Food allergies have become increasingly common, affecting roughly one in 13 children, as reported by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). With such a rise, scientists continue to explore how maternal diets might influence allergy risk in infants. 



Recent research in Finland sheds light on a surprising connection between avocado consumption during pregnancy and reduced food allergy risk in infants.



A study involving 2,272 mother-child pairs, conducted over nearly a decade, uncovered a striking finding. Infants whose mothers consumed avocados during pregnancy had a 43.6% lower chance of developing food allergies by 12 months. 



The study accounted for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-omega-3-deficiency-is-rising-worldwide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">variables</a> such as maternal age, smoking status, and education - yet the link remained consistent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-avocados-lower-allergy-risk">Avocados lower allergy risk</h2>



For years, researchers have explored how specific dietary patterns during pregnancy might influence infant allergy risk. However, individual foods like avocados have not received the same level of scrutiny. 



The Finnish study aimed to fill that gap. The team utilized an online food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess maternal avocado intake during the first and third trimesters. 



Participants who reported any avocado <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/food-production-more-difficult-climate-change-plant-pollinators/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consumption</a> were classified as consumers, while those who did not became non-consumers.



The analysis revealed a significant contrast. Among non-consumers, 4.2% of infants developed food allergies. In comparison, only 2.4% of infants whose mothers consumed avocados experienced the same outcome.



The reduction in allergy risk remained significant even after adjusting for various maternal health factors .



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-avocado-research-offers-hope">Avocado research offers hope</h2>



“As a caregiver, the growing prevalence of food allergy feels very scary and out of my control,” said Sari Hantunen, senior lecturer at the <a href="https://www.uef.fi/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Eastern Finland</a>.



“There is no cure for food allergy, but promising prevention and therapeutic strategies are in development as well as emerging research such as this."



”Based on these findings, it’s encouraging to know that eating avocados may provide even more value to maternal and children’s health, beyond the benefits that have already been established through scientific research.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracking-avocado-and-allergy">Tracking avocado and allergy</h2>



The Kuopio Birth Cohort (KuBiCo) provided a rich dataset for analysis. Researchers recruited pregnant women during routine first-trimester appointments at <a href="https://pshyvinvointialue.fi/web/en/kuopio-university-hospital" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kuopio University Hospital</a>. Data collection continued until November 2022, capturing dietary intake throughout the first and third trimesters.



Mothers completed FFQs that detailed food consumption over the past three months. The FFQ specifically assessed avocado intake, classifying participants as consumers or non-consumers.



After birth, researchers tracked infants to assess allergic outcomes, including <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-therapy-may-help-reduce-peanut-allergies-in-children/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food</a> allergies, eczema, rhinitis, and wheezing. Even after adjusting for variables like maternal age, smoking, and breastfeeding duration, the data maintained its significance. 



Infants of non-consumers showed a 4.2% allergy rate, while those of avocado consumers showed a 2.4% rate .



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-choose-avocados">Who choose avocados?</h2>



Avocado consumers shared common traits that distinguished them from non-consumers. They tended to be older and more educated. They also reported longer breastfeeding durations and higher diet quality scores.



These women generally had lower BMI levels in the first trimester and were less likely to undergo caesarean deliveries. Researchers noted that these trends might reflect broader health-conscious behaviors rather than avocado <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-is-transforming-pollen-science-and-health-planning/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consumption</a> alone .



Avocados pack essential nutrients that may benefit both maternal and infant health. Each serving provides 9.25 grams of dietary fiber, supporting gut health and potentially influencing immune responses.



Additionally, avocados contain 2.6 mg of vitamin E, an antioxidant linked to immune function, and 0.93 mg of zinc, which plays a role in immune development. Lutein, a carotenoid crucial for eye health, also features prominently in avocados.



The nutrient profile aligns well with dietary patterns like the Mediterranean diet, previously associated with lower allergy risks in offspring. While the study focused solely on avocados, researchers suggest that other nutrient-dense foods may offer similar protective effects .



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-consuming-avocados-for-allergy-prevention">Consuming avocados for allergy prevention</h2>



The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that pregnant women consume 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups of vegetables daily. Avocados, with their nutrient density, count as a full cup per serving.



For toddlers aged 12-23 months, the guidelines suggest 2/3 to 1 cup of vegetables each day. With its rich nutrient profile, a single avocado serves as a practical choice to meet these recommendations without the need for supplements.



Despite the promising findings, the study did not identify any significant links between avocado consumption and other allergic conditions like rhinitis, eczema, or wheezing. 



The focus on food allergies yielded notable results, but the other conditions showed no significant differences between consumers and non-consumers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-expanding-the-research">Expanding the research</h2>



The researchers caution against overgeneralizing the findings. While avocados may contribute to reduced food allergy risk, the mechanisms remain unclear. 



Further studies could clarify whether specific nutrients within avocados influence immune development and whether similar effects extend to other foods .



The study opens doors for future research that could extend beyond infancy. Tracking infants beyond the first year of life may provide insights into how early dietary exposures shape allergy risk throughout childhood.



Additionally, examining other nutrient-dense foods with similar profiles, such as nuts, seeds, or leafy greens, could help determine whether the observed effects result from specific nutrients or broader dietary patterns. 



Understanding these connections could refine dietary recommendations for pregnant women, offering clearer guidance on foods that may reduce allergy risk in infants.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-nutritional-choice-with-potential">A nutritional choice with potential</h2>



As food allergies continue to rise, identifying preventive strategies during pregnancy remains a critical focus. This Finnish study suggests that avocados, with their nutrient-rich profile, may play a role in reducing food allergy risk in infants.



While the study does not establish causality, it highlights the potential impact of nutrient-dense foods during pregnancy - a time when maternal diet can leave lasting imprints on infant health. 



Further research will clarify whether these findings hold across diverse populations and whether other foods offer similar benefits.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-025-03968-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pediatric Research</a>.



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Eating avocados during pregnancy reduces baby's allergy risk

Food allergies have become increasingly common, affecting roughly one in 13 children, as reported by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE). With such a rise, scientists continue to explore how maternal diets might influence allergy risk in infants. Recent research in Finland sheds light on a surprising connection between avocado consumption during pregnancy and reduced food allergy risk in infants. A study involving 2,272 mother-child pairs, conducted over nearly a decade, uncovered a striking finding. Infants whose mothers consumed avocados during pregnancy had a 43.6% lower chance...

A new study found the number of children and adolescents hospitalized for suicidal thoughts and attempts has more than doubled since 2008. 

According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control (CDC)</a>, suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States. Even though mental health issues among children are becoming more widely discussed, access to mental health care services is often scarce. 

The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/access.html">CDC</a> also <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/access.html">reported </a>that currently only 20 percent of children with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders receive specialized health care. 


Researchers from <a href="https://ww2.mc.vanderbilt.edu/">Vanderbilt University Medical Center</a> found an alarming rise in hospital visits relating to suicidal thoughts and attempts among children. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, identifies which months corresponded with the highest number of hospitalizations. 

The researchers examined trends in emergency room and inpatient encounters for suicide attempts and thoughts in children ages 5 to 17 from 2008 through 2015.

Data from the <a href="https://www.childrenshospitals.org/Programs-and-Services/Data-Analytics-and-Research/Pediatric-Analytic-Solutions/Pediatric-Health-Information-System">Pediatric Health Information System</a> allowed the researchers to use billing codes to determine the differences between emergency department encounters, observation stays, and inpatient hospitalizations related to suicide. 

The researchers also analyzed the data on a month-by-month basis in order to establish seasonal trends in hospital visits. 

115,856 encounters for either suicidal thoughts or attempts in emergency departments at 31 children’s hospitals were identified.

The majority of the encounters were girls, and a little over half of the encounters occurred among <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/teens-ridden-impaired-driver/">teenagers</a> ages 15 to 17. The age group with the second highest number of incidents were children ages 12 to 14. Twelve percent of the encounters occurred among children ages 5 to 11. 

The researchers found that more encounters occurred during fall and spring and dropped in the summer. The number of  incidents in October was double that as reported in July and the researchers say this could be because of the challenges and stresses of school. 

“To our knowledge, this is one of only a few studies to report higher rates of hospitalization for suicide during the academic school year,” said Greg Plemmons, the study’s lead author. 

The increase in suicidal thoughts and attempts among children and adolescents seems to point to a lack of appropriate care for children who are currently dealing with mental health issues. 

“The growing impact of mental health issues in pediatrics on hospitals and clinics can longer be ignored, particularly in a time when mental health resources for children appear to be static, and woefully scarce across the U.S,” said Plemmons. 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Youth suicide attempts have doubled since 2008

A new study found the number of children and adolescents...

It’s common knowledge that diets high in fat and sugar lead to obesity, but according to a new study, they also cause changes in the brain that inhibit the feeling of being full.

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.ucalgary.ca/">University of Calgary</a> found that rats with unrestricted access to unhealthy foods not only caused an increase in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/healthy-obesity-misleading/">obesity</a> in the rats, but also caused brain changes that made the food more attractive to them. 

The unhealthy foods led to modifications in the endocannabinoid signaling in a brain region called the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). 

According to the <a href="http://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a> (WHO), obesity has tripled since 1975. In 2016, nearly 13 percent of adults worldwide were obese. 

More and more studies have found that obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and disorders like osteoarthritis. Studies like this most recent one from the University of Calgary adds to the body of work being done to better understand the mechanisms that drive obesity. 

For the study, the researchers gave a group of rats the cafeteria diet, which allows rats unrestricted access to high-fat, high-sugar foods like chocolate in addition to their regular meals of “rat chow,” or the balanced diet rats typically get. 

After 40 days of the cafeteria diet, the rats became obese while another group of rats with limited access to the sugary treats did not. 

Previously, it was found that obesity resulted in changes in the signaling in a brain region called the Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) and the researchers wanted to examine these changes more in depth. 

The OFC is the part of the brain that helps with decisions making and receives food information from the senses. After food information from the senses is sent to the OFC, value is assigned to the different foods. 

For non-obese animals, satiety leads to food being devalued in the OFC and motivation to eat is decreased. In obese animals, the researchers discovered that endocannabinoid signaling in the OFC reduces the “stop” signals in the brain. 

“Obesity is typically associated with an elevated level of endocannabinoids in both humans and rodents, so these results are not surprising,” said Stephanie Borgland, the leader of the research. “However, endocannabinoid signaling is much more complex than previously thought. Our research shows that endocannabinoid signaling selectively affect inhibitory signals onto the pyramidal neurons of the OFC. This effect is mediated through changes in specific receptors on the neurons, but may also involve other types of cells in the brain, called astrocytes.”

With obesity increasing more than waistlines, understanding what modifications in the brain can drive weight gain is critical for reducing the health risks associated with obesity. 

“Future studies will need to further investigate the mechanisms through which endocannabinoids affect the motivation to eat beyond satiety,” said Borglan. “This will be critical in identifying novel therapeutic strategies for treating obesity with fewer side effects.” 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sugary, high-fat diets alter the brain and increase urge to eat

It’s common knowledge that diets high in fat and sugar...

A study from the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society For Neuroscience</a> has found new evidence to explain why some individuals are more resistant to authority than others. The researchers have identified specific behavioral traits and functional connectivity in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-feel-gratitude/">brain</a> that are associated with control aversion, which is the urge to rebel against constraints on personal decisions.

Individuals with higher levels of control aversion are at risk of making poor decisions when their choices are limited. For example, a person with a tendency toward control-averse behavior may be less compliant with a doctor's orders or less likely to accept critical medical treatments.

The experts found that an inclination to control-averse behavior was reflected in connectivity between two specific regions of the brain. Control aversion was also linked to distrust and a lack of understanding, according to the research.

Study co-authors Sarah Rudorf and Daria Knoch set out to better understand individual differences in control aversion by  using neuroimaging during a socially interactive game. 

A total of 51 college students engaged in a game that was designed to periodically limit their choices as they divided money between themselves and another player. At some points during the game, partners could choose to restrict the participants’ options of how to divide their assets by asking for a minimum amount of money.

After the games, the participants completed a questionnaire that measured any negative feelings that may be associated with rebellious behavior. The researchers found that feeling mistrusted or confusion about a partner's actions were strong predictors of control aversion.

The brain scans revealed distinctive activity which represented when participants were playing the game with free choice or when they were playing under the controlled conditions. 

The experts noted that the students were much more likely to exhibit defiant behavior when there was stronger connectivity between the parietal lobule and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

While the exact role that these two brain regions play in control aversion is not yet fully understood, further investigation may provide experts with a better understanding of the influence of choice restrictions on personal decisions.

The research is published in the <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">Journal of Neuroscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why some people are more prone to resist authority

A study from the Society For Neuroscience has found new...

An interdisciplinary team of experts led by the <a href="https://www.dri.edu/">Desert Research Institute</a> has used ice core records from the Greenland ice sheet to learn more about ancient European civilizations. 

During the height of the ancient Greek and Roman empires thousands of years ago, lead emissions drifted from Europe and settled into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/melting-greenland-ice-sheet/">Greenland's ice</a> almost 3,000 miles away.


The scientists used ice samples from the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) to measure, date, and analyze European lead emissions that were captured in the ice between 1100 BC and 800 AD.

“Our record of sub-annually resolved, accurately dated measurements in the ice core starts in 1100 BC during the late Iron Age and extends through antiquity and late antiquity to the early Middle Ages in Europe - a period that included the rise and fall of the Greek and Roman civilizations,” said study lead author Dr. Joe McConnell. 

“We found that lead pollution in Greenland very closely tracked known plagues, wars, social unrest and imperial expansions during European antiquity.”

The researchers obtained more than 21,000 precise lead and chemical measurements to develop a continuous record for the 1,900-year time period.

“We believe this is the first time such detailed modeling has been used to interpret an ice-core record of human-made pollution and identify the most likely source region of the pollution,” said study co-author Dr. Andreas Stohl.

The team used advanced atmospheric transport model simulations to determine the magnitude of European emissions from the lead pollution levels measured in the ice. Most of the lead emissions observed in the study are likely linked to the production of silver, which was a key element of currency.

“Because most of the emissions during these periods resulted from mining and smelting of lead-silver ores, lead emissions can be seen as a proxy or indicator of overall economic activity,” explained Dr. McConnell.

The research team explored the ice record for connections between lead emissions and significant historical events.

The highest sustained levels of lead pollution emissions were found to coincide with the height of the Roman Empire, known as the Pax Romana, during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Lead emissions were found to be very low during the last 80 years of the Roman Republic, a period known as the Crisis of the Roman Republic.

“The nearly four-fold higher lead emissions during the first two centuries of the Roman Empire compared to the last decades of the Roman Republic indicate substantial economic growth under Imperial rule,” said co-author Professor Andrew Wilson.


The ice record demonstrated that lead emissions fluctuated along with wars and political instability, particularly during the Roman Republic. The emissions took notable dives when two major plagues struck the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

“The great Antonine Plague struck the Roman Empire in AD 165 and lasted at least 15 years. The high lead emissions of the Pax Romana ended exactly at that time and didn't recover until the early Middle Ages more than 500 years later,” explained Professor Wilson.

The research team was comprised of ice-core specialists, atmospheric scientists, archaeologists, and economic historians.

“Working with such a diverse team was a unique experience in my career as a scientist,” said Professor McConnell. “I think that our results show that there can be great value in collaborating across disciplines.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rise and fall of ancient civilizations revealed in Greenland ice

An interdisciplinary team of experts led by the Desert Research...

It’s easy to assume that all humans see basically the same reality, with some gleaning more insight from particular details of that reality than others.  I think well-meaning people of thoughtful demeanors tend to emphasize this idea by focusing on the shared aspects of humanity rather than differences, whether cultural or individual.  The idea that we perceive basically the same reality is however, false. It seems likely that most physiologically and psychologically ‘normal’ people of similar cultural backgrounds perceive a similar reality.  It’s also obvious that people with remarkably similar backgrounds can have distinctly different opinions from each other. It’s only through the normalizing lens of statistics and averages that people of similar backgrounds become things like voting blocs or markets.

That said, culture does play an important role in shaping our world views.  <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/best-ages-learn-language/">Language</a> is perhaps one of the most underestimated and important part of our world views as humans.  Language is everywhere, and even when you’re alone you can be interpreting the language of another person for yourself, as you are doing now.  

The world currently has an estimated 7,097 living languages, according to <a href="https://www.ethnologue.com/">ethnologue.com</a>, about one third of which are endangered of dying off.  Only twenty three languages are spoken by half the world’s population.  Some people think that loss of language is a good thing, that it means a step closer to a world in which everyone speaks the same language, a step closer to global peace.  This view seems to assume that we lose nothing of great value with the extinction of a language. Numerous anthropologists and sociologists have pointed to interesting differences in perception and the connection to language.

One intriguing example is the color blue.  I think it’s fair to say that the color blue is taken for granted by most westerners.  However, some cultures don’t actually have a separate word for blue. There is even good evidence that blue was the last color recognized by the ancient Greeks by centuries.  In his amazing book, One River, Wade Davis explains the difference in perception between the Siona people of the Amazon and westerners:

“Schultes first learned the Indians did not distinguish green from blue. “For them”, Padre Marcelino had explained, “the sky is green and the forest is blue. The canopy shelters their lives, and the sky beyond, so rarely seen, is but another layer…” 

If we can literally see a vastly different sky than one another, in other ways how might our perception of the world differ?  Wade Davis has bits of an answer, also shining light on how different plant taxonomy is between Siona natives of the Amazon region again and professional botanists:

“The Indians could readily differentiate their varieties on sight, even from a considerable distance in the forest. What’s more, individuals from different tribes, separated by large expanses of forest, identified these same varieties with amazing consistency…fourteen categories in all, not one of which could be determined based on the rules of his own science… his task was not merely to identify new sources of wealth but rather to understand a new vision of life itself, a profoundly different way of living in a forest.”

It’s not just the Amazon either, in his book Arctic Dreams, Barry Lopez, quoting an anthropologist named Brody, describes how language plays a role in the perceived reality of Eskimos:

 “Brody, discussing Eskimo concepts of intimacy with the land, says, flatly, “The key terms are not translatable.” ”

This means that there are Eskimo ideas that can’t be comprehended in English, ideas actually embedded in the construct of language.  It’s the same as saying you can’t understand Quantum Mechanics or Newtonian Physics without understanding the language of mathematics.  We can’t translate ideas of physics into plain English no matter how hard we try, without losing essential elements. In the preceding paragraph, Lopez is more explicit about the implications of differing world views, rising in part from differing language: 

“Misunderstandings that arise when a view of reality similar to our own is assumed to exist; and the ways in which Eskimo’s view of the land presents us with growing ethical, political, and economic problems, because we would prefer that ours was the mind of record in that landscape.”

The point of this is that language can be used as part of a conversation between people and the land.  Language can also be used as a tool for destruction, domination or insurrection. Take a moment to think how language has been carefully and brutally controlled by conquerors.  In America, thousands of Native American children were punished for using their native tongue in school. Throughout the Americas, slaves were forbidden to use their own tongue.  

In Jamaica, the dialect, Patios was developed as a way for slaves to communicate without fear of being overheard by white slave owners while still speaking ‘English’.  In the Bahamas, the similar dialect, Bahamian Creole developed. The Navajo language was a secret, unbreakable code used by allied forces fighting Nazis. Jared Diamond in, The World Until Yesterday, makes the impassioned argument that English also helped the British to persist in their staunch resistance to Nazi Germany, when Winston Churchill addressed the House of Commons:

“Winston Churchill responded in the House of Commons on May 13 and June 4, 1940, with the two most quoted and most effective 20th-century speeches in the English language… We know now that Britain never did surrender, did not seek a settlement with Hitler, continued to fight, after a year gained Russia and then the United States as allies, and after five years defeated Hitler. But that outcome was not predestined… My point is not that Churchill’s words were untranslatable…My point is instead that the English language is a proxy for everything that made the British keep fighting against seemingly hopeless odds. Speaking English means being heir to a thousand years of independent culture, history, increasing democracy, and island identity.”

Losing a language is losing a way of viewing the world; it’s a loss of identity.  Languages can bind us to the land, sometimes to a mythic landscape that embodies a people’s view of the land and their relationship with it.  Languages are often destroyed as a way of destroying the people who spoke it. If you can force another culture to speak your language, you are forcing them to abandon their identity for yours and their view of the earth for your own.   

A loss of a native language is like the loss of a native species.  Languages evolve in specific environments. Some languages have more need for nouns, others verbs, some have many words for snow or ice, others for snakes or trees.  No one person can perceive the whole of knowable reality, how can we expect one culture or one language to hold the tools to describe that reality? The languages we’re losing fastest are like the species we’re losing, they’re languages spoken by few with small geographical ranges.  The languages we’re losing are also native to some of the places westerners know the least about and many of them are connected to a richness in specific geography that the rise of globalism has failed to capture. If you want to know someone else or somewhere else, don’t step into another’s shoes speak in another’s tongue.           

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Contributing Writer

Language has a big impact on our perception of land and the Earth

It’s easy to assume that all humans see basically the...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/india-cannon-air-pollution/">India</a> is the second most populated country in the world, with over 1.2 billion people residing within its borders. However, according to a 2011 census, there are only 94 females for every 100 males – and women in India still face major problems with sexual assault and gender inequality. Now, a new study has found that there is an average of 239,000 excess deaths per year of girls under the age of five in India. This excess female child mortality was found in 90% of districts in the nation.

Nandita Saikia, a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="http://www.iiasa.ac.at/">International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis</a>, believes that his research shows that excess female deaths in India are a significant burden. This is the first study to assess the number of excess deaths amongst girls under five in India at the district level, helping expose geographic patterns of excess female mortality throughout India’s 640 districts. 

While the level of excess mortality varies across the country, 29 out of the 35 Indian states had overall excess mortality in girls under five, and all states and territories except for two had at least one district with excess mortality. Northern India is where this issue is most apparent, as four of the largest states in the region - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh – account for two-thirds of the total excess deaths of females under five. The worst affected regions are all rural, agricultural areas with high population densities, lower levels of education, low socioeconomic development, and high levels of fertility.

The researchers believe that many of the deaths for females under five are partially due to unwanted child bearing and subsequent neglect. “The sustained fertility decline currently observed in North India is likely to lead to a reduction in postnatal discrimination,” explains Saikia. “Unless son preference diminishes, lower fertility, however, might bring about a rise in gender-biased sex selection as was observed 20 years ago in Western India. This reinforces the need to address directly the issue of gender discrimination in addition to encouraging social and economic development for its benefits on Indian women.”

Differences in food and healthcare allocation are also responsible for this concerning statistic. In many impoverished areas, socioeconomic investment in the care and development of girls is limited.

“Gender-based discrimination towards girls doesn’t simply prevent them from being born, it may also precipitate the death of those who are born,” says Saikia. “Gender equity is not only about rights to education, employment or political representation. It is also about care, vaccination, and nutrition of girls, and ultimately survival.”

If there were not an excess of female deaths in India, the nation would have achieved its Millennium Development Goal target on child mortality – 42 deaths per 1,000 births – quite easily.

“Discrimination towards the girl child is not justified,” says Saikia. “There is a need to change mentality. Rather than discriminating against them it is necessary to raise their value through education and self-dependence.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Thousands of girls die from gender discrimination in India

India is the second most populated country in the world,...

A survey by the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a> (APA) has revealed that only 32 percent of Americans have seen new steps taken by their employers to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace, despite national attention on the issue prompted by the #MeToo movement. 

According to the respondents, a simple review of existing policies and resources has been the most common action taken to address <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sexual-harassment-lasting-damage/">sexual harassment</a>.

Only 10 percent of workers reported that their employer has added more training or resources related to sexual harassment in the months since it has been spotlighted in the media as a serious, ongoing problem.

Among those surveyed, just eight percent said stricter sexual harassment policies have been implemented at work, while only seven percent said that a company meeting has been organized to discuss the issue.

David W. Ballard is the director of APA's Center for Organizational Excellence. He said that the lack of meaningful change is not entirely surprising, but it is disappointing.

“The #MeToo movement has given business leaders an opportunity to finally take real action addressing a complex problem that has been pervasive for generations,” said Ballard. 

“Our survey - as well as anecdotal reports - shows that too few employers are making comprehensive efforts that can have significant impact. Avoiding the issue is bad for employee well-being and business, but so, too, is a narrow, compliance-based approach. We know from psychological science that relying solely on mandated training designed primarily to limit the organization's legal liability is unlikely to be effective.”


The majority of employees that work for organizations with women in senior leadership roles were found to be more likely to report sexual harassment at work or confront a co-worker engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior compared with employees who did not have women in leadership positions.

Among survey respondents, those with employers who had made efforts to tackle sexual harassment at work reported higher job satisfaction and more motivation to do their best work compared to respondents with employers who had not taken new steps to confront the issue of sexual harassment. 

In addition, twice as many employees felt that they were provided with the necessary resources to help meet their mental health needs and to manage their stress in organizations where leaders had resurrected the subject of sexual harassment.


“Sexual harassment at work occurs within a broader context,” said Ballard. “For training to produce long-term changes, the organization's workplace practices need to align with and support the individual attitudes and behaviors it's trying to promote. Leaders in a psychologically healthy workplace model civility, respect, fairness and trust. In an organizational culture where every employee feels safe, supported and included, people can be their best, and that's good for people and profits.”


As a result of high profile lawsuits and terminations in recent headlines, around half of American workers said they are now more likely to report inappropriate sexual behavior or confront a co-worker who is engaging in sexual harassment.


The research was collected as part of APA's 2018 Work and Well-Being Survey.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Most employers failing to address sexual harassment since #MeToo

A survey by the American Psychological Association (APA) has revealed...

A new investigation into the efficiency of roadkill removal by vultures indicates that the number of wild animals killed by motor vehicles is not very well-documented or understood.

Millions of animals are killed on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coastal-roads-flooding-frequently/">roads</a> in the United Kingdom every year, often as a result of fragmented habitats. The rapid removal of carcasses by vultures is a valuable service, but may cause experts to underestimate the overall impact that roads have on wildlife.

The team set out to estimate the extent of roadkill scavenging by analyzing many factors including which scavenger species are present in urban areas, how the location and time of day can influence scavenging, and the likelihood of roadkill being removed by scavengers.

In the city of Cardiff, the researchers deployed camera traps baited with chicken heads to simulate roadkill corpses in six residential sites and six parkland sites.

Out of 120 corpses, 90 were removed in under 12 hours. The time of day had a significant effect on the rate of roadkill removal, with activity peaking in the first few hours of daylight. For example, the majority of roadkill planted at 9:00 a.m. was removed in just two hours.


Overall, seven species of scavengers removed the roadkill. Members of the crow family called corvids were found to be the most common and were responsible for 42 percent of the cleanups. 

The scavengers also included a red fox, domestic dog, domestic cat, Eurasian magpie, and two species of gull. In addition, several wood mice and a brown rat were observed scavenging on the bait, but did not assist in removing it.

Birds were found to scavenge most frequently, with 51 occurrences of roadkill removal compared to 28 occurrences by mammals. 

The study also revealed that the type of habitat impacted the likelihood of certain animals scavenging. For example, gulls fed predominantly in residential areas, while corvids mostly fed in parkland areas.

The results of the study suggest that the actual number of road deaths is around six times more than what is reported or observed during surveys.

“Removal of animals by scavengers is believed to be the most important factor causing underestimations of roadkill numbers, particularly of small animals such as garden birds and rodents,” said study lead author Amy Williams Schwartz. 

“Our study demonstrates the frequency and speed at which scavengers can remove roadkill, and the extent to which we could underestimate the true number of casualties, but also suggests that many urban scavengers such as crows, gulls, and foxes could be providing an under-appreciated and largely unnoticed carcass removal service in our cities.”

The research is published by Oxford University Press in the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jue">Journal of Urban Ecology</a>.

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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

Amount of animals killed on roads is heavily underestimated

A new investigation into the efficiency of roadkill removal by...

A recent study could help create new addiction treatments and reduce the potential for relapse after shedding new light on the effects of heroin and cocaine.

It turns out that drug users experience differing levels of pleasure from cocaine and heroin depending on where the drug is taken. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/">University of Sussex</a> in Brighton and<a href="https://www.uniroma1.it/it/"> Sapienza University</a> in Rome. 

Published in the journal JNeurosci, the results show that the substance-specific rewarding effects of heroin and cocaine are dictated by location. 

For the study, the researchers first asked a group of female and male drug users who were receiving treatment at a medical center in Rome to remember a typical drug episode and also how pleasurable taking cocaine or heroin was in or outside the home.

Next, the researchers had another group imagine using the two drugs in different settings. The members of this group had their brain activity measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they pictured taking the drug. 

During the fMRI experiment, the researchers discovered that drug use activated the prefrontal cortex, the caudate and the cerebellum in the brain. These are the regions of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meditation-breathing-brain-health/">brain</a> that process reward. 

After analyzing the responses from both groups, the researchers found that at home the participants preferred to take heroin, while cocaine use correlated with more pleasure in the brain's reward center when taken outside the home.

The study provides a new context for examining addiction and relapse and shows how the pleasurable effects of drugs depend on where the drug is used. 

The results could help with drug treatments and make users more aware of what is driving cravings in certain environments.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Heroin and cocaine impact users differently depending on location

A recent study could help create new addiction treatments and...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.dur.ac.uk/">Durham University</a> has analyzed the possibility of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/healthy-habits-life-expectancy/">life</a> in a hypothetical Multiverse, or multiple universes including our own. The team found that if separate universes exist, life could be more common throughout them than previously thought.

With the help of the Hubble Space Telescope in the late 1990s, scientists discovered that the expansion of the universe had not been slowing down like they had assumed, but had actually been speeding up. The mysterious force behind this cosmic acceleration is referred to as dark energy.

The Multiverse theory explains that the “luckily small” amount of dark energy in our Universe has enabled it to host life, among many universes that could not. Larger amounts of dark energy would presumably cause such a rapid expansion that it would dilute matter before any stars, planets, or life could form.

“The Multiverse was previously thought to explain the observed value of dark energy as a lottery - we have a lucky ticket and live in the Universe that forms beautiful galaxies which permit life as we know it,” said study co-author Dr. Luke Barnes.

“Our work shows that our ticket seems a little too lucky, so to speak. It's more special than it needs to be for life. This is a problem for the Multiverse; a puzzle remains.”

In the current investigation, the team used vast computer simulations of the cosmos to calculate the potential impact of additional dark energy. They found that even hundreds of times more dark energy would have only a small influence on star and planet formation.

The researchers said that this finding makes it very possible for life to thrive across a wider range of universes, if they exist.

“For many physicists, the unexplained but seemingly special amount of dark energy in our Universe is a frustrating puzzle,” said study co-author Jaime Salcido.

“Our simulations show that even if there was much more dark energy or even very little in the Universe then it would only have a minimal effect on star and planet formation, raising the prospect that life could exist throughout the Multiverse.”

The researchers said that the results of the study were unexpected and that they cast doubt on the ability of the theory of a Multiverse to explain the observed value of dark energy. According to the researchers, there should be much more dark energy in our Universe if we are part of a Multiverse.

“We asked ourselves how much dark energy can there be before life is impossible? Our simulations showed that the accelerated expansion driven by dark energy has hardly any impact on the birth of stars, and hence places for life to arise,” explained co-author Dr. Pascal Elahi. “Even increasing dark energy many hundreds of times might not be enough to make a dead universe.”


While the research does not rule out the possibility of a Multiverse, the small amount of dark energy in our Universe could be better explained by an undiscovered law of nature.

“The formation of stars in a universe is a battle between the attraction of gravity, and the repulsion of dark energy,” said co-author Professor Richard Bower.

“We have found in our simulations that universes with much more dark energy than ours can happily form stars. So why such a paltry amount of dark energy in our Universe?”

“I think we should be looking for a new law of physics to explain this strange property of our Universe, and the Multiverse theory does little to rescue physicists’ discomfort.”

The research is published in two papers in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mnras">Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</a>.

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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

New research reveals life is possible throughout other universes

A new study led by Durham University has analyzed the...

A new study by the <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/">Pew Research Center</a> has found that most Americans believe that the federal government is not doing enough to protect air and water quality or to address <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/humans-driving-climate-change/">climate change</a>.

Out of 2,541 survey respondents, 69 percent agree that the United States government could do more to protect the quality of water in lakes, rivers, and streams. In addition, 64 percent feel that stronger measures could be taken to safeguard air quality. 

Six out of ten Americans report that climate change is having at least some effect on their local community, with 45 percent pointing to extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, wildfires, and more frequent severe storms.

According to 67 percent of the study participants, the government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change.

Regarding whether or not it is possible to cut back on environmental regulations while still effectively protecting air and water quality, Americans are nearly split down the middle. There is also a political divide on this issue, with around 74 percent of Republicans claiming this is possible while 64 percent of Democrats claim that it is not.

In addition, there are wide political differences over whether policies aimed at reducing the effects of climate change have a positive impact on the environment and the economy. Republicans are skeptical, while Democrats are primarily optimistic.

Political parties are also at odds on the subject of global warming and the influence of human activities. Seventy-five percent of Democrats believe the Earth is warming primarily due to human causes, but only 26 percent of Republicans agree.

"While majorities of Americans believe the government isn't doing enough to protect the environment and reduce the effects of climate change, about half of conservative Republicans see the government as doing about the right amount to protect air and water quality,” said study lead author Cary Funk.

“Republicans and Democrats are largely at odds over how much regulation is needed to safeguard the environment and reduce the effects of climate change.”
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Most think the govt should do more to protect the environment

A new study by the Pew Research Center has found...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.uab.edu/home/">University of Alabama Birmingham</a> have demonstrated that a restricted eating schedule is much more beneficial than counting calories. Study participants who cut off eating at 3:00 p.m. everyday not only lost weight, but improved nearly every aspect of their health.

Recent studies have shown that fasting diets, cycling between regular food consumption and fasting, can lead to increased metabolism and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/consistent-weight-loss-success/">weight loss</a>. Periodic fasting has also been linked to remarkable health benefits including a lower risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and aging.

In the current study, the researchers wanted to establish whether the benefits of a fasting diet can be attributed to calorie restriction or to a limited eating schedule. They focused their investigation on a type of intermittent fasting known as early time-restricted feeding (eTRF).

For five weeks, men with prediabetes ate breakfast between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m., and ate dinner no later than 3:00 p.m. The participants fasted for the remaining 18 hours. 

The same group also spent five weeks on a typical American diet, consuming food over the course of 12 hours. The researchers controlled the intake of calories, protein, fats, and nutrients so that it was exactly the same for both trials.

The study revealed that the eTRF diet dramatically improved insulin sensitivity and stabilized blood sugar levels among the participants. The periodic fasting also led to lower blood pressure and oxidative stress levels. 

The men reported that their cravings for snacks in the evening were substantially reduced as well.

Study lead author Professor Courtney Peterson explained that the success of eTRF is likely due to the fact that this particular fasting diet follows the body's natural circadian rhythm. By midday, our metabolism is peaking, but it begins to slow down in the afternoon.


“If you eat late at night, it's bad for your metabolism,” said Professor Peterson. “Our bodies are optimized to do certain things at certain times of the day, and eating in sync with our circadian rhythms seem to improve our health in multiple ways.”

“For instance, our body's ability to keep our blood sugar under control is better in the morning than it is in the afternoon and evening, so it makes sense to eat most of our food in the morning and early afternoon.”

Professor Peterson said that the results of the study indicate that timing is more important than calories when it comes to our metabolic health. Furthermore, the research suggests that eating earlier in the day is an exceptionally beneficial fasting strategy.

The findings of the study may ultimately lead to new ways of preventing Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. 


The research was funded by the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/">National Institutes of Health</a> (NIH).

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Fasting after 3pm linked to lower blood pressure, diabetes risk

Researchers at the University of Alabama Birmingham have demonstrated that...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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