A new investigation at a high‑Andean temple reveals that the distant ancestors of the Inca wielded psychoactive plants as a political tool. 



Archaeologists have uncovered bone tubes still coated with traces of mind‑altering snuff, showing that Chavín lords used controlled visions to cement their rule almost three millennia ago.



The discovery comes from a project led by researchers at the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a>, <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>, and partner institutions across South America. 



The experts analyzed artifacts from Chavín de Huántar, a vast ceremonial center that sits 10,000 feet above sea level in the Peruvian Andes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-use-of-psychoactive-plants">Ancient use of psychoactive plants</h2>



Inside narrow passageways and hidden rooms, the team found small hollow bones carved into elegant inhalation tubes. 



Chemical testing detected nicotine from wild tobacco relatives and residue from vilca beans, whose potent compounds are related to DMT.



Microscopic work confirmed plant particles embedded in the ancient surfaces. The date of the deposits makes this the oldest direct evidence for psychoactive plant use yet known in the high Andes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rituals-shaped-social-order">Rituals shaped social order</h2>



The placement of the tubes mattered. They were sealed within private chambers that could hold only a handful of people. That setting implies exclusive ceremonies, not widespread communal feasts.



The evidence matches a broader pattern of Chavín architecture, which funnels visitors through labyrinths toward dimly lit sanctuaries where sights, sounds, and fragrances overwhelm the senses.



“Taking psychoactives was not just about seeing visions. It was part of a tightly controlled ritual, likely reserved for a select few, reinforcing the social hierarchy,” said Daniel Contreras, an anthropological archaeologist at the University of Florida and a co‑author of the study.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-chavin-rituals-meant-to-stun">Chavín rituals meant to stun</h2>



Stone corridors at Chavín already distort light and echo footsteps. Researchers have also recovered giant trumpets fashioned from imported conch shells. 



The deep blasts of those horns, amplified by the tunnels, would have rattled bone. Add intense <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/understanding-presence-hallucinations-impact-on-social-perception/">hallucinations</a>, and followers might have felt a raw presence of gods or spirits.



“The supernatural world isn’t necessarily friendly, but it’s powerful,” Contreras said. “These rituals, often enhanced by psychoactives, were compelling, transformative experiences that reinforced belief systems and social structures.”



By staging such events, leaders wrapped their authority in cosmic mystery. Participants emerged convinced that rank and building labor served a higher design. 



Craftspeople who carved the monumental granite slabs and farmers who fed the workforce likely saw themselves as part of a living myth, not as servants under duress.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-belief-used-for-power">Belief used for power</h2>



“One of the ways that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/wealth-inequality-began-shaping-human-societies-10000-years-ago/">inequality</a> was justified or naturalized was through ideology - through the creation of impressive ceremonial experiences that made people believe this whole project was a good idea,” Contreras said.



The snuff tubes thus fit a larger strategy. Earlier Andean settlements show few signs of strict hierarchy. By Chavín times, around 800 BCE, society had acquired priests, skilled artisans, and regional trade routes. 



Control over sacred knowledge, including plant lore, helped elites turn soft power into hard architecture and coordinated labor.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-psychoactive-plant-mixture">Psychoactive plant mixture</h2>



Vilca beans grow in lowland forests far from Chavín’s icy heights. Their presence points to long‑distance exchange networks and to careful botanical skill.



When roasted, mixed with lime, and inhaled, the powder produces vivid visions, rapid heartbeat, and disorientation. 



Wild tobaccos add <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/nicotine-pouches-are-a-new-dangerous-trend-among-teens/">nicotine</a>’s stimulant rush and sharp aroma. Combined, these plants could propel users into what seemed another realm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-bringing-invisible-details-to-light">Bringing invisible details to light</h2>



Contreras has worked at the site for nearly 30 years in a project directed by Stanford archaeologist John Rick.



Their excavations have mapped hidden galleries, sculpted stone icons, and water channels that once gurgled beneath temple floors. The new chemical analyses bring invisible details to light, showing not only what people did but also what they felt.



“It’s exciting that ongoing excavations can be combined with cutting‑edge archaeological science techniques to get us closer to understanding what it was like to live at this site,” Contreras said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-vision-to-empire">From vision to empire</h2>



The Chavín phenomenon spread a shared artistic style and worldview up and down the Peruvian coast and sierra. Later Andean states inherited its taste for grand plazas, stone imagery, and elite ritual.



By demonstrating the intentional use of psychoactive plants in tightly managed settings, the study bridges the gap between small egalitarian hamlets and the vast empires that eventually ruled the Cordillera.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-modern-glimpse-of-ancient-minds">A modern glimpse of ancient minds</h2>



Today, visitors to Chavín de Huántar walk through restored corridors where carved fangs and staring eyes still pierce the dim light. 



Knowing that select priests once knelt here, inhaled potent smoke, and proclaimed cosmic truths changes how we read those walls.



The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/archaeologists-find-hallucinogenic-seeds-in-ancient-bones-black-henbane/">bone</a> tubes, simple yet sophisticated, remind us that chemistry, belief, and social order have long been intertwined. In the high Andes, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/meditation-reveals-common-altered-states-of-consciousness/">altered consciousness</a> was more than a personal journey - it was statecraft written in breath and stone.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2425125122">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>.



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How psychoactive plants helped build an ancient empire

A new investigation at a high‑Andean temple reveals that the distant ancestors of the Inca wielded psychoactive plants as a political tool. Archaeologists have uncovered bone tubes still coated with traces of mind‑altering snuff, showing that Chavín lords used controlled visions to cement their rule almost three millennia ago. The discovery comes from a project led by researchers at the University of Florida, Stanford University, and partner institutions across South America. The experts analyzed artifacts from Chavín de Huántar, a vast ceremonial center that sits 10,000 feet above sea...

A new study from the <a href="http://www.silentspring.org/">Silent Spring Institute</a> found indoor air pollutants in subsidized housing in Boston, Massachusetts, with some chemicals hitting unsafe levels. What is most surprising, though, is that the indoor air pollution was found in green homes, or homes built to comply with enhanced energy efficiency standards. 

The study also sheds light on which chemicals originate from the building itself, and which are brought in by homeowners. 

“This is the first study to look at air pollutants pre- and post-occupancy, allowing us to really hone in on the sources,”  said Robin Dodson, an environmental exposure scientist at Silent Spring Institute.

Dodson also said that indoor pollution from building materials could cause an array of health and respiratory problems, including asthma, reproductive disorders, cancer and lower IQ. 

Many household cleaning products, furniture, plastics, and home essentials contain chemicals that can contribute to indoor pollution, but Dodson found many chemicals came directly from the homes themselves. 

The researchers collected air and dust samples from newly renovated subsidized homes in Boston, both before and after people moved into the units. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/video/houseplants-reduce-indoor-air-pollution/">Indoor pollution</a> levels are often higher in lower income housing compared to wealthier communities. 

Dodson found flame retardants, phosphate, and tris (1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCDIPP) that most likely came from the building versus the occupants. Incidentally, TCDIPP has been associated with decreased fertility in men. 

The researchers found some chemicals that have been banned or phased out, and formaldehyde was detected in all units. Even more alarming was that formaldehyde levels in the units were higher than <a href="https://www.epa.gov/">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA) recommendations. 

Dodson hopes the research will help shape building standards for low-income housing and other developments.

Combining healthier building initiatives, excluding hazardous chemicals from green building materials, and educating the public on household products that contain harmful ingredients can all drastically help reduce indoor pollution levels. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Indoor air pollution found in green homes due to toxic materials

A new study from the Silent Spring Institute found indoor...

If you live in an area that isn’t being slammed by hurricanes and tornadoes, or aren’t a farmer whose crop is drying up due to heat waves and droughts, how much do you really have invested in the consequences of climate change? Well according to a new study published in <a href="http://www.pnas.org/">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, many more of us may have our daily lives affected by recent findings on climate change than previously thought. 

Scientists have found that global warming may significantly reduce coffee growing areas in Latin America, which is the world’s largest coffee-producing region. By 2050, production might decrease in these areas by as much as 88 percent.

This is the first major study to analyze climate change’s projected impacts on coffee, and the bees that affect coffee production, on a national or continental scale. Furthermore, the study estimates much greater losses of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/coffee-consumption-lower-death/">coffee</a> regions that previous assessments.

“Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities on earth, and needs a suitable climate and pollinating bees to produce well,” says Taylor Ricketts, study co-author and director of the University of Vermont's (UVM) <a href="http://www.uvm.edu/gund">Gund Institute for Environment</a>. “This is the first study to show how both will likely change under global warming – in ways that will hit coffee producers hard.”

The largest declines are projected to be in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Venezuela. “Coffee provides the main income for millions of the rural poor, so yield declines would affect the livelihoods of those already vulnerable people,” says Ricketts.

However, this study isn’t all doom and gloom. The researchers forecast that coffee suitability in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, and Costa Rica will actually increase due to climate change. These changes are mainly going to happen in mountainous areas where temperatures are projected to support both coffee growing and an increase in bee populations.

“If there are bees in the coffee plots, they are very efficient and very good at pollinating, so productivity increases and also berry weight,” says lead author Pablo Imbach of the <a href="http://ciat.cgiar.org/">International Center for Tropical Agriculture</a>. “In the areas projected to lose coffee suitability, we wanted to know whether that loss could be offset by bees.”

This shows how important tropical forests are as key habitats for wild bees, as well as other pollinators. Roughly 91 percent of the most suitable areas for coffee in Latin America are currently within a mile of tropical forests. Interestingly, that number is projected to increase to 97 percent by 2050, which means conservation of these habitats will be imperative.

The models created to achieve this study now provide strategies to improve coffee growth and bee pollination for Latin American farmers. These strategies include increasing bee habitats near farms where bee diversity is expected to increase, as well as prioritizing farming practices that are less environmentally harmful and protecting the forests around their farms.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Climate change could drastically reduce coffee growing capacity

If you live in an area that isn’t being slammed...

A recent study has found that the range of human emotion might be much larger than we previously thought. Before, it was believed that we felt only six emotions – but researchers at <a href="http://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a> report that they have found 27 unique human emotions.

“We wanted to shed light on the full palette of emotions that color our inner world,” says lead author Alan Cowen. 

The study involved asking over 800 participants, broken into three groups, to report or rank the emotions they felt after watching 30 different video clips. Each clip was five to ten seconds and included things such as birth, death, weddings, spiders, risky stunts, sexual acts, nature, and awkward handshakes.

The first group was asked to freely report the emotions they felt, which is what led to the discovery of the 27 emotions. “Their responses reflected a rich and nuanced array of emotional states, ranging from nostalgia to feeling ‘grossed out,’” Cowen says. 

The second group was tasked with ranking each video according to how strongly it made them feel any of the 27 previously reported emotions. The results from this part of the study made it clear to the researchers that the participants were in agreement about the emotions they were all experiencing.

The final group ranked their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/negative-emotions-overall-happiness/">emotional</a> responses to a dozen videos on a scale of 1 to 9, using paired opposites such as positive vs. negative or excitement vs. calmness. The researchers were actually able to accurately predict how the third group would rank their emotions based off of the previous groups’ responses. This shows that the participants generally shared similar emotional responses to the video clips, and provides strong evidence of the existence of these 27 emotions.

“We found that 27 distinct dimensions, not six, were necessary to account for the way hundreds of people reliably reported feeling in response to each video,” says Dacher Keltner, a <a href="http://www.berkeley.edu/">UC Berkeley</a> psychology professor.

Furthermore, the study found that each emotional state isn’t an island. There are gradients of emotion between them, tying them together in a web that is all interconnected. 

Enhancing our knowledge of what emotions people feel and what causes them to feel these emotions may help us lead to a better understanding of each other, and even ourselves.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists identify 27 different human emotions

A recent study has found that the range of human...

Research from the <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a> suggests that appearing stressed may help people to avoid conflict. The experts found that monkeys often scratch as a stress behavior, and that this action noticeably reduces aggression from other animals.

The study, published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/srep/">Scientific Reports</a>, raises the question of whether human scratching and similar stress behaviors serve the same purpose.

"Observable stress behaviors could have evolved as a way of reducing aggression in socially complex species of primates,” explained lead author Jamie Whitehouse. “Showing others you are stressed could benefit both the scratcher and those watching, because both parties can then avoid conflict."

On the 35-acre island of Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, the research team observed 45 rhesus macaques from a group of 200. The team monitored the animals’ social interactions for eight months.

The experts discovered that scratching often occurred in times of heightened <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sleep-depression-stress-anxiety/">stress</a> for the monkeys, like when they were in close proximity to strangers or high-ranking individuals. The researchers also noted that the likelihood of a monkey being attacked was significantly lowered by scratching.

For example, the 75 percent chance that a higher ranking monkey would show aggression to a lower ranking monkey dropped to 50 percent if the lower monkey began scratching. The behavior of scratching also lowered the chances of aggression between monkeys that did not have a strong social bond.

"As scratching can be a sign of social stress, potential attackers might be avoiding attacking obviously stressed individuals because such individuals could behave unpredictably or be weakened by their stress, meaning an attack could be either risky or unnecessary,” said Whitehouse.

The researchers believe their work will lead to a better understanding of stress in both humans and animals. The study is the first to suggest that stress behaviors may be responded to by others and also that these behaviors may help to support social cohesion.

"By revealing stress to others, we are helping them predict what we might do, so the situation becomes more transparent,” explained Whitehouse. “Transparency ultimately reduces the need for conflict, which benefits everyone and promotes a more socially cohesive group."
--
By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Appearing stressed out can actually help you avoid conflict

Research from the University of Portsmouth suggests that appearing stressed...

Research has found that feelings of happiness and positivity can have a beneficial impact on physical health. A new study, however, suggests that the health benefits linked to positive emotions may be limited to people of certain cultural backgrounds. 

Psychological scientist Jiah Yoo and his colleagues theorized that the relationship between positive emotions and improved health is specific to Western populations. 

For their study, the researchers developed a cross-cultural comparison. The team used data from two representative studies of adults funded by the <a href="http://www.nia.nih.gov/">National Institute on Aging</a>, Midlife in the United States and Midlife in Japan. 

For the studies, the participants had rated how frequently they experienced 10 different positive emotions during the previous 30 days. The studies also produced measurements of the volunteers’ blood lipids, which provided objective data on heart health.

"Because of the global prevalence of coronary artery disease, blood lipids are considered important indices of biological health in many Western and East Asian countries," explained Yoo.

The data revealed that frequent positive emotions were directly related to healthy lipid profiles in the American study. The data from the Japanese study, on the other hand, did not provide evidence of such a connection.

"Our key finding is that positive emotions predict blood-lipid profiles differently across cultures," said Yoo. "American adults who experience high levels of positive emotions, such as feeling 'cheerful' and 'extremely happy', are more likely to have healthy blood-lipid profiles, even after accounting for other factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, and chronic conditions. However, this was not true for Japanese adults."

The team examined how people from different cultural backgrounds conceive of happiness and how much value is placed on experiencing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/happy-music-stimulates-creativity/">positive emotions</a>.

"In American cultures, experiencing positive emotions is seen as desirable and is even encouraged via socialization. But in East Asian cultures, people commonly view positive emotions as having dark sides - they are fleeting, may attract unnecessary attention from others, and can be a distraction from focusing on important tasks," said Yoo.

Yoo said that the findings of the study “underscore the importance of cultural context for understanding links between emotion and health, something that has been largely ignored in the literature.”

“By demonstrating that the cultural variation in the connection between emotional well-being and physical well-being, our research has wide-ranging relevance among those who seek to promote well-being in the communities and the workplace, including clinicians, executives, and policy makers,” said Yoo.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.psychologicalscience.org/">Psychological Science</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Health benefits of happiness depend on cultural environment

Research has found that feelings of happiness and positivity can...

Using Twitter for scientific research might seem like a golden opportunity. In fact, Dr. Eric Allen Jensen from the <a href="http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/">University of Warwick's</a> Department of Sociology has called Twitter a “big data gold rush,” given the over 300 million monthly active users on the website. 

Jensen’s paper, published in the journal PlOS One, however, warns that any data taken from Twitter and used for scientific research should be done so with a grain of salt.

Jensen cautions against using Tweets for scientific data because there is no guarantee that content on social media is an accurate representation of the people posting it. 

People on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-helping-communities-manage-fires/">social media</a> have ample opportunity for living “double lives,” often showing the world a picture perfect version of life that is miles away from reality, or hiding emotions and how they really feel about something. 

Twitter, with its 140 character limit, has created a language all its own. Twitter's users lay claim to a unique use of grammar, conversation, and have distinct identities that shape how content is shared and posted.

 “Twitter users present only one side of themselves on social media, shielding their true feelings for good reasons, such as professional reputation. There is clearly a large gap between what people post on social media and how they really feel,” said Jensen. 

Using Twitter for scientific studies could also damage the credibility of a scientific study, as drawing conclusions from a group of Twitter users doesn’t mean that group represents the population or their demographic in general.  

Celebrities, politicians, big companies, and people who post multiple times a day could also skew data sets collected from Twitter and be over-represented Jensen noted. 

“Enthusiasm for accessing digital data should not outpace sound research methodology,” concluded Jensen. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Twitter is an unreliable representation of real life emotions

Using Twitter for scientific research might seem like a golden...

When we talk, we often animate our words with gestures: nodding our heads, motioning with our hands, shrugging, or pointing. These gestures are part of the way we interact with people and communicate. But according to new research from the <a href="http://www.mpi.nl/">Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics</a> and <a href="http://www.ru.nl/english/">Radboud University</a>, using gestures can streamline communication and allow your message to get across quicker.

According to Spencer Kelly, an associate professor at <a href="http://www.colgate.edu/">Colgate University</a>, there are two groups of gestures. Co-Speech gestures help us communicate and sometimes animate our speech sometimes when we don’t even realize it. Emblematic gestures, on the other hand, are better suited to display emotions and have more of a social and cultural context. 

The new research has found that gestures may actually help out the psycholinguistic process, and by receiving visual cues, we can better process what another person is trying to convey. 

Visual cues and gestures can also alert us to the end of a conversation or sentence so that we know it is our turn to respond. 

Moreover, gestures that end early can get <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/questions-earth-formed/">questions</a> answered more quickly.

A study was conducted by filming seven different groups of three participants talking. The participants were filmed with high definition cameras and were left alone to talk for twenty minutes. 

The sessions were then played back for the researchers, who observed speech patterns, gestures and focused primarily on question-response sequences. 

The researchers found that most questions were accompanied with visual cues or gestures which both alerted the other speakers that it would soon be their turn to answer, and provided context for the question being asked. 

“Questions accompanied by gestures lead to shorter turn transition times—that is, to faster responses—than questions without gestures, and responses come even earlier when gestures end before compared to after the question turn has ended,” said Judith Holler, lead researcher from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Understanding gestures helps streamline communication

When we talk, we often animate our words with gestures:...

Research has shown that as much as 41 percent of our daily calorie intake comes from snacks, and now experts are saying that this is not just due to a lack of willpower. A recent study has found that people are more likely to indulge in between meals when they see other people snacking.

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.utas.edu.au/">University of Tasmania</a> set out to determine what influences snacking. Before the experiment, 61 participants were asked to report on topics such as how much they think about the advantages of healthy eating and their plans to adopt a healthier diet. 

The volunteers were also asked to rate how often they incorporate all five food groups into their day and to gauge their level of willpower to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/best-diet-longer-life/">eat healthier</a>. For the following two weeks, the participants used an application to keep track of every time they ate and to report whether it was a main meal or a snack. 

The individuals were prompted to record situational cues that may have influenced their decision to grab a snack, such as fast food was present, snacks were easily accessible, or there were people snacking within sight. The participants were also prompted by the application to record these situational cues at random times throughout the day.

The results of the study showed that the participants were much more influenced by momentary cues such as seeing someone else eating than they were by their own intentions. For example, the subjects of the study reported the presence of other people snacking more often when they had just logged their own snacking than when they were prompted randomly by the application to report on situational cues.

The authors of the study, published in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)2044-8287">British Journal of Health Psychology</a>, hope the findings of the research will ultimately help to curb overeating.

“Working with individuals to increase their self-regulatory skills may enable them to better control their snacking and be less influenced by momentary cues,” said the authors.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Is snacking contagious?

Research has shown that as much as 41 percent of...

Researchers from the <a href="http://www.unimelb.edu.au/">University of Melbourne</a> have determined that binge watching TV takes away from the pleasure of the experience. The investigation revealed that viewers felt “significantly less” enjoyment when watching a television show back-to-back compared to those who watched it weekly.

“Binge watching via video-on-demand services is now considered the new 'normal' way to consume television programs,” said the authors of the study. “In fact, recent surveys suggest upwards of 80 percent of consumers prefer and indulge in binge watching behavior.”

The experts divided 51 students into three groups to watch the BBC series The Game, which none of the participants had previously viewed. One group of students watched the entire season in one sitting, one group watched one hour of the show daily, and the other group <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/binge-watching-tv-sleep/">watched</a> the series for one hour a week.

The researchers monitored the concentration levels of the participants by instructing them to press a keyboard each time a character on the show poured a drink or lit a cigarette. In order to evaluate how much information the students had retained about what they viewed, the team gave them questionnaires to complete right after finishing the show, 24 hours later, and twice a week for 140 days.

The study revealed that binge watchers had the best memory of what happened the day after the show, but were less likely to remember the specifics of the show over time.

Weekly viewers, on the other hand, recalled the least details 24 hours later, but managed to retain the most information over time.
The weekly viewers also enjoyed the show more than any of the other groups, according to their surveys.

“It appears that, despite its position as the preferred viewing schedule amongst modern television consumers, binge watching may affect both sustained memory of viewed content and self-reported show enjoyment levels,” said the researchers.

“Interestingly, the more traditional daily- and weekly-episode viewing schedules improved sustained memory in an incremental manner, but also differentially impacts self-reported show enjoyment levels.”

The findings of the study are published in the journal <a href="http://www.firstmonday.org/">First Monday</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why binge watching TV is actually less fun

Researchers from the University of Melbourne have determined that binge...

In the past, studies have failed to answer the question of what makes a person thrive rather than just simply survive. Research published in the journal <a href="http://www.europeanpsychologist.eu/">European Psychologist</a> reveals that thriving may be as simple as feeling good about yourself and what you are capable of. 

Dr. Daniel Brown, a sport and exercise scientist at the <a href="http://www.port.ac.uk/">University of Portsmouth</a>, set out to determine what makes people thrive at every stage of life across all cultures. For his investigation, he pulled together research on thriving that ranged from studies of babies and teenagers to studies on employees, artists, athletes, and the elderly.

"Thriving is a word most people would be glad to hear themselves described as, but which science hasn't really managed to consistently classify and describe until now,” said Dr. Brown. “It appears to come down to an individual experiencing a sense of development, of getting better at something, and succeeding at mastering something.”

The study produced two “shopping lists” of underlying conditions which are needed to thrive. Dr. Brown explained that all aspects of the lists are not required for thriving, but that a combination of components from both lists can be advantageous.

According to List A, a person who thrives is often optimistic, spiritual or religious, motivated, proactive, enjoys learning, flexible, adaptable, socially competent, and has self-esteem. List B points out what a thriving person has available to them, including opportunity, outside support, a manageable level of difficulties, a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yoga-meditation-reverse-ill-health/">calm environment</a>, a high degree of autonomy, or a trusted level of competency.

"Since the end of the 20th century, there has been a quest in science to better understand human fulfilment and thriving, there's been a shift towards wanting to understand how humans can function as highly as possible," said Dr. Brown.

"Part of the reason for a lack of consensus is the research so far has been narrowly focused. Some have studied what makes babies thrive, others have examined what makes some employees thrive and others not, and so on. By setting out a clear definition, I hope this helps set a course for future research."

Dr. Brown conducted the research as part of his PhD studies at the <a href="http://www.bath.ac.uk/">University of Bath</a> with co-author Dr. Rachel Arnold, an expert in the psychology of performance excellence. The authors of the study have recommended six areas for future exploration, such as an analysis of what enables thriving.

Dr. Brown said that what basically constitutes thriving “is feeling good about life and yourself and being good at something.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The difference between thriving and just surviving

In the past, studies have failed to answer the question...

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada, the United States, and Uruguay, the future of international drug control treaties is now in doubt, as these changes are violate the treaties.

Professor Wayne Hall, who made world headlines after publishing a review of 20 years of cannabis research in 2014, published a paper in the scientific journal <a href="http://www.addictionjournal.org/">Addiction</a> that outline a cautious approach to policy reform. His suggestions revolve around trialing and evaluating the effects of incrementally more liberal drug policies is decriminalization is going to continue to expand.

The majority of member states of the United Nations endorse these international drug control treaties, which prohibit the non-medical use of cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine, and heroin. These treaties are designed to reduce illegal access to prohibited drugs while also facilitating access to these drugs for medical and research purposes.

However, critics have stated that these treaties have failed to effectively handle non-medical use of illegal drugs while also defending policies that conflict with UN human rights treaties through the incarceration of large numbers of drug users.

In his paper, Hall suggests policies that nations could adopt in order to address the harm that certain illegal drugs cause to users and others. This would include completely changing some treaties or allowing for “flexible interpretations” of treaty provisions by members of the UN.

Cannabis is the strongest candidate for national policy experiments on a variety of ways to regulate its sale and use. This is already occurring in the U.S., Uruguay, and Canada. Thorough evaluations of these experiments could be useful for other nations in how they may decide to legalize <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-treats-migraines-better/">cannabis</a> in the future.

For drugs such as ecstasy, LSD, and other psychoactive substances, the most imperative regulatory challenge would be ensuring that the manufacture and sale of these substances meet the standards of consumer safety, and that consumers are informed about the risks of using these drugs.

Hall suggests a mitigated form of prohibition for opioids, which would expand treatment for opioid dependence, reduce some of its serious medical complications, and reduce imprisonment of opioid users.

Unfortunately for cocaine and amphetamines, Hall doesn’t have any quick fixes. Policies for stimulants need to be improved to reduce the demand and offer more effective treatments for stimulant users. Prohibition may minimize their use, but it’s not sufficient, and regulation through a modified prescription system is unlikely to curtail harmful use.

When it comes to drugs and drug regulation, much of the world is changing. It makes sense the policies, both nationally and internationally, must adapt to change with it. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

As countries legalize cannabis, what is the international law?

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada, the United States,...

Ticks are major harbingers of diseases for humans and animals that spread Lyme disease and other sicknesses. Like all parasites, ticks are also an important part of the ecosystem, and balance is the key. But according to a new study, climate change affecting host animals could cause tick populations to soar with devastating consequences. 

The study was conducted by <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">University of California, Santa Barbara</a> researchers and found that both tick populations and tick-borne diseases could increase in the coming years due to both climate change and decreasing wildlife populations

“Our research suggests that large mammal conservation may prevent increases in tick abundance and tick-borne disease risk. These results are timely and relevant in light of widespread wildlife declines and unpredictable regional climatic shifts in a steadily warming world,” said Georgia Titcomb, the study’s lead author and a graduate student from the UC Santa Barbara Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology. 

The researchers used a long term exclosure experiment to study how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/protect-bees-managing-ticks/">tick</a> populations would fare in environments with differing herbivore animal numbers. Exclosure can refer to any area that is fenced in or isolated to avoid the entry of certain animals. 

The researchers isolated four different plots in the <a href="http://www.mpala.org/">Mpala Research Centre in Kenya</a> for their experiment. The first plot excluded most herbivores except rodents, the second plot allowed small and medium sized herbivores like hares, and the third excluded only giant herbivores like giraffes and elephants, the fourth was the control plot and had no exclusions. 

For a little over a year, the researchers monitored each plot and conducted monthly hour long tick drags. 

In the plots where there were fewer herbivores, there were more ticks. Some months even showed an increase of 360 percent in tick populations where all large wildlife were excluded from the area. 

Climate change continues to threaten habitats and animal populations, especially large herbivores who are necessary for keeping tick populations in check. And an increase in tick populations means an increase in tick borne pathogens. 

The study highlights the necessity of conservation efforts specifically targeted to hinder the effects of wildlife loss due to climate change. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Tick populations set to increase with climate change

Ticks are major harbingers of diseases for humans and animals...

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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