The benefits of gender equality extend far beyond the workplace – it could even help you get a better night’s sleep.

According to a new study, people who live in countries that rank higher in gender equality tend to report more restful sleep than those where women have less economic and political power.  The effect could be seen in both men and women, suggesting the more balanced division of domestic tasks and financial burden pays off across the sexes.

In the new study led by a team from the universities of Cincinnati and Melbourne, researchers used data from the European Social Survey to measure sleep quality as it varies in different countries, with a total sample of 14,143 partnered individuals from 23 countries in Europe.

While men and women still reported different types of sleep disruptions, with women more likely to be disturbed by children and men more likely to be kept awake worrying about finances, those in more gender-equal countries such as Norway had better sleep overall, co-author Leah Ruppanner explains in an article for Slate.  In Ukraine and other countries that ranked lower on the equality scale, men and women aren’t getting as much sleep.

The findings suggest a country’s efforts to empower women have positive effects on the individual level – for both men and women.

Ruppanner says: ‘Men experience countless benefits from gender equality, reporting better physical health, greater happiness, and – as our study shows – better sleep.  Women in more gender-equal countries also report better health as well as more equal divisions of child care and housework with their partners.  Doing unpaid domestic work often comes at the expense of free time and self-care, so this more equitable division of labor is critical to women’s sleep.’

In the study published to the Journal of Marriage and Family, the researchers say the findings highlight the importance of promoting gender equality on a national level – not just in the household.  The effects then trickle down into day-to-day life.

Ruppanner wrote: ‘Sleep, like housework and child care, is another way women’s time is stretched, interrupted, and undervalued.  Women have to advocate for their own right to sleep and other forms of self-care.  And second, we have to acknowledge gender inequality is bad for men too.  Like child care, the financial pressures of work are detrimental to sleep.  In countries with high gender equality, men aren’t carrying the burden alone.  This means, when it comes to sleep, dismantling traditional gender norms is something men would benefit from nearly as much as women.’

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It appears Dracula may have been onto something when he drank the blood of young maidens.

Scores of start-ups have been tinkering with transfusions of blood from younger adults to treat age-related diseases.  But a leading geneticist at University College London insists those experiments are no joke, and are seriously considered by leading physicians to be one of the most promising ventures in modern medicine.

Publishing an analysis of data in the journal Nature, Dame Linda Partridge, a geneticist, says research shows young blood could allow humans to live a life free of diseases like cancer, dementia and heart disease, right up until their deaths.  Her work forms part of a wave of studies and trials, including a set of human trials backed by Peter Thiel at a San Francisco start-up called Ambrosia, injecting older adults with young blood - something that would cost $8,000 if it were rolled out to the public.

Professor Partridge's study showed older mice given young blood did not develop age-related diseases and maintained sharp cognitive function, while younger ones given older blood saw the opposite effect.   It is a proof, she says, that blood needs to be more closely studied in animals to identify the molecules that conserve physical health.

The study says: 'Identification of these is a high priority for research.  The practical accessibility of both the human microbiome and blood system makes therapeutic manipulation a particularly attractive approach, but research in animals is needed to establish the long-term consequences and possible side effects.'

Professor Partridge and her co-authors Joris Deelen and P. Eline Slagboom add: '[B]lood is the most practically accessible and therefore the most commonly investigated tissue, but it is much less commonly used in animal studies.  It will be important to develop blood-based biomarkers of risk, ageing hallmarks and responses to candidate interventions in animals.'   Theirs is hardly the first study to show such an effect.

The Ambrosia trials involved 70 participants.  All of those involved were at least 35 and had paid $8,000 out of their own pocket to be part of the experiment.  They were given plasma - the main component of blood - from volunteers aged between 16 and 25.

Researchers noted improvements in biomarkers of various major diseases, also known of indicators for certain conditions.  This included a 10 per cent reduction in blood cholesterol, of which high levels are known to lead to heart disease.  Other effects noted by the scientists were a 20 per cent reduction in proteins called carcinoembryonic antigens.  These can be seen in high quantities in people who have various forms of cancer, the website reports, but it remains to be seen whether.

The younger blood also helped to slash amyloid protein levels, which forms toxic clumps in the brains of dementia patients, by a fifth.  In particular, one 55-year-old patient with early onset Alzheimer's began to show improvements in his condition after just one transfusion.  Another, slightly older woman with more severe Alzheimer's pathology is showing similar improvements, the start-up reported.

The scientists at Ambrosia envision a world in which elderly people receive two injections a year.  However, he hinted it's possible some of the effects of could have been imagined by those who were desperate to see results after paying so much.

Scientists have long studied the effects of young blood on animals, but have come across a mixed bag of results.  Previous US research has suggested that the blood from human umbilical cords could be the key ingredient for a ‘fountain of youth’ drug.  The Stanford University team discovered a protein found with the plasma can reverse the effects of age-related mental decline.  However, experts at The Ottawa Hospital made a much different finding last July.  They noted how blood donations from young women may be linked to poorer survival rates in recipients.

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Drones could soon be flown by autonomous AI pilots if Lockheed Martin has any say.  The aerospace giant is partnering with ESPN's Drone Racing League to pit humans and AI against one another to see which can navigate a drone through a high-flying course the fastest.

Called the AlphaPilot Innovation Challenge, teams must craft AI system based around Nvidia's Jetson deep learning technology and fly the drone without any pre-programming or human intervention.  The first team that can outrun a human DRL pilot wins a $250,000 reward, while the grand prize winner can claim up to $1 million.  But the competition doesn't just promise a financial reward.  The winning AI system could spell the future of autonomous drone operations, according to Lockheed Martin.

'Competitors will have an opportunity to define the future of autonomy and AI and help our world leverage these promising technologies to build a brighter future,' Keoki Jackson, Lockheed Martin's Chief Technology Officer, said in a statement.  This includes a range of 'complex challenges,' including fighting wildfires, saving lives during natural disasters and 'exploring deep space,' Jackson explained.

Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the challenge, which will start accepting entries in November.  Teams will then compete in the DRL's 2019 racing season.  AI-powered drones will have to navigate complex courses in the League's AI Robot Racing circuit alongside human-piloted drones.   The ultimate goal is to develop systems that put AI pilots on par with humans.

'[The AIRR circuit] will challenge teams of the most talented AI engineers and researchers from around the world to design an AI framework that’s capable of racing a drone — without any pre-programming or human intervention.  By having AI and humans compete on the same track and comparing their times, we’ll also be able to measure the gap in performance between man and machine, and see how quickly it closes,' DRL CEO Nicholas Horbaczewski told VentureBeat.

Lockheed Martin is now encouraging undergraduate and graduate students, as well as drone enthusiasts and coders to participate in the challenge.  The competition has raised concerns from some who are wary that the technology could be used to further Lockheed Martin's pursuits in militarizing drones.  It's already interested in developing pilotless aircraft for military purposes.

However, Horbaczewski said the tech being developed doesn't have any ties to the military.  He added that it will take a while before the AI-piloted drone technology is truly up to par with humans.

'DRL's pilots could easily defeat any autonomous racing drone today...But the goal of AIRR is to close that gap.  In 2019, my money is on the human pilot.  But by 2020?  It's anyone's race,' Horbaczewski told the Verge.

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Volvo envisions a future where your car is a place to sleep, hang out and do work while on the road.  The Swedish carmaker unveiled on 5 September its latest concept car, dubbed the 360c, that's an all-electric, autonomous vehicle meant to make traveling and commuting a more pleasant experience.

Volvo, which is eyeing a 2021 release date, has an ambitious vision for the 360c, believing it could revolutionize short-haul air travel, city dwelling and our environmental footprint.  Besides city driving, Volvo said the 360c would create new demand for inter-city taxi passengers travelling as far as 300 km (186 miles).  The firm claims it will feature Level 5 autonomy, removing the need for a human driver whatsoever.

In a video teasing the vehicle, Volvo posits some interesting ideas about the broader development of autonomous vehicles and how current designs don't exhibit much thought about the passenger experience.   The firm believes the 360c could help drivers in the future see commuting and travel as a stress-free experience, with autonomous technology serving as a way 'to live on the move whichever way you choose.'

Without a steering wheel or combustion engine, Volvo has redesigned the car's interior to become a futuristic living room, bedroom or work space, equipped with full mobile connectivity.  It has a sleek exterior that looks like a combination between an SUV and a sedan.

The video shows passengers sleeping in a pod-like bed, holding meetings and hanging out with friends as the concept car speeds down a highway.

The car's windows turn into futuristic screens that show relevant information.   It appears the car could even be fitted with some kind of digital assistant, as a scene in the teaser video shows the words 'Hi, how may I help you?' featured on the passenger window.

'The 360c presents four potential uses of autonomous driving vehicles – a sleeping environment, mobile office, living room and entertainment space – which all re-imagine the way people travel,' Volvo said in a statement.

It uses a system of lights and audio signals to notify pedestrians and other cars about the car's movements - a system that Volvo hopes will become the standard 'in how autonomous vehicles can safely communicate with all other road users.'  'We believe that such a standardised system will play an integral part in making autonomous vehicle travel a safe and pleasant reality,' Volvo explained.

Volvo envisions that the car could even spur changes in city planning, as more and more passengers choose to live in suburban areas, since the 360c could make their commute more enjoyable, allowing for them to work on the go.

The firm also believes it could serve as an alternative for red eye flights or short-haul flights.  For example, a consumer might choose to take a 360c 'private sleeper vehicle' to get to Washington, DC from New York City, instead of a train, bus or airplane.

Marten Levenstam, senior vice president of corporate strategy at Volvo Cars said: 'Domestic air travel sounds great when you buy your ticket, but it really isn’t.  The sleeping cabin allows you to enjoy premium comfort and peaceful travel through the night and wake up refreshed at your destination.  It could enable us to compete with the world’s leading aircraft makers.'

Aside from the car's use cases, Volvo divulged few details about its pricing, specs and the like.  However, the firm is confident that the 360c is the type of vehicle that fits into what consumers want, as well as what the broader industry commands, in the future.

'The business will change in the coming years and Volvo should lead the change of our industry,' Chief Executive Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement.

Volvo expects autonomous cars to account for a third of its sales by 2025, the company said in June, while fully electric cars claim 50 per cent.

The world's largest automakers are developing new types of vehicle such as self-driving passenger shuttles as they look to capture new markets in an autonomous future that may also see direct car sales dwindle as fewer people own them.

Tech companies such as Uber and Alphabet's Waymo are pouring billions of dollars into autonomous car development, while auto manufacturers such as Daimler are testing prototypes.  Few details have yet been announced, however, a year before Daimler and partner Bosch are due to deploy robo-taxis in California's Silicon Valley.

Toyota introduced a concept car that's similar to Volvo's 360c, called the e-Palette, at CES earlier this year.

So far, Volvo's self-driving ambitions have been closely linked with Uber, which was operating a fleet of autonomous Volvo XC90s until a recent fatal collision with a pedestrian brought the programme to a halt.

Volvo, whose first stand-alone autonomous car is due in 2021, is exploring a listing this year.

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Some people swear vehemently by their beliefs despite overwhelming evidence contradicting their standpoint.  It’s a phenomenon that’s given rise to movements such as the ‘flat Earthers’ and climate change deniers, among many others in recent times.  While it might seem baffling, new research suggests it may have something to do with how we value feedback compared to hard evidence.

In a new study, researchers found that the positive and negative reactions that spring up in response to people’s opinions tend to hold more weight than logic or scientific data.  This feedback, which can play out in personal exchanges or across social media, can bolster a person’s certainty in their own beliefs.

‘If you think you know a lot about something, even though you don’t, you’re less likely to be curious enough to explore the topic further, and will fail to learn how little you know,’ said study lead author Louis Marti, a PhD student in psychology at UC Berkeley.

In the study, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley recruited more than 500 adults for an online task on Amason’s Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform.  The experiment called on participants to look at different combinations of shapes and identify which qualified as a made-up object called a ‘Daxxy.’  Participants were given no information about the characteristics of this shape, but received feedback on whether their guesses were right or wrong as they played.

The study was designed to investigate what influences a person’s certainty during the learning process, the researchers explain.

‘If you use a crazy theory to make a correct prediction a couple of times, you can get stuck in that belief and may not be as interested in gathering more information,’ said study senior author Celeste Kidd, an assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley.

Each participant was asked to report on their certainty following each guess.  And, the researchers found they only considered the recent feedback, as opposed to the cumulative information.  The participants consistently based their certainty on how they did in the last four or five guesses, the researchers said.

‘What we found interesting is that they could get the first 19 guesses in a row wrong, but if they got the last five right, they felt very confident.  It’s not that they weren’t paying attention, they were learning what a Daxxy was, but they weren’t using most of what they learned to inform their certainty.  If your goal is to arrive at the truth, the strategy of using your most recent feedback, rather than all of the data you’ve accumulated, is not a great tactic,’ Marti said.

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Engineers from NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne have revealed a major step forward in a radical ion engine designed to get man to Mars.  Known as a Hall Thruster, it uses electric and magnetic fields to ionize gases like xenon and expels the ions to produce thrust.  The technique is much cleaner, safer and more fuel efficient than traditional chemical rockets, but the trade off is relatively low thrust and acceleration.

NASA gave Aerojet Rocketdyne a three year, $67m contract to develop the system, known as the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS).  Work performed under the contract could potentially increase spaceflight transportation fuel efficiency by 10 times over current chemical propulsion technology and more than double thrust capability compared to current electric propulsion systems.  The core technology – the Hall thruster – is already in use for manoeuvring satellites in orbit around the Earth.

Aerojet Rocketdyne says it has now successfully completed its early systems integration test for the radical engine.  It is developing a 13-kilowatt Hall thruster string for NASA.

The test at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, proved the system's ability to successfully convert power at a high efficiency level, producing minimal waste heat.

'By staying on the cutting edge of propulsion technology, we have positioned ourselves for a major role not only in getting back to the Moon, but also in any future initiative to send people to Mars.  AEPS is the vanguard for the next generation of deep space exploration and we're thrilled to be at the mast,' said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president.

The team will now move into the design finalization and verification phase leading up to the critical design review (CDR), in which the design will be finalized and cleared for production.

The AEPS thrusters could be used on the power and propulsion element of NASA's Gateway, the agency's lunar orbiting outpost for robotic and human exploration operations in deep space.

Built with commercial partners, the power and propulsion element will demonstrate 50-kW class solar electric propulsion to support exploration on and near the Moon, and beyond, including Mars.  The most powerful Hall thruster in orbit right now is 4.5 kilowatts.  That's enough to adjust the orbit or orientation of a satellite, but it's too little power to move the massive amounts of cargo needed to support human exploration of deep space.

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An unmanned airship could revolutionise police and rescue operations by offering silent surveillance from above using an array of high-resolution cameras.

The zero-emission vehicle, dubbed Eon, is designed by British aviation firm Avalon Airships to be a fully-autonomous aircraft that lands on water, allowing it to access difficult-to-reach locations.

The company claims the vehicle, about the same size of a double-decker bus, would fit a wide variety of applications ranging from commercial uses to ambulance, surveillance and policing applications.

It would come equipped with a small, detachable drone that could carry medical supplies, including a defibrillator, to anyone injured below.  However, Eon remains a concept design for now, and Avalon Airships has not revealed when – if ever – it will build a prototype of the vehicle.

Writing on its website, the company says: 'With its streamlined profile and high-torque electric motors, this vehicle can travel efficiently at speeds far greater than is achievable using road and rail networks.  The silent hybrid airship design allows this aircraft to stay in the air for extended periods of time while having a flexible payload capability.  Water-only landings give this vehicle a huge amount of possible landing sites.'

The Eon would be powered by fully electric motors and stay afloat using helium, making it almost-silent while it cruises through the air, boasting a range of 300 miles (480km).

It lacks any landing gear and so could only touches down and launches from water, which may raise some concerns over storing the vehicle in urban areas.  According to Avalon Airships, pilots would need to utilise 'disused shipping canals' in order to deploy from and deliver to city centres.

The company, based in Manchester, said the airship would be loaded with solar panels, wind generators and storage batteries to keep it afloat for extended-periods.  It would also come with a small, quadcopter drone to transport clothes, a defibrillator, a small heater, food rations and medical supplies to people on the ground.

The company says: 'For the police, ambulance and rescue applications of EOS, the aircraft is equipped with a remotely piloted drone, allowing it to give more direct aid in emergencies.  A range of storage compartments allow the drone to carry a wide range of medical and survival payloads.'

The Eon could be configured to work as an air ambulance or search-and-rescue craft delivering medical supplies, as well as a police and surveillance vehicle with a host of cameras to spy on people below.  It could even work in entertainment roles, provide aerial coverage of all-day events, Avalon said.

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The strange symptoms affecting US Diplomats in Cuba are a result of exposure to pulsed radiofrequency/microwave electromagnetic radiation, a leading researcher has claimed.

Beginning in 2016, personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba (as well as Canadian diplomats and family members) described hearing strange sounds, followed by development of an array of symptoms - but the source of the health problems has never been determined.

In a new study, Beatrice Golomb, professor of medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, says publicly reported symptoms and experiences of a 'mystery illness' afflicting American and Canadian diplomats in Cuba and China strongly match known effects of pulsed radiofrequency/microwave electromagnetic (RF/MW) radiation.

Golomb said, in advance of the September 15 issue of Neural Computation which carries her paper: 'I looked at what's known about pulsed RF/MW in relation to diplomats' experiences.  Everything fits.  The specifics of the varied sounds that the diplomats reported hearing during the apparent inciting episodes, such as chirping, ringing and buzzing, cohere in detail with known properties of so-called 'microwave hearing,' also known as the Frey effect.  And the symptoms that emerged fit, including the dominance of sleep problems, headaches and cognitive issues, as well as the distinctive prominence of auditory symptoms.  Even objective findings reported on brain imaging fit with what has been reported for persons affected by RF/MW radiation.'

In May, the State Department reported that U.S. government employees in Guangzhou, China had also experienced similar sounds and health problems.

Affected diplomats and family members from both locations were medically evacuated to the U.S. for treatment, but despite multiple government investigations, an official explanation of events and subsequent illnesses has not been announced.

Golomb compared rates of described symptoms among diplomats with a published 2012 study of symptoms reported by people affected by electromagnetic radiation in Japan.  She found the cited symptoms — headache, cognitive problems, sleep issues, irritability, nervousness or anxiety, dizziness and tinnitus (ringing in the ears) — occurred at 'strikingly similar' rates.

Some diplomats reported hearing loss.  That symptom was not assessed in both studies so rates could not be compared, but Golomb said it is widely reported in both conditions.

David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany, part of the State University of New York, was not involved in Golomb's study but said it illustrates 'microwave hearing,' which results 'from heating induced in tissue, which causes 'waves' in the ear and results in clicks and other sounds.'

Reported symptoms, he said, characterize the syndrome of electrohypersensitivity (EHS), in which unusual exposure to radiofrequency radiation can trigger symptoms in vulnerable persons that may be permanent and disabling.

'We have seen this before when the Soviets irradiated the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in the days of the Cold War,' he said.

The health consequences of RF/MW exposure is a matter of on-going debate.

Some government agencies, such as the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute, publicly assert that low- to mid-frequency, non-ionizing radiation like those from microwaves and RF is generally harmless.  They cite studies that have found no conclusive link between exposure and harm.

But others, including researchers like Golomb, dispute that conclusion, pointing out many of the no-harm studies were funded by vested industries or had other conflicts of interest.

Cuba has adamantly denied involvement or knowledge.  Initial speculation centered on some type of sonic attack owing to strange sounds heard by those affected.

One American government worker at a U.S. consulate in China who also confirmed to have been affected, raising concerns that the incidents occurring in Cuba have spread.

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Amber was so prized by prehistoric people across Europe that vast trade routes were set up by the year 4,000 BC.

Stone Age humans transported the golden coloured gem through extensive exchange networks across the Mediterranean, researchers say.  They discovered amber from Sicily was being imported into parts of Spain and Portugal over 6,000 years ago.  The latest findings push back the date of sophisticated trade routes by around 2,000 years.  Experts have previously uncovered evidence of the use of amber in decorative objects in Europe dating back as far as 4,000 BC.

Scientists say there is currently no evidence of direct contact between Sicily and Iberia at the time, and that amber may have made its way via Africa.

An international team of researchers, including from the University of Cambridge, made the discovery by studying amber from a large number of archaeological and geological sites across the Iberian Peninsula.  They used a form of advanced scanning called infrared spectroscopy, which analyses the interaction of infrared radiation with the matter that makes up an object, to reveal the origins of their amber samples.  This revealed 22 amber samples from Portugal and Spain, dating between 4,000 to 1,000 years BC, were of local origin.  This confirmed previous research about the mining of amber in Northern Iberia.

Across the rest of the Peninsula, however, the amber used in jewellery and other ornaments was found to come from Sicily or the Baltic region.  The team found Sicilian amber arrived in Iberia much earlier than previously thought.

Lead author Dr Mercedes Murillo-Barroso, of the University of Granada, said: ‘The new evidence presented in this study has allowed the most comprehensive review to date on the provision and exchange of amber in the prehistory of Iberia.  Thanks to this new work, we now have evidence of the arrival of Sicilian amber in Iberia from at least the 4th Millennium BC.’

Amber has been used in jewellery for tens of thousands of years, with archaeological studies tracing informal exchange networks of amber both as a raw material and in decorative objects in Europe back to the Late Palaeolithic period, between 4,000 and 8,000 BC.  It is often found to hold remarkably well-preserved materials from eras long since passed.

The golden-coloured translucent substance is formed when resin from extinct coniferous trees became hardened and then fossilised.  Often insects, plant material, pollen and other creatures, became trapped in the resin, causing them to be entombed within after it has solidified.

Dr Murillo-Barroso said: ‘Interestingly, the first amber objects recovered in Sicily and identified as being made from the local amber there – known as simetite – also date from the 4th Millennium BC.  However, there is no other evidence indicating direct contact between Sicily and Iberia at this time.  Instead, what we do know about are the links between the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.  It is plausible that Sicilian amber reached Iberia through exchanges with North Africa.  This amber appears at southern Iberian sites and its distribution is similar to that of ivory objects, suggesting that both materials reached the Iberian Peninsula following the same or similar channels.’

After a decline in amber consumption and trade with the beginning of the Bronze Age, in around 2,000 BC, experts discovered an influx of Baltic amber from Scandinavia gradually replaced the Sicilian amber in Iberia by around 1,000 BC.

Senior author Professor Marcos Martinón-Torres, of the department of archaeology at the University of Cambridge added: ‘It is only from the Late Bronze Age that we see Baltic amber at a large number of Iberian sites and it is likely that it arrived via the Mediterranean, rather than through direct trade with Scandinavia.  What's peculiar is that this amber appears as associated with iron, silver and ceramics pointing to Mediterranean connections.  This suggests that amber from the North may have moved South across Central Europe before being shipped to the West by Mediterranean sailors, challenging previous suggestions of direct trade between Scandinavia and Iberia.’

The full findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Aerosols are all around us.  A stunning new map from NASA plots the millions of unseen particles swirling throughout the skies, showing everything from dust and sea salts to smoke from wildfires raging in the US and Canada.  The map combines data from satellites and sensors on the ground, helping to reveal the exact location and intensity of different phenomena around the world.

Aerosols are both liquid and solid particles suspended in the atmosphere, and can affect temperatures down at the surface.  NASA explains: ‘Depending upon their size, type, and location, aerosols can either cool the surface, or warm it.  They can help clouds to form, or they can inhibit cloud formation.  And if inhaled, some aerosols can be harmful to people’s health.’

A slew of NASA satellites are able to pick up on these tiny particles, including Terra, Aqua, and Suomi NPP.  The space agency models aerosols with the Goddard Earth Observing System Forward Processing (GEOS FP), using mathematical equations to represent the processes happening around the world.  The new map focuses on aerosols spotted on August 23, showing several different hotspots worldwide linked to different processes.

Aerosol levels fluctuate throughout the year in different regions due to different environmental processes.

The map highlights three different types of aerosols: sea salt, black carbon, and dust.  Black carbon, associated with fires, can be seen in high amounts over the US West Coast and Canada, and in sub-Saharan Africa.  In northern Africa, on the other hand, dust is the key contributor to aerosol concentrations, as with parts of Asia and the Middle East.  Typhoon activity on the other hand, gave rise to higher atmospheric sea salt off Japan and South Korea.

NASA explains: ‘Some of the events that appear in the visualization were causing pretty serious problems on the ground.  On August 23, Hawaiians braced for torrential rains and potentially serious floods and mudslides as Hurricane Lane approached.  Meanwhile, twin tropical cyclones – Soulik and Cimaron – were on the verge of lashing South Korea and Japan.  The smoke plume over central Africa is a seasonal occurrence and mainly the product of farmers lightning numerous small fires to maintain crop and grazing lands.  Most of the smoke over North America came from large wildfires burning in Canada and the United States.’

The map also shows night light data captured by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, showing different towns and cities, NASA notes.

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