Isn't it bizarre how many times we've been told that a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away? Or some variation of that claim on benefits of moderate drinking. 



Well, a new research has come to light, and it might alter the way you perceive that glass of Cabernet Sauvignon or pint of IPA in your hand.



The report is shaking up the conventional wisdom we've heard for years--that moderate drinking could extend lives and decrease our chances of chronic diseases. 



Steering this riveting ship of discovery is lead researcher Tim Stockwell, Ph.D., a scientist affiliated with the <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cisur/index.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research</a> at the University of Victoria.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-past-studies-on-moderate-drinking">Past studies on moderate drinking</h2>



Stockwell and his team argue that there are underlying flaws in the way previous researches have been designed. 



They believe that the studies' focus on older adults without considering their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-has-a-hidden-impact-on-heart-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">lifetime drinking habits</a> led to skewed results.



"Think about this for a second. When these studies compare moderate drinkers with abstainers, many of the abstainers are older adults who have quit or reduced their drinking due to health conditions," Stockwell remarked. 



"This situation makes the continued drinkers appear healthier, but it's a rigged comparison. It's like comparing apples with oranges."



In other words, things are not what they seem when it comes to these studies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-truth-about-alcohol-consumption">Truth about alcohol consumption</h2>



For this analysis, Stockwell and his team examined 107 published studies that followed individuals over time and explored the relationship between drinking habits and lifespan.



A quick look at the data suggested something that might ring a bell: moderate drinkers (those who drank between one drink per week and two per day) had a 14% lower risk of dying during the study period compared to abstainers. However, a closer examination of the studies told a different story.



Stockwell pointed out that the "higher quality" studies - those that considered younger participants and ensured a clear distinction between former drinkers and lifelong abstainers - showed no link between moderate drinking and longer lives.



The illusion of health benefits came only from the "lower quality" studies. Stockwell quipped, "If you look at the weakest studies, that's where you see supposed health benefits."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-paradox-of-perception">Paradox of perception</h2>



In our social constructs, drinking often takes on an additional layer of meaning, transformed into a communal activity that fosters connection. Yet, this context can also mask the true implications of alcohol consumption on health. 



Many individuals justify their drinking habits with social norms, failing to recognize the potential harm. 



Stockwell's research underscores the importance of examining how societal attitudes towards drinking can buoy the perception of its health benefits, leading to an environment where moderation may not be as beneficial as previously thought. 



We need to reassess not just our protocols for studying alcohol but also the culture around it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-public-awareness-on-moderate-drinking">Public awareness on moderate drinking</h2>



Given these revelations, there is an urgent need for public health campaigns to rethink their messaging about alcohol consumption. 



Instead of perpetuating the myth that moderate drinking has health benefits, stakeholders should emphasize the risks tied to alcohol and encourage a more informed dialogue around healthy lifestyles. 



By promoting comprehensive education on the potential dangers of drinking, the goal should be to empower individuals to make more educated choices regarding their alcohol consumption. 



It’s time to break away from outdated perceptions and embrace a modern understanding of alcohol’s role in our health, fostering a culture of awareness rather than <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-zero-alcohol-drinks-a-type-of-gateway-drug-for-teens/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">complacency</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-busting-myths">Busting myths</h2>



One myth that Stockwell wants to debunk is the decades-old belief in the "French Paradox." This notion suggests that red wine explains why French people have significantly lower rates of heart disease despite having a diet high in fats. 



It's a compelling story, but Stockwell argues that the concept is a mere figment of the public imagination.



According to Stockwell, moderate drinking likely doesn't extend our lives. In fact, it can bring along a suitcase of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/alcohol-consumption-can-lead-to-chronic-pain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">health risks</a>, such as increased chances of developing certain cancers.



"There is simply no completely 'safe' level of drinking," Stockwell stressed.



So, the next time you hear that familiar saying about a glass of wine a day, remember: <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-benefits-of-moderate-drinking-may-be-hidden-in-the-brain/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">what the doctor ordered</a> has been reconsidered. 



New evidence prompts us to reassess our drinking habits and encourages us towards a more informed and healthier future, even if it's with a little less wining and dining. Cheers to that!



The study is published in the <a href="https://www.jsad.com/doi/10.15288/jsad.23-00283" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs</a>. 



-----



Like what you read?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/subscribe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Subscribe to our newsletter</a>&nbsp;for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates.&nbsp;



Check us out on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/earthsnap/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EarthSnap</a>, a free app brought to you by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.earth.com/author/eralls/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eric Ralls</a>&nbsp;and Earth.com.



-----

Even moderate drinking severely harms health, despite past studies

Isn't it bizarre how many times we've been told that a glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away? Or some variation of that claim on benefits of moderate drinking. Well, a new research has come to light, and it might alter the way you perceive that glass of Cabernet Sauvignon or pint of IPA in your hand. The report is shaking up the conventional wisdom we've heard for years--that moderate drinking could extend lives and decrease our chances of chronic diseases. Steering this riveting ship...

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.unimelb.edu.au/">University of Melbourne</a> recently reviewed phytotherapy medical studies to determine which herbs were beneficial in treating <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/sleep-risk-depression-anxiety/">anxiety</a>. 

Phytotherapy is a science-based approach to treatments using plants and herbs, and the Melbourne team focused on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a key component of easing anxiety and the main target of most medications. 

According to the researchers, phytomedicines like chamomile or Indian ginseng could provide a desirable alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals that have unpleasant side effects. 

The study was published in the journal Phytotherapy Research and outlines the most effective plants and herbs scientifically proven to help with anxiety. 

The researchers reviewed studies involving the use of phytomedicines as a treatment for anxiety in both human and animal trials. 

The studies were compiled from several major online medical library databases, and the researchers only analyzed studies that showed evidence of GABA-modulating activity. 

The results showed several phytomedicines that could be effective treatments for anxiety and reducing stress levels including kava, valerian, chamomile, Ginkgo biloba, and passionflower. 

Kava, a plant grown in the Pacific Islands, was ruled as the most effective plant for reducing stress, and has been used as a mood enhancer for centuries on the South Pacific Islands.

Today, kava can be found in pills and teas but has been banned in some countries because of its link to liver damage. 

In the United States, any products with kava come with an <a href="https://www.fda.gov/">FDA </a>consumer advisory and researchers are unsure if the plant itself causes liver damage, or if in conjunction with liver medications or alcohol, the kava becomes dangerous. 

The study shows that several herbs are scientifically proven to help ease anxiety and stress, and provides a wider body of research for those looking to pursue the most effective anxiety treatments without negative side effects. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

These herbs are scientifically proven to help treat anxiety

Researchers from the University of Melbourne recently reviewed phytotherapy medical...

What if every <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-records-body-weight/">brain</a> was virtually connected, able to communicate feelings and emotions through a kind of WiFi network we’re all wired into? 

According to Digby Tantam, a Clinical Professor of Psychotherapy at the <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/">University of Sheffield</a>, a WiFi network for the brain is very much in the realm of possibility. 

Tantum has studied human communication for many years and recently published his findings in a new book, <a href="https://www.jkp.com/uk/the-interbrain-2.html">The Interbrain</a>. 

The interbrain is how Tantum describes the brain’s ability to pick up subliminal information and read other people. He also says his research explains why we experience “gut” feelings.

“We can know directly about other people’s emotions and what they are paying attention to,” Tantum told the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2018/01/06/wi-fi-connects-human-brains-explains-people-have-gut-feelings/">Telegraph</a>. “It is based on the direct connection between our brains and other people’s and between their brain and ours. I call this the interbrain.”

The interbrain could also explain why people diagnosed with autism are unable to connect with people as easily as others because according to Tantum, they have no interbrain connection. 

Language is only one part of how we communicate, and many of our interactions are non-verbal gestures or expressions. 

Tantum believes his research shows that language plays a minimal part of human communication and that the brain is actually picking up micro-signals that relay what we’re thinking and feeling to others.

However, the technological advances of the internet may be interfering negatively with the mass interbrain network, Tatum notes.

“Emotional contagion occurs at the speed of light, not the speed of electronic transmission. Face-to-face visual input is accompanied by sound, by gesture, by the smell of sweat, by the possibility of touch, and by a connect,” Tantum told the Telegraph. “So what is lacking in this vast network is an interbrain connection between its human participants.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

The Interbrain: The wifi network of our brains

What if every brain was virtually connected, able to communicate...

A new review by the <a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/">National Center for Environmental Information</a> (NCEI), which accounts for events such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-harvey-global-warming/">Hurricanes Harvey</a>, Irma, and Maria, has found that 2017 was the costliest year in weather-related damage in the history of the United States.

NCEI is responsible for monitoring and assessing weather events across the globe which have significant societal and economic impacts. 

The experts report that there were 16 weather events in 2017 which exceeded one billion dollars in damage, including 1 drought, 2 floods, 1 freeze event, 8 severe storms, 3 tropical cyclones, and 1 wildfire. 

Hurricane Harvey alone caused $125 billion in damage, and the total cost of 2017’s events is estimated at $306.2 billion. This number smashes the previous record of $214.8 billion, which was set in 2005 when Hurricanes Katrina, Dennis, and Rita struck. 

According to NCEI, the United States has experienced 219 weather and climate disasters since 1980 that each generated costs of at least $1 billion. Overall, the cost of these 219 events exceeds $1.5 trillion. 

Between 1980 and 2017, the yearly average of billion-dollar events is 5.8, and this average was nearly tripled last year. In addition to the increase in the cost and frequency of disasters in 2017, the extreme weather claimed the lives of 362 people.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a group of scientists brought together by the United Nations to keep the world informed on the current state of climate change.

The IPCC reports, “A changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events.”

The <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events">U.S. Billion-dollar Weather/Climate Disaster report</a> is developed by NCEI for the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Natural disasters in 2017 were the costliest on record

A new review by the National Center for Environmental Information...

Experts at <a href="https://www.dukehealth.org/">Duke Health</a> have demonstrated that a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/left-handed-advantage-sports/">baseball</a> hitter’s level of skill may be measured by how well he performs in front of a computer screen. Individuals who excelled at tests involving a series of vision and motor tasks were found to be more skilled on the baseball field.

252 baseball players from both major and minor league baseball teams were instructed to complete animated tasks on large touch-screen machines called Nike Sensory Stations. The challenges involved tracking or touching flat shapes as they moved across the fields.

The researchers found that players with higher scores on these tests also had better “plate discipline,” which includes better on-base percentages, more walks, and fewer strikeouts.

“There has been a data revolution in the game of baseball over the past decade with the introduction of technologies that track the speed and movement of every pitch, the location of players in the field, and other tools that can quantify player performance like never before,” said lead author Kyle Burris.

“In this study, we wanted to quantify the links between an athlete's senses such as eyesight and motor control using task scores and game performance," he said. "We found positive relationships between several tasks and performance for hitters, but not for pitchers.”

The challenges were developed to test a player's ability to decipher information from a faint object and also to examine the individual's reaction time and hand-eye coordination.

High scores on a perception task were associated with a higher ability to get on base, while players who excelled in hand-eye coordination and reaction time were found to have a better chance of drawing walks. High scores in spatial recognition, including the ability to shift between near and far targets, were associated with fewer strikeouts.

“We can't say there's a causal relationship between higher scores on the tasks and performance in games, but there was an association in the real-world data we evaluated,” said Burris. “Regardless, this information could be useful in scouting, as well providing possible training targets to improve on-field performance.”

The research team recently launched the Duke Sports Vision Center, a workshop where the effectiveness of visual training technologies will be evaluated. The lab includes newer versions of the sensory stations used in this study as well as immersive virtual reality.

“In the past five years or so, we've moved to a digital realm where there are all kinds of new tools that provide new context for training, such as virtual reality, perceptual learning video games and brain training," said senior author Greg Appelbaum. “The Sensory Station is one such device that can be used to link visual skills to on-field performance and provide information to individuals about how their skills compare to peers who might play the same sport and position at the same level.”

The study is published today in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New testing technology can predict the best baseball players

Experts at Duke Health have demonstrated that a baseball hitter’s...

Cardiologists at <a href="http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/">UT Southwestern</a> and <a href="https://www.texashealth.org/pages/home.aspx">Texas Health Resources</a> are reporting that the right amount of exercise can reverse heart damage in older patients. If the regimen is started in time, the therapeutic effects of exercise can help to prevent the risk of heart failure.

The research team set out to determine if <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-brain-major-boost/">exercise</a> can restore the heart's elasticity in sedentary individuals. Earlier research by senior author Dr. Benjamin Levine and his team showed significant improvements in cardiac plasticity in young individuals, but showed very little change if the exercise training was started after age 65.

The doctors explain that in order to reap the most benefit, the exercise should be started before age 65 when the heart is still somewhat elastic and has the ability to be reshaped. 

“Based on a series of studies performed by our team over the past 5 years, this 'dose' of exercise has become my prescription for life,” said Dr. Levine. “I think people should be able to do this as part of their personal hygiene - just like brushing your teeth and taking a shower.”

Dr. Levine recommends exercising at least four to five times a week, as his team established that two to three times a week is not enough. The exercise routine should consist of 30-minute sessions plus warm-up and cool-down periods.

The experts previously conducted a two-year study which was focused on 50 participants. The individuals were divided into two groups, including one group that received supervised exercise training and another group who received yoga and balance training.

After two years, those who had received exercise training showed an 18 percent improvement in their maximum oxygen intake during exercise and a more than 25 percent improvement in the elasticity of the left ventricular muscle of the heart. Dr. Levine compared this transformation to a new, stretchy rubber band as opposed to an old, stiff rubber band.

Sedentary aging can result in the stiffening of heart's left ventricular muscle, which pumps oxygen-rich blood back out into the body.

"When the muscle stiffens, you get high pressure and the heart chamber doesn't fill as well with blood,” said Dr. Levine. “In its most severe form, blood can back up into the lungs. That's when heart failure develops.”

The study is published in the American Heart Association journal <a href="http://circ.ahajournals.org/">Circulation</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Consistent exercise can reverse heart damage or older adults

Cardiologists at UT Southwestern and Texas Health Resources are reporting...

In high school, it may seem like everyone wants to date the prettiest girl or the most muscular guy. But a small percentage of young people aren’t interested in looks at all – they find intelligence sexy instead.

A group of psychologists from the <a href="https://www.uwa.edu.au/">University of Western Australia</a> decided to investigate the concept of sapiosexuality – attraction to intelligence – to see if it held any merit.

“The emergence of the popular culture notion of a sapiosexual, an individual who finds high levels of intelligence (IQ) the most sexually attractive characteristic in a person, suggests that a high IQ may be a genuinely sexually attractive trait, at least for some people,” the researchers wrote.

Using a questionnaire, they found that a small minority of people do find intelligence sexy. The questionnaire showed that for a little less than 10 percent of study participants, intelligence does play a major role in whether they are sexually attracted to someone or not. 

More than 350 people between the ages of 18 and 35 took the questionnaire about romantic and sexual attraction. The researchers believe the results indicate that sapiosexuality may be a valid form of sexual attraction.

Even among those who scored high on the Sapiosexual Questionnaire, though, objective intelligence isn’t everything. In the end, the researchers found that even among those who find intelligence more important than appearance or personality, they’re attractive to a person’s other features, too.

Take the fact that, on average, those who were attracted to intelligence found partners with an IQ of about 120 to be more sexually attractive than those with a higher IQ.

The survey showed that, along with intelligence, participants valued kindness, understanding, and whether a potential partner was “exciting.”

“The results were interpreted to suggest that, for most people, a very high IQ in a partner (IQ 135 +) is not the most attractive level of intelligence, which may be considered supportive of a version of the threshold hypothesis of intelligence,” they wrote. “Finally, although sapiosexuality may be a genuine psychological construct, it appears to be influenced by non-intellective factors.”

The study has been published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160289617301551">Intelligence</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Study: some people really do find intelligence sexy

In high school, it may seem like everyone wants to...

Want to ensure your bundle of joy is a bundle of smarts, too? Eggs may be the key to ensuring a high IQ in infants – but pregnant women would need to eat up to nine per day for the best results.

Fortunately, there are alternatives.

The new study led by scientists at <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> found that the nutrient choline can boost infant cognition. Doctors advise getting at least 480 mg of choline daily, but the study found that nearly double that amount can aid in fetal brain development and lead to a high IQ.

“In animal models using rodents, there’s widespread agreement that supplementing the maternal diet with additional amounts of this single nutrient has lifelong benefits on offspring cognitive function,” first author Dr. Marie Caudill said in a press release. “Our study provides some evidence that a similar result is found in humans.”

Choline can be found in red meat, poultry, fish, nuts and legumes, but eggs contain a large amount of the nutrient. On average, egg yolks have about 115 mg of choline each.

Most women don’t eat even the recommended amount of choline each day, the researchers found.

“Part of that is due to current dietary trends and practices,” senior author Richard Canfield said. “There are a lot of choline-rich foods that have a bad reputation these days.”

The cholesterol content of eggs might keep some women from eating them; others may worried about harming their babies by eating undercooked eggs. Red meat is high in saturated fat, the researchers pointed out, and liver – another food high in choline – isn’t a popular food.

But in their study of 26 women, with half getting the recommended amount of choline and the other half getting twice that amount, they discovered a link between adequate choline during pregnancy and high IQ. At 4, 7, 10, and 13 months of age, the researchers tested the babies for visuospatial memory, which correlates with high IQ in infants.

The researchers ensured that the women all got the recommended amounts of other vitamins and nutrients so that the effects of choline could be studied.

“A prudent approach would be to increase dietary choline intake by consuming more animal source foods during pregnancy – egg yolks, lean red meats, fish and poultry,” Caudill said. “For women who restrict animal-sourced foods, consuming a choline supplement that provides choline at a level comparable to 450 mg/day may be needed.”

The study was published in the <a href="http://www.fasebj.org/content/early/2017/12/07/fj.201700692RR.full.pdf">Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology</a>. Funding was provided by the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>, the <a href="http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/">Egg Nutrition Center</a>, the <a href="http://www.beefboard.org/">Beef Checkoff</a>, the <a href="https://www.bctr.cornell.edu/">Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center</a>,  the <a href="http://socialsciences.cornell.edu/">Institute for the Social Sciences</a>, and the <a href="https://nifa.usda.gov/">National Institute of Food and Agriculture</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Eggs may be secret to high IQ in babies

Want to ensure your bundle of joy is a bundle...

“Many people wear their partner’s shirt or sleep on their partner's side of the bed when their partner is away, but may not realize why they engage in these behaviors,” says Marlise Hofer, a graduate student in the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a>’s department of psychology and the lead author of a new study published in the <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/psp/">Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.</a> Her findings suggest that simply the smelling the scent of your partner – even when they’re not present – can help reduce stress levels.

The study found that women feel calmer when exposed to their male partner’s scent, but when they are exposed to a stranger’s scent, their <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/elevated-stress-levels-fear/">stress</a> level increases. 

In their study, the researchers recruited 96 opposite-sex couples and gave the men a clean T-shirt to wear for 24 hours. The male subjects had to refrain from using deodorant and scented body products, smoking, and eating certain foods that could affect their scent. After 24 hours, the shirts were frozen to preserve the scent. The women were then randomly assigned to smell a shirt that was either unworn, worn by a stranger, or worn by their partner – without being told which one they were given. 

The women then underwent a stress test that included a mock job interview and a mental math task, as well as answer questions about their stress levels and have saliva samples taken to measure their cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone that the researchers used to determine stress hormones in the female subjects.

The results showed that women who smelled their partner’s shirt felt less stressed both before and after the stress test. Furthermore, those who smelled their partner’s shirt and correctly identified the scent also had lower levels of cortisol, which suggests that the stress-reducing benefits of a partner’s scent are strongest when women know what they’re smelling. Not surprisingly, women who had smelled a stranger’s scent had significantly higher cortisol levels during the stress test.

From these results, the study’s authors believe that evolutionary factors may influence the mechanisms behind why a stranger’s scent raised cortisol levels. “From a young age, humans fear strangers, especially strange males, so it is possible that a strange male scent triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response that leads to elevated cortisol,” says Hofer. “This could happen without us being fully aware of it.”

The authors believe that these findings could have practical applications to help individuals cope with stressful situations when they are away from their loved ones. Long distance relationships and travel for work can separate couples for extended periods of time. Doing something as simple as wearing an article of clothing worn by your partner may help you deal with stress more effectively while they’re away.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Smelling your partner’s scent may help reduce stress

“Many people wear their partner’s shirt or sleep on their...

A new study suggests that humans are able to visually detect illness in other people within seconds. Experts believe that this could eventually be applied to artificial intelligence systems to warn us when we are sick.

Researchers found that small changes in facial expression can be identified as illness by the human eye in people with no medical training. A person who appears to be swollen in the face or tired, for example, is easily perceived as being sick.

According to the study, the most obvious subtle clues which tell us that another person is ill are droopy eyes or a pale face.

To examine the human ability to visually detect <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/socioeconomic-alcohol-related-death/">illness</a>, researchers injected volunteers with two solutions: one which was made up of sugar water and another which contained a chemical compound extracted from E Coli bacteria.

Images were captured of both groups two hours after the injections, and then shown to participants for a few seconds at a time. The study revealed that individuals could pinpoint the individuals who were sick 81 percent of the time.

“These results demonstrate that untrained people can, above chance level, identify acutely sick individuals from merely observing a photo for a few seconds,” wrote the study authors.

John Axelsson of the <a href="http://www.stressforskning.su.se/english/">Stress Research Institute</a> at Stockholm University is the lead author of the study.

“The photos here were taken in an experimental setting with neutral facial expressions only two hours after onset of a systemic inflammation,” said Axelsson. “This supports the notion that humans have the ability to detect signs of illness in an early phase after exposure to infectious stimuli.”

Axelsson pointed out that personalized applications may one day be able to alert us when we are sick. The study is published in the journal <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/">Proceedings B</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The human eye can detect illness in a matter of seconds

A new study suggests that humans are able to visually...

With 2018 now in full swing, many are starting to see their New Year's resolutions quickly fade away. 

The intention is admirable and some statistics say that nearly <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/#3f6acbff596b">40% of all</a> Americans make a New Year's resolution, most commonly losing weight or going to the gym. However, following through on those resolutions, plans, and goals is another thing entirely. 

Nearly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-years-resolutions-courses-2016-12">80 percent</a> of New Year's resolutions fail within the first few months of the year, and very few people actually achieve their beginning of the year goals. 

The reason for this failure? Many factors can contribute to a lack of follow through and success, but making large sweeping life changes rather than taking it one step at a time plays a major role.

For example, planning to vaguely "lose weight" isn’t doing you any favors. But choosing to make small, purposeful changes in diet and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-brain-major-boost/">exercise</a> will be much easier to attain and keep up. 

A new study has also found that taking purposeful steps and following through could reduce cancer risk by almost one-third. 

The study, conducted by researchers from the United Kingdom and led by Peter Elwood, a professor at<a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/"> Cardiff University</a>, found that making healthy choices and sticking to them reduces chances of cancer and death due to cancer. 

The study was published in the journal ecancermedicalscience. 

The researchers analyzed data from the United Kingdom Biobank, which is a prospective study of half a million subjects. 

The research team identified healthy behaviors like not smoking, engaging in regular physical activity, eating healthy and limiting alcohol and compared the behaviors to risk of cancer in the Biobank subjects. 

The results showed that making healthy choices and behaviors was linked to a one-third reduction in cancer risk.

Of course the logic makes sense in theory, but this study shows by numbers how much just one healthy choice contributes to reduced cancer risk. 

“Perhaps the advice to take up one additional healthy behavior is the most acceptable message for most subjects,” said Elwood. “In our study, each additional healthy behavior was associated with a reduction of about 8% in cancer, independent of the effects of the other behaviors.” 

When faced with a list of New Year's resolutions, reducing the risk of cancer is certainly a strong motivator, and making small, purposeful changes to health and lifestyle could be the key to success.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Small healthy choices can reduce your cancer risk by one third

With 2018 now in full swing, many are starting to...

President Donald Trump has pledged to revive the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/major-coal-company-climate/">coal industry</a> through fewer regulations on coal mining and fossil fuel emissions in order to create more jobs. But aside from its serious environmental impact, coal isn't a sustainable industry. Even with lifted bans and coal subsidies, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/29/trump-promised-to-bring-back-coal-jobs-that-promise-will-not-be-kept-experts-say/?utm_term=.e4589a1b11cf">power plants are turning to natural gas</a>. 

By the numbers, coal is experiencing steep declines in employment while renewable energy is quickly moving to the head of the line in job growth. 

According to a new <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-24/health-care-stem-jobs-among-fastest-growing-u-s-occupations">Bloomberg</a> analysis of the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/">US Bureau of Labor of Statistics</a>’ biennial employment projections, solar panel installers and wind turbine technicians are slated be the fastest growing jobs in the country for the coming years. 

Solar photovoltaic installer jobs could see a growth rate of 105.3 percent and wind turbine technicians will see similar expansion with an increase of 96.1 percent. 

To put those numbers in perspective, <a href="https://qz.com/1111998/renewable-energy-is-creating-us-jobs-twice-as-fast-as-any-other-industry/">Quartz</a> reported that “solar &amp; wind jobs will grow twice as fast as any other US occupation.” This is due in large part to an increase in solar power capacity in the United States, having grown an average of 72% each year.

As much as utility companies would like to keep a monopoly on power, renewable energies are quickly becoming an economic force to reckon with. 

The Bloomberg report shows not only that the current administration's efforts to bring the coal industry back to its glory days is a largely futile endeavor, but also that solar and wind power will be strong investments in the coming years. 

Not only does renewable energy help the environment, but it may also be a dependable path for young people going into the workforce.

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Renewable energy creating jobs faster than most other industries

President Donald Trump has pledged to revive the coal industry...

A report recently published by the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a> reveals that today's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/college-binge-drinking-brain-activity/">college students</a> are much more driven toward perfection than students of previous generations, and this may be having a negative impact on the mental health of young adults.

According to lead author Thomas Curran, this study is the first of its kind to examine how perfectionism has changed across generations. Curran and co-author Andrew Hill describe perfectionism as “an irrational desire to achieve along with being overly critical of oneself and others.”

The team analyzed data from over 40,000 American, Canadian, and British college students. They used samples from the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale from the late 1980s to 2016 to make comparisons across generations.

Three types of perfectionism were measured. Self-oriented perfectionism is an irrational desire to be perfect. Socially prescribed perfectionism is perceiving unrealistic expectations from peers, and other-oriented perfectionism is placing excessive standards on others.

The study revealed that recent generations of college students had substantially higher scores for all three types of perfectionism than earlier generations. Between 1989 and 2016, these scores increased by up to 33 percent.

Curran explained that this drive toward perfection is partly generated by a rise in meritocracy among millennials, as universities encourage competition among students to move up the social and economic ladder.

“Meritocracy places a strong need for young people to strive, perform and achieve in modern life,” said Curran. “Young people are responding by reporting increasingly unrealistic educational and professional expectations for themselves. As a result, perfectionism is rising among millennials.”

The researchers pointed out that there are higher levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among current students compared to a decade ago. Hill explained that the irrational desire to be perfect may be affecting the psychological health of students.

The research suggests that less competition among young people would help to preserve their mental health. The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/bul/">Psychological Bulletin</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Young people today are more intent on being perfect, study finds

A report recently published by the American Psychological Association reveals...

<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



---



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;



---



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



---



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="6HyfrAJTBI-1831843-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"]</div>



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)



---



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qARzJPSabQ-2270617-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="vpljfR2VBX-2560867-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"]</div>



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;



---



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...

<div class="wp-block-sendtonews-playerselector">[sendtonews key="761m2QQvR1-2035772-12187" type="single"]</div>



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



---



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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