Parents often turn to screens to entertain their kids, but a new study uncovered how this might be affecting children's development in unexpected ways.



Dr. Karen Heffler, an associate professor of Psychiatry, has been exploring the impact of screen time on the youngest minds. 



Her recent findings suggest that babies and toddlers who spend time in front of televisions or videos may develop unusual sensory behaviors.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kids-screens-and-sensory-behaviors">Kids, screens, and sensory behaviors</h2>



By the time children reach 33 months old, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-under-two-should-not-be-exposed-to-tv-or-screen-time/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">those exposed</a> to screens before age two show signs of "sensation seeking," "sensation avoiding," and "low registration," meaning they might be less responsive or slower to react to stimuli.



"This association could have important implications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, as atypical sensory processing is much more prevalent in these populations," explained Dr. Heffler, hailing from <a href="https://drexel.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Drexel University</a>.



Conducted using data from the National Children's Study between 2011 and 2014, the research analyzed information from 1,471 children across the country. 



The team looked at how much time kids spent watching screens at 12, 18, and 24 months, based on what caregivers reported.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-atypical-sensory-behaviors">Understanding atypical sensory behaviors</h2>



Atypical sensory behavior happens when someone experiences their senses -- like sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell -- in ways that are a bit different. 



They might find certain noises way too loud or lights way too bright, even if others don’t seem to notice. 



Some folks can’t stand the feel of clothing tags or certain textures in food. On the flip side, they might crave strong sensations, like wanting to touch everything or enjoying tight hugs. 



These differences in how they process sensory info can impact daily life and social interactions, making some situations feel challenging or overwhelming.



These behaviors were assessed using the <a href="https://www.pearsonassessments.com/store/usassessments/en/Store/Professional-Assessments/Motor-Sensory/Infant-Toddler-Sensory-Profile/p/100000389.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile</a>, a tool that helps identify how children respond to sensory experiences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-worrisome-stats-on-kids-and-screens">Worrisome stats on kids and screens</h2>



The study's statistics are eye-opening:



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>At 12 months, any screen exposure was linked to a 105% greater chance of high sensory behaviors related to low registration by 33 months.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>At 18 months, each extra hour of daily screen time increased the odds of high sensory behaviors related to sensation avoiding and low registration by 23%.</li>
</ul>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>By 24 months, every additional hour of screen time was associated with a 20% increase in high sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding behaviors at 33 months.</li>
</ul>



<a href="https://drexel.edu/medicine/faculty/profiles/karen-heffler/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Heffler</a> pointed out that repetitive behavior, such as that seen in autism spectrum disorder, is highly correlated with atypical sensory processing.



"Future work may determine whether early life screen time could fuel the sensory brain hyperconnectivity seen in autism spectrum disorders, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-screen-time-changes-the-brain-based-on-23-years-of-research/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">heightened brain responses</a> to sensory stimulation," Heffler explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-parents">What this means for parents</h2>



These findings add to growing concerns about screen time's role in developmental challenges like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/kids-with-too-much-screen-time-struggle-to-gain-language-skills/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">language delays</a>, behavioral issues, sleep problems, attention difficulties, and delays in problem-solving skills.



"Considering this link between high screen time and a growing list of developmental and behavioral problems, it may be beneficial for toddlers exhibiting these symptoms to undergo a period of screen time reduction, along with sensory processing practices delivered by occupational therapists," advised Dr. Heffler.



<a href="https://drexel.edu/medicine/faculty/profiles/david-bennett/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David Bennett, PhD</a>, a professor of Psychiatry, emphasized the importance of guidance for parents. "Parent training and education are key to minimizing, or hopefully even avoiding, screen time in children younger than two years," he said.



The <a href="https://www.aap.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Academy of Pediatrics</a> recommends that children under 18 to 24 months avoid screen time altogether. For kids aged 2 to 5 years, digital media use should be limited and carefully managed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-harsh-reality-of-kids-and-screens">Harsh reality of kids and screens</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/negative-effects-of-screen-time-offset-by-outdoor-play/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Despite these recommendations</a>, many young children are spending more time with screens than ever before. 



In 2014, children under two years old in the U.S. watched screens for an average of 3 hours and 3 minutes daily, up from 1 hour and 19 minutes per day in 1997.



Some parents <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-screen-time-affect-preteens-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">resort to screen time</a> out of sheer exhaustion and a lack of affordable alternatives for keeping their kids occupied. It's a challenge that many families face in today's fast-paced world.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-supporting-children-with-sensory-differences">Supporting children with sensory differences</h2>



Atypical sensory behaviors can significantly impact a child's daily life, affecting everything from learning to social interactions. Recognizing and accommodating these needs is crucial.



Supporting kids with sensory differences means understanding their unique experiences and adjusting to meet their needs.



By paying attention to how they respond to sounds, textures, lights, and other stimuli, we can make small changes that help them feel more comfortable.



Simple adjustments like dimming bright lights or creating quiet spaces can really enhance their daily lives. 



Collaborating with professionals like occupational therapists gives us the tools and strategies to help these kids navigate their world with confidence and ease.



Occupational therapists often help by using techniques like sensory integration therapy. Strategies might include creating sensory-friendly environments or using tools like noise-canceling headphones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kids-screentime-and-the-future">Kids, screentime, and the future</h2>



To sum it all up, the connection between early screen time and sensory processing issues is a complex one that we're just beginning to understand. 



As parents and caregivers, being <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/swedish-pediatricians-no-screen-time-for-children-under-two/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">mindful of screen use</a> and staying informed can make a significant difference in our children's development.



Finding alternatives to screen time can be a fun and rewarding challenge. Simple activities like reading together, playing outside, or engaging in imaginative play can provide enriching experiences that support healthy development.



Have you noticed how screen time affects your little one? Share your thoughts and experiences -- your insights could help other parents navigate this important topic.



The study is published in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.5923" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JAMA Pediatrics</a>.



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Autism and ADHD disorders directly linked amount of time kids spend on screens

Parents often turn to screens to entertain their kids, but a new study uncovered how this might be affecting children's development in unexpected ways. Dr. Karen Heffler, an associate professor of Psychiatry, has been exploring the impact of screen time on the youngest minds. Her recent findings suggest that babies and toddlers who spend time in front of televisions or videos may develop unusual sensory behaviors. Kids, screens, and sensory behaviors By the time children reach 33 months old, those exposed to screens before age two show...

Cancer becomes an ever increasing risk as we age, and the association of old age with many cancer types has been well established. But scientists have also noticed that cancer incidence is increasing globally, and certain geographical populations seem to be at higher risk than others. Populations living in very low temperatures, such as Denmark and Norway, have some of the highest incidences of cancer in the world.

A recent paper published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/mbe">Molecular Biology and Evolution</a> has proposed a new hypothesis for this phenomenon: there is an evolutionary relationship between adaptation at extreme environmental conditions and increased cancer risk. 

“The findings of this study provide evidence that genetic variants found to be beneficial in extreme environments, can also predispose for cancer,” says Kostantinos Voskarides of the <a href="https://www.ucy.ac.cy/medical/en/">University of Cyprus Medical School</a>.

In his research, Voskarides focused on the effect of low temperatures at either high altitudes or in Arctic/Scandinavian climates. He used the GLOBOCAN-2012 database – the most accurate and reliable datasource for worldwide cancer incidence – and analyzed genetic clues in 247 different cancer genome-wide association studies. Voskarides also looked through the available literature’s bibliographic cancer incidence and genetic data for human populations in extreme cold and at very high altitudes.

The results showed a clear pattern, with the highest incidence of certain cancers linked to populations living in the coldest environments. 

“These data show that these populations exhibit extremely high cancer incidence, especially for lung, breast and colorectal cancer,” explained Voskarides.

Genetic evidence also showed that genes that are under selection to populations in order to survive in extreme conditions are also predisposed for cancer. The highest cancer associations with genes under selection were found to be colorectal cancer for Native Americans and Siberian Eskimos, esophageal cancer and lung cancer for Siberain Eskimos, leukemia for Oromi (a high-altitude population in Ethiopia) and a number of cancers for high-altitude dwelling Andeans-Tibetans.

“Evidence was found that cancer rates have been increased in those populations through natural selection procedures,” says Voskarides. “This is the first study that provides evidence that high cancer risk may be a result of evolutionary adaptation in certain environmental conditions.”

The ultimate conclusion of this study was that populations that are isolated in extreme environments also face extreme <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cancer-cases-modifiable-risk-factors/">cancer</a> risk. Further research will help better understand the key adaptive forces that may be behind cancer epidemiology.

[caption id="attachment_967257" align="aligncenter" width="279"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cold-temperatures.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-967257" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cold-temperatures-279x300.jpg" alt="" width="279" height="300" /></a> Image Credit: Konstantinos Voskarides, University of Cyprus Medical School[/caption]

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Extremely cold environments may increase risk of cancer

Cancer becomes an ever increasing risk as we age, and...

Fast-moving wildfires are raging across southern California, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people. The Thomas Fire in Ventura County, which broke out on Monday and now covers at least 65,000 acres, is by far the largest. Over 150 buildings have been destroyed and 12,000 additional structures are currently threatened in Ventura alone.

In Los Angeles County, two separate fires ignited on Tuesday. North of downtown <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/watering-lawns-lost-gallons-water/">Los Angeles</a>, the Creek Fire burned 11,000 acres by Tuesday night, and the Rye Fire scorched 7,000 acres. 

A third fire, the Skirball Fire, erupted this morning near the Getty Center as a brush fire. This latest blaze has prompted evacuations from the Bel Air area and shut down portions of Interstate 405 because the fire is burning so close to the highway.

California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in both Ventura and Los Angeles counties, and is urging residents to be ready to evacuate and to “evacuate immediately if told to do so.”

Officials are warning that the fires could threaten the region for days. Los Angeles police chief Charlie Beck referred to the fires as “a multi day event,” and suggested that more fires are likely. 

The National Weather Service warned that the combination of low humidity and strong winds could lead to “very rapid fire growth” and “extreme fire behavior.”

Chief Ralph M. Terrazas of the Los Angeles Fire Department said earlier today that wind conditions are favorable at this time but warned that could change. Santa Ana winds are projected to reach 80 miles per hour on Thursday.

Just two months ago, Northern California experienced the worst series of wildfires in the state’s history, which killed 44 people and burned 8,700 structures.

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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

Image Credit: Alex Avlas

Wildfires explode across Southern California

Fast-moving wildfires are raging across southern California, forcing the evacuation...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.cdb.riken.jp/en/">RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology</a> (CDB) set out to determine how the brain distinguishes between breathing in air and sniffing. The team also set out to solve the mystery of how sniffing helps to identify odors. 

Each compound in a scent activates certain neurons in the nose, which meet in the olfactory bulb of the brain on structures called glomeruli. For example, the smell of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chocolate-red-wine-wrinkles/">chocolate</a> will activate "chocolate" glomeruli. 

Neurons in the nose also respond when air is inhaled, but the activation is not as specific. Therefore, sniffing activates both "chocolate" and "non-chocolate" glomeruli. 

But how can the brain tell whether signals received from the glomeruli contain air-flow information or odor information? The study revealed that the answer lies in the timing.

"Surprisingly, we found that temporal firing patterns of neurons can distinguish between airflow-driven mechanical signals and those generated by odors,” explained lead author Takeshi Imai. “Not only that, we discovered that the mechanosensation actually improves olfaction by acting as a pacemaker for temporal patterning."

The team created a system to artificially control rhythmic sniffing in mice. In the first phase of the experiment, they presented deodorized air to the mice and recorded activity from neurons in the glomeruli. 

This showed that a large number of glomeruli were activated by airflow, and that the activity spiked and fell  in cycles that matched the rate of the artificial sniffing. But, despite the fact that the rate was the same, the glomeruli were not in sync with each other. While one glomerulus could be the most active 200 milliseconds into a sniff, another could be be most active 230 milliseconds after the sniff. 

Next, the team examined how increasing airflow and odor stimulation affected the phase of activity in the glomeruli. They found that increasing the airflow speed increased the amount of glomeruli activity, but did not significantly change their timing. On the other hand, when the mice were exposed to odors, the timing of glomeruli activity shifted significantly within the sniff cycle. 

Additional testing revealed that the phases altered the same amount no matter what the concentration level of the odor. This discovery establishes that odor and airflow neural stimulation can be distinguished by looking at the phase of activity in the glomeruli.

"Phase-coding is not unique to the olfactory system,” said Imai. "Although it has also been found in the hippocampus in relation to memory formation, we still do not know much about it. Hopefully, our finding will facilitate a better understanding of how neurons communicate with each other and how meaning can be derived from their signals."

"Our next step is to understand how the precise temporal patterns are generated in the olfactory bulb, and why they are affected by odors but not mechanically originating signals."

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/neuron/home">Neuron</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How the brain tells the difference between breathing and sniffing

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) set...

Experts from the UK and the United States are outlining the best investments in clean energy based on their analysis of recent research and innovation. The authors of the paper recommend that governments give technical experts more control of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/green-solar-panels-appealing/">clean energy</a> programs in order to achieve more long-term stability.

The researchers have drafted six "guiding principles,” and are encouraging the support of programs that have staying power rather than just “ quick win” potential. Among the principles proposed by the research team are to adopt an adaptive learning strategy and to keep clean energy research funding predictable and stable.

"As the window of opportunity to avert dangerous climate change narrows, we urgently need to take stock of policy initiatives around the world that aim to accelerate new energy technologies and stem greenhouse gas emissions," says Laura Diaz Anadon, Professor of Climate Change Policy at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.

The authors are urging policymakers to learn what works from experience and build on it before time runs out. The experts say that some government officials are constantly reinventing clean energy goals and targets for the sake of political vanity.

"If we don't build on the lessons from previous policy successes and failures to understand what works and why, we risk wasting time and money in a way that we simply can't afford," says Anadon.

Public investments in energy research have steadily risen in recent years. For example, funding for new energy research and development by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) jumped to $16.6 billion in 2016 compared to $10 billion in 2010. In addition, the EU and other nations pledged to double clean energy investment as part of Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Regardless, the study authors point out that government funding for energy innovation has become highly volatile in the recent past. Political shifts in the UK and the U.S. have resulted in huge budget fluctuations and process reinventions.

The research team found, for example, that one in five technology areas funded by the U.S. Department of Energy experienced a budget shift of more than 30 percent up or down every single year from 1990 to 2017. In 2018, the Trump administration plans to cut the energy research and development budget by 35 percent across the board.

In the UK, every Prime Minister since 2000 has created new institutions to manage energy innovation. 

"Experimentation has benefits, but also costs," explains Anadon. "Researchers are having to relearn new processes, people and programs with every political transition - wasting time and effort for scientists, companies and policymakers."

"Rather than repeated overhauls, existing programs should be continuously evaluated and updated. New programs should only be set up if they fill needs not currently met."

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/nature/">Nature</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Experts advise governments on effective clean energy strategy

Experts from the UK and the United States are outlining...

Scientists are warning that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-air-pollution-nuclear/">air pollution</a> in London is negatively impacting the health of unborn infants. The experts have determined that exposure to pollution generated by vehicles is associated with an increased risk of low birth weight babies born at full term.

While previous research has linked air pollution with complications in pregnancy, similar studies investigating the potential effects of noise pollution have been inconclusive.  

Researchers led by the <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> set out to examine the outcomes of exposure to air pollution and noise pollution from road traffic during pregnancy. They focused their study on two potential birth weights, low birth weight and being born small for gestational age.

The research team used national birth registers to identify over 540,000 full-term births in the London area between 2006 and 2010. The experts estimated the average monthly concentrations of traffic-related air pollution at the home addresses of the mothers. They also estimated the average levels of noise pollution during daytime and nighttime hours.

Next, the researchers used statistical models to analyze the data. The study revealed that air pollutants from road traffic, particularly PM2.5, were associated with a 2 to 6 percent increase in the risk of low birth weight and a 1 to 3 percent increase in the risk of being small for gestational age.

There was no significant link found between noise pollution and complications at birth, yet the researchers reported that they "cannot rule out that an association might be observed in a study area with a wider range of noise exposures."

"Our findings suggest that air pollution from road traffic in London is adversely affecting fetal growth," said the study authors. They emphasized that reducing London's annual average PM2.5 concentration by 10 percent would prevent an estimated 90 babies being born with low birth weight at full term each year in London.

"With the annual number of births projected to continue increasing in London, the absolute health burden will increase at the population level, unless air quality in London improves," said the researchers. 

While the authors said that the findings of the study "should increase awareness that prenatal exposure to small particle air pollution is detrimental to the unborn child," they also stressed the fact that increasing awareness without solutions for risk reduction "may serve only to increase maternal anxiety and guilt."

The research, which is published by <a href="http://www.bmj.com/">The BMJ</a>, is applicable to other UK and European cities as well. The experts are urging for environmental health policies to improve air quality in urban areas.

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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

Traffic air pollution impacts the health of unborn babies

Scientists are warning that air pollution in London is negatively...

We often take for granted our ability to take in sound and process the information into a cohesive meaning. It’s a complicated process that involves innumerable factors, not to mention the need to discern what you hear from distracting background noise. Now, researchers at <a href="http://www.auburn.edu/">Auburn University</a> have discovered that in demanding environments, both adults and children depend more on their right ear for processing and retaining what they hear.

Sounds that enter the right ear are processed by the left side of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-processes-internal-experiences/">brain</a>, which controls speech, language development, and parts of memory. Together, each ear takes in separate bits of information, which are then combined while being processed through the auditory system. However, past research has shown the young children’s auditory systems are unable to sort and separate simultaneous information from both ears. Because of this, children rely mostly on their right ear to capture sounds and language, as the pathway is more efficient. But what is less understood is if this right-ear dominance is still present in adulthood.

To answer this question, Danielle Sacchinelli and her colleagues had 41 participants (ages 19-28) go through both dichotic separation and integration listening tasks. Dichotic listening tests are used to diagnose auditory processing disorders that cause the brain to have difficulty processing what is heard. This test involves listeners receiving different auditory inputs that are delivered to each ear simultaneously. Participants are asked to pay attention to sounds delivered to one ear, while dismissing sounds delivered to the other (separation) or are required to repeat all words heard (integration). 

As the tests progressed, the researchers increased the number of sounds until they passed the point of an individual’s simple memory capacity. Once they were beyond the participant’s memory span, they found that an individual’s performance improved by roughly 8 percent – and in some cases up to 40 percent – when they focused on their right ear.

“Conventional research shows that right-ear advantage diminishes around age 13, but our results indicate this is related to the demand of the task. Traditional tests include four-to-six pieces of information,” says Aurora Weaver, an assistant professor at <a href="http://www.auburn.edu/">Auburn University</a> and member of the research team. “As we age, we have better control of our attention for processing information as a result of maturation and our experience.”

Enhancing our understanding of how we listen and process information in demanding environments may help improve diagnostic tools, auditory management – such as hearing aids – and auditory training. Weaver also believes that this may increase our ability to deal with the decline of cognitive abilities as people age.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Listen up: Your right ear is more important for listening ability

We often take for granted our ability to take in...

The chronic sleep deprivation that many youth and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/screen-time-suicide-teens/">teens</a> face today has been well documented, with many health professionals calling for later start times in middle and high school, but these suggestions have gone largely unheard.

Adolescents need more sleep than adults, and chronic sleep deprivation in teens can actually raise their risk of depression and addiction, according to a new study. 

The study was conducted by researchers from the <a href="http://www.pitt.edu/">University of Pittsburgh</a> and documented the negative impact that sleep deprivation has on the brain’s reward system and mood. 

For the study, the researchers had 35 participants, ages 11 through 15, take part in a sleep lab study. 

For two nights, half the group slept for ten hours and the other half was only allowed to sleep for four fours. A week later, the participants came back to the lab but slept for the opposite amount of time they had for the first two nights. 

The study volunteers were also asked to play a game with monetary gains of one and ten dollars that activated the reward centers of the brain. The participants were given brain scans both weeks while they played the game. 

The researchers also had each participant answer questions about emotional functioning and if they experienced symptoms of depression. 

The results show that sleep deprivation impacted the putamen, a part of the brain involved with reward learning and goal-based movements. Even when the rewards in the game were higher during the sleep lab studies, the putamen was less responsive in the sleep-deprived subjects. 

The sleep-deprived participants also reported more symptoms of depression. These results correlate with research on how depression lowers activity in the brain’s reward system. 

Chronic sleep deprivation poses major health risks for all ages, but these results show that sleep deprivation in teens especially increases the risk of depression and addiction. 

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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

Sleep deprivation increases risk of depression in teens

The chronic sleep deprivation that many youth and teens face...

Science has proven that it’s crucial for <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/reaction-time-predict-mortality/">seniors</a> to stay active as they get older. But what happens when the environment you’re exercising in is toxic enough to counter those health benefits? In cities with heavy air pollution, this may very well be the case.

A new study conducted by scientists from <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> and<a href="https://www.duke.edu/"> Duke University</a> found that adults over 60 lost all benefits of walking for two hours when subjected to short-term exposure to traffic exhaust and street pollution.

The study was published in the journal The Lancet and is the first study of its kind to look at exposure to pollution canceling out the benefit of exercise on both healthy patients and those with cardiorespiratory illnesses like coronary heart disease.

The research found that that exposure to busy city streets and traffic pollution countered the the positive effects of moderate exercise like walking, but that walking in parks significantly improved health and wellbeing.

“Combined with evidence from other recent studies, our findings underscore that we can't really tolerate the levels of air pollution that we currently find on our busy streets," said Fan Chung, Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Head of Experimental Studies in Medicine at the<a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/nhli"> National Heart &amp; Lung Institute at Imperial College</a>. “We call for greater access to urban green spaces for people to exercise.”

For the study, the researchers asked 119 volunteers over 60 years old who were either healthy or had a preexisting cardiorespiratory condition to walk for two hours during the day.

The participants either walked in Hyde Park in London or a busy section of Oxford Street. Pollution levels in Oxford Street often exceed air quality limits set by the <a href="http://www.who.int/">World Health Organization</a>.

The researchers took physical measurements before and after the walks so they could see how the exercise impacted the participants’ blood pressure, lung capacity, and arterial stiffness.

The study volunteers who walked in Hyde Park showed significant improvement in lung capacity within the first hour and the effects lasted even after the walk was completed. 

Walking along Oxford Street had a small impact on lung capacity, but it didn’t match nearly those that were in Hyde Park.

Healthy participants experienced a 24 percent reduction in arterial stiffness, and patients with preexisting conditions saw a 19 percent reduction when walking in Hyde Park. Those who walked on Oxford Street experienced much smaller reductions in arterial stiffness. 

Even when accounting for the stress-inducing environment of crowded Oxford Street, and the medications that some of the participants took, the results show the lasting positive effects that walking in non-polluted areas has on respiratory health. 

The study also highlights the importance of urban green spaces and reducing pollution in major cities. 

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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

Air pollution cancels positive benefits of exercise for seniors

Science has proven that it’s crucial for seniors to stay active...

Musical training is being linked to improved brain function in more and more studies. In particular, musical training is thought to help with important aspects of speech such as the perception of speech in a noisy environment. A study from the <a href="http://english.psych.cas.cn/">Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences</a> has revealed that musicians have increased connectivity of the auditory-motor network which enhances their speech perception.

Dr. DU Yi teamed up with Dr. Zatorre Robert from the <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/neuro/neuro-brain-research-patient-care-and-training">Montréal Neurological Institute</a> and <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a> to understand how musical training benefits speech processes. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the researchers examined the brain activity of 15 musicians and 15 non-musicians while they identified speech syllables against changing levels of background noise.

The musicians had at least 10 years of musical training, including consistent practice over the past three years. The two groups of participants showed no difference in their educational level, hearing ability, education, auditory working memory, or non-verbal IQ.

Under a condition with no noise distractions, the two groups performed equally. At all other signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), however, the musicians outperformed the non-musicians. The researchers linked this exceptional ability in musicians to enhanced activation of the left inferior frontal and right auditory regions of their brains.

Further analysis showed that musicians had more distinguished neural patterns related to the composition of syllables in the bilateral auditory regions and frontal motor regions of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-talking-coherent-dirty/">brain</a>.

Most significantly, the research team found that the functional connectivity of the auditory-motor network was strengthened in the musicians compared to non-musicians. This means that musical training sharpens and bonds the ears with the speech motor system, or lips and tongue, so that musicians can hear speech better.

The findings of this study, which is published in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Science</a>, show an enormous potential for the use of musical training to reduce speech perception difficulties that are commonly associated with hearing disorders and age.

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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

Musical training can improve your perception of speech

Musical training is being linked to improved brain function in...

Champagne is the bubbly, alcoholic beverage that is usually poured after the distinctive “pop” of the bottle it comes from. But it’s not just the bottle popping that is of acoustic interest to the researchers at the Applied Research Laboratories at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>. 

In what was likely their favorite research study in years, investigators Kyle S. Spratt, Kevin M. Lee, and Preston S. Wilson set out to determine whether the acoustics of champagne bubbles might play a key role in determining how expensive the bottle it came from should be.

“The point of the project is to study the sounds that champagne bubbles make, and to see what we can infer about the bubbles from the sounds that they make,” explains Spratt. “Bubbles are very resonant. They basically ring like bells, and the frequency of that ringing depends in part on the size of the bubbles. There is a well-known notion that the quality of a sparkling wine is correlated to the size of its bubbles, and we are investigating whether the bubble size distribution of a sparkling wine can be obtained from simple acoustical measurements.”

The research team used a very small hydrophone – a piezoelectric transducer-based underwater recording device – to investigate the properties of the bubbles. They found that the type of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lead-decorated-drinking-glasses/">glass</a> used is actually of significant importance to how the bubbles react. The design of a champagne flute is crafted to have a noticeable effect on the bubble formation of the beverage, as well as the material the glass is made out of. 

“It turns out the bubble formation process on Styrofoam is completely different than on glass,” Spratt says. “So, if you ever have to resort to drinking champagne out of a Styrofoam cup, the bubbles will be quite different.”

The findings could prove useful for consumers, who can test bubble acoustics to make sure the brand they're purchasing is not overpriced.

The team will present their findings at the 174th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in New Orleans, Louisiana, held December 4th through 8th, 2017.

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The sound of champagne bubbles can indicate quality

Champagne is the bubbly, alcoholic beverage that is usually poured...

The art of telling stories has been around since the days when humans first began forming cohesive societies. These days, a good storyteller can be the life of the party, or making a living through their speeches or writing. But new research has found that in hunter-gatherer societies, storytellers were essential to promoting cooperative and egalitarian values before religion was ever a factor.

The research was led by Daniel Smith, Andrea Migliano, and Lucio Vinicius from <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a>’s Department of Anthropology. The group based their findings on their study of the Agta, which was a hunter-gatherer group descended from the first colonizers of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/the-growth-of-manila-philippines/">Philippines</a> over 35,000 years ago.

They asked three group elders to tell them stories that they would have normally told their children and each other. This resulted in four stories narrated over three nights. In listening to these stories, the researchers found that the stories about humanized natural entities like animals or celestial bodies promoted social and cooperative norms to coordinate group behavior.

Out of a sample of 89 stories from seven different hunter-gatherer societies, the study found that 70% of the stories concerned reinforcing and regulating social behavior. 

“These stories appear to co-ordinate group behavior and facilitate co-operation by providing individuals with social information about the norms, rules and expectations in a given society,” explains Smith. In light of this, it’s not surprising that Agta groups with a greater proportion of skilled storytellers were found to have increased levels of cooperation.

Storytellers were found to be more popular than even the best foragers. They had greater reproductive success and were more likely to be cooperated with by other members of their group. Skilled storytellers had an average of 0.53 more children than those who were not skilled.

The authors believe that storytelling was pivotal to organizing necessary social behavior and promoting cooperation. 

“Hunter-gatherer religions do not have moralizing gods and yet they are highly cooperative towards the whole community,” says Migliano. “Thus, storytelling in hunter-gatherers was a precursor to more elaborate forms of narrative fiction such as moralizing high-gods, common in post-agricultural populations”

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By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Storytellers kept hunter-gatherer groups together before religion

The art of telling stories has been around since the...

As Europe prepares for a shift toward hybrid and electric vehicles, new issues arise because these vehicles are considered to be too quiet for hearing-impaired pedestrians. The European Union has mandated that low-emissions vehicles be equipped with acoustic vehicle alerting systems, which will lead to a major increase in traffic noise.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-noise-pollution-fish/">Noise pollution</a> is an environmental issue which is often overlooked that causes negative health and economic impacts. Road traffic, railways, and air traffic all contribute to the growing amount of noise pollution in densely populated areas.

René Weinandy, head of Noise Abatement in Transport for the German Environment Agency, was shocked to learn that the European Union had drafted regulations to utilize speakers which continuously emit sound during vehicle operation. 

Weinandy explained that the plans to arm electric vehicles with acoustic vehicle alerting systems "are already being cast into laws both in the U.S. and Europe - without adequate scientific proof of their effectiveness or adequate consideration of their negative side effects.” He added that, “Less harmful alternatives haven't been systematically sought or explored. Clearly, there must be better alternatives."

Weinandy developed a study to assess the effectiveness of acoustic vehicle alerting systems, their downsides, and potential non acoustic alternatives.

"In Germany alone, an estimated 4,000 people die every year from noise-triggered heart attacks -- more than are killed in traffic accidents," said Weinandy. "So is it really a wise decision to increase the noticeability of electric vehicles in traffic by making them spew noise pollution?"

Weinandy said that the noise released by the acoustic vehicle alerting system is "a synthetic, increasing sound that's supposed to be similar to an internal combustion engine vehicle start-up.”

Weinandy and his team are currently exploring the development of non acoustic strategies while accounting for environmental protection, road safety, feasibility, and usability. They have a goal of reducing noise pollution and making traffic as quiet as possible.

"We're working to change the mindset of the general public: while noise may be simply a nuisance in some situations, it acts as a potent environmental poison in others and should be treated as such," said Weinandy. "Noise does its harmful job - often without the conscious perception of the people being exposed to it."

Weinandy will present his team's work during the 174th Meeting of the <a href="http://acousticalsociety.org/">Acoustical Society of America</a>, being held this week in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

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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

Electric cars temper noise pollution but may be dangerously quiet

As Europe prepares for a shift toward hybrid and electric...

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: European Space Agency&nbsp;



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

Satellites have become essential to our survival

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