Being cool can feel elusive and almost mythic - something we “know when we see it,” yet struggle to define.



A sweeping new investigation led by marketing scholars Todd Pezzuti of <a href="https://www.uai.cl/">Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez</a> and Caleb Warren of the <a href="https://www.arizona.edu/">University of Arizona</a> argues that the concept is far less mysterious than it seems.



Across twelve nations, nearly 6,000 participants independently picked out the same constellation of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/personality-type-can-accurately-predict-your-relationship-status/">personality</a> traits when describing a cool person. 



The findings reveal not only what separates “cool” from “good” but also why cool people tend to become catalysts of social change.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-cool-across-12-nations">Mapping cool across 12 nations</h2>



Between 2018 and 2022, the research team collected online responses from adults in the United States, Australia, Chile, mainland China, Hong Kong, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.



Participants first confirmed that they understood the slang meaning of the word “cool,” then spent a few minutes imagining someone who embodied one of four labels: cool, uncool, good, or not good.



Afterward, volunteers evaluated that imagined person on a battery of personality dimensions drawn from psychology’s “Big Five” model and Schwartz’s theory of universal values.



Because all responses came from internet users in relatively urban settings, the sample leans toward technologically connected citizens. 



Still, it is one of the most culturally diverse datasets ever assembled to study reputational judgments. The result is a uniquely global snapshot of how people assign social prestige.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-cool-and-good-part-ways"><a></a>Where cool and good part ways</h2>



When the investigators compared ratings, they found considerable overlap: both cool and good people scored high on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-with-many-facial-expressions-seem-more-social-and-likeable/">likability</a>. Yet important divergences emerged.



In all the places they studied, people consistently perceived cool individuals as more extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open, and autonomous. 



Good people, by contrast, ranked as conforming, traditional, secure, warm, agreeable, universalistic, conscientious, and calm.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cool-people-aren-t-always-good">Cool people aren't always "good"</h2>



In Pezzuti’s view, the cool profile evokes a kind of charismatic boundary-pusher: energetic, novelty seeking, and unapologetically self-directed.



That explains why cool individuals can inspire fashion trends or launch creative movements - roles that sometimes require bending social rules rather than following them.



“To be seen as cool, someone usually needs to be somewhat likable or admirable, which makes them similar to good people," said Warren. "However, cool people often have other traits that aren’t necessarily considered ‘good’ in a moral sense, like being hedonistic and powerful.”



The cool persona therefore straddles acceptance and transgression: admired enough to influence peers, rebellious enough to feel fresh.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cool-traits-go-global">Cool traits go global</h2>



In the mid-20th century, “cool” circulated in small countercultures - from Black jazz clubs to Beatnik cafés. Over the decades, fashion labels, record companies and Hollywood studios harnessed the aura of cool, broadcasting certain looks and attitudes to a worldwide audience.



The new study suggests that process may have standardized the meaning of the term. Even participants who live 10,000 miles apart now recognize the same signature <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/personality-traits-linked-to-willingness-to-volunteer-or-donate/">traits</a>. As the authors note, the meaning of cool has crystallized on a similar set of traits and values around the world.



Pezzuti does not see commercialization as a death knell. “Coolness has definitely evolved over time, but I don’t think it has lost its edge. It’s just become more functional,” he said.



“The concept of coolness started in small, rebellious sub-cultures, including Black jazz musicians in the 1940s and the beatniks in the 1950s. As society moves faster and puts more value on creativity and change, cool people are more essential than ever.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-coolness-matters">Why coolness matters</h2>



Because cool people display power and autonomy while earning admiration, the researchers argue that coolness helps establish informal hierarchies. Instead of relying solely on wealth or institutional authority, communities also elevate figures who embody daring and originality.



These individuals, in turn, shape cultural norms by modeling alternative ways to dress, speak, or live. As Pezzuti puts it, “everyone wants to be cool, or at least avoid the stigma of being uncool, and society needs cool people because they challenge norms, inspire change, and advance culture.”



That dual role - both aspirational and disruptive - makes the cool persona uniquely influential. Marketers know this instinctively when they cast charismatic musicians in sneaker ads. Activists harness it when they infuse protest art with edgy style.



The study provides empirical backing for those intuitions: people from Lagos to Los Angeles consistently associate coolness with adventurous independence.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-coolness-in-the-digital-age">Coolness in the digital age</h2>



The team notes their study excludes rural and offline groups, whose ideas of cool may differ significantly. They also restricted the study to cultures already familiar with the English slang term, potentially narrowing linguistic nuance.



Future projects could test whether the six-trait profile - extraverted, hedonistic, powerful, adventurous, open, and autonomous - holds in additional societies or emerges in other languages.



Researchers are likewise curious about how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-media-pressure-is-straining-teen-friendships/">social media</a> platforms, which accelerate the spread of trends, might further synchronize or fragment global standards of cool. Does TikTok broaden identity through niche subcultures or reinforce the six-trait mold by favoring charismatic risk-takers?



For now, the evidence is striking: when people across five continents imagine someone undeniably cool, they picture remarkably similar qualities. 



Coolness, it turns out, may be one of the few cross-cultural constants - an unwritten code that transcends borders even as it keeps pushing boundaries.



The study is published in the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fxge0001799">Journal of Experimental Psychology: General</a>.



-----



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What makes people cool? Scientists tracked down the traits

Being cool can feel elusive and almost mythic - something we “know when we see it,” yet struggle to define. A sweeping new investigation led by marketing scholars Todd Pezzuti of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and Caleb Warren of the University of Arizona argues that the concept is far less mysterious than it seems. Across twelve nations, nearly 6,000 participants independently picked out the same constellation of personality traits when describing a cool person. The findings reveal not only what separates “cool” from “good” but also why cool...

According to recent research, drinking coffee and eating peanuts, walnuts, and tree nuts have substantial benefits for heart health. People who regularly eat nuts have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, while drinking <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-coffee-industry/">coffee</a> decreases the risk of heart failure and stroke.

A study published in the <a href="http://www.onlinejacc.org/">Journal of the American College of Cardiology</a> is the largest study to examine the link between nut consumption and heart health. The researchers set out to examine the association between specific types of nuts and the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

The analysis examined over 210,000 individuals who had previously engaged in one of three major studies. The participants had self-reported on medical history, lifestyle, and health conditions every two years and the research team was able to follow up on the study subjects for up to 32 years.

The study revealed a consistent inverse connection between total nut consumption and total cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. 

In addition, eating walnuts at least once per week was linked to a 19 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and 21 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease. Those who had eaten peanuts or tree nuts at least twice per week had a 13 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 15 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease. 

Overall, participants who consumed five or more servings of nuts a week had a 14 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 20 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease than participants who rarely or never consumed nuts. 

"Our findings support recommendations of increasing the intake of a variety of nuts, as part of healthy dietary patterns, to reduce the risk of chronic disease in the general populations," said lead author Marta Guasch-Ferre.

Preliminary research reveals similar heart health benefits from coffee. An analysis was developed based on the long-running Framingham Heart Study, which provides information about cardiovascular health based on certain diets.

The analysis revealed that drinking coffee has a significant effect on cardiovascular health. Compared with non-coffee drinkers, those who drank coffee had a reduced risk of developing heart failure by 7 percent and stroke by 8 percent with every additional cup of coffee consumed per week.

The findings of this study are being presented at the <a href="http://professional.heart.org/professional/EducationMeetings/MeetingsLiveCME/ScientificSessions/UCM_316900_Scientific-Sessions.jsp">American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2017</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Coffee and nuts both found to improve heart health

According to recent research, drinking coffee and eating peanuts, walnuts,...

Laptops, iPhones, iPads, and more have all become major fixtures in the life of the average American. They boost our ability to connect with people all over the world – not to mention the major entertainment factor they provide. But are there repercussions of their prominence in our day-to-day lives?

A new study from <a href="https://www.sdsu.edu/">San Diego State University</a> has found that increased time spent in front of a screen – such as computers, cell phones, and tablets – may be responsible for the rise in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ayahuasca-alcoholism-depression/">depression</a> and suicide-related behaviors in young Americans.

Through analysis of questionnaire data from over 500,000 U.S. teens, SDSU professor of psychology Jean Twenge and her team compared these survey responses to suicide statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The results showed that the suicide rate for girls from ages 13-18 increased by 65 percent between 2010 and 2015, and the number of teen girls reporting symptoms of severe depression increased by 58 percent.

“When I first saw these sudden increases in mental health issues, I wasn’t sure what was causing them,” says Twenge. “But these same surveys ask teens how they spend their leisure time, and between 2010 and 2015, teens increasingly spent more time with screens and less time on other activities.” According to Twenge, no other activity had that significant of a change during that period of time.

In further analysis, the researchers found that 48 percent of teens who spend five or more hours per day on electronic devices reported at least one suicide-related outcome. On the other hand, only 28 percent of those who spent less than an hour a day on these devices reported the same. Furthermore, teens who spent a lot of time on electronic devices were more likely to have depressive symptoms.

The researchers believe their findings show how it important it is for parents to monitor the time their children spend in front of screens. “These increases in mental health issues among teens are very alarming,” Twenge said. “Teens are telling us they are struggling, and we need to take that very seriously.”

Another suggestion would be that we all should be spending less time with our electronic devices and more time engaging in social interaction with our peers. Other positive healthy activities include sports and exercise, attending religious services, and even doing homework! All of these activities are linked to decreased depressive symptoms and fewer suicide-related outcomes.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Screen time linked to increase in depression, suicide in teens

Laptops, iPhones, iPads, and more have all become major fixtures...

The series of deadly <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ways-heatwaves-kill/">heatwaves</a> that lingered over parts of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East this past spring and summer were just a few examples of the extreme weather events that occurred during 2017. 

Now, a new study projects that weather-related mortality rates may skyrocket as a result of climate change. 

The study was led by researchers from the<a href="https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/"> London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine </a>and published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal. 

It is the largest study yet that examines the effects that rising greenhouse gases have on weather-related mortality rates and general well-being. 

The study included data from 451 locations in 23 countries. The researchers used the information to create the first global model of how mortality rates are affected by changes in temperature. The study also factored in 85 million recorded deaths between 1984 and 2015 to help get a better picture of how climate and mortality are related. 

The results show that if emissions continue to rise, many areas will see sharp increases in deaths due to hot weather. The areas most at risk include the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Southern Europe, and South America. In colder regions like Northern Europe, the effects will be less severe.

However, the results also showed that if policies are put in place to mitigate climate change successfully, these death toll increases can be avoided. 

“This study demonstrates the negative impact of climate change, which may be more dramatic among the warmer and more populated areas of the planet, and in some cases disproportionately affect poorer regions of the world,” said Antonio Gasparrini, the lead author of the study. “The good news is that if we take action to reduce global warming, for instance by complying with the thresholds set by the Paris Agreement[1], this impact will be much lower.”

--

By<a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com"> Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: As temperatures rise, so will mortality rates

The series of deadly heatwaves that lingered over parts of...

Archaeologists have discovered pottery shards that were used to store and ferment wine that date back to the Neolithic period around 6,000 BCE. The ceramic fragments are the earliest evidence of winemaking known to exist worldwide. 

The discovery was made in the Republic of Georgia in collaboration between the <a href="https://www.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto</a> and the <a href="http://museum.ge/?lang_id=ENG">Georgian National Museum</a> as part of the Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition (GRAPE). 

GRAPE is an international undertaking by researchers, excavators, and archeologists from all over the world studying the remains of two early ceramic Neolithic villages. 

The Neolithic period, which began in the Middle East around 15,200 BCE, is characterized by the early beginnings of many activities including farming, the domestication of animals, making art, crafts, and pottery, and the creation of polished stone tools. 

As pottery began to flourish, the process of storing and fermenting beverages was invented, and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/chocolate-red-wine-wrinkles/">wine</a> soon became a way of life. 

“As a medicine, social lubricant, mind-altering substance, and highly valued commodity, wine became the focus of religious cults, pharmacopoeias, cuisines, economics, and society throughout the ancient Near East,” said Stephen Batiuk, a senior research associate in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. 

The discovery was made after researchers analyzed pottery fragments from eight ceramic jars uncovered at the excavation sites.

A team of scientists at the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> then examined the residues left on the fragments. 

The results of the analysis showed that the jars contained traces of tartaric acid and three organic acids, malic, succinic, and citric, all of which are known elements of grapes and wine fermentation. 

"We believe this is the oldest example of the domestication of a wild-growing Eurasian grapevine solely for the production of wine," said Batiuk.

The researchers note that with the advances made in the Neolithic period, it makes sense that the domestication of grapes and winemaking took prominence during the time. 

Wine was an important part of the culture, and nearly all wine served today can trace its roots back to ancient grapevines that were domesticated during the Neolithic period.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.om">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: Judyta Olszewski

The art of winemaking dates back to 6000 BCE

Archaeologists have discovered pottery shards that were used to store...

Researchers have discovered evidence of why head and face pain causes more suffering than pain elsewhere in the body. It turns out that pain in the head, face, eyes, ears, and teeth is more than just physically uncomfortable, but is emotionally disruptive as well.

The scientists found that sensory nerves are wired directly from the head and face into one of the brain's key emotional signaling centers. Other sensory neurons in the body are only connected to this hub indirectly.

Study senior author Fan Wang is a professor of Neurobiology and Cell Biology at <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a>.

"Usually doctors focus on treating the sensation of pain, but this shows the we really need to treat the emotional aspects of pain as well," said Wang.

Pain signals from the head are carried through two groups of sensory <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-sleep-apnea/">neurons</a> to the brain, and there is a possibility that these neurons are simply more sensitive to pain than other neurons in the body. However, this would not explain the elevated fear and emotional suffering that comes along with head-face pain, said Wang

"There has been this observation in human studies that pain in the head and face seems to activate the emotional system more extensively," said Wang. "But the underlying mechanisms remained unclear."

The research team set out to examine the neural circuitry underlying head-face pain and pain elsewhere in the body. To do this, they tracked brain activity in mice after irritating either a paw or the face. 

The scientists found that injury to the face caused increased activity in the brain's parabrachial nucleus (PBL), a region that is directly wired into the brain's emotional centers. Next, the team used advanced technology to identify the neurons which caused this heightened PBL activity.

"It was a eureka moment because the body neurons only have this indirect pathway to the PBL, whereas the head and face neurons, in addition to this indirect pathway, also have a direct input," said Wang. "This could explain why you have stronger activation in the amygdala and the brain's emotional centers from head and face pain."

Further testing revealed that activating this pathway triggered face pain, while suppressing the pathway reduced the face pain.

"We have the first biological explanation for why this type of pain can be so much more emotionally taxing than others," said co-author Wolfgang Liedtke. 

Liedtke explained that the findings of the study could lead to innovative treatments for devastating head and face pain.

"This will open the door toward not only a more profound understanding of chronic head and face pain, but also toward translating this insight into treatments that will benefit people,” said Liedtke.

The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/neuro/">Nature Neuroscience</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why head and face pain hurts more than other types

Researchers have discovered evidence of why head and face pain...

A preliminary study being presented at the <a href="http://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>'s Scientific Sessions 2017 reveals that eating slowly may have surprising and substantial health benefits. The research shows that a slower rate of eating lowers the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, and a cluster of dangerous health risk factors including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. 

When the dangerous risk factors of metabolic syndrome coincide, there is a significantly  increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. The risk of metabolic syndrome increases with age, affecting over 40 percent of people in their 60s and 70s.

Japanese researchers focused their study on 642 men and 441 women who did not have metabolic syndrome in 2008. The average age of the participants was 51. The team divided the subjects into three groups based on their self-reported eating speeds, which were classified as slow, normal or fast.

After following up five years later, the researchers established that fast eaters were almost 12 percent more likely to have developed metabolic syndrome than normal eaters or slow eaters. Eating faster was found to be linked with a larger waistline, higher blood sugar, and more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/yoga-effective-tool-fight-depression/">weight gain</a>.

Takayuki Yamaji, M.D., is a study co-author and cardiologist at <a href="https://www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/en">Hiroshima University</a> in Japan.

Dr. Yamaji explained, “Eating more slowly may be a crucial lifestyle change to help prevent metabolic syndrome. When people eat fast they tend not to feel full and are more likely to overeat. Eating fast causes bigger glucose fluctuation, which can lead to insulin resistance. We also believe our research would apply to a U.S. population."

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Eating fast is bad for your heart and fitness

A preliminary study being presented at the American Heart Association's...

Movies are powerful tools to get messages across about climate change, pollution, and other environmental issues. While some films tend to over-dramatize or over-exaggerate the details, they still manage to inform the public of negative environmental trends and the potential outcomes they cause. 

<a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> presents: the top 10 environmental disaster movies.

&nbsp;

The Day After Tomorrow

In this science-fiction disaster film, a climatologist unsuccessfully tries to warn public officials of imminent devastation. Despite the fact that the acceleration of the weather events is unrealistic, it is still a terrifying look at the dramatic impacts of abrupt climate change. The movie was inspired by the book “The Coming Global Superstorm,” a 1999 fictional novel.

&nbsp;

Deep Impact

When an astronomer sees that a comet is on a collision course with the planet, he dies trying to alert the world. A year later, the threat is uncovered and astronauts are sent to bomb the comet in an attempt to divert it. The comet splits into two fragments, one of which slams into Earth off of Cape Hatteras, and the impact causes a mega tsunami which kills millions of people.

&nbsp;

Armageddon

When an asteroid the size of Texas is set to hit Earth in less than a month, NASA puts together a team of deep core drillers to save the planet by drilling into the center of the asteroid and detonating a nuclear warhead. While this fiction film has faced criticism for being scientifically inaccurate, the threat of an asteroid impact is still very eye-opening.

&nbsp;

Erin Brockovich

This film tells the true story of Erin Brockovich, a legal assistant who discovers that the groundwater in Hinkley, California, is seriously contaminated. From 1952 to 1966, Pacific Gas &amp; Electric dumped around 370 million gallons of chromium 6-tainted wastewater. The energy company ended up paying $333 million, the largest settlement in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history.

&nbsp;

A Civil Action

Also based on a true story about water contamination, children are becoming terminally sick and their families sue three large companies who have been dumping toxic waste. Ultimately, two of the companies are forced to pay for the largest chemical cleanup in the history of the Northeastern United States at that time, which cost them about $68 million.

&nbsp;

Contagion

This disaster film documents the rapid spread of a deadly virus transmitted by fomites. Researchers and public health officials scramble to contain the disease and to develop a vaccine. The movie was inspired by the real-life 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 flu pandemic.

&nbsp;

2012

The Earth’s core is heating up and causing volcanoes and earthquakes of unprecedented strength. The characters race to save their families as they face the end of the world. As huge landmarks like the White House are washed away, the movie and its special effects seem terribly unrealistic at times. However, the sheer possibility of an apocalyptic event is captivating.

&nbsp;

The Sum of All Fears 

This film also addresses an apocalypse as a Neo-Nazi Austrian sets out to start a nuclear war between the United States and Russia. In real life, the movie was criticized for vividly portraying terrorism only nine months after the September 11th attacks.

&nbsp;

Outbreak

A deadly airborne virus outbreak threatens to wipe out civilization in this medical disaster film. The fictional virus, which is similar to Ebola, spread rapidly throughout the United States after an infected African monkey was smuggled into the country. When the film was released, a real-life outbreak of the Ebola virus was occurring in the African country of Zaire.

&nbsp;

Soylent Green

This fictional film shows how the industry of the 20th century led to pollution, overpopulation, and global warming issues in the year 2022. While critics say it was not the very best depiction of mankind depleting Earth’s resources, the basis of the story is hauntingly similar to some of the major environmental challenges we are facing today.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

The top 10 environmental disaster movies

Movies are powerful tools to get messages across about climate...

Heart-stopping sex is pretty uncommon, scientists say – and that’s a good thing for those who want to keep their tickers in top shape.

In a memorable scene in a 2004 episode of the show “House, M.D.,” Dr. Alison Cameron describes the supposed dangers of sex, including constricted arteries, racing heartbeat and rising blood pressure. “If God hadn't made it unbelievably fun, the human race would've died out eons ago,” she tells her colleagues.

But the fictional description may not be completely accurate, it seems. Sex is rarely a triggering factor in sudden cardiac arrest, according to new preliminary research by Dr. Sumeet Chugh and his colleague Dr. Aapo Aro. 

The doctors, both from <a href="https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Heart-Institute/">Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute</a>, looked at more than 4,500 cases of sudden cardiac arrest that occurred in adults between 2002 and 2015 in the northwestern United States. Out of those cases, they found only 34 that occurred during or within an hour after sex. 

In both groups, heart disease and the use of heart medication was common, Chugh and Aro said.

In the rare cases in which cardiac arrest does occur during sex, most of the victims are men – a full 94 percent, to be exact. Or, to look at the statistics another way, about 1 in 100 cases of sudden arrest in men are associated with sex, while in women it’s more like 1 in 1,000.

But the most worrying of their discoveries about literally heart-stopping sex is that bystanders performed CPR in only one-third of sex-related cardiac arrest, even though partners witnessed each heart attack.

While the research adds to conversations about sexual activity and safety between doctors and their patients, it also emphasizes the need for better education about CPR. The public needs to be informed not just about how to perform CPR, but also that it can be essential regardless of where or when a heart attack occurs.

The research was funded by grants from the <a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/">National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute</a> secured by Dr. Chugh. The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s <a href="http://professional.heart.org/professional/EducationMeetings/MeetingsLiveCME/ScientificSessions/UCM_316900_Scientific-Sessions.jsp">Scientific Sessions 2017</a>. 

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Heart-stopping sex? It's rare, science shows

Heart-stopping sex is pretty uncommon, scientists say – and that’s...

The costs of poor sleep are high – impaired memory, lack of good judgement, and a high risk of stroke or obesity, among others. But new studies are beginning to show just how complex the effects of sleep are when it comes to physical and mental health.

Several studies examining how sleep affects the brain were presented at <a href="https://www.sfn.org/annual-meeting/neuroscience-2017">Neuroscience 2017</a>, the annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.sfn.org/">Society for Neuroscience</a>. 

One study uncovered three species of spiders with accelerated circadian rhythms. The discovery has raised new questions about how the spiders can avoid negative health effects due to poor sleep, according to Dr. Darrell Moore of <a href="http://www.etsu.edu/">East Tennessee State University</a>, who led the research.

A study of microRNA expression found that it can indicate when someone has a history of poor sleep in both humans and rats. The discovery by Dr. Seema Bhatnagar of the <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/">University of Pennsylvania</a> found that it could provide a method for predicting when poor sleepers are at risk for diseases or cognitive deficits connected with sleep loss.

A third study led by Dr. Roy Cox, a postdoctoral research fellow at <a href="http://www.bidmc.org/">Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center</a>, found that the brain reactivates negative, emotional memories during sleep. 

Additional research found that brain activity during sleep can be analyzed to determine whether people looked at photos of people or houses before drifting off.

"Sleep is even more multifaceted and fascinating than we realize," Dr. Sigrid Veasey of the University of Pennsylvania said in a press release. "Today's findings reveal interesting new aspects of the complex relationship between sleep and the brain, and the vital role that sleep plays in everyday human functioning."

The new studies add to a growing body of research about the effects of poor sleep. Neuroscientists have found in the past that adequate sleep is essential for good health, and it can improve memory and cognitive function. Poor sleep is connected to memory problems, impaired judgement, and cardiovascular disease, along with stroke and obesity.

The new research was supported by the <a href="https://www.nih.gov/">National Institutes of Health</a> and other organizations.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://www.earth.com">Earth.com</a> staff writer

Studying the effects of poor sleep on the brain

The costs of poor sleep are high – impaired memory,...

While many people simply will not consider eating <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/houses-lifestyles-attract-bugs/">bugs</a>, there is a lot of potential for insects as a sustainable source of food for both people and animals. A new review published in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/%28ISSN%291467-3010">Nutrition Bulletin</a> explores the challenges and potential risks that hinder the progress of using insects as food and feed.

Insects are high in nutrients such as animal protein. Insects also produce lower environmental footprints than traditional animal feed, and they can be raised simply on organic waste such as leftover food. Some scientists consider insects to be the feed of the future, but obstacles still remain.

Darja Dobermann is a doctoral researcher in Entomophagy at the <a href="http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/">University of Nottingham</a> and <a href="https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/">Rothamsted Research</a>.

"In ideal conditions, insects have a smaller environmental impact than more traditional Western forms of animal protein; less known is how to scale up insect production while maintaining these environmental benefits," says Dobermann.

As for people food, the report points out that insects have been a source of food for hundreds of years in over 100 countries. In central Africa, half of all of dietary protein comes from insects, and their market value is higher than most alternative sources of animal protein. The safety of introducing bugs as food, however, presents more issues.

"Insects present a nutritional opportunity, but it is unclear how their nutritional quality is influenced by what they are fed," says Dobermann. 

The review also clarifies that insects need to be easy to locate and discoverable in high enough quantities to make the efforts of capturing them worthwhile. They must also be large enough to have substantial dietary value.

"Studies overall show that insects could make valuable economic and nutritional contributions to the food or feed systems, but there are no clear regulations in place to bring insects into such supply systems without them turning into a more expensive version of poultry for food, or soya for feed," explains Dobermann.

According to the researchers, there are over 2000 edible species of insects. The most popular insect species for consumption are beetles, caterpillars, bees and wasps, ants, grasshoppers, and crickets.
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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

Could eating BUGS be the way of the future?

While many people simply will not consider eating bugs, there...

Racial tension in the United States has been a hot button issue, especially since the 2016 presidential election. A simple truth that everyone can agree on, however, is that sadly, race still plays a large role in how a person is experienced by the world. 

Now, a new study has shed light on the rampant racial profiling that occurs in the retail industry.

The study, titled “Shopping While Black,” was published in the Journal of Consumer Culture and delves into the hostility that African-Americans face while shopping, and how some feel they have to modify their behavior to simply buy what they need. 

While you would think economic disparity would be the greatest influence in how shoppers are treated, the study shows that even a wealthy black shopper faces hostile or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/economic-hardship-racial-discrimination/">discriminatory</a> treatment in stores. 

This was especially true in stores that sold high-end clothing, when black professionals shopping for work clothes at high-end retailers were often judged to be poor. 

“The privileges and entitlements that come with economic resources are often not afforded to African-American shoppers,” said Cassi Pittman, one of the study authors and an assistant professor of sociology at <a href="https://case.edu/">Case Western Reserve University</a>.

Pittman interviewed 55 middle-class African-Americans from New York City, asking about their personal experiences shopping and if they felt any discrimination or hostility based on their race. 

The results of the interviews show just how serious the issue is. 80 percent of the study participants said they experienced racial stigma and stereotypes while shopping, 59 percent were perceived as a shoplifter, 52 percent reported receiving poor or even no service, and 52 percent were perceived as poor. 

The study participants also reported that they had experienced being followed around in stores, told where the location of the store's sale selection was without asking, were ignored by store staff, and told the price of more expensive items without asking. 

The interviewees reported similar results in grocery stores, drugstores, and boutiques and often reported that they felt the need to modify their behavior or downplay their race to be able to go about their shopping. 

“Many shoppers feel their race undermines their credibility in stores,” Pittman said. “They're treated differently, but not wholly denied access. In many ways, this a microcosm of racial exclusions embedded in American society.”

The results are yet another example of the hostility and discriminatory behavior that people of color face on a daily basis. 

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Racial profiling found to be rampant in the retail industry

Racial tension in the United States has been a hot...

Sexual harassment has been leading the news as of late, with numerous claims being made against political figures and the Hollywood power players. 

It’s important to note that no matter the kind of harassment, physical or verbal, it is still abuse and can have a lasting, damaging effect on the victims. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the<a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/"> Norwegian University of Science and Technology </a>set out to distinguish between physical and nonphysical sexual harassment and show that non-physical abuse can be also detrimental to health and well-being. 

“Being exposed to non-physical sexual harassment can negatively affect symptoms of anxiety, depression, negative body image and low self-esteem," said Mons Bendixen and Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, the co-authors of the study. 

The researchers focused their study on teens and found that harassment was not exclusively aimed at girls, boys were also just as likely to be targeted with verbal abuse. 

The researchers conducted two different studies asking high school students about their experience with sexual harassment in the previous year. The researchers had responses from nearly 3,000 students, and both studies had similar results. 

The researchers felt it was important to distinguish between different forms of harassment so they divided the types of harassment into two different groups, physically coercive behavior, and non-physical harassment. 

“As far as we know, this is the first study that has distinguished between these two forms and specifically looked at the effects of non-physical sexual harassment," said Bendixen.

The team conducted two different studies surveying high school students on their experiences with sexual harassment. Because some slurs and slang terms might not be offensive to everyone, the researchers left it to the students to determine if they were offended by certain comments. 

The first study was done in 2007 and involved 1,384 h<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/friendships-impact-mental-health/">igh school students</a>, and the second was conducted in 2013-2014 and included 1,485 students. 

The results of both studies show that non-physical sexual harassment is damaging and has a negative effect on the receiver. 

The researchers note that methods to combat harassment have been largely ineffective. 

“This has been studied for years and in numerous countries, but no studies have yet revealed any lasting effects of measures aimed at combating sexual harassment," said Bendixen. “We know that attitude campaigns can change people's attitudes to harassment, but it doesn't result in any reduction in harassment behavior.” 

The researchers plan to conduct an upcoming study that further explores why sexual harassment is so pervasive in society, and how to reduce instances of harassment.

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

Both verbal and physical sexual harassment cause lasting damage

Sexual harassment has been leading the news as of late,...

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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

Spiral,Galaxy,,Illustration,Of,Milky,Way

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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

Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA



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



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

The history of Mars is much more complex than we thought

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research



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



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

Cavefish are healthy despite their sedentary lifestyle

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Earth Observatory&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites capture the world's biggest and fastest waves

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

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