Many people struggle with anxiety or depression, and self-doubt often clouds how they see their abilities. These conditions can leave them trailing a lack of self-belief, making even everyday tasks feel overwhelming.



Scientists recently <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57040-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studied</a> more than 500 people across two separate groups to get a clearer picture of why this happens. They uncovered intriguing clues about <a href="https://tll.mit.edu/teaching-resources/how-people-learn/metacognition/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">metacognition</a>, which is our ability to assess our own thought processes. 



Dr. Sucharit Katyal completed this work as a postdoctoral researcher at the <a href="https://www.mps-ucl-centre.mpg.de" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Max Planck</a> UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research and is currently at the <a href="https://www.ku.dk/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Copenhagen</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-confidence-in-anxiety-and-depression">Confidence in anxiety and depression</h2>



Researchers asked participants to perform tasks that involved identifying details and remembering key information. They used a playful computer game with a fictional town named Fruitville, where folks needed help picking and sorting various fruits.



At different points, an auditor showed up to offer either positive or negative <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-too-much-salt-may-contribute-to-depression/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">feedback</a> on how these tasks were handled. The team measured each person’s day-to-day confidence on specific jobs and compared it to an overall rating of how well they believed they did across all tasks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-depression-makes-self-doubt-louder">Depression makes self-doubt louder</h2>



The experts found that individuals with significant anxiety or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-with-chronic-pain-have-high-rates-of-depression-and-anxiety/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">depression</a> were not any worse at completing the tasks. Their actual results matched those of participants with lower symptoms of these conditions.



Despite this, people with anxiety or depression zeroed in on times when they felt less confident in their decisions. They largely brushed aside moments where they felt more assured, setting the stage for persistent low self-belief.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-overthinking-affects-daily-choices">How overthinking affects daily choices</h2>



Metacognition - how we think about our own <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-related-brain-inflammation-linked-to-depression/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">thinking</a> - shapes many decisions we make every day. It influences whether we speak up in a meeting, try something new, or trust our memory in a conversation.



When this internal self-monitoring system is skewed, as it can be in people with anxiety or depression, it leads to hesitation, second-guessing, or avoidance. Even when the facts support success, the internal feeling of “not good enough” can win out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-feedback-shifts-self-doubt-in-depression">Feedback shifts self-doubt in depression</h2>



Interestingly, everyone’s self-belief changed when they heard if they were right or wrong. Good news lifted people’s outlook, while critical comments lowered it.



Still, those with anxiety or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/millions-of-americans-have-lost-years-of-time-to-poor-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">depression</a> remained stuck in lower overall self-belief. They seemed to ignore the brighter spots of their performance, even after receiving the same mix of positive and negative messages as everyone else.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-depression-and-imposter-syndrome">Depression and imposter syndrome</h2>



“Overall, our findings offer a simple yet powerful message - that the persistent negative self-beliefs experienced by people with anxiety and depression are often illusory, and may be rooted in a dysfunctional view of how they evaluate themselves,” said Dr. Katyal. 



”This would also explain why anxiety and depression symptoms are also closely linked to <a href="https://www.sciencetheearth.com/uploads/2/4/6/5/24658156/2011_sakulku_the_impostor_phenomenon.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">imposter syndrome</a> where some people persistently doubt their achievements despite being competent.” 



Dr. Katyal emphasized the importance of not relying too heavily on our own self-judgments, especially when they tend to be overly critical. 



He suggested that people should be cautious about how much they trust their internal assessments. Instead, they might benefit from giving more weight to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/young-adult-depression-linked-to-worse-memory-skills/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">feedback</a> from others.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-ease-self-doubt-in-depression">How to ease self-doubt in depression</h2>



<a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anxiety</a> is a common mental health concern in the United States, and it can affect how a person perceives the future or reads social cues. <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Depression</a> can drain motivation and self-confidence, leading individuals to feel incapable of tasks they can actually handle well. 



These findings highlight an avenue where individuals might train themselves to notice accomplishments in a more balanced way. Checking in with trusted friends, teachers, or coworkers could help counter the tendency to overemphasize mistakes.



According to the researchers, future strategies might include personalized feedback sessions to reinforce positive progress. By doing so, people could gain more accurate perspectives on their abilities and cut down on needless self-criticism.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-getting-rid-of-depression-and-self-doubt">Getting rid of depression and self-doubt</h2>



Struggles with self-confidence are common in classrooms and offices. A student may get high grades yet still feel like a fraud, while an employee might regularly meet deadlines and deliver results but second-guess every decision.



If people with anxiety and depression undervalue their own successful moments, they may be more prone to burnout, avoid promotions, or resist taking on new challenges. 



Interventions that help individuals trust their strengths could be especially important in high-pressure academic or work environments.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57040-0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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People with depression often hold tightly to self-doubt

Many people struggle with anxiety or depression, and self-doubt often clouds how they see their abilities. These conditions can leave them trailing a lack of self-belief, making even everyday tasks feel overwhelming. Scientists recently studied more than 500 people across two separate groups to get a clearer picture of why this happens. They uncovered intriguing clues about metacognition, which is our ability to assess our own thought processes. Dr. Sucharit Katyal completed this work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry...

As countless servers and bartenders will tell you, the invention of the screw cap on wine bottles is one of the slickest new things to happen in the industry. No more are waiters struggling with stubborn corks, accidentally breaking the cork in half with a small part still stuck in the bottle, or even worse, finding pieces of cork floating in a guest’s newly poured glass. The screw cap is an easy twist off alternative and more and more bottles are making the switch. 

The question is, especially for the hardened sommeliers and winos, does the screw cap affect taste or the quality of the wine? 

But now, science is stepping in to settle the debate. <a href="http://www.ox.ac.uk/">Oxford University</a> scientists are conducting an experiment that will use <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-cells-control-aging/">brain</a> scans of individuals and record their reactions to different wines both with cork and screw cap seals. 

Research has shown that the screw cap isn’t just a convenient trend for simplifying the steps to the get the wine from bottle to glass. Wines with screw caps also appear to age just as well as their corked counterparts. 

Man people remain unconvinced though, thinking the cork should reign supreme in all things wine related. But now, the new study aims to determine once and for all if the cork is all it’s cracked up to be. 

One of the scientists conducting the study is Professor Charles Spence, head of experimental psychology at the <a href="https://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/research/crossmodal-research-laboratory">Crossmodal Research Laboratory in Oxford</a>. The Crossmodal Research Lab is an innovative endeavour meant to better understand “integration of information across the various different sensory modalities.” 

Spence and his team aren’t just looking at taste receptors to the wine, but also the sound, the feel, the smell, and their interconnectivity in response to the brain’s pleasure centers. According to Spence, “Our brains have a powerful hold over our taste buds, and it will be interesting to see the effects the multi-sensory aspects of wine drinking have on our perception of taste.”

Time will tell if their findings point to the cork or screw cap being the better seal for wine. The convenience of the screw cap makes it a hard act to follow, but traditionalists are happy to have science weigh on this debate.

---

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Cork vs. screw cap: which wine tastes better?

As countless servers and bartenders will tell you, the invention...

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence of manmade climate change, the topic somehow continues to be up for political debate. But even amongst those who believe that climate change is a very real problem, there seems to be little drive to adopt any change in regular routines to help conserve and create a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/fun-ways-families-act-green/">greener</a> lifestyle. 

<a href="https://today.yougov.com/news/2017/07/24/climate-change-believers-havent-changed-lifestyles/">YouGov</a>, a market research firm specializing in online polls, created a survey that specifically looked at individual “footprints on the environment." A recent YouGov article by Gregory McCarriston outlines the survey taken to determine if Americans who were adamantly in support of measures to reduce climate change were, in fact, making changes in their own lifestyles at home. 

According to the survey, a lot of us are talking the talk but not actually following through on any ways to alter our lifestyle to help reduce emissions and counter climate change. The survey found that over 50% of Americans agree that both human activity and natural causes contribute to climate change. And even more people (over 60%) felt that working together on a global scale was necessary to help the environment. 

But in terms of those who are actually taking steps on a micro level within their own homes to reduce their carbon footprint, the results of the survey found that just agreeing that climate change is a problem isn’t necessarily going to be the catalyst to change one’s habits. Simply agreeing or knowing something is a problem isn’t enough to motivate change it would appear.

The questions were personal, asking individuals about their own impact on the environment. As McCarriston writes, “We asked respondents about their consumption of fossil fuels and red meat, both of which have been noted for their impact on Earth’s ecosystems.” 

Hopefully, as we finally move past the debate of whether or not climate change is real, studies and surveys like this one can find ways to help individuals make even small changes to their daily routine to help reduce carbon footprints. 

---

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Survey: Many unwilling to alter lifestyle to fight climate change

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence of manmade climate change, the topic...

Research has revealed that forcing a smile comes with an unexpected set of consequences. Stress, strain, emotional exhaustion, and lower job satisfaction have all been linked to faking emotions in the workplace.

Emotional labor is the management of expressions and emotions to help satisfy relationships with people at <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/men-work-family-conflicts/">work</a>. Sociologist Arlie Hochschild categorized emotional labor as either deep acting or surface acting. 

Deep acting is when people actually change their emotional state in order to become more positive and upbeat. Surface acting is adjusting facial expressions or gestures to simply appear happy, such as a fake smile. 

Deep acting generates a more authentic feeling, while surface acting, or faking, produces an unhealthy inner conflict between emotions that are expressed and emotions that are actually felt. 

Milda Perminiene, a senior lecturer in Occupational Psychology at the University of East London, detailed the potential effects of emotional labor in an article for <a href="https://theconversation.com/">The Conversation</a>. She pointed out that a meta-analysis of 95 studies revealed that surface acting can have serious repercussions. 

Surface acting was linked to emotional exhaustion, stress, and dissatisfaction with work. It was also found to cause psychosomatic issues such as headaches, chest pains, and insomnia. 

Deep acting was found to have both positive and negative outcomes. Some of the benefits included greater personal accomplishment, higher customer satisfaction, and more rewarding social interactions. Deep acting was also found to create emotional exhaustion and psychosomatic problems. 

Emotional labor can actually cause people to become irritable and aggressive by using up all of the mental resources one needs for self-regulation, according to some theories. 

Perminiene and colleague Asta Medisauskaite conducted a systematic review of existing research including 12 studies focused on emotional labor and dysfunctional relationships in the workplace. 

Perminiene said their review found that “in most cases surface acting was linked to aggressive behavior towards customers and colleagues at work.” One study showed a direct correlation between emotional labor and aggression toward co-workers.

“In the future we wish to see whether gender, cultural background, training and socialization in organizations affect emotional labor and relationships at work,” said Perminiene. “As a second step we are planning to implement a qualitative study, interviewing service sector employees.”

Perminiene said that people often rely on emotional labor to advance at work, “while in reality it may actually impede performance.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Faking happiness at work may do more harm than good

Research has revealed that forcing a smile comes with an...

Researchers have determined that the number of African-Americans killed by police in a specific region is directly proportional to the racial biases of Caucasians in the area. The correspondence is detailed in the journal <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/home/spp">Social Psychological and Personality Science</a>.

Eric Hehman of <a href="http://www.ryerson.ca/">Ryerson University</a> teamed up with colleagues to develop a predictive model of lethal force. The model is based on lethal force databases and regional demographics. The team also incorporated racial biases collected from 2,156,053 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/best-handling-aging-population/">United States</a> residents.

The researchers analyzed the use of lethal force against African-Americans and Caucasians, and combined it with data from the 2010 Census and "Project Implicit" at Harvard.

The research team assessed a total of 875 deaths by lethal force from January 1, 2015 to September 30, 2015. Overall, 22.76 percent of the deaths were African-Americans, even though African-Americans represented only 11.76 percent of the populations.

"We expected many economic or demographic variables such as the overall wealth of an area, residential segregation, average levels of education in the area, or overall crime levels, to be involved" said Hehman. 

The team did not, however, predict racial discrepancies in lethal force used by the police.
The primary indicator of lethal force was implicit bias, or the strength of preconceived notions and negative attitudes toward specific groups of people.

The study revealed that regional implicit biases toward African-Americans, or the implicit stereotypical association between African-Americans and weapons, were reliable indicators that African-Americans more likely to be killed by police. The stronger these implicit biases were, the more likely it became that African-Americans would be killed by police.

Hehman says the study "indicates that this is not specifically a problem of police officers, but reveals that there is something about the broader communities and contexts in which these officers make speeded, life and death decisions that is associated with killing more African-Americans."

The authors point out that this analysis "provides the first macro-psychological statistical models of lethal force, indicating that the context in which police officers work is significantly associated with disproportionate use of lethal force.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Community racial bias linked to police use of lethal force

Researchers have determined that the number of African-Americans killed by...

One of the many pleasures in life is when you experience an Aha! moment, where you suddenly remember a long-lost piece of information, or figure out the answer to a difficult question. And researchers at <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia University</a> may have just discovered the biology behind this moment – suggesting that it could be linked to consciousness when information collected by the brain reaches a critical threshold.

The study also postulates that the piercing of the consciousness that occurs in this Aha! moment shares the same underlying <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-brains-sync-conversations/">brain</a> mechanisms that are involved in making very simple decisions. It’s possible that this research may put us on the path to better understanding the biological foundations of consciousness.

“The vast majority of thoughts circling in our brains happen below the radar of conscious awareness, meaning that even though our brain is processing them, we are not aware,” explains Dr. Michael Shadlen, a principal investigator at <a href="http://www.columbia.edu/">Columbia</a> and the paper's senior author. “How some of that information bubbles to the level of consciousness, however, remains an unsolved mystery. But now, we’ve found a way to observe that moment in real time, and then apply those findings to our understanding of consciousness itself.”

Dr. Shadlen has spent his career attempting to understand how the signals sent through the brain’s billions of cells result in the decisions we make. Even complex emotions and thoughts such as love, grief, and mortality can be essentially boiled down to a series of decisions made by the brain engaging with the outside world.

For their study, the researchers had five participants watch dots on a computer screen that moved like grains of sand blowing in the wind. The subjects were asked what direction the dots were blowing in, and a clock at the center of the screen kept the time. After the dots were finished moving, the participants decided on what direction the dots had been traveling and then asked to decide what time the clock had been at when they became aware of the answer.

The research team incorporated this data with a vast history of previous research on brain mechanisms in decision-making and combined this with a complex mathematical trick in order to validate that the participants’ subjective belief that their decision was made at this time was an accurate reflection of the brain’s decision-making process.

“Essentially, the act of becoming consciously aware of a decision conforms to the same process that the brain goes through to complete a decision, even a simple one – such as whether to turn left or right,” says Dr. Shadlen.

Although this study is just the beginning, it has piqued scientists’ curiosity about the possibility of our most complex thoughts and feelings being definable under biological standards.

“Some people think that the nitty gritty of neuroscience is far from the highfalutin stuff that a philosopher would consider,” says Dr. Shadlen. “But rest assured, explaining these concepts – whether it’s ethics, consciousness anything else – in terms of neuroscience isn’t explaining them away. Instead, I would argue that it is helping to bring the biological study of the brain closer to the philosophical study of the mind.”

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists explain why your brain’s Aha! moments occur

One of the many pleasures in life is when you...

Researchers at <a href="https://med.nyu.edu/">NYU School of Medicine</a> have determined that exposure to air pollution during the early stages of pregnancy may lead to preterm birth and low birth weight. The study found that susceptibility to air pollution during the first or second trimester increases the risk of negative birth outcomes.

Researchers studied the effects of fine particulate air pollution, which comes from car exhaust and various industrial processes. Exposure to fine particulate air pollution, or PM2.5, has been found to increase the risk of asthma and heart disease.

Previous studies linked PM2.5 inhalation during pregnancy to low birth weight, but the research did not establish which stages of pregnancy are the most vulnerable. The authors of the current study have found that exposure during the first two trimesters can cause the most harm. 

For the study, the researchers exposed one group of pregnant mice to PM2.5 levels comparable to those found in highly-polluted urban environments, while a second group was exposed to filtered air. The mice who were ingesting air pollution were at four varying gestational stages which represented the different trimesters of human pregnancy. 

<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-premature-death-elderly/">Air pollution</a> inhalation during period one resulted in preterm birth for approximately 83 percent of the mouse litters. In addition, exposure to PM2.5 from conception to the end of the second trimester resulted in an 11.4 percent decrease in birth weight for half of the litters. 

Dr. Jason Blum is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at NYU School of Medicine and lead author of the study. 

"This first study of this problem in mice adds to the growing body of evidence that inhalation of particulate matter from implantation through the second trimester of pregnancy is potentially dangerous," said Dr. Blum.

Susceptibility to PM2.5 during the first and second trimester also caused decreased body length, decreased placental weight, and decreased anogenital distance in the mouse litters.

"These findings could lead physicians to advise women to avoid high pollution areas or use air filtration systems during the early stages of pregnancy," said senior author Judith Zelikoff, PhD. "With preterm birth and low birth weight having such serious health consequences, the need for further research in this area is greater than ever."

The study is published today in <a href="https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/">Environmental Health Perspectives</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy linked to birth problems

Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have determined that exposure...

According to the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychology Association</a>, men report just as many work-family conflicts as women. The results were produced from over three decades of studies that included more than 250,000 participants.

Kristen Shockley, PhD, is an assistant professor of Psychology at the <a href="http://www.uga.edu/">University of Georgia</a> and lead author of the study. She said the results were surprising.

"We essentially found very little evidence of differences between women and men as far as the level of work-family conflict they report," explained Shockley. "This is quite contrary to the common public perception. The way this issue is presented in the media frames the way we think about it, and it creates a perpetual cycle. Women hear that other women are struggling with this issue, so they expect they will experience greater work-family conflict. There also is some socialization for it being OK for women to talk more about it than men."


Previous research has established that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sperm-count-significantly-declining/">men</a> are often not comfortable discussing work-family conflicts due to fear of negative repercussions at work or fear of being criticized. Shockley said that men feel more comfortable sharing their concerns in anonymous surveys.

"I do think it's harming men, who are silently struggling and are experiencing the same amount of work-family conflict, but no one is acknowledging it," said Shockley.

Men are spending increasingly more time caring for their children and participating in household chores, even though women still spend more time on both tasks. A study by the Pew Research Center found that fathers were just as likely as mothers to say that parenting is a huge part of their identity. 

Nearly half of the studies included in the meta-analysis were conducted in the United States, and the rest were mainly across countries in Europe and Asia. The researchers were surprised to find similar levels of work-family conflict between men and women regardless of the status of gender equality in their country. Shockley said this would not likely be the case with many countries in the Middle East, where few studies have been conducted and gender inequality is more extreme. 

Shockley explained that men and women may experience the same level of work-family conflict but perceive it differently. Women may experience more guilt about work interference with family since the mother's traditional role is caretaker. On the other hand, the father's traditional role is working, so they may have less guilt over work interference. These gender roles are changing in the United States as more women are entering the workforce and more men are staying at home.

Shockley feels that work-family policies should be created to provide greater support for both women and men such as flexible schedules, child care support, and both paid maternity and paternity leave. The United States, Suriname, and Papua New Guinea are the only countries that don't guarantee any paid maternity or paternity leave. This research is available online in the <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/apl/">Journal of Applied Psychology</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study: Men have as many work-family conflicts as women

According to the American Psychology Association, men report just as...

Data from the Center for Disease Control has reported a decrease in smokers over the past few years. A study from the <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/">University of California</a> tried to discover if this decrease was related to the rise of e-cigarettes, which have been increasing in popularity.

The study, led by Professor Shu-Hong Zhu, has the largest group of e-cigarette smokers included in its data compared to other similar population studies. By looking at e-cigarette smokers and cessation smoking rates, the researchers tried to determine a connection between increased e-cigarette smoking and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dementia-preventable-treatment/">smokers</a> who quit or tried to. 

Research teams looked at five different population surveys from 2001-2015 with e-cigarette users identified from the latest survey. They gathered data on smoking cessation rates by looking at individuals who stopped smoking twelve months before the survey. All the data was compared to the earlier population surveys to see if the study's predictions were correct. 

The results of the study found that indeed the rate of quitting for individuals was much higher in 2014-2015 than the other surveys, and almost 50% of those who reported quitting in those years had tried e-cigarettes. 

But the study’s data comes with certain gaps making conclusive results difficult. For example, the surveys left no room to look at detailed descriptions of the quitting process or what products were used. But researchers expect these kinds of gaps with population surveys. Researchers also can’t rule out other factors that may have influenced those individuals who decided to quit. 

As the research team put it, “Other interventions that occurred concurrently, such as a national campaign showing evocative ads that highlight the serious health consequences of tobacco use, most likely played a role in increasing the cessation rate.” 

But without question, the study shows the drastic increase in smokers who quit or tried to in the past couple years, which could absolutely be related to the increase in popularity of e-cigarettes. 

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com </a>Staff Writer

As e-cigarettes get more popular, more smokers are quitting

Data from the Center for Disease Control has reported a...

While looking at saliva and specifically the protein MUC7, scientists found evidence that early humans interbred with Neanderthals and early nonhumans. 

The fact that interbreeding happened in early humans is nothing new. But this recent study proves that it was a frequent occurrence, the norm instead of the exception, according to Omer Gokcumen, lead author and assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Buffalo.

The study covered more than 2,5000 modern human genomes and the results found differences in a group from Sub Saharan Africa that were more closely linked to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/neanderthal-population-larger/">Neanderthal</a> and Denisovan (another group of ancient subspecies of humans).

Researchers at the <a href="https://www.cas.buffalo.edu/">University of Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences</a> were studying the function of the MUC7 protein in saliva when they came across this discovery.

The study was published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution on July 21st and was pioneered by Stefan Ruhl, a professor of Oral Biology from the University of Buffalo’s School of Dental Medicine and Omer Gokcumen. 

Gokcumen said of his findings and the difference in genomes, “When we looked at the history of the gene that codes for the protein (MUC7), we see the signature of archaic admixture in modern day Sub-Saharan African populations.”

“The most plausible explanation for this extreme variation is archaic introgression -- the introduction of genetic material from a 'ghost' species of ancient hominins,” he added.

The reason MUC7 is so important to the scientific community is that it very well could be responsible for preventing bacteria and disease and fighting off unwanted pathogens. While research teams at the University of Buffalo were looking at the evolution and functions of the protein, they discovered much more. 

Their research further confirms the knowledge that interbreeding between ancient humans and nonhumans was a regular occurrence. 

--

By Kay Vandette,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Early humans had relations with non-human “ghost” species

While looking at saliva and specifically the protein MUC7, scientists...

A report published today in the online journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/">Nature</a> reveals that scientists have identified brain cells that control aging. Stem cells have been located in the hypothalamus that control how fast the aging process occurs in mice. This revelation could be used to prevent age-related diseases and reverse many aspects of aging in humans. 

The hypothalamus is known to regulate key processes such as growth, development, and reproduction. In 2013, researchers from <a href="http://www.einstein.yu.edu/">Albert Einstein College of Medicine</a> made a breakthrough discovery that the hypothalamus also regulates aging throughout the body. The scientists have now managed to narrowly define a tiny population of adult neural stem cells which are responsible for age regulation.

Dr. Dongsheng Cai is a professor of Molecular Pharmacology at Einstein and senior author of the study. 

"Our research shows that the number of hypothalamic neural stem cells naturally declines over the life of the animal, and this decline accelerates aging," said Dr. Cai. "But we also found that the effects of this loss are not irreversible. By replenishing these stem cells or the molecules they produce, it's possible to slow and even reverse various aspects of aging throughout the body."

The researchers conducted an evaluation to observe the hypothalamic stem cells in healthy mice as they began to age. The cells started to decline when the animals reached approximately 10 months old, which is a few months before signs of aging typically appear in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mice-capable-empathy/">mice</a>.

"By old age-about two years of age in mice- most of those cells were gone," said Dr. Cai.

The scientists then set out to determine whether the loss of stem cells was actually causing the mice to age or if the loss of cells was more simply associated with the process of aging. They disrupted hypothalamic stem cells in some middle-aged mice to make this distinction.

"This disruption greatly accelerated aging compared with control mice, and those animals with disrupted stem cells died earlier than normal," explained Dr. Cai.

For the next phase of the study, the research team injected normal mice and mice whose brain cells they had previously disrupted with hypothalamic stem cells to see if this would counteract aging. The treatment slowed or reversed signs of aging in both groups of mice. 

The researchers discovered that molecules released from the hypothalamic stem cells called microRNAs (miRNAs) were responsible for the anti-aging effects. These molecules, which play a key role in gene expression, were contained in tiny particles called exosomes and released by the hypothalamic stem cells into the cerebrospinal fluid of the mice.

The team removed MiRNA-containing exosomes and injected them into the cerebrospinal fluid of the same two test groups of mice. The researchers used tissue analysis and behavioral assessments that tested coordination, muscle endurance, and cognitive ability to see how the exosomes affected various aspects of aging. Both groups exhibited significantly slowed aging.

The researchers are now taking a closer look at microRNA populations in an effort to better understand their anti-aging properties so the effects may be used to curb complications of aging in humans. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Scientists identify brain cells that control aging

A report published today in the online journal Nature reveals...

A study from a group of researchers at the <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/">Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &amp; Neuroscience at King's College London</a> and the <a href="http://icahn.mssm.edu/">Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai</a> looked at the connection between bipolar disorder and its link to faster biological aging. The main goal of the study was to see if those people predisposed to bipolar disorder were also predisposed to faster aging, and if there was any way to reverse these effects. 

The study was published in the journal, Neuropsychopharmacology, and was lead by Dr. Timothy Powell from New Kings College and Dr. Sophia Frangou from Icahn School of Medicine. 

Researchers gathered information on 217 people, some were patients diagnosed with the disease, some were relatives of those with bipolar disorder, and some were unrelated and unaffected by the disease. 

In order to look at the aging process specifically in these subjects, the study examined telomeres and MRI scans that measured these telomeres and their connection to brain structure. Telomeres act like ‘caps’ on the ends of our DNA strands that protect chromosomes and are an essential part of the aging process. 

Telomere length is a definable measure of biological age as a telomere shortens each time cell division occurs. The study found that those who had no connection to bipolar disorder had longer telomeres than those who were relatives or directly diagnosed with the disease. These findings are particularly interesting because they show that genetics can put an individual at risk for faster <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/best-handling-aging-population/">aging</a>.

Another interesting result of the study was the relation between faster aging and the drug lithium. Lithium is a very common drug used to treat bipolar disorder, and it may actually reverse the aging process that bipolar disorder causes. 

Co-senior author Dr. Gerome Breen, also from King's College, said, “Up to now it has been unclear whether or not bipolar disorder patients are at risk of accelerated aging. This study shows that they are at greater risk of faster aging and drugs commonly used to treat the disorder may actually mask or reverse this effect.”

With these findings, further studies may be able to create new treatments for bipolar disorder and decrease its effect on the biological aging process.  

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By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Risk of bipolar disorder linked to faster aging

A study from a group of researchers at the Institute...

Researchers have developed a new model by which to calculate how countries are adapting to their <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/study-low-use-of-neighborhood-parks-by-adults-seniors-and-females/">aging</a> populations. The Hartford Index is comprised of five social and economic indicators that measure the status and wellbeing of older persons in a country.

Researchers from <a href="https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/">Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health</a> and <a href="http://healthpolicy.usc.edu/">University of Southern California Schaeffer Center for Health Policy &amp; Economics</a> developed the tool. The index includes an evidence-based metric which can be used to track data over time and draw comparisons across nations.

Dr. John Rowe is a professor of Health Policy and Aging at the Mailman School of Public Health who led the research team.

"Now that previously unimagined numbers of older persons are living longer it is critical that we shift from our prior sole focus on the characteristics of individuals and their immediate environments to one that includes a strategy for the entire society to successfully adapt to an aging population" said Dr. Rowe.

The Hartford Index was initially developed for 30 countries and can track national sources of data for countries with aging populations including the United States and Western Europe. Sample analysis of the data shows that the five countries in the index managing their aging populations the best are Norway, Sweden, the United States, the Netherlands and Japan. 

"Interestingly, the Index demonstrates that the United States - despite general problems with inequity and social cohesion - has done well in keeping older Americans financially secure, productive, and engaged," noted Dana Goldman, PhD, of the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy &amp; Economics.

The John A. Hartford Index is comprised of five indicators that create a new gauge for measuring the health of aging populations. Earlier indexes excluded nations such as the United States and did not fully encompass all aspects of aging societies.

"The Index provides an accurate look at how well societies are adapting to this aging challenge," said Goldman. "Utilizing reliable and sensitive economic and social indicators that are widely available, the tool allows countries to take a broader view of both current conditions and likely future demographic realities."

The social and economic indicators measured by The Hartford Index include productivity and engagement, overall well-being, equity, cohesion, and security.

"Failure to adapt to aging is a risky strategy for a country," noted Rowe. "If we neglect to develop and implement effective policies we will be left with a society rife with intergenerational tensions, characterized by enormous gaps between the haves and the have-nots, and unable to provide needed goods and services for any of its members--especially a progressively older and more dependent population. The good news is this gloomy scenario is avoidable."

[caption id="attachment_722207" align="aligncenter" width="182"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/146230.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-722207" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/146230-182x300.jpg" alt="" width="182" height="300" /></a> Image Credit: John A. Hartford Foundation Index of Societal Aging[/caption]

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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 

Image Credit: John A. Hartford Foundation Index of Societal Aging

Norway, Sweden, United States best handling aging population

Researchers have developed a new model by which to calculate...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Santiago, the capital city of Chile. The city is located in the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, which has a population of about eight million people.&nbsp;



'The weather of Santiago resembles the Mediterranean climate with dry and warm summers with temperatures reaching up to 35°C (from October to March) and cool and humid winters that can drop to 0°C (from April to September)."



"The city lies in the centre of the country’s central valley around 80 km from the Pacific Ocean to the west and borders Argentina to the east. A tiny part of Argentina is visible in the top-right corner of the image where the mountain crest of the Andes Mountains acts as a divider between the two countries," says ESA.



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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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



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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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