Falling asleep and waking up refreshed is something most of us crave. Yet some people appear to thrive on fewer hours, leaving everyone else wondering how they manage it. A new study involving a healthy older adult suggests that a rare gene mutation might be a key to needing fewer hours of sleep.



The research was led by Dr. Hao Chen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), whose team investigated a "natural short sleeper" <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-night-of-lost-sleep-can-trigger-hidden-health-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trait</a> linked to a genetic variant in the SIK3 gene.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-genetics-influence-sleep-duration">How genetics influence sleep duration</h2>



Scientists who explore patterns of rest have long recognized that people’s genetic makeup can influence how much <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-prepares-the-brain-for-the-future-while-protecting-memories-of-the-past/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a> they need. This latest finding highlights how even a slight genetic tweak might reduce the time required for the brain and body to recover.



Those who qualify as short sleepers function at a normal or high level despite clocking fewer hours in bed. Researchers classify them separately from individuals suffering from insomnia, because these short sleepers typically wake up rested and show no health problems tied to exhaustion.



One older participant reported sleeping around 6.3 hours per night yet displayed sharp cognition and good health. Her genetic profile pointed to a single mutation as the possible reason for her efficient slumber.



These individuals, referred to as natural short sleepers, seem wired to operate on less rest. Specialists are intrigued by how they sail through daily life with no visible drawbacks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gene-mutation-and-sleep-patterns">Gene mutation and sleep patterns</h2>



The <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/protein-kinases" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">kinase protein</a> produced by the SIK3 gene relays signals that influence various cellular processes. Scientists suspect that changes in kinase function might play a role in controlling how much time the body devotes to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-can-boost-memory-in-a-surprising-way/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a>.



When Dr. Chen’s team transferred this mutation to lab mice, the animals spent slightly less time resting each day. This observation hinted at a biological mechanism that could be significant across different species.



“Studying human sleep genes not only expands our knowledge regarding the sleep regulatory network, but also may bring the basic research from mouse models to clinical relevance,” noted the researchers.



Brain scans in the test mice revealed that their <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/protein-biology/protein-biology-learning-center/protein-biology-resource-library/pierce-protein-methods/phosphorylation.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">phosphorylation</a> patterns changed, especially around the areas that oversee rest and wake cycles. This shift aligns with the idea that sleep is coordinated by a web of signals in the brain that might be influenced by tiny chemical tweaks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genetic-mutations-in-short-sleepers">Genetic mutations in short sleepers</h2>



Scientists have now identified at least five distinct genetic mutations linked to the natural short sleep trait. Each one affects different proteins involved in the brain’s signaling and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-quality-could-be-the-key-to-better-metabolic-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sleep</a>-wake rhythms, hinting at multiple pathways that might influence rest duration.



The SIK3 variant joins others such as <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1801693115" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DEC2</a>, <a href="https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-rare-gene-mutation-is-associated-with-requiring-less-sleep-researchers-say" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ADRB1</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/387129" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NPSR1</a>, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/14816" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GRM1</a>, each contributing a piece to the sleep efficiency puzzle. Researchers believe that mapping these variants could eventually lead to a full blueprint of how the body regulates its need for sleep.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-treatments-for-sleep-disorders">Treatments for sleep disorders</h2>



Researchers think there could be important applications for people who struggle with sleep disorders. Adjusting the pathways linked to this genetic variant might shorten the time needed to feel rested, although practical therapies will likely take time to refine.



Still, scientists caution that these insights do not give an excuse to slash nightly rest. They emphasize that ordinary individuals without the mutation may not reap any benefits from copying a short sleeper’s schedule.



Experts see promise in pursuing treatments that enhance the body’s own efficiency. They hope new knowledge of genetic influences will guide strategies to help those who find it difficult to get restorative rest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-research-on-short-sleep-genes">Future research on short-sleep genes </h2>



Short-sleep genes have captured the imagination of specialists for years. There is strong interest in mapping out exactly how the human brain resets itself, and why some people get the same benefits in a compressed timeframe.



“These [NSS] people, all these functions our bodies are doing while we are sleeping, they can just perform at a higher level than we can,” said neuroscientist and geneticist Ying-Hui Fu, from the University of California, San Francisco (<a href="https://www.ucsf.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UCSF</a>). 



Scientists aim to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37398097/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">uncover</a> the precise factors that grant this group their resilience. Many research teams intend to investigate how broader networks of genes might interact to influence rest. 



The SIK3 discovery raises big questions about what else might affect daily energy levels and long-term health.



Fascination with short sleepers is unlikely to fade soon. Unlocking the secrets of their genetics could reshape how we view rest, opening a path to solutions for chronic sleep troubles.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2500356122" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">PNAS</a>.



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Rare gene explains why some people can thrive on less sleep

Falling asleep and waking up refreshed is something most of us crave. Yet some people appear to thrive on fewer hours, leaving everyone else wondering how they manage it. A new study involving a healthy older adult suggests that a rare gene mutation might be a key to needing fewer hours of sleep. The research was led by Dr. Hao Chen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), whose team investigated a "natural short sleeper" trait linked to a genetic variant in the SIK3 gene. How genetics...

Women who regularly use cleaning products appear to experience a greater decline in lung function over time than women who do not clean, according to new research from the <a href="http://www.uib.no/en">University of Bergen</a> in Norway.

The team analyzed data from 6,235 individuals who had responded to the European Community Respiratory Health Survey. The participants had an average age of 34 at the beginning of the project, and were followed for over 20 years.

“While the short-term effects of cleaning chemicals on asthma are becoming increasingly well documented, we lack knowledge of the long-term impact,” said senior author Cecile Svanes. “We feared that such chemicals, by steadily causing a little damage to the airways day after day, year after year, might accelerate the rate of lung function decline that occurs with age.”


Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) is the amount of air that an individual can forcibly exhale in one second. FEV1 declined 3.6 milliliters (ml) per year faster in women who cleaned at home and 3.9 ml per year faster in women who worked as cleaners.

Forced vital capacity (FVC), or the total amount of air an individual can forcibly exhale, declined 4.3 ml per year faster in women who cleaned at home and 7.1 ml per year faster in women who cleaned for a living.

The study authors found that the accelerated lung function decline in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cause-unexplained-infertility/">women</a> who worked as cleaners was comparable to that of regular smokers. 

Oistein Svanes is a doctoral student in the Department for Clinical Science and the study's lead author. Svanes said that the extent of lung impairment was surprising at first. 

“However, when you think of inhaling small particles from cleaning agents that are meant for cleaning the floor and not your lungs, maybe it is not so surprising after all,” he said.

The study authors said that the decline in lung function may be explained by the irritation that most cleaning chemicals cause on the mucous membranes lining the airways, which ultimately leads to persistent changes in the airways.

Asthma was also found to be more prevalent in women who cleaned at home or at work compared to those who did not clean. In addition, men who cleaned at home or work also exhibited signs of faster lung function decline than men who did not clean.

“The take home message of this study is that in the long run cleaning chemicals very likely cause rather substantial damage to your lungs,” said Oistein Svanes. “These chemicals are usually unnecessary; microfiber cloths and water are more than enough for most purposes.

The study is published in the <a href="https://www.atsjournals.org/journal/ajrccm">American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine</a> by the <a href="http://www.thoracic.org/">American Thoracic Society</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Exposure to cleaning products can be harmful to lung function

Women who regularly use cleaning products appear to experience a...

“Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them.” 

-John Muir- The Story of My Boyhood and Youth, (1913)

Science is usually associated most closely with environmentalism, specifically concepts like conservation and ‘green’ technology.  Environmentalism has become tied so strongly to science that those non-scientists, even academics such as philosophers or literary critics are usually banished to the fringe of the movement.  The exception is in nature writing with one caveat: nature writing/environmental writing draws heavily on science for its authority.  

Religion is sometimes seen by scientists and environmentalists as a relic of the past or dangerous to the concepts of objective realities dealt with in environmentalism.  I find myself in an odd place here and must confess my biases.  I am an atheist trained in science with little love lost between me and organized religion.  That said, I am coming to appreciate that a more nuanced, subtle and not strictly logical worldview may be necessary to save environmentalism.  Other movements such as Martin Luther King’s or Gandhi’s struggles for civil rights and a free India were radically helped by spirituality.  Beyond that, it’s more than a bit naïve to assume that even given endless time and resources, the whole world can be understood with the aid of science.  

In Equatorial Guinea, I hiked along paths through the jungle, and what made the paths special is they were no recreational trails but foot routes for practical travel between places.  Along the trails there were clusters of what appeared to be garbage: old bottles, potato chip bags and beer cans.  It was a little depressing to think that people travelling paths to trap animals for food or reach a village had such little respect for their environment.  The ‘trash’ was explained to me and my perspective changed.  The piles of food and drink containers it turned out were respectful offerings left for some sort of forest spirit in a religious tradition quite foreign to me.  

In <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-species-pelican-spiders/">Madagascar</a>, 80% of original forest has been destroyed.  This is a stark number and one hard to grasp.  Riding in a ‘taxi brousse’ from Antananarivo to Kinjavato, the small village where I worked in reforestion for 5 months, reality set in.  It seemed for the first day of driving that there wasn’t even the smallest snippet of forest to be seen.  It wasn’t until near the end of that first full day driving that we glimpsed some of the famed tropical forest near Ranomafana and that seemed exceedingly small and fragile.  Near Kianjavato, where I worked as a volunteer coordinating and planting trees, there were patches of forest.  In many of the forest patches were tombs, some of them natural caves and rock shelves where bodies were interred.  The forests around the tombs were considered sacred and very likely the reason that the forests were left standing in those places.  

Many modern environmentalists such as Jack Turner (a Buddhist) or Terry Tempest Williams (a somewhat heretical Mormon) draw on their spiritual traditions for inspiration and authority.  Historical figures like John Muir or Thoreau are equally absorbed in spiritual imagery and ideas.

In all honesty, atheist or not, there is something wildly transcendent in nature, whatever it may be.  Trees, rivers, mountains, cool canyons and dark caves are as close to sanctity as anyone should wish.  Feeling your body move shakily or with easy confidence across a rugged landscape engulfs one’s mind in a timeless world beyond puny human understanding.  

Certain beliefs can be detrimental to the environment as well as beneficial.  I remember talking to an old boss I worked under at a gunpowder factory and being disgusted by the narrowness of his thinking. While discussing climate change, this man’s religious beliefs said that humans couldn’t destroy earth because God wouldn’t allow it.  Likewise missionaries have pushed native populations the world over to abandon ‘pagan’ dietary restrictions, resulting in devastation of never before hunted animal populations.  Many Christians take the Bible to mean we can do whatever we want to other animals, plants and ‘inanimate’ earth without responsibility to the environment or fellow organisms.

What I hope is not that people follow any particular religion.  What I hope is that people get away from cities, away from cell phones, even away from books or music.  Lay in a mountain meadow; scramble into a desert canyon; watch the endless lapping of the sea.  Sit, or walk; climb or paddle.  Dream and see if you can’t hear a little whisper of something ancient and sacred in the falling of a leaf or the drifting of a cloud.  Perhaps you’ll see a sign in a boulder field or a stalactite.  Perhaps you’ll find something in yourself and everywhere around you.      

--

By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Religion and environmentalism may not be completely at odds

“Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-crime-behavior/">Air pollution</a> comes from many sources, from factories, to cars, to cigarette smoke. But when we think about air pollution, we generally think of the smog in major cities caused by heavy traffic and proximity to industrial factories. It’s not often that we consider the contributions of the day-to-day products we use.

But now, a new study led by the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) has found that chemical products that contain certain compounds refined from petroleum – such as pesticides, paints, perfumes, and household cleaners, now rival motor vehicle emissions as the biggest source of urban air pollution.

Although people use about 15 times more fuel by weight than they do petroleum-based compounds in chemical products, these products contribute about as much air pollution as the transportation sector does. In particular, particle-forming emissions from chemical products – which contain tiny particles than can damage people’s lungs – are roughly twice as high as those from the transportation sector.

“As transportation gets cleaner, those other sources become more and more important,” says Brian McDonald, a scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) working in the NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Division, and lead author of the study. “The stuff we use in our everyday lives can impact air pollution.”

In this new assessment, researchers zeroed in on volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can move into the atmosphere and react to produce either ozone or particulate matter. Both products of these reactions are regulated in the U.S. and other countries due to their health hazards.

The researchers assessed recent chemical production statistics gathered by industries and regulatory agencies, and made atmospheric chemistry measurements of the air in Los Angeles. They found that in the U.S., the amount of VOCs emitted by consumer and industrial products is actually two to three times greater than previously estimated by current air pollution inventories. 

They also determined that these same inventories overestimate vehicular sources of air pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 75 percent of VOC emissions come from vehicular sources, with the remaining 25 percent coming from chemical products. These new findings have the split closer to 50/50.

So why does this disproportionate air quality impact of chemical product emissions occur? It’s due in part to a fundamental difference between these products and fuels. 

“Gasoline is stored in closed, hopefully airtight, containers and the VOCs in gasoline are burned for energy,” explains Jessica Gilman, an atmospheric scientist at the NOAA and co-author of the paper. “But volatile chemical products used in common solvents and personal care products are literally designed to evaporate. You wear perfume or use scented products so that you or your neighbor can enjoy the aroma. You don’t do this with gasoline.”

Part of the reason that consumer and industrial chemical products have now been found to have this larger contribution is that, in recent years, cars have gotten cleaner. This means that we now have to focus our efforts on reducing emissions from these products in much the same way we did with cars. 

“It’s worked so well that to make further progress on air quality, regulatory efforts would need to become more diverse,” says Joost de Gouw, a CIRES chemist and co-author of the paper. “It’s not just vehicles any more.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Consumer and industrial products tied to urban air pollution

Air pollution comes from many sources, from factories, to cars,...

Going on a blind first date is just as thrilling as skydiving, according to a new study monitoring the heart rates of participants. The results suggest that doing more things outside of your comfort zone could help ease fight-or-flight nerves. 

The findings came as a surprise to researchers from the University of Wolverhampton, who conducted the study. 

“It’s no surprise to see heart rates spike before undertaking thrilling experiences and extreme sports, however it is a surprise to see dating, among the top thrills,” said Martin Khechera, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at the<a href="https://www.wlv.ac.uk/"> University of Wolverhampton</a>.

For the study, the researchers asked participants to do several activities, including indoor skydiving, a zip wire course, and a first date. The participants wore monitors to measure heartbeat and fluctuations in pulse. 

The average heart rate during skydiving for the participants was 111 beats per minute (BPM), just slightly higher than the heart rates measured during a first date which was 106 BPM. 

The study also included a survey of 2,000 British adults and their feelings about first date experiences. 

The survey found that 54 percent of responders feel a first date is a thrilling experience and one-third of participants previously considered leaving or canceling a date because of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-water-pain-relief/">nerves</a>. 

According to the study, the key to losing those first date jitters may be continually putting yourself in situations out of your comfort zone. 

“The more we get used to pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone the better we get in handling stressful situations,” said Khechera. “It’s valid to conclude that the more we push ourselves out of our comfort zone by skydiving or taking on heights or even the exhilarating rush of a zip line the better we get in dating.” 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette,</a> <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Going on a blind date is as thrill-inducing as skydiving

Going on a blind first date is just as thrilling...

High blood pressure is widespread and impacts about one billion people across the globe. The condition increases the risk of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breakfast-prevent-cardiovascular-disease/">cardiovascular disease</a>, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. 

It’s been proven that dairy consumption has a positive impact on heart health and has been associated with beneficial effects on high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and insulin resistance. 

Now, a new study found that eating yogurt specifically could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with high blood pressure. 

A team of researchers who specialize in nutritional science and epidemiology conducted the study, which was published in the American Journal of Hypertension. 

The results showed that consuming yogurt was linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease among men and women with hypertension. 

For the study, the team collected and analyzed data from two previous studies, the <a href="http://www.nurseshealthstudy.org/">Nurses’ Health Study</a> and the<a href="https://sites.sph.harvard.edu/hpfs/"> Health Professionals Follow-Up Study</a>. 

The Nurses’ Study included 55,000 women ages 30 to 55 with high blood pressure, while the Health Professionals Study included 18,000 men ages 40 to 75.

The Nurses’ Health Study had participants fill out a 61 item questionnaire that included questions about dietary intake and any diagnosed heart issues such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and revascularization.

In the two studies, there were 5,448 reported cases of cardiovascular disease among the participants. 

After analyzing the data, the researchers found a link between eating yogurt and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Among the Nurses’ Health participants, a high consumption of yogurt correlated with a 30 percent reduction in risk of heart attack for women and a 19 percent lower risk in men in the Health Professional study. 

The results showed that in both men and women with high blood pressure, eating two or more servings of yogurt a week was linked to a 20 percent lower risk of heart disease 

“We hypothesized that long-term yogurt intake might reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems since some previous small studies had shown beneficial effects of fermented dairy products,”  said Justin Buendia, the study’s lead author. “Our results provide important new evidence that yogurt may benefit heart health alone or as a consistent part of a diet rich in fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.” 

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Eating yogurt is good for your heart

High blood pressure is widespread and impacts about one billion...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/self-driving-cars-sensors/">Autonomous vehicles</a> are quickly becoming more of a reality in the developed world, as some major companies have already put hundreds of vehicles on the road. This new technology could eventually save you the trouble of driving yourself everywhere, but could it also save the environment?

A new study published in the journal <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/journal/esthag">Environmental Science &amp; Technology</a> has found that the added weight, electricity demand, and aerodynamic drag of the sensors and computers used in these vehicles are major contributors to their lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. 

However, when savings from the driving efficiencies of autonomous vehicles are factored into these calculations, the net result is a reduction in lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of as much as 9 percent compared to conventional vehicles. 

“This study explored the tradeoffs between the increased environmental impacts from adding autonomous vehicle equipment with the expected gains in driving efficiency,” explains Gregory Keoleian, director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the <a href="https://www.umich.edu/">University of Michigan</a> School for Environment and Sustainability, and co-author on the study.

In the study, the researchers assess the lifetime contributions of the sensing and computing subsystems in autonomous vehicles to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Autonomous vehicles – formally known as connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) – usually include multiple cameras, radar, sonar, LiDAR, a GPS navigation system, a computer, and support structures.

The vehicles the researchers analyzed for the study are Level 4 CAVs, which are vehicles that can operate without human input or oversight under select conditions. They assessed two types of CAVs: those powered by internal combustion engines and battery-powered electric vehicles. The two vehicle types were paired with sensing and computer subsystems of three sizes (small, medium, and large) to create six scenarios. To estimate lifetime energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for each scenario, they utilized life-cycle assessment methodology.

The results showed that autonomous vehicles with electric powertrains have 40 percent lower lifetime greenhouse gas emissions than vehicles powered by internal-combustion engines. “We’ve shown in this paper that a battery-electric vehicle is a better platform for CAV components compared to the internal-combustion engine vehicle in terms of minimizing environmental impacts,” says study lead author Jim Gawron, a graduate student at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability and at the Ross School of Business.

Their findings also showed that the sensing and computing subsystems in CAVs could increase a vehicle’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by between 3 and 20 percent, as a result of increases in power consumption, weight, and aerodynamic drag. This includes the added weight and power demand of the onboard computer – roughly 45 percent of the weight and 80 percent of the power – and the drag caused by exterior-mounted CAV components. Luckily, the operational benefits of these vehicles are expected to outweigh these increases in the majority of cases. 

However, the conclusions of this study are based on the assumption that the operational efficiencies of CAVs can result in a 14 percent reduction in fuel consumption over conventional vehicles. But if the reduction ends up being significantly lower than 14 percent, the environmental benefits could disappear.

“Our findings highlight the need to focus on energy efficiency when designing autonomous vehicles so that the full environmental benefits of this emerging, transformative technology can be realized,” says Keoleian. “We hope this work contributes to a more sustainable mobility ecosystem.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Autonomous vehicles would have environmental benefits

Autonomous vehicles are quickly becoming more of a reality in...

Experts at <a href="https://www.fiu.edu/">Florida International University</a> are reporting that having an intelligent best friend in middle school can boost our intelligence later in life. The researchers say this is likely due to the fact that we absorb the knowledge and skills of our closest peers.

“Decades of research has revealed clear associations between indicators of intelligence and a host of important outcomes,” wrote the study authors. “Thus, it is not surprising that a multitude of studies have attempted to elucidate the factors that contribute to the development of, and individual variation in, intelligence.”

“The current study sought to contribute to this body of research by exploring a relatively novel potential influence on intelligence: peers.”

The research was based on data from hundreds of participants across the country, including “target children” who had taken intelligence tests at age 10 and then again at age 15. The target children were linked with the test scores of their best friends, who had completed intelligence tests between the ages of 11 and 12.

The study revealed that intelligence among the target children at age 15 strongly corresponded with the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/self-control-tied-intelligence/">intelligence</a> levels of their best friends at age 11. 

The researchers said that these findings indicate that we not only seek out friends who have a similar IQ to our own, but that the intellect of our closest peers directly influences our own intellectual capacity.

“Overall, our results provide support for the hypothesis that having more intelligent friends is associated with higher future levels of intelligence,” wrote the researchers. “Our findings add … another layer of evidence for the important and pervasive influence of peers on a host of traits during adolescence.”

The <a href="https://psyarxiv.com/tvj9z">study</a> was led by Dr. Ryan Meldrum.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Our childhood friends can actually make us smarter

Experts at Florida International University are reporting that having an...

A commonly cited story about how rabbits became domesticated has been found to be untrue. Instead, a new study published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution suggests that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cats-domesticated-10000-years/">domestication</a> of rabbits had no exact origin but happened over a broad period of time.   

The research also has wide implications as it shows how domestication was an ongoing process, and trying pinpoint a single origin in time when an animal was domesticated is not possible. 

Previously, information about the domestication of rabbits was based on the story that says in 600 A.D. Pope Gregory declared that eating fetal rabbits was acceptable during lent and so monks began domesticating the first rabbits. 

However, archeologists from the <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">University of Oxford</a> found this wasn’t the case at all, as there is evidence of domesticated rabbits dating back as far as the last ice age.

Researchers Evan Irving-Pease and Greger Larson were testing a method for genetically dating domestication using the molecular clock. 

By comparing the genomes of a domestic animal and a wild one, the molecular clock would show when in time the two converged, which would be when the animal was first domesticated. 

Irving-Pease and Larson tried this method on rabbits, thinking that it would prove that genomes of rabbits diverged in 600 A.D. matching the popular story. Instead, the molecular clock method showed that rabbits were domesticated much earlier, even before domestication existed. 

Their findings complicate the matter of domestication and disprove the theory that rabbits were first domesticated by monks. 

“I had cited it, colleagues of mine had cited it, it's all over Wikipedia, it's all over the web... but it turns out that the modern story is a complete house of cards,” said Larson. “What was really interesting to me then was why nobody's really thought about it or been critical about it.” 

Larson and his colleagues instead suggest that rabbit domestication happened over a long period of time beginning in the paleolithic era. They were hunted and kept in cages, then moved around and eventually bred as pets. 

Trying to pinpoint domestication is an impossible feat for many animals because as the researchers say there’s no “eureka” moment.

“We have been slightly arrogant,” said Irving-Pease. “We know a hell of a lot less about the origins of the things that matter most to us than we think we do.”

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Rabbits have been domesticated much longer than most thought

A commonly cited story about how rabbits became domesticated has...

What determines an individual’s personality? While psychologists have worked to understand this complex component of the human experience, there have been many controversies and contradicting information about how personalities develop. 

But now, a new theory has been published by Carol Dweck, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation.

Dweck suggests that personality is based on basic needs and fulfillment. Her work combines motivation, personality, and development in one framework. 

Published in the journal Psychological Review, the findings revolve around the idea that as people try and meet their needs and create goals and beliefs around their experiences, this is how personality is formed and developed. 

According to Dweck, we all have basic psychological needs that must be met. These are the need to predict our world, the need to build competence to act on our world, and the need for acceptance from others. 

As an example of these basic needs being met, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eggs-high-iq-babies/">infants</a> are constantly on the lookout for need-relevant information and working to fulfill them. Learning as they go, their experiences begin to shape their beliefs about the world and their ability to act in that world. These beliefs are termed “BEATs.” 

Dweck defines BEATs as all the experiences a person has while trying to meet their needs. BEATs are an important factor in personality, both with goal orientation and inner beliefs about need fulfillment. 

A person’s BEATs help shape personality because they can determine how someone goes about meeting their needs and goals, in other words, motivations.

Dweck’s theory is noteworthy because it shows how personality is developed by motivations instead of the idea that personality is genetic and we’re born with certain personality traits. 

Personality is shaped as our beliefs and experiences evolve.  The research also provides insight into growth and development and the personality processes that can help shape well-being

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What determines how our personalities develop?

What determines an individual’s personality? While psychologists have worked to...

A new study found the optimal income for life satisfaction was $95,000, suggesting that money can buy happiness but only up to a certain amount. 

“That might be surprising as what we see on TV and what advertisers tell us we need would indicate that there is no ceiling when it comes to how much money is needed for happiness, but we now see there are some thresholds,” said Andrew T. Jebb, the lead author of the study. 

Researchers from <a href="http://www.purdue.edu/">Purdue University</a> examined wealth and satisfaction across different regions around the world to measure if money is a major factor in happiness, satisfaction, and well-being. 

Their findings were published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

Money can buy basic needs which are important to one’s sense of well-being and health, but the Purdue study questioned if there was a cap on how much happiness money could buy. 

Does satisfaction and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/difficult-times-important-happiness/">happiness</a> increase the more money you have, or is there a point when money can actually cause emotional strain?

To answer this question, the researchers collected data from the Gallup World Poll, a survey of more than 1.7 million people across 164 countries. 

Income and happiness were calculated using the purchasing power of individuals in the survey and their reported satisfaction and well-being in relation to that income. 

The results showed that money did impact satisfaction and emotional well-being but only to a point. 

“It's been debated at what point does money no longer change your level of well-being,” said Jebb. “We found that the ideal income point is $95,000 for life evaluation and $60,000 to $75,000 for emotional well-being.” 

If income was higher than the researchers’ calculations, people reported a reduced level of satisfaction and lower self-worth. 

The study hypothesizes that this is because money can buy basic needs and conveniences that impact happiness, but income levels above that add stress to the earner and they may feel pressured to compare themselves to other higher earners or pursue more wealth. 

“At this point, they are asking themselves, 'Overall, how am I doing?' and 'How do I compare to other people?'” Jebb said. “The small decline puts one's level of well-being closer to individuals who make slightly lower incomes, perhaps due to the costs that come with the highest incomes.” 

Jebb and his colleagues note that their findings could be significant for future research examining the relationship between money and happiness and its limits across different regions, cultures, and individuals. 

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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

There is a limit to the happiness that money can buy, study finds

A new study found the optimal income for life satisfaction...

The <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en">European Commission Joint Research Centre</a> (JRC) has launched the largest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/quality-life-megacities-trees/">urban</a> database ever created. The comprehensive new tool was developed to hold information on 10,000 cities all over the world.

The JRC's Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) is a framework to produce information on the population size of settlements. Based on data derived from the GHSL, the researchers concluded that the planet has become more urbanized than they previously realized.

The experts found that urban populations in Africa doubled between 1990 and 2015, while urban populations in Asia grew by 1.1 billion in the same time frame. They also discovered that over 400 cities have a population between 1 and 5 million, more than 40 cities have 5 to 10 million people, and 32 cities have over 10 million residents.

Furthermore, the researchers determined that air pollution in urban areas was decreasing between 2000 and 2015, and cities became 25 percent greener in those years.

Environmental factors tracked by the tool include the estimated “greenness” of a city, air pollution levels, disaster-risk related exposure, and the distance from a city to the closest natural protected areas. The data is available to anyone free of charge, and will provide support to monitor global urbanization and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The information gained from the GHSL is used to map out population density and settlement models. Satellite data and local geographic information are used to create the maps.

The city centres database will be revealed for the first time at the 9th annual World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur. At the event, the JRC will provide training on how to monitor urban development using the GHSL database. 
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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

City database reveals Earth has become increasingly urbanized

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) has launched the...

Experts at the <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/">University of Colorado Boulder</a> are reporting that alcohol causes more damage to the brain than marijuana. Alcohol use was linked to structural changes in brain matter, while marijuana use was not linked to long-term mental consequences.

Marijuana is being legalized for both medicinal and recreational use in states across America, and researchers are working to learn more about its potential health benefits as well as any harmful impacts that may be caused by the drug.

The CU Boulder team set out to examine how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-battle-opioid-crisis/">marijuana</a> affects the brain. The experts analyzed MRI scans from over 1,200 participants between the ages of 14 and 55 after determining patterns of alcohol and cannabis use among the individuals.

The study revealed that marijuana does not significantly affect grey or white matter in the brain. Alcohol use, on the other hand, was found to reduce the size of grey matter and the integrity of white matter - particularly in adults who had used alcohol for many years.

Grey matter enables brain function such as speech, muscle control, decision making, and memory, while white matter connects areas of grey matter together. The researchers explained that any reduction in the size or integrity of brain matter can lead to impairments in brain functioning.

“With alcohol, we've known it's bad for the brain for decades,” said study co-author Kent Hutchison. “But for cannabis, we know so little.”

Hutchison pointed out that the results of previous studies on how marijuana affects the brain are inconsistent.

“When you look at the research much more closely, you see that a lot of it is probably not accurate,” said Hutchison.

“When you look at these studies going back years, you see that one study will report that marijuana use is related to a reduction in the volume of the hippocampus. The next study then comes around, and they say that marijuana use is related to changes in the cerebellum...The point is that there's no consistency across all of these studies in terms of the actual brain structures.”

Based on the findings of the current study, the researchers believe that alcohol consumption is much more harmful to brain health than marijuana use.

“While marijuana may also have some negative consequences, it definitely is nowhere near the negative consequences of alcohol,” said Hutchison.

The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction">Addiction</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Marijuana is much less damaging to the brain than alcohol

Experts at the University of Colorado Boulder are reporting 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

[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

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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



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

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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

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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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