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...

As floodwater from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hurricane-harvey-worst-hurricanes/">Hurricane Harvey</a> begins to recede, officials are concerned the death toll will continue to rise. At least 40 people have lost their lives and thousands have been displaced. 

Texas governor Greg Abbott said that there are more than 32,000 people in shelters across the state. Some residences will retain water for weeks, and evacuees are preparing for a long period of recovery.

For all of those people who want to support the victims of the hurricane, it is difficult to know the best way to help.

Bob Ottenhoff is the president and CEO of the <a href="http://disasterphilanthropy.org/">Center for Disaster Philanthropy</a>. He explained that it is best to send money, not items, to help with the disaster relief.

Ottenhoff told <a href="http://www.npr.org/">NPR</a>,"This is not the time to be donating products or even services...With the floods blocking off streets, when warehouses are not available, there's no place for these products — there's no place to store anything, there's no place to distribute anything. And that's going to be the case for some time."

Ottenhoff suggested that people should send money now for immediate relief, but also save some of their donation to send later for rebuilding efforts. He said that "this is often the part of a disaster that doesn't get media attention and therefore doesn't get donor support."

Experts advise to find a trusted organization to avoid scams and ensure your money is going directly to the hurricane victims. Susan Koranda is an advisory board member for the Chicago Salvation Army who also volunteers for the Red Cross.

Koranda told the Naperville Sun that even though donating to organizations like the <a href="http://www.redcross.org/">American Red Cross</a> and the <a href="http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/">Salvation Army</a> "sounds a little cold and impersonal,” it is actually the best way to help. She said that this “allows local organizations to do what they do best."

Donations to the Salvation Army can be made on their website. The American Red Cross also accepts donations online or you can text HARVEY to 90999 to donate $10.

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner set up the <a href="https://ghcf.org/hurricane-relief/">Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund</a> after receiving an overwhelming amount of inquiries from people wanting to help. <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/hurricaneharvey">GoFundMe</a> has posted all of its Hurricane Harvey-related campaigns on a single website for easy access. 

<a href="https://www.directrelief.org/">Direct Relief</a> is shipping medical supplies to victims, and <a href="https://www.americares.org/">Americares</a> is on the ground in Texas distributing water, medical aid, and basic supplies. 

For those who live in the Texas area or simply prefer to send items, the <a href="http://www.texasdiaperbank.org/">Texas Diaper Bank</a> in San Antonio is asking for diapers and wipes, which can be dropped off or sent through the mail. <a href="http://www.houstonfoodbank.org/">Houston Food Bank</a> and <a href="http://www.foodbankcc.com/">Food Bank of Corpus Christi</a> are also asking for donations.

There are plenty of ways to support the animals who are hurricane victims as well.

<a href="https://www.spca.org/">The SPCA of Texas</a> has evacuated pets, including 123 cats from a shelter in Corpus Christi. <a href="https://www.austinpetsalive.org/">Austin Pets Alive!</a> has also taken in hundreds of animals. This organization has ran out of storage space for donated supplies, so cash donations are encouraged. In addition, they are seeking people to adopt pets.

A complete list of trusted organizations that are helping the victims of Hurricane Harvey can be found at the <a href="https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&amp;cpid=5239">Hurricane Harvey: Charity Navigator</a> website.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The best ways to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey

As floodwater from Hurricane Harvey begins to recede, officials are...

Medical research has shown that heavy drinking can change brain function, but a new study shows that long-term alcohol use may affect men more than women – although both genders feel the effects.

Researchers worked with 27 young adults – 16 women and 11 men – who had used alcohol heavily for at least 10 years. The control group, made up of 13 women and 12 men, rarely or never used alcohol. All of the study participants were between the ages of 23 and 28.

"We found more changes in brain electrical activity in male subjects than in females, which was a surprise, as we expected it would be the other way around,” lead author Dr. Outi Kaarre of the <a href="http://www.uef.fi/en">University of Eastern Finland</a> and <a href="https://www.psshp.fi/web/en">Kuopio University Hospital</a> said in a press release. “This means that male brain electrical functioning is changed more than female brains by long-term alcohol use."

The medical researchers stimulated the participants’ brains with magnetic pulses, a process known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, and measured how their brains reacted using an electroencephalogram. One of the changes shown in the brain of males with a history of heavy drinking was increased electrical activity in the brain associated with GABA neurotransmission.

“We're still trying to figure out what this means, but GABA is a pretty fundamental neurotransmitter in the inhibition of many brain and central nervous systems functions,” Kaarre said. “It's involved in many neurological systems, and is important in anxiety and depression.”

While the study showed greater changes among the male participants, the researchers underlined that heavy drinking affects people of both genders, especially those who drink a lot when they’re young.

“It may be that we need to look at tightening regulations on youth drinking, since none of our study participants met the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorders and still these significant changes in brain functioning were found,” Kaarre said. 

In Finland, those over 18 may drink in clubs, restaurants and bars, and may purchase some types of alcohol to take home.

More study is needed, the researchers said, since the study relied on a small sample size and it was unknown if any participants had existing neurological conditions before they began drinking.

The study will be presented at the 30th <a href="http://2017.ecnp.eu/">ECNP Congress for Applied and Translational Neuroscience</a>. It was funded by the <a href="http://www.wpanet.org/detail.php?section_id=5&amp;content_id=224">Finnish Psychiatric Association</a>, <a href="http://en.alkoholitutkimussaatio.fi/">Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies</a>, <a href="https://www.escap.eu/index/escap-members/finland">Finnish Association of Adolescent Psychiatry</a>, the <a href="http://www.paulo.fi/in-english">Paulo Foundation</a>, and the <a href="http://www.duodecim.fi/english/">Finnish Medical Society Duodecim</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Heavy drinking affects men and women differently, study finds

Medical research has shown that heavy drinking can change brain...

Zero waste proponents have found an unlikely champion in the quest to eliminate garbage: college sporting venues.

Researchers at the <a href="http://missouri.edu/">University of Missouri</a> were curious to measure the success of their own university’s sustainability efforts, and see where they could continue to improve.

"Our objectives were to develop a system to characterize the waste produced at sporting events prior to game day and unsold food disposed of on game day, quantify the greenhouse gases produced, identify waste management and recycling strategies, and develop scenarios that event managers can use to decrease life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy use,” study co-author Dr. Christine Costello said in a press release.

To get a good idea of what kind of waste the university was generating at athletic events, the University of Missouri team audited the landfill waste produced at five football games at the college in 2014.

They found that the majority of the landfill waste produced came from pre-game food preparation off-site. A full 96 percent of the waste generated by the football games was pre-consumer and unsold food items. 

The research team brainstormed several ideas for reducing the amount of food waste generated by Mizzou’s football games. To reduce food waste, they suggested analyzing food demand at games to better predict what and how much to make; donating unsold food to charities and food banks; providing more recycling bins throughout the stadium; and replacing some of the beef items with chicken or vegetables, to contribute less to cattle-related greenhouse gas emissions. 

College sporting venues can also work to educate their spectators about recycling, sustainability and zero waste campaigns, the researchers said.

"Athletic events offer a great opportunity for engaging with a large, diverse crowd that may or may not be familiar with sustainability issues," said Dr. Ronald G. McGarvey, who co-authored the study. "Sporting event organizers can generate pro-environmental messaging to a broad audience and should take advantage of getting the word out about sustainable operations."

Their methods and findings can help other college sporting venues analyze where they can reduce waste as well.

The case study was published in the journal <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/7/1236">Sustainability</a>. Funding was provided by the <a href="https://mizzouadvantage.missouri.edu/">Mizzou Advantage</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Image credit: <a href="http://mutigers.com/">MU Athletics</a>

College sporting venues are leading the way toward zero waste

Zero waste proponents have found an unlikely champion in the...

While attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep problems have always been considered separate issues, new research strongly suggests that the two are related. Scientists are now exploring the concept that most ADHD cases may be caused by a lack of regular circadian sleep.

The developing theory that these two conditions are interrelated will be presented by Professor Sandra Kooij at the <a href="https://www.ecnp.eu/">European College of Neuropsychopharmacology</a> (ECNP) Conference in Paris.

"There is extensive research showing that people with ADHD also tend to exhibit sleep problems,”said Kooij. “What we are doing here is taking this association to the next logical step: pulling all the work together leads us to say that, based on existing evidence, it looks very much like ADHD and circadian problems are intertwined in the majority of patients.”

Kooij explained that when day and night rhythm is disturbed, the timing of several physical processes is interrupted. Sleep, temperature, movement patterns, timing of meals, and other activities can all be disturbed by the disruption of the body's internal clock.

“If you review the evidence, it looks more and more like ADHD and sleeplessness are 2 sides of the same physiological and mental coin,” said Kooij.

ADHD is associated with many sleep-related disorders including restless-leg syndrome, sleep apnea, and the circadian rhythm disturbance. 75 percent of children and adults with ADHD have irregular sleep patterns where the physiological sleep phase is delayed by 1.5 hours. Core body temperature changes associated with sleep are delayed as well, which reflects melatonin changes.

Another link between <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/poor-sleep-kill-you/">sleep disorders</a> and ADHD is that people with ADHD often show greater alertness in the evening, which is the opposite of what is found in the general population. ADHD sufferers can benefit from taking melatonin in the evening or bright light therapy in the morning to help reset the circadian rhythm.

The danger for people who experience chronic late sleep is that they accumulate sleep debt. Chronic sleep debt is associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. All of these health consequences may be partially preventable by resetting the sleep rhythm.

"We don't say that all ADHD problems are associated with these circadian patterns, but it looks increasingly likely that this is an important element,” said Kooij.

“If the connection is confirmed, it raises the intriguing question: does ADHD cause sleeplessness, or does sleeplessness cause ADHD? If the latter, then we may be able to treat some ADHD by non-pharmacological methods, such as changing light or sleep patterns, and prevent the negative impact of chronic sleep loss on health."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

ADHD may be triggered by a lack of quality sleep

While attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and sleep problems have...

Airplanes filled to capacity with people in close proximity to one another create perfect breeding grounds for spreading infectious diseases. And although waiting to board and depart a plane can feel like it takes forever, new research shows that waiting a little longer to board your flight could be the key to reducing the spread of infection. 

When epidemics occur, like the 2014 Ebola outbreak, flights can be grounded and travel warnings sent out for potential visitors to and from regions of the world where the infection is spreading. This is, in part, due to how easily infectious diseases can spread on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heat-waves-disrupt-airplanes-takeoffs/">airplanes</a>.

But a simple change in boarding procedures could help mitigate the spread of infection, according to research conducted by Ashok Srinivasan, a<a href="https://www.fsu.edu/"> Florida State University</a> Associate Professor of Computer Science. 

The goal of most airlines is to get passengers on and off flights quickly and efficiently. But these speedy boarding times and boarding zones create the perfect conditions for germs to spread. 

“It turns out that procedures that are generally good at getting people onto a plane very fast are also very bad at preventing infection,” said Srinivasan. 

Srinivasan used the Blue Waters supercomputer located in the <a href="http://www.ncsa.illinois.edu/">National Center for Supercomputing Applications</a> to create complex simulations that factored in details that regular computer processing systems would take years to calculate, such as behavioral patterns of stragglers and how long a passenger takes putting luggage in the overhead. 

The simulations revealed that the primary reason infections were so easily spread was due to the boarding process, where passengers board together in groups in a close proximity for germs to run rampant. 

Srinivasan also used the supercomputer simulations to find healthier boarding alternatives to reduce the spread of infection. The researchers found that random boarding would take longer but would also drastically cut the spread of germs. 

“On the whole, random boarding does take longer, but if passengers had to choose between getting Ebola and being seated a few minutes later, we suspect they'd prefer the latter,” Srinivasan said. 

The results of the research are staggering, showing that with normal boarding procedures in an Ebola outbreak scenario, there would be a 67 percent chance that 20 or more new people would be infected on airplanes. In the same scenario, using random boarding and smaller planes, that number diminishes to 13 percent.

Of course, airlines want to fill their planes to capacity and fit as many seats in their cabins as possible. But according Srinivasan’s research, this could prove dangerous if another outbreak occurs.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Changing airplane boarding procedure could reduce spread of germs

Airplanes filled to capacity with people in close proximity to...

Divorce can be brutal on children, and when it comes to custody arrangements, the common thought has been to disrupt the children’s life as little as possible by keeping them in one home. But now, a new study has examined the stresses faced by children with separated parents and how they were affected by shared physical custody. The results found that children whose parents split physical custody were less stressed than children who lived primarily with one parent. 

The study from <a href="http://www.su.se/english/">Stockholm University</a> found that children whose parents have sole custody experience stress symptoms more frequently than children whose parents split the demands of child raising equally. 

The stress could be related to many different things, such as losing contact with family members, feeling displaced from their normal environment, and being concerned about the parent they don’t spend as much time with. 

The researchers even found that in households where parents don’t get along but still have shared physical custody, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deportation-fears-american-children/">children</a> fare better. 

Jani Turunen, a post-doctoral researcher from Stockholm University and a collaborator on the study, said the research addresses concerns that children who move between parents might be subject to more unstable living conditions. 

But Turunen suggests the opposite is true, that shared physical custody has a much more positive effect on a child’s well-being. 

“The relationship between the child and both of its parents becomes stronger, the child finds the relationship to be better and the parents can both exercise more active parenting,” said Turunen. 

The study gathered data from just over 800 children who were asked about their living conditions and any stress they feel related to their parents. The parents of the children participating in the study were also asked about their relationship with their divorced or separated partner.  

The results show that shared physical custody and co-parenting creates a much healthier environment for children as it continues the bond with both parents equally.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

After divorce, shared custody found to be less stressful for kids

Divorce can be brutal on children, and when it comes...

Many people find that images, videos, and even sounds of nature have a calming effect on them – especially if you spend all day cooped up in a corporate environment. But do these same things have a similar effect on inmates in prison?

This is the question a recent study by researchers at the <a href="http://www.unews.utah.edu/">University of Utah</a> and published in <a href="http://www.frontiersinecology.org/fron/">Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment</a> sought to answer. The researchers followed inmates in solitary confinement at an Oregon prison for a year, showing one population a nature video during their 45-minute exercise period four to five times a week, and comparing it to another population that didn’t watch the videos. The videos depicted a variety of nature scenes, ranging from deserts to oceans to rainforests.

During this time, the researchers surveyed and interviewed the inmates and prison staff, and tracked the number of disciplinary referrals – or violent infractions of prison rules – in the cellblock.

Of the inmates surveyed, 80 percent said that the videos made their time easier. Many reported they felt a calming effect after watching the videos, and that they found their relationships with staff improved. Some said that they were even sleeping better.

“The nature project help’s me think clearer to know there is so much more beauty in this world then this prison,” wrote one inmate.

Although initially skeptical, prison staff said that they observed fewer angry outburst and concerning behaviors. 

Through statistical analysis of data from the prison staff, the researchers found that if the cellblock were at full capacity, the prisoners that viewed the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/natures-climate-change/">nature</a> videos would commit 26 percent fewer infractions than those that hadn’t. Since each infraction carries the possibility of someone getting hurt, decreasing the number of these incidents is a big deal.

The results of this study have far-ranging implications for improving the lives of nature-deprived populations – which may include up to 5 million people. This same nature therapy could be used in nursing homes, homeless shelters, military barracks, and many other institutions.

Moving forward, the researchers will begin creating toolkits with new nature videos from National Geographic as well as education materials about the habitats to be featured in the videos. These materials will go out to ten prisons to start, but have the ability to benefit people in any nature-deprived environment.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Nature imagery has a calming effects on prisoners

Many people find that images, videos, and even sounds of...

When you really think about it, it’s interesting to imagine how the differing accents between individuals that speak the same <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/different-language-make-decisions/">language</a> actually arose. Accents can be distinctly different not just between countries, but states and provinces and cities as well.

A new study published in the journal Language examines how accents change over differing periods of time, and how this shows the limited impact of intense social interactions in isolated environments. The study also reveals the significant differences among individuals in how susceptible their accents are to change.

The goal of the study was to analyze how people’s accents can change over time as a result of social interactions. Although the study of accent change has been well-documented by past research over the short term (just in the context of a single conversation) and the long-term (evolving based on exposure over a period of years), the middle period between the two has barely been documented.

One of the most interesting aspects of this study is that it derived all of its information from a reality TV show. Big Brother UK is a reality show where contestants live in an isolated house for three months while their interactions are continually recorded. Because of this set up, the house is a linguistically closed system, where the researchers could both determine the dynamics of contestants’ speech from day-to-day and analyze any sources of observed changes.

Through analysis of five variable accents of any individual speaker’s accent, the researchers found that accent change over the medium term is ubiquitous, meaning that large daily fluctuations in each sound variable are common, while longer-term change over weeks to months only occurs in a minority of cases.

When compared to similar research on both long and short-term accent change, this research shows that even within settings of intense social contact, accent change is highly unique and complex. Even with constant and isolated interaction over three months, people don’t just adopt each other’s way of speaking automatically. Ultimately, this study shows that – like most other characteristics – speech patterns and accents are highly individualistic.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How accents develop and change over time

When you really think about it, it’s interesting to imagine...

According to new research, acknowledging how others are perceived by the world can help promote empathy, even though forming conclusions about another person usually comes with a negative connotation, as we are repeatedly told not to judge. The difference is that understanding how we see others and how they perceive themselves is different from forming a snap judgment without merit. 

Brittany Solomon, a research assistant professor of management and organization at <a href="http://mendoza.nd.edu/">Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business</a>, led the study that proves our perceptions are an important part of how we interact with others. 

Solomon, in her study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, discusses how we are in tune not just with our own perceptions of people, but how they are perceived by society or others. 

“Understanding others' subjective realities can enhance empathy, cooperation, and communication and may also influence one's own opinions. This can prompt people to deliberate and even re-evaluate their own views or enable them to influence others,” said Solomon.

No matter how you perceive someone, you are also aware of how they are perceived by the world and how that person views themselves. This is an important skill to access as it can enhance social and professional <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/checking-phone-ruining-relationships/">relationships</a>. 

Solomon discusses a workplace environment in her study, whereby a manager who understands how an employee is perceived by others in the workplace can find the best ways to highlight that employees strengths.  

“If you know that one person is seen in positive or negative ways, you can highlight their attributes that perhaps other group members aren't aware of. Or, you could avoid potential conflict by not grouping certain individuals together in the first place,” said Solomon. 

The study makes sure to point out that everyone’s perceptions, to a point, will be skewed. It’s not about having the correct perception, but rather, having the awareness to factor in how another person is viewed can improve communication and interpersonal relationships.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Understanding how others are perceived improves relationships

According to new research, acknowledging how others are perceived by...

In 2016, there were a reported 40,000 road traffic deaths in the United States, a jump of 6 percent from the previous year. According to the <a href="http://www.nsc.org/NewsDocuments/2017/12-month-estimates.pdf">National Safety Council</a>, the year before saw a 7 percent increase from 2014. Experts attribute many factors to the rising number of traffic incidents, including cell phone use and speeding. Now, new research shows that rising temperatures may also be linked to road deaths and traffic collisions, a factor not previously considered.

Dr. Leon Robertson from the University School of Public Health in Green Valley, Arizona conducted research to see if climate change was at all to involved, as 2015 was a particularly <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/2015-was-the-hottest-year-ever-recorded/">warm year</a> across the United States. 

From 2014 to 2015, annual temperatures rose 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit in the areas that Robertson studied. Robertson gathered data from recorded temperatures, precipitation, mileage, and traffic fatalities to see if there was a correlation between temperatures, rainfall, and the number of miles driven annually. 

Robertson found that people drove 60 miles more per year for every degree the temperature rose, and drove 66 more miles annually with every additional inch of rainfall. 

The research also found that road deaths increased in warmer areas and in places with more rainfall. That rate also increased in areas where freeway speed limits were higher. 

Robertson noted that given the correlation between mileage and temperature, in 2015 drivers would have tacked on 13.6 billion extra miles because of the 1.5 degrees increase. He also noted that road deaths increased on warmer days for a number of reasons, including more people driving and an increase in foot and bicycle traffic. 

“As temperatures continue to increase from heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, road deaths will likely increase more than expected unless there are major mitigating countermeasures,” said Robertson. 

Robertson’s research is based on an observational study and comes with a certain set of limitations. Most observational studies cannot be taken at face value because of external factors that were perhaps not considered. 

But Robertson’s study is important as it points to a “vicious cycle” of higher temperatures equalling more miles driven, which in turn creates more carbon emissions and the rotation repeats again. 

The research further adds to the mounting evidence that climate change is drastically changing our environment, and disastrous consequences could ensue if measures aren’t taken to hinder the effects. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How climate change relates to the rising number of road deaths

In 2016, there were a reported 40,000 road traffic deaths...

These days, when you hear the word diet, one of the first things that comes to mind is cutting back on carbs and sugar. Bread has gotten a bad reputation over the years, with Atkins and gluten-free diets reinforcing the idea that carbs are the enemy. But now, a new study has found that Americans are missing out on grains that contain many important nutrients we need, such as dietary fiber, iron, zinc, and folate.

Researchers found that grain foods account for less than 15 percent of total caloric intake for American adults, which is problematic because they are packed with important nutrients needed for a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/species-survival-adapt-diets/">healthy diet</a>. Despite their bad reputation, grains contribute over 20 percent of three critical shortfall nutrients: dietary fiber, folate, and iron, as well as calcium, magnesium, and vitamin A.

Researchers collected data from more than 10,000 dietary surveys conducted by the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/index.htm">National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control</a>. The surveys included information on what the participants had eaten in the last 24 hours. The researchers took these surveys and measured the number of grains that were consumed by the participants. The results found that grain food consumption is low across the board, lower than it should be.

“Finally, we can enjoy bread again. The nutrient contribution of all whole and refined grain food products, including bread, rolls and tortillas and ready-to-eat cereals, can play a key role in helping American adults meet recommendations for under-consumed nutrients and nutrients of public health concern,” said Papanikolaou.

Papanikolaou also clarified that although whole grains are preferred, you can still get necessary nutrients from refined and enriched grains. The study’s findings also aligned with prior research that found grain foods were just as beneficial for children and adolescents. 

The study was published in the journal Nutrients.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Americans don’t eat as much bread and grains as they should

These days, when you hear the word diet, one of...

An initiative known as <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca">Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals</a>, or DACA, was established to protect people who immigrated to the United States as children. Illegal citizens asked for the opportunity to stay in the country to pursue their education and careers, and DACA has provided over 800,000 immigrants with temporary work permits and protection from deportation.

Many of those granted the chance to stay in America through DACA have given birth to children here. While the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/us-mexico-border-wall-threaten-100-endangered-species/">Trump administration</a> and Congress debate whether or not to keep the program, the unstable immigration status of the families can have a difficult impact on children.

Approximately 4 million children born in the United States have at least one parent who is unauthorized. A recent study focused on how the lives of these children could be improved dramatically without worry of their parents being deported. Linna Marten is a postdoctoral scholar at the <a href="https://www.immigrationlab.org/">Stanford Immigration Policy Lab</a> and co-author of the research.

''DACA is the largest immigration reform in the US since the mid-1980s, but so far there have been almost no credible studies of how it has affected unauthorized immigrants and their families,” said Marten. “Hence, policymakers have lacked concrete evidence to make informed decisions about the future of DACA.”

It is known that fear of separation is a significant source of stress for children of unauthorized parents, but it is difficult to distinguish this anxiety from issues tied to poverty, cultural barriers, and other factors common among immigrants. 

For the study, the research team tracked immigrant mothers born just before and after the date established to qualify for DACA. Next, the experts looked for a range of mental illnesses known to be provoked by external stress among the 8,610 children born to these mothers between 2003 and 2015. These illnesses included adjustment disorder, acute stress disorder, and anxiety disorder.

The results of the study revealed that protecting immigrant parents from deportation leads to huge improvements in the mental health of their children, giving them security and peace of mind. The occurrence of stress disorders dropped by more than half among children whose parents were protected by DACA.


"Our results imply that expanding deferred action, or providing more permanent protection, to the millions of unauthorized immigrant parents who do not meet the current DACA eligibility criteria could equally promote the wellbeing of their children,” said co-author Duncan Lawrence. “This would have important implications for this next generation of American citizens.”

The authors of the study urge policymakers to consider DACA’s broader impact, which may have decades of positive and life-changing consequences for U.S. citizens.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Deportation fears impact the mental health of American children

An initiative known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> 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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Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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Astronomers at <a href="https://www.jhu.edu/">Johns Hopkins University</a> have created an interactive map of the universe, including the actual position and real colors of 200,000 galaxies. The map allows the public to access data that was previously only available to scientists.



The map was developed using data collected by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. For over two decades, a telescope in New Mexico was aimed at slightly different locations to capture the night sky.&nbsp;



"Growing up I was very inspired by astronomy pictures, stars, nebulae and galaxies, and now it's our time to create a new type of picture to inspire people," said map creator Brice Ménard, a professor at Johns Hopkins. "Astrophysicists around the world have been analyzing this data for years, leading to thousands of scientific papers and discoveries. But nobody took the time to create a map that is beautiful, scientifically accurate, and accessible to people who are not scientists. Our goal here is to show everybody what the universe really looks like."



"In this map, we are just a speck at the very bottom, just one pixel. And when I say we, I mean our galaxy, the Milky Way which has billions of stars and planets. We are used to seeing astronomical pictures showing one galaxy here, one galaxy there or perhaps a group of galaxies. But what this map shows is a very, very different scale."



"From this speck at the bottom, we are able to map out galaxies across the entire universe, and that says something about the power of science."



The <a href="https://mapoftheuniverse.net/">interactive map</a> is available online, where it can be downloaded for free.



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features the Pyrenees Mountains, which form a natural boundary between France and Spain in southwest Europe.



The mountain range is 430 kilometers in length. It stretches from the Mediterranean Sea on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west.



At an elevation of 3404 meters, Pico de Aneto is the highest mountain peak in the Pyrenees, and the third-highest peak in Spain. Pico de Aneto is located in the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, which spans more than 82,000 acres.&nbsp;



"Geological studies have revealed that the Pyrenees Mountains have been around for longer than the Alps, with their sediments first deposited in coastal basins during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras," reports ESA.



"The entire mountain range formed due to the upwelling of large sedimentary rocks by the collision of the Iberian and the Eurasian plate around 100 to 150 million years ago, followed by intense erosion from ice and water."



The western Pyrenees receive more precipitation due to moisture blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The mountain range contains many lakes, several small glaciers, and some of the highest waterfalls in Europe.



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

[sendtonews key="QIoVYJqRBi-2434608-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

[sendtonews key="JbW4VsY53O-1632195-12187" type="single"] Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected...

Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://welcome.miami.edu/">University of Miami</a> Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science explores how changes in water temperatures have affected tiger shark habitats and movements in the North Atlantic Ocean. The study reveals that rising temperatures have caused the sharks to shift toward the poles over the past 40 years.



“Tiger shark annual migrations have expanded poleward, paralleling rising water temperatures,” explained study lead author Neil Hammerschlag. “These results have consequences for tiger shark conservation, since shifts in their movements outside of marine protected areas may leave them more vulnerable to commercial fishing.”



The researchers analyzed nine years of tracking data from satellite-tagged tiger sharks, combined with four decades of conventional tag and recapture data provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Shark Tagging Program.



The experts found that during the last decade of record heat, for every one-degree Celsius increase in water temperatures, tiger sharks migrated further poleward by over 400 kilometers. They also migrated two weeks earlier than usual to waters off the northeastern coast of the United States.



“Given their role as apex predators, these changes to tiger shark movements may alter predator-prey interactions, leading to ecological imbalances, and more frequent encounters with humans,” concluded Professor Hammerschlag.



Video Credit: University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

Today’s Video of the Day from the University of Miami...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> is focused on the melt ponds that emerge during the spring and summer on the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is the largest ice mass in the northern hemisphere.



"Melt ponds are vast pools of open water that form on both sea ice and ice sheets and are visible as turquoise-blue pools of water in this Copernicus Sentinel-2 image," says ESA.



"When snow and ice melts atop glaciers, water flows in channels and streams and collects in depressions on the surface. These melt ponds can speed up the melting of the surrounding ice since they greatly reduce the ice’s ability to reflect sunlight."



"This can create a positive feedback where an increasing number of melt ponds absorb more heat which causes ice cover to melt even faster."



According to ESA, Greenland has been hit with a late-season heatwave that began in early September. This caused the type of melt event that usually occurs in the middle of summer.



"In a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, scientists found that major sea-level rise from the melting of the Greenland ice cap is now ‘inevitable’ even if the burning of fossil fuels were to halt overnight," says ESA. "Using satellite observations of Greenland ice loss and ice cap from 2000 to 2019, the team found the losses will lead to a minimum rise of 27 cm regardless of climate change."



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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