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...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/">Boston University School of Medicine</a> set out to compare today's beauty standards to what constituted beauty decades back. In order to do this, they analyzed the physical traits and other characteristics of celebrities that made People magazine's World's Most Beautiful list in 1990 and in 2017.

Dr. Neelam A. Vashi and co-authors gathered information on the celebrities which included age, sex, race, skin type, hair color, eye color and any visible dermatologic conditions. The team published their findings in <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology">JAMA Dermatology</a>. The article highlighted significant changes, particularly concerning age, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/economic-hardship-racial-discrimination/">race</a>, and gender.

The researchers reported that the average age of celebrities on the list increased from 33.2 in 1990 to 38.9 in 2017. In addition, the proportion of females increased from 52 percent in 1990 to 88.1 percent in 2017.


There were also notable differences in the races that were represented on the list. The proportion of celebrities of nonwhite races increased from 24 percent in 1990 to 40 percent in 2017. While celebrities of mixed race were represented by only one person in 1990, there were 14 celebrities of mixed race on the World’s Most Beautiful list in 2017.

In 1990, 88 percent of the celebrities deemed beautiful had lighter skin types and 12 percent had darker skin types. By 2017, lighter skin types dropped to 70.4 percent and darker skin types accounted for 29.6 percent of the list.

"As evidenced by our data and contrary to our hypothesis, at present, a wider variety of skin colors and inclusion of older age groups are represented among those deemed to be the most beautiful,” said the authors of the study. 

“The mass media platform has for years introduced certain criteria for what constitutes beauty. Through an examination of the World's Most Beautiful issue of People, we found that these beauty standards are evolving as people learn how to integrate the effects of media with exposure to new cultures and different norms.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New study shows standards of beauty becoming more inclusive

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine set out...

As more people become aware of the toxic chemicals that are packed into mosquito repellent, there is a high demand for natural alternatives. A new study has identified essential oil from citrus fruit as a potential substitute. The research has revealed that citrus fruit oils may be an effective, eco-friendly way of controlling mosquitoes.

Researchers from <a href="http://www.alexu.edu.eg/index.php/en/">Alexandria University</a> in Egypt extracted large amounts of essential oils from the peel of a citrus fruit similar to an orange, which is widely accessible throughout many regions of the world. 

In order to extract the oil, the team air-dried the peels of three different citrus species which were then cut into smaller pieces and hydro distilled. The researchers conducted tests to evaluate the usefulness of the essential oils in mosquitocidal activity.

The experts found that the oils were highly effective in killing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insecticide-attracts-mosquitoes/">mosquitoes</a>. Dr. Mohamed E. I. Badawy is a professor at Alexandria University in the Department of Pesticide Chemistry and Technology and lead author of the research.


"This study, which we believe to be the first of its kind, shows that the essential oils from the peels of citrus plants were very effective against larvae and adults,” said Dr. Badawy. “This means there could be a natural and hugely accessible product available which could be used as a method of mosquito control."

There is an urgent need for accessible mosquito control, particularly in regions of the world that have poor water management and rapid urbanization. These conditions accelerate the transmission of many diseases to humans and animals by mosquitoes. 

The authors point out that further experimentation is needed to confirm the findings of this study and the effectiveness of essential oils in mosquito management. The research is published today in <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/gnpl20/current">Natural Product Research</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Essential oils could be a new natural mosquito repellent

As more people become aware of the toxic chemicals that...

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/plant-based-diets-heart-disease/">Heart disease</a> is triggered by many causes including diabetes, smoking, and high blood pressure. Even some mental disorders, such as stress and depression, have been linked to dangerous heart conditions. And now, research is emerging that demonstrates how traumatic experiences can also damage heart health. 

According to the <a href="http://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>, a woman dies every minute in the United States from heart disease. There has been little research on the impact of traumatic experiences on vascular health, and even fewer studies have focused on the cardiovascular effects of trauma during menopause, a time when the risk of heart disease is rising.


Researchers at the <a href="http://www.medschool.pitt.edu/">University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine</a> set out to determine whether a greater number of traumatic experiences is directly linked to cardiovascular health risks. For the study, 272 nonsmoking, menopausal women were evaluated. Traumatic experiences were defined by the team as events such as sexual harassment, death of a child, being in a car accident, experiencing a natural disaster, or being beaten or mugged. 

The researchers focused specifically on the function of the endothelium, the inner lining of the heart and blood vessels. The study revealed that women who had a higher number of traumatic experiences had poorer endothelial function, making them more susceptible to a cardiac incident.

"These findings underscore the importance of psychosocial factors, such as trauma exposure, in the development of heart disease risk in midlife women," said lead author Dr. Rebecca Thurston.

The findings of the study will be presented at <a href="http://www.menopause.org/">The North American Menopause Society</a> (NAMS) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, October 11-14. Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton is the executive director of NAMS.

"Given the large percentage of postmenopausal women affected by heart disease, this is an important study that should remind healthcare providers of the need to thoroughly discuss a woman's history beyond simply asking about her physical health," said Dr. Pinkerton.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Traumatic experiences can literally break your heart

Heart disease is triggered by many causes including diabetes, smoking,...

A new study has found that men spend more leisure time than their partners during the first few months of taking care of a new baby. 

The study was conducted by researchers at <a href="https://www.osu.edu/">Ohio State University</a> and was published online in the journal Sex Roles. 

The study is one of the first of its kind to show physical evidence of what roles <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marriage-forgiveness-self-restraint/">men and women</a> often take after the birth of a child, and how household work and childcare are unequally shared. 

“It's frustrating. Household tasks and childcare are still not being shared equally, even among couples who we expected would have more egalitarian views of how to share parenting duties,” said Claire Kamp Dush, the lead author of the study and associate professor of human sciences at Ohio State University.

For the study, the researchers asked 52 expecting couples who had participated in the New Parents Project, an Ohio State study of educated, white dual-earner couples from Columbus Ohio, to record their day to day activities in a journal before and after their baby was born. 

The limited nature of the diversity represented in the couples doesn’t give a complete representation of all couples in the area, but it does show some disparity between housework and childcare. 

On average, women spent less time relaxing than men. If the men were doing housework or childcare, women spent around 46 to 49 minutes relaxing, while men spent 101 minutes relaxing while the women worked. 

Interestingly, on workdays, the results showed that work and childcare were distributed more evenly, but on non-workdays women still took on the brunt of both. 

“On workdays, parents are more evenly splitting housework and childcare. It's very much ‘all hands on deck, ’ but when there is more time available on the weekend and parents are not so pressed to get everything done, then we see the emergence of gendered patterns and inequality," said Jill Yavorsky, an assistant professor of sociology at the <a href="http://www.unc.edu/">University of North Carolina at Charlotte</a> and fellow researcher of the study. 

The results surprised the researchers as Kamp Dush had expected to see more of an equal distribution of housework and childcare in the modern, dual-earning couples they had asked to participate. 

The solution to breaking these molds and habits is communication and asking the men to take on more responsibility. 

“Couples need to be having conversations, ideally before their baby is born, about how they are going to divide household tasks to make sure they are equitable,” Kamp Dush added. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Even in modern couples, women do more around the house

A new study has found that men spend more leisure...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a> suggests that the best way to understand how someone is feeling is to use your ears and not your eyes. The research reveals that emotions can be discerned more accurately through vocal cues instead of facial expressions.

"Social and biological sciences over the years have demonstrated the profound desire of individuals to connect with others and the array of skills people possess to discern emotions or intentions. But, in the presence of both will and skill, people often inaccurately perceive others' emotions," said co-author Michael Kraus. "Our research suggests that relying on a combination of vocal and facial cues, or solely facial cues, may not be the best strategy for accurately recognizing the emotions or intentions of others."

For their study, researchers developed a series of five evaluations and enlisted over 1,800 participants from the United States. In each experiment, the individuals either interacted with another person or were presented with an interaction between two other participants. 

Sometimes the volunteers were able to hear but not watch the interactions, while other times they were only able to watch but not listen. The subjects could both watch and listen during the remaining tests. As a control condition, participants listened to a computerized voice reading a transcript of an interaction, which removed the emotional inflection of human communication from the scenario.

Overall, individuals who only listened to interactions without watching most accurately identified the emotions being experienced by others. The only exception was when subjects were presented with the computerized voices, which resulted in the least accuracy. 

"I think when examining these findings relative to how psychologists have studied emotion, these results might be surprising. Many tests of emotional intelligence rely on accurate perceptions of faces," he said. "What we find here is that perhaps people are paying too much attention to the face--the voice might have much of the content necessary to perceive others' internal states accurately. The findings suggest that we should be focusing more on studying vocalizations of emotion."

The findings of this study, which is published in the journal <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/amp/">American Psychologist</a>, indicate that improving our listening skills could also improve our overall <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cites-highest-quality-life/">quality of life</a>.

"Actually considering what people are saying and the ways in which they say it can, I believe, lead to improved understanding of others at work or in your personal relationships."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People who listen gather more information and intelligence

A new study from the American Psychological Association suggests that...

With more content now available on streaming services than ever before, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime all offer some awesome science documentaries. But <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> wanted to save you some time browsing and suggest the following top 10 science documentaries now streaming. Don’t forget, content on streaming sites changes all the time, so you might check these out sooner than later...

PLANET EARTH: The Complete Collection (Netflix) Each episode focuses on a different habitat, Polar, Mountain, Cave, Desert, Freshwater, Sea, Ocean, Forest and the naturally occurring community of flora and fauna therein. The cinematography is breathtaking! (2006).

Watch the Planet Earth trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiVNk6_0GdY">here</a>!

LIFE (Netflix) This ten episode doc series from the legendary David Attenborough and BBC crew gives an overview of the challenges facing various life forms, from plants to primates, and vertebrates to invertebrates. (2009)

Watch the LIFE trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBws4yj7W1A&amp;t=8s">here</a>!

RACING EXTINCTION (Hulu) Scientists are predicting that we have entered the sixth major extinction level event in the earth’s history and that half of the planet’s species will be wiped out by the end of this century. Sadly, all evidence points to humanity as the primary culprit for this catastrophic loss. Can anything be done to avoid it? (2015)

Watch the Racing Extinction trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX1fo2Dty90">here</a>!

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (Hulu) This fascinating documentary follows the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bleak-future-emperor-penguins/">emperor penguins</a> of the South Pole on their epic journey to their end-of-summer breeding grounds. Filmmaker Luc Jacquet points out that  the trek across the frozen tundra isn’t even the hardest part of the ritual. (2015)

Watch the March Of The Penguins trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7tWNwhSocE">here</a>!

LIFE ON US: A Microscopic Safari (Amazon Prime) This unique documentary explores the habitats of an entire community of creatures and organisms that “live, compete, thrive, feed, breed, are born or die in or on our bodies.” Yes, the human body provides a habitat for more wildlife than you can imagine... (2014)

Watch the Life On Us: A Microscopic Safari trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLSOuW6s1LY">here</a>!

EVERYTHING AND NOTHING: The Amazing Science of Empty Space (Amazon Prime) This two part documentary is a journey to uncover the “true size of the smallest particles in nature and the science of empty space.” This award winning film utilizes cutting-edge science as well as philosophy to explore an entirely unique version of “space.” (2011)

Watch the Everything And Nothing trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OYbwblz6JU">here</a>!

LIFE STORY (Netflix) Another stunning offering from David Attenborough highlighting the challenges faced in the animal world. Like many of his documentaries, this 6-part series includes 10 minute “Diaries” in which the camera crew discusses the work of capturing one of the episode’s featured animals. (2014)

Watch the Life Story trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlHHTmIkdis">here</a>!

MOVING ART (Netflix) So far, there are two seasons of this doc series highlighting the beauty of everything on Earth from raindrops on tropical flowers to sea anemone in coral reefs to sunbeams on canyon walls. It’s a stunning series that allows you to simply sit back and watch nature at its most enchanting. (2014) 

Watch the Moving Art trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNVhpH6fLF0">here</a>!

SOUTH PACIFIC (aka WILD PACIFIC) (Netflix) The Southern part of the Pacific Ocean is full of islands, all teeming with wildlife and human cultures uniquely affected by the specific natural conditions, like sea depths, wind currents and long distances. (2009)

Watch the South Pacific trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEccRXuRrmA">here</a>!

THE IVORY GAME (Netflix) This film allows us to infiltrate the corrupt global network of ivory trafficking, exposing the poachers and dealers pushing the African elephant closer to extinction. (2016)

Watch The Ivory Game trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GPEKKaSmZY">here</a>!

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Darryl Joseph</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The female brain is wired to be more generous

A study from the University of Zurich provides new insight...

Data from the <a href="http://www.who.int/en/">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) shows that 361,000 children die every year from diarrheal disease that occurs as a result of poor access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene. In fact, according to WHO, 1 in 4 deaths of children under 5 years old are attributed to unhealthy environments.

What these stats show is that access to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-tap-water-contains-plastics/">clean drinking water</a> is of the utmost importance to the lives and overall health of children across the world. Knowing this, researchers are constantly looking to find what factors lead to unhealthy drinking water and how this can be better managed.

A study from the <a href="http://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a> of 300,000 children in 35 countries recently found that kids whose watersheds have more tree cover are less likely to get diarrheal disease – which is the second leading cause of death for children under five. This study is the first to quantify the connection between watershed quality and the individual health outcomes of children on a global scale.

“Looking at all of these diverse households in all these different countries, we find the healthier your watershed upstream, the less likely your kids are to get this potentially fatal disease,” says Taylor Ricketts of the <a href="http://www.uvm.edu/">University of Vermont</a> (UVM).

The research team believes that a 30 percent increase in upstream tree cover in rural watersheds could have a comparable effect to improved water sanitations, such as the addition of indoor plumbing or toilets.

“We are not saying trees are more important than toilets and indoor plumbing,” says Diego Herrera, lead author of the paper and a former UVM postdoctoral researcher. “But these findings clearly show that forests and other natural systems can complement traditional water sanitation systems, and help compensate for a lack of infrastructure.”

This study shows that protecting trees and watersheds can also double as a public health investment, as well as an investment in protecting our environment. The researchers hope that governments and development agencies will use these findings to improve the health and environment of children around the world. 

-

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The importance of trees in improving water quality

Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that 361,000...

Experts say if you have bad news to tell someone, it is best to do so directly without tiptoeing around the point. A new study reveals that people prefer to receive unwelcome news directly and candidly, without a lot of polite restraint.

Alan Manning is a Linguistics professor at <a href="https://www.byu.edu/">Brigham Young University</a>. He teamed up with Nicole Amare of the <a href="http://www.southalabama.edu/">University of South Alabama</a> for the research. 145 study participants were given hypothetical situations in which they received bad news visually, verbally, and in writing. For each scenario, they were given two potential deliveries.

Next, the volunteers ranked how clear, considerate, direct, efficient, honest, specific, and reasonable they found each message to be. They also reported which characteristics meant the most to them personally. Clarity and directness were found to be valued the most out of all characteristics.

While it may seem that a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/divorce-genetic/">breakup</a> scenario requires a lengthy conversation about why the split is taking place, the researchers discovered that extra time and effort leading into bad news is unwanted and unnecessary.


"An immediate 'I'm breaking up with you' might be too direct," said Manning. "But all you need is a 'we need to talk' buffer -- just a couple of seconds for the other person to process that bad news is coming."

The delivery of other negative facts are also appreciated most when passed along directly without a lot of explanation.

"If we're negating physical facts, then there's no buffer required or desired," said Manning. "If your house is on fire, you just want to know that and get out. Or if you have cancer, you'd just like to know that. You don't want the doctor to talk around it."

On the other hand, Manning said there are times when a buffer or a strategic buildup is needed, like when aiming to persuade someone to change a firmly held opinion.

"People's belief systems are where they're the most touchy," said Manning. "So any message that affects their belief system, their ego identity, that's what you've got to buffer."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Just say it! Study says best way to give bad news is to be direct

Experts say if you have bad news to tell someone,...

It is a well known fact that automobiles are a major source of air pollution, yet traffic management plans have not been implemented in many urban areas. While cleaner fuel and green cars are great strategies for reducing car pollution, a new analysis finds that road pricing is the most effective way of lessening harmful vehicle emissions.

Alexander Bigazzi is a professor of Civil Engineering at the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca/">University of British Columbia</a>. He reviewed hundreds of published papers on traffic management strategies, which reported on 65 studies of real-world tactics such as road and congestion pricing, speed enforcement programs, and incentives for carpooling.

The evaluation revealed that the most promising strategies for air quality improvements are road and congestion pricing and the establishment of low-emission zones. Bigazzi says that the other practices have potential, but evidence of their benefits is not as apparent.

Bigazzi explains that it is important to understand the impact of traffic management strategies because of the serious health risks associated with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diesel-vehicles-deaths-europe/">vehicle pollution</a>. He finds that road pricing and low-emission zones work better in improving air quality simply because they reduce the amount of traffic. By lessening the number of cars on the road, these strategies reduce emission rates. 

“Low-emission zones also encourage the purchase and use of cleaner motor vehicles,” says Bigazzi. He points out that these tactics will be most effective when they are adopted on a large scale.

“Hundreds of cities in Europe have congestion pricing or low-emission zones in their city centres and are enjoying improved traffic flow and air quality,” says Bigazzi. “These strategies haven't been embraced in North America in the same way for a variety of reasons, but there are great potential benefits for cities here ready to embrace innovation.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Road pricing proven to reduce car emissions

It is a well known fact that automobiles are a...

A large majority of the honey produced worldwide contains pesticides, with some at dangerously high levels, according to a new study. 

Researchers from the UK and Switzerland tested 198 samples of honey from all over and found that three-quarters contained at least one neonicotinoid chemical, which can both harm humans and bees.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/honeybee-hives-weakened-pesticides/">Neonicotinoids</a> are a type of insecticide derived from nicotine, which can also damage the bee’s ability to reproduce. 

A <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/neonicotinoid-pesticides-slowly-killing-bees/">PBS</a> report showed two recent studies documenting the effects of neonicotinoids on bees, finding that bees exposed to the harmful chemicals in a lab environment lived shorter lives. Their hives were also infected and sickly, and often even lost their queens. 

“The tainted hives tended to lose their queen and then struggled to find a new one. A queen sustains the colony, so without her, there are no eggs or future bees,” writes Roni Dengler, author of the PBS article. “Neonicotinoid pesticides are slowly killing bees.” 

While researchers can document the effect of the pesticides on bees with relative ease, there’s almost no way to document how levels of neonicotinoids will affect humans over time. This is why the discovery of the pesticide in honey is so alarming.

“What we don’t know is whether there are long-term, chronic effects from lifetime exposure to a cocktail of these and other pesticides in our honey and most other foods,” said Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at the<a href="http://www.sussex.ac.uk/"> University of Sussex</a>. 

The researchers gathered honey samples from all over the world and tested them for trace amounts of five different known neonicotinoids. 

Many of samples showed evidence of the pesticides, but below the safe levels recommended by the <a href="https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en">European Union</a>. However several samples had higher-than-safe levels, including those from Germany and Poland. 

The researchers are advocating for tighter regulations, including the possibility of a widespread ban on the use of neonicotinoids.

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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

75 percent of the world’s honey contains dangerous pesticides

A large majority of the honey produced worldwide contains pesticides,...

While it is common knowledge that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hour-exercise-prevent-depression/">exercise</a> leads to invaluable health benefits for the body, researchers have discovered that physical activity leads to mental health benefits as well. A breakthrough study by the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/">National Institutes of Health</a> (NIH) has revealed that running once a day can quickly transform cognitive health.

The research team explored the influence of running on the brains of mice. They split mice up into two groups, an active group and a sedentary group, and monitored changes in the brain tissue of both groups over the course of a week.

In this short amount of time, the researchers found notable changes. The active group of mice, which had been running on a wheel each day for a week, had developed far more new neurons than mice in the sedentary group. These enhanced brain connections resulted in sharper reactions and improved memory.

The experts also discovered that the newly developed neurons found in the active group of mice were unique. They were larger and displayed more and longer dendrites than similar neurons found in the inactive group of mice. In other words, the fresh neurons in the brains of the active mice appeared to be more mature after just one week of exercise than the brain cells of the sedentary mice.

Senior author Dr. Henriette van Praag told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/">New York Times</a> that “brain cells produced under running conditions are not just quantitatively but qualitatively different" than other cells. 

The authors say the findings of this study, which is published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, should encourage sedentary individuals to start working out. 

“I think it is a very good idea for the sake of the brain to be moving and active,” said Dr. van Praag.

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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

Running can transform and strengthen brain capacity in one week

While it is common knowledge that exercise leads to invaluable...

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[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

[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

[sendtonews key="MHyhtebibJ-2200368-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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