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...

While previous studies have established that children of divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves, emerging research has determined that this is not the case for adopted children. The new study identifies genetic factors that may be to blame for divorce.

Researchers at <a href="http://www.vcu.edu/">Virginia Commonwealth University</a> and <a href="http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/">Lund University</a> established that adopted children resemble their biological parents instead of their adoptive parents when it comes to divorce.

“We were trying to answer the basic question: Why does divorce run in families?” said first author Dr. Jessica Salvatore. “Across a series of designs using Swedish national registry data, we found consistent evidence that genetic factors primarily explained the intergenerational transmission of divorce.”

The findings of the study are significant in that they do not support popular, published beliefs that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bilingual-children-learn-faster/">children</a> of divorced parents are more prone to divorce from being exposed to marital conflict and lack of commitment. The majority of literature that exists on this subject conveys the message that divorce is passed along from generation to generation psychologically. 

“Our results contradict that, suggesting that genetic factors are more important,” said Dr. Salvatore. She says that by acknowledging that divorce is transmitted genetically, therapists can better develop strategies for counseling couples. 

Dr. Salvatore also points out that previous studies neglected to control for genetic factors that may play into the transmission of divorce from parents to children.

“Our study is, at present, the largest to do this,” said Dr Salvatore. “And what we find is strong, consistent evidence that genetic factors account for the intergenerational transmission of divorce.”

“For this reason, focusing on increasing commitment or strengthening interpersonal skills may not be a particularly good use of time for a therapist working with a distressed couple,” explained Dr. Salvatore.


The research, which will be published in an upcoming issue <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/home/pss">Journal Psychological Science</a>, indicates that it would be more effective for therapists to target some of the more basic personality traits which are genetically linked to divorce. 

“For example, other research shows that people who are highly neurotic tend to perceive their partners as behaving more negatively than they objectively are,” said Dr. Salvatore. “So, addressing these underlying, personality-driven cognitive distortions through cognitive-behavioral approaches may be a better strategy than trying to foster commitment.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Divorce can be genetic, according to new study

While previous studies have established that children of divorced parents...

A sobering study from <a href="https://www.cornell.edu/">Cornell University</a> has revealed that scarce resources drive racial discrimination, even if the scarcity isn’t real.

The study was led by psychologist and assistant professor Amy Krosch following her observations during the Great Recession, people of color seemed to be getting a much harder time than white people. 

Krosch wondered if this was perhaps because the scarcity of economic resources aggravated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/islamophobia-racism-intolerance/">racial tension</a> and bias. 

The study was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and the results show that even the perception of scarcity can influence judgments based on race.

The researchers conducted a series of tests asking students to weigh in on how much of a $100,000 university grant should be awarded to hypothetical applicants based solely on merit. 

The students also ranked questions revolving around their personal feelings about prejudice so the researchers could measure how egalitarian or biased each student was. 

If the resources were described by the researchers as “abundant,” students gave the same amounts to black and white recipients. But if the resources were “scarce,” prejudiced students gave about $10,300 less to black recipients than non-prejudiced students. 

“Just the mention of scarcity can lead people with little egalitarian motivation to discriminate,” said Krosch. 

The results also found that the choice to discriminate was deliberate, when given an ample amount of time, prejudiced students consciously gave less to black recipients. Conversely, when the students were asked to make decisions quickly, the money was distributed equally by all students. 

The results show that that in times of scarcity, resources will be allocated unevenly not so much to “help white people,” but to continue preexisting systemic racial bias against black people.

“This isn't about being pro-white; it's really about being anti-black when resources are scarce. The scarcity doesn't even have to be real,” said Krosch. 

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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

Economic hardship motivates racial discrimination

A sobering study from Cornell University has revealed that scarce...

Hearing loss, especially in older adults and senior citizens, can wreak havoc on personal well-being and relationships.

Around 300 million people in the world live with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brains-track-sound/">hearing</a> loss. While the condition can be challenging enough for the individual, it can also impact family and friends, especially when they are left out of the picture when it comes to treatment options.

A new study from the <a href="http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/">University of Nottingham</a> and published in the journal Trends in Hearing, shows just how important it can be to factor in friends and family are when looking at therapy options for hearing loss or deafness. 

Vanessa Vas, a Ph.D. student at Nottingham, led the research and focused on "communication partners," or those individuals who are closest to the patient diagnosed with hearing loss. 

Communication partners can offer insight to create a more detailed picture of an individual's hearing loss and impairment. 

For the study, the researchers looked at over 70 previous studies covering complaints from people with hearing loss and those closest to them and found common frustrations and concerns on both sides. 

Some of the major complaints for people with hearing problems included difficulty hearing the phone ringing, needing to raise the volume of the radio and TV, and not being able to converse as well in louder environments or social situations.

Conversely, communication partners had major difficulties with always answering the phone, trying to speak over raised volumes, attending more events alone because of the communication difficulties with their partners, and feelings of guilt and stress in reaction to the hearing loss of a loved one. 

“Hearing loss is a chronic condition that affects the whole family. Yet, to our knowledge, our work represents the first attempt to piece together a picture of the effect of hearing loss from the perspectives of people with hearing loss and their partners,” said Miss Vas. 

Miss Vas’s study shows the importance of including communication partners and family members during clinical consultations and decision making.

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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

Hearing loss can be challenging for the whole family

Hearing loss, especially in older adults and senior citizens, can...

When Neanderthals and humans came together thousands of years ago, the two species began to interbreed. And even though the Neanderthal population eventually went extinct, their DNA can still be found in roughly two percent of the DNA of non-African people living today. In fact, recent studies have found that some of these genes that came from Neanderthals have contributed to both human immunity and modern diseases.

In a new study from Janet Kelso and her team at <a href="http://www.eva.mpg.de/index.html">the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology</a> in Germany, the researchers found that Neanderthal genes have contributed to other human characteristics as well – such as skin tone, hair color, sleep patterns, mood, and even whether or not a person smokes. In embarking on this study, Kelso wanted to find the “influence Neanderthal DNA might be having on ordinary variation in people today.”

By using data representing more than 112,000 people from the UK Biobank pilot study, the researchers were able to have a large data set to find these relatively rare alleles. This data set included genetic data along with information on traits related to physical appearance, behavior, disease, diet, and sun exposure. 

Although earlier studies have hinted that human genes involved in skin and hair biology were partially a result of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-population-larger/">Neanderthal</a> DNA, it hadn’t been made clear how this occurred. Kelso and her team analyzed Neanderthal alleles related to skin and hair tones, finding that some Neanderthal alleles are associated with lighter skin tones, and others with darker skin tones. This was also consistent for hair color.

“These findings suggest that Neanderthals might have differed in their hair and skin tones, much as people now do,” explains Michael Dannemann, first author of the study.

Interestingly, the authors note that the traits linked to Neandertal DNA – mood, sleep patterns, skin and hair DNA – are all linked to sunlight exposure. They state that when modern humans arrived in Eurasia about 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals had already lived there for thousands of years. Because of this, they were likely better adapted to lower and more variables levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun than the humans arriving from Africa were used to.

“Skin and hair color, circadian rhythms and mood are all influenced by light exposure,” the authors wrote. “We speculate that their identification in our analysis suggests that sun exposure may have shaped Neanderthal phenotypes and that gene flow into modern humans continues to contribute to variation in these traits today.”

The researchers plan on continuing to analyze the Neanderthals’ influence on our human traits as more data is presented.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Neanderthal DNA linked to modern day human traits

When Neanderthals and humans came together thousands of years ago,...

An unprecedented study demonstrates that potassium-packed foods such as bananas and avocados may help to prevent hardening of the arteries, or pathogenic vascular calcification. Researchers at the <a href="http://www.uab.edu/">University of Alabama at Birmingham</a> have shown that a diet lacking in potassium promotes elevated arterial stiffness, while a diet with increased potassium levels can actually lessen arterial stiffness.

Vascular calcification is linked to an increased risk of fatal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breakfast-prevent-cardiovascular-disease/">heart disease</a> and other cardiovascular events. The research team set out to examine the underlying mechanisms of this vascular condition in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, which are prone to cardiovascular disease. The mice were fed either high, low, or normal levels of dietary potassium.

The team discovered that the mice fed a low-potassium diet had a significant increase in vascular calcification. On the other hand, the mice fed a high-potassium diet had significantly restrained vascular calcification. By using an arterial stiffness indicator called pulse wave velocity, the researchers also found that the low-potassium mice had increased stiffness of their aortas and high-potassium mice had decreased aortic stiffness.

"The findings have important translational potential since they demonstrate the benefit of adequate potassium supplementation on prevention of vascular calcification in atherosclerosis-prone mice, and the adverse effect of low potassium intake,” explained co-author Paul Sanders.

The researchers also took a look into the vascular effects of potassium intake on a molecular level. Low potassium amounts in a cell culture noticeably strengthened calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells. Previous research has shown that calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells resembles the differentiation of bone cells, which leads to the conversion of smooth muscle cells into bone-like cells.

With this in mind, the researchers set out to examine the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells in low-potassium cell culture. They found that the low-potassium conditions triggered the expression of several gene markers that are characteristic of bone cells while inhibiting the expression of vascular smooth muscle cell markers. This indicates that low-potassium conditions promote the transformation of the vascular smooth muscle cells into bone-like cells.

The findings of this study, which will appear in the journal <a href="https://www.jci.org/this-month">JCI This Month</a> in November, emphasize the importance of potassium in the diet. The research also provides a foundation for the development of new therapies to prevent or treat atherosclerotic vascular calcification.

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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

Bananas may be crucial for keeping your arteries healthy

An unprecedented study demonstrates that potassium-packed foods such as bananas...

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> have determined that many of the In-Vehicle Information Systems available in 2017 will be dangerously distracting if enabled while automobiles are in motion. The study, conducted for the <a href="https://www.aaafoundation.org/">AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety</a>, revealed that these car features take the driver's attention off the road for too long to be safe.

"This is troublesome because motorists may assume that features that are enabled when they are driving are safe and easy to use," said lead author David L. Strayer. "Greater consideration should be given to what interactions should be available to the driver when the vehicle is in motion rather than to what features and functions could be available to motorists.”

The researchers investigated infotainment systems in 30 different 2017 vehicles. Participants in the study engaged in tasks using voice, touch screen, and other interactive technologies. The tasks included making a call, sending a text message, tuning the radio, or navigating a program while <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/reasonable-driving-saves-gas/">driving</a>.

The team developed an advanced rating scale which ranged from low to very high demand to measure which activities were most distracting to the drivers. The study demonstrated that drivers using features such as touch-screen technology took their hands, eyes, and mind off the road for more than 24 seconds.

Programming navigation proved to be the most distracting task, which took drivers an average of 40 seconds to complete. The second most distracting activity was text messaging, while tuning the radio and calling were the easiest tasks with about the same demand rating.

"We're putting more and more technology in the car that just does not mix with driving," said Strayer. "We're expecting to see more problems associated with distracted driving as more stuff is at the fingertips of the driver to distract them."

AAA said the findings of this study will ideally help automakers and system designers improve the functionality of infotainment systems and the level of attention they require. Strayer said his team hopes the research will also be used by consumers "to help make a good decision about what vehicle and what technology in the vehicle is best for them."

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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

Are new high-tech car features too distracting to be safe?

Researchers from the University of Utah have determined that many...

As sports fans experience the thrill of victory and the devastation of defeat, the excitement of the game is having a considerable effect on their cardiovascular health. Researchers found that the heart rate response of hockey fans spiked to strenuous levels while watching a game. Overall, the heart rate increased by an average of 92 percent across all spectators.

A team of experts from the <a href="https://www.icm-mhi.org/en/montreal-heart-institute">Montreal Heart Institute</a> and the <a href="http://www.umontreal.ca/en/">University of Montreal</a> set out to evaluate the cardiovascular impact of a hockey game on healthy spectators. Volunteers in the study reported on their general health and passion for their team prior to participating in heart activity observation during the game. 

The study revealed an average <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cold-weather-heart-attack/">heart rate</a> increase of 75 percent while the fans were viewing the game on television and a heart rate increase of 110 percent while watching in person. This is the equivalent to the heart rate response that occurs with moderate and vigorous physical stress, respectively. 

"Our results indicate that viewing a hockey game can likewise be the source of an intense emotional stress, as manifested by marked increases in heart rate," said senior author Dr. Paul Khairy. "The study raises the potential that the emotional stress-induced response of viewing a hockey game can trigger adverse cardiovascular events on a population level. Therefore, the results have important public health implications."

While previous studies have established a link between sporting events and cardiac incidents, this is the first study focused on hockey. The researchers found that peak heart rates were most frequently detected during scoring opportunities and during overtime.

"Our analysis of elements of the hockey game associated with peak heart rates supports the notion that it is not the outcome of the game that primarily determines the intensity of the emotional stress response, but rather the excitement experienced with viewing high-stakes or high-intensity portions of the game," explained Dr. Khairy.

The findings of the study are published in the <a href="http://www.onlinecjc.ca/">Canadian Journal of Cardiology</a>. The authors of the study's accompanying editorial pointed out that this research should prompt doctors to have a conversation with patients, particularly those with existing cardiovascular issues, about watching sports.


“As outlined, watching an exciting hockey game might trigger a CV event in an individual at risk," they said. "The danger is particularly high in the arena and at dramatic moments such as overtime. At-risk patients should be warned about potential CV symptoms and should be instructed to seek medical attention promptly if symptoms develop."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Watching sports can actually cause heart stress

As sports fans experience the thrill of victory and the...

When it comes to eating, some kids are just easier than others. While forming opinions while discovering new foods and tastes is perfectly normal, some children develop extremely picky eating habits. 

The term is, of course, very relative. How picky are we talking?

Researchers from the<a href="http://illinois.edu/"> University of Illinois </a>(U of I) have worked for the past ten years to better understand and qualify what exactly makes a picky eater. 

Their new study set out to see if genetics played any role in eating habits, or if environmental influences were the primary cause of picky eating. Specifically, the researchers looked at chemosensory genes which are genes associated with olfactory and taste receptors. 

The results showed that the genes related to taste might indeed contribute to picky eating, but the researchers also found that environment plays an equal role.

“As we were moving into different parts of the research we realized, it's not just the child, it's the caregiver and the environment, as well,” said Soo-Yeun Lee, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at U of I.

Natasha Cole, the lead author of the study and a doctoral student at the U of I, is now working on classifying picky eating as nature versus nurture, meaning genetics versus environment. 

“She (Natasha Cole) is looking at sensory taste genes and also at some of the behavioral genes that have been highlighted in the literature. She has been looking at the whole field of picky eating research, and classifying it based on 'nature vs. nurture’,” said Lee. 

For the study the researchers collected data on 153 preschoolers including information on breastfeeding history, eating habits, and DNA samples from saliva. 

To determine what role if any genetics played in picky eating, the researchers looked at genetic variation in single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from five genes related to taste reception. 

Of those five genes, two were linked to picky eating in the test subjects, possibly because both of the genes are connected to bitter taste. If someone is sensitive to bitter flavors then naturally they will be pickier about the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/whole-foods-reaches-environmental-settlement-epa/">foods</a> they eat. 

The new findings are an important part of understanding nature vs. nurture, and could help counter any eating issues later in life.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

What makes a kid such a picky eater?

When it comes to eating, some kids are just easier...

Emerging research has shown that meditation and mindfulness training has the potential to restructure the brain and reduce <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-less-alert/">stress</a>. A large-scale study demonstrated that months of mental exercise promoted individual improvements in attention, compassion, and cognitive perspective-taking.

The analysis, which focused on Eastern and Western methods of mental training, is known as the <a href="https://www.resource-project.org/en/home.html">ReSource Project</a>. Led by Dr. Tania Singer of the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/149614/kognition_neuro">Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences</a>, the project contains two studies. The overall findings suggest that short, daily mental practices can influence changes in the brain. 

For the first study, the team set out to determine whether targeted mental training of different cognitive and social skills can induce specific changes in brain structure. To examine such changes, the research team collected MRI data on participants between 20 and 55 years of age that was captured during mental training intervention. 

The training groups had endured three separate exercise modules that lasted three months. They engaged in weekly-instructed group sessions as well as daily individual exercises. The study revealed module-specific changes in cortical thickness, which correlated with improved overall emotional well-being and mental health such as increased self-awareness and mental clarity.

A second study explored whether different mental training practices could lead to stress reduction. Veronika Engert and colleagues examined the volunteers’ responses to stress tests after they participated in each three-month training module. The research team examined self-reported stress responses, levels of the hormone cortisol, heart rate, and markers of stress-influenced immune activity. 

Compared to the control group, the individuals reported reduced stress from all three practice modules. However, only the training of intersubjective skills decreased the body's stress response - specifically the secretion of cortisol. 

The authors explained that this research could promote the development of mental training interventions in clinical, educational, and corporate settings. They pointed out that short, daily intersubjective mental practice offers an easily accessible, low-cost approach to prevent stress-related disease.
--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Mental training like meditation can change brain structure

Emerging research has shown that meditation and mindfulness training has...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/">University College London</a> has produced powerful evidence that exposure to bullying triggers mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The researchers also discovered, however, that these negative impacts of bullying diminish over time.

"While our findings show that being bullied leads to detrimental mental health outcomes, they also offer a message of hope by highlighting the potential for resilience,” said lead author Dr. Jean-Baptiste Pingault. “Bullying certainly causes suffering, but the impact on mental health decreases over time, so children are able to recover in the medium term.”

The analysis was focused on over 11,000 participants from the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) at King's College London. Twins made the ideal subjects for the researchers to control for shared environment and genetic factors. At ages 11 and 14, both children and parents reported on peer victimization, and at ages 11 and 16 they reported about mental health difficulties.

The researchers found that exposure to bullying contributed to concurrent <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hangovers-induce-anxiety/">anxiety</a>, depression, hyperactivity and impulsivity, inattention, and conduct problems. They also established that the impact on anxiety persisted two year later. By five years later, on the other hand, there was no longer an effect on any of those mental health outcomes.

"The detrimental effects of bullying show that more needs to be done to help children who are bullied,” said Dr. Pingault. “In addition to interventions aimed at stopping bullying from happening, we should also support children who have been bullied by supporting resilience processes on their path to recovery. Our findings highlight the importance of continuous support to mental health care for children and adolescents.”

Co-author Dr Sophie Dix pointed out that at least 1 in 5 young people in the United Kingdom report that they have recently been bullied.

“This unprecedented study gives the strongest evidence to date that bullying can directly cause many common mental health conditions - and have a serious effect on mental health in the long-term,” said Dr. Dix. “But the good news is that it shows that people can and do get better - demonstrating the importance of resilience. Now we need to understand why this is and develop new ways, through research, to intervene and change lives.”

The study is published today in <a href="http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry">JAMA Psychiatry</a>.

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By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Bullying causes mental health issues, but they can be overcome

A new study led by University College London has produced...

<a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> would like to acknowledge the famous folks who manage to use their platform to make a positive impact on the world and the environment. Here are the 11 most eco-friendly celebrities on the scene today. 

Leonardo DiCaprio is probably the most well known eco-friendly celebrity. Not only has he been campaigning for the preservation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-reduce-plastic-pollution/">oceans</a>, rainforests, and Antarctica since 1998, he’s also been working to provide access to clean drinking water and supported countless organizations like <a href="http://www.awf.org/">African Wildlife Foundation</a> that work to protect endangered species. Named the UN Messenger of Peace on Climate Change in 2014, DiCaprio has also converted his New York City apartment to “Riverhouse,” rumored to be one of the world’s most eco-efficient urban dwellings.

Matt Damon, Academy Award-winning screenwriter and Golden Globe winning-actor, hosted a PBS documentary series called <a href="http://www.pbs.org/journeytoplanetearth/home/">Journey to Planet Earth</a>, uncovering issues like global warming and the impact of illegal fishing on endangered species of fish. But Damon isn’t just paying lip service to the issues. He also founded the nonprofit <a href="https://water.org">Water.org</a> which works to provide clean drinking water and sanitation services to communities in the developing world. 

Mexican actress Salma Hayek is a board member of <a href="http://www.globalgreen.org">Global Green USA</a>, a nonprofit organization that helps to provide nearly 2.5 million people with clean drinking water and works to fight global warming. She has also supported <a href="https://www.nrdc.org">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>, <a href="http://oceana.org/">Oceana</a>, and <a href="http://www.conservation.org">Conservation International</a>, helping to build “a healthier, more prosperous, and productive planet.”

Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am partnered with Coca-Cola and W Hotels Worldwide to develop the sustainable fashion and design brand, <a href="http://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/press-releases/recycling-fashion-william-coca-cola-launch-new-brand">EKOCYCLE</a>. Of the project, will.i.a.m says, “I'm on a mission to educate and inspire consumers around the globe to seek out more sustainable lifestyle choices that will ultimately play a part in the movement toward a world with zero waste.”

In 2008, singer Jack Johnson used profits from touring to create the <a href="http://www.johnsonohana.org/">Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation,</a> a nonprofit working to promote positive change in environmental, arts, and music education. He donated 100 percent of  profits from his touring between 2008-2013 to environmental charities. He has a “<a href="https://jackjohnsonmusic.com/greening/2017">Tour Greening Report</a>” on his website that helps fans track the ways he and his crew are working to minimize the environmental impact of the tour. He has also been named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for its Environment Programme.

Rosario Dawson has been fighting for the environment for over a decade. As far back as 2005 she was working with the United Nations on summits aimed at preserving the environment and with Global Cool Foundation in helping direct consumers to clean-energy alternatives. Her recent work in Water Defense helped save the Delaware River, which supplies drinking water to 15 million people, from natural gas extraction known as fracking. She also supports <a href="http://www.globalgreen.org">Global Green USA</a>.

Mark Ruffalo has also been a vocal opponent of fracking, or drilling to extract natural gas and oil, and continues to advocate for replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies. He posted an <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/actor-mark-ruffalo-calls-out-monsanto-you-are-poisoning-people/">open letter</a> to Hugh Grant, the CEO of biotech giant Monsanto, about the ways the company’s food monopoly is “poisoning people.” If that wasn’t enough, Ruffalo also founded <a href="https://waterdefense.org/">Water Defense</a>, a nonprofit whose mission is “to use technology and public engagement to keep our waterways and drinking water sources free from contamination and industrial degradation.” 

In 2010, actor Don Cheadle was named Goodwill Ambassador for the <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=34934#.WdQ_u0yZNjs">United Nations</a> environment agency. At a ceremony in Rwanda marking World Environment Day, Cheadle said, “I would love it if we were able to live in a world which is in harmony with its environment. But it is money over people, money over environment, money over everything.” He added, “I am surprised the environment is not at the top of the agenda. What is more important than clean air and a healthy planet?”

Academy Award winning actress Cate Blanchett, who supports <a href="https://www.acf.org.au/">Australian Conservation Foundation</a> and <a href="https://solar-aid.org/">SolarAid</a>, has long been vocal with her concerns about global warming. "I care about climate change because of our children. I want to safeguard their future. It is a situation that affects each and every one of us, in this country and around the world.” She added, “It is a crisis that provides us with an opportunity to change for the better. To change the way we consume, the way we think and the way we behave. By assuming responsibility, we protect and respect the generations behind us."

Singer Akon grew up with firsthand knowledge of the challenges 600 million Africans face daily while living without electricity. He founded the <a href="http://akonlightingafrica.com/">Akon Lighting Africa Project</a>, which works to “provide a concrete response at grassroots level to Africa’s energy crisis and lay the foundation for future development.”

Russell Simmons, hip-hop mogul and author of “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Vegan-Living-Healthy-Successful/dp/B016J3IXYG">The Happy Vegan</a>,” has been vegan for almost 20 years. His <a href="http://www.argyleculture.com/">Argyleculture</a> vegan fashion brand helped make him PETA’s Person of  the Year in 2011. “The horrible abuse of animals is the worst karmic disaster in the history of humankind," said Simmons. "The work that PETA does to combat this catastrophe is amazing. I'm truly humbled to be chosen as this year's Person of the Year, but the praise should go to the hundreds of thousands of volunteers that are on the ground doing the work. I accept this honor on their behalf."

-- 

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Darryl Joseph</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The 11 most eco-friendly celebrities today

Earth.com would like to acknowledge the famous folks who manage...

Grocery shopping with reusable bags is a great way to cut down on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-reduce-plastic-pollution/">plastic pollution</a> and help the environment. But canvas or plastic grocery bags can also spread bacteria from raw food, including produce and meat, which could cause food poisoning.

The <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/">Food Standards Agency</a> (FSA) told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4943532/Bags-life-carry-deadly-bugs.html">Daily Mail</a> that shoppers should color code their bags to keep raw foods like meat away from dry goods and prevent any possible cross-contamination. 

“Ideally, you should have enough bags to carry raw foods, ready-to-eat foods and non-food items such as washing powder separately, [and] don't use the same bags again for ready-to-eat foods or for carrying other household items,” the FSA told the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4943532/Bags-life-carry-deadly-bugs.html">Daily Mail</a>. 

Even though raw meat is sealed and seemingly packaged securely, studies have found harmful bacteria on the outside of meat packaging. 

Reusable bags, or “bags for life,” are more and more common since many cities now require an additional charge to purchase disposable bags. 

But another study recently found that canvas bags are only good for the environment if they are used more frequently over an extended period of time, due to the energy and materials used their production.

Ultimately, reusable bags are an important step toward reducing plastic pollution, and in some cases, even saving money. But as the FSA warns, it’s important to keep reusable grocery bags sterile and safe. 

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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

Use separate grocery bags for meat to avoid food poisoning

Grocery shopping with reusable bags is a great way to...

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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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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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