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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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Eating avocados during pregnancy reduces baby's allergy risk

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

‘Tis the season for wild turkeys in Massachusetts, but one group of troublemaking turkeys have Boston residents in a "fowl" mood.

The indigenous bird was once completely eradicated from the state. Thanks to the hard work of wildlife restoration experts, the turkeys Ben Franklin once wanted to honor as America’s national bird have made a comeback.

That comeback hasn’t come without a cost. Gangs of wild urban turkeys have begun strutting around Boston like the own the place.

“There was a girl at church on Sunday who was telling me how she got chased. She and her dog got chased by a wild turkey,” Councilman Craig Kelly said during a recent Cambridge City Council meeting.

Over the past three years, Boston and its suburbs have received countless similar complaints, including that they damage cars, attack people and pets, and ruin gardens. A review of public records turned up 60 such reports last year alone, the <a href="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">Associated Press</a> said. 

One Cambridge meeting to discuss the turkey problem became an example itself. When the meeting ended, Councilman Dennis Carlone was rushed by a turkey as soon as he left.

“It was like the turkey was waiting for me,” he told the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/">Boston Globe</a>. “They’re clearly strategizing. And I agree, we have to think of some humane way to deal with this.”

In five cases, turkeys became so aggressive that police had to shoot them for public safety, the Associated Press reported.

The troublemaking turkeys aren’t just a problem in Boston. Cities throughout the U.S. have had to deal with more of the feathered fiends finding their way into urban areas. 

And of course, they’re not alone. Other animals like raccoons, foxes and mountain lions have made appearances in cities in recent years. The Boston area has been swamed by rabbits as well as turkeys, and they do just as much damage to yards and gardens.

The problem is that wild animals become acclimated to human areas, but don’t abandon their normal, wild behaviors. Residents who leave food out for wildlife don’t help, because it encourages them to return to the area. 

"Turkeys don't really mean to harm people – it's just tied to their social dynamics within the flock," David Scarpitti told the Associated Press. Scarpitti is a wildlife biologist and turkey expert for the <a href="https://www.mass.gov/orgs/department-of-fish-and-game">Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife</a>. "They lose perspective that humans are humans and turkeys are turkeys. They just want to assert dominance over anything."

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Troublemaking turkeys are ruffling feathers in Boston

‘Tis the season for wild turkeys in Massachusetts, but one...

Easter Island is one of the most remote islands in the world, and also one of the most mysterious. The island is home to massive “moai” stone statues, but scientists have struggled to understand both the origins and fate of the population who created the structures.

New research has disproven the theory that early inhabitants of Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, intermixed with South Americans before Europeans arrived on the island in 1722. 

A study, conducted by a team of international researchers from the <a href="https://www.ucsc.edu/">University of Santa Cruz</a>, used DNA analysis of ancient bone fragments. 

The samples were small, but new technology a made more in-depth analysis possible. The samples were taken from five individuals, two who lived before European contact and two who lived after. 

Anthropologists have debated about when intermixing occurred between the Polynesian inhabitants of Rapa Nui and South Americans. This study represents the first time paleogenomics were used to test the theory that intermixing happened before Europeans arrived at the Island. 

Now, the researchers can confirm that intermixing did not occur before <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/global-warming-hurt-european-wine/">European</a> contact. 

 “We were really surprised we didn't find anything. There's a lot of evidence that seems plausible, so we were convinced we would find direct evidence of pre-European contact with South America, but it wasn't there,” said Lars Fehren-Schmitz, an associate professor of anthropology at UC Santa Cruz, and one of the researchers on the Rapa Nui project. 

Understanding how today’s inhabitants of Rapa Nui developed their genetic imprint is a puzzle to researchers, and one of many mysteries that surround Easter Island. 

Another one of the island’s great mysteries is that researchers can’t figure out how it came to be populated in the first place. 

“We know the island's modern populations have some Native American ancestry, and now we know that early inhabitants did not. So the big questions remain: Where and when did these groups interact to change the genetic signature of Easter Islanders?” said Fehren-Schmitz.

After analyzing the samples, the researchers note that further studies will help peel back the many mysteries of Easter Island.

“We want to do more work to determine more precisely when this gene flow between Native Americans and the people of Rapa Nui occurred, and wherein the Americas it originated,” said Fehren-Schmitz. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Analysis provides new clues about the Easter Island mysteries

Easter Island is one of the most remote islands in...

Researchers have demonstrated that Twitter posts can help predict the outcome of sports games when combined with betting prices. The experts discovered that when the tone of simultaneous tweets toward a team are positive, the likelihood of that team winning the game is higher than betting markets imply.

The study was led by Dr. Alasdair Brown of the <a href="https://www.uea.ac.uk/">University of East Anglia.</a>

"We know that prediction markets, such as Betfair, generally lead to accurate forecasts, and outperform individual experts and polls in many settings. However, we wanted to find out if social media has anything to add,” said Dr. Brown. “Can we combine probability forecasts from prediction markets with social media output to improve our predictions?”

The researchers analyzed a total of 13.8 million tweets during an English Premier League (EPL) soccer season. These <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/twitter-bots-used-good/">Twitter</a> posts were compared with in-play betting prices available at the same time on Betfair, the world's largest online betting exchange.

The experts measured the combined tone of tweets posted during any given second using a micro-blogging dictionary. When the tone of aggregate tweets was positive, this was a stronger predictor of a victory than predictions forecasted by betting market prices.

"We find that Twitter activity predicts match outcomes, after controlling for betting market prices” said Dr. Brown. “Much of the predictive power of social media presents itself just after significant market events, such as goals and red cards, where the tone of tweets can help in the interpretation of information.”

The experts developed betting strategies to quantify the degree of mispricing that social media predicts. By estimating commissions paid to Betfair and betting when tweets about a team were positive, the researchers calculated an average return of 2.28 percent from 903,821 bets. This is a significant increase compared with average returns of -5.41 percent across all matches examined.

"In short, social media activity does not just represent sentiment or misinformation,” said Dr. Brown. “If sensibly aggregated it can, when combined with a prediction market, help to improve forecast accuracy."

The study is published today in the journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1465-7295">Economic Inquiry</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Twitter can actually predict which team will win the game

Researchers have demonstrated that Twitter posts can help predict the...

An investigation by researchers at the <a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/">Imperial College London</a> reveals that psilocybin, a compound found in psychedelic mushrooms, helps relieve depression in patients with conditions resistant to other forms of treatment. The study demonstrates that the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/magic-mushrooms-psychiatric-therapies/">psychoactive compound</a> may be capable of resetting the activity of key brain circuits that facilitate depression.

Researchers treated 20 patients, whose symptoms had persisted during conventional treatments, with psilocybin. Images of the patients' brains prior to administration of the drug were compared to images captured one day after the treatment. The experts identified changes in brain activity that are associated with significant reductions in depressive symptoms.

The patients reported benefits lasting up to five weeks after treatment. It appeared that psilocybin had reset the activity of a network of interconnected neurons in the brain known to play a role in depression.

The authors say that while the results of the study are exciting, further experimentation is needed using a larger sample size and a control group. Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris is in charge of psychedelic research at Imperial College London and lead author of the research.

"We have shown for the first time clear changes in brain activity in depressed people treated with psilocybin after failing to respond to conventional treatments” said Dr. Carhart-Harris. "Several of our patients described feeling 'reset' after the treatment and often used computer analogies. For example, one said he felt like his brain had been 'defragged' like a computer hard drive, and another said he felt 'rebooted.'”

The MRI imaging revealed decreased blood flow in areas of the brain including the amygdala - a small region of the brain known to be involved in processing emotional responses, stress, and fear. The imaging also showed increased stability in another brain network, which has been linked to the drug's immediate effects.

"Through collecting these imaging data we have been able to provide a window into the after effects of psilocybin treatment in the brains of patients with chronic depression,” said Dr. Carhart-Harris. “Based on what we know from various brain imaging studies with psychedelics, as well as taking heed of what people say about their experiences, it may be that psychedelics do indeed 'reset' the brain networks associated with depression, effectively enabling them to be lifted from the depressed state.”

The study is published today in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Magic mushrooms could treat depression by resetting brain

An investigation by researchers at the Imperial College London reveals...

Have you ever wondered why people seem to instinctively use baby talk with their children or pets? Baby talk, or “motherese” as it is sometimes called, is widely recognizable and used across different countries, no matter the language. 

Research has found that baby talk helps toddlers learn language and emotions, and helps them understand syllables and sentence structure through the more musical and playful tone that their parents use when talking to them. 

Now, researchers from <a href="https://www.princeton.edu/">Princeton</a> have qualified the difference between baby talk and regular vocal patterns noting a distinct shift in timbre. Timbre is different from pitch and more synonymous with tone and sound. 

“Timbre is best defined as the unique quality of a sound. Barry White's silky voice sounds different from Tom Waits' gravelly one -- even if they're both singing the same note,” said Elise Piazza, a postdoctoral research associate with the <a href="https://pni.princeton.edu/">Princeton Neuroscience Institute</a>. 

There was a recognized shift in timbre across women talking motherese who spoke ten different languages and could be identified almost instantly by a learning algorithm. 

The researchers found that when the women participants spoke to adults versus infants, there were distinct differences in their vocal “fingerprints,” and it was consistent with languages spoken all over the world including, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Russian and Spanish.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/babies-retain-language/">Baby talk</a> is nothing new, but this is the first study of its kind to identify the vocal shift in timbre physically. 

“This is fascinating because clearly, speakers are not aware of changing their timbre, and this new study shows that it is a highly reliable feature of the way we speak to babies,” said Jenny Saffran, a professor of psychology at the <a href="http://www.wisc.edu/">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>. 

The study is the first of it’s kind and opens doors for other speech studies and analysis. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Baby talk tone and sound are the same in any language

Have you ever wondered why people seem to instinctively use...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/economic-hardship-racial-discrimination/">Racial bias</a> often leads to an entire group of people being lumped together instead of being seen as individuals. An international team of researchers has found that one way to reduce racial bias in children is by teaching them to identify specific faces of people from a different race.

For the study, 95 Chinese children were divided into groups and trained to distinguish between the faces of males from other races. Before testing, the researchers measured their levels of implicit racial bias. 

One group saw black male faces, a second group saw white male faces, and a third group saw Asian male faces during two training sessions held a week apart. The children took the implicit racial bias test again a day after each training session and they were tested for bias a final time 60 days after the training.

Although there was no change in children who studied white and Asian faces, the children who were trained to identify black males showed a significant reduction in implicit racial bias for at least two months following the sessions. The researchers explained that the key to lessening racial bias was the repeat session.

Gail Heyman is a professor of Psychology at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> and a senior co-author on the study.

"A single session had minimal immediate effects that dissipated quickly. The lesson didn't stick,” said Professor Heyman. “But a second session a week later seemed to act like a booster shot, producing measurable differences in implicit bias 60 days later.”

Experts believe there are at least two different types of bias. Implicit bias is the extent to which we have subconscious negative and positive associations with different races. Explicit bias refers to preferences that we are aware of and can discuss with others. 

"We think that reducing implicit racial bias in children could be a starting point for addressing a pernicious social problem," said Heyman. "But it is not the complete answer to racial discrimination or to systemic, structural racism."

The study, which published in the journal <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/index.html">Child Development</a>, is the first of its kind to produce lasting effects in children who are still young enough to be flexible in their ways of thinking. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New tools to help kids avoid developing a racial bias

Racial bias often leads to an entire group of people...

Countries that are considered to be better off have much higher rates of cancer than countries that are worse off, according to a new study. Researchers from the <a href="https://www.adelaide.edu.au/">University of Adelaide</a> explain that access to modern medicine is helping people survive cancer and, as a result, cancer genes are passed on to new generations.

This particular instance of human evolution is causing a major shift away from natural selection. Based on their investigation of global <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traditional-chinese-ink-cancer-treatment/">cancer</a> data from the World Health Organization combined with data from the United Nations and the World Bank of 173 countries, the researchers say that the rate of some cancers has doubled and even quadrupled over the past 100-150 years. 

"Modern medicine has enabled the human species to live much longer than would otherwise be expected in the natural world," says study co-author Maciej Henneberg. "Besides the obvious benefits that modern medicine gives, it also brings with it an unexpected side-effect: allowing genetic material to be passed from one generation to the next that predisposes people to have poor health, such as type 1 diabetes or cancer.”

The findings of the analysis, which are published in the journal <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1752-4571">Evolutionary Applications</a>, reveal an accumulation of cancer incidence over four to five generations.

"Because of the quality of our health care in western society, we have almost removed natural selection as the 'janitor of the gene pool'. Unfortunately, the accumulation of genetic mutations over time and across multiple generations is like a delayed death sentence," says Professor Henneberg.

The researchers determined the ten countries with the greatest chance for natural selection, the “worse off" countries, and compared them with the ten countries that have the least opportunity for natural selection, the “better off" countries. They found that the rate of most cancers in the 10 best countries is much greater than in the 10 worst countries. 

For example, the rate of testicular cancer is 14 times higher in the top 10 best countries and the lung cancer rate is 12 times higher. Furthermore, incidents of skin melanoma are 10 times higher in the countries considered to be better off, while rates of brain and pancreatic cancers are over 5 times higher.

Co-author Wenpeng You concludes, "It may be that the only way humankind can be rid of cancer once and for all is through genetic engineering - to repair our genes and take cancer out of the equation.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Wealthier countries have higher rates of cancer

Countries that are considered to be better off have much...

A new study has found that when sleep talking, people actually have entire coherent conversations, but they’re often intense and include profanity. The research found that these conversations are often heightened or negative in nature while remaining grammatically correct. 

The study, published in the journal Sleep, was conducted by researchers in France who looked for specifics in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fall-asleep-get-bored/">sleep</a> talking like frequency of conversations or “episodes,”  number of words, and the most common words or utterances used.

The researchers gathered data on 232 subjects and monitored their sleep talking over several nights.

The results found that the conversations were often heightened or confrontational, with many of the subjects showing a propensity for swearing even if they didn’t swear while awake. 

The results also showed that the conversations largely mirrored day to day conversations in syntax and flow, sometimes leaving whole silences for an invisible respondent during a sleep talking episode. 

“The sentences during sleep were grammatically correct mostly in the present tense, and contained subordinate clauses . . . and some rare subjunctive and conditional tenses. These results mean that sleep-talking does not parallel baby speaking, providing no evidence for age regression during sleep,” the researchers told the <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/foul-mouthed-sleep-talkers-given-rude-awakening-xsfqsjfrg">Times</a>. 

The results found a total of 882 speech episodes recorded. These episodes contained both verbal and nonverbal communication, such as mumbling and laughing, but the researchers also recognized 3,349 understandable words total.

“No” was the most common word said aloud, and men were more likely to sleep talk and to swear, according to the study. 

The researchers note that the ability have such coherent conversations while asleep shows the brain’s remarkable capacity to function at high levels, even on the off-hours.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Sleep talking is usually coherent but dirty, study finds

A new study has found that when sleep talking, people...

A new study from the <a href="https://twin-cities.umn.edu/">University of Minnesota</a> has examined the previously under-reported role of gut fungi in the development of obesity. 

Previous studies have focused solely on how gut bacteria opens the doors to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/working-night-shift-obesity/">obesity</a>, but very little attention has been paid to gut fungi, which researchers say may play just as crucial a role.

“We really need to be looking at all the microbes and how they are interacting with each other to get a full picture of what the microbiome structure and function is in a given individual,” said Dr. Cheryl Gale, associate professor in in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, and the lead investigator. 

Gut fungi are just as instrumental to gut and metabolic health as bacteria and could also be directly linked to obesity. 

"Although they represent a small component of the microbiota, fungal communities are significant in that they potentially serve as a reservoir for pathogens as well as for keystone species with critical roles in maintaining the function of the gut microbiome,” said Gale. 

Researchers conducted the study using two groups of mice. One group was fed a high-fat diet, and the other kept to a normal diet. 

The mice that were fed a high-fat diet had drastically higher amounts of 19 bacterial and 6 fungal taxa, different than what was in the microbiome of the mice with a normal diet. The high-fat diet also lowered metabolic function. 

Dr. Gale noted that the gut fungi were greatly affected by just a change in diet.

“These kingdoms are not in isolation. If one changes, it is going to impact the community structure and maybe the functional structure of other kingdoms as well. I think that is where the microbiome field is moving,” said Gale. 

This study shows the need for further research into fungi as a part of the microbiome to see its effect on obesity. However, the technology to sequence gut fungi has not yet fully developed, but the researchers hope further studies will push those technologies along. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com,</a> Staff Writer

High-fat diets change your gut fungi and lead to obesity

A new study from the University of Minnesota has examined...

When we think of underdeveloped or developing countries moving to the next step, it usually comes along with the processes of industrialization and agricultural growth – particularly in the Western world.  However, a new study published in <a href="https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/">Ecology and Society</a> attempts to flip this ideology on its head. 

Ashwin Ravikumar, an environmental social scientists at <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/">The Field Museum</a>, and his colleagues believed that governments have been too quick to dismiss indigenous peoples’ traditional ways of life, and the well being that they create. In many cases, these communities are living a high quality of life through managing their natural resources in a sustainable fashion as a result of traditional hunting, fishing, and small-scale agriculture.

This study details an assets-based approach to conservation. “Rather than fixating on what they lack, we focus on the assets they already have, especially their skills in managing local resources. We create spaces for local communities to think about what choices make the most sense for them,” says Ravikumar.

The researchers worked with rural communities in the Peruvian Amazon, determining that the local populations are able to meet their basic needs through a diverse collection of subsistence activities. These include hunting, fishing, and farming – which over centuries have developed sophisticated natural resource management systems that help protect the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/illegal-activity-brazilian-amazon/">rainforest ecosystem</a>.

For these indigenous people, “well-being” isn’t defined by owning cars or TVs. “When they talk about well-being, they do talk about money,” says Ravikumar. “But they always include basic needs and natural resources, like having a healthy forest, since forests can be of cultural and spiritual importance.” The indigenous people in the study do rely on money for things such as transportation, but their environment covers most basic needs like food, water, and shelter. 

Through working closely with the people in these communities, the project hopes to lead to the implementation of a conservation plan that complements their existing practices. “We build strong relationships with these communities through a combination of direct work with them on the ground and cataloging how they use traditional knowledge to manage natural resources in an ecosystem,” explains Ravikumar.

Aiding and understanding how these communities sustain themselves will help researchers such as Ravikumar work more efficiently to help them organize politically to gain support from both government and non-government allies, which will help them in the future. In the past, the indigenous people have been exploited by commercial industries as well as their own government. Through this new approach, hopefully their future will be brighter than their past.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Redefining conservation to help exploited indigenous communities

When we think of underdeveloped or developing countries moving to...

Tai chi could be the perfect form of light to moderate exercise for patients who have recently suffered a heart attack. 

A new study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found that Tai chi could be the right alternative for patients who decline or can’t handle traditional cardiac rehabilitation. 

Tai chi, however, consists of slow and gentle movements with a central focus on breathing that can also lower stress. 

Research has found that 69 percent of patients who recently suffered a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-weather-heart-attack/">heart attack</a> refused cardiac rehabilitation for a number of reasons including cost, distance to a rehab facility, and fear that the exercise will be strenuous and painful. 

Researchers from <a href="https://www.brown.edu/">Brown University</a> considered these factors and developed a modified Tai chi program for interested patients to see if the effects would be beneficial.

“We thought that Tai Chi might be a good option for these people because you can start very slowly and simply and, as their confidence increases, the pace and movements can be modified to increase intensity,” said Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, assistant professor at the <a href="http://med.brown.edu/">Warren Alpert School of Medicine</a> and lead author of the study. 

The study’s participants included 8 women and 21 men who were heart disease patients at <a href="https://www.miriamhospital.org/">The Miriam Hospital</a> in Rhode Island. 

All of the participants were physically inactive and had declined rehabilitation, even though most had previously had a heart attack. 

The results of the study were very promising, and all of the patients liked doing Tai chi regularly and would even recommend it to a friend. 

The program was not strenuous, and only minor muscular pain was reported by the patients at the beginning.

“If proven effective in larger studies, it might be possible to offer it as an exercise option within a rehab center as a bridge to more strenuous exercise, or in a community setting with the educational components of rehab delivered outside of a medical setting,” said Salmoirago-Blotcher. 

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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

Tai chi can help rehabilitate your heart

Tai chi could be the perfect form of light to...

Many beauty products including makeup, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chemicals-shampoo-liquor-cancer/">shampoo</a>, lotion, and nail polish contain chemicals that lack safety data. Some of these chemicals have been linked to birth defects and other major health issues in animal studies.

So why take a chance if you don't have to? There are plenty of environmentally conscious, chemical-free beauty brands that do not leave you guessing what you are putting on your skin. Here are some of the best green beauty brands that are available.

Juice Beauty

Packaged inside of recycled paper that is labeled with soy ink, these products are made of ingredients that are certified organic. Juice Beauty even uses solar energy during production.

Aveda 

Aveda offers only naturally derived products packaged in recycled material and uses 100 percent wind energy for manufacturing.


Suki
Suki maintains a cruelty-free philosophy and leaves little to no carbon footprint during production. Their products are organic, fair trade, and biodynamic.

Burt’s Bees

With a goal of becoming "the greenest personal care company on earth” by 2020, over half of their line of products is 100 percent natural and the other half is 99 percent. Burt's Bees also uses recycled packaging and is committed to preserving human and animal rights.

Pangea Organics

Body wash that is full of chemicals can take hundreds of years to break down. Pangea sells handmade products sourced from organic farmers that begin biodegrading in as little as two days.

Origins

Using only certified organic and natural ingredients, this product line contains no parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, or mineral oil. Origins also uses renewable energy sources during production.

Yes To Carrots

These products are made with organic fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots. They are free of parabens, petroleum, and phthalates.

Nude Skincare

Nude Skincare products are completely free of harmful chemicals like parabens, GMOs, and phthalates, and are biodegradable. Fair trade and organic ingredients are used whenever possible.


Jurlique

All of Jurlique’s formulas include natural botanical ingredients, many of which are grown on their own 150-acre farm in Australia.

Caudalie

Caudalie has a mission to find the greenest ingredients possible and uses only plant oils and fair trade and organic ingredients. This brand also stands against animal testing.

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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

The top 10 green beauty brands

Many beauty products including makeup, shampoo, lotion, and nail polish...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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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"

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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



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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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

[sendtonews key="qas3EhyI0Y-2220951-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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