Medical,Marijuana,Flower,Buds.,Recreational,Marijuana,Strain.,Cannabis,Strain.,Weed

Cannabis remains the most used illicit drug on the planet, with an estimated 219 million adults consuming it in <a href="https://www.unodc.org/res/WDR-2023/WDR23_Exsum_fin_DP.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2023</a>.



A fresh report from Switzerland now suggests that giving existing users a safe, legal supply may trim the edge off risky habits rather than encourage them. The findings come from the six‑month Weed Care randomized trial run in Basel.



<a href="https://loop.frontiersin.org/people/1898354/overview" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Lavinia Baltes‑Flückiger</a>, deputy head of the study at <a href="https://www.pdag.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Psychiatric Services Aargau</a>, helped steer the project alongside colleagues from the University of Basel and local health agencies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-taking-cannabis-into-pharmacies">Taking cannabis into pharmacies</h2>



Switzerland still bans recreational sales of cannabis nationwide. 



Basel, however, received a federal waiver on January 30, 2023, allowing 189 adult volunteers to buy measured, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-extract-cbd-proven-highly-effective-at-killing-mosquitoes/">contaminant‑free flower</a> or hash in nine pharmacies, while a matched control group kept using street sources.



The design mirrors real‑world retail but strips out slick marketing, price wars, and high‑potency gimmicks that dominate some commercial markets. 



Investigators registered every legal purchase and offered brief counseling at the counter. Keeping over‑the‑counter talk focused on lower‑risk use also echoes <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-medication/cannabis/resources/lower-risk-cannabis-use-guidelines.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canada’s public‑health model</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-use-problematic">What makes use “problematic”</h2>



Researchers tracked changes with the Cannabis Use Disorders Identification <a href="https://wellness.caltech.edu/documents/18162/CUDIT.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Test–Revised</a>, a short checklist of behaviors that signal harm, even when full <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32485547/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">cannabis use disorder</a> is absent. 



Heavy users face up to a one‑in‑three lifetime risk of that disorder, according to a meta‑analysis of 21 cohort studies.



Scores above 13 suggest dependency, but smaller shifts still matter. Cutting just two points on the scale is considered clinically meaningful and can translate into fewer missed obligations, less time chasing the drug, and lower tolerance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-early-numbers-favor-legal-cannabis">Early numbers favor legal cannabis</h2>



“There has never been a controlled, randomized study like this before,” said Baltes‑Flückiger, the study’s lead author.



After half a year, the legal group’s average misuse score slipped by 0.8 points, while the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-legalization-does-not-increase-youth-substance-abuse/">illegal</a> group barely budged. 



Among participants who also used other illicit drugs, the legal pathway slashed scores nearly two points, marking the threshold for a “reliable change.”



“Legal access eases the burden on consumers,” added Professor Marc Walter of the <a href="https://www.unibas.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Basel</a>, underscoring that the regulated approach did not boost depression, anxiety, or psychotic symptoms at interim check‑ins.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-health-concerns-remain-steady">Mental health concerns remain steady</h2>



Worries that legal access might worsen mood or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/1000-adults-reveal-how-marijuana-alters-dna-methylation/">trigger psychosis</a> often dominate public hearings. 



A 2024 scoping <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38650490/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> covering 28 North American studies found mixed and mostly null links between recreational laws and psychiatric outcomes.



The Swiss data echo that broader picture: neither group showed significant shifts in depression or anxiety scales, and psychotic‑like experiences stayed flat. 



Critics may note the short follow‑up, yet the absence of early harm offers some reassurance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-polydrug-users-benefit-from-legal-cannabis">Polydrug users benefit from legal cannabis</h2>



Why did people juggling multiple substances respond best? 



Easy pharmacy access saved them the effort of hunting down street dealers, trimming time spent “getting, using, or recovering,” one of the test’s key items.



Reduced hustle can free attention for work, study, or family, all protective factors against escalating misuse. Counseling handed out at each sale likely helped too. 



Staff trained on Canada’s Lower‑Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines reminded buyers to favor products under 20 percent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563174/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tetrahydrocannabinol</a> and balance them with cannabidiol‑rich strains, choices linked to milder cognitive effects.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-quiet-rebuttal-to-gateway-fears">Quiet rebuttal to gateway fears</h2>



The trial saw <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK609473/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">no uptick</a> in alcohol days or other drug use inside the legal arm, challenging the long‑held idea that a sanctioned market pulls people toward wider intoxication. 



Twenty‑four U.S. states now allow adult possession, yet nationwide surveys show flat or only modest rises in heavy use since the first state referendum in 2012.



Policy researchers often point out that the devil lies in the details. Switzerland capped monthly sales at about 0.35 ounces of pure THC, required organic cultivation, and banned all advertising. 



Those guardrails differ sharply from the profit‑driven dispensary scene common in parts of the United States and may explain the modest but positive shift.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-future-of-legal-cannabis-access">The future of legal cannabis access</h2>



All volunteers now have legal access through July 2025, giving the team a two‑year window to track long‑term patterns. 



Parallel <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2833180" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> in Canada report slight bumps in overall consumption but, interestingly, equal or lower misuse scores after five years of legalization.



Future analyses will need to weigh market structure, potency limits, pricing models, and education campaigns. 



If results stay consistent, lawmakers elsewhere could consider legal cannabis sales through pharmacies or non‑profit social clubs as middle‑ground options between prohibition and full commercialization.



For regular consumers worried about slipping into <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smoking-cannabis-significantly-increases-the-risk-of-heart-attack/">harmful patterns</a>, the Swiss experience offers a practical lesson. 



Access to tested products, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/cannabis-potency-why-you-shouldnt-trust-the-label/">honest labeling</a>, and low‑key advice can chip away at risky behavior without demanding total abstinence.



Public‑health‑oriented legalization is not a silver bullet, but it may give heavy users a safer runway to moderation.



The study is published in <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.70080" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Addiction</a>.



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Legal access to cannabis is proving to be good for both the users and society as a whole

Cannabis remains the most used illicit drug on the planet, with an estimated 219 million adults consuming it in 2023. A fresh report from Switzerland now suggests that giving existing users a safe, legal supply may trim the edge off risky habits rather than encourage them. The findings come from the six‑month Weed Care randomized trial run in Basel. Dr. Lavinia Baltes‑Flückiger, deputy head of the study at Psychiatric Services Aargau, helped steer the project alongside colleagues from the University of Basel and local health agencies. Taking cannabis...

Enterococci are bacteria that have developed immunity to many antibiotics, also known as superbugs. This species is emerging as a dangerous problem in hospitals. Researchers from <a href="http://www.masseyeandear.org/">Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary</a> decided to take a look into the history of these antibiotic-resistant microbes to get a better idea of how to deal with them. Their study dates enterococci back before dinosaurs walked the Earth - nearly 450 million years ago.

These antibiotic-resistant microbes are becoming more widespread and are now a worldwide concern. Five percent of patients will get infections from superbugs during their hospital stay, with little or no treatment available. 

Due to the fact that enterococci live in the intestines of most land animals, the research team suspected the microbes may have also lived in the intestines of land animals that are now extinct. The genomes of these bacteria proved that this theory was correct. The experts discovered that every time new animals emerged, even after a mass extinction, this nearly-indestructible pathogen appeared with the animals.  

“By analyzing the genomes and behaviors of today's enterococci, we were able to rewind the clock back to their earliest existence and piece together a picture of how these organisms were shaped into what they are today" said co-author Ashlee M. Earl, Ph.D.

The study, published today in Cell, reveals the evolution of enterococci from the time they surfaced when the first animals crawled onto land. The bacteria thrived despite environmental conditions thanks to a lack of sensitivity. The researchers discovered that all enterococci are naturally resistant to starvation, dryness, disinfectants, and most <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/antibiotics-responsible-bee-deaths/">antibiotics</a>.

"We now know what genes were gained by enterococci hundreds of millions of years ago, when they became resistant to drying out, and to disinfectants and antibiotics that attack their cell walls," said Michael S. Gilmore, Ph.D., who led the study.

Francois Lebreton, Ph.D., is the first author of the study. "These are now targets for our research to design new types of antibiotics and disinfectants that specifically eliminate enterococci, to remove them as threats to hospitalized patients,” Dr. Lebreton added.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="http://www.masseyeandear.org/">Massachusetts Eye And Ear Infirmary</a>

Image: Mark Witton

Hospital superbugs can be traced back almost 450 million years

Enterococci are bacteria that have developed immunity to many antibiotics,...

Within our oceans, the whirling waves and splashes that are constantly occurring end up forming small bubbles. These bubbles eventually burst, releasing a vapor called sea spray aerosol into the air. This sea spray aerosol scatters sunlight and plays a role in forming clouds, therefore having a major effect on the climate.

How do plankton and bacteria play into the effects of these bubbles? Well, researchers at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California, San Diego</a> recently found that the atmospheric-altering properties of sea spray are influenced by the presence of phytoplankton and bacteria in the water.

Molecules secreted by <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/phytoplankton-blooms-spain/">phytoplankton</a> and bacteria can become a part of these bubbles, which burst and release these compounds to the air. Inside the particles, these molecules also mix with the chemicals and salts that are present, decreasing their ability to carry water from the ocean. Ultimately, this affects how the aerosol interacts with the sun’s rays and causes cloud formation.

“We were surprised by how distinct the changes in the chemicals in the individual aerosol particles were,” says senior author Vicki H. Grassian, co-director of the <a href="http://caice.ucsd.edu/">Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and the Environment</a> at the University of California, San Diego. “This is a great result for us, as it helps us see more clearly how sea spray aerosol is involved in climate.”

The researchers were able to study these effects by using an experimental ocean, testing the aerosol produced in the waves at various points during phytoplankton blooms. They found that the spray was most affected at the times when bacteria feed on phytoplankton.

Moving forward, the researchers are attempting to analyze the fundamental chemical processes and molecular properties that determine how sea spray aerosol affects climate through cloud formation.

“Given the sheer size and importance of the ocean, we know surprisingly little about what factors control what’s in the sea spray aerosol that is constantly being produced in the waves. That's what we wanted to address with our study,” explains Grassian.

Scientists believe that understanding natural processes such as this will help us better understand the role of man-made pollution on climate change. First author Richard Cochran stresses the importance of this work, saying “These efforts are bringing together scientists from around the world with expertise in different disciplines within chemistry to help solve these important questions.”

--

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="http://www.cell.com/">Cell Press</a>

Photo Credit: Vicki H. Grassian.

How sea spray and plankton can affect climate change

Within our oceans, the whirling waves and splashes that are...

The benefits of teamwork in a work environment are immeasurable. When people work as a team it promotes a sense of achievement and creates a more motivated workplace. Cooperation among co-workers is typically thought of as a very positive thing. A recent study, however, reveals that helping out colleagues may actually have a dark side as well.

Researchers from <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a> set out to determine if assistance among employees changed the course of the work day. What they discovered was that not only does this cooperative action change the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/daily-meditation-works-wonders/">work</a> environment, but often in a negative way.

Russell Johnson is a professor of Management in <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a>'s Broad College of Business. Johnson and his team recruited 91 full-time employees for the study and observed them over 10 days of work. The participants completed two surveys per day - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. 

“The increase in mental fatigue from helping coworkers in the morning led employees to reduce their helping behaviors in the afternoon and, perhaps more interestingly, they engaged in more self-serving political behaviors in the afternoon as well,” said Johnson. “They switched from being other-oriented in the morning to being selfish in the afternoon.”

Previous studies on this subject suggested that helpfulness and cooperation often led to weaker performance and affected the overall well-being of individuals. Yet this was the first project of its kind to determine how a helpful collaboration affected political behavior afterward. In addition to mental fatigue and unenthusiastic behavior in the afternoon, individuals who helped out their co-workers in the morning also had a more self-absorbed agenda later in the day.

“Although we did not identify the consequences of these political behaviors, research has established that political acts from employees can culminate into a toxic work environment with negative well-being and performance consequences,” the study said.

The research team explains they are not discouraging teamwork in the workplace. They suggest that individuals become more guarded with their time, particularly when they are already fatigued at the beginning of the workday. The team also recommends that employers become aware that employees need breaks in order to recharge after helping out fellow employees.

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="https://msu.edu/">Michigan State University</a>

When teamwork can actually lead to a toxic work environment

The benefits of teamwork in a work environment are immeasurable....

According to a new study, dust from the Gobi Desert actually improves manmade air pollution conditions in eastern China's cities.

The dust plays an important role in determining air temperatures and promotes winds that blow away manmade air pollution, according to the study published May 11 in the journal Nature Communications.

The “paradoxical finding” was made by a team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's <a href="https://www.pnl.gov/">Pacific Northwest National Laboratory</a> and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the <a href="https://ucsd.edu/">University of California at San Diego.</a>

"This is one of the first times we've really looked at the interactions between natural dust, wind, and anthropogenic pollution," said PNNL post-doctoral researcher Yang Yang. "It turns out that dust plays an important role in determining the quality of the air for many people in eastern China."

Researchers used computer models and historical data to find reduced natural dust transported from the Gobi Desert increased manmade air pollution in highly populated eastern China. Natural dust particles in the air help deflect sunlight. Fewer dust particles means a warmer-than-usual land surface and cooler-than-usual water. That reduces the temperature differential in winter between sea and the land, resulting in weaker winds -- and increased air stagnation. 

The reduction in wind speed is barely more than one-tenth of one mile per hour -- but on a large scale over an entire region, has a profound effect on <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/climate-tibetan-plateau-grasslands/">climate</a> and air quality, the study said.

The team found that two to three days after winds had brought dust into the region from western China, the air was cleaner than before the dust arrived.

Man-made pollution is still the core of air pollution in cities like Beijing in eastern China but it's important to understand the role of natural dust particles, the researchers 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.pnl.gov/">Pacific Northwest National Laboratory</a>

Desert dust actually helps manage manmade air pollution in China

According to a new study, dust from the Gobi Desert...

Gluten-free products often have misleading labeling and may not be as healthy as food containing gluten, according to a new study.

The research presented today at the 50th Annual Congress of the <a href="http://www.espghan.org/">European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition</a>, calls for healthier raw materials in gluten-free foods and for changes in labeling to ensure that consumers understand the differences in the products.

"Where nutritional values of gluten-free products do vary significantly from their gluten-containing counterparts, such as having higher levels of saturated fat, labelling needs to clearly indicate this so that patients, parents and carers can make informed decisions,” said a lead researcher in the study, Sandra Martínez-Barona with the <a href="http://www.itemas.org/en/who-we-are/medical-centers/itcs/instituto-de-investigacion-sanitaria-la-fe/c/show/">Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe</a> in Valencia, Spain. .

The research compared 654 gluten-free products to 655 products with gluten and found:
<ul>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Gluten-free breads had significantly higher amounts of of lipids and saturated fatty acids</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Gluten-free pasta had significantly lower amounts of sugar and protein</li>
 	<li style="font-weight: 400;">Gluten-free biscuits had significantly lower amounts of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/black-bears-focus-protein/">protein</a> and significantly higher content of lipids</li>
</ul>
A gluten free diet is prescribed for patients with coeliac disease, a condition that affects only about 1 percent of the European population, the study said.  A growing number of people are also using gluten-free products for their overall health, even when they are not diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Poor nutritional labelling may cause consumers to be unaware that that are gluten-free products different in their nutritional composition than the same food with gluten, the study 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="http://www.espghan.org/">European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition</a>

Gluten-free products often misleading, not necessarily healthier

Gluten-free products often have misleading labeling and may not be...

Large-scale agricultural expansion has been responsible for an increasing proportion of tropical forest loss, according to a new <a href="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a> study.

The study, which examined forest loss between 2000 and 2012, found that Southeast Asia and South America had the most severe losses.

"In South America, more than 60 percent of the increase in deforestation was due to a growing number of medium- and large-sized forest clearings typical of what you see with industrial-scale commercial agricultural activities," said Jennifer J. Swenson, associate professor of the practice of geospatial analysis at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.

<a href="https://www.earth.com/video/earth-central-brazil/">Brazil</a> was the only country where forest clearing was reduced, Swenson said. "This unique trend may be short-lived, however, given Brazil's relaxed forest policies of the last few years.”

The researchers recommend policy changes targeting industrial scale agriculture commodity producers in the tropics.

A small family farm that produces sustenance crops or food for local consumption typically causes less than 10 hectares -- or just under 25 acres -- of land to be cleared per year. An industrial-scale plantation -- such as one that grows and processes palm oil or soybeans for the global market -- can cause nearly 2,500 acres of land to be cleared annually.

The Duke researchers analyzed high-resolution, satellite-derived maps of forest cover produced by researchers at the <a href="https://www.umd.edu/">University of Maryland</a>.

The study was published in <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326">Environmental Research Letters.</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="https://www.duke.edu/">Duke University</a>

Image Credit: <a href="http://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a>

Big agriculture increasingly responsible for tropical forest loss

Large-scale agricultural expansion has been responsible for an increasing proportion...

Thirty-nine glaciers in Montana have shrunk since 1966, some by as much as 85 percent, according to new data by the <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a> and <a href="https://www.pdx.edu/">Portland State University</a>.

The glaciers have been reduced by an average of 39 percent and only 26 glaciers are now larger than 25 acres, which is used as a guideline for deciding if bodies of ice are large enough to be considered glaciers.

The data includes scientific information for the 37 named glaciers in Glacier National Park and two on U.S. Forest Service land. 

"The park-wide loss of ice can have ecological effects on aquatic species by changing stream water volume, water temperature and run-off timing in the higher elevations of the park," said lead USGS scientist Daniel Fagre.

Glaciers in mountain ranges throughout the United States and the world have been shrinking for decades, said Portland State geologist Andrew G. Fountain, who partnered with USGS on the project. 

"While the shrinkage in Montana is more severe than some other places in the U.S., it is in line with trends that have been happening on a global scale," Fountain said.

Shrinking <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/south-georgia-island-2/">glaciers</a> could hurt tourism, the USGS said. 

Researchers used digital maps from aerial photography and satellites to measure the perimeters of the glaciers in late summer when seasonal snow has melted to reveal the extent of the glacial ice. The areas measured are from 1966, 1998, 2005 and 2015/2016, marking approximately 50 years of change in glacier area.

The research is part of a larger, ongoing USGS glacier study of glaciers in Montana, Alaska and Washington to document mass balance measurements that estimate whether the total amount of ice is increasing or decreasing at a particular glacier. 

--

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.usgs.gov/">U.S. Geological Survey</a>

Montana glaciers are quickly disappearing

Thirty-nine glaciers in Montana have shrunk since 1966, some by...

Scientists are working on the ultimate fix for potholes: a self-healing asphalt that uses a special bacteria to fill cracks.

Self-healing asphalt has been tested on 12 different roads in the Netherlands, and one of these has been functioning and open to the public since 2010, Erik Schlangen, a materials scientist at <a href="https://www.tudelft.nl/en/">Delft University</a>, told <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/4/15544156/potholes-self-healing-materials-infrastructure-transportation">The Verge</a>.

His asphalt has small steel fibers mixed in, which makes the asphalt conductive. If you add heat by running a big induction machine — basically a huge magnet — over the asphalt, it’ll warm up the asphalt and cause the small cracks to close on their own, The Verge reported.

Schlangen estimates that the overall cost of the material is 25 percent more expensive than normal asphalt, but it could double the life of the road, and one estimate suggests it could save the <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/famous-tulip-fields-netherlands/">Netherlands</a> 90 million Euros a year if all the roads used this material. China has also built a self-healing road.

 “Putting steel fibers in the asphalt mean that you can send information to it, so it might be possible to charge electric cars on the road they’re driving on,” Schlangen added. “This is early, but we are going to make some trials in front of traffic lights, where the idea is that you can charge your car a bit while waiting in traffic.”

Another project is looking at how to reduce fuel consumption of vehicles by tweaking the material of the roads. “When you drive on pavement with your car, you create a little dimple,” says Franz-Josef Ulm, director of <a href="https://cshub.mit.edu/">MIT’s Concrete Sustainability Hub</a>. “You don’t see it because it’s very small, but because of the behavior and texture of the material you’re actually always driving slightly uphill.” 

Ulm compares it to running on a beach on soft sand, and just as running on sand is harder than running on a hard surface, these “dimples” take more energy from the car.

Engineering the concrete to change the roughness can reduce the environmental impact. In a study with roads in Virginia, this process reduced the environmental impact of cars driving on pavement by up to 3 percent. “For an individual car it doesn’t make much difference, but for a state and for a nation, it plays a huge role,” Ulm 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.theverge.com/2017/5/4/15544156/potholes-self-healing-materials-infrastructure-transportation">The Verge</a>

How this self-healing asphalt could cure road potholes

Scientists are working on the ultimate fix for potholes: a...

Last month the United States experienced the second wettest and 11th warmest April on record, a federal agency said.

The average precipitation total for April was 3.43 inches, 0.91 inch above the 20th-century average, making it the second wettest April in 123 years of record keeping, according to scientists from the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA). 

The rain helped shrink the drought footprint for the contiguous U.S. to the lowest level since the nationwide Drought Monitor program began in 2000, the agency said. It also caused loss of life and extensive property destruction in many communities from flooding. 

NOAA climate scientist Jake Crouch said many storms kept chugging over the U.S. in April from the Pacific. April fits global warming patterns of increasing heavy downpours interspersed with drought, Crouch said.

In April, the average  temperature in the contiguous U.S. was 53.8 degrees F, 2.7 degrees above the 20th-century average and  the 11th warmest April on record.

The East in particular was warmer than average, with record temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley.

The year to date average temperature was 43.7 degrees F, 4.5 degrees above the 20th-century average, the  second warmest January–April, behind 2012. The total year-to-date precipitation for the Lower 48 states was 11.46 inches, 1.99 inches above average, making it the fifth wettest year to date period on record.

--

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.noaa.gov/">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a>

April 2017 was second wettest ever recorded, agency reports

Last month the United States experienced the second wettest and...

President Donald Trump is procrastinating a resolution on the Paris agreement. The White House previously stated that a decision would be made before President Trump attends the G7 summit in Italy at the end of this month. Now, White House spokesman Sean Spicer says the announcement will come after the summit.

The historical deal is the world's first comprehensive climate agreement which was arranged by 195 countries in 2015 during the Obama administration. All countries participating in the deal have pledged to significantly reduce carbon emissions over the next decade. During his campaign, President Trump vowed to renegotiate the terms of the deal, yet his current stance on the agreement remains unclear.

President Trump was expected to meet with top officials to get advice on the issue Tuesday, but the meeting was postponed for the second time. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scott-pruitt-doubts-global-warming/">Scott Pruitt</a> was scheduled to attend a meeting with Ivanka Trump which was also canceled. 

Pruitt has conveyed the opinion that the Paris agreement is not a good move for America and will result in the loss of jobs. The former attorney general of Oklahoma has a history of suing the EPA over restrictions that do not favor big oil and gas companies. 

Through a series of executive orders, Trump has indicated he is not willing to make the regulation of climate change a priority. He has expressed more interest in protecting American jobs by lifting restrictions on energy. However, Spicer said that Trump will “continue to meet with his team” to determine what is best for both the economy and the environment. 

While President Trump has not announced whether or not he will withdraw the United States from the Paris agreement, U.S. Diplomat and environmental expert David Balton suggested Trump’s decision will not make a difference. 

"The U.S. will remain engaged in the work that the Arctic Council does on climate change throughout," said Balton.

Companies like Apple, Google, Walmart,  and Tiffany and Company have expressed unwavering support of staying in the Paris agreement. Ted Halstead is the president of the Climate Leadership Council. Halstead said that "there is a nearly unanimous position on the part of big business."

George P. Schultz, Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, co-authored a piece for the New York Times with Halstead that said, “American business leaders understand that remaining in the agreement would spur new investment, strengthen American competitiveness, create jobs, ensure American access to global markets and help reduce future business risks associated with the changing climate.”

--

By <a href="http://csexton@earth.com">Chrissy Sexton</a>, <a href="https://earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer 

Source: <a href="https://www.ap.org/en-us/">AP</a>

Trump pushes back decision on Paris Climate Agreement

President Donald Trump is procrastinating a resolution on the Paris...

Researchers at the <a href="http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/">University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center</a> have discovered the cause of two of the most vexing cosmetic problems of aging: baldness and gray hair.

The findings could lead to a new treatment, the university said.

“Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumors form, we ended up learning why hair turns gray and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair,” said Dr. Lu Le, associate professor of Dermatology at UT Southwestern. 

The university hopes to develop a topical compound that would end baldness and graying, Le said.

The researchers  discovered that a protein called KROX20, more commonly associated with nerve development, produces a protein called stem cell factor (SCF) that the researchers showed is essential for hair pigmentation.

When they deleted the SCF gene in the hair progenitor cells in mouse models, the animal’s hair turned white. When they deleted the KROX20-producing cells, no hair grew and the mice became bald, according to the study.

The team made the discovery while studying a disorder called Neurofibromatosis Type 1, a rare genetic disease that causes tumors to grow on nerves.

Researchers will now try to find out if the KROX20 in cells and the SCF gene stop working properly as people age, leading to the graying and hair thinning seen in older people – as well as in male pattern baldness, Le said.

The discovery could also provide answers about why we age in general as hair graying and hair loss are among the first signs of aging, the university said. 

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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="http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/">University of Texas Southwestern</a>

Accidental discovery could mean a cure for balding, gray hair

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center have...

Life existed in hot springs about three billion years earlier than scientists believed, raising the possibility that life started on land, not the sea, a new study says.

Evidence of life was discovered by <a href="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">University of New South Wales </a>scientists in 3.48 billion year-old billion old hot spring deposits in the Pilbara of Western Australia, the university said.

"Our exciting findings don't just extend back the record of life living in hot springs by 3 billion years, they indicate that life was inhabiting the land much earlier than previously thought, by up to about 580 million years," said the study’s first author, UNSW PhD candidate, Tara Djokic. "This may have implications for an origin of life in freshwater hot springs on land, rather than the more widely discussed idea that life developed in the ocean and adapted to land later."

The findings could even have relevance for the study of Mars because the planet has ancient hot spring deposits of a similar age to the Dresser Formation in the Pilbara, Djokic said.

In the Dresser Formation,  researchers studied exceptionally well-preserved deposits which are approximately 3.5 billion years old. They interpreted the deposits were formed on land, not in the ocean, by identifying the presence of geyserite - a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/earth-cooling-faster/">mineral</a> deposit that is only found in a terrestrial hot spring environment. Previously, the oldest known geyserite had been identified from rocks about 400 million years old.

Within the Pilbara hot-spring deposits, the researchers also discovered stromatolites - layered rock structures created by communities of ancient microbes. There were other signs of early life in the deposits as well, including fossilized micro-stromatolites.

“This shows a diverse variety of life existed in fresh water, on land, very early in Earth's history," says Professor Van Kranendonk, Director of the <a href="https://www.aca.unsw.edu.au/">Australian Centre for Astrobiology</a> and head of the UNSW school of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences. "The Pilbara deposits are the same age as much of the crust of Mars, which makes hot spring deposits on the red planet an exciting target for our quest to find fossilised life there.”

The study, is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</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="https://www.unsw.edu.au/">University of New South Wales</a>

Image: UNSW

Australian fossil find marks the oldest evidence of life on land

Life existed in hot springs about three billion years earlier...

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



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.

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

[sendtonews key="3UUsNkFOuS-2487333-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from NASA...

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"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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

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