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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



-----



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What makes people cool? Scientists tracked down the traits

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

Reasoning is the capacity of humans to think logically and make rational choices, and plays a major role in a person's intellect. A new study has revealed that a structural connection which develops between the frontal and parietal areas of the brain during adolescence can predict a person's ability to reason in adulthood. 

Previous research conducted by Carter Wendelken, Silvia Bunge, and their team determined that coordinated actions of the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) and inferior parietal lobe (IPL) are linked to the ability of individuals 12 years and older to reason and solve problems that include novel information. 

For the current study, the team set out to determine if the functional connectivity of these <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brains-aha-moments-occur/">brain</a> regions was preceded by an anatomical connection or if this structure developed as a result of coordinated activity. The team also wanted to examine how these structural changes within the brain affected the ability to reason.

The team collected data from multiple studies of children between the ages of 6 and 22. 

They used a longitudinal method of analysis, which tracks the same samples over time. 

The results of the investigation showed that strong structural connectivity between RLPFC and IPL in younger children is associated with both increased functional connectivity and improved reasoning in adolescence and later in life. 

The findings of the study, published in <a href="http://www.jneurosci.org/">The Journal of Neuroscience</a>, suggest that the structural bond between these regions is formed during early school years and allows coordinated brain activity that supports reasoning and judgement in adulthood. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Childhood brain structure determines ability to reason

Reasoning is the capacity of humans to think logically and...

Violent acts are increasing in the Eastern Mediterranean at a rate faster than anywhere else in the world. Suicide, homicide, and sexual assault accounted for 1.4 million deaths in this region in 2015. War claimed the lives of an additional 144,000 people.

Dr. Ali Mokdad is the Director for Middle Eastern Initiatives at the <a href="http://www.healthdata.org/">Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation</a> and lead author of the study.

"Intractable and endemic violence is creating a lost generation of children and young adults," said Dr. Mokdad. “The future of the Middle East is grim unless we can find a way to bring stability to the region."

This area is also experiencing a rapid increase in the number of people suffering from mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Depression and anxiety are the most common disorders and affect more women than men.

A calculation of years lived with a disability, or YLDs, showed that mental disorders contributed to nearly 11 million years lived in less than ideal health. A lack of funding to assist mental health patients combined with a need for mental health practitioners is worsening the situation.

"There must be a comprehensive plan to build on existing expertise and projects addressing health challenges that exist at the nexus of human health, environmental resilience, and social and economic equity," Dr. Mokdad said.

The study revealed that hanging and poisoning are the most common methods of suicide in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and 30,000 people took their own lives in 2015. The authors of the study believe this number is actually higher because some information on suicides is not disclosed. The research also found that 35,000 deaths in the region were due to interpersonal violence in the same year. 

Between 1990 and 2015, HIV/AIDS mortality rates were ten times higher, with most of the cases occurring in Djibouti, Somalia, and Sudan. The comprehensive study also reported that transportation-related injuries in the region were the 8th biggest cause of death between 1990 and 2015.

The study, which includes over 500 contributors, is published today in the <a href="http://www.springer.com/public+health/journal/38">International Journal of Public Health</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Suicide, mental illness ravaging generation in the Middle East

Violent acts are increasing in the Eastern Mediterranean at a...

In a tense time of deep political division, each side of the aisle seems more stubbornly loyal to their respective leaders. But what happens when a politician lies and their followers know the truth? 

A new study from the <a href="http://www.uic.edu/">University of Illinois at Chicago</a> and published online in Social Psychological and Personality Science, set out to find out if people are more accepting of a politician lying if they agree with the greater message.

The researchers found that indeed people were more aptly ready to accept a political figure’s lies as long as they propagated a shared moral view and showcased that their political leanings were morally correct. 

Allison Mueller, a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Linda Sitka, a psychology professor, looked at data from a 2014 survey that asked participants to read a monologue they believed had been aired on the radio about funding for Planned Parenthood. 

The participants in the survey were then told that the information in the monologue was either true or false and asked if the speaker was justified in their actions while speaking on the issue. 

At the end of the study, it was concluded that lying to serve a moral purpose or propagate a strongly held conviction was much more tolerable than information that opposed with personally held political stances and beliefs. 

“It appears to be because those lies are perceived by supporters as an acceptable and perhaps necessary means to achieve a higher moral end," said Allison Mueller. 

Mueller went on to say that, “a troubling and timely implication of these findings is that political figures may be able to act in corrupt ways without damaging their images, at least in the eyes of their supporters.” 

The researcher’s findings present a disconcerting conclusion and prove how little we value facts and truthful information if it disagrees with personal convictions. Moreover, politicians may be able to get away with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/trump-decision-paris-climate-agreement/">blatant lies</a> as long as their rhetoric aligns with personal moral values of their supporters.

---

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Why politicians get away with lying

In a tense time of deep political division, each side...

Some sleep disorders actually rooted in your muscles, not brain. For some time, the prevailing thought has been that the causes of most sleep disorders was rooted in the brain. But now, surprising new research has found that the muscles contain a key circadian rhythm protein that helps regulate our sleep patterns. 

The research was conducted by scientists at <a href="http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/departments/odonnell/">UT Southwestern’s Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute</a> in conjunction with the<a href="http://www.msm.edu/"> Morehouse School of Medicine</a> and the <a href="http://www.ufl.edu/">University Florida</a>. The findings were published in eLife and show promising developments in tackling sleep disorders in humans. 

Researchers found that mice with higher levels of BMAL1, the circadian clock protein, in their muscles had a quicker recovery time from sleep loss. Those who had lower levels of the protein were not able to recover as quickly and showed the need for sleep. 

What is most fascinating is that BMAL1 in the brain of the mice had almost no effect on their sleeping patterns. As it turns out, it was all about the protein levels in the muscle. 

“These studies show that factors in muscles can signal to the brain to influence sleep. If similar pathways exist in people, this would provide new drug targets for the treatment of sleep disorders," Dr. Takahashi, Loyd B. Sands Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience said. 

The results reveal that science has another path to finding solutions for those suffering from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/insomnia-biological-psychological/">sleep deprivation</a> and sleep disorders besides simply the brain. The findings could pave the way for new sleep disorder treatments and therapies.

----

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.co">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Some sleep disorders actually rooted in your muscles, not brain

Some sleep disorders actually rooted in your muscles, not brain....

Discrimination can push immigrants toward radicalization. New research has revealed that Muslim immigrants who feel isolated, discriminated against, and forced to conform to the culture of another country can develop feelings of insignificance that may be related to increased support for extremism. 

Sarah Lyons-Padilla of Stanford University presented the research at the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a>'s 125th Annual Convention.

"We found that immigrants who identify with neither their heritage culture nor the culture they are living in feel marginalized and insignificant," said Lyons-Padilla. "Experiences of discrimination make the situation worse."

The first of two studies focused on 198 Muslims between the ages of 18 and 35 living in the United States. 92 were first-generation immigrants and the rest were second-generation immigrants who were born in America. Most of the participants identified with <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/dust-iran-pakistan-streams-arabian-sea/">Pakistan</a> as their heritage country. An online survey was conducted to explore their cultural identities and feelings toward extremism.  

The participants were asked how connected they felt to their heritage culture, how connected they felt to American values, and how they felt about their level of integration in the United States. They were also asked if they were ever treated unfairly or felt hostility due to their cultural background, and how this affected their feelings of connection and significance.

In the final phase of the evaluation, a hypothetical fundamentalist group was described to the participants. They were asked how likely people they know would be to support the group.

The study revealed that marginalization and discrimination predicted feelings of insignificance. These feelings became stronger with discrimination and predicted an attraction to fundamentalist groups and extremism. 

The second study presented by Lyons-Padilla was able to produce a possible explanation of why countries in Europe are facing more radicalization than the United States. 204 Muslim participants living in Germany reported having a more difficult time integrating than immigrants in less stringent societies such as the United States. Lyons-Padilla said this may be due to the perception that the tighter society is not open to cultural diversity.

This study determined that the less integrated the Muslims felt, the more likely they were to support extremist practices.

"In what has also been referred to as a vicious cycle of prejudice, we find that lower levels of openness to diversity are associated with lower levels of cultural integration," said Lyons-Padilla. "Difficulty integrating, in turn, shapes support for extremism. Our findings therefore suggest that radicalization is not merely a process that takes place within individuals, but that the larger context of reception plays a crucial role."

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/earth/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Discrimination can push immigrants toward radicalization

Discrimination can push immigrants toward radicalization. New research has revealed...

These days, finding accurate and helpful information on the internet is no easy task. Even though websites can claim miracle treatments with science to back them, how trustworthy can that information really be? This is especially challenging in the world of healthcare. 

Because we live in the age of information, we can find anything and everything from helpful cancer prevention methods to weight loss tips and tricks. With both information and misinformation accessible at our fingertips, how do we filter out the information that will prove most beneficial? 

And how do health care professionals convey options and recommendations to their patients in a way that will stick out above the web of misinformation?

Professor of Psychology Dolores Albarracin of the <a href="http://www.las.illinois.edu/">University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts and Sciences </a>set out to conduct a study that looked at just these questions. 

Albarracin and her team examined over 400 people and their behavior to find the optimal way healthcare providers could convey information to patients.

The results of the study found that it wasn’t so much how the information was conveyed, be it short bursts of a few helpful tidbits or a long list of suggestions. Instead, the effectiveness of the recommendations depended on the overall goal. 

“If the goal is to communicate as many recommendations as possible, then go for a long list of behaviors. But if the goal is to implement behaviors, then the best strategy may be to convey a lower number of recommended behaviors,” Albarracin said. 

Researchers gave study participants lists of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mediterranean-diet-health-wealthy/">health</a> recommendations that varied in length and then asked those participants to recall as many recommendations as they could and discuss their plans to follow through on the recommendations. 

The more recommendations that were given, the fewer items were recalled. But in retrospect, more recommendations were remembered overall if the goal was to follow through on them. 

This study highlights the importance of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/collecting-dna-from-rivers-uncovers-biodiversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broadening one’s education</a>, especially when it comes to healthcare. The results demonstrate how the way information is communicated is directly correlated with how effective it is in impacting one’s behavior.

--

By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>,<a href="https://www.earth.com/"> Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Doctors work to cut through fake news and online misinformation

These days, finding accurate and helpful information on the internet...

Understanding persuasion makes you harder to take advantage of. The persuasion of consumers by companies that are looking to entice them to buy a product has been built into a science in recent years, combining psychology and marketing in order to increase revenue.

“Persuasion is no longer just an art, it’s an out-and-out science,” explains Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology and marketing at <a href="https://www.asu.edu/">Arizona State University.</a> “Indeed, a vast body of scientific evidence now exists on how, when and why people say yes to influence attempts.”

Something as simple as a free sample comes with strings attached. The innocuous free sample is actually attached to the expectation that the person who takes it will feel obligated to buy the product. This is actually the first of six principles Cialdini has formulated over decades of research. The first principle is reciprocity, where the consumer feels the need to return a favor – such as a free sample.

His next principle is commitment. When a consumer becomes hooked on a product, it becomes simpler to get them to pay for it. People will even rationalize or change their beliefs to be in more in alignment to the choices they make. When people make a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/part-brain-decides-food/">decision</a>, they tend to stick to it.

Cialdini also points out that humans have an innate pack mentality, which he refers to as “social proof.” He determined this through research he conducted with hotel guests who were asked to reuse towels in order to be environmentally conscious. The study determined that guests were 29 percent more likely to reuse towels if they were told most other guests also re-used their towels. That percentage increased to 39 percent when they were told that the majority of guests who stayed in the same room reused their towels. This shows a pack mentality amongst these guests, despite never meeting each other.

Another principle is that of authority, which is attached to almost all aspects of persuasion. People are more likely to believe someone if they are considered an expert in a field. 

“When it comes to world economics, who are you more likely to listen to for advice: a Nobel laureate in the field or some random commenter on Facebook?” asks Cialdini.

His last principle says that people are more likely to want what they think they can’t have. He calls this the principle of scarcity, which is attached to the concept of anticipated regret. People will look into the future and regret the possibility that the option to make a decision may be taken away from them. This is shown to be the case when stores advertise sales with limited availability.

Cialdini stresses that influencing consumers is not the same as manipulating them. For people’s behavioral changes to be effective and long lasting, these principles must be used ethically. He cites numerous studies where companies have used dishonest hiring practices, resulting in higher stressed employees, increased absenteeism, higher medical bills, and higher turnover.

“People, companies and marketers need to ask themselves whether the principle of influence is inherent in the situation - that is, do they have to manufacture it or can they simply uncover it? That is important. No one wants to be a smuggler of influence,” says Cialdini. “Claiming to be an expert when they're not, exploiting power, those eventually will have negative consequences.”

Resistance to manipulation can also be built up over time, as people become more familiar with these principles and can spot an attempt to influence. So maybe now you can better spot attempts from corporations and individuals to manipulate or influence you for their gain. 

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Understanding persuasion makes you harder to take advantage of

Understanding persuasion makes you harder to take advantage of. The...

Modern times value self-expression more, and swearing proves it. In 1972, George Carlin introduced a comedy routine known as “seven words you can never say on TV,” which mocked the restrictions of network television and the niceties of American society. A new study from <a href="https://www.sdsu.edu/">San Diego State University</a> has investigated the usage of swearing in American literature and found that society is embracing freedom of expression and individualism much more today than in decades past.  

Psychology professor Jean M. Twenge teamed up with graduate student Hannah VanLandingham and University of Georgia psychologist W. Keith Campbell to analyze the content of books published between 1950 and 2008. The tens of thousands of books examined for the study also included books cataloged in the Google Books database. 

The researchers searched for the usage of George Carlin's seven words. The team reported a steady rise in the appearance of these particular words throughout the texts. The study revealed that American authors used the controversial terms 28 times more often in the mid-2000s than in the early 1950s.

"Forty-five years after George Carlin's routine, you can say those words on television -and in books," said Twenge.

The findings of the study suggest that these words have become much less forbidden over time, according to the authors. One possible explanation is that people now value freedom of self-expression more than they did several decades ago.

This conclusion coincides with previous research which established that today's American society places higher importance on individualism. Twenge said that this characteristic is especially prominent in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/grown-penguins-mooch-parents/">young people</a>.

"Millennials have a 'come as you are' philosophy, and this study shows one of the ways they got it: The culture has shifted toward more free self-expression," she said.

The results of the study are published in the journal <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/home/sgo">SAGE Open</a>.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Modern times value self-expression more, and swearing proves it

Modern times value self-expression more, and swearing proves it. In...

A US-Mexico border wall would threaten 100 endangered species. President Donald Trump's <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/mexico-border-wall-hurt-biodiversity/">goal</a> of a border wall between the United States and Mexico has been met with criticism concerning the economic risks of construction. Now, biologists are weighing in with new information about the ecological costs that could also result from the giant barrier. 

According to Dr. Scott Egan from <a href="http://www.rice.edu/">Rice University</a>, the proposed border wall could negatively impact an alarming number of endangered species.

“Evolutionary effects from the wall can change the balance of nature along the US-Mexico border, putting wildlife in the area, including more than 100 endangered species, at risk,” explained Dr. Egan.

"Some of the larger animals that will be threatened by the border wall are the jaguar, ocelot, jaguarundi, Mexican gray wolf, desert bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope,” he said. 

There are two central challenges that border populations could face as a result of the barrier. First, the wall will divide up natural habitats which can result in a bottleneck population - a sharp decline in the numbers of a species.

A bottleneck population has less genetic variation and contains fewer breeding individuals. Less genetic variation means a population is not as likely to survive changes in the environment such as climate change. This will particularly affect species that end up with a small portion of the population isolated on one side of the wall.

The other main issue is that a border wall interferes with the natural exchange of genes within a population. This leads to inbreeding and homozygosity, or identical pairs of genes. Homozygosity increases the expression of disease-causing genetic mutations. The mutations eventually generate inbreeding depression, which means the overall population becomes less healthy. 

The Florida panther faced both of these major challenges.

“The species historically lived across the Southeastern United States, but due to overhunting and habitat destruction, a small remnant set of populations lives in southern Florida isolated from all other panther populations,” said Dr. Egan. “Just as evolutionary biologists predicted, Florida panthers experienced a reduction in genetic diversity and an increase in homozygosity.”

Dr. Egan explained that this human-induced isolation “led to increased heart defects, low sperm counts and increased susceptibility to infection consistent with increased expression of deleterious mutations.”

According to the research, the border wall would also obstruct natural migration routes and cut off future range expansions driven by climate change. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

A US-Mexico border wall would threaten 100 endangered species

A US-Mexico border wall would threaten 100 endangered species. President...

Mindfulness helps athletes perform better in competition. When you think of sports, it’s often the physical component that seems to be the most challenging. But many athletes and coaches understand that there is a mental component as well, and that being prepared for competition psychologically is often just as important as being prepared physically.

“It’s been suggested that many coaches regard sport as at least 50 percent mental when competing against opponents of similar ability. In some sports, that percentage can be as high as 80 to 90 percent mental,” says Keith Kaufman, a sport psychology practitioner and research associate at <a href="https://www.catholic.edu/index.html">The Catholic University of America.</a>

There are a number of studies that support the importance of psychological preparation in sports.

 One such study looked at over 200 Canadian athletes from the 1984 Olympics who were assessed for three readiness factors: mental, physical, and technical. The results showed that out of these three factors, only mental readiness had significant impact on these athletes’ success in the Olympics.

“With popular belief and scientific evidence being in such harmony, one might expect that mental training would be a top priority within the athletic community. However, curiously, this is not the case,” explains Kaufman. “We have met so many athletes and coaches who know that mental factors, such as concentrating, relaxing and letting go of thoughts and feelings, can aid performance, but have no idea how to actually do those things under the pressures of training and competition.”

While presenting his research at the 125th Annual Convention of the <a href="http://www.apa.org/">American Psychological Association</a>, Kaufman outlined a multi-step program he and his team had developed for practicing mindfulness and preparing mentally.

In short, mindfulness involves being aware of the present moment and accepting things as they are. When athletes are able to do this, they are able to better focus on their performance rather than being distracted or having <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/marijuana-low-doses-relieve-stress/">anxiety</a>. 

“For example, an athlete could identify that ‘right now, I’m having the thought that I can’t finish this race,’ so rather than reflecting an objective truth, it’s seen as just a thought,” says Kaufman.

His program involves mindfulness practice, sport-specific meditation, and other formal exercises. Overall, it works to help athletes incorporate mindfulness into their everyday life as well as workouts, practices, and competition. 

This approach has already shown great results in practice. Two studies of 81 university athletes found that individuals who completed Kaufman’s program exhibited significant increases in the arenas of mindfulness and “flow,” which is defined as the mental construct associated with being “in the zone.”

Athletes also rated their own performance higher and experienced less anxiety while competing. These increases were also maintained in follow-up months later. In fact, two teams that had previously had losing records the year before both had winning seasons after completing the program.

Kaufman also states that this program could benefit people in performing arts or business, not just athletes. So if you find that you’re experience performance-related anxiety, it might be a good idea to practice some mindfulness.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Mindfulness helps athletes perform better in competition

Mindfulness helps athletes perform better in competition. When you think...

Beauty is pain, isn’t that what they say? And as any woman who has hobbled home after a long day in heels will tell you, the pain is very real. But according to a new study, both women and men prefer individuals who wear heels, and men are twice as likely to give attention or offer help to a woman who is wearing heels. 

Surveys have also shown that women find that wearing heels can boost <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/people-consider-intuitive/">confidence</a> because they make one feel more attractive. 

But the decision to wear heels forces one to forgo comfort and practicality, and risk many different injuries from back pain to broken ankles. 

Researchers at <a href="https://www.abdn.ac.uk/">Aberdeen University</a> published a study that looked at high heels and their high-risk factor and discussed this unspoken societal expectation. 

“There is pressure on women to wear heels, and celebrity influence with people such as Victoria Beckham and Kate Middleton making it fashionable to do so, whether they intend to or not,” said Dr. Max Barnish, lead author of the study.

The facts prove that heels can be quite detrimental to a person’s health, as they can cause back pain, ankle problems, and an increased risk of falling. 

Studies performed on the impact the high heel has on the foot over time and they all point to differences between women who wear high heels regularly to women who wear flats. Choosing not to wear high heels could also strengthen the ankle and prevent further injury. 

Science is by no means demanding a boycott of one of the most popular shoe styles. But workplace dress codes and government mandates could focus more attention on making the heel optional, leaving the decision up to the individual.

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 By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

High heels boost confidence, but can cause serious injury

Beauty is pain, isn’t that what they say? And as...

Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are diseases that affect the lining of your intestinal tract and colon. Inflammation of these areas of the body can result in diarrhea, ulcers, and can be severely painful. But now, a study composed by researchers at the <a href="https://medicine.wustl.edu/">Washington University School of Medicine</a> in St. Louis has resulted in some exciting findings that could potentially alleviate these symptoms and build a tolerance to inflammatory bowel diseases. The solution may be as simple as eating a protein and tryptophan-rich diet. 

Luisa Cervantes-Barragan, a postdoctoral researcher, was studying gut microbiomes and tolerance-promoting immune cells in two groups of mice when she found that one group had these cells and the other group, located far away from the first group, did not. 

This led Cervantes-Barragan to believe that environmental factors played into the appearance of healthy gut bacteria that would build a tolerance to cells causing inflammatory diseases. 

Researchers discovered that there were six different species of bacteria present in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aggression-male-mice/">mice</a> with the tolerance-promoting cells, while the other group had none.

Eventually, Cervantes-Barragan and her team associated tryptophan levels with this immunity and doubled the amount of tryptophan fed to the mice which ended up doubling the number of tolerance promoting cells in the mice’s gut.

“The more tryptophan the mice had in their diet, the more of these immune cells they had,” Said Marco Colonna, MD, and senior author of the study. 

Humans have similar gut bacteria and immune cells which could mean that increasing our tryptophan levels with, say, a protein heavy diet, would produce more tolerant cells and alleviate inflammatory bowel diseases in humans. 

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By <a href="mailto:rarnold@earth.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="http://earth.com">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Increasing your protein intake could alleviate digestive woes

Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Is chocolate the next nutritional powerhouse?

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

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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

Nushagak Bay in southwest Alaska

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Flu viruses are more flexible than expected

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



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



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



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



Video/Image Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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

Lake Trasimeno in Central Italy

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



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



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



Video Credit: American Chemical Society&nbsp;



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



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

Detecting mercury contamination with the tap of a finger

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



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



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



Video Credit: ACS Reactions



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



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

How does salt makes things taste better?

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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

Santiago, Chile in South America

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: Johns Hopkins&nbsp;



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



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

Interactive map of the universe includes 200,000 galaxies

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

The rapid retreat of the Columbia Glacier

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video &amp; Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The Pyrenees Mountains in southwest Europe

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Tiger sharks are shifting poleward as temperatures rise

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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

Melt ponds on the Greenland Ice Sheet

[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

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