-meat-risk-remains">Processed meat risk remains</h2>



The study has limitations. For example, the research does not prove direct cause and effect. Dr. Gunter Kuhnle from the <a href="https://www.reading.ac.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Reading</a> pointed out that participants had to recall their diets, which can lead to mistakes.



“Utilizing even ‘the most sophisticated techniques does not really solve the problem that the information about diet is rather limited - which is obviously a big problem in nutritional epidemiology in general,” said Dr. Kuhnle.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-these-foods-are-harmful">Why these foods are harmful</h2>



Certain foods contribute to inflammation, which plays a role in chronic diseases. Processed meats often contain nitrites. These compounds convert into cancer-causing nitrosamines inside the stomach. 



Sugary drinks pose other dangers. They deliver large sugar doses rapidly, leading to weight gain and metabolic problems.



Trans fats worsen cholesterol levels. They lower good cholesterol and raise bad cholesterol, leading to heart disease risks.



Unhealthy diets often accompany other risky behaviors, such as smoking or low physical activity. Social issues like low income or limited healthcare access also raise disease risks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cutting-processed-meat-keeping-balance">Cutting processed meat, keeping balance</h2>



Though reducing these foods is strongly advisable, moderation is key. Song suggested that cutting back on such items makes sense. Kuhnle agreed and advised maintaining a balanced diet.



That includes reducing sugary drinks, processed meats, and hydrogenated fats, even if trans fats are now less common. “The goal shouldn’t be perfection but rather a healthy and sensible dietary pattern that allows room for enjoyment,” said Dr. Kuhnle.



Good nutrition means not only cutting out unhealthy foods but also eating foods that help your body. Adding fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other healthy options keeps you strong and well.



“Wider research has shown us that overall dietary patterns that include higher consumption of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and fermented dairy products like yogurt are good for health and longevity,” said Dr. Forouhi.



Dr. Kuhnle offered a final reminder. “My general advice: don’t panic,” he said. “Food is not just (a) source of nutrients - it plays a central role in culture, pleasure, family life, and social connection. Reducing it solely to a list of health risks misses the bigger picture.”



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03775-8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Processed meat can cause health issues, even in tiny amounts

Our everyday food choices are often guided by taste, tradition, and convenience. However, beneath these choices lie hidden risks that many tend to ignore. There is growing evidence suggesting that even tiny amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks, and trans fats carry health risks. A team of researchers analyzed over 60 previous studies. They looked at how processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, and trans fats impact risks of type 2 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and ischemic heart disease. “Habitual consumption of even small amounts of processed meat, sugary drinks,...

President Donald Trump has promised to revive the fossil fuel industry with little concern for how burning coal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wheeler-environmental-injustice-epa/https://www.earth.com/news/wheeler-environmental-injustice-epa/">impacts the environment</a> and drives climate change.

A major argument touted by the President and those in his corner is that there are considerable economic gains to be made in fossil fuels and by regulating emissions, strengthening environmental protections, and investing in renewables, you risk sacrificing those gains. 

Another claim is that if you reduce our dependence on coal, you take jobs away. 

However, a new study conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.iiasa.ac.at/">International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis </a>(IIASA) in Austria shows that it is possible to reduce coal emissions and still increase the number of available jobs. 

The study was published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(18)30466-5#%20">Joule. </a>

The researchers examined different solutions for maintaining employment rates while still phasing coal-fired power plants. 

Rather than merely retiring coal power plants, the researchers propose transforming the United State’s coal industry by replacing 50 percent of coal plants with natural gas plants by 2050. 

According to the analysis, this would create 22,000 new jobs, prevent the loss of 40,000 coal jobs, and still limit emissions to meet climate mitigation targets. 

“Rather than arguing that climate change mitigation is simply necessary, policymakers could promote climate actions by informing stakeholders about potential employment co-benefits,” the researchers wrote in their study. 

In other parts of the world, the shift towards renewables is already paying off, as Britain's renewable electricity capacity overtook its fossil fuel capacity or the first time, according to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-6359477/UKs-renewable-energy-capacity-overtaken-fossil-fuels-like-coal-gas-time.html">the Daily Mail. </a>

Now, the UK has 42 gigawatts of available electricity capacity from wind, solar and biomass energy whereas only 40.6 gigawatts is available from fossil fuel generators. 

It’s a small difference, but it’s a significant step for the UK in reaching its target to cut greenhouse emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Paid for by <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a>

A new model to both cut coal emissions and create jobs

President Donald Trump has promised to revive the fossil fuel...

Anyone who has had the pleasure of eating pizza baked in a brick oven knows that nothing can compare to the taste of a perfectly baked crust with just the right balance of sauce of toppings. 

For most people, wood-fire roasted pizza is only an option when dining out or on vacation in Italy because few people own their own brick oven. 

However, thanks to a new study published in the journal arXiv, now you can make the perfect pizza at home and it all has to do with the physics of the optimal temperature and time for <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/difference-cake-donuts-yeast-donuts/">baking dough</a>. 

Researchers and physics professors Andreas Glatz and Andrey Varlamov from the <a href="https://www.anl.gov/">Argonne National Laboratory</a> were on a trip to Italy and while eating at pizzeria started talking about why brick oven pizzas are so superior in taste and quality. 

It didn’t take too long to realize that there were no studies published in English that discussed the physics of baking pizza. The two researchers decided to tackle pizza baking and focused on the Margherita pizza. 

Today, few pizzas share the same notary and popularity as the simple Margherita pizza, and Glatz and Varlamov asked pizza makers in Rome about their cooking process for the dish. 

Specifically, the researchers wanted to know how to bake the perfect crust without burning it in a brick oven. 

The experts said that pizza should be baked for two minutes at 626 degrees Fahrenheit (330 degrees Celsius). 

Thermal conduction plays a significant role in the perfect crust as the even temperatures in a brick oven ensure that the pizza will be cooked at the same temperature on all sides. 

The researchers then tackled the challenge of replicating brick oven pizza in a metal oven. 

Glatz and Varlamov created a thermodynamic equation to calculate the optimal time and temperature to bake a pizza using an electric oven and discovered that a pizza cooked at 450 degrees Fahrenheit would need to bake for 170 seconds. 

The brick oven is still the ideal option for baking pizza, but with this study, we have a better understanding of the physics of thermodynamics in brick ovens and it’s now possible to create more authentic and delicious pizzas right at home. 

“One of the goals in working on this study and writing this article was to help people at home with their pizza-making. We learned that temperature and oven material are very important,” Glatz told <a href="https://www.midweeknews.com/articles/2018/08/27/34b899a307254e9795446bed2cc8b4ec/index.xml">MidWeek</a> in an interview. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Using physics to create the perfect pizza at home

Anyone who has had the pleasure of eating pizza baked...

Researchers have identified a key difference in the way that babies and adults laugh. The experts found that <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/smiling-babies-responding-parents/">babies</a> laugh not only when they exhale, but also as they inhale, which is a behavior that has been observed among chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates. 

A research team led by Professor Disa Sauter of the <a href="http://www.uva.nl/">University of Amsterdam</a> obtained audio clips from online videos that featured babies laughing as they engaged in playful interactions. The audio recordings, which included 44 infants and children between 18 months and three years old, were analyzed by over 100 psychology students. 

The listeners were asked to evaluate the extent to which the laughter in each recording was produced during an inhale versus an exhale.

The study revealed that the youngest babies commonly laughed during both inhalation and exhalation, which is also the case for nonhuman primates. On the other hand, the older babies mainly laughed while exhaling, just like older children and adults.

“Adult humans sometimes laugh on the inhale but the proportion is markedly different from that of infants' and chimps' laughs. Our results so far suggest that this is a gradual, rather than a sudden, shift,” said Professor Sauter. She explained that the transition does not appear to be linked to any particular developmental milestones. 

Humans are the only primates that reserve laughter for exhalation, and the reason for this is not yet known. According to Professor Sauter, one possible explanation is that the behavior results from the vocal control that is developed as humans learn to speak.

The researchers are currently investigating a potential link between the amount of laughter produced upon inhalation and exhalation. They are also studying the various reasons that individuals laugh, which also changes with age.

“Beyond that, I'd be interested in seeing whether our findings apply to other vocalizations than laughter,” said Professor Sauter. “If we know what normally developing babies sound like, it could be interesting to study infants at risk to see whether there are very early signs of atypical development in their nonverbal vocalizations of emotion.”

The research will be presented by Professor Sauter at the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/176th-meeting-acoustical-society-of-america/">Acoustical Society of America's 176th Meeting</a> in Victoria, Canada.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Small babies laugh the same way that nonhuman primates do

Researchers have identified a key difference in the way that...

Amateur and professional <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/humans-start-baking-bread/">bakers</a> alike understand the perturbation of raw dough having browned while in storage. This browning can negatively affect the appearance of the final product and can therefore lead to economic loss for commercial bakers. 

However, a new study published in the <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en.html">American Chemical Society</a>’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry has found that a mixture of white wine and lemon juice may be the key to keeping pastry dough white, bright, and looking as fresh as the day it was made.

The discoloration of pastry dough, known as enzymatic browning, occurs when a chemical process lead by an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO) takes place. The exact same enzymatic browning process happens to bananas and other fruits that are susceptible to discoloration. There are commercial additives that can be used to thwart the browning of pastry dough. But with consumers asking for more natural products within their foods, commercial bakers and manufacturers have been tasked with looking for all-natural alternatives.

Alongside several colleagues, Peter Fischer from the American Chemical Society experimented with several different natural alternatives to these commercial additives. Some combinations of natural ingredients caused discoloration in the pastry dough from the get-go, but prevented more browning later on. 

However, others kept the dough white from start to finish. Such a combination was white wine and lemon juice, which, when added to the dough, inhibited the PPO chemical reaction, therefore stopping the enzymatic browning process before it had a chance to occur.

With such a simple fix for nagging problem, the hope is that both at-home and commercial bakers will be able to produce pastries that only brown once they’re put inside the oven.

--

By <a href="mailto:oliviagharvey24@gmail.com">Olivia Harvey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

White wine and lemon juice stop the browning of pastry dough

Amateur and professional bakers alike understand the perturbation of raw...

Adults have a harder time telling toddler voices apart. For parents, deciphering the high-pitched ramblings of their 2-year-olds is difficult enough. But now imagine having to tell the difference between your own child’s voice from 50 other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/toddlers-become-self-conscious/">toddlers</a>. 

This was the main premise for a study conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto.</a>

Adults can easily decipher voices and can recognize the difference between one person’s speech and another’s, but the researchers were curious about how people processed and recognized the speech of toddlers. 

“What we found with two-and-a-half-year-olds is that it's amazingly hard for adults to identify who's talking," said Angela Cooper, a researcher at the University of Toronto who focuses on speech perceptions and a co-author of the study. 

The study will be presented at the <a href="https://acousticalsociety.org/176th-meeting-acoustical-society-of-america/">Acoustical Society of America's 176th Meeting</a> this week. 

Cooper created an interactive space alien computer game for the study, and 50 native English speaking parents were asked to play the game with their 2 and half-year-olds. 

The game recorded both the children and parents as they said 32 different words such as tree, dog, ball, and elephant. 

After each parent-child pairing completed the recordings, the researchers then had undergraduate students from the University of Toronto listen to the recordings. 

Each student listened to 80 pairs of words spoken by 20 of the children. The students had to say whether the same or a different voice was speaking the word. Another experiment using the same set-up but with 20 adult recordings was also part of the study.Adults have a harder time telling toddler voices apart 

The researchers found that the students were much better at deciphering the adult voices than the children's. 65 percent of the time, the students guessed correctly for the adult voices, but only understood 40 percent of the different children’s voices. 

“Listeners were significantly worse at telling apart child voices relative to adult voices,” said Cooper. “I find it particularly interesting that the participants' ability to identify adult voices was not related to their ability to identify children's voices. You're maybe using different information, or you're processing things slightly differently when you're listening to an adult voice versus when you're listening to a child's voice.” 

Next, the researchers conducted a training session with the student participants and had each student listen to four different child and four different adult voices. 

This helped with recognizing different voices, but the students were still better at identifying adult voices. 

“Part of this training process is re-tuning what speech cues we need to pay attention to,” said Cooper.  “Often children have particular mispronunciations. Some kids will say ‘poon’ instead of spoon, or elephant becomes ‘ephant.’ We might be actually cuing in to which child makes different kinds of errors.” 

The researchers are continuing their work and are planning several follow-up studies that will measure pupil-dilations to see how adults process and differentiate toddler voices. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Adults have a harder time telling toddler voices apart

Adults have a harder time telling toddler voices apart. For...

In an effort to cut back on harmful emissions from airplanes, experts are collaborating to develop plans for passenger planes that will be powered by liquid hydrogen. The $4.5 million project, known as Enable H2, is being led by <a href="https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/">Cranfield University</a> in Bedfordshire. 

Among the challenges of using liquid <a href="http://www.earth.com/news/use-photosynthesis-create-hydrogen-fuel/">hydrogen</a> that the researchers will face are safety concerns, the need for updated infrastructure at airports, and the expense of producing the fuel. There will also be the issue of onboard storage. 

Dr. Bobby Sethi of Cranfield’s Propulsion Engineering Centre told <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/">The Times</a>: 

“There are challenges in using liquid hydrogen but we are hopeful of addressing them within the scope of the project. We want to show that hydrogen can be not only beneficial environmentally but can be employed safely and affordably in the medium to long term.”

The team is analyzing the potential efficiency of a V-shaped blended wing body airplane. Due to the technical obstacles involved, the development of  a hydrogen-powered plane will take many years and the concept will not likely be demonstrated for over a decade. In addition, passenger flights will take at least 30 years. 

While some companies are aiming for battery-powered passenger airplanes, the experts behind the use of liquid hydrogen argue that long-haul flights powered by electricity are not realistic. 

Dr. Sethi explained: “Existing electric aircraft cannot store enough energy on the batteries to enable you to fly anything more than two passengers and if you look at electrical motors they are huge and very heavy.”

Currently, two percent of harmful greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to air travel, and this amount is predicted to double in the next two decades. Hydrogen generates three times the force of kerosene fuel, while producing zero carbon emissions and low emissions of nitrogen oxide.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Experts draw up plans for passenger planes fueled by hydrogen

In an effort to cut back on harmful emissions from...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Success requires more than just intelligence, new study finds

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" 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.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes how cavefish adapted to a sedentary lifestyle over tens of thousands of years. 



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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