Heart disease, not suicide or overdose, is the leading killer of people living with serious mental health conditions. This is the conclusion of a sweeping review led by Viola Vaccarino of Emory University.



The experts report that adults with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety die, on average, 10 to 20 years earlier than their peers - largely because of cardiovascular disease.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-health-and-life-expectancy">Mental health and life expectancy </h2>



The cardiovascular penalty attached to common psychiatric diagnoses is substantial. Depression raises the risk of heart disease by roughly 72 percent.&nbsp;



For <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/psychedelic-use-linked-to-higher-risk-of-schizophrenia/">schizophrenia</a>, the risk nearly doubles - up to about 95 percent. Bipolar disorder increases cardiovascular risk by 57 percent, PTSD boosts coronary heart disease risk by 61 percent, and anxiety disorders are associated with a 41 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular causes. 



These numbers help explain why <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-life-expectancy-faces-a-triple-threat/">life expectancy</a> shrinks so dramatically for this population.



Despite the elevated risks, people with mental health conditions routinely receive worse heart care than the general public. Screenings are missed and risk factors go unmanaged. Evidence-based treatments are offered less often and followed up less reliably.&nbsp;



The result is a widening survival gap affecting a vast swath of society: roughly one in four people will experience a mental health disorder during their lifetime.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-illness-and-heart-disease">Mental illness and heart disease</h2>



Mood and thought disorders don’t just coincide with heart disease; they help cause it - and cardiovascular events can in turn trigger new psychiatric illness. That feedback loop runs through behavior and biology.&nbsp;



Higher rates of smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet are part of the story. So are the physiological effects of chronic stress: systemic inflammation, elevated <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/blood-pressure-treatment-efficacy-calculator-revolutionize-measurement-and-treatment/">blood pressure</a>, arrhythmias, and insulin resistance all nudge the cardiovascular system toward failure.



The relationship is equally visible in reverse. About 18 percent of people with cardiovascular disease live with depression; after an acute event such as a heart attack, that figure climbs to roughly 28 percent. 



Nearly one in four stroke survivors develops depression in the aftermath, and around 12 percent of heart attack survivors go on to meet criteria for PTSD. Treating either condition in isolation misses the way each amplifies the other.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-existing-systems-miss-what-matters">Existing systems miss what matters</h2>



The review highlights a pattern of structural neglect. Mental health and cardiology are typically staffed, funded and measured as separate domains, with little coordination between them.&nbsp;



Many cardiology clinics don’t routinely screen for depression, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/witnessing-trauma-may-cause-ptsd-in-a-different-way/">PTSD</a>, or anxiety. Many psychiatric services don’t monitor blood pressure, lipids, or glucose as systematically as cardiovascular teams would.



Access gaps compound the problem. In a 2023 U.S. survey cited by the authors, 54 percent of people who met criteria for a mental health disorder received no treatment at all.



Even in countries with universal coverage, patients with serious mental illness are less likely to receive recommended medications, procedures and follow-up for heart disease. 



Poverty, unstable housing, and social isolation make adherence and clinic attendance harder, turning health inequities into entrenched mortality.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mental-and-physical-health-gains">Mental and physical health gains</h2>



The good news is that several familiar tools carry cardiovascular benefits alongside mental health gains.&nbsp;



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-in-a-pill-is-now-closer-to-reality/">Exercise</a> is one of the most effective treatments for depression and also directly improves blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and endothelial function. The review argues it should sit alongside psychotherapy and antidepressants as core treatment - not an optional add-on.



Mind-body practices such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve some risk factors (for example, heart rate variability and stress biomarkers). Evidence that they prevent heart attacks or strokes remains limited, but early signals are encouraging and warrant larger trials.



Integrated care models - where mental health and cardiovascular teams coordinate around the same patient - consistently improve psychiatric outcomes in clinical studies. The next step is proving that these collaborative approaches also cut hard cardiac endpoints like myocardial infarction and cardiovascular mortality.&nbsp;



To do that, researchers will need to stop excluding people with mental health disorders from cardiovascular trials, a longstanding practice that has left clinicians without robust, disorder-specific guidelines for high-risk patients.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-improving-life-expectancy-outcomes">Improving life expectancy outcomes</h2>



The authors call for changes that are as practical as they are profound. Medical schools and residency programs should train clinicians to recognize and manage the bidirectional links between mental and physical illness.&nbsp;



Health systems and payers need to expand mental health coverage while embedding routine cardiovascular screening and risk management into psychiatric care - and, conversely, embedding mental health screening into cardiology.



Community-level solutions matter, too. Making exercise accessible and safe, addressing <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/smoking-related-deaths-will-surge-by-2030/">tobacco</a> use with tailored support, improving food access and tackling social isolation are public-health interventions that serve both the heart and the mind.&nbsp;



And because the burden is unequally distributed, equity must be a design principle: culturally competent care, outreach in underserved neighborhoods and policies that reduce financial and logistical barriers will save the most lives.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-treat-the-whole-person">Treat the whole person</h2>



Taken together, the evidence reframes a familiar crisis. Mental health disorders are common. <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/a-century-of-progress-in-the-fight-against-cardiovascular-disease/">Cardiovascular disease</a> is common. When they collide, lives are cut short - not by inevitability, but by gaps we can close.&nbsp;



If roughly a quarter of us will face a mental health condition in our lifetime, preventing the downstream heart damage is not a niche priority; it’s a population-wide imperative.



The path forward is clear enough: measure risk where it’s highest, treat depression and anxiety as cardiac risk factors, deploy exercise and integrated care as first-line tools, and build research and reimbursement structures that reflect how tightly the mind and heart are tied. 



Stop treating mental and cardiovascular health separately, and that 10- to 20-year life-expectancy penalty starts to look less like fate - and more like a fixable failure.



The research is published in the journal <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(25)00165-6/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Lancet Regional Health - Europe</a>.



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Mental health disorders reduce life expectancy by up to 20 years

Heart disease, not suicide or overdose, is the leading killer of people living with serious mental health conditions. This is the conclusion of a sweeping review led by Viola Vaccarino of Emory University. The experts report that adults with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety die, on average, 10 to 20 years earlier than their peers - largely because of cardiovascular disease.&nbsp; Mental health and life expectancy The cardiovascular penalty attached to common psychiatric diagnoses is substantial. Depression raises the risk of heart...

Even before babies can smile, they already show signs of recognizing kindness. A recent study reveals that five-day-old newborn can distinguish between helpful and harmful social behavior. They show a preference for the helpful.



“These babies have almost no experience with the social world, and yet they’re already picking up on friendly versus unfriendly interactions, on helping versus hindering," said Dr. Kiley Hamlin of the <a href="https://www.ubc.ca" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of British Columbia</a>. "That could be telling us something really important about human nature.” 



The study, co-led by Dr. Alessandra Geraci from the <a href="https://www.unict.it/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Catania</a>, examined how newborns responded to basic social actions like approaching or helping. Their co-authors were Luca Surian and Lucia Gabriella Tina.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-watching-animated-balls-with-meaning">Watching animated balls with meaning</h2>



Researchers showed the newborns looping animations. In one, a ball (Agent A) tried climbing a hill. In one version, a second ball (Agent B) helped push it up and in another, it shoved Agent A down. Infants looked longer at the helping scene.



Another video set showed one ball moving toward another (approach) versus away (avoidance). Again, babies spent more time watching the friendly interaction.



These videos used faceless gray balls. The movements were smooth, repeated, and high contrast. This design suited newborn vision. Control videos had similar motions but lacked <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/gut-bacteria-influence-our-social-behavior-and-sense-of-fairness/">social meaning</a>. Babies didn’t show a preference there.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-babies-chose-kindness">Babies chose kindness</h2>



What makes this finding powerful is the age of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/singing-to-babies-significantly-improves-their-mood-and-overall-well-being-study-confirms/">infants</a>. Just five days old, they have minimal life experience. The research team ruled out learned behavior by designing scenarios with novel agents and controlled movements. Babies preferred prosocial acts only when the scenes implied social intent.



In&nbsp;Experiment 1, infants watched approach versus avoidance. They preferred approach, but only when both agents appeared socially animated. In the non-social version, where one agent was inert, babies showed no preference.



In&nbsp;Experiment 2, the team tested helping versus hindering on a hill. Babies again looked longer at the helping scene, but only under the social condition.



In&nbsp;Experiment 3, the results replicated. Seventy-eight percent of newborns looked longer at helping interactions. The researchers concluded that newborns show a spontaneous preference for simple forms of prosocial behavior.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-newborns-responded-to-intent">Newborns responded to intent</h2>



Newborns have already shown a preference for faces, eye contact, and crying sounds, but this study goes further. 



The research suggests that newborns can process types of social interaction by recognizing when one agent acts supportively toward another.



The study rules out simple motion as the cause. Babies didn’t respond similarly to random or one-sided movements. They responded to interaction. They noticed when one character acted for or against another.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-noticing-basic-social-cues">Noticing basic social cues</h2>



The researchers caution that this may not mean newborns have a <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/online-avatars-sway-our-morals-through-social-influence/">moral sense</a>. Their preferences might reflect social alignment rather than moral judgment. 



For instance, a baby might like characters that move toward others, not because they're “good,” but because they seem socially engaged.



Still, this spontaneous attention to friendly interactions supports the idea that key elements of our moral sense begin early. Not learned, nor taught. It's present from the start.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-babies-spots-kindness-early">Babies spots kindness early</h2>



How do newborns, so inexperienced, process social cues? The answer may lie in the visual brain. Recent neuroscience suggests that parts of the visual system are tuned to social interaction. 



Regions like the extrastriate body area (EBA) and the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) respond to actions like helping or chasing.



These brain systems might allow infants to quickly pick up on social meaning from movement alone. They don’t need language. They don’t even need faces.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-humans-may-be-born-kind">Humans may be born kind</h2>



“These findings go significantly beyond past work in lending support to claims that humans are in possession of unlearned mechanisms for detecting and evaluating key features of the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/are-babies-born-with-morals-scientists-think-they-found-out/">sociomoral</a> world,” the authors write.



While it’s still unclear whether these early social preferences are truly moral, the results provide a strong starting point. Even in the first days of life, babies aren’t passive. They’re watching. And they’re rooting for the good guys.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61517-3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Communications</a>.



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Babies can recognize kindness just days after birth

Even before babies can smile, they already show signs of...

Teenagers who live with anxiety or depression aren't using social media platforms the same way as everyone else. 



A survey of 3,340 adolescents shows that those diagnosed with mood disorders spend about fifty extra minutes per day online and feel less satisfied with their circle of digital friends.



“The link between social media use and youth mental health is hotly debated, but hardly any studies look at young people already struggling with clinical‑level mental health symptoms,” said <a href="https://www.data.cam.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/luisa-fassi" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Luisa Fassi</a> of the University of Cambridge’s <a href="https://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit</a>, lead author of the new analysis.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-social-media-use-in-teens">Social media use in teens</h2>



Screen‑time tallies have long dominated discussions, yet raw hours rarely capture how <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/growing-up-in-a-digital-world-tiktok-makes-teenagers-happy/">different minds</a> behave online. 



Fassi’s team compared adolescents with and without internalizing conditions, a clinical category that includes anxiety, depression and post‑traumatic stress, to tease out patterns that simple time logs miss.



The researchers used gold‑standard diagnostic interviews rather than symptom checklists, giving the work more clinical weight than most surveys. 



Co‑author <a href="https://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/amy.orben/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr Amy Orben</a> noted that their approach “scratched only the surface” and called for richer data drawn directly from platforms, not just memory‑based questionnaires, to clarify what teens actually do online.



A separate <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2025/04/22/teens-social-media-and-mental-health/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Pew Research Center poll</a> of 1,391 U.S. teens released this spring echoed the concern: forty‑five percent of teenagers say they spend too much time on social media, up nine points from 2022. 



These self‑judgments hint that many young users already sense a mismatch between healthy habits and their own scrolling.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-spent-is-just-one-clue">Time spent is just one clue</h2>



Numbers alone cannot capture who is at risk, because everyday usage varies widely. 



A 2020 <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-67727-7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a> that pinged Dutch adolescents six times a day found that forty‑six percent actually felt better after passive browsing, while ten percent felt worse, underscoring how effects shift from one teen to the next.



Cambridge’s work agrees that harm clusters in specific groups. 



Teens with anxiety or depression were twice as likely as their peers to say they compare themselves with others online and to report mood swings tied to likes and comments.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teens-use-social-media-for-comparisons">Teens use social media for comparisons</h2>



Scrolling social media often invites <a href="https://jedfoundation.org/resource/understanding-social-comparison-on-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online social comparison</a> in teenagers, the tendency to measure one’s own worth against curated posts. 



When the study team asked participants whether they judged themselves against others on social platforms, forty‑eight percent of anxious or <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/why-teen-girls-struggle-more-with-depression/">depressed teens</a> agreed, versus twenty‑four percent of teens without a diagnosis.



Such comparisons can erode self‑image during a developmental window when peer approval carries extra weight. 



Clinical psychologists warn that upward comparisons, seeing only friends’ highlight reels, may intensify rumination in youths already prone to negative self‑talk.



Fassi’s group also saw a sharp dip in friendship satisfaction: young people with <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/too-much-screen-time-is-making-teens-anxious/">mood disorders</a> were less happy with the size of their online networks, even though they spent more hours building them. 



That mismatch can reinforce feelings of rejection and loneliness, two hallmarks of depressive thinking.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-likes-comments-and-mood-swings">Likes, comments and mood swings</h2>



Social media feedback tools, especially visible like counts, amplify emotional highs and lows in teens' lives. 



About one in four <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/internet-addiction-impairs-brain-function-in-teenagers/">teens</a> with internalizing conditions said their mood rises or falls with social feedback, nearly double the rate seen in unaffected peers.



Losing control over time was another problem spot. 



Respondents with anxiety or depression were more likely to report that they stayed online longer than intended, suggesting that compulsive use may act as both symptom and amplifier of distress.



Externalising disorders such as ADHD told a different story. 



These teens logged more time overall but showed few other differences, hinting that impulse‑driven overuse is not always paired with negative feelings about online life.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-this-means-for-families-and-policy">What this means for families and policy</h2>



The findings help clinicians move beyond blanket screen‑time limits. Targeted guidance that tackles comparison habits, late‑night usage and the emotional weight placed on likes may benefit vulnerable teens more than universal caps.



Parents can start by keeping phones out of bedrooms, a step the <a href="https://www.aap.org/?srsltid=AfmBOoqkM5iQDwcRHDFUTY1VibCNeCFWCTrE7ypeGZU2jNn3DkxFYM0S" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">American Academy of Pediatrics</a> has recommended for years. 



Modeling intentional use, checking feeds at set times rather than reflexively, is another practical shift that shows adolescents how to set boundaries.



Policymakers, meanwhile, are weighing curfews, age‑verification rules and tighter controls on algorithmic feeds. 



Orben cautions that regulation should be informed by rigorous evidence, not moral panic, because a minority of teens appear resilient or even happier online.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-teen-social-media-use-needs-more-study">Teen social media use needs more study</h2>



Researchers do not yet know whether heavy <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/social-observation-our-decisions-shift-when-people-are-watching/">social</a> media use triggers anxiety or whether anxious teens seek refuge online. 



Longitudinal data that track the same individuals over years, paired with direct platform logs, are needed to untangle cause from effect.



Future studies must also include marginalized groups and conditions like eating disorders, which were too rare in the Cambridge dataset to analyze. 



Only by mapping diverse experiences can science inform design changes that protect every young user, not just the average one.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02134-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature Human Behaviour</a>.



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Teenagers with anxiety or depression spend more time on social media, according to experts

Teenagers who live with anxiety or depression aren't using social...

Hearing,Sounds,Concept,With,Sound-wave,And,Era,Close-up

Roughly one in seven people worldwide hears a ringing, buzzing, or hissing that no one else can detect - a condition known as tinnitus. The sound can fade into the background for many, yet for millions it barges into meetings, movies, and moments of silence alike, stealing focus and fraying patience.



That constant noise often chips away at sleep, mood, and productivity. School-age kids may crank up earbuds to drown it out; <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hearing-loss-linked-to-a-greater-risk-of-dementia/">older adults</a> sometimes skip dinners out because clattering dishes feel unbearable. 



By the time most folks reach a specialist, the phantom tone has already woven itself into daily routines, with no sign of moving out.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-you-can-t-tune-out-tinnitus">You can't tune-out tinnitus</h2>



“Not being able to get away from tinnitus often results in clinically significant stress and anxiety," comments Christopher Cederroth, a researcher at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the <a href="https://ki.se/en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Karolinska Institutet</a>. 



"Some people have problems sleeping, experience social difficulties, and struggle at work; the risk of sick leave and disability pension increases.” 



Every second person with tinnitus also wrestles with sound hypersensitivity that can turn a closing door into a jab of pain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-your-brain-rings">When your brain rings</h2>



The working theory of what causes tinnitus begins deep in the <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/can-hearing-loss-be-reversed-in-humans/">ear’s cochlea</a>. 



When hair cells tuned to high pitches die - after a loud concert, a blast, or decades of wear - the brain misses their usual input and cranks up its internal gain. That runaway activity zips along the auditory pathway. 



“Animal studies have shown increased activity in the brain’s <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK10900/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">auditory center</a>, but the emotional and cognitive areas of the brain can also contribute to reinforcing tinnitus," explains Cederroth. 



"If we feel stressed, anxious, or think about tinnitus, the activity in the brain’s auditory center increases and the burden accompanying tinnitus is exacerbated."



A <a href="https://ki.se/en/research/research-infrastructure-and-environments/core-facilities-for-research/the-swedish-twin-registry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Swedish Twin Registry</a> study adds another layer: genes appear to carry as much weight as decibels. In men, bilateral tinnitus shows high heritability, hinting that biology can rival environment in shaping risk. 



That genetic backdrop may explain why two friends leave the same concert with different long-term fates - one fine, the other stuck with a whistle that never quits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-when-sleep-is-no-refuge">When sleep is no refuge</h2>



Many people with tinnitus describe thin, broken sleep. Lab recordings back them up, showing fewer deep sleep waves and more midnight awakenings than peers without the ringing. 



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/deep-sleep-how-slow-waves-boost-memory-formation/">Slow-wave sleep</a> normally hushes large swaths of cortex, yet the relief rarely lasts past sunrise. Stripped of solid rest, the brain’s plasticity can slide in the wrong direction, further locking in the misfiring loops.



Unsurprisingly, those bleary mornings feed a feedback cycle. Fatigue heightens stress, stress heightens the ringing, and round it goes. 



“This ringing is a sign that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drugs-may-be-available-to-prevent-hearing-loss/">damage has occurred</a>, and repeated exposure to noise can result in permanent tinnitus. This even applies to music that you listen to at a moderate volume, because it’s also a question of how often you listen,” Cederroth explains.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-minimizing-the-impact-of-tinnitus">Minimizing the impact of tinnitus</h2>



Avoiding fresh injury is step one. “Many people listen to earphones at high volume in <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/video-gamers-may-be-at-risk-of-irreversible-hearing-loss/">noisy environments</a>, even though their phones warn them with a red indicator when the sound exceeds 85 decibels. This is not good, especially if you are young,” Cederroth adds. 



A single fireworks mishap can do lasting harm, yet everyday habits matter too. Occupational safety experts point out that eight hours at 85 decibels, roughly the roar of heavy traffic a few feet away, already flirts with danger. 



Drop just 3 decibels and the safe exposure time doubles; climb 3 decibels and it is cut in half. The math favors earplugs, breaks, and a finger on the volume slider.



Public-health officials in the United States have tried nudging behavior with smartphone warnings and workplace rules, but uptake remains uneven. 



Hearing-conservation campaigns stress that, once those hair cells die, they don’t grow back. For teens who clock hours of streamed music daily, the advice can sound like another lecture - until the first late-night whistle creeps in.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-hopeful-notes">New hopeful notes</h2>



Treatment has shifted far beyond “learn to live with it.” <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cognitive-behavioral-therapy/about/pac-20384610" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cognitive-behavioral therapy</a> helps patients reframe the sound and lower distress, even if it doesn’t mute the signal itself. 



Cochlear implants, built for profound hearing loss, sometimes silence tinnitus altogether by feeding precise electrical pulses to the auditory nerve. 



German clinics have leaned on Notch music therapy, filtering a listener’s favorite tracks to exclude the narrow band that matches the phantom tone, aiming to starve overactive neurons.



Across the Atlantic, <a href="https://www.lenire.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lenire tinnitus treatment</a> reached U.S. clinics after it was awarded awarded <a href="https://www.lenire.com/lenire-granted-fda-approval/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">De Novo FDA Approval</a> in March 2023. The handheld device pairs gentle electrical taps on the tongue with customized sounds.



Large-scale trials showed that the pairing can outperform standard sound therapy, and follow-ups in 204 patients echoed the gains. Demand shot up as more centers adopted the approach.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-tinnitus-treatment">Future of tinnitus treatment</h2>



Researchers now test wearable sound generators that sync clicks to deep-sleep waves, hoping nighttime rhythms will steer plasticity toward quieter maps. 



Others probe targeted magnetic pulses, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/vagus-nerve-stimulation-offers-new-hope-for-severe-depression/">vagus-nerve stimulation</a>, and drug candidates designed to calm hyperactive auditory cortex. 



“Through our discovery, I hope that we will be able to develop an effective drug against tinnitus. But we also know that tinnitus is sustained and enhanced by thoughts and emotions," Cederroth concludes.



"I therefore believe that, in order to provide optimal treatment, we must look at tinnitus from an interdisciplinary perspective, and consider tackling the problem from several angles at the same time."



Tinnitus may be a private sound, yet its public cost - missed workdays, strained evenings, empty café tables - adds up fast. 



The sooner society treats tinnitus as a genuine health priority, the sooner that stubborn ring can fade from center stage.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/braincomms/article/4/3/fcac089/6563428?login=false" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Brain Communications</a>.



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New hope for hundreds of millions of people who suffer from constant ear ringing

Roughly one in seven people worldwide hears a ringing, buzzing,...

Neon‑hued breakfast cereals, microwave‑ready pizzas, and oversized bags of chips now crowd supermarket aisles. A new study draws a sharp line between that convenience found in ultra-processed foods and a cluster of early warning signs for chronic disease.



“It may be about the additives, the packaging, even the marketing,” said <a href="https://mira.mcmaster.ca/our-faculty/anthea-christoforou/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anthea Christoforou</a> of McMaster University, who led the investigation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-understanding-ultra-processed-foods">Understanding ultra-processed foods</h2>



Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/breaking-free-from-ultra-processed-foods-the-surprising-health-benefits/">industrial concoctions</a> designed for convenience, shelf life, and hyper-palatability. 



Think of packaged snacks, sugary cereals, soda, instant noodles, and frozen meals - these aren't just "processed," they're engineered. 



Manufacturers strip raw ingredients of their natural nutrients, then add fats, sugars, artificial flavors, emulsifiers, preservatives, and colorings to craft something addictive and uniform. 



The result is food that barely resembles its original form and is often high in calories but low in real nutrition.



The trouble is, UPFs are everywhere - and they're linked to a rising tide of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ultra-processed-foods-make-our-bodies-age-faster/">chronic health issues</a>. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ultra-processed-foods-raise-alarms">Ultra‑processed foods raise alarms</h2>



Health agencies classify foods by how much industry tampering they undergo, a system formalized in the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418082/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NOVA classification</a>. 



In the Canadian sample, daily intake averaged just over three servings of these items, but the top quarter of participants swallowed nearly six, crowding out fruit and vegetables.



A landmark metabolic‑ward trial showed that volunteers offered ultra‑processed food menus ate about 500 extra calories per day compared with identical nutrient profiles made from <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-tool-lets-you-check-how-processed-your-food-is-grocerydb/">unprocessed foods</a>. 



Participants in that study gained nearly two pounds in just two weeks, underscoring the silent calorie creep of factory‑formulated meals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-inflammation-is-the-hidden-spark">Inflammation is the hidden spark</h2>



Among the strongest signals in the McMaster dataset was a rise in <a href="https://www.uscjournal.com/articles/high-sensitivity-c-reactive-protein-atherosclerotic-cardiovascular-disease-measure-or-not?language_content_entity=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">C‑reactive protein</a>, a liver‑made marker that flags systemic inflammation. 



High levels of this protein are now listed as a heart‑disease risk enhancer, so its appearance in heavy snackers hints at trouble brewing beneath the skin.



“These foods are causing an inflammatory response, in a sense our bodies see them as some kind of other element,” Christoforou explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-beyond-the-bathroom-scale">Beyond the bathroom scale</h2>



Skeptics sometimes argue that the harms of packaged foods stem solely from the extra pounds they add, yet the study adjusted for body mass index and still saw higher insulin and triglycerides in high‑UPF eaters.



Prospective U.S. cohorts reached a similar conclusion, linking high UPF diets to a 24 percent jump in type 2 diabetes risk even after accounting for weight changes. 



<a href="https://www.niddk.nih.gov/about-niddk/staff-directory/biography/hall-kevin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kevin Hall</a>’s metabolic‑ward <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31105044/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experiment</a> supports that idea, showing that people chewed faster, finished meals sooner, and felt less full when the dishes were ultra‑processed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-socioeconomic-angles-and-policy-gaps">Socioeconomic angles and policy gaps</h2>



In the McMaster survey, heavy UPF eaters were more likely to have lower incomes and less formal education. 



“The health risks persist independently of income and education, highlighting the need for broad, equitable food policies,” warned Angelina Baric, a graduate student co‑author.



An <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38719536/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> covering 45 million person‑years estimated that cutting UPF intake could avert thousands of premature deaths annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-marketing-that-targets-children">Marketing that targets children</h2>



Ultra-processed foods aren’t just convenient, they’re <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ultraprocessed-foods-pose-major-health-risks-especially-for-kids/">aggressively marketed</a>. From children’s cartoons on cereal boxes to bold health claims on energy bars, these strategies are designed to shape preferences early and build loyalty. 



<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2653912" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Research</a> shows that marketing exposure significantly influences eating habits, especially among youth and low-income populations who may have fewer healthy options available.



Many of these products carry front-of-package labels that promote added fiber, vitamins, or protein, giving a false impression of health. These claims often distract from the overall quality of the food. 



<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6364956/">Studies</a> have shown that nutrient-focused labels can mislead consumers into thinking a product is healthier than it actually is, even when it’s high in added sugar or sodium.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-food-matrix-and-biological-effects">Food matrix and biological effects</h2>



One of the more <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/eating-ultra-processed-foods-makes-your-muscles-weaker-and-more-fragile/">overlooked aspects</a> of ultra-processed foods is how they alter the food matrix, the physical and chemical structure of what we eat, which affects how it’s digested and absorbed. 



By breaking down fiber, emulsifying fats, and adding sugars, UPFs speed up digestion, increase glycemic load, and can bypass natural satiety signals.



There’s growing concern that these structural changes may harm the gut microbiome, the community of microbes that helps regulate immunity and metabolism. 



Research suggests certain emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners commonly used in UPFs can disrupt gut bacteria and may lead to inflammatory responses, insulin resistance, and other metabolic issues.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-future-of-ultra-processed-foods">Future of ultra‑processed foods</h2>



Dialing back UPF does not require an all‑or‑nothing pledge; replacing even one daily serving with whole fruit or unsalted nuts trimmed inflammatory markers in trials.



Dietitians recommend starting with breakfast, swapping sugared cereal for oatmeal, then moving on to snacks, habits that nudge down average servings without demanding perfection. 



<a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-additives.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Health Canada</a> is already reviewing additives and marketing rules, and the new biomarker evidence gives those deliberations fresh urgency.



The study is published in <a href="https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-025-00935-y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nutrition &amp; Metabolism</a>.



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Study confirms direct link between ultra-processed foods and serious health problems

Neon‑hued breakfast cereals, microwave‑ready pizzas, and oversized bags of chips...

Senior,Couple,,Smiling,,Mature,Man,And,Woman,Doing,Plank,Exercise

Exercise is medicine. Most of us have heard that advice more times than we can count. But what if the best way to treat high blood pressure doesn’t involve running miles or lifting heavy weights? What if the most effective exercise is one where you barely move at all?



A major new analysis published in the&nbsp;British Journal of Sports Medicine challenges decades of assumptions about how we should approach blood pressure control. The study dives deep into nearly three decades of clinical research.



Its surprising conclusion? Static strength <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-to-maximize-the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise/">exercises</a> like wall sits and planks may be more effective at reducing blood pressure than popular choices like cardio or high intensity interval training.



The research team behind the study set out to uncover the most effective forms of exercise to prevent and manage arterial hypertension. 



The findings not only expand our understanding of how exercise influences blood pressure, but also call for a major update to current medical guidelines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exercise-types-and-blood-pressure">Exercise types and blood pressure</h2>



The researchers systematically reviewed 270 randomized controlled trials conducted between 1990 and February 2023. These trials involved a total of 15,827 participants and explored how various forms of exercise affect resting blood pressure.



To compare outcomes fairly, the researchers categorized <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-feels-better-when-its-matched-to-your-personality/">exercise</a> routines into five main groups: aerobic training, dynamic resistance training, combined training, high intensity interval training (HIIT), and isometric exercise training.



Aerobic training included activities such as walking, running, and cycling. Dynamic resistance training referred to exercises that involve movement and weight, like squats or push-ups. Combined training used both aerobic and resistance approaches. 



HIIT referred to short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low intensity recovery. Finally, isometric training focused on muscle engagement without visible movement, such as wall sits or planks.



The researchers assessed both systolic blood pressure (SBP), the pressure during heartbeats, and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), the pressure between beats. 



Using advanced statistical tools like Bayesian network meta-analysis, they compared all five exercise categories head to head.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-exercises-for-lower-blood-pressure">Exercises for lower blood pressure</h2>



All five types of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/exercise-reduces-depression-and-anxiety-in-children-and-teens-with-mental-health-issues/">exercise</a> reduced blood pressure significantly. But not all changes were equal. Isometric training emerged as the clear leader. 



This type of exercise led to an average systolic reduction of 8.24 mmHg and a diastolic drop of 4.00 mmHg.



In comparison, combined training lowered systolic pressure by 6.04 mmHg. Dynamic resistance came next with 4.55 mmHg, followed by aerobic training at 4.49 mmHg and HIIT at 4.08 mmHg.



Diastolic pressure showed a similar trend. Isometric training again topped the list with a 4 mmHg reduction, followed by resistance training at 3.04 mmHg, combined training at 2.54 mmHg, aerobic training at 2.53 mmHg, and HIIT at 2.50 mmHg.



“Overall, isometric exercise training is the most effective mode in reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure,” noted the researchers.



This finding may seem surprising at first. After all, isometric exercises don’t involve much movement. But their intensity and sustained muscle contraction appear to create powerful cardiovascular benefits.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-routines-for-blood-pressure">Best routines for blood pressure </h2>



The study didn’t just stop at general categories. It also looked at specific forms of exercise within each group that helped with blood pressure management. 



Among all the routines analyzed, wall squats produced the most powerful drop in systolic pressure, averaging 10.47 mmHg. 



When it came to diastolic pressure, running delivered the biggest benefit, with an average reduction of 5.67 mmHg.



Other standout performers included cycling, which had stronger effects than walking in both pressure types. Walking, though widely recommended, showed the smallest benefit in this comparison.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-benefits-for-people-with-hypertension">Benefits for people with hypertension</h2>



Interestingly, aerobic training showed greater blood pressure reductions when performed less frequently. 



The data suggested that training three times per week produced better results than training five times per week or more. This finding applied only to aerobic training and not to the other exercise modes.



The experts found that people with hypertension experienced the largest improvements. For them, isometric training lowered systolic pressure by as much as 12.2 mmHg. 



In contrast, the average drop was about 6.65 mmHg in people with normal blood pressure. This suggests that the benefits are even more pronounced in those who need them most.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-does-hiit-fit-in">Where does HIIT fit in?</h2>



High intensity interval <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/to-get-fit-and-stay-healthy-walk-this-exact-distance-every-day/">training</a> has gained popularity in recent years due to its time efficiency and metabolic benefits. However, in this review, HIIT ranked lowest among all exercise types for lowering systolic pressure. 



When broken down further, sprint interval training (SIT) showed some benefit, while aerobic interval training (AIT) failed to reach statistical significance for either systolic or diastolic blood pressure.



The authors emphasized that intensity does play a role. While walking had modest effects, running and cycling offered stronger outcomes. This highlights the importance of exercise quality over quantity.



Even though HIIT didn’t lead the rankings, the authors acknowledged its growing appeal. It remains a practical choice for people short on time. 



But for those seeking the strongest impact on blood pressure, isometric holds may offer more powerful results in a shorter span.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-need-to-update-exercise-guidelines">The need to update exercise guidelines</h2>



Current exercise guidelines for blood pressure control focus primarily on aerobic activities. But those guidelines are based on older data. This review brings in newer research, including many more trials on isometric and HIIT workouts.



“These findings provide a comprehensive data driven framework to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension,” the authors wrote.



They also noted that blood pressure reductions from isometric training are comparable to those seen with standard dose antihypertensive medications. 



That makes isometric exercise a powerful tool for people who either can’t tolerate medication or want to try non drug approaches first.



While some doctors may still be unfamiliar with using static holds as a prescription, the science is catching up quickly. 



The field now has much more confidence in the effectiveness of these routines, thanks to a growing number of well conducted trials.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simple-exercises-lower-blood-pressure">Simple exercises lower blood pressure </h2>



It turns out that the simplest exercises, those that require no equipment, no running, and very little space, may do the most for your blood pressure. 



Wall sits, planks, and other isometric exercises demand effort without motion, yet offer results that rival, and in some cases exceed, more traditional workouts.



If you're managing high blood pressure or trying to avoid it, consider adding static holds to your weekly routine. The evidence is now stronger than ever. 



Just a few short sessions per week could make a measurable difference and might even take the pressure off your heart.



The authors are from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Canterbury Christ Church University</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://le.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Leicester</a>&nbsp;in the UK. 



The study is published in the <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/20/1317" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">British Journal of Sports Medicine</a>. 



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These types of exercises are better than running or walking for controlling blood pressure

Exercise is medicine. Most of us have heard that advice...

Live shows can feel different from a screen even when the choreography, lighting, and music match. Scientists have now put numbers on that hunch by recording brainwave sync activity inside a theater.



In a recent <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225011836" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">study</a>, a team strapped <a href="https://www.cgxsystems.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EEG headsets</a> on fifty‑nine volunteers and found that their slow “<a href="https://sleepspace.com/what-are-delta-waves/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">delta</a>” waves fell into step during a contemporary dance piece, a pattern missing when people watched the same <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/music-rewires-the-brain-to-quickly-navigate-emotion/">recording</a> alone.



<a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-sciences/guido-orgs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guido Orgs</a> of <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University College London</a>, both a dancer and a neuroscientist, led the work.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-live-audiences-and-brainwave-sync">Live audiences and brainwave sync</h2>



The researchers used <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166432824005254" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interpersonal neural synchrony</a>, a measure of how similarly brainwaves fire over time. 



Audience members who sat together during three live performances showed clear delta‑band alignment, or brainwave sync, especially when performers locked eyes with them.



“Previous research has mostly linked attention to the faster alpha band,” admitted first author <a href="https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/99711-laura-rai" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Laura Rai</a>, yet delta proved the best signal of group engagement. 



Delta waves run at one to four cycles per second, a tempo linked to <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-doesnt-just-hear-music-it-becomes-the-rhythm/">social</a> processing and day‑dreaming rather than outward focus. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brainwaves-reveal-social-attention">Brainwaves reveal social attention</h2>



Earlier classroom <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28457867/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experiments</a> found that alpha‑band synchrony predicts how interested students feel, but those studies relied on lectures and screens. 



The dance data suggest that live, multisensory settings tap slower neural rhythms that keep pace with movement phrases and breathing cycles.



Reviews of mind‑wandering consistently <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35700946/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a> higher power in the same low frequencies, hinting that delta may flag an internal, socially tuned form of attention.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-dancers-moves-guide-audience-focus">Dancers’ moves guide audience focus</h2>



During each show, the researchers found that the dancers’ movements and spacing influenced how closely the audience’s brains aligned. 



When performers stood closer together, the audience focused more, likely directing their attention to the same spot. This physical cue helped synchronize viewers without them realizing it.



What’s more, the choreographer’s own predictions of when people would pay attention turned out to be accurate. 



Brain data from the audience followed those cues, confirming that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/live-music-connects-people-emotionally-and-physically/">artistic</a> choices, like eye contact or deliberate pauses, actually shape how people engage on a neurological level.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-live-shows-feel-stronger-together">Live shows feel stronger together</h2>



When volunteers watched the recording together in a cinema, their brains still synced, though a bit less than in the theater. 



Sitting alone in a lab, delta synchrony dropped further. Sharing space, the authors argue, matters as much as the presence of live performers.



The pattern matches <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.855778/full" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">findings</a> from music venues where pleasure peaks alongside spikes in audience synchrony, pointing to a feedback loop between emotion and neural alignment.



Choreographer <a href="https://metalwater.co/artist/seke-chimutengwende/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Seke Chimutengwende</a> was asked to flag moments he believed would grip spectators. Audience synchrony rose during nearly every scene he highlighted. 



One section, nicknamed “Unison,” featured the dancers moving slowly while gazing directly at individuals; it generated the strongest brain alignment.



“People often emphasize how personal and subjective art is, and that’s absolutely true regarding interpretation. But when it comes to attention, we found that how people engage can be surprisingly predictable and measurable,” said Orgs.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cinemas-are-also-social">Cinemas are also social</h2>



Film editors have long spliced shots to guide viewers’ eyes. The new work shows that a shared room can amplify that guidance even without live performers. 



Viewers in the cinema displayed tighter phase‑locking of delta waves than isolated viewers, yet still less than theatergoers, suggesting a social gradient.



That gradient echoes data from <a href="https://www.ant-neuro.com/blog/showcases-1/the-neurolive-project-10" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NEUROLIVE</a>, a five‑year project mixing dancers and scientists; interim reports showed that simply being near others sharpens collective focus during performance art.



Delta oscillations help stitch sensory snapshots into meaningful chunks, from spoken sentences to dance phrases. Because they run slowly, they can integrate movement cues, music swells, and audience reactions over several seconds.



Such integration may underlie the “we all felt it” effect theater lovers describe, turning individual perception into a shared storyline without words.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-entertainment-and-brainwave-sync">Entertainment and brainwave sync</h2>



EEG caps remain bulky, and wet electrodes are messy to fit on large audiences. The team plans to tour the piece internationally once lighter headsets arrive, hoping to test whether cultural context changes synchrony patterns.



Future studies could pair EEG with motion tracking to see if spectators’ subtle shifts, leaning forward, holding breath, map onto neural alignment, deepening our grasp of how bodies and brains co‑create the live arts experience.



Understanding shared brain rhythms might help directors craft scenes that pull distracted viewers back, or inform therapies that use dance for social disorders. It could also fine‑tune virtual reality concerts by adding avatars that mimic real‑world gaze.



For now, the data give scientific weight to something performers already sense: when the house lights dim and a crowd breathes as one, brains really do catch the same beat.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225011836" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">iScience</a>.



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Brainwaves of humans sync more at live shows than on screens

Live shows can feel different from a screen even when...

Nostalgia often centers on places near water, according to a new study. The researchers found that people are more likely to feel nostalgic about coastlines, lakes, and rivers than about forests, mountains, or farmland.



Dr. Elisabeta Militaru led the study during while earning her in the Psychology Department at the <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/">University of Cambridge</a>.



Seaside locations made up over 25 percent of nostalgic places reported by UK participants. In the United States, that figure was 20 percent. The totals rose to 35 and 30 percent, respectively, when lakes and rivers were included. 



By contrast, only about 10 percent of responses mentioned agricultural areas, forests, or mountains. Urban places made up just over 20 percent in both countries.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mapping-nostalgic-places">Mapping nostalgic places</h2>



To help visualize their findings, the team created maps showing where participants’ most nostalgic places were located. While not statistically representative, the maps give a vivid snapshot of the emotional geography of each country.



In the UK, people most often mentioned spots in Cornwall and Devon, known for their dramatic <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-activity-impacts-97-percent-of-the-worlds-coastline/">coastlines</a>. North Yorkshire also ranked high, likely due to its unique combination of ocean views and the green hills of the Yorkshire Dales.



In the United States, California and Florida came out on top. Both states are known for their beach destinations. New York also stood out - not just for its natural parks but for the emotional pull of places like New York City.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-emotional-pull-of-water">The emotional pull of water</h2>



The scientists set out to better understand what makes some places more likely to stick with us emotionally. They looked at both the physical and psychological traits of these locations.



Each participant was asked to describe a place they felt nostalgic about and explain why.



“We expected people to be more often nostalgic for green places since so many studies emphasize the psychological <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/surprising-mental-health-benefits-of-living-near-green-spaces/">benefits of green, natural environments</a>. We were surprised to find that blue places are the hallmark feature of place nostalgia,” said Dr. Militaru. 



“Our findings add to the growing evidence that blue places are associated with increased <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/world-environment-day-the-critical-role-of-nature-in-human-well-being/">psychological well-being</a>."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-features-of-nostalgic-places">Key features of nostalgic places</h2>



Participants frequently used words like "beautiful," "aesthetic," and "views" to describe their most nostalgic places. 



Past studies by the same team have shown that brightness, color saturation, and contrast influence our emotional responses to a place. Locations by water tend to score high on all three of those factors.



Another feature may be what scientists call "fractal properties" - patterns that repeat in nature. Coastlines often strike the right balance of visual complexity.



According to Dr. Militaru, past research suggests that landscapes with moderate fractal structure, like coastlines, tend to generate <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/brainwaves-reveal-that-positive-emotions-enhance-memory/">positive emotions</a>. 



“People don't like extremely chaotic outlines of the kind you might see in the middle of the forest, where you don’t get a sense of openness. People also don't like too little complexity. With an urban skyline, for instance, there are very few breaks in the scene’s pattern," noted Dr. Militaru.



“Seaside, rivers and lakes may give us the optimal visual complexity, but more work is needed to fully understand this.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-emotionally-charged-experiences">Emotionally charged experiences</h2>



While natural places dominated the results, cities still held a strong emotional pull for many participants.



“It’s important to note that <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/how-does-nature-affect-human-health-in-urban-areas/">urban</a> places are more often classed as being ‘ordinary’ than nostalgia-inducing,” said Dr. Militaru.



So why did they still show up so often? The researchers think it may be tied to how many people live in cities - and to the power of one-off, emotionally charged experiences.



“We are particularly nostalgic about memorable one-time experiences and about unique places which we have visited. Holidays, including trips to cities, can leave a deep emotional imprint," explained Dr. Militaru.



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



The emotional benefits of nostalgia are no longer in doubt. “Back in the 17th century, nostalgia had a negative reputation, it was regarded as a disease of the mind,” said Dr. Militaru.



“Scientific investigation changed that. Now we know that nostalgia is a psychological resource; it emerges when we are faced with psychological discomfort, like feeling lonely or socially excluded. Emerging research finds that nostalgia can also have a positive role in caring for people with dementia.”



Thinking about a nostalgic place does more than just feel good. It can increase your sense of meaning and connection, raise self-esteem, and even help you feel more authentic. 



“Nostalgia brings places into focus, much like a magnifying glass. Meaningful places tend to be physically far away from us, yet nostalgia brings them back into focus and, in so doing, connects our past self to our present and future self,” Dr. Militaru explained.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-designing-places-with-nostalgia-in-mind">Designing places with nostalgia in mind</h2>



The findings have practical implications. Dr. Militaru believes that remembering nostalgic places could help guide conservation and urban planning.



“Our research suggests that access to coasts, rivers, parks, and natural landscapes should be prioritized, especially in dense urban areas."



Focusing on nostalgia might also help city planners and communities work together to protect smaller, locally meaningful places.



“Communities need to be involved in urban planning decisions implemented in their neighborhoods. Only then can we identify the local landmarks that need to be preserved,” noted Dr. Militaru.



The message is clear: the places we carry in our hearts often have water in the frame - and nostalgia might be more than a feeling. It could be a map to the kind of environments that make us feel most alive.



The full study was published in the journal <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2666622725000103">Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology</a>.



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Why we long for the sea: The power of nostalgic places

Nostalgia often centers on places near water, according to a...

About one man in 36 carries two copies of a tiny change in the HFE gene and that detail can more than double his odds of developing dementia, according to a new analysis of nearly 12,200 Australians and Americans.



Dementia already affects about 433,000 Australians, and while women still outnumber men, this fresh genetic signal shows that older males with the variant face a steeper climb toward memory loss. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hfe-gene-men-and-dementia">HFE gene, men, and dementia</h2>



The haemochromatosis gene keeps the body’s iron traffic moving smoothly, yet its <a href="https://www.haemochromatosis.org.uk/h63d-carrier-also-known-as-h63d-heterozygous" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">H63D version</a> is anything but rare, turning up in one in three people as a single copy and in roughly one in 36 as a double hit.



H63D does not usually overload the liver the way the better‑known <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC165699/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">C282Y variant</a> can, but laboratory work shows that mutant HFE can upset cellular iron sensors and let free iron trigger damaging chemical reactions.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-genes-iron-brains-and-memory">Genes, iron, brains and memory</h2>



Iron is vital but volatile, and when it piles up inside microglia, the brain’s immune cells, it sparks oxidative stress and inflammation tied to <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20350447" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Alzheimer’s</a> pathology.



Reviews of animal and human data echo the theme: iron dyshomeostasis fans reactive oxygen species, injures neurons, and may even set off ferroptosis, a specialized form of cell death linked to cognitive decline.



HFE variants have also been linked to Parkinson’s disease and motor neuron disorders, suggesting that iron mismanagement may be a shared pathway across multiple brain conditions.



<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8661115/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Studies</a> have shown that abnormal iron levels in regions like the substantia nigra and motor cortex are associated with earlier onset and faster progression of these diseases in genetically susceptible individuals.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-the-aspree-data-revealed">What the ASPREE data revealed</h2>



<a href="https://aspree.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The ASPREE trial</a> followed 19,114 healthy seniors for a median 6.4 years to test low‑dose aspirin, generating a gold‑mine of aging data in the process. 



Genome scans within ASPREE showed that men with two H63D copies logged an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.39 for incident <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/risk-of-dementia-is-much-higher-than-previously-thought/">dementia</a>, while women with the same genotype saw no extra risk.



“Having two copies of the variant more than doubled the risk of dementia in men, but not women,” <a href="https://staffportal.curtin.edu.au/staff/profile/view/john-olynyk-6669ecca/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor John Olynyk</a>, of Curtin University Medical School, who co‑led the project.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-only-men">Why only men</h2>



<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/girls-diets-strongly-influence-when-they-begin-puberty/">Menstruation</a>, pregnancy, and lower mid‑life ferritin give women a natural outlet for iron, which may blunt the variant’s impact; haemochromatosis complications likewise appear later and milder in females.



Brain‑imaging studies find that women who stop menstrual bleeding early accumulate more iron in deep brain regions, hinting that lifelong iron exposure could be the pivot that tips male brains toward damage. 



Sex hormones complicate matters too, because <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/heart-health-after-menopause-what-every-woman-should-know/">estrogen</a> modulates iron metabolism and offers anti‑inflammatory benefits that may shield neural circuits.



HFE analysis is already part of routine work‑ups when doctors suspect iron overload, but the new results suggest that broader screening in aging men could flag a hidden <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/dementia-was-extremely-rare-in-ancient-times-so-why-is-it-now-so-prevalent/">dementia</a> risk before symptoms start.



Identifying carriers is inexpensive, and unlike many predictive markers, this one points to an actionable pathway, iron handling and its downstream inflammatory effects.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-practical-steps-today">Practical steps today</h2>



The research team found no clear link between blood ferritin levels and dementia, yet keeping iron in the normal range, treating chronic inflammation, staying active, and eating a plant‑biased diet all intersect with brain health.



Regular physical activity alone can slash dementia risk by roughly 30 percent, according to <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/physical-activity" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Health Organization</a> estimates. 



Doctors also emphasize blood pressure control, smoking cessation, and social engagement, interventions that help every older adult, variant carrier or not.



Current <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/one-particular-sleep-stage-slow-wave-deep-is-most-important-for-preventing-dementia/">dementia</a> prevention efforts often rely on broad lifestyle advice or age thresholds, but this variant suggests a need for sex‑aware screening policies.



If men with double H63D copies truly carry double the risk, early genetic testing could steer them toward more aggressive prevention long before symptoms appear.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-men-dementia-and-the-future">Men, dementia, and the future</h2>



<a href="https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/paul-lacaze" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Professor Paul Lacaze</a> from <a href="https://research.monash.edu/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Monash University</a>, hopes that untangling how H63D alters brain pathways will spark medicines that block the harm even when the gene cannot be changed. 



Future work will track variant carriers with MRI iron mapping and fluid biomarkers to catch early inflammatory changes, then test whether diet, phlebotomy, or anti‑ferroptotic drugs can tilt the balance back toward healthy aging.



Genetics rarely hands scientists such a common, sex‑specific clue, and this one arrives in time for a generation of men now crossing the 70‑year threshold.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000213743" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Neurology</a>.



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Common genetic mutation dramatically increases the risk of dementia in men

About one man in 36 carries two copies of a...

Young,Indian,Dreamy,Thoughtful,Student,Looking,Away,Working,On,Laptop

Harvard psychologists once pinged thousands of phones and found that human brains drift into daydreaming 46.9 percent of waking hours, a rate higher than any other single activity.



Now, a fresh wave of <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/key-neurons-act-as-ringleaders-to-guide-decision-making/">neuroscience</a> has determined that daydreaming is actually a great thing for the mind. They may sharpen memory, spark ideas, and solve hard problems with no conscious effort.



<a href="https://pinphd.hms.harvard.edu/people/nghia-nguyen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nghia D. Nguyen</a>, a doctoral researcher at<a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Harvard Medical School</a>, pointed a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/two-photon-microscopy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">two‑photon microscope</a> at thousands of visual‑cortex neurons in lab mice and watched them relive a flash of light after it vanished.



“Reactivations early in a session systematically differed from the pattern evoked by the previous stimulus, they were more similar to future stimulus response patterns,” wrote Nguyen, showing that mental replay predicts tomorrow rather than echoing yesterday.



Those replays often rode bursts called <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4648295/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hippocampal sharp‑wave ripples</a>, brain waves tied to learning. 



By linking these ripples with activity in the visual part of the brain, the study suggests that daydreaming helps shape how the brain sees and understands things over time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daydreaming-brains-in-action">Daydreaming brains in action</h2>



Research suggests that spending time in quiet wakefulness after an experience can help improve learning and memory. 



Cognitive neuroscientist <a href="https://www.furman.edu/people/erin-j-wamsley/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Erin Wamsley</a> later confirmed the point, showing that ten minutes of quiet wakefulness outperforms equal time spent watching videos when volunteers recall word lists the next day.



During these brief rests, the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/default-mode-network" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">default mode network</a>, a midline circuit that hums whenever attention drifts, lights up. Its spontaneous chatter appears to shuttle fresh experiences toward long‑term storage without the need for sleep.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ideas-instead-of-problem-solving">Ideas instead of problem solving</h2>



“Daydreaming fosters creativity because the brain’s ability to make novel connections between seemingly unrelated concepts is heightened during daydreaming episodes,” said <a href="https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/psychology/faculty/bsb57" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Benjamin Baird</a>.



Baird tested that hunch by giving participants a dull task, then asking them to list new uses for a brick; idea counts jumped after the mind‑wandering break.



Functional MRI <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0900234106" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> led by <a href="https://psych.ubc.ca/profile/kalina-christoff-hadjiilieva/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kalina Christoff</a> show that during daydreaming, the brain’s planning system connects with the part that handles memory and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/silent-mind-when-the-inner-voice-fades/">imagination</a>. This brief connection helps mix past experiences with current goals, which can lead to new ideas.



Daydreaming gives the brain space to work through unresolved problems. Nguyen’s study in mice supports this, showing that early brain activity patterns helped shape how the brain responded to future stimuli.



Human work echoes the theme. People who let thoughts roam before tackling tricky anagrams solve more items than peers forced to stay on task, reinforcing the problem‑solving edge of a wandering mind.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-brain-health-and-daydreaming">Brain health and daydreaming</h2>



A 2008 <a href="https://www.jpain.org/article/S1526-5900%2808%2900254-X/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">experiment</a> asked volunteers to picture a favorite meal while one hand sat in ice water; pain tolerance rose and anxiety fell compared with controls. Mental drift seems to buffer stress by letting attention skate away from discomfort.



The same mechanism can tame everyday tension. People who pause and let <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/human-brains-use-storage-trick-to-keep-your-memories-in-sequential-order/">memories</a> flow report lower cortisol spikes than colleagues who ruminate on tasks, hinting at a low‑cost antidote to chronic pressure.



Employees who are allowed brief mental breaks return with sharper focus and more novel ideas. Smartphone tracking <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1192439" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shows</a> that unfocused intervals are not rare, so harnessing them beats fighting them.



Firms that schedule short “mind‑wander minutes” during meetings report quicker brainstorming sessions afterward. The practice costs nothing yet aligns with evidence that micro‑rest knits fresh information into usable patterns.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-simple-ways-to-wander-well">Simple ways to wander well</h2>



Daydream‑friendly moments hide in plain sight. Researchers at the <a href="https://www.virginia.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Virginia</a> explain that a warm shower dilutes external noise just enough to let thoughts roam, a sweet spot for originality.



Similar benefits arise during a slow walk or while washing dishes. The trick is to choose safe, repetitive activities that free attention without demanding precision.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-activating-new-brain-networks">Activating new brain networks</h2>



Brain imaging <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3856" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">shows</a> that when a person is not actively focused on a task, a specific group of regions called the default mode network becomes more active. 



This network, which includes the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, is involved in internal thought, <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/our-brain-has-a-meal-memory-that-controls-hunger/">memory</a> retrieval, and imagining future events.



Researchers believe this network helps the brain simulate possibilities, plan actions, and rehearse outcomes. 



Instead of wasting energy, the brain uses these quiet moments to stitch together pieces of knowledge and past experiences.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-daydreaming-brains-are-a-good-thing">Daydreaming brains are a good thing</h2>



Scientists still probe whether the human visual cortex shows the same predictive drift seen in mice, yet early imaging hints at overlap. If so, the simple habit of letting thoughts wander could act as daily <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/action-observation-network-human-brain-perception-see-what-we-expect-to-see-mind-eye/">brain</a> training no app can match.



The next time focus fizzles, look away, breathe, and let the scene inside your head unfold. The wandering may be doing quiet work you will appreciate tomorrow.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06810-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nature</a>.



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Once considered useless, this habit is now linked to improved memory, thinking, and creativity

Harvard psychologists once pinged thousands of phones and found that...

A short twelve‑week trial shows that adults with type 1 <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/new-type-of-diabetes-type-5-is-now-officially-recognized-linked-to-nutritional-deficiencies/">diabetes</a> who replaced every animal food with plant‑based diet lost weight and improved <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/insulin-sensitivity-8621169" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">insulin sensitivity</a>.



“Choosing a veggie burger instead of a cheeseburger, and other plant‑based dietary swaps, can help people with type 1 diabetes who want to lose weight and improve how their body responds to insulin,” noted <a href="https://www.pcrm.org/about-us/staff/hana-kahleova" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD</a>, director of clinical research at the <a href="https://www.pcrm.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-diet-still-matters-in-type-1-diabetes">Why diet still matters in type 1 diabetes</h2>



Most people with <a href="https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/type-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">type 1 diabetes</a> rely on insulin injections, pumps, or pens to cover every meal. Food choice can lighten that burden by lowering the amount of insulin the body needs, trimming both cost and daily hassle.



Fifty‑eight adults were randomly assigned to either an unrestricted low‑fat vegan menu or a portion‑controlled omnivorous plan for three months. Participants logged every bite in a nutrition app while keeping exercise and medication routines unchanged.



Five ounces of animal protein dropped from the average vegan plate each day, replaced mostly by fruits, vegetables, beans, and grain dishes. 



The researchers tracked body weight, meal insulin doses, and the carbohydrate‑to‑insulin ratio, a practical bedside marker of insulin <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-this-amount-of-coffee-helps-prevent-heart-disease-and-diabetes/">action</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-removing-meat-matters-most">Removing meat matters most</h2>



Each recorded food was slotted into the four‑tier <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-022-01099-1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NOVA system</a>, a common way to grade processing from raw produce (category 1) to ultra‑processed snacks (category 4). 



Contrary to popular belief, the vegan group did not slash category 4 items; cereal, plant milks, and meat substitutes stayed about the same.



Instead, the key shift was the near elimination of animal <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/scientists-identify-a-cellular-switch-mitochondria-that-could-reverse-type-2-diabetes/">foods</a> in every NOVA bracket. Plant foods in category 1 rose by roughly three‑quarters of a pound a day, filling the gap left by meat and dairy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-vegan-group-lost-weight">Vegan group lost weight</h2>



On average the vegan arm shed 11 pounds, while the portion‑controlled group’s weight barely budged. Statistical modeling showed that every five‑ounce cut of unprocessed animal food predicted a two‑pound drop on the scale.



That weight loss happened with no calorie counting or carbohydrate limits, underscoring the natural energy density advantage of low‑fat plant meals. 



Earlier <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2773291" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> in overweight adults also found a spontaneous rise in post‑meal calorie burn on a similar diet, boosting “after‑dinner” metabolism by 14 percent.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plant-diet-improved-diabetes-care">Plant diet improved diabetes care</h2>



The carbohydrate‑to‑insulin ratio climbed by six points in the vegan group, meaning muscles pulled more glucose from the blood with less injected hormone. Clinical teams often view a shift that large as a meaningful reduction in daily <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/drinking-this-amount-of-water-per-day-helps-control-blood-sugar-levels-in-people-with-diabetes/">insulin</a> need.



“Replacing all animal products with plant‑based foods, whether unprocessed fruits and veggies or ultra‑processed cereal, plant milks, and meat alternatives, is the key to success,” stressed Dr. Kahleova. Lower doses cut the risk of hypoglycemia and may simplify dosing around exercise or illness.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-less-meat-in-diet-helped-in-diabetes">Less meat in diet helped in diabetes</h2>



The drop in weight and boost in insulin response wasn’t tied to a total ban on processed food. It was directly linked to removing animal products, especially unprocessed ones like chicken breast, eggs, and plain yogurt.



Each five-ounce reduction in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224421004970" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">animal-based NOVA category 1 foods</a> led to about two pounds lost and improved glucose use in muscles. That’s surprising, given how often these foods are promoted as part of a healthy diet.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-processed-foods-and-diabetes-diet">Processed foods and diabetes diet</h2>



Observational studies link high intake of packaged pastries and processed meats to type 2 diabetes, yet those analyses do not separate plant from animal sources. 



A 2023 three‑cohort <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36854188/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">review</a> found that ultra‑processed breads and cereals carried a lower diabetes risk than bacon or sugar‑sweetened drinks.



The present trial supports that nuance, hinting that origin may matter more than factory steps. Many plant‑based meat analogs supply similar protein to chicken but with zero cholesterol and far less saturated fat.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-more-proof-needed">More proof needed</h2>



Self‑reported food logs can misjudge portion size, and continuous glucose monitors were optional, limiting precision. 



Roughly one‑third of volunteers dropped out, a reminder that tracking every meal for months is tough in real life. 



The sample was small, urban, and highly motivated, so results may not copy‑paste to teenagers or adults with less nutrition support. 



Longer trials are needed to confirm whether weight and insulin gains hold beyond the twelve‑week mark. 



For now the takeaway is simple: a full plant swap, even with convenience foods, trims weight and boosts insulin action in adults living with type 1 diabetes.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.nmcd-journal.com/article/S0939-4753(25)00351-5/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nutrition, Metabolism &amp; Cardiovascular Diseases</a>.



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Switching to a vegan diet helps most people lose weight and control diabetes

A short twelve‑week trial shows that adults with type 1...

Phrases like “feeling blue” or “seeing red” show up in everyday speech - and most people instantly know they mean feeling sad or angry. But how do we pick up those meanings? Do we learn them through seeing color in the world, or just by hearing how people use them?



A new study from the <a href="https://www.usc.edu/">University of Southern California</a> and <a href="https://deepmind.google/">Google DeepMind</a> put that question to the test - comparing color-seeing adults, colorblind adults, professional painters, and ChatGPT to see what really shapes our understanding of colorful language: vision or vocabulary.



Lisa Aziz‑Zadeh, a cognitive neuroscientist at <a href="https://dornsife.usc.edu/bci/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USC’s Dornsife Brain and Creativity Institute</a>, headed the project with help from colleagues at Stanford, UC San Diego, Université de Montréal, and other centers. 



“<a href="https://www.earth.com/news/ai-is-disrupting-jobs-but-countries-are-learning-to-adapt/">ChatGPT</a> uses an enormous amount of linguistic data to calculate probabilities and generate very human‑like responses,” said Aziz‑Zadeh. She wanted to know whether that statistical talent could ever replace the firsthand way people learn color through sight and touch.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-we-read-color-metaphors">How we read color metaphors</h2>



For the study, volunteers answered online surveys that asked them to match abstract nouns such as physics or friendship with a hue from a digital palette. 



They also judged familiar metaphors like being "on red alert" and unfamiliar ones that called a celebration a very pink party.



Color‑seeing and <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/hormone-see-color/">colorblind</a> adults gave almost identical answers, hinting that lifetime language exposure can stand in for missing retinal data. Painters, however, nailed the trickier metaphors more often, suggesting that daily, hands‑on work with pigments sharpens conceptual color maps.



ChatGPT produced steady associations too, but it stumbled on curveballs such as describing a burgundy meeting or reversing green to its opposite. When pressed to explain choices, the model leaned on culture.



“Pink is often associated with happiness, love, and kindness, which suggest that the party was filled with positive emotions and good vibes,” said ChatGPT.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-painters-did-better">Painters did better</h2>



Artists likely won because practice binds linguistic and sensorimotor knowledge; long hours mixing alizarin and ultramarine create a rich mental index of hue, lightness, and mood. 



Earlier <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2041669520902484" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">work</a> shows that emotional links to colors track both universal patterns and cultural twists.



In the new data, painters spotted fresh metaphors 14 percent more often than non‑painters, a gap the authors tie to the depth of tactile memory. 



That finding echoes classroom studies where drawing or sculpting helps students retain technical terms better than reading alone.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-experience-beat-ai">Experience beat AI </h2>



Barsalou’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17705682/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">grounded‑cognition model</a> argues that every concept the mind stores reactivates sensory traces of how it was acquired. The USC results fit that idea: direct pigment play trumped pure sentence statistics when novelty appeared.



Large language models rely on pattern frequency, not felt experience; their success on common idioms shows how much culture leaves in text. Their failure on burgundy and inverted green hints at what culture omits, especially edges of meaning that seldom enter print.



The gap matters for safety because an AI assistant that misreads a color‑coded warning label could steer users toward hazards. 



Adding camera input or haptic feedback - as multimodal systems like <a href="https://milvus.io/ai-quick-reference/what-are-the-alternatives-to-clip-for-multimodal-embeddings">CLIP</a> already attempt - might help close that gap.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-color-without-sight-possible">Color without sight possible</h2>



One surprise was that adults born without red‑green vision still matched seething anger with red because language, not sight, planted the idea. 



The outcome backs earlier surveys showing nearly universal links between red and dominance, or blue and calm, regardless of pigment perception.



Still, colorblind comprehension is not proof that vision is irrelevant. Participants reported noticing social cues such as traffic lights and lipstick shades through brightness and context, offering partial visual grounding even when hue channels were muted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-grounding-ai-in-senses">Grounding AI in senses</h2>



Researchers already experiment with models that link pixels to words, allowing systems to point at a crimson apple or sketch a turquoise <a href="https://www.earth.com/image/young-stars-illuminate-a-reflection-nebula-in-taurus/">nebula.</a> Such pairing trains networks to ground vocabulary in wavelengths and textures, inching closer to the way toddlers learn.



Yet there is a cost. Multimodal models demand larger datasets and raise privacy concerns once cameras move from lab benches into public spaces.



Software designers will need governance frameworks that spell out who owns the visual streams, how long they persist, and what biases lurk in the collected scenes. 



Without such guardrails, better color sense could come at the price of social trust.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ai-might-improve-with-color-metaphors">AI might improve with color metaphors</h2>



“There’s still a difference between mimicking semantic patterns and the spectrum of human capacity for drawing upon embodied, hands‑on experiences in our reasoning,” said Aziz‑Zadeh. She believes fusing text with images, audio, or even olfactory streams will be key.&nbsp;



Technically, that means new training pipelines where robots taste paint or wear camera‑equipped gloves. 



Ethically, it means designing machines that know when they do not know, especially in domains like medicine, food safety, and aviation, where color signals life or death.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-color-metaphors-for-daily-learning">Color metaphors for daily learning</h2>



For readers, the study offers a nudge to engage more senses when <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/variable-learning-the-key-to-more-effective-study-habits/">learning</a>. Writing with colored pens, mapping notes with sticky dots, or simply paying attention to sky hues can enrich both vocabulary and recall.



Meanwhile, if an AI chatbot claims your angry text is tinged chartreuse, treat the judgment lightly. Until models gain something like retinas, their color sense will remain an eloquent but secondhand story.



The study is published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cogs.70083" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cognitive Science</a>.



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AI struggles with color metaphors that humans easily understand

Phrases like “feeling blue” or “seeing red” show up in...

Hershey,Pennsylvania,,October,15,,2021:,Jolly,Rancher,Candy,On,Display

Without much warning last month, the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency ordered an <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/alert/fsa-fafa-02-2025" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">immediate recall</a> of four "Jolly Ranchers" products, made by the Hershey Company in the U.S., because they contained mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (<a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/mineral-oil-hydrocarbons" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MOAH</a>) and mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5497826/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MOSH</a>).



Across the Atlantic, these same Hershey's hard candies remain on U.S. shelves, highlighting how two regulators can read the same toxicological literature yet reach opposite conclusions.



The split decision has reignited a long‑running debate over the U.S. practice of letting companies self‑certify many food additives as safe while European agencies treat similar <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/future-of-food-safety-ai-can-detect-contamination-early/">chemicals</a> with greater caution. 



That debate has moved from think‑tank white papers into a political fight now drawing attention from presidential hopefuls and state lawmakers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-mineral-oil-is-used-in-candy">Why mineral oil is used in candy</h2>



“Consuming mineral oil regularly and over time could pose a risk to your health,” warned <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/news/precautionary-advice-issued-to-pet-owners-on-dog-chews-linked-to-illness" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tina Potter</a>, head of incidents at the <a href="https://www.food.gov.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Food Standards Agency</a>. Potter leads the incident‑response team that enforces the nation’s additive limits.



Hershey spokesman Todd Scott counters that the oils act only as a processing aid to keep candy from sticking, calling them indispensable for the smooth, glassy finish consumers expect.



“The key takeaway from all of this is mineral oil is allowed and deemed safe for use in food in the US,” Scott said, noting that it never appears on the ingredient list because federal rules exempt aids used in tiny amounts.



The lubricants fall into two broad camps, MOSH molecules with fully saturated carbon chains and MOAH molecules laced with ring‑shaped aromatics that can include three or more fused <a href="https://ionscience.com/en/news/benzene-ring-explained/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">benzene rings</a>. Manufacturers like the compounds because they stay stable under high heat and do not change a candy’s <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/frozen-food-new-thawing-methods-will-improve-safety-and-quality/">taste</a> or smell.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-moah-and-mosh">MOAH and MOSH</h2>



A 2023 review by the <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/8215" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">European Food Safety Authority</a> linked MOAH molecules with three or more aromatic rings to DNA damage and stated that no exposure level could be considered risk‑free. 



The same document reported that young consumers had the highest <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/electronic-tongue-could-revolutionize-food-safety/">exposure</a> to MOSH but found less evidence of human harm, a nuance often lost in headlines.



Laboratory studies in rats show MOSH accumulating in the liver and lymph nodes, sometimes forming granulomas that hint at chronic inflammation. 



Because humans absorb and clear hydrocarbons differently than this strain of rat, regulators disagree on how seriously to weigh those findings.



European law therefore takes a precautionary stance, banning deliberate use of the oils in confectionery, whereas the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (<a href="https://www.fda.gov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FDA</a>) accepts tiny residues that migrate from processing equipment. This regulatory asymmetry sets the stage for the broader fight over the <a href="https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2025/03/closing-the-gras-loophole-secretary-kennedys-plan-to-enhance-fda-food-safety-regulations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">GRAS loophole</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-mineral-oil-avoids-full-safety-checks">Mineral oil avoids full safety checks</h2>



Under the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216664/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1958 Food Additives Amendment</a>, companies can declare a substance “generally recognized as safe” without asking the FDA to review their data, provided a panel of experts, internal or external, endorses the conclusion. 



Between 2015 and 2020, one <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10481496/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">analysis</a> of 403 filings found that nearly 30 percent relied on the opinion of an employee of the manufacturer itself.



“A company can add a new ingredient and not even list its chemical compound on the packet,”  says public‑health lawyer <a href="https://publichealth.nyu.edu/faculty/jennifer-pomeranz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jennifer Pomeranz</a>. 



She points out that the law never required such notices to reach the agency at all. Advocates fear that self‑policing fosters blind spots when cumulative exposures involve dozens of lightly studied chemicals.



“If a company can’t sell something in California or New York, they may as well reformulate their product for the whole country,” argues regulatory counsel Jensen Jose at the nonprofit <a href="https://www.cspi.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Center for Science in the Public Interest</a>. 



The train of thought is that state legislation can move faster than Washington and that strategy is now reshaping ingredient lists nationwide.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-states-fight-mineral-oil-in-food">How states fight mineral oil in food</h2>



California’s 2023 <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AB-418-Signing.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AB 418</a> banned FD&amp;C Red 3, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, and propylparaben in foods sold after 2027, making it the first U.S. state to bar these additives. 



Within months, the FDA proposed its own nationwide phase‑out of <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-petitions/brominated-vegetable-oil-bvo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">brominated vegetable oil</a> and accepted a citizens’ petition to reconsider <a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-revoke-authorization-use-red-no-3-food-and-ingested-drugs" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Red 3</a>, illustrating the ripple effect of state action.



Similar bills are pending in New York, Illinois, and Washington, and campaigners have signaled that MOAH will be on their next target list. 



<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/robert-kennedy.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a> has already promised to close the GRAS loophole if elected, giving the issue fresh political visibility.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-avoid-risky-additives-while-shopping">Avoid risky additives while shopping</h2>



Dietitian <a href="https://www.lindsaymalonerd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lindsay Malone</a> recommends focusing on whole foods and limiting ultra‑processed snacks that stack multiple controversial additives, including butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA, which experimental <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4462476/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">studies</a> link to hormone disruption. 



She suggests choosing plain nuts over flavored mixes and fruit over brightly colored gummies to shrink exposure without feeling punitive.



Consumers who still want an occasional hard candy can look for European‑made <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/common-food-nutrition-labels-may-be-based-on-50-year-old-data/">brands</a> that meet MOAH‑free standards or check confectioners’ websites for updated formulations. 



In the meantime, U.S. shoppers may see fresh warning labels as lawsuits and state bills push companies to reformulate.



For researchers, the Jolly Rancher episode underscores the need for publicly funded studies that track low‑dose, long‑term exposure across diverse populations. 



Until such data arrive, regulators will keep balancing uncertain risks against the sweet pull of consumer demand.



The study is published in <a href="https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/8215" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">EFSA Journal</a>.



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Very popular candy, Jolly Ranchers, were just banned in the UK but not in the US

Without much warning last month, the United Kingdom’s Food Standards...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE
</div></figure>



On the unforgiving landscape of North Greenland, temperatures drop and sunlight barely penetrates through the polar winter. It was here, however, that an international team of scientists found <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/predatory-worms-were-terror-beasts-half-a-billion-years-ago/#google_vignette" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">evidence of sea monsters</a> that would change our understanding of ocean life in the past.



This video captures the discovery of Timorebestia fossils that had been hidden for more than 500 million years in the Sirius Passet formation. The "terror beasts," as they are called, are a hidden chapter in the evolutionary history of <a href="https://www.earth.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Earth</a>, showing that sophisticated predator-prey interactions occurred much earlier than previously envisioned.



Dr. Jakob Vinther and his research team at the <a href="https://www.bristol.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Bristol</a>, in collaboration with researchers at the <a href="https://eng.kopri.re.kr/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Korean Polar Research Institute</a>, braved extreme weather conditions at 82.5 north latitude to locate these giant creatures. Using sophisticated electron microprobe analysis, they revealed the detailed anatomy of the animals, including their muscle and nerve tissues.



The find upsets the traditional timeline of sea predators. Although we've long appreciated that Cambrian oceans were at one time ruled by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWI3-UgA3_o&amp;list=PL1QLQMW9MWDwpkFOnvgAmu7wT6rZmYqdJ&amp;index=19" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">arthropods</a>, these discoveries indicate that relatives of arrow worms were first to dominate the seas. These worms were building sophisticated food webs several million years before other predator groups arose.



Each fossil is a story of ancient hunger, with fossil stomach contents revealing these meter-long beasts dined on heavily armored arthropods regularly, cementing their place as the ocean's first apex predators.



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Worms dominated seas before dinosaurs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y4eLFNYrKE On the unforgiving landscape of North Greenland, temperatures drop...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3JH03PqEQ
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New York is the site of the world's oldest forest.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-385-million-year-old-trees-discovered">385-million-year-old trees discovered</h2>



Scientists have uncovered something extraordinary just two hours north of New York City. The <a href="https://www.earth.com/news/worlds-oldest-forest-discovered-close-to-new-york-city/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">world's oldest forest</a>, dating back 385 million years, offers a window into how Earth's first complex forests shaped our planet's atmosphere.



Located near <a href="https://townofcairo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cairo, New York</a>, in Greene County, these weren't merely primitive plants struggling to survive. These were sophisticated trees with root systems remarkably similar to modern forests. This ancient woodland predates dinosaurs by 140 million years.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-cairo-forest-discovery">The Cairo forest discovery</h2>



385 million years ago, upstate New York was a tropical paradise near the equator. Thanks to continental drift, this ancient forest has traveled thousands of miles to its current location.



The fossil forest sits in an abandoned quarry, roughly half the size of a football field. This represents just a slice of what was likely a massive forest system stretching from New York into Pennsylvania.



Charles Ver Straeten, curator of sedimentary rocks at the <a href="https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">New York State Museum</a>, made the discovery in 2009. While scouting the former highway department property, his trained eye spotted wandering patterns in the stone that looked like marine features.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-revolutionary-age-and-preservation">Revolutionary age and preservation</h2>



The site contains 385-million-year-old rocks with fossilized woody roots forming horizontal patterns up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide. As Christopher Berry, a paleobotanist at Cardiff University, explains: "You are walking through the roots of ancient trees."



This discovery pushes back advanced tree evolution by millions of years. The research, published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/home" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Current Biology</a> in December 2019, fundamentally changes our understanding of when complex forests first emerged.



Researchers believe a massive flood buried the forest floor, creating perfect fossilization conditions. Over millions of years, sediment hardened into rock, preserving these root patterns like nature's time capsule.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meet-archaeopteris-the-first-modern-tree">Meet Archaeopteris: the first modern tree</h2>



The star of this ancient forest is Archaeopteris – not to be confused with the feathered dinosaur Archaeopteryx. This tree was far older and more revolutionary.



William Stein from <a href="https://www.binghamton.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Binghamton University</a> describes the roots as "strikingly modern, essentially what you'd see outside in my yard right now." These weren't simple root systems you'd expect from ancient plants.



Some fossilized roots are six inches (15 centimeters) in diameter, forming 36-foot-wide (11-meter) patterns. These giants grew up to 65 feet (20 meters) tall with five-foot-diameter (1.5-meter) trunks.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-climate-changing-impact">Climate-changing impact</h2>



These trees fundamentally changed Earth's environment. Kevin Boyce, a Stanford University geoscientist, explains how their deep roots triggered "weathering," chemical reactions that pulled carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.



This process dropped atmospheric CO2 levels from 10-15 times higher than today to roughly modern concentrations. These ancient trees helped create atmospheric conditions that made complex life possible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ancient-forest-ecosystem">Ancient forest ecosystem</h2>



The forest was remarkably diverse. Scientists identified Eospermatopteris, palm tree-like plants with short roots that reached 30 feet (9 meters) tall but lacked woody structure. The forest also housed cladoxylopsids and a mysterious third species still being studied.



All reproduced through spores rather than seeds – millions of years before seeds evolved. This tropical environment had no grass, flowers, or flying insects, just towering trees creating Earth's first complex forest canopy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scientific-significance">Scientific significance</h2>



Before this finding, the Gilboa forest, located 25 miles (40 kilometers) away, held the "oldest forest" title. Cairo's trees are 2-3 million years older, showing that complex forest ecosystems developed much faster than scientists believed possible.



Patricia Gensel, a <a href="https://www.unc.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of North Carolina</a> paleobotanist, notes: "The size of those root systems is really changing the picture. Even 20 years ago, researchers assumed trees with such complex root systems didn't evolve so early."



The Cairo site presents three unique root systems, suggesting Devonian period forests were diverse ecosystems with different trees occupying different environmental niches, much like today's forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-modern-preservation-efforts">Modern preservation efforts</h2>



In 2022, New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey secured a $170,000 grant for the town of Cairo to construct specialized fencing around the fossil forest site. The town plans to conduct a feasibility study exploring the possibility of creating an educational center and working lab on-site.



Joe Hasenkopf, chair of the Cairo Planning Board, hopes to partner with educational institutions to create a research facility serving scientists, students, and the public.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lessons-for-today-s-climate">Lessons for today's climate</h2>



Why does a 385-million-year-old forest matter today? It shows how dramatically forests can change Earth's climate. These ancient woodlands created the atmospheric conditions supporting complex life.



Understanding how prehistoric forests transformed the planet helps us appreciate modern forests' critical role in addressing climate change. Forests remain Earth's most effective carbon capture systems.



These prehistoric trees changed Earth's atmosphere by pulling massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the air. As we face modern climate challenges, this ancient forest reminds us of trees' incredible power to transform our planet's environment.



The next time you walk through a forest, remember you're experiencing an ecosystem whose blueprint was established 385 million years ago in upstate New York. These ancient pioneers didn't just survive – they thrived and changed the world forever.



The full study was published in the journal Current Biology.



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Earth's oldest forest found in the United States

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3JH03PqEQ New York is the site of the world's oldest...

<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Acid rain and a crisis solved.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-don-t-we-ever-hear-about-acid-rain-anymore-the-environmental-crisis-that-was-solved">Why don't we ever hear about "acid rain" anymore? The environmental crisis that was solved</h2>



Remember the 1980s when acid rain dominated headlines? Dire warnings about rain eating buildings, killing fish, and destroying forests filled every news cycle. Then, almost like magic, acid rain vanished from public discourse. What happened? Did we actually solve one of the late 20th century's most pressing environmental challenges?



The answer might surprise you. Unlike many environmental issues that drag on indefinitely, acid rain represents one of modern history's most successful ecological recovery stories. It's a tale of science, politics, and technology working together to tackle what seemed impossible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What was acid rain?</h2>



Acid rain isn't regular rain having a bad day – it's precipitation that became significantly more acidic due to air pollution. When power plants, factories, and vehicles burn fossil fuels, they release sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The science behind it</h2>



Think of acid rain as nature's chemistry experiment gone wrong. These compounds react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. When mixed with water vapor in clouds, they create precipitation with dangerously low pH levels.



While clean rain has a pH of about 5.6, acid rain could drop as low as 4.2 to 4.4 – roughly as acidic as tomato juice or coffee. According to US Geological Survey documentation, Scottish chemist Angus Smith first coined "acid rain" in 1872, but it didn't become a household phrase until the 1960s and 1970s when Swedish scientist Svante Odén documented its devastating effects on Scandinavian lakes and European forests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The crisis at its peak</h2>



During the height of public concern, environmental damage was both widespread and visible. This wasn't some abstract future threat – people could see destruction happening in real-time.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Environmental devastation</h2>



The most dramatic impacts were impossible to ignore. Research documented by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation shows that in the Adirondack Mountains, more than 200 lakes became so acidic they couldn't support fish life. The Adirondack Council reports that 409 lakes once supported brook trout, but many lost their fish populations due to acid rain.



By 1976, when scientists cataloged all acidified lakes in the Adirondack Park, researchers found that half of the lakes over 2,000 feet above sea level had no fish, according to studies published in environmental journals. The acidification process worked like a slow-motion disaster. As acid rain fell into watersheds, it gradually lowered pH levels. Fish couldn't survive in acidic water, and their food sources died off too.



Trees at high elevations showed stress directly linked to acid rain. It weakened them by leaching nutrients and making them susceptible to disease. Historical records show Germany's Black Forest saw nearly half its trees damaged by the mid-1980s.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Economic impact</h2>



Acid rain wasn't just environmental – it was expensive. Acidic precipitation corroded infrastructure, buildings, and monuments. Historic stone structures deteriorated at accelerated rates. Tourism suffered as lakes became fishless and forests declined. EPA economic analyses from the period documented repair costs mounting into billions annually.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The solution: government action and technology</h2>



Transformation from crisis to success required unprecedented cooperation between governments, industries, and environmental groups.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Clean Air Act of 1990</h2>



The turning point came with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, signed by President George H.W. Bush. This represented a fundamentally new approach to environmental regulation, as documented in EPA historical records.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cap-and-trade success</h2>



Instead of mandating specific technologies, the 1990 amendments introduced something revolutionary: a cap-and-trade system for sulfur dioxide emissions. EPA program documentation shows this market-based approach set overall limits but allowed companies to trade emission allowances.



The genius was harnessing market forces to find cost-effective pollution reduction. Companies reducing emissions cheaply could sell excess allowances to those facing higher costs. Research published in environmental economics journals and EPA progress reports shows this resulted in dramatic SO2 reduction at a fraction of projected costs.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Technology advances</h2>



Policy provided the framework, but technology made reductions possible. Studies in atmospheric science journals document the widespread adoption of flue gas desulfurization systems ("scrubbers") that removed sulfur dioxide before it reached the atmosphere. By the 2000s, new installations could remove over 95% of SO2 emissions, according to EPA technical reports.



The push coincided with cleaner energy development. Natural gas produces fewer sulfur compounds than coal. Wind and solar, emerging in the 1990s, captured growing market share, reducing reliance on high-sulfur coal.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-we-don-t-hear-about-it-today">Why we don't hear about it today</h2>



Why did acid rain disappear from headlines? Simple: the problem was largely solved.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Success doesn't make news</h2>



There's an old journalism saying: "If it bleeds, it leads." Environmental success stories don't generate urgency like crisis reporting. Media attention shifted to other challenges: climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. There's only so much environmental anxiety the public can absorb, and newer concerns replaced acid rain.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mission accomplished</h2>



The primary reason is beautifully simple: interventions worked. EPA monitoring data shows sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990. Academic research published in environmental science journals confirms pH levels in formerly affected areas returned closer to normal. This represents one of history's most dramatic environmental recoveries. Studies by the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation show fishless lakes now support healthy populations. Forests recovered, and building damage slowed dramatically.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-it-really-gone">Is it really gone?</h2>



The crisis is largely resolved, but monitoring data shows the problem isn't completely eliminated – it's managed to acceptable levels. Some areas still experience occasional events during high pollution periods. International environmental research indicates that rapidly industrializing Asian countries face similar problems to what we experienced decades ago, though they're implementing successful strategies.



EPA research shows nitrogen oxide emissions proved more challenging than sulfur dioxide, coming from vehicles and mobile sources. Climate science studies suggest changing weather patterns add complexity to how acid rain forms and falls.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What this teaches us</h2>



The acid rain experience proves that seemingly intractable environmental problems can be solved with scientific understanding, political will, and technological innovation. Environmental monitoring data shows recovery speed was remarkable – within a decade, measurable improvements appeared in air quality and ecosystem health.



Success came from bipartisan support across party lines. Policy analysis studies show the market-based approach appealed to those preferring economic incentives while achieving environmental goals. This support created lasting policy surviving political changes.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h2>



Acid rain's disappearance from public consciousness represents environmental science's greatest success stories. Through effective regulation, technological innovation, and international cooperation, we transformed an overwhelming crisis into a manageable challenge.



Today's silence isn't because we forgot – it's because we solved it. The 1990 Clean Air Act, combined with technology and energy market changes, reduced acid rain emissions over 90%, according to comprehensive EPA data analysis.



This success offers hope for current challenges. It proves complex problems can be solved when science, policy, and technology work together. As we face climate change and plastic pollution, acid rain reminds us that dramatic positive change is possible.



Next time someone asks whether environmental regulations work, remember acid rain. It's proof that sometimes, we get it right.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



Sources: This article draws from EPA official documentation and progress reports, peer-reviewed research published in environmental and atmospheric science journals, historical data from the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation records, US Geological Survey publications, policy analysis studies, and environmental monitoring data collected over three decades.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Frequently Asked Questions</h2>



1. Is acid rain completely gone? No, but EPA monitoring shows it's reduced to manageable levels. US sulfur dioxide emissions dropped over 90% since 1990, making acid rain much less severe than the 1980s crisis.



2. How long did solving take? Environmental monitoring data shows significant improvements began within 5-10 years of 1990s emission controls. Full ecosystem recovery took longer – some areas need 20-30 years for complete recovery.



3. What made the solution successful? Clear scientific understanding, visible damage motivating action, bipartisan support, available technology, and innovative market-based policies like cap-and-trade.



4. Do other countries have acid rain problems? Yes, particularly rapidly industrializing Asian countries. However, international environmental research shows many implement similar successful control strategies.



5. Could acid rain return? Potentially, if regulations weaken or we return to high-sulfur coal without controls, though effects would take years to become severe according to environmental projections.



6. Can you recommend any teaching tools on the subject of "acid rain"? The United States Environmental Protection Agency produced a wonderful teacher's guide for ages 14 and under that you can find on the EPA website here: <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-03/documents/teachersguide.pdf</a>



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The environmental problem we actually solved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prrq8Ql81zk Acid rain and a crisis solved. Why don't we...

Fresh,Radish,Harvest,On,Soil,In,Garden.

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https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex
</div></figure>







Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving fall garden, and this guide lays out the best vegetables and herbs to plant now for a fruitful autumn harvest. 



Fast-growing leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, kale, and arugula perform especially well in the waning summer heat, with harvests beginning as soon as 30 days. 



These cool-season crops relish the transition into fall, offering repeated yields with cut-and-come-again methods.



Root vegetables like radishes, carrots, and beets also excel during this period. Radishes deliver satisfaction in under a month, while carrots and beets mature in about two months. Employing succession planting ensures a continuous stream of produce deep into the cooler months. 



For a boost of fresh flavor, herbs like cilantro, basil, dill, and chervil are excellent picks. These heat-loving varieties flourish in July’s warmth and are harvest-ready in about 30 days, especially when sown continuously.



Gardeners in zones 6 through 9 can benefit from planting bush beans and snap peas, which don’t require trellising and are ideal for compact plots. 



Maturing in 50–60 days, they’re a smart choice for quick, protein-rich harvests. For those in hotter regions, heat-tolerant crops such as okra and southern peas provide reliable yields and thrive in scorching conditions.



This guide emphasizes more than crop selection—it highlights the importance of timing, soil preparation, and ongoing sowing techniques. 



With thoughtful planning and attention to regional climate needs, even late-summer gardeners can enjoy fresh salads, hearty stews, and the satisfaction of a robust, homegrown harvest well into fall.



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What to plant in your garden in mid-July

https://youtu.be/Fi2OeEwuzRM?si=vTyd2m9FMmtyWkex Mid-July is an opportune time to kick-start a thriving...

Green,Ecoduct,Over,An,Empty,Highway,During,Sunset.

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A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that wildlife tunnels significantly reduce amphibian road mortality during seasonal migrations. 



Frogs and salamanders often cross roads to reach breeding ponds each spring, but many are killed by vehicles. 



Researchers from the <a href="https://www.uvm.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">University of Vermont</a>, in collaboration with local citizens and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, installed two underpass tunnels in 2015. 



Over a 12-year monitoring period, they observed an 80.2% reduction in amphibian deaths, and up to 94% for non-climbing species like salamanders. 



The study used a before-after-control-impact design and documented more than 5,200 amphibians, highlighting the tunnels’ effectiveness even in nearby buffer zones.



Funded at $342,397 - far cheaper than wildlife crossings for large mammals - the project showcased the power of community-led conservation.



Local groups initiated the effort after observing mass amphibian deaths. Wildlife cameras later captured over 2,200 amphibians using a tunnel in just one spring, along with other species like raccoons and bobcats, indicating wider ecosystem benefits.



This marks the first peer-reviewed, long-term data set in the northeastern U.S. confirming amphibian-specific underpasses work. 



The study urges transportation departments to incorporate these designs into road planning and highlights how community action, thoughtful infrastructure, and persistence can make a real difference for biodiversity.



The full study was published in the <a href="https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1617138125000780" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Journal for Nature Conservation</a>.



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Wildlife tunnels save millions of amphibians

https://youtu.be/XYgiPzmNBTU?si=eFYY7gPHU1JznLvU A new long-term study in Monkton, Vermont, reveals that...

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

[sendtonews key="G9bUoxcjr4-2511624-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> 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

[sendtonews key="3upvlAaHgO-2256633-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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

[sendtonews key="LvS8v8bp9z-2564889-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.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?

[sendtonews key="X0f6OHYoI4-2310561-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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Today’s Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> 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

[sendtonews key="JRaP49ISmm-2357509-12187" type="single"] Today’s Video of the Day from the...

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



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



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



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



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



Video Credit: ESA&nbsp;&nbsp;



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



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

Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky"

[sendtonews key="uV9Lh2fQbV-1760058-12187" type="single"] Lesotho: Africa's "Kingdom in the Sky" Today’s...

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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

[sendtonews key="qjvhBOBnY8-2426650-12187" type="single"] Today's Video of the Day from the...

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Today's Video of the Day from the <a href="https://www.esa.int/">European Space Agency</a> 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://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...

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



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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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