Female,Having,Heart,,Asthma,Or,Panic,Attack.,Difficulties,With,Breathe,

When we think of a heart attack, the image that often comes to mind is straight out of a movie: someone suddenly clutches their chest in pain and collapses as shocked bystanders look on. It's a scene etched into our collective memory by decades of TV and film.



However, the real experience of a heart attack rarely fits that narrative. In fact, believing in that dramatic version can delay life-saving treatment.



Hollywood’s version has shaped public perception in ways that may be doing more harm than good. The truth is far more complex and subtle. 



For Ann Eckhardt, a nursing professor and researcher at <a href="https://www.uta.edu" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The University of Texas at Arlington</a>, this public misunderstanding is not just a matter of health education. It is a deeply personal mission rooted in years of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-disease-kills-differently-now-than-five-decades-ago/">research</a> and a family experience that first sparked her passion for the subject.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-missing-the-signs-of-a-heart-attack">Missing the signs of a heart attack </h2>



Movies from the 1980s and 1990s cemented an unrealistic idea of heart attacks. The result? Many people don’t recognize the signs when it happens to them.



“We did ourselves a disservice in the 1980s and 1990s with what’s known as ‘The Hollywood Heart Attack,’” Dr. Eckhardt said. “That’s unfortunately not real life. It’s not always intense." 



"Sometimes it’s just discomfort that doesn’t feel quite right, so people tend to wait to see a doctor. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to have negative consequences after your <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-disease-remains-the-leading-cause-of-death-worldwide/">heart</a> attack.”



This tendency to wait, to dismiss symptoms that don’t seem dramatic enough, can cost precious time. And in cardiology, time is muscle. 



The longer blood flow to the heart is restricted, the greater the damage. But if people are looking for cinematic signals, they might miss the real ones.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-heart-attack-symptoms-can-be-subtle">Heart attack symptoms can be subtle </h2>



One of the biggest myths is that heart attacks always present with severe, sudden <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/artificial-sweeteners-erythritol-directly-linked-to-heart-attacks-and-strokes/">pain</a>. In reality, many symptoms are subtle. 



People may experience vague discomfort, pressure, or a strange feeling they can’t quite describe. These symptoms are easier to ignore, especially when life is busy or stressful.



Eckhardt and her team wanted to understand these misconceptions in detail. They explored how people interpret chest pain and whether that interpretation affects how and when they seek care. 



The team has identified a dangerous gap between public belief and medical reality.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-rethinking-the-warning-signs">Rethinking the warning signs </h2>



Many people also believe that heart attacks look drastically different in men and women. While that belief was once supported in the medical community, experts are now rethinking the language they use.



“We used to say men have typical symptoms and women have atypical symptoms,” Eckhardt said. “We’re trying very hard to move away from that language now."



"The most common symptom for men and women is chest-related. We created confusion by saying women are somehow completely different.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-false-expectations-about-heart-attacks">False expectations about heart attacks</h2>



Labeling symptoms as typical or atypical can confuse patients. If someone doesn’t feel the expected kind of pain, they may assume it isn’t serious. Worse, they might believe it can’t possibly be a heart attack. That false assurance can delay treatment.



Eckhardt’s team wanted to dig deeper into how people form these ideas. To do that, they created the <a href="https://www.heartandlung.org/article/S0147-9563(23)00121-8/abstract?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chest Pain Conception Questionnaire</a>. The tool is designed to measure what people think heart attack symptoms look like, and where those ideas come from.



Three years into the project, the team made a striking discovery: nearly 75% of respondents had gotten their information about heart attacks from media sources like TV and film. That suggests medical messaging is losing the battle for public attention.



“We often tell people chest pain is a symptom of a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-this-amount-of-coffee-helps-prevent-heart-disease-and-diabetes/">heart</a> attack, but what we don’t tell them is what they might actually feel,” Eckhardt said. 



“For a lot of people, it’s not pain in the traditional sense. It’s more discomfort, pressure, tightness. They just don’t feel quite right, but they can’t really put their finger on it.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vague-signs-delay-treatment">Vague signs delay treatment</h2>



Many heart attack sufferers report a general unease or tightness instead of sharp pain. But because it’s vague, they hesitate to call a doctor or go to the hospital. This indecision can lead to devastating outcomes.



Eckhardt wants medical professionals to change how they talk to patients. Instead of simply asking about chest pain, they should expand the question to include more accurate descriptions.



“The longer you wait, the more likely it is you’ll have irreversible damage to the heart,” Eckhardt said. 



“So, if we can determine what people think a heart attack will be like, perhaps we can help the medical community better triage and ask questions. It’s not just ‘Are you having chest pain?’; it’s also ‘Do you have any discomfort, pressure, tightness, squeezing?’”



This approach could help doctors identify patients at risk more effectively. It also makes space for individuals to describe their symptoms without second-guessing themselves.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-lifelong-mission">A lifelong mission </h2>



For Eckhardt, this work is not just about data or education. It is deeply personal. Her commitment to the subject began when she was young, shaped by a frightening family event.



“That experience sparked my interest early on,” Eckhardt said. When she was in middle school, her grandfather was rushed to the hospital after a heart attack. 



Thankfully, he survived the ordeal thanks to timely bypass surgery and lived for another two decades. That moment planted the seeds of a lifelong commitment to health education and research.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-changing-the-public-perception">Changing the public perception </h2>



Eckhardt and her colleagues know it won’t be easy to re-educate the public. Hollywood images are hard to shake. 



However, the team's research continues, driven by a clear goal: help people recognize real heart attack symptoms, seek help early, and improve outcomes.



Every person who rethinks their idea of what a heart attack feels like could be one life saved. It is not always about pain. Sometimes, it is a quiet, persistent signal that something is wrong. 



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.heartandlung.org/article/S0147-9563(25)00104-9/abstract" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Heart &amp; Lung</a>.



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What a heart attack really feels like - it's much different from what you see on TV

When we think of a heart attack, the image that often comes to mind is straight out of a movie: someone suddenly clutches their chest in pain and collapses as shocked bystanders look on. It's a scene etched into our collective memory by decades of TV and film. However, the real experience of a heart attack rarely fits that narrative. In fact, believing in that dramatic version can delay life-saving treatment. Hollywood’s version has shaped public perception in ways that may be doing more harm than good....

Sediment from the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean is giving scientists insight into hundreds of years of climate change in Europe. This unprecedented discovery is allowing researchers to assemble a climate record that dates back 3,000 years.

The research team analyzed the shells of plankton and grains buried deep in the sediment to build a model of past ocean conditions. They compared this data to records of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-europe-drought/">Europe’s</a> climate history, focusing on when the temperatures were above or below average. 

"Our study shows the importance of the ocean on our climate and how this has naturally varied in the past when ocean measurements were not available,” explained study co-author Ian Hall. “ We've been able to link our results to historical records and provide an explanation behind some of the significant effects that the climate has had on the European population."

Dr. Paola Moffa-Sanchez from <a href="https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/">Cardiff University</a>'s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences led the study.

"Seawater can hold more heat than the air, so it can act like a large storage heater,” explained Dr. Moffa-Sanchez. “As such, the oceans can store and transport vast amounts of heat and are hence key for modulating our climate. Interestingly, we find changes in the circulation and distribution of waters in the North Atlantic which would have impacted the transport of heat to Europe.” 

The research team discovered that icy cold waters which flowed into the North Atlantic from the Arctic Sea most likely altered circulation patterns and slowed down currents that bring heat to Europe. For example, the Little Ice Age, a time period from 1300-1850 that was notoriously cold, was linked to the slowing down of North Atlantic currents. 

The team found that reduced ocean currents caused exceptionally cold weather in the 6th century as well, which led to crop failures and famine worldwide.

"Recently, because of our human influenced warmer climate, the Atlantic is receiving more freshwater from melting Arctic ice, which is in turn affecting the movement of the waters in the North Atlantic,” said Professor Hall. “Future changes in ocean circulation are likely to be felt within the pattern of climate change in Europe."

The study is published in <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.

--

By <a href="mailto:csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Europe’s secret climate change uncovered deep in the ocean

Sediment from the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean is...

Can your taste in music be changed with magnets? According to researchers at <a href="http://www.mcgill.ca/">McGill University</a>, the answer is yes. By stimulating the brain with magnets for a few moments, the experts can control how much a person enjoys the music they are hearing. 

For the study, the research team asked 17 participants to listen to various clips of music and also informed them that the music was available for purchase. The individuals rated how much they enjoyed each of the tracks. Next, the researchers used a technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to arouse part of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/stress-risky-decision-making/">brain</a> during each track. 

The magnets were used to either stimulate or suppress the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which helps to regulate the executive functions such as reasoning, planning, memory, and inhibition.

The study revealed that participants gave music substantially higher ratings when the DLPFC was stimulated. In addition, they spent ten percent more money on music they had not even enjoyed at the beginning of the experiment. When the DLPFC was suppressed, on the other hand, the individuals gave the music lower ratings and spent 15 percent less money to purchase songs.

Previous studies have shown that using magnetic stimulation on the DLPFC alters the amount of dopamine released by the brain. This technique was found to particularly affect the amount of dopamine released in the striatum, which is a region of the brain that controls reward processing. In the past, research has shown that the striatum is activated when music is extremely pleasing to a person.

Dr. Robert Zatorre is a cognitive neuroscientist at McGill University and lead author of the study.

Dr. Zatorre told New Scientist, “The physiology had been established, but the idea that you could make people like music more or less was a little bit science-fiction. This mechanism is unlikely to be particular to pleasure experienced from music, and may apply to other types of stimuli.”

The researchers believe this type of therapy may help patients with brain disorders that prevent them from enjoying experiences that they once took pleasure in. Magnetic stimulation of the DLPFC may also be used to treat people with depression, obsessive behaviors, or addiction.

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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

The type of music you like can be totally changed using magnets

Can your taste in music be changed with magnets? According...

The sea nettle jellyfish is common along the East Coast of the United States and can sometimes be a nuisance to swimmers during jellyfish blooms. But new research has discovered that this average jellyfish is actually two different species. 

It was assumed that sea nettle jellyfish, found in areas like Chesapeake Bay and Rehoboth Bay, were the same as ocean-based nettle jellyfish. But as it turns out, the “bay nettle” is its own unique species. 

The discovery was made by Patrick Gaffney, a professor at the <a href="http://www.udel.edu/">University of Delaware</a> and Keith Bayha, a research associate with the <a href="http://naturalhistory.si.edu/">Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History</a>, using DNA sequencing.

“Before DNA came along, people in museums looked at organisms and counted spines and bristles, measured things, and sorted organisms by their physical characteristics in order to identify species,” Gaffney said. “In the case of this jellyfish, which has been commonly known for centuries, Keith found through DNA sequencing that there were actually two groups.”

The researchers performed genetic testing on samples of sea nettle <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/jellyfish-sleep-ancient-behavior/">jellyfish</a> and found that there were differences between the jellyfish from bayside areas and those that were ocean-based.

The DNA samples were also compared to physical measurements of the jellyfish.

The ocean-based sea nettle jellyfish are larger, have more tentacles, and a larger bell (the appropriately-named top part of the jellyfish) compared the bayside nettle jellyfish. 

It was Bayha that confirmed the findings, and thus, the sea nettle jellyfish was officially named as two different species, the “bay nettle” and the “sea nettle.” 

“When you go back and pay close attention, you start counting the number of stinging cells and types, you see discrete differences that correspond to the DNA,” said Gaffney. “In many cases, when we plotted the data, the graphs looked entirely different with no overlap, reaffirming that it was two species.”

The researchers note that jellyfish are not commonly studied, and so species differences can often go undetected. This discovery is just one example of a species that was long overlooked because researchers didn’t investigate beyond physical attributes.

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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

Image Credit: Shannon Howard, South Carolina Aquarium; Keith Bayha

This everyday jellyfish is actually two separate species

The sea nettle jellyfish is common along the East Coast...

It might surprise you to know that birds and reptiles have any relation, but in fact, both are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs. All of these creatures evolved from archosaurs, which essentially ran the show on Earth 250 million years ago.

But exactly how the reptile to bird or scale to feather transition occurred and what genetic factors determined those changes has long puzzled scientists. 

A new study, conducted by researchers from the <a href="https://keck.usc.edu/">Keck School Of Medicine at the University of Southern California</a>, set out to identify the genes responsible for scale and feather development by looking at chickens and alligators. 

If birds and reptiles are the closest living relative to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asteroid-dinosaurs/">dinosaurs</a> then they should all share the same genes that helped birds evolve. 

The study was led by Dr. Cheng-Ming Choung who used modern genomics and molecular biology to help map the genetic evolution of scales to feathers. 

Not only did Choung’s research team isolate the genes responsible for feathers and scales, but they also explored how to turn scales into feathers by turning on and off critical molecular circuits during different growth stages. 

“We now have a potential molecular explanation for these hypothesized missing links,” said Chuong. “These results show that different perturbations cause different levels of scale to feather conversion, implying that scales have the capability to form feathers given the proper molecular signals.”

For the study, the researchers performed a complete RNA transcriptome and DNA genomic analysis of chicks and alligators during development. An RNA transcriptome is like the transcript of DNA, and it allows researchers to “read” all the genes in a cell. 

The researchers were able to identify the gene expression differences in the chicks and alligators and isolate the genes responsible for producing either feather or scales. 

After the research team identified the genes responsible for chicken feathers, these genes were put inside alligator eggs, and the researchers used molecular circuitry to turn the genes on or off in the alligators. 

The researchers noted that the developing alligators showed the beginnings of feathers such as budding, elongated appendages, follicles with stem cells, and feather keratin. 

“Our analyses led to the identification of five morpho-regulatory modules that are essential for modern feather formation,” said Chuong. 

The study shows the genes and molecules that helped the dinosaurs evolve into birds and could potentially pave the way for testing the transformation of scales to feathers in modern alligators. 

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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

From scales to feathers: How birds evolved from dinosaurs

It might surprise you to know that birds and reptiles...

Scientists from the <a href="https://www.ice.mpg.de/">Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology</a> have closely examined the behavior of desert ants and discovered that these insects are able to evaluate the informative value of cues in their environment.

While returning to their nest, desert ants can distinguish between ambiguous and unambiguous landmarks. Visual cues or nest-defining odors must only occur near their nest, and not elsewhere along their route, in order to get the ants to respond.

The desert ant, Cataglyphis fortis, lives in dry salt lakes in the North African Sahara, where few other creatures can be found. The ants spend entire days foraging for food on their own, often covering exceptionally large distances. 

Study co-author Markus Knaden explained, "What is special about these insects is the fact that ants returning home from foraging are desperate to find their nest. You can therefore catch them anywhere and place them in a specific test situation. While other animals would immediately drop their piece of food and try to disappear, the ants stick to their innate homing behavior. By manipulating the environment we can identify the navigational means the ants use for orientation.”

The research team set out to investigate the behavior of the ants after they had learned specific nest cues such as odors and landmarks, and then encountered them far away from the nest.

"You have to imagine a situation like this: If we need to orient ourselves in an unknown city by using a distinctive tower block as landmark and suddenly realize that there are other tower blocks that look quite similar, we get confused. We therefore wanted to know how ants solve this problem," said Knaden.

Using a 16-meter-long aluminum channel in which the ants learned to search for food, the scientists tested their ability to find their nest entrance despite cues that may lead them off track. Ultimately, the ants did not pay attention to the ambiguous cues. 

Study first author Roman Huber explained, "The ants ignored visual or olfactory cues that were not reliable. Unreliable nest cues are those that are not only found at the nest entrance, but are ubiquitous along the route. The ability to assess the informational value of visual landmarks or odor trails as relevant or irrelevant for the nest search is another example of the amazing cognitive performance of the tiny ant brain.”

The research is published in the journal <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home">Current Biology</a>.

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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

Image Credit: Markus Knaden, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Desert ants have incredible navigational skills

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology have...

A new study published in <a href="http://oem.bmj.com/">Occupational &amp; Environmental Medicine</a> has revealed that air pollution may lead to poorer quality sperm. The researchers found that levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) noticeably affect the health of sperm.

Previous research has suggested that exposure to chemicals may worsen sperm quality, but an association with air pollution has not yet been established. An international team of researchers set out to explore a possible link between exposure to PM2.5 and sperm health.

The researchers focused their study on approximately 6,500 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/men-harder-quitting-drinking/">men</a> in Taiwan between the ages of 15 and 49. The men were all involved in a medical examination program from 2001-2014. During this time, their sperm quality was assessed including total numbers, size, and movement.

Using a new mathematical approach combined with NASA satellite data, the research team estimated PM2.5 levels at each man's home address for an average of two years. The researchers found a strong association between PM2.5 exposure and abnormal sperm shape. 

After taking into account other factors such as age, weight, and alcohol consumption, the experts determined that exposure to PM2.5 gave the men a 26 percent higher chance of being in the bottom 10 percent of normal sperm shape and size.

On the other hand, PM2.5 exposure was also associated with an increase in sperm numbers. The researchers believe this may be the body's way of compensating for the negative effects of air pollution on sperm size and shape.

Because this is an observational study, the findings cannot clearly define cause and effect. However, experimental studies have previously linked components of fine particulate matter such as heavy metals to sperm damage.

"Although the effect estimates are small and the significance might be negligible in a clinical setting, this is an important public health challenge," explained the study authors. "Given the ubiquity of exposure to air pollution, a small effect size of PM2.5 on sperm normal morphology may result in a significant number of couples with infertility.”

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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

Air pollution causes a noticeable decline in sperm quality

A new study published in Occupational &amp; Environmental Medicine has...

The west coast of the United States has long lived in fear of what many call “the big one.” It’s the massive earthquake that could cause widespread devastation and has been warned of by scientists and fictionalized in films like San Andreas. 

For years, many have assumed the big one will take place in <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/predicting-earthquakes-aftershocks/">Southern California</a>, but new research suggests this may not be the case.

A new study has found evidence off the coast of Washington state that the area is primed for a large earthquake, after sea sediment samples were taken from the Cascadia Subduction Zone. 

It is thought that the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which runs along the Pacific Northwest, will generate a major earthquake every 200 to 530 years, but accurately prediction of exactly when and where earthquakes will occur is impossible. 

Researchers from the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas at Austin</a>, who led the study, found that a sizable earthquake is likely to strike off the coast of Washington and Northern Oregon. 

For the study, the researchers examined up to four miles of sediment layers using sediment samples. The researchers also used seismic data to correlate with their sediment findings. 

The sediment samples showed that the sediments were tightly packed together in the layers on top of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. 

This is a major warning sign for earthquakes because as tectonic plates shift, they produce a great deal of stress and friction. When sediments are packed together on top of the plates, it only increases stress while the plates shift. 

The sediments are packed down off the coast of Washington and are looser in other areas along the Subduction Zone, which leads the researchers to believe that an earthquake is more likely to occur off the coast of Washington State. 

“We observed very compact sediments offshore of Washington and northern Oregon that could support earthquake rupture over a long distance and close to the trench, which increases both earthquake and tsunami hazards,” said Shuoshuo Han, the lead author of the study.

The results of the study show that an earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone may be imminent, but is more likely to strike off the coast of Washington. 

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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

Super earthquake could actually occur off the coast of Washington

The west coast of the United States has long lived...

Severe summer thunderstorms in North America are projected to become larger and much more frequent in the coming decades. As a result, America will experience up to 80 percent more total rainfall by the end of this century. 

A mesoscale convective system (MCS) is a group of storms that assemble into one large complex. Over the past 35 years, MCS-organized storms have been increasing in both frequency and severity, according to the study authors. 

These major rainfall events result in fatalities and substantial economic losses, causing about $20 billion in damages per year in the United States alone. The scientists explain that MCS-organized storms have been misrepresented in climate models, and so their future projections have been poorly understood.

The research team used high-resolution computer simulations to investigate the impact that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/immigration-america-climate-change/">climate change</a> will have on these large storms. Their projections showed that that these extreme rainfall events will more than triple in North America. The storms will also become larger, soaking huge regions and entire cities at once.

Andreas Prein is a climate scientist at the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/">National Center for Atmospheric Research</a> and lead author of the study.

“We see increases that are beyond our expectations ... far beyond our expectations,” said Prein. “It looks everything that can go wrong does go wrong concerning flooding.”

With the enormity of these storms factored in, the total amount of rainfall in North America will rise at alarming rates by the end of the century. For example, the southern United States will receive 80 percent more rainfall. 

Mexico will see a 70 percent increase in rain, while the southwestern United States is projected to receive 60 percent more rainfall. The remaining regions of the United States and Canada will experience 40 percent more total rainfall by the end of the century.

“You can really think about these storms as rivers that come from the skies,” said Prein. “The largest ones are several times the Mississippi River discharge.”

“This is a warning signal that says the floods of the future are likely to be much greater than what our current infrastructure is designed for,” Prein said. 

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature">Nature</a>.

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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

Summer storms to become much more severe in the United States

Severe summer thunderstorms in North America are projected to become...

A new study from the <a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a> has ranked different modifiable risk factors to the incidence of certain cancers. The results show that more than 4 in 10 cancer cases in the U.S are related to at least one major modifiable risk factor. 

The study was led by Farhad Islami of the American Cancer Society and was published in the online journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

For the study, the researchers examined known risk factors for cancer such smoking, excess body weight, alcohol, poor diet, UV radiation, physical inactivity, processed meats and secondhand-smoke.

The research team then connected those known risk factors to cancer statistics for 26 different types of cancer cases and deaths.

The study also calculated combined contributions of risk factors, like excess body weight, alcohol intake and poor diet, to see if this further increased the risk of cancer. 

The results show that in the United States, approximately 42 percent of all cancer cases and 45 percent of cancer deaths in 2014 were attributed to one or more of the modifiable risk factors identified in the study. 

Smoking was linked to 19 percent of cancer cases and nearly 30 percent of deaths. Excess weight was the second biggest risk factor for cancer, causing 7.8 percent of cancer cases. 

The study also connected risk factors to certain types of cancer. For example, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heavy-drinking-visibly-age/">smoking</a> accounted for 81.7 percent of all lung cancers, 73.8 percent of larynx cancers, and 50 percent of esophageal cancers. 

Excess weight was linked to 60.3 percent of uterine cancers and alcohol consumption was associated with almost 25 percent of liver cancers in men. 

When the researchers combined risk factors to calculate its contribution to cancers, excess weight, alcohol consumption, poor diet, and physical inactivity accounted for 13.9 percent of all cancer cases in men and 22.4 percent in women. 

The study’s results highlight just how certain preventable risk factors contribute to cancer and cancer deaths, emphasizing how reducing and eliminating each with lifestyle changes could go a long way.

“Our findings emphasize the continued need for widespread implementation of known preventive measures in the country to reduce the morbidity and premature mortality from cancers associated with potentially modifiable risk factors.” the authors write. “Increasing access to preventive health care and awareness about preventive measures should be part of any comprehensive strategy for broad and equitable implementation of known interventions to accelerate progress against cancer.”

[caption id="attachment_963632" align="aligncenter" width="211"]<a href="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/risk-factors.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-963632" src="https://www.earth.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/risk-factors-211x300.png" alt="" width="211" height="300" /></a> Image Credit: American Cancer Society[/caption]

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By <a href="mailto:kayvandett@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Image Credit: <a href="https://www.cancer.org/">American Cancer Society</a>

Nearly half of all cancer cases linked to modifiable risk factors

A new study from the American Cancer Society has ranked...

Homeopathic treatments are killing animals with preventable diseases. Experts from the <a href="https://www.rcvs.org.uk/">Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons</a> (RCVS) warn that some vets are promoting “unscientific" treatments, and more than 3,300 vets signed a petition voicing their mutual concern over homeopathic remedies for animals.

Chris Tufnell is the senior vice-president of RCVS. Tufnell raised a red flag about one popular homeopathic remedy in particular called nosodes, which is an alternative to traditional vaccinations in the form of sugar-coated pills containing diseased matter from other <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/concerns-reptiles-amphibians-pets/">animals</a>.

<a href="http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/">Dogs Naturally</a> magazine says, “The alarming increase in autoimmune conditions, allergies, cancer and other canine health issues due to vaccine reactions is a known fact. Pet owners are now seeking alternatives to keep their dogs healthy while preventing disease and illness. The growing interest in nosodes comes at a time when the safety and efficacy of vaccines are being questioned.”

However, Mr. Tufnell said that the use of this unproven treatment is “entirely unnecessary.” 

“I have seen dogs die from completely preventable conditions such as parvovirus, which is extremely unpleasant and preventable,” said Tufnell.

Tufnell added that depriving pets of much-needed painkillers by replacing them with homeopathic remedies leaves the animals in unacceptable pain.

Some doctors and vets believe that homeopathic treatments, which are highly-diluted substances, can enable the body to heal itself. Yet many of the remedies are no more than a sugar pill, containing no active ingredients whatsoever.

Many studies have proven that the remedies perform no better than placebos, which is a treatment that only works because the patient believes it will.

A 2010 review from the  <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/science-and-technology-committee/">Science and Technology Committee</a> determined that the principles upon which homeopathy is based are “scientifically implausible.” Experts at RCVS agree, stating that there is no "recognized body of evidence" to support homeopathy.

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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

Pets are harmed by some homeopathic treatments, scientists say

Homeopathic treatments are killing animals with preventable diseases. Experts from...

Satellites play a major role in helping scientists understand the natural world, climate, and the impacts of climate change. But within the next two years, <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> will launch several new satellites that will provide never-before-seen insight into vegetation and forests on Earth.

Although satellite imagery has been able to show the size and location of the world’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/city-dwellers-brain-health/">forests</a>, maps made from satellite data haven’t been able to indicate the height of vegetation. But now, two of the new NASA instruments will use spaceborne lasers to successfully measure tree height and give a more accurate idea of life in these forests.

One instrument called the<a href="https://science.nasa.gov/missions/gedi"> Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI)</a> will be mounted on the International Space Station. The other is a satellite called the <a href="https://icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov/">Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2)</a>, which will measure snow and ice. Information from both instruments will help researchers create a larger, three-dimensional map of the forests on Earth.

Once scientists know the height of trees, they can more accurately measure how much carbon is being absorbed by plants and will then be able to calculate how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere.

“Combining ICESat-2 with GEDI, we're going to have a new view of the state of the biosphere on our planet,” said Tom Neumann, the deputy project scientist for the ICESat-2 project at <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center</a> in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Both of the instruments use light detection, but the GEDI will also use near-infrared wavelength, which is necessary for measuring plants and trees. The GEDI lasers will be able to pierce through forest canopies and reflect off the ground. 

Even if researchers can measure plant mass, tree height, and carbon absorption, there is still necessary data on plant health that is missing, such as the ways that plants are impacted by stress due to drought.

NASA <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/">Jet Propulsion Laboratory's</a> (JPL) <a href="https://ecostress.jpl.nasa.gov/">ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS)</a> mission will be able to measure plant health by examining water and carbon cycles in the plant.

This data will also help researchers measure how much carbon dioxide is taken in by plants throughout the day.

“ECOSTRESS will enable a detailed investigation into plant water use throughout the day," said Josh Fisher, the mission's science lead at JPL. “Furthermore, we'll be able to better understand how certain regions are being impacted by drought. This could have important implications for managing forests or agricultural systems.”

These upcoming missions will help researchers better understand Earth’s vast forests, measure carbon levels in the atmosphere, evaluate plant stress due to water availability, and monitor water and carbon cycles worldwide. 

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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

New technology to provide a deeper look inside Earth’s forests

Satellites play a major role in helping scientists understand the...

It has long been speculated that global warming slowed down from 1998 until 2012. This period is referred to as the global warming hiatus, and it has been a subject of much debate among climate researchers. 

Now, according to a new study conducted by researchers from China and <a href="https://www.alaska.edu/">the University of Alaska, Fairbanks</a>, the hiatus never happened, and instead, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ocean-data-global-warming/">global warming</a> steadily increased. 

Missing Arctic temperature data brought about the global warming hiatus theory, but now researchers have filled in the gaps to show that it is in fact incorrect. 

The study was led Xiangdong Zhang, an atmospheric scientist with the <a href="https://uaf-iarc.org/">University of Fairbanks, Alaska’s International Arctic Research Center</a>. Zhang and his colleagues analyzed temperatures in the Arctic and created a more accurate dataset of surface temperatures around the world. 

Zhang’s research shows that there was not a hiatus, and instead, global warming continued through the late 1990s and 2000s.

The researchers gathered Arctic temperature data from buoys in the Arctic Ocean and incorporated that data into a worldwide dataset. The buoys were part of the<a href="http://iabp.apl.washington.edu/"> International Arctic Buoy Program </a>at the <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>. 

This dataset allowed the researchers to estimate temperature averages better. 

The results of the Arctic analysis show that temperatures have been rising steadily over the years instead of slowing down and picking back up again. 

“We recalculated the average global temperatures from 1998-2012 and found that the rate of global warming had continued to rise at 0.112C per decade instead of slowing down to 0.05C per decade as previously thought,” said Zhang. 

Zhang specifically focused on the Arctic because previous studies had largely excluded the region from a global dataset. Zhang’s research shows that the Arctic is an important factor in mapping the effects of global warming. 

--

By <a href="mailto:kayvandette@gmail.com">Kay Vandette</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Data proves that global warming did not slow down for a decade

It has long been speculated that global warming slowed down...

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



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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.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> features Kainji Lake, a reservoir on the Niger River.



In 1968, Kainji Lake was created by the construction of the Kainji Dam. The Niger River, the third longest in Africa, enters the lake in the north.&nbsp;



According to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/rivers-in-the-american-west-are-a-lifesaving-resource-for-birds/">ESA</a>, the creation of the lake submerged Foge Island and the town of Bussa and permanently flooded other riverine settlements, leaving around 50,000 people displaced.&nbsp;



Large parts of Foge Island are temporarily exposed during low water tides, and the land is often used by migrating fishermen. Kainji Dam is a dam across the Niger River in Niger State of Central Nigeria. 



Wild mammals occur at relatively low densities due to illegal hunting. Lake Kainji has suffered a dramatic decline as a fishery due to the high numbers of artisanal and subsistence fisherfolk using the lake. It has been suggested that a period of closure, together with controlled fishing rights may help improve fish stocks.



Kainji Lake National Park is the oldest of its kind in Nigeria. The park contains three distinct areas: a part of the Kainji Lake, the Borgu Game Reserve to the west of the lake, and the Zugurma Game Reserve to the southeast. The park is home to around 65 mammal species, 350 bird species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. 



Video/ Image Credit: European Space Agency&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.

Kainji Lake in north central Nigeria

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.igb.illinois.edu/">Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology</a> reveals how scientists can modify common crops like soybean, rice, and wheat to protect them from heat stress.



“We need to double crop production by 2050 to feed a growing global population, and not only are we not on track to do that, but climate change is further complicating things,” said Amanda Cavanagh, a lecturer at the University of Essex. 



The study is part of Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE), an international research project that aims to develop food crops that turn the sun’s energy into food more efficiently.



“Using an engineering approach we designed multiple alternative metabolic pathways to photorespiration. Testing them in the field showed increases in productivity which led Amanda to significantly move the project forward by showing our engineered plants can withstand pretty extreme temperature stress,” said study co-author and RIPE researcher Paul South.&nbsp;



“As the climate changes and temperature stresses increase the pressure on our global food supply, farmers will need every tool available including engineering approaches like the synthetic biology used here to maintain safe and productive harvests.”



The experts tested plants modified to have more efficient photorespiration to see if they were better adapted to warmer temperatures.&nbsp;



The team found that the engineered plants produced 26 percent more biomass than the wild-type plants exposed to the same temperatures, and had 15 percent less yield loss under the higher temperatures.



Video Credit: Amanda Nguyen/University of Illinois



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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.

Designing crops that can beat the heat

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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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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes the first comprehensive estimate of carbon density in the Saharan, Sahel, and Sudanian zones of Africa. In an effort to measure the amount of carbon stored across these drylands, a team of scientists used high-resolution satellite images and artificial intelligence to map nearly 10 billion individual trees. 



"The high spatial resolution (50 cm) combined with AI and field measurements used in this study is key to improving tree inventories in drylands," said Pierre Hiernaux, a French researcher working for NASA. "The ever-increasing availability of very high-resolution satellite imagery will make it possible to assess carbon pools and their dynamics at the individual tree level on a global scale."



"This study is exceptional because it is pioneering a type of approach that will revolutionize the monitoring of trees and forests on a global scale: in the short term, it will be possible to map the world's trees from the centre of the Amazon to our schoolyards," said <a href="https://www.inrae.fr/en">INRAE</a> researcher Jean-Pierre Wigneron.



"Many fields of application will become much more efficient and accurate, such as tracking carbon stocks, biodiversity, monitoring logging and protection against illegal forest degradation, in near real time.”



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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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

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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



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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://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> features a visual dataset of.methane emissions from wetlands across the globe. Atmospheric methane levels have reached record highs in recent years, and wetlands are a major source of these emissions.&nbsp;



"Methane is an important greenhouse gas that contributes substantially to global warming. On a molecule by molecule basis, methane is much more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, the main driver of warming," says NASA.



"Though human activities, including agriculture, oil and natural gas production and use, and waste disposal, collectively contribute the majority of methane to the atmosphere, about a third of total methane emissions comes from wetlands."&nbsp;



According to NASA, understanding methane emissions from wetlands and other natural sources is critically important for scientists and policymakers who are working to combat climate change by reducing emissions from human activities.



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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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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Wetlands are a major source of methane emissions

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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

[sendtonews key="0879czfG3k-1785905-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from NASA...

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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...

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Today’s Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.stowers.org/">Stowers Institute for Medical Research</a> describes why experts are studying zebrafish to gain a better understanding of how the immune system responds to injury. Zebrafish have the ability to repair and regenerate organs.



“Organ regeneration offers an exciting opportunity for studying the immune system and to inquire why some species can regenerate organs like the heart or missing limbs while others like humans cannot,” explained Dr. Tatjana Piotrowski.



Zebrafish sensory organ hair cells are an ideal system to investigate the pathways and cell types involved in regeneration since they are easily destroyed with antibiotics and begin regenerating within five hours. This enabled the researchers to identify the exact timing and genetic programs for each anti-inflammatory macrophage activation state.&nbsp;



“Our hypothesis is that human macrophages do not receive the proper chemical activation 'cocktail' to instruct pro-regenerative processes,” said Dr. Nicolas Denans. “Identifying the molecular recipe of macrophage activation in zebrafish may one day enable us to design regenerative immunotherapies in humans.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The new evidence is a valuable resource for comparative studies on the genetic programs involved in macrophage-mediated repair and regeneration. In other words, different types of injuries may induce different kinds of inflammatory responses. We want to decipher whether this 'language' is universal or if there are a variety of dialects."



Video Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research&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.

How the immune system responds to injury

[sendtonews key="0dEcERCq61-2283382-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from Stowers...

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Today's Video of the Day from <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/goddard">NASA Goddard</a> describes how record-breaking heat expressed itself around the world in 2022.



Scientists have determined that 2022 was the 5th warmest year since 1880. Furthermore, the last nine consecutive years have been the warmest on record.



From devastating floods and wildfires to natural disasters like Hurricane Ian, 2022 showed us yet again how a warming climate affects people across the globe.&nbsp;



"As we look back at 20:22 and years past, we see that each year we better understand the challenges we face and how important it is to meet them," says NASA.



Video/ Image Credit: NASA Goddard



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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.

2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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