When humans burst into laughter together, moods lift almost automatically. New research shows that a similar boost happens in our closest cousins.



An international team led by <a href="https://bloomington.iu.edu/">Indiana University</a> scientists has discovered that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bonobos-group-cohesion-common-enemy-effect-do-not-kill-inside-their-species/">bonobos</a> become more upbeat after hearing the giggles of their companions. This finding pushes the evolutionary history of positive emotions back millions of years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-laughter-changed-ape-choices">Laughter changed ape choices</h2>



To explore laughter’s influence, the researchers designed a cognitive-bias test often used in animal psychology to gauge optimism or pessimism.



First, they trained bonobos at the <a href="https://www.apeinitiative.org/">Ape Initiative</a> in Des Moines, Iowa, to recognize two kinds of boxes: black ones that always contained a delicious snack and white ones that were always empty.



Once the apes consistently chose black and ignored white, the experimenters introduced a third, ambiguous gray box. They then played one of two sounds: recorded bonobo laughter or a neutral control noise.



“We know that other apes, like chimpanzees, have contagious laughter during play," said lead author Sasha Winkler, a primatologist at <a href="https://duke.edu/">Duke University</a>. "We were wondering if that behavior could be explained by positive emotions produced from the sound itself.” 



If the bonobos felt a surge of good feeling after hearing laughter, the team expected them to treat the uncertain gray box as if it were the rewarding black one.



That is exactly what happened. “Think of it like the rose-colored glasses effect,” Winkler said. “The bonobos were much more likely to approach the gray boxes after hearing laughter, treating them like the rewarded boxes, and indicating a more optimistic expectation of finding a treat.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tracing-optimism-to-our-ancestors">Tracing optimism to our ancestors</h2>



This study is the first experimental proof that great-ape laughter can shift mood and cognition the way human laughter does.



“The tendency to behave more optimistically after hearing laughter suggests that the sound alone induced a positive emotional state in bonobos,” said senior author Erica Cartmill, the director of Indiana University’s Cognitive Science Program.



“This is the first study of which we're aware to measure a positive affect shift in nonhuman primates from a brief experimental intervention.”



Great apes -&nbsp; bonobos, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/what-wild-chimpanzees-can-teach-us-about-parenting/">chimpanzees</a>, gorillas, orangutans - all emit play calls that acoustically resemble human chuckles. Earlier work tied those sounds to a common evolutionary origin. The new findings add a cognitive twist.



“Our results suggest that laughter in other apes shares not only phylogenetic and behavioral similarities with human laughter but also perhaps some of the same cognitive-emotional underpinnings,” Winkler noted.



“This emotional contagion appears to have been present in the primate lineage long before the evolution of language.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-laughter-empathy-and-apes">Laughter, empathy, and apes</h2>



Emotional contagion is often described as a foundational element of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/little-benjamina-the-oldest-evidence-of-social-empathy-in-humans/">empathy</a> - the capacity to share another’s feelings. As Winkler put it, “studies like ours can help to untangle the evolutionary building blocks of empathy, communication, and cooperation in humans.”



By revealing that a simple vocal cue can brighten outlooks in bonobos, the research suggests that the mechanisms linking social sound to positive mood were already in place in a common ancestor millions of years ago.



Cartmill added that the work answers a long-standing bias in emotion research. “Our emotions influence many aspects of cognition, including memory, attention, and decision-making, but research has historically focused on negative emotions with clear behavioral correlates, like <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brain-pathway-discovered-that-suppresses-fear/">fear</a> and aggression.”



“We wanted to better understand the relationship between positive affect and cognition in our closest living relatives.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-kanzi-and-the-future-of-empathy">Kanzi and the future of empathy</h2>



The experiments involved four bonobos, including the celebrated language-using ape Kanzi, who recently passed away.



“I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Kanzi while he was still alive,” Winkler said. 



“We hope this brings greater public awareness of the remarkable similarities between us and bonobos, who are an endangered species. We have so much to learn from these incredible animals.”



Future studies will test whether laughter exerts similar cognitive effects in chimpanzees and other primates. They will also explore how social context - for example, hearing laughs from friends versus strangers - modulates optimism.



For now, the discovery that bonobo giggles brighten expectations highlights a shared emotional heritage and hints that a simple laugh has been boosting group spirits since long before humans walked the Earth.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-02594-8">Nature Scientific Reports</a>.



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Laughter lifts bonobo moods, offering clues to human emotion

When humans burst into laughter together, moods lift almost automatically. New research shows that a similar boost happens in our closest cousins. An international team led by Indiana University scientists has discovered that bonobos become more upbeat after hearing the giggles of their companions. This finding pushes the evolutionary history of positive emotions back millions of years. Laughter changed ape choices To explore laughter’s influence, the researchers designed a cognitive-bias test often used in animal psychology to gauge optimism or pessimism. First, they trained bonobos at the...

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

Twitter is an unreliable representation of real life emotions

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

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

Understanding gestures helps streamline communication

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

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

Is snacking contagious?

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

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

Why binge watching TV is actually less fun

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

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

The difference between thriving and just surviving

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

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

As countries legalize cannabis, what is the international law?

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

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

Tick populations set to increase with climate change

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

A new study shows that children who were living or going to school near the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 are now at a greater risk of developing heart problems due to dust inhalation from collapse of the Twin Towers. 

A report published in the journal Environment International details a study conducted by<a href="http://nyulangone.org/"> New York University Langone</a> health researchers, who analyzed blood work from 308 children, 123 of whom were directly exposed to the toxic dust and debris from 9/11. 

The study gathered data from the 3,000 children enrolled in the <a href="http://www1.nyc.gov/site/911health/about/wtc-health-registry.page">World Trade Center Health Registry</a> (WTCHR) who were either living or going to school in lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001. WTCHR participants go through annual check-ups to help track mental and physical health as the years go on. 

Researchers found that the 123 children who inhaled dust from 9/11 were at risk for cardiovascular disease and had increased levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used in manufacturing plastics that was released in the air as electronics burned in the collapse.  

The higher levels of PFOA indicated an increase in blood fats and artery-hardening fats like LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. According to the study, for every tripled increase of PFOA levels in the blood, there was a nine to fifteen percent increase in fats in the blood. 

These raised fat levels can cause heart attacks and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ways-keep-brain-healthy/">stroke</a> if not addressed. 

“Since 9/11, we have focused a lot of attention on the psychological and mental fallout from witnessing the tragedy, but only now are the potential physical consequences of being within the disaster zone itself becoming clear,” said Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, an associate professor at NYU School of Medicine and the study’s lead investigator. 

Luckily, as the warning signs of cardiovascular disease were caught early by the study and the children in the WTCHR are monitored yearly, the risks can be significantly decreased by exercise and healthy eating. 

Both the study and the WTCHR are important implements for monitoring the health of the children exposed to dust and debris from 9/11. 

“Our study emphasizes the importance of monitoring the health consequences from 9/11 in children exposed to the dust, and offers hope that early intervention can alleviate some of the dangers to health posed by the disaster,” said Trasande.

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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

Kids exposed to 9/11 dust are now having heart problems

A new study shows that children who were living or...

According to a new report from the <a href="http://www.heart.org/">American Heart Association</a>, a healthy lifestyle is reflected in your brain as much as it is in the rest of your body. A healthy lifestyle can lessen the risk of cognitive impairment, which limits healthy brain functions such as learning and remembering, communicating, making decisions, and solving problems.

As blood vessels become narrowed or blocked over the course of a person's life, the risk of atherosclerosis increases. This condition slowly and silently blocks the arteries and can prevent adequate blood flow to the brain and the heart, causing heart attacks and strokes. The experts published strategies to help avoid this and other diseases.

"Research summarized in the advisory convincingly demonstrates that the same risk factors that cause atherosclerosis, are also major contributors to late-life cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. By following seven simple steps - Life's Simple 7 - not only can we prevent heart attack and stroke, we may also be able to prevent cognitive impairment," said vascular neurologist Philip Gorelick, M.D., M.P.H.

Created by the American Heart Association, <a href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/My-Life-Check---Lifes-Simple-7_UCM_471453_Article.jsp">Life's Simple 7</a> highlights a set of health factors that define and promote cardiovascular wellness. The authors of the advisory reviewed 182 studies to produce a list of seven ways to achieve and maintain ideal brain health.

The program advises individuals to manage blood pressure, control cholesterol, keep blood sugar normal, get physically active, eat a healthy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/best-diet-longer-life/">diet</a>, lose extra weight, and quit smoking.

The report, which is published in the American Heart Association's journal <a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/7624.php">Stroke</a>, urges people to take these steps to foster a healthy brain as early as possible, because atherosclerosis can begin as early as childhood. 

"Studies are ongoing to learn how heart-healthy strategies can impact brain health even early in life," said Gorelick. While further research is needed, he believes "the outlook is promising."

The action items included in Life's Simple 7 meet three practical rules agreed upon by the panel as they pinpointed ways to improve brain health. The experts wanted to include health factors which could be measured, modified and monitored, according to Gorelick, and which could be easily accessed by healthcare providers who will inform patients of how to meet these goals.

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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

Seven easy ways to keep your brain healthy

According to a new report from the American Heart Association,...

A special issue of <a href="http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/amp/">American Psychologist</a>, a journal from the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a>, features a collection of articles which emphasize the health benefits of close relationships. The compilation of studies is an effort to convince scientists and psychologists to join forces and make it a priority to bring public awareness to the health advantages of close relationships.

The introduction to the special edition is written by editor Christine Dunkel Schetter, PhD. 

"The articles in this special issue represent state-of-the-art work on the central issues in the study of close relationships and health. They draw from relationship science and health psychology, two areas of scientific inquiry with independent histories and distinct domains," writes Schetter. "The goal of this special issue is to bridge the gap between these two specialties to improve the quality and usefulness of future research and practice."

The article "Advancing Social Connection as a Public Health Priority in the United States” provides scientific evidence that feeling socially connected and participating in high-quality relationships are linked to a decreased risk of mortality. Despite these facts, the authors say that government agencies, healthcare providers, and health care funders have not made social connection a public health priority. The experts point out that frequent and intense loneliness affects as many as 43 percent of adults in the U.S. over age 60.

Another report included in the special issue is "Interpersonal Mechanisms Linking Close Relationships to Health." This article gives insight into how interpersonal processes influence <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deportation-fears-american-children/">health</a> and disease. The authors say relationships can help protect against the negative effects of stress. Relationships can also foster positive emotions, personal growth and health-promoting behaviors.

Another article,"Childhood Close Family Relationships and Health," investigates how relationships early in life can affect one's health over the course of a lifetime. According to the authors, comforting relationships during childhood are linked to better physical health from infancy to adulthood. In addition, the impact of difficult health issues can be greatly reduced by close family relationships.

Other articles included in the special issue of the journal examine topics such as the increasingly complex biological pathways involved linking relationships to health. One article, for example, explains that a happy marriage can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, while a stressful relationship can increase this risk.

Dunkel Schetter says that the “challenge remains to translate existing and future knowledge into interventions to improve social relationships for the benefit of physical and mental health.”

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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

Having close relationships helps you live a longer life

A special issue of American Psychologist, a journal from the...

Voter fraud and registration manipulation have been hot topics of concern on both sides of the aisle. But what happens when hackers use your identity to change your voting information?

A new <a href="http://www.harvard.edu/">Harvard</a> study has examined how hackers can access personal voter information, which can be bought online through both traditional resources the dark web. 

The researchers found that for a few thousand dollars, hackers could obtain enough data to change information where voters can register online, impersonate voters online, and target key demographics that would make <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/weather-temperature-election-outcomes/">voting</a> difficult for certain people, districts, or communities. 

For example, a hacker armed with enough data could potentially change the addresses of a number of voters who, upon going to the polls to vote, would be told that he or she was in the wrong location, or that they would have to fill out a different ballot. 

The study was conducted by Latanya Sweeney, Harvard professor of Government and Technology in Residence, in collaboration with research analyst Ji Su Yoo and graduate student Jinyan Zang.

Together, the researchers examined how vulnerable the US voting system is to hackers. The study details multiple channels that hackers could use for buying and finding sensitive voter information.

Data sets with lists of personal information can be purchased or obtained fairly easily the researchers noted. Contrary to what one might think, voter information, including addresses, gender, and political party affiliation, is publically accessible. 

All in all, the researchers spent $18,000 obtaining voter information from the 35 states that allow online registration. The information did not include social security numbers or driver's license numbers, although those lists can be purchased from commercial data brokers and from the dark web.

Sweeney was able to purchase two sets of data containing the personal identity information of most adult Americans for just a little over $1,000. 

“The money, I think that's a real shocker. In Ohio, the data is free - you can download it from the Web. And others who have purchased the data have made it freely available in an attempt to add transparency to the election process. Even data brokers who specialize in voter lists, $2,000 was the maximum, and they covered all 50 states,” said Sweeney. 

Sweeney urged that the point of the study was not to emphasize the major flaws in the voting system or the security measures invested in by the states. Instead. Sweeney said the information should be used to help close any gaps and halt potential future voter identity theft. 

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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

Online voter registration can be hacked to target key districts

Voter fraud and registration manipulation have been hot topics of...

Research from Australia and the Netherlands has revealed that listening to happy music affects creative cognition in a positive way. People may develop more unique ideas and innovative solutions while listening to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/like-songs-dislike-others/">music</a> compared to those working in silence.

The study was conducted by by Simone Ritter from <a href="http://www.ru.nl/english/">Radboud University</a> and Sam Ferguson from the <a href="https://www.uts.edu.au/">University of Technology Sydney</a>. The researchers enlisted the help of 155 individuals who completed questionnaires before being divided into groups. Each group was exposed to a different type of music that was classified as either calm, happy, sad, or anxious. In addition, a control group was not exposed to music. 

The volunteers attempted various cognitive tasks that tested their divergent and convergent creative thinking. Original and useful solutions to a task earned the participants a high score in divergent creativity, while those who came up with the best possible solution to a task earned a high score in convergent creativity.

The study showed that listening to happy music promotes divergent creative thinking. The researchers define happy music as classical music that has a positive emotional valence and is high in arousal. These variables which constitute happy music may enhance flexibility in thinking. This inspires solutions that may never have been conceived in silence, according to the authors.

The study, which is published today in the open-access journal <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/">PLOS ONE</a>, shows that creative cognition is boosted by music. The authors suggest that music could provide an inexpensive way to inspire creativity in both school and work settings. Future research could explore how different ambient sounds affect creativity in a diverse range of people, including participants with varying levels of experience in music.

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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

Happy music stimulates creativity and outside-the-box thinking

Research from Australia and the Netherlands has revealed that listening...

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



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Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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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

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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"

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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



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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



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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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