Life feels smaller when friends are far away. Now scientists have measured just how literally the brain itself can shrink due to social isolation when people spend a year cut off from the wider world.



Their new work follows 25 volunteers who “wintered over” at Concordia Station, an Antarctic outpost 685 miles from the nearest coast, enduring months of darkness and a chronic lack of rescue options. 



The findings come from Dr. Mathias Basner and Dr. David R. Roalf of the University of Pennsylvania <a href="https://www.med.upenn.edu/">Perelman School of Medicine</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-antarctica-simulates-space-like-isolation">Antarctica simulates space-like isolation</h2>



Few spots on Earth mimic the deep <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/loneliness-harms-health-more-than-alcohol-obesity-or-smoking/">isolation</a> astronauts will face on future Mars missions, yet Concordia comes close. Its altitude feels like 13,000 feet to the body, air temperatures plunge well below -70°F, and the Sun disappears for weeks. 



Those stressors force crews to rely solely on one another, providing a rare, ethically acceptable model for studying chronic social separation.



Earlier Antarctic MRI work hinted that solitude can sap regions linked to memory and navigation, but sample sizes were tiny and scans happened long after crews returned. 



Basner’s team scanned participants before they left Europe, within 16 days of touchdown back home, and again five months later, capturing changes while they were still fresh.



The volunteers served as their own controls, and four “flying phantom” participants were scanned at every site to align machines. A matched group in Germany, who never left home, offered a reality check against normal aging.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isolation-causes-brain-shrinkage">Isolation causes brain shrinkage</h2>



High‑resolution MRI revealed that total <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/childhood-experiences-trigger-lasting-changes-in-brain-structure/">gray matter</a> fell in the temporal and parietal lobes as well as in deep structures such as the hippocampus, pallidum, and thalamus. 



Ventricular spaces holding cerebrospinal fluid expanded at the same time, suggesting tissue gave way to fluid. Virtually all of those losses reversed after five months except in the thalamus, a hub for sensory relay.



Parietal lobe volume dropped about 0.4 standard deviations immediately post‑mission, while lateral ventricles swelled by a similar margin.



Control participants showed no such pattern, implying that cold, confinement, and social deprivation, not calendar time, drove the shift.



While discussing Mars travel earlier this year, Basner warned that “something quite bad is happening in the brain” during lengthy expeditions. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-good-sleep-and-exercise-protect-brain">Good sleep and exercise protect brain</h2>



Sleep logs and wrist‑worn actigraphs painted a clear picture: crew members who slept longer and more efficiently lost less gray matter in the temporal cortex and hippocampus. 



Laboratory <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10281670/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> back the idea, linking deep sleep to the glymphatic system that clears metabolic waste and guards neurons.



Gym visits mattered, too. Time spent lifting weights or cycling correlated with healthier <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/sitting-for-hours-daily-shrinks-your-brain-even-if-you-exercise/">brain volumes</a>, echoing decades of research on exercise‑induced neurogenesis. 



Thus, the polar crew’s cramped fitness room served not just morale but measurable neuroprotection.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isolation-harms-the-brain">Isolation harms the brain </h2>



Antarctica may seem far from daily life, yet social isolation is rising worldwide and carries similar neurological fingerprints. 



A Neurology <a href="https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000207602" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> of 8,896 Japanese seniors found that those with the least contact had total brain volumes 0.5 percent lower than their most connected peers and smaller hippocampus and amygdala volumes.



Systematic reviews tie chronic loneliness to thinning of anterior hippocampal tissue, reduced cortical thickness, and weaker white‑matter efficiency. 



These civilian data reinforce the Antarctic results: whether you are on a frozen plateau or an urban block, prolonged disconnection chips away at brain real estate involved in memory, mood, and orientation.



Animal work supports the link. Rodents housed alone show dendritic pruning in hippocampal neurons, mirroring the human MRI findings.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-it-means-for-future-space-travel">What it means for future space travel</h2>



NASA and ESA advisors now rank safeguarding brain health among the top 14 research goals before any multiyear mission beyond low Earth orbit. In microgravity, fluid shifts already enlarge ventricles and raise intracranial pressure, adding social <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-isolation-and-loneliness-trigger-changes-in-blood-proteins/">isolation</a> could amplify risk.



Countermeasures under study include structured exercise, regulated light cycles that protect sleep, and virtual reality visits with family. 



The Concordia data hint that such steps are not optional extras but necessities if crews are to think clearly by the time they reach Mars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-isolation-as-a-brain-health-issue">Isolation as a brain health issue</h2>



For public health officials, the Antarctic story demonstrates the need to treat loneliness as a biological threat, not just an emotional one. 



Simple interventions, encouraging community ties, securing access to green spaces, prescribing exercise with social components, might slow neural wear.



Meanwhile, Basner and Roalf plan to track a new Concordia cohort using portable low‑field scanners, hoping to capture changes in real time. Broader samples, including more women and older adults, will test how universal the brain‑shrink response really is.



Policy makers could also draw lessons about elder‑care design. Housing that fosters hallway chats or communal meals might buffer the brain much like gym sessions did for the polar explorers. 



Regions with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/aging-populations-have-less-cohesive-social-networks/">aging populations</a> may see cognitive dividends from investments that fight isolation.



Finally, ordinary readers can take a cue from the ice: protect your sleep, keep moving, and stay socially engaged. The brain, it seems, is as hungry for company as it is for oxygen.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-025-00497-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">npj Microgravity</a>.



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Long periods of social isolation can physically shrink the brain

Life feels smaller when friends are far away. Now scientists have measured just how literally the brain itself can shrink due to social isolation when people spend a year cut off from the wider world. Their new work follows 25 volunteers who “wintered over” at Concordia Station, an Antarctic outpost 685 miles from the nearest coast, enduring months of darkness and a chronic lack of rescue options. The findings come from Dr. Mathias Basner and Dr. David R. Roalf of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of...

Until now, the desalination of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/saltwater-waste-injections-triggered-earthquakes/">salt water</a> has been an expensive and environmentally risky process. But a newly developed system can now recover nearly all the water from highly-concentrated salt solutions, promising an end to water shortages in arid areas.

The new system, developed by engineers at the <a href="http://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>, reduces concerns over disposal of high salinity brine from fracking, the university said. 

Reverse osmosis is the most common method of removing salt from seawater, wastewater, and brackish water, but it is not capable of treating highly concentrated salt solutions called brines. Brines are generated in massive amounts during reverse osmosis and fracking.

Brines must also be disposed of properly to avoid environmental damage.

The new research involves the development of a carbon nanotube-based heating element that will vastly improve the recovery of fresh water during the membrane distillation processes.

"In an ideal scenario, thermal desalination would allow the recovery of all the water from brine, leaving behind a tiny amount of a solid, crystalline salt that could be used or disposed of," said David Jassby, an Assistant Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering, who led the research project.

One way to treat brine is membrane distillation, a thermal desalination technology in which heat drives water vapor across a membrane, allowing further water recovery while the salt stays 

"Unfortunately, current membrane distillation processes rely on a constant feed of hot brine over the membrane, which limits water recovery across the membrane to about 6 percent,” Jassby said. 

The University of California researchers developed a self-heating carbon nanotube-based membrane that only heats the brine at the membrane surface. The new system reduced the heat needed in the process and increased the yield of recovered water to close to 100 percent.

The study is published in the journal <a href="http://www.nature.com/nnano/">Nature Nanotechnology</a>.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.ucr.edu/">University of California, Riverside</a>

New desalination system offers fresh water solutions

Until now, the desalination of salt water has been an...

Learning to read and write as an adult has a profound effect on the brain, it turns out. The new knowledge doesn’t just reorganize the cortex, where many of the brain’s language centers are located. 

In fact, the most profound changes are deep inside the brain: the thalamus, which handles sensory input and motor control, and the superior colliculus in the brainstem, known as the midbrain, which interprets data from the retina.

“We observed that literacy-induced neuroplasticity is not confined to the cortex but increases the functional connectivity between the occipital lobe and subcortical areas in the midbrain and the thalamus,” the researchers wrote in their new study, published in the journal <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/3/5/e1602612.full">Scientific Advances</a>. “Individual rates of connectivity increase were significantly related to the individual decoding skill gains.”

The international team of neurologists from India, Germany and the Netherlands used fMRI images to study how the brains of 21 illiterate adults changed over six months of literacy.

The Hindi-speaking adults selected for the study were recruited from two villages near the city of Lucknow, India and taught to read the Devanagari script. They also studied the brains of a control group of nine other Hindi-speaking individuals who did not learn to read.

Not only did the adults pick up reading quickly, the changes the fMRI data uncovered were much more widespread than expected.

“These findings crucially complement current neurobiological concepts of normal and impaired literacy acquisition,” the researchers wrote.

The study showed that the adult brain is much more plastic and flexible in attaining certain new skills – such as learning to read – than previously thought. Learning new forms of communication can vastly reorganize the brain.

The reorganization can also explain why reading becomes easier the more someone practices it, the researchers said. As the brain rewires itself, the reader becomes more able to navigate a text and make connections.

The study also lends some credence to a theory that dyslexia, a disorder that makes it difficult to interpret written language, could be connected to a malfunction in the thalamus. More research on this angle is needed, the researchers said.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Learning to read can completely 'rewire' adult brains

Learning to read and write as an adult has a...

Among the funding cuts suggested in President Donald Trump’s proposed budget? Federal money for an earthquake warning system along the West Coast – and experts say it could tank the project before it gets off the ground.

“Eliminating the $10 million/year that the government has been spending would stop the program and waste the $23 million that has already been invested,” Dr. Lucy Jones said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DrLucyJones/posts/10155346024875762">statement on Facebook</a>. “The talented scientists and technicians that are working on the project now will go to other jobs, so their experience and expertise would be lost. Many life- and money-saving measures would not be available when the next earthquake strikes.”

Jones is a retired seismologist from the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a>, which has been working with universities along the Pacific Coast on the project. The funding cuts would affect the USGS and, in turn, the earthquake warning system project.

The early warning system, dubbed ShakeAlert, is being developed with the goal of giving people five to 10 seconds of warning so they can find a safe spot to ride out a major quake. The system is already undergoing testing, but needs more seismic sensors installed in Northern California, Oregon and Washington to be truly effective.

Under the current funding plan, scientists expected a limited public rollout as early as next year, according to the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/">Los Angeles Times</a>. The U.S. would join countries that already have early warning systems in place, such as Mexico and Japan.

The states where the early warning system would operate have also invested in the system. The <a href="http://www.caloes.ca.gov/">California Office of Emergency Services</a> has partnered with ShakeAlert and the state has invested $10 million. The <a href="https://www.washington.edu/">University of Washington</a>, <a href="http://berkeley.edu/">University of California, Berkeley</a> and <a href="http://www.caltech.edu/">Caltech</a> have all contributed resources toward the project. The <a href="https://www.moore.org/">Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation</a> has also supported the project.

Jones isn’t alone in her concerns about the proposed cuts to the earthquake warning system.

“We cannot stop now, just as monitoring stations are being built out and the system is expanding its reach,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RepAdamSchiff/posts/10154364665481831">said on Facebook</a>. “Support for the early warning system in Congress is sustained, growing and bipartisan, and we will not accept this attempt by the president to cut a vital funding stream for a program that will protect life, property and critical infrastructure.”

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, notes that the budget must pass through several committees including the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior and the Environment, which he chairs.

“As the appropriations process moves forward, I will work to provide our agencies with the resources necessary to fulfill their missions while also finding efficiencies to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used judiciously,” he said <a href="https://calvert.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397577">in a statement</a>.

—

By <a href="mailto:kcathey@earth.com">Kyla Cathey</a>, <a href="http://earth.com/staff">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earthquake warning system could fall to federal budget cuts

Among the funding cuts suggested in President Donald Trump’s proposed...

Scientists have discovered potentially dangerous space fragments that could hit the Earth and cause massive destruction. Each year, starting at the end of October, there is a meteor shower called the Taurids display, dubbed 'nature's fireworks.” It is created by debris left behind by Encke's comet, named for the astronomer who discovered it's annual trajectory in 1819.

But now, researchers from the <a href="http://www.asu.cas.cz/en/about/about-the-institute">Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Science</a> have found two asteroids, called 2015 TX24 and 2005 UR, which are part of a previously undiscovered branch of the Taurids' debris.

The Earth only passes through this branch once every few years, causing greater numbers of shooting stars. Future encounters are projected for 2022, 2025, 2032 and 2039. 

The rocks measure 650 feet to 900 feet (200 to 300 meters) across and have been registered on the International Astronomical Union’s list of "potentially hazardous" <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/asteroid-killed-dinosaurs-worst-place/">asteroids</a>.

The Czech team is worried that the hidden debris field may contain even larger objects.

“Since asteroids of sizes of tens to hundreds meters pose a threat to the ground even if they are intrinsically weak, impact hazard increases significantly when the Earth encounters the Taurid new branch every few years,” the study authors wrote.

Further study is needed on these “'potentially hazardous objects, which can be large enough to cause significant regional or even continental damage on the Earth,” the authors wrote in a study published in the journal <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/1705.08633.pdf">Arxiv</a>.

A 1908 blast in Russia the size of 185 Hiroshima bombs that was felt as far away as Britain has been blamed on Taurid meteors, the story said.

Known as the Tunguska event, the blast happened after a large fireball was seen crossing the Siberian sky on June 20, 1908.

The explosion lit up the sky in the United States and there were reports that the blast was felt as far away as Britain.

If a Taurids chunk were massive enough to pass through the atmosphere and hit the ground, it would cause unprecedented destruction.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="http://www.asu.cas.cz/en/about/about-the-institute">Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Science</a>, <a href="http://dailym.ai/2r0DBru">Daily Mail</a>

Scientists worry that a meteor shower could be hiding asteroids

Scientists have discovered potentially dangerous space fragments that could hit...

Wristband fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Apple Watch accurately measure heart rate but miss the mark on how many calories are burned, a <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a> study found.

Six out of seven fitness trackers studied measured <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/diesel-fuel-pollution-heart-damage/">heart</a> rate within 5 percent accuracy, but none measured calorie burn well, the university said.

The team evaluated the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn and the Samsung Gear S2. 

Sixty volunteers wore the seven devices while walking, running on treadmills, or using stationary bicycles. Each volunteer’s heart was measured with a medical-grade electrocardiograph. Metabolic rate was estimated with an instrument for measuring the oxygen and carbon dioxide in breath — a good proxy for metabolism and energy expenditure. 

“The heart rate measurements performed far better than we expected,but the energy expenditure measures were way off the mark,” said researcher Euan Ashley. “The magnitude of just how bad they were surprised me.”

Even the most accurate device was off on energy expenditure by an average of 27 percent, and the least accurate was off by 93 percent, the study found.

“People are basing life decisions on the data provided by these devices,” said Ashley, professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Genetics and Biomedical Data Science at Stanford. 

Consumer devices aren’t held to the same standards as medical-grade devices, and it’s hard for doctors to know what to make of heart-rate data and other data from a patient’s wearable device, he said.

“It’s likely the algorithms used in the devices are making assumptions that don’t fit individuals very well,” added coauthor Anna Shcherbina, a Stanford graduate student .

“All we can do is see how the devices perform against the gold-standard clinical measures,” she said. “My take on this is that it’s very hard to train an algorithm that would be accurate across a wide variety of people because energy expenditure is variable based on someone’s fitness level, height and weight, etc.”

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.stanford.edu/">Stanford University</a>

&nbsp;

Fitness trackers found to provide inaccurate calorie burn data

Wristband fitness trackers such as Fitbit and Apple Watch accurately...

The over watering of trees and lawns caused Los Angeles to lose 100 gallons of water per person per day to the atmosphere through evaporation in the summer of 2010, a new study found. Moreover, over-irrigation resulted in the loss of 70 billion gallons of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-change-clouding-lake-tahoe/">water</a> per year.

Lawns accounted for 70 percent of the water loss, while trees accounted for 30 percent, according to the study funded by the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=241970&amp;WT.mc">National Science Foundation</a> and published in the journal <a href="http://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1944-7973/">Water Resources Research</a>.

The study, based on measurements before Los Angeles mandated watering restrictions in 2014, show a “pattern of systemic overwatering of the city's lawns, and a surprising water efficiency of its tree cover.” The researchers found a correlation between water loss and household income.

"California's recent drought highlights the need for urban water conservation," says Tom Torgersen, program director in the Division of Earth Sciences in NSF's Geosciences Directorate.

Researchers measured evapotranspiration (ET), the evaporation of water from the soil and the transpiration, or release of water vapor, from plants

In Los Angeles, the greatest ET was due to turf grass and seed-producing trees.

"Both provide an alleviation of the urban heat island effect and reduce the need for air conditioning," Torgersen says. "However, the benefit is not evenly shared. The higher the median income, the greater the local ET, with cooler temperatures in wealthier areas and higher temperatures in poorer sections of the city.”

ET rates in the wealthiest neighborhoods, they found, were roughly twice those of poorer neighborhoods.

Trees use far less water than grassy lawns, the study said. Under dry conditions, trees will rein in transpiration so they can retain water.

"It's surprising that we can maintain the tree canopy of L.A. with relatively little water," said Diane Pataki of the University of Utah, one of the researchers in the study. "There's this assumption that we need abundant irrigation to support trees. But we can drastically reduce water use and still have trees."

Los Angeles' watering restrictions were lifted this spring after a very wet winter. At present, it's too early to tell whether Los Angeles residents' watering patterns and landscaping choices will return to pre-drought excesses, Pataki said.

"Whether the drought changed people's landscape preferences in a lasting way, that's something we still need to find out," she said.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=241970&amp;WT.mc">National Science Foundation</a>

Over watering lawns lost Los Angeles 70 billion gallons of water

The over watering of trees and lawns caused Los Angeles...

Warmer nights as a result of climate change will cause millions of people to lose sleep, with the poor and elderly most affected, according to a new study.

If climate change is not addressed, temperatures in 2050 could cost people in the United States millions of additional nights of insufficient sleep per year, the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a> study said. By 2099, the figure could rise by several hundred million more nights of lost sleep annually.

"Sleep has been well-established by other researchers as a critical component of human health,” said Nick Obradovich, who conducted much of the research as a doctoral student in political science at the University of California San Diego. “Too little sleep can make a person more susceptible to disease and chronic illness, and it can harm psychological well-being and cognitive functioning." 

The study analyzed federal health survey data from 765,000 U.S. residents between 2002 and 2011. It then linked data on self-reported nights of insufficient sleep to daily temperature data from the National Centers for Environmental Information.

The analysis showed that increases in nighttime temperature by 1 degree Celsius translate to three nights of insufficient <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/air-pollution-robbing-sleep/">sleep</a> per 100 individuals per month.

Those earning below $50,000 a year and those over the age of 65 are most severely affected, the study found. 

The study also paints a bleak picture for the future based on climate projections for 2050 and 2099 by NASA Earth Exchange.

Warmer temperatures could cause six additional nights of insufficient sleep per 100 individuals by 2050, and approximately 14 extra nights per 100 by 2099.

"The U.S. is relatively temperate and, in global terms, quite prosperous," Obradovich said. "We don't have sleep data from around the world, but assuming the pattern is similar, one can imagine that in places that are warmer or poorer or both, what we'd find could be even worse."

The study, published by <a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/">Science Advances</a>, is the largest real-world study to date to find a relationship between reports of insufficient sleep and unusually warm nighttime temperatures. It is also the first to apply the discovered relationship to projected climate change.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California San Diego</a>

Why climate change will make sleep more difficult

Warmer nights as a result of climate change will cause...

As the summer season approaches, many people plan to enjoy hot days in the sun with cocktails. Drinking during the day seems to weaken the effects of <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/alcohol-body-drunk/">alcohol</a> compared to drinking at night. Scientific evidence is emerging that explains why the time of day alcohol is consumed can produce drastically different results.

Researchers have identified factors that  impact the level of intoxication people feel while they drink. The experts shared their findings with Katie Heaney of <a href="http://nymag.com/">New York Magazine</a>. The scientists revealed that behavior, circadian rhythms, and stress contribute to the intensity of the effects of alcohol. 

Nyree Dardarian, a professor of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University, explained that the time of day people drink influences their behavior while drinking. For example, day drinking usually revolves around food. People typically sit and eat more when drinking during the day. Going out at night often means less food and faster absorption of alcohol.

“Food in your stomach will delay gastric emptying, which will make the alcohol take longer to get into the blood system,” said Dardarian.

A team of American scientists tested the alcohol sensitivity of lab rats to compare day drinking to nighttime drinking. They discovered the animals were increasingly sensitive to alcohol at night, and determined this was due to changes in the circadian. The rats also consumed more alcohol at night, indicating that drinking tends to speed up after dark. 

In another study, 60 adults were instructed to drink a moderate amount of alcohol. They were then exposed to either a cardiovascular test, a stressful film, or a control condition. The study showed that the participants who watched the distressing video progressed to their peak BAC much faster than the other individuals. The researchers established that alcohol is absorbed more quickly when a person is experiencing stress or anxiety.

The results of these studies suggest that day drinking in a relaxed, daytime setting may have a much more desirable outcome than drinking in a stressful atmosphere after the sun goes down. This holiday weekend is the perfect time to stay out of the crowd and test this theory. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="http://nymag.com/">New York Magazine</a>

&nbsp;

Why day drinking feels different than drinking at night

As the summer season approaches, many people plan to enjoy...

Millions of people are impacted by natural disasters every year. These events often have the power to devastate entire regions, and can be very difficult to predict. A new study reveals that human exposure to natural disasters has doubled over the last 40 years, due mainly to population growth and urban development. 

The team behind the study set out to get a better look at how much of the global population resides in regions that are susceptible to extreme weather events. 

The researchers analyzed satellite observation data from the last 40 years, focusing their assessment on earthquakes, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/campi-flegrei-volcano-erupt/">volcanoes</a>, tsunamis, floods, and tropical cyclones. The evaluation revealed that an alarming number of people are vulnerable to natural disasters. 

The team determined that earthquakes are the biggest threat to the largest amount of people. Between 1975 and 2015, the amount of people living in areas prone to seismic activity nearly doubled. This number grew from 1.4 billion to 2.7 billion, which is the equivalent of one out of every three people.

Flooding is the most frequent of the weather events examined for this study. In 2015, 1 billion people in 155 countries were found to be exposed to flood risk. The team established that 76.9 percent of those at risk are located in Asia. 8 million occupants of Germany are also more likely to experience flooding, along with 5.7 million residents of France. 

Although regions of Asia are the most vulnerable to tsunami events, Japan has the most populated areas that are exposed to the likelihood of tsunamis. China and the United States also have heavily populated regions that are at high risk of tsunami activity. 

Volcanic activity threatens around 400 people globally. The researchers noted that these people live in close proximity to the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. 

Previous research that was conducted to determine the number of people impacted by natural disasters focused primarily on climate change. The authors of this study took a new approach by examining the connection between population growth, urban development, and extreme weather exposure. 

As the world's population and metropolitan areas continue to grow, the impact of natural disasters will continue to grow as well. The findings of this study are published in the <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-05-atlas-human-planet-2017how-exposed.html">Atlas of the Human Planet 2017</a>. 

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="https://phys.org/news/2017-05-atlas-human-planet-2017how-exposed.html">Atlas of the Human Planet 2017</a>

Global risk of natural disasters has doubled since 1975

Millions of people are impacted by natural disasters every year....

A newly discovered layer of tectonic plates within the Earth’s mantle could explain a mysterious series of earthquakes in the Pacific, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/">Guardian</a> reported.

On Tuesday, Jonny Wu of the <a href="http://www.uh.edu/">University of Houston</a> presented preliminary evidence of possible tectonics plate within the mantle to a joint conference of the Japan Geoscience Union and the American Geophysical Union in Tokyo.

The plate movements may explain a mysterious series of very deep, large <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dozen-earthquakes-oklahoma/">earthquakes</a> known as the Vityaz earthquakes, which originated in the mantle between Fiji and Australia. Just as in conventional tectonic plates at Earth’s surface, the bends and breaks in these subducted plates can generate earthquakes.

“Basically, 90% of Earth’s deep seismicity occurs at the Tonga area where we’ve found our long, flat slab,”  Wu told the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/">Guardian</a>.

The discovery has been made possible by recent advances in seismology allowing scientists to generate pictures of Earth’s interior using vibrations from natural earthquakes.

Wu compares the new pictures to images from the Hubble space telescope.

“Think of Hubble. We look out, and the further we look out the more things we discover, not just about the universe – we’re actually looking back in time,” he told the newspaper. “And this new seismology is like turning the Hubble to look into the Earth, because as we look deeper and get clearer images, we can see what the Earth might have looked like further and further back in time.”

The seismological pictures can be used to locate tectonic plates lurking within the mantle and then reconstruct the configuration on Earth’s surface millions of years ago.

“We’re discovering lost oceans that we didn’t even know existed,” said Wu, who with colleagues recently discovered an 8,000 km wide East Asian Sea which existed between the Pacific and Indian oceans 52 million years ago, and is now buried 500-1000 km deep in the mantle under east Asia.

--

By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/">Guardian</a>

Scientists discover new tectonic plates in Earth’s mantle

A newly discovered layer of tectonic plates within the Earth’s...

Diesel pollution can cause heart damage, according to a new study.

"There is strong evidence that particulate matter emitted mainly from diesel road vehicles is associated with increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, and death," said lead author Nay Aung, a cardiologist and research fellow at <a href="http://www.qmul.ac.uk/">Queen Mary University</a> of London.

Heart damage is driven by an inflammatory response from inhaling particulate matter, Aung said. It starts with a localized inflammation of the lungs “followed by a more systemic inflammation affecting the whole body.”

The new study conducted cardiac magnetic resonance imaging on 255 participants to measure their heart‘s left ventricular volume and left ventricular ejection fraction. The particulate exposure was calculated based on the participant’s home address.

"We found that as [particulate] exposure rises, the larger the heart gets and the worse it performs,” Aung said. “Both of these measures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality from heart disease.”

More educated participants were less likely to have heart damage, the study found.

“This could be due to a number of factors including better housing and workplace conditions, which reduce pollution exposure,” Aung said. It could also be because people with more education have healthier lifestyles, and better access to healthcare, he added.

Aung advised people to avoid places with heavy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/traffic-noise-birds-stop-singing/">traffic</a>.

“If you want to cycle into work and there is heavy traffic around that time then try to find a quieter route,” Aung said. “Walk on the part of the pavement furthest from cars to reduce the amount of pollution you breathe in.”

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By: <a href="mailto:dbeasley@earth.com">David Beasley, </a><a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.escardio.org/">European Society of Cardiology</a>

Study: Diesel fuel pollution linked to heart damage

Diesel pollution can cause heart damage, according to a new...

Endangered species around the world are constantly at peril from the illegal hunting of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/elephants-missing-poached/">poachers</a>. Scientists have spearheaded numerous national and international efforts to prevent poaching from occurring, but some efforts by scientists may actually be hurting this cause.

In an article written by David Lindenmayer and Ben Scheele, the authors argue against scientific studies that post location data of endangered species. With the increasing accessibility of the internet and widely published journals, these analytic studies may actually be fueling poaching, further threatening the species that researchers are trying to study and protect.

In order to avoid unwittingly contributing to the demise of an endangered species, the authors say that researchers who publish on rare species must “unlearn” parts of the established publishing culture. The publication of rare and endangered species’ location data must become a thing of the past.

Although the authors admit that these restrictions may come with a cost, they believe that the inherent benefit of protecting these species will be more than worth it. Sensitive location data being openly available to anyone with an internet connection is not the proper way to protect species that are already being hunted to extinction for monetary gain.

Similar tradeoffs have been made in other scientific fields. Both paleontology and archeology established restrictions long ago on the publication of paleontological and archeological site locations. They have also promoted government regulations that limit the collection and trade of fossils and artifacts.

In their essay, Lindenmayer and Scheele outline new publication strategies that will allow endangered species to be better protected. In order to achieve the main goal in this research – protecting endangered and rare species – some minor sacrifices will have to be made.

--

By <a href="mailto:certz@earth.com">Connor Ertz</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Source: <a href="https://www.aaas.org/">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a>

Posting endangered species location data puts them more at risk

Endangered species around the world are constantly at peril from...

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.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



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.

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



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://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



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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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Earth,Like,Exoplanet,3d,Render

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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

Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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