In the heart of Mexico, a food revolution is quietly taking shape. Food scientist Raquel Gomez is reimagining one of the country’s most iconic foods - the tortilla. 



With a vision to provide a longer-lasting, nutrient-rich option, Gomez is developing a wheat flour tortilla infused with probiotics. This innovation has the potential to impact millions, particularly those in impoverished areas where refrigeration is a luxury. 



Gomez’s work is more than just a scientific endeavor; it is a mission to tackle malnutrition and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-system-can-predict-child-malnutrition-before-it-strikes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">food</a> insecurity in Mexico.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tortillas-can-spoil-quickly">Tortillas can spoil quickly</h2>



In Mexico, tortillas aren’t just food - they’re a way of life. Every <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-alternative-seafood-can-help-save-our-oceans/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">meal</a> revolves around them. Breakfast might include huevos rancheros with tortillas. Lunch often features tacos or quesadillas. Dinner could be a simple tortilla roll with beans or cheese. It’s a staple that shows up on every plate, every day.



But there’s a problem. Tortillas spoil quickly. Fresh corn tortillas, in particular, become inedible within a few days, especially in hot, humid conditions. 



Most Mexicans can’t store large quantities because they don’t have refrigerators. So, they buy fresh tortillas daily from neighborhood shops, known as tortillerías.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tortillas-that-last">Tortillas that last</h2>



Gomez sees a better way. Instead of buying tortillas every day, why not make one that lasts longer? She’s developed a wheat flour tortilla that can stay fresh for up to a month without refrigeration. That’s unusual. Traditional tortillas start to grow mold in just a few days.



But this isn’t just a scientific experiment. "It was developed with the most vulnerable people in mind," Gomez said. She’s thinking about families without fridges, those in rural areas where food spoils quickly.



If her tortillas can last a month, that means fewer trips to the market, less money spent, and more security for families struggling to get by.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-probiotics-extend-shelf-life">Probiotics extend shelf life </h2>



Probiotics are live microorganisms commonly found in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/forgotten-indigenous-crops-could-help-solve-modern-climate-issues/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">foods</a> like yogurt, kefir, and kimchi. They’re often called “good bacteria” because they promote gut health and aid digestion. But in Gomez’s lab, probiotics are doing more than just that. 



The team has incorporated probiotics into their tortilla dough. Most tortillas don’t contain these beneficial microorganisms. But here, they’re the secret weapon. Why? Because probiotics do two critical things.



First, they prevent mold growth. In these probiotic-packed tortillas, the good bacteria outcompete the mold, keeping the tortilla fresh for weeks.



Second, they provide nutritional benefits. Probiotics are known to improve gut health, thus aiding in digestion and boosting the immune system. So, Gomez’s tortilla isn’t just a food item. It’s also a functional food - one that nourishes the body while staying fresh without preservatives.



The result is a tortilla that doesn’t just sit on the shelf - it lasts on the shelf. It remains nutritious. It stays edible. And for families without refrigeration, that’s a game changer.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fighting-malnutrition-with-tortillas">Fighting malnutrition with tortillas</h2>



This isn’t just food science. It’s survival science. Nearly 14% of children under five in Mexico suffer from chronic malnutrition. In Indigenous communities, the number jumps to 27 percent.



Gomez wants her tortilla in those kitchens. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/lab-grown-chicken-just-got-a-flavor-and-texture-boost/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Food</a> that lasts means fewer trips to the store, less expense and more meals on the table.



Teresa Sanchez lives in Chiapas, one of Mexico’s poorest states. In her small, wooden house, there’s no refrigerator. She has never owned one. Instead, she cooks on a wood-burning stove, just as her mother and grandmother did. It’s a way of life passed down through generations.



When asked why she doesn’t have a fridge, Sanchez’s answer is simple: "Where are you going to get a refrigerator if there's no money?" Refrigerators are expensive, and in areas like Chiapas, few families can afford them.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-waste-and-more-stability">Less waste and more stability</h2>



Without refrigeration, keeping food fresh becomes a constant challenge. Sanchez boils meat to preserve it. If it doesn’t get eaten that day, she boils it again the next day. And the day after that. Repeated boiling keeps bacteria at bay, but it also drains nutrients and alters taste.



Gomez knows this cycle all too well. She’s met families like Sanchez’s. She understands the daily struggle to keep food from spoiling. 



The new tortilla is designed to last for weeks without a fridge, and to offer a solution for families who can’t afford to lose food to spoilage. For people like Sanchez, it could mean less boiling, less waste, and more stability.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-preservatives-or-probiotics">Preservatives or probiotics?</h2>



Most tortillas on store shelves are packed with preservatives. Calcium propionate is the common one. It keeps mold away, but there’s a cost. 



"One of the most commonly used additives in processed wheat flour tortillas is calcium propionate, which is considered harmful to the colon's microbiota," said Guillermo Arteaga, a researcher at the <a href="https://www.unison.mx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Sonora</a>.



Gomez takes a different path. Her tortillas rely on probiotics instead. They are natural, clean and do not contain artificial ingredients.



Right now, Gomez’s tortillas use wheat flour. It’s the go-to in northern Mexico. But in the south, corn rules. Corn is cheaper, more readily available, and more culturally significant.



However, corn also spoils faster. Gomez wants to change that. Her team is working to adapt the probiotic method to corn tortillas. It’s not easy. Different grain requires different fermentation, but it’s worth trying.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moving-the-tortillas-beyond-the-lab">Moving the tortillas beyond the lab</h2>



In 2023, Gomez’s work seemed poised for a breakthrough. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (<a href="https://www.unaminternacional.unam.mx/en/unam" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">UNAM</a>) signed a deal to distribute her probiotic tortillas. This could have brought the tortillas to stores and, more importantly, to the people who need them most.



But the deal fell through. The reasons aren’t specified, but the outcome is clear - the tortillas never made it to market. They remained in the lab, stuck in the experimental phase.



Despite the setback, Gomez kept pushing forward. In December, she received recognition for her work from the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property. The award acknowledged her innovation and the potential impact of her tortillas.



But while awards validate her efforts, they don’t put food on people’s tables. The tortillas need to move beyond the lab and into the hands of people like Teresa Sanchez, where they can actually help families struggling with food insecurity. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-convincing-people-to-try-lab-made-tortillas">Convincing people to try lab-made tortillas</h2>



Gomez faces a tough challenge. In Mexico, fresh tortillas aren’t just food - they’re tradition. Families buy them warm, soft, and straight from neighborhood shops every day. 



The idea of a lab-made tortilla, even one packed with probiotics and designed to last a month without a fridge, feels foreign. Gomez knows this. "It was developed with the most vulnerable people in mind," she says, as if reminding herself why she started.



Gomez wants her tortilla in kitchens like Sanchez’s - a product that can endure the heat, stay fresh, and reduce food waste. But for now, the tortillas remain in the lab, waiting for a chance to reach those who need them most.



Gomez keeps working, keeps testing, keeps hoping. The tortillas haven’t made it to market yet. Maybe they never will. But if they do, they could be more than just food. They could buy time - time to eat, time to save money, time to survive. For families like Sanchez’s, that time could mean everything.



Information for this article was obtained from <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250513-scientists-in-mexico-develop-tortilla-for-people-with-no-fridge">Agence France-Presse</a>.



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New tortillas can last a month without refrigeration

In the heart of Mexico, a food revolution is quietly taking shape. Food scientist Raquel Gomez is reimagining one of the country’s most iconic foods - the tortilla. With a vision to provide a longer-lasting, nutrient-rich option, Gomez is developing a wheat flour tortilla infused with probiotics. This innovation has the potential to impact millions, particularly those in impoverished areas where refrigeration is a luxury. Gomez’s work is more than just a scientific endeavor; it is a mission to tackle malnutrition and food insecurity in Mexico. Tortillas...

The evolution of our <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dozens-of-free-floating-planets-found-in-the-milky-way/">planet</a> is a story of gradual cooling. While 4.5 billion years ago, extreme temperatures and a deep ocean of magma prevailed on the surface of the Earth, the planet’s surface shifted to a cooling phase over the next millions of years that formed a brittle crust. However, the immense thermal energy emanating from the Earth’s core set various dynamic processes in motion, such as plate tectonics, volcanism, and mantle convection.



There is still no scientific consensus regarding how fast the Earth has cooled, or how long it will take until the heat-related dynamic processes mentioned above will stop due to cooling. By investigating the thermal conductivity of the minerals which form the boundary between the Earth’s core and mantle, a research team led by <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html">ETH Zürich</a> has found that the Earth may in fact be cooling much faster than initially estimated.



Studying this boundary layer, formed mainly of a mineral called bridgmanite, is important since it is the place where the viscous rock of the Earth’s mantle is in direct contact with the hot iron-nickel melt of its outer core, causing significant heat flow.



The scientists used a recently developed optical absorption measurement system in a diamond unit heated with a pulse laser in order to measure the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite in the laboratory, under the pressure and temperatures prevailing inside the Earth.



“This measurement system let us show that the thermal conductivity of bridgmanite is about 1.5 times higher than assumed,” reported study lead author Motohiko Murakami, a specialist in Earth Sciences at ETH Zürich. This finding suggests that the heat flow from the Earth’s core into the mantle is higher than estimated, a phenomenon which increases mantle convection and accelerates the cooling of the Earth.



Moreover, Murakami and his colleagues also discovered that rapid cooling of the mantle will turn bridgmanite into the mineral post-perovskite which, once predominant, will further accelerate the cooling of the mantle due to its higher efficiency in conducting heat.



“Our results could give us a new perspective on the evolution of the Earth’s dynamics. They suggest that Earth, like the other rocky planets Mercury and Mars, is cooling and becoming inactive much faster than expected,” Murakami explained.



Further research is needed to find out how long it will take for convection currents in the mantle to stop. &nbsp;“We still don’t know enough about these kinds of events to pin down their timing,” concluded Murakami.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X21005859?via%3Dihub#!">Earth and Planetary Science Letters</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Earth’s interior is cooling faster than previously thought

The evolution of our planet is a story of gradual...

After rising more than twentyfold in December due to the spread of the highly-contagious <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/did-the-omicron-variant-jump-to-humans-from-mice/">Omicron</a> variant, the number of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/covid-19-can-prompt-the-creation-of-self-attacking-antibodies/">Covid-19</a> cases in New York City appears to start flattening. In other major cities first hit by the Omicron wave, such as Washington D.C., Newark, Cleveland, New Jersey, Maryland and Boston, case numbers have already started to decrease. The news offers hope to Americans that the Omicron wave may have started to peak and the infections will soon drop rapidly.



This pattern of fast rise and fall of Omicron cases was already noticed a few weeks ago in the case of the variant’s first epicenter, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/31/south-africa-omicron-coronavirus-peak/">South Africa</a>, and more recently in other countries such as the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/omicron-peak-appears-to-have-passed-in-u-k-offering-hope-the-wave-is-receding-11642078349">United Kingdom.</a> The decline in hospitalizations and deaths in South Africa and the current flattening of the number of severe cases in certain European countries increases hope that Omicron’s toll may turn out to be less than Delta’s.



However, the situation in the United States appears more worrisome than in these other countries. With hospitalization numbers reaching all-time <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-breaks-covid-19-hospitalization-record-omicron-surges-2022-01-10/">records</a> and deaths averaging over 1,800 per day in the past week (a 50 percent increase over the past&nbsp; two weeks), the U.S. is “very far from being out if the woods,” as Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the director of the <a href="https://odh.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odh/home">Ohio Department of Health</a>, put it.&nbsp;



“If we’ve learned one thing about Covid it’s that it is extraordinarily unpredictable. And things can change dramatically and quickly,” he added.



Even if U.S.’s new case numbers have already peaked and the country will follow the same pattern of rapid descent as places where the Omicron wave has already peaked and is now falling sharply, rises in hospitalizations and deaths are still expected for a few more weeks, possibly even until mid-February. Moreover, U.S.’s rather low vaccine uptake (63 percent) leaves a large part of the population susceptible to more severe forms of illness.



However, the hope that Omicron may be a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/world/europe/uk-omicron-coronavirus-pandemic.html">turning point</a> in the pandemic - by offering a large amount of herd immunity at a bearable cost, due to high transmissibility but inherent mildness - increases in many places all over the world, with several countries in Europe starting to treat the variant more like the common flu, and let it become an inescapable, yet less dangerous part of our daily lives.



“At some point, we’ll be able to draw a line — and Omicron may be that point — where we transition from what is a catastrophic global threat to something that’s a much more manageable disease,” said Lauren Ancel Meyers, a professor of Integrative Biology and Statistics at the <a href="https://www.utexas.edu/">University of Texas</a>.



Yet, many public health experts are warning that it is too early to make this call. In a recent plea published in the <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o90">British Medical Journal</a>, an international team of scientists argued that there is still an urgent need to “reduce infections to avoid overwhelming health systems and protect public life and the economy.”



“Even under the most optimistic assumptions, letting Omicron run unfettered risks potentially devastating consequences,” they warned.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Omicron is starting to peak in the United States

After rising more than twentyfold in December due to the...

A new study led by the <a href="https://higgs.ph.ed.ac.uk/">Higgs Center for Theoretical Physics</a> in the United Kingdom has found that bacteria may have traveled from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-shed-new-light-on-the-origins-of-life-on-earth/">Earth</a> into space after being blown into the atmosphere by high-speed vertical winds. The scientists estimate that particles the size of bacteria can be pushed at least 90 miles into the atmosphere by strong winds, and then carried further by hyper-fast space dust.&nbsp;



Researchers had previously estimated that the biosphere (the area of the Earth containing life) extends up to only 50 miles, but recent discoveries of terrestrial bacteria on the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html">International Space Station</a> (ISS) show that life can be found even 250 miles above the Earth’s surface.&nbsp;



According to study lead author Arjun Berera, a researcher at the Higgs Center, vertical winds blowing at up to 335 miles per hour, especially during geomagnetic storms near the poles, could have transported these bacteria into outer space.



“The cases in our paper did not show particles could reach quite as high at 150 km [90 miles], but we think it presents plausible evidence that this is possible, but more data and understanding of vertical winds is still needed,” said Professor Berera.



“Our estimates using reported observations of large vertical winds show that it is conceivable for such particles to be projected from near the highest measured altitudes in the mesosphere up to 120 km,” the study authors added. At this point, the particles have “enough momentum to facilitate the planetary escape.”



According to the scientists, these phenomena could help seed life on other planets, such as Mars. “If a biological particle escaped Earth and it landed on something that was conducive to life, biology tends to grow quite easily. Even if the probability of an escape event happening is quite low, like once every 50 years, if you think about long geological timescales there are a lot of events of potential life transfer that could happen from this mechanism,” explained Berera.



Moreover, these findings could also suggest that life on Earth may have originated through transfer of microorganisms from other planets (the so-called “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/panspermia">panspermia theory</a>”). &nbsp;“It is possible if there were say biological particles in early Mars, that they may have been propelled into space and possibly landed on Earth,” Berera said.&nbsp;



Further research is needed to understand what distances can micro-organism travel through space, and what are the factors that influence their journey.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspa.2021.0626">Proceedings of the Royal Society A</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Life on Earth may have blown in from outer space

A new study led by the Higgs Center for Theoretical...

During the last year, people spent an average of 4.8 hours per day on their smartphones, thus nearly a third of their waking hours. Globally, consumers spent 3.8 trillion hours on mobile phones, paid $320,000 on apps every minute, and downloaded over 435,000 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/health-exercise-apps-teens/">apps</a> per minute. These statistics are detailed in a new <a href="https://www.appannie.com/en/insights/market-data/state-of-mobile-2022/">report</a> from <a href="https://www.appannie.com/en/">App Annie</a>, the “State of Mobile in 2022."



By analyzing a vast amount of data, including downloads, consumer spending, and usage estimates, the App Annie company - a leading global provider of mobile data and analytics - has found that smartphones may be the leading technology of the present.



“Mobile is the greatest of all time and the go-to device of the future,' said Theodore Krantz, CEO of App Annie. “The big screen is slowly dying as mobile continues to break records in virtually every category – time spent, downloads and revenue.”



“Despite access to bigger screens, consumers are still watching content on mobile. Competition is heating up in the space and exclusive content is a way of drawing in new viewers.”&nbsp;



The data revealed that, globally, consumers spent $170 billion on apps (up to 19 percent from 2020), while app downloads have continued increasing at five percent each year, reaching a record of 230 billion in 2021. 



The greatest increases were seen in consumer spending on dating apps ($4.2 billion, marking a 55 percent increase from 2019), followed closely by food and drink apps, with a 50 percent yearly increase. Online advertising is also surging, topping $295 billion in 2021 (a 23 percent increase), and heading toward $350 billion within a year.&nbsp;



In terms of user engagement, TikTok, a newly established Chinese social media app, was the standout winner, ahead of previous leaders such as Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. While TikTok and Facebook both registered 19.6 average monthly hours per user in 2021, TikTok witnessed an extraordinary growth, from only 13.3 average monthly hours in 2020.



“2021 was another blockbuster year in mobile, following a pandemic-induced catalyst to mobile habits in 2020. 2022 is set to blow past records in a transformed economy reliant on digital socialization, hybrid work, and entertainment from the palm of your hand. A mobile-first strategy is a prerequisite for success in our transformed economy,” App Annie said.



However, whether we should be as optimistic as this company regarding such life-changing transformations remains an open question. Research into smartphone technology should also take into account their negative impacts, such as the diminished need for real-life interaction, disruption of sleeping patterns, and the emergence or exacerbation of mental disorders, such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety.



&nbsp;---



By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

People spend nearly 5 hours a day on smartphones

During the last year, people spent an average of 4.8...

In a new study from the <a href="https://www.uc.edu/">University of Cincinnati</a>, researchers have discovered that a type of brightly colored jumping spider is <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dinosaurs-may-have-had-pops-of-color-like-modern-ducks/">color</a> blind. The study was focused on Saitis barbipes, a common jumping spider found in Europe and North Africa. 



The males of this species have a furry red crown and legs. They are known for performing elaborate courtship dances.



“We assumed they were using color for communication. But we didn’t know if their visual system even allowed them to see those colors,” said study co-first author David Outomuro.



Using microspectrophotometry to examine jumping spiders collected in Slovenia, the team found no evidence of a red photoreceptor. The experts also looked for colored filters that might shift green sensitivity to red, but found that there were none.



The researchers ultimately determined that, most likely, bright red colors appear no different than black markings to these jumping spiders.



"To quantify and visualize whether females may nevertheless be capable of discriminating red from black color patches, we take multispectral images of males and calculate photoreceptor excitations and color contrasts between color patches," explained the study authors&nbsp;&nbsp;



"Red patches would be, at best, barely discriminable from black, and not discriminable from a low-luminance green."



“It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, what’s going on here,” said study co-author Professor Nathan Morehouse. “We haven’t solved the mystery of what the red is doing.”&nbsp;



Even though animals use color in all sorts of ways, including camouflage, it’s not always apparent what bright colors might signify, according to Professor Morehouse. “We spent a lot of time talking about it as a group. What else could it be? I feel there’s an interesting story behind the mystery."



Study senior author Cynthia Tedore, a research associate at the University of Hamburg, said the results of the research were surprising.



“Males have bold red and black coloration on their forward-facing body surfaces which they display during their courtship dances; whereas, females lack red coloration altogether. This initially suggested to us that the red color must play some role in mate attraction," said Tedore.



“Instead, we found that red and black are perceived equivalently, or nearly so, by these spiders and that if red is perceived as different from black, it is perceived as a dark ‘spider green’ rather than red."



The researchers believe that the spider’s red and black colors may possibly improve defensive camouflage.



“For predators with red vision, at natural viewing distances, the spider's red and black color patches should blur together to become an intermediate orangish-brownish color, which would help the spider blend in with its leaf litter habitat better than all-black coloration would,” said Tedore.



The experts noted that there are many colorful jumping spiders that see red perfectly well. There are also many dull-colored spiders that have great color vision.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/114">The Science of Nature</a>.



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

Scientists find a colorful jumping spider that is color blind

In a new study from the University of Cincinnati, researchers...

New research led by <a href="https://newbrunswick.rutgers.edu/">Rutgers University – New Brunswick</a> and funded by <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/">NASA</a> has discovered the structures of proteins that might have been responsible for the origins of life from the “primordial soup” of chemical elements of ancient <a href="https://www.earth.com/video/earth-humans-and-all-living-creatures-are-made-from-stars/">Earth</a>. By investigating how primitive forms of life on our planet originated from simple, non-living materials, scientists finally managed to address one of the mysteries of modern biology.



“We have very little information about how life arose on this planet, and our work contributes a previously unavailable explanation,” said study lead author Yana Bromberg, a professor of Microbiology and Bioinformatics at Rutgers.&nbsp;



According to Professor Bromberg and her colleagues, all living organism would have needed to collect and store energy from sources such as the Sun or hydrothermal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sea-vents-are-favorable-to-the-formation-of-life/">vents</a>. In molecular terms, this would entail the ability to shuffle electrons. And since the best elements for electron transfers are metals and most activities connected to life are carried out by proteins, the researchers decided to investigate proteins that bind metals as potential precursors to living organisms.



By applying advanced computational methods, the scientists found that the majority of metal-binding proteins are similar regardless of the type of metals they bind to, the organism they come from, or their overall functionality.&nbsp;



“We saw that the metal-binding cores of existing proteins are indeed similar even though the proteins themselves may not be. We also saw that these metal-binding cores are often made up of repeated substructures, kind of like LEGO blocks,” explained Professor Bromberg. &nbsp;&nbsp;



“Curiously, these blocks were also found in other regions of the proteins, not just metal-binding cores, and in many other proteins that were not considered in our study. Our observation suggests that rearrangements of these little building blocks may have had a single or a small number of common ancestors and given rise to the whole range of proteins and their functions that are currently available - that is, to life as we know it.”&nbsp;



“This explanation could also potentially contribute to our search for life on other planets and planetary bodies. Our finding of the specific structural building blocks is also possibly relevant for synthetic biology efforts, where scientists aim to construct specifically active proteins anew,” she concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.science.org/journal/sciadv">Science Advances</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Study sheds new light on the origins of life on Earth

New research led by Rutgers University – New Brunswick and...

Dramatic,Spring,Scene,On,The,Tulip,Farm.,Colorful,Sunset,In

Body image refers to your perceptions about your own body, and whether you feel positive or negative about it. It is a complex phenomenon that is based on your attitudes, experiences and beliefs in relation to your own physical appearance and its attractiveness. This is influenced by social and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/children-respond-to-rulebreakers-in-culturally-distinct-ways/">cultural</a> factors as well.&nbsp;



People with a negative body image feel that they will be judged for being unattractive, or for being less attractive than they should be. This can cause them anxiety, low self-esteem and a failure to value themselves, and may contribute to mental health issues. Many people employ coping strategies to manage their potentially distressing body-image experiences; these may include avoiding social situations in which they may be judged, and covering up parts of their bodies that they feel are “unacceptable” to others.&nbsp;



Growing evidence suggests that spending time in natural environments is associated with the development of a more positive body image and that this may also represent a way of coping with, or improving a person’s negative body image. Thus far, however, the mechanism by which exposure to nature helps improve body image has not been elucidated.&nbsp;



In new research, published recently in the journal <a href="https://home.liebertpub.com/publications/ecopsychology/300/overview">Ecopsychology </a>, scientists from the Anglia Ruskin University in the UK investigated a possible indirect pathway whereby time spent in nature is associated with increased body appreciation.&nbsp;



For the study, 401 participants were asked to complete a survey about their exposure to nature, their levels of body appreciation and the extent to which they use “positive rational acceptance” (PRA) as a coping mechanism. PRA is a cognitive approach that can be used to help avoid the stress induced by having a negative body image. It entails using strategies that emphasize acceptance of one’s physical appearance, along with positive self-care and rational self-talk about one's body.&nbsp;



The researchers used correlation analyses to find out whether the three variables were associated with one another. The analyses&nbsp;indicated positive, although weak-to-moderate, associations between all three constructs. This held true when all participants were lumped together, as well as when men and women were considered separately.



Furthermore, mediation analysis supported the hypothesis that PRA mediates the association between nature exposure and body appreciation. This implies that when people are exposed to nature, they are better at rationalizing and keeping in perspective any feelings of negative body image they may have. The results highlight the potential benefit of exposure to nature in terms of promoting adaptive body image coping strategies which, in turn, are associated with a more positive body image.



Although previous research has demonstrated the mental and emotional benefits of spending time in natural environments, this is the first study to suggest a mechanism whereby exposure to nature can help the mind cope with temporary feelings of negative body image. The authors state that spending time in natural environments provides opportunities for healthy body image coping strategies to develop and be employed.&nbsp;



This may be due, in part, to the fact that natural settings are away from the physical sources of body image threats, such as unrealistic appearance standards, mirrors, or social media. Being in nature may also help individuals focus on healthier and more rational thought processes that allow for more realistic appraisals of the value of their own bodies.



Lead author Viren Swami, Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “There is already evidence that being in nature in itself promotes positive body image, but this is the first study to look at how exposure to nature can help the mind cope with temporary feelings of negative body image that we all experience from time to time, and keep a sense of perspective.”



“Being in nature takes us away from some of the triggers for negative body image – Instagram posts, models on billboards, mirrors – that we find in urban environments, and gives us opportunities to put things into perspective. The restorative qualities of these natural environments may also promote healthier cognitive processes, including greater self-control and a feeling of time passing more slowly, giving us the chance to rationalize these threats,” explained Swami.



“We know that positive body image boosts mental health, and this study adds weight to the growing body of evidence about the importance of exposure to nature, and how we need to ensure, as a society, that everyone has as much access to natural environments as possible."



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By <a href="mailto:bosman@truewan.co.za">Alison Bosman</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Spending time in nature leads to a healthier body image

Body image refers to your perceptions about your own body,...

A new study led by <a href="https://www.tcd.ie/">Trinity College Dublin</a> has found that forgetting may be an important functional feature of the brain, allowing it to interact dynamically with the environment, and could ultimately be understood as a form of learning.



As we live our lives, we create an enormous number of memories, most of which we forget. While forgetting has usually been understood in negative terms, as a weakness of our cognitive system, a research team from Trinity College Dublin discovered that forgetting some memories could in fact be beneficial, as it can lead to more flexible behavior and better decision-making.&nbsp;



According to the scientists, if certain memories were gained in circumstances that are not fully relevant to the current environment, forgetting them may well be a positive thing, improving our well-being. In other words, we learn to forget some memories, while retaining others that are more important to our current situation.



“Memories are stored in ensembles of neurons called ‘engram cells,’ and successful recall of these memories involves the reactivation of these ensembles. The logical extension of this is that forgetting occurs when engram cells cannot be reactivated. The memories themselves are still there, but if the specific ensembles cannot be activated, they can’t be recalled. It’s as if the memories are stored in a safe but you can’t remember the code to unlock it,” explained study lead author Dr. Tomás Ryan, an associated professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin.



“Our new theory proposes that forgetting is due to circuit remodeling that switches engram cells from an accessible to an inaccessible state. Because the rate of forgetting is impacted by environmental conditions, we propose that forgetting is actually a form of learning that alters memory accessibility in line with the environment and how predictable it is.”



Thus, according to Professor Ryan and his colleagues, forgetting is due to altered memory access rather than memory loss. This important insight could have a significant impact in explaining not only the structure of memory in general but also pathological conditions related to memory loss, such as <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-coffee-protects-against-alzheimers-disease/">Alzheimer</a>’s disease.



“We believe that this ‘natural forgetting’ is reversible in certain circumstances, and that in disease states – such as in people living with Alzheimer’s disease for example – these natural forgetting mechanisms are hijacked, which results in greatly reduced engram cell accessibility and pathological memory loss,” wrote the authors.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-021-00548-3">Nature Reviews Neuroscience</a>.&nbsp;



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Forgetting may actually be a form of learning

A new study led by Trinity College Dublin has found...

A new study from <a href="https://www.anu.edu.au/">Australian National University</a> (ANU) creates a stark choice: step up conservation efforts or lose the regent honeyeater, a beautiful <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/songbirds-and-humans-use-similar-speech-patterns/">songbird</a>, within 20 years. The new study reveals that even the current intensive conservation efforts aren’t enough.



“The regent honeyeater population has been decimated by the loss of over 90 per cent of their preferred woodland habitats,” said study lead author Professor Rob Heinsohn.



"Less than 80 years ago, it was one of the most commonly encountered species, ranging from Adelaide to Rockhampton. Now it is on track to follow the dodo into extinction.”



There are currently less than 300 regent honeyeaters left, making it one of Australia’s rarest birds. Habitat destruction forces the remaining honeyeaters to compete with larger birds for less habitat.



In 2015 the ANU researchers began an intensive research project focused on gaining greater understanding of the regent honeyeater’s decline. After years of field work, the scientists discovered that the decline in nest success was due to predation by other bird species and possums.&nbsp;



In the new research, the scientists used their hard won field data to create a population model that predicts the bird’s future population.&nbsp;



“Our models show that current conservation efforts have provided essential life support for the regent honeyeaters, but do not go far enough," said study co-author Dr. Ross Crates. “We were able to isolate the three key conservation priorities necessary to secure the birds’ future."&nbsp;



The first conservation priority the research lays out is a doubling of nest success rates in both wild and zoo bred animals, facilitated by protecting the nests from predators.&nbsp;



Next captive breeding efforts releasing birds into the Blue Mountains must increase and remain steady for twenty years in addition to nest protection.&nbsp;



Lastly, the research emphasizes that the regent honeyeater can only survive into the future if more habitat is preserved and restored.&nbsp;



“Without more habitat, reintroductions and nest protection efforts will be futile, because the flock sizes will never reach the critical mass needed for the birds to breed safely without our protection," said Professor Heinsohn.&nbsp;&nbsp;



"Our study provides both hope and a dire warning - we can save these birds, but it will take a lot of effort and resources over a long time to pull it off.”&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biological-conservation">Biological Conservation</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

How can we save the regent honeyeater from extinction?

A new study from Australian National University (ANU) creates a...

A new study led by scientists from the <a href="https://www.exeter.ac.uk/">University of Exeter</a> has found an increase in the diversity of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/bacteria-can-help-sustainably-extract-rare-earth-elements/">bacteria</a> in the genus Vibrio in UK waters. Scientists discovered V. rotiferianus and V. jasicida, two species that have never been detected in the waste of this region before.&nbsp;



The increase in diversity of Vibrio bacteria may harm sea creatures such as shellfish, and can also be harmful to humans.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



"Vibrio species can often be found in UK waters in summer, when temperatures are more favourable for them," said <a href="https://biosciences.exeter.ac.uk/staff/profile/index.php?web_id=sariqa_wagley">Dr. Sariqa Wagley</a>. "With sea-surface temperatures rising due to climate change, Vibrio activity in the waters is more common, and the diversity of Vibrio species is now increasing. We found Vibrio parahaemolyticus – the leading cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis worldwide – at Chichester Harbour."Despite the potential health concerns, Dr. Wagley points out that there are easy ways to avoid sickness, even with the spread of bacteria from food.&nbsp;



"It is important to note that thorough cooking kills harmful Vibrio bacteria in seafood. However, increasing abundance and diversity of Vibrio bacteria creates health risks not only for people eating seafood, but for those using the sea for recreation purposes – either due to swallowing infected seawater or from the bacteria entering exposed wounds or cuts.”



Besides their direct impact on human health, Vibrio bacteria have significant indirect impacts, including harm to the shellfish industry.&nbsp;



"Vibrio bacteria are also a threat to a variety of marine species including shellfish themselves. Disease costs the global aquaculture industry £6 billion a year, and this burden of disease can be devastating," said Dr. Wagley.



"We have not seen mass mortality of shellfish due to Vibrio bacteria here in the UK yet, but this has occurred elsewhere – including in France and Australia."



The research highlights the need for careful monitoring of the situation, both for human health as well as marine biodiversity.&nbsp;



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.journals.elsevier.com/water-research">Water Research</a>.



Image Credit: Dr. Luke Helmer



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By <a href="mailto:zachfitzner@yahoo.com">Zach Fitzner</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

New bacteria found in the UK linked to warming waters

A new study led by scientists from the University of...

When wild creatures gather at watering holes, they also bring along their parasites, according to a new study from <a href="https://www.ucsb.edu/">UC Santa Barbara</a>. The experts report that cattle and elephants have the highest increased risk of exposure to the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/if-primates-go-extinct-so-will-their-parasites/">parasites</a>.&nbsp;



"We think about watering holes as being iconic centers of these majestic animals, but they are also hotspots for the parasites that infect these animals," said study co-author Georgia Titcomb.&nbsp;



The researchers set out to investigate how watering holes may influence the distribution of the parasites across savannas in central Kenya.&nbsp;



The study revealed that parasite density is much higher around water sources compared to the surrounding landscape. The exposure risk varied among animal species, and the results suggest that cattle and elephants have by far the greatest risk. In fact, potential parasite exposure for cattle was 143 times higher, and 67 times higher for elephants.&nbsp;



Titcomb said she expected watering holes to aggregate parasites, leading to higher exposure for hosts. "But we didn't expect quite the degree of variation among different wildlife species. The animals that were most strongly affected, and that really followed our expectations, were ones that are quite water dependent: elephants and cattle."



The researchers also surveyed 17 watering holes and 17 dry locations at the Mpala Research Centre, in central Kenya, as well as three wet and dry sites at Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The team found that in the driest areas and time periods, parasite density around water sources was more than 150 times higher than that of locations without water.



"If a cattle herder wants to reduce the chances that their cattle are exposed to parasites, they may want to avoid grazing their animals within 150 meters of water," said Titcomb.&nbsp;



Next, she hopes to investigate how parasite infections in cattle might affect wildlife. "Because cattle are so numerous, their infection patterns have really strong potential to affect less numerous wildlife in the area."



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/ncomms/">Nature Communications</a>.



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

When animals flock to watering holes, so do their parasites

When wild creatures gather at watering holes, they also bring...

Many animal species exhibit behaviors that are linked to moon phases. A new study led by <a href="https://www.lsu.edu/">Louisiana State University</a> (LSU) and the <a href="https://www.ufl.edu/">University of Florida</a> is one of the first to investigate the connections between lunar phases and shark attacks. The findings suggest that more shark attacks occur during fuller phases of the moon.



The researchers analyzed a global shark attack record (<a href="https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/shark-attacks/">The International Shark Attack File</a>) collected during over half a century (from 1960 to 2015) and discovered an unmistakable correlation between a large number of these attacks and periods with higher lunar illumination. However, it is not yet clear what the precise cause of this phenomenon is.&nbsp;



“It’s not a matter of more light at night for sharks to see. Most shark attacks occur in the daylight. However, the moon can exert other forces on Earth and its oceans in ways that are much more subtle—for example, the gravitation pull that we see affect the tides,” explained study co-author Steve Midway, an associate professor of Fisheries Ecology and Statistics at LSU.



According to Professor Midway and his colleagues, it is still too early to claim that lunar illumination is a causative factor for shark attacks. Since the relationship between moon phases and shark attacks may not be causal, scientists are not necessarily claiming that there are any immediate risk management benefits arising from these findings. Yet, the study contributes to a better understanding of shark behavior, which could help risk management in the future.



“Ultimately, moon phase and lunar illumination will not likely be a strong predictor that alone can forecast risk of shark attack. Local environmental variables are expected to continue to be more practical information for assessing risk.”&nbsp;



“However, the results here strongly support the idea that moon phase does play a role in overall risk of shark attack, and if future studies are able to consider local and regional environmental conditions along with lunar illumination, both understating shark attacks and forecasting risk may improve,” the authors concluded.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.745221/full">Frontiers in Marine Science</a>.



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By <a href="mailto:andrei.ionescu5891@gmail.com">Andrei Ionescu</a>, <a href="https://www.earth.com/staff/">Earth.com</a> Staff Writer

Shark attacks linked to phases of the Moon

Many animal species exhibit behaviors that are linked to moon...

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

[sendtonews key="e4ZG0Jawp3-2374785-12187" type="single"] Astronomers at Johns Hopkins University have created...

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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Remote sensing will revolutionize the way we monitor trees

[sendtonews key="EjmSP20gQK-2593093-12187" 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 Dublin, the capital and largest city of Ireland. Beyond its pub culture, Dublin is known as a modern culinary destination and a UNESCO City of Literature.



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;



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



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The city of Dublin on Ireland's east coast

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



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



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



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



Video/ Image Credit: ESA



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



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

The province of Zaragoza in northeast Spain

[sendtonews key="oL4FnPTGCV-2384527-12187" 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.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



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2022 illustrated the consequences of a warming climate

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard



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



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



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Two distant planets may be "water worlds"

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

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



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



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



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



Video Credit: NASA Goddard&nbsp;



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



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

Satellites reveal how Earth's systems are interconnected

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